Ancient Strengthening Technique

AST 493 - Collecting the rewards! The situation and the decision of each sect

The sky at this point was already slowly turning bright. A trace of dawn appeared in the eastern side of the sky. Qing Shui knew that it would be daytime really soon.

Qing Shui felt really exhausted. He thought about the time when he recklessly combined the mighty powers of the Shield Attack and the heavy waves of the Sword of Fifth Wave to kill the three old men.

This was done when he was in the realm of “One with Elephant.” Otherwise, Qing Shui would have only been able to rely on the Great Revitalizing Pellet. At that moment, Qing Shui wanted to take in the Great Revitalizing Pellet really badly. However, he still made a supreme effort to control himself. After all, swallowing one would cost him one whole day of his time in the Realm of Violet Jade Immortal.

To Qing Shui, the time being wasted was only small matters. If he had to swallow the Great Revitalizing Pellet every time he faced similar situations, he feared that he would get used to the Great Revitalizing Pellet. Eventually, it would cause the rate at which his strength grew to slow down, so much so that it might halt the whole progress.

Just like today, if he had given up and stopped thinking of other ways, he absolutely wouldn’t have been able to grasp the essence of the insane technique “Realm of One with Elephant”.

Hence, sometimes, determination could be really important. It’s always been passed down that there was no one in this world who would be suppressed to death, nor would there be any holes that one was unable to get across. Qing Shui was stuck in between believing it and not believing in it. Actually, the saying was only a kind of motivation to make people work harder. However, it still contained its own moral value up to a certain extent.

Human’s wisdom prevailed over nature. Since there were people who could do it, despite how he felt about the phrase, Qing Shui felt that there was nothing wrong with regarding determination and hard work as being important.

Of course, there had to be a precondition. For example, when Qing Shui was facing off against an opponent with strength equivalent to that of nine countries with his seven countries worth of strength, he could still hold on to it by relying on other stuff. But if it had been ten countries worth or more, being determined would mean suicide. Hence, there has to be an extent to which one worked hard and stayed determined.

The white-haired man had also left. Qing Shui saw him flying off on a brown eagle.

The entire area was a total mess. There was pungent bloody smell all over the place. Qing Shui looked around and quickly kept the corpse of the enormous tiger as well as the Silver Horn Tyrant Bull King that had lost its horn into the Realm of Violet Jade Immortal.

“En!”

Qing Shui came across a two meter long Crimson Dragon Bow which was on the ground. Among the varieties of bows, it was considered to be one of the smaller ones. He also kept the Poisonous Snake Arrow into the Realm of Violet Jade Immortal.

The green Mountain-Piercing Axe was also taken away by him. After that, he looked around one more time only to find that there was no longer anything which interested him.

It's not safe to continue staying in this place!

Qing Shui rode on the Diamond Gigantic Elephant and charged into the forest in the distance.

Halfway through the journey, Qing Shui didn't forget to enjoy the feeling of being in the state of “One with Elephant”. Qing Shui has had high expectations and hopes for the “One with Elephant”.

Qing Shui knew about a Realm of being “One with Heaven”. This was the highest level one could ever achieve. It was a legendary existence, hence, Qing Shui didn't really pay much attention to it, but he was still quite confident with this Realm of “One with Horse” technique. Every time he thought about it, he would feel his blood boiling with excitement.

The reason that Qing Shui knew that when one reached the highest state of the realm of “One with Horse”, it wouldn’t just be simply about an additional power boost to both the man and the horse. By reaching the pinnacle of the realm of “One with Horse”, they would even be able to draw out two to three times of the original destructive power by being perfectly in sync with each other.

However, as long as one was able to master the technique up to the point where they were able to combine both their powers together, they would have been considered to have reached quite a high level. In the Northern Sacred Lu Continent, a lot of the people from the Beast Tamer background have specialized in this. Furthermore, a few of the “knights” from the Southern Viewing Ministry Continent were also good at using Ironhoof Stomp over a large scale of land. The animals that they rode on weren't horses. They rode on Demonic Beasts instead. The strength of the Demonic Beasts, combined with the knowledge of humans, and since it was a large group, this kind of strength would be really formidable.

