It was naturally impossible for Gongyi Mingxia to truly face off against Huang Ji. However, since Huang Ji was giving Mingxia pointers, he also wouldn’t crush her by simply relying on his strength and realm.
As a result, Huang Ji basically didn’t utilize even a hairsbreadth of the power circulating within his body. Rather, he only used his physical body to resist Mingxia’s attacks, and didn’t move a single inch to evade.
Mingxia had one wish —
That is, she hoped to someday pressure Huang Ji into moving a single step — She didn’t overestimate her own capabilities and think that she could rely on her current ability to make Huang Ji use his qi energy. In any case, everything would take its own time. Inevitably, there’d come a day when she could catch up with Huang Ji and run wild upon the path of martial arts!
Today’s Mingxia already considered Huang Ji as her idol. As a result, whenever she thought how she could become as powerful as Huang Ji in the future, she was filled with courage. She welcomed any and all challenges without the least bit of cowardice!
It was also due to Mingxia’s ability to bear hardships that Huang Ji didn’t become bored. Instead, he taught Mingxia something new every time so that she could improve quickly.
In a brief period of time, it could be said that Mingxia had been reborn.
After using a round of fist techniques and several types of leg techniques with a cheerful lack of inhibition, Mingxia tumbled and her graceful feet landed on the ground. Because of her abrupt use of strength, her shoes were already kicked to shreds, but she didn’t care in the least. On the contrary, she reached out a hand and made a grasping motion. Then, just like every time in the past, both of her hands gripped a trident.
For this time’s trident, the length of the pole was a little over five feet long, and it was just about the same height as Mingxia. However, the weight wasn’t that exaggerated, which allowed Mingxia to hold it with both hands.
Huang Ji’s long legs voluntarily strode forwards. In his right hand appeared another trident of a similar style. Soon after, his figure spun and his long arm shook. With great aplomb, the trident was flourished with a vigorous gust of wind.
Mingxia’s tender figure also rotated, and followed Huang Ji’s pace. She studied his movements with great effort.
Huang Ji said: “First Form, The Tiger Trident Rushes the Mountain.”
While he spoke, a massive tiger head seemed to appear at the front end of the trident. It whistled out, and its bravery had no equal.
Mingxia’s arms also moved in succession. Likewise, a small and exquisite tiger head appeared at the front of the trident she used. Only, this tiger head was vague, and wasn’t as vivid and lifelike as Huang Ji’s tiger head.
Immediately following that, Huang Ji spoke again: “Second Form, The Tiger Trident Lunges Over the Sea.”
At this time, that trident formed four tiger claws, which treaded repeatedly through the air like they possessed insurmountable strength.
Mingxia followed this demonstration, but her power was much weaker. The strength of her treading was far from enough.
Huang Ji next said: “Third Form, The Tiger Trident Splits the Sky!”
This time around, what the trident formed was a tiger tail. It seemed like a whip that was ready to shatter the sky, as if it was going to rend out several cracks from the firmament. And this transformation wasn’t over. Perhaps, because the trident had three prongs, one tiger tail unexpectedly formed three indistinct tails. The lash marks that it tore out were even more terrifying.
Mingxia gasped for breath. When using the third form, her strength already couldn’t persist. Let alone a single tiger tail, when trying to strike out with a virtual image, both of her arms were limp and pained, and she was unable to lift them up. This move was brimming with variant halberd techniques, and it was basically impossible for her to fully utilize it.
As it turned out, during those days before, Mingxia had only studied up to the first two forms. As for that third form, she had only witnessed it three or four times. Although she would frequently practice in secret, if it was said that she had a comprehensive mastery of the subject...that was wishful thinking. Thus, it was natural that she couldn’t strike with Huang Ji’s might. Even if it was an imitated version of his might, it also wasn’t possible.
After Huang Ji’s demonstration, he came to a halt. The bottom of his foot stamped the ground, and he lightly and gracefully sat on the boulder. He proceeded with his own cultivation. Mingxia was used to Huang Ji’s behavior. She knew that this was the time for her to practice freely. At once, she regulated her breathing and took some time to recover her strength. Then, she brandished the trident and continued practicing.
