Chapter 67: Han Ming Feels Like He Can Do It Again
Baizhi was worried about the incident that transpired in the mines. Although she had secured victory, it was still not enough.
If the Sect Master hadn't informed her at the last minute, she wouldn't have been able to capture so many traitors and intruders. The sect would have suffered great losses.
Baizhi had suspected that the mines would've been the target, but she hadn't paid enough attention. She was so focused on dealing with Azure Mountain that she had neglected the situation in the mines.
She had thought that the mines were inside the sect, so she would have enough time to make preparations. The mines were important for the sect. Spirit ores weren't the only things found in the mines of this sect.
However, the mines were dangerous. The miners were instructed to dig bit by bit before they were allowed to venture deeper to find other treasures.
The Sect Master had let slip the rumor about the special treasure hidden in the mines because of which they had captured many traitors and intruders. Baizhi was nervous. She couldn't see through the Sect Master's intentions.
"In the months that we spent fighting the Azure Mountain, it has become apparent that we have the advantage. The Azure Mountain isn't as strong as we thought. They are weaker because of internal disagreements. We plundered a lot of treasures and even obtained Azure Mountain's cultivation technique:
Azure Divine Transformation Technique."
Baizhi laid the treasures on the floor. There were sabers, books, pills, pendants, etc.
Hong Yuye glanced at them briefly and turned away. She did not care for trinkets.
Hong Yuye looked at Baizhi unwaveringly.
Baizhi took a deep breath. "I found clues about the person who might be behind the Azure Mountain's provocation. This is what I found Baizhi took out a stone slab. It floated toward Hong Yuye.
The stone tablet was full of strange symbols.
"This looks like something that came from overseas," said Baizhi. "I think that the one who covets the Heavenly Fragrance Dao Flower is someone foreign." Hong Yuye looked at the stone tablet a while longer and then put it away.
A book floated toward her. This was a manual for Azure Mountain's cultivation technique: Azure Divine Transformation Technique.
She flipped through it briefly and then closed it.
"Looks like we've gained quite a lot this time," said Hong Yuye. "Let the disciples compete. Those disciples in the Foundation Establishment Realm, Golden Core Realm, and Primordial Spirit Realm can compete for the treasures as a reward. Five from each of these major realms. As for the rest… exchange them for contribution points."
"What kind of treasure should I set as a reward for the Foundation Establishment Realm?" asked Baizhi.
Hong Yuye glanced at the saber and thought for a moment. Then, she shook her head. "You decide that by yourself."
She picked up the book. "Is the Azure Mountain destroyed for good?"
"Not entirely," said Baizhi. "We attacked but were forced to retreat before we could completely occupy them. If we want to exterminate them, we need to mobilize larger forces. Other sects are helping them flee. It'll take a long time to get rid of them."
"That's alright," said Hong Yuye and threw the book to Baizhi. "If Azure Mountain no longer existed, you could use the manual to open a new branch in the sect. Since they are alive, the twelve main branches can compete to win this cultivation technique. This will be coveted by the twelve branches. It means one more option of cultivation technique to choose from."
Balzm nodded. sne couldn't compete because sne was tne Acting sect master. Only the rest of the eleven branches could compete to own the Azure Divine Transformation Technique.
Jiang Hao went to meet the Cliff Master. He had suffered some injuries because of the incident at the mines. It seemed no one had remained unscathed.
After that, he went to find Mu Qi and informed him about the incident and how he was sent back. Mu Qi thanked him profusely and offered him many resources and rewards. He was happy to give them away.
Jiang Hao bowed and thanked him.
Back at the Spiritual Herbal Garden, Jiang Hao met Han Ming.
After a few months of fighting, Han Ming's cultivation had strengthened. He was no longer the young and naive youth from before.
"Senior Brother Jiang," said Han Ming. "How nice to meet you again!"
"Junior Brother Han, it's nice to meet you too! Still up for a challenge?" asked Jiang Hao.
Han Ming chuckled. "Not yet… I still feel that I'm not strong enough. I just needed some spirit herbs, so I came over. I contributed a lot this time and gained a lot of resources to further my cultivation. Senior Brother Jiang, you should also try it. That way, your cultivation will increase faster, and you'll also gain experience."
"Junior Brother Han, I'm glad to see how strong you've become. Ordinary people can't even compare to you," said Jiang Hao.
Han Ming smiled confidently. He bid farewell to Jiang Hao and turned to leave. "Senior Brother Jiang, you should also contribute to the fight and advance quickly. Otherwise, I'll catch up soon."
Jiang Hao smiled in return. Only he knew how much he was trying to avoid "contributing" to the fight.
If he did anything to "help" and clear his name, Liu Xingchen definitely wouldn't be able to help him out next time..
Chapter 68: Jiang Hao Makes It To The Top Ten
After seeing Han Ming off, Jiang Hao walked around the Spirit Herb Garden.
The spirit beast followed him around. "Who is that?"
"A True Disciple," said Jiang Hao. "His status is higher than mine in the sect, so don't cause any trouble."
"True Disciple? It's no wonder he didn't give me a second glance. Master, you need to work hard to elevate your status around here."
Jiang Hao glanced at the spirit beast but didn't respond. He had been in the mine for so long. Jiang Hao knew that the beast was just joking. By now, it knew how to act around others, especially in the sect.
"Master, why don't you follow me? Everyone in the underworld knows that I have unlimited potential and will definitely dominate the world in the future."
Jiang Hao ignored the beast. The beast was getting arrogant day by day. Jiang Hao only hoped that it wouldn't cause any trouble.
He busied himself in the Spirit Herb Garden. He was once again back to collecting a few bubbles a day.
Jiang Hao missed mining. It was so easy to get bubbles in the mine.
If nothing worked, Jiang Hao had planned to do something that would get him punished and sent back to the mine. However, the mine needed to be made safe first. It would take too long..
Even other miners were being assigned jobs in other areas of the sect.
In the evening, Jiang Hao returned to his house and planned things out.
He had received news that the Heavenly Note Sect had won against the Azure Mountain. They had brought home many treasures. The battle was over.
The Heavenly Note Sect had captured many intruders and traitors. If the captives were lucky, the other sects would come to claim them. If not, they would be doomed to work in the mines forever.
Women who were captured might be taken away by the Heavenly Joy Pavilion
Jiang Hao sighed. He couldn't interfere in this matter. He had no status, no resources, and no spirit stones even to buy a saber. How could he help others when he couldn't even help himself?
He took out the talisman manual and read it. He needed to earn more spirit stones.
Jiang Hao only had 350 spirit stones left. He still needed to buy a good saber and some good quality tea.
He opened the talisman-making manual. The first on the page was the Healing Talisman. It was similar to the Pain-Relieving Talisman but much more effective.
Few people bought the Healing Talisman, but there was always someone in need. It was good to have them handy. He would definitely find some customers for it.
A Healing Talisman wasn't as effective as a Healing Spell, but it was useful in emergencies. For example, if someone was seriously injured and, in a state, where they couldn't cast a Healing Spell, a Healing Talisman might just buy them some time till they were rescued.
Therefore, people in the Foundation Establishment Realm and Golden Core Realm often kept these talismans handy, especially if they were venturing outside the sect.
Jiang Hao studied the process of making such a talisman. The paper used to make these was the same as the one used in the Ten Thousand Swords Talismans. The price was half of what a Ten Thousand Swords Talisman would cost. He could only sell it for about 30 spirit stones.
"It's a pity I didn't make any talismans before the battle with the Azure
Mountain, " muttered Jiang Hao. "Otherwise, I could've earned a lot."
The Healing Talismans would have sold for a lot because people going out to fight would have stocked up on them. Now, there would be fewer people buying it, and they would refuse to pay more than 30 spirit stones for it.
Taking a deep breath, Jiang Hao activated the Clear and Pure Heart ability and began to study the process for making Healing Talismans.
At the Cliff of Broken Hearts, Han Ming headed to the Cliff Master, Ku Wu Chang's house.
He looked excited. He was eager because the Cliff Master had said that all those who had contributed to the fight would be included in the Top Ten list depending on how much they had contributed. All those who made it to the list would receive a lot of rewards.
Han Ming didn't have a hope of making it into the top ten disciple list of the sect. However, he was sure he would be in the top ten when it came to disciples from the Cliff of Broken Hearts.
He had participated in the battle from the outset, passed five trials, and killed six generals. He had made a lot of contributions.
Han Ming wasn't the only one present in the Cliff Mater's courtyard. There were two other disciples. A Senior Brother and a Senior Sister.
There were only nine formidable disciples in the Cliff of Broken Hearts, including him. wol. c
Han Ming greeted Jiu Wu and Fei Zhu. They waited patiently in the courtyard.
Moments later, Mu Qi arrived. He turned to the Cliff Master. "Master, the Law
Enforcement Hall has sent over the merit list with the rankings."
He handed the list to the Cliff Master. Mu Qi then stood and waited with the other disciples.
"Senior Brother Mu, am I in the top ten?" whispered Han Ming.
Mu Qi chuckled. "I didn't get to peek at it, but the Law Enforcement Hall recognizes your contributions, Junior Brother Han. I'm sure you'll be in the top ten."
