by Fiery Moon
Chapter 4: Adventure, Seven Horn Mountain
For the next four hours, Xiao Chen carefully repaired his damaged internal organs. After this lesson, he no longer dared to smash Spiritual Energy into his Dantian.
After his injuries had stabilized, he slowly restored the circulation of the Purple Thunder Divine Incantation, absorbing countless threads of Spiritual Energy without pause. After going through a cycle in his meridians, the Spiritual Energy permeated into Xiao Chen’s bones, skin, and muscles.
He had made his decision. Since he temporarily could not condense his Martial Spirit, then he would temper his body to become extremely tough.
Xiao Chen lost track of time as he cultivated, finishing 36 cycles without realizing it. Two dots of purple light flashed across in his eyes when he opened them. At the moment, the sky was bright, which rendered him speechless. He had actually spent the entire night cultivating inside the house.
Despite going the whole night without sleep, Xiao Chen’s mind felt invigorated, without a single trace of fatigue to speak of. Shortly after, Xiao Chen noticed an odd scent. Glancing down, he realized a thick layer of sticky black fluid had settled on his body; the smell of it was unbearably fishy.
These were the impurities and waste material in Xiao Chen’s body. In the past, when Xiao Chen cultivated, his body would at most have a layer of sweat covering it after finishing. However, the entirety of last night was spent in cultivation with thrice the absorption speed of previous sessions This caused the extreme scene we see now – and those who were not aware of the situation would probably assume that Xiao Chen had fallen into a latrine.
Xiao Chen smiled bitterly and quickly went to take a shower. If he went out like this, it would definitely cause many misunderstandings. After the shower, he changed into a new set of clothes and made his way to the courtyard. He got into position and began practicing Xiao Clan’s most ordinary fist techniques.
Xiao Clan’s fist techniques had a sequence of movements that united the motions of rising, falling, advancing, and retreating, which made it seem extremely plain. Xiao Chen struck out extremely smoothly, emitting a wave of wind from his fist. Without realizing it himself, the Purple Thunder Divine Incantation in his body automatically circulated together with the movements.
The originally plain fist technique actually seemed to turn tyrannical and mighty with this change. His hands struck out and pulled back alternatively while the sound of thunder seemed to fill the air. This change caused Xiao Chen to be beside himself with joy as he did not expect the Purple Thunder Divine Incantation to have such an effect.
The more he struck, the more delight he felt. His fist became faster and faster and the roar of thunder continuously rang out with each strike. Without realizing it, as he shouted out softly, electricity could be seen arcing non-stop on his fist. A hot sensation traveled to his right hand, and his entire right hand seemed to contain an inexhaustible strength.
Xiao Chen then shouted loudly and leaped forward. When he landed, his fist struck down on the ground. Xiao Chen had the strength of his whole body behind this fist.
“Boom!”
The rocks were crushed in great numbers. Amongst the countless cracks, there was a small hole about half a meter wide. Xiao Chen held his breath as he looked at the crushed rocks and shook his head.
The might of this fist may have seemed ferocious but he knew that this was nothing. When the strong Martial Cultivators used this Martial Technique, their strike could create a big hole that was at least a meter wide. Furthermore, there would not be any cracks. The crushed rocks would all be turned into powder.
However, Xiao Chen was very satisfied. He had to take it step by step. After only cultivating the Purple Thunder Divine Incantation for a night, his strength was already so shocking. His body might be able to be comparable to those of the Martial Disciple Realm after a few days of cultivation. Furthermore, the electricity on his fists would give others a shocking surprise.
After resting for a while, Xiao Chen decided to continue his cultivation. Only, he could not go back to the bedroom to cultivate anymore. He had to find a place with denser Spiritual Energy. The back mountains of Seven Horn Mountain, of the Xiao Clan, was the perfect place.
This Seven Horn Mountain could be said to be the source of the Xiao Clan’s footing. There were many Spirit Beasts and rare herbs on the mountain. Furthermore, the density of the Spiritual Energy there was more than twice where he currently was.
