by Fiery Moon
“Uncle Qiang, can we start now?” Xiao Jian said impatiently as he stood at the side.
Xiao Qiang recovered from his shock and said to Xiao Chen: “Are you ready?”
Seeing Xiao Chen nod his head, Xiao Qiang said in a deep voice: “Although this duel is a fight to the death, you are brothers after all. I would like to emphasize that if one party admits his loss, the other party must stop. It is best that all grievances end with this. Xiao Jian, can you do this?”
Xiao Jian nodded his head but smiled coldly in his heart. Killing Xiao Chen would dirty his hands, he would stop before that happened. What a joke! However, he had to think of a way to thoroughly cripple the cultivation of this reckless fellow.
The two of them got onto the arena, stood in their respective corners and paid their respects to each other. This duel had officially started and the atmosphere in the martial hall also started to turn heavy.
Xiao Jian stood on the arena, slowly raising his killing intent. He did not intend to drag out this fight and was prepared to finish Xiao Chen with one move. If he could not finish a trash at the 9th Grade of Spirit Refinement with one move, then he would lose all of his face.
Xiao Chen stood casually in the corner, staying on his guard, and circulated the Purple Thunder Divine Incantation in his body. After the battle with the First Elder of the Zhang Clan, Xiao Chen did not feel any feel fear towards the Xiao Jian who was a peak Martial Disciple. He was not worried about this battle and there was no way that Xiao Jian’s Medial Grade Yellow Ranked Martial Technique could stand up against his Superior Grade Yellow Ranked Martial Technique, even if he had only six days of practice under his belt.
Xiao Jian did not hold back and raised his peak Martial Disciple strength to its max. He was simply waiting for Xiao Chen to let his guard down before making a move, radiating out his killing intent to pressure Xiao Chen.
After cultivating the Purple Thunder Divine Incantation, Xiao Chen was very sensitive to the flow of Qi. However, to Xiao Chen, Xiao Jian’s killing intent seemed incredibly weak, not affecting him at all. He just gave Xiao Jian a mild smile and looked at him fearlessly.
When the Azure Dragon that swam in Xiao Chen’s Dantian felt this minuscule killing intent, it felt as if it’s dignity was sullied. It let loose a loud roar within Xiao Chen’s body, causing Xiao Chen’s aura to suddenly rise explosively.
“Boom!”
In an instant, Xiao Jian’s killing intent was forcefully bounced back. The might of this ancient Azure Dragon Holy Beast Martial Spirit was not something an insignificant Martial Disciple could withstand. Xiao Jian felt incomparably shocked. Xiao Chen actually managed to send Xiao Jian’s aura back, so could it be that he had already achieved the Martial Master realm?
That was impossible! Xiao Jian’s complexion changed slightly. Xiao Chen was a 9th Grade Spirit Refinement trash, how could he suddenly break through from peak Martial Disciple to Martial Master realm? He had to make his move soon, Xiao Jian knew that his mental state was already shaken. He had to make his move and could wait no longer.
“Receive my Martial Technique, Inferno Chop!”
Chapter 16: Counterattack of the Good-for-Nothing
Xiao Jian soared into the air with a jump, and punched out. A fireball burned on his fist, releasing a strong heatwave around him. His killing intent caused Xiao Chen to freeze up. Xiao Jian smiled coldly; with his speed as a peak Martial Disciple, it would be impossible for Xiao Chen to escape. This Inferno Chop was a Medial Grade Yellow Ranked Martial Technique that he had cultivated for several years. He was certain he would finish this with one hit!
Xiao Chen’s expression turned grave. Seeing Xiao Jian’s speed, he knew it was unavoidable. Since he could not avoid it, he would take it head on!
With the Purple Thunder Divine Incantation frantically circulating inside him, Xiao Chen stomped ruthlessly on the ground and flew upwards. His Purple Thunder True Fire poured out of his right hand with a roar, encasing his entire right fist. This was the result of cultivating for six days.
Xiao Chen did not believe an ordinary flame could compete against the True Fire of an Immortal Cultivator!
“Bang!”
