“It’s engraved on the stone tablet?” Zhang Han asked after a pause.
“Yes.” Chen Changqing nodded. “My grandfather had researched the cultivation method on the stone tablet for 10 years. The method is divided into four volumes. However, in the connection part between the third and fourth volumes, there is a sword-cut. Therefore, the cultivation method I am cultivating is the one improved by my grandfather. That’s why I am in a life-and-death situation before I can reach the Divine Realm.”
Hearing Chen Changqing talking about the cultivation method, Zi Yan thought for a while and decided not to join the conversation. She then put Mengmeng on the ground, held her hands, and played with her at the other end of the table.
The others present, on the other hand, looked at Zhang Han with widened eyes, looking forward to his further reply.
Zhang Han patted Chen Changqing on the shoulder and said with amusement, “You’re already good enough. With your grandfather’s half-assed skill, it’s lucky for him that he’s able to repair a cultivation method that doesn’t lead to anyone’s death.”
“Huh?”
All the people, including Patriarch Chen and his wife, even Wang Zhanpeng, and Wang Ming, were dumbfounded and their minds were racing fast.
“What did you say?
“The Warlord of Chan Clan has half-assed skill?”
In fact, Zhang Han had already picked his wording carefully. What he had wanted to say was actually more vulgar. But after thinking about it, he thought that since he was still a guest in the Chen’s house, he should at least show some respect.
But others didn’t feel his respect at all.
Chen Changqing felt particularly awkward. The corners of his mouth twitched; his mouth uttered as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he said nothing.
He couldn’t find the right words to express his feelings.
“Did you say that I am half-assed?”
Suddenly, an irritated voice sounded from the side of the dining hall.
“Hiss!
“Oh, no, get caught on the spot!”
Cold sweat dripped down from Patriarch Chen’s forehead.
Simultaneously, all eyes looked over, only to see the Warlord and Gai Xingkong standing at the entrance of the dining hall.
It could be seen that the Warlord’s face was a little dark, while Gai Xingkong seemed to be holding back his urge to burst out laughing.
After the long talk of last night, Gai Xingkong and the Warlord became familiar with each other.
The Warlord welcomed friends like Gai Xingkong. Although the latter was not a member of the National Security Agency, he was also guarding the safety of Shang Jing. Sometimes, there was nothing wrong to build a connection with the people with top-level strength like Gai Xingkong in the secular world.
And also, they had a connection with Zhang Guangyou. The Warlord had received the grace of Zhang Guangyou’s father and Zhang Guangyou was also Gai Xingkong’s close friend. With the two aspects, it was natural for them to have a close relationship.
This morning, the two also arrived at Chen’s Manor, planning to have breakfast there and see how Zhang Han gave Emperor Qing a high-grade cultivation method.
But they didn’t expect that as soon as they walked in, they heard Zhang Han’s words.
“Did my temper become too mild recently? Why did this guy show no respect to me at all? Does he know the virtue of respecting the old? Do I have to use my overwhelming strength to teach him a lesson?”
At that time, the Warlord was thinking about beating Zhang Han.
As for the others, they couldn’t help but change their face slightly.
They felt as if they were speaking ill of the Warlord behind his back, and being caught by him on the spot.
Yet, when Zhang Han turned around, his expression was very calm and his tone was just tinged with a little bit of surprise.
“Elder Chen, Uncle Gai, you’re here.”
“Humph! If I was not here, how could I hear you speak ill of me behind my back?” the Warlord snapped and strode toward the crowd.
“Speaking ill of you behind your back?” Zhang Han shook his head slightly. “Elder Chen, you misunderstood me.”
Hiss!
Many people in the dining hall gasped in surprise.
Blue veins stood out on the Warlord’s temples and he burst out, “What misunderstanding are you referring to?”
“I’m telling the truth,” Zhang Han answered simply.
Upon hearing that, Gai Xingkong slightly staggered, and then locked his eyes on the Warlord to prevent him from suddenly attacking Zhang Han.
But the Warlord’s furious expression was softened by a silvery voice.
“Grandpa, Grandpa Gai, good morning,” Mengmeng greeted as she waved her small hand aside.
Hearing Mengmeng’s voice, the Warlord looked slightly stiff, turned around, and looked at her with a squeezed smile.
“Good morning, Mengmeng.”
Of course, the Warlord wouldn’t let Zhang Han off that easily. He still felt pissed off.
Immediately sitting next to Zhang Han, he snorted, “Brat, explain more clearly. If your explanations are not convincing, I will teach you a lesson.”
“Elder Chen, your understanding of cultivation method is too shallow. A set of cultivation method can have a lot of changes. It can be said that the slightest error in it will lead to a big mistake. Changqing can reach this realm by that cultivation method, which only means that he is very lucky.” Zhang Han cast a glance at the Warlord.