In the memories of this body, the Xiao Clan was considered to have been a humongous clan many years ago. Not only were they renowned within the Great Qin Nation but also had a spot in the Tianwu Continent. They only came to Mohe City after they had declined.
The previous generation of the Xiao Clan had used their martial strength to occupy this mountain. Relying on the countless treasures from Seven Horn Mountain, the Xiao Clan slowly established a firm foothold in Mohe City, turning into the number one clan in the area.
The only downside being that such a treasure trove would naturally cause the eyes of others to go red with jealousy. Because of this Seven Horn Mountain, there were countless streams of conflicts and disputes at the start. In that period, the local clans of Mohe City and the Xiao Clan had many large-scale battles, causing tremendous losses to both sides.
Finally, under the mediation of the City Lord of Mohe City, all the clans within Mohe City came to an agreement. Every ten years, they would hold a competition and all the youths from the clans under the age of twenty would participate in it. The victor would decide who acquired the rights to Seven Horn Mountain.
Both sides took a step back and the Xiao Clan agreed due to not wanting to stay in constant turmoil with all of the surrounding clans.
Although the Xiao Clan’s power had declined, they had managed to clinch victory in the past three martial arts competitions. The next Promise of Ten Years would occur in half a year. The Xiao Clan placed all of its hope on Xiao Jian and the mysterious daughter of the First Elder for this competition.
While recollecting the history of Seven Horn Mountain, Xiao Chen had already arrived at the mountain’s foot. There was a pass erected at the foot, which was where the elite troops of the Xiao Clan had been stationed. If anyone not from the Xiao Clan sought entrance, aside from having to apply to do so first, they had to pay an entrance fee.
Xiao Chen, as the son of the Clan Head, naturally did not have to undergo such menial procedures to enter Seven Horn Mountain. However, whenever the guards from the Xiao Clan found out that he wanted to enter, they made things difficult for him.
Everyone had heard of the second young master and his cultivation at the 9th Grade of Spirit Refinement – he was the famous trash of Mohe City? If he entered Seven Horn Mountain, death would be the only thing in store for him. When the Clan Head started to look for people to blame, he would definitely be punished.
“Second young master, the Spirit Beasts on the mountain are very ferocious. It is not a fun place to be. It is better that second young master does not go in.” One of the guards advised. In fact, the guard had wanted to say more than just that but did not. He refrained from adding how the Misty Rain Pavilion inside the safe walls of the city would be more fitting for him rather than, frankly speaking, seeking an early death in this place.
When Xiao Chen heard this, he smiled. He did not mind the tone of this guard. “Who said that I am going up the mountain to play? I am going to cultivate. Could it be that, as the son of the Clan Head, I do not have the rights to enter this mountain for cultivation?”
That same guard seemed to want to say something more, but the person behind him held him back, smiled, and spoke. “Since the second young master is going to cultivate, we will naturally not obstruct you. We just hope that young master does not wander too deep and keeps away from the inner mountain.”
“That is natural.” When Xiao Chen said that, he walked away without looking back.
“Why are we lettin
g him in? This is akin to sending him to his death.” The guard that spoke earlier said.
“You haven’t heard the latest news – have you heard of his duel with Xiao Jian? It’s a duel of life and death! Let him enter. Even if he dies in the clutches of a spirit beast, it would still be better than dying at the hands of Xiao Jian.”
Chapter 5: Panic, Mysterious Girl
Seven Horn Mountain:
Xiao Chen made his way up to the mountain peak. Having cultivated the Purple Thunder Divine Incantation, he noticed that his perception was sharper than before. The forests in the mountain was filled with the Spiritual Energy of Heaven and Earth could be felt much easier. At the moment, he was looking for the area with the densest Spiritual Energy inside within the surroundings of the mountain range.
Although he did not succeed in condensing his Martial Spirit yesterday, he had not given up hope. In the Compendium of Cultivation, aside from the Purple Thunder Divine Incantation, which was a foundation for cultivating, there were also the methods of refining medicinal pills.
