Chapter 328 – Read, Burn
Never thought that I would be able to achieve what Feng Wuji needed a few tens of years to achieve. The Lotus Saint Herb is indeed very powerful, what a shame, I’ve used up half of its efficacy…. Zhong Yue looked at the spirit herb that weathered slightly.
Zhong Yue looked at the lotus he was sitting on, even the dazzling petals were now dimmed. This lotus was mainly a medium to absorb the spirit of the gods and turn them into medicinal efficacies to nurture the Saint Spirit, most of the energy was supplied to the Saint Spirit and what’s leftover was only a small portion.
While this small portion of energy was now half consumed by him, and Zhong Yue decided to save up the rest of the energy.
The Pure Yang lightning here was already of little help to him. He would have to go higher for the stronger Pure Yang lightning if he wanted to continue refining his prowess. However, even though the Pure Yang lightning in the higher altitudes were stronger, the refinements they could bring were not any better than before. Hence, Zhong Yue planned to stop here.
The rest of the medicinal efficacy would be saved up for the future in the event he needed a life-saving trump card. After all, my Immortal Body is still weak, and there is still a possibility that I will be killed if the attacks are too strong. At times of crisis, this lotus saint herb will be able to save my life!
Zhong Yue kept the saint herb and alighted down from the sky, he then returned back to Swords Gate. These two months of cultivation gave him a huge boost in strength. Not only that, but he broke through to the Inner Core level. He also managed to cultivate a slight surge of Pure Yang Qi in his inner core.
His mortal body and Yuan Shen were also significantly boosted, and his overall prowess had seen great changes. But most importantly, both his mortal body and Yuan Shen also had the Pure Yang Qi in them. He had also sensed the sixth secret realm and found the key to open the Bloodline Wheel Bloodline Secret Realm!
Not only that, but he also managed to cultivate his Immortal body and【Mystic Duplication Technique】to a higher level with the aid of the saint herb; his Star Toad Monster Spirit had also condensed an inner core.
With his own flesh and blood and bone, he created a mortal body of his own – his incarnation as Long Yue of the Eastern Sea. Henceforth, Long Yue and Zhong Yue would be two distinct individuals who would be able to operate independently; he would no longer have to worry about people discovering the connection between Long Yue and himself!
During these two months of cultivation, the Swords Gate elders, hall masters, and disciples had all entered the Swords Gate secret realm and explored the it, as well as study the dead god that lied within it.
One day, someone found the heritage of this dead god. It was in the middle of an ocean inside the secret realm. There were nine mirrors, each containing a small part of the full heritage. Only by passing through the tests of all nine mirrors would one be able to attain the dead god’s complete inheritance!
Standing in front of the mirror would allow one to enter an illusionary world that was filled with marvelous totem pattern array formations. Successfully deciphering the totem patterns and solving the array formation would grant the cultivator with one-ninth of the heritage.
The inheritance which was left behind by the dead god was a water-style cultivation technique –【Floating Life of Nine Oceans Art】. It was incredibly profound, no weaker than the【Monster God Ming King Art】.
However, as of now, there hadn’t been anyone that passed all the nine tests. Many Qi Practitioners only managed to pass one or two tests, with more failing to even pass the first test.
The difficulty of the tests would rise with the increase in cultivation; even a few of the strongest elders failed to pass the first test, a fact that quite them quite embarrassed.
There were a few disciples that made it through the first six tests, attracting the interest of the elders, who would eventually decide to focus their efforts on nurturing them well.
Qiu Jin’er had also given the tests a try but was stopped when she got to the seventh test. When Zhong Yue returned back to Swords Gate, Headmaster Jun Sixie had just passed test eight and was on her way to breaking through the last test.
After all, Jun Sixie was the Water Innate Spirit Body, if there were ever someone who would pass all nine tests and acquire the full heritage of the【Floating Life of Nine Oceans Art】, it would be her.
The【Monster God Ming King Art】Shi Buyi had previously acquired was incomplete, and if Senior Martial Sister Jun can obtain the complete【Floating Life of Nine Oceans Art】, her achievements in the future will definitely surpass his!
Zhong Yue, accompanied by Qiu Jin’er, came to the Swords Gate secret realm. They first headed over to the dead god. Zhong Yue said leisurely, “Shi Buyi’s Monster God Ming King True Form is broken and even if he can solve his predicament, he will still have to use a considerable amount of time to remedy his injuries. Senior Martial Sister Jun now has the chance to surpass him.”
