Chapter 691: Cause and Effect of That Day
Now, the expressions of not only Hu Hai and the other two but also Chen Xiao changed. They all looked at Xiao Chen in bewilderment.
What was the Central Province? That was the center of the Tianwu Domain, also the place where the Martial God Palace was located. Xiao Chen, whom the true inheritors had initially looked down on, had actually already become famous in the Central Province.
Who were Nuan Muyun and Wang Meng? One was a legendary Holy Daughter, and the other was one of the seven giants along with Shui Lingling.
Unexpectedly, these two had lost to Xiao Chen in their bet? Just thinking about this felt impossible and unimaginable.
Xiao Chen also felt somewhat shocked. He had not expected that his simple attempt at the Proud Son of Heaven Ranking that day had caused so much commotion.
“First Senior Sister, what exactly was going on with the Monarch Blood Grass and the half drop of Dragon Marrow? Can you please tell me more about it?”
Xiao Chen did not bother to think about any other things. He immediately asked the question that had been niggling him all this time.
Shui Lingling laughed gently and said, “On that day, Nuan Muyun and Wang Meng brought their sect disciples to see who would rank higher. In the end, both their disciples lost to you. So, the victor of the bet became you, instead.”
Xiao Chen shook his head in disbelief. He knew how precious the Monarch Blood Grass and the half drop of Dragon Marrow were. While he did not know much about Nuan Muyun, that Wang Meng did not exactly have a good reputation. How could he have just quietly handed over the half drop of Dragon Marrow?
Shui Lingling smiled faintly but did not want to explain too much. She said, “Wang Meng is very egotistical and competitive. No matter the reason, given that you used the half drop of Dragon Marrow, it will not be a good thing for you to run into him.
“You will be fine in the Supreme Sky Sect; you won’t have much of a chance of running into him here. However, if you go to the Savage Battlefield, it is very likely that you will run into him. Furthermore, the Savage Battlefield is indeed filled with danger. You should consider very carefully whether to go or not before making a decision.”
Xiao Chen answered definitely, “I have to go to the Savage Battlefield; no matter who or why, nothing will stop me.”
An unsurprised look flashed in Wang Cheng’s eyes. He interrupted, “Junior Brother Xiao Chen, you are not strong enough. If you go, we will still have to take care of you. If you run into Wang Meng, it would even make things difficult for First Senior Sister. Why the need to do all that?”
When Hu Hai heard that, he could not hold back any longer. He asked, “Junior Brother Wang, how can you say this?”
Wang Cheng retorted disapprovingly, “What do you mean by how can I say that? Everything I said is fact. He is only a Medial Grade Martial Monarch. Which of us is not at least a middle-stage Superior Grade Martial Monarch? Junior Brother Chen, tell us, am I right?”
Chen Xiao nodded to indicate his agreement.
Jun Si felt very anxious, but she was also rather confused. She did not understand why Wang Cheng changed his opinions so quickly and why Chen Xiao did not speak up for Xiao Chen.
When Xiao Chen saw all this, he smiled coldly to himself, but he did not argue or say anything. He only waited calmly for Shui Lingling’s answer.
Shui Lingling had a deep and penetrating look in her bright eyes. With her intelligence, she already had a general idea of what was happening before her.
“I understand. Since you have made your decision, you can come with me when the time comes. The Guardian Elders are still dealing with the demonized Spirit Beasts. They need my help there, so I will be leaving first.”
Shui Lingling immediately agreed to Xiao Chen’s request without giving it too much thought. The Profound Sun Bird on her shoulder turned into a beam of dim light and quickly grew larger. Then, Shui Lingling mounted it and flew into the distance.
Xiao Chen exchanged some words with Hu Hai and Jun Si. Then, without even looking at Wang Cheng, he jumped off the city walls and started to make his way back to the Supreme Sky Sect.
Jun Si could not understand. She said, “Senior Brother Wang, didn’t we agree before that we would bring Xiao Chen along to the Savage Battlefield after he finishes the mission?”
