Ancient Strengthening Technique

AST 213 Heavenly Palace, Heavenly Thunder Slash

“Let’s go, the baby is still waiting to be fed milk.”

Huoyun Liu-Li, “…”

Qing Shui saw that both ladies with beauty blessed by the heavens were not speaking, and their slightly pouted lips indicated that they were still angry. However, he felt that it increased their charms, and he enjoyed the view. After all, there were not many opportunities that he had to tease Canghai Mingyue.

“You rascal, you bad guy…” Huoyun Liu-Li mumbled as if she was talking to herself, but she had already regained her senses.

Canghai Mingyue had already released Qing Shui’s hand, but there was a slight flush on her beautiful face. Qing Shui held on to the lingering feeling of holding on to her soft hands as well as the wonderful feeling he had when he touched the tip of her nose.

When Qing Shui saw Canghai Mingyue’s wonderful figure, especially those beautifully shaped breasts, he thought of how Young Master Feng wanted to taint Canghai Mingyue. It seemed like he was the grandchild of Immortal Sword Sect’s Elder Feng.

Qing Shui only felt slightly dumbfounded towards those three guys. It was fine if this guy appeared to be extremely arrogant. It was fine if he had a special preference towards young married ladies who were breastfeeding, and it’s even fine if he drank a cup of fresh human milk daily. He did not drink directly but used a cup. After all, there were all kinds of people in the world. However, why did he have to show off to the rest of the world?

What astonished Qing Shui was not the special preferences the guy had, but the fact that those three guys had shouted it out blatantly in broad daylight, making an open declaration to everyone on the streets. Qing Shui did not know if he should think of it as arrogance or idiocy…

They had not gone far in the Southern Ancient Pass when they crossed it. While it was unpleasant, Qing Shui did not think much about it. On the other hand, he felt that such events were absolutely common. After all, there were two ladies with beauty that were top notch in their generation, and it would be weird if there wasn’t anyone hankering after them.

He thought that Canghai Mingyue should have some reputation in Greencloud City, or at least, in the area of the southern part of the city. He did not think that they would be “bullied” on their first day out. Now, Qing Shui understood the crux of all these circumstances.

There were very few reputable people in the world of the nine continents, especially those whose names were known and spread to everyone in the world. Even if there were a couple of them whose names were passed down for thousands of years, they did not even leave behind their portraits, so it was not possible for others to know what they looked like.

The land across the world of the nine continents was very vast, and the population was measured in terms of trillions. While it was not a world formed from various nations, the land area taken up by each country was measured to a large nation from Qing Shui’s previous life. Every country had a population of at least 100 million. This was the world populated by various sects and reputable clans. They were the sovereigns and leaders in this world of the nine continents.

For ordinary people, they might never leave the country they were born in all their lives. The same could be said for the Xiantian cultivators who had no flying demonic beasts. Therefore, most people were restricted to a certain area. To be able to spread their name across a city was already no easy feat. Those who could rise to fame in a country were usually not a single person, but a reputable sect or clan.

Just like how it was for the sects and reputable clans in the southern gates of the Greencloud City, the reputation was tagged to the name of the sects or clans. After, it went down to the identification characteristics they were known for, such as Immortal Sword Sect’s white clothes and silver swords, Joyous Sect’s tri-colored looped robe. After all, communication in the world of the nine continents was not comparable to the modern world’s network. Therefore, it was very, very hard for one to rise to fame.

Skysword Sect was known in all of Cang Lang Country, but on the outside, it was nothing. Similarly, it was the same for Immortal Sword Sect. If they were to leave the southern gates, they could dismiss the thoughts of having people recognize them. At the very best, only some passing traders or cultivators might have heard of their names.

As the saying goes, success is dependent on time, geographical location, and human relationship. In this area, the Immortal Sword Sect was considered to be advantageous in terms of their geographical locations. The sect had been passed down for over a thousand years in the southern gates and had long built a strong foundation to spread their roots here. Once they leave the southern part of the city, they would not be comparable to any country out there. If they stay there, they would be much stronger than many of those countries.

Although they were situated in the southern part of the city, the place was the size of two or three countries due to the large size of the continent’s capital. The continent’s capital was actually equivalent to the combination of several countries that had good geographical locations. In terms of the spiritual energy in the land, Greencloud Continent’s capital had the most spiritual energy, with the exception of a certain unique legendary abodes of immortals.

“Young Miss Mingyue, is this Immortal Sword Sect very strong? Are there any experts in Immortal Sword Sect who are on the same level as Senior?” Qing Shui wanted to know Immortal Sword Sect’s powers and how strong a reputable sect in the borders of a continent’s capital could be. In addition, Qing Shui was also curious of the level at which Canghai Mingyue’s father was at.

“You can tell my father’s level of cultivation?” Canghai Mingyue’s eyes lit up in astonishment as she asked. Her astonished look was very charming and well worth a second look. One would have sunk deeper and deeper into each look.