“Life is a dream of illusions, floating endlessly across the nine oceans. This is the summary of this god’s heritage.”
Qiu Jin’er said, “I’ve passed the first six tests and attained many insights from it. Her cultivation method carries a marvelous concept in it. But I’m the Innate Wood Spirit Body; my understandings on the water-style totem patterns are still lacking.”
‘She’ was the guardian of this tomb, the god of this secret realm; her race and origins were unknown, but there she was … dead. And yet, sitting in the middle, she seemed like a living god. She was surrounded by a marvelous aura that revolved around her, making the ambiance comfortable for the cultivators to immerse their thoughts deeply to cultivate.
Many disciples were sitting around the lady god, studying her and cultivating.
Zhong Yue stood beside the lady god, he closed off his senses to the outside world, purging himself of all distractions, and he began to meticulously study the marvelous aura. Moments later, he shook his head and said, “A life of floating across the nine oceans, this art is like a lady’s emotions, the mellowing tenderness, and the lady’s tender emotions and thoughts … This is not my way of cultivation.”
All of a sudden, a lady’s soft and tender laughter voiced from his back, asking, “Then, may I ask what is the Seal Suppression Hall Hall Master Zhong’s way of cultivation?”
His eyes scanned for the source of the voice. Waves of ocean water rippled in front of him, and as the water parted to the sides, he saw Jun Sixie slowly rising from the water. Her verdant green blouse fluttered slowly in tandem with the ebb and flow of the water. She walked toward the lone island and into the godly temple on the island’s only mountain, finally reaching to the front of the lady guardian god.
Her unique, sweet and tantalizing fragrance rushed into his nose, and it was this moment that he realized that she was no longer the young and naive girl she was from back when he first met her. She now held a majestic air that was only befitting the leader of humanity, the headmaster of Swords Gate, and one who commanded thousands of Qi Practitioners under her. It was also an aura that carried with it the burden of a solemn duty to guard over the humans of the Great Wilderness!
Although she was peerlessly beautiful, her superficial beauty wouldn’t be the first thing that one would notice about her. Instead, it would be her dignified aura that made the most significant impression on a person.
Zhong Yue’s heart skipped a beat, and he reminisced back to the days he encountered Jun Sixie in the Savanna Wasteland. He thought back to when she was forced to consume raw meat, and when he knocked her unconscious and removed her clothes to suck off the poison from her body.
But all these things would never happen again as Jun Sixie was now the headmaster, given the Swords Gate divine weapon and held immense power in her hands, not many things in this world would be able to harm her anymore.
“Seal Suppression Hall Hall Master, what are you thinking about?” Jun Sixie asked curiously.
Zhong Yue quickly cleared his wandering thoughts and answered smilingly, “My way of cultivation is more harsh— sharp, indomitable, ruthless, and bold. If a mountain obstructs my path, I will break it apart; and if a sea stands in my way, I will part its waters. This【Floating Life of Nine Oceans Art】is not suitable for me; however, this is very much tailored for you, headmaster. As the headmaster, you have a duty to lead the humans of the Great Wilderness. You will have to take care of your people. Oftentimes, you will be confronted with some difficult choices where you will need to learn to compromise. But one thing is for certain, and that is that you will lead humanity to a brighter future. Just like a river, the water may drift, and it may stray. But in the end, it would always flow forward. This is what you need to be as headmaster.”
Jun Sixie nodded thoughtfully.
Zhong Yue then asked, “Headmaster had just come out from the ocean, could it be that you have passed the ninth test and attained the complete【Floating Life of Nine Oceans Art】?”
Jun Sixie smiled and said, “I was just planning to impart it to you, but since you said that it is not your way of cultivation, then I might as well not waste my time and energy. Junior Martial Sister Jin’er, I’ll impart the【Floating Life of Nine Oceans Art】to you instead … Wait, you have condensed your inner core already?!”
She was greatly shocked, she looked at Zhong Yue, finding it hard to accept this revelation.
After condensing his inner core, he had the slightest urge of hiding it from the world. But she was able to sense his blood essence and arcane energy converging towards a singularity – the inner core!
Cultivating to the Inner Core level within such a short period of time really gave her a big shock!
Zhong Yue nodded, he said smilingly, “I’ve just condensed it….”
“Doesn’t feel right!”
Jun Sixie said solemnly, “Your cultivation base is firm and steady, it doesn’t feel like you’ve just condensed the inner core, but an expert that had cultivated for tens of years. No wonder Elder Shui suspected you as the reincarnation of a god. Looking at you now, even I nearly thought so!”
