AST

451-460

AST 451 - Fei Wuji, Meeting with the Old Ancestor of Heavenly Palace

Qing Shui quickly stood up and excused himself before leaving with Fei Wuji. Cang Wuya fell into deep thought as he watched Qing Shui leave.

"Grandpa, is the Old Ancestor of the Heavenly Palace very powerful?" Huoyun Liu-Li asked slowly and hesitantly. She stammered her question out haltingly.

"Little Lass, it is just a question. Why are you so cautious? Just relax. If you have any questions, you can ask me. At most, I won't be able to give you a reply. You don't have to hold yourself back." Cang Wuya smiled kindly.

"Yes, grandpa is the best. So, is the Old Ancestor very powerful?" Huoyun Liu-Li asked jovially.

"Of course. The Old Ancestor is a very powerful man. He heads the Heavenly Palace's Elder Association we belong to. He is one of the most powerful people in the Greencloud Continent. He was already a Peak Martial King three hundred years ago. Right now, it is impossible to know what his actual prowess is. He could have even already reached the Martial Saint Level, but no one can verify that." Cang Wuya said slowly. It seemed that it was not any sort of big secret.

"Grandpa, you mentioned that he was one of the most powerful people. Are there others who are as powerful?" Huoyun Liu-Li continued asking. All the other martial warriors were also interested in the answer.

"There is another in Sword Tower, but both of our sects don't really share that sort of information. There must be one in Hai Clan, Demonic Beast Clan and also Alchemist clan."

"That many?" Huoyun Liu-Li exclaimed.

"Many? That's not a lot. Greencloud continent is large. In the population of about a trillion, there are only these few exceptionally strong martial arts practitioners. Heavenly Palace and Sword Tower are large sects that have existed for more than ten thousand years. Even Demonic Beast Sect, Alchemy Sect, Qin Family and Hai Family have legacies from a few thousand years back. It would not be surprising if there were Martial Saints in those factions, even if we have no way to confirm it."

"Do you know why that Old Ancestor called Qing Shui over?" This was the actual question that Huoyun Liu-Li wanted to ask.

"I don't know too. But don't worry, it should be a positive thing." Cang Wuya laughed.

" Grandpa, if the Old Ancestor was already a Peak Martial King three hundred years ago. Then, would that mean that the Old Ancestor is about 400 years old now?" Canghai Mingyue asked in amazement.

"400 hundred years? Hahahaha, he shouldn't be younger than 500 hundred years old." Cang Wuji replied with a smile.

"500 years old? So when he reached the Peak Grade of Martial King level, he was already 200 years old. That is not considered early!" Huoyun Liu-Li commented while engrossed in thought.

In the central continent, becoming a Peak Martial King at 200 years old was already considered quite good. One could be considered a genius if they could reach that level at 100 years old. People like Qing Shui and Hai Long were considered absolute geniuses. In the world of the Nine Continent, most of these people were demon-level characters.

Even though Tan Yang was a Grade 10 Martial King warrior, he would still need at least 20 years to reach the strength of a Peak Martial King. He would be over 50 by then and would still be considered a super genius if he became a Peak Martial King by then. Even in as large a sect as the Sword Tower, there were rarely more than three people like Tan Yang. Unfortunately, Qing Shui and Hai Long's talents far exceed his.

"The Old Ancestor became a Peak Martial King before he was 200 years old. He should have reached the peak of Xiantian before he was 100 years old." Cang Wuji said as he looked at Huoyun Liu-Li.

"Even if he became a Peak Martial King at 200 years old, it has already been 300 years. Don't tell me 300 years is not enough to reach the Martial Saint level. Grandpa, how close are you to reaching the Martial Saint level? What is the variance in strength between people who are all at the Peak Grade of Martial King level?" Huoyun Liu-Li realised that the various inner workings really piqued her interest.

"Hahaha. You need favourable circumstances to reach the Martial Saint level. I am not even at the gateway of the Martial Saint level. It is too difficult to breakthrough to the Martial Saint level. Not only must you be at the gateway of the Martial Saint level, you will need some special items. Regarding the variance in strength, I can put it this way. A very strong Peak Martial King can singlehandedly contend with and defeat roughly over ten other Peak Martial Kings by himself." Cang Wuji shook his head and gave a difficult smile.

"Oh, even though they are all at the Peak Martial King stage, their difference in strength can be so huge?" Canghai Mingyue asked in surprise.

Cang Wuji smiled faintly at Canghai Mingyue, but it was still a little bitter. He then slowly said, " After reaching the Xiantian level, your lifespan will be extended to 500 years. That is why many people can reach the Martial King level and its peak. However, the requirements to breakthrough to Martial Saint level are very strict. Even though one might not be able to breakthrough to the Martial Saint level, there are indeed other ways to improve one's capabilities. For example, breakthroughs in technique, pellets, armors, rare treasures – there are all sort of weird and mysterious items in the World of the Nine Continent. In the past, there have been instances with some aberrant practitioners who could live up to 600 years old despite not being Martial Saints. It is simply impossible for a century old Peak Grade Martial King warrior to defeat one who is 500 years old.

......

Qing Shui and Fei Wuji walked towards the peak of the Heavenly Palace Mountain.

"Senior Martial Uncle, do you know why the Old Ancestor is looking for me?" Qing Shui was puzzled and a little curious about this most mysterious and strongest figure of the Heavenly Palace.

"I don't know. But your performance is unimaginably outstanding, so it should be about something good." Fei Wuji smiled.

"Senior Martial Uncle, do you know what sort of person the Old Ancestor is?" Qing Shui asked after some thought.

"He is a cold and ruthless person who is only dedicated to Heavenly Palace." Fei Wuji gave a straight-forward answer without hesitation.

"Senior Martial Uncle, you know the Old Ancestor this well?" Qing Shui was surprised.

There was an unmasked painful look on Fei Wuji's face, but he quickly self-deprecatingly said, "I was raised by him, but my parents died at his hands. Why wouldn't I understand him?"

"Senior Martial Uncle's parents? So you are still part of Heavenly Palace?"

"Forget it. We're here." Fei Wuji said bitterly.

After that, Qing Shui realized that they had reached an isolated peak. This peak was slightly taller than the peak where Lingxiao Treasure Hall was situated.

This was a location that had a view of the entire Heavenly Palace. There were only a few stone houses, and the place looked bare. It looked very desolate when compared to Heavenly Palace's nine halls.

The stone houses were very short. They were only slightly taller than a person's height. The stones looked extremely heavy, giving off the impression that each house was created by carving huge stones.

Qing Shui followed Fei Wuji and headed into one of the stone houses.

"He is here!" There were no emotions in Fei Wuji's voice.

"Just come in." An aged voice replied. The voice was extremely calm, without any emotions or modulations.

Qing Shui found the voice very weird. It was like the voice of an old monk he had previously heard, without any wants or desire, the inflection desolate. This person sounded shockingly old.

Broooooom!

The large doors of the stone house slowly opened right in front of Qing Shui and Fei Wuji.

When the doors opened, Qing Shui saw a path leading downwards. The place was dimly lit. Qing Shui noticed fist-sized glowing rocks on the wall every 200 meters.

"Qing Shui, you can go down." Fei Wuji said to Qing Shui while looking at him.

"Senior Martial Uncle, aren't you going down too?"

"I won't be going down. Don't worry. Senior Martial Uncle won't try to harm you." Fei Wuji laughed. He found that Qing Shui was too apprehensive.

"What are you talking about? If you wanted to harm me, you don't even have to do this." Qing Shui replied with a laugh.

"Alright, you should go down. There won't be any bad outcomes."

"Okay."

Qing Shui walked slowly down the steps. The stone doors closed behind. Qing Shui only realized that the path sloped down gradually to a turn.

After he passed the turn, the place began to brighten up. He had reached a stone hall. It was about 100 meters in length. There were no decorations,only a large supporting pillar.

Qing Shui was surprised to find someone standing some distance away from him.

It was an old man in a simple moon-white attire. The length of his snow white hair was at his ankle. He looked thoroughly kempt. Most surprisingly, unlike how Qing Shui had imagined, the old man was not some tall, large warrior. Instead, he was just a lanky, dignified old man.

Qing Shui did not know how to describe the old man's face as he observed him. He could only think of the word "old". When Qing Shui saw the man's eyes, he felt that he finally knew the true meaning of the vicissitudes of life. In front of this old man, he felt like a child.

His eyes were filled with wisdom and tranquility. His eyes were as calm as the vast oceans. It was as if nothing could even cause a ripple in that vastness.

"Qing Shui. Great." A placid voice spoke.

Qing Shui felt heavy-hearted; it was the type of feeling you get when you meet an old man past his prime. Qing Shui could not sense even an iota of the old man's strength. Qing Shui knew that it was because the old man was extremely formidable, so he could not sense it at his level. Qing Shui did not bother to use his Spiritual Sense.

Even though it was a simple compliment, people who knew the Old Ancestor would be shocked to their core if they knew that the Old Ancestor had actually praised someone. Yet, Qing Shui did not feel a thing.

"I am here to pay my respects, Old Ancestor." Qing Shui said his greetings cordially as a junior.

"You don't have to be so courteous. Come. Let's talk." The Old Ancestor said unhurriedly, again without much emotion.

"Do you remember when you battled the nine people from Sword Tower?" The Old Ancestor continued as he walked. His voice was gentle and clear, giving a mysterious feeling.

He did not seem impressive, yet he was so imposing that one couldn't help but feel pressured. It was as if he had an imposing stature that came from his very soul.

"I remember. What would OldAST 452 - The Old Ancestor's past, Gateway to Martial Saint, The strength of 10 countries

"Those were very blissful times for me. I realized that being married was as enjoyable as my previous lifestyle. I experienced what it was like to have someone pining for me and to worry for someone. It didn't take long before my wife was pregnant. We had much hopes for our child. As the saying goes, "Good things are worth the wait".

As he said this, the Old Ancestor finished drinking his tea. Qing Shui immediately poured another cup for him.

"There was an unfortunate mishap during his birth. We could only keep the mother or the child. In the end, my wife died and my son survived. I did not hate my son for that. Instead, I gave him all my love and never remarried. I brought him up myself. But as he grew up, he picked up more vices. It was useless to lecture him, but I could not bear to discipline him. "

The Old Ancestor regretted not being able to raise his son up well. But above all, he missed his son.

"As an adult, he was out of control. Despite not putting effort in cultivation, he was blessed with talent, so he was somewhat capable. However, he was too much of a womanizer, and this caused us a lot of troubles. On my account, most of these troubles were forgiven. I arranged a marriage for him in hopes of curbing his tendencies. Yet, it wasn't long after his marriage that he reverted to his old ways."

Qing Shui did not prompt the Old Ancestor, knowing that he would continue with his story, and instead he just quietly listen and refilled the Old Ancestor's cup.

"My grandson was born and everyone was very happy. I thought that my son would settle down. At first, he did change for the better. He really loved his newborn son.

However, when the child was one year old, turned back into the wastrel that he was. He took any woman that he wanted."

"After four years, he provoked a woman that he should have never offended. The other party forced me to choose between killing my own son or the fate of the entire Heavenly Palace.

I had no choice but to kill my one and only son. Out of grief, my daughter-in-law committed suicide on the spot. This was witnessed by Wuji, who was only 4 years old. The incident was etched into his memory. This is the reason why he hates me and chooses not to settle down." The Old Ancestor sighed deeply.

Qing Shui was shocked to discover that the Old Ancestor was actually Senior Uncle Fei's grandfather. He could sense that this weighed heavily on the old man.

The Old Ancestor did not reveal which clan the woman belonged to. Qing Shui only knew that the clan must be incredibly powerful. Only such a powerful clan could threaten to eliminate the entire Heavenly Palace. By forcing the Old Ancestor to kill his own son, they demonstrated their strength and dominance to everyone else.

Qing Shui did not ask the Old Ancestor which clan it was. He knew that the Old Ancestor would have already told him if he intended to do so from the beginning.

"Old Ancestor, let bygones be bygones. After all, not everything is within our control." Qing Shui consoled. He laughed at himself as he said that; it was slightly ridiculous for him to say such a thing to the Old Ancestor.

"Haha. I feel much better after I got this off my chest. You're right. I should have just accept. Let's not talk about these unpleasant events." The Old Ancestor laughed.

This was the first time Qing Shui saw the Old Ancestor laughing. He looked very benevolent and still gave off that indescribable feeling.

"Can I ask why you asked to meet me today?" QIng Shui smiled. He found that being with the Old Ancestor was not as stressful as he expected previously. Perhaps, he did not even feel stressful at all. He felt that the Old Ancestor was just a kind old man.

"Actually, it is nothing much. I just wanted to see you." The Old Ancestor chuckled.

Qing Shui was a little dazed. He did not believe the Old Ancestor, but he smiled. "You must be joking."

"Qing Shui, of all the people that I have seen, you have the highest potential. An old fart like me can still live for some time. Would you be interested in my position?" The Old Ancestor offered.

Qing Shui was at a loss for word. The Old Ancestor's position? That is the highest post in Heavenly Palace! What rights did he have to take the position? Furthermore, the higher you go, the more responsibilities you'll get; even the Old Ancestor was forced to kill his own son...

Qing Shui smiled wryly and shook his head, "You overestimate me."

"Overestimate you? No. I might not have long to live, but I still trust my foresight. I can see your perseverance, capabilities and aggressiveness behind the facade. Will you be satisfied if you are under someone else? You have your own views, and above all, you have a flame within you. It is a flame that represents your tolerance and willpower; it is a flame that represents your drive towards your goal; and most importantly, you are clear-headed." The Old Ancestor acknowledged Qing Shui with a smile.

Qing Shui looked at the Old Ancestor blankly.

"Do you think I am some kind of old demon?"

Qing Shui immediately denied this in an awkward manner. There was no way he could admit this! Anyway, that thought only flashed in his mind for a second!

"It is alright. There is still time. I am not requesting you to accept this immediately, but I think that you will accept my offer in the future." The Old Ancestor smiled warmly.

Qing Shui was shocked. He did not doubt the Old Ancestor's remark. He wondered if he would really take over Heavenly Palace in the future and whether he had the capability to do so.

Qing Shui stared at the old man with a startled expression. He really could not sense any strength from the old man.

"Old Ancestor, have you already reached the Martial Saint level?" Qing Shui could not resist asking this unfathomable man.

"I knew you would ask this question. I will tell you about the variances between Peak Grade Martial Kings." The Old Ancestor took a sip of tea.

"I am all ears!"

"Qing Shui, you are considered a very strong Peak Grade Martial King. You should know that the strength of a Peak Grade Martial King is equivalent to a country. But the variances in strength between different Peak Grade Martial Kings can be very wide. Take for example, let's compare a person who has been at Peak Grade Martial King stage for 3 centuries to one who has been at that level for a century. There will be a huge gap between them. The accumulation of 2 centuries of experience and other various reasons such as the level of their techniques, their effectiveness, their efficiency, their speed, their armors, weapons, medicines and much more.."

Qing Shui silently poured another cup of tea for the Old Ancestor.

"Strength and speed are important, but you must not neglect your techniques. Let's compare two people with the same strength. If one of them is able to reduce his opponent's strength and speed, this will turn the battle to his favor. Yet, some people may even have medicines, cards, talisman and all sort of paraphernalia that can temporarily boost their capabilities. So sometimes, it makes more sense to observe a person's total offence than his actual strength - that is, who he can defeat. For example, you now have the strength of one country, but if you are able to defeat multiple opponents who have the strength of two countries, you are a Two Countries Peak Grade Martial King." The Old Ancestor explained serenely, not rushing his words.

Qing Shui totally agreed with the Old Ancestor. One's strength was indeed determined by what one can truly demonstrate during a battle.

"Old Ancestor, is it really that hard to breakthrough to the Martial Saint level?" Qing Shui gazed at the Old Ancestor who seemed so close to reaching the Martial Saint level.

"Becoming a Martial Saint is dependent on neither your efforts nor your talents. The requirements are too stringent. The most important requirement is obtaining the enlightenment to the Saint Threshold."

"Are you saying that you have to be able to sense the gateway before you can achieve a breakthrough?" Qing Shui thought about his Ancient Strengthening Technique. If he was able to surpass the 6th Layer of the Ancient Strengthening Technique, he wondered if that was the so-called realm of the Martial Saint.

