The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  Wang Chong’s mastery was still lacking. As a result, his rate of cultivation when walking was around sixty percent of that if he were to meditate. Along with the rise in his mastery and cultivation, the rate would increase.

  Once he reached the highest level, it would be possible to cultivate even when sleeping.

  This was something that other cultivation techniques could never hope to achieve.

  “I wonder if I can find that spirit vein! …”

  Proceeding forward on the thorny path, a thought flashed through Wang Chong’s mind.

  Wang Chong was looking for a spirit vein; it was also the reason why he was wandering around the mountain with Shen Hai and Meng Long. There was a spirit vein hidden beyond the walls capital that not many people who knew of it, but Wang Chong happened to be one of them.

  Spirit veins were rich in Origin Energy, and if one were to cultivate in such an area, one’s progress would be several times faster than anywhere else. No one knew how spirit veins were formed, and the only thing that was known was that its formation was probably related to the geography of earth in the immemorial era.

  There were very few spirit veins in the surroundings of the capital, and most of them were already occupied by others. However, the one that Wang Chong sought was slightly different from the others.

  It was much stronger than the other spirit veins.

  Due to several unique reasons, it was impossible to sense this spirit vein from its surface. As such, it was left unnoticed. It was only many years later, when foreign steel cavalries stepped into the capital, was this spirit vein exposed.

  When that spirit vein burst forth from the underground as though an erupting volcano, many were shocked. But by then, the spirit vein was already crippled.

  As soon as the thought of entering the mountain forest to cultivate Might of the Barbaric God appeared in Wang Chong’s mind, he subconsciously recalled this wasted gigantic spirit vein in his previous life.

  The unique geographical terrain around the capital trapped the spiritual energy hidden within, and no one, except for Wang Chong, had noticed this concealed spirit vein yet…

  “Don’t stop, let’s continue on. I’ll open up the path so you two should check the surroundings for poisonous snakes.”

  Wang Chong knew that the greatest threat one faced in the mountain forest was poisonous snakes. Even if one was a martial artist, a single bite from those poisonous snakes possessing lethal poison was sufficient to send a person to his grave.

  It wasn’t without a reason that this spirit vein wasn’t noticed, and these lethal venomous snakes was one of them.

  Wang Chong vaguely remembered that the number of snakes around the spirit vein was much greater than anywhere else, and their venom was much more potent as well.

  Handing over the mission of warding off the poisonous snakes to Shen Hai and Meng Long, Wang Chong focused his attention on looking for the spirit vein.

  ‘Might of the Barbaric God’ was extremely sensitive to disturbances in the Origin Energy in the air. For the last few days, the reason why Wang Chong was wandering around the mountain was to feel the differing concentration in the Origin Energy in the surroundings via Might of the Barbaric God to roughly determine the location of the spirit vein.

  Wang Chong had already scoured the south, east, and west. Thus, only one direction was left.

  “We’re almost there!”

  After a period of time, Wang Chong’s eyes suddenly lit up. Having successfully scoured the surrounding regions, Wang Chong gained a rough idea of the shape and terrain of this mountain range, thus allowing him to confirm the rough location of the spirit vein.

  “Let’s go, that way!”

  Wang Chong suddenly turned around, pointed toward one direction, and started paving a path.

  The area which Wang Chong confirmed was in the midst of the various mountains. In there, trees that embraced one another in pairs grew, and the area didn’t look like a place where a spirit vein would be.

  But Wang Chong felt a vague but definite familiar disturbance in the air. He remembered that it was the disturbance generated by a spirit vein.

  He knew very well that this spirit vein was unique. Even if one were to find it, one wouldn’t be able to tell that one was standing right above the spirit vein.

  Only when one walked to the closest mountain peak would one be able to sense the concentrated Origin Energy.

  Wang Chong led Shen Hai and Meng Long to scour around the surrounding peaks, and about an hour later——

  Weng!

