Archean Eon Art c1-766
Page 24
Young Master didn’t make any predictions. Only then did the guards and servants calm down. This was normal! This was how their young master had attacked in the past when he did eight thousand daily repetitions of the Saber Drawing Stance.
He had started his daily repetitions of the Saber Drawing Stance a little later today because he had gone to the ancestral mansion. It would probably be afternoon by the time he finished.
…
Eastcalm Prefecture. At an ordinary residence.
A fat man wearing a hat and a bearded man came to the door and knocked on it.
The door opened, and a simian-looking man glanced outside. He immediately smiled and said, “Second Lord Zhao, please come in.”
“Mm.” The bearded man responded tersely. With a smile, the fat man followed behind his second brother.
The simian-looking man led the two into the residence and arrived at a hall.
“Brother Zhao.” A silver-haired elder in the hall smiled as he cupped his hands together. A subordinate stood behind him.
“Have the stewards received all my goods?” The bearded man sat down casually, while the fat man sat to his side.
“We received them. I received the goods in three batches. According to the 50% discount, it will be 16,800 taels of silver. Rounding up, it’ll be 17,000 taels of silver,” said the silver-haired elder with a smile. “Brother Zhao, are you satisfied?”
The bearded man nodded slightly. “Those are ordinary goods. I still have a few valuable goods.”
“Please, do tell.” The silver-haired elder’s eyes lit up.
“The first one is a jade horse.” The bearded man took out a wooden box. When the wooden box was opened, a jade horse placed on its side could be seen. The jade horse was slightly bigger than his palm and was milky-white and warm. However, the white jade horse’s surface strangely emitted a red luster.
“This is an ornament that’s carved from top-grade jade. It should be something that a Godfiend treasured. It might have been placed on a Godfiend’s desk. After spending a long time together, the aura of a Godfiend has already been infused into it.” The silver-haired elder nodded slightly. “It’s not very helpful for cultivation, but it’s indeed a rare item. I can give you 5,000 taels of silver for it.”
“5,500 taels,” said the bearded man.
“Alright, as you wish, Brother Zhao. 5,500 taels.” The silver-haired elder laughed.
Following that were the second, third, and fourth treasures. Together, they cost a total of 20,000 taels of silver. Each item was rare.
“This is the last item. This is a real treasure,” said the bearded man seriously. As he spoke, he took off his coat and robe. He then took out the mysterious item wrapped in cotton cloth.
The silver-haired elder observed carefully.
The bearded man unwrapped the cotton cloth, and immediately, a rich, domineering aura emanated.
“A Godfiend aura? Could it be a Godfiend legacy?” The silver-haired elder had some guesses, but when he saw the item within, he frowned. “It’s so small? Why aren’t there any words?”
This was a broken piece of black metal. It was only the size of a palm. Even an ordinary page of a Godfiend legacy would be the size of normal paper.
“What is this?” asked the silver-haired elder.
“I don’t know.”
The big-bearded man said, “This black metal piece doesn’t have any words on its surface. It doesn’t have any moves. At the same time, it’s damaged as well. However… the Godfiend aura it emanates is extremely domineering. It’s much stronger than the remnant pages of ordinary Godfiend legacies.”
“Perhaps it’s a tiny fragment of a Godfiend weapon,” said the silver-haired elder with a smile. “I’m willing to offer 3,000 taels.”
“It can’t be a weapon.” The bearded man shook his head. “It’s very flat, like a piece of paper. I can’t imagine any weapon to have such a fragment.”
“Have you tried accepting the legacy?” asked the silver-haired elder.
Godfiend legacies allowed one to immerse themselves within to see the moves of Godfiends. It passed on the legacy through intent.
For example, the remnant page of the Godfiend saber art Third Elder had given Meng Chuan was a legacy passed down through intent.
“No.” The bearded man shook his head. “The few Seamless realm experts in our fort have tried all methods, but none have worked.”
“Then this isn’t a Godfiend legacy,” said the silver-haired elder with a smile. “Although the Godfiend aura is extremely dense, I won’t offer more than 5,000 taels for an item that doesn’t have any use—even if it’s related to Godfiends.”
“100,000 taels of silver,” said the bearded man. “Not one penny less.”
“100,000 taels?” The silver-haired elder widened his eyes. “A true Godfiend legacy’s fragmentary page does cost more than 100,000 taels. However, you are unable to accept the legacy at all. You don’t even know what it is. Why would you ask for such a high price?”
“Firstly, the Blood Cloud Bandits paid quite a sizable price for this black metal piece. Secondly, given its extremely powerful Godfiend aura, it must be extraordinary,” the bearded man said. “100,000 taels was a price set by my elder brother. If you want it, you have to pay 100,000 taels.”
“Wait here. Let me ask my master,” said the silver-haired elder as he nodded at his subordinate.
“Alright.” The bearded man and the fat man waited patiently.
Soon—
An elegant man walked over.
“Brother Zhao.” The elegant man smiled as he nodded. At the same time, he glanced at the black metal piece and hesitated. “Can I take a look?”
“Sure.” The bearded man nodded.
The elegant man gently stroked the black metal piece after he held it in hand. After looking at it for a long time, he said, “Indeed, the aura of a Godfiend is extremely strong, but it’s very likely a fragment of a powerful Godfiend’s personal belongings. It might not be of any use at all. I can offer 20,000 taels of silver at most for the gamble.”
“I’ve already said that it’s 100,000 taels, nothing less,” said the bearded man.
“Then there’s nothing we can do about that.” The elegant man shook his head gently.
“Sure.”
The big-bearded man nodded with a smile. “We will stay in Eastcalm Prefecture for a few days. If you change your mind, you can find us again. You know very well how to find us.”
“Alright.” The elegant man nodded.
“This is the 38,000 taels of silver in banknotes that we previously agreed on.” The silver-haired elder placed a stack of silver notes there. The bearded man flipped through them after taking them. Each note had a face value of 1000 taels of silver, so there were a total of 38 notes.
“It’s time for us to leave. There’s no need to send us off.” The bearded man led the fat man away.
The elegant man watched them leave before he frowned, and said, “Butler Fang, quickly draw the black metal piece and make it look identical. After you’re done, we’ll visit the Branch Master.”
“Yes,” the silver-haired elder replied respectfully.
The elegant man pondered. The Branch Master might be able to identify what that treasure is.
Chapter 36
Translator: CKtalon Editor: CKtalon
At the Mirror Lake Meng Manor.
Meng Chuan only finished his 8000 Saber Drawing Stance repetitions in the afternoon due to his visit to his grandaunt in the morning.
After lunch, he rested for two hours. Only then did he start his second training in his daily routine: defensive saber arts and movement techniques!
“Fire,” a servant commanded.
Immediately, ten Mortal Shedding realm experts fired simultaneously! Following that was a second unit, then a third unit.
Three units of experts continuously shot arrows.
As Meng Chuan’s Godfiend foundation grew more robust, his strength w
as rising. The arrows shot out by Marrow Cleansing realm guards were like cotton to him. Therefore, the Meng family spared no expense to gather thirty experts at the Mortal Shedding realm to help in his training. Fortunately, the Meng family had many members, so the thirty experts included Meng family members other than the original guards. Every afternoon, they would come and help him for an hour.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! One arrow after another shot out.
Meng Chuan stood there, finding it very magical. He could clearly see the dark red patterns on each of the Scarletblood Blackiron arrow shafts. Every single arrow’s trajectory and the collisions between them didn’t escape Meng Chuan’s notice.
Nothing could hide from him within a hundred feet.
Meng Chuan took a step to the left and stood still. Nine arrows flew past him, and some arrows flew past the edges of his hair while others flew past his waist. Only one arrow flew towards his chest; he swung his saber and deflected the arrow with ease.
Meng Chuan just needed one step to the left and one deflection to deal with ten arrows.
It’s so easy. Meng Chuan stood in a circle that was about ten feet in diameter and did not move very quickly. However, the arrows flew past him without touching him. He would only wave his saber occasionally.
“What’s going on?”
“Why is Young Master looking so relaxed?” The thirty experts were also shocked.
I know the trajectory of the arrows the moment they are fired. I can immediately figure out which spots are safe. Meng Chuan found this very strange. It was as if everything in a hundred-foot radius was his domain. He could easily predict all the trajectories, making it extremely easy to dodge the arrows.
“Stop,” Meng Chuan suddenly shouted.
The thirty Mortal Shedding realm experts also stopped to look at Meng Chuan.
“Move forward twenty feet.”
“Twenty feet?” One of the Meng family members said hurriedly. “This distance is too close. We are only fifty feet away from you. You won’t have time to react if we shoot at such a close range. In my opinion, we should start by shrinking the distance by ten feet.”
“It’s fine. Let’s try it out first,” said Meng Chuan with a smile. “Listen to me, shrink the distance by twenty feet.”
Nobody refuted Young Master Meng’s words. After all, there were no arrowheads, and they were wrapped in cloth. Nothing could happen.
Whoosh! The thirty Mortal Shedding realm experts immediately walked forward twenty feet.
“Fire.”
The crossbow triggers were pulled, and arrows pierced through the air.
Their strength was simply too great. The weaker guards could muster up to 2,500 kilograms of strength, and the stronger guards could muster almost 5,000 kilograms of strength. One could imagine how fast their arrows were.
At such a short distance, even though Meng Chuan could sense everything within a hundred feet and his Lightning Divine Body was extremely fast, he instantly felt the pressure!
Previously, he had been so relaxed because he had been able to determine the safer areas. This sort of “determining” happened extremely quickly, but it still required some time. At such a close range, Meng Chuan didn’t have time to determine the safe areas calmly. He had to rely on his instincts and his movement technique to dodge or fend off the arrows with his saber art. Everything relied on instinct.
They were too close! There was no time to think!
Dodge!
Block!
Under this pressure, he relied on his 100-foot domain to dodge with all his might. However, there were still arrows that he couldn’t block or dodge.
An arrow shot towards his lower abdomen.
Block! Meng Chuan wanted to block it, but he was too slow. He watched the arrow about to hit his abdomen.
Whoosh.
Under his intense desire to dodge, an invisible force surged into his saber. His saber instantly moved a little faster. With a “pfft,” he blocked the arrow.
Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!
Arrows rained down, fast and furious.
Faster, faster. Meng Chuan tried his best to dodge.
Boom!
The invisible force merged into every part of his body.
Dong! Dong! Dong! His heart beat loudly, and his organs turned extremely clear. Blood flowed like a river, and every muscle in his body was clearly visible.
In an instant, his perception and control over his body had become much greater.
His body, mind, and technique became one! He unleashed the potential of his body.
At that moment, his fusion of body, mind, and technique reached a profound state. His heart pumped blood, and all his organs were operating at their limits. His muscles also erupted with strength as his Quintessential Energy perfectly circulated. In an instant, every operation and circulation in his body was perfect, and his ability to utilize potential was much greater than before.
Swoosh.
He instantly felt his body become much lighter and more agile. He easily dodged the arrows. If he was willing, he could raise his pure speed by a great deal.
This feeling is simply too wonderful. I almost feel omnipotent. The refined control over his body had Meng Chuan slightly entranced. However, the invisible force that was fusing into his entire body was also draining him intensely.
In just a few seconds, he felt dizzy.
“Stop!” Meng Chuan shouted immediately.
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
There were still three arrows that hit him. He grimaced in pain.
“Impressive.” The Mortal Shedding experts who had been shooting arrows were dumbfounded. They had fired seven consecutive times at such a close distance. Yet, Meng Chuan had actually blocked all the arrows only to be hit by three arrows at the end.
“Truly impressive.”
“This movement technique is extremely strange. Despite all these arrows, none of them managed to hit you.”
“It did eventually, though.”
“It’s already very impressive that he could dodge them. Meng Chuan must have figured out some powerful movement technique, but it seems like he hasn’t fully figured it out yet. In the end, he was hit in succession.” The Mortal Shedding experts were both impressed and delighted. Most of them were members of the Meng family, while the rest of them had served the Meng family for a long time. The more powerful Meng Chuan was, the prouder they were.
“That’s all for today. I want to reflect on my cultivation,” Meng Chuan said.
“Yes.” Everyone smiled in response.
“Young Master’s movement technique has improved tremendously. He should have gained some insight.”
“Cultivation is very important. It is also very important for one to comprehend it in silence.” They chatted excitedly as they left. The servants were also dismissed. Meng Chuan was the only person left in the training grounds.
What kind of strength was that just now? Meng Chuan was a little excited.
Just now, I was using all my strength to block that arrow since I was in a dire situation. There was actually an invisible force that infused into my saber art, raising its might by 50 percent. Not only that, the invisible force fused with my entire body when I was dodging the rest of the arrows. The feeling of having such control over my body was simply too wonderful. My strength instantly increased to a whole new level.
The fusion of body, mind, and technique provided a surge in strength, speed, and the perfect circulation of Quintessential Energy. Most importantly, he hadn’t suffered any injuries at all. All he did was unleash more of his body’s potential.
This invisible force is invisible to the naked eye, but it appeared due to my intense will. Is it related to the glabella space? Meng Chuan had some guesses. When the invisible force is fused with the saber, the energy expenditure isn’t that great. However, when it merges with my body, the consumption is ten times greater. I could barely last a few seconds.
But this is already very strong. Meng
Chuan couldn’t forget the wonderful feeling of having such control over his body. This power is mysterious and unknown. I’ll temporarily call it the “Power of the Soul.”
…
In a deep underground tunnel at night.
The elegant man led the silver-haired elder. Soon, they saw a huge door. Pushing it open revealed an empty hall. There were two maidservants standing inside.
“I want to meet the branch master,” the elegant man said.
“Lord Li, please wait a moment. I’ll send the message right away,” a female attendant said with a smile. She then turned to enter a side door to report.
The elegant man and the silver-haired elder waited silently.
Moments later.
A hunchbacked man walked out from the side door. The maidservant followed behind him respectfully. The hunchbacked man was the Skydemon Sect expert from Idle Stone Garden, who had nearly killed Meng Chuan and Yan Jin.
“Greetings, Vice Branch Master Gao,” the elegant man and the silver-haired elder greeted respectfully.
The person with the highest standing in the Skydemon Sect Eastcalm branch was the branch master, followed by the two vice branch masters.
The vice branch master was a Seamless realm expert who had long comprehended the concept of Force. Furthermore, due to his cultivation of various demonic arts, his techniques were also sinister and challenging to deal with.
“Branch Master and Second Brother Tu are both cultivating in seclusion. I’ve been in charge of the branch matters for the past half-year.” The hunchbacked man walked into the hall and sat down casually. He glanced down at the two people and said, “Speak, what can’t you settle by yourselves?”
“The Bloody Cloud Bandits want to sell us a treasure.” The elegant man took out a scroll and passed it to the maidservant beside him. The maidservant then gave it to the hunched-back man. “It’s the black metal piece as depicted in the painting.”