by Translator: Pokka; Author: 我本纯洁 (I Am Pure); Licensed From: Migu
Just a wisp of purple qi was enough to push this young man’s initial cultivation of the peak of the sixth-stage Basic Realm to perfection, making it seem like he was about to break through to the seventh stage.
However, under the control of this youth’s nine natal stars, this energy did not continue to surge, leaving him at the sixth stage temporarily. Who else could this youth, who was able to absorb purple yang energy at the Basic Realm, be if not Xiang Shaoyun?
These slivers of purple energy would remain for only an instant; only at the very beginning of sunrise would one be able to absorb it. After Xiang Shaoyun finished absorbing the various strands of purple energy, he stretched and stood up. He was not tired even though he had missed a whole night’s worth of sleep; rather, he was surprisingly full of energy.
“Looks like I’ll be working hard from now on,” Xiang Shaoyun muttered as he stood up, stretching his waist.
After briefly washing up, Xiang Shaoyun headed for the outer court. The outer court trained physical prowess. One had to get there on time every single day and complete a fixed amount of training.
If Xiang Shaoyun wanted to grow stronger, training his physical strength and establishing his foundations well were essential. By the time Xiang Shaoyun reached the outer court, numerous outer court disciples were already there.
Just then, Xiang Shaoyun realized that they were giving him strange looks and were avoiding him like the plague, not wanting to stand close to him at all. In his heart, Xiang Shaoyun knew what had happened but did not seem to mind.
“Boss, oh boss, why aren’t you going to find Elder Zi already?! You’re going to meet with huge trouble soon!” A voice spoke from behind Xiang Shaoyun.
Turning his head to take a look, Xiang Shaoyun found that it was indeed Xia Liuhui, whom he had previously interacted with.
“What’s so urgent that I need to find senior brother?” Xiang Shaoyun asked.
“You’ve not only offended Wu Mingliang, you had also beaten up his men! Is this not enough for you?” Xia Liuhui replied in exasperation.
“You’re blowing up a small matter. What’s there to be afraid of?” Xiang Shaoyun asked, completely unfettered. Wu Mingliang was merely the first of his stepping stones in life, completely unworthy of becoming his rival.
At this moment, mad laughter began sounding from nearby as a voice could be heard, “Ha ha, what big words you have there! It seems that my reputation as one of the top 10 in the outer court cannot be compared to this genius who couldn’t even get a meal yesterday!”
When Xiang Shaoyun and Xia Liuhui turned their heads to look at the speaker, they saw Wu Mingliang walking towards them, accompanied by a few others.
“Damn it, Wu Mingliang actually saw me together with you! I’m doomed this time!” Xia Liuhui said, slowly backing away.
“What are you afraid of? This young master will take care of you from now on,” Xiang Shaoyun confidently answered.
“You’d better take care of yourself first,” Xia Liuhui replied, completely devoid of any sense of loyalty, before slipping away.
“Xiang Shaoyun, you have balls! You actually dare to beat up Gou Zi and the others! I must settle this debt with you!” Wu Mingliang arrogantly shouted in Xiang Shaoyun’s face.
“Hmph. If you have the capability to do so then come at me! This young master isn’t afraid of you!” Xiang Shaoyun replied in a similarly confident fashion. He was no longer the random Tom, Dick, or Harry from yesterday. He had tapped into his boundless potential and was equipped with battle techniques. Even if it was somebody at a higher cultivation level than him like Wu Mingliang, Xiang Shaoyun wouldn’t back down from a fight.
Who was afraid of losing? He definitely would not back down!
“You have some capability! However, you’ve broken our Martial Hall Palace’s rules, so you must first be punished according to them!” Wu Mingliang coldly laughed.
At this moment, the martial officer in charge of overseeing the outer court disciples walked by.
“Who is Xiang Shaoyun?” the martial officer shouted.
Not daring to be tardy, Xiang Shaoyun immediately loudly replied, “Xiang Shaoyun is here!”
“Do you know your mistakes?” the martial officer asked yet again.
“I don’t,” Xiang Shaoyun immediately replied.
Coldly clicking his tongue, the martial officer said, “Hmph, it seems like you’re an ignorant person! Did you cruelly beat up a group of people without rhyme or reason?”
