Archean Eon Art c1-766

by I Eat Tomatoes, Wo Chi Xi Hong Shi, 我吃西红柿

  However, there was one person he couldn’t defeat, and that was Meng Chuan!

  “Yan Jin, this will be the last move in our sparring match today.” Dressed in a navy-blue robe, Meng Chuan held a saber in one hand while standing in the distance. He attacked the moment he finished speaking.

  Swoosh!

  Meng Chuan phased away and entered the icy aura. Although the freezing aura affected his speed and vision, the lightning in his body sparked and propelled him forward at incredulous speeds. He still exceeded Yan Jin in every way despite the negative effects on him.

  Swish! A saber beam lit up—without the sound of the wind—as he cleaved down. With his saber technique reaching this stage, even the air was no longer an obstacle.

  Yan Jin tried his best to block the attack with both swords.

  In the blink of an eye, eight Meng Chuans appeared, each slashing out different saber beams. All of them aimed at a weakness in Yan Jin’s dual-wielding sword technique. Meng Chuan didn’t have any clone techniques. The clones resulted from his movement techniques. These eight saber beams flew towards Yan Jin one after another.

  Yan Jin could clearly sense Meng Chuan’s eight slashes using his domain of ice and frost. His swords blocked the attacks one after another, but he felt Meng Chuan’s strikes tearing apart his swords in a bid to find his weaknesses. However, Yan Jin used all his strength to block the eight strikes, forcing Meng Chuan’s attacks to fail.

  Swoosh.

  In the blink of an eye, Meng Chuan retreated dozens of feet away. The speed made Yan Jin’s eyelids twitch.

  His speed was simply too terrifying. It was said that cultivating a Lightning Divine Body meant speed, but Meng Chuan’s speed was that of a peerless genius’!

  “Yan Jin, your Turtle Sword Art is becoming more and more powerful. Even my saber technique is unable to crack it.” Meng Chuan laughed. “Forget it. There’s no need to compete anymore.”

  “Thank you.” Yan Jin retracted his swords and looked at Meng Chuan. He said seriously, “I know you are helping me hone my sword technique.”

  “Haha, I’m also training my saber techniques.” Meng Chuan walked to a nearby table and drank a cup of tea he poured himself.

  Liu Qiyue—who was sitting by the stone table and reading a book—had also matured. However, she was now half a head shorter than Meng Chuan. Mainly because he was 18, making him much taller than before.

  “Yan Jin, Ah Chuan’s movement technique and saber arts are fast. He can attack and retreat as he wishes. You can’t hurt him at all. Just give up,” said Liu Qiyue with a pout.

  “I know, but as long as my sword techniques can hold him back, there’s a chance of defeating him,” said Yan Jin seriously.

  “Qiyue, Yan Jin’s Yin-Yang Icefire Sword Technique is very dangerous. I don’t even dare to fight him,” said Meng Chuan.

  His Godfiend foundation was extremely robust, and Yan Jin’s Godfiend foundation wasn’t inferior to his.

  In accordance with the nine cultivation commandments he collated, he pursued the extremes and pushed his speed to the limit. As for Yan Jin, he focused on using dual-sword techniques and was more skilled in frontal combat.

  He was only a step faster in his cultivation.

  He had comprehended Saber Force over half a year faster than Yan Jin. This gained him the upper hand during their matches, but he still had no way of defeating him.

  It was different if he used the Power of the Soul, but he needed to keep it a secret. He wouldn’t use it unless it were a dire situation. In a normal sparring match, he would only use the Power of the Soul when sparring with his grandaunt.

  “Meng Chuan, you’re going to Archean Mountain this year, right?” asked Yan Jin.

  “Of course.” Meng Chuan nodded.

  Yan Jin nodded slightly and said, “We’ll compete again in a month.” With that said, he turned around and left.

  “This Yan Jin is very arrogant. He doesn’t understand the ways of the world and often comes to our place, but he has never brought us any gifts. His words are also cold. Speaking of which, Ah Chuan, you even saved his life.” Liu Qiyue complained after Yan Jin left.

