Experiences and things of note when travelling through the wildlands?
Jiang He mused to himself for seconds as he rapidly recalled his experiences at the wildlands… and realized that it was no different from going home.
“The reason I would feel as if going to the wildlands is no different from going home is because I am too powerful, and would not fear Feral attack… but I would need to adjust my phrasing or I could mislead other martial artists.”
After all, lives could be lost if he misled others on that front.
Picking his words, Jiang He then smiled into cameras. “It’s not actually as scary as anyone would think… I remember the first time I entered the wildlands was the end of August. The Sky Demon Cult was targeting me at the time and had sent their people to hunt me, and now that I’ve thought about it, it was a difficult time… I was just a rank-five pinnacle, and yet the Sky Demon Cult had sent two of their rank-seven Heavenly Generals.”
“I remember that time well… the skies were gloomy and my sleep quality had been plummeting after being pursued for many times. I couldn’t fall asleep even though it was two in the morning, and all I felt was anxiety and panic…”
“That was why I took the first strike, heading off to Ningdong Mines and killed those two Heavenly Generals… Eh?”
Jiang He realized something then, and promptly corrected himself, “Wait, that’s not quite right. That was not actually the first time I had gone to the wildlands, since a few days before that, I thought about hunting some Ferals for their meat…”
With that, Jiang He started speaking fluently.
He hence spoke about the first time he had gone to the wildlands, running into a wolfpack and Sky Demon Cult elites, to his encounter with the Third Elder, Bound Star, and Brave Star on Mount Helan… since those were all personal experiences.
Everyone present was left taken aback.
What the heck!
That awesome?
Even though Wang Hou had spoken of the same thing, he only provided a simple mention since he did not know the specifics. How would that compare to Jiang He’s motivated speech?
In the end, Jiang He summed it up by saying, “Actually, before I go to wildlands, I would usually bring along a barbecue set, grill condiments, and other necessities for surviving out there. However, I don’t suggest everyone following my style blindly, since having a barbecue out in the wildlands would easily draw a Feral to attack you.
There was silence when he finished.
Seconds passed before someone started clapping.
After that person clapped, a loud applause followed—everyone was infected by Jiang He’s passion.
Then, another journalist asked about how Jiang He crushed the Sky Demon Cult and repelled the Sky Demon legion, which he answered briefly.
After that, an academy representative came to present Jiang He with flowers.
Either way, the ‘talk’ had gone smoothly… but after Jiang He thought about it, he noticed something.
How was this a talk? Were talks not supposed to be academic?
Watching as the many Martial Arts Academy students look at him with passionate gazes before he left, Jiang He said, “As everyone would know, aside from being a martial arts newbie and a novice cultivator, I’m also a farmer.”
“Back in my village, I’ve farmed several Mu worth of plantation and grown some soul crops. I’ll contact Director Wu later to bring some to the Martial Arts Academy, so all academy students here would get to have some. Consider it a little sincerity on my part.”
Jiang He would not reveal about this farm for now, though there were not many things he had to continue hiding with his current ability.
Growing soul crops…
Was it not logical for a cultivator to plant some soul medicine and soul plants at his farm?
The talk was finally over around half past eight and Jiang He went to Wu Yueru. After arranging for her to send some people to get the soul crops, he took to the skies and returned home.
The moment he landed home, he sensed a divine-tier aura rapidly closing in. His divine mind promptly emanated, and he realized that it was a divine-tier martial elite landing outside his gates.
Jiang He had not met him before, though he was here to deliver Jiang He with mutated rice and wheat. There were over a thousand catties of rice and around five hundred catties of wheat, improving Jiang He’s mood greatly.
‘By the way, Mister Jiang…”
The martial artist then drew out a sword that was around three feet and had a little rust to it, saying, “Minister Wang has asked me to pass this to you, and it’s said that he has retrieved it from the Wanshougong of West Mountain.”
“Oh?”
Jiang He’s eyes lit up.
That flying sword said to have been passed on at Wanshougong?
Still…
Jiang He found the rusted sword rather plain and ordinary after accepting it. Any mystic energies it carried had faded, and it was now useless.
But if he had remembered correctly, it seemed that someone had contacted him on the online forum Warrior Home, saying that the sword belonged to Heavenly Master Xu, the ancestral master of West Mountain’s Wanshougong… Heavenly Master Xu was an impressive character himself, and might have ascended as an immortal according to Jiang He’s theory and the many signs from that man’s history.
What was his sword called again?
“I remember checking online… wasn’t it called the Mosquito Cutter? In legends, the Mosquito Cutter was an immortal sword… is that true?”
Jiang He muttered to himself even as he fiddled with the rusted sword, before smiling and asking, “By the way, where is Minister Wang? What has he been doing in the last few days? I heard that he was about to leave on a trip and cultivate for a while… did he leave already?”
The divine-tier martial elite appeared perplexed in return.
He stuttered for a while before saying, “Actually, Minister Wang has instructed that I not speak about him being wounded before I come…’
“Eh?”
“Did Minister Wang run off to foreign soil?”
Jiang He was shocked.
Was Wang Hou wounded?
That was not right.
At the moment, the secluded immortal sects, demonic sects, and daemonic cultivators had yet to step out, not to mention that Jiang He himself had repelled the Sky Demons. Who in the Hua Nation could have wounded him?
