"I hope, I hope that I've found that other kind of ore…"
Wang Liang put his hands together, his heart uneasy.
He knew that he could not go on much longer. It wasn't that he was unwilling, but the fleet could no longer continue under these conditions.
There had been no results or harvest, morale was low, and their stores of food and water were running out. Even their sturdy junks had taken heavy damage.
He was afraid that there were not many chances left.
He took in a deep breath and calmed down. With a clang, Wang Liang finally pulled out the Wootz sword on his back.
Wang Chong had gifted it to him before the voyage.
The meteoric metal could not be differentiated from other metals by its sheen, and Wang Liang was certainly no master blacksmith who could distinguish metals at a glance.
But Wang Chong had taught him the simplest of methods.
If the slash of a Wootz Steel sword could cut all the way or even several feet deep, then it was just ordinary and worthless ore.
But if it could block the slash of the Wootz Steel sword, or if the Wootz Steel sword could only make a shallow cut, then this metal would unquestionably be the meteoric metal!
This was the simplest method of assessing whether a metal was meteoric metal.
If this metal could block the slash of a Wootz Steel sword, then even if it was not meteoric metal, the quality of this metal was still incredibly close to meteoric metal.
A gleam of cold light appeared under the sunlight. Carrying Wang Liang's apprehensive thoughts, the sword slashed at an exposed part of the strange and rugged rock.
Though just an instant, this moment seemed to last forever in Wang Liang's eyes…
Clang!
When he saw that the Wootz Steel sword in his hand had only sunk half an inch into the rock before being unable to cut any further, Wang Liang was dumbstruck.
All the sound in the world seemed to fade away. The entire world became silent, and time seemed to stop for a moment.
Half an inch, half an inch…!
Wang Liang seemed to stop breathing.
Clangclangclangclang!
Wang Liang seemed to go crazy, his eyes turning red as he frenziedly slashed his Wootz Steel sword at the rock.
Half an inch, half an inch, half an inch, half an inch…
From top to bottom, Wang Liang's Wootz Steel sword had left cut after cut on every part of the rock. But without exception, these cuts were only half an inch deep, and sometimes even less.
The incredibly sturdy Wootz Steel that could cut through iron like mud could only cut half an inch into the surface of this strange rock.
Scrape!
As if provoked, the red-eyed Wang Liang suddenly scraped away the mottled stone surface of the rock. Glossy black, glossy black, it was all glossy black…
Scraping away the brown stone surface of this strange rock, he discovered that it was all glossy black metal beneath!
Clang!
Wang Liang threw away his sword, his eyes completely red. He raised his hands and roared in laughter at the sky.
"Hahaha, success, I've succeeded!
"I've finally found the meteorites!
"HAHAHA…."
……
At this moment, Wang Liang's voice could be heard across the entire island. He laughed so hard that he began to cry.
After all the countless tribulations and challenges, after all the narrow escapes, he had finally found the meteorites that Wang Chong had spoken of.
He had finally surpassed himself and accomplished the truly inconceivable!
At this moment, all the blood and tears were finally worth it!
Chapter 399: Cultivation Recovered!
Chapter 399: Cultivation Recovered!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Wang Liang's laugh astonished the entire island. Slowly, figure after figure began to appear in the stone forest. All the crewmembers who had been washed ashore on this island were flabbergasted by Wang Liang's laughter. They began walking over, staring at their captain with confused gazes.
No one knew what had happened, or why Wang Liang was madly laughing.
"Hahaha, set sail! We've found our objective and can finally return to the mainland and the Great Tang!"
Wang Liang raised his arm and heartily laughed.
Everyone's eyes instantly began to shine.
They had seemingly found an end to the several months of misfortune. Good news followed good news, as someone had discovered a dense forest of coconut trees on the island, with large bunches of coconuts hanging from them.
This was the best source of fresh water.
In addition, someone had discovered massive sea turtles and sea turtle eggs on the shore. There were also many small lizards that lived by swimming in the water and catching fish.