"A Peak Grade Martial King can accommodate the strength of ten countries. It is rumored that one will naturally break through to the Martial Saint level once one exceeds that. Unfortunately, due to various reasons, it is almost impossible to reach that level. It not only requires talent, time, medicines, and techniques, but most importantly of all, you need a stroke of luck."

Qing Shui was dumbfounded. The strength of ten countries, what horrifying level of strength was that? If he pushed himself to the limit, he could barely be considered a Peak Martial King. The strength of ten countries is 10 times his present strength!

Having the strength of 10 countries would mean that a person can flatten a mountain with just one strike. That is the magnitude of such power!

"Old Ancestor, what do you mean by the Saint Threshold?"

"It is actually a sort of abstraction or concept, and I have only heard of it before. I am only a Peak Grade Martial King, one that has been at this level for 4 centuries." The Old Ancestor said with some resignation and bitterness.

"You mentioned that a person will naturally break through to the Martial Saint level if they have the strength of 10 countries. How much strength have you accumulated in these 4 centuries?" Qing Shui was curious to know how much strength this enigmatic old man actually had.

"I have only reached the strength of 6 countries. I should have been able to sense the Saint Threshold when I was at the strength of 5 countries, yet I wasn't able to."

6 countries, he must be one of the most powerful people in the Greencloud Continent. The Old Ancestor's words opened a window to a new path for Qing Shui, albeit an extremely difficult path to the Martial Saint realm.

Qing Shui knew that it would be very difficult to raise his strength to two countries. There were only a handful of people in Greencloud Continent, like the Old Ancestor, who could reach the strength of 6 countries in just 400 years. At the strength of 5 countries, it is possible to sense the Saint Threshold. If he was lucky enough, he would have a breakthrough to the Martial Saint level.

"Luck is something that works in mysterious ways. Who knows? You might even sense the Saint Threshold tomorrow." Qing Shui could not help but feel that his words were so superficial.

"Haha. When you are at my age, you will come to accept many things. Living becomes the easiest thing. I don't wish for much. My only concern is Wuji." The Old Ancestor said with disappointment.

"Senior Uncle Wuji does express himself in words, but he knows that you're getting old." Qing Shui muttered.

"Qing Shui, I hope you will take care of your Senior Uncle Wuji. It'll be best if you could encourage him to have a family."

Qing Shui could not imagine that the Old Ancestor had actually said that. Could he even persuade Fei Wuji?

"I'll try, but I doubt he'll listen to me,"

"He will. In the future, he'll definitely heed your words." The Old ancestor said with a affirmative tone, smiling.

Qing Shui felt slightly helpless. It was as if he was standing stark naked in front of this Old Ancestor; nothing escaped the old man's eyes.

"Old Ancestor, does it take a long time to raise one's strength after becoming a Peak Grade Martial King? Now, I think I might not be able to reach the strength of 6 countries even if I was given 8 centuries!" Qing Shui was anxious to change the subject, so he asked the question he had been keeping in his heart. Ancestor like to say to me?"

"At that time, Wuji sent someone to request for me to save you, but I did not agree." The elderly man said with indifference.

Qing Shui was perplexed. He did not know what the old man meant by that. He could not help thinking about what Fei Wuji had told him regarding Fei Wuji's parents dying by the old man's hand.

The Old Ancestor looked at Qing Shui. He saw his expression and asked, "Did he tell you about me?"

Qing Shui's heart skipped a beat. He shook his head. "No!"

"It doesn't matter. Since you are here, let this old man tell you a story. This is the first time I'm telling someone a story."

"I am all ears!"

They had by this point reached the deepest section of the stone hall. There was a stone table and a few stone benches. On the table, there was a Zisha teapot and some Zisha teacups.

"Let's sit there to drink tea and talk."

Qing Shui did not pay too much attention to being courteous. The Old Ancestor poured out two cups of tea. It was the first time in a hundred years that he had tea with someone, and it had been years since he served anyone tea.

The tea was a normal "Mountain Green Lotus Flower", but it was brewed well. The taste was not bad, and it was fragrant and rounded and had a good texture.

"I am a person who likes cultivation. In the past, everyone called me a lunatic. Once I started cultivating, I became overly obsessed. But I improved very quickly, and just like that I had cultivated insanely for many years. People who were the same age as me had already become grandfathers, but I was just alone. My parents and elders had all died, and I was already a Peak Martial King after 200 years. My abilities were at the top rank of all the martial artist practitioners in the Greencloud continent. It was at this time that I realized a problem."

The Old Ancestor drank a cup of tea and continued slowly, "Being alone made me feel very lonely. I did not even have anyone to spar with. People who were at the same age already had a large family, and they even had clans. I only recognized that I needed to start a family then. It is easy to find a woman once you are powerful, so I quickly found a normal woman and settled down. Maybe it is because I was a cultivation addict, so I chose a lady from an influential family who did not know any martial arts. "

This sort of situation was not unique. In the central continent, there were many people who had similar views. Perhaps, people who were obsessed with cultivation did not want their other half to be the same as them.

This was a sort of self-hatred. Everyone knows their own habits and traits, but because they were so accustomed to that, they were unable to change. It was akin to a drug addict not being able to quit albeit knowing the wrong in it.

A 300 years old Peak Martial King only looked middle-aged. Some even retain baby-like skin. However, their hair would turn white. This did not hinder their ability to marry and have children. There were quite a number of people who were like this in the central continent. All the people who were outstanding in their cultivation usually married late. 

AST 452 - The Old Ancestor's past, Gateway to Martial Saint, The strength of 10 countries

"Those were very blissful times for me. I realized that being married was as enjoyable as my previous lifestyle. I experienced what it was like to have someone pining for me and to worry for someone. It didn't take long before my wife was pregnant. We had much hopes for our child. As the saying goes, "Good things are worth the wait".

As he said this, the Old Ancestor finished drinking his tea. Qing Shui immediately poured another cup for him.

"There was an unfortunate mishap during his birth. We could only keep the mother or the child. In the end, my wife died and my son survived. I did not hate my son for that. Instead, I gave him all my love and never remarried. I brought him up myself. But as he grew up, he picked up more vices. It was useless to lecture him, but I could not bear to discipline him. "

The Old Ancestor regretted not being able to raise his son up well. But above all, he missed his son.

"As an adult, he was out of control. Despite not putting effort in cultivation, he was blessed with talent, so he was somewhat capable. However, he was too much of a womanizer, and this caused us a lot of troubles. On my account, most of these troubles were forgiven. I arranged a marriage for him in hopes of curbing his tendencies. Yet, it wasn't long after his marriage that he reverted to his old ways."

Qing Shui did not prompt the Old Ancestor, knowing that he would continue with his story, and instead he just quietly listen and refilled the Old Ancestor's cup.

"My grandson was born and everyone was very happy. I thought that my son would settle down. At first, he did change for the better. He really loved his newborn son.

However, when the child was one year old, turned back into the wastrel that he was. He took any woman that he wanted."

"After four years, he provoked a woman that he should have never offended. The other party forced me to choose between killing my own son or the fate of the entire Heavenly Palace.

I had no choice but to kill my one and only son. Out of grief, my daughter-in-law committed suicide on the spot. This was witnessed by Wuji, who was only 4 years old. The incident was etched into his memory. This is the reason why he hates me and chooses not to settle down." The Old Ancestor sighed deeply.

Qing Shui was shocked to discover that the Old Ancestor was actually Senior Uncle Fei's grandfather. He could sense that this weighed heavily on the old man.

The Old Ancestor did not reveal which clan the woman belonged to. Qing Shui only knew that the clan must be incredibly powerful. Only such a powerful clan could threaten to eliminate the entire Heavenly Palace. By forcing the Old Ancestor to kill his own son, they demonstrated their strength and dominance to everyone else.

Qing Shui did not ask the Old Ancestor which clan it was. He knew that the Old Ancestor would have already told him if he intended to do so from the beginning.

"Old Ancestor, let bygones be bygones. After all, not everything is within our control." Qing Shui consoled. He laughed at himself as he said that; it was slightly ridiculous for him to say such a thing to the Old Ancestor.

"Haha. I feel much better after I got this off my chest. You're right. I should have just accept. Let's not talk about these unpleasant events." The Old Ancestor laughed.

This was the first time Qing Shui saw the Old Ancestor laughing. He looked very benevolent and still gave off that indescribable feeling.

"Can I ask why you asked to meet me today?" QIng Shui smiled. He found that being with the Old Ancestor was not as stressful as he expected previously. Perhaps, he did not even feel stressful at all. He felt that the Old Ancestor was just a kind old man.

"Actually, it is nothing much. I just wanted to see you." The Old Ancestor chuckled.

Qing Shui was a little dazed. He did not believe the Old Ancestor, but he smiled. "You must be joking."

"Qing Shui, of all the people that I have seen, you have the highest potential. An old fart like me can still live for some time. Would you be interested in my position?" The Old Ancestor offered.

Qing Shui was at a loss for word. The Old Ancestor's position? That is the highest post in Heavenly Palace! What rights did he have to take the position? Furthermore, the higher you go, the more responsibilities you'll get; even the Old Ancestor was forced to kill his own son...

Qing Shui smiled wryly and shook his head, "You overestimate me."

"Overestimate you? No. I might not have long to live, but I still trust my foresight. I can see your perseverance, capabilities and aggressiveness behind the facade. Will you be satisfied if you are under someone else? You have your own views, and above all, you have a flame within you. It is a flame that represents your tolerance and willpower; it is a flame that represents your drive towards your goal; and most importantly, you are clear-headed." The Old Ancestor acknowledged Qing Shui with a smile.

Qing Shui looked at the Old Ancestor blankly.

"Do you think I am some kind of old demon?"

Qing Shui immediately denied this in an awkward manner. There was no way he could admit this! Anyway, that thought only flashed in his mind for a second!

"It is alright. There is still time. I am not requesting you to accept this immediately, but I think that you will accept my offer in the future." The Old Ancestor smiled warmly.

Qing Shui was shocked. He did not doubt the Old Ancestor's remark. He wondered if he would really take over Heavenly Palace in the future and whether he had the capability to do so.

Qing Shui stared at the old man with a startled expression. He really could not sense any strength from the old man.

"Old Ancestor, have you already reached the Martial Saint level?" Qing Shui could not resist asking this unfathomable man.

"I knew you would ask this question. I will tell you about the variances between Peak Grade Martial Kings." The Old Ancestor took a sip of tea.

"I am all ears!"

"Qing Shui, you are considered a very strong Peak Grade Martial King. You should know that the strength of a Peak Grade Martial King is equivalent to a country. But the variances in strength between different Peak Grade Martial Kings can be very wide. Take for example, let's compare a person who has been at Peak Grade Martial King stage for 3 centuries to one who has been at that level for a century. There will be a huge gap between them. The accumulation of 2 centuries of experience and other various reasons such as the level of their techniques, their effectiveness, their efficiency, their speed, their armors, weapons, medicines and much more.."

Qing Shui silently poured another cup of tea for the Old Ancestor.

"Strength and speed are important, but you must not neglect your techniques. Let's compare two people with the same strength. If one of them is able to reduce his opponent's strength and speed, this will turn the battle to his favor. Yet, some people may even have medicines, cards, talisman and all sort of paraphernalia that can temporarily boost their capabilities. So sometimes, it makes more sense to observe a person's total offence than his actual strength - that is, who he can defeat. For example, you now have the strength of one country, but if you are able to defeat multiple opponents who have the strength of two countries, you are a Two Countries Peak Grade Martial King." The Old Ancestor explained serenely, not rushing his words.

Qing Shui totally agreed with the Old Ancestor. One's strength was indeed determined by what one can truly demonstrate during a battle.

"Old Ancestor, is it really that hard to breakthrough to the Martial Saint level?" Qing Shui gazed at the Old Ancestor who seemed so close to reaching the Martial Saint level.

"Becoming a Martial Saint is dependent on neither your efforts nor your talents. The requirements are too stringent. The most important requirement is obtaining the enlightenment to the Saint Threshold."

"Are you saying that you have to be able to sense the gateway before you can achieve a breakthrough?" Qing Shui thought about his Ancient Strengthening Technique. If he was able to surpass the 6th Layer of the Ancient Strengthening Technique, he wondered if that was the so-called realm of the Martial Saint.

"A Peak Grade Martial King can accommodate the strength of ten countries. It is rumored that one will naturally break through to the Martial Saint level once one exceeds that. Unfortunately, due to various reasons, it is almost impossible to reach that level. It not only requires talent, time, medicines, and techniques, but most importantly of all, you need a stroke of luck."

Qing Shui was dumbfounded. The strength of ten countries, what horrifying level of strength was that? If he pushed himself to the limit, he could barely be considered a Peak Martial King. The strength of ten countries is 10 times his present strength!

Having the strength of 10 countries would mean that a person can flatten a mountain with just one strike. That is the magnitude of such power!

"Old Ancestor, what do you mean by the Saint Threshold?"

"It is actually a sort of abstraction or concept, and I have only heard of it before. I am only a Peak Grade Martial King, one that has been at this level for 4 centuries." The Old Ancestor said with some resignation and bitterness.

"You mentioned that a person will naturally break through to the Martial Saint level if they have the strength of 10 countries. How much strength have you accumulated in these 4 centuries?" Qing Shui was curious to know how much strength this enigmatic old man actually had.

"I have only reached the strength of 6 countries. I should have been able to sense the Saint Threshold when I was at the strength of 5 countries, yet I wasn't able to."

6 countries, he must be one of the most powerful people in the Greencloud Continent. The Old Ancestor's words opened a window to a new path for Qing Shui, albeit an extremely difficult path to the Martial Saint realm.

Qing Shui knew that it would be very difficult to raise his strength to two countries. There were only a handful of people in Greencloud Continent, like the Old Ancestor, who could reach the strength of 6 countries in just 400 years. At the strength of 5 countries, it is possible to sense the Saint Threshold. If he was lucky enough, he would have a breakthrough to the Martial Saint level.

"Luck is something that works in mysterious ways. Who knows? You might even sense the Saint Threshold tomorrow." Qing Shui could not help but feel that his words were so superficial.

"Haha. When you are at my age, you will come to accept many things. Living becomes the easiest thing. I don't wish for much. My only concern is Wuji." The Old Ancestor said with disappointment.

"Senior Uncle Wuji does express himself in words, but he knows that you're getting old." Qing Shui muttered.

"Qing Shui, I hope you will take care of your Senior Uncle Wuji. It'll be best if you could encourage him to have a family."

Qing Shui could not imagine that the Old Ancestor had actually said that. Could he even persuade Fei Wuji?

"I'll try, but I doubt he'll listen to me,"

"He will. In the future, he'll definitely heed your words." The Old ancestor said with a affirmative tone, smiling.

Qing Shui felt slightly helpless. It was as if he was standing stark naked in front of this Old Ancestor; nothing escaped the old man's eyes.

"Old Ancestor, does it take a long time to raise one's strength after becoming a Peak Grade Martial King? Now, I think I might not be able to reach the strength of 6 countries even if I was given 8 centuries!" Qing Shui was anxious to change the subject, so he asked the question he had been keeping in his heart. 

AST 453 - The Old Ancestor's Present, Flame Phoenix Pellet, Golden Carp Pellet

"Ha ha ha!"

The Old Ancestor suddenly laughed, causing his snow-white hair to bounce slightly. Even though he did not any of his strength leak out, he had the semblance of an insurmountable mountain.

"You have just reached the peak as a Martial King. In the future, you will realise that the further you go the harder it is to grow. However, you can obtain better opportunities, as, for instance, a divine weapon would raise your abilities significantly. Being able to use weapons, armour or pills can count as your strength, as long as you can use them to display an overwhelming strength. Since you are here, let me give you something."

Qing Shui was at a loss for words. However, the Old Ancestor just got up and started moving towards the stone house.

Qing Shui felt excited at this moment: "At his age, the Old ancestor's life span must be coming to an end, and furthermore, he's probably intending for me to inherit the Heavenly Palace, so the stuff that he is giving will probably not be too bad."

Qing Shui could not help but let his imagination run wild.

