Chapter 100: Entering the Water Daoist Faction
Translator: Radiant
Editor: Radiant
Enveloped in flames, Xue Ying flew north at top speed. Every now and then, he would look at the scenery below.
As he flew further north, the temperature started to drop rapidly. There were gradually fewer cities and villages left to be seen.
"Hu~~~"
It was white everywhere.
The vast Northern Snowy Plains appeared in his sight. In truth, the five northern provinces held these snowy plains as their border. This snowy expanse in front of him… was humongous. Spanning over fifty thousand kilometers, its inaccessibility was one reason why it was rare to find anyone within. Though, another reason might be the beasts scouring this snow-laden area.
Hong long long~~~ A herd of gigantic beasts that resembled a hill darted around in the air.
"Snowy Plains White-Haired Elephants?" Xue Ying was flying high above them. Looking downwards, that herd of gigantic beasts was over ten meters high, with four thick limbs. Their entire body was covered in thick, long fur. Even if a Silver Moon knight desperately attacked it, he would have a hard time penetrating through the thick layer of outer fur covering! Much less pierce through the thick layers of fat and skin underneath. That was why to a Silver Moon Knight, it was almost an impossibility for them to kill a Snowy Plains White-Haired Elephant.
Furthermore, these elephants loved moving in a herd! Once a huge herd of Snowy Plains White-Haired elephants charged forth as one… even a Legend-ranking knight would not dare to face it head-on. Should any human mortal army come, they would all be trampled over.
"A noteworthy feature about these Snowy Plains White-Haired Elephants is that they are docile." Xue Ying smiled. Due to this, they could be domesticated easily.
Within the snowy plains, those beasts who were aggressive had long been exterminated by humans.
…
The further north he flew, the colder the wind bit like a dagger.
"Water Daoist Faction!" Xue Ying brightened up.
After flying for six thousand kilometers, he had finally reached his destination.
The Great Snow Plains had its own mountain range. Along these 500-kilometers long of continuous mountain range, there sat a daoist temple on one of its peaks.
Sou. Xue Ying flew like a streamer towards it, descending from the skies onto the entrance of the temple.
"Protector Dong Bo." A heavy voice sounded.
Xue Ying looked around perplexedly.
The entire daoist temple was made from a single piece of dark gray metal. On top of the wall lay a serpentine carving. The left part depicted a bizarre flying beast, whilst the right was of a huge dragon. Right now, the origin of that voice came from the dragon sculpture, which could be seen from its moving mouth.
"Uh…" Xue Ying was stunned momentarily. This was clearly not a refiner organism. It was simply a carving.
"Haha, Protector Dong Bo." A streamer flew out from within the temple. An unruly yet handsome man, carrying a divine sword on his back, appeared at the entrance. "Our entire Water Daoist Temple is actually a Demigod-Grade treasure! As for Ancestor Dragon and Ancestor Sparrow, they are actually the spirit residing within it. They have been around ever since the start of Water Daoist Faction."
"Greetings Ancestor Dragon, Ancestor Sparrow." Xue Ying saluted.
At the same time, he was internally shocked.
From his own understanding, under ordinary circumstances, only Deity treasures would have Deity spirits! Usually, there would be no spirits within a Demigod treasure.
As for Deity treasures, they were extremely important to the entire Xia Clan, much more than the emergence of a Deity!
That was because a newly-born Deity would not know how to refine a Deity treasure. Every single piece of Deity treasure the Xia Clan possessed had been passed down from the Deity World or from the Dark Abyss.
"Little brat, focus on cultivating. I'll gamble with this old Dragon here that you will enter Saint Realm within 50 years." Ancestor Sparrow said.
"Don't give so much pressure to this young man. As long as you achieve a breakthrough within 100 years, you will be someone capable already." Ancestor Dragon said.
"These two Ancestors, I'll have to first bring Protector Dong Bo around. Farewell." The handsome man butted in before bringing Xue Ying inside of the temple.
