Chapter 352 - 334: The 4 Hall Masters’ Promise

The Death Bone Staff was Fu Qingyun’s personal weapon. He was never seen without it. Now that it was in Zhaang Ye’s hands, Fu Qingyun’s fate was easy to imagine.

After staring blankly for a moment, Ning Yuan finally recovered from his shock. He sighed and said, "I never imagined Junior Brother Zhaang’s strength was so formidable. Even Fu Qingyun was no match for you."

Mu Hanqiu stared at the black staff in Zhaang Ye’s hand, the arrogant expression on his face long gone. He opened his mouth, but found he couldn’t say a word. Mu Hanqiu was considered a genius himself, having reached the Peak of Martial Arts Ninth Layer at a young age and standing out among his peers. But compared to Zhaang Ye, Mu Hanqiu realized he was nothing...

...

「In the valley.」

Zhaang Ye sat cross-legged on a patch of grass, an Essence Stone in hand, the True Qi in his body circulating smoothly. As his True Qi flowed, the Heaven and Earth Essence Qi in the valley rapidly converged on him. The entire valley was soon suffused with dense Heaven and Earth Essence Qi, and nourished by it, the grass became a much deeper shade of green.

After returning to the True Hall, Zhaang Ye had planned to report to his master, but the Fourth Hall Master was away on urgent business. Meanwhile, Xuli Long, Wei Jingtian, Fang Caiying, and the others had all entered seclusion. Seeing this, Zhaang Ye decided not to waste any time. He immediately returned to his valley to cultivate, intending to break through to the Martial Arts Ninth Level Middle Stage in one go.

In the vast mountains, Zhaang Ye had been in a constant state of combat. The endless fighting had refined his Cultivation day by day, bringing him to the very edge of a breakthrough.

Now, after just a short period of cultivation in the valley, the breakthrough began.

WHOOSH—

True Qi surged through Zhaang Ye’s body like a great, rushing river. The ceaseless torrent flowed into his Dantian, which frantically compressed and refined it, making the True Qi more condensed, purer, and more powerful.

Ten days later, the Heaven and Earth Essence Qi in the valley shuddered with a tremendous BOOM. Zhaang Ye’s eyes snapped open, and a chilling glint, so sharp it seemed tangible, shot out. It startled the Lightning Golden Monkey under the Pseudo Spirit Tree, which leaped up with a SQUEAK and vanished without a trace.

"I’ve finally reached the Martial Arts Ninth Level Middle Stage!" Zhaang Ye stood up, overjoyed.

Once a Martial Artist reached the Martial Arts Ninth Layer, advancing even a single Small Tier required tremendous effort and fortuitous opportunities. Of the hundreds of millions of Martial Artists in the Wei Kingdom, only a handful ever reached the Martial Arts Ninth Layer. Those who made it to the Middle or Late Stage were even rarer. For Zhaang Ye to have reached the Martial Arts Ninth Level Middle Stage before the age of thirty was an absolutely joyous occasion.

Zhaang Ye circulated the True Qi in his body, a faint smile on his face. ’Martial Arts Ninth Level Middle Stage,’ he thought. ’I’m one step closer to the True Dao. I hope I can reach the True Dao before I’m thirty and become an expert who can reign supreme!’

Although Zhaang Ye’s Dragon Elephant Skill had reached the Mid-stage Sixth Layer, he wasn’t pinning his hopes for a breakthrough on it. The Dragon Elephant Skill was one of the Body Refining Techniques, and in a thousand years, no one had ever broken through to the True Dao using such a technique. Even though Zhaang Ye possessed Ancient Dragon Power and Ancient Elephant Power, he wasn’t confident he could reach the True Dao through Body Refining alone.

Therefore, Zhaang Ye had already made up his mind. He would advance his Cultivation step-by-step, progressing to the Late-stage Martial Arts Ninth Layer, then the Peak of Martial Arts Ninth Layer, then Half-step True Dao, and finally, the True Dao itself.

Breaking through to the Martial Arts Ninth Level Middle Stage had taken ten days, leaving just over ten days until the Thirteen Countries’ Newcomer King Competition. Zhaang Ye was planning to use this time to properly consolidate his Cultivation when a cyan bird suddenly landed on his shoulder. It pecked him gently and placed a thin piece of Beast Hide in his hand.

Zhaang Ye unrolled the Beast Hide Scroll. A few large words were written on it: "Come to the Council Hall at once. Your master has business with you."

「Inside the True Hall’s Council Hall.」

Zhaang Ye was stunned the moment he stepped inside. In the Council Hall, besides his master, the Fourth Hall Master, the other three Hall Masters were also present. When they saw him enter, the four Hall Masters’ gazes focused on him in unison, and four immense waves of Spiritual Power swept over his body.

Although Zhaang Ye’s strength was formidable, it was nothing compared to that of a True Dao Expert. Being scrutinized by four such experts made a chill run down his spine; he felt as exposed as if he were standing stark naked in a bustling market.

Though his expression remained unchanged, Zhaang Ye was secretly alarmed. ’These four old fellows all have boundless Mental Power. I hope they don’t discover the World Stone in my arm!’