In a blink of an eye, the Old ancestor came walking out with a Interspatial Silk Sachet in his hand. This Interspatial Silk Sachet could not be any more ordinary.

From the inside, he took out an old and ordinary yellowed parchment. This parchment lead Qing Shui to think of a historical relic dug out in a grave robbing session. However, the fluctuations of spiritual energy it gave off caused Qing Shui to be shocked.

When the Old Ancestor noticed that Qing Shui was not surprised at the sight of the Interspatial Silk Sachet, even when he took out that parchment that was larger than it, he knew that Qing Shui had either seen one before or was in possession of one. Instead, the old parchment was the only thing to strike his fancy.

Qing Shui did not know if anyone else could feel the spiritual energy emitted by the parchment, but he could feel it. If it was a precious item of special value, Qing Shui could feel the spiritual energy from it.

When Qing Shui looked at the yellowed surface of the parchment, it had two words on it!

Heavenly Dan!

Even after Qing Shui saw the two words, he still did not understand what it was. At first, he guessed that it was some kind of powerful pellet, but it felt like it was not.

"Qing Shui, this Heavenly Dan is a type of cultivating art. I managed to obtain this by accident, but sadly it is not suitable for me to cultivate. I give this to you, but as to whether you can successfully cultivate it is dependent on yourself."

The Old Ancestor placed the Heavenly Dan book on a stone and then took out a tri-colored embroidered box. Despite its small size, it was abnormally exquisite, and the flowing tri-colored light on its surface was especially beautiful.

"What in the world would require a tri-colored box to contain it?" Qing Shui was especially amazed, guessing that the object inside was far from ordinary.

"This is the Flame Phoenix Pellet. It will increase your strength by fifty percent after consuming it!"

"50%? And furthermore it is based on the current strength one has?" Qing Shui was astonished. Even the Small Revitalizing Pellet and Beauty Pellet only increased one's strength by 10% and 20% respectively.

Qing Shui finally understood why there could be such a gap amongst peak Martial Kings, making medicinal pellets mandatory at such a level. When Qing Shui thought about medicinal pellets, he felt full of confidence, for his talent in martial arts was actually weaker than his skill in concocting pellets

And that coupled with the Ancient Art of Forging and the very promising Big Dipper Sword!

Qing Shui thought about the strength of 10 countries needed. As long as he could achieve that level of strength, he would naturally advance into the Martial Saint level. Qing Shui started to feel restless in his heart.

"Old ancestor, is the any difference between those who touched the saint threshold and the ones who trained to the level of having the strength of 10 countries?

The Old ancestor, who just placed down the tri-colored box, was stunned, and then he laughed and replied: "the difference is big, because those who advanced as a result of touching the Saint threshold required some special attribute fruit. The strength obtained after advancing is coincidentally the strength of 10 countries. However, for those who advanced by accumulating the strength of 10 countries, no one knows, but rumors state that they have at least the strength of 20 countries."

"The strength of 20 countries? And furthermore it is at the minimum? Doesn't this means those who advanced that way can sweep away those who advanced by means of the special attribute fruits?" Qing Shui knew about these special attribute fruits through Lin Zhanhan.

"haha, its normal. If one can advance to the Martial Saint stage by gaining the strength of 10 countries, it would not be surprising, but for such people, even considering the long history of the World of the Nine Continents, you can only find a few.

The Old Ancestor once again reached into the Interspatial Silk Satchel and took out a pair of violet-colored long swords. Qing Shui saw that the swords appeared to be 1 meter in length, emitting violet light and a strong fluctuation of spiritual energy.

"Another great object!" Qing Shui stared in amazement.

"This is a pair of Violet Cloud Swords. Even though it is a pair of twin swords, you can use them separately!" The Old Ancestor chuckled and kept the swords without explaining further.

"On the inside, there are still some small objects; take a look for yourself, they all have a description. Use what you can for yourself and give what you can't to those important to you." The Old Ancestor then stowed the twin swords, Flame Phoenix Pellet and the parchment back into the Interspatial Silk Satchel.

"It's too precious......"

"Don't reject it, just keep it. In the future, the Heavenly Palace will have to rely on you, but you can't do it without strength." Although the Old Ancestor said it gently, it was very difficult to reject him.

"Thank you Old Ancestor!" Qing Shui said sincerely.

"That's the spirit. Come, let's go outside and have a spar." The Old Ancestor said as he handed the Interspatial Silk Satchel to Qing Shui.

"A spar?" Qing Shui looked at the Old Ancestor in surprise. If he hadn't just heard the Old Ancestor's statement clearly, he would have thought he was hearing things.

"En, come, it will be beneficial to you!" the Old Ancestor said as he laughed lightly.

"En!" Qing Shuo now realized that the Old Ancestor wanted to give him some pointers! Happily, he hurried after the Old Ancestor.

"Let's do it here. Do not use any of your strength, as though you are a ordinary person. Pay attention to the concept and feeling, not your moves."

After he got into position, the Old Ancestor slowly said.

Qing Shui answered while smiling, expecting such a stipulation beforehand to not lay waste to the stone hall!

"Come!" The Old Ancestor said, but he did not change his position.

Qing Shui nodded his head and adjusted his mentality. Qing Shui's best unarmed skill was the Taichi Fist. Although he had the Back Connecting Fist, he felt it hadn't been cultivated adequately yet.

Qing Shui rushed towards the Old Ancestor swiftly, and at the same time he stretch his hand out to hit the Old Ancestor!

Taichi Cloudhand!

This move was the most agile amongst all the forms of the Taichi Fist, with the strongest concept of exerting great force with small strength, which had been practiced to the 'One with Heaven' level.

The Old ancestor looked on as Qing Shui made his move. Seeing the profoundness of his move, a smile appeared on his face. Without retreating, he formed a claw with his five fingers and targeted his wrist, attempting to grab it. Not only was it similarly profound, it even seem to have the power to suppress the heavens and earth. Although there was no Xiantian Qi involved, Qing Shui could still feel a pressure pressing down on his body.

"What realm of mastery is this?" Although Qing Shui did not know if the Old Ancestor had entered into the Providence Realm, he could tell that it was higher than his own. However, Qing Shui felt that it still belonged to the One with Heaven Realm, albeit higher than his own One with Heaven Realm.

Qing Shui rapidly withdrew his hand, took a step back, and then quickly executed a Taichi Single Whip!

"Bang!"

From the air came a loud resounding explosion sound! At this realm of mastery, even if an ordinary person's level of strength was used, it would still look very imposing.

"Peng!"

Qing Shui's hand finally made contact with the Old Ancestor. Immediately, he had to retreat 3 steps before he could stop. At this moment, Qing Shui knew that he was still weaker in some aspects.

At first, Qing Shui felt that the level of strength used by the Old Ancestor could only be weaker than his. However, it could cause him to retreat, but Qing Shui felt that the usage of strength that the Old Ancestor displayed was very simple.

It was only the the strength used by the Old Ancestor was precise without equal, and even his movements seemed precise, as though it was all calculated, using the least amount of strength and movement to make the most effective and formidable move.

Qing Shui felt that the timing and location of the Old Ancestor's move was very wonderful. Just like the crowbar, the same principles applied; the move was made when he was at his weakest. The key factor was that the moment when he was at his weakest was the instant proceeding the moment he was at his strongest. However, that interval was also precisely the moment the Old Ancestor was at his strongest.

"This is the realm of true strength, a kind of formless realm!" Qing Shui now knew how inadequate he was, and even though he was already in the Minute Subtlety realm, the feeling differed too much.

There was no end to learning.

Cloudhand!

Once more on the upper body!

Half Step Hammer Explosion Technique!

Counter-attack!

"Beng!"

Although Qing Shui had to retreat 3 steps again, the Old Ancestor's face displayed astonishment and appeared pleasantly surprised, nodding his head every now and then.

......

As a result of all the Light Stones in the ceiling of the stone hall, there was no difference between day and night, Qing Shui had no idea what time it was or even what colour the sky was outside.

"Let's stop here today. I won't keep you any longer. If you don't go back today, Wuji will probably come pounding on my stone door." The Old Ancestor stated while laughing.

"Thank you, Old Ancestor!" Qing Shui sincerely thanked him once again before getting up to leave.

He went back the same way he came in. The stone door was opened once again, and Qing Shui saw that the blue sky outside had already turned dark. He watched the stone door slowly shut behind him before turning around and leaving.

The night wind blew, and the bugs were crying continuously in the surroundings. However, it was quieter than usual, and Qing Shui quickly walked back on the path from where he came. Right now, the first lanterns were being lit, and it was about time for dinner. [1]

When Qing Shui made it to Cang Wuya's dwelling, he found that little Yuchang had already fallen asleep in Mingyue Gelou's embrace. With a face reminiscent of a red apple, she was quiet and in deep sleep, a faint trace of a smile playing at her lips.

After greeting everybody, Qing Shui noticed that there was a long couch at the side. Seeing that there was no one sitting on it, he picked up the young lass and placed her on the couch. He then took a blanket and covered and tucked her in. Fortunately, it was no longer as cold.

"What did the Old Ancestor want with you?" Huoyun Liu-Li asked as she looked at Qing Shui with a faint smile.

"He wanted to give me some stuff!" Qing Shui chuckled.

"Come on! We are not after your stuff. You don't have to be so secretive about it." Huoyun Liu-Li charmingly threw her gaze at the now pale-looking Qing Shui. Huoyun Liu-Li's appearance had left Qing Shui speechless.

"I am not that petty. There is some stuff in there that I want to give to you all, so I'll pass them to you after we eat." Qing Shui said as he used his forefingers to pinch Huoyun Liu-Li exquisite nose.

"You are doing it again! You are not to pinch my nose – it is almost flat already!" Huoyun Liu-Li panted in rage as she removed Qing Shui's hand.

"It is not flat. It's still very erect and straight!" Qing Shui said as he stretched out his hand. However, Huoyun Liu-Li evaded him.

Mingyue Gelou was feeling very reserved in a new environment, so it was a good thing that no one treated her like an outsider. Furthermore, Cang Wuya was very kind and amiable, thus, as the days slowly passed, she started to get used to it.

What caused Qing Shui to be the most surprised was that Mingyue Gelou and the other 2 girls all addressed Cang Wuya as Oldfather. Qing shui was very happy about this, as it meant that Mingyue Gelou did not feel like she was an outsider. This was good.

Qing Shui smiled towards Huoyun Liu-Li with a grateful look. However, she only rolled her eyes at him and appeared slightly exasperated.

......

After dinner!

"Right! The stuff the Old Ancestor has prepared for you. I'll pass it out tomorrow. Gelou, why don't you carry Yuchang upstairs to sleep!" Qing Shui spoke in tandem to Huoyun Liu-Li and Mingue Gelou.

After that, Qing Shui said his goodnights before heading up. He intended to stay here tonight, as a means for Mingyue Gelou to get used to this place.

"Hrm. Why are you running away? We are staying here tonight too. I'll look for you later." Huoyun Liu-li shouted to Qing Shui.

However, Qing Shui already went upstairs. It was time to enter the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal.

Once he entered the room, he left a sign outside on which was written, "Dear Miss Liu-Li: Currently cultivating. Please do not disturb, or else I might end up in a state of Qi deviation." He shut the door and locked it shortly after.

Qing Shui then entered the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal!

He took out the Interspatial Silk Sachet and started taking out the items inside: the Heavenly Dan, the pair of Violet Cloud Swords, and the Flame Phoenix Pellet.

When Qing Shui saw the Flame Phoenix Pellet, he got excited again and was planning to use it at a later time. He then placed these items aside and started to inspect the other contents. He realized that there was a great number of items in the sachet. However, they were mostly some small trinkets.

There were 3 pairs of Violet Earrings of astonishing workmanship, glittering with a mesmerizing gleam. Not only that, they even gave off a faint wave of spiritual energy, causing Qing Shui to glance towards them.

Violet Earrings were made from precious amethyst and had a wondrous ability that increases one's strength by 1%. This was the information Qing Shui gleaned when he used his Heavenly Vision Technique.

Qing Shui laughed. Although 1% was not much, it was made of precious materials, and it was worth at least a city merely based on its elegant appearance.

Qing Shui recalled the Old Ancestor had said that there were some some items in there that he could give to those precious to him. Did he mean these?

Qing Shui continued to look through the items and fished out a small bottle on which was written Golden Carp Pellet. Other than these words, there was nothing else on the bottle. Qing Shui knew there had to be a description since the Old Ancestor had mentioned it earlier.

Qing Shui popped open its cork and caught whiff of a piscine fragrance. It was subtle but fragrant. There were 10 pills that were golden yellow in colour, each about the size of a soybean. However, Qing Shui found neither a description nor any instructions.[2]

Qing Shui later found an Alchemy Recipe that he recognized. It was the Threefold Spirit Concentrating Pill!

Qing Shui was beside himself with joy, as the additional fold could increase the duration of the pill's effects. He perused the recipe and found that it was not that much different from the Twofold Spirit Concentrating Pill, with the main ingredient being different as the only exception. The supporting ingredients saw no change apart from the age requirement increasing by a grade.

Qing Shui had no desire to cultivate the Sixfold Spirit Concentrating Pill, or even higher, as it required high amounts of abilities and rare herbs. Hence, the Threefold Spirit Concentrating Pill was very suitable at the moment because he did not have to pay too great a price to produce it.

"Oh! Found it!" Qing Shui held up a piece of beast skin that was silver in color with red words on it.

Golden Carp Pellet Effects: Every Golden Carp Pellet can increase the user's progression in their martial technique and cultivation art by 1%

AST 454 - Ingesting the Golden Carp Pellet, Great Perfection Stage for the Divine Feet Clearing

"This is good stuff!"

Qing Shui could not understand why the Old Ancestor said that these were nothing much. The Golden Carp Pellet was definitely something awesome. Such medicinal pills could save a cultivator's time. For example, if he were to take one Golden Carp Pellet, he would be able to hasten his progress towards the next cycle.

It was a pity that there were ten pills in the bottle. Qing Shui looked towards the rest of the items and saw that there was a bottle of Spirit Concentrating Pills with six-fold effects, filling the bottle to the brim. He was very excited. As for the others, they all seemed to be medicinal herbs of a certain age. Qing Shui took them out and placed them together with his own.

Qing Shui held onto the Interspatial Silk Sachet and thought about it for a long time, but he could not decide who to give it to and eventually decided to leave it in the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal for the time being.

He then turned his gaze towards the Golden Carp Pellet and the Flame Phoenix Pellet. Qing Shui planned to do whatever he could to improve his cultivation level. At this moment, he felt that his strength, which was equivalent to just a little bit more than one country's worth, was too weak.

Gradually circulating the Ancient Strengthening Technique and bringing his condition to its best, he had gone through 143 cycles after a complete cycle.

Qing Shui took out a Golden Carp Pellet. This treasure might have excellent results on him. Even if it was just 1%, it would allow him to progress to the next cycle or even more.

Such medicinal pills could save him a lot of time on cultivation. The only downside was that his power would increase too quickly, and he would need to take more time to gradually get used to this newfound power.

He took out one Golden Carp Pellet and ate it before continuing to circulate his Ancient Strengthening Technique, one cycle at a time...

A strange energy arose from his Dan Tian and quickly merged with his Qi of Ancient Strengthening Technique. Qing Shui immediately felt as though his Qi of Ancient Strengthening Technique had taken an aphrodisiac, as if it a ferocious tiger had descended from the mountains.

Since that was the case, he decided to just put more effort into it!

Tiger's Mount!

Nature Energy!

Frenzied Bull's Strength!

Diamond Qi!

...

In that instant, a powerful aura surged out from Qing Shui. Faint golden light that felt soft and majestic shone out from his body, but it was coincidentally as imposing as a heavy sword without an edge.

111th cycle, 112th cycle...

143rd cycle!

Whip!

Breakthrough!

An overt torrent of pulsing energy began to flow through Qing Shui's Qi of Ancient Strengthening Technique!

144th cycle!

Whip!

Amidst agitated feelings, he attained another breakthrough once again! Concurrently, that strange gush of power in his Qi of Ancient Strengthening Technique also disappeared. However, Qing Shui was already overjoyed.

145th cycle!

