Chapter 292: Trial Tower
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Dubhe remained seated in the stool, his eyes lowered and silent, with a stony, twisted look on his face.
He didn’t expect Jiang Shuxuan to do this.
He thought back to the words that the other had said previously, and he really wasn’t going to let him go!
As expected of Jiang Shuxuan, he really was a member of the Jiang family.
Dubhe pressed his temples, it didn’t matter to him that Gu Xiqiao participated in the ranking tournaments, it was just that he didn’t want things to deteriorate further than this. He was completely sidelined by Jiang Shuxuan’s stubbornness.
He felt as though he was the most failed Dubhe in history.
“Master Dubhe, we’ll be… leaving first.” The Murong family’s elder looked at Dubhe, bowing to him. The heat radiating from the other made him fearful of getting closer, and it also made it all clearer how terrifying Dubhe’s powers were.
“Hm,” Dubhe responded. There was a distortion in the air, and his entire person disappeared.
Only the elders from the Murong family were left in the room, and they couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief as they wiped the cold sweat on their brows. There was still some lingering fear in their hearts, Jiang Shuxuan had not liked managing the ancient martial arts world a few years back. He only took on small tasks and everyone slowly got used to it, and grew complacent. They had completely forgotten Jiang Shuxuan’s nature!
Wasn’t the Jiang family known for being extremely protective of their own? It was nuts for them to even entertain the thought of asking Gu Xiqiao to back out from entering the ranking tournaments.
The remaining elders glanced at each other with understanding on their faces, and then quietly left the room.
***
Dubhe had not gone far, and he reappeared on the roof of the Elders Association. He sat on the tiles. The jade flute in his hands as his gaze was in the direction of the Jiang family house with a dark look in his eyes.
Suddenly, a wave of energy fluctuated in the air, and Dubhe stood up in surprise. His eyes widened, and he muttered, “Master… But how can that be?”
He wanted to find the source of the energy, but before he could move, it had disappeared in a flash.
***
When Jiang Shuxuan returned home, he saw Yi Bing bringing Jiji and Xixi in.
When he saw Jiji, he was about to ignore it, but then he recalled Gu Xiqiao’s words, and he halted in his steps, lowering his head to look at the robot. “Jiji, go on up and see her. She’s been missing you.”
Jiang Shuxuan’s voice was not warm nor gentle, but it definitely wasn’t cold either. Compared to the cold attitude that he usually had when he dealt with them, it was simply as warm as the spring air.
Jiji had gotten used to being ignored and kicked around by Jiang Shuxuan, and this was the first time it had felt such a loving Master Jiang. Jiji was taken aback, and hurriedly asked, “Master Jiang, you… are you okay?”
Jiang Shuxuan: “…” He spared another glance at Jiji, then turned around and walked away.
Jiji had reacted quickly, as though lightning had struck it!
Xixi looked at it with sympathy in its beady eyes. “How can you be such a fool at such a young age.”
“If I could have a do over,” Jiji said, looking at Xixi. “I would definitely say… baby, don’t you love me anymore?”
Xixi: “…” Seriously, why did it have to talk to Jiji at such a solemn time?
Was there really something wrong in Jiji’s head?
Yi Tong laughed as he followed Jiang Shuxuan. There was a saying ‘A smile will gain you ten more years of life’, and Yi Tong thought that if it were true, he could possibly become a thousand-year-old immortal if he continued to stay by Gu Xiqiao’s side.
Hearing his words, Yi Bing looked at him straight in his eyes. “What happens if you died from laughing instead?”
Yi Tong: “…” Would it kill you to just shut up? Geez!
And then he thought about it, since when did this Yi Bing, who had always been serious and uptight become like this…
Gu Xiqiao walked down the stairs, following behind Shu Chen. “I just found someone to make a few sets of new clothes which are following the popular trends currently. Oh, that’s right, and some matching clothes for mother and daughter. Let’s wear them tomorrow, and I’ll show you around the ancient martial arts world!”
Shu Chen sounded very excited, and as she pulled Gu Xiqiao downstairs with her, she acted as though she didn’t see her son, continuing to babble with Gu Xiqiao. “Doesn’t it look good on the both of us? Shuxuan, don’t you think so too?”
Jiang Shuxuan: “…” So you finally remember that you have a son.
Although that was his thoughts, his gaze turned to Gu Xiqiao. She was wearing a light green dress with a fox fur coat. Even the big coat was unable to hide her thin and slender figure underneath, it was no wonder Mrs. Zhang kept feeding her food whenever she could. It even looked like she had become thinner over the past two days.
She slowly followed Shu Chen downstairs, her steps slightly awkward at the long skirt. The lights from the crystal lamps reflected on her face, and it was hard to tell whether the fox fur coat or her face was paler under the glow.
