Cultivation:All affinities at 6. Martial Spirits are Empyrean Might Titan for Force, Universal Tortoise for Earth, and Truejade Qilin for Life. Cultivation techniques are Infinite Force for Force(no duh!), Unyielding Bastion for Earth, and Legacy of the Immortals for Life.
Body Tempering:Tian Mountain Technique(Earth) at Initial / Knowledge / Proficiency / Completion / Mastery, Overbearing General Tactic(Force) atInitial / Knowledge / Proficiency / Completion / Mastery.
Progress In the Iron Fox''s Training:1.6/3 years.
Age: 4.6 years.
Chapter 33: The Third Floor
Qian Feng was in no way inexperienced. In his previous life, he had visited every single famed monument in the world, and experienced such a grand stature that he was regularly exposed to grandiosity. But this was something else.
Reun Arena was, simply put, an immense crystal-shaped spire that tapered off at both ends. Nothing held it up, and it just hovered in the air with the stability of a mountain.
It was made mostly of a pure, white marble, one that positively radiated Qi of all kinds(seriously, he could sense all of his different affinities somewhere in the aura). The caps on both the top and bottom were covered in smooth gold, which flowed like a river of yellow light. At the halfway mark, clouds began to shroud the arena, so densely comprised of Qi that Qian Feng could sense it from there. Windows also peppered the marble bricks at that level, large enough, Qian Feng was sure, but seemingly petite from that distance. The blue-colored glass added another shade of majesty and mystique to the construction. And, topping it all off, small shards of a strange, glittering ruby circled the tower, the array forming a profound pattern to advanced for Qian Feng to understand, but overt in its near-runic placement.
It was amazing.
As the carriage drove away, likely to the place it would stay for the remainder of Qian Feng''s residence in this location, the ''country bumpkin'' stood there on the street, staring at Reun Arena in wide-eyed wonder. The wonders of Qi were vast: an idea that immediately solidified in Qian Feng''s mind and made him desire to reach the pinnacle even more.
He walked numbly into the building directly below the floating obelisk, subtly guided by his mentor.
"Hello. We''d like to register as duelists for Reun Arena." The Iron Fox spoke to the attendant at the front of the building.
"Of course! We''ll just need your Nomad Duelist badge and a deposit fee of 50 gold coins." Now that caught Qian Feng''s attention for several reasons. Firstly, a deposit usually meant that one could earn money in the first place, hence the price. He''d have to ask the Iron Fox about that later. But more importantly, Qian Feng had never actually come into contact with money in this world before(this could mean drastically different things for different people - either he was extremely poor or such a spoiled brat money was just never one of his worries. Qian Feng was leaning towards the second one), and it was a question he''d actually never thought to ask. How did money work? How much was it worth?
As he wondered, the Iron Fox had already flashed the receptionist the Nomad Duelist badge and placed the gold coins out of the table, which Qian Feng, curious, closely examined. Instead of fifty individual gold coins, it seemed to be one gold coin with a 50 on it. So, it was like the common systems on Earth then?
No matter. Qian Feng could always inquire about it later.
"Please head to the first floor for the duelist''s assessment. I trust you already know the rules?" The attendant asked, confirming the badge by placing it in some sort of slot carved into a white stone and handing over a token with a number 1 on it.
"Of course."
Qian Feng and the Iron Fox began walking over to the stairs, Qian Feng following his mentor''s lead as he spoke.
"You have no idea what all this is, do you? Well, the system for this is rather simple. As long as you''ve recovered from your shock, you should have no problems understanding this.
Reun Arena has 9 floors. The higher you get, the stronger your opponents are. At the sixth floor, for example, I believe the contenders are almost expressly peak Martial Kings. The ninth floor, and everyone there is someone you''re not even qualified to know.
You can advance floors in two ways: you can be nominated by someone on or above the floor you''re going to, and pass a test to get there; or win enough fights to advance. Naturally, you''re going to be using the second method.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
There are also rewards for the passing of each floor. The first floor gives you 10 gold, the second 50, the third 100, the fourth 500, and once you reach the fifth floor, you get a thousand gold and your own residence here. But that''s for the future.
As of now, we''re heading to the first floor. This one''s a little different from the others, in that you don''t pass based on fighting - well, sort of - it''s hard to explain. Here, you fight with a random opponent, and based on your fighting prowess, the judges can either choose to send you to the second floor or keep you here. If you don''t pass the judge''s assessment, then you can''t advance. Even if you lose, though, you can still continue onto the second floor as long as the judge gives their approval. That''s pretty much it for now. Simple, huh?" In but six or seven breaths, Qian Feng''s teacher spewed out bucketloads of crucial information, proving that his lung capacity was truly the most impressive thing about him that Qian Feng had seen so far.
"Yup..." He was still a little shaken, but that was fading fast. Qian Feng always could adapt to new situations - he was plunged into this whole reincarnation situation and recovered like it was nothing after a bit, after all.
By the time this was done, Qian Feng and his companion had already arrived at the arena floor through the stairs, the warrior shocked once again at the sheer scale of the place.
It washuge, easily several times larger than even the biggest stadiums in Qian Feng''s previous life. He felt his knees go soft, before he reaffirmed himself and his pale face returning to its previous state.
"Heh, always a hit, huh. Man, I missed this place..."
Ignoring whatever that last statement meant, Qian Feng mentally prepared himself for the battle ahead. Although he didn''t really doubt that he would pass the judge''s assessment, it was always wise to be ready for anything. If the applicants for the first floor were around the same level as the cultivators who passed the Duelist Nomad exam, Qian Feng was certainly nowhere near worried.
Telling his student to sit down on one of the benches in the stands around the stadium, the Iron Fox walked over to a man at a desk to the right of the entrance, probably handing over the token he received.
After that, it took about an hour of quiet cultivation before the Iron Fox bumped Qian Feng.
"You''re up. Here, take this and put it... somewhere?"
That was especially rude, given that none of the clothes that Qian Feng was provided had pockets, and he very well couldn''t use something as valuable as a spatial ring, that even Martial Kings would find rare, in public like that.
Left with no recourse, Qian Feng gritted his teeth as he clenched the caught token, walking towards the arena. Hopefully, the opponent wouldn''t be too weak, since he really didn''t want to have to place the token inside his teeth.
Thankfully, for once, his prayers were answered, as Qian Feng walked up onto the stage and assessed his opponent - this would be easy.
"Begin!"
Not even a single movement, and his opponent(Qian Feng hadn''t bothered to listen to his name) was on the ground, trembling and frothing at the mouth at the sight of the transformation of Qian Feng into a demon. He had forgotten just how powerful he was with that Lu Teng incident.
Even the judge seemed a little scared(it seemed the killing intent spileld over a bit) as he asked for Qian Feng''s token, taking it and handing over one with a number 2 on it in return.
2nd floor! Hopefully, the fights would be a bit more exciting.
"Well, that was easy. Where are the stairs for the second floor? I want to see if I can get a fight before nightfall." Having peeked out of the window as he walekd over, Qian Feng realized that he had little time left in the day, having only arrived late in the day and then spent quite the while waiting for his fight.
"Heh, kid, you''ve got energy. Well, let''s try to get the third floor token before heading to where we''ll stay, like you said.
Oh yeah, by the way, to advance beyond the second floor, you have to win 5 fights in a row. That means two things: because of the higher difficulty of passing, there will be more people to fight, meaning shorter waiting times, but also that you''ll have to fight a lot more."
As Qian Feng soon found out, the quality of combatants on the second floor was similarly poor, though far better than those on the first floor. The first three fights were cinches, with the 4th fight being a little trouble.
His fourth fight, Qian Feng had fought against a Wind-affinity cultivator who had some semblance of skill and was able to withstand the bit of killing intent he let out, forcing the boy to loosen his control a bit as he let more out just before tightening it again, making sure none was let out.
Finally, Qian Feng and his master left the arena with their new tokens, checking out their new residence, which was thankfully a very short walk away from the place they''d be spending most of their time in the day: a relatively high-class inn, but still, thankfully, a rather low-key one - Qian Feng supposed being a descendant of a secret clan that was supposed to be extinct had its perks.
Chapter 34: Void Ring Method
Looking at the small, low-key inn in front of him, Qian Feng felt the urge to advance to the fifth level as quickly as possible in order to rid himself of this... less than satisfactory residence.
Despite its outwards appearances, it turned out that the inn was not too bad, with its own breakfast, lunch, and dinner; coupled with the quality of the rooms(rather good for their time and place, Qian Feng had to say) and he was not necessarily completely against staying in the inn for long periods of time. Regardless, there was no doubt that the rooms in Reun Arena would be far more luxurious, and even if not that, more convenient.
The only problem with getting to the fifth floor, though, was that according to the Iron Fox, most of the combatants were at least mid-level Martial Kings, who, despite his incredible strength for his cultivation, Qian Feng could not hope to match. He could only have a halfway decent chance of winning if he was at the peak Martial Warrior stage, and even then, victory was not guaranteed - between an 80 and 90 percent chance of winning if the opponent was average.