Qing Shui's strength was already slightly over 4 million jin to begin with. Now that it was increased by 2%, his strength reached 4.1 million jin.

Qing Shui looked at the remaining 9 Golden Carp Pellets, overjoyed at how powerful they were. Without any hesitation, he swallowed another.

The familiar gush of energy appeared once again, 1st cycle, 2nd cycle...

Breakthrough!

It was a pity that he only broke through to the 146th cycle this time around! He was still slightly more than half the distance away from breaking through to the 147th cycle, but Qing Shui was already very satisfied.

When Qing Shui took the 3rd pellet, he still only broke through to the next cycle.

However, the 4th one allowed him to pass through 2 cycles. Almost all the others gave him 1 cycle, and his progress gradually decreased. Very quickly, Qing Shui had taken 6 of the pills and was hesitating on whether to continue.

Qing Shui knew that he was building up a resistance to the medicinal properties!

There were still 4 Great Revitalizing Pellets. Qing Shui's Ancient Strengthening Technique was now at the 151st cycle. He could feel that his abilities had improved by a lot.

Now, his physical strength had already reached 4.4 million jin. Qing Shui had a feeling that even if he took the remaining 4 Golden Carp Pellets, he would only be able to breakthrough 2 cycles at most, increasing his strength by about 100,000 jin.

100,000 jin was not bad. Qing Shui had initially wanted to give them to the ladies, but he thought of how their current level was not suitable to take such medicinal pills. He made the decision to increase his own abilities first and later concoct medicinal pills that were suitable for them in the future.

After taking the last 4 Golden Carp Pellets, Qing Shui gained another 100,000 jin of tremendous strength. His physical strength had now reached 4.5 million jin.

It was not just that. Medicinal pills such as these Golden Carp Pellets, which accelerate one's cultivation progress, would increase not just one's strength but also strengthen one's defence, speed, energy level, organs, bones, and meridian channels.

In a short while, the 10% increment to his abilities had Qing Shui himself beside with joy. How could he not be? He had, after all, saved himself 5 months' time and entered the 153rd cycle.

Qing Shui looked towards the Flame Phoenix Pellet and decided to go through some cultivation first. He practiced his Back Connecting Fist, which had been at the pinnacle of the small success stage for a while.

Whip!

Qi of Ancient Strengthening Technique passed through his shoulders, and the gush of energy flowed into his arms from his back. With a punch, light tremors formed in the air.

White Ape Back Connecting Fist!

Qing Shui continued to swing out his arms. Sometimes, his punches would be steady with a great damaging force. At other times, they would be like whips, flexible and unpredictable.

...

When he was tired, he would practice the Ancient Strengthening Technique to regain his physical strength. This was also the Ancient Strengthening Technique's forte. If the energy depleted was low, the Ancient Strengthening Technique could keep circulating and replenish it until the end of his life. But if he spent an overwhelming amount of energy, his body would still go into a deficit.

In the midst of this all, he had been kicked out once by the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal, and it was now in the early hours before dawn of the second day. He had spent about 20 or more days in the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal!

He ate some food. During this period of time, he had basically gotten used to his newfound strength. It was not hard to adapt to it. What that was difficult was to utilize it in battle. It was just like how Qing Shui had to have good control of his strength when he engaged the Old Ancestor in battle.

Qing Shui was now practicing the <<Acupuncture Clearing of Four Limbs>> given to him by Misty Hall's Palace Mistress. Till now, Qing Shui had yet to reach the small success stage. This made him a little depressed, but at least he was still gradually progressing.

Recalling how the Misty Hall's Palace Mistress had cleared so many acupuncture points, and even almost cleared her Yong Quan Acupoint. Qing Shui did not know what level she had attained but guessed that it was at the great perfection stage.

Qing Shui circulated the Qi of Ancient Strengthening Technique according to the <<Acupuncture Clearing of Four Limbs>>. However, he kept being unable to find the point to break through the barrier, nor was he able to clear any acupoints either.

Qing Shui continued to practice, hoping that he would be able to attain a breakthrough one day!

Although his Divine Arm Clearing was at the grand perfection stage, Qing Shui continued to persist in his cultivation. It was because this would allow him to continue to nourish the acupuncture points that were already cleared, strengthening them even further. Another reason was because Qing Shui felt that there might an even higher level after the great perfection stage. He was not sure if the Divine Arm Clearing was at its limit now, so he was just trying it out.

"Mmm!"

Qing Shui noticed that the Divine Feet Clearing he was cultivating seemed to be showing signs of a breakthrough. There seemed to be signs of "fluttering" and Qing Shui immediately felt that it was related to his consumption of the Golden Carp Pellets earlier.

Qing Shui quickly calmed himself down, clearing his mind and soul, circulating all of his strength to its limits. He also controlled the movements of the energy to the highest level of "Minute Subtlety", ensuring that he had sufficient energy to carry on.

Qing Shui gradually circulated the powers in his body, each time pulling them back after clashing against the barrier once. Although much of it would be scattered in each collision, there would still be some aftershock left behind.

It was now that Qing Shui truly understood how powerful Nature Energy was. Under such a powerful collision, Qing Shui could sense that his Nature Energy was truly indestructible.

Bang bang bang...

Under the strong impact, the barrier shook gently. It was a pity that he was still just shy of a breakthrough. No matter how much force Qing Shui threw at it, it just would not break.

"Damn, this barrier is this strong?"

Qing Shui gritted his teeth and continued to charge on. At this moment, he could only hope that if this carried on, he would be able to break through the barrier eventually. However, Qing Shui knew that it was almost impossible. But he was still not willing to give up at this point.

Qing Shui went numb as he continued to clash against the barrier unceasingly. If there were no miracles, he could forget about breaking through...

15 minutes later!

The barrier still stood there firmly, making Qing Shui feel at a loss. When Qing Shui felt that he was at the cusp of a breakthrough, he had dismissed the thought of taking the Flame Phoenix Pellet. It was because his strength would be increased by at least 300,000 jin if he managed to attain a breakthrough in his Divine Feet Clearing. With that, he would get even greater benefits if he were to take the Flame Phoenix Pellet then.

But if he were to take the Flame Phoenix Pellet first, then after he attained the breakthrough, he would be short of the 50% increment received from the Flame Phoenix Pellet. But now, Qing Shui was left with no other choice than to take the Flame Phoenix Pellet first to get through the breakthrough.

Sometimes, people would be left with no other choice. They would be left with no other choice than to just look at the treasures before them while being unable to take it for themselves.

He could also save them for the future, but time waited for no one. He did not wish to keep missing out on opportunities; the stronger one was, the more the opportunities.

Just as Qing Shui was about to stop, two words suddenly materialized in his mind. It was something that he had forgotten all this time.

Shield Essence!

Qing Shui had not really used the Shield Essence much, and he had broken through to the 2nd level after taking the "Greencloud Up-step Pellet" last time.

Shield Essence! This force that was able to fight against everything and pushing through everything. It was formidable yet profound!

At this moment, Qing Shui was as if he had gotten himself a lifebuoy. After calming himself down once again, he gradually circulated this much forgotten Shield Essence.

Very quickly, the Shield Essence flowed into his meridian channels. While it was small, it was extremely powerful. The Shield Essence was not only sharp but also had a strong pushing force akin to that of a mountain's.

The strong force was once again pushed to its greatest limit, once again charging towards that thick barrier!

Boom!

Just when that barrier had a slight movement, Qing Shui grabbed the chance and threw out all of his Shield Essence, sending it forth at the point where the barrier was sunk in the deepest.

Whip!

A majestic source of energy flowed from the ground to his feet and entered his body. His body instantaneously felt like rain had fallen in times of a great drought. The entirety of his pores felt extremely comfortable.

Great perfection stage of the Divine Feet Clearing!

AST 455 - The Sudden Increase of Strength, The Strength of Two and Half Countries, Ecstasy

Divine Feet Clearing, Great Perfection Stage!

Chengshan, Feiyang, Weiyang, Yinggu, Taixi, Dazhong, Huantiao, Fengshi, Zhongdu, Yangjiao, Guangming, Xuanzhong, Qiuxu, Ququan and Ligou: these 15 acupoints on both of his legs were immediately emitting powerful energy.

At the same time, Qing Shui felt his bones and meridians being immensely reinforced. The Taixi acupoint strengthened the lower back and invigorated the bones. The Huantiao acupoint reinforced the meridians and increased its flexibility.

The energy exuding from his legs right now made him wanted to jump around wildly. Both his strength and speed had gained a tremendous increase.

Before, the Divine Feet Clearing of Great Perfection Stage could increase 300,000 jin of strength. However, it seemed to be no less than 500,000 jin now, which made Qing Shui extremely happy.

It had been 4.5 million jin of enormous strength before. With this additional 500,000 jin of strength, Qing Shui's body strength was now an enormous 5 million jin of strength.

He was feeling the additional strength within his body and felt extremely satisfied in his heart. Qing Shui had been restless ever since he had found out about the disparities between him and a peak Martial King grade from the Old Ancestor. Because of this, his yearning towards strength burned even more intensely.

Cloudmist Steps!

Qing Shui's figure could be seen trampling on the same inch of land beneath his feet in the Realm of Violet Jade Immortal. It was so fast that both of his legs had become a blur. He didn't stop until half an hour later.

He smiled in satisfaction. "The speed has indeed increased by quite a lot. At least 10% or more!"

Nature Energy!

Qing Shui raised his qi aura!

Shield Essence!

Mighty Elephant Stomp!

By now, his body had already achieved an enormous strength of about 5,000,000 jin. This stomp would have the strength of about two and a half countries!

Bam!

A gigantic noise rang out. Even though he was in the Realm of Violet Jade Immortal, a deep ditch of about 5 metres long was created. Luckily, this was an empty field and the ground on top of it was very quickly restored back to its original state.

Screech!

Humphh!

The Fire Bird and the Demonic Diamond Boar let out a loud cry at the gigantic noise, as if trying to respond. The Demonic Diamond Boar, big as a bull by now, quickly rushed over and affectionately circled around Qing Shui.

Qing Shui felt extremely happy looking at his darling pet. It almost didn't look like a boar at all now.

Elephant?

Qing Shui had never really paid close attention to it before, but now, he suddenly realised that it looked similar to a little golden elephant. The only difference was its trunk which was a little shorter and its ears which were slightly smaller.

He shook his head. Without those characteristics he previously mentioned, it still resembled a boar more than an elephant. If it could evolve once more in the future and become a massive golden boar, it would be very powerful.

Qing Shui imagined a sparkly golden massive boar which was about five or six meters long with the height of two or three meters and a body sturdy like steel. It would possess extraordinary strength. He was sure that it would be able to create caves in a mountain.

He reached over to pat on his Demonic Diamond Boar. Fortunately, Qing Shui had telepathically told it the things it could and could not touch. Otherwise, it would have demolished all medical herbs here as if they were cabbages.......

He suddenly recalled that he had reaped quite a lot of benefits when he had tamed this Demonic Diamond Boar with the Divine Marionette. He had gained an ten percent increase of all its strengths.

Qing Shui immersed his mind on his dantian and discovered that there was a lump of "golden" energy somewhere there that had yet to be dispersed. It was as if they were clumping together, which made Qing Shui extremely puzzled.

"Could this be the energy bestowed to him by the Demonic Diamond Boar after it broke through?" Qing Shui mulled over it.

"I should try to dissolve it and see if I can maybe gain a large amount of energy!" He could feel some energy contained within that golden air mass.

Qing Shui attempted to catalyze the energy by shocking it with the qi of Ancient Strengthening Technique!

"Bang!"

He found it unexpectedly easy to spread it apart. Qing Shui felt a wave of boundless energy rising from his dantian. The Demonic Diamond Boar in front of him was shining in gold. Its entire body appeared to be more metallic, looking extremely dazzling in gold.

Qing Shui jaw dropped instantly!

This is because he had once again gained the same amount of defense that he had before, as well as 350,000 worth of enormous strength. On top of that, his speed had also been increased by about 50%.

Qing Shui stared blankly at the Demonic Diamond Boar in front of him. This fellow who had just reached the Martial King beginner level was able to resist a force of 12 million jin.... That was the opposing force of more than a country. Its body strength had also increased by a whooping 7.5 million jin, even its speed was no longer slower than his......

"I have picked up a treasure!" This was the thought that crossed Qing Shui's mind while he was looking at this Demonic Diamond Boar. He had never expected to gain an increase in strength every time it broke through. It was 10% of the strength that the Demonic Diamond Boar had gained.

This had come as an extremely accidental surprise to him. He thought that he would only be getting the 10% of strength from the first time he tamed the Demonic Diamond Boar with the Divine Marionette. This was really unexpected. It seemed like surprises always came at the most unexpected times.

Qing Shui simply couldn't sit still. This was too powerful. He couldn't imagine how it would be when this Demonic Diamond Boar reached the peak of Martial King grade.....

He rested for awhile!

After taking a few sips of the All Aspect Nourishment Soup, Qing Shui turned his attention to that Flame Phoenix Pellet!

.........

Meanwhile, in another room, Canghai Mingyue was looking at Huoyun Liu-Li, the latter of whom had been pouting. She couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong Liu-Li? Didn't you say that you wanted to ask for a present from Qing Shui? Why have you been pouting ever since you returned? Did he bully you?"

"That big bastard is too mean. I'm so angry!" The more Huoyun Liu-Li thought about it, the angrier she became.

"What's wrong?" Canghai Mingyue asked with curiosity. It was rare to see Huoyun Liu-Li wearing this kind of facial expression for an extended period of time.

"Come with me to look at something, then you'll understand. I'll make him pay tomorrow." Huoyun Liu-Li pulled Canghai Mingyue outside.

"Liu-Li, it's late already......"

"What are you afraid of? It's not like that big bastard is going to eat us." Huoyun Liu-Li huffed angrily.

"Wait, let me get dressed." Canghai Mingyue quickly said when she saw that Huoyun Liu-Li was about to pull her again.

"Why bother? Big sister will be taken advantage of by that big bastard sooner or later anyway." Huoyun Liu-Li who had been pouting was now laughing.

"What? How shameless!" Canghai Mingyue reprimanded Huoyun Liu-Li with a glare.

"Hehe. Your face is red, big sister. You turned red whenever I talk about that big bastard. Seems like you'll really be eaten by that big bastard very soon." Huoyun Liu-Li smiled like a fox, her slyness indescribably attractive.

"I think you're the one who wants that. People normally make fun of others in spite their actual innermost desires. Am I right, Liu-Li?" Canghai Mingyue asked Liu-Li with a smile after having finished dressing up.

"No way!" Huoyun Liu-Li looked a little embarrassed for once.

"Let's go. Are you going to get dressed? You're going there in your sleepwear?" The slightest trace of a faint smile could be seen in Canghai Mingyue's pitch black eyes. They were very attractive, and it was a shame that no man was lucky enough to admire them.

"Yep, it's not like he dares to eat me up." Huoyun Liu-Li replied with a pout.

"Liu-Li, could it be that you really want him to eat you?" Canghai Mingyue finished her sentence with a laugh and left the room without waiting for Huoyun Liu-Li to finish pouring her emotions out.

"Sister, I didn't know that you were actually this mean." Huoyun Liu-Li quickly chased after her.

Their rooms were only a little more than 10 meters away from Qing Shui's room. They arrived at Qing Shui's door very soon, but there was a very eye-catching signboard standing there.

The words on there were very big. 'Dear Miss Liu-Li, currently cultivating. Please do not disturb or else I might end up in a state of qi deviation.'

After Canghai Mingyue was done reading, she pulled Huoyun Liu-Li and left.

"Sister, if you want to laugh then laugh. There's no need to hold it in."

"Liu-Li, it seems like Qing Shui is very terrified of you!" Canghai Mingyue chuckled.

"I'm so angry! That bastard went as far as to treat me like that, as if I am a female thug......"

"That's right. It's not as if our Liu-Li is a female thug. She's clearly one!"

"SISTER!" Huoyun Liu-Li shouted while stomping her foot.

"Okay, okay I'm done."

.........

Qing Shui was completely oblivious to everything that was happening on the other side his door. He didn't even know that he had been called a big bastard by a charming lady. Right at this moment, Qing Shui was holding a Flame Phoenix Pellet and was about to ingest it.