It was relatively quiet within the temple. The mountain roads were winding and snow had accumulated on the surface. Occasionally, one could see a small courtyard on the side of the road where Legend mages and knights would stay at. They would salute respectfully whenever they saw Xue Ying.
"You can call me Gong Liang Yuan. I've just entered the Saint Realm." That handsome man laughed, "This Daoist Temple is a quiet and peaceful location for cultivating. The majority of people over here are Legend-rank mortals. At any one time, it would be normal for a few hundred of these Legend rankers to stay here and cultivate. Only when one feel that he could no longer improve any further would he head home."
"As for Transcendents, those at the Saint Realm and Demigod Realm will usually stay hidden in the temple to cultivate."
"And as for Sky Realm Transcendents, you will not see them very often. They would either be within the mortal world or at the Infernal World. It is normal for Transcendents younger than 500 to have attachments to the mortal world. The older one gets, the less they will participate in matters within the mortal world."
Gong Liang Yuan explained.
"Since this is your first time in our Daoist Temple, the matter of utmost importance for you right now is to choose a suitable Qi cultivation method, and a secret technique! There's also the matter of your Transcendent weapon and Origin Stones."
…
As they walked through the peaceful temple, Xue Ying was first led by Gong Liang Yuan to collect his 300 kilograms of Origin Stones! Soon, he would be choosing a Qi cultivation method.
"Brother Dong Bo, in order to obtain Origin Stones, cultivation methods, secret techniques or weapons… a Transcendent would usually have to exchange them with Transcendent contribution points!" Gong Liang Yuan spoke in amazement, "I could still remember those times where I had to fight desperately in completing the Transcendent missions, and at times, I had to tread carefully between life and death in order to obtain enough Transcendent contribution points. After that, I still had to calculate carefully and exchange the most optimal combinations of cultivation methods and secret techniques. As compared to many other Transcendents, Brother Dong Bo, the resources given to you at the start is a lot more than them."
"I feel ashamed." Xue Ying answered.There's no reason for you to feel ashamed. These resources were actually obtained by some Saint and Demigod Realm experts. It's impossible for any ordinary Transcendents to get a large pile of resources freely. Want some? Then put in effort to exchange them with contribution points! Only a rare few of absolute geniuses like you, brother Dong Bo, will directly obtain a large amount of resources." Gong Liang Yuan replied.
Xue Ying understood.
Origin Stones could only be obtained within the Transcendent worlds! And those who were willing to risk their lives within the Transcendent worlds were minimally someone with combat power equivalent to a Saint. Only the strongest Saint experts would be able to obtain a huge amount of Origin Stones.
…
The Qi Technique Pavilion.
Within an ordinary wooden three storey building, Xue Ying entered by himself in search of the most appropriate cultivation method.
A good and appropriate cultivation method was really important as it enabled one to efficiently cultivate oneself all the way to the Demigod realm!
Even if it might not be that important in some cases… every Transcendent would still definitely choose the best cultivation method. Under the situation where one lacked enough contribution points, it would be better to switch as one progressed. For example, first, obtain a Sky Realm cultivation method. After reaching the Saint Realm, one could then switch to a cultivation method more suitable for a Saint.
"A Deity-Grade Flame Qi cultivation method comprises of two different categories, Stellar Flame Qi and Fire Dragon Qi." Xue Ying contemplated as he flipped through the methods.
He could ignore the restriction behind choosing one for his current cultivation realm and just looked for the best one for himself.
"Which should I choose?"
"Fire Dragon Qi is more ferocious while the Stellar Flame Qi is more balanced in all aspects." Xue Ying was deep in thought, before finalizing his decision, "Let's go with the Stellar Flame Qi."
Choosing a Qi cultivation was relatively easy.
After all, a cultivation method was solely used for cultivating oneself.
As for the deciding factors behind a battle? One's experience in techniques, one's realm, weapon and secret technique were all factors that could not be neglected.
Experience in techniques and one's realm of comprehension were internal and had to be accumulated over time.