She usually had a cold expression on her face, but today there was a faint smile on her lips as her eyes shimmered softly. It gave her an exceptionally warm glow, beautiful to the point it was hard to look away from her.
Then he turned his gaze to his mother, who was also wearing the same green dress. Thinking for a while, he finally said, “Like a green caterpillar.”
Having said that, he rushed off to the study, not daring to look at Gu Xiqiao, Yi Tong, and everyone else hot on his heels.
Behind him, Shu Chen had her fist raised in a motion that she was going to beat the crap out of her son for saying that. Why didn’t she know that her son was this sort of person before? Sure enough, it would probably be better to have just grown potted plants!
“Aunt Shu, Brother Jiang may just be jealous of your beauty,” Gu XIqiao said, after being silent for a while.
After being comforted like that, Shu Chen had wanted to say something more to Gu Xiqiao, but the butler came over. “Madam, there is someone here to meet you.”
“I’ll leave first, Qiao Qiao. I’ll be back in a while.” Shu Chen knew that if it wasn’t important, the butler wouldn’t have come personally to inform her. So she bid goodbye to Gu Xiqiao and left.
Only Gu Xiqiao was left in the living room, with Jiji and the others.
“Why is Dog Feed here?” Gu Xiqiao asked, pointing to the plant in Jiji’s arms.
“To make a mess!” Jiji exclaimed excitedly, and proceeded to relate the entire incident that had happened between them and Dubhe.
The corner of Gu Xiqiao’s mouth twitched, and she didn’t comment on Jiji’s story. For Jiji to come back intact, Dubhe really had good self-restrained. “Jiji, I upgraded the virtual trial arena.”
“Upgraded?” Why hadn’t it felt anything?
Oh no, Beauty Gu probably wouldn’t need it in the next second!
“When it was upgrading, I didn’t have control over it. It was projected into reality.” Fortunately, it had only been for a few seconds, and she managed to take it back.
Jiji was silent for a while. “It’s fine, you must have just lost control a little bit. This virtual trial arena will be a big help to you in the future.”
Gu Xiqiao nodded her head, naturally knowing the function of the virtual trial arena.
“Speaking of Dubhe, I still have this feeling that he’s really familiar,” Jiji said suddenly.
This wasn’t the first time Jiji had brought it up and said the same thing, and Gu Xiqiao rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “Your lover from your previous life?”
“I’ll break up with you!” Jiji didn’t want to entertain Gu Xiqiao’s line of thought.
Gu Xiqiao ignored Jiji, pulling out her phone to call Mu Zong.
When Gu Xiqiao called, Mu Zong was in Yu Ning’s house. A group of them had gathered to eat hotpot, and he went to a corner to take the call. “Miss Gu.”
“Uncle Mu, please have someone pass the documents from Nine Heavens to Yao Jiamu, I won’t be coming back for a while,” Gu Xiqiao said as she sat down lazily on the sofa.
Mu Zong was used to instructions like this from her, and so he gave her a brief update on the major events that had happened in Nine Heavens for the past few days.
After listening to his recap, she hung up the phone and began to ponder on the things that he had told her. Chu Enterprise’s main business was in food and beverages, now they’ve suddenly decided to enter the net business and they even want to cooperate with Nine Heavens. She rubbed her chin thoughtfully, deep in thought.
“Jiji, bring out the computer.”
She reached out, taking out the pocket PC from Jiji’s chest.
She tapped a few keys on the device, hacking into Chu Enterprise with ease. She pulled up Chu Ziheng’s recent schedule, rubbing her chin again as she smiled suddenly.
The next day, there was a group of people gathered outside the Trial Tower, discussing. It seemed that Jiang Tong was undergoing training in the tower.
Murong Miaoxue had just exited the Trial Tower, and she watched as Jiang Tong’s rank jumped from 62 to 63, then 63 to 64, finally stopping at 65.
The people around the tower were just discussing and chatting, but it turned into amazement in the end.
Compared to Gu Xiqiao, no matter how talented you were, you would still look dull next to her. But no one expected Jiang Tong to be able to jump from the 62nd floor to the 65th floor in just less than half a month. It was simply abnormal, everyone thought as they looked at each other.
“This Jiang Tong, why does it feel like she wasn’t this talented in the past?” The young girl beside Murong Miaoxue said.
Regular people would take about half a year just to break through one single floor, and here Jiang Tong was, breaking through three floors in just half a month. That was simply terrifying!
Jiang Tong exited the Trial Tower, the ashen look on her fast a few days back gone, replaced with a renewed confident look.
Murong Miaoxue glanced at her, disinterest in her eyes, and she turned around to leave, but then she spotted two figures in the distance walking in the direction of the tower. “It’s her!”
The crowd around the Trial Tower was also sparked with excitement, anticipation in their eyes when they saw who it was.
