Dragon Canon

Seeing that the old man’s hair were literally standing on end with rage and his Avatar was fully revealed, Wei Yuan clasped his hands in front of him and asked, “What is your name, elder?”

The old man assumed Wei Yuan was afraid of him and cooled his anger somewhat. He replied, “I am Cui Hongbo, currently the Fifth Elder of the External Affairs Hall.”

Little did he know that Wei Yuan would reply, “Oh, so you’re Elder Hongwen. Since you disagree with my perspective, why don’t we have a friendly sparring match?”

Cui Hongbo instantly realized he had been tricked and flew into a rage, shouting, “Why not? I’ll teach you a lesson on behalf of your parents!”

A flash of anger crossed Wei Yuan’s face, but he quickly regained his composure and said calmly, “Since you wish to offer guidance, how about a martial demonstration? We’ll take turns casting Dao spells at each other; one spell per person. Whoever can’t hold out first loses.”

This was a common form of internal competition among noble clans and sects, so the old man agreed without a moment’s hesitation.

The two took their positions in the center of the arena, while the crowd of onlookers continued to swell. Although a martial demonstration was rather dull, Wei Yuan’s reputation had grown immensely recently, and everyone wanted to see how he could hold his own against a late-stage Avatar as only a peak Dao Foundation.

By this point, although Cui Tianlin had already been rescued, no one was paying him any attention anymore.

In the distance, the Old Lady was sitting in her chair and gazing at the River of Forgettance Restaurant from afar. She remarked, “It seems my words don’t carry much weight anymore. They’ve all developed their own opinions.”

The elderly servant forced himself to say, “Cui Tianlin is the Fifth Elder’s junior, and the branch has always placed great hopes in the boy. As his defeat has far-reaching implications, the Fifth Elder is naturally worried and desperate to salvage the situation.”

The Old Lady said nothing more, merely watching with a calm expression.

Back in the River of Forgettance Restaurant, Wei Yuan said, “Elder Hongwen, why don’t you go first?”

This was the second time his name had been mispronounced. Cui Hongbo could no longer hold back and corrected him, “This old man is Cui Hongbo! Anyway, I won’t take advantage of a junior like you—you go first.”

But Wei Yuan shook his head. “You’re the weaker one, so you should go first!”

The onlookers all exchanged surprised glances, convinced that Wei Yuan was courting death.

Cui Hongbo’s face darkened, and he snapped, “Enough with the verbal spar! Stop dithering and make your move at once!”

Wei Yuan replied indifferently, “Bullying the weak is not the way of the cultivator. Please go first, Elder Hongwen.”

Cui Hongbo was so enraged that his beard quivered. Ignoring the fact that Wei Yuan had mispronounced his name again, he roared, “Very well! Very well! In all my years, this is the first time I’ve seen such an outstanding junior! This old man shall thoroughly test your abilities then!

He raised both hands high, and his Avatar blazed with brilliant light as countless teams of Metal element mystic energy surged into it. Suddenly, the warrior’s eyes of the Avatar snapped open, and with a mighty roar, he hurled the long spear in his hand toward Wei Yuan!

The area was instantly bathed in a kaleidoscope of colors. Several clan elders, seeing that the Fifth Elder had launched a lethal attack from the very start, immediately cast spells to shield the juniors around them. Otherwise, even the aftershocks of this attack would have been too much for them to withstand.

Facing a full-power attack from a late-stage Avatar, Wei Yuan produced a greatsword and thrust it into the ground before him. The floor was made of extremely tough lapis lazuli[1]. The stone itself was already capable of resisting mystic energy, but it had also been further refined. Naturally, it was extremely difficult to destroy. But when Wei Yuan brought his sword down, it sank in as easily as piercing tofu.

The golden-iron spear struck the greatsword and exploded with a thunderous boom, but Wei yuan simply flicked his finger against the blade. A piercing sword cry rang out, causing everyone’s knees to buckle, and many youngsters to collapse on the ground. It also wiped out the aftershock of the shattering spear fragments.

After that, Wei Yuan casually sheathed the greatsword and placed one hand behind his back. He appeared utterly composed and calm, as if defeating his enemy were as effortless as plucking something from his pocket. In reality, the hand tucked behind his back was hidden within his sleeve. No one could see that the finger he’d used to flick the blade was cracked, bleeding, and trembling uncontrollably.

The full-power strike of a late-stage Avatar was no easy feat to block after all. Wei Yuan had only managed to defend himself with such nonchalance and seeming effortlessness because he had used The End of All Vicissitudes.

Cui Hongbo was also wearing a look of astonishment. He never imagined that his Bandit-Slaying Golden Spear—the Avatar that had made his name—would be blocked so easily. He immediately twirled a ring on his finger, causing a golden light shield to materialize around him, and declared, “It’s your turn now, junior!”