All the other aspects of combat prowess were up to speed, even for Martial Kings: body strength, combat skill, and martial techniques. That was to say, his foundation was perfect, so good that if he were to break through right at that time, his future achievements would be in no way adversely affected.
So he just had to focus on cultivating, which, thankfully, was largely facilitated by the cultivation area in the Ancient Cosmos Pearl. Even if each session exhausted his Qi, that in itself was a form of training, since it would make his Spirit Realm more resilient and even expand it a bit even further, the constant draining acting as a form of conditioning.
The only problem was that with things the way they were, it just took far too long for Qian Feng to recover from total Qi exhaustion, about half an hour. While he could spend some of his time cultivating the other spirit realms, that still left around 15 minutes he did nothing but loiter around. In the night he spent cultivating at the inn after his first day at the arena, he only managed 12 full sessions, in which all of his spirit realms were cultivated. At that rate, it would be three days before he broke into the sixth level, a week before the seventh, two before the eighth, and the ninth level would take up to four weeks to reach. All in all, that was too much time.
So, after his fighting was done for the day and he had reached a fourth of his quota(at the third level, fights were rarer, and the quota of victories to move on to the fourth level was very high), he asked the Iron Fox if there were any abilities that could speed up his Qi recovery.
"Hah, kid, you wanna learn the Void Ring Method, then? Well, this''ll be fun. Sit down and follow my instructions. This might hurt a bit, though, so first I''ll explain a bit.
The Void Ring Method has nine levels to cultivate. It''s a relatively well-known technique, with incredible effects, but despite that, very few people choose to cultivate it. Why? It''s incredibly painful, such that even seasoned war heroes might not be able to bear it and take the final step. Even after the initial process is complete, there will be symptoms of soreness and debilitation of the spirit realm for 2 to 3 days after the completion of the first level. However, if you can handle the pain, it''s all worth it.
It works by... ripping a hole in your spirit realm, essentially. This may seem pointless, and just self-torture, but it was discovered, quite a while ago, that a wound in one''s spirit realm causes one''s body to more effectively and efficiently draw in Qi in order to heal it. I''m sure you can guess how it works now, right? The hole in your spirit realm convinces your body and soul to absorb Qi faster and more efficiently, which the subconscious mind hadn''t previously deemed necessary. At the peak of mastery, the effect of the Void Ring Method has been compared to one''s regeneration capacity in the middle of a true life-and-death battle, in which the mind also works harder to draw in Qi.
There are also no side effects such as overexertion, and the boost is essentially always active with no long-term detriments: once you get past the pain, it really is a flawless technique.
So, how about it, kid? Wanna try?"
Qian Feng knew that he had no way to fathom just how painful ripping a hole in his spirit realm was, but given that he had endured the Nine Pits of Hell and the Iron Fox''s training, surely it couldn''t be that bad. Besides, if the effects really were as good as the Iron Fox described(knowing him, they were probably better than that) he''d be a fool and a coward to pass such an opportunity by.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
"Can we begin now?"
"I like that, boy! Barely a thought about it! Alright, let''s start. Also, just wanted to tell you, I''ve reached the peak level of the Void Ring Method. This might not seem like much to you know, but in a few minutes, you''ll be very impressed with your old master.
Anyways, let''s start with your Force spirit realm. The process is relatively simple, so after you grasp the technique, you''ll no longer need my guidance.
Let your consciousness enter your spirit realm, preceiving everything within it. Look at the concentrations of Qi inside it, seeking very carefully for the spots with the highest concentration of Qi. Found it? Good.
This process doesn''t take long - only a few minutes - and there''s not much to remember, so I''ll tell you know so I don''t have to interrupt you.
To rip a hole in your spirit realm, all you have to do is gather your Qi and pierce a hole through the exterior, picturing the spirit realm as an elastic, solid bubble that you need to stretch and rip apart. After that, try to ignore the pain and form a Qi construct in the shape of a ring, conforming it to fit around the wound and making it surround the interior of the hole, preventing it from healing again. That''ll permanently keep the hole open, as long as you don''t purposely draw upon the Qi maintaining the ring.
This is where the pain arises. Obviously, the initial step is agonizing, but the hardest part for most is pushing through the pain to form a Qi structure and then further aggravating the wound by placing the construct within it. The wound stays very tight over a few days, resulting in the spirit realm remaining incredibly sore, but eventually heals and gets used to the gap. Of course, the effect remains. So, that''s pretty much it! Why don''t you start?"
A grim look on his face, Qian Feng began meditating and slipped into the spirit realm, taking note of the Empyrean Might Titan, which seemed significantly stronger than the last time he had checked, and then turning to survey the area. The Qi everywhere was very concentrated, the quantity of it disorienting him for an instant, but several areas then revealed themselves to him.
The first, and most obvious, was the area in which Qian Feng''s martial spirit resided in, but he purposely avoided that location for fear of... unexpected consequences, and moved on to the second, which was at a corner of the cube-shaped spirit realm. Now that he was looking, he noticed that each of the corners had a high density, of which there were eight, and not counting the martial spirit''s location, no other places were too special. If he counted those with the martial spirit''s area, that formed nine; one for each level of the Void Ring Method. Coincidence? He thought not!
But digressions aside, Qian Feng stilled his wandering mind and prepared himself for the agony that was soon to follow, taking a deep breath and getting ready to begin.
Forming large claws of Force Qi with sharp fingertips like swords, Qian Feng thrust the appendages into the area, already grimacing at the pain of his spirit realm being penetrated before noticing the impressive toughness of its walls - it seemed that training was not for nothing then. Sadly, that only made his job harder, as the tougher state of the spirit realm just made the whole process more painful.
Trying to get the task over with as quickly as possible, Qian Feng made the Qi hands move apart from each other, ripping the spirit realm''s walls apart and blurring the boy''s vision, his consciousness nearly falling unconscious for a second at the incredible pain before regaining clarity.
Thankfully, the Force Qi hands were strong enough that within five minutes, the hole was completely finished, and the hardest part gotten over with. Qian Feng had to acknowledge, though, the sheer agony of the experience, so bad that should he not have had prior experience with pain, the cultivator undoubtedly would have fallen unconscious, wounded for naught.
Thankfully, he had managed to avoid that unfortunate fate, and had finished only by focusing upon his goal of crushing all schemes with his power and proving to himself that trickery was only a secondary method, and that might was what was really effective.
His inner eyesight still slightly hazy, Qian Feng focused his strained mind as much as he could and gathered nearby Force Qi to form a perfectly-sized Qi construct, the hands still holding his wound open as he worked.
Finally, Qian Feng slumped to the ground, wincing at the movement as he reveled in the experience of such "slight" pain and soreness, in contrast to what he felt mere minutes ago.
Observing his results, though, Qian Feng could not argue that the technique was not effective, Even while still wounded, his regeneration was up to three times as fast as before, which would speed up his cultivation process significantly.
Gritting his teeth once again, Qian Feng repeated the process with his Life spirit realm, keeping the Earth-affinity one unharmed in case he encountered trouble. He did notice, though, that the second time was even worse now that he knew what was coming, and his subconscious mind seemed to ignore all logic as it panicked and resisted, stopping him from causing such pain again. Thankfully, Qian Feng managed to overcome this stigma and finish the first level of the Void Ring Method
Five days later, Qian Feng was fully recovered and cultivating again, his cultivation speed increased by four times for each affinity. With this boon, it was only a matter of time, and very little of it at that, before Qian Feng was once again ready to clear the fifth floor!
Chapter 35: Challenging the Fifth Floor
His new rate of cultivation was breakneck, so much so that even Qian Feng had to admit that it was worth it(no matter how much he wanted to say otherwise). This was further helped out by the fact that due to Qian Feng''s spirit realms still being sore, he was in no condition to fight, and as a result had no choice but to cultivate. The Life spirit realm was the first to recover, not surprisingly, but that was also useless to him, since he was both hiding his third affinity and completely unable to win any decently matched fight relying solely upon it(Life cultivators were very vulnerable, but nevertheless valuable to other combatants).
In the three days he spent fully recovering, Qian Feng increased from a level 5 Martial Warrior in all affinities to a Level 6 Martial Warrior in all, which may not seem like a big jump on paper, but that meant it only took him a day to advance one level in a single affinity. And, while the next stages were bound to be harder, especially considering the minor bottleneck from 6 to 7, and the huge one from 9 to Martial King, given his previous speed, there was little doubt progress would be made.
And, he was ready to fight again.
The fourth floor was relatively simple to advance to; his increased cultivation base and dramatically augmented Qi regeneration made even the hardest battles a fight of patience - would the immortal, untiring Qian Feng give up from the tedium or would he hold on until his particularly tough opponent either lost their ability to fight or forfeited? Needless to say, Qian Feng won a lot.
The fourth level was, on the surface, not a major change, with everyone still being under the Martial King realm and thus nothing of note to Qian Feng, but there were subtle differences that made for much more... annoying fights.