Qing Shui took a serious look at Canghai Mingyue’s beautiful face closely. He could even see those long eyelashes that were like a pair of palm-leaf fans. Adding on to those black and clear beautiful eyes, her beauty was really unbelievable, as if she was like a beautiful drawing.

“I can’t!” When he saw that Canghai Mingyue wanted to knock him on his head, Qing Shui spoke out seriously.

Canghai Mingyue was also speechless. She was stunned by Qing Shui earlier, thinking that Qing Shui could really tell her father’s level of cultivation. She had not thought that he would stare at her for so long that she was starting to feel uneasy from his clear gaze.

Thank goodness there seemed to be nothing hateful in that clear gaze, but the eventual reply was infuriating. Even if he could not tell her father’s level of cultivation, there was no need for him to be staring at her for such a long time.

Canghai Mingyue threw an annoyed glance at Qing Shui. She did not know how she felt about this guy whom she could not see through. Her feelings towards him were neither hatred nor love, and she could not tell his level of cultivation either. While he seemed like an ordinary person with no powers at all, her father had given him such a good assessment on their first encounter. It was the first time she had seen her father give an assessment of someone else, and even she only received an assessment of “very good”.

Comparing the “very good” to the “not bad, not bad at all”, they should be pretty similar or had just a slight difference. What made her embarrassed was that her mother wanted to pair the two of them together after seeing him for the first time. She could not help but find it to be a joke. She had not thought of getting married before, nor did she think of whom she would be married to.

Thinking about all these, Canghai Mingyue started to feel a bit embarrassed. Moreover, Qing Shui was the guy whom Huoyun Liu-LIi liked. She also did not harbor feelings of love for him like Huoyun Liu-Li did.

“If I don’t see him, I’ll miss him. If I see him, I’ll feel happy. When I see that he’s overjoyed, I’ll be too. If he’s sad, my heart will ache for him. When I see him, my heart will beat very quickly. I also like to hear him talk…” Canghai Mingyue thought of what Huoyun Liu-Li had once said to her, and it made her think of the words that fellow had told her today.

“Yueyue, let’s go home. It’s about time to feed the baby.” Canghai Mingyue recalled how her heart was beating very quickly then, and there was a short moment when she was enraptured. It was as if she was touched somewhere in her heart. When this fellow talked, his expression was very serious and warm, which seemed to give her a heartwarming illusion.

These thoughts and scenes that made her heart pound flashed across Canghai Mingyue’s mind, especially Qing Shui’s words and that gentle and unforgettable gaze. She threw an annoyed glance at Qing Shui. Facing Qing Shui’s keenness to learn as well as his curiosity, she did not feel hatred but was in fact very happy.

Canghai Mingyue felt that Qing Shui was one of those guys who were very reserved and hid their true abilities to themselves. He was the guy who would bring occasional surprises and astonishment. What made Canghai Mingyue fluster the most was that she saw a tinge of her father’s shadow on Qing Shui. Because of this, it made her unable to hate Qing Shui. Even when Qing Shui teased her, she did not really feel hatred towards him.

It was especially so when Canghai Mingyue saw Qing Shui’s slightly cruel decisive actions. She liked his way of handling things, and was supportive of his decision of not killing those two insignificant guys. As for the middle-aged man with Xiantian abilities who appeared later, Canghai Mingyue knew that if Qing Shui were to take action, he would have at least crippled him. She did not hope to see the matter getting out of hand.

“The Immortal Sword Sect is considered one of the strongest sects in this area, with a large diversified population. Therefore, their connections are large as well. In this area, there is nothing that they cannot get done. No one is sure how many Protectors and Elders they have in the Sect, but it is estimated that they should have at least 30 Elders. For certain, each Elder is at least on Martial King, if not higher.” Canghai Mingyue said as she looked at Qing Shui whose brows were starting to furrow.

Qing Shui was also astonished at the numbers. Just Canghai Mingyue alone was the strongest in Cang Lang Country despite being just at the pinnacle stage of Xiantian. Even the “old demonic monkey” which was the Protector Beast of Cang Lang Country’s Skysword Sect was merely a demonic beast who was at the pinnacle of Xiantian.

“Is there anyone in Immortal Sword Sect who has broken through the realm of Martial King and reached the realm of Martial Saint?” Qing Shui raised his head and looked at Canghai Mingyue with gleaming eyes.

Hearing Qing Shui’s words, Canghai Mingyue’s sexy lips perked up to a charming arch which had a tinge of arrogance and helplessness. To Qing Shui, it was as charming as the smile of his goddess-like Master. It was a smile that was even more intoxicating and coquettish than when a woman looks back over her shoulder.

“I can tell you this for sure. Not only does the Immortal Sword Sect not have anyone at the level of a Martial Saint, even Greencloud City’s strongest Heavenly Palace which had been passed down for over ten thousand years does not have one either.” Canghai Mingyue let out a small sigh and said.