Somehow, the Warlord felt strange, as if he were the junior one who was hearing the preach of a senior.
“What is happening?”
Everyone, including Gai Xingkong and Chen Changqing, looked at Zhang Han with surprise and uncertainty.
Unexpectedly, whomever Zhang Han was facing, his attitude was so airy. Especially right here and right now, they felt his temperament was so unique and mysterious that they found it hard to describe.
For a moment, they felt that Zhang Han was right.
But subconsciously, they refuted this feeling. It was the Warlord that Zhang Han was commenting!
The Warlord was a master at the God Realm Peak-stage, very close to the Earth Realm, but what about Zhang Han? He was just a Wu Dao Grand Master!
Although the latter was a genius, the gap between their levels was just too wide to cross.
Among the crowd on the spot, only Zi Yan knew how awesome his husband was.
Of course, outsiders couldn’t know Zhang Han’s real strength.
“Did you tell him?” The Warlord looked at Chen Changqing.
“Not yet. I just explained the situation roughly.” Chen Changqing shook his head.
“Then how could you be so sure that the cultivation method is not right?” The Warlord narrowed his eyes and looked at Zhang Han.
“I will know when I see the tablet.” Zhang Han didn’t want to explain anymore. After that, he stopped looking at the Warlord.
Choked by his words, the Warlord of Chan Clan was now speechless.
After a while, he mumbled, “Let’s check on it later!”
Seeing the situation, the others had different feelings in their mind.
They had a lot of exclamations in their mind. Within half a year, Zhang Han had made such rapid progress!
Now, he even reached the level to have a dialogue on an equal footing with the Warlord! It was just too shocking!
It was known that in today’s martial arts world, only a handful of people like Ye Tianlang could have such a privilege.
Even Gai Xingkong after the breakthrough, and Ji Wushuang were weaker than the strong warriors like Warlord and Ye Tianlang whose strength was very close to Earth Realm.
The Earth Realm warriors were all supposed to be the backbone force of the worldlet.
After the small episode, those eager to find out the truth sped up their dinner.
After a short while, Patriarch Chen took the lead and said, “I’m done.”
Wang Zhanpeng, Zhao Feng, and others followed suit.
“I am stuffed!”
“Done!”
“Let’s go there now, shall we?” Chen Changqing suggested.
“Hmmm?” The Warlord and Gai Xingkong looked at each other in disbelief.
“But we sat down just now!
“And we haven’t had a bite yet. What are you doing?”
The two remained silent for a second. Then, Gai Xingkong stood up and said, “All right. Let’s do the business first.”
“Well.” The Warlord sighed, and also stood up. “I’ll wait for you at the Mount Red Leaf.”
After that, he left alone.
Gai Xingkong had a helpless smile and chased after the Warlord.
“Er…” Patriarch Chen was thinking about how to arrange the transportation properly.
Zhang Han turned to the back of the table, looked at Mengmeng, and said, “Mengmeng, would you like to go mountain climbing with me?”
“Well, mountain climbing… Would it be tiring?” Mengmeng asked innocently.
She was searching for her memory about mount climbing.
“I seemed to have climbed some mountain, but I couldn’t think of which mountain. Ah, did I ever climb a mountain or not?
“Oops, I just can’t remember.”
Seeing Mengmeng’s adorable expression, Zhang Han laughed happily, stroked Mengmeng’s little head, and said with a smile, “If you are tired, I will hold you.”
“Uh-huh, yes!”
Mengmeng slipped off the chair by herself, jumped a few times, and exclaimed, “Yeah! Go mountain climbing now!”
Zi Yan had a light smile and stood up.
At that time, Patriarch Chen hurried forward and said, “The cars are ready.”
“Well, let’s go there now,” Zhang Han said.
As a result, those who didn’t finish the meal put down their chopsticks, wiped the corners of their mouths with paper towels casually, and also went out.
They walked to the place where a group of luxury cars parked.
After leaving the Chen’s Manor, the motorcade attracted a lot of attention.
Now that the Lunar New Year holiday was over, the Shang Jing City became crowded again and there were a lot of pedestrians on the roadsides. When they saw the motorcade, many people stopped to watch and had a heated discussion.
“A total of eighteen luxury cars. Is there any event held by the Chen Clan? Such a luxury lineup. I guess they are going to visit a very important figure.”
“Not necessarily. The Chens have a high status in Shang Jing. No matter what, people should pay a visit to the Chens, but not the other way around.”
“Your guesses are wrong!”
At that time, someone who knew the truth said slowly, “The Chens are not going to visit anyone. A big shot is now in the Chen’s Manor! They must be receiving him!”