The dramatically higher skill levels, for example, made fights a chore. Although victory was assured for his side, Qian Feng had yet to convince his opponents that, and as a result, the cultivators put up a very good fight. They had nothing on Qian Feng whether in skill or in raw power, but nevertheless managed to act as pesky, small rodents: nowhere near an actual threat, but impossible to kill without significant time and effort.
But enough of his ruminations - Qian Feng found himself sounding more and more like an arrogant and lofty cultivator day by day. That was alarming, but he supposed it was to be expected.
As a result of the increased time it took to finish a fight(dramaticallyso, actually; the right combination of subtle things had drastic effects) it took Qian Feng two days to move up to the fifth floor with a spotless record - not one loss or tie, and he had cleared all the previous four floors in a rarely-seen amount of time. But, then again, that was not too special among those in the fifth floor. A simple purview of the competitors and Qian Feng could easily see that this floor was bound to be far more difficult to clear than the previous ones, posing a challenge at best and simply impossible at worst. But he supposed it wasn''t wise to make guesses without the proper experience to back them up.
And what better way to gain experience than, well, fighting a sample of the population he wanted to study?
His first opponent looked surprisingly unassuming - that was, if unassuming meant that he seemed to place him self in a position above the emperor of a country.
With flamboyant robes that looked to flutter even in the absence of wind and sportingvivid colors that would put even the most vibrant of butterflies to shame, Qian Feng almost disdained the Martial King. Almost.
The thing was, as flashy as he was, there was no doubt that his new opponent had real power - every step he took held an otherwordly grace and flair, the elegant beauty in each of his movements with the capacity to subdue a weaker warrior. Thankfully, Qian Feng did not fit that criteria.
Unfazed by the Martial King''s clear attempt to subdue him, Qian Feng continued on to the stadium, lacking the same mysticism but making up for it in his domineering air.
Qian Feng was excited - he was about to see just how he matched up to a Martial King!
For the first time since arriving at the arena, Qian Feng removed a guan dao strapped to his back, assuming the neutral stance. He had previously just summoned a guan dao, but against opponents separated by such a large gap in cultivation, every last bit of Qi he would save by cutting that expense could be crucial. The guan dao itself wasn''t too bad, and the Iron Fox had given it to him as a present, telling him to use it when necessary. Where his mentor had gotten it from, Qian Feng didn''t know, and didn''t care - the Iron Fox wouldn''t do anything immoral, he was sure...
In a stage as advanced as this, Qian Feng also knew he would be able to let loose in more ways than one.
A bloody aura emanated from him, terrifying killing intent sweeping out in great waves. This alone could stop a lesser cultivator in his tracks. It had been a while since his carefully-cultivated killing intent was let out, and Qian Feng had to admit, even with his old and experienced mindset, it had been difficult not to let his control slip.
Off in the stands, the Iron Fox''s eyes widened in shock. He found it impossible that such a young boy could comprehend and have control over such frightening killing intent, but along with that astonishment came pride and excitement. Just how terrifying would this boy''s future be?
Qian Feng had no idea, after all, that his current level of experience and killing intent was hard to find among even Martial Kings, and even seasoned warriors with years of experience on the battle field would be pressured to match up to the current level of killing intent Qian Feng had control over. As far as the boy knew, every Martial King had even greater experience and the ability to wield far more formidable killing intent.
Qian Feng, however, was rather poorly equipped outside of his guan dao. In terms of physical protection, the best attire he wore was simple a martial arts robe, one he had selected randomly from his closet in the inn(storage ring, actually, but no one else had to know that). If he wanted any semblance of protection, he''d have to expend his Qi. Thankfully, he was fine with that - his defense techniques were powerful enough for him to only have weaker defensive capabilities if he wore affordable armor instead.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.
Obsidian Embrace was first activated, creating a layer of Earth-Qi-formed obsidian armor that provided a formidable defense. Qian Feng''s second layer of defense was then activated, Tortoise Bulwark, which shrouded his armor in a layer of Earth Qi that boosted his defenses.
And as his Force and Earth Qi coursed through his body, he was ready and rearing to go.
The first move that the flamboyant cultivator made(Qian Feng was listening this time, and apparently his name was Mo Shi) made it evident that he was a cultivator that focused on speed, but with a little bit of a twist: it was far more difficult to follow and react to an already rapidly-moving warrior if that warrior was also moving in a profound manner to distract and soften. Even for the battle-hardened Qian Feng, it was difficult to pierce through the distracting facade Mo Shi put up.
Difficult. Not impossible.
As Mo Shi circled around the seemingly still-addled Qian Feng, waiting for the perfect moment, a sinister plot was put into play.
Several openings were revealed and it seemed impossible for the young boy on the stage to be any more open than he was at that exact moment.
Unfortunately, pure combat experience could only bring one so far, and few among the croud were able to realize Qian Feng''s true purpose in acting with false befuddlement.
Seemingly satisfied with how immersed his prey was into the illusion, Mo Shi darted in with a sword in his hand, neither fast nor slow and with a unique rhythm to his movement.
Unfortunately, Qian Feng''s acting skills, honed from years of politics, were being used in this very moment, and just as Mo Shi darted in for the kill, a bulky fist shot out, smashing into his face and sending him sprawling on the outer border of the arena ring.
Following up, Qian Feng leapt towards his temporarily incapacitated opponent and brought his guan dao down, halting right before Mo Shi''s throat. "Surrender," he commanded. "Lest I slip."
"I surrender!" Mo Shi spoke, a hazy fear in his eyes as he reacted to the cold blade pressed against his neck.
Meanwhile, Qian Feng descended from the stage, waiting for his next fight.
On his seat, Qian Feng began to think about how dangerous that fight was. On the surface, it looked like he had had the whole thing under control, but the cultivator was aware that he was very close into falling into Mo Shi''s illusion. It was almost as if the rhythm of his movements was hypnotizing him, lulling him to sleep... A Dream affinity, then? Yes, that made sense, but no matter.
As he meditated, it was no short amount of time before his next fight was up!
This fight, Qian Feng knew, would be honest and direct. No trickery or acting; just plain battle. After all, his opponent, Hu Lingqi, simplyexudedthe aura of a sharply honed sword - he was a sword cultivator.
Regardless of their affinity, sword cultivators were greatly feared throughout the cultivation world for two reasons: their offensive power and their terrifying devotion to the sword. Their offensive power was near unrivaled, and sword cultivators were known to be able to fight up to a level above their own cultivation(not everyone could be like Qian Feng, after all, and have legendary techniques). But far more fearsome than that was the unconditional devotion that sword cultivators had to the path of the blade. They were known to stare death in the eye and dance along the sea of Hell unflinchingly, as long as that was the path of the sword. Qian Feng was not aware of it, but there was a common saying about sword cultivators: To traverse the path of slaughter and find solace only in the light of the sword is to be a sword cultivator. Holding true to that, sword cultivators placed absolute faith in their skill with a sword, and as a result, wielded great power through their trust in their own strength.
Because of this mentality, Qian Feng knew he would not be able to pass off any form of deception, since battle was what the sword cultivator lived for, and battle was what they must receive.
But maybe it had been too long since his last serious fight, after all.
Hopping up to the stage, Qian Feng faced off his opponent. He knew that this would be a challenge, and the slightest lapse in concentration could result in an instant defeat.
In preparation, Qian Feng set up several invisible Triggers before the fight even started, effectively covering up all of Hu Lingqi''s avenues of approach. Even if he didn''t manage to inflict any damage with the explosion, it was worth it just to judge the means of his opponent.
Hu Lingqi drew his sword, an unadorned jian shrouded in... Qian Feng recognized Wind Qi. Speed and strength, then.
True to his predictions, the sword cultivator dashed forward with rapid movements, slicing apart the Qi balls Qian Feng threw at him with ease.
Even the Trigger was instantaneously reacted to and neutralized, inflicting almost no damage and only revealing Hu Lingqi''s dexterity and maneuverability.
This would be fun.
Qian Feng knew that unless he had no choice, he had to refrain from using Titan''s Fortress, because even in Reun Arena, or the outside world, such a technique would get him killed instantly by greedy cultivators - it was just too high-quality.
So he readied an Aurora Blade, shrouding his guan dao in Force Qi, as the sword cultivator approached him and sent a blade of Wind Qi his way.
Quickly, Qian Feng calculated that the attack did not have enough power in it to break through his defenses and promptly ignored it, opting for a powerful sweep to make Hu Lingqi keep his distance and thus make proper use of the advantages of the guan dao.
Soon, the two warriors fell into a sort of groove, rapidly trading blows as they fought, both the sword cultivator and the Martial Warrior falling into a battle trance.
Internally, Qian Feng unparalleled joy as he felt that he had indeed found a peer; one who enjoyed fighting as much as he did! He had no plans on befriending the sword cultivator or anything of the sort, but it was still reassuring to know that there were others out there. He was pretty sure his teacher was also a battle addict, but that was irrelevant.
As they fought, Qian Feng began noticing Hu Lingqi''s strength flagging, his stamina drawn uponfrom the extended period they had intensely battled. They were slight signs, but the exertion began to add up.
If there was anything Qian Feng specialized, though, it was sustained battles.
