I Am Overlord c1-962
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Back when they had heard about Xiang Shaoyun's defeat in the hands of Xiao Xie, they had all acknowledged that he was qualified to enter the Dragon Phoenix List's top 20.
However, it had been about half a year since that fight. Each disciple was progressing, while Xiang Shaoyun's cultivation level had seemingly remained stagnant. Why then, was he able to unleash such terrifying combat prowess?
They suspected him of hiding a trump card. However, that wasn’t the most shocking news. A different piece of news had spread as well, and it was truly shocking. Ouyang Chuanqi had accepted the Overlord Legion's recruitment, becoming their first deputy commander. As for Tang Longfei, he was now a second deputy commander. It created a massive commotion.
"What is happening exactly? Ouyang Chuanqi actually joined the Overlord Legion? How had Xiang Shaoyun managed to make that freak join him?"
"Perhaps Ouyang Chuanqi had encountered danger in the Gleamstar Blessed Land and was saved by Xiang Shaoyun? Is that the reason he willingly joined them? I really can't think of any other reason."
"Or maybe Xiang Shaoyun and Ouyang Chuanqi had long known each other, keeping their relationship hidden until now?"
"Looks like the Overlord Legion is about to rise. I am going to join them too."
...
The news created a sensation that increased the number of people joining the Overlord Legion. Ouyang Chuanqi was a deputy commander only in name. He wouldn't normally get involved with the faction's affairs and would only help when they required it. Even so, many disciples were still attracted to join the Overlord Legion due to his very presence.
Tang Longfei, Zhuge Zhantian, and Lady Shura became increasingly busy. They were in charge of the new joiners. As the leader, Xiang Shaoyun did not have the time to handle all the miscellaneous affairs. In any case, he needed to focus on his match with Di Lin.
Currently, Xiang Shaoyun was within his cultivation room, studying a green sapling. It was the very sapling he had obtained in the Gleamstar Blessed Land. The sapling looked completely unassuming, but Xiang Shaoyun had a feeling it was something special.
However, he couldn't quite pinpoint what was so special about it. He only had an instinct that it was not a normal sapling.
After reading so many ancient records, I can recognize most plants in existence. However, I can't recognize this sapling. Is it because it's still too young? Maybe I need to check again after it grows more, thought Xiang Shaoyun with a sigh.
After thinking about it for a while, he threw the matter to the back of his mind. His current focus was to refine the gleamstar water he had gotten. The many disciples had worked very hard to gather the gleamstar water so they could expand their stars, increasing the amount of astral energy they could store.
The bigger one's energy storage capacity, the longer one could last in a battle. Furthermore, one could also erupt with more explosive power than cultivators with the same cultivation level. That was why the disciples had tried so hard to collect the gleamstar water.
Xiang Shaoyun used 18 drops of gleamstar water at the same time. The moment each star touched a drop of gleamstar water, changes started occurring. The gleamstar water was created from a star's essence. Thus, its power had a high affinity with one's inner stars.
Generally, a cultivator only needed a drop of gleamstar water to expand a single star's capacity.
Xiang Shaoyun was using 18 drops at the same time. He was obviously relying on the sheer amount of gleamstar water he had collected, trying to see if he could achieve a better effect through quantity.
As the power of the gleamstar water fused with his stars, their capacity started increasing, as if the power of the water was forcefully stretching his stars. The sensation of his stars expanding did not bring Xiang Shaoyun any discomfort. Instead, a comfortable sensation welled up in him. Using his inner gaze, he could see his nine stars shining brightly. It was as if there was a divine river of stars within his body.
At that moment, Xiang Shaoyun sensed that something was happening to his astral cosmos sea as well. While he was refining the gleamstar water, a large portion of the water's power had spread to the rest of his body. Thus, his astral cosmos sea had benefited and was expanding alongside his stars.
At that discovery, Xiang Shaoyun refined two more drops of gleamstar water and fed the power to his astral cosmos sea without hesitation. Sure enough, the moment the power reached the astral cosmos sea, it expanded even faster.
