Ancient Strengthening Technique

AST 755 – Decomposing the Almighty Core of the Nine-Headed Moon Wolf

“You can think of the Wu Ma Aristocrat Clan as a poison-specializing branch, known for their capabilities in controlling poisonous insects. They cultivate these insects in-house with poison and blood essence. Their specially-cultivated poisonous insects can be injected into a target’s body from a long distance away. The insect will then begin to gnaw on the target’s bones, bone marrow, and even brain matter. Unless the victim manages to refine the poisonous insect, there is no other remedy once this happens. Fortunately, their poisonous insects require extremely harsh cultivation conditions. Even still, the terror that their poisonous insects instill is considerable, which is why few people are willing to deal with them.”

Ye Guyan spoke in one breath and looked towards the expressionless Qing Shui.

Qing Shui’s face lacked any expression because he had actually been a victim of that aforementioned poisonous insect.

Marrow Nibbling Worms.

Qing Shui had once been a victim of one of these strong poisonous insects, the Marrow Nibbling Worm. Although hearing about these insects now didn’t instill any fear, Qing Shui still felt an involuntary chill down his spine. Back then, if he hadn’t had the Golden Buddha Aura Lotus, he would have had a miserable death.

In reality though, the experience had been a blessing in disguise. Qing Shui’s near brush with death back then had allowed his Yin-Yang Image to break through. Although Qing Shui didn’t exactly know what level the Yin-Yang Image had reached, he knew its power had increased by several times. If he were to fall victim again to a similarly poisonous insect, his Yin-Yang Image would be able to refine it. This was the tremendous improvement of a breakthrough.

“The Eastern Palace Clan is one of the long standing clans in the region. Even though they aren’t comparable to the other famous clans or family sects, their status has recently risen because they’ve produced an absolute genius. “ Ye Guyan said with a smile.

“An absolute genius?” Qing Shui questioned.

“Yes, his name is Donggong Taiqing, second only to Tan Tai Xian Zi from the Tan Tai Clan. He is quite young and yet he has such a frightening ability. He also supposedly owns a high level treasure, but nobody knows exactly what it is.” Ye Guyan said while smiling at Qing Shui. Her gut feeling was telling her that Qing Shui was especially intrigued by the Eastern Palace Clan, but she couldn’t completely understand why.

“How is that Donggong Taiqing compared to you?” Qing Shui asked after thinking a bit.

“I am a little bit inferior to him. He is about ten years older than me, so we should be equally matched, but right now he should be a little stronger.” Ye Guyan smiled.

Qing Shui felt bitter. He wasn’t the only one posessing treasures. Moreover, in just one day, he had heard about three individuals of the younger generation with capabilities stronger than himself. One of them even belonged to the target clan he had to wipe out this time.

Afterwards, Ye Guyan continued to briefly detail the situation of the other clans to Qing Shui. Qing Shui also raised questions at the appropriate time to ensure there wouldn’t be any doubt. From what he heard from Ye Guyan, Qing Shui seemed to realize there wasn’t much to be worried about.

As evening approached, Qing Shui, Cang Wuya and the others settled into the isolated courtyard where Qing Shui would temporarily live. Since it was still early in the evening, everyone sat together to discuss matters.

“Qing Shui, we should return.” Cang Wuya was first to speak up. However the words he spoke carried such a serious tone that they made those around feel extremely discouraged.

Fei Wuji couldn’t even utter a word. He had once reproached Qing Shui for reaching Grade Five Martial Saint and yet refusing to go to Southern Viewing Continent. Now he knew how ridiculous that action was.

A chill ran through his heart. Words could not describe the sadness he felt at that moment. All his hopes had been placed on Qing Shui and yet, the difference between Qing Shui and his opponents was ……

“Old man, Martial Uncle Fei, you don’t have to be pessimistic. Who said there’s no chance of success? Donggong Taiqing may be the Eastern Palace Clan’s expert martial artist from the younger generation, but at most, he’ll only be in the Eastern Palace Clan’s top 5. So there’s nothing to fear as their strongest capabilities aren’t even at the level of Grade Six Martial Saint. For things like this, you can rely on me, even if it will take a bit more time to accomplish.” Qing Shui smiled after some thought.

“Qing Shui, don’t force yourself. There’s still plenty of time left to leave.” Cang Wuya insisted after some thought.

“Qing Shui, it has already been so many years for us that waiting for a few more won’t hurt. Listen to the elderly. We will return tomorrow.” This time Fei Wuji urged Qing Shui to return.

Only Bai Gui remained silent, sitting to the side taciturnly. He was never one to stand out, giving off an ordinary air but possessing an expert’s awareness. The only drawback was that his capabilities were relatively weak. Qing Shui decided that he would help train Bai Gui in the future.

“Old man, I know. I won’t act recklessly. As I have said before, I have a way to resolve this matter, but it will take some time to ensure a surefire plan is executed. Believe me.” Qing Shui said with confidence.

“Qing Shui, are you certain?” Cang Wuyi said while feeling ill at ease.

“Old man, be reassured, I promise nothing bad will happen. If I don’t need to fight, I won’t.” Qing Shui said with certainty.

“Qing Shui, in any event, you need to safely return to Greencloud Continent. You have to understand that there are many people there that can’t go on without you.” Cang Wuya sighed.

“Be reassured Old man, I don’t want to die young either. Furthermore, I won’t sacrifice my life in vain.” Qing Shui laughed again.