Qiu Jin’er’s heart skipped a beat, and she thought, “Senior martial brother said that he is the reincarnation of a Heavenly Monarch and that I’m his lover for the past nine lives, is that all true?”
The young lady was feeling sweet and anxious at the same time, only she would know how exactly it felt.
Zhong Yue said smilingly, “Headmaster, you have yet to finish learning the【Great Boundless Sword Qi】, and although Junior Martial Sister Jin’er has already finished learning it, you have yet to grasp its quintessence. I suggest that we postpone whatever you have on your plate and finish learning the【Great Boundless Sword Qi】before anything else.”
The young ladies concurred, and they left for the golden summit. Zhong Yue imparted them with the same【Great Boundless Sword Qi】that the old man had taught him. Sword Qi flitted out from their bodies, and they could be seen in various permutations.
The two young ladies asked questions from time to time, raising their doubts and questions that not even Zhong Yue could answer from time to time. However, thankfully, the two young ladies were both Innate Spirit Body holders, and with the three of them studying the【Great Boundless Sword Qi】together, they managed to attain many insights from it.
With the three of their abilities combined, they could be said to be best in this world. Although the【Great Boundless Sword Qi】was abstruse and profound, its mysteries couldn’t continue to elude the three of them for long.
However, Qiu Jin’er felt very down and sad whenever she saw Jun Sixie, the headmaster who would oftentimes act like a little girl around Zhong Yue. Despite the despondency inside of her, she didn’t say anything.
Jun Sixie also felt the same whenever she saw Qiu Jin’er being so close to Zhong Yue.
The three of them fully attained the whole【Great Boundless Sword Qi】, and even so, their respective【Great Boundless Sword Qi】were different from one another.
Qiu Jin’er’s【Great Boundless Sword Qi】was like a young lady whose thoughts were fickle and unpredictable, like a net woven by silk – very light and incredibly agile.
Jun Sixie’s【Great Boundless Sword Qi】was ever-changing, like a mountain and water. Oftentimes, it felt like a stout, solemn mountain, while at other times, it felt like a gently flowing river. But either way, the majestic air of a headmaster and the tender thoughts of a young lady remained.
Zhong Yue’s【Great Boundless Sword Qi】was also ever-changing; it sometimes took the form of iridescent sky-piercing rays, or it could be a light rain that drizzled from the mountains, or even a blazing sun scorching the farmlands.
A thousand men would yield a thousand permutations of【Great Boundless Sword Qi】, with each and every one’s version of it differing from the other.
Jun Sixie then imparted the【Floating Life of Nine Oceans Art】to them; Zhong Yue listened for a few moments and confirmed that the art was indeed contrary to his way of cultivation.
Learning another way of cultivation that wasn’t suitable to the cultivator would only waste one’s time and energy.
With my strength now, I wonder where I would be on the Godlike Board if I were to enter the Lesser Void World again?
Zhong Yue left the golden summit and went back to the Seal Suppression Hall, My cultivation base is stronger and firmer than before, I can definitely raise a few ranks higher. But my strength is still a considerable ways away from that madman Feng Xiaozhong. However, it seems like it’s impossible for me to go to the South Barren anymore. After all, the two elders of Zhong Li Celestial Race, You and Quan, and the other disciples were all slain here in Swords Gate.
“Seal Suppression Hall Hall Master, there is a letter for you.”
Just as Zhong Yue reached to the Seal Suppression Hall, there was a call from outside. He walked out and saw a Swords Gate disciple holding a paper kite in his hand, standing respectfully outside of the door.
While the paper kite was repeating a message incessantly, “This letter can only be opened by the Seal Suppression Hall Hall Master … This letter can only be open by the Seal Suppression Hall Hall Master….”
“How interesting, this paper kite….”
Zhong Yue received the paper kite and brought it into the Seal Suppression Hall, he gazed at it curiously. All of a sudden, the paper kite flew into the air, circling around him and scouting the surroundings. After checking that no one other than Zhong Yue was present, the paper kite burned itself into a ball of fire and morphed into a saintly looking young lady. She smiled and said, “Senior Martial Brother Zhong, I’ll be waiting for you at the east of Great Wilderness, the Tian Ya Ridge. Please don’t forget our deal!”
The paper kite burned into ashes and the young lady disappeared.
“Tian Mo Concubine….” Zhong Yue mumbled.