Wei Yuan smiled faintly and tapped the air in front of him with his left hand. A dazzling ring of light rippled out, and a thin stream of water shot toward Cui Hongbo’s shield.

Cui Hongbo immediately felt the mystic energy of his shield draining away like flowing water. He tensed internally, thinking: This little rascal’s Dao spell isn’t half-bad!

Fortunately, the Water Blade spell consumed a great deal of Dao energy. His opponent shouldn’t be able to hold out for long.

One breaths, two breaths....

In the blink of an eye, a teatime’s worth of time had passed. However, Wei Yuan’s thin stream of water continued unabated. Judging by his calm and composed demeanor, he seemed to have plenty of energy to spare.

One teatime, two teatimes....

A few youngsters with poor self-control couldn’t help but yawn. However, most people were astonished—especially the clan elders, whose gazes toward Wei Yuan were now filled with apprehension.

At the same time, Cui Hongbo’s mind was bubbling with shock and rage. His mystic energy was nearly depleted, and he was on the verge of dropping his protective shield.

At first, Cui Hongbo had merely been annoyed, thinking that the cunning little rascal had chosen to use a sustained Dao spell to wear him down. But now, all that remained in him was pure, unadulterated shock.

This particular exchange was essentially a contest of Dao energy. As a late-stage Avatar, it should be impossible for a Dao Foundation to outmatch him in terms of energy reserves. And yet, this was reality.

Wei Yuan, who had been keeping his eyes slightly narrowed as if he was half-asleep this whole time, suddenly opened them wide. The water stream abruptly thickened, and within it shone fragments of golden light. Like a river filled with golden sand, its power abruptly increased by more than tenfold!

Caught completely off guard, it was already too late for Cui Hongbo to flee. His shield held out for only a single breath before shattering with a thunderous crash. The water column then slammed into him with brutal force and threw him out of the restaurant!

Cui Hongbo tried to float in the air, but he had used up every last speck of his mystic energy. Every meridian in his body throbbed with pain and, as darkness engulfed his vision, he plummeted into the river with a splash.

The entire ninth floor was deathly silent.

Everyone present had discerning eyes. Although the martial demonstration that had just taken place was drawn-out and mostly uneventful, Wei Yuan had demonstrated a bottomless reservoir of Dao energy. Even Cui Hongbo, a late-stage Avatar, couldn’t outlast him. Was this guy even human?

Moreover, it wasn’t until the very last moment that Wei Yuan revealed the true power of Water Blade, as well as his mastery of it. Several Avatars reflected inwardly: if they had been in Cui Hongbo’s place, and Wei Yuan had unleashed the full power of the Dao spell from the beginning, they likely wouldn’t have lasted even half a teatime.

With a splash, Cui Hongbo broke through the water and leaped back onto the ninth floor. By now, he was soaked through, and his robes and inner armor were completely shattered and ruined. He looked utterly bedraggled.

Before he could speak, Wei Yuan clasped his hands in salute and said, “Thank you for sparing me! Your Dao energy reserve is something I admire at least.”

Cui Hongbo’s face was ashen. Having lost his dignity so thoroughly that even correcting his name was no longer possible, he simply turned to leave. The reality was that he was nearly spent, and there was no way he would be no match for Wei Yuan if the fight continued.

After Cui Hongbo left, no one else dared to challenge Wei Yuan. As for the younger generation, aside from Cui Tianlin, no one was a match for Cui Yu to begin with. Now that Cui Yu possessed a mystic treasure of extraordinary power and still had a little over half of flying swords left in his chest, no one dared to provoke him further.

With this, Wei Yuan’s visit to the Cui Clan was considered a complete success. He paid his respects to Cui Yu’s parents and grandfather, then boarded a flying vessel that very night to depart.

Wei Yuan’s hasty departure left many of the Cui Clan elders, who had been preparing to host a banquet in his honor, deeply disappointed. They had originally planned to introduce several of their outstanding young ladies to him during the even banquets.

Returning to the realm of Qingming, for some reason, Wei Yuan couldn’t shake off a sense of restlessness. So, under the cover of night, he went alone to the edge of the cliff. As he gazed at the scattered lights in Qingming, the impulse buried deep within his heart pulsed stronger and stronger.

After easily defeating Cui Hongbo, Wei Yuan began to ponder just how strong he had actually become. Although there had been an element of trickery in this battle, it was equally true that he had numerous lethal moves he hadn’t yet unleashed. In a life-or-death struggle, Cui Hongbo would undoubtedly still had been the loser.

If that was the case, then what was he waiting for?

Wei Yuan decided to pay a visit to the Bao Clan right away to see Bao Yun. Even if he couldn’t bring her out this time, there was still the next time, and the time after that.

With that thought, Wei Yuan made up his mind. However, he had to make some arrangements prior to his departure.