Move after move, form after form.
Every time there was a deviation or mistake, Huang Ji would throw out a pebble to instruct Mingxia on the proper trajectory, which allowed her to correct herself.
Mingxia dripped with sweat, which rolled down the sides of her bright and clean face. However, she still didn’t stop. This kind of practice lasted four to six hours until her belly was empty and the hunger was hard to endure. It was then that she bade farewell to Huang Ji. She took along the tidied basket, and left this place.
Upon reaching the other side of the hill, it was now time for lunch.
After Mingxia put the basket in the kitchen, she walked out and saw Tianyin and the two other Gongyi Clan children encircling Gongyi Tianheng on the other side.
Tianheng also wouldn’t have much free time every day, so these children could only find the time to meet with him — For example, when it was almost time to have a meal, they would go to him to ask for advice.
Just like right now.
After Tianheng gave a round of pointers to those three people, Mingxia vaulted over to block Tianyin’s path forward: “Brother Tianyin.”
Tianyin’s footsteps paused: “Younger Sister Mingxia?”
Generally speaking, Tianyin was the one whom people would believe in the most. He was very tolerant towards other members of the clan, and all of his inner qualities were improving extremely quickly in each respect.
In Qingyun Sect, the three underwent Tianheng’s meticulous polishing, and their potentials were constantly being squeezed out. Currently, they had each entered peak Meridian Condensing stage three one after another. They were but a line away from advancing to the Xiantian Realm! They didn’t dare to imagine this kind of improvement when they were in the Gongyi household. And upon reaching here, they skyrocketed. The moment they underwent this transformation, they were filled with even more love and respect for Tianheng.
Before, they expressed longing for the “legends” of Gongyi Tianheng. Moreover, because everyone was a member of a single clan, the glory bestowed to one was glory to all, and the harm inflicted to one was also harm to all. It was for that reason that they were even more compliant. Now, however, they were willing to obey from the bottom of their hearts — Contained within each of them was a heart of loyalty.
Consequently, although they presently didn’t feel that they could compare to Tianyang, they respected him out of reverence for Tianheng. Not to mention the little girl, Mingxia — Not only because she was Tianheng’s younger sister, she was also their little sister. They indulged her very much.
Just like this moment. Ever since Mingxia started following Huang Ji to practice martial arts, she’d often find them to spar. However, they weren’t as formidable as Huang Ji, who had peak control over his own abilities and whose physical body was extremely strong. As a result, when they sparred with Mingxia, they inevitably held themselves back and didn’t push themselves very much.
Mingxia was young and inexperienced, so she wasn’t aware of this point. However, Tianyin and the others’ tolerance towards her had been observed by Tianheng and Gu Zuo.
As it turned out, today was Tianyin’s turn. Tianhe and Tianxiao exchanged glances. The corners of their mouths hooked up, and they walked over together.
Gu Zuo came out from the medicine refining palace hall. The tray in his hand was placed in front of Tianheng: “Big brother, has Mingxia gone to torment Tianyin and company again?”
— Although there were more people now, the food was all prepared by the Tianlong Guards. However, due to Tianheng’s health, he was given preferential treatment most of the time by Gu Zuo.
Tianheng arranged his robe and brushed his sleeves before he started eating: “Mingxia’s recent improvements aren’t small. It seems like asking Huang Ji to give her pointers was the right move.”
Gu Zuo also took a seat, and replied: “In the future, I’ll refine some medicinal decoctions for Mingxia to temper her body. It’ll also bring her some relief. For the past few days, I’ve seen Mingxia’s exhausted appearance. The amount of training shouldn’t be light... This’ll prevent her from injuring her body.” He thought it over and said, “I’ll do the same for Tianyang, Tianyin, and a few of the Tianlong Guards, too.”
Tianheng was aware of Gu Zuo’s kindly intentions. He smiled and nodded: “In that case, it’ll all be up to Ah Zuo.”
Not long after, Mingxia, Tianyin, and a few others also came over to have a meal. Only Tianyang stayed shut in his room, training hard day and night.