That was, unless he had gone overseas… there were many powerful Feral Emperors outside Hua Nation borders, including the Nine-Headed Serpent Emperor and the Thunderflood Titanoboa, as well as King Kong, the one said to be the most dangerous Feral Emperor, who resided at Skull Island located far within the Atlantic Ocean.
The martial artist replied, “Minister Wang had not gone overseas; he was wounded at Wanshougong.”
Jiang He exclaimed in surprise, “Old Wang did mention that there was a floral spirit at Wanshougong. Could it have grown into a Feral Emperor?”
After the martial artist explained what had happened, Jiang He was even more shocked.
He exclaimed, “You’re saying that aside from the rank-eight floral spirit at Wanshougong, there was a powerful daemonic cultivator residing beneath that place and it wounded Minister Wang by releasing its Daemonic Qi alone?”
The martial artist nodded while Jiang He frowned tightly.
Wang Hou was actually quite strong, was he not?
And yet, a single gust of Daemonic Qi was enough to wound Wang Hou… it meant that it was a daemonic cultivator reaching Convergence-tier or even stronger.
What frightening existence could have been sealed beneath Wanshougong?
Jiang He then remembered a record he had glimpsed when browsing online about Heavenly Master Xu.
It was said that he had once slain an evil dragon and sealed it beneath the Octagonal Well at Wanshougong.
And before the Revival of Qi, the Octagonal Well was a famous tourist spot at Wanshougong, with additional fees charged for visits and photos.
“Interesting.”
Jiang He could not help think to himself, ‘What is this? The revival of a myth?’
Taking out several Amoxicillin Capsules and Bezoar Detox Pills, he said, “Bring these to Minister Wang. I’ll go to Wanshougong for a look when I have the time.”
After seeing off the divine-tier martial artist who had delivered the grains, Jiang He headed straight inside his farm, took out his rice, and started farming.
Having had the experience of planted the mutated rice before, planting it this time was smooth sailing for Jiang He. Working with Dumbo, Trumbo, and the Seven Bottle Gourd Brothers, they quickly planted the several hundred catties worth of rice.
There was no helping it…
The farm was only 9 Mu and the soil was limited. As such, the thousand-over catty of rice must at least be planted thrice.
Moreover, he had to spare some ground to plant his manuals for item refinement, pellet refinement, and array… as well as Heavenly Master Xu’s rusted sword.
Watching as the rice shoots swiftly grew out of the ground, Jiang He was filled with delight and motivation, saying, “Screw it. I’m not going to sleep—let’s farm overnight tonight…”
***
Meanwhile.
Whoosh!
A figure was streaking through the air, passing through vast oceans before landing on the entrance of a Secret Realm, shrouded beneath an array.
The man was wearing traditional clothes, appeared to be middle-aged, and bore a gloomy look.
It was, in fact, the True Habitant of Nine Dragons of the Penglai Sect.
And once True Habitant of Nine Dragons returned, the chieftain of the Penglai Sect promptly noticed him and greeted him, but soon exclaimed in surprise, “Elder Nine Dragons, where is Jiang He? Could he be unwilling to join our Penglai Sect?”
The chieftain of the Penglai Sect was a dwarfish old man. His hair was all white, though his face was white with slight redness like a baby’s. He frowned as he said, “That’s right. With the talent Jiang He has shown, he would prove to be a key figure in the coming calamity and there would definitely be many other sects competing to take him in as disciple. Heck, even the demonic sects might leave seclusion for him… it’s normal if he would choose other sects.”
“Chieftain…”
The True Habitant of Nine Dragons hesitated for a while before saying, “Jiang He did not join any other sects, but we’ve also misjudged him—his actual ability was not actually True Child but Yuan Spirit, and he has also learned a frightening sword array, increasing his combat ability up to the cusp of Convergence-tier…”
After that, the True Habitant of Nine Dragons also spoke about how Jiang He had captured him and the chief disciple of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect.
Shaking with anger, the Penglai Sect chieftain exclaimed, “That Jiang He is too much! He obviously knows that you are an elder of the Penglai Sect, and he actually dares to restrain you? It’s unforgiveable—even if he’s vital in the coming calamity!”
“Chieftain…”
The True Habitant of Nine Dragons had wanted to say something, but the Penglai Sect chieftain spoke coolly in return, “Save it. This involves the dignity of our Penglai Sect and we certainly cannot let this go. Send word and gather every elder. I will personally send our people to the profane realm in three days and punished Jiang He!”
***
As a matter of fact, things were actually calm at the Penglai Sect.
On the other hand, the mountain archways were shaking at the Ten Thousand Swords Sect.
“B*stard!”
Zhong Yue’s father, who was also the vice-chieftain of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect, had smashed a teapot.
Being hot-tempered as ever, his fury erupted when he heard that his sons had been captured and beaten up, sneering as he said, “How impressive of you, Jiang He! A mere commoner, daring to make an enemy of our Ten Thousand Swords Sect?”
Beside him, his wife was being more even-natured, and spoke with a frown, “Brother Zhong, we should go about this carefully. The Ice and Fire Duality Sword Array is an absolute secret of our Ten Thousand Swords Sect and only the core elders of our sect have the right to learn it. Likewise, only True Heirs like our Yue’er, who is a chief disciple, would know it. How did Jiang He manage to grasp it?”
“We shall report this to the chieftain and let him decide.”
