Chapter 433 - 409: 20 Days of Cultivation

On a mountain peak more than ten miles from Newcomer Peak, Shi Shuanglong’s eyes were wide as he panted heavily. "How is this possible? That Zhaang Ye, a junior who crawled out of the Land of Divine Abandonment, actually defeated Jiang Lingjian! How is this possible?! What in the world is going on?"

Shi Shuanglong swung his fists, roaring like an enraged beast.

Zhaang Ye had just displayed incredible power, first shattering the stone gate and knocking Jiang Tianjian unconscious in a single blow, then relying on his tyrannical strength to force Jiang Lingjian to flee.

Zhaang Ye’s tyrannical combat strength was a great shock to Shi Shuanglong. He roared for a long while before finally calming down, clenching his fists tightly. ’I haven’t seen him in a while, and he’s already become this formidable! He’s not even thirty and he’s this powerful. At this rate, it’s only a matter of time before he reaches the True Dao! I must have Master intervene and crush the life out of him!’

SWOOSH!

Shi Shuanglong executed a Body Technique and sped toward a palace. Several days later, he arrived outside a palace hidden among the white clouds. The entire structure was emerald green and wreathed in mist, with faint Runes flickering across its surface, making it look majestic and grand.

Shi Shuanglong bowed respectfully outside the palace. "Master, your disciple has come to see you about an important matter."

The massive palace doors opened slowly, and a majestic voice said, "Enter."

Shi Shuanglong walked cautiously into the palace. Deep inside, a middle-aged man in a black crown and black robes sat cross-legged on a cushion. This was none other than the Fourth Elder of the Green Cloud Sect—Gu Hengshi.

Upon seeing Shi Shuanglong enter, Gu Hengshi slowly opened his tightly shut eyes and said, "I already know why you’ve come. I had an expert perform a divination. The one who murdered my son was not Zhaang Ye, but a Fierce Beast from a Little World in the Land of Divine Abandonment."

Shi Shuanglong froze, stammering, "Then, Zhaang Ye..."

Gu Hengshi said faintly, "Although Zhaang Ye wasn’t the direct culprit who killed my son, he is definitely involved. That boy must die. However, I can’t be bothered to deal with such a minor figure myself. When he joins the Sect, I’ll just casually assign him a mission and have him disappear from this world."

Shi Shuanglong was secretly overjoyed. But after his elation passed, he remembered Zhaang Ye’s tyrannical strength and said, "Zhaang Ye’s combat power is terrifying. If he makes it into the top ten in the entrance tournament, he’ll become an Inner Sect Disciple. Inner Sect Disciples can freely choose their Sect missions. At that point, Master, I’m afraid it will be difficult for you to act..."

Gu Hengshi said faintly, "No matter. More than 5,400 geniuses are participating in the entrance tournament this time. The most formidable among them, a few super-geniuses, can unleash a nine-hundred-and-ninety-zhang Sword Gang. Their combat power is already infinitely close to the True Dao. No matter how strong Zhaang Ye is, he has absolutely no chance of making it into the top ten. There’s no way he will become an Inner Sect Disciple."

’Infinitely close to the True Dao! This year’s disciples are so strong!’ Shi Shuanglong was shocked, but then he completely relaxed. Although Zhaang Ye’s strength surpassed that of an ordinary Half-step True Dao cultivator, it was worlds apart from a True Dao Expert. There was no way he could defeat these super-geniuses to enter the top ten.

On the southern face of Newcomer Peak, Zhaang Ye stood atop a large rock.

Before him was a massive river, hundreds of zhang wide. The rolling water created monstrous waves, and powerful aquatic Fierce Beasts could be seen surfacing from time to time.

’I can’t believe there’s such a magnificent river this deep in the mountain range! Perfect. The entrance tournament is still a month away. In that time, I’ll use the terrifying Fierce Beasts in this river to temper my Saber Technique. I’ll refine it again and again, polish it again and again. I need to make my Saber Technique faster, more ruthless, and more brilliant!’ Zhaang Ye clenched his fists, secretly making a firm resolution.

During his fight with Jiang Lingjian yesterday, although Zhaang Ye had the upper hand from beginning to end, he couldn’t kill him with a single strike. This made Zhaang Ye realize his own deficiency: his Saber Technique wasn’t incisive enough, and he lacked one-hit-kill Ultimate Techniques.

Jiang Lingjian was only ranked thirty-ninth. If he couldn’t even kill such a minor figure in one blow, entering the top ten was a near-impossible task.

Realizing his own shortcomings, Zhaang Ye immediately came here, intending to use the monsters in the great river for his Cultivation, to make his Saber Technique more focused, more ruthless, and more domineering—so that a single slash could instantly kill his enemy!

SPLASH!

Zhaang Ye took out the Mysterious Blade Tip and plunged into the great river.

Countless Fierce Beasts lived in the great river, and the moment Zhaang Ye entered the water, he immediately drew their attention. A monster the size of a house, staring with two large, round eyes, charged straight for Zhaang Ye. This monster’s aura was terrifying; it completely ignored the Suppression from the Mysterious Blade Tip as its massive body charged forward with a RUMBLE, its momentum terrifying to the extreme.