Han Ming was excited, but he didn't show it. He knew how to exercise self— control, especially among the seniors. If it was someone of lower status than him, then he could do whatever he pleased.
Han Ming would show off to Jiang Hao soon. This would work to his advantage in covering for the humiliation he had faced at Jiang Hao's hands in the last fight.
"Hmm?" Ku Wu Chang seemed surprised.
The disciples were even more curious now. Mu Qi was the only one who looked calm. It seemed as though he knew the reason for the Cliff Master's reaction.
"Interesting… two of the disciples from the Cliff of Broken Hearts made it to the list of top ten disciples of the sect," said the Cliff Master. "That's good. This means our branch will have more possibility of winning rewards during competitions."
"Master, who are they?" asked Han Ming eagerly.
Jiu Wu and Fei Zhu were also curious.
"One is Bai Yi. He is ranked seventh," said the Cliff Master.
Bai Yi was the first disciple of the Cliff of Broken Hearts. He was very powerful, so it wasn't much of a surprise.
"What about the other one?" asked Fei Zhu. "Jiang Hao. He is ranked tenth."
Han Ming was shocked to hear the name..
Chapter 69: Need to Get Rich
Han Ming's head buzzed when he heard Jiang Hao's name. He couldn't understand how Jiang Hao, who was still in the Foundation Establishment Realm, could make it into the top ten disciple list.
That didn't make any sense!
Only a few hours back, he had bragged about his achievements to Jiang Hao in the Spirit Herb Garden!
!!
Han Ming felt embarrassed. His achievements were nothing compared to this. He felt defeated.
He had clearly felt that he could surpass Jiang Hao soon, but…
When would he be able to best Jiang Hao in a fight?
The more he recalled Jiang Hao's calm face, the more embarrassed and frustrated he felt.
"Jiang Hao? Who's that?" Jiu Wu asked curiously.
"I think I heard his name before," said Fei Zhu. "He works in the Spirit Herb
Garden! I think he is in the middle stage of the foundation establishment Realm
"Yes. That's him," said Mu Qi.
"Middle stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm?!" Jiu Wu was in disbelief. "How did someone like that make it to the top ten disciple list from the whole sect?"
Han Ming perked up at the question. He wanted to know the exact same thing.
"A few days ago, the mine was under attack. Experts of the Blackheaven Sect and the Thunderstorm Sect led the attack. Manlong from the Flowing Waterfall was engaged in a fight with Xuanyuan Tai, an expert from the Blackheaven Sect. The attacker cast some runes which bound and rooted Manlong at that moment. Xuanyuan Tai was casting a teleportation array to escape when Jiang Hao single-handedly stopped him while giving Manlong the chance to break free. It was because of Jiang Hao that Manlong was able to capture Xuanyuan Tai," said Mu Qi. "Xuanyuan Tai is in the late stage of the Primordial Spirit
Realm."
Everyone was shocked at that. No one present had the courage to face someone in the late stage of the Primordial Spirit Realm, let alone fight them.
They lowered their heads. Han Ming was especially ashamed of himself. He didn't think he could even muster the courage to stay put if he had been in Jiang Hao's place.
"I recall that his name was in the suspect list of the Law Enforcement Hall. Has his name been cleared this time?" asked Fei Zhu.
"He… was cleared of previous suspicions, but he is somehow connected to the traitor Yan Hua this time. So, the Law Enforcement Hall cannot let him go entirely," said Mu Qi.
Mu Qi was also puzzled by this. He didn't know if the Law Enforcement Hall was doing it intentionally. Did they somehow want to protect Jiang Hao or were they just trying to prevent him from becoming a True Disciple?
In his opinion, Jiang Hao had already proved himself worthy of being given the title of a True Disciple. The only problem was that his talent wasn't anything extraordinary. He was only above average. However, his performance and contribution were enough for the Cliff Master to take Jiang Hao under his wing.
He was still a suspect, so that wouldn't happen anytime soon.
Ku Wu Chang interrupted their discussion. "Well… you have all worked very hard. Keep it up! I'm told that the competition between the disciples is going to take place in a few months. Five winners will be selected from each cultivation realm. There aren't many when you consider the twelve branches in the sect. I hope you all can do your very best."
They nodded.
Han Ming wanted to participate. This was his chance to prove that he was an outstanding disciple.
After one night of study, Jiang Hao finally understood how to make Healing Talismans.
For those in the Golden Core Realm, the success rate of making such a talisman was 50%. After a few practices, the success rate would at least be 80%. Jiang Hao was confident that he could get this right.
Being in a higher level of cultivation indeed had its perk. However, he couldn't sell too many of the talismans. Otherwise, some people might get suspicious.
There were some talismans that only those in the Golden Core Realm could create. He couldn't sell those yet. He could only sell the talismans that were possible for those in the Foundation Establishment Realm.
The first three talismans of the six Fine-Grade Talismans were of the latter type.
He needed to make a lot of those three types of talismans. He decided to make more of the Ten Thousand Swords Talismans. They sold very quickly. These were also considered the most ordinary and were easy to make.
Jiang Hao sighed and went out to the courtyard.
He looked at the Half-Moon Blade that he had buried in the dirt up to its hilt. It reminded him that he didn't have a saber that he could use.
He opened his interface. [Name: Jiang Hao]
[Age: 21]
[Cultivation: Middle Stage of Golden Core Realm]
[Cultivation Method: Heavenly Sound Hundred Revolutions, Hong Meng Heart Sutra]
[Divine Ability: Nine Revolutions Death Substitution (unique), Daily Appraisal,
Clear and Pure Heart]
[Lifeblood: 6/100 (cannot be cultivated)] [Cultivation: 10/100 (can be cultivated)]
[Divine Ability: 2/3 (cannot be obtained)]
Jiang Hao sighed. The numbers were pitiful, to say the least. In two days, his Cultivation and Lifeblood had made little to no progress.
"Well, first things first," muttered Jiang Hao. "I need to earn spirit stones. Then, I need to buy a saber and good quality tea. Oh, yeah… I need to save some spirit stones to feed the beast too."
The spirit beast needed a lot of spirit stones. "I hope Senior Brother Mu Qi rewards me with spirit stones. He did say he was going to give me resources
Jiang Hao headed straight to the Spirit Herb Garden. The spirit beast jumped up and followed Jiang Hao. It shook its neck to make the collar comfortable. The spirit beast had gained enough intelligence to know what the collar was
The spirit beast had gained enough intelligence to know what the collar was for. However, it had no intention of breaking it and escaping into the wild. It was proud of the collar. The collar set it apart from the wild, uncivilized beasts that roamed around without a purpose. It was proud of the fact that it was a special beast with a master who took care of it.
"Master, can't I eat people?" asked the spirit beast. "Do you find humans delicious?" asked Jiang Hao curiously.
The spirit east nodded.
"How many people have you eaten before?" asked Jiang Hao.
"Not even one… yet," said the spirit beast. "But all great demons eat humans.
Everyone knows that I'm a great demon."
Jiang Hao stared at the spirit beast. He wondered if he should let it go free because he didn't want it eating human beings in the sect.
He continued walking toward the Spirit Herb Garden. "Well then, I guess I'll have to get rid of you. I don't raise demons."
"Master, I was just joking," said the spirit beast hurriedly. "I'm not a demon. I can be a rabbit. I love carrots anyway!"
Jiang Hao shook his head. 'This beast has no shame
He saw Mu Qi in front of the Spirit Herb Garden. Jiang Hao felt nervous and excited.. He hoped today was the day when he would be rewarded with spirit stones!
Chapter 70: I Want Spirit Stones
Mu Qi waved at him. "Junior Brother Jiang, right on time!" he said. "I came here to ask you what kind of reward you wanted for helping me out."
Jiang Hao desperately wanted to say that he needed spirit stones but held himself back. "It's up to you, Senior Brother Mu."
Mu Qi chuckled. "You shouldn't be so humble, you know. You'll be at a disadvantage."
!!
Jiang Hao smiled. He didn't want to cause trouble unnecessarily. He didn't lack resources, except spirit stones. He could always get the bubbles in the Spirit Herb Garden.
"Well… I got some pills as a reward. Among them is the Golden Core Pill," said Mu Qi. "But I can't give that to you yet because you're still in the Foundation Establishment Realm. So… I can give you some spirit stones instead. Will that be okay?"
Disciples in the lower realm couldn't have pills of the higher realm. Jiang Hao was actually in the Golden Core Realm, so he could accept the pill, but he didn't want to reveal his cultivation.
"That's perfectly alright!" said Jiang Hao.
Mu Qi chuckled. "It seems you're in need of spirit stones," he said. "Well.. Alright. I have another Golden Morning Pill. It isn't particularly expensive, but again, I can't give it to you because of your cultivation level. So, I am going to give you 600 spirit stones instead of the Golden Core Pill and 250 for the Golden Morning Pill."
Mu Qi took out the spirit stones from his pouch, counted them, and handed them to Jiang Hao. "Here, a total of 850 spirit stones."