"An increase of 5% to all strengths." Qing Shui became excited at the prospect of this attribute. How could he contain himself? 5% strength increase was a very significant amount to the current Qing Shui.

His body had currently achieved the enormous strength of approximately 5.35 million jin. A 5% increase would mean 2.68 million jin of enormous strength? So eating this Flame Phoenix Pellet would allow his body to attain a terrifying 8 million jin of enormous strength....

He shook his head. He shouldn't think about those things first. He should just swallow it and think about it after his strengths had been increased!

He raised his head and the fiery red pellet went down along his throat. A wave of warm air rose. It didn't have any fragrance or weird smell, just a warm air.

Qing Shui did not dare to be reckless. The best thing to do was to circulate the Ancient Strengthening Technique!

Very soon, Qing Shui felt the warm qi within his body getting more intense. Even without circulating the Ancient Strengthening Technique deliberately, it automatically became faster!

He casted away all distractions and gradually felt that intense heat wave dissipating, to be replaced by a wave of cool and refreshing qi in his body. Compared to the previous heat wave, he felt like his body was in heaven.

The refreshing qi slowly dissipated as well, leaving behind a powerful strength in his dantian and meridians. Even by simply feeling it, Qing Shui could tell that his strength had increased by about 50%.

RIght now, Qing Shui's strength had attained a terrifying 8,000,000 jin of enormous strength. The sudden increase of strength had made Qing Shui extremely excited. He was even a little unsure of how to react from the shock of this great, pleasant surprise.

He was itching to experience his current powerful strength!

He put on the Golden-Ringed Battle Armor, battle boots, helmet, and bracelet!

The Big Dipper Sword was in his hands!

He also readied a piece of Godly Force Talisman!

Then, one big cycle of Ancient Strengthening Technique was slowly circulated!

Frenzied Bull's Strength!

His body's strength would increase by 40% with his Frenzied Bull's Strength. The Golden-Ringed Battle Armor would further increase it by another additional 30%!

Heavenly Thunder Slash!

An additional 30% of strength to his body. It was a pity that he hadn't cultivate it to the level in which he could stun his opponent.

Big Dipper Sword!

An additional 50% increase in body's strength!

Diamond Qi!

Diamond Qi of the Large Success Stage. 50% increase in body's strength!

Qing Shui immediately slapped that piece of Godly Force Talisman that he had prepared on his body!

With the additional power that his armor and weapon provided, he had attained 25.7 million jin of enormous strength. This was the strength of two and a half countries.

From the start, Qing Shui had been feeling the energy in his body gradually become stronger. It was so strong that even his meridians were taut. It was fortunate that Qing Shui's own body was strong enough, or else this amount of energy was enough to kill him by exploding his body.

He was shocked right now. In just half a day, his strength had suddenly increased from a little more than one "country" to almost two and half "countries". He wondered how many people will be shocked if this had gotten out.

"Hahaha, my strength could be considered equal to that of a mediocre Martial King peak!" Qing Shui let out a few high spirited shouts within the Realm of Violet Jade Immortal.

"All my strength should be on par with those Supreme Elders!" This increase of strength had allowed Qing Shui to feel the strength of Cang Wuya and those Supreme Elders that he was lucky enough to meet from before. He had felt it so deep and unmeasurable in the past, but he now possessed that very same amount of strength.

And they were all about the age of 300 years old!

Qing Shui currently felt an intense gratitude towards the Old Ancestor. At the same time, he was sighing in amazement at his greatness. The thing that he had randomly taken out actually allowed his strength to increase exponentially.

Feeling the strong wave of energy within his body, he had the sudden impulse to battle a Demonic Beast of peak Martial King grade. Alas, it was just a thought......

Taichi Fists!

Taichi Single Whip!

Bang bang bang......

Explosive noises consecutively resonated through the air, and it was louder than before by a few times. Afterimages followed behind his Taichi Single Whip. The force that struck out was heaven and earth-shaking.

"Nice!"

Qing Shui couldn't restrain himself from shouting to express his current feelings!

Boom boom boom.......

Sounds of explosions incessantly rang out in the Realm of Violet Jade Immortal. Qing Shui was wildly performing every offensive cultivation arts in his arsenal without holding back any of his enormous strength. He used his strength to its greatest extent to familiarize himself with it.

The effects of the Godly Force Talisman only wore off after 30 minutes, whereupon Qing Shui gradually come to a stop. A sheen of sweat coated his body, but he had never been better before.

Without realising it, the time to exit the Realm of Violet Jade Immortal arrived!

Qing Shui had prepared a big water vat in the realm for bathing and washing purposes. He would always spend up to an hour soaking in the water vat, and this was the moment when he could relax the most.

Putting on his clothes, Qing Shui exited the Realm of Violet Jade Immortal and very quickly fell into a deep slumber after lying down on his bed!

.........

When he woke up in the morning he went outside to practise his taichi fists!

Cang Wuya came out shortly after. His eyes instantly lit up as soon as he saw Qing Shui.

He looked at Qing Shui for a short while without asking anything, but the smile on his face turned broader. Cang Wuya was also practising the same Taichi Fist Technique, the very same one that was taught by Qing Shui.

Qing Shui didn't say anything because he thought that Cang Wuya was doing great with the Taichi Fist Technique, so he let him practice by himself. This fist technique had piqued the Old Man's interest, therefore he had been practising it diligently. To date, Cang Wuya Taichi's technique was already of the Ancestor realm. He could also felt the tremendous benefits it had brought to him, which was why he had been practicing it every morning.

Qing Shui realised that Huoyun Liu-Li had been very quiet during breakfast. She would always tease him or force him into bickering with her. But now, she had been quiet and didn't even glance at him. Qing Shui could sense that she was sending a message to him with such an attitude.

Huoyun Liu-Li was furious!

AST 456 - Absolute beauty Liu-li, Visitor from the Jin Clan, Golden Jade Eagle

Huoyun Liu-li became angry!

Having finish her dinner, Canghai Mingyue laughed as she told Qing Shui, "Qing Shui, Liu-li is angry. Hurry and coax her."

"Oh, who provoked our Lui-li. Tell me and I will cut him into eight pieces. He actually thinks he can live after provoking our beautiful, intelligent, heroic, righteous, elegant, noble, refined, and gentle miss Liu-li.

"Teehee. Why it is you, you big baddie! Hrm, I don't care. You've got to compensate me." Huiyun Liu-li said like the rascal she was after being clearly amused by Qing Shui.

Qing Shui knew that Huoyun Liu-li was not actually angry, therefore he was very happy upon seeing her laugh. He looked at Huoyun Liu-li, laughed, and said: "Ok, I definitely will compensate you. In fact it is a must."

Qing Shui took out the Violet Earrings he just obtained not long ago!

Once the Violet Earring was taken out, Huoyun Liu-li immediately lit up with resplendent radiance. Qing Shui knew that Huoyun Liu-li would definitely like this pair of Violet Earrings

"Wow! It's so beautiful!" Huoyun Lui-li sighed as she stretch her hand out to take it.

After fiddling around with the earrings, Huoyun Liu-li happily hugged Qing Shui for awhile. After seeing Qing Shui in a daze, she pushed him away.

"Qing Shui is the best!"

Qing Shui laughed. Then, he accidently noticed that Canghai Mingyue and Mingyue Gelou were smiling at him and Huoyun Liu-li. However, Qing Shui felt that in their eyes was a subtle hint of gloom and jealousy

Gloomy and jealous?

Could it be because he gave Huoyun Liu-li the Violet Earrings but didn't give them anything?

As his strength grew, Qing Shui realised that his "Minute Subtlety" grew stronger as well. He could even feel these emotions.

Although Qing Shui could not be sure, as it was just a feeling!

However, Qing Shui took out the remaining two Violet Earrings and gave them to Canghai Mingyue and Mingyue Gelou. The two girls also received them happily.

It was just too beautiful. The two girl did not even think about rejecting it!

"Oh, how strange, I can feel that my strength have increased a bit." Huoyun Liu-li, having already wore the Violet Earrings, exclaimed in surprise

"En, yes, however the amount is little." Canghai Mingyue and Mingyue Gelou also wore theirs.

"Yuchang is about to wake up, i'm going up to take a look!" Mingyue Gelou said merrily, then headed toward the stairs to go up.

"Is there anymore things for me?" asked Huoyun Liu-li as she looking at Qing Shui with hope.

Qing Shui could only take out the pair of Violet cloud swords and give them to the two girls!

"Wow, Qing Shui, you are awesome, it's violet as well."

Qing Shui could not understand why it was all Violet either. The Huoyun Liu-li of today was dressed in violet and had a violet cloud sword. She wore violet earrings, violet boots, and a violet belt......

Qing Shui looked at the beauty that was akin to a piece of violet porcelain, the violet air that surrounded the charming forehead of this women so sexy it caused people to stop breathing. The charm that exuded from her became even more grandeur. Between every frown and smile flowed a certain grace.

When Huoyun Liu-li saw that Qing Shui was staring at her, she blinked her long and sexy eyes and walked over with a sway. Giving off a nice fragrance, she asked: "Does it look good?"

"Very good!"

"Where does it look good!" Huoyun Liu-li narrowed her eyes. Her pupils could move any man's hearts.

"Everywhere looks good!"

"Then where is the best looking part!" Huoyun Liu-li blinked and said with an enticing voice.

"The butt!" Qing Shui shifted his gaze downwards...

"Go to hell!" Huoyun Liu-li lighted pounded on his chest for awhile before succumbing to laughter.

When Huoyun Liu-li was pounding on Qing Shui's chest, he hugged her and said in a low voice: "You demoness. If you try to seduce me again, I will rape you."

[TL notes: 妖精: Demoness, chinese expression for alluring women.]

"Come on, I'm not afraid of you!" Huoyun Liu-li whispered into his ear seductively, then stuck out her soft pink tongue and licked Qing Shui's ear lobe.

Qing Shui was shocked, after which he helplessly pushed her away. This demoness knew that with Canghai Mingyue at the side, he could not do anything to her. Every time she was in such a situation, she would take the chance to sexually provoke him.

Although Qing Shui was unwilling, he could only push her aside. She had caused his body to have a reaction. If he kept hugging her, it would not be a pleasure but a torture.

"Kekeke. Qing Shui, your face has gone red. Being able to cause you embarrassment makes me very happy!" Huoyun Liu-li said happily as she looked at the slightly red-faced Qing Shui.

......

After awhile, Mingyue Gelou lead little Yuchang down. When Yuchang saw Qing Shui, she happily jumped over.

"Daddy!"

Qing Shui was alarmed. This young lass was too daring, simply jumping off the flight of steps. Qing Shui quick caught her. Every time he hugged this young girl, he felt some special emotions.

It might be because her life had been saved by Qing Shui, or it could be because he channeled in some of his Qi of Ancient Strengthening Technique into her back then. Although she was not reborn as a completely new person, it made Qing Shui feel that there was a faint connection between them. It was a very warm feeling and he would like to do everything in his power to give her happiness.

Qing Shui played with the young girl for a few moments. Then, Mingyue Gelou brought out the dishes she made for the young girl. However, children were not able to sit still and eat, therefore a few of them had to surround her, coaxing her to finish her food.

At this moment Cang Wuya and another old man came in.

"Qing Shui, Elder Jin is here to look for you!" Cang Wuya said as he laughed gently.

"Mr. Qing Shui, this old fogey Jin Shang is here to thank you for saving Zheng'er, if I did not see Elder Cang I would not have known where to find you."

Qing shui looked at this scholarly old known as Jin Shang and felt that he was the same type as Chang Wuya. However, regardless of trivial comparisons, Jin Shang had a stronger air of nobility.

"Elder Jin, just call me Qing Shui. Me saving him was just a matter of convenience. You don't have to mind it too much." Qing Shui smiled as he handed little Yuchang over to Mingyue Lelou.

"The Jin clan has already prepared a banquet, and everyone is coming over. Let this old fogey express my gratitude to you." Jin Shang said, smiling at Qing Shui. However, his gaze and tone of voice was able to envelop everyone in the room, causing them to feel his sincerity.

"Elder Jin, this is too much of an hassle. Furthermore, it was inconvenient for you to travel all the way here."

"It was no trouble at all. This is necessary because you have saved Zheng'er. Even if you wanted anything from the Jin Clan, I would give it to you." Jin Shang said seriously.

When Qing Shui heard Jin Shang's words he was shocked. Coming from a clan like the Jin clan, there were not many who were able to say what he had. This required a great resolution and, at the same time, it showed how highly they thought of him.

Although Jin Shang repeatedly invited Cang Wuya and the three girls, they all rejected it. Finally, Qing Shui and Jin Shang left.

Outside, in the skies was a huge Golden Eagle. When it spread its wings it was close to a hundred square metres in area. Its wings when stretched was over 10 metres. Under the sunlight, it was glittering gold and its might looked uncomparable. (Qing Shui's firebird and Canghai MingYue's Golden Winged Thunder Condor was also about 10 metres in length and width. The previously mentioned 100 metres was actually the area in square metres.)

Qing Shui recognised this flying beast. The Golden Jade Eagle was a famous type of flying beast with Elementary Martial King strength. Any snake type demonic beast would avoid it, even if they were Peak Martial Kings. Even though the Golden Jade eagle would lose if they fought.

The whole body of the Golden Jade was like steel. Its claws and beak were the most lethal weapons, and its speed was strangely fast. The only weakness was it lack of endurance.

"It has just been a day, yet I can no longer see through you." Jin Shang laughed as he looked at Qing Shui.

Qing Shui knew that Jin Shang was still able to see through his powers yesterday. Now, however, he was unable to.

"Elder Jin, you really should just call me Qing Shui!" Qing Shui urged him once again. Qing Shui had a good impression of this old man, and furthermore, he was the hall master of the Golden Throne Palace.

"Then this old fogey will dispense with the formalities."

Qing Shui knew that with his current level of power, it was normal for him to be addressed as mister. What's more, he had saved the life of Jin Changzheng. Seeing that Jin Shang personally came to invite him, Qing Shui could feel his sincerity and therefore felt that this Jin Clan was worth making friends with.

Qing Shui did not give any explanations and Jin Shang did not ask any further questions. The Heavenly Palace's nine halls were not far apart from each other if one were to ride on a flying beast.

Soon, a huge hall appeared in front of Qing Shui's eyes

Golden Throne Palace!

This was a familiar name to Qing Shui as he heard about it frequently in the past. It was just that he had never seen it with his own eyes before. Today, however, he could have a close up view of this Golden Throne Palace of the Heavenly Palace.

The glittering great hall was only smaller than the Lingxiao Treasure Hall by a little. It was a dazzling sight, and seeing it from the outside would already cause one to be moved. It gave the impression of a prosperous palace.

The Golden Jade Eagle kept flying past the hall until it arrived at a courtyard. Only then did it land.

"Qing Shui, we have arrived, let us dismount!"

Qing Shui agreed and followed Jin Shang in dismounting the Golden Jade Eagle.

The front of the courtyard did not seem as luxurious as the outside. In fact, it seem a little simple. Everything here seemed dull. The rock gardens, bridges, forests...they seemed to be primitive, without too much decorations.

As Qing Shui followed Jin Shang as they passed through these scenic gardens, he lamented in his heart that such a wealthy clan had so much. Even his Qin clan still had stuff like ponds or rock gardens. In comparison to to his past life, all these were considered luxurious. However, all these were the results of the World of the Nine Continents being so big and having so much people. Everything was very convenient here.

The number of people in the courtyard was not many, only a few protectors as well as the servants and the odd job labourers. However, Qing Shui could sense that they were all Elementary Xiantian stage. This was not surprising, as even the weakest person in the heavenly palace was a Xiantian.

Going past the last rock garden, there was an eye catching pavilion. This was the largest pavilion in the courtyard. Although it was only 3 stories high, it was larger than the four surrounding stories pavilion, especially the first floor. Qing Shui felt that it was like a palace hall.

AST 457 - Yang Revitalising Grass, Great Revitalizing Pellet, Long Sword Tower's Tan Clan

At this moment, the doors to the pavilion opened and a few people came out in succession. Out of the few of them, Qing Shui recognized some; standing in the middle, looking as pale as ever, was Jin Changzheng; there was also that scholarly looking middle-aged man and that aging but attractive woman; and aside from them, there were two girls, who Qing Shui could at a glance identify as Jin Changzheng's sisters.