Jiang Tong, who had been the center of attention just a few seconds ago, was now completely forgotten. She turned to look at who had stolen her spotlight, and her eyes darkened.
Gu Xiqiao walked to the front of the Trial Tower, a smile that didn’t reach her eyes on her face. “I didn’t finish this last time, let’s see which floor I can reach this time. I can also use this as more reference for the cave.”
Her figure disappeared from the spot in a flash, entering the Trial Tower’s entrance.
News of Gu Xiqiao’s jaunt into the tower had spread throughout the entire ancient martial arts world, and countless people had rushed to the tower to watch her enter.
“I wonder how many floors will she be able to pass?” The elder from the Tang family mused, looking at the ranking. He exclaimed in surprise when he did, “That Jiang Tong has already passed the 65th floor?”
“Even Jiang Tong has passed the 65th floor, I think passing the 60th level shouldn’t be a problem for her then, right?” Another person replied.
“She advanced to Xiantian last time, maybe she can pass the 70th floor?”
“It’s not impossible, even that Nozawa reached level 70, right? What if she’s able to reach the 75th floor?”
“Every tenth floor is the most difficult to break through, the 70th floor should be the maximum she can reach. It’s a little impossible to think that she’d be able to reach the 71st floor.”
The 70th floor was the hurdle between Xiantian and Houtian. Like Nozawa, though he was estimated to be on the 70th floor in terms of strength, if he came and broke through the 69th floor, it would already be considered to be great.
That’s why most of the people here thought that, should Gu Xiqiao be able to reach the 70th floor, it would already be considered an impossible feat.
Because she had just advanced to Xiantian level just half a month ago.
Shu Chen stood beside some of the elders, a faint smile on her lips, but she said nothing.
“She’s at… strange, how can she be on the 20th floor? Could it be that she came here once before?” A young boy who was watching the ranking stone said suddenly.
As soon as he said that, all the elders looked at each other. They saw the horror in each other’s eyes. The mysterious person who had advanced 20 floors in just ten minutes more than a month ago, they had searched long and hard without any results. They hadn’t expected it to be her!
“Look, it’s changing again!”
Gu Xiqiao’s name changed quickly, going from the 30th floor to the 40th floor, taking only half and hour.
“Look, with this speed, she should be reaching the 70th floor soon!” At first, everyone was just teasing and joking about it, but now it was shockingly happening in front of them, and all of their eyes were glued to the stone stable, silently watching.
It took a little longer from the 40th floor to the 50th floor, but it didn’t seem like there was any stopping her!
She soon passed the 60th floor, and approached the 70th floor!
Gu Xiqiao, 70th floor!
When the tablet refreshed again, no one in the crowd spoke a word. Their wide eyes were still glued to the stone, full of disbelief and surprise.
Even the great elder was stunned speechless. He rubbed his face, his voice a bit dry as he said, “She… Is she trying to break through the 70th floor?”
Just as he said that, the ranking refreshed again.
Gu Xiqiao, 71st floor!
When Jiang Shuxuan had broken through 70 floors in one fell swoop, it caused a wave across the entire ancient martial arts world. There hadn’t been a person who surpassed him in the time after.
This was the first time his name had dropped to second place.
Those people in front of the Trial Tower had no words to describe what they were feeling already, it was just crazy. The word ‘genius’ couldn’t even begin to describe this girl, she was just plain terrifying! It had exceeded any kind of expectations all of them had! For Jiang Tong to advance three levels to the 65th floor was already alarming, they didn’t predict that Gu Xiqiao would break through the 70th floor in one fell swoop!
The 70th floor, that was the world of the Houtian level!
Such an almighty existence that they couldn’t even dream about!
Chapter 293: The Gap Was Just Too Big!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“How old was Young Master Jiang when he reached the 70th floor?” Someone asked suddenly.
“20 years old.” The great elder of the Jiang family said, clearly remember the incident.
When he said that, everyone’s hearts trembled.
When Gu Xiqiao had entered the Trial Tower, the crowd had their doubts and guesses. Gu Xiqiao had placed first in the selections after all, they knew that she wouldn’t be too low level, but they didn’t expect her to reach the 71st floor!
More importantly, it was obvious that 71st floor wasn’t her limit!
Gu Xiqiao, 72nd floor!
Gu Xiqiao, 73rd floor!
Gu Xiqiao, 76th floor!
It seems that nothing could stop her on any of those levels!
“This… oh my word!”
“No way!”
“Where did this beast come from?”
“It’s terrifying!”
“It’s too terrifying!”
The Jiang family’s elders were completely stunned, they were shocked at the speed that Gu Xiqiao had reached where she had. The great elder was swaying in the spot, unstable on his legs. He wanted to be like the guards at this time, falling backside first to the ground.