  When Wang Chong led Shen Hai and Meng Long up yet another mountain peak, he suddenly caught a familiar ‘scent’ in the surroundings.

  This disturbance was dozens of time stronger than what he felt at the foot of the mountain.

  “Hahaha, I’ve found it!”

  Wang Chong was extremely delighted.

  “Shen Hai and Meng Long, clear this region. I want to build a training field here. From now on, I’ll be cultivating here.”

  Shen Hai and Meng Long glanced at each other in bewilderment. They couldn’t understand why the young master was so excited.

  Other than the Origin Energy here being slightly denser than the other regions, they couldn’t feel anything else. Was this what their young master was looking for?

  The both of them were perplexed.

  But even so, they wouldn’t disobey Wang Chong’s orders.

  “Yes, young master!”

  Drawing their swords, they began clearing the thorns and trees in the surroundings, creating an empty training field for Wang Chong at the peak of the mountain.

  “By the time this training field is cleared, you two will understand why I chose this location.”

  Staring at the back of the duo, Wang Chong smiled.

  Perhaps it was because of the unique greenery, or due to a special substance in the soil, the spiritual energy in the spirit vein was clogged up. Thus, one could only sense less than a single percent of it.

  Shen Hai and Meng Long might carry doubts toward Wang Chong’s decision at this moment, but by the time they shaved a layer of soil off the surface of the mountain peak, they wouldn’t be thinking so.

  Several hours later, a simple mountaintop ‘mini training field’ had been cleared, and seated in the center of this training field was Wang Chong, who was in the midst of cultivating Might of the Barbaric God. Overwhelming Origin Energy far greater than that of the other parts of the mountain forest gushed in from beneath his feet and his surroundings.

  Both his Might of the Barbaric God and Dragon Bone Art would surely improve swiftly if he were to cultivate here.

  “If I recall correctly, this place isn’t bought by anyone yet!”

  As Wang Chong cultivated, he thought over this matter silently.

  At this moment, no one should have discovered this spirit vein which took him eight to nine days to locate and reach.

  But Wang Chong knew that if he were to frequent this place, it wouldn’t be long before someone noticed this place.

  ——This was how the world worked. If you didn’t notice this location, nothing would happen. But if you did, many people would come swarming here, hoping to get a slice of the pie.

  The first step to find this precious spirit vein was a success, and the next one should be to secure the location. Given the importance of the second step, Wang Chong had to give it more thoughts.

  “Shen Hai, if I recall correctly, this should be considered as a part of the barren mountains and it isn’t bought yet. Do you still remember where we are? Later on, make a trip to the Court of Judicial Review and buy down this location along with the surrounding mountain range.”

  Wang Chong suddenly said.

  “Ah!”

  Hearing Wang Chong’s words, Shen Hai and Meng Long were taken aback.

  In Great Tang empire, it was possible for one to purchase barren mountains. In fact, if one wished to, one could buy all of the barren mountains in the empire.

>   But of course, you had to have the money for it first.

  Buying a mountain had always been expensive, needless to say, an entire mountain range. It was one thing if what one wanted to buy was a mine with a huge deposit of top quality ores, but if the mountain was barren, then it would mean a huge loss.

  The fees of buying a mountain range were so great than even the typical affluent clan wouldn’t dare to dump money into it freely.

  “Young master, this mountain range isn’t small. It will be a huge sum if you were to buy the entire area!”

  “Indeed, young master! It would cost a minimum of eighty thousand gold taels to do so! Furthermore, it’s only a thirty year lease.”

  Shen Hai and Meng Long tried to persuade him otherwise.

  In their view, there was nothing of value in this mountain range and it wasn’t worth this sum of money. On top of that, the empire had imposed a time limit on one’s ownership after purchase.

  If it was a mine, one should dig it out as soon as possible. How much one could dig out was one’s matter, and even if one were to end up making a loss, one couldn’t blame anyone for it. Thirty years later, one would have to purchase this land once again, and what’s worse was that it was likely that the price would have inflated then.