When the “Men Horse Unison” was trained to the extreme, it would also be considered a godly technique. Unfortunately, only a very small amount of people was able to master it.

……

“What? All of the members of the Heavenly Shadow Combat Squad has actually perished? The three brothers have also died…” the Sword Tower’s old ancestor immediately looked at the messenger man. At this moment, fury and suspicions filled his face.

“Yeah!” The man mumbled.

“How did they die?”

“I don't know. At that time, we were far away from them…..”

“What's the point of having you!”

Pu!

……

“Gong Qi died? The Golden Eyed Hurricane Tiger died?" The Grand Elder from the Demonic Beast Sect incredulously glanced at the man in front of him who was skinny and frail yet exuded an aura akin to the toughness of steel.

“Yes!”

“How did they die?” The Grand Elder asked the man as he knitted his brows.

“They were killed by that Qing Shui!”

“He killed a hundred men on his own?” The Grand Elder looked at the steel-like man in suspicions.

“No! There was one more person!”

“Who?”

“Bai Gui!”

“Bai Gui from Heavenly Palace has made his move?” Grand Elder knitted his brows.

“Yes!” The steel-like man was straightforward.

“Even so, they still shouldn’t have been able to kill the Golden Eyed Hurricane Tiger! Gong Qi! And the terrifying Witches Trio from Sword Tower! Those were the three Shadow Brothers!” The Grand Elder was unable to come up with an explanation no matter how hard he thought about it.

“We have really underestimated that Qing Shui’s strength! Qing Shui was precisely the one who killed the Golden Eyed Hurricane Tiger and the Witches Trio from Sword Tower! As for others, the majority were killed by Bai Gui! Even the Sword Tower’s Phantom Old Man who cultivated Sheathed Sword also died in Bai Gui’s hand. If it hadn’t been for Bai Gui who appeared, there was a high chance that Qing Shui would have died in the hands of the Phantom Old Man!”

“Describe to me clearly about the situation at that time!”

The steel-like man told the Grand Elder about everything that happened at the site.

“It’s all fate. After this incident, that brat’s position in the continent would definitely soar up in one go. Not only would the history of Green Cloud Continent be rewritten, soon, there would even be a change across the World of the Nine Continents.” The Grand Elder let out a sigh and said unenthusiastically as he looked into the sky. There was a rather complex meaning behind what he said.

Even though the steel-like man knew that Qing Shui was unusual, he still felt really astonished when he heard what the Grand Elder said. At present, the steel-like man would totally believe it when the Grand Elder said that Qing Shui was capable of causing chaos in Green Cloud Continent.

But the Grand Elder was talking about the Nine Continents. He dared not say the same for other things, but there were countless real experts across the World of the Nine Continents. Furthermore, the other nine continents were also packed with dangerous places and people. Behind these flourishing continents were all the unpredictable warriors that were wandering back and forth around it.

“Grand Elder, what shall we do then?” The steel-like man asked softly.

“I think we shouldn’t go and provoke him for now. If we were to settle a matter like this, the only way would be to look for Old Ancestor to make his move. It has been three hundred years since we last troubled him.” Said the Grand Elder in a way that looked like he was talking to himself. After that, he left immediately.

……

Hai Clan!

“Auntie, auntie! You indeed have a profound insight which could see through the vanity of life! It really did happen just like you said!” Hai Long arrived at the backyard of Hai Clan. As soon as she saw the extremely beautiful woman in the distance, he couldn’t help but scream out loudly.

“Foolish boy, what’s all the fuss about!” Said Hai Dongqing helplessly when she saw Hai Long.

“Sword Tower, Demonic Beast Sect as well as Alchemist Sect, they were all completely wiped out. It’s just that, how did auntie know that Qing Shui was actually so powerful?” Hai Long glanced towards his exceedingly beautiful and elusive auntie.

“I just guessed it!” Hai Dongqing chuckled.

“Auntie!”

Exactly at this moment, Hai Shiya came.

“Shiya is here!”

“Yes, auntie! Brother, you must be talking about that Qing Shui with auntie again?” Hai Shiya forced a smile and said.