’Bring it on!’ Zhaang Ye cried inwardly. The Celestial River Righteous Qi in his body circulated madly as he slashed toward the monster.

SQUELCH!

The Sword Gang Zhaang Ye unleashed transformed into a blade of light more than three zhang long. It crossed dozens of zhang and struck the monster’s head, causing blood to erupt from the wound.

Injured by Zhaang Ye’s attack, the monster became enraged. Its gaping maw, several zhang wide, opened to reveal menacing teeth as its massive body charged forward like a mountain.

Zhaang Ye fearlessly met its charge, ruthlessly slashing out with the Mysterious Blade Tip in his hand.

BOOM—

Zhaang Ye’s strength had reached several million jin, and this monster’s power was not insignificant either. The man and monster clashed violently underwater, causing the river to churn nonstop as muffled, thunder-like sounds exploded from the riverbed.

Zhaang Ye possessed Ancient Dragon Power, so he could move freely even in the water. But he was determined to hone his Saber Technique, so before entering the great river, he had temporarily sealed the Ancient Dragon Power within his body. He wasn’t even using his Celestial River Righteous Qi now, fighting only with his physical strength and True Qi.

The resistance in the water was much greater than on land, hampering Zhaang Ye’s Body Technique and reducing the speed and power of his attacks. In the ensuing battle, Zhaang Ye faced one perilous situation after another. If his strength hadn’t been great enough, he would have already been devoured by the monster.

"Kill!"

After struggling for over four Hours, Zhaang Ye finally found an opportunity. The Mysterious Blade Tip swept out an arrow-like Sword Qi that ruthlessly plunged into the monster’s forehead, killing it on the spot.

CHIRP CHIRP!

GURGLE GURGLE!

GAK GAK!

The moment this monster died, dozens of other monsters appeared from all directions, swarming to devour the corpse. Zhaang Ye’s brow twitched slightly. He charged toward the group of monsters without hesitation and began to fight once more.

...

「Three days later.」

With a SPLASH, Zhaang Ye burst out of the great river. He barely managed to crawl onto a rock on the bank, gasping for air. The river was a hundred zhang deep, and the number of monsters on the bottom was surprisingly high. Zhaang Ye had been fighting underwater for three whole days and had no idea how many monsters he had slain. Besieged by the creatures, he was covered in wounds. His strength was completely depleted, and he had almost been unable to return to the bank.

Zhaang Ye took out an Essence Stone from his Small Space and silently replenished his True Qi. Then, he circulated the Celestial River Righteous Qi to repair his injuries.

Half a day later, Zhaang Ye had finally recovered. He took out the Mysterious Blade Tip and casually slashed. A smile appeared on his face as he muttered to himself, "Excellent! The resistance underwater is immense, so to kill the monsters, I have to use a more domineering, more brilliant, and more focused Saber Technique! I was underwater for three days, and my Saber Technique has indeed shown some improvement."

"Before, the Sword Gang I unleashed was only two hundred zhang long. Now, it’s two hundred and ten zhang long. Its power has increased significantly in just three short days."

Zhaang Ye stood up and stretched his limbs, then with a SPLASH, he dove back into the river.

「Ten days later.」

Zhaang Ye stood motionless by the river. The next moment, he swung his arm through the air, and a seemingly solid Sword Gang slashed into the void. A large bird flying in the sky was instantly hit and fell.

Zhaang Ye smiled faintly and murmured, "Two hundred and fifty zhang. If I were to use my Celestial River Righteous Qi, I could probably kill a bird five hundred zhang away. But my Saber Technique is still not focused enough."

Putting away the Blade Tip, Zhaang Ye entered the river once more, again using the Fierce Beasts on the riverbed to practice his Saber Technique.

「Twenty days later.」

A faint golden light emanated from Zhaang Ye’s entire body. His eyes were locked on the great river as he murmured, "This river is about eight hundred zhang wide. I’ll use my Saber Technique with my full strength and see if I can slash to the other side in a single strike!"

VMMMM!

A seemingly solid beam of golden light suddenly erupted from the Mysterious Blade Tip, slashing straight toward the opposite bank. Beneath this tangible golden light, the entire great river was forcefully cut in two, its ceaseless flow halting for an instant!

"Eight hundred zhang! Excellent! Excellent! Excellent!" A smile of delight appeared on Zhaang Ye’s face as he watched the Sword Gang slash straight to the opposite bank. He had cultivated arduously at the bottom of this river for twenty days, spending every day on the brink of life and death. This had made his Saber Technique increasingly focused and domineering.

Fighting at the bottom of the river every day, Zhaang Ye’s understanding of the mysteries of water grew deeper and deeper. Water can nourish all things in the world, and it can bind them tightly together. The more Zhaang Ye understood the mysteries of water, the faster he was able to fuse the Ancient Power. In just twenty short days, he had fused seventy-eight percent of the Ancient Power in his body!

Zhaang Ye gazed at the clouds on the horizon and said softly, "There are still ten days left until the entrance tournament! In these ten days, I must improve my Saber Technique and Celestial River Righteous Qi even further. I must increase the Innate True Qi in my body to seventy percent!"

SPLASH!

Ignoring the wounds on his body, Zhaang Ye leaped into the great river once more. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian.com to vote with Recommendation Tickets and monthly passes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)