After eating her food, Mingxia delivered a meal to Tianyang. Then, she took Huang Ji’s meal and headed towards the back of the hill. Meanwhile, everyone else went to cultivate on their own. It was a tranquil end to the day.
On this day, Gu Zuo had just finished refining a couple of gourds of medicinal pills. He came out to deliver them to Gongyi Tianheng when he heard he heard Tianheng’s words. At once, he somewhat doubted his own ears: “...What did big brother say?”
Tianheng softly flicked his forehead: “For a few days, Huang Ji and I will be journeying together. We’ll be leaving for the Deer Blood Mountain Range to hunt wild beasts. We’ll bring back blood essence.”
Gu Zuo covered his forehead, and worriedly said: “Big brother, Deer Blood Mountain Range contains many Spirit-Level wild beasts. Isn’t it a bit too early for you to go there now?”
He didn’t believe that his dear big brother wanted to gain knowledge and experience with Huang Ji. Tianheng certainly wanted to do it himself! But his big brother was just Xiantian stage six. Granted that he was capable of bypassing ranks when fighting others, his strength could only be compared to a Xiantian stage nine. However, Spirit-Level wild beasts were the same as Immortal Realm martial artists. That was classified as a realm of a whole other level. Challenging them wasn’t going to be that easy... It would definitely be a battle of life and death!
Tianheng could see his concerns. He smiled and said: “Right now, my strength has reached a bottleneck. I’m afraid it would be inappropriate if I only seek safety and stability. Even if I can rely on medicinal pills to raise my power, my battle experience is still lacking. In the future, I’ll inevitably suffer a setback.”
Gu Zuo’s small brows furrowed: “Normally, big brother can find Huang Ji to spar... Senior Sect Brother Huang shouldn’t be disinclined. He’s a good opponent!”
One shouldn’t assume that Huang Ji’s disposition seemed very simple. He wasn’t a person who didn’t know anything. Although Huang Ji was responsible for the medicinal ingredients and beast blood here, Gu Zuo didn’t collect any other fees. Huang Ji was also aware that he owed them a favor. Otherwise, how could he be so patient with Mingxia? In the Sect, there were many Senior and Junior Sect Sisters as well as many who purely revered him. Yet, he never gave pointers to those people.
Instructing Mingxia could be considered returning a favor. If he accompanied Tianheng to spar, that could likewise be returning a favor.
Huang Ji wouldn’t refuse this kind of matter that allowed one’s intentions to be understood clearly.
However, Tianheng shook his head: “If Huang Ji and I were opponents, he would naturally hold back against me. But when fighting outsiders, they won’t hold back. On the path of martial arts, there is danger everywhere. Life and death is out of one’s control. If I don’t hone myself through life and death battles now and I have a genuine encounter in the future, I’m afraid it’ll only lead to the path of death—”
He looked at Gu Zuo, and his gaze softened: “At that time, I also won’t be able to fulfill my duty as your sworn protector.”
At first, Gu Zuo’s complexion had turned pale. Soon after, his face reddened. How couldn’t he have known in his heart that everything his dear big brother said was correct? Moreover, he understood even more clearly that, even though his big brother could face wild beasts at peak grade twelve, which was comparable to peak Xiantian, this wouldn’t provide too much tempering. Only by challenging Spirit-Level wild beasts, which were at a higher level, would it truly allow him to sense the threat of death and make a breakthrough.
If a martial artist’s road was too smooth, then it certainly wouldn’t be long.
After rubbing his own face, although Gu Zuo was still worried, he pursed his lips and said: “Then, big brother needs to bring along enough medicinal pills. You need to be careful in all respects.”
Tianheng’s heart warmed slightly. He patted Gu Zuo’s head: “Ah Zuo, don’t worry. Although I’ll be journeying with Huang Ji, I won’t be entering the Deer Blood Mountain Range’s inner region with him. Rather, I’ll only find suitable opponents in the outer region. Besides, Huang Ji and I won’t be too far apart. If I really end up with a life or death calamity, I’ll only need to send out a signal and he’ll rush over to save me — Could it be that Ah Zuo thinks it’ll be impossible for me to endure until he comes to the rescue?”
Gu Zuo hastily shook his head: “No way. Big brother is the most powerful!”
Tianheng had a smile on his face: “Then, does Ah Zuo feel reassured?”
Gu Zuo still shook his head: “...Not really.” Glancing at Tianheng’s helpless expression, he said, “But I believe that big brother will certainly survive and come back.”
So long as Tianheng lived and returned, no matter how many serious injuries he sustained, Gu Zuo would definitely allow him to recover completely!
Tianheng laughed as he pledged: “Ah Zuo, rest assured. I’ll certainly return without a hitch.”
Gu Zuo finally nodded his head.
Immediately following which, he dashed into the medicine refining palace hall. Just like every time in the past when his heart was filled with worries, he prepared countless medicinal pills that he thought Tianheng could use. Gu Zuo only barely felt reassured when Tianheng’s inter-spatial tool was nearly crammed full of bottles and jars of pills.
The next day, when Huang Ji shot over from the back of the hill, Tianheng put away all of his own “luggage”. After saying goodbye to Gu Zuo, he turned around and closely followed Huang Ji as they darted away.
Their departure was to prepare beast blood as well as to temper themselves.
Not only did Huang Ji often need to break in his own new power, but Tianheng, who was already in a period of body tempering, had likewise discovered this point.
Honing themselves was also one of the reasons for this trip.
After Gongyi Tianheng and Huang Ji left, although Gu Zuo refined medicine as usual, for some reason, he felt that it wasn’t as interesting as before.
As for any specific causes, Gu Zuo was aware of a few — The last time his big brother left, it was also a bit like this. However, he also knew that this was him depending on his big brother too much. Despite not being used to this feeling, he nevertheless felt that he could overcome it.
After worryingly refining a few cauldrons of pills, Gu Zuo walked out from his medicine refining room. He decided to take a stroll around the Business District outside of the Sect, and adjust his own mood amid that type of bustling environment.
After that, he informed those on the hill, and took Dragon Three along with him.
...Because he promised his dear big brother that he would bring along a Tianlong Guard every time he went out. Even though his current self-defensive capabilities already surpassed these Tianlong Guards, there were no exceptions.
The Business District outside the Sect was larger than the one inside the Sect. Merely, after Gu Zuo entered the Inner Sect, he didn’t have any opportunities to go out and take a stroll. In this Business District, there also weren’t any of his and Tianheng’s store fronts. Time had passed, and he hadn’t gone over there in a long while.
The changes in this Business District were also very big.
Of course, this was with regards to Gu Zuo.
Gu Zuo’s psychic power was very powerful. As a result, he could find many places that other martial artists wouldn’t pay much attention to. For example, the shops that had opened or closed down in the Business District. The changes in the store fronts and the flow of people coming and going also weren’t small.
Sure enough, the sections within the large-scale Business District, which was close to Qingyun Sect, were all in high demand.
Dragon Three followed behind Gu Zuo just like a shadow. Without speaking a word, Dragon Three watched him stroll from one store to another, casually purchasing some medicinal ingredients and seemingly novel playthings.
After a while, the more Gu Zuo walked around, the less interested he became. Then, he simply went into a restaurant, sat in a window seat, and drank tea. In passing, he looked at the bustling foot-traffic down below.
Dragon Three was requested by Gu Zuo to sit across from him, but Dragon Three was still very vigilant against everything in their surroundings. One of his hands was placed at his waist, and his entire body was tensed. The other hand held up a teacup, seemingly giving the appearance of sipping tea.
Meanwhile, Gu Zuo was much more relaxed.
To him, if there was a malicious thought, it would certainly be detected by him the instant it approached, unless it was from an individual whose strength far surpassed his own. However, why would such a person personally come to make things difficult for him? As a result, he was quite at ease. Naturally, he was also very comforted by the Tianlong Guard’s loyalty.
Yet, perhaps the heavens weren’t too happy with letting Gu Zuo enjoy his peace. Just when his frame of mind turned tranquil and he started to recite prescriptions from memory, a clamorous noise downstairs suddenly rushed into his ears.
And just when those noises entered Gu Zuo’s ears, he almost spat out a mouthful of tea.
“What lousy stuff! It tastes disgusting!”
“I’ve heard that this hovel’s backer is the number one sect. Are the things that the number one sect takes out this trashy? Do they still dare to talk big and say that this is exceptional, gourmet food?”
“Hilarious! The number one sect is no more than this!”
Gu Zuo was dumbfounded.
Indeed, Qingyun Sect was unmistakably Qingyun Continent’s number one sect. From wealth and resources to qualified teachers and forces, and even to peak talents, Qingyun Sect was ranked at the very top. Where did this idiot come from? Looking down on this restaurant’s things and quarreling with the proprietor didn’t matter, but dragging Qingyun Sect into this was eating a bear heart and a leopard gall!
It had been so long since he came to Qingyun Sect, but Gu Zuo had yet to meet such an unreasonable fellow!
After a short period of curiosity, Gu Zuo silently released his psychic power, sweeping it downstairs.
In the blink of an eye, the entire spectacle down below was taken into his eyes.
Two men and one woman stood beside some private seats, which were specially partitioned with a screen.
Across from the three people were the shopkeeper and waiter, whom they were confronting, as well as some guards who were watching over this restaurant.
Once Gu Zuo got a clear view of their faces, he couldn’t help being surprised.
It definitely wasn’t because these three young people had wretched appearances and unbearable presences. Rather, it was the exact opposite. Despite their faces carrying a trace of arrogance, their appearances were charming, and the qi emissions that came from their bodies were very powerful. In addition, that woman, who was as beautiful as a pearl, was a pharmacist. Meanwhile, the other two young men were extremely strong martial artists. According to Gu Zuo’s assessment, the realms of the two men were at Xiantian stage eight!
At this age, such a person would be praised as a young talent no matter where one went — In particular, with Gu Zuo’s present eyesight, he concluded that the ages of these three people were just in the early twenties at most!
Gu Zuo furrowed his brows.
These three people seemed to be treasured seniors, not the sort of people who had questionable IQs. Could it be that they had an exceedingly powerful backer? But that also wasn’t correct. No matter how formidable the backer, they shouldn’t have treated Qingyun Sect...so contemptuously.
For a while, he didn’t understand things too well.
Gu Zuo paused, and continued to “watch”.
This ruckus had just started, so maybe there’d be a development later on.
Sure enough, the matter still wasn’t over.
Gu Zuo could see that those three people were out of the ordinary, and that shopkeeper could also see this. Originally, he had been smiling apologetically the entire time, but once the three people’s words carried contempt for Qingyun Sect, the shopkeeper’s face bore an angry look.
As a person who did business, he paid particular attention to the fact that making friends would make money. However, if he still insisted on self-restraint when the other party wasn’t polite and they instead spoke rudely, then that wasn’t being friendly — That was being weak.
The backer of this restaurant was indeed a Qingyun Sect disciple. Moreover, it was an Inner Sect disciple whose strength was pretty good. That disciple had worked hard for many years to gather enough connections, and manage this restaurant, which had a great public reputation. The disciple’s connections in the Inner Sect were also impressive.
Usually, when Qingyun Sect disciples went out, most would choose this place to simply have a meal. Even if they came from other places, the moment they learned that this restaurant’s backer was a Qingyun Sect disciple, they would, more or less, give a bit face.
Today’s matter was that, after those three people had their meals, they overturned their dish plates. And when the shopkeeper came over personally to inquire, not only did they criticize the dishes into miserable heaps, they had directly insulted Qingyun Sect...
Hence, the shopkeeper’s face turned cold, and his tone was also frigid: “Although this small store isn’t as strong as a large restaurant, it also has its own rules. It’s fine if the customer doesn’t like the dishes here. When polite and amiable, we can discuss whatever’s on your mind. But if you want to cause trouble in this place—” He waved a hand, “Then I can only ask these honored brothers to send you out. Don’t be an eyesore here!”
Immediately following this, those guards all rubbed their fists and wiped their palms as they surrounded the others in large strides.
However, the three people who were encircled weren’t afraid in the least. One of the young men among them sneered and said: “Just this?”
T/N: Thanks for the corrections, Charysa.
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