When he had first met her, she was obviously strong. But she still had some difficulty against those thugs, and she was probably only about Fleet Foot level at that time.
The next time he saw her was the day she fought Jiang Tong, and advanced into Xiantian directly.
Today was the third time he was seeing her, and she had broken through all the way straight to the 76th floor!
This speed of advancing levels was unprecedented! Even Jiang Shuxuan, the top in the ancient martial arts world, had advanced at a more uniform speed. Although he didn’t know the full extent of Jiang Shuxuan’s strength, the speed of his advancement was definitely not as horrifying as hers!
Seeing the great elder clutching his chest tightly, Yin Shaoyuan, who had came to watch the show, smiled brightly. “Great Elder, don’t be in such a rush to sit down. She hasn’t come out yet after all.”
Once those words were spoken, everyone grew silent. That’s right, she hadn’t come out yet.
She had already reached the 76th floor, and yet, she was still in there!
The youngsters in the crowd looked at the name at the top of the ranking list, and they couldn’t help but smile bitterly. The gap was great, just too great a distance!
Someone swallowed heavily. “Say, how far do you think she can go?”
No one dared to answer this question.
When Gu Xiqiao had first started, a few elders had guessed that maybe the 60th or 70th floor would be her limit. But now, she’s already reached the 76th floor. At this rate, no one dared to guess how many more floors she could go.
“It can’t be the 80th floor, right?” The fourth elder stroked his beard, smiling dryly.
It’s a big deal to reach the 80th floor after all.
Everyone nodded in agreement to that, when the ancient martial arts world was in its peak, only a handful of younger generations would be able to reach the mentioned level.
Being able to reach the 70th floor before the age of 25 would already be enough to enter the legacy base. If someone could reach the 80th floor, they really would be monsters!
However, the subsequent changes in the ranking list made them more shocked, and everyone held their breath as they watched the name at the top of the list.
***
It wasn’t like Gu Xiqiao was having an easy time in the Trial Tower either, the speed at which she cleared the floors in the beginning was fast and easy, but it started to slow down gradually.
When she reached the 77th floor, she started to have a feeling that she wasn’t as strong as she wanted to be.
The black shadow opposite her was huge, and the key point to note was that after the 70th floor, all of them had the ability to control space.
When they used this power, all the surrounding space was controlled by the shadow, and even Gu Xiqiao had a difficult time facing such ability.
The black shadow watched Gu Xiqiao with a cold face, slowly raising his arms. A large spatial energy blasting outwards. As the space around them distorted slowly, Gu Xiqiao felt it getting more difficult to breathe as time passed, and her movements got sluggish.
Controlling space was a domineering and powerful skill. When facing a weaker opponent, the person who wielded this power could decide their life or death.
But Gu Xiqiao’s mental power was too strong, so it was difficult for someone wielding this power to have complete control over Gu Xiqiao. Therefore, although Gu Xiqiao struggled, she still managed to break through the 71st to the 76th floor.
Only, at the 77th floor, her opponent’s mental power was obviously on a whole new level compared to the previous floor. He looked at Gu Xiqiao, and he seemed like someone who could get out of this fight with just a single thought.
“Looks like I have to use it.” Gu Xiqiao glanced at the man in black, protecting the virtual arena out into reality. She raised her palm slightly. “You’re not the only one who can control space.”
As soon as the virtual space appeared, the man in black’s space shattered instantly.
Purple lightning crackled in Gu Xiqiao’s palm, and she flung it towards the man in black, mixed with some spatial power in it.
The man in black, who had lost his ability to distort space, couldn’t keep up with Gu Xiqiao with his own strength!
Boom!
The black shadow burst into green smoke when he was struck, and his face, which had been indifferent all this while, was full of horror and disbelief when he looked at Gu Xiqiao again.
77th floor, success!
78th floor, success!
79th floor, success!
***
Outside the Trial Tower, the great elder was still rooted to the spot, still flabbergasted. The youngsters weren’t doing any better. “79th floor, she’s passed the 79th floor!”
They were all in a daze, blinking their eyes, and blinking again to see if the number would change, or maybe they were in a dream. “Can you pinch me?”
“Ouch! It hurts, it hurts! Oh sh*t, this is real, this is real!”
“How is that possible?!”
This one sentence describes what everyone was feeling inside. That’s right, how was that possible?! However, it was really happening in front of their eyes. For nearly a thousand years, it wasn’t like there hadn’t been anyone who broke through the 79th floor, but they were all older and powerful people. For someone as young as Gu Xiqiao to reach the 79th floor, there wasn’t anyone else in the world that could do it!
The great elder looked at Gu Xiqiao’s name on the list, and his eyes widened, muttering to himself, “She… she can’t be thinking of going to the 80th floor, right?”