Mu Qi took out a bottle of pills. "These are Cleansing Pills. It can help clear out poison or toxins from your body. These are fairly easy to make. I can give these to you directly." He handed Jiang Hao the bottle of Cleansing Pills.
Jiang Hao had made those pills before. They sold at around 70 to 100 spirit stones each. He had kept some for himself because he was afraid of being poisoned.
"There is this spiritual sword. I can give this to you directly as well."
Jiang Hao hesitated. "Senior Brother Mu, could you keep the sword and give me spirit stones instead?"
Mu Qi laughed. "Of course! This spirit sword is decent. It will cost around 1000 spirit stones, I think. I can give you that amount."
Mu Qi took out more spirit stones and handed them to Jiang Hao.
Jiang Hao now had 1,850 spirit stones. If he added 350 spirit stones that he had on himself, he had a total of 2,200 spirit stones. That was a huge sum.
He could finally buy a better saber and tea leaves!
The Primordial Heavenly Blade was too powerful to be used as an ordinary saber.
He admired Mu Qi. Mu Qi was a good sport and was also very strong. He even received great rewards for his missions when compared to Jiang Hao!
Those in the Foundation Establishment Realm didn't even receive half as much in reward after missions. Having a higher cultivation level was indeed beneficial.
If he didn't already know that Mu Qi had acquired an inheritance in the mines and that's why he was being this generous, Jiang Hao would have suspected him of being a spy from another sect.
However, there was still the matter of his affair with the Heavenly Saint Sect's Saintess-in-training…
Jiang Hao needed to be careful.
"In a few months, there will be a competition. Junior Brother Jiang, do prepare for it," said Mu Qi.
Jiang Hao was confused. "A competition?"
"Yes. You didn't hear about it? The sect was victorious against the Azure Mountain, so they brought home a lot of looted treasures. The sect is going to distribute these treasures as rewards in the competition. Disciples from the Foundation Establishment Realm, Golden Core Realm, and Primordial Spirit Realm are all welcome to participate. The top five will get precious treasures as rewards."
Jiang Hao didn't respond. He couldn't care less about the competition and didn't really want to participate.
"You have made great contributions to the mine and to the sect. I think you'll be expected to participate in the competition. Usually, the competition would be among one or two branches, but this time, it's between all twelve branches. Don't worry, though. It'll be a simple competition, and no one would be expected to jump realms. But you can if you're confident enough."
Mu Qi bid him goodbye and left. Jiang Hao sighed wearily. Now, on top of everything, he needed to figure out a way to lose in the competition.
His "contribution" had done him more harm than good so far. First, he was almost removed from the suspect list, which would have been dangerous. And now, a competition!
'I wonder what the reward is
He asked around out of curiosity. Cheng Chou had somehow found the list of treasures that were to be assigned as rewards for the competition.
"For now, only the rewards for the Foundation Establishment Realm have been decided," said Cheng Chou. "We still don't know what the rewards would be for the other cultivation levels. Here… see for yourself."
Cheng Chou left the list with Jiang Hao and went to play with the spirit beast. There were a total of five items.
The first was the Nine Suns Saber, which was forged from the Nine Suns True Fire Stone. It was compatible with all cultivation techniques. It also had true fire attacks and was suitable for all cultivators below the Return to Void Realm. Overall, it was a powerful weapon.
Jiang Hao knew that this saber was very valuable. If he sold it, it would fetch him a decent price. He wanted it, but he didn't know if it was possible for him to win first place.
The second reward was a cultivation technique called the Heavenly Dawn Spiritual Technique. This was used to train one's spiritual energy.
The third was a spell technique, the Nine Suns Flame. It could draw a sea of fire and cause rapid explosions to injure many enemies at once. It had the power to surpass realms and was terrifyingly efficient.
The fourth was a Daoist Robe, which allowed the wearer to float in the air. It also made them impervious to fire and water. It could be used to resist most types of attacks.
Jiang Hao didn't really care for the rewards, except the saber.
He had the Nine Heavenly Battle Armor for defense, so he didn't care for the robe. The spells and cultivation techniques were useless for him too.
He glanced at the fifth reward. Jiang Hao felt that this particular reward was very strange.
A seed that contained extraordinary spiritual energy. Carrying it around could increase one's cultivation speed, and it also had the effect of focusing one's mind..
Chapter 71: Why Don't You Go and Check It Out?
'A seed with spiritual energy? What kind of seed is that?' Jiang Hao was interested in the seed.
If it was a powerful seed, he wanted to obtain it. These treasures were snatched from Azure Mountain, so they wouldn't be something simple.
The seed might not be as rare and powerful as the Heavenly Fragrance Dao Flower, but it would still be useful. It could even drop gold bubbles once in a while. Even if it only gave purple bubbles, that would still be great! But even if it wasn't as good, it would be fine if it could drop a gold one.
!!
However, he had to appraise it first. If it was worth something, then he needed to come up with a way to win in the competition among others from the
Foundation Establishment Realm.
'How do I make myself less conspicuous in the competition?'
Jiang Hao thought about it. He could make more talismans and fight with it instead.
The power of a Ten Thousand Swords Talisman was average. If he could create some Hundred Thousand Swords talisman, it could inflict significant damage to anyone in the Foundation Establishment Realm.
A Hundred Thousand Swords talisman was strong, but it wouldn't attract any unnecessary suspicion because it wasn't something unattainable for someone from the Foundation Establishment Realm. It required materials similar to a Healing Talisman.
He could make them tonight!
Jiang Hao headed to the market after that and set up his stall. There weren't many people. The market was almost empty except for a few disciples.
"Junior Brother Jiang, it has been a long time since I've seen you here." Leng Tian walked over to him.
"Senior Sister Leng, I hope you've been well," said Jiang Hao politely.
He noticed that Leng Tian was in the late stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm. Her cultivation wasn't refined yet, which meant that she must have advanced just recently.
"Healing Talismans? You can make those too?" Leng Tian looked at the talismans laid out in front of her. "How much is this one?
"30 spirit stones," said Jiang Hao.
"I want five of these," said Leng Tian. "Oh… do you have any Hundred Thousand Swords Talisman?
She handed him 150 spirit stones. The production cost had been 10 spirit stones to make one Healing Talisman. So, Jiang Hao earned a profit of 100 spirit stones.
"I don't have any Hundred Thousand Swords Talisman right now," said Jiang Hao. The truth was that he wouldn't sell them even if he had them. He wanted to keep them for himself for the competition.
"Senior Sister Leng, why are there so few people today?" asked Jiang Hao.
"You don't know?" said Leng Tian. "The sect has opened a temporary market. Many people go there these days. Our sect has brought home many treasures from the fight. They're selling most of them. You should go and check it out."
Jiang Hao nodded and thanked her. He wanted to check out this new market. He also had to buy some good quality tea as soon as possible.
Leng Tian looked around and then leaned forward. "I heard that you managed to make it to the top ten. If you do well in the competition, you can choose among the rewards. I heard that there is a rare treasure called the Heavenly Recovery Pill which can help you break through the bottleneck of the peak stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm to advance to the Golden Core Realm."
"Heavenly Recovery Pill?" asked Jiang Hao. "How much is that worth?"
Leng Tian thought for a while. "I'm not sure… It's useless for those in the Golden Core Realm, but priceless for those in the peak stage of the Foundation
Establishment Realm. I think I saw it being sold for 3000 spirit stones once. Someone else was selling it for 10,000 spirit stones."
"10,000?!"
After bidding farewell to Leng Tian, Jiang Hao went to the Snow Lotus Pavilion to buy some decent tea leaves.
The first person he asked for was Tian Qinghong.
"10,000 spirit stones for 5 grams."
'10,000?!' Jiang Hao was shocked. This was a daylight robbery! How could tea be so expensive?
"What about Spring in September tea?" Jiang Hao asked again.
She just extended a finger to point at another pack of tea.
In the end, he bought Azure Red tea, which cost around 100 spirit stones for 5 grams. He spent 500 on it.
Now he only had 1850 spirit stones left. He spent 200 of those to buy some talisman-making materials.
Jiang Hao then returned to his house. He began to make the Hundred Thousand Swords Talisman.
Six days passed by in a flash. He spent most Of his time in the Spirit Herb Garden. He only found a handful of blue bubbles. However, he was still glad for the small progress he had made.
In these six days, he was able to make a total of 30 talismans. 20 of those were the Hundred Thousand Swords Talismans, and 10 were Healing Talismans.
He wanted to sell five of the Healing Talismans and kept the rest for himself.
Jiang Hao wanted to go to the new market that had opened. He told the spirit beast to look after the house while he prepared to visit the market.
"Master, could you get me a new collar? A stronger one maybe… this one is becoming tighter."
Jiang Hao dropped it at home and he left. The spirit beast was about to advance in its cultivation level and would soon need a new collar.
He walked around the market and asked for the price of Healing Talismans in some of the stalls.. They were being sold for 50 spirit stones each!
Chapter 72: Daylight Robbery
Jiang Hao found a spot in the corner and sold five Healing Talismans. He also sold some of the Ten Thousand Swords talismans that he had left.