If Wei Yuan were to leave, the realm would lose Life is a Flash and become much weaker. Fortunately, Qingming’s armies had expanded considerably since his return, and Wei Yuan’s military strength had already surpassed that of other military commissioners in Western Jin.

At this time, Qingming’s top priority remained land reclamation. With the armament workshop supplying tools in a steady stream, the pace of the reclamation was increasing day by day. Trueman Chu He had also become very familiar with the western regions by now and knew how to remove the toxins from the soil more effectively.

After Sun Yu recruited three subordinates with Natural Recovery Water as their Dao Foundations, he was freed from his busy medical duties as well. This Dao Foundation naturally enhanced one’s vitality and, when combined with the appropriate elixirs, could upgrade one’s medical skills straight to the level of an excellent healer. Thus, Sun Yu assigned each of these three to oversee a medicinal hall in a different city, granting them a status everyone was envious of.

After stabilizing the realm of Qingming, Wei Yuan chartered a flying vessel from a merchant caravan, left Qingming, and set off for the Bao Clan’s estate.

The Bao Clan was based in the State of Wu in the southeast, where it stood as the pillar supporting the nation. It fully controlled four commanderies that paid no taxes, and had five others under its sway that paid only nominal taxes. It was effectively a state within a state.

Wei Yuan’s destination on this journey was Guanchao Commandery, where the Bao Clan’s ancestral land and mountain gate were located. The region was also home to Wu’s largest harbor, and trade with the Eastern Sea Islands brought in enormous wealth every year.

Traveling from the western regions to the southeast, despite chartering the fastest flying vessel available, it still took Wei Yuan more than twenty days to finally reach Wu.

The State of Wu boasted picturesque landscapes, with lakes, fish ponds, mulberry groves, and paddy fields everywhere. Thought it might not be the strongest of the Nine States, it was undoubtedly the wealthiest.

To defend against incursions from the Eastern Sea Islands, the State of Wu had invested heavily in building a powerful navy. Furthermore, beyond its southern border lay the Jungle Barbarians, while the coastal regions were inhabited by the Hlai[2]. These two foreign races were no less formidable than the Mountain Dwellers or the Shamans.

The flying vessel was intercepted as soon as it entered Wu. Several cultivators boarded the vessel to verify the vessel owner’s identity. Upon learning that Wei Yuan was a fellow disciple of Bao Yun at the Palace of Absolute Beginning, they treated him with great courtesy and promptly granted passage.

The flying vessel traversed the entire state of Wu, all the way to the shores of the Eastern Sea Islands, before it finally reached its destination.

The Bao Clan’s ancestral land was located on a mountain beside Guanchao Harbor. Though the mountain stood only 1,000 zhang tall, its seaward side consisted entirely of sheer cliffs and precipices. The entire mountain was shrouded in a great array, and atop it lay a grotto-heaven belonging to the Bao Clan.

The flying vessel came to a gentle halt at the foot of the mountain. When Wei Yuan stepped out, he saw that several people were already standing outside.

In the center stood a middle-aged man. At first glance, his robe appeared quite ordinary, but upon closer inspection, one could discern countless densely woven hidden patterns that clearly formed a protective array. Setting aside other considerations, the materials and craftsmanship alone were of immense value.

On either side of him stood two youngsters each—two men and two women. They were all wearing robes woven with similar protective arrays. Although their quality did not match that of the middle-aged man’s,they were still worth several hundred taels of immortal silver. That even these young juniors could wear such fine robes and use nothing but high-grade mystic artifacts confirmed that the Bao Clan’s reputation for immense wealth was indeed well-deserved.

At the moment, the youngsters were all looking at Wei Yuan with plain curiosity.

The middle-aged man smiled faintly and greeted him, “The Bao Clan are honored by your presence, Military Commissioner Wei. The Ninth Elder is already waiting. Please follow me up the mountain.”

Before arriving, Wei Yuan had done his research and learned that the Ninth Elder was none other than Bao Manshan. This elder was not merely an elder of a particular hall or office either; he was one of the Twelve Great Elders of the entire Bao Clan. Only True Lords could hold the position of Great Elder, but not all True Lords were automatically qualified to become one.

With several people leading the way, Wei Yuan followed them into the mountain-wide great array and entered the world-renowned Origin Mountain of Cornucopia.

1. Oh my god it’s ACTUAL lapis lazuli. The deep blue stone thingy. ☜

2. It’s an actual people in our world. UNFORTUNATELY I cannot possibly be certain if Hlai is related to the Li (which is supposed to be the first King of Humans if I remember correctly), so they’ll remain separate until I am certain. I mean, the Hlai is ALSO called the Li on occasion (I’m not kidding, you can wiki it if you want), so... God this is such a mess, which is realistic but still, UGH.... ☜