Hai Clan only consisted of very few people. Despite their small population, each and every one of their clan members were giants among men. Regardless of whether it was about their cultivation level, the way they speak, their family background or their accomplishments, they were all the very best at it. Therefore, a lot of man and woman would wish to get close to Hai Clan.

Of course, the formidability of Hai Clan also played an indispensable part in it.

“What, are you still constantly having that Tan Yang on your mind?” Hai Long said softly. He was able to see through what was on his sister’s mind when he saw her expression.

“No, I have already stopped thinking about him. Perhaps, he never loved me after all.” Hai Shiya said softly.

“Shiya, in this world, there is only one kind of love which is pure, it is the love from your parents. Their love for their own children will never change. As for other kinds of loves, there are always reasons for it. It will always involve other factors. There is no such thing as an unconditional love.” At this moment, Hai Dongqing smiled and explained to Hai Shiya.

“Auntie, how do you know about it when you have never dated any men?” Hai Shiya glanced at Hai Dongqing in doubts. Despite that, she felt that the meaning of her words was very true.

A parent’s love for their children, no matter what kind of mistakes their children did, even if they turned out to be extremely wicked fanatics, their love for them would never change, nor would it become any lesser.

Furthermore, they wouldn’t mind if their children were ugly or beautiful or if they were successful or not. Even if one of their children turned out to be disabled, at most, they would only feel resentful towards the children for failing to meet their expectations. But, the love would still be the same as before, it would never change. They would never want to exchange their children for someone else’s.

“Foolish girl, who said that you must date a man in order to know about it? Often, the spectators will see the chess game better than the players themselves. Let’s take you for an example, when a man and a woman fall in love, do you wish that the man only loves you for your look?” Hai Dongqing glanced at Hai Shiya with a shallow smile.

“No, I don’t want to be with a man who only likes me for my looks.” Hai Shiya knitted her brows.

“But money, looks, cultivation level or maybe something else, these are the only things which attract a man to a woman. If you don’t have a good physical appearance, money or a family background, tell me, what can you use to make a man fall for you?” Hai Dongqing explained slowly as she looked at Hai Shiya.

“This…” Hai Shiya blankly stared at Hai Dongqing

“Auntie, no wonder you are unable to find a man that you like, you have already seen through these problems so thoroughly…” After that, Hai Shiya chuckled and said in a way like she has accepted the situations and moved on.

“Foolish brat, you dare tease auntie, believe it or not, I am going to hit your butt now.” Hai Dongqing laughed as she looked at Hai Shiya.

“Hehe, auntie. In the past, it indeed was really hard to find someone who deserved auntie. But now, it seemed like there is already one.” Hai Shiya talked to Hai Dongqing casually as if Hai Dongqing has talked her out of the things on her mind.

“Thank you, auntie!” Hai Shiya chuckled as she clinched onto one of HaI Dongqing’s arm.

The two beautiful women stood together, enhancing each other’s beauty. It’s a shame that compared to Hai Dongqing, Hai Shiya still lacked a kind of woman charm and wisdom.

“What are you thanking me for?” Hai Dongqing looked sideways at her niece who was hurt badly by a man.

“Thank you for telling me what to do. I already have a clue on what I want now.”

……

Alchemist Sect!

“Great Grandmaster! Fei Sanyuan died!”

A middle-aged man wearing the attire of Alchemist Sect told an old man as he bowed to him.

Only the silhouette of the old man could be seen. From the way he looked, he was an aged man.

“How about the Crimson Dragon Bow and the Poison Dragon Arrow?” The old man spoke slowly with his aged voice.

”

“We have looked through every single part of the battlefield. We were still unable to find it!”

“Pass it down! In the future, do not lay a single hand on that young man.” The old man said in an unhurried manner.

“Yes!”

After a moment of silence, the middle-aged man still hadn’t left.

“Yuan Rui, if you have anything to say, just do so, it won’t do you any harm.” The old man said without turning his head.

“Great Grandmaster! In the future, this Qing Shui will definitely be really powerful! Considering that we treated him like this today, in the future, will he…” The middle-aged man asked with his head kept low.

