by Translator: Pokka; Author: 我本纯洁 (I Am Pure); Licensed From: Migu
Chapter 6: Ain’t That the Damn Truth!
“Oh? So looking at cute girls is wrong? Is this part of Martial Hall Palace’s rules?” Xiang Shaoyun sarcastically remarked as he glanced at the youth beside him.
“Looking at people isn’t against the rules at all. However, if you look at somebody who you shouldn’t be looking at, it’ll be very easy to offend others. Wouldn’t this then be a sin?” the youth proudly said, a know-it-all expression filling his face.
Xiang Shaoyun pondered a while before laughing, “Haha, you have a point there. How should I address you, brother?”
“Looks like you’re very wise indeed. My name is Xia Liuhui,” the youth replied.
“Obscene? A distinguished name indeed,” Xiang Shaoyun applauded as he raised his thumb to show his approval.
“NO! It’s the ‘Xia’ character of ‘summer’, the ‘Liu’ character of ‘flowing water’ and the ‘Hui’ character of ‘waving Swords’,” the youth unhappily emphasized.
“I understand, yes I do. There’s not much difference there though; one glance at you and I see that you exemplify the word ‘obscene’! You truly live up to your name!” Xiang Shaoyun exclaimed as he patted the youth’s shoulder like they were the best of friends[1].
“I can’t be bothered to argue with you. I’m heading to the canteen for food now. Otherwise, all those wild beasts will have eaten it all,” the youth replied as he dashed in a particular direction.
Xiang Shaoyun was not slow either and quickly caught up to him. “Will the canteen really not have food for us to eat?”
“There will be, but there’s limited food! We have about a hundred people here. If half of us are able to fill our stomachs, then it’s already considered good!” Xia Liuhui answered as he continued to pick up the pace. Just then, Xiang Shaoyun also noticed cultivating youths from all directions sprinting like locusts towards the canteen.
“What on earth is this? Are these hungry ghosts incarnate or something?” Xiang Shaoyun incredulously asked.
“Hehe, you’ll become one of those hungry ghosts soon enough,” Xia Liuhui, who was already far from Xiang Shaoyun, laughed and replied.
Xiang Shaoyun began feeling a little uneasy and likewise increased his pace. When he arrived at the canteen, he immediately understood everything that Xia Liuhui had told him. One could only see mountains upon rivers of cultivators madly fighting for food. Everybody was pushing up on each other, and some had even started fighting with one another—all this in order to be able to line up right at the front to get the food that the attendants were giving out.
“This spot is mine, quickly get lost.”
“Screw your mother, you dare to snatch my spot? Come, let’s fight!”
“Bastard, which motherf*cker wants to fight for my spot? I swear I will not let him off today!”
“I haven’t had my fill in a very long time. Please give me a portion of pity food!”
The place was filled with a cacophony of noise as if it were a battlefield. It did not give one the impression that this was a canteen within Martial Hall Palace at all. The attendants who were distributing food apathetically watched the whole scene unfold before them. They did not mind it at all; rather, they were already used to the scene of carnage before them.
Xiang Shaoyun was thoroughly astounded. A split second later, he regained his senses and charged straight into the sea of people.
Peng Peng!
“Ouch!”
Just as he had entered into the massive crowd, fists came flying at him from all sorts of directions. Helpless to resist, he was thrown out of the crowd almost at once. Both his eyes were swollen, and from his nose flowed fresh blood. Touching his face, the initially delicate and smooth skin had turned coarse and hideous.
“Go to hell! You guys dare touch my handsome face? All of you deserve to die!” After he finished speaking, he rushed into the crowd, looking for revenge on those who had hit him. Alas, what happened next was a repeat of the previous scene: being thrown out of the crowd. His fifth-stage Basic Realm cultivation was the lowest of the low here. Frankly speaking, it was impossible for him to get a queueing spot.
This was the first time Xiang Shaoyun found getting a meal difficult.
“A man once said that those who toil for meals will cherish every grain of rice. Ain’t that the damn truth!” The learned Xiang Shaoyun sighed deeply to himself.