He also found that his astral cosmos sea was going through a qualitative change. If his astral cosmos sea and nine stars were akin to translucent bodies before this, then right now, the astral cosmos sea was turning into a true solid entity.
Chapter 741: Nurturing Stars
Within a certain elder's villa in Dragon Phoenix Academy.
Di Lin had arrived alongside Situ Yan. Before the villa, a middle-aged man stood. His hair was white, and he had the eyes of someone who had seen the vicissitudes of life. Because of that, he gave off an impression that his physical appearance did not match his actual age. The man was none other than Situ Mingyu, a previous generation elder. He was also Di Lin's master.
"You have a deathmatch coming up?" Situ Mingyu asked.
Di Lin respectfully replied, "Yes, master."
Situ Yan said, "Grandfather, Xiang Shaoyun is intolerable. He insisted on making things difficult for junior brother again and again. Junior brother did not want to waste any time with him, but he actually challenged junior brother in public, forcing the battle on him!"
"And do you know why Xiang Shaoyun had challenged Di Lin?" Situ Mingyu asked Situ Yan.
"Of course I know. Xiang Shaoyun is a stray dog from the same sect as junior brother. After he suffered defeat under junior brother's hands, he had been thinking of ways to eliminate junior brother. We can't forgive his sins!" said Situ Yan.
"Hehe, I wish things were that simple," said Situ Mingyu with a meaningful laugh. He asked Di Lin, "Are you confident in winning the battle?"
Di Lin declared solemnly, "I am confident I'll win!"
"No, you need to kill him. If you can't kill him, you might be the one to die," said Situ Mingyu.
"Yes, master. I will kill him." Di Lin's confidence swelled at his master's encouragement.
"Over the past two years, you have worked hard. However, you had not listened to me. Your advancements have been too fast, to the point you have shaky foundations. This battle will be a test of your combat prowess. In defeat, I will only lose face, but you will lose your life. Everything will be over for you. This is an Emperor Eruption Pill. Take it, in case you need it," said Situ Mingyu with a sigh as he tossed a pill over.
The Emperor Eruption Pill was a pill capable of allowing an Emperor to erupt with higher combat prowess for a short while. Unfortunately, the backlash of using this pill was rather bad. After the effects wore off, massive damage would be left in the user's body. Thus, pills like this shouldn't be used unless absolutely necessary.
Situ Mingyu gave Di Lin this pill as a last resort to preserve his life. Of course, he still wished his disciple wouldn't reach a point of needing the pill. Accepting the pill, Di Lin was overjoyed as he thought, Xiang Shaoyun, I will let you know how wrong you were to challenge me.
...
The day before the match, Xiang Shaoyun was still cooped up in his cultivation room, which made the Overlord Legion members anxious. The upcoming match was already a hot topic in the academy. If Xiang Shaoyun did not show up on time, it would be considered his defeat, which was not something the Overlord Legion members wished to see.
However, none of them dared to disturb Xiang Shaoyun. After all, Aikai was standing guard before the cultivation room loyally. Nobody dared to even approach.
Tang Longfei, Shang Jifeng, Zhuge Zhantian, Ma Qihao, and Lady Shura were gathered in the villa.
Ma Qihao was an impatient person, and he couldn't help asking Tang Longfei, "Deputy commander, the battle is tomorrow. Why is the overlord not out yet?"
&
nbsp; "I want to know, too. Let's just wait," replied Tang Longfei.
Zhuge Zhantian said, "The overlord must have focused too much on cultivation that he forgot the time. Should we remind him?"
Zhuge Zhantian had always been a cautious person. He was merely giving everyone an excuse for why Xiang Shaoyun wasn't showing up. After all, he was the butler and the advisor. It was understandable why he would say something like that.
But right after he said that, Lady Shura's voice rang out, "Everyone, there is no need to continue talking about this. The overlord knows what he is doing."
Everyone here knew Lady Shura was the overlord's woman. Since she was saying that, they had nothing else to say. After all, she had never been a talkative person. Since she was saying something now, she had to know something.