The World Stone in Zhaang Ye’s arm contained a Small Space with a fifty-zhang radius; it was one of his greatest secrets. To conceal it, Zhaang Ye had hidden the World Stone deep within the flesh of his arm and nourished it with his own Essence Blood, allowing it to fuse with his body.

This was the best method of concealment Zhaang Ye had been able to devise. But True Dao Experts were not ordinary people, and he had no idea if it would be enough to fool them.

As Zhaang Ye tensed inwardly, the four Hall Masters finally withdrew their Spiritual Power. Apparently, they hadn’t discovered his secret.

"HAHAHAHA!" the Third Hall Master’s voice boomed as he laughed heartily. "Zhaang Ye, your strength has improved quite well! No wonder you were able to cripple the two sons of the Moon Country True Hall’s Great Hall Master and kill Jiang Dijian, the genius of the Jiang Family’s Younger Generation. You even managed to slay Fu Qingyun, the top disciple of Fu Yuguang, the Great Hall Master of the Moon Country True Hall, and his Seven Blood Generals!"

Hearing no hint of blame in the Third Hall Master’s tone, Zhaang Ye immediately relaxed. He spoke with an air of righteous indignation, "These people violated the honor of our Wei Kingdom True Hall. This disciple had no choice but to teach them a lesson. I hope Master and the three Senior Uncles see the truth of the matter!"

Seeing Zhaang Ye’s self-righteous act, the four Hall Masters exchanged a smile. The Fourth Hall Master then said, "Alright, alright. What’s done is done. Though the Wei Kingdom True Hall may be relatively weak, we do not fear anyone."

Zhaang Ye replied respectfully, "Yes."

At this point, the Fourth Hall Master spoke again. "We called you here to discuss the matter of the Thirteen Countries’ Newcomer King Competition. You are number one among the Younger Generation of our Wei Kingdom, and also number one among the Younger Generation of the Six Eastern Countries. We will give you our full support to help you take first place in this competition."

’Full support!’ Even someone as composed as Zhaang Ye couldn’t help but reveal a look of ecstasy upon hearing this promise. "Thank you, Master, and the three Senior Uncles for your great kindness," he said.

Full support meant that all the personnel and material resources of the Wei Kingdom True Hall would be at Zhaang Ye’s disposal. From this moment on, Zhaang Ye could freely use any of the Wei Kingdom True Hall’s resources, including all kinds of Elixirs, weapons, and Cultivation Techniques. This promise was more generous than any reward; even Zhaang Ye could no longer remain composed.

After the initial elation, Zhaang Ye quickly calmed himself. ’There’s no such thing as a free lunch,’ he thought. For the four Hall Masters to make such a promise, there had to be conditions attached.

Having come to this conclusion, Zhaang Ye said in a low voice, "Pies don’t just fall from the sky. For Master and the three Senior Uncles to show this disciple such great kindness, may I ask the reason?"

Seeing Zhaang Ye calm down so quickly, the four Hall Masters all nodded slightly, a hint of approval in their gazes. The benefits they had promised were so great that even a Half-step True Dao expert would have been flustered for a time. Zhaang Ye was young and relatively inexperienced, yet he had regained his composure in the blink of an eye, displaying a powerful Willpower that earned the Hall Masters’ silent admiration.

The Great Hall Master spoke calmly, "Zhaang Ye, you are right. Pies don’t just fall from the sky. We are prepared to fully support you because we want you to collect a few things for us."

"Collect things?" Zhaang Ye was confused. However, he knew the Great Hall Master would explain, so he didn’t press the matter and simply listened quietly.

Sure enough, the Great Hall Master began to explain in an unhurried tone, "The Land of Divine Abandonment was formed when an Ancient Strong Person struck the earth with both palms. This Ancient Strong Person’s palms slammed into the ground, creating two incomparably massive handprints. These two giant handprints, in turn, formed a massive Spatial Array that suppressed the void in the region and sealed a spatial rift."

"Although the spatial rift was successfully sealed, the strike also shattered various Spirit Veins and Spiritual Springs. The Heaven and Earth Essence Qi grew scarcer year after year, and the entire Land of Divine Abandonment became a desolate wasteland, completely unsuitable for Cultivation."

"Later, to change this situation, the first-generation Hall Masters of the Thirteen Countries True Hall joined forces. They used their immense Divine Power to create a Little World within the Land of Divine Abandonment. In this Little World, not only is the Heaven and Earth Essence Qi exceptionally dense, but it also contains all sorts of rare medicinal herbs and Treasures..."

Hearing this, Zhaang Ye’s heart stirred. His eyes brightened as he asked, "Don’t tell me... the Newcomer King Competition is held inside this Little World?"

The Great Hall Master nodded slightly. "Precisely. The first-generation True Hall Masters created this Little World to preserve rare medicinal herbs and various Pseudo Spirit Beasts, using them to nurture the Younger Generation. Thus, the Newcomer King Competition is held within this Little World. However, various mystical Prohibitions have been placed upon it, and only those under the age of forty-five are able to enter."

Zhaang Ye had a moment of realization. ’The things these four old fellows need must only exist inside that Little World,’ he thought. ’Otherwise, with their power, they would never have to ask for my help.’(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote with Recommendation Tickets and monthly passes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)