As for weapons and secret techniques, they could be chosen.
The reason why so many people joined the Temple of Earth God and Bloodshed Tavern, despite its strict rules and regulations, was because of the numerous Deity-Grade secret techniques they had!
"Brother Dong Bo, it is important to think carefully when choosing a weapon and secret technique." Gong Liang Yuan advised, "You can only freely select one secret technique for yourself. In the future, any secret techniques you need will depend on yourself completing Transcendent Tasks for contribution points to exchange with! Thus, you must really think through this thoroughly, else you might really regret it in the future."
"I understand." Xue Ying was prudent in his selection.
"Weapon or special technique first?" Gong Liang Yuan asked.
"Let's go select the weapon first. Selecting the appropriate weapon is easier. Following that, I'll select the secret technique! After all, there are numerous secret techniques, and finding the right technique is more important." Xue Ying answered. The decision of choosing the right secret technique had the greatest impact on one's combat power, much greater than choosing the right weapon! A Deity-Grade secret technique would result in ten times the difference between two Transcendents of similar abilities in all other areas when compared to an ordinary secret technique!
One could even be killed in a single move!
Thus, one could understand how precious a secret technique was. Even though Xue Ying could not obtain a Deity-Grade secret technique, he would still want to choose the one that stood closest to it, allowing himself to stand on a closer footing in terms of secret techniques with those from Temple of Earth God, Bloodshed Tavern and the Demonic Faction.
Of course, a secret technique still had to be studied. Compared to someone who had just ascended and obtained a Deity-Grade secret technique, a person who had comprehended a weaker secret technique to the stage of grand completion could certainly suppress the other party who just obtained the Deity-Grade secret technique.
But of course, regardless of that, the stronger the secret technique, the better it would be.Chapter 101: Vice Head
Translator: Radiant
Editor: Radiant
Inside Water Daoist Temple.
Xue Ying and Gong Liang Yuan walked abreast, eventually arriving in front of a big pavilion that bordered a lake. On the lake, one could see a bald, skinny old man, who emitted vigorous breath, fishing in peace.
"He's Vice Head Chao Qing." Gong Liang Yuan expression slightly changed and transmitted his voice, "I planned to wait until you finished selecting your weapon and secret technique before bringing you to greet the Vice Head. I never thought we would meet him here. Vice Head is already more than two thousand eight hundred and sixty years old. His life expectancy is already nearing its limit."
"Is he?" Xue Ying felt deep veneration for him.
Demigod ranking number nine, Chao Qing, Water Daoist Faction Vice Head, grasping the True Meaning of Thunder God, a single streak of lightning unhindered under heaven.
Demigods only had a maximum lifespan of three thousand years. But just like mortals, Demigods don't usually reach that maximum limit. If a mortal had a hundred year lifespan, reaching ninety years was already considered pretty good. A similar analogy can be made for Meteor ranks with two hundred year lifespans, reaching one hundred and eighty years was considered good.
Only some formidable Transcendents were able to reach that limit.
Elder Lei Zhen had consumed the Stone of Oceanic World's spiritual liquid as his main diet, cultivating and polishing his spirit body, so he was able to live for one thousand five hundred years. But without the aid of the Stone of Oceanic World spiritual liquid, his lifespan would have decreased by a hundred years. Most Demigods usually live until two thousand nine hundred years old. Of course, if they seriously injured themselves during battle, they could die earlier.
So…
Vice Head Chao Qing was already approaching the end of his lifespan.
"Vice Head," Gong Liang Yuan respectfully said, "This is Dong Bo Xue Ying."
"Xue Ying greets Vice Head." Xue Ying also respectfully greeted him.
The bald old man turned his head.
His body was already very old with a face full with wrinkles and clouded eyes. But even though a long time has passed since he last fought and his strength was still unclear, no one dared to sneer at him. His formidable 'Demigod ranking number nine' had resulted from his last battle.