“Young Master Wu is here, quickly get out of his way!” A sharp voice rippled through the crowd.
Upon hearing those words, the originally boisterous crowd quickly settled down. A tall and slender youth surrounded by several other youths made his way into the canteen. This young man could be considered to be handsome, but his arrogant disposition made it seem like he did not put anyone within his sight, casting displeasure in those looking at him.
A few female disciples, however, were throwing glances at this youth, their bodies seemingly about to go and stick to him. This was because apart from being extraordinary in terms of talent, he was a person with an enviable background.
He was Wu Mingliang, a disciple who was certain to enter the inner court. Although he was three months shy of fourteen, his cultivation was already at the ninth stage of the Basic Realm; his future could be said to be limitless. More importantly, he was the seventh child of the town head of Wu Town, adding an irresistible charm to him.
Other outer court disciples had to fight for their food. As for Wu Mingliang? Once he made his appearance, everybody would obediently make way for him, allowing him to get his meal first. This was the privilege of the mighty.
The youth who announced Wu Mingliang’s arrival acted like a servant and gestured to Wu Mingliang, “Young Master Wu, if you please.”
“Yes,” Wu Mingliang said, satisfied. He started making his way toward the now-empty queue where everybody used to be.
After taking a few steps, he turned his eyes and saw Xiang Shaoyun lying flat on the ground. He showed a very curious expression and asked, “Eh, isn’t this the genius who had attracted the power of five stars? How on earth did you get into this state?”
Although it seemed like Wu Mingliang was genuinely concerned for Xiang Shaoyun on the surface, the mocking expression on his face was unquestionable. After he brought it up, the eyes of various outer court disciples fell on Xiang Shaoyun.
“Eh, it really is him! I thought he would’ve gotten special treatment from the Purple Lightning Marquis. Instead, he’s here to fight with us for food!”
“Haha, could it be that he was the person I beat up just now? Being able to thrash these kinds of so-called geniuses is what I live for.”
“He wants to fight with us for food at merely the third stage of the Basic Realm? He can dream on!”
“Looks like he’s doomed to starvation. I can’t imagine he’ll survive for more than three days. Will the Purple Lightning Marquis be sad if he dies?”
Various youths who were envious of Xiang Shaoyun’s talent sent scathing remarks one after another. Xiang Shaoyun’s face slowly darkened. He never imagined that being briefly mentioned would attract unending revile and sarcasm, a feeling that nobody would want.
“Mr. Genius, would you like to follow this young master? This young master will be sure to feed you, so you won’t go hungry,” Wu Mingliang let out an expression proud beyond belief.
“I’ll have to decline. This young master only knows how to take in slaves and has no experience in being one,” Xiang Shaoyun sarcastically rebutted.
“Insolence! Not showing Young Master Wu any respect! Quickly kneel down and apologize to Young Master Wu; otherwise, don’t ever dream of getting a single meal in the canteen ever again!” the “loyal dog” following Wu Mingliang shouted.
This loyal dog’s strength was not weaker than that of Xiang Shaoyun. On the contrary, it was higher than his by two stages at the seventh stage of the Basic Realm. His name was Gou Zi.
“Heheh, you speak as if this canteen was owned by your family,” Xiang Shaoyun dryly laughed.
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“It may not be operated by my family, but not allowing you to have a meal isn’t hard at all,” Wu Mingliang said then faced the crowd of disciples and proclaimed, “From today onward, whoever dares to let this brat have a spot to fight for meals will be an enemy of me, Wu Mingliang!” After he finished speaking, he no longer looked at Xiang Shaoyun and went to get his meal.
“Bastard!” Xiang Shaoyun shouted, emitting killing intent.
“Daring to curse Young Master Wu? Beat him!” Gou Zi commanded.
Pow Pow!
1. Both summer flowing and obscene sound like Xia Liu in Chinese.
Chapter 7: Nine Stars Shake the Heavens!
At an isolated area in Martial Hall Palace’s outer court, there was a pitiful youth licking his own wounds.
Heheh. I used to be the glorious young master of a seventh-tier sect, and now I’ve fallen so low I’m beaten by a group of small fries. This is truly a fall from grace! the youth melancholically thought to himself.
Who else could this youth be but Xiang Shaoyun? In the canteen, by himself, he was utterly unable to withstand the pounding of the group of loyal dogs. In the end, he could only attempt to protect his handsome face and charge out, escaping to this isolated corner by himself.
If people could hear what Xiang Shaoyun was talking to himself about, they would be scared out of their wits! A seventh-tier sect! This was a formidable power! Each realm in the cultivation tree was split into nine stages. Similarly, the organizations in the Nine Gods Province also had nine different tiers of ranking. The higher one’s rank, the more influence and backing one would naturally have.
Xiang Shaoyun actually called himself the young master of a seventh-tier sect! If others heard of this, it would be sure to cause waves. He had fallen to a point where he was forced to enter Martial Hall Palace, an unranked organization. Him once being a revered young master was something utterly unbelievable!
As for his whole story, only Xiang Shaoyun knew of the matter. Thinking back to those times, he was unfettered and free to do as he liked back at his home town. If he had nothing to do during the day, he would read various books and scrolls, expanding his knowledge of the Nine Gods Province as well as practicing the dao.
Otherwise, he would gather the demonic beasts for a spin, ordering the various servants to accompany him as well as the children of the elders to go visit the dwelling places of immortals, destroying the descendants of the demonic beasts, and unearthing spirit medicines. At night, he would be waited upon by pure, dainty female attendants who would attend to his every need. There was nothing he lacked—this was the grand freedom of a youth! It was a pity that such days were long gone.
“Father, I know that you definitely haven’t died, but your son has had no choice but to give your property to that villian. Your son has failed you! However, your son swears to the heavens that I will definitely reclaim everything that belongs to our Xiang family! I remember telling you when I was five years old that I would allow those so-called geniuses to have ten years of glory; as of today, the ten year mark has passed! I, Xiang Shaoyun, will rise to the peak, destroying all barriers! Whoever dares to block me, I will trample! Whoever wants to kill me, I will utterly destroy!”
The pure white face of Xiang Shaoyun had become extremely distorted at this instance, and both of his fists clenched in front of his heart as he swore to himself. He then thought to himself, Wu Mingliang, you will be the first stepping stone in this young master’s rise!
After sorting out his thoughts, Xiang Shaoyun did not bother treating his injuries. Rather, he once again sprinted to the outer court practice area, this time putting the 250-kilogram rock on his back as he sprinted away. In the Basic Realm, for every increase in stage, one’s strength would increase by 50 kilograms; hence, a fifth stage cultivator could just nicely lift a 250-kilogram rock.
“AHHHHHHH!!!!!”
Xiang Shaoyun yelled as if he had gone insane.
“Was that genius beaten stupid by Gou Zi’s gang? He’s wailing as if he’s a ghost!”
“Heheh, from how he is behaving, he is probably intending to train hard. But how can someone who cannot even fill his belly ever become great? This genius is bound to stay at the bottom.”
“Indeed. Even though he might have the protection of the Purple Lightning Marquis, Wu Mingliang has the town chief as his backing. Even the palace master has to be respectful to him whenever they meet!”
“It really is a pity. We’ll witness the fall of a great genius soon!”
When they saw him, various outer disciples revealed sympathetic glances as they lightly sighed. In their eyes, Xiang Shaoyun would have a very hard time trying to find his footing here, especially since they were currently in the physical training phase of their cultivation where food was extremely important. Not only would food ensure they had sufficient energy for training, it would also convert into bodily strength, allowing them to become physically stronger. For somebody who could not even have a meal, how could he even think about cultivating?
“Young Master Wu, that brat seems like he still has a lot of fight left in him.” At one corner, Gou Zi was speaking to Wu Mingliang.
“Geniuses are not easily broken. Keep pressuring them, and they’ll break eventually. Keep a close eye on him. When I become an inner court disciple, I will definitely not mistreat you,” Wu Mingliang replied.
“Be at ease, Young Master Wu. He will not escape from my grasp,” Gou Zi happily replied.