Breaking through the 80th floor was basically to be in the realm of Enlightenment, the top in terms of strength in the ancient martial arts world. Even those ancient powers with great abilities have rarely reached this level!
A master of not even twenty years old, just thinking about it made people almost wet their pants!
It was incredible!
However, nobody dared to voice their thoughts.
But in their hearts, the 80th floor was a legend, a myth. No one had been able to break through so far after all!
***
In the Trial Tower, Gu Xiqiao had begun moving faster after making use of projectng her virtual arena.
The more she progressed, she found that the man in black got smarter and smarter.
Finally, she reached the 80th floor.
Gu Xiqiao raised her head to look at the opponent in front of her. She found that this opponent was obviously different than any of the previous ones that she had faced. There was curiosity and questions in the eyes of the one in front of her.
“It has been nearly a thousand years since anyone from the ancient martial arts world has been able to pass the 80th floor. To be able to break through the 79th floor, it proves that you have very strong mental power.” The black shadow’s eyes were bleak as he spoke. “I can feel another person who has the strength, but he never advanced beyond the 70th floor.”
Gu Xiqiao had already been surprised when the black shadow started speaking.
But then he had spoken those words, not passing the 70th floor, wasn’t that Brother Jiang?
“Are you a remnant soul or just a mass of energy?” Gu Xiqiao asked, studying the black shadow in front of her.
There was some confusion in its eyes as it said, “I’ve been stuck here for so long, I don’t remember anymore.”
A few pieces of ancient jade appeared in Gu Xiqiao’s palm.
Seeing her movements, the shadow was slightly stunned. A gun appeared in his hand the next moment, a strange smile on his face as he looked at Gu Xiqiao. “It seems that you’ve recently reached the level of Houtian. To be able to advance to this level at this age, you really have good talent. However, the realm of Enlightenment isn’t as simple as you think. You may have a chance to defeat me in ten years.”
The next moment after he said that, the gun in his hand vanished.
It reappeared in front of Gu Xiqiao’s eyes, aimed at the center of her forehead, shooting straight without any obstacle!
“Huh?” The shadow let out a surprise gasp.
Gu Xiqiao’s figure shattered, reconstructing in the area to the left where she had been standing.
The black figure was bewildered. “The Five Elements Phantom Array?! That’s impossible, it can’t be! It’s obviously been destroyed…”
The black figure’s speed sped up considerably after that, a spear appearing and shooting outwards with the speed of light and mixed with all the mental power that he had, piercing into Gu Xiqiao!
“Projection of virtual arena!” Gu Xiqiao also sped up, the lightning in her hand condensing into a long sword.
Formations and arrays, forces of nature, virtual arena, mental power, all four burst out at the same moment!
The shadow was shattered instantly by the onslaught.
When the black shadow looked at Gu Xiqiao in his final moments, there was only shock in his eyes. He seemed to want to say something, but he disappeared before he could.
Gu Xiqiao, 80th floor!
Bang!
The great elder couldn’t hold back his shock anymore, falling to the ground on his butt.
No one laughed at the ridiculous image he made.
Everyone was in the same stunned state.
She actually passed the 80th floor!
“She… how old is she again?”
Shu Chen replied with a blank face. “Nineteen.”
“Nineteen years old, and a master who has reached the 80th floor. This is a massive feat,” The second elder said, wiping his face with one hand.
“8-80th floor…” The third elder stuttered out with difficulty.
From the 20th floor to the 80th floor in one fell swoop!
She had surpassed Jiang Tong, and even Jiang Shuxuan! The fourth elder took a deep breath, thinking about what he had just said. Didn’t he say it wasn’t possible that Gu Xiqiao would clear the 80th floor?
But, the impossible has happened, she had passed the 80th floor!
Fortunately, she finally lost at the 81st floor.
All eyes were on her as Gu Xiqiao walked out of the Trial Tower. They almost forgot to breath as they watched the thin and slender figure walk.
The 80th floor!
Even those with stronger powers had problems reaching this level.
Especially in the ancient martial arts world, where the requirements for advancing in the Trial Tower were more strict.
To have reached the 80th level, a person would be at the level of Enlightenment, if you followed their level categories of the Trial Tower.
They all felt like they couldn’t use a logical mindset to consider Gu Xiqiao, what kind of normal person could have such terrifying strength?
The 80th floor, this level was enough to shock the people from all the power worlds across the globe!
Murong Miaoxue stared at Gu Xiqiao, taking a deep breath to steady herself. “The 80th floor. She actually broke through the 80th floor.”
The girl beside her was also in a state of shock. “I had thought that Miss Jiang Tong was already great that she was able to break through two floors in a short time, but I didn’t expect to see this girl breaking through the 80th floor.”
Murong Miaoxue didn’t respond to that. She was only at the 49th floor herself at this moment.