These were the best sources of meat.
In an instant, the problems of food and water that had troubled everyone all this time were resolved.
And there was even more good news. At dusk, several large junks suddenly appeared by the island.
In the clear weather after the rain, they had followed the trail from last night and found this island.
After such a long time, everyone's luck had finally taken a turn for the better!
Ten-some days later, after making ample preparations, sweeping the islands clean of meteorites, and stocking up on large quantities of fresh water and food, the fleet of ten-some junks majestically set off. Finally, they began the long voyage home.
……
On the mountain where the spirit vein was located, steam filled the air. Wang Chong sat in the middle of the spiritual energy like an old monk in meditation, not moving a single inch. But the aura around his body was like the raging tide.
It had already been twenty-some days since he had arrived at the spirit vein. The aura exuded by Wang Chong's body was advancing tremendously, growing stronger and more intense.
And today, he had finally reached a climax.
"Hmph!"
After some time, Wang Chong fiercely opened his eyes. Leaping up, he let out a frightening howl.
"Woooooo!"
The mountains rumbled continuously in response.
"…I've finally succeeded."
Wang Chong performed a flip and landed on the ground, his heart bursting with joy.
After twenty-some days of cultivation, Wang Chong, assisted by the dense Origin Energy in the spirit vein and the pill he had bought from Six-Fingered Zhang, had finally climbed from Origin Energy Tier 7 to Tier 8, Tier 9, and finally back to Tier 1 of the True Martial realm.
In terms of strength, nimbleness, and speed, the current Wang Chong was a completely new man!
A majestic aura of strength surged through his body. This strength was swift, vast, and brimming with an oppressive pressure. It was on a completely different level from Origin Energy.
This was Stellar Energy.
The current Wang Chong was filled completely with the glittering, translucent, and utterly pure Stellar Energy of the True Martial realm.
In the next moment, Wang Chong spotted a brown boulder sticking out of the ground twenty-some zhang away. His gaze flitted over it, and he suddenly unleashed a Hundred Steps Divine Fist.
This time, it was not pure Origin Energy, but shining Stellar Energy drawing a comet through the sky. The boom shook the earth and sent stone shards flying.
The end of that brown boulder suddenly exploded into powder. The explosion stirred up a mighty gale that caused the grass, shrubs, and tree leaves in a radius of ten-some zhang to rustle down. Even the white spiritual energy was dragged along, forming a massive vortex.
"Great!"
Wang Chong's eyes glowed at this sight. He suddenly spread his feet apart and thick Stellar Energy began to seep out of his body. On this mountain, Wang Chong began to take up the posture of a fist technique.
Shoulder harmonized with k
nee, hand with foot, and eye with heart. Every technique Wang Chong used, whether explosive or jolting, was not particularly profound, but in Wang Chong's hands, they were imbued with a powerful strength.
That vast Stellar Energy began to affect the flow of energy in a radius of several dozen zhang around Wang Chong. The energy moved like waves with his punches, resonating in the void around him.
The True Martial realm did not confer a power great enough to affect the Origin Energy of the world, but the Stellar Energy on Wang Chong's body could already indirectly affect the surrounding flow of energy.
Boomboomboom!
Wang Chong took a step forward, the stone under his foot splintering. The dust shrouding him made him seem like a man-shaped monster.
"Now I can try out the Halo of Dusk Stallion!"
Wang Chong's eyes flashed and he suddenly let out a long whistle. The whistle echoed through the mountains, and after some time, a neighing came from down below, followed quickly by galloping hooves.
Neeiigh!
A muscular black figure appeared out of the thick steam, its mane fluttering in the wind. The figure threw its head into Wang Chong's chest, rubbing its head against him while its tongue licked Wang Chong's arm and cheeks in an affectionate manner.
