Ancient Strengthening Technique

AST 2259 – Seven Stars Herb, Xigong Clan, Xigong Duzai

Qing Shui laughed. “A Frail Battle God’s constitution can’t be perfect, but I can recover your Meridians to at least 80% with time. By then, the Frail Battle God’s potential would make its appearance and you would have no problems countering those on the same level.”

His words weren’t just for laughs nor were they for humility. It was destined for Frail Battle God Inheritors to have an imperfect body; this fact couldn’t be changed no matter how skilled Qing Shui was. The handicap for Frail Battle Gods was about 20%.

How much damage was that 20%? It was about the same as losing a limb, half a leg, or damage to your visceras and bowels, etc.

These clogging and damages couldn’t be lower than 20% either. Even if it could be miraculously cured, the Frail Battle God’s unique abilities would be lost if it dipped lower than that. For example, the increased damage of its attacks, the damages their body could withstand, increased speed and tolerance would all be negatively affected by it.

This was a type of balance, a restriction. The weakness of a Frail Battle God could weaken their opponents even more. It was a pity that Wang Ping’s frailness was too severe. He had lost 80% of his battle prowess, an extreme handicap even with all things considered.

However, there was a point to note. The higher the handicap, the more powerful his Frail Battle God Inheritance would be. This was why Qing Shui was surprised to see Wang Ping before. Wang Ping might be weak now, but with Qing Shui and time, he would be able to restore Wang Ping’s strength, enabling him to catch up to people like Yin Tong, Lan Lingfeng and the others in no time.

Besides, the Frail Battle God would be part of the Divine Palace's main force in the future. Hence, Qing Shui would have to keep Wang Ping at the Divine Palace and get his help in managing and lifting the Divine Palace even further.

“Alright, let’s go. You have the Battle God Palace’s mission as well. We’ll have to fight together in the future. Remember what I just said.” Qing Shui smiled.

“I know, I’ll be there. I didn’t think of it before because I didn’t think I was capable enough to lend any help. I’ve become a joke in Kaoshan City and didn’t even dare to tell others that I’m a Battle God Inheritor.” Wang Ping said, embarrassed.

“The Frail Battle God is one of the most powerful Battle Gods, especially in its later stages. Your power will grow exponentially along with the increase in your realms. At that point, you would be able to unleash the terror of the Frail Battle God.”

The pair walked as they conversed. They had already been lagging but they were in no hurry. The tomb of the Primordial Golden Bear couldn’t be entered that easily due to the strong natives around. Even the person who managed to get in would become a live bait and get killed in an instant.

“Look, there’s an enormous image of a Primordial Golden Bear there.” Someone exclaimed.

Qing Shui looked to the distance in the direction of the voice. There was a gigantic mountain range ahead, and above it was the Golden Bear. The image of it was exceptionally realistic, standing at dozens of miles in height. It was almost the size of a hill. The highest mountain in his previous life was about eight thousand meters in height, yet this image was already more than five thousand meters high.

Its muscular body emitted a glow akin to the sun. It stood between Heaven and Earth, small in comparison to the boundless skies but it was enormous compared to the humans around it. Even just standing there, it looked horrifying.

Its body was fully covered by golden fur. Even its pupils were golden, shining brightly like miniature suns.

This was the Primordial Golden Bear. Even though Qing Shui could only see its image, he could imagine how terrifying it must have been. That incredible body, its thick claws would be able to flatten a mountain with just a strike. That huge skull, the sharp teeth… He wondered how many victims it could capture with just one bite.

There were many around who stood there watching. Some couldn’t withstand it and paid their respects while others were drenched in their cold sweat. This was just an image, yet it yielded such aura around it. It was a type of Divine Sense. The fact that it had such terrifying remnants of it reflected, just how unimaginable it would be to meet the real Primordial Golden Bear.

“Go in, everyone. This is the Primordial Golden Bear’s tomb.”

There was a change to the mountain peak. A giant golden door appeared, its width no smaller than a hundred miles and its height no shorter than fifty. It exuded a mighty and pressurizing aura.

Qing Shui stood there and observed with his Heavenly Vision Technique. Qing Shui had seen a lot previously. He saw a Primordial Golden Bear running, jumping, and swimming across the sea with a mountain in tow. It was an extreme training. This caused a surge of emotions in Qing Shui. The method which the Sky-Obstructing Crow had him train was the same as an ancient, pure-blooded murderer.

He saw the gory scene of the Primordial Golden Bear’s thick paws destroying a mighty dragon head. After a smack of its paws, it destroyed a white-headed, heavenly tiger.

That was the brute force of it. Its terrifying bear cries dissipated the clouds above. Its immense power could surmount any obstacles; this was the scene of a Primordial Golden Bear hunting.

Even though it wasn’t anything too valuable, it was still a type of vision. It opened his eyes to the world, and it was the first time he felt this much. Furthermore, he understood a lot deeper about the usage of power, allowing it to be unleashed to its full potential.

Many people rushed towards the door and nothing happened after they entered one by one. Hence, Qing Shui and Wang Ping followed behind.

“Spirit Grass. There’s so much of it.”

This was a tunnel that was filled with valuable golden stones. It shone brightly all around, engulfing them in golden light.

How extravagant, Qing Shui thought. This tunnel was built with the strongest and most resilient gold. Golden stones were more valuable than gold.

The two sides of the tunnel were covered by rocks, with herbs appearing from time to time.

“Seven Stars Herb!”

“It’s really Seven Stars Herb! It already has six leaves.”

The Seven Stars Herb was only about three inches tall. It looked like a miniature tree with one leaf on each branch. The leaves were shaped like stars, emitting a snow-white glow.

The Seven Stars Herb was valuable. It was a pity that it only had six leaves. Those with seven leaves would have multiplied in value by several times. Even though it couldn’t revive the dead, it could keep a life that was hanging by a thread.

There were some who had begun to snatch them up until several swords sliced through from the side.

“These Seven Stars Herbs belong to the Xigong Clan. If you understand the consequences, then step back. Otherwise, don’t blame our Xigong Clan for being impolite,” A voice traveled to them, the arrogance in his voice flooded the space.

Qing Shui watched the arrogant man, about thirty years old with a pair of sly eyes. He was demanding, very tall and had a long, black sword in hand.

“That’s Xigong Duzai. There’s no point fighting with them over Seven Stars Herbs, let’s back away,” Another man frowned as they spoke.

There were many who retreated. Xigong Duzai was the Xigong Clan’s prodigy. He was proficient in poison, and even those who were more powerful than him wouldn’t choose to provoke him easily.

Xigong Duzai watched as the people backed away reluctantly and looked happy but not surprised. He looked normal, as though this wasn’t the first time he did this.

Qing Shui didn’t move. While Seven Stars Herb was decent, but that was the extent of it. Apart from that, he wasn’t afraid of Xigong Duzai either. Even though he didn’t deal with poison, Qing Shui was not inferior in comparison to the poison experts. Now that he was growing those young Black Ice Divine Worms, he had to deal with toxins on a daily basis.