Compared to Gu Xiqiao, the gap between them was just too great.
***
Gu Xiqiao walked out slowly, replaying the battle in her mind over and over. The black shadow man on the 81st floor had really high mental power, and his strength was also weird. Given time, she should be able to break through, but Gu Xiqiao didn’t have any intentions to continue on in the Trial Tower.
Hearing her thoughts, Jiji couldn’t help but ask, “Why don’t you want to break through it?”
“I’m hungry,” Gu Xiqiao said, looking at the robot.
Jiji: “…” Very good. Here’s an applause for you and a thousand points for this reasoning!
***
At the same time, news that Gu Xiqiao had cleared the Trial Tower all the way to the 80th floor swept across the power worlds like wildfire.
In Japan, a handsome man was making tea.
“Young Master Nozawa, there’s news about the one who went into the Trial Tower today,” A middle-aged man in training clothes said as he approached, his voice trembling a little.
Nozawa continued to pour the tea slowly into the white porcelain cup, his voice light as he asked, “How many floors?”
The middle-aged man took a deep breath, bracing himself. “The 80th floor.”
Clang!
Nozawa faltered, the teacup falling to the ground from his shaking hands. The green liquid splashed onto the table and carpet.
He raised his head slowly, looking at the middle-aged man. “How many floors?”
“80 floors.” The middle-aged man repeated. “The news has spread to all the power worlds already.”
The other countries weren’t the only ones in shock, even the ancient martial arts world themselves were in the same state.
***
When Yi Tong received the news, he pinched himself hard a few times, just to make sure he wasn’t been hallucinating. Then he knocked on Jiang Shuxuan’s door with a dazed expression on his face. “Big Boss, Miss Gu has broken through to the 80th floor of the Trial Tower.”
Chapter 294: Cold Reception
Yi Tong thought that Jiang Shuxuan would be shocked, but Jiang Shuxuan merely nodded his head without any visible change in his expression, and waved his hand lightly to dismiss him.
After Yi Tong left, Jiang Shuxuan pulled out his phone. The corner of his mouth quirked up slightly, and a message came in from Gu Xiqiao while he was staring at his phone—[Brother Jiang, the great elder says they want to hold a celebration feast for me.]
Jiang Shuxuan replied to her immediately—[What did you say to that?]
Her reply was equally fast—[I told him that I’m very busy, and don’t have the time. Is it rude for me to do that?]
Jiang Shuxuan could practically see the dazed and shocked look on the great elder’s face when she replied to him with those words—[It’s fine, they just have too much time on their hands.]
***
Outside the door, Yi Bing was looking at Yi Tong, who looked like he was still trying to snap out of his dazed state. “Yi Tong, what did you say just now?”
“I said, Miss Gu has broken through the 80th floor.” Yi Tong’s tone was solemn, though there was a slight hitch in his voice when he spoke.
“The 80th floor, I see.” Yi Tiao echoed from the side, and he placed his hand on the door, about to knock when he doubled back. “Wait, come again? How many floors?”
“80 floors.” Yi Tong repeated patiently.
Yi Tiao’s hands trembled, nearly dropping the documents in his hands. “She’s only nineteen years old, and she’s already reached the 80th floor. This genius isn’t that far off from the big boss, right?”
Being subordinates of Jiang Shuxuan, they were clearly aware of the man’s strength. When he was young he’d already become famous and his strength was comparable to those placed in the top ten of the Heaven and Earth Ranking List.
Talents in the ancient martial arts world that could reach the 70th floor before the age of twenty were already rare enough, let alone the 80th floor. Gu Xiqiao was still young, and with her talents, it wouldn’t be impossible to break through the 100th floor in this lifetime!
If she really did break through the 100th floor… Yi Tong and the rest looked at each other, seeing the shock in each other’s eyes.
After being silent for a while, Yi Tiao suddenly recalled something serious. “By the way, didn’t we say we were going to meet the Peace Squad the last time? I’ve already found out where they are.”
“Where?” Yi Tong’s eyes lit up. Gu Xiqiao was just too far away from him now, but he was still fairly interested in the Peace Squad.
Especially after he found out that this group of people had flattened the bunch of elder’s ego, that made him all the more interested in getting to know these people. They were a breath of fresh air compared to the stifling ancient martial arts world!
Yi Tiao smiled mysteriously after hearing Yi Tong’s words. “They’re in the ancient martial arts world.”
“What?” Yi Bing narrowed his eyes. “Could it be… That Peace Manor?”
“That’s right.” Yi Tiao nodded his head. “It’s them alright!”
“No way, that’s in the fifth ring. There isn’t a single lick of spiritual energy in that area, why would they choose such a location?” Yi Tong was puzzled. He thought that the elders would arrange a more suitable place for them, at least a location with more chi and energy in the area. Even if it weren’t in the center, they would at least be located in the second ring, but they were in the fifth ring?!