"Good." the bald old man smiled and nodded, "This old man was really happy to see an extraordinarily talented genius in our Water Daoist Faction before my end arrives. I still remember the time when I was a Legend ranker, joining Water Daoist Faction with high spirits. How brother Zhang Chen guided me back then… But then I witnessed brother Zhang Chen's death after his life of over two thousand years.
To live and to die.
This old man have seen too much life and death." Vice Head Chao Qing laughed, "Not many people have lived longer than I have."
Xue Ying and Gong Liang Yuan obediently listened.
A Demigod who had lived for nearly three thousand years, for the twenty eight years old Xue Ying, was a living witness to history!
"Dong Bo Xue Ying." Vice Head Chao Qing abruptly said.
"Junior's here." replied Xue Ying respectfully.
"As a new Transcendent, you definitely have to make a trip to the Infernal World." said Vice Head Chao Qing, "Sky Realm Transcendents will face cruel battles inside the Infernal Realm. Many Transcendents die there! A talented genius like you needs to be careful when you're still weak. Don't die young inside the Infernal Realm."
"Junior understands." Xue Ying felt moved by Chao Qing's words.
He himself understood.Sky Realm Transcendents were prohibited from entering other Transcendent Worlds because of the danger. There was no danger inside the mortal realm for Transcendents, almost all the danger resided inside the Infernal Realm! For the sake of sharpening themselves and gaining experience, many Sky Realm Transcendents would be met with death. It was not as if the Transcendents willingly sought for death.
It was extremely difficult for Transcendents to advance if they solely focused on practicing. Like the battle between Xue Ying and the Shadow Leopard that year, battle allowed them to temper themselves and increase their combat prowesses greatly. That year, a single battle had allowed him to break through a rank. Similarly, Transcendents who sought to walk further had no choice but to seek progress through tempering.
Tempering themselves for ten years would give them better results than practicing for a hundred years.
"Newly arrived Transcendents in the Infernal Realm will go through the 'Transcendent Life and Death Battle' that has been specially prepared for them. Only newly advanced Transcendents are allowed to participate." Vice Head Chao Qing smiled, "This Transcendent Life and Death Battle is relatively safe and will be watched by many Xia Clan members. This Transcendent LIfe and Death Battle has been held for countless years, some say since the beginning of Infernal Realm. History's greatest Demigod from one thousand million years ago, the Purgatory Knight Jie Li, was , able to go until the eleventh match when he just ascended to Transcendent!
In the recent thousand years, the most accomplished one is that girl, 'Dan Qing Yan' with nine matches! It really is a pity that when she became a Saint Realm Transcendent, she died within a Transcendent World.
In the past, I also survived until the sixth match." Vice Head Chao Qing looked at Xue Ying, "Dong Bo Xue Ying, you can light a new path for our Water Daoist Faction! Survive until ninth, no, tenth match!
Xue Ying inwardly groaned.
'Vice Head's requirement was so high! Nine or ten matches?'
After perusing Elder Lei Zhen's memoir, Xue Ying clearly knew about the 'Transcendent Life and Death Battle'.
This was a newly advanced Transcendent's privilege!
Battling arranged opponents in a fixed location, this was clearly an attempt to teach newly advanced Transcendents what Transcendent level combat was. The opponents were usually natives of Transcendent Worlds, and even Demigods may often come to watch. If a fight became dangerous to the point of lethality, the Demigod could make a move to save the participant.
In essence, the Transcendent Life and Death Battle was relatively safe, and also provided a rare chance to observe the various natives of Transcendent Worlds.
But…
A battle between Transcendent Life and Death Battle participants reached such speed that sometimes, even a Demigod is unable to interrupt and save the losing participant. On average, every two or three hundred years there would be one unlucky participant who died while participating at Transcendent Life and Death Battle.
Even Elder Lei Zhen only lasted until the fifth match.
"How many matches did Elder Eternal Wind complete?" asked Xue Ying curiously.