This was a good time to sell talismans. After a few days, the demand would be less, and people might not really pay a good price for the talismans.
Jiang Hao now had a total of 1,900 spirit stones. That should be enough to buy a decent saber.
!!
He sighed. It would be so great if he could find something that could be used both for the Foundation Establishment Realm and the Golden Core Realm.
Jiang Hao saw many Dharma treasures in some of the stalls. There were decent sabers for sale too. They were all ordinary, though. Occasionally, he found a good saber, but it was ridiculously expensive.
1,900 spirit stones were not enough.
Moreover, some merchants were very dishonest. They set exorbitant prices for some of the treasures and sabers when they weren't even that great.
He saw the Azure Red tea in one of the stalls. It was being sold for 100 spirit stones for 5 grams. However, the quality looked worse than the one he had bought.
Jiang Hao didn't want to buy it even if it was the same price. He was scared of that demoness. He didn't dare offer her a "fake" tea.
'I don't even know her name… I didn't try to appraise her last time.'
When he met her for the first time, he was still in the early stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm. He was now in the intermediate stage of the Golden Core Realm. Maybe he was strong enough to find out more about her.
Jiang Hao was looking forward to her visit for the first time in his life.
If he could find something about her, it would mean that he was stronger than before.
There were many merchants in the market who sold numerous things. Most of the things were looted from Azure Mountain.
There were even people from other sects. Jiang Hao was wary. He saw that they were from different levels of cultivation. Some were still in the Foundation EstaD11snment Realm, some or tnem were In tne 601aen core Realm ana otners were in the Lifeblood Refinement Realm. He didn't see anyone beyond the Golden Core Realm.
Jiang Hao walked around for a while. He saw a stall at the side that he wanted to check. There were two men at the stall who seemed to be in their late twenties.
As Jiang Hao approached, they smiled amiably. "Fellow disciple, want to take a look?"
There weren't many things in the stall. There were only three magic treasures, a passable spirit sword, and a very ordinary shield for sale.
None of these were worth any attention. However, a black blade caught Jiang Hao's eye.
Judging from the material and craftsmanship, the blade seemed better than the Half-Moon Blade he had used before.
It was still usable for someone in the Foundation Establishment Realm.
"How much is this saber?" asked Jiang Hao. He picked it up.
"Ah… this is called the Black Fox. It is the work of a very famous master. It does not come cheap. However, for you, we can make it 3,000 spirit stones," one of the men, Li Fei, said in a whisper.
Jiang Hao frowned. He didn't have that many spirit stones. The price was actually cheaper than what it would have cost in the Stellar Tower.
In the Foundation Establishment Realm, this might be the best saber one could find.
Jiang Hao wanted to buy it. Maybe he could add on some talismans with the spirit stones and make a deal..
Jiang Hao thought about it. He had some Healing Talismans and Hundred Thousand Swords Talismans. He also had some pills. That should be enough to make up for the shortage of spirit stones.
"Fellow disciple, you're having difficulties in making up your mind? We are in a bit of a hurry, so we can reduce the price by another 500," said Hong Lai.
The sudden drop in price made Li Fei unhappy, but he let it go.
Jiang Hao felt that something was not right. Why were they in such a hurry to sell this thing?
"You're lucky. This has been here a long time, and we want to get rid of it for new stocks."
Jiang Hao nodded. He suggested using some of the talismans to make up for the shortage of spirit stones.
Although the two men seemed hesitant, they agreed.
In the end, Jiang Hao gave them five Healing Talismans and 12 Hundred Thousand Swords Talisman on top of 1,900 spirit stones.
Li Fei smiled warmly. "Thank you, fellow disciple. Let me wrap it up for you." He picked up the sword, leaned down for a box, and handed it to Jiang Hao.
"It's great doing business with you."
Jiang Hao frowned. The weight wasn't right. He wanted to open the box to see if the sword was really there, but Li Fei put a hand on the box to stop him. "Fellow disciple, this transaction is over. You should leave now."
Jiang Hao suddenly realized that he had been cheated. The saber wasn't inside the box, and the men were threatening him.
They were both at the peak of the Foundation Establishment Realm. Jiang Hao nodded.
"Alright," he said and put the box away. Then, he left.
"Brother Li, the person seemed unnaturally calm. Is he dangerous?" asked Hong Lai.
"He was walking around alone tor a long wnlle. I don't tn111K ne nas anyD0dY else to ask for help," said Li Fei. "But we need to be careful anyway. We'll buy some resources to prevent him from coming after us. We can then modify our aura and disguise ourselves."
The two men walked to a corner. When they appeared in the market again, they had turned into two women. No one could recognize them..
Chapter 73: Where Is My Saber?
Before it got dark, the two women left the Heavenly Note sect in a hurry.
They had cheated a lot of people off their money.
Two had been in the early stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm, and the other one had been in the middle stage of the same realm. The former two were from other sects, and the latter was from the Heavenly Note Sect.
!!
They were not afraid of the other sects, but the Heavenly Note Sect was a different matter. They collected their stuff and prepared to leave.
"Will everything be okay?" asked the short-haired woman called Hong Lai.
"It's been so long since that transaction," said Li Fei, a long-haired, voluptuous woman. "If anything was supposed to happen, it would've happened a long time ago. Even if they send someone after us, they won't recognize us. I mean… even someone in the Golden Core Realm wouldn't be able to find us. That person seemed just too quiet to get involved in an altercation. There's no danger."
"True… that person seemed unnaturally calm," said Hong Lai. "It felt like he had no choice but to endure it. But he was the richest among those that we met today." Hong Lai laughed.
"He does seem talented at making talismans. It makes sense he would have tons of spirit stones. Don't worry too much about it," said Li Fei. "He's only in the middle stage of Foundation Establishment Realm. By the time he advances to the late stage, we'll already be in the Golden Core Realm. Our strengths will be miles apart. Don't let someone in the Foundation Establishment Realm
Just as Li Fei turned around, she stopped in her tracks. Hong Lai's face was covered in blood. She stared at Li Fei in terror.
A blade flashed. Li Fei's arm was severed from her shoulder.
"Who is it?!" shouted Hong Lai in fear.
A saber pierced through Hong Lai's torso. She spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Please… spare us. What do you want? We'll give you everything."
"Where is my saber?" said a voice from behind.
Hong Lai realized that it was Jiang Hao. They had succeeded in deceiving people numerous times. But this time…
Another knife slashed across her neck.
"Don't trouble yourselves. I'll get it myself."
Hong Lai felt the life drain out of her. She was so close to reaching the Golden Core Realm. So close…
After confirming that the two were dead, Jiang Hao took away anything that was valuable.
The Law Enforcement Hall did not investigate the death of disciples from other sects. So, ne didn't nave to clean up atter himselt this time.
At night, Jiang Hao sat cross-legged on the bed in his room. He looked through the stuff he had snatched from the two people.
There were some pills, talismans, and some magical array spells.
He sighed. "Only 300 spirit stones, 10 Healing Talismans, a few Hundred
Thousand Talismans… Those scums spent it all on stupid pills!"
He needed to buy some pills too, but he had no use for these. They were all for the Foundation Establishment Realm.
The only precious thing he had obtained was the black saber. He swung it around once and decided to use the name Half-Moon Blade for this saber as well. He would need to buy another in the future anyway. It didn't matter what name was used.
He put away the saber. He had also found a small iron dice with a face on each side.
"Is this what helped them change their appearance?
He used the Daily Appraisal on the small iron dice.
[Six-Sided Dice: A lucky treasure. Every time you throw it, the treasure will absorb a portion of your luck. It'll give you a new face and identity every time.
Very difficult to detect.]
Jiang Hao put the treasure away. It was a dangerous thing. If his luck was chipped away bit by bit, it would make his life unlivable at one point. The next day, Jiang Hao went to the courtyard to collect the bubbles.
[Lifeblood +1]
[Cultivation +1]
[Spirit +1]
The Blue Lotus and Snow Lotus gave off some bubbles. They also exuded a pleasant fragrance. With the Heavenly Fragrance Dao Flower doing the same, his courtyard smelled very nice.
The spirit beast was staring at the flower intently.
"Do you always stare at the flower every day?" "Of course! It's your flower, Master. I need to guard it well."
Jiang Hao knew that this spirit beast was full of lies.
They headed to the Spirit Herb Garden. "Master, the woman that came to your house before… Do you eat people with her?"
"What? I don't eat humans."
"But last time, she said she ate people," said the spirit beast.
Jiang Hao frowned. The beast might actually be right. Fairy Ming Yi could prove to be even more dangerous than Yan Hua.
"Junior Brother Jiang, I haven't seen you for quite a while. I heard that you went to the mine and was worried that something might have happened." Fairy Ming Yi walked up to Jiang Hao with a smile..
Chapter 74: Appraising the Red Demoness
"I'm sorry for worrying you," said Jiang Hao. "Everything turned out well in the end."
Jiang Hao was peeved. Yan Hua had given him a lot of trouble. Ming Yi was also from the same sect as Yan Hua. He knew that she was going to cause more trouble. She was from the Heavenly Saint Sect too.