The fifth ring was a place where even the outer disciples weren’t willing to live in.
***
On the other side, Gu Xiqiao had left the Trial Tower.
However, the crowd around the tower had yet to disperse. Several of the Jiang family elders were holding onto each other for support.
A green-robed figure slowly walked towards them, and although his pace was slow, the distance he covered in a single step was great. He appeared in front of these few people in just a few steps, his voice urgent as he asked, “Who was it that was just in the Trial Tower?”
“Master Dubhe, it was Miss Gu.” The great elder raised his hand and answered.
“It was her?” Dubhe furrowed his brows. He had felt a familiar energy just now, but Gu Xiqiao was an outsider, it couldn’t have been her. “Apart from her, who else?”
“Master Dubhe, Miss Jiang Tong is also in the Trial Tower,” The seventh elder answered.
“Jiang Tong?” A member of the Jiang family, it shouldn’t be wrong. Dubhe disappeared after getting the answer he needed.
The elders looked at one another again, but ultimately shrugged off Dubhe’s strange actions. The second elder asked, “Did Miss Gu say not to prepare any celebratory banquet just now?”
“Yes.” The great elder responded. “To achieve such a great milestone at a young age, she should be training at every available time she has.”
The other elders sigh. “Miss Gu is really hardworking.”
***
The ‘very hardworking Miss Gu’ was currently watching TV as she was texting Jiang Shuxuan with Jiji by her side. “I pity those elders, they even talk about how hard you’re training.”
Jiji was disgusted when it said that, this girl was obviously eating fruits while watching leisurely, wasn’t that being a bit too relaxed!
Gu Xiqiao was annoyed at what Jiji said. “Don’t I work hard?”
Jiji thought about how Gu Xiqiao trained day and night in the virtual arena, and it stopped talking. She did indeed work very hard, and there were not many people who could compare to how hard she worked. In other words, Gu Xiqiao could no longer be labeled as ‘hard work’, but rather, terrifying!
To have increased one’s mental power by tenfold in such a short time, it was not something that anyone could do, and it required unimaginable perseverance and discipline.
If this wasn’t considered to be hardworking, then what was?
“Hardworking…” Jiji wasn’t able to deny this fact, and it nodded. “By the way, Beauty Qiao, I seem to see that Dubhe asking about Jiang Tong.”
“He doesn’t sense you?” Gu Xiqiao raised her head after hearing that, curiosity in her eyes.
Jiji flashed her a triumph smile. “Of course not, I’m the Great Master System.”
“Oh.” Gu Xiqiao turned back to watch the TV.
Jiji: “…” Where were praises of a job well done? It didn’t know how to continue on like this.
Gu Xiqiao finished up the fruits, and then later went on to have her meal. Shu Chen had originally planned on bringing Gu Xiqiao around the ancient martial arts world, but unexpectedly, Dubhe came knocking on the door in the afternoon. Gu Xiqiao was calmed when she faced Dubhe now.
Dubhe glanced at Gu Xiqiao, pausing in his steps. He didn’t expect to feel the increase in her mental power just after a day of not seeing her.
‘This person is really just terrifying,’ Dubhe thought to himself. He turned his gaze away from her, not lingering long.
Such a talent was only a curse to ordinary people, and not a blessing.
“Aunt Shu, I’m going out to look for Big Brother Yin.” Gu Xiqiao informed Shu Chen, and left the house after hearing an affirmative answer from the older woman.
Shu Chen had also heard about Dubhe’s identity from the elders, so she was respectful of him.
“Madam Jiang, I’m here today to inquire about Jiang Tong.” Dubhe got straight to the point.
“Jiang Tong?” Shu Chen raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Her family is the only branch family of the Jiangs, but other than that, I don’t really know much about them. Master Dubhe, you can ask her father directly for more information.”
Dubhe shook his head. “I only want to know her birth year and month.”
Shu Chen nodded her head, calling the butler over to search for the information. “Master Dubhe, please wait a while.”
Not long after, the butler brought a small notebook over to Dubhe, and he sat down in the chair to flip through it.
While he was doing that, the butler spoke a few words into Shu Chen’s ears. Looking up to find that Dubhe was still engrossed in the book, she stood and went out, where the great elder of the Jiang family was waiting for her. He handed a box over to her. “Madam, please pass this on to Miss Gu on our behalf.”
Shu Chen took the box in her hands, and nodded her head at the old man. “Thank you, great elder.”
The great elder waved his hand dismissively, turning around to leave, before catching sight of Dubhe, who was in the room. Thinking for a while, he leaned closer to Shu Chen and spoke a few words into her ears, before turning again to leave.
Shu Chen’s face sank after hearing the words he spoke.