  “Young master, is there an ore deposit below?”

  Shen Hai asked carefully. After much contemplation, this was the only reason he could think of.

  “Hehehe, this isn’t it.”

  Wang Chong shook his head. He pointed a finger at the ground and smiled.

  “It’s something even more valuable than an ore deposit!”

  If Wang Chong wanted to grasp his destiny and change the fate of Great Tang and the world, he had to build up his own influence.

  This was the reason why Wang Chong entrusted his little uncle, Wang Mi, to look for several formidable Imperial Army instructors for him.

  This was an extremely vague plan that he hadn’t built on yet, but just a moment ago, Wang Chong suddenly realized where he should station his own ‘training base’ at.

  By the time little uncle brought those Imperial Army instructors over, the land above this spirit vein would serve as an ideal training base. With this spirit vein, all he had to do afterward was to recruit a bunch of loyal and reliable people, and in the shortest time possible, he would be able to produce batch after batch of experts.

  Batch after batch of loyal subordinates that he would be able to utilize.

  ——Just like the army he commanded in his previous life!

  This would be his future ‘training base’!

  Chapter 130: Origin Energy Tier 7!

  Chapter 130: Origin Energy Tier 7!

  Shen Hai swiftly left.

  In the distance, towering mountains veiled with a mysterious mist could be seen, and the area was extremely tranquil.

  Wang Chong took a very brief glance before closing his eyes. Seated on the top of the tallest mountain peak in the region, he started cultivating 《Might of the Barbaric God》.

  Given the high concentration of Origin Energy here as compared to anywhere else in the forest, Wang Chong knew that he would be able to reach Origin Energy Tier 7 swiftly.

  Time slowly passed. Wang Chong swiftly pushed aside the affairs of the royal court to the back of his mind and focused on his cultivation. Meditating motionlessly in the depths of the forest, with each passing day, his cultivation would advance and his strength would reach greater heights.

  The degree of strength growth for Might of the Barbaric God was much greater than the other martial arts. On top of that, the rate which it allowed martial artists to absorb Origin Energy from the surroundings at was something that even top-notch techniques such as 《Ferocious Elephant Technique》 couldn’t compare up to.

  Might of the Barbaric God wasn’t proclaimed as the number one fundamental martial art during the catastrophe back in his previous life for no reason. The effects of Might of the Barbaric God grew exponentially stronger the further one advanced in the technique.

  Meng Long stood guard in the area to protect Wang Chong from any possible assailants. Out of boredom, he would often turn his attention to Wang Chong, and the latter’s progress shocked him. The cultivation of a martial artist should be gradual and slow, but Wang Chong’s improvement was visible to the eye! This was something completely inconceivable!

  Despite his years of being in the military, Meng Long had never seen such a sight!

  “What kind of martial art is the young master cultivating? It’s incredibly powerful!”

  Meng Long muttered in shock.

  He could feel Wang Chong growing visibly stronger every single day. Despite being a veteran martial artist, he had never seen such a formidable martial art before.

  Despite his shock, Meng Long didn’t raise his doubts. He had already seen too many inconceivable things while accompanying Wang Chong.

  He believed that there was an explanation for everything, and he thought that this martial art was likely to be a bestowment from Duke Jiu.

  Only a figure like ‘Duke Jiu’ would possess this kind of incredible martial art.

  Oblivious to Meng Long’s thoughts, Wang Chong was completely immersed into his training. The effectiveness of the spirit vein was far greater than he had expected.

  He was able to gather Origin Energy three times faster on top of this spirit vein than his usual training. Bit by bit, Origin Energy accumulated within his body. Through his painstaking effort, it had already gathered to around the size of a pinky finger.

  Wang Chong could sense that he was approaching Origin Energy Tier 7.

  Once he reached that level, Origin Energy would spill out from his core into his bones, meridians, skin, blood, and flesh. His muscles would grow stronger, tougher, and gain explosive strength. At the same time, his body would become more slender and proportionate.