“Hahaha! You don’t have to worry about this, no matter how successful he turned out to be in the future, no matter how rebellious he could get, he still wouldn’t destroy all of the sects that were involved in the assassinations. Actually, what we did today was also just to disguise our intention to test him. After he passed the test, there would no longer be anyone who dared to provoke him. However, one or two sects will still have to be sacrificed for this incident. But I doubt that Alchemist Sect is one of them,” said the old man as he giggled.

“Thank you, Great Grandmaster, for your teachings. I have truly been benefited from your advice.”

After Yuan Rui finished speaking, he left unhurriedly.

……

After Qing Shui went into the forest, he was freed from anxiety. At the moment, he was feeling very happy.

It’s always been said that a war would either cause someone to waste money or get rich quickly. This was precisely how Qing Shui was feeling right now. Even though he was badly injured at first, but it turned out that he also managed to gain a lot of things from it. Merely the skin, bone, muscles and the blood of the enormous tiger were already more than enough. Let alone he even got a Silver Horn Tyrant Bull King, a sharp poisonous arrow and a small bow rich with spiritual qi.

Most importantly, this battle has caused his strength to significantly increase.

He took a look at the rest of the ordinary Demonic Beast corpses and left immediately as he didn’t feel the slightest interest to lay his hands on them.

Very quickly, the sky has already turned bright. The golden light from the sun sprinkled bit by bit into the ancient forest while Qing Shui practiced his Taichi Fist with his body facing east, expanding the nature energy in his body.

Second Grade Nature Energy, it increases one’s power by twenty percent. This includes twenty percent of defense, twenty percent of strength, twenty percent of speed as well as twenty percent of self-recovery speed and the sturdiness of the organs, bones and blood veins.

He still hadn’t felt anything when he was in his Minute Subtlety state. But Qing Shui didn’t feel discouraged. This technique was very unusual, it was able to save a life at crucial moments. Hence, Qing Shui’s Taichi Fist was one of the martial art skill that Qing Shui attached more importance to.

Qing Shui immersed his mind deep into his dantian. His face exuded a peaceful aura. His Taichi fist which has advanced to the point of being One with Heaven stabled down. Ever since his power level increased, he hadn’t really used the Taichi fist to confront his enemies, particularly during situations when Qing Shui was at his best condition.

Even though it wasn’t often used, but this time, he had also benefitted from the Taichi Fist. Undeniably, it was one of the effects of Taichi that has made him able to comprehend the realm of “One with Elephant”. He first used the Taichi Diversion technique. If he really reached his limit, Qing Shui would have taken in the Great Revitalizing Pellet. If he did, when would he have had the opportunity to comprehend such a formidable skill?

He kept on practicing until the sun reached three poles high. After that, Qing Shui entered the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal to eat a bit of food. As he looked at the two corpses of the formidable Demonic Beasts, he planned to tidy up the two Demonic Beasts on the next time he entered the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal again today.

After filling up his stomach and refreshing himself with water, Qing Shui exited the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal. He laid down on the Overlord Storm and made the Diamond Gigantic Elephant rushed towards the Flowerfruit Mountain from the forest.

Qing Shui who was laying down on the Diamond Gigantic Elephant felt really comfortable. It’s just that he felt really bored. Originally, Qing Shui had planned to take a nap for a while, but suddenly, he remembered the small red bow.

He quickly took it out from the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal. The body of the arrow was made out of bone, the bowstring was made of muscles. Both of them had the color which belonged to the purest red. It looked exceptionally bright-colored.

The bow that was only two feet long could only be considered a small bow. However, it looked really noble and eye-catching. It was capable of making people felt that it possessed great strength just by looking at it. It was nothing like the kind of bows that children played or girls that didn’t know about martial art skills practiced. Even though it looked like it, the aura that it exuded was completely different from it.

Qing Shui held the small arrow that contained exceptionally strong spiritual energy and slowly poured in his qi of Ancient Strengthening Technique into it. It's just something that Qing Shui did subconsciously, but the small red bow immediately gave out a kind of faint, gold color. Even though it looked really faint within the red colored halo, it was really glamorous.

“En!”