Chapter 603 - 385: Master
Chapter 603: Chapter 385: Master
Xu Yang settled down at the Jade Cold Pool.
There was basically nothing to do here. The cold pool was only seven or eight meters in diameter, easily visible at a single glance.
What everyone called a garrison duty was actually just taking turns cultivating Body Refining around the pool in batches.
To be honest, the results were quite excellent. Cultivating just a few meters away from the cold pool and refining that exotic ice energy improved the physical body at a rapid pace.
Of course, there were inconveniences. When Xu Yang practiced the Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture, he could not go all out.
After possessing a Spirit Bone, his ability to absorb Spiritual Qi had become far too terrifying. Once he cultivated with full strength, the Spiritual Qi within a hundred-meter radius would swarm over, causing a shocking commotion.
Naturally, his Cultivation progress was not slow either. After all, improving his Cultivation relied on Elixirs and Spirit Medicines, rather than just absorbing Spiritual Qi from heaven and earth.
[Yunling Technique·Entry Level (7844/10000)]
[Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture·Second Layer (5464/10000)]
[Azure Dragon Dominating Body·First Layer (5801/10000)]
[Formless Thousand Illusions Skill·Great Success (2358/15000)]
[Eight Ferocious Hidden Dragon Strength·Minor Achievement (19541/20000)]
[Extreme Prison Heaven-Slaying Technique·Sixth Layer (135/10000)]
[Black Tortoise Mountain Suppression Fist·Great Success (4877/20000)]
[Roaming Dragon Sky Step·Great Success (5013/16000)]
In the blink of an eye, over ten days had passed since he arrived at the Jade Cold Pool, and his Cultivation had made significant progress.
Since both his Comprehension and Root Bone had broken their limits, a mere half a month of arduous cultivation yielded progress comparable to a full month in the past across all areas.
Benefiting from the environment of the Jade Cold Pool, the progression of the Azure Dragon Dominating Body was even faster than that of the Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture.
The Extreme Prison Heaven-Slaying Technique had also broken through yesterday, reaching the Realm of the Sixth Layer. Xu Yang himself could not clearly articulate exactly how terrifying his Saber Technique had become, but he felt that if he challenged the Battle Tower, he should be able to fight his way to the eleventh floor. He could absolutely slaughter ordinary Martial Artists at the Celestial Essence Third Layer.
The Eight Ferocious Hidden Dragon Strength was also not far from stepping into the Great Success Realm.
Even he was somewhat startled by this rate of improvement. With his limit-breaking Comprehension, cultivating Martial Techniques had become far too easy. It felt like it wouldn’t be long before all his Martial Techniques reached the Perfection Realm.
Another day passed, and the Eight Ferocious Hidden Dragon Strength naturally stepped into the Great Success Realm, doubling his Combat Power enhancement.
He hadn’t even needed to use the interface to grind through the bottleneck; he achieved Great Success with sheer ease. The interface rewarded him with one hundred points, and combined with the reward for the Extreme Prison Heaven-Slaying Technique breaking through to the Sixth Layer, his total points were nearing twenty-three hundred.
He thought, "At this pace, my Azure Dragon Dominating Body will break through to the Second Layer in three months."
Once the Azure Dragon Dominating Body also broke through to the Second Layer, putting it on the same level as the Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture, he was confident he could fight his way onto the twelfth or even thirteenth floor of the Battle Tower.
Reining in his thoughts, Xu Yang continued his bitter cultivation.
There was another downside to this place: the food was too monotonous. It was roasted meat every day, and he even had to cook it himself.
It was no wonder that despite this being a good assignment, few people came here. The living conditions were simply too harsh.
Only a struggling student without resources like him would covet the sole benefit of Body Refining at the Jade Cold Pool.
As for Luo Zhao, he hadn’t deliberately made things difficult for him lately. After all, everyone was just here for experiential training. Although Luo Zhao was the person in charge, to put it bluntly, he was merely a student of the Celestial Strategy Academy whose Cultivation was one layer higher than his. He didn’t possess much actual authority.