Their fists met in mid-air and Xiao Chen was forced back a few steps before he managed to stabilize himself. The blood and qi in his body were in turmoil, but he quickly circulated his Essence to calm those fluctuations. It appeared his raw strength was still slightly inferior to Xiao Jian’s, obviously due to having a peak Martial Disciple cultivation.
Xiao Jian only had to take a few light steps back to stabilize himself, constantly sneering at Xiao Chen in his heart. Earlier when purple flames suddenly appeared on Xiao Chen’s right fist, it had scared him quite a bit. However, after that exchange he realized that looks could be deceiving. The strength of Xiao Chen’s flame was only at the Martial Disciple realm. It seemed he had finally condensed his Martial Spirit, and this strange flame might be his Martial Spirit.
However, when Xiao Jian considered it, he realized he could make good use of this opportunity to thoroughly destroy Xiao Chen’s Martial Spirit. He could make Xiao Chen incapable of ever recovering.
But then, something strange happened. The purple flame, which had entwined with Xiao Jian’s Inferno Chop, did not completely extinguish. Xiao Jian pretended it was nothing and attempted to fling his hand to put out the flames.
Unfortunately for Xiao Jian, these purple flames acted as if they were doused in oil. They continued burning stronger, incessantly consuming the Essence on Xiao Jian’s palm. He was completely shocked, and hurriedly circulated Essence to his right palm. The purple flames were unexpectedly stubborn. Even after wrapping them in a huge amount of Essence, they continued to greedily consume every last bit he sent.
What was going on?!
Xiao Jian immediately began panicking. He started frantically swinging his hands around, however, no matter how he swung his hands the flame remained stuck to his body like a leech refusing to be flung off. The Essence in his body was still streaming towards his palm. After a while, the purple flame finally seemed to have consumed all of its energy and began to slowly extinguish itself.
Xiao Jian managed to catch his breath with difficulty, when suddenly there was a crackling sound in the air. He raised his head to see a bright, blinding thunderbolt firing towards him.
Superior Grade Yellow Ranked Martial Technique — Divine Thunder Break!
“Bang!”
Xiao Jian shrieked out miserably and his whole body flew off the arena. He was charred black, and continuously convulsed, with arcs of electricity jumping around his body.
Silence fell upon the hall...
The surroundings became uncomfortably silent. The martial hall, which was bustling with noise and excitement earlier, was now absolutely hushed. Everyone’s mouths were agape in shock.
While they stood there watching these events unfold, they felt completely stupefied. There were even some who stood very far back who did not know what had happened; all wondering why Xiao Jian suddenly flew off the arena.
Only one blow was exchanged between the two of them, and the duel had just started. In the audience’s eyes, this duel definitely would not take long. The martial realms of these two were just too far apart. Xiao Chen should be completely helpless, and rendered useless in a single blow, but now the situation was inverse of their expectations.
The audience could not believe it when they saw that the strongest person in the younger generation, Xiao Jian, was actually defeated in one move by the trash still in 9th Grade Spirit Refinement. This completely exceeded their expectations.
Xiao Chen looked at the distant Xiao Yulan, and gently smiled at her. He leapt down from the arena and headed towards the gates without even looking at Xiao Jian on the floor. He had stayed his hands earlier and split his attention to the Purple Thunder True Fire. If he had struck out with the Divine Thunder Break at its maximum strength, he might have shattered Xiao Jian’s Ma
rtial Spirit.
The crowd automatically cleared a path, and looked at Xiao Chen with complicated expressions. Those Xiao Clan disciples who used to be on good terms with Xiao Jian did not dare to look Xiao Chen in the eye.
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Xiao Clan Courtyard:
The duel was already half a month ago, and in this half of the month, Xiao Chen could tell that the attitudes of the Xiao Clan members towards him had changed. Reverence and respect replaced past looks of disdain. This was how the Tianwu Continent was; a world where the strong ruled, and only with strength could one obtain the respect of others.
Xiao Chen ignored these changed attitudes. Aside from accompanying Xiao Yulan into Mohe City a few times in the past half a month, he had spent the rest of his time cultivating. The events in Seven Horn Mountain left a shadow in his heart. There was probably some conspiracy between the mysterious man in blue and the Zhang Clan, and it was almost certainly related to the Promise of Ten Years that would happen a few months later.