Wang Cheng smiled coldly and replied, “Before we came, we did not know he had a Heaven Ranked Martial Technique. We also would not have guessed that his attack would be on par with Senior Brother Hu’s. What’s more, we did not know that he would able to do this well against the boundless Demonic Beasts.
“The most important thing is that he is only twenty-one years old. As for us, the youngest among us is already twenty-five years old.”
Jun Si finally understood. It turned out that Wang Cheng feared Xiao Chen’s rapid growth. This made him feel insecure and want to suppress Xiao Chen.
“Short-sighted,” Hu Hai said disdainfully and shook his head. “Who do you think First Senior Sister is? Do you think she could not figure out what you are thinking? By doing this, you will only cause others to look down on you. A true genius does not fear competition.”
Wang Cheng still wanted to argue, but after Hu Hai finished speaking, he left. Jun Si felt ashamed for Wang Cheng, so she also left immediately, unwilling to say more.
——
Three days later, Xiao Chen arrived back at the Supreme Sky Sect. He took a bath and washed off the fatigue of the previous days, making a complete recovery.
He did not rush to put on all his clothes, only wearing a pair of shorts. Then, he took out a palm-sized porcelain bottle from his Universe Ring.
This bottle contained the marrow from the spine of the Golden Savage Ox. The Golden Savage Ox had the bloodline of an ancient Savage Beast.
The Savage Beasts were famous for their destructive strength. The ancient Sages and Martial Emperors did not dare clash head-on with them. From this information, one can easily imagine how strong a Savage Beast had been.
The Savage Beast bloodline in the Golden Savage Ox had already thinned to a negligible level. However, its marrow still had a fantastic effect on cultivators who tempered their bodies. It was worth cities, not something an ordinary Medicinal Pill could compare with.
A resolute gaze flashed in Xiao Chen’s eyes as he held the porcelain bottle. The expression ‘nine died out of ten’ still underestimated the danger of the Savage Battlefield.
Xiao Chen had to increase his strength. Only by doing so could he shut up people like Wang Cheng and fight for more benefits for himself.
He poured the marrow in the bottle onto his palm; then he rubbed it on his bare upper body. His skin instantly felt a hot and spicy prickling.
When Xiao Chen finished applying all the marrow, he felt like his blood had taken fire. He felt extremely energetic, filled with unending Vital Qi.
“I can’t hold it anymore. That’s it. I have to digest the energy in the marrow quickly. Otherwise, it will burn me to death.”
A strong wind blew as Xiao Chen dashed frantically into the yard. After he stood still, he immediately started circulating his Vital Qi and practicing a Fist Technique.
This Fist Technique looked very plain and ordinary. This was a set of Fist Techniques that he practiced when he was very young in the Xiao Clan; there was nothing fancy about it.
However, in Xiao Chen’s hands, it displayed a certain might. Fist winds howled like thunder, changing something rotten into something magical.
Every time Xiao Chen punched, space trembled. The marrow that he applied on his skin permeated into his blood even faster.
The thunderous sound continued relentlessly in the courtyard. Gusts blew as he punched to his heart’s content. His Qi and blood surged, and he could not help roaring with pleasure.
As the Golden Savage Ox’s marrow seeped into Xiao Chen’s body, his skin started to give off a scarlet radiance. It had a strange beauty under the illumination of the sun.
“Rumble…!” As Xiao Chen’s blood flowed through his body, it erupted with intense energy, like a gushing river surging without end.
A faint roar of waves and the babble of a gushing river were audible as Xiao Chen sent out fist winds, like a river descending from the nine heavens.
“Break!”
Suddenly, the thousands of rivers merged and gathered at the dantian. Xiao Chen felt as though something had exploded in his body.
It was as if his physical body had been reborn; there was a qualitative change. Three acupoints on each foot burst open.
Xiao Chen quickly circulated the Firmament Body Tempering Art and, indeed, he had broken through from peak late-stage sixth layer to the seventh layer.