Ten minutes later, and a disappointed sword cultivator walked off the stage staring at the gleam of his blade, seemingly comforted by it. There had been no exciting ending, no flashy moves, just battle until one party could not anymore. And Qian Feng, without a doubt, had enjoyed it greatly.
Regardless, the day had passed quickly, and Qian Feng had to head home to cultivate. He had gained experience on fighting against peers, but the warrior still had not fought enough to either appease his desire for battle or provide a frame of reference for his capability to fight across realms.
That would be a slower affair, no doubt, but he was making good progress, and Qian Feng was sure he''d be out of Reun Arena in no time!
Chapter 36: Leaps and Bounds
Qian Feng sat in his new residence in Reun Arena in the lotus position, breathing in slow, even breaths. The aura of a ninth level Martial Warrior emanated from him, vigorous Force Qi creating a suffocating air inside the room.
Slowly, his aura began to climb, mounting further and further as Qian Feng''s face became strained. His body trembled as the Qi multiplied, reaching the peak around four minutes after.
Then, a mysterious energy began to seep into the Force Qi, transforming it. The aura, originally several meters large, began to retract again. Despite this, the amount of power it held only increased. Finally, Qian Feng''s aura reached only a few centimeters above his skin, but contained a vast and unfathomable power.
It began swirling around him in a perfect sphere, bolstering his movements.
Qian Feng had broken through.
After three weeks, Qian Feng had broken through to become a Martial King with his Force affinity, and had successfully formed a domain.
His cultivation technique determined the type and strength of the domain that would be condensed, and since his cultivation technique was at a peak level, unable to be found on the continent, his domain was similarly powerful.
His Force domain had the ability to sense anything in its area, to harden and form a shield anywhere inside its space, and the ultimate ability of Force Qi - manipulate force. That meant that when an attack entered his domain, he could effectively siphon the power it had behind it, stealing it for his own use. Similarly, he could increase the force behind his own attacks at spontaneous moments, throwing his opponent off and catching them off-guard.
Of course, since he had just broken through to the Martial King realm, that ability was not easy for him to use, and was, in battle, essentially limited to buffing himself by small amounts. But that would certainly change.
He spent the rest of the day and night reinforcing and grounding his cultivation base, tempering his foundation and stabilizing it at the first level of the Martial King realm.
After that, he broke through to the Martial King realm in his Earth and Life affinity, granting him the power of the superposition of three already incredibly powerful domains, each with their own unique abilities.
All three could sense what was in their area, and combined, his detection ability was unparalleled in his cultivation realm. But that paled in comparison to the full manifestation of his triple-affinity advantage. The Force affinity domain would strengthen his own attacks and weaken his enemy''s, the Earth affinity domain would bolster his defenses and lend his strikes even more weight, while the Life affinity domain passively increased his regeneration capabilities and, in very small amounts, siphoning life away from the enemy who entered the domain. That last ability was especially terrifying, but unfortunately, until his cultivation advanced significantly, he would only be able to steal insignificant portions.
Now that his cultivation had greatly advanced into the Martial King stage, his foundation, while still stable, was no longer at its peak.
See, a foundation relied upon the effective combination of three things: cultivation base, body and soul strength, and Dao heart. The first factor, cultivation base, determined just how advanced the other two aspects had to be for a good foundation. At the Martial King realm, Qian Feng, whosought the perfect foundation, had to reach the Proficiency stage in both the Tian Mountain Technique and the Overbearing General Tactic. Luckily, his Life affinity didn''t require much body strength for its foundation, and relied mainly upon a powerful soul. Qian Feng''s soul strength, having gone through a full soul cycle and then some, was well beyond that of the ordinary cultivator, so that would be no issue until perhaps the fourth realm, the Martial Emperor realm.
The final factor, Dao heart, referred to the experience and willpower of an individual. Qian Feng, having gone through three years in a battlefield, contantly experiencing death and strife, had no issues there and was remarkably advanced for his level, but that was only for the ninth level Martial Warrior stage. The difference between the Martial Warrior and the Martial King stage was great, so great that while a Martial Warrior might be any reasonably-experienced warrior in a great kingdom, a Martial King would undoubtedly have extraordinary martial experience and willpower, unles they came from an influential clan and relied upon outside methods to break through.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
That meant that if he wanted to fully solidify his perfect foundation, after tempering his body, Qian Feng should return to the battlefield in the Ancient Cosmos Pearl and fight significantly more.
Not wanting to go back outside until he was completely ready, and at his peak condition, Qian Feng remained in his room until he finished everything he wanted to.
Qian Feng found that the Overbearing General Tactic was best to practice first, since strong muscles would provide a good backboard for the rest of the body to be tempered.
Returning to the awfully famililar waterfall, Qian Feng narrowed his eyes. No matter how much his cultivation or his body advanced, he always seemed to be challenged by the waterfall. Yes, now that he thought about it, if the current Qian Feng was under the waterfall he initially encountered, he would barely even notice it... Did that mean that it automatically strengthened as its owner did, maintaining its usefulness even as he advanced? As expected from a treasure as great as the Ancient Cosmos Pearl, he supposed.
Putting that out of his mind, Qian Feng resumed his training, straining his muscles while circulating his Qi in the method detailed by the Overbearing General Tactic.
As his cultivation advanced, his progress in body-tempering techniques would also hasten, allowing the boy to reach theKnowledgestage in a little under three full days.
After theKnowledge stage, the Overbearing General Tactic changed a bit, moving from refining solely the muscles to refining the muscles along with the blood and organs, allowing the body to bring forth even more power.
In a week and a half, Qian Feng broke through to the Proficiency stage, where his body became strong enough to shatter a small hill with a punch. His blood, when Qian Feng was in a fully activated state(when one''s body reached a certain point, it was possible to control one''s strength enough to enter a sort of slumber mode, where the full potential of the body was not unleashed for the sake of conserving energy), could be heard rumbling through his veins, and his vigorous heartbeat could be felt through the air.
After that, he switched to the Tian Mountain Technique and raised that to the Proficiency stage, allowing his body to withstand impacts that would shatter any Grade 4 weapons. While Qian Feng didn''t have much experience with weapon qualities, he was pretty sure that Grade 4 made a weapon valuable, since he had previously gone wandering in the market looking at weapons, and the highest quality weapon he could find, Grade 3, cost the amount of money he gained from clearing the fourth floor.
Anyways, done with tempering his body, Qian Feng entered the other room, the battlefield, to train. It seemed like the accelerated time part still remained in the Ancient Cosmos Pearl, allowing Qian Feng to gain experience at a rate several times faster than other warriors.
When the battles were eventually scaled up in difficulty to Qian Feng''s level, all that could be seen of Qian Feng''s guan dao was a resplendent blur traveling through the air, slicing at all angles.
These battles allowed the boy to grow accustomed to his new strength, which had dramatically increased from the breakthrough to the Martial King stage and then his body''s refinement. He also grew accustomed to the proficient use of his recently-acquired domains, allowing him to use them smoothly in battle.
As he fought, Qian Feng''s heartbeat began to slow, the agitated pulse becoming calmer and calmer.
If an expert were to witness this, they would immediately recognize the entry of Qian Feng into the first realm of fighting expertise, Calm Movements. This meant that he was learning how to fight with an undisturbed heart, to calculate his movements with a rational mind even as a blade streaked towards his neck. While it may seem underwhelming that he had only reached the first stage, countless Martial Kings, and even a few Martial Emperors has yet to even enter that scale.
The value of a rational mind in a fight was not to be underestimated. It could allow for warriors to take calculated risks in the middle of battle, to calmly ascertain the best direction to dodge instead of just jerking in a random direction in panic.
His killing intent was also refined, growing stronger and, in its growth, more useful. Even against enemies as strong as he was, Qian Feng gained the ability to release all of the killing intent at once, startling his enemy and causing them to hesitate for even a slight moment.
Thanks to the time dilation, Qian Feng managed to fight over ten thousand battles in the span of two days, sharpening his edge even further.
Finally, he was satisfied with his progress and left the room, looking around with his seasoned eyes and catching them on the door in the middle. Cosmos Advancement.
While Qian Feng had no idea what it was, he certainly wanted to find out and was now confident enough to survive whatever the room put him through.
Excited and anxious, Qian Feng entered Cosmos Advancement.
Chapter 37: Cosmos Advancement
You have entered Cosmos Advancement. Please select the difficulty of your Trial. Remember that death and injury in the Trialdoes carry over to the real world.
Qian Feng found himself in a room with four different gates, each with words above them. The first door, the one to his left, read Simple. Qian Feng assumed that this was the difficulty, related to what the booming voice inside his head said. Following that pattern, the door directly ahead of him read Challenging, the door to his right Impossible, and the door behind him, which was especially unwelcoming, had the word Legacy above it.
The first three were easy to decipher, but what could Legacy mean? There were numerous possibilities: it could be that this was the door to enter before taking the three trials, to inherit the legacy of the pearl; that this was the door that was harder than Impossible, and only through passing it could one gain the benefits of the Ancient Cosmos Pearl; or even that this was the easiest gate, and the Legacy referred to the basic skills and treasures, or whatever Legacy included.