Although he was not a person of this world, if the Xiao Clan lost Seven Horn Mountain they would definitely lose their standing in Mohe City. With his current strength, if he lost the protection of the Xiao Clan, a Martial Grand Master (not to mention a Martial Saint) could easily kill him. Xiao Chen felt a deep sense of crisis. He could only continue becoming stronger, which was his sole avenue to secure his fate in the future.
The cultivation of the Purple Thunder True Fire was already at the 2nd layer, and it no longer required the Purple Thunder Divine Incantation to circulate. With just Xiao Chen’s will, he could condense the flames. The Purple Thunder True Fire could now leave his hands and float in the air due to his great control. Having achieved this realm, he had attained the basic requirements for refining medicinal pills. Thus, Xiao Chen decided to go to Mohe City to buy a suitable medicine cauldron necessary for him to attempt to refine medicinal pills.
Mohe city was one of the eight main cities of the Qizi county; within the Great Qin Nation, it was considered an ordinary, small city. Aside from the original owner of this body, Xiao Chen himself had come here more than once already so he was familiar with the roads, and arrived shortly.
Xiao Chen confidently walked to the largest smithy, called Regretful Iron. Its main branch was located at the Continent’s Capital, and the Dong Clan backing it was said to be the Great Qin Nation’s top merchant association.
The interior decorations were quite unique, and its shelves were filled with weapons and armor of all colors. There were many customers within, indicating that the smithy’s business was quite successful. Xiao Chen approached the shelf reserved specially for medicine cauldrons. After perusing for a long time, he was not interested in any of the cauldrons on display as they were solely made from ordinary metals.
Xiao Chen shook his head and was about to leave, when suddenly a bold heroic voice called out from behind him, “Young Master Xiao, are you here to buy medicine cauldrons?”
Chapter 17: Mysterious Woman, Top Quality Medicine Cauldron
Xiao Chen turned to take a look, and saw an old man. This old man seemed very alert and energetic. Xiao Chen tried, but could not recall the name of this person, so he could asked out of suspicion, “You are?”
The old man laughed, “Haha, perhaps Young Master Xiao does not recognize this old man. I am the owner of this shop. My humble surname is Ma.”
Xiao Chen smiled gently, “So it is Boss Ma. I am indeed thinking of purchasing a quality medicine cauldron, but the goods in your shop seem to be average.”
Boss Ma laughed loudly, “Since Young Master Xiao does not fancy any of these cauldrons, how about you follow me to the back to take a look?”
Go to the back and take a look? Xiao Chen immediately became vigilant. In his memories, he did not recall having any contact with this Boss Ma. Why would Boss Ma suddenly invite him inside for no reason? What intentions did he have? Although he needed a good medicine cauldron, he could not help but feel wary.
“In that case, Boss Ma, please lead the way,.” Xiao Chen smiled gently. His desire for a good medicine cauldron outweighed concerns. However, he still remained on guard, and at the first sign of any trouble he would leave immediately.
Boss Ma led Xiao Chen past the crowds and headed upstairs.The goods displayed on the second floor were clearly a much higher quality than those on display downstairs. Xiao Chen even spotted some Spirit Weapons. The prices here were high, so many customers were just browsing, with only a few actually making purchases. Boss Ma smiled gently and continued leading the way. They progressed until they reached the fourth floor.
From the second floor on there were fewer and fewer people. When they arrived on the fourth floor, there was almost no one else. The decorations on the fourth floor were extremely luxurious. Despite this, the fact that there were no display shelves made Xiao Chen feel skeptical. Only a youth dressed in embroidered clothes stood at the window with his back facing away from it, looking down at the streets below.
When that youth heard their footsteps, he turned and smiled, “It’s been tough Boss Ma; have a rest first and I will entertain this guest.” His voice was melodious, natural, graceful, and delicate, like the sound of a wind chime.
Boss Ma softly nodded his head and bowed before he withdrew. The youth quickly walked over and said to Xiao Chen, “It was presumptuous of me to do this. Please forgive me if I have offended you.”