“Officer Ling Chen, this is definitely the case! Gou Zi and the rest are still lying unconscious. Who knows when they’ll be able to cultivate again!” Wu Mingliang aptly replied.
“Xiang Shaoyun! What else do you have to say for yourself?!” Officer Ling Chen furiously asked.
“It was them who asked me to hit them. Should I not have fulfilled this minor wish of theirs?” Xiang Shaoyun matter-of-factly asked.
“It seems that you are utterly unrepentant! You have broken the rules of Martial Hall Palace and will now be punished. Go to the Hall of Limits and stay in the first room for an hour! This is your punishment for being unrepentant,” Ling Chen bellowed.
“Understood.” Xiang Shaoyun’s eyes lit up momentarily; he never thought that this would be his punishment. At this moment, he noticed Officer Ling Chen subtly wink at him, a far cry from his stern posture earlier.
He was deliberately siding with Xiang Shaoyun! This Officer Ling Chen was the same officer who had brought Xiang Shaoyun to the Hall of Limits the previous day. He was perfectly aware of how Xiang Shaoyun came out perfectly unscathed after remaining there for a whole hour. If this wasn’t deliberately siding with Xiang Shaoyun, what would be?
However, when this punishment fell on the ears of the rest of the outer court disciples, their faces began to pale. The first room had a gravitational force of 500 kilograms! Even a sixth- or seventh-stage Basic Realm practitioner would find it hard to stay in there for half an hour, much less a full hour!
“Th-this punishment is too heavy, isn’t it? Does he want to kill him?”
“Isn’t that obviously the case? Even if somebody at the seventh stage were to enter, the longest they could stay would be one hour! As per my knowledge, the only one able to stay in there for a full hour at the Basic Realm was senior sister Gong Qinyin! However, she was seventh-stage Basic Realm at the time, but Xiang Shaoyun is merely at the third stage! I hope he doesn’t die the moment he steps in!”
“Could it be that Officer Ling Chen is in cahoots with Wu Mingliang? Do they not have any regard at all for the Purple Lightning Marquis?”
“It really is a pity; a genius who can trigger five stars illuminating the sky is gone just like that!”
Even Wu Mingliang himself did not think that the officer would be so strict! Stifling his urge to laugh, he faced Ling Chen and said, “The revered officer truly is discerning!” He then turned to Xiang Shaoyun, and laughing loudly, said, “Ha haa! I hope you enjoy this little punishment of yours!”
In his eyes, Xiang Shaoyun was already a dead man walking.
“Good, very good! Wu Mingliang, I challenge you!” Xiang Shaoyun acted as though he was furious.
Still laughing, Wu Mingliang sarcastically replied, “Do you even have the chance to challenge me anymore?”
“If I don’t die today, you and I will fight seven days later in the arena!” Xiang Shaoyun replied, as if he were a hero going to die in battle.
“Ha ha, good! I accept your challenge! As long as you can survive the Hall of Limits, you and I will fight in seven days’ time!” Wu Mingliang madly laughed.
A lowly third-stage Basic Realm cultivator wanted to challenge a lofty ninth-stage Basic Realm cultivator? This was, without doubt, asking to die!
“In seven days, I will make you thoroughly regret your mistake of ever wanting to bully this young master!” After shooting one more confident glance at Wu Mingliang, Xiang Shaoyun turned around and headed for the Hall of Limits.
Was e
ntering the first room of the Hall of Limits supposed to be a punishment? To Xiang Shaoyun, this was nothing more than another training session!
Chapter 15: I’m Very Hurt!
The Hall of Limits, Room One.
Inside, Xiang Shaoyun had just started running. With a weight of 500 kilograms of gravity, this was not just a simple matter of just running as he wished. Although he had somewhat adapted to the gravity inside the room, this did not mean he was a fish within water. On the contrary, with every step he took, he needed to use all his strength to resist the gravity within the room, making each step he took extremely strenuous.
One step under 500 kilograms of oppression. In terms of cultivation, one would normally need to be at least late-phase ninth-stage Basic Realm before being able to achieve such a feat. Today, however, Xiang Shaoyun was able to achieve this at merely sixth-stage Basic Realm, a stunning feat!
As Xiang Shaoyun revolved the Heaven Conquering Overlord Manual, his internal energy also circulated, tempering his meridians and acupoints. Astral energy from his nine stars was being absorbed and released like an endless cycle, ensuring that he would always have sufficient energy.