Based on his experience so far, he discovered that the herbs of this world were identical to those recorded in the Compendium of Cultivation. As long as he cultivated the Purple Thunder Divine Incantation for a period of time and condensed the most basic flames, he could refine medicinal pills. With the aid of medicinal pills, there would be some hope in condensing his Martial Spirit.
Suddenly, by virtue of Xiao Chen’s perception, he noticed an area roughly 500 meters in front of him with an abundance of Spiritual Energy. He raised his head to take a better look. The vegetation was lush, sturdy, and vigorous, whereas the trees in this spot seemed to be thicker than those in other areas. Xiao Chen smiled, having finally found the perfect and pushed aside the branches in his way and dashed over.
When he was near the place with abundant Spiritual Energy, Xiao Chen stopped. This kind of place would usually have a strong Spirit Beast lurking around. The perception of Spirit Beasts exceeded a human’s, so it was impossible for them to not sense it. Such a good cultivation ground would definitely have already been occupied.
He had to find the beast first. The strongest Spirit Beasts in these parts were only Rank 2, about equivalent to a human peak Martial Disciple. With Xiao Chen’s current cultivation, in addition to the Purple Thunder Divine Incantation, if he took advantage of his surroundings, he could find an opportunity to kill it.
There was a cool breeze, causing the leaves to dance lightly and gracefully to the ground. Xiao Chen used his nose to sniff the air, catching wind of a light scent of blood. However, this scent had been around for a long time and was already faint. If Xiao Chen’s nose was not sensitive, he might not have caught whiff of it.
Could it be that the Spirit Beast he was tracking down had already been slain by someone? Xiao Chen thought deeply, with some suspicions in mind. He advanced by another few steps, only to finally see the dead Spirit Beast under a tree.
After Xiao Chen took a closer look, he was shocked. This dead Spirit Beast was a Two-Tailed Spirit Fox. On the whole corpse, he only noticed a sword wound on its neck. It seemed to have been killed with just one slash of the sword by someone.
The Two-Tailed Spirit Fox was a peak existence of the Rank 2 Spirit Beasts. Well-renowned for its monstrous speed, it could be said to be unrivaled within the outskirts of Seven Horn Mountain. Furthermore, this Spirit Beast was very intelligent and cunning. If it encountered a strong opponent, it would take the first opportunity it could to flee.
However, given its condition, it was obvious that the moment it was discovered, it was killed with a slash and died immediately without even the chance to flee. When Xiao Chen thought of this, he could not help but shudder.
The Two-Tailed Spirit Fox was extremely fast, so how quick did this strike have to be in order to kill it in one slash? This person was definitely at least in the Martial Master Realm.
Suddenly, there was a faint sound of movement from behind him and a sense of danger overwhelmed him. Crap! Xiao Chen quickly reacted, circulating the Purple Thunder Divine Incantation quickly. He pushed strongly with his feet while a hot energy spread to his feet, causing his jump to propel his body into the sky.
His hands clutched a tree branch about 2 meters high. Using it as suspension, he nimbly swung his body and somersaulted, landing lightly on it.
He touched his back and discovered a wound from a sword. The wound was not deep but it was bleeding quite profusely. Looking at the blood on his hands, Xiao Chen took a deep breath. If he had not avoided it in time, this slash could have split him in two at the waist.
Xiao Chen looked down, catching sight of the perpetrator, who was a girl that did not seem older than twenty. Her facial appearance was picturesque. Her skin was smooth and fair; she had fine black hair tied into a ponytail that was hanging on her shoulder; and her face was charming like a flower.
With the green clothes she wore, she exhibited the semblance of an otherworldly fairy. However, her eyes were filled with killing intent. They were incredibly cold, and under her gaze, even the air seemed to freeze.
The young girl held a slender sword in her hands, which flashed with a cold light. The body of the sword was emitting a faint moonlight, revealing it to be a Spirit Weapon.
In the Tianwu Continent, there was a peculiar ore, the Moonstone. When blacksmiths forged weapons, as long as they mixed in some Moonstone dust, the quality of the weapon would undergo a qualitative leap, turning it into a Spirit Weapon.
Spirit Weapons were very strong. Aside from the fact that they were very sharp, they could fuse with the strength of the Martial Spirit, which would raise the cultivator’s strength to their peak.
This person seemed to be familiar—Xiao Chen sifted through his memories for a long time before remembering. Seeing that the girl in front of him wanted to make another move, he hurriedly spoke, “Cousin Yulan, please don’t move. I am Xiao Chen, have you forgotten me?”
This was the daughter of the First Elder, Xiao Yulan. Going by the family tree, she was a distant cousin on his mother’s side. Xiao Chen was not very familiar with her, recalling that this cousin of his was very reclusive since young. He barely saw her after the age of ten, and all he heard was that she had been in solitary cultivation. To him, she was very mysterious.
Xiao Yulan frowned, as though she was thinking, and then withdrew her sword. She gently parted her lips and said in an apologetic tone, “I’m sorry, Cousin Xiao Chen. What are you doing here?”
After seeing her withdraw her sword, Xiao Chen released his breath. He jumped down from the tree branch, explaining, “I saw that the Spirit Energy in this place was abundant and wanted to cultivate here.”
“In the future, when cousin comes to this kind of place where Spirit Energy is abundant, you must be more cautious. These kinds of places will normally have strong Spirit Beasts protecting them.” Xiao Yulan suddenly stopped, as though she remembered something, and took out a jade bottle and passed it to Xiao Chen.
“This is a superior grade Golden Salve. It will be effective on the sword wound on your back. I have been cultivating here for these few days and have chased away many of the Spirit Beasts that wanted to snatch this area away. Cousin can relax and stay here to cultivate. Consider this bottle of Golden Salve my compensation to you. I shall take my leave then.”
Xiao Chen received the Golden Slave and thoughtfully watched the beautiful image of Xiao Yulan leaving. She killed the Two-Tailed Spirit Fox with a slash... This level of cultivation meant she was definitely much stronger than that arrogant Xiao Jian.
Only, why was she not willing to reveal herself to the clan? Could it be that she had always been on this Seven Horn Mountain, cultivating and killing all sorts of Spirit Beasts?
Xiao Chen pondered on it carefully for a period of time and came to the conclusion that it was very possible. The expression that Xiao Yulan had when she was looking at him initially was as though she was looking at a Spirit Beast,
lacking any emotion. If he had not called out her name all of a sudden, he might have already become a corpse.
But none of that mattered, he did not have much time left. The Spiritual Energy in this place was incomparably abundant, so his first priority was to cultivate first. He found a big, sturdy tree and leapt up onto the branches. Then he sat down in the lotus position and circulated the Purple Thunder Divine Incantation to absorb the surrounding Spiritual Energy.
Chapter 6: Awakening of the Azure Dragon
The Spiritual Energy on the mountain was definitely much denser than below. In an instant, Xiao Chen could feel the vigorous Spiritual Energy gushing forth. His meridians that were widened by the Purple Thunder Divine Incantation were quickly filled.
The Spiritual Energy circulated quickly in the eight major meridians. Xiao Chen no longer dared trying to force the Spiritual Energy into the Dantian like the day before and instead obediently used the Spiritual Energy to nourish his bones, skin and muscles.
He alternated between breathing in and out slowly stabilizing his breathing rhythm. He entered into a state of nothingness, as though he had become one with the mountain range.
This state was maintained for about four hours. The Spiritual Energy within a few hundred meters of Xiao Chen suddenly became agitated and suddenly, the boundless and majestic Spiritual Energy that was around him was frantically being drawn into Xiao Chen’s body by an unknown force.
Xiao Chen, who had entered into a state of nothingness, was suddenly shocked by the situation. This Spiritual Energy was like a big river, unceasingly pouring into his body. The Spiritual Energy in his meridians became increasingly thick, causing Xiao Chen, who was already saturated with Spiritual Energy, to feel pain.
If this went on for another hour, he would without a doubt explode and die. He could not control the circulation of the Purple Thunder Divine Incantation, which frantically continued to circulate by itself at a speed at least three times faster than usual.