In all those three possibilities, though, Qian Feng benefited in some way. The first, he entered the room he was supposed to, the second, he faced danger and no doubt benefited from it(it was highly unlikely Qian Feng could be bested by any trial based on his cultivation level), and the third, he got to see just how hard the trials were without risking much.
So, naturally, Qian Feng entered the Legacy gate.
Right after the momentary garkness disappeared, the sound of a blade came whistling towards Qian Feng, a silvery glint occupying his vision.
Qian Feng''s body reacted on its own, dodging downwards and instinctively sending out a straight punch, knocking the source of the attack backwards and giving Qian Feng a chance to regain his bearings.
He rapidly surveyed his surroundings. The Legacy trial, or at least the first portion of it, was held in a small chamber with walls of a sandstone-like material, almost as if Qian Feng was in one of the pyramids of his previous life.
Spotting no clues as to what he was supposed to do, Qia Feng directed his attention to his assailant, narrowing his eyes in an almost instinctual fear at what he saw.
In the ancient battlefield of the pearl, Qian Feng had seen many things. Spirit beasts, demons, monsters, artifacts - he had battled countless kinds of enemies, winning and losing his share. But never before, not in the various years he spent in that battlefield, encountered a creature as fearsome as the one that stood before him now.
It had the same cultivation level he did, no more, no less, but despite that, the ''invincible'' Qian Feng knew he could not win this fight without incurring some serious injuries. And, unfortunately, there was no exit in sight.
Standing in front of him was an amalgamation of various different body parts, stuck together and bonded in the most brutally effective way possible, with no care for anything but combat capability.
It was simply... unnatural. So unnatural that, in fact, as a human, Qian Feng felt the irresistible urge to kill it, to wipe it out of existence, to erase the abomination in front of him.
Then it struck, leaping forward with its 14 arms all swinging wildly, the six eyes in random placing on its body trained on their target.
What Qian Feng had mistaken for a sword earlier was actually one of the claws on three of the beast''s arms, sharp and large anough to be severed and used effectively as a greatsword.
Faced with a fourteen-pronged attack, Qian Feng wisely chose to use his strongest technique right off the bat and summoned an array of powerful Force screens, activating his Titan''s Fortress.
Panicking and desparate to bolster his defenses as best he could, the Force panels soon glowed with a brown light, augmented by the torrent of Earth Qi Qian Feng shoved into the technique.
Thankfully, the walls held as the abomination crashed into one of them. Too savage to care, or perhaps too primal to know better, the beast was wide open, meaning it was damaged rather badly by the rapid detonation of all the walls near it.
Significantly bloodier, but in no way fazed, the abomination leapt at Qian Feng again, but this time he was prepared, and had more than enough wits about him to construct more than a hastily-prepared defense.
Qian Feng conducted rapid calculations in his head, determining all the possible points of contact and setting up Triggers as fast as he could in all those locations(thankfully, his session in the battlefield of the Ancient Cosmos Pearl had granted him the necessary proficiency with Trigger to construct them near-instantaneously). He hadn''t neglected his defenses either, of course, and successfully sumoned up his first layer of defense, Obsidian Embrace, as well as his second, Tortoise Bulwark, granting him defensive prowess that even the sharp claws of the abomination would be hard-pressed to easily pierce.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
The first detonation sent the feral monstrosity stumbling back into the second, which blew it sideways into the third... This continued for eight explosions, the maximum amount Qian Feng could place simultaneously.
At this point, two of the beast''s fourteen arms had been chopped off, and 12 wildly slashing limbs remained.
Suddenly, though, an unexpected trick was pulled, and Qian Feng looked in shock at the sizzling surface of a spot on his armor, corroded by the pitch-black bile the beast spit unexpectedly. Thankfully, it was not strong enough to wear through his armor, or that very well could have been the end of the Legacy Trial.
Wielding a summoned guan dao, Qian Feng advanced forward, erecting barriers of Force wherever necessary to avoid the venomous bile the beast continuously forcefully vomited.
Through this, Qian Feng also did not forget about self-improvement, improving and furthering his last-mintue idea to enhance his Titan''s Fortress with Earth Qi. The two different affinities began to integrate more smoothly and efficiently, less Qi required for the same level of defense and less effort for each augmented wall.
This continued until the abomination was all but cornered against the sandstone-like wall, Qian Feng disturbingly hulking physique overshadowing the significantly subdued beast(the boy wasnot even four, after all. No matter how proficient he was with his cultivation, he looked like he was an insanely bulky 12 year old, not a near-four year-old).
As was well-known, corner an animal enough and even a mouse will fight back. And that was a mouse, not the feral monstrosity Qian Feng was facing.
The disadvantage of Qian Feng''s proximity to his adversary was the fact that there was significantly less time to react to its attacks, meaning that even Qian Feng''s formidable consciousness was unable to register the fact that it was in danger before the ten limbs of the monstrosity were but inches away from crushing their target.
Thankfully, hi battle-honed instincts were far faster than his mind, allowing him to conjure two barriers of Earth Qi(the only reason Qian Feng used shields of Force Qi was that the Titan''s Fortress required it for the flexibility of the technique; in other circumstances, the Earth affinity had far more formidable defensive capabilites) to block the attacks and simultaneously thrusting forwards with the guan dao, piercing through the area where the monstrosity''s heart should be.
Emphasis onshould.
Not even slowed by the blade of the guan dao poking out through the opposite side of the guan dao, the creature moved forward, snapping at Qian Feng''s face.
Although he had learned from his mistake in the Duelist Nomad examination, and further honed his abiltiy not to relax until the fight was over, Qian Feng was still caught off guard enough for large gashes to be torn into his face. After all, who would expect that the snout of the monstrosity, that previously looked to be comprised of just flat and small teeth, would suddenly sprout fangs larger than Qian Feng''s hand, piercing through its face and slashing Qian Feng''s own.
The tail of the beast suddenly revealed its existence, jabbing into the small of Qian Feng''s back through his armor and thrusting a burning hot liquid into his body, causing his muscles to lock up and him to fall to the ground, paralyzed and shocked, pupils contracted in terror. Never, not even against that unfathomably strong examinee in the Duelist Nomad examination, had Qian Feng faced death so closely before.
Even in the battlefield, he knew nothing was real. But in this Legacy trial, nothing barred him from a true, permanent death.
A primal fear, faster than even the spear-like limb thrusting towards his face, raced through Qian Feng''s veins. His affectedmuscles seized up even as his heart beat, but his mind was unaffected by the paralytic poison.
And that was enough. It had to be.
There was no time for the Qi to flow through Qian Feng''s system, exiting through the relevant meridian. No time for it to go from the spirit realm, to the body, to the outside. No time.
No time.
No time.
All of a sudden, a shattering sound rang out, soon followed by a wild scream of agony, as the spear-like limb broke into countless pieces against the spontaneously-conjured screen of Force Qi.
His body reacted to the opening(honestly, it appeared as if his instincts were a far superior fighter than his mind) before he did, straining to break free of the effects of the poison and sending a powerful kick right into the abomination''s stomach, forcing it to crash upwards into the ceiling, doubly damaged by the rigid material it was forcefully slammed against.
By the time it fell to the ground, Qian Feng was on the other side of the room, Life Qi swiftly circulating throughout his veins, forcing the poison out and healing his injuries wherever it touched.
Still stunned, the abomination suffered blow after blow from the now-present Qian Feng, who had quickly recovered and was in fighting condition.
It was shocking, though, just how hardy the beast was, since it was still in the fight. In fact, Qian Feng''s powerful attacks, reinforced by Aurora Blades, didn''t seem to faze it at all as it got back up with trembling limbs, on the brink of death.
Or that''s what itlookedlike.
Cracks actually emerged on the sandstone wall Qian Feng was slammed into. His earthy armor flickered, its previous solid aura disappearing.
Qian Feng''s organs shuddered and he coughed blood up, pain making its way throughout his entire body. Even with his Life affinity, Qian Feng was barely holding on.
Powerful life force seemed not to affect his injuries at all. Why?
With that hit came an energy beyond Qi, one just as powerful, and many times more malevolent and sinister. It was just the energy you''d expect an abomination like the one Qian Feng faced to have.
Luckily, Qian Feng sucessfully emerged from the battle of attrition he didn''t even know he was having, since that last attack seemed to drain the monster''s very life as it collapsed to the ground, shrunken and dead. Qian Feng had won, but in the very way he had predicted - with severe injuries.
It was all he could do to sit down in a lotus position and bring energy out from his Life spirit realm, focusing all of his mental resources into healing his near-mortal injuries. After, though, Qian Feng had a lot to think about.
He was so engrossed into his task, however, that he didn''t even notice a portal open up on the wall in front of him.
Chapter 38: Luo Chengxin
When Qian Feng, after three hours, was finally fully recovered and in top condition, he stood up and surveyed the room, instantly spotting the portal that had appeared there at some point in his recovery.