Having been tempered with all sorts of high-tier medicines since young, Xiang Shaoyun’s body possessed a massive amount of power lying dormant within it. Yesterday, after he adapted to the 500 kilograms of gravity, his body had stopped unleashing more power. Now, as he was running under the same amount of pressure, energy started flowing from his body like water being squeezed out of a wet towel.
Although this amount of energy didn’t seem like a lot, to a Basic Realm cultivator it was more than sufficient to raise one’s strength considerably. Once again, Xiang Shaoyun was on the verge of breaking through to the seventh-stage Basic Realm, but he once again forcefully suppressed this energy. Furthermore, this energy did not flow into his natal chart but was forced into his 365 acupoints.
Xiang Shaoyun did this simply to strengthen his acupoints. When the time came, his natal chart and acupoints would be able to benefit each other, allowing the ancient technique to circulate even faster and increase his physical strength.
With him now cultivating the Rushing Qi Fist as well as the Gale Winds Kick, he first and foremost needed to raise his physical capabilities. To do so, strengthening his acupoints was one of the most effective means available to him. This was a method he had acquired from an ancient cultivation text.
An hour later, Xiang Shaoyun was even more acclimated to the gravitational force within the room, and he slowly grew faster as he continued to run.
“The Hall of Limits isn’t bad at all. It lets me raise my strength more quickly! But this isn’t enough! According to the records of an ancient text, there have been instances of first-stage Basic Realm cultivators who’ve been able to easily lift massive 500-kilogram stones! Nobody can compare with those absolutely disgusting freaks! I need to look to them if I want to grow faster!”
After sorting through his thoughts, Xiang Shaoyun renewed his fighting spirit. His body ran more quickly than before, squeezing out even more latent potential within him. As he was working hard within the Hall of Limits, on the outside, numerous outer court disciples gathered. The disciples all seemed to be waiting for some huge event to occur.
“A little more than an hour has passed; why hasn’t Xiang Shaoyun come out yet?”
“Isn’t it obvious? Look at how relaxed the overseer is resting there! Do you think he has any intention of letting Xiang Shaoyun out?”
“Hey, do you think Xiang Shaoyun has already died inside?”
“It’s a possibility. Once you enter the Hall of Limits, your life and death are both in question.”
Within the blink of an eye, two hours passed. The outer court disciples who were initially waiting outside started leaving, aside from a small portion who were still waiting for the final conclusion. After four hours, nobody was left. Nobody thought that there was any more possibility of Xiang Shaoyun coming out of the Hall of Limits.
Eight hours after he first went in, Xiang Shaoyun finally exited the Hall of Limits.
“Brat, you’re amazing! It seems like you’ll be able to challenge the second room very soon!” The old overseer could not help but praise Xiang Shaoyun.
“I will. From now on, the Hall of Limits will be this Xiang Shaoyun’s primary training ground!” Xiang Shaoyun answered, full of confidence. He had reaped quite a fair bit of gain from the eight hours in the Hall of Limits.
“Brat, don’t be so full of yourself. The Hall of Limits isn’t so easy to withstand,” the old deacon replied.
“Just because it isn’t easy for others doesn’t mean that it’ll pose a challenge to this young master,” Xiang Shaoyun replied, still full of confidence. After pausing for a while, he asked again, “Great Deacon, quickly give me my points! I still have things to take care of!”
Laughing, the old overseer explained, “Heh heh, I’m afraid that you won’t be able to get any points this time around. You can only gain points once for every room you successfully clear. You cleared the first room with ease yesterday, so I’ve already given you twice the normal amount of points! If you want to earn even more points, you’ll have to successfully challenge the second room!”
“Che, how petty. You just wait! This young master will challenge the second room in a few days’ time!” Xiang Shaoyun replied, completely unsatisfied.
After finishing, he quickly ran to the outer court. At the time, his speed had increased several times over. It would be hard for even seventh- and eighth-stage cultivators to keep up with him. Being able to withstand 500 kilograms of gravity was strength akin to a ninth-stage cultivator. This was to say that in terms of speed and physical strength, Xiang Shaoyun would be able to compete with regular ninth-stage Basic Realm cultivators.