"Hahaha, Little Shadow, enough, enough…"
Wang Chong's palm itched from Little Shadow's licking, so he couldn't help but stroke Little Shadow's glossy mane while smiling.
It had been almost two months since they had been injured.
Little Shadow had not only completely recovered from its injuries, it had gotten even taller and more muscular. Only by breaking one's bones could one get stronger.
This phrase was a perfect fit for Little Shadow right now.
In a little while, Little Shadow would enter adulthood.
Patting Little Shadow's back, Wang Chong flipped onto the saddle, and then man and horse shot forward like a lightning bolt.
Fwoom! Right after, a greenish-black halo began to expand, rapidly dropping down from Wang Chong's body and beginning to expand beneath the hooves of the White-hoofed Shadow.
Rumble! The halo transformed into a massive and dazzling circle of ancient black thorns.
At this moment, the aura of Wang Chong and the White-hoofed Shadow became as heavy as a hill. Not only that, the White-hoofed Shadow actually got even faster, its speed suddenly rising.
With a fierce neigh, an intense clattering of metal, and the rumbling of the greenish black halo, Wang Chong shot forward like a bolt of lightning.
Everywhere the halo passed, the earth quaked while rocks and trees were all crushed to powder by the greenish black thorns.
The halo under the hooves of the White-hoofed Shadow was like the sharpest of swords. All the rocks, trees, grass, and shrubs it cut through were razed to the ground.
The clattering and the rumbling of the halo seemed to pierce through the firmament, inspiring dread in all who heard it.
One round, two rounds, three rounds…
"HAHAHA…."
Wang Chong was one with his horse, and as he felt the scenery on both sides fly by like lightning, he couldn't help but heartily laugh, in a completely carefree state of mind.
The True Martial realm was completely different from the Origin Energy realm, and this 'Halo of Dusk Stallion' technique far surpassed the normal war halos used in the True Martial realm.
Strength!
Speed!
Dexterity!
These were the three most important traits for a warrior, and under the effect of the Halo of Dusk Stallion, they were all greatly improved. In his current state, Wang Chong felt like he was a moving fortress. He was not only incredibly heavy, he was also moving with terrifying speed.
When this weight combined with this speed, the final charge they created was monstrously terrifying. Wang Chong was even confident that if he were facing Iron Cloak Li and his Iron Cloak technique, Iron Cloak Li would definitely be severely wounded from the collision.
Wang Chong patted Little Shadow on the back and said, "Come, let's see just how far our strength can go!"
Neigh! As if sensing Wang Chong's intent, the White-hoofed Shadow turned its head to glance at Wang Chong and then began to move even faster, pushing its strength to the limit.
Rumble! The White-hoofed Shadow shot forward in a flash, dragging behind it a long wave of white energy as it hurtled toward a massive rock a hundred zhang away.
Neigh!
Amidst the thunderous galloping was an earth-shaking boom. As dust plumed into the air, this sturdy granite boulder about as tall as a man exploded into tiny pieces.
The highest pieces flew several dozen zhang into the air!
Even Wang Chong was astonished at this sight.
"Hahaha, excellent!"
A peal of resounding laughter echoed through the sky. Seated upon the White-hoofed Shadow, Wang Chong watched the roiling dust with amazement in his eyes.
He had originally thought that the charge of a warhorse smashing half of the boulder would be decent. He hadn't expected that the entire boulder would be smashed into powder.
"True Martial Tier 3… no! At least the strength of True Martial Tier 4! And it's almost at the level of True Martial Tier 5!"
The results before him had already surpassed Wang Chong's expectations.
This granite boulder was extremely sturdy, but causing it to rupture or breaking off a part wasn't that difficult. Someone at the first or second tier of the True Martial realm could pull it off.
But smashing it into powder required at least True Martial Tier 4, perhaps even Tier 5.
On the battlefield, a cavalry charge relied on the strength of the warrior and extreme speeds to display a strength far above normal, allowing for a single, brilliant strike.