"I know. I am glad to see that you're fine. I also heard of your contribution to the sect. You've done well." Ming Yi smiled sweetly and handed him a potted plant.
!!
"Junior Brother Jiang, could you check this spirit herb? I feel that something is wrong with it. I bought this from you last time."
Jiang Hao took the potted plant and looked at it carefully. "This is thyme… it should be full of vitality but… Did you try to do something to it, Senior Sister Ming?"
Jiang Hao walked into the Spirit Herb Garden. Some of the spawned bubbles flew to him.
[Strength +1]
[Endurance +1]
[Ordinary Spiritual Sword +1]
Jiang Hao set the potted plant down on a raised platform in the garden. A purple, seven-petaled flower was just in bloom.
It didn't help much with cultivation, but it was a cheap spirit herb that was very fragrant. It helped a bit with focus and concentration.
Ming Yi hadn't bought it directly from Jiang Hao. She had given the order for it, and the Spirit Herb Garden had provided it.
"I didn't really do anything special to it. It became like this."
Fairy Ming Yi couldn't really remember doing anything to the plant, except maybe watering it occasionally.
'It's fine. I'll take a look." He tried to scan the thyme with his spiritual energy to see what was wrong. Soon, he discovered that the roots of the thyme were damaged. It seemed to be caused by excessive spiritual energy channeled into it.
"Senior Sister Ming, do you have a Blue Lotus in your courtyard?" asked Jiang
Hao.
"Yes," said Ming Yi. "How is that related to… this?"
"Ahh… It's because of that Blue Lotus. Place them far away from each other. Both emit spiritual energy. So, when they clash, one of them is bound to have a problem."
Jiang Hao proceeded to try to fix the plant.
"Junior Brother Jiang, you've offended quite a lot of people recently, haven't you?" Fairy Ming Yi asked suddenly.
Jiang Hao raised his head to look at her. He then turned back to the plant. "Why do you say that, Senior Sister Ming?"
"When I just came out of seclusion, I heard that you somehow provoked the
Heavenly Joy Pavilion because of a traitor. It's not a small matter," said Fairy Ming Yi. "You have avoided it quite spectacularly. But… I recently heard you are involved in some matters concerning the Heavenly Saint Sect?"
Jiang Hao looked at her blankly.
"Ahh… you're not aware. When Yan Hua disappeared, her "puppets" showed some abnormalities. The Law Enforcement Hall investigated the matter and found out a lot about what Yan Hua was planning. I heard that she was from the Heavenly Saint Sect. There are rumors that people from the Heavenly Saint Sect have their eyes on you. It so happens that you were the last person Yan Hua was looking for before she disappeared from the world. Some think that Yan Hua betrayed the Heavenly Saint Sect and gave something important to you. I'm not sure if any of that is true, but you should be careful, Junior Brother Jiang.
Jiang Hao was stunned by the news. This time he wasn't even pretending to be shocked. He wondered why the Heavenly Saint Sect assumed that Yan Hua might have betrayed them and sided with him.
'Is Ming Yi just testing me right now?'
"I know you have made such a big contribution in capturing Xuanyuan Tai of the Blackheaven Sect. However, I wonder… Why did Manlong let you have the credit for something that big? The Blackheaven Sect would obviously keep an eye on whoever helped capture one of their people
Jiang Hao was baffled. That made sense. No one had mentioned Manlong. Everyone thought he had fought Xuanyuan Tai single-handedly. Was he just being used as a shield to divert attention from Manlong? It seemed even the top ten disciples had to worry about being targeted by other sects!
After that, Fairy Ming Yi turned to leave.
Jiang Hao wanted to appraise her but was interrupted by the appearance of the Cliff Master.
Jiang Hao was distracted. Even if Ming Yi was just testing him, he couldn't ignore all of her words. 'I'll use the Daily Appraisal on her tomorrow. She'll be back to get her plant anyway.'
He had not only offended the Heavenly Joy Pavilion but also made an enemy
Out of the Sunset Immortal Sect and the Blackheaven Sect. He needed to avoid leaving the sect at any cost.
As long as the Law Enforcement Hall kept him on their suspect list, nobody could harm him inside the sect.
He now had to worry about traitors from the Blackheaven Sect who might have infiltrated the Heavenly Note Sect.
Jiang Hao sighed. He still needed to figure out a way to not appear too conspicuous in the competition. His master told him that he would be given the opportunity to choose one of the rewards if he managed to win.
Jiang Hao was only interested in the strange seed. He wanted to appraise it to see what other uses it had.
In the evening, Jiang Hao returned to his house. He sat in the courtyard, deep in thought.
The only way to be safe in this world was to become stronger, and he needed to do that as soon as possible.
Jiang Hao picked up the hoe that he had placed on the side. He sighed. "I really want to mine."
Bang!
A white thing crashed into the wall. Jiang Hao was startled. He realized that it was the spirit beast.
It was unconscious. Its face was bruised and swollen.
Jiang Hao looked in the direction of the Heavenly Fragrance Dao Flower. A figure dressed in red had suddenly materialized there.
"I see that you really miss mining." Hong Yuye looked at Jiang Hao.
"I'm sorry," said Jiang Hao and bowed. He threw the hoe aside. "I don't really miss it. I was just recalling the bitter moments I spent in the mine."
"Hm… I see you have not changed your lying nature." Hong Yuye leaned down and touched the leaves of the Heavenly Fragrance Dao Flower. "The flower is growing very quickly."
Jiang Hao hesitated for a moment and then decided to appraise her..
Chapter 75: Exposed For Using A Divine Ability
This was the very first time that the Daily Appraisal had failed. This ability never let him down. He could find information about anything or anyone when he used the Daily Appraisal ability.
However, when he activated the ability on the demoness, all it gave him were question marks.
[Hong Yuye: ??? ]
!!
At least now he knew her name. Jiang Hao realized that he would need to break through the Golden Core Realm and reach higher realms if he wanted to find out more about her. He did not know how long that would take.
The only thing he could do was to keep trying to advance to greater cultivation realms.
"Are you using a divine ability on me?" Hong Yuye's voice made him jump in fright. "You seem flustered." She stood up and turned away from the flower with a faint smile on her lips.
"N-no I wasn't
He didn't understand how she had discovered him using his ability. No one had been able to sense it before.
Hong Yuye smiled. "Lying comes so easily to you. You have used your ability twice on me till now. Do you think I don't know that?" Jiang Hao lowered his head and remained quiet.
"Did you finish reading the book I gave you?"
"Only the first part… I've only had time to skim through the rest," said Jiang Hao truthfully.
"And here I thought you might have already read it all since you like hiding so much." Hong Yuye shook her head. "It is no wonder the way you use your ability is so crude. Anyone could sense it if they had half a brain."
Jiang Hao was puzzled. 'What does she mean? Could abilities be hidden like one's cultivation?'
"Do you still want to mine?" Hong Yuye asked suddenly.
Jiang Hao shook his head. "No. I want to stay here and take care of your flower."
Hong Yuye walked to the corner of the courtyard and pulled out Jiang Hao's
Half-Moon Blade from the dirt. "Always with the lies
She looked at the saber for a while and walked into the house. "I hope you have tea."
Jiang Hao took a deep breath and opened the pack of Red Azure tea. He brewed a pot of it and poured her a cup.
He placed the cup of tea gingerly on the table.
Hong Yuye lifted the cup to her lips and took a sip. She didn't say anything.
Jiang Hao heaved a sigh of relief.
"How did you raise the spirit beast?" Hong Yuye asked.
"I just feed it spirit stones," said Jiang Hao. ewel. o
"Just that?" Hong Yuye took another sip of tea.
Jiang Hao hesitated. "I tie it up and feed it."
Hong Yuye stared at him for a while. "What else can you raise?
"Rm… not sure."
He was telling the truth. If he could use Daily Appraisal on the plant or animal, he could figure out a way to nurture it. However, he wasn't sure what else he could raise in his home.
"Find something interesting to plant in your small garden," said Hong Yuye. Jiang Hao sighed. 'Where do I find something like that?'
The Heavenly Fragrance Dao Flower was the only "interesting" and rare item he had for now.
"If I like it, I'll take it with me." Hong Yuye looked at Jiang Hao. "Do you have any objections?"
Jiang Hao was speechless.
"I guess not," said Hong Yuye and placed her cup on the table.
He could sense her vast aura.
"I have no objections at all!" said Jiang Hao hurriedly.
Hong Yuye stood up and walked out. "I won't make you work for nothing. When the time comes, I'll help you learn anything you want."
Jiang Hao believed her. She had given him the nameless manual and the Seven Forms of the Heavenly Blade, after all.
Knowledge was invaluable.
"Oh, yeah Hong Yuye turned to him. "Prepare a better tea next time. I'll often visit to check on my flower. You do know what will happen if you anger me."
"I'll keep it in mind," said Jiang Hao.
Hong Yuye then left.
"Ahhh… it hurts!" yelled the spirit beast. "What happened to my face?"
Jiang Hao checked its injuries to make sure the beast was alright. Then, he left it be.