Qing Shui was somewhat convinced they were his younger sisters, at least, as Jin Changzheng was already past his thirties. The two of them may seem to be younger, but appearances could be deceiving, so it was mostly based on Qing Shui's feeling.

These two girls had a mature build to their bodies, especially considering their ample bosoms and perky butts, and the curves on their bodies were just right. Despite all these, there was still a gentle contour to their bodies.

They were both dressed in golden silk clothing, which added to their radiance. They smiled at Qing Shui, revealing pearly white teeths and bright eyes. Most importantly was that they were a pair of tender and beautiful sisters.

"All these should be Jin Changzheng's relatives, so this is a family banquet. That's great, I like it!" Qing Shui said as he smiled, calmly and collectedly, and looked at those who walked over.

"Come come, Let me introduce them to you!" Jin Shang hurriedly said to Qing Shui.

"This is my son Jin Yuanlong, whom you have met; this is Changzheng's mother; and these two are my granddaughters, the older is Jin Guyan and the younger is Jin Guyao."

Qing Shui hurriedly sent his regards to them!

"Qing Shui, I am older than you. You should call me big sister!" Jin Guyao said to Qing Shui as she gently smiled at him.

"Yao'er, don't be impolite!" Jin Shang hurriedly reprimanded.

"Elder Jin, it's fine. They are indeed older than me, so calling them big sisters is natural. There is no need to be reserved, otherwise I will feel uncomfortable." Qing Shui said as he stopped Jin Shang.

"Hrm! Grandfather does not love Yao'er." The younger sister said, pouting her lips.

"Alright alright, don't be like this! I love you the most! Even your brother and sister say that I am partial to you, so how can you say I don't love you!"

"I know grandfather won't admonish me, you're the best!" Jin Guyao said as she went overboard and hugged one of Jin Shang's arms. However, her eyes were focused on Qing Shui.

Qing Shui smiled as he observed the pair of grandfather and granddaughter. He felt that Jin Shang must be feeling very blessed, to be able to have his grandchildren pandering to him at his age; there was probably nothing else that could make him happier. At such an old age, he could have whatever he wanted. Material objects had lost their meaning to him, which was exactly how the Old Ancestor treasured his kins, what more Jin Shang.

With the passing of time, the violence, hot bloodedness, passion, lust, possession, beauty, etc... after a certain age is reached, all these becomes meaningless. Only kinship will be hard to give up. No matter who, humans are creatures with emotions; we were all raised by our parents, and the human heart was not made of stone.

When Qing Shui saw that doting look on Jing Shang's face, he understood that, although he admonished her, he was not stern. He could not help it as he had to keep up an image for Qing Shui.

When the others saw that Qing Shui was easy-going, they were elated, and even that attractive mature woman revealed a faint trace of a smile.

"I'm sorry for that day. I was too impulsive and misunderstood mister." The lady seriously said to Qing Shui.

"Aunty, just call me Qing Shui, and don't worry about that matter. In fact, it made me happy to see you do that as his mother, which proves you care and worry for him. You were not in the wrong; having a mother like you is his good fortune." Qing Shui sincerely said.

"Younger brother, it looks you are a very filial son to your mother." Jin Guyao said.

Qing Shui, now speechless, truly wanted to cover her mouth up. The term little brother could mean so many things, but he could not even figure out which was it.

"Come, Come, let's all go in!"

At this moment, Jin Shang hurriedly ushered Qing Shui in!

Since this was their first time meeting, the conversation between Qing Shui and the Jin Clan was very superficial. However, they had a congenial conversation, and Qing Shui could sense the Jin Clan's willingness to befriend him, which was in line with his plans.

After all, Qing Shui could not forget what the Old Ancestor had told him. Furthermore, now that his strength had grown explosively, he felt that the Old Ancestor's position might truly end up being his.

"Brother Qing Shui, let me offer you a toast. This life of mine was rescued by you, not to mention the small stuff, so as long as it is not some immoral request, I am yours to command; even if you want my life, it is yours." Jin Changzheng stood up and said to Qing Shui resolutely.

Qing Shui hurriedly got up and faced this handsome and unyielding man, saying: "Brother Jin is too polite, come, let us drink; after this cup of wine, we shall be brothers."

Jin Changzheng was startled and immediately happily replied: " Good! Good! We are now brothers!"

After saying that, he emptied his cup!

Qing Shui did the same!

Although they were brothers in name, the Jin clan was here and they did not perform any formal rites. However, their bond was definitely stronger than those who simply called each other brothers, so Qing Shui was sure that this brotherhood is a firm one.

Everyone was happy except Jin Guyau, who was pouting. However, no one noticed her.

In this big drinking party, the atmosphere was quite congenial. However, it was time for Qing Shui to go, so he got up and faced Jin Shang to bid them farewell.

Jin Shang repeatedly tried to convince Qing Shui to stay, but Qing Shui was determined to go back. Thus, after a few attempts, he got ready to send Qing Shui back.

"Old man Jin, you don't have to send me back with the Golden Eagle. I have my own flying beast, so why don't you have an early rest?" Qing Shui smiled and said, releasing the Fire Bird meanwhile.

Since that day, everyone knew that Qing Shui had two mutated beasts, and furthermore, one of them was a mutated Red Luan!

Qing Shui waved his hands to send him off and stepped onto the Fire Bird, but then heard Jin Guyao's voice!

"Can I come and find you in the future?!"

Qing Shui looked at those eyes full of hope and nodded: "of course you can!"

After waving goodbye to everyone again, the Fire Bird flapped its wings and disappeared from sight, leaving behind Jin Guyao, who had a complex look in her eyes.

Jin Shang looked at his granddaughter. He knew that when she beheld the sight of Qing Shui defeating nine of Sword tower's disciples at the arena, she had developed some feelings for him. He could not help but sigh and kept quiet, because he knew that they had no chance of being together.

......

When Qing Shui got back to Cang Wuya's place, it was already noon. Without realising it, he had spent 3 hours at the Jin Clan. In the interim, the two girls had already returned to the Misty Hall, leaving only Mingyue Gelou.

Since he did not have any appetite for lunch, Qing Shui just sat in a recliner outside. It was rare for it to be this quiet. With his increased strength and Mingyue Gelou's return, Qing Shui could feel the pressure in his heart alleviated by quite a bit.

Although Sword Tower had to be destroyed, it required a long-term plan. The issue between the Yan Clan and Qing Shui was now resolved, and the burden that Qing Shui had carried for twenty years was now solved, which resulted in him feeling much more relaxed.

Turns out that sword tower was not as difficult as he imaged to destroy. As a result of the conversation with the Old Ancestor, he knew that Sword Tower had a person of the same level as the Old Ancestor. For him to surpass them would take some time.

Furthermore, there was the Lion King's Ridge of the Northern Sacred Lu Continent, as there were rumors of the existence of Martial Saint Practitioners out there, but he decided that he had to bring Yiye Jiange to the Lion King's Ridge and ask for justice.

Qing Shui did not feel that he was reckless or brainless, or even doing it just to please a beauty; among the women around Qing Shui, she was the one whom he did not have any wicked thoughts of. Since he called her master, the help she had provided was worth the effort.

A gentleman is aware of his abilities and knows when to restrain himself. Qing Shui did not think that he was reckless, although the Lion King's Ridge was strong without equal, but Qing Shui felt that it wouldn't be impossible with time – it was not as though he intended to go right away.

......

Sword Tower!

In a mansion not far from Long Sword Tower of the Nine Towers of Sword Tower!

This was the residence of the Tan Clan, Long Sword Tower was also the Tower belonging to the Tan Clan. Within Sword Tower, Long Sword Tower was an existence that could not be ignored.

The Tan Clan was the ruler of the Long Sword Tower!

"Brother Tan, the young master has been thoroughly crippled. I have already done my best.....but all I managed to do is allow him to care of himself.

"Haiz... thank you, brother rui. Oh my god, this is the lifeline of my Tan Clan!" The old man appear to have aged a few decades.

After Tan Yang appeared, they had considered grooming his genius as most prevalent to the future of the Sword Tower, causing his status to exceed even the existence of the Elder's Association.

The Tan Clan had the most elders within Sword Tower, they did not lack talent, but what they lacked was a super genius.

Tan Yang's progressive cultivation improvements lead the Tan Clan to see hope, to the point they had a plan for the Sword Tower to fall under the Tan Clan's control after a few decades; at that moment, the Tan Clan would be the Greencloud Continent's number one clan.

Then when Tan Yang ditched Mingyue Gelou for the Hai Clan's young mistress, the Tan Clan members were happy, because if he could marry a woman from the Hai Clan, the Tan clan would be like a tiger that had grown wings within the Sword Tower. In the crossfire of this, Mingyue Gelou and her daughter did not matter.

Only, they could not have imagine that someone like Qing Shui existed. They originally thought the arrogant, favored genius of the Heavenly Palace was much weaker than their own — after all, there was a huge gap between the 7th level and 10th level of Martial King .

Now, they knew who was the weaker one!

Thus, the Tan Clan had fallen. Originally, they could compete with the Giant Sword Tower, but now the gap between the Tan clan and the Xing Clan would get further and further. In a few decades, they would be surpassed.

Tan Yang was covered with a thin blanket, resting on a pillow placed behind him. His eyes stared blankly in front, or perhaps he was in a daze, and his thin, pallid face had regressed to such a state in merely the span of a day.

The number of people who could accept such a situation was few, going from hero to zero, a cripple who could not even compare to an ordinary person — just who could accept that?

At this moment, his heart had already caved in, and if he could even continue to live on after such a setback, he would be considered a vegetable!

"Yang'er, don't worry, grandfather will find someone to heal you." The old man frowned as he came in.

"Grandfather, no need to look for anymore doctors; I have disappointed you." he said in an apathetic voice that was clearly completely disheartened.

Although the old man did not sense anything, just from his voice, he knew that Tan Yang had thoughts of death. His heart felt an intense pain; Tan Yang's father was his eighth son, but he died early, so Tan Yang was raised by himself. Out of his sixty odd grandchildren, the one he loved the most was Tan Yang, and he also did the most for him.

"Silly boy, don't do any silly things. A real man must be able to let go. Your situation is not hopeless yet." The old man sternly said as he sat by the bedside.

"Grandfather, you don't have to console me anymore. I understand my condition clearly. It is already a miracle for me to keep my life." Tan Yang said as he smiled bitterly.

His smile may have been bitter, but he seemed to have matured a lot at the same time!

"Have you heard of this Herb called Yang Revitalizing Grass, and the Medicinal Pill called the Great Revitalizing Pellet?" The old man said as he held Tan Yang's arm, helping him stand up.

"Yang Revitalizing Grass? Nope, but I have heard of the Great Revitalizing Pellet." Tan Yang knitted his brow and said.

"The Yang Revitalising Grass is one of the World of the Nine Continents' most miraculous herbs. It can revive the dead, heal all diseases and injuries, increase your lifespan by 100 years, and furthermore, it can double your strength. The Great Revitalizing Pellet can be refined by a Alchemist, so even if you only have a breath left, it does not matter if your meridian is broken or your dantian is shattered, this can restore you to your initial state." The old man said in a hurried manner.

"Grandfather, how can it be so easy to obtain this kind of heavenly treasure?" Although the old man's words gave him some hope, he knew these things were not easy to come by.

"It is said that the Yang Revitalizing Grass can be found in the Phoenix Paradise. That stuff is difficult to get, so you can't buy it even if you want to, and no one is silly enough to sell it for money. However, there is hope for the Great Revitalizing Pellet." The old man said while looking at Tan Yang.

"Grandfather, if I am not wrong, even the Greencloud Continent's Medicine King Aristocrat Clan and Academy of Demon Refinery are not able to refine a Medicinal Pill like the Great Revitalizing Pellet." Tan Yang had a pretty good understanding of the Greencloud Continent; thus, if the old man wanted to lie to him, it was not easy.

"The Medicine King Aristocrat Clan and Academy of Demon Refinery might not have it – after all, it needs many precious herbs – however, many of the aristocratic and alchemist sects from the other continents are able to. The Medicinal Pill from the Central continent should be sufficient. Furthermore, don't look down on our Greencloud Continent; what you see is not our true strength, it is merely the tip of the iceberg, so remember to not look down on any country or even a city." The old man said in an indifferent voice.

"Grandfather......"

"The reason I tell you all this is to tell you that there is no unsurpassable threshold. A man shouldn't so simply go seek death. To overcome the hurdles in life, you must rely on yourself – only by living can you find hope.."

"En, thank you, Grandfather!" A gleam of determination appeared in Tan Yang's eyes.

"Recuperate your wounds properly and leave the matter of the Medicinal Pill to me. However, it may take a few years." The old man could now breathe more easily.

"Thank you, Grandfather. Don't worry, before knocking down Qing Shui, I will not go and seek my death."

"Now this is a good man from my Tan Clan......"

AST 458 -Mysterious Misty Hall Palace Priestess, The understanding of Talisman Drawing

Qing Shui was still immersed in the Poison Scriptures. He was quite passionate about reading this scripture that detailed the various ways to refine an assortment of poisons. The administration of poison seemed convenient and useful during battles.

"Slowing Powder"...... Effect: It has the ability to slow down the opponent's speed. The potency of the effect would be determined by the quality of the Slowing Powder!

"Violence Powder"...... Effect: A high probability of increasing the opponent's attack once. The potency of the effect would be determined by the quality of the powder!

"Misleading Fog Powder"...... Effect: It has the ability to confuse the opponent's sense of sight and touch, as well as decrease their nervous responses. The potency of the effect would be determined by the quality of the powder!

"Decay Powder"...... Effect: It has the ability to corrode the opponent's armor by decreasing its defense. If said opponent has no armor, then the effect would be applied on the opponent's flesh, decreasing their strength. Once again, the potency of the effect would be determined by the quality of the Decay Powder!

......

There was still more below as he kept on reading. The procedure to refine the poison didn't seem troublesome. The only downside to it was the early stage of the poison effect, which was considered weak. Low-quality ingredients seemed to be ineffective for refining purposes, so it was recommended to use high-quality ingredients. Even so, procuring such high-quality ingredients still proved to be a difficult task.

Qing Shui did not plan to make any since he intended to browse the contents of the scripture only. After all, the materials used for concocting poison were hard to come by as they weren't sold in typical markets, especially the various types of poisonous bugs. Moreover, some demonic beasts contained poisonous ingredients on their body, which made it harder to acquire. Qing Shui would prefer to gain more knowledge about these poisonous materials rather than hunting for the ingredients blindly.

It was getting late, and the two ladies had finally returned. Qing Shui allowed them to stay at this place for a while. He decided to go back to his own place from now on.

Qing Shui felt it was inconvenient to stay at this place because he couldn't go to the Realm of Violet Jade Immortal whenever he needed to. For this reason, he decided that it would be the best to go back to his own place.

Canghai Mingyue and Huoyun Liu-Li came back to Cang Wuya's place to accompany Mingyue Gelou for a period of time!

The sky turned dark. Qing Shui wasn't in a hurry, so he slowly walked back to his quarters. He passed by Yan Ling'er's room, but she had gone out. Xi Yue had already left as well...

He walked upstairs slowly and reached the door. As he was about to open his door, he was able to sense someone inside his room, and he had a feeling who it was.

It was Misty Hall Palace Priestess!

She would be the second woman to use this kind of method to enter his room; the first was the woman from Feng Clan. Qing Shui was not shocked at how she had entered his room, but he was rather more surprised at the extent of her strength.

Qing Shui could not gauge her strength when he saw her the last few times. However, he was able to sense an estimate of her strength this time. Misty Hall Palace Priestess seemed to have the strength of three "countries" combined, which was a bit higher than that of Qing Shui.

He opened the door and went into his room. Indeed, the woman who saved him from dire situations twice was inside. Qing Shui still felt extremely grateful towards her.

He hasn't repaid the kindness Yiye Jiange had shown him, but he had already planned how he would repay her. Although it would be difficult to do it, he knew in what direction to go at least. But for the woman in front of him, Qing Shui didn't know how or what he should do to repay her kindness.