Not noticing any other changes, Qian Feng shivered as he accidentally looked at the monstrosity''s corpse, before reaffirming himself and entering the portal, prepared for a battle.
"Not bad. No, not bad at all."
A peculiar voice ecoed out in the void Qian Feng was in while being transported to the next room, audible even through the ever-reaching blackness of the space. An instant later, Qian Feng was spat out into another room, identical to the previous, but replacing the monstrosity was a young man dressed in dark blue robes with black patterns. He spoke again.
"I don''t know your name, but that''s not important. Boy, how would you like to be my disciple?"
"..."
"Oh, don''t give me that. We can have the formalities and all the other stuff after. I just saw that you''re not half bad, and wouldn''t mind the chance the pass on my way to a midway competent cultivator."
Qian Feng was shocked. There were so many things wrong with what was going on, he didn''t even know what to say.
"Oh, what is it? Spit it out," seeing Qian Feng not say anything after his command and instead looking wildly around the room, he continued. "Speak."
With that one word, the previously ordinary young man transformed into an ancient, unfathomable god, his robes and hair fluttering, stirred up by the ferocious aura released all of a sudden.
Instead of the mortal that used to stand before him, Qian Feng was now in the presence of a god who had the very universe at his beck and call. A martial legend. Someone who Qian Feng was honored simply to set sight on.
The great pressure, gentle yet overbearing, broke Qian Feng out of his state of shock and he responded rapidly, prostrating himself on the floor.
"Master."
"Well, that''s more like it," the previous aura receded as if it had never been there. "Well, let''s get started with all the fancy stuff, then. A promise is a promise, after all.
My name is Luo Chengxin, former Martial Overlord and now spirit of the Ancient Cosmos Pearl. I''m sure you have many questions."
"Yes, master. My name is Qian Feng, and I am still a Martial King. Question, master. What is the Ancient Cosmos Pearl, truly?"
"Hah, you''re a curious one. Getting right to the interesting stuff, are we, then?
Well, this is actually a treasure that I created at the peak of my cultivation, in pursuit of a way to break through to the Martial Legend realm. Unfortunately, that failed, but the treasure remains, with all its uses intact. It does have numerous seals upon it, and you will only be able to use new features after you''ve broken those seals by meeting the requirements. The tests to see if you''ve met those requirements are in Cosmos Advancement.
You just passed the first test, which required you to enter one of the rooms and defeat whatever was inside it. The easiest was the Simple room, while the most difficult was the one you entered, Legacy. Through your clearing of that test, I have made sure that you are qualified to own this treasure and unlock the rest of the features. There''s more stuff about this treasure, of course, but I''ll tell you when it''s relevant.
As for what you and I do now, well, I''m not much of a teacher, but with your cultivation, I''m sure I can help you out quite a bit. So, why don''t you show me your Martial Spirit and cultivation technique?"
Qian Feng, having learned a lot about the previously mysterious Ancient Cosmos Pearl, was naturally surprised. To think that the strange treasure he had picked up by chance would actually be the life''s work of a Martial Overlord? Anyways, it was not the time nor place to sit down and mull over everthing he had just learned.
"Master, I actually have three affinities and martial spirits," unlike what he did with the Iron Fox, Qian Feng fully revealed all of his cards - this master, was, after all, not someone forced upon him and instead an actual, bonafide cultivation expert and his true teacher(not that he didn''t trust the Iron Fox, just that their relationship wasn''t one with unconditional trust and respect). "I have the Force affinity, with the Empyrean Might Titan, the Earth affinity, with theUniversal Tortoise, and the Life affinity, with the Truejade Qilin." After saying the name of each martial spirit, he brought them out and materialized them to show his master.
Stunned into silence, Qian Feng''s master just observed his pupil''s revelations. His eyes first moved to the Truejade Qilin, who just stood there, emitting a calm and comforting aura, simply radiatig warmth and life force. It, compared to the other, more ferocious members of its kind, was gentle in nature and benevolent in practice, making it a perfect fit for the Life affinity - like an embodiment of it.
The next martial spirit that caught his master''s eye was the Empyrean Might Titan. Compared to the Truejade Qilin, the Empyrean Might Titan was huge, towering over the young man that was his master, with a bloodthirsty and ruthless aura. An air of indomitable, overwhelming power emanated from it, and its steel-like muscles bulged from underneath its firm skin. This martial spirit was one geared for battle. Even if he had solely the Empyrean Might Titan, Qian Feng would be near invincible in his level, regardless of his cultivation technique.
The final martial spirit that the young man set eyes on was the Universal Tortoise, who was large enough to carry a person on its back. It had black, ancient scaled skin and a rigid shell that seemed to carry a great weight upon it. The Universal Tortoise gave off an air of solidity and impregnability, of armor that could never be pierced and will that could never be crushed. Undoubtedly, nothing remotely near the Universal Tortoise''s power level could even dent its shell.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.
After a moment, Luo Chengxin finally spoke.
"Martial spirits are the root of a cultivator''s power; they determine the effects of cultivation and reinforce every part of a cultivator''s body just through their existence. A martial spirit is what determines a warrior''s path and what shapes their destiny. Without a strong martial spirit, all combat capability is hollow; useful only against lesser opponents. You may not see the effects very well right now, but I assure you, when you progress, you will find your martial spirits affecting you more and more. Thier temperament, their attributes, their thought processes will all beging to meld with yours and change the base of your personality to that of the martial spirit''s.
The fact that you have two is both a curse and a boon - the domineering nature of the martial spirits within you will hold even greater sway upon your consciousness, but the sheer battle power of these spirits will more than make up for that. Should you survive and live through the struggles the martial spirits will put you through, you will beinvincible.
But this is harder than it sounds - the constant conflict between the differing natures of your martial spirits will add to your difficulty. I can help with this, but I''ll need to know your cultivation techniques and martial skills first."
This information was completely new to him - although his state of mind had undoubtedly changed, Qian Feng had attributed that entirely to the changes of rebirth in a completely world. But now it seemed as if his martial spirits weren''t helping either. Knowing fully well just how dangerous this could be for him, Qian Feng didn''t hesitate at all to show his cultivation techniques to his master, only to realize that he had no efficient way of describing his cultivation technique.
"Master, how can I tell you my cultivation techniques? Is there any way that will allow me to instantly show you?"
"Hah, it seems you don''t yet know how to transmit techniques, then. Well, that''s simple. Just like how the space inside the pearl gave you skills by placing them into your brain, it''s easy for you to do the same. So, follow my lead.
First, visualize the skill you want to transmit. Try to remember and keep in mind as much as you possibly can, since you can only transmit what you''re thinking.
Next, turn your inner sense outwards, into theSpirit Sense, and sense my soul.
After that''s done, create a connection of Qi between your soul and mine. Then, push the technique through that connection. I''ll fully unveil my soul, so you''ll be able to see it directly."
It was good, albeit somewhat disappointing, to learn that the outer sense that Qian Feng had developed during the trial was something not unknown to others, and was called the Spirit Sense. He had never, though, attempted to sense the souls of others, and wasn''t sure just how to do so. Hopefully it would come to him naturally.
Activating his Spirit Sense again(this took a while since Qian Feng hadn''t practiced the skill much since the Duelist Nomad assessment), Qian Feng focused upon his master.
He didn''t know for sure what the soul looked like under Spirit Sense, but it was rather obvious when he closely examined his master. It looked like a deep blue sphere, and despite Luo Chengxin''s current unassuming appearance, radiated power and majesty that Qian Feng couldn''t even begin to fathom. The next step was to form a connection of Qi between his soul and his master''s, which was certainly significantly more difficult than the previous step.
It was simple, though, when he managed to use his Spirit Sense to look both inwards and outwards at the same time, revealing his significantly weaker soul in direct contrast to his master''s. Compared to the deep blue sphere, Qian Feng''s soul was more akin to a wisp of light-blue light, with occasional flickers of magenta. What that meant, Qian Feng had no idea, but he had no interest in asking his master. They had just met, after all, and it could be something related to his reincarnation, which was a secret Qian Feng had no interest in sharing withanyone.
Once the connection was established, Qian Feng visualized his Infinite Force technique, which was the most straightforward, though domineering, of the three. Luo Chengxin''s description on this part of the process wasn''t very clear, but the imagery of pushing it through served Qian Feng well, and soon his master was mulling over and examining the technique. Finally, he exclaimed in surprise:
"This method is simply extraordinary! To think a student of mine would be in possession of such a heavenly technique. Even the best cultivation technique in my possession couldn''t come close to matching up to this Infinite Force technique! Well, if all your cultivation techniques are of the same caliber, then it would seem I have to resort to other methods to strengthen your foundation. Thankfully, the fact that you just barely defeated the Primal Amalgamation even with these cultivation techniques and your cultivation base means that your foundation is weak for a Martial Overlord''s standards. It may be exceptional to others, but to me, it''s riddled with holes that I simply cannot wait to patch up. Do the same thing with your othertwo techniques and any other strengthening techniques you practice, so I can get a good picture of where you need progress."
