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Chapter 96: Elements
The Claw of the Solar Crow and Lunar Rabbit was the strongest stance Xu Min had ever seen before. It allowed for two claws to be created from Qi. One claw would be infused with the energy of the Solar Star, and the other would be infused with energy from the Lunar Star.
The stronger the cultivator, the more energy of the two stars these claws would contain. Upon reaching the ninth-star, a warrior would possess claws which displayed the full might of the two stars. A Golden Crow and a Silver Rabbit would appear on the claws. These two symbols would make the claws explode with energy and increase their power tremendously.
Seeing this stance, Xu Min was truly excited. His eyes brightly shone; his hands quickly wrapped up the scroll once more before he placed it in his storage treasure. This was one stance he was not going to let go of.
"Why on earth would the Young Master have our scroll with the Claw of the Solar Crow and Lunar Rabbit with him in the Immortal Valley Rankings?!" an elder exclaimed quietly but angrily. His voice trembled with rage as he looked at the leader of their group.
"The Young Master was almost a six-star Warrior. It was likely for him to meet some stroke of good fortune within the Immortal Valley. The Patriarch wanted him to learn the ability as soon as he reached the sixth-star Warrior rank."
"We only had this one scroll with the full stance!" another elder whispered angrily. Although the other elders shared his emotions, they could do nothing but profusely regret ever insulting this one figure. Their faction had lost almost all the geniuses from the younger generation and a valuable, rare stance.
"We can always hope that this child will be incapable of comprehending the Claw of the Solar Crow and Lunar Rabbit," the head elder of the group sighed. Their words were spoken so low that no one outside of the group could hear them. They did all in their power to ensure that no one else knew they had lost the number one technique of their family.
"To ensure that no outsiders got their hands on this scroll, we only had one original copy. Only very outstanding members were allowed to use during training. However, the last four hundred years no one has been able to successfully comprehend it. The Young Master was our best chance of getting a new wielder of the Claw of the Solar Crow and Lunar Rabbit."
While the Snow Mountain were filled with regret and boundless hate towards Xu Min, they knew that for now, they could do nothing against him.
Inside the Immortal Valley, Xu Min was unaware of the fact that he had found Snow Mountain's best kept secret and strongest ability. He was just filled with excitement as he thought about the stance.
Xu Min kept looking through the scrolls in the hope of finding even more useful stances or abilities.
He came across quite a few which he could use. One was Iron Talons, an ability made for external practitioners to use Qi to fortify the fingers and make the as sharp as an eagle's talons.
This attack was of great use to Xu Min who was not too used to battling with his bare hands; he quickly placed it in the storage treasure of things to keep.
In the end, he found a whole lot of practical stances he could utilize. Some were more ordinary while a few were quite extraordinary, yet none of them came close to the Claws of the Solar Crow and Lunar Rabbit.
Of the ordinary ones, Xu Min saw no reason to keep them. He was going to gift them to Ouyang Xiu for helping him earlier. Although they were useless to Xu Min, they would be useful to a large family.
Of the abilities Xu Min had found, he kept a total of sixteen stances; seven of those sixteen stances were external abilities.
These external abilities enhanced a specific part of one's body with Qi and allowed for it to become much stronger, increasing his close combat prowess by a considerable amount. Amongst these abilities was the red Qi that Shen Yu had practiced. It was a malicious ability, but Xu Min decided to keep it for further examination when he had some time.
The stances were all ranged attacks. They were not very similar to one another. One was a large sun which exploded into thousands of small fire balls similar to his Thousand Jade Shower but weaker. It also required less internal Qi, so if he were to fight weaker opponents, then this would be the best choice.
Some of the stances created single attacks such as a ball of fire, a ball of water, lightning bolts or a wind blade all created from Qi, imitating the elements around them. Fairies were the only ones who were capable of using the elements in their attacks. However, human cultivators had often examined fairies they captured, experimenting upon them and observed them with the purpose of learning how to use the elemental energies and drawing it in, merging it with their Qi.
Humans had never managed to fully comprehend the elemental energies. Nevertheless, after much work, they had managed to create stances which imitated the different elements. These kinds of attacks, although weaker than the fairie's true elemental attacks, were quite formidable. These attacks which imitated the elements seemed simple, but they were not.
The major difference between being an external and an internal expert was more obvious the stronger the two sides became. The external practitioners had the ability to become one with the world, thus increase their strength. At the start of reaching one with the world, one would be able to summon a Worldly Flame. This flame would keep changing until the day it reached the rank of a Solar Truefire.
In contrast to the Worldly Flame, there was also a Worldly Waterdrop. However, this was much harder to comprehend. Usually one would not gain insight into it before they became an Immortal. Much like the Worldly Flame evolved into a Solar Truefire the Worldly Waterdrop turned into a Lunar Truewater. These two elements, water, and fire, were the only two elements that the External Expert was capable of comprehending and use with their attacks.
The internal experts were quite different. They could also comprehend a level of understanding with the elements, but they were not limited to specific two elements. As soon as they could sense an element, they would be able to imitate that element in their stances. Although they were able to sense the elements, they could not fully merge the two concepts. Nonetheless, being able to comprehend an element allowed for them to imitate those elements and thereby increase their strength.
There were also internal attacks that did not depend on imitating the elements, but these attacks were not as strong as the others, and many Warriors did not use them.
One would normally begin to feel the elements when they were at the third or fourth -tar of the Warrior rank. This was the reason that not many of these experts had the elemental stances with them. They simply had not managed to make contact with the elements just yet.
Additionally, many elemental stances were not found because of the sects and families. Although Snow Mountain was certain that their Young Master would survive, other families and sects were not as certain. Consequently, they did not allow them to carry important scrolls that could have an impact on their families prospects.
Xu Min just recently reached the level of strength he had now. Although he had felt specific elements such as the wind and fire, other elements were beyond his grasp at the moment. Of the many stances he had picked up, he was able to use three of them by now. One was a Stance of the Flaming Inferno, a stance which caused everything else to be surrounded by flame and to cause crowd control. The stance damaged the many people who touched the flames. The second stance was Stance of the Fireball. One of the most basic attacks one could control when they had to do with elemental Qi attacks. The final one was a wind blade. It would create a blade out of the wind which would be solidified by using Qi. It was as sharp as a sword and swift as the wind. It would attack ruthlessly and slash the opponent.
Xu Min was fully focused on these many stances and abilities. He knew that he was going to train with them sooner or later, but upon hearing the ruckus that was being made outside his tent, he decided that now was not the right time to train.
Instead, he packed everything away in two different storage treasures. One for himself and another for Ouyang Xiu.
Having reached this decision, Xu Min did not tarry. He quickly stood up and left the tent only to see that there was a huge group of experts right outside his tent.
Staring at one another, an awkward silence descended on the two sides. No one said anything. