The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  'Stellar Energy Piercer: Alters the nature of the warrior's Stellar Energy, improving its piercing nature. Provides the warrior a (small) chance of ignoring the opponent's defense, piercing through Stellar Energy barriers and attacking the opponent's internals. Is effective on opponents three levels higher at maximum (Upgradeable! Upgrade Condition: Complete the training challenge).

  'Cost: 45 points.

  'Note: The Stellar Energy Piercer can be exchanged for without limit. As it increases in grade, the probability of piercing through the opponent's defense increases and the maximum level gap also increases. When the Stellar Energy Piercer reaches a certain level, it can always ignore the opponent's defense, piercing through Stellar Energy with absolute success!'

  ……

  The resplendent words on the screen finally caused Wang Chong's eyes to shine. This was the most tempting ability he had ever seen offered by the Stone of Destiny.

  Although the Stone of Destiny had not said that this ability could strengthen a warrior, a perceptive person like him understood that the ability to pierce through Stellar Energy was far more powerful than the effects of any other item he had previously seen. He could think about ways to improve his strength, but it was impossible for him to grant himself the ability to pierce through Stellar Energy.

  Wang Chong's mind was bursting with techniques, but he had never heard of one that could pierce through Stellar Energy.

  This ability was undoubtedly one of the only methods to defeat a far stronger opponent!

  But the cost to exchange for the Stellar Energy Piercer was far too high—45 points of Destiny Energy. It cost even more than Blood Reformation.

  But when he thought about that unique piercing ability, this price was worth it.

  "There's no need to choose; it's got to be this one!"

  With a thought, Wang Chong immediately exchanged for the Stellar Energy Piercer on the screen.

  Crack!

  A mysterious bolt of energy flew out of the Stone of Destiny and into Wang Chong's body. In the next moment, thunder seemed to rumble in the building, sounding like it was exploding right next to his ears. A violent energy, brimming with the power of lightning, seeped into the Stellar Energy within Wang Chong's body.

  Like water dropping into oil, Wang Chong's Stellar Energy instantly began to boil. A new, unprecedented Stellar Energy characteristic was granted to Wang Chong.

  In the span of second, the feeling within Wang Chong's body had completely transformed.

  If Wang Chong's Stellar Energy was a calm and deep stream at the start, it was now a turbulent river.

  But on the surface, it still seemed very calm.

  Chapter 427: Good News from the Snowstorm!

  Chapter 427: Good News from the Snowstorm!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  "This Stellar Energy…"

  Wang Chong silently pondered the changes in his body.

  Bang! In the next moment, without any warning, Wang Chong slapped his palm on the table. The table did not suddenly splinter into pieces as expected. Wang Chong raised his hand, and in the middle of the hard sandalwood table was a hole about the size of a thumb.

  And if one looked through the hole, one would notice that the energy had gone through the floor and into the room below.

  "So this is the Stellar Energy Piercer!"

  Wang Chong pensively looked at the hole in the table. When he was slapping down his palm, he had clearly sensed that a portion of the Stellar Energy in his palm had suddenly condensed into a vortex, its piercing strength and sharpness suddenly multiplying. It was through this that it had been able to pierce through the hard sandalwood.

  Solely in terms of sharpness, this energy was comparable to Wang Chong's Sword Qi, but its piercing strength was even greater.

  "This ability is actually very similar to Sword Qi, but it's still lacking in destructive power. It's still of very limited use against top-notch experts. If I can combine this ability with Sword Qi, using Sword Qi to replace the Stellar Energy, the power will definitely be multiplied."

  Wang Chong's martial intuition quickly let him sense the hidden abilities of the Stellar Energy Piercer.

  Whoosh!

  In the next moment, Wang Chong's finger rose and pointed at the distant wall. Awkwardly, however, Wang Chong did not see the expected result.

  Nothing came out of Wang Chong's finger.

  "Oops, I forgot that there's only a chance of activating the Stellar Energy Piercer."

  Wang Chong sat in a daze as he sheepishly remembered. His momentary joy had made him forget that he had no control over the Stellar Energy Piercer.

  The Stone of Destiny had altered the nature of his Stellar Energy, but it wasn't something as simple as changing its form so that he could form a vortex with it.

  Wang Chong proceeded to sit and constantly jab out with his finger. On his sixteenth attempt, a scalding bolt of Stellar Energy finally shot out of his fingers and exploded against the wall, leaving a giant hole.

  The massive rumble attracted the notice of the other students in Deflecting Blade Manor. A ruckus could be heard outside, though Old Eagle quickly managed to calm it down.

  Only Wang Chong could have made so much noise in that room.

  No matter what happened, there was nothing that could happen in that room that was worth making a fuss over.

  As Wang Chong listened to the activity from outside die down, a faint smile appeared on his lips, though this, too, quickly faded away.

  "This destructive power… Even a True Martial Tier 5 expert could suffer a fatal blow."

  Wang Chong nodded with satisfaction at the hole in the wall.

  Although he had only launched a bolt of energy, by doing his utmost to work with the energy vortex of the Stellar Energy Piercer, he had been able to increase its destructive power by ten times.

  In other words, even without borrowing the power of a charging warhorse, Wang Chong could still rely on his own Stellar Energy to harm a True Martial Tier 5 expert.

  Moreover, Wang Chong had made another discovery.

  "The Stone of Destiny didn't give the exact probability of triggering the Stellar Energy Piercer, only saying that it was small, but from my experiments, it's basically once every sixteen tries. This means that the trigger probability is basically five percent!"

  Wang Chong sat on the ground, his eyes shining with an intelligent light.

  Many things didn't need to be explained. As long as one was sufficiently intelligent, one could experiment to find out. Five percent seemed like a very low chance, with attempts usually meeting with failure.

  But if a battle was intense enough and one attacked often enough, at a certain level, the Stellar Energy Piercer would appear at a sufficiently steady rate.

  And if he was skilled enough at keeping count, Wang Chong was completely capable of having the Stellar Energy Piercer appear when he needed it.

  Whoosh!

  With a thought, Wang Chong jabbed his finger again.

  Wang Chong continued to experiment, eventually confirming his hypothesis. The chance of triggering the Stellar Energy Piercer was about five percent.

  With proper utilization, this technique would be extremely effective.

  "Whoa!"

  While he was cultivating, Wang Chong suddenly heard a burst of cheers from outside, attracting his attention.

  On impulse, Wang Chong suddenly stood up and, pushing open the door, walked outside. In the next moment, Wang Chong calmed down and decided to just stand in the doorway.

  Outside the door, snow was falling down from the overcast sky.

  "It's snowing!"

  Wang Chong stretched out a finger, catching a drifting snowflake. He had a dazed look on his face. While he had been engrossed in cultivation, it had gradually become winter.

  Without his notice, his reincarnated life in this world had gone on for more than a year!

  "One year…!"

  Wang Ch
ong muttered to himself and sighed, his cold breath condensing into frost. Although only a year had passed, in Wang Chong's perception, it had been a year of winter this entire time.

  "Hahaha, it's snowing, it's snowing…"

  A hubbub of voices began to rise from Deflecting Blade Manor, and even Kunwu Training Camp was filled with cheers. People began to gather on the various mountains.

  Whether they had been riding horses, climbing poles, fighting practice matches, or shooting arrows, everyone excitedly cheered in the falling snow.

  The snow fell fast and thick. In just a few moments, the world was shrouded in mist. In the mountains, the trees cloaked in snow seemed to be silver maidens clothed in white silk. From a distance, they were as beautiful as a painting.

  Clatter!

  A warhorse suddenly came neighing out of the snowstorm, the sound of its hooves resounding in the storm. Mounted on the horse was a guard of the Wang Clan. He entered Deflecting Blade Manor and dismounted in front of Wang Chong's building.

  This strange action attracted Wang Chong's notice, along with the notice of all the other students in the manor.

  The uniformed guard, his fists clenched, put one knee on the ground. Only after taking a few breaths did he finally speak.

  "Young Master, Master Liang, Master Liang has returned…!"

  "What?"

  Wang Chong had only planned to give a casual glance, but these words sent a shock through his body. He wore an expression of such incredulity, it was like he had been struck by lightning.

  "What did you say? Say it again?"

  "Young Master, Master Liang, Master Liang has finally returned from the ocean. We've already received his message. He says that he'll be back in the capital in a few days!"

  Boom!

  One stone could stir a thousand waves. Wang Chong's hands were hidden in his sleeve, and as they fiercely clenched, they sent tremors throughout his body.

  In the entire Wang Clan, there was only one person addressed as 'Master Liang': the cousin that Wang Chong had dispatched to the ocean and had not been heard of for more than half a year, Wang Liang!

  Wang Liang had returned!

  He had finally returned from his voyage!

  This could be considered the best news Wang Chong had heard today.

  "Wonderful!"

  Wang Chong's face was bright red, and he was so excited that he almost jumped off the ground.

  "The letter? Let me see it!"

  A letter stained by sea water and sweat quickly found its way into Wang Chong's hands. The damp climate and the ocean winds had left the letter wrinkled and filthy.

  Wang Chong did not read it very carefully, but flipped straight to the last page. And when he saw the tiny flame drawn in ink that he had so anxiously awaited on the upper right corner, he finally couldn't suppress his shivers.

  "Success! He really did find the meteorites!"

  An energy surged violently out of his heart. In this instant, Wang Chong's entire body went taut as blood rushed through it. When his cousin Wang Liang had left, Wang Chong had already made some arrangements with him.

  If this voyage turned out fruitless, he would draw a stone on the lower left corner. But if he succeeded in finding the meteorites that he had theorized… he would draw a black flame on the upper right corner of the last page.

  His cousin had found them. He truly had followed those speculations and found the unknown Meteoric Metal on those islands.

  In another time and space, this Meteoric Metal would eventually become famous due to the Kris swords of Malaysia, but in this world, no one had any interest in them.

  They were a treasure that only he could appreciate!

  After more than a year, he had finally obtained a strength that could let him establish a foothold in this generation and change it!

  Whoosh!

  Turning his head, Wang Chong looked toward the mountains. The winds were howling and snow was falling faster and faster.

  ……

  "Helmsman, turn the rudder hard to port. The river surface is frozen; pay attention to the ice!

  "Rigger, quickly, furl two of the sails. We're traveling with the wind right now, so we don't need that many sails.

  "All sailors, get ready to follow my orders and drop the anchor at any time!

  "Everyone else, get to your positions. Cook, prepare to extinguish the fires. Today, we'll be spending the night ashore. Today, we will all eat a good meal!"

  ……

  Ten-some days later, accompanied by a string of orders and the cracking of ice, a massive ship plowed through various obstacles like a heavy sword and approached the harbor.

  Crash! Crash!

  Two massive anchors, six to seven hundred jin heavy, dropped down from the left and right sides of the ship. The anchors smashed through the ice layer and into the water, sending white frost flying.

  One ship, two ships, three ships… As the first ship reached the shore, the other ships also began to arrive.

  As they approached the shore, the entire fleet exploded with cheers.

  "We're back! We're finally back!"

  "Haha, this old man finally doesn't have to eat dirt!"

  "Strong wine and beautiful girls! I'm going to get my fill of fun this time!"

  "Tonight, I'm not going home until I'm drunk!"

  "Okay!"

  ……

  The entire fleet was cheering. With a swish, rope ladders and wooden stairs were put down the side of the ships. One by one, rough-skinned sailors, their faces red and brimmed with frost, began to disembark from the ships.

  The more formidable sailors jumped straight off.