A lot of questions and examination followed that, but finally, Qian Feng''s master got a good idea of the boy''s current state. "Well, you''ve certainly done well with what you''ve been given, but there''s still a limit to what those techniques can do for you at their level. Right now, I''m going to ask you to completely drop the Tian Mountain Technique and the Overbearing General Tactic. They''re good for your level, but I most certainly have better.
How about this? I don''t like guiding young ones too much, and instead far prefer that they work on their own, with only the foundation of their results provided by me. So, I''ll give you a plan for your future training up until the fifth stage, the Martial Saint stage. At that point, I''ll have to change your training up a bit. But let''s not worry about that now.
First off, there are three body tempering techniques that you need to practice at least to Completion, with Mastery being ideal. These will provide the foundation for your future growth.
After you''ve finished that at around the beginning of the Martial Emperor stage or so, we''ll focus upon your senses. Thus, you''ll practice the Divine Awareness Method until Proficiency. You''ll keep practicing that, but after you reach Proficiency, you''ll switch focus to the soul. It''s incredibly important to keep this strong and there are various techniques and abilities you''ll need to have if you want to go far.
By the time you move up to this level, you''ll already be nearing the peak of the Martial Emperor stage, and at that level, it''s not very important. So, you''ll have plenty of time and very little pressure to practice this Cosmos Existence Compendium. This is essentially a compendium of everything you need to know about the soul, including how to strengthen it, its uses, useful abilities, and everything else. So, practice that and absorb the material in that until I deem your progress satisfactory, and then we''ll be good until the Martial Sage stage. Of course, by then, you should be ready to break through. So, I''ll give you the techniques, and then you can go to explore the new features of the Ancient Cosmos Pearl that you unlocked and practice."
The moment the connection was established and the techniques were gently placed into Qina Feng''s mind, he was shoved violently out into the lobby of the Ancient Cosmos Pearl, feeling very hopeful for the future.
Chapter 39: Legendary Techniques
Qian Feng didn''t even bother to look around the lobby for the new things he unlocked. No, he was far too engrossed into the techniques he just gained. Putting aside the techniques for later advancement, that he was given but told not to practice, just the body tempering methods were beyond anything he had previously thought possible for him to gain.
His Force tempering technique seemed to be a perfect fit for him - all the others did as well, at that. Called the Colossal Divinity Scripture, it focused on tempering one''s body to be akin to that of a god''s. It started from scratch and slowly progressed in might, meaning that Qian Feng didn''t have to suffer from the effects of practicing a technique far above his cultivation level. Instead, he could see substantial results quickly and the effects would start to accumulate: the stronger he got, the faster he would gain strength, and so on and so forth. It focused on overwhelming strength and pressure, and unlike the other body tempering techniques that had invisible results, the Colossal Divinity Scripture would change the appearance of his body as he progressed, eventually morphing him into a monstrosity of a man, towering over people.
The Earth tempering technique Qian Feng gained was not nearly as overbearing, but the effects were just as good. The Devilforge technique, despite its short name, had truly terrifying effects. It was, true to what it was called, akin to a forge for the body, tempering and transforming the skin, flesh, bones, viscera, and tendons into those of a devil, who were naturally born with far stronger bodies. But the technique was not named for that - no, it was called Devilforge because of the agonizing process a practitioner had to go through to get substantial results. How agonizing? Qian Feng imagined he''d soon find out.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
And the long-awaited Life body tempering technique did not disappoint. It seemed that this was on the same level as the other techniques, and would only help Qian Feng in battle. It was called the Great Vigor Scroll, and it perfectly embodied Qian Feng''s ideal fighting style. This would make him all but immortal and everlasting in a battle. How? Well, practicing the technique gave Qian Feng a body that would regenerate and mend rapidly, at no energy cost, because of the vast accumulated pool of energy it drew upon. That energy came from the power within all the Life Qi that was generated but not used or placed in the spirit realm because there was no space for it. A body cultivated with this technique would automatically draw in that Qi and absorb it, granting it access to a near endless energy pool in combat. And, as Qian Feng required for the way he would become invincible, it healed wounds instantly as long as energy was still available. And, with the Void Ring Method, he would become even more of a force to be reckoned with.
And so, the ever-dutiful Qian Feng set to training once again.
Spoiler: Qian Feng''s current progress.
Cultivation:All affinities at 1st level of the Martial King stage. Martial Spirits are Empyrean Might Titan for Force, Universal Tortoise for Earth, and Truejade Qilin for Life. Cultivation techniques are Infinite Force for Force(no duh!), Unyielding Bastion for Earth, and Legacy of the Immortals for Life.
Body Tempering:Colossal Divinity Scripture(Force, not yet begun), Devilforge Technique(Earth, not yet begun), Great Vigor Scroll(Life, not yet begun)
Progress In the Iron Fox''s Training:1.7/3 years.
Age:4.7 years.
Chapter 40: Departure and Qian Fengs Plans
It didn''t take long before Qian Feng realized that his current rate of progress wasn''t going to be enough. Upon receiving the body tempering techniques, he had planned to reach the Completion, and maybe Mastery, stage of proficiency with all three. But, when Qian Feng started practicing, even under the waterfall, he wasn''t content with how quickly he grew. If he wanted to progress to the peak, then he had to grow as quickly as possible, so his talent would be recognized and he could gain more resources. That meant that he had to seek out any opportunities he could.
Qian Feng left his residence in Reun Arena and went to go see the Iron Fox. "Master, are there any places or items that could help me speed up my rate of body cultivation? I feel as if this arena no longer holds any prospects for me."
"Well, the little bird has decided to grow wings, huh? Do you really think you can just leave before completing this part of your training? I have the whole training period planned out, and there''s no way that you can just throw a stone into the entire plan!
Though, to be fair, you have surprised me before...
Alright, I''ll give you a chance. This part of the training was to make sure you reached a certain level of strength before you moved on to the next phase, so as long as you are as strong as you need to be, I''ll take you along to where we''re going next. Don''t worry, either, because that place will satisfy your ''conditions'' just fine.
So, punch my hand. I may not be what I used to, but there''s no way a brat like you will hurt me, so don''t bother holding back. If you''re good, we move on, and no skin off my back - you train even more and the plan moves even faster for you, brat. Go on. What are you waiting for?"
Aware that this was his chance to move athisrate instead of his master''s, Qian Feng got into a fighting stance and circulated his Force Qi throughout his body. His muscles bulged and flexed as a perfect punch was executed, each ounce of muscles putting force into the strike. The superposition of his Earth and Force domains(his Life was held back because it wouldn''t be very helpful to his predicament and he didn''t want to risk exposing his third affinity) augmented the fist whirling through the air even further, granting it the weight of the earth and the strength of a dragon.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
The strongest punch Qian Feng without using a martial technique dissolved into his master''s hand, fizzing out like a spent firecracker.
Just a dull thud, and all that power, enough to send even early Martial Kings sprawling, disappeared. Of course, Qian Feng hadn''t expected his mysterious master to be weak, but regardless, not strong enough to take a full-power punch and not move an inch.
"Well, not bad, kid. Looks like that time you spent locked up in your room wasn''t all wasted. And here I was scared to intrude for fear of scarring these old eyes, with the amount of time you spent in there. Well, a deal''s a deal. You satisfied my requirements, by a bit, so we move on."
With that, Qian Feng and his teacher''s comfortable stay in the residences of Reun Arena came to a close, and they were back on the road(their caravan, at least - the party had their own residences connected through the door).
"Alright, so, I bet you want to know where we''re going. Well, lucky you, cause where we''re going, surprise sure isn''t going to do you a lot of good. To avoid that, I guess I have to tell you what you need to know.
We''re heading to a little place called the Ancestor''s Tomb. Now, I know that place sounds a little ominous..."
The Iron Fox stopped there for a second and then continued. "So there are a few things that I''ll tell you I normally wouldn''t. It really would be rather troublesome if you died on my watch, no?
The Ancestor''s Tomb is what the name of the place would suggest - a tomb for a little guy called The Ancestor. He was, as rumor would have it, a Martial Overlord. While all the really good stuff has long been taken away, there''s still some treasure that the big shots turned up their nose at, leaving it for the smaller cultivators. And that stuff includes, of course, body tempering treasures, whichiswhat you asked for.
Naturally, with opportunity also comes danger, and there are still plenty of traps around, not to mention everyone else, who will be trying to steal anything valuable you get. That''s why we can call it a tempering experience!"
As Qian Feng asked and clarified, the carriage sped on, moving closer and closer towards the Ancestor''s Tomb.
Ill Be Back in Three Weeks, in the Meantime...
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Chapter 41: The Luqi Alliance
After a while of traveling at breakneck speeds, Qian Feng and his master finally arrived at the Ancestor''s Tomb. Not that there was much to arrive at.
When Qian Feng got out of the carriage, all he saw was a hole in the ground with stairs leading downwards, too deep to see further into. Besides that, all signs of civilization were either inside wherever those stairs led to or far, far away.
With no further ado, the duo descended the staircase.