“Alright, that’s that. We will listen to you, but if you have anything to say just say it bluntly. There aren’t many of us here, so you don’t have to be overly concerned with us elderly. “ Cang Wuya relaxed. He chose to believe Qing Shui. If he said there was a way, then there must be a way.

At night, Qing Shui entered the Realm of Violet Jade Immortal.

Despite his seeming confidence, Qing Shui’s heart actually felt heavy. The reason why he had dared to say that he had a way to resolve the matter was because of his reliance on his superior ability to resist physical force. On top of that, he also had his concealed weapons and his recently acquired Ten Thousand Poisonous Violet Sable.

The Ten Thousand Poisonous Violet Sable was Qing Shui’s trump card, but Qing Shui dared to say he could handle the Eastern Palace Clan because of one main reason: that item he had received from the Wolf Shrine three months ago, the Core of the Nine-Headed Moon Wolf.

The Core of the Nine-Headed Moon Wolf was one of the legendary mythical beast cores. Throughout the years, many cores had been lost, but the ones still existing were frightening. The other cores would come into play at some other time.

What Qing Shui had to do now was decompose and refine the core into several smaller pills. He could add extra ingredients, such as the Crystal Lion’s crystals, during refining to increase the effectiveness of the pills.

Decomposing cores was not difficult to do, as it was a fundamental skill of all Alchemists. Qing Shui felt as much excitement as unease because even though he had decomposed many things before, he was still dealing with a mythical beast core.

Whether or not he would be able to wipe out the Eastern Palace Clan depended on this. If he didn’t have this mythical beast core, Qing Shui’s hopes of succeeding would be slim to none. Therefore, Qing Shui prayed that he could decompose the core and that the resulting pills would be enough.

The moment Qing Shui decomposed the Core of the Nine-Headed Moon Wolf, he realized the formidable power hidden within. Once the decomposition had started, it could not be stopped or else the core would turn into waste.

Fingertip-sized spheres were being decomposed from the core. The spheres were sparkling, translucent and released a majestic aura. Qing Shui was covered in sweat, but he couldn’t stop now, as these spheres were the beacons of hope he was betting on. Without these spheres, he wouldn’t be able to wipe out the Eastern Palace Clan. This would be a detrimental and even deadly result for him and everyone else.

Therefore, everyone would have to use all the force they had to wipe out the Eastern Palace Clan and open the gate to the Southern Viewing Continent. Otherwise, returning would become an even greater burden.

He must push on!

As the last sphere decomposed from the core, Qing Shui fell into deep slumber. Ten days passed by, but luckily ten days in the Realm of Violet Jade Immortal was nothing.

Due to his exhaustion, Qing Shui slept for 16 hours straight. When he woke up, he directly went and examined the pills extracted from the core’s decomposition.

The Core of the Nine-Headed Moon Wolf had been about the size of an adult brain and managed to produce a hundred pills.

Qing Shui was rather surprised. After he had enough rest, Qing Shui took out a hundred of the Crystal Lion’s crystals and caught several dozens of Triple-eyed Grass Green Frogs.

Putting everything together and refining was easy compared to the work he had already done. It only took half a day to complete this step. Qing Shui found several large bottles to fill his newly refined pills in.

After filling the bottles, there were about ten pills remaining. To test the pill’s effect, he called upon a Jade Emperor Bee. To be safe, he found the most common monster to test his pills on. More than three hundred Jade Emperor Bees appeared before him.

A three feet long Jade Emperor Bee saw the pills and reacted with unease, flying up and down while creating a loud buzzing noise. Qing Shui took this opportunity to throw one of the pills in its mouth.

Qing Shui watched the Jade Emperor Bee with much anticipation. Qing Shui knew that each pill was invaluable, with a worth that couldn’t be estimated.

Buzz Buzz…

Immediately, the Jade Emperor Bee’s body began to transform as it flew up and down with unease. As clear as day, Qing Shui could feel the Jade Emperor Bee’s abilities rise at an amazing speed.

Grade Two Martial King… Grade Three Martial King…

In this moment, those insurmountable bottlenecks between levels became like paper, easily broken through again and again. Qing Shui heart felt as though a sweet fountain was flowing through it.

The Peak of Martial King!

From Grade Two Martial King directly to Peak Martial King. Qing Shui could not believe his eyes.

Qing Shui gave it some thought; A breakthrough of this level was within the norm. This was because a normal Jade Emperor Bee had poor aptitude, which limited its breakthroughs. Ordinary Mythical Beasts that had trouble breaking through to the pinnacle couldn’t be compared to pinnacle-level beasts

As a result, the three feet long Jade Emperor Bee became almost three meters long. It was comparable in size to the Jade Emperor Queen Bee, but lacked the domineering aura of a king.

If a normal Jade Emperor Bee could consume the pill, then the Jade Emperor Queen Bee could also consume it without any problems. Just like that, Qing Shui fed the pill to the bee.

Currently, the Jade Emperor Queen Bee was a Grade Four Martial Saint. Its entire body had become translucent like jade. The same effect could be seen with the Jade Emperor Bee that had consumed the pill before, proof that its constitution was raised significantly.

While Qing Shui allowed his imagination to run wild, the Jade Emperor Bee’s body released a dazzling jade light accompanied by a loud buzz.

Qing Shui wasn’t startled, even though the bee had become a Grade One Martial Saint. These pills should allow the Jade Emperor Queen Bee to breakthrough even further, but there was no knowing how many breakthroughs it could achieve…