"Chi Qiu Bai? He also battled until the sixth match." Vice Head Chao Qing laughed, "Chi Qiu Bai wasn't that dazzling when he was a Sky Realm Transcendent. Although he was still young when he became a Transcendent, he had only comprehended the basic, most ordinary aspect of the profound mysteries of Myriad Existence. Afterwards, he abruptly rose, reaching the point where he could even comprehend heaven defying techniques.
One's potential also could be seen from their performance in the Transcendent Life and Death Battle."
As long as they were still alive, the higher their Battle of Life and Death result, the higher their future achievements will be." said Vice Head Chao Qing, "But there are always exceptions. Rarely, Transcendents with low results obtain high achievements later in life. Take for instance, Mountain Lord He, the number one expert under the heavens today. At that time, he only lasted until his third battle. Ha ha… but keep in mind, you are not Mountain Lord He. Being a Mage, he loves to immerse himself in study. "
"Moreover, the Battle of Life and Death is the only safe opportunity for you to become familiar with the natives from Transcendent Worlds. You have to properly use this opportunity." Vice Head Chao Qing advised, "In the future, there will be no more opportunities like this one."
Xue Ying nodded, "Junior understands."
"Go, go pick your weapon. No need to accompany this old man." said Vice Head Chao Qing, "Right, I see you have already awakened your primordial bloodline. When you're choosing your secret techniques at Secret Technique Pavilion, you can go to the innermost bookshelf of the third floor and carefully look around."Xue Ying's eyes sparkled.
The third floor of the Secret Techniques Pavilion? The innermost bookshelf?
"Thank you for Vice Head's grace." replied Xue Ying respectfully.
The old man peacefully returned to his fishing, eyes half closed…
Xue Ying and Gong Liang Yuan respectfully bade their farewell and then left.
"Brother Dong Bo, looks like Vice Head has a good impression of you," whispered Gong Liang Yuan, "Actually before, when we talked about you, we also made a bet about your Transcendent Life and Death Battle. Most of us think the highest you can go is the sixth match."
"I myself am not sure about my result," replied Xue Ying nonchalantly, his heart only concerned with the third floor of the Secret Techniques Pavilion that the Vice Head mentioned. What did he mean by it?Chapter 102: Weapons
Translator: Radiant
Editor: Radiant
The two of them walked towards the Weaponry Pavilion.
"You can enter to choose a weapon. I'll wait for you outside." Gong Liang Yuan stood outside the door.
"Alright." Xue Ying entered.
Similar to the Qi Technique Pavilion from before, this large, weapon-filled pavilion did not have any protectors within. As for the reason why… it was simply because the entire Water Daoist Temple was a Demigod-grade treasure. The spirits within, 'Ancestor Dragon' and 'Ancestor Sparrow,' were able to completely control this entire place. Thus, they couldn't steal any treasures or take one by force.
"Weapons are essentially an extension of one's limbs. They are the most important partner one could have in a battle." Xue Ying understood that a good weapon could increase one's combat power tremendously.
Xue Ying walked forward at a fast pace.
Soon, he reached the area where spears were placed.
"Racing Thunder Spear, Human low-grade, requires an exchange of 0.5 kilograms of Origin Stones."
Xue Ying looked towards the azure spear stabbed onto the ground. A metal plate beside it gave a simple description. Plucking the spear from its resting place, he casually swung it. Hu Chi! The spear cleaved space as it moved. Yet, even when followed by a single-handed stab with rippling energy rotating around its length, the slightest damage could not be seen on the walls of the seemingly ordinary pavilion.
"Low grade human rank is one of the worst ranks of Transcendent weapons. The power it transmits isn't as excellent as my Flying Snow God Spear, and despite being made with Transcendent materials, its refinement is atrocious." Xue Ying silently shook his head. This spear was most likely the failed refining experiment of some Transcendent.
Not every Transcendent weapon had to be better than a mortal weapon.
Among mortals, a third rank refiner weapon could cost more than a million gold. When comparing the value, it does not lose out to this Human low-grade Transcendent weapon. But to mortals, a third-order refined mortal weapon would be far more useful than a Transcendent weapon!A transparent fluid force could be seen surrounding the boots.