Misty Hall Palace Priestess wore a full dress of white muslin with a white veil covering half of her face. Her eyes were visibly bright with black pupils, and they looked like stars shining in the dark sky. They were aesthetically beautiful and pure!

"Mingyue's and Liu-Li's earrings are very pretty!"

This was the first thing she said to Qing Shui. She smiled gently at him, but Qing Shui felt perplexed by her words; he didn't know what she was trying to say to him.

"Err, you are here...." His own statement made him feel stupid.

"You're growing stronger at an incredible speed."

If someone were to listen to their conversation, it would not make much sense because of the inconsistency in their exchange of words. Likewise, Qing Shui wasn't quite sure why her first words made him feel like he had owed her something.

When Qing Shui gave those earrings to the ladies, he didn't think of the Misty Hall Palace Priestess at all. He thought she might think of such trinkets as unworthy items. Moreover, their relationship hadn't reached the stage where he could directly gift her earrings as if they were familiar with each other.

Even if he suddenly grew 120 nerves in his body, he would never dream of giving the Violet Earrings to Misty Hall Palace Priestess. Qing Shui was still pondering on the meaning of the first sentence she spoke to him.

"I guess I was lucky to gain some strength unknowingly." Qing Shui rubbed his head as he laughed.

After that, Misty Hall Palace Priestess stood up. The sky was dark, and the light from the moon poured into the room. In addition to the glow from the light stones, the subtle combination of lights created an ethereal aura around the Misty Hall Palace Priestess, as if she was a celestial being.

Although Qing Shui felt immensely grateful towards her, he realized he knew nothing much of her life. He didn't even know her name was Di Chen until he heard it from someone else.

"You might get in trouble again!" Misty Hall Palace Priestess said softly while smiling at Qing Shui.

Qing Shui felt like he could be easily swayed by her smile! He felt a sense of dependency towards her after she had saved his life twice.

"I know, but I don't think I will regret it!"

"Anyway, Old Ancestor came to look for me recently!" Misty Hall Palace Priestess stepped closer to Qing Shui. They were about a feet apart from each other.

Being quite close to each other, Qing Shui could smell a faint scent of fragrance from her body. It was subtle but extremely fresh. He couldn't tell whether it was her perfumed "face powder" or her body odor.

However, if it was indeed her "face powder", a lot of women would love to pick this kind of cosmetic face powder since it might be an invaluable collection.

"She does have a divine body, but does it have to do with her being the lady in the Portrait of Beauty?" Qing Shui felt that it was more of her body fragrance than the face powder. Qing Shui had always thought that women's natural scent smelled fantastic, but Misty Hall Palace Priestess' fragrance was something beyond that.

Qing Shui suddenly thought of Yiye Jiange and Huang Qing. He figured that their part in the Portrait of Beauty might have contributed to that reason. However, Canghai Mingyue also had similar qualities as these women. She has the same wonderful fragrance as well.

"The Old Ancestor has high hopes for you. So, do you want the Misty Hall to give you some support as well?" Misty Hall Palace Priestess had a pair of bewitching eyes that could gaze through a human soul. There was a certain fascination in her gaze. Qing Shui had a difficult time describing it..

This was the first time that Qing Shui displayed a lewd expression in front of a woman. His face was clearly flushed in red as he tried his best to resist his perverted thoughts.

But then he thought about her heroic attempts to save him from danger. As soon as he remembered what she did for him, all his perverted thoughts instantly vanished. Most importantly, Qing Shui could never measure up to her standards, so he shifted his gaze away disappointedly.

Unfortunately, Qing Shui's every changing expressions and actions had been seen by the Misty Hall Palace Priestess. She had the same shallow smile on her face since the beginning of their meeting.

"I wouldn't dare!" Qing Shui laughed forcefully, but it was the truth.

"Promise me one thing and I will always support you on whatever you do, alright?"

Qing Shui would not look into her smiling eyes even if his life depended on it. He was afraid he would be enticed into her gaze again and make unforgivable decisions. Even though nothing would happen if his perverted thoughts surfaced once more, Qing Shui didn't want to seem like a low person in front of her. He didn't want to lose any admiration from her, even for a bit.

"Just say it! If it is within my ability, I will do it for you." Qing Shui seemed serious as he looked at Misty Hall Palace Priestess.

"Really, did you consider it carefully?" Misty Hall Palace Priestess smile widely without shifting her gaze away from Qing Shui.

"Of course I did. As long as it's something that won't jeopardize my family, I will do it, even if it is a treacherous crime." Qing Shui thought about it carefully as he replied to her firmly.

"If I allow you to take me as your wife, you can only marry me and no one else." Misty Hall Palace Priestess said calmly. Her eyes seemed as if they were giving a gentle smile, which was breathtaking and otherworldly at the same time.

Qing Shui was baffled. He wasn't surprised, but he didn't know what to do. Never in his life had he thought about Misty Hall Palace Priestess saying such an absurd thing as marriage. Qing Shui wasn't concerned whether she was being serious or funny, rather he was more concerned on how to reply to her proposition.

"I was just teasing you. Well, I have to go. Remember to give me a pair of earrings as a present when I come visit next time." Misty Hall Palace Priestess stood up and left without any hesitation.

After she had left, Qing Shui was still dazzled for quite some time before he finally snapped back to reality. He couldn't process her words completely. Misty Hall Palace Priestess wasn't the type to go against someone because of a pair of earrings. She could have all the earrings in the world if she wished for it. But strangely enough, Qing Shui had never seen her wearing earrings before.

Qing Shui was still pondering about marrying her as his wife. He knew it couldn't be real, but he was beginning to think that she was testing his honesty when he said he would do anything for her.

Qing Shui felt helpless. It was mean of her to bully him like this...

She said she wanted a pair of earrings before she left. Despite everything that had just happened, Qing Shui decided to make her a pair!

Then he thought about the dress she wore and Huang Qing's clothes. He didn't recall them ever wearing a battle armor or battle skirts.

Qing Shui knew too well about the mechanics of armor defense. Heavy armors would not necessarily have higher defense. Lighter armors, like Misty Hall Palace Priestess' white muslin dress, may have a higher defense than regular heavy armors. The specifications of the dress, however, was unbeknownst to Qing Shui.

She was also in possession of a powerful weapon that inhabited the strength of a powerful God. The weapon did not feel like it would match with her beautiful face. As Qing Shui thought about how powerful she was, he realized he could never give her anything she would want, at least not right now.

Qing Shui looked at the time and decided to go for his training. Nothing could be more important than the art of cultivation!

After that, he went into the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal!

.........

After one great cycle of circulated Qi of the Ancient Strengthening Technique, Qing Shui was not able to relax and calm down no matter how hard he tried. He decided to go into the Realm of Violet Jade Immortal to have a look around.

The Realm of Violet Jade Immortal seemed the same as how Qing Shui remembered it. Qing Shui was also pleased to see the Stonegold Phoenix Tail Grass growing back healthily and sturdily.

"Soon I will be able to finish the refinement of the Great Revitalizing Pellet!"

However, he was still uncertain about the number of Great Revitalizing Pellets he could refine each time. It was understandable that one Stonegold Phoenix Tail Grass would be able to yield one Great Revitalizing Pellet. But what concerned Qing Shui was the reusability of this Stonegold Phoenix Tail Grass. He wondered whether it will grow into another new Stonegold Phoenix Tail Grass if he planted it back.

If he was only able to refine one pellet, then Qing Shui would keep it for Lin Zhanhan. Qing Shui felt relieved that someone in the Qing Clan with the power of the Peak Martial King could provide protection for the whole family while he was gone. He needed more time to continue his practice in drawing the "Heavenly Talisman" that Lin Zhanhan had taught him.

For the remaining time, Qing Shui continued his Talisman Drawing technique to calm himself down. Eventually, he realized he was at his most pleasant stage, where he was able to draw smoothly and skillfully as he pleased.

The Godly Force Talisman and Divine Shield Talisman Qing Shui drew began to take form rapidly. He knew he had succeeded when the talismans gave out a flash of brilliant glow. This was one of the milestones in his life.

After a long while, he finally stopped after he had used up all the Talisman-shape Beast Skins he had forged last time!

Although the Godly Force Talisman and Divine Shield Talisman did not have a breakthrough, Qing Shui felt as though he had gained a certain level of understanding in Talisman Drawing. For him, it was an improvement better than the first level of breakthrough.

AST 459 - One year later!! Divine Grade Heavenly Dan? Upper Dantian

Perception!

It was something intangible, clearer than instinct, and was more reminiscent of a realm in itself. Similar to how some of the strongest cultivators in the World of the Nine Continents had a sense of excellence stemming from their inner self, it was very subtle..

This kind of perception not only strengthened Qing Shui's Spiritual Sense but could cause his talisman drawings to have their own unique presence, giving rise to his own style akin to Lin Zhanhan's. The old man hadn't made Qing Shui imitate his talisman, only guided him on the process of drawing a talisman, and, most importantly, let him obtain his own comprehension from the The Ancient Records of Heavenly Talisman.

Qing Shui stood still and by chance noticed the parchment with the Heavenly Dan!

"How could I forget about this?" Qing Shui felt a sense of affection in his heart, not understanding how could he have neglected such an important item and not train in it.

Hurrying over to pick up that thin yellow parchment, he clearly remembered how the Old Ancestor had said he found it by accident and that whether he was able to train in it depended on his luck.

Since the Old Ancestor said it like that, it appeared this book of Heavenly Dan was no ordinary item. Qing Shui vaguely sensed that this Heavenly Dan was not easy to train in.

Picking up this parchment made of an unknown material, Qing Shui sat down on an armchair in the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal !

He slowly opened the parchment in his hand.

"The Dantian is a cultivator's most important aspect. It stores Qi of Xiantian, and the Qi of Xiantian converges and circulates around the origin; the Dantian is like a body's ocean, and the meridians are the rivers."

When Qing Shui opened the parchment, the first sentence he saw was an introduction to the Dantian. However, this was common cultivating knowledge. Qing Shui continued to read, because, till now, he still did not know what the Heavenly Dan was.

"The human's Dantian is located 3 inches below the navel. It actually has another name, known as the Earthly Dan. The Heavenly Dan is located 3 inches below the Shanzhong Acupoint, which is also known as the Upper Dantian!"[TL notes: The Shanzhong Acupoint is in between the nipples, on the midline]

Upper Dantian......

Qing Shui now somewhat understood why the Old Ancestor said that it depended on his luck to have a chance at training in it. It was actually the legendary Upper Dantian Cultivation Method.

Qing Shui was uncertain how to feel at the moment; his luck was actually this good, and the Old Ancestor actually gave him an item that could make the entire World of the Nine Continents descend into war for it.

Qing Shui did not think anymore, quieted his heart, and seriously started cultivation the Heavenly Dan!

......

A full 4 hours went by. Qing Shui slowly put down the Yellow parchment in his hand. Too many individuals from the World of the Nine Continents would know of the Upper Dantian. As long as they were a cultivator, they would know. This kind of mystical technique was undisputedly a Divine Grade technique.

However, now, Qing Shui knew that there was nothing mystical about cultivating the Upper Dantian. He even knew that the human body could only have one chief dantian, which was the Lower Dantian. The Upper Dantian could only be built on the foundations of the Lower Dantian, so once the Lower Dantian was damaged, the Upper Dantian would be useless as well.

Furthermore, the size of the Upper Dantian and the Lower Dantian was not the same. In other words, the Upper Dantian could be said to be a strong Divine Grade supporting technique

There were ten levels in cultivating the Upper Dantian, and only when one successfully unlocked the Upper Dantian could one be considered to have stepped into the 1st level. The effects were also very simple; each level would increase one's body strength and defense by 1 million jin, whereas speed and spirit energy would only be increased by a small amount.

"Every level adds one million jin of body strength and one million jin of defense!"

When Qing Shui thought about it, he was frantic; this meant that at level 10, it would add the strength of one country to both his body strength and defense.

This technique may seem very simple, but it was actually very profound. It was not like those techniques where the earlier levels were easy to cultivate. Techniques like this one, where every level was equally difficult to cultivate, were actually the hardest to cultivate.

The Heavenly Dan, when Qing Shui read it, sounded a bit profound, but what Qing Shui appreciated most was the fact that many of the techniques he practiced were supporting techniques. Thus, on the topic of supporting techniques, no one understood it better than him. Based on his intuition and his perception into the Minute Subtlety realm, Qing Shui was able to slowly progress forward on this bumpy road.

Qing Shui was of the opinion that he needed to master this Heavenly Dan. Once it had been mastered, stepping into the World stage would be an unequivocal outcome for him and would even allow him to accomplish it a few years earlier.

Half of the day flew by in a flash. Qing Shui put down the Heavenly Dan book, as this was not something that could be accomplished in half a day. Even researching it was a vexing task, no different from practicing a martial art.

Every single combination could create unexpected results, and thus, in the past, Qing Shui would always meditate first and practice later.

Connecting Fist!

Thousand Hammer Technique!

Saintly hands!

......

Qing Shui practiced rapidly, alternating between the moves as though only skimming the surface of their motions

Heavenly Thunder Slash!

As it was before, the Heavenly Thunder Slash was still in the Truth Realm. However, with the addition of 30% increased strength, it was still pretty good, but it's a shame the Frenzied Bull's Strength he had comprehended shortly after eclipsed that with an effect of 40% augmentation in strength. What was even more perverse was the Frenzied Bull's Strength Set that he invented.

Just the Frenzied Bull's Strength alone already added 70% to his personal strength, so it was an unexpected harvest from an unintended action, but this gave him another supporting technique to increase his strength.

The might of the Upper Dantian came from the effects of increasing the body's strength. Techniques were a method of raising one's strength, and cultivating in such techniques was like cultivating the body. Martial skills, however, were the method to increase the efficiency of the strength the body possesses.

Cultivation Techniques were much more precious than martial skills, because it was harder to train in cultivation techniques. However, once you have grown stronger and are more proficient, it would be easier to comprehend the martial skill, leading to an increased training speed.

Martial Skills will, more or less, exhibit the strength of the cultivation techniques; the more it is capable of drawing out, the stronger the martial skill. Furthermore, it can also raise its strength as a result of armor and weapons. If we add on Medicinal Pills with their temporary effect, one would capable of reaching a higher level of strength.

They can even weaken the opponent and achieve the effect of simultaneously strengthening the user!

Cultivation techniques could be separated into main techniques and supporting techniques, just like Qing Shui's Ancient Strengthening Technique. It was for cultivating Qi of the Ancient Strengthening Technique, which made it a supporting technique.

The Blue Lotus Art of the Qing Clan counted as a main technique, as it could even make use of your body's strength and be used as a martial skill. Although the Ancient Strengthening Technique was a supporting technique, the Tiger form, Bear form, Elephant form, Ape form of the Nine Animals Mimicry Technique that he learned later counts as main techniques.

Basically, in the World of the Nine Continents, as long as you are not a fool, no one will cultivate a pure supporting technique because everyone has limited energy, unless of course the supporting technique is really strong.

If the Heavenly Dan in front of him was such a king of supporting techniques and if others find out about it, he would probably lose his life; this kind of thing, wherever it is, would be high in demands, to the point where people would kill for it.

The strength of a technique and its cultivation difficulty were proportional; the stronger the technique, the harder to cultivate. Although the peak of the technique would cause one to be envious, the number of people who could persevere to that stage were few.

Therefore, to a cultivator, the best technique was the one that was suited to oneself, but in the presence of the epitomical techniques, the number of people who could give it up are little, because humans could never be satisfied.

Following that, Qing Shui started cultivating Medicinal Pellets, Threefold Spirit Concentrating Pill Recipe. He had not expected that he already had all the ingredients; the medicinal herbs he had collected aplenty previously had not been used yet.

The chief ingredient had been changed, but Qing Shui fortunately still had it, although it could only be used for a little while more. After that, it could only be used to cultivate the Twofold Spirit Concentrating Pill. The bottle of Sixfold Spirit Concentrating Pill from the Old Ancestor had not been used yet. Qing Shui intended to use it when he cultivated the Heavenly Dan, as the effects should be better then.

......

Time flew by really fast, and Qing Shui had already been back in the Heavenly palace for a year!

A year's time flew by in a blink of an eye.

"Daddy!"