And what filled Wang Chong with even greater anticipation was that this was only a small portion of the Halo of Dusk Stallion's power, only the might of the first layer.
As his strength progressed, the peak might of this combination of him and Little Shadow would definitely progress to the peak of True Martial Tier 4, perhaps even Tier 5.
On the fierce battlefield, this move was extremely threatening.
"This is the Halo of Dusk Stallion?"
A voice came from the side. Wang Chong turned his head, and what he saw in the thick white mists of the spirit vein was an icy beauty dressed in white, carrying a massive sword on her back, walking toward him.
Huang Qian-er's face was expressionless, her gaze profound. Yet in those bright eyes, a hint of surprise could be seen.
After one stuck to Wang Chong's side long enough, many things would stop being secrets, including this Halo of Dusk Stallion.
As the 'Fairy of Dainty Hands' famed throughout the capital, Huang Qian-er had never believed Wang Chong's strength to be worth mentioning, only viewed it with contempt.
But this combined strike of man and horse forced even Huang Qian-er to admit that it was extremely powerful, even posing a threat to her!
If Wang Chong continued to progress at this speed, her job as bodyguard would be in name only and she would be left with nothing to do.
Even though she didn't have a very good opinion of Wang Chong and did not much cherish this 'personal bodyguard' job, this threat of being inexplicably cast aside still made Huang Qian-er a little uncomfortable.
Chapter 400: News on the Hyderabad Ore!
Chapter 400: News on the Hyderabad Ore!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
"Hehe, this is only the initial level of the Halo of Dusk Stallion. It's still not that powerful. Once I reach True Martial Tier 5, I should be able to cultivate the second level of the Halo of Dusk Stallion!"
Wang Chong had no idea of the complicated thoughts going through Huang Qian-er's mind as he faintly smiled and spoke from atop his horse.
The first layer of the Halo of Dusk Stallion only required reaching the True Martial realm, but Wang Chong's curren
t cultivation level could not satisfy the requirements for advancing to the second layer.
Instructor Zhao had been right when he had said that this supreme technique was very difficult to cultivate.
Whoosh!
As he was speaking, a howl of wind came from over his head. This sudden sound attracted the attention of both Wang Chong and Huang Qian-er.
The two raised their heads and saw a white carrier pigeon descending from the sky, flying toward Wang Chong.
"This is…"
Wang Chong's eyes widened as he subconsciously stretched out a hand, letting the carrier pigeon land on his hand. Untying the letter wrapped around the carrier pigeon's leg, Wang Chong glanced over, unable to suppress a smile.
"Good news really does come in waves."
Wang Chong's lips had curved into a joyful smile.
The letter had been written by Ablonodan and Arloja, but the news was about the distant Hyderabad mountains in Sindhu. With the gold sent over, their exchange had been completed.
After several months and an increase in production, the High Priest in Sindhu had prepared the one thousand jun of Hyderabad ore that Wang Chong required, and he had even sent them out as quickly as possible on their journey to the capital of the Great Tang.
There was a time difference between Hyderabad in Sindhu and the capital of the Great Tang.
From the date on the latter, this letter had been written more than a month ago. In other words, the convoy transporting the Hyderabad ore had set off twenty-some days ago.
It seemed like he would only have to wait about a month to receive the Hyderabad ore from Sindhu, even though it seemed like it wasn't a great amount.
But Wang Chong knew that this was probably the largest transaction for Hyderabad ore in the entire world at present.
Even the Abbasid Caliphate and Charax Spasinu, which were closer to the source, had probably not gotten as much as he had.
The production of this ore was far too low.
"…Everything is on the right track. As long as the Hyderabad ores arrive, I can forge at least one thousand Wootz Steel swords! This many swords is enough to equip an army and allow them to be used in actual combat!"
At this moment, Wang Chong was seated on the back of his horse, his hand tightly gripping the letter while his mind was in a state of utter satisfaction.
The Human Emperor c1-2382 Page 284