As a fifth-stage Basic Realm practitioner, carrying the 250-kilogram rock was not an easy task. Xiang Shaoyun was out of breath despite having only sprinted with the rock for a short distance. One must know that it had only been a day since he entered the fifth stage of the Basic Realm, so he had no opportunity whatsoever to stabilize his foundation and consolidate his strength.
Xiang Shaoyun fervently wanted to get stronger, so he would not easily lose heart over things like this.
“Heaven Conquering Overlord Manual. Maintain a tranquil heart, draw power from the stars, convert astral into qi.”
Within Xiang Shaoyun’s mind, an extremely mysterious mantra appeared. Heaven Conquering Overlord Manual was not the cultivation method that Zi Changhe had passed him. Rather, this was an ancient technique that he had long possessed.
The Heaven Conquering Overlord Manual was something that Xiang Shaoyun had acquired at a very young age. Riding a demonic beast king, he had accidentally stumbled upon a secret realm. Inside that realm, he had passed through an incredible, fantastical place before finally obtaining the mysterious scroll.
Thinking back to that time, the moment he obtained the Heaven Conquering Overlord Manual, rays of divine light seemed to seep into his head, rendering him unable to forget the mysteries of the Heaven Conquering Overlord Manual.
It was just a pity that this ancient technique was only a third complete. However, the wondrous content within the incomplete technique surpassed even his family’s high-tier heirloom cultivation method.
Because of that, Xiang Shaoyun ultimately abandoned cultivating his family’s cultivation method and fully focused on cultivating the Heaven Conquering Overlord Manual. He could not help but be amazed at the wondrousness of this ancient technique and hoped that he would, in the near future, be able to find the remaining parts of this manual, complete it, and unleash its full prowess!
However, there was one prerequisite before one could cultivate the Heaven Conquering Overlord Manual—one had to possess a six-star physique, filling the halls with jade! Otherwise, one’s body would not be able to withstand the profoundness of the manual.
One’s natal chart could have up to nine stars. Being able to activate up to four stars was already considered decent. However, the five stars illuminating the sky phenomenon Xiang Shaoyun had caused was enough to send the entire upper echelon of Martial Hall Palace into a frenzy. Furthermore, one must remember that the Heaven Conquering Overlord Manual had a prerequisite of having a six-star physique to cultivate! This ancient
technique was most certainly not an ordinary one!
Seeing as Xiang Shaoyun dared to practice the Heaven Conquering Overlord Manual, one could easily deduce that a five-star physique was certainly not his limit! If one could peer inside Xiang Shaoyun and take a look at the stars within him, one would be able to discover that there were nine glittering spots of light throughout Xiang Shaoyun’s body, giving him a very mystical aura. The endless river of stars seemed to flow within him, making anybody who set their eyes on the river to easily get lost in it.
This was a true top-tier physique—nine stars shake the heavens! This level of physique was hard to find even once in every ten thousand years. If any of Martial Hall Palace’s elders were to witness this scene, they would be scared out of their pants.
This amazing physique had somehow dropped into their small and humble Martial Hall Palace. If some other powerful organizations knew about this, Martial Hall Palace would certainly be in a pickle over how to keep hold of such a genius!
As Xiang Shaoyun revolved his strength via the Heaven Conquering Overlord Manual, he found that not only were his four limbs less tired, the pressure on his body had significantly lessened. Furthermore, the rate at which he was gaining strength had compounded several times over!
Physical training was meant to constantly accumulate astral energy so that one would reach the stage of converting astral energy into qi. Once one’s converted qi was able to finally take shape, one would be considered to have reached the Astral Realm.
Xiang Shaoyun used the Heaven Conquering Overlord Manual to activate the stars within him. With the nine stars working together to absorb astral energy, the rate at which he grew in strength was far beyond one’s imagination.
Without realizing it, Xiang Shaoyun had been running for four hours! He found that although he was rapidly expending energy, fresh bursts of energy were constantly flowing out from deep within him, always keeping him at almost peak condition. Initially, he wanted to keep running for as long as he could. Alas, his stomach stopped him from doing so.