In the cultivation room, Xiang Shaoyun had long awakened from his meditation. He was still staying in the room because he wanted to think about the changes occurring in his astral cosmos sea somewhere quiet.
Because of the gleamstar water, the astral cosmos sea was solidifying. The gleamstar water deposited in the astral cosmos sea had been transformed into a power that cleansed the astral cosmos sea, completely changing it.
The changes were inconceivable even for Xiang Shaoyun. One’s inner stars and astral cosmos sea were supposed to be incorporeal entities, but now, the astral cosmos sea had turned solid. It was something unheard of. It was as if an actual physical star had formed in his body.
Although the star had yet to fully take shape, it was currently in its embryonic form. Perhaps in the future, it would really become a full-fledged star.
"My astral cosmos sea used the whole small pond of gleamstar water that I had. Not only has the astral cosmos sea turned solid, it has even expanded several times in size. Expansion is understandable, but what is it with the solidification? I can't understand this at all." Xiang Shaoyun was completely confused.
He had always viewed himself as a well-read person who knew many things others were not aware of. However, he had not read of something like this. Of course, he had also discovered something worth celebrating.
With the solidification of his astral cosmos sea, the things stored within were changing as well. For example, the lava he had stored inside was starting to become hotter. Also, the dark origin energy stored within stopped draining passively, and other similar things were occurring.
In short, something positive was happening to everything stored within the astral cosmos sea. That could only mean that the changes happening to his astral cosmos sea were good for him.
"Forget it. It's pointless to think too much. I'll go to the Book Pavilion to look for more books after dealing with Di Lin. If I really have to, I'll go ask master about it," muttered Xiang Shaoyun as he shook his head. "That scum Di Lin has always been a crafty and ruthless person. Now that he has a previous generation elder as his master, his trump cards will probably be difficult to deal with. I can't be careless in this fight, or I will be the one to die."
He then refined a considerable amount of spirit crystals to fill his wood and light stars. As of now, these two were the only ones of his stars not completely filled, preventing him from breaking through.
For now, he was temporarily gathering more energy into the two stars. He might not necessarily need to comprehend the two powers' profundity before actually entering the third stage.
Chapter 742: The Husband Dares Not Disobey
Finally, the day of the match between Xiang Shaoyun and Di Lin arrived. Di Lin arrived early. Standing on the arena with a charming demeanor, he shut his eyes as he rested calmly, as if victory was already in his hands. Both Xia Yunxi and Situ Yan were cheering for him under the ring. The Di Alliance members were all present as well.
Many academy disciples were also at the arena. They were filled with excitement, seemingly impatient to see the fight start. However, Xiang Shaoyun was nowhere to be seen. The Overlord Legion wasn't here either. The people present grew displeased at the delay, and those from the Di Alliance even started jeering and hooting.
"Xiang Shaoyun is probably turtling away like a coward. What time is it already? He's still not here!"
"Half a month ago, he was still arrogantly challenging our alliance master. I suppose he finally knows his shortcomings and has decided to surrender through his absence."
"If he is still not here in an hour, we should consider it his surrender."
"The alliance master will be victorious, and the turtle will suffer defeat!"
...
The battle had yet to start, but the arena was already bustling with noise. Time passed slowly, and finally, the Overlord Legion could be seen slowly approaching.
Presently, the Overlord Legion had about 800 members. Even these were those who had been recruited after strict tests. Otherwise, their numbers would have long surpassed 1,000. The roughly 800 members were led by a youth, arriving with great fanfare.
The youth was dressed in a white outfit that was simple yet clean. He looked like a refined young master that was incredibly graceful and carefree. The eyes of the female disciples twinkled as they saw him.
The youth was none other than Xiang Shaoyun. He had just left his cultivation room that morning. After leaving the room, he had taken a bath and changed his clothes in complete calmness. Only after did he set off with his men.
Originally, he did not intend to arrive in such a high-profiled manner. However, the Overlord Legion members had been waiting for him long before he came out. He did not want to ruin their excitement and had thus decided to come with them.