He knew Hong Yuye had attacked the beast till it fainted. She probably didn't want the beast to see her.
Jiang Hao sighed. 'Where am I supposed to find a rare plant?!'
He needed to go and check out the treasures that were to be used as rewards for the competition. He needed to see if the seed was worth it.
Jiang Hao felt that a purple bubble would drastically change things for him. One more ability would really help him out.
When he returned to his room, he realized that the Half-Moon Blade was gone. He sighed. 'Why do you have to steal my blades, Hong Yuye?'
Jiang Hao felt calm after the demoness was gone. There was such a huge difference in the way he felt when she wasn't there and when she appeared suddenly. He needed to get stronger too.
He took out the nameless manual and began to read.
This time, he decided to read the entire book. He wasn't in a hurry.
From what Hong Yuye had said, he needed to read the entire thing. He read the whole night and only finished it in the morning.
Jiang Hao was deep in thought as he gently closed the book.
"There isn't a section on divine abilities, but it does talk at length about special spells and energy consumption
If there was any description of rare abilities, he would have noticed it.
If Hong Yuye hadn't told him to read it again, he wouldn't have noticed anything about special energy consumption.
Divine abilities consumed energy, but all of them consumed it in different ways. There were generally four things in a body that could be consumed. They were spirit, stamina, cultivation, and lifeblood. These were all consumed in different ways and for different uses.
As long as he knew what was consumed and in which activity, he could mask it from the world. Since all these things were related to the breath and spiritual energy, hiding them would greatly reduce the traces he left behind.
"The person who wrote this book must be a genius!"
There were so many things in the book that he couldn't understand. Jiang Hao realized that he was still lacking in knowledge.
If he hadn't decided to use the Daily Appraisal on Ming Yi today, he would have used that ability on the book. He wanted to know if this was written by Hong Yuye herself.
If it was, he needed to be even more careful of her.
After a while, Jiang Hao headed to the Spirit Herb Garden with the battered and bruised spirit beast. He saw Ming Yi just in time.
Jiang Hao activated the Daily Appraisal ability..
Chapter 76: The Seed of the Immortal Peach Tree
[Ming Yi: Heavenly Saint Sect's substitute Saintess, in the early stage of the Golden Core Realm, undercover in the Heavenly Note Sect. Wants to find out the reason for the rise of the Heavenly Note Sect. Yan Hua's disappearance has complicated the matter for the Heavenly Saint Sect. They believe Yan Hua found some secret in the mines and she fled. She thinks you are Yan Hua's accomplice. Has decided not to touch you for the time being. She wants to find out who ruined the plan and kill them first.]
Jiang Hao recalled what the Daily Appraisal had shown him before when he appraised Ming Yi.
[Ruthless. Hides a knife behind her smile.]
He realized that the Heavenly Saint Sect was even more dangerous than he thought.
!!
The Heavenly Note Sect and the Heavenly Saint Sect were at odds. It was normal for the Heavenly Saint Sect to suspect foul play concerning Yan Hua's disappearance. It just surprised Jiang Hao that they saw him as a threat.
Jiang Hao had admitted that he met Yan Hua before her disappearance because he wanted to stay on the Law Enforcement Hall's suspect list. Otherwise, he wouldn't have mentioned it at all.
Jiang Hao sighed. He seemed to make enemies everywhere!
Fortunately, it seemed that the Heavenly Saint Sect was still unsure of Yan
Hua's reason for the disappearance. For now, Jiang Hao wasn't their priority.
Jiang Hao walked toward her. "Senior Sister Ming, here is your plant. I think it should be fine now."
"Thank you, Junior Brother Jiang. If I encounter trouble again, I'll come and find you. I hope you don't mind."
He realized that she was trying to get on his good side. Before, he would have fallen for it. He used to be n?lVe and inexperienced.
Ever since he had eaten the Heaven Extinction Gu Poison, Yang Gu, he felt unaffected by such things.
Jiang Hao began to organize and check on the spirit herbs. He couldn't visit the mines, so he might as well do his job well in the Spirit Herb Garden.
If there was even a small chance of getting a bubble, he would willingly do any work.
While Jiang Hao was busy, the spirit beast went around the garden and talked to the people. Everyone called the beast "Lord Rabbit" jokingly. Jiang Hao ignored it.
It had been a month since Jiang Hao had returned from the mine. Other than the trouble he had encountered with those two merchants while buying a saber, everything had been okay.
[Name: Jiang Hao]
[Age: 21]
[Cultivation: Intermediate Stage of Golden Core Realm]
[Cultivation Method: Heavenly Sound Hundred Revolutions, Hong Meng Heart
Sutra]
[Divine Ability: Nine Revolutions Death Substitution (unique), Daily Appraisal,
Clear and Pure Heart]
[Lifeblood: 18/100 (can be cultivated)] [Cultivation: 22/100 (can be cultivated)]
[Divine Ability: 2/3 (cannot be obtained)]
There was steady progress in his attributes. He had been studying the nameless manual diligently and appraising things at least once a day.
He often appraised the spirit beast. There were no significant changes. He fed it spirit stones regularly. However, the beast was still in a state of shock after that day.
The spirit beast didn't seem to be scared of him at all. There was someone else he was terrified of.
The reason he kept appraising the spirit beast was to understand and learn the special consumption and the art of hiding it.
After a few days of trying, he felt it! He understood what the nameless manual had been trying to tell him. He felt a slight consumption of his physical and mental strength when he used his ability.
Jiang Hao was stunned. 'Hong Yuye can even detect such a slight change?!'
The consumption was so small that it was almost impossible to notice. If he could disguise his consumption, he could entirely hide the fact that he was using any ability at all.
He wanted to test it on Hong Yuye once again, but he was scared she'd blast him to hell.
Jiang Hao made his way to the Law Enforcement Hall. Yesterday, he had seen the rewards displayed in glass cases. Those had been for the Foundation Establishment Realm. Today, they were about to display the rewards for those in the Golden Core Realm.
Although he knew that he couldn't compete in the Golden Core Realm category, Jiang Hao still wanted to see them. eo. cm
Jiang Hao stood in front of a display case that held the rewards for the Foundation Establishment Realm category.
The first was the Nine Suns Saber. He felt that the reward wasn't anything great. He already had the Primordial Heavenly Blade.
The second and third rewards were books on different techniques. He didn't care for them.
The fourth reward, which was the Daoist Robe, wasn't something he wanted. He had no use for it.
Finally, Jiang Hao saw a small box. The lid was open, and it revealed a black seed. It was the size of an egg and was covered in complicated patterns. He
Could sense faint spiritual energy from it.
'This is it! I wonder if it is important.'
If not, he would choose the Nine Suns Saber. He could still sell it if he didn't want to use it.
Jiang Hao tried to conceal his consumption and then activated the Daily Appraisal. Although no one could detect it, he wanted to practice what he had learned.
[Immortality Peach Tree Seed: A seed of a peach tree that is about to lose its vitality. It is a seed nurtured from the core of the fruit of the ancient divine tree: the Immortality Peach Tree. It has a trace of the divine tree. After taking root, germinating, bearing fruit, and reincarnating nine times, it will become a full-fledged divine tree. To save the seed, place it next to a divine item and nourish it for seven days. Then, it needs to be surrounded by ninety-nine spirit stones and watered every day. After nine days, it will take root and sprout.]
Jiang Hao made up his mind. The seed looked important. He would try to obtain it somehow.
The seed needed to be placed next to a divine item. It might have been almost impossible for others but not Jiang Hao.
He had the Heavenly Fragrance Dao Flower in his courtyard and the Primordial Heavenly Sword. He could use either of those.
Jiang Hao asked around and found out that the competition would start in a month.
'I need to know how well I have to do to be able to choose the rewards.'
He went to look for the Cliff Master.
"You need something?" asked Ku Wu Chang.
"Yes. I wanted to ask which rank I need to be to choose one of the rewards."
"Go on."
"What about the first reward?" Jiang Hao asked.
"That's for the winner," said Ku Wu Chang. "But if you win, you can choose any other reward too."
"What about the fifth reward?"
"If you make it to the top three, you can have your pick among the third, fourth, and fifth reward," said the Cliff Master. "There are a total of thirteen participants. If you win three rounds, it might be enough for you to make it to that rank.."
Chapter 77: Wouldn 't You Win If You Beat Jiang Hao?
There were two people from the Cliff of Broken Hearts who had made it to the top ten. Both people were from two different cultivation realms. That meant that the probability of someone winning from the Cliff of Broken Hearts was high.
Four finalists would be selected for the competition. If Jiang Hao could make it to the top three, he could choose the seed.
Most disciples found seeds useless because the benefits weren't worth it. "Master, how do you think the rewards will be categorized?"
!!
"Nine Suns Saber, then the Daoist Robe, the spell technique might be at the third place, then comes the cultivation technique, and finally the seed."
'The Heavenly Dawn Spiritual Technique is only at the fourth rank in the list of rewards?' That surprised Jiang Hao.