“Yes, Zhang Hanyang must be in one of the cars!”
“Emperor Qing’s elder brother Merciless Zhang is in their manor. They will try all their best to treat him.”
The handful of warriors among the pedestrians who thought of the stories of Emperor Qing and Merciless Zhang found their hearts were pounding fast.
Obviously, the stories were terrible memories for them.
“Now the entire martial arts world knows that the era of Merciless Zhang has come. No matter where he is, he will be in the limelight!”
The several warriors present at the scene watched the disappearance of the motorcade and remained silent for a long time.
As soon as the Chens’ motorcade got out, all the major clans knew about it quickly.
One of the features of rich and well-known clans was that they would always flourish and have many offspring.
The leaders of the families didn’t have to pay attention to such news on purpose. The young generation in their families would find it out first and reported to them.
So many people from those clans knew that the Chens sent out a large team that headed for the Mount Red Leaf!
After about an hour and a half’s trip, the motorcade detoured and finally reached the vicinity of Mount Red Leaf. All the people then climbed along the steps of the mountain from the south.
The steps there were slightly steep, and red maple trees could be seen on both sides.
It was still early spring. The trees were supposed to be in “hibernation”, but the red-leaf trees on the mountain were flourishing. Although they were not as flourishing as they were in autumn, they also had their unique charm.
Climbing up along the mountain road in the forest made people feel comfortable.
Considering Zi Yan and Mengmeng, everyone’s climbing speed was very slow, just like ordinary people.
After walking for dozens of meters, Mengmeng pouted and mumbled, “Papa, I’m tired.”
“Then I will hold you.” Zhang Han smiled and held Mengmeng in his arms. After thinking for a few seconds, he put Mengmeng on his neck.
Mengmeng’s small hands were held by Zhang Han’s big hands. She sat there stably and felt secure. Excited, she couldn’t help screaming, “Wow, I am getting taller.”
Zi Yan next to the father and daughter smiled, and her big beautiful eyes blinked, as if she was wondering if she should try this way sometime.
“Mengmeng, look at that tree! Is it beautiful?”
“Papa, papa, look, there’s a little squirrel.”
“…”
The entire mountain seemed to be full of the cheerful voices of the father and daughter.
After they had finished more than half of the way, Mengmeng’s big shining eyes suddenly winked and she said, “Papa, are you tired?”
“I am not tired. Mengmeng, you are very light, so I won’t get tired. Even if you grow up, I will not be tired,” Zhang Han answered with a smile.
“Um… No, papa, when I grow up, I will hold you to climb the mountain.”
Hoo-ha!
Zhang Han was moved by her daughter’s sudden words.
He felt like being stroked by the spring breeze, so warm and cozy.
His lips moved slightly, trying to say something, but he didn’t.
Silence was better than speech now.
Others had varied expressions on their faces.
In particular, Wang Ming and Rong Jiaxin were blaming themselves in the depths of their hearts. Their daughter, Wang Ya should have been able to live like a princess.
Yet, due to their negligence, they failed to protect their daughter.
“Is the pursuit of martial arts really that important?”
Wang Ming’s heart lurched violently. Looking at the backs of Zhang Han and Mengmeng, he suddenly felt a little sad.
“No, it’s not important!
“It was all my fault. If my concern for my daughter were equal to half or even one-tenth of Zhang Han’s concern for his daughter, she would not have suffered like that.”
Wang Ming let out a soft sigh.
Rong Jiaxin knew what her husband was thinking, so she held his hand tightly.
Wang Ming smiled slightly, trying not to be sentimental.
He thought to himself, “Let bygones be bygones. I should cherish what I have now and look forward to the promising tomorrow. Luckily, it’s not too late to amend my mistakes. I will give Ya a better life.”
In Wang Ming’s heart, he was very grateful to Zhang Han. Thanks to Zhang Han, he not only had an improvement in his strength, but also had a better understanding of life.
Now he cherished his family more than anything else.
Zhang Han didn’t know that he had such an impact on Wang Ming. He just showed his true self in front of others.
He did not need to hide anything, nor did he need to care about anything insignificant.
Because he was confident in himself.
When the group was very close to the top of the mountain, they climbed a dozen more minutes or so, and finally reached the top. As they walked inside, they also saw the small manor there.
When they arrived at the manor, Zi Yan took Mengmeng, Rong Jiaxin, and the others to play outside, while Zhang Han followed Chen Changqing to the stone house in the innermost side.
Master Wang, who was in charge of the manor, stood nearby and looked at the scene with a smile.
“Mount Red Leaf hasn’t been this lively for a long time.”
Although the people of Qiao Clan and Lin Clan came a few days ago, their main purpose was to seek refuge, not for sightseeing, and the atmosphere then was completely different.
