“A phenomenon!”
“Jiang He… really reached divine-tier?”
In front of the glass wall of the chief office found atop Lingzhou City Martial Arts Department (MAD), both Duan Tianhe and Cheng Dongfeng were staring tightly at the thundering skies out at the horizon, shock showing all over their faces.
They only withdrew their gazes when the thunder light faded after a long time, trading glances.
Slap!
Duan Tianhe had suddenly raised his palm and slammed it on Cheng Dongfeng’s face, and the victim exclaimed in shock, “Ouch… that hurts, so I wasn’t dreaming!”
***
“Thrice the speed of sound!”
Jiang He finally stopped after lying dozens of miles away, and exclaimed in surprise, “Even Three Blades Lin, who is a peak divine-tempest elite would only reach little over twice the speed of sound at top speed when he turned into a blade light. How did someone like me who just reached divine-conversion, which is only the first level reach three times the speed of sound?”
“Maybe this has to with my power. I was shrouded in the power of thunder just now, and even felt my whole body turn into thunder.”
“Martial divinity… so is this it? Isn’t this already levels of high fantasy?”
An empty wildland was beneath him.
Jiang He unleashed a thunderbolt with a wave of his hand.
Boom-crack!
Thick, giant bolts instantly smashed down, shattering a peak into pieces.
“The power of this sky lightning is not bad… I could kill a newly ascended Feral King like the Black King Drake with a single bolt!”
After that, Jiang He toiled around for half an hour to accustom himself with his power.
It was almost midnight now.
Leaning back in his swimming pool, Jiang He resisted the urge to level up the Strengthened Nine Yang Techniques.
“I’ll hold back on improving my martial technique tiers for now… the Strengthened Nine Yang Technique needs two hundred thousand Farm Points at tier-eight, and probably fifty thousand at tier-nine…”
“After all, I have to keep some Farm Points to improve my immortal arts.”
On the other hand, he could afford to level up the Ninefold Thunderblade a little.
After all, since his divine aspect was revealed to be thunder, the power unleashed when matched with Ninefold Thunderblade would definitely not be weak.
[Ding!]
[-30,000 Farm Points]
[Congratulations, Host. You have gained Mastery over the Fourth Fold of the Ninefold Thunderblade.]
[Ding!]
[-50,000 Farm Points]
[Congratulations, Host. You have gained Mastery over the Fourth Fold of the Ninefold Thunderblade.]
[Ding…]
As System Notifications jingled repeatedly beside Jiang He’s ears, he spent a total of 580,000 Farm Points at one go to level up Ninefold Thunderblade up to Eighth Fold.
“Okay…”
“This is enough. After all, I’m mainly cultivating the immortal arts and assuming the path of the Sword Sage, so my martial arts and blade techniques are merely a simple cover… moreover, I could cut down a divine-tempest tier elite in a direct confrontation now, couldn’t I?”
Jiang He sensed himself carefully, and then exclaimed in slight delight, “I didn’t think that improving the Ninefold Thunderblades actually perfected my grasp over thunder will, and even help me gain blade will too…”
[Name: Jiang He]
[Cultivation: Immortal Path—complete Qi-Refinist; Martial Arts—divine-conversion]
[Ability: Royal Sword, fire]
[Martial Arts Cultivation: Indestructible Diamond (Mastery+), Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms (+), Blind Princess’s Eight Practices (Second Practice+), Strengthened Nine Yang Technique (Seventh Tier+), Ninefold Thunderblade (Eighth Fold+), Dragon-Elephant Prajna (Seventh Tier+), Nine Stars Heavenly Body Formula (First Tier+), Three Thousand Calamities (First Style+), Twenty-Three Swords (First Style+)]
[Owned Land: 3 Mu]
[Farm Level: 4 (EXP 50000/50000)]
[System Backpack: 18 boxes]
[System Shop: Unlocked]
[Farm Points: 2,000,000]
Jiang He scowled even as he eyes swept across the System Panel and he complained, “It feels good to improve in ability, but my Farm Points is being spent very quickly too… the Strengthened Nine Yang Technique would need two hundred thousand at Eighth Tier and five hundred at Ninth, just as the Ninth Fold of the Ninefold Thunderblade needs five hundred thousand as well…”
2 million Farm Points… was really not much.
Nonetheless, Jiang He rose to his feet and chuckled, “But if I fully mastered the Strengthened Nine Yang Technique, my martial arts cultivation would reach perfect divine-union tier…”
Then, he could not help frowning after he stepped out of the pool.
Sora…
Was actually not around.
‘Why isn’t she here to help me put on my silk pajamas?’
After dressing up himself and getting a hairdryer to blow his hair, Jiang He returned to his room to find Sora lying on his bed coquettishly.
So, here to warm his bed again?
***
October 15th.
The skies were cloudy.
For once, Jiang He woke up early—it was not even 11am.
He went downstairs, washed up and had a meal, after which he headed to the farm and threw the other half of the Red Toad King’s corpse to the Cloudscraper Vine. He then poured two steel bowls-full of blended qi pellets for Dumbo and Trumbo and then redeemed some nitrogen pellets for the Seven Bottle Gourd Brothers, saying, “Be good boys at home, and gramps will bring you a big birdie to eat.”
“Wow!”
The Seven Bottle Gourd Brothers’ eyes lit up, cheering as they clamored, “I want to eat gramps’ birdie, I want…[1]’
Damn it!
Jiang He kicked Dumbo, yelling, “What are you laughing at, dog?!”