As long as he carried out his garrison patrols on time, Luo Zhao had no right to do anything to him. However, whenever they crossed paths, Luo Zhao would ignore Xu Yang, and Xu Yang wouldn’t take the initiative to speak to him either.
One day, Xu Yang sat cultivating ten meters away from the Jade Cold Pool alongside Zhuang Tao and a man named Zhang Cheng. An hour later, all three of them were covered in ice crystals and had to retreat a certain distance to dispel the cold energy.
"Xu Yang, have you ever eaten the Profound Water Spirit Loach?" Zhang Cheng suddenly asked.
"I have not!" Xu Yang shook his head.
With a nostalgic expression, Zhang Cheng said, "I have. Back when my Body Refining Cultivation was stuck and unable to break through to the Qi Blood Manifestation Realm, I gritted my teeth and spent two hundred Academy credits to exchange for one. Only then did I reach the Qi Blood Manifestation Realm in one fell swoop."
Xu Yang was somewhat moved. "The Body Refining effects of this Profound Water Spirit Loach are that good?"
Reaching the Qi Blood Manifestation Realm in Body Refining was very difficult without a certain level of Body Refining Talent. Out of the top one hundred people on the Lingyun List in their current class, apart from the six Spirit Bone Celestial Prides like Qi Ning and Leng Qiuyue, there were merely five people, including him, who had reached this Realm to date.
Even people like Gu Qingfeng and Li Yunfei had not reached the Qi Blood Manifestation Realm, despite also practicing Body Refining.
He knew the Profound Water Spirit Loach was precious, but he hadn’t expected it to be such an incredible tonic. A single one could propel a person’s Body Refining to the Qi Blood Manifestation Realm.
If he ate one, his Realm in the Azure Dragon Dominating Body would definitely advance by leaps and bounds.
"Of course. You have to understand that in the outside world, you might not even be able to buy a ten-year-old Profound Water Spirit Loach with several thousand spirit coins. It’s a premium item that money often can’t buy. Other than this Jade Cold Pool, I haven’t heard of any other place that has these things." As he spoke, a coveted look appeared on his face. Lowering his voice, he added, "Don’t you guys have any ideas? Not even the Academy knows exactly how many Profound Water Spirit Loaches are in this cold pool."
Xu Yang remained silent, but Zhuang Tao revealed a somewhat tempted expression.
"This thing has the effect of strengthening muscles and bones. Given your Body Refining Talent, Xu Yang, you might be able to cultivate the Azure Dragon Dominating Body after consuming it," Zhang Cheng said, looking at him.
Hearing this, Xu Yang cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for the reminder, Brother Zhang. Once I have enough credits, I will exchange for one to try."
Zhang Cheng growled under his breath, "You should understand what I mean. Saving up credits for an exchange isn’t as good as taking them ourselves. As long as the three of us join forces, no one will ever find out if we fish out a few to eat."
"Brother Xu, two hundred credits is not a small amount," Zhuang Tao chimed in.
Xu Yang’s expression darkened. "Gentlemen, I will pretend I heard nothing of what was said today. Whatever you want to do has nothing to do with me, as long as you don’t do it in front of my face."
Their words were highly tempting, but he couldn’t possibly take a risk for such a minor benefit. Something that could be obtained for a mere two hundred credits wasn’t worth stealing while on guard duty.
Moreover, if his guess was correct, these two likely had an ulterior motive. They hadn’t known each other for long, and their relationship was only average at best, yet they dared to invite him to do something that could get him expelled from the Celestial Strategy Academy.
He didn’t know whether his own brain was lacking, or if it was theirs.
However, he didn’t expose them. Some things were better kept to oneself.
The true mastermind behind this was likely Luo Zhao. If he had actually been persuaded by these two and made a move to fish out a Profound Water Spirit Loach, someone would probably jump out the very next second and catch him red-handed.
The two of them tried to persuade him for a while longer, but Xu Yang remained unmoved, and they finally dropped the subject.
They had no idea that he had long since mastered the Azure Dragon Dominating Body. Trying to tempt him with the prospect of cultivating it was completely useless.
After cultivating for a bit longer, Xu Yang felt his body reaching its limit, so he was the first to stand up and leave.