  “With that temper of his, he’s already being very polite to us. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have bothered talking to you. Furthermore, the reason why I’m competing with him is because his sword techniques are indeed able to temper my saber arts.”

  If he were to encounter Murong You again—even if he didn’t employ the Power of the Soul—he could easily crush and kill him. However, Meng Chuan didn’t let it get to his head at all.

  After reading through the intelligence from the Eastcalm branch, he knew how intense the situation between the humans and demons was. He needed to be stronger. In this era, if he didn’t use the Power of the Soul, he wouldn’t even be ranked in the top twenty amongst all the young geniuses in the world. For instance, his grandaunt had mentioned King Calm Sea’s fifth son—who had comprehended Force at thirteen and became a Godfiend at fifteen. There were many who were more outstanding than him. Of course, most of these famous geniuses had already entered Archean Mountain.

  “What? The demons invaded human territory 129 times two years ago?” Liu Qiyue looked at the book and exclaimed, “Ah Chuan, are the books in your study speaking the truth?”

  Meng Chuan glanced at her. It was one of the many books his grandaunt had sent over.

  “They are.” Meng Chuan nodded. “We have been at a disadvantage in our war with demons! The demons are more powerful, but this is ultimately the human world. The demons live in the Demon Realm. They have to enter through a World Entrance. Humans have constructed large city passes at the permanent and stable World Entrances, and have powerful Godfiends guarding them.

  “The demons invaded 129 times two years ago because of the World Entrances that spontaneously appeared. This allowed the demons to storm in. As for World Entrances… the vast majority of them are unstable. Some exist for half a day, while some exist for about two weeks. They will ultimately disappear. The ones that can exist perpetually are few.

  “For example, our Eastcalm Prefecture’s Qinyang Pass has been the only permanent World Entrance in the past 800 years.”

  Liu Qiyue closed the book. The information in the book made her shudder.

  “Too many people have died. Many people die in every invasion.” Liu Qiyue’s voice was a little weak.

  “I saw it with my own eyes when I was six,” Meng Chuan said calmly. “That time, one county city after another fell, and more than a hundred thousand humans were slaughtered. Fortunately, Godfiends arrived. Otherwise, I would have died in that monster invasion.”

  The reason why every city had a Jadesun Palace built was to protect the large, heavily-populated cities. In dire situations, they could mobilize nearby Godfiends to reinforce a county city’s defenses.

  “Oh, right. Ah Chuan, will you be attending this year’s Jadesun Palace Demon-Slaying Meet?” Liu Qiyue asked. “It’s still half a month away.”

  “I’ve already promised the dean that I’ll be there when the time comes,” said Meng Chuan with a smile. “You’ve also realized the secret technique, and you should be the only sharpshooter in the eight Dao Academies who has done so.”

  Liu Qiyue perked up. “Of course. But compared to Ah Chuan and that Yan Jin, I’m still too far from the two of you.”

  Meng Chuan smiled.

  Time had passed quickly. In a few more days, it would be three months since he reached the Seamless realm. His Quintessential Energy was almost perfected, and he could attempt to condense a core.

  I wonder if I can succeed in my first attempt.

  In all of Eastcalm Prefecture, there were only three people who had succeeded in condensing a core below the Godfiend level.

  Chapter 50

  A few days later…

  In the dead of night, Meng Chuan sat cross-legged on his bed. Moonlight shone onto his body through the window.

  My Lightning Divine Body is completely perfe
cted. I can now attempt to condense my core. Meng Chuan was filled with anticipation.

  Mortal cultivation had five major realms.

  The realm with the slowest progress and expended the most cultivation resources was the Mortal Shedding realm. This was when a person began shedding one’s mortal coils and gradually possessed Godfiend powers. During this process, one would need to consume a large number of supplements like lucidum or ginseng pills to support the expenditure. For instance, even with the Meng family providing him a limitless supply of supplements, it took him nearly three years before he completed the shedding process.

  For those who were not wealthy enough—without sufficient supplements to allow their bodies to undergo a mortal shedding—their body’s transformation would be slow. It was normal for them to spend ten to twenty years. Furthermore, they would be “malnourished.” Their physical bodies and Quintessential Energy would also be weaker than experts of the same level.