The high speed airflow generated from his movement could even be guided by this fluid forceit, reducing the air resistance he faced by a huge margin. As a result of their speed, all Transcendent movement had the tendency to produce a large amount of air resistance. For example, the shockwave generated from a spear thrust was essentially the manipulation of the whiplash effect from air resistance. Thus, reducing Xue Ying's air resistance would definitely allow him to greatly increase his agility.To all Transcendents, as a result of being able to move quickly, any of their movement would definitely produce great air resistance. Like the high pressure shockwave created by a stabbing motion of the spear, it was actually generated by the whiplash effect caused by air resistance. Thus, being able to reduce the resistance one faced would certainly allow one to greatly increase his nimbleness.Cool."
Xue Ying was elated in joy.
Having chosen the Saint low-grade Black Dragon Spear and the Profound Boots of Fluidity, Xue Ying went on to select another Human top-grade black-coloured robe that could similarly reduce the air resistance he faced. After all, the Saint top-grade protective inner vest he was wearing already provided him with a huge defensivee boost.
"Good. Gather!" Xue Ying was exuberant.
"Ancestor Dragon, Ancestor Sparrow, I've made my choice. I want these three." Xue Ying said.
"Little brat, the Water Daoist Faction has only sponsored you with forty kilograms of Origin Stones. These three pieces you selected would require 118 kilograms of Origin Stones instead." Ancestor Sparrow's crisp sound was heard echoing from within the pavilion, "Even though you have many Origin Stones, those are still required to be used on cultivating Qi. Cultivating Qi is more fundamental than wasting too much on these external goods. Even though they might increase your current combat power significantly now, the moment you reached the Saint Realm, they could no longer provide any aid for you!"
"I understand" Xue Ying nodded.
After all, he still had over 1500 kilograms of Origin Stones! The Water Daoist Faction had also provided him with 300 kilograms, thus the confidence.
"Ancestor Sparrow, how much could I sell this spear for?" Xue Ying waved his hands, taking out a crimson-coloured spear. This was actually the Saint low-grade spear left behind by Elder Lei Zhen. Since it had no use for him, he might as well sell it to the Water Daoist Faction. Selling and buying weapons in one's own organisation would be the most valuable course of action.
"Oh?"
An unseen fluctuation swept across the crimson spear.
"This Saint low-grade weapon, Haha, I'll buy it for 50 kilograms of Origin Stones." Ancestor Sparrow said, "It seems like you, little brat, encountered some fortunate opportunities. Including this spear into the transaction, you still have to cover the remaining twenty-eight kilograms of Origin Stones. Oh, every time one has a breakthrough into Transcendence, the Water Daoist Faction will provide 50 contribution points. Every contribution point can be exchanged for half a kilogramme of Origin Stones."
Xue Ying nodded. This was something he knew. Usually, any new Transcendents would use this gift of 50 contribution points to exchange for weapons or even secret techniques! But it was such a pittance that it could not be exchanged for any good products.
"I'll just have to pay another three kilograms of Origin Stones, right?" Xue Ying felt pleasant as he took out the required amount of Origin Stones before placing them upon the shelf.
Hu.
The stones and the crimson spear vanished in mid-air.
…
As he walked out of the Weaponry Pavilion, Xue Ying was finally fully equipped in Transcendent treasures. The worst quality treasure he was wearing was the Transcendent top-grade Human robe. The rest were all low-grade Saint and top-grade Saint.
"Comparing with other Transcendents of similar cultivation, I would say that I have a distinct advantage in armaments." Xue Ying smiled happily.
"Brother Dong Bo, it seems that your mood is quite pleasant." Gong Liang Yuan noted.
"I've let you wait for quite a while. My apologies." Xue Ying apologized.
"Choosing the right weapon is important, what is an hour or two for us Transcendents? Let's go find you a suitable secret technique." Gong Liang Yuan replied.