“I wasn’t laughing, Master.”
Dumbo replied with much grief, but when even as the Seven Bottle Gourd Brothers kept shouting the same thing, its mouth was curling up involuntarily, revealing its two sparkling canine teeth.
And in the next instant, it sneaked behind the Cloudscraper Vine, shuddering, “I’m really not laughing, Master.”
Jiang He couldn’t help chuckling.
He hence strode out of the farmyard and stepped up into the air, streaking into the distance in the next instant as a bolt of lightning…
Before he departed, Jiang He had already obtained information about the Golden-Winged Roc from Three Blades Lin, thereby learning the location of the bird’s nest.
***
Meanwhile, beneath Mount Golden Roc.
Wang Hou had just finished listening to Deputy Zhou’s report via satellite phone. Even so, he could not stop his hands from shaking, his usually calm face looking bewildered.
Boom!
Nearby, a small hill abruptly collapsed.
Both Dong Haichuan and Yang Luchan were walking together out of the rubble, each of them holding a rabbit… leaving Wang Hou with a headache.
Of these two men, one was a Taiji grandmaster and the other the founding master of the Eight Trigrams school—Void-tier champions both, they enjoyed resounding fame in the martial world even two hundred years ago.
Even so…
They were so childish.
When added together, their age was more than five hundred.
Can’t they give up on their subtle rivalry grudge match they go one every single day, out of nowhere?
That said, there was no way Wang Hou could empathize with Dong Haichuan and Yang Luchan’s mindset.
They were both alive in the same era, and being characters of great fame in the martial world, many outsiders often spread rumors about them on whether they clashed or who was superior.
As it turns out, the pair had indeed sparred many times over their two-hundred years acquaintance, winning and losing in different occasions without one coming up on top significantly.
And while they do pit their strength against each other from time to time, they do have a healthy relationship.
Now, Dong Haichuan said while holding his rabbit, “Old rules, Elder Luchan. You’ll do the skinning, washing and grilling…”
“Eh?”
“What’s wrong, Minister Wang?”
Yang Luchan turned to Wang Hou with a smile then. “I can tell that you’re shaken… You weren’t like that even when we fought the Golden-Winged Roc.”
Composing himself, Wang Hou took a deep breath before saying, “Jiang He… might be coming.”
“Eh?”
“That fast?”
Both Haichuan and Yang Luchan were stunned, with the former frowning, “Wouldn’t that be too early? Didn’t they just leave the Diamond Sect’s Secret Realm yesterday?”
“He was only rank-nine when he was heading to the Diamond Sect, and even if he learned much there, there was no telling if he could actually reach rank-nine pinnacle… why would he come here? To die?”
“It is certainly impatient of him.”
Yang Luchan chuckled. “But he is not dying as long as we’re here.”
Wang Hou: “…”
He stared at Yang Luchan and Dong Haichuan for a long time, before quietly saying, “Gentlemen… Jiang He has reached divine-tier.”
???
The two men did a double-take before bursting out in laughter, but after guffawing extensively and finding that Wang Hou was still staring at them with the same look, something came to mind.
“Are you for real, Minister Wang?” One of them asked.
Wang Hou did not say a word, and stared instead at the distant skies.
There was lightning flashing at the distant horizon.
A single thunderbolt had cut through the skies.
And within that bolt was Jiang He in his white jersey.
Already been born with natural good looks, he became even more handsome after ascending up to divine-tier. Most importantly, his aura had changed utterly…
Either way, he was more handsome now!
As for how handsome, there was no word that perfectly fits.
Smiling, Jiang He walked up to them, putting together fist and palm as he greeted, “Minister Wang.”
Wang Hou returned the greeting, though shock was showing in his eyes.
In truth, he had been doubtful—scarcely able to believe the report from Deputy Zhou.
But now, it seems that the kid… really ascended?
His cultivation was rich and overflowing, and if felt like he had ascended centuries ago.
Beside them, both Dong Haichuan and Yang Luchan were giving Jiang He a thorough look from head to toe, with shock registering on their faces.
Jiang He offered them a fist-palm salute as well, asking, “Gentlemen, could you be Master Dong and Master Yang?”
Both men came to their senses then and returned his salute, with Dong Haichuan unable to stop himself from muttering. “True divine-tier…”
“What true divine-tier?”
Jiang He appeared taken aback.
“Nothing, Jiang He.” Dong Haichuan smiled. “It’s nothing. I’ve heard about you a lot since my grand-disciple Cheng Dongfeng often mentions you, Jiang He. I wasn’t quite convinced with the way he always praised how peerless you were… but now, it seems that you’re not just peerless—your mere existence violates the laws of nature!”
“You flatter me…”
Jiang He was about to be a little humble when he realized that doing it would come off as a brag, especially since he is now divine-tier. As such, with a flash of inspiration, he changed his reply, “Actually, Master Cheng had been my guiding like in my journey within martial arts, and I would not have ascended to divine-tier that quickly if not for him.”
“Oh?”
Dong Haichuan’s eyes lit up.
‘Is my grand-disciple that competent?’
Even Yang Luchan and Wang Hou turned towards him in surprise.
Nonetheless, Jiang He continued earnestly, “When I was cultivating back home, I somehow completed rank-nine and then found a door appearing inside my mind, it really freaked me out at the time.”
Dong Haichuan: “???”
Yang Luchan: “…”
Wang Hou sniggered.
Somehow?
Freaked you out?
Those words are too infuriating!
[1] ?