After Xiao Chen saw the appearance of this person more clearly, he smiled mildly in his heart. This youth wearing embroidered clothes was actually a girl crossdressing. Her facial features were picturesque. She had white teeth and twinkling eyes, though the male clothing she wore gave her a heroic air.
Xiao Chen smiled, “Since when did Mohe City have a beauty like you? I did not actually realize that.”
The girl smiled. She did not mind Xiao Chen’s teasing, “Young Master Xiao must be joking. I have heard of your distinguished reputation, and upon seeing you for myself, I must say that it seems true.”
Xiao Chen’s suspicions deepened in his heart. She knew of his reputation, but she was still so courteous to him? What was this girl’s origin? Without changing his expression he continued smiling calmly and said, “I still have not asked you for your name.”
“Feng Feixue.”
Feng Feixue... Xiao Chen muttered the name mentally a few times. He was sure this girl was not from Mohe City. Considering this possibility, he still did not change his expression, “So it is Miss Feng. Well, I shall cut to the chase; show me the medicine cauldron.”
Feng Feixue’s red lips parted and she laughed lightly, looking extremely alluring, “Young Master Xiao is very impatient. And here I was prepared to chat with you for quite awhile.”
When she finished saying this, she waved her hands and four strangely shaped medicine cauldrons appeared out of nowhere, resting upon the nearby wooden table. Xiao Chen was shocked because she had actually used a Spatial Ring. Apparently this girl had a great background, since even a regular Martial Saint might not get the chance to use a Spatial Ring.
Soon, his surprise turned into amazement, and his gaze was quickly attracted to the four medicine cauldrons on the wooden table. These four medicine cauldrons all had different shapes, and were obviously saturated with Spiritual Energy. Xiao Chen was sure that these medicine cauldrons were alloyed with actual Moonstone, not just a little bit of Moonstone powder, otherwise their color and Spiritual Energy would not be so thick.
Amongst them, there was an Azure Dragon medicine cauldron that caught his attention. This cauldron stood on three legs, and had two vivid, lifelike Azure Dragons entrenched together on its body. One of the dragon heads was for inputting the fire, and the other was for outputting the pills. The handicraft of the person who made this cauldron was very good, and the carving of the Azure Dragon was extremely expressive. It looked like it was about to come to life.
Xiao Chen held it in his hands and played around with it for a
little while, eventually asking, “Can I give this medicine cauldron a test run?”
Feng Feixue was a little shocked in her heart, Could he be an alchemist? Was this medicine cauldron for his own use? It looked like her earlier assumption might be wrong. Without changing her expression, “No problem, please go ahead.”
Xiao Chen placed the medicine cauldron on the table and used his consciousness to condense a ball of purple flames with his right hand. He slowly pushed the flame down the cauldron and carefully controlled the purple flames to enter it. When the flames completely entered the cauldron, he released his control and let the them burn ferociously.
Xiao Chen carefully observed the medicine cauldron. Under the heat of his purple flames, the azure colored medicine cauldron experienced no changes. Its Spiritual Energy was just as incomparable as before. After letting the purple flames burn for awhile, Xiao Chen could feel his Essence diminishing. He hurriedly retrieved the purple flames and calmed the fluctuations of Spiritual Energy within his body.
Xiao Chen picked up the Azure Dragon Cauldron, taking a closer look. The outside of the medicine cauldron was not hot at all. After he opened the cauldron lid, a stream of hot air released. Xiao Chen thought he saw a formless Azure Dragon rising up into the air. He sniffed the inside of the cauldron lightly. The air inside was dry and pleasant, and there were no strange odors.
Xiao Chen felt exceptionally amazed in his heart. This was exactly what he needed. If all he needed were an ordinary medicine cauldron, then there were plenty in the Xiao Clan. It was a pity that under the refinement of the Purple Thunder True Fire, those ordinary medicine cauldrons would begin to crack after a short while. Those cauldrons were simply not suitable for refining medicines.
Since he did not have much hope that this shop would actually have a strong enough cauldron to suit his needs, Xiao Chen only brought a single piece of Moonstone with him. If he was unable to find a suitable one, he had planned to use this piece of Moonstone to refine one himself. He really did not expect to find a cauldron to his liking in the Regretful Iron.