"The Nine Suns Saber is obviously the most powerful one. The Daoist Robe can not only be used in the Foundation Establishment Realm but also in the Golden Core and Primordial Spirit Realm. Although the Heavenly Dawn Spiritual Technique is impressive, it's extremely difficult to learn, and far inferior in effect to the Nine Suns Flame spell technique. The seed… no one knows what attribute it has. So, it's placed as the last reward," said Ku Wu Chang. "I had the seed examined. Its vitality is so low that it's useless. Maybe it'll be somewhat useful to those in the Lifeblood Refinement Realm. It might be slightly useful to those in the Foundation Establishment Realm but completely useless for some in the Golden Core Realm."
Jiang Hao thanked the Cliff Master for his explanation. He asked his master for a new technique that he could learn before the competition.
Other disciples would have to compete in a preliminary round to make it to the competition, but Jiang Hao was already in the sect's top ten disciple list, so he could directly participate in the main competition.
The Cliff Master, Ku Wu Chang, handed Jiang Hao some books. "Learn this. It's called the Demonic Sound Thousand Miles. It uses the same basic form as the Demonic Sound Slash and is much easier to learn."
Jiang Hao thanked him and left. He had to learn the Demonic Sound Thousand Miles as soon as possible. With the movement technique, he could buy time and wait for his opponent to be defeated by other competitors.
The next day, some disciples from the Cliff of Broken Hearts wanted to set up an arena for practice. Jiang Hao followed them. He was the only one assumed to be in the Foundation Establishment Realm. Others were in the Golden Core Realm.
Jiang Hao wanted to go with them because he wanted to see how powerful they were, in case he had to fight them in the future.
He followed the other disciples for a few days to the arena. He thought that these disciples, in the Golden Core Realm, were not even trying their best. Jiang Hao could defeat them with a simple slash of the Primordial Heavenly Blade, or by using the two forms of the Seven Forms of the Heavenly Blade.
Jiang Hao didn't try to fight them. It was better not to showcase his strength. When people got stronger, they were often led astray by their pride. He needed to keep calm.
At night, Jiang Hao practiced the Demonic Sound Thousand Miles technique and flitted past the forest at a great speed. There was a white shadow that sped past him.
The white shadow was none other than Jiang Hao's spirit beast. It had become stronger and faster after breaking through to the middle stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm.
It muttered about wanting a new collar every time Jiang Hao approached. He ignored the beast. Getting a new collar was too expensive, and he didn't have many spirit stones right now.
After receiving many spirit stones from Mu Qi, Jiang Hao should have been rich. However, after everything that had come to pass, he was still as poor as ever.
He had a lot of spirit herbs, but they didn't sell at a great price. He ended up giving most of it to the spirit beast instead.
'Well… that's that with the Demonic Sound Thousand Miles. I guess I'll make more talismans.'
Jiang Hao wanted to make more Hundred Thousand Swords Talismans. If the opponent was too strong, he could always use the talismans to deal with them.
He practiced the first and second form of the Heavenly Blade while paying
Close attention to energy consumption.
Three weeks later, Han Ming came over to meet him. "Senior Brother Jiang, I'm looking forward to sparring with you in the competition."
He said that and turned to leave. He was confident this time.
Han Ming had defeated everyone in the preliminary round, even the disciples from the other branches.
Jiang Hao sighed. 'A True Disciple favored by the spirits of mountains and rivers… it's not impossible for him to advance very quickly.'
Jiang Hao sat in the courtyard and began to refine his saber. The black saber was similar to the Primordial Heavenly Blade in length. Its weight was just right. The craftsmanship was indeed impressive. It was definitely the work of some famous master.
Jiang Hao had practiced the first and second form of the Seven Forms of
Heavenly Blade, the Demonic Sound Thousand Miles, and created 50 Hundred Thousand Swords Talismans. He felt that these were enough preparations to at least win third place.
However, he couldn't underestimate his opponents. They might have prepared a lot for the competition.
The next day, Jiang Hao woke up and walked out to the courtyard to water the Heavenly Fragrance Dao Flower.
The spirit beast approached Jiang Hao. "Master, why don't you want to take me along to the competition?"
"Why should I?"
"I could help. My speed is astonishing. When our opponent approached you, I could slash my claws at him and injure him. You can then win!"
"I was thinking of leaving you in charge of the Spirit Herb Garden in my absence," said Jiang Hao.
"Alright! That'll do too!" said the spirit beast happily.
The competition was held in the central square of the Heavenly Note Sect.
There were many arenas there.
There were three categories for the competition: the Foundation Establishment Round, the Golden Core Round, and the Primordial Spirit
Round.
Jiang Hao looked at the list for the Foundation Establishment Round. There were thirteen people.
Han Ming stood in the center. He was almost through with the middle stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm. As expected of a True Disciple! He had advanced so fast!
Jiang Hao scanned the list and found that he was supposed to fight against Xin Yuyue of Thunder Fire Peak. The name was familiar. Jiang Hao had gone on a mission to the Devil's Den with her once.
He didn't expect her to have advanced to the middle stage of Foundation Establishment Realm. He walked to the arena.
Xin Yuyue of Thunder Fire Peak looked at the name list with confidence.
Although she had just advanced to the middle stage recently, she had benefited a lot from the fight against Azure Mountain.
She had a Red Scale Sword in her hand, a Moonfrost Robe draped on her body, and many talismans that she could use. She had everything she needed for this competition. Xin Yuyue wanted to win the Heavenly Dawn Spiritual Technique.
"Junior Sister Xin, with your recent experience in the fight, it might not be difficult for you to gain victory," said a senior.
"It was mostly luck," Xin Yuyue said humbly.
Soon, they saw the name list for the competition. Xin Yuyue realized that her opponent was the Cliff of Broken Hearts' Jiang Hao.
Xin Yuyue was in disbelief. 'Wasn't he in the early stage of the Foundation
Establishment Realm? How did he advance to the middle stage so soon?'
Xin Yuyue almost lost all her confidence. However, a senior congratulated her.
"Jiang Hao? That's great!" said a senior. "Junior Sister Xin, I heard that he just got lucky because of some fortuitous encounter. He has no real combat experience. You'll definitely win! "
The congratulatory voices rang in her ears and annoyed her. She gritted her teeth. She would still fight with all her might.
The Heavenly Dawn Spiritual Technique was too precious for her..
Chapter 78: Victory Decided With Just One Slash
In the arena, Jiang Hao waited quietly. There weren't many people in the audience. He wasn't a famous person, after all. Xin Yuyue wasn't as well known either.
People usually rushed to watch fights between those of higher realms. Jiang Hao was the same. He wouldn't waste his time watching fights between those in the lower realms, either.
A woman approached him. Her hair was tied in a ponytail and her eyes were filled with determination. She seemed like she was going to fight to the death. He wouldn't have cared about the fight if it was any other time. However, he needed that seed.
"Senior Sister Xin, it's been a while since I saw you here," said Jiang Hao.
!!
"Junior Brother Jiang, likewise! I didn't expect you to advance so quickly." Xin Yuyue felt a little bitter.
She had come to this fight feeling very confident in herself. She hadn't expected to meet someone that she least wanted to. In the Devil's Den, she had feared Jiang Hao.
"I was just lucky," said Jiang Hao humbly.
Jiang Hao heard some people cheer for Xin Yuyue. He didn't care.
A senior in the Golden Core Realm approached them with a notebook. "State your name, please."
"Xin Yuyue of Thunder Fire Peak." "Jiang Hao of the Cliff of Broken Hearts."
"Let's begin," said the senior.
In an instant, Jiang Hao felt a spiritual sword flying toward him.
Clang!
He unsheathed his new Half-Moon Blade and blocked the attack. There was no time to waste. His opponent continuously attacked him from all sides.
Jiang Hao defended himself as best as he could.
His opponent had no intention to stop. His slashes became even more frenzied.
For a moment, Jiang Hao only tried to defend. He didn't have an opening to attack. He stayed where he was. His opponent didn't even let him move from the spot.
There was a rumbling sound.
Jiang Hao felt the fluctuation in the spiritual energy. He had learned to sense changes in spiritual energy from the nameless manual.
It was a wonderful feeling to be in control. He just needed to wait till the opponent attacked because he knew the exact direction from where she would launch her attack.
Jiang Hao was on his guard this whole time, but he could sense every attack before it landed. He dodged and blocked easily.
However, Xin Yuyue was already feeling the strain of keeping up with her attacks. She used all her strength. Not one of her attacks flustered Jiang Hao. She felt as though he was a monster.
He didn't move an inch from the spot. He didn't even break a sweat. Jiang Hao just stood there blocking her attacks as it rained on him.
Xin Yuyue used the Lightning Sword technique and threw the sword at Jiang
Hao.
Jiang Hao's blade rose to block the attack. He used the Demonic Sound Slash technique this time. There was a boom and dust flew everywhere.
His saber cut through Xin Yuyue's Lightning Sword and broke it in half. The blade flashed past, missing Xin Yuyue's cheek by inches. The saber then fell on the floor with a clang.
Xin Yuyue looked terrified. She took a deep breath to calm herself and bowed to Jiang Hao.
Jiang Hao bowed to her in return. "Thank you so much for letting me win, Senior Sister Xin."