“Uh… Han, can we watch?” Wang Zhanpeng couldn’t help but curiously asked when he saw Zhang Han and Emperor Qing walking toward the stone house.
He just couldn’t wait to see what would happen!
“Yes.” Zhang Han nodded.
For something like a cultivation method, even if it was given to someone, it might not be suitable for him. Hence, there was no need to hide it. Moreover, most people would not be able to understand it.
Cultivation methods were not very precious in the Cultivation World. Even the top cultivation methods could be bought by treasures, but secret supernatural power was worth a lot.
Because of the secret supernatural power, the cultivation methods had increased their value, because they were all mutually connected. The things contained in them were relatively complicated. It also took Zhang Han many years to gradually understand them.
“Han, please.”
Chen Changqing gestured and took the lead to enter the stone house.
Zhang Han had thought there would be a few rooms, but he didn’t expect that Chen Changqing waved his arm and a cave appeared on the inner side of the stone room.
On both sides of the cave entrance, there were some shining beads. They were not night-luminescent pearls, but mana beads.
So Zhang Han, Chen Changqing, Wang Zhanpeng, and Wang Zhanzong walked inside the cave.
The way forward felt like a 30-degree downward slope. The Red Leaf Mountain was not big, but it took them five minutes to reach the end.
At the end, they saw a circular field like a square. In the middle, there was a pillar, which was three meters high and a man could sit on its top. In front of the opposite wall, there was a five-meter-high and 10-meter-wide stone, which seemed to be inscribed with something.
At that moment, the Warlord of Chan Clan and Gai Xingkong were talking in front of the boulder.
The four walked on the platform.
Wang Zhanpeng was startled.
“Quite abundant spiritual Qi.”
“A day’s cultivation here is equal to a month’s outside world,” Wang Zhanzong said with some emotion.
This was the special function of the blessed region. It could be used for cultivation. As for the outside world, he meant the deep mountain forests with thin spiritual Qi, not any city.
Speaking of the city, half a year’s cultivation in a city was only comparable to a day’s here.
As the two were busy in observing the spiritual Qi around, Zhang Han walked straight to the front boulder.
Chen Changqing followed behind him.
It was not until they approached that they heard that Gai Xingkong was exclaiming while looking at the boulder.
“This is the most complicated cultivation method I’ve ever seen. Elder Chen, since you could fix it, you are really awesome! I am not exaggerating at all.”
“Huh!”
Gai Xingkong flattered the Warlord, but the Warlord sneered. “Obviously, some people don’t think so, and they say that I’m half-assed. If it was not for the sake of King Zhang, I would have beaten him up!”
It was obvious that he was still mad at Zhang Han.
Hearing his grandfather’s words, Chen Changqing had a wry smile.
It never came to his mind that his grandfather, who had always been calm and steady, would also have lost his temper.
What surprised the crowd more was Zhang Han.
He walked to the crowd, took a few glances at the boulder, and said with a nod, “This cultivation method is too common, and it was even altered to a worse state. Otherwise, Changqing could have broken through to the Divine Realm three years earlier.”
“What did you say?” The Warlord frowned.
Repeated mockery like that irritated him more.
Meanwhile, when he saw what Zhang Han was doing, his face changed drastically, his eyes full of shock and doubts.
“It’s very simple to fix this cultivation method!”
A long sword suddenly appeared in Zhang Han’s hand. It was the Demon Dancing Sword. He waved it forward, leaving traces on the boulder, and said, “This set of cultivation method has more water attribute. Its problem is not just the incomplete third volume. The connection part of the first and second volumes is also wrong and the method of the first volume is also incorrect.”
“The most important thing is that Changqing has Qing Dragon blood. When he cultivates a secondary cultivation method with a water attribute, it will be extremely easy for him to form the cultivation method of flood dragon in his meridians. This makes him weaker. Although Qing Dragon blood is not the upper level, it is still superior to the flood dragon.”
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
With Zhang Han’s words, his sword danced quickly in his hand and left a lot of marks on the boulder. The pattern on it was being changed again and again, which was very different from the previous one.
It only took five seconds for Zhang Han to finish the change. He then put away his sword and said, “Now, look at the improved version.”
Hiss!
Everyone present gasped deeply.
At the same time, Gai Xingkong was a little shocked and bewildered.
“Please, this is a cultivation method, the one that Emperor Qing is cultivating.
“Han, you fixed it in a few seconds?
“Are you sure you were not drawing?”
Unlike others’ bewilderment, the Warlord’s pupils contracted, his palms trembling, and he dashed to the front of the boulder.
Stroking the new trace with his hand, he said in shock, “Miracle! This is a miracle!”