After Xiao Chen’s bare skin completely absorbed the Savage Beast’s bloodline, his senses were heightened. His swelling muscles filled with explosive power.
“Bang! Bang! Bang!”
Xiao Chen clenched his right fist tightly and punched the air three times. A horrifying force burst into the air, giving off three intense sounds. They merged and formed a mighty tornado.
His heart filled with joy. He muttered, “Good, I have increased my physical strength by one hundred and fifty tons of force for a total of nine hundred tons of force. My Vital Qi increased dramatically. Now, when I burn my Vital Qi and use Burning the Heavens, its might will be even more horrifying.”
However, Xiao Chen became depressed after a while. He lightly tapped his right fist against his left palm and said, “Starting with the seventh layer, the Firmament Body Tempering Art focuses on the recovery ability of the physical body. Each stalk of Spirit Herb needed to assist it will have an astronomical price.”
The focus of the seventh layer was tempering the internal organs. However, the goal was not greater resiliency but improved recovery ability.
For example, an internal injury that would normally take half an hour to recover from completely could be healed within ten minutes after the seventh layer reached Great Perfection.
Each of the internal organs corresponded to a natural treasure. Tempering the heart required the Heart Nourishing Flower; the liver and gallbladder used the Purple Sun Grass; the spleen and kidney needed the Red Lotus Fruit.
Every one of these Spirit Herbs was rare and hard to find. Even in the high-ranked auctions, they were extremely hard to come by. One could only find them in the face of danger.
Xiao Chen collected his thoughts and said indifferently, “When we reach the mountain, there will be a way through. For now, I should just focus on my preparations for the Savage Battlefield. There is no need to dwell on other things.”
[TL Note: When we reach the mountain there will be a way through: This means everything will turn out for the best.]
“Dong! Dong! Dong!”
Just at this moment, a loud and ancient bell rang on a desolate mountain summit of one of the mountain peaks surrounding the Supreme Sky Sect.
The clanging of the bell resounded far and wide. Everyone within Supreme Sky City heard it clearly. However, compared to the sound of the bell, the words that followed shocked everyone even more.
“Supreme Sky Sect’s Xiao Chen is despicable and shameless. He forgets his friends and plots against his comrades. As someone of a righteous sect, I, the Full Moon Pavilion’s Qiu Yi, come to your sect today and challenge you. If you are not a head-shrinking tortoise, get out here!”
[TL Note: Head-shrinking tortoise is a form of name calling. It means coward.]
Qiu Yi purposely supported the final three words with his Quintessence, making them linger for a long time without disappearing. As it echoed, everyone could feel the overwhelming hatred in his tone.
“It is a sect challenge! A disciple of a similar-ranked sect rang the combat bell.”
“Qiu Yi is the top disciple of the Full Moon Pavilion, about as strong as Yun Feiyu. They are both quite famous in the eighteen southern provinces. How did Xiao Chen offend him?”
“Our Supreme Sky Sect’s Xiao Chen is not weak; he might not lose to this Qiu Yi.”
“Maybe…in regard to Martial Technique, there should not be much of a difference. However, Xiao Chen has spent too little time in the Kunlun Realm; he should not have many accumulations in his cultivation.”
“Come on, let’s go to Giant Sword Peak quick to watch. Looks like there will be a good show. It has been several years since someone rang the combat bell!”
As the bell reverberated in the air of Supreme Sky City, all the disciples who heard Qiu Yi’s mocking words stopped what they were doing and headed to Giant Sword Peak to spectate.
They all leaped up simultaneously and flew towards Giant Sword Peak. Nowadays, Xiao Chen was famous in the inner sect. Stories of his deeds were widespread.
Xiao Chen came from the last-ranking Sky Dome Realm. On the path of his rise, he first trounced Gui Wu, then Situ Gang. Finally, the five faction leaders of the inner sect worked together to try and suppress him. However, he still handed them a resounding defeat.