  The Origin Energy within one’s body would also grow denser!

  Unknowingly, several more days had passed.

  Boom!

  Suddenly, Wang Chong’s body jolted and along with ‘kachacha‘ crisp sounds, Wang Chong’s Origin Energy finally reached Tier 7.

  At the same time, a seemingly impossible sight appeared. Along with Wang Chong’s breakthrough in his cultivation, his body, reminiscent of spring bamboo shoots after a rain, grew taller by several centimeters.

  From the very start, Wang Chong’s physique belonged to the tall and thin type, and after the rise in his height, his figure grew even more slender and proportionate.

  “Origin Energy Tier 7! Young master, you have reached Origin Energy Tier 7!”

  A delighted voice sounded beside him. Upon seeing Wang Chong’s sudden ‘growth spurt’, Meng Long yelled excitedly.

  Opening his eyes, the first thing Wang Chong saw was Meng Long’s thrilled face.

  Upon reaching Origin Energy Tier 7, one would experience and obvious growth in height. This was the most visible sign of reaching this cultivation realm, and as someone who had undergone the same process as well, Meng Long couldn’t be any more familiar with it.

  “Un.”

  With a smile, Wang Chong nodded and stood up. In an instant, the difference in his physique became even more apparent.

  Initially, Wang Chong physique looked no different than those of his age. However, after the sudden surge in his height, he seemed more like a sixteen to seventeen-year-old youngster, alike to the person he played off in the Bluebottle Pavilion.

  “Not bad, not bad!”

  Meng Long measured Wang Chong from head to toe with interest. The current Wang Chong felt significantly stronger than before, and the gap between the two of them was no longer as great as before.

  “Young master, if the old master were to know that you have such incredible progress, he will surely be delighted.”

  As Meng Long said so, he suddenly sent a punch toward Wang Chong.

  Peng!

  In a flash, Wang Chong lifted his right fist to receive Meng Long’s attac
k. The two forces collided, and an incredible strength surged from Meng Long’s arms.

  The immense force knocked Wang Chong back, but Wang Chong simply did a flip in the air and landed straight downward.

  “Thousand Jin Descension! Young master, looks like you have really reached Origin Energy Tier 7!”

  Meng Long’s eyes flashed in astonishment.

  ‘Thousand Jin Descension’ was a technique that martial artists would learn upon reaching Origin Energy Tier 7. At this level, a martial artist would have opened up many meridians in his body, allowing him to easily channel his Origin Energy at his legs, thus adjusting his center of gravity, allowing him to vertically down from the sky at rapid speed.

  This ‘Thousand Jin Descension’ may seem like nothing much, but in an actual battle, it enabled one to change the trajectory of one’s movement swiftly, allowing one to dodge lethal attacks.

  It wasn’t a big deal to be capable of executing ‘Thousand Jin Descension’. What was surprising was Wang Chong’s proficiency in using the ‘Thousand Jin Descension’ despite having just reached Origin Energy Tier 7.

  Even old veterans wouldn’t be able to utilize it as skillfully as he did.

  “Young master, catch another one of my blows!”

  Meng Long was getting more and more surprised by Wang Chong’s feats. Without any hesitation, he pushed against the ground and dashed forward toward Wang Chong, as though a cannonball. At the same time, he gathered his strength in his right fist in preparation to execute the standard military fist technique, ‘Destructive Wolf’.

  “Meng Long, I won’t go easy on you if you continue on like this!”

  Wang Chong chuckled.

  Wang Chong knew that Meng Long was trying him out, but he chose not to back down at all. His dantian jolted, and waves of strength gushed toward his arm.

  Boom!

  The collision of their fists generated a powerful wind, which ravaged the surroundings. While Wang Chong was knocked back by Meng Long’s immense strength, Meng Long was also forced to stagger backward. A numbing sensation slowly crept into Meng Long’s arm, and he was alarmed.