  The Zhou family—the instigator of the Idle Stone Garden battle—had given a thousand-year-old ginseng that was worth ten thousand taels to Meng Chuan as an apology gift. It was meant for their young master when he underwent his Mortal Shedding cultivation. This was a testament to how expensive cultivation was in the Mortal Shedding realm. Many Mortal Shedding experts took up jobs as guards and subordinates to earn resources for their cultivation.

  If they were talented, the family clan would view them in a different light.

  For example, Meng Chuan and Yan Jin not only had sufficient resources, but they also had all kinds of natural treasures to establish their Godfiend foundation.

  For Mei Yuanzhi, he was groomed by the Dao Academy and the Godfiend families, allowing him to complete his Mortal Shedding in three years. However, they couldn’t provide him rare treasures that could establish a strong Godfiend foundation. Mei Yuanzhi’s talent was still a little lacking in the end, and he failed to enter Archean Mountain. If he had the talent of King Calm Sea’s fifth son, he would have been recruited by Archean Mountain and groomed tremendously even if he were a commoner.

  On the contrary, the Seamless realm expended the least.

  As long as one broke through to the Seamless realm, they just needed a few months of preparation to reach the mortal body’s pinnacle. There was no point in cultivating any further once this happened. If one wished to improve their body further, they had to become a Godfiend!

  Using Quintessential Energy to condense a core. That’s the final threshold before the Life-and-Death juncture. Meng Chuan’s eyes were filled with anticipation.

  Eastcalm Prefecture only had three Core Condensation experts.

  But in the past few decades, almost all of the geniuses who had appeared in Eastcalm Prefecture had fought in wars to accumulate contribution credits. A few of them had succeeded in condensing a core.

  For example, Fairy Meng had become an outer sect disciple of Archean Mountain. She had been fighting outside all this while. Her teammates were all equally talented as her, and almost all of them had succeeded in condensing a core. They worked hard together to accumulate credits in exchange for a chance to attempt the Life-and-Death juncture. Fairy Meng had managed to obtain a chance to enter the Godfiend Blood Pool and attempt a breakthrough after she had enough credits. Failure meant death. She succeeded and absorbed the powers within the Godfiend Blood Pool to become a true Godfiend. But most of her companions—those who had already successfully condensed a core—died in battle while accumulating credit. They didn’t even have the chance to enter the Godfiend Blood Pool.

  There were only two people who made an attempt. Only Fairy Meng succeeded.

  Mei Yuanzhi would take a similar path. The path to becoming a Godfiend was that difficult. If he couldn’t enter Archean Mountain, he could only work hard and accumulate credit for a chance to enter the Godfiend Blood Pool.

  The three Core Condensation experts in Eastcalm Prefecture, such as Yun Fucheng stayed in the prefecture to live peaceful lives because they no longer had any hope of becoming Godfiends. Those who still had hope remained on the battlefield.

  With the body seamless, Quintessential Energy will condense into a core. That’s just one prerequisite for becoming a Godfiend. The sooner I succeed, the better. Meng Chuan closed his eyes. It’s time.

  Inside his dantian, concentrated Quintessential Energy gathered. After a mortal body reached the peak, the Quintessential Energy in one’s dantian would reach maximum concentration.

  Arise!

  The thick, mist-like Quintessential Energy began to fuse with Meng Chuan’s Force. The wisps of Quintessential Energy fused with Saber Force. It allowed Quintessential Energy to undergo a qualitative change. The prerequisite for condensing a core required the comprehension of Force.

  Wisps of Quintessential Energy condensed into saber lights that were much denser than before. They began to revolve and gather in the center like countless small fish.

  Condense! Condense!

  Meng Chuan put his all into controlling the Quintessential Energy, compressing it with full force. The more compressed it was, the better. Once the density reached a certain level, it would completely change.

  As the revolutions and pressure continued, some of the saber light in the innermost region began to wear away and was squeezed into a ball.

  Revolution, compression, condensation!