"To think he didn’t take the bait. What a pity." Zhang Cheng wore a look of regret as he and Zhuang Tao quickly followed suit and left.
The two of them walked in a circle before quietly slipping into Luo Zhao’s stone hut.
"How did it go? Did he agree?" Luo Zhao asked eagerly.
Zhuang Tao shook his head. "He wasn’t swayed. I told you this method wouldn’t work. With his kind of talent, it’s absolutely impossible for him to take a risk over something that can be obtained for a mere two hundred credits."
Two hundred credits was a huge sum for them, but Xu Yang was a genius on the Celestial Strategy Wind and Cloud List. Combining the list’s rewards with the credits from completing tasks, he could gather enough credits to exchange for a Profound Water Spirit Loach in just three months. If Zhuang Tao were in Xu Yang’s shoes, he wouldn’t do something so self-destructive either.
"To think he’s so vigilant," Luo Zhao said, his face darkening.
"Since he won’t take the bait, let’s just fish one out and plant it in his room to frame him directly," Zhang Cheng suggested, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes.
Zhuang Tao shook his head. "No. Do you think he’s just some random nobody you can frame so easily? With his talent, if something like this happens, it will definitely alert the Dean. With the Dean’s methods, he’d be able to tell at a glance whether Xu Yang was framed or not."
Luo Zhao nodded. "Zhuang Tao is right. We can’t do it that way. We must make him do it himself to ensure it’s foolproof. This was only the first time, so it’s normal for him to be on guard. If we bring it up a few more times, I don’t believe he won’t be tempted."
Over the following days, Zhang Cheng and Zhuang Tao frequently egged Xu Yang on to fish for the Profound Water Spirit Loach, but Xu Yang remained entirely unmoved.
SCREECH—
One day, the cry of an eagle tore through the sky. A giant eagle could be seen flying in from the horizon, rapidly transforming from a mere black dot into a massive creature with a wingspan of five or six meters.
Xu Yang stood up from the ground, while Zhuang Tao and Zhang Cheng beside him also raised their guard.
A few breaths later, the giant eagle landed just outside the Jade Cold Pool. A figure carrying a huge iron bucket jumped down from its back.
"He must be here to fetch water." Zhuang Tao relaxed his tense body.
The water of the Jade Cold Pool could be used for quenching Spiritual Soldiers, making it one of the finest spirit waters available. Many Masters of Weapon Forging in Yunzhou City relied on the water from the Jade Cold Pool year-round to quench their Spiritual Soldiers, so people would occasionally come to fetch some.
Xu Yang hadn’t been here long and had never seen this happen before.
A short while later, Luo Zhao and the man carrying the iron bucket walked in from outside.
"It’s actually Master Ma."
"Master Ma has been stealing the spotlight lately. It’s said that he forged a High-tier Spiritual Weapon."
Seeing this person, Zhang Cheng and Zhuang Tao couldn’t help but be shocked. Those who were still inside their stone huts all came out, with some even stepping forward to greet him ingratiatingly. Zhuang Tao and Zhang Cheng also left Xu Yang behind and ran over to bow in respect.
"Xu Yang, get over here and draw a bucket of water for Master Ma!" Luo Zhao barked.
Xu Yang frowned slightly. With so many people wanting to kiss Master Ma’s ass, that bastard Luo Zhao specifically ordered him to draw the water instead. He was obviously doing it to disgust him on purpose.
"There’s no need for the trouble. This young friend doesn’t look very happy about it, so I’ll just draw the water myself," Master Ma said with a smile.
"How can that be? You are a dignified Master of Weapon Forging of our generation. How can we let you do such a menial task yourself?" Luo Zhao shot a sharp glare over. "Are you deaf, Xu Yang? Didn’t you hear me tell you to draw water for Master Ma?"
"My assignment is to garrison this place, not to draw water for people. If you want to brown-nose someone, leave me out of it," Xu Yang said, glaring back coldly.
Luo Zhao’s move was quite malicious. If Xu Yang obeyed and drew the water, Luo Zhao would be stepping all over his face. If he didn’t obey, then he would be offending this Master Ma, whose status was evidently very high.