One ought to admit that they looked rather imposing arriving in such a manner. Even the Di Alliance members were no longer saying anything. Recently, the Di Alliance had degraded considerably. They only had about 500 members left, and they could no longer match the Overlord Legion. And if this match ended in Di Lin's defeat, the Di Alliance would crumble apart completely.
On the other hand, even in the event of Xiang Shaoyun's defeat, the Overlord Legion might still remain with Ouyang Chuanqi as their deputy commander. He alone was enough to preserve morale.
Sounds of discussions erupted with the arrival of Xiang Shaoyun and the rest of the Overlord Legion.
After arriving, Xiang Shaoyun did not climb onto the ring straight away.
Seeing that, Di Lin frowned. "Xiang Shaoyun, what tricks are you playing? If you want to surrender, make it fast. I won't make things difficult for you."
He sounded generous, but he was simply trying to gain the upper hand by a show of strength. Xiang Shaoyun completely ignored him and continued walking in a different direction. Everyone looked toward where he was going, and there, they saw a woman.
The woman was Yu Caidie. She stood silently at a corner, exuding an absolute charm that caused the world around her to dim. Everyone had heard the rumors about Xiang Shaoyun and Yu Caidie, but nobody was sure if the rumors were true. Perhaps now, the truth would be revealed.
"Caidie, I knew you would be worried about your husband, haha!" Xiang Shaoyun laughed brazenly.
Yu Caidie offered no retort. With complete calmness, she said, "Only victory is allowed."
Her words shocked all the disciples. Was that an admission of her relationship with Xiang Shaoyun? The many disciples who had a crush on Yu Caidie felt their hearts shatter. They had the urge to immediately challenge Xiang Shaoyun to a duel to decide who was superior.
They felt like a beautiful flower had been placed on top of cow manure. In truth, they were merely feeling envy. As for the Overlord Legion members, they were looking at him with worshiping gazes.
In the past, they revered Xiang Shaoyun's strength. Now, they revered his ability to pick up girls. They were filled with respect and admiration. The number one goddess of the academy was actually their overlord's woman, and it was something they could be proud of.
Xiang Shaoyun smiled. "Since the wife commands so, the husband dares not disobey.
After saying that, he wanted to give Yu
Caidie a hug, but she deftly dodged him and said, "Before fulfilling my requirements, do not be impolite toward me."
"Sure, sure. That day will come before long," said Xiang Shaoyun, who was not disheartened. Like a wind, he leaped toward the arena.
"Di Lin, your death anniversary will be exactly one year from today," said Xiang Shaoyun even before he landed.
Torrential killing intent unfurled from him, allowing everyone around the arena to feel the petrifying murderous sensation. They did not know about the grudge between Xiang Shaoyun and Di Lin that necessitated a fight to the death like this.
Di Lin met Xiang Shaoyun's gaze and said, "I return those words to you."
Xiang Shaoyun landed on the arena, and pointing at Di Lin, he said, "Come. Let us end the grudge between us today."
"I never feared you. Today, one of us will die," Di Lin roared as a purple flame erupted from him. A purple dragon that was about 55 percent condensed appeared around him.
From that dragon, one could see that Di Lin's cultivation had reached mid fifth-stage Dragon Ascension Realm. It was also obvious Di Lin had a unique flame that was most certainly extraordinarily strong.
Xiang Shaoyun raised his brow. These years, Di Lin has probably had no fewer fortuitous encounters than me. I can't be careless in this fight.
An unrivaled presence of dragon and tiger unfurled from Xiang Shaoyun. The majestic projections of a dragon and tiger appeared around him, and his draconic aura, condensed by 29 percent, was unleashed as well.
Xiang Shaoyun was only a step away from the third stage. He had the strongest physique, the high-grade nine-star physique. However, since he cultivated nine powers, others thought he had made a wrong decision and had ruined his own future. Because of that, his prestige had dropped considerably.
As for Di Lin, he only had a high-grade eight-star physique, and it was also an Innate Flame Star Physique. The combination of the two granted him a talent that was not inferior even to primary-grade nine-star physique holders.