Xin Yuyue gave him a bitter smile and turned around and left.
The people who had supported Xin Yuyue followed her.
The senior from the Golden Core Realm approached the arena. "Jiang Hao of the Cliff of Broken Hearts wins!"
The senior glanced at him a few more times. He couldn't believe Jiang Hao's foundation was so strong. Jiang Hao bowed to his senior and left the arena.
The next fight would be held in the afternoon.
The top four competitors would be selected today. They would then fight tomorrow until there were only three left. The top three would then compete with each other the following day.
Jiang Hao did some calculations and figured out that he still had to fight three more rounds. He couldn't make his win seem too obvious.
Xin Yuyue wasn't someone weak. Han Ming, too.
After participating in the battle against Azure Mountain, he must be even stronger than before.
After a while, Jiang Hao returned to the Spirit Herb Garden.
[Lifeblood +1] [Spirit +1] [Strength +1]
[Endurance +1]
Jiang Hao was happy when he felt the bubbles absorb into his body. Although the changes weren't very great, it was still something.
His spirit was much stronger than those of the same rank. He would soon break through to the late stage of the Golden Core Realm.
After that, he began to take care of the spirit herbs. He cared for the spirit herbs because they were the reason for his growth.
"Did you lose in the competition?" Cheng Chou walked to Jiang Hao.
"Ah… no," he said.
"Then, shouldn't you be resting right now and preparing for the afternoon?" asked Cheng Chou.
"No need."
Cheng Chou did not say anything further and got busy with the herbs nearby.
Jiang Hao always treated the people well whenever they worked in the Spirit Herb Garden. They, in turn, hoped he would succeed in whatever he did. With a whoosh, the spirit beast darted to his side. "Master, I found something wrong in that corner of the garden!"
"Where?" asked Jiang Hao.
The spirit beast led him to a corner. Jiang Hao examined the area. He found out that the nutrients in the soil were depleted, and it hadn't occurred naturally. Somebody had accelerated the growth of whatever had been planted there before.
"Go and tell Cheng Chou to find out what was planted in this area," said Jiang Hao to the spirit beast.
If the spiritual herbs were left to grow on their own, they would absorb the nutrients but also replenish it by various means.
While Cheng Chou investigated the matter, Jiang Hao returned to the central square. He saw his name on the list for the next round. His opponent was Zhou Chan of White Moon Lake.
'Senior Sister Zhou Chan?'
Jiang Hao found it hard to believe. If she had made it to the second round, then it meant she was very strong. She was actually in the middle stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm.
When he walked to the arena, he saw that Zhou Chan had already arrived.
"Junior Brother Jiang, it really is you! I thought it was someone else with the same name. When we last met, you were just in the early stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm. Now, look at you! You're already in the middle stage!" Zhou Chan smiled warmly at him.
Jiang Hao gave her a friendly smile in return. "I was just lucky to advance quickly. You're so amazing, Senior Sister Zhou. I did hear rumors of White Moon Lake being full of geniuses. It seems the rumors are true, after all."
Zhou Chan smiled. "The rumors aren't true at all. There are very few people from the White Moon Lake in this competition. I'm the only one from that branch who's in the middle stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm." "Ah… is that so?" "Names, please," said the Golden Core Realm senior once again..
Chapter 79: A Fish Leaps Over the Dragon Gate
After they gave their names, the fight began.
Red silk materialized around Zhou Chan. "This is Hong Ling," she said. "It plays strong offense and is very fast. Junior Brother Jiang, please don't push yourself if you feel like you can't handle it, alright?"
She waved her hand and the red silk floated at Jiang Hao at an impossible speed. Jiang Hao blocked it with his blade, but he was pushed back. The red silk was indeed very powerful.
It was a completely different attack style from Senior Sister Xin. As expected of someone who had made it all this way and stood alone in her achievement! Zhou Chan was quite impressive.
!!
Just as he was thinking about that, the red silk attacked again. As the red silk attacked, he dodged and used Demonic Sound Slash to attack Zhou Chan, who stood at a distance.
However, no matter how many times he used that technique, Zhou Chan dodged it easily.
Zhou Chan was indeed very powerful. She might even be close to advancing to the late stage.
Jiang Hao couldn't afford to drag this out any longer. In the beginning, he had planned to keep the fight up until the opponent got exhausted. However, he realized that Zhou Chan was better than that. rel. c
Jiang Hao used both Demonic Sound Slash and the Demonic Sound Thousand Miles at the same time. The technique was enough to defeat the red silk. In an instant, Jiang Hao appeared behind Zhou Chan and placed his hand on her shoulder.
Zhou Chan put down her red silk. "I lost
"Thank you for letting me win, Senior Sister Zhou," said Jiang Hao politely.
Zhou Chan didn't really feel disappointed. She left the arena after bowing to Jiang Hao.
Out of curiosity, he appraised Zhou Chan.
[Zhou Chan: An inner sect disciple of White Moon Lake. Her talent is top-notch. She has pure and kind thoughts. She can sense malice around her. She rose to power in one day and is like a fish leaping over the dragon gate.] 'She can sense malice around her?' Jiang Hao was surprised.
He now understood how she had been able to dodge every attack he threw at her. He had thought that she might have studied something like the nameless manual too. It turned out that she had the ability of higher perception.
'In the end, I wasn't trying to attack her. I just put my hand on her shoulder. Maybe she couldn't sense my intent then.' Jiang Hao thought that that was the most likely explanation.
He was a bit uneasy. It seemed that Zhou Chan could rise through the realms quite easily with her ability.
Jiang Hao didn't dwell much on it. Someone of pure heart and mind like Zhou Chan deserved more than being stuck in a demonic sect.
As Jiang Hao left the arena, he saw some people engaged in a heated argument. Looking at people like them, Jiang Hao was glad that someone like Zhou Chan existed in a demonic sect.
On the way back, he met Han Ming. He looked happy. "Senior Brother Jiang, I made it to the top four!"
Jiang Hao smiled at him. "Congratulations, Junior Brother Han! " "Did you also enter the competition?" asked Han Ming.
"I did."
Han Ming wasn't disheartened to hear that, but he did feel a bit uneasy.
Han Ming made his way back to his house. On his way, he met some other seniors.
"Junior Brother Han, did you make it to the semifinals?"
Han Ming nodded. "I did."
"Wow… you're amazing! You just advanced to the middle stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm, and you already made it to the top four!
Your future is bright."
Han Ming smiled and thanked them.
Back at his house, Jiang Hao studied the nameless manual.
Although he was careful with the energy fluctuations he revealed when using his abilities, he still wanted to study the manual on a deeper level.
He also wanted to learn the third form from the Seven Forms of the Heavenly Blade. Unfortunately, he neither had the time nor the knowledge to begin practicing it.
The middle stage of the Golden Core Realm wasn't enough to learn the third form. He needed to advance further.
He studied the manual till midnight and then began to cultivate.
Every time he tried to study the manual, he had to activate the Clear and Pure Heart ability to understand the content of the manual. It exhausted his spiritual energy.
It was a pity he hadn't been able to obtain a purple bubble. Otherwise, he could have received another ability.
The next day, after collecting the bubbles in his yard and the Spirit Herb Garden, Jiang Hao headed to the central square to check the name list.
Jiang Hao was surprised to find that his opponent was none other than Han Ming. He wondered how Han Ming was feeling about this.
He headed to the arena and waited for Han Ming to arrive.
After a while, Han Ming approached. "I know it'll be difficult to win against you, Senior Brother Jiang, but I'll still give it my all."
"Names, please," said the Golden Core Realm senior. He glanced at Jiang Hao and gave him a nod. The senior seemed optimistic about Jiang Hao.
After that, Han Ming cast a spell, and lightning spread around him. Then, he charged at Jiang Hao like a bolt of lightning.
Clang!
As the sword and saber clashed, Jiang Hao was pushed back a little.
Han Ming had become much stronger, and he could sense another force surging around the sword.
'An inheritance?' Jiang Hao guessed. He wasn't worried anyway. He began to attack.
The saber and the sword clashed in a frenzy. The demonic slash intertwined with the lightning.
Han Ming used his strongest move and slashed at Jiang Hao with the Sword of Lightning.
Jiang Hao dodged it. He used the Demonic Sound Thousand Miles and stepped closer to Han Ming at such a speed that Han Ming didn't even notice him until Jiang Hao placed the flat of his saber on his forehead. For a moment, Han Ming had thought that he could win.
"I lost." Han Ming put away his word.
"Thank you, Junior Brother Han," said Jiang Hao as he sheathed his saber.
There were some people watching the fight, but they didn't seem too surprised. Jiang Hao was a senior, after all.
Jiang Hao didn't rush off to his house this time but sat and watched the fight between those in the Golden Core Realm and also the Primordial Spirit Realm.
The techniques and spells they used were extraordinary. He tried to remember the spells so that he could use them in the future.
The next day, Jiang Hao continued watching the fights between those in Golden Core Realms. He especially paid attention to the people in the peak stage of the Golden Core Realm.
On the third day, Jiang Hao appeared in the square again. Today's match would decide the winner..