She stood rooted to the spot, and when she walked back into the living room, there was only coldness in her eyes. Whatever respect and admiration she had for Dubhe had vanished.
Although Dubhe had not been privy to their conversation, the surroundings were obviously in his palm, and he naturally knew what the great elder had said to Shu Chen, and why her attitude suddenly changed. Fortunately, he had already confirmed what he needed, and he stood. “Madam Jiang, I’ll drop by again next time.”
Shu Chen’s face was still stiff, and she tilted her head slightly. Her behavior even scared the butler to death!
Luckily, Dubhe didn’t care much for it. He paused at the door, speaking without turning, “It was I who forbade Gu Xiqiao from participating in the ranking tournament. Madam Jiang, I have to say, if Miss Gu goes on growing like this, it will be a calamity.”
Shu Chen was angry at Dubhe’s words in the beginning, but then she started laughing.
“Master Dubhe, we are well aware of how our Qiao Qiao is as a person.” Shu Chen’s eyes were on Dubhe, cold as ice and hard as steel. She was not intimidated by Dubhe’s aura at all. “You said that she would bring calamity to the world, and by telling me this, are you telling us to kill her outright?”
Don’t be deceived by Shu Chen’s usually graceful and dainty appearance, she could be extremely imposing when she was angered. The pressure that hung in the air was not any less heavy than what Jiang Shuxuan exuded.
“The things that are happening in the ancient martial arts world are obviously the evils that were left by your people. Making our Jiang family atone for it is fine, forget about it, but now even forcing my daughter-in-law to? She’s only nineteen years old! Don’t you feel any guilt, placing the entire burden on her? Master Dubhe, if the ancient martial arts world will be destroyed, then it’s best if it happens quickly, don’t blame it on my daughter-in-law!” Shu Chen exclaimed, her anger already reaching the boiling point.
She had wondered why Qiao Qiao had left immediately after seeing Dubhe, so there was actually something like this that had happened.
Calling her the source of all the disasters?
How daring and presumptuous of him!
Judging by the way he spoke, he had already told Gu Xiqiao all of this. Her heart ached when she thought about it, the child hadn’t said anything when she returned. It was no wonder she had seemed even more gloomy than usual, and had stayed silent the entire night. There were such heavy thoughts hidden in her heart.
No matter how great and powerful Gu Xiqiao was, she was still just a nineteen-year-old girl.
An abandoned child at birth, and finding an unreliable birth father after that, and now worse, to say that she was the harbinger of doom, the source of all disasters?!
Last time, she hadn’t been by her side, and she couldn’t protect her. But now, Gu Xiqiao was by her side, so how could Shu Chen allow anyone else to bully her family.
Thinking about the things that Gu Xiqiao had done for the ancient martial arts world, as well as how many lives had been saved because of her, even her own life had been saved once by her. Now there’s someone who’s saying that she’s a calamity, no one would be able to accept it when they heard it!
It was better if the ancient martial arts world was destroyed, the sooner the better, so that they wouldn’t rely on her daughter-in-law all the time!
“Butler, close the doors!” Shu Chen instructed Butler Jiang.
The butler was worried about Shu Chen’s words, but after he heard everything, he was also angry. He slammed the door with a loud bang.
“Goodbye, Master Dubhe!”
Dubhe, who was a person to be revered and worshiped, was once again met with a cold reception.
He had thought that though Jiang Shuxuan couldn’t be reasoned with when it came to Gu Xiqiao, Shu Chen would have different thoughts.
But he didn’t expect that even Shu Chen would be the same. If the ancient martial arts world would be destroyed, then it’s best if it happened quickly? She had said such a thing?
Dubhe didn’t feel good about himself, and there was also some doubt in his heart. He wondered, why was it that these people who were supposed to be extraordinarily calm people, changed to be like this after meeting Gu Xiqiao?
He stood in the spot for a while, then turned to look for Jiang Shuxuan. Right now, the matter about Jiang Tong was the most important thing.
***
“You said… Jiang Tong is the turning point?” Jiang Shuxuan raised an eyebrow at Dubhe’s words.
Dubhe was sitting in a chair in the room, looking at the man. “That’s right, I felt Master’s energy from her. She should be the turning point that Master had talked about, and her horoscopes are in line with my calculations.”
“Hm.” Jiang Shuxuan just nodded his head, not saying anything more, a calm look on his face.
“She’s the future of the ancient martial arts world, and will need to have more protection,” Dubhe observed Jiang Shuxuan, who still had an indifferent and calm expression. He frowned at that. “We need to find the turning point on her.”
“Do as you will.” Jiang Shuxuan closed the book in his hand. “I don’t have time for you. I need to accompany her to the qualifying matches tomorrow, I don’t have the time.”
Having said that, Jiang Shuxuan stood, taking his phone from the table before leaving the room.