It was a good ten minutes of relaxed walking through the dimly-lit halls before the bland scenery changed, morphing into a flat(finally) chamber. Only one doorway, directly in front, existed, and the rest of the black stone walls shone with Qi, which flowed in dazzling pathways across the surfaces, filling channels that formed runic shapes Qian Feng had no hope of deciphering.
In the chamber, a trio of white-robed cultivators sat, discussing. They emitted the aura of the 4th level of the Martial King stage, all three of them, which placed them at a cultivation higher than Qian Feng''s, but not to the point where he couldn''t handle them - if he had to, Qian Feng was sure he could even beat the three of them combined.
Upon sensing the pair''s arrival, the three men turned around and looked at them for a while, before choosing to come over and initiate a conversation.
"Are you here to acquire treasures from the Ancestor''s Tomb?" One of them asked, looking directly at Qian Feng''s master - to an outsider, the experienced man must have seemed like the leader of the small group.
As the one looked at, the Iron Fox spoke up. "Yes, we''re here to try our luck."
"Then you might want to join us if you''re new here."
At this moment, Qian Feng spoke up.
"Join you?"
"Hah, you really did just arrive. We''re the group most well-known for our chances of acquiring the most treasure, the Luqi Alliance."
After the original cultivator finished, another member of the group spoke up.
"Yeah, it''s common sense that unless you''re some sort of prodigy or something it''s impossible to acquire the treasure left behind all by yourself, so naturally, people are going to band together. We''re all cultivators, after all, so it makes sense that we help each other out. As for how the treasure is split, that''s something we decide later based on contribution and all that. So, what do you say?"This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.
Qian Feng felt something was off, but decided not to act on it straight away.
"Why is the Luqi Alliance so recognized?"
"Oh, that''s easy," the last man spoke up. "Our young master, Lu Tanqi, is a famous prodigy in the region, and his family gives him resources to run this alliance. So, we all get plenty of treasures for growth and as rewards, and we get a well-known genius and his formidable family as a backer. Kid, just join the alliance, huh?"
Qian Feng''s doubts were confirmed - this was no alliance. This was a gang.
It all began with his first instinct when he saw the three men conversing. They seemed to have a shield which blocked their conversation from being heard from the outside, so Qian Feng''s keen senses couldn''t pick up their discourse, but their shifty behavior and slight panic when they noticed the entrance of the outsiders, Qian Feng and his master, alluded to the fact that they weren''t up to the most honest of business.
Also telling was the matching clothing of the three men: they all wore identical white robes with blue symbols. This by itself wasn''t much, but it could be because of a gang-like atmosphere.
Finally, the praise they touted Lu Tanqi and their tone while doing so implied a sort of forced reverence, almost as if the young master was a tyrant. All in all, Qian Feng was able to confirm with reliable accuracy that the so-called Luqi Alliance was closer to a criminal gang.
"I''m sorry to disappoint, gentlemen, but we wanted to try out the tomb before going through the hassle of alliances and groups." Qian Feng was forced to phrase his rejection as politely as possible, trying to give them face and avoid provoking them. He wasn''t scared of those men individually, but their backer was undoubtedly more troublesome to deal with, likely closer to the latter areas of the Martial King stage. In time, that would mean nothing to the young talent, but currently, Qian Feng would likely be forced to do Lu Tanqi''s will, or whoever was hypothetically delegated to meet with him. Thus, it was the wisest move to try to avoid any conflict with the Luqi Alliance for now.
Hearing this, the faces of all three men darkened, but they refrained from open aggression in their response. "Alright, but I do hope you''ll seek us out once you''ve satisfied yourself - mutual benefits and all that, after all."
That last phrase was worrying in context - on the surface, it seemed innocent, but without a doubt, it was a veiled threat. It looked like Qian Feng would indeed have to work harder and try to improve; after all, if he was strong enough, the warrior wouldn''t even have to bother with tact and wisdom - absolute strength crushes all schemes, after all, and if Qian Feng was able to bear the kickback, he wouldn''t have to worry about anything. That was the rule Qian Feng lived by, and that was the rule he adhered to.
After exchanging some final pleasantries, the two men returned to the side of the room they were in originally, one of the three incinerating a talisman in their hand subtly and instantly conjuring a shroud of silence over the group.
Though the shadows cast by the dim light seemed slightly more ominous now, Qian Feng and the Iron Fox shrugged off memories and feelings of the encounter and continued onwards, passing through the only door in the chamber.
Chapter 42: The Spirit Chamber
As the Iron Fox had explained in the carriage, the Ancestor''s Tomb had high requirements to progress in, but its trials and challenges were also filled with many opportunities for improvement. The first chamber, for example, the Spirit Chamber, required a high mastery and control over the spirit but also had methods contained to refine control over spiritual strength.
As for what exactly that included, Qian Feng found out when he arrived there, the dimly-lit room illuminated only by the soft green light carvings on the wall exuded.
"See these carvings? Try to inject your Qi into them." The Iron Fox said, not elaborating any further.
Qian Feng walked over to the closest engraved wall and summoned his Life Qi. He chose Life Qi because it was the most gentle of all energies, meaning that he had the highest chance of success at whatever it was that he was doing, or at least that it was less likely he''d be injured.
As for where he injected the energy it was quite obvious to the warrior where to put it - after all, all the flowing and traveling engravements, like great rivers, came from one point. There was no specific, visible reason that that specific point was the source, but every single line branching out came from that hollowed-out circle symbol, so it was an important point. And, surveying the wall, there was nothing else that was particularly conspicuous, so Qian Feng thought it was safe to assume that was where his Qi was supposed to go.
Contrary to Qian Feng''s expectations, he wasn''t harmed at all when the pure and gentle Life Qi of his flowed through the inscriptions. However, something unexpected did happen, something strange enough to convince Qian Feng that these inscriptions were nothing ordinary.
When Qian Feng''s Qi traveled about inches down any of the branches, it would encounter a block. One too strong for the gentle Life Qi to break, and based on what Qian Feng sensed of it, too strong even for tyrannical Force Qi to even crack.
Doubtless, given the strength of the barrier and the fact that despite it, people had traveled through the first chamber, meant that there was indeed another way. as for what that was, Qian Feng didn''t have the slightest idea, but he figured it couldn''t be too difficult - the Iron Fox expected him to do it, obviously, and though Qian Feng was talented, even he was very aware of just how weak he was. Even given how hard he had practiced and how lucky he was, Qian Feng was nowhere even near fathoming the depths of his strength.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
He was still young, though, and Qian Feng knew his progress was incredibly fast.
Anyways, back to the matter at hand. What could be causing this block, or, better question, how could he get past it?
The issue likely had something to do with the requirements or focuses of the chamber itself. This was called the Spirit Chamber, after all, meaning it had something to do with the spirit, but what did that mean for his situation?
Well, if this was the Spirit Chamber, the only problem could be... his soul!
Qian Feng''s eyes widened. If he could learn to make better use of his innate soul gifts - it was naturally powerful since it had already undergone a full cycle and experienced reincarnation - his combat strength would skyrocket! He didn''t know just what soul cultivation entailed, but from experience in the ever-so-similar-to-real-life novels of his past life, mastery, or just control, over his soul would give him an edge over his opponent. An edge that could prove deadly in real combat.
Not wanting to waste any more time, Qian Feng turned to his master. "What do I do?"
The Iron Fox smiled knowingly.
"First off, do you expect to make any progress with that wall? That''s the highest-level difficulty in the whole room! See those numbers on the top of each wall? The higher the number, the harder the test is!
You don''t understand what I''m saying anyway, do you? Well, the Spirit Chamber is like what you probably guessed - it''s for the soul. That means that you need to have a certain soul strength and soul mastery to pass into the next room. And how do you train that? The same way it''s assessed!
Each of these walls is engraved with a formation. Some are higher-level than others, but all of them have the same basic purpose - you need to extend your Qi fully through the lines, all at once. This sounds easy on the surface, but it''s a little harder than that; after all, every 9 gen, there''s a bottleneck where you have to add more spiritual energy to pass. And, to traverse each line requires far more control than the last to keep progressing. Those requirements get higher and higher based on which wall you move to."
Gen was the usual measurement of this world for small distances. After all, could Qian Feng expect to keep his experience with meters or centimeters in this new, completely different world?
Each gen was approximately one-third of an inch or 0.8 of a centimeter.
After asking a few more questions about how it worked for clarification, Qian Feng had a clear picture in mind for his advancement in this chamber and set to work.
Taking Another Break
Guys, I have to take another break from this story. I''ve been writing it for so long and been devoting so much time to it, I have to take occasional breaks and start writing other things. The way I know I have to do this is if I feel less excited about writing another chapter. Of course, I''ll be back, like last time, but keep an eye out for my other fictions coming out. I realize this might make my viewership take another hit, but that''s not why I joined RoyalRoad in the first place - though your support and feedback have been a great bonus. I can''t tell you when I''ll return to this story, either, because I don''t know myself, and setting a specific time for me to come back somewhat defeats the purpose. I will be trying not to start any other incredibly long stories in the meantime, though, so don''t avoid my other stories.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.