  In just a few moments, the vacant and snow-covered harbor was packed with people.

  Chapter 428: Elder Cousin, Younger Cousin!

  Chapter 428: Elder Cousin, Younger Cousin!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  Everyone's faces were red from the cold, but their eyes were bright from excitement.

  One after another, the cooks, the sailors, the riggers, the helmsmen, the guards, the bowmen… they continued to disembark from the ships. After everyone left, a young man, his face honed by the wind and frost, finally appeared on the first ship.

  This youth didn't seem very old, but his eyes were those of a calm and time-tested veteran. They weren't the eyes a young man should have, and were more appropriate for a middle-aged man of thirty or forty who had a story to tell.

  "I'm finally back!"

  Wang Liang let out a cold breath of air. Taking in the dense, lively, and amiable crowd of sailors as well as the familiar yet empty harbor cloaked in white, he internally sighed.

  Though he had set out from here only half a year ago, it had felt so long that it seemed like another life.

  He had seen and experienced far too much on this adventure.

  Breathing in a lungful of cold air, Wang Liang raised his robe and began to descend the wooden ship stairs. The steps creaked as he walked, each creak resounding in every sailor's ear.

  "Captain!"

  "Captain!"

  "Captain!"

  ……

  ……

  As they watched Wang Liang walk down, everyone in the harbor—the sailors, the riggers, the guards, the cooks, the navigators, the archers, the crossbowmen, and the lookouts—began to cheer.

  Each pair of eyes was filled with passion and worship. It was like this descending youth was some famous and influential figure.

  Wave after wave of cheers rose up from the crowd, and not even the snowstorm or the bitter cold could stop them. Even the guards of the Wang Clan momentarily forgot who Wang Liang was and, just like everyone else, cheered him on as their most important captain.

  In their hearts, his identity as captain was clearly higher and worthier of respect than his identity as Young Master Liang.

  He had finally disembarked, his feet meeting solid ground. As he met the numerous eyes, Wang Liang finally spoke his firs
t words after stepping onto the mainland: "We've returned! Just like I promised you all. You will all receive what you want, and that is 'fortune'!"

  "Captain!"

  "Captain!"

  ……

  The already-excited crowd instantly grew even more passionate. Those shining eyes inspired absolute trust in them. Every one of them was a most loyal follower and guard of Wang Liang.

  Anyone, anyone… if anyone wanted to harm Wang Liang, they would tear that person to pieces!

  Just when the crowd was most excited, the clopping of hooves came from the distance, drawing their attention.

  This galloping was faint at first, but it quickly became a great rumble, a stampede of horses heading toward the harbor.

  "Look over there!"

  Someone pointed into the distance and shouted. In a flash, everyone looked in that direction, where they saw a black and grandiose tide surging toward the harbor.

  "Creeeee!"

  At the very front, a golden eagle cried out, its wings cutting through the snow like metal.

  And right under the golden eagle was a youth of sixteen or seventeen wearing a fur coat, his brows straight and his eyes bright, leading the group. Though he was young, this youth's every movement seemed to carry a certain majesty that made other people trust him.

  "Young Master! It's Young Master Chong!"

  The Wang Clan guards were the first in the crowd to recognize him. Others soon followed. There were currently few people in the capital that didn't know the Wang Clan's Qilin son.

  Quite a few of the members of the fleet had joined because of this youngest scion of the Wang Clan. Of course, some of them had come because of his reputation, but even more because of the legendary Wootz Steel weapons, and others because of his astonishing wealth.

  "Elder Cousin, you've finally returned!"

  Wang Chong rode his horse through the snow. As he approached the frozen ground of the harbor and the iced-over water, he was able to pick out Wang Liang in the very back of the crowd with just a glance.

  He galloped past the crowd, dismounted, took a step forward, and then embraced his cousin.

  "Hahaha, I'm back, I'm back…"

  Wang Liang also laughed and hugged Wang Chong back.