When Qing Shui arrived at Cang Wuya's place, he saw a little girl running over, and behind her was a Golden Rabbit, hopping towards Qing Shui!

"Girl, where is your Mother!" Qing Shui asked as he carried up Yuchang, who was now 6 years old.

[TL note: 丫头 - Girl, an affectionate way of called a young girl]

"She is cooking, Aunty Liu-li and Aunty Mingyue will be coming over soon." The young girl said, giggling and hugging Qing Shui's neck.

Qing Shui looked at the Stonegold Rabbit King running in circles around him. During this period of time, it was mostly monopolized by Little Yuchang; when the young girl saw it, she insisted on playing with it.

Qing Shui brought Yuchang into the living room! He saw Cang Wuya carefreely drinking tea, enjoying it. When he saw Qing Shui, he smiled and invited Qing Shui to have some tea.

"Qing Shui, do you really intend to go to Flowerfruit Mountain?" Cang Wuya asked as he sipped his tea.

Qing Shui nodded his head: "I intend to go in the next few days."

Qing Shui had been thinking about that treasure map, up till now. Since snatching the treasure map in the Southern City, Qing Shui now finally had the confidence to preserve his own life in Flowerfruit mountain, and thus he wished to go take a look. If he could get some unexpected harvest, then maybe he could achieve his goals sooner.

"Qing Shui, I will not deter you, but you must be careful. Flowerfruit mountain is one of the famous spiritual zones; Peak Martial King demonic beasts can be seen everywhere, some even form groups and roam around, while the most important thing is that the intelligence of the demonic beasts in this kind of spiritual land is higher than that of those elsewhere." Cang Wuya said softly. He knew that once Qing Shui made his decision, he would not change it.

"En, old man, don't worry. I still have some confidence in preserving my life!" Qing Shui stated and smiled.

"En, then, in this case, spend a few days with Yuchang, Liu-Li, and the others!" Cang Wuya laughed.

Yuchang had already disappeared somewhere!

"Right, this time when you go out, beware of the Sword Tower, especially the Tan Clan. Given your Fire Bird combined with your current strength, you should be fine, but it does not hurt to be careful." Cang Wuya took a sip of his tea and reminded Qing Shui.

"Gramps, don't worry. It is easy to lose them." Qing Shui thought about his Fire Bird. It had already reach the 3rd level of Martial King in strength, but its flight speed and endurance greatly exceeded those of the same level as it. Furthermore, Qing Shui had the Soulshake bell and the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal!

The Soulshake bell had been continuously refined by Qing Shui and had finally reached the 5th level.

Qing Shui nodded his head. He had been too busy during this period, even to the point of neglecting the girls around him.

At this moment, Canghai Mingyue and Huoyun Liu-Li came in. They first happily greeted Cang Wuya then Qing Shui and, after that, went into the kitchen to help Mingyue Gelou.

It had been a year since Mingyue Gelou came to stay at Cang Wuya's place. The two girls also spent a lot of time here, to the point where you would find them visiting at least two out of every three days.

When Cang Wuya had nothing to do, he would train the 3 girls. Mingyou Gelou had already became a Honorary Disciple of the heavenly palace. However, she was personally trained by Cang Wuya, and if others knew about it, they would vomit blood. A Honorary Disciple was actually being personally trained by the Supreme Elder.

"Qing Shui, I am now a 7th level Xiantian. Sister Mingyue is a 1st level Martial King, and Sister Gelou is a 3rd level Xiantian!" Huoyun Liu-li happily told Qing Shui as they ate their dinner.

"Hmm, not bad!" Qing Shui laughed!

"Of course it is not bad, the mistress gave us Sixfold Spirit Concentrating Pills. Qing Shui, why do you think the mistress is so good to us?' Huoyun Liu-Li looked at Qing Shui in suspicion, but her eyes had a trace of mischief.

"I do not know!" Qing Shui directly said.

"I do not know why, but the mistress seem to be interested in you."

.....

"Qing Shui, can you bring me along when you go to Flowerfruit Mountain?" After eating, Huoyun Liu-Li asked, sitting beside Qing Shui while sticking tightly to him.

If he brought just her along, Qing Shui felt that he would have eaten her up. Too bad it was too dangerous this time, so Qing Shui shook his head in rejection without having to give it that much thought.

"Just stay in the Heavenly palace and train well. In the future, when I become strong enough, I will bring you around the Nine Continent."

Although Huoyun Liu-Li enjoyed bickering with Qing Shui or provoking him when she had nothing to do, she knew when it was appropriate to do so and could only nod her head helplessly.

"Then you must be careful. Remember, you promised to bring me around the Nine Continents." Huoyun Liu-Li looked at Qing Shui with eyes full of worry.

Qing Shui reached out and pinched Huoyun Liu-Li's cheeks. He thought about how many times he had caused her to cry, the last time being when he was scolded by a crowd all because of a woman. That led Qing Shui to feel very touched, because she was the closest one to him in his heart.

"Didn't you like this for a while? Here, it's for you!" Qing Shui took out the Interspatial Silk Sachet he received a year ago and gave it to Huoyun Liu-Li.

"It's an Interspatial Silk Sachet! Qing Shui, you're the best! Here! Have a kiss!" Huoyun Liu-Li happily hugged Qing Shui and planted a kiss on his cheeks.

Qing Shui really wanted to kiss her back, but with Canghai Mingyue and Mingyue Gelou around, he could only resentfully shake his head! This feeling of being c*ckblocked...

In the afternoon, Qing Shui went back to his own place because he needed to make plans.

One year's of time was actually more than 30 years of time to Qing Shui. His Ancient Strengthening Technique had already reached to 179th cycle, as he had expected.

His body had increased by about 2 million jin of strength, each breakthrough of the Ancient Strengthening Technique increasing his strength by leaps and bounds.

Right now, Qing Shui's body strength had reached the strength of 1 country, and he could finally be considered equal to the old demons of the Heavenly Palace and the Sword Tower. Furthermore, Qing Shui felt that he had come close to the cusp of the Heavenly Dan's first stage within this one year of training.

Although Qing Shui was leaving for Flowerfruit Mountain in a week, this week of time was equivalent to a little more than 8 months to him, enough for him to raise his strength even more.

AST 460 - One Year of Improvements, Refining the Beast Pill Again

Moreover, during this period, Qing Shui had made use of the Threefold Spirit Concentrating Pill. It was simply a pity that the Cloudmist Steps and Heavenly Thunder Slash had only reached the Truth Realm.

The biggest reward was that he was about to succeed in cultivating the Heavenly Dan as well as making the Binding Talisman, which could reduce the opponent's speed by twenty percent of Qing Shui's speed.

Qing Shui felt that it was time to enter the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal.

Qing Shui wanted to condense the Heavenly Dan. Once he condensed the Heavenly Dan, he would gain 1 million jin of strength and defence.

Circulating the Ancient Strengthening Technique was the basic task of every cultivating session. As of today, 179 cycles of Ancient Strengthening Technique allowed Qing Shui to reach the strength of 1 country with his body's strength.

This was why Qing Shui had the confidence to search for treasures at Flowerfruit Mountain.

His body's strength had redoubled ever since he met the Old Ancestor, so feeling that surge of strength in his body eclipsing his state from a year ago made Qing Shui even more excited than seeing a pretty lady.

Qing Shui did not wear any armor, nor did he equip himself with any weapons. Just like that, he slowly circulated his strength.

Nature Energy!

Frenzied Bull's Strength!

Diamond Qi!

Heavenly Thunder Slash!

As well as the Core Qi Technique that increased vigor by 10%.

......

Just solely based on these, without borrowing any external assistance, he had achieved 22 million jin of strength.

"Hm, that's not right!"

"?"

Qing Shui slowly circulated the strength in his body, his senses had long reached the realm of Minute Subtlety and hence, he could tell that his strength was not actually 22 million jin of strength but 23 million jin.

Where did the extra 1 million jin of strength come from?

Qing Shui knew his Heavenly Dan had yet to take shape, so the 1 million Jin of strength could not come from that. But no matter how much he thought about it, he could not figure out an answer.

The Frenzied Bull's Strength added 40% of the body's strength!

The Golden Qi added 50% of the body's strength!

The Heavenly Thunder Slash added 30% of the body's strength!

"Ah, it's Nature Energy!" Qing Shui shouted in surprise. He had actually forgotten about it.

He had attained a breakthrough in Nature Energy.

Nature Energy: it can increase 10% of all abilities. Even the chances of breaking through bottlenecks or opening acupoints will increase by 10%.

Qing Shui could not believe he had forgotten all about it. He only knew about the might of the Nature Energy, so he forgot that it could increase 10% of all abilities in the later stage. Originally, this kind of Righteous Qi could eradicate all evil things, capable of filling Qing Shui's every move with Righteous Qi to suppress all. Regardless of any suppression, it had an unyielding vigor, giving a great increase in one's chances of breaking through bottlenecks. Based on these boons alone, it was already a great skill, but Qing Shui was more-so surprised by its increase of the user's strength.

Qing Shui's heart brightened up as a result. Although the road ahead was bumpy, it was equally filled with numerous opportunities. It was just a matter of whether he can grasp them or not.

Without using any weapon, or any external strength, Qing Shui had achieved a little more than the strength of 2 countries!

Now, if he executed the Mighty Elephant Stomp!

The strength of 5 countries!

Qing Shui stared blankly. His own body had already reached the strength of 1 country,so this one stomp would be devastating. Qing Shui wanted to give it a try, but he gave up on this tempting idea.

Qing Shui then caused the surging energy in his body to settle. After his mental state had slowly calmed down, Qing Shui looked into his dantian, at the Upper Dantian he had cultivated for a year.

Inner vision!

His vision revealed the area around the Tianfu acupoint as a ball of misty clouds gradually converging into one. It was different from the cultivation of the Lower Dantian; the Upper Dantian would become a Heavenly Dan once successfully cultivated, containing a great strength built upon the foundations of the Lower Dantian.

[TL notes: 天府 - Tianfu acupoint is located on the right arm about 3 inches below the level of the heart, about the level of where the Upper Dantian is in this novel.]

Qing Shui was confident that he could cultivate the Heavenly Dan, because the cloud in his Upper Dantian was getting denser and had earlier became a thick paste. Now, the coagulation speed could be seen with the naked eye.

Time slowly passed!

Qing Shui swallowed the Sixfold Spirit Concentrating Pill and greatly increased his cultivating speed.

"Hey! I'm almost there!"

Qing Shui slowly opened his eyes. Condensing the Heavenly Dan had failed at the final step. While he was certain he could succeed in one more try, it sadly had to wait for the next morrow.

Qing Shui ceased his cultivation of the Heavenly Dan, deciding to refine the Beast Pill first. He wanted to raise the strength of the Diamond Demonic Boar once again.

In the 1 year, the Diamond Demonic Boar had spent a lot of time in the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal. Its food comprised the black fish, turtles, and crabs that were rich in Spiritual Qi.

Although Qing Shui could not stay in the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal for a long time, the Fire Bird and the Diamond Demonic Boar, as well as the creatures in the pond, could indefinitely remain inside.

Refining the Beast Pills could have been done a year ago, as he had the ingredients ready then. But now, the quality of the ingredients were even better. Furthermore, Qing Shui had seen some improvement in regards to cultivating medicinal pills. Although he could not create new pills, he could add in some attributes or a supporting ingredient with matching elements, causing the effect of the pill to be better.

For example, in this Beast pill, Qing Shui added some Demonic beast's core, which was even a 3000 Year Demonic beast's core, as well as blood from the Golden Medicinal Turtle, and the pearl powder from an oyster whose age exceed 1000.

During this year, after his strength had increased, Qing Shui realized that his primordial flames had undergone some changes. The size remained unchanged, but the color had attained a more gentle nuance, shifting hue to a pure gray color of equal amounts white and black.

Qing Shui did not encounter much pressure refining the Beast Pill this time, for he had sufficient ingredients. Unlike when he attempted the Great Revitalizing Pellet, the ingredients had been prepared beforehand this time. The Stonegold Phoenix Tail Grass had matured, but Qing Shui had unsuccessfully tried three times already. He had, however, harvested the Stonegold Phoenix Tail Grass multiple times.

When the refinement of the first batch succeeded, Qing Shui went to have some food in the interim as the Golden Flint Iron Cauldron was cooling down.

While eating, Qing Shui's state of mind wandered. The epiphany struck him – he no longer knew what he was living for. At first, it was for the sake of revenge. And in order to remove the burden from himself. But now Qing Shui was worried.

Because once he cast away this burden, he had no other goals to chase after. Qing Shui did not have any great ambitions. He had neither thought about leaving a legend in the Central continent nor wanted to be an overlord.

Qing Shui's previously frantic cultivation was all for survival, so that he could live better without having to worry about others, to live with a sense of safety.

If there was no grudge with the Yan Clan, Qing Shui might have settled down in the Qing Village and married a girl, choosing to never leave the village.

When a person had great strength, his ambition would be greater!

If he could not cultivate, the girls around him would not even give him a second look, what more entering the fast-paced world of the Central Continent.

Qing Shui could only glean from his thoughts the realization that the women in his proximity were his muse. As long as there was even a tiny thread of a feeling, he would not let go of them.

Just like a year ago, when he spoke with the Misty Hall Palace Mistress, for him to give up the other girls and marry only her, he was not able to. Regardless, Qing Shui would not take the initiative to abandon the women who had bonds with him.

Besides, Qing Shui did not believe that the Misty Hall Palace Mistress would really marry him. She said that to prove that he did not have the ability to do everything she wanted him to do.

Now, Qing Shui felt that this woman had a deep understanding of him......

Qing Shui smiled bitterly, not knowing what kind of man would be worthy of her. Even Hai Long of the Hai Clan was not despite being handsome and one of the top cultivators of his generation, to the point where he believed that no one could defeat him. Qing Shui had actually long surpassed him.

In the end, Hai Long was too young. Qing Shui felt he lacked tolerance, or perhaps the lack of a mature air. Someone who would be worthy of her would not be the most handsome man, but someone with wisdom or a straightforward personality, someone who could soar towards the heavens and pierce through the clouds......

[TL notes: The flowery words at the end of the last paragraph, meant someone with great abilities, I thought it sounded poetic]

Her man would definitely be a capable man!

Qing Shui did not know if his thoughts were right, but he felt that her future partner would definitely stand out from the crowd.

After arriving at the now-cold Golden Flint Iron Cauldron, he slowly opened it. A hint of a familiar and thick fragrance wafted out, the furnace filled this time with 15 Beast Pills.

"Haha, my ability to refine medicinal pills have increased again!" Qing Shui picked up the pills as he laughed.

Including the previous year, his experience in refining pills had already reached 800 thousand. The Alchemic Recipe for the Everlasting Pellet would be revealed soon, so Qing Shui felt full of hope.

1 million points of experience; just based on the amount of experience needed, he knew the Everlasting Pellet would be extraordinary.

The Beast Pill could raise the strength of demonic beast by 10%, and every demonic beast could eat a maximum of 5 pills, had a 1% chance of the Blood Awakening and in the same vein comprehending an innate martial skill.

Qing Shui felt that the advantages of a demonic beast were much higher than a human's. Not only was their bodily strength superb, the effects of their core would be much stronger. At least 3 humans of the same grade would be needed to combat a demonic beast on an equal level.

Even the effects of consuming Gifted Earth Treasures were better, just like the Beast Pill that Qing Shui had previously refined. It was obviously the same grade as the Small Revitalizing Pellet, but yet the disparity in potency was at the very least double.

When he thought about the time when the Fire Bird ate the Beast Pill, he decided to refined more Beast Pills, determined for the Diamond Demonic Boar to awaken its innate talents.

When he thought about the Stonegold Rabbit King, Qing Shui was prepared to give Huoyun Liu-Li some Beast Pills. This thing, which was favored by heaven and earth, should have some extraordinary latent power.

Cultivating, Talisman Drawing, refining medicine......

Although boring, Qing Shui had high hopes that there would be high returns. Thus, he was quite happy.

The growth of the Diamond Demonic Boar led Qing Shui to feel very fortunate. If the almost level 3 Martial King beast could advance again, then it would live up to the word demon and diamond in its name.

Superior growth and exaggerated defense!