Qing Shui could not believe his ears. To think that there was no one at the level of a Martial Saint in the entire Greencloud Continent. After all, he was just told that there were at least 30 Martial King Cultivators in Immortal Sword Sect alone. To think that there were no Martial Saints Cultivators amongst the countless martial art practitioners in Greencloud Continent…

Seeing Qing Shui’s gaze of disbelief, Canghai Mingyue laughed and said, “It is not an easy feat to break through the realm of Martial King to become a Martial Saint. It was rumored that there’s an expert in Heavenly Palace who had reached the pinnacle of Marital King and had trained for 700 years until his death. Till his death, he was not able to break through to achieve the realm of Marital Saint. Actually, there are many warriors in Greencloud Continent who have reached the pinnacle of Martial King, and almost all of them would have their lifespans gradually diminish without them ever achieving a breakthrough. For the past 1000 years, it has not been heard that there was anyone who had broken through the realm of Martial King to achieve the realm of Martial Saint.”

The strongest sect in Greendcloud Continent’s capital was Heavenly Palace. It was a name Qing Shui was very familiar with. Rather than being agitated, he was more astonished. Amongst the sects he was familiar with, Heavenly Palace was a name which was known across the world of the nine continents. Moreover, it was also the largest sect in one of the continents. Although, the Greencloud Continent was the weakest in the world of the nine continents.

At the very least, the Heavenly Palace was considered the strongest within one of the sects, and was the leading sect amongst thousands or ten thousands sects!

Qing Shui did not know how many of the twelve major sects he was familiar with in his past life would appear, but he saw it as more of a coincidence since it was just a name. It was just like how the Skysword Sect and the Immortal Sword Sect were also very similar with their names. It was just something to be called by.

Qing Shui still held a bit of yearning towards the Heavenly Palace. He felt that the similarity in their names was largely coincidental. Even if it was similar to the sects that he knew from his past life, what meaning would that hold? He was still full of expectation as he liked to come across things that were familiar to him. If the Heavenly Palace was really the one he was familiar with, there was absolutely a need for him to seek shelter there or think of a way to enroll in and learn the strong techniques from the Heavenly Palace, especially that which would increase one’s powers by 30%!

“Is it really that hard to break through from the Martial King realm to the Martial Saint realm?” Qing Shui rubbed his nose and asked bitterly. After all, there were even higher realms after the 10 grades of the Martial Saint realm, which were the Martial Emperor, False God and Divine Realm. Qing Shui did not expect that even though this was one of the weakest continents, there was not even a person who had achieved the realm of Martial Saint.

“This is too unbelievable. Across the vast land of the Greencloud Continent with endless martial art practitioners, there is not even a person who has attained the realm of Martial Saint. This is such a pity.” Qing Shui let out a sigh and said.

“That’s right. Just the entrance to Xiantian is already blocking the path for countless people. Only one in ten thousand, or one in a hundred thousand would be able to step into the the realm of Xiantian. Even if one were to attain Xiantian, how many of them could actually progress from the 1st grade all the way to the pinnacle of the 10th grade? How many of them could break through the pinnacle of Xiantian to reach the realm of the Martial King? After entering the realm of the Martial King, it’s said that it’s harder to be able to even advance one grade higher than reaching for the heavens. The experience required to reach the pinnacle of Martial King is an unfathomable number. Those who can break through the pinnacle stage of Martial King to reach the realm of Martial Saint must have great talents blessed by the heavens, have a Seven Apertures Mystical Heart, and experience at least two instances of epiphanies. It was also rumored that there’s one more amazing item required.”

Canghai Mingyue said as if she was feeling very emotional. Her profound and beautiful eyes which were looking into the far distance were as beautiful as the stars.

Qing Shui agreed to this. Just reaching the 4th Heavenly Layer of the Ancient Strengthening Technique had already took about 7 years of his time. It meant that he was blocked at the entrance to Xiantian for 7 years. In this world, he should already be considered a great talent blessed by the heavens, but Qing Shui felt that he could not wait. He felt that his life in this world was especially hurdled with challenges, and he had performed far worse than he had expected. Take Canghai Mingyue for example. She had reached the pinnacle of Xiantian at the age of 30. When he compared himself to her, Qing Shui did not dare to say that he was extremely strong.

Of course, Qing Shui had never thought of telling others about what he had. Qing Shui never changed his mind about how these must be a secret from others.

“Let’s go back to have our lunch before we head out to walk around in the afternoon. Your punishment will be to cook today.” Canghai Mingyue could not help but feel angry as she thought that he had taken advantage of her, but at the same time, she felt helpless.

“Do you know how to cook?” Qing Shui asked Canghai Mingyue as they continued walking.

“I don’t.” Canghai Mingyue replied, slightly embarrassed.

“Then have you cooked before?” Qing Shui smiled and asked again.

“No.” Canghai Mingyue felt as if she was being led by the nose, but she could not really grasp what the problem was.

Seeing Canghai Mingyue’s hesitant reply, Qing Shui smiled and said to her, “Do you want to cook something delicious for your parents for once? It wasn’t easy for them to raise you to this age and to nurture you so well over the years.”