  One’s Saber Force had to be strong enough before one had a chance of successfully condensing the core. Otherwise, it would disperse. Many experts who had comprehended Force were unable to condense a core for the rest of their lives.

  Meng Chuan had comprehended Saber Force at the age of 16. In the past two years, he had been cultivating arduously every day. He had also cultivated the remnant moves of the Lightning Devastator Saber and had improved tremendously. This was how he could suppress Yan Jin without using his Power of the Soul.

  His Saber Force was quite strong.

  Boom!

  After his Quintessential Energy revolved for over an hour, Meng Chuan heard a rumbling sound from his dantian. Saber lights and Quintessential Energy swirled around for a long time before finally turning into a tiny sphere. This was also known as the Essence Core. The Essence Core was white in color, and his Quintessential Energy had been completely converted into Quintessential Essence. The power of Quintessential Essence was much greater.

  The same move, but with Quintessential Essence complementing the body, could unleash greater strength and speed, making it far more powerful.

  I succeeded! Meng Chuan opened his eyes and smiled. He extended his finger.

  Chi! Chi! Chi!

  Lightning danced across his finger tips.

  “After condensing a core, I can finally release lightning,” Meng Chuan muttered softly. Previously, the lightning within his body could only increase the speed of circulation. Now, he could release it to affect the enemy.

  If he were to become a Godfiend, he could blast out lightning with a wave of his hand! It would be normal for him to transform into lightning to travel.

  There’s one final step left to becoming a Godfiend—the Life-and-Death Juncture.

  Disciples of Archean Mountain didn’t need to risk their lives to accumulate credit, but they had to be absolutely confident before they entered the Godfiend Blood Pool.

  As for Fairy Meng, Mei Yuanzhi, and others who were lacking in talent, they needed to accumulate credit to exchange for opportunities. However, even if they were not fully confident, they could still attempt to make a breakthrough. This was because it was an opportunity they had risked their lives for.

  From the standpoint of the human race, it was better not to waste precious resources like the Godfiend Blood Pool on those with low hopes of success.

  But sometimes, people needed to be given hope!

  When breaking through in the Godfiend Blood Pool, I will be struck by lightning because I have a Lightning Divine Body. My Life-and-Death juncture will be extremely difficult. I need to make even more preparations.
/>   Standing in front of the window and staring out at the bright moon, Meng Chuan was still in a good mood.

  He had sworn an oath when he was six. Now, he was getting closer and closer to becoming a Godfiend.

  …

  The days in Eastcalm Prefecture were very peaceful. Many people within the city began to discuss the upcoming Demon-Slaying Meet that was held once every three years! The last time, Meng Chuan and Yan Jin had shone the brightest. Now that both elites had already gained insights into Force, what would happen this time?

  “I heard that the Wind Center Dao Academy has a disciple named Zhang Fan. He figured out the secret technique at seventeen. The Zhang family has produced another powerful figure.”

  “That’s nothing. The Blazing Sun Dao Academy has a female archer named Liu Qiyue. She’s not from a Godfiend family clan either. She realized the secret technique at sixteen. Her talent is even greater. She should be the most impressive at this Demon-Slaying Meet.”

  “Have you forgotten? I heard that this year, both Young Masters Meng Chuan and Yan Jin will be last to go on stage.”

  “Young Master Yan Jin is truly formidable. He has defeated three Core Condensation experts. Young Master Meng Chuan also comprehended Force at the same time. He is also quite impressive.”

  “I did hear that Young Master Yan Jin has visited Mirror Lake Meng Manor many times, but he has never won.”

  In the tea house at night, the people were chatting very excitedly. Some people in Eastcalm Prefecture were drinking in restaurants or having fun at brothels, while ordinary people had gone to bed early.

  And at this moment—

  Fifty feet beneath Eastcalm Prefecture, land began to twist and distort. Some of the dirt and rocks were reduced to dust. On the other side of the distorted region, there was a mountain, and a giant bird hundreds of feet wide flying in the sky. Soon, a black beam rose up from a distant mountain, landing near this distorted area. It was a black ape carrying a staff.