“Wu Mingliang, this young master has come out. Seven days later, we’ll meet in the arena!” Xiang Shaoyun shouted at the top of his lungs upon reaching the outer court. He initially thought he would become the center of attention once everybody caught notice of him, letting the other disciples know just how amazing he truly was. Sadly, the outer court was completely devoid of people. Who on earth would hear him?
Hitting himself on the forehead, Xiang Shaoyun could not help but lament, “Dammit, it’s time to fight for food. They’ve all gone to the canteen!”
He then proceeded to rush to the canteen where he once again shouted, “Wu Mingliang, this young master has come out. Seven days later, we’ll meet in the arena!”
This time, however, simply nobody bothered to look at him. Everybody was busy fighting for food. Filling one’s stomach was more important than Xiang Shaoyun’s heaven-defying act.
This scene deeply hurt Xiang Shaoyun’s feelings. He thought he’d be able to hold his head up high! Never did he think that he would be completely ignored by everybody else.
“Brother, you actually managed to survive the Hall of Limits?” At that moment, Xia Liuhui’s surprised voice could be heard.
Taking a look at the unloyal bastard, Xiang Shaoyun replied spiritedly, “But of course. This young master is talented in all forms of martial prowess; just a mere Hall of Limits is unable to stop me!”
“Amazing, amazing!” Xia Liuhui superfluously praised Xiang Shaoyun before softly saying to him, “With the backing of Elder Zi, how would the Hall of Limits’ overseer dare to make trouble for you? In the future, you are my boss! I, Xia Liuhui, am at your service!”
Xiang Shaoyun’s face darkened. He really detested this unloyal bastard who had chosen to not believe his words.
Changing the topic, Xiang Shaoyun asked, “Where is Wu Mingliang?”
“Why are you looking for him? You can’t be seriously thinking of challenging him, right?” Xia Liuhui quietly whispered as he looked around in all four directions.
“Of course I was being serious! Do you think I’d bother joking around with him?!” Xiang Shaoyun answered at once.
“Wu Mingliang is top 10 among the outer co
urt disciples in terms of combat prowess! He’s already at ninth-stage Basic Realm, supposedly at the middle phase, tethering the border of late phase! At that time, with his accomplishments, he’s bound to enter the Astral Realm! I even hear that he’s been taken note of by the thirteenth elder, Li Xuemeng! The moment he enters the Astral Realm, he’ll be taken in as a personal disciple!” Xia Liuhui quickly reminded him. After a short pause, he added, “He’s also the seventh child of Wu Town’s head.”
“So what if that’s the case? This young master is still half an elder!” Xiang Shaoyun replied without hesitation.
“Okay, then. I heard that Wu Mingliang went out today.”
Chapter 16: A Conspiracy Appears!
Wu Mingliang was not around. Furthermore, practically nobody knew of Xiang Shaoyun challenging him. Not bothering to press the issue further, Xiang Shaoyun invited Xia Liuhui to eat at the restaurant.
Although Xia Liuhui was a slightly unloyal chap, Xiang Shaoyun thought that he had some points that made him good to be around. At the same time, he also wished to understand more about the situation of the outer court.
“Boss, the Purple Lightning Marquis really treats you well! He’s even given you a jade plate to dine here, how truly enviable!” Xia Liuhui spoke enthusiastically. This was the first time he’d set foot into the restaurant, and he felt like he’d truly chosen to follow the correct person. From now on, with such a boss as his backer, he would have very little to fear.
Thinking about all that, Xia Liuhui’s heart was filled with utmost joy. After ordering various dishes, Xiang Shaoyun asked the most pressing question in his heart, “What kind of people are the top 10 outer court disciples? How is the top 10 decided?”
“Boss, you might be unaware of a few things since you have just arrived at the Martial Hall Palace a few days ago. Let me give you a rough rundown of things,” Xia Liuhui replied before he continued, “All of us outer court disciples went through an aptitude test before we were allowed into Martial Hall Palace as disciples. Those who pass the test would then participate in a martial competition with each other. This is also how the top 10 will be decided. Wu Mingliang is ranked fourth, behind Eldest Brother Leng Han, Second Brother Mo Buhui, and Third Sister Mei Lianhua. Speaking of which, Senior Sister Lu Xiaoqing is ranked sixth. Furthermore, she’s also one of our top 10 outer court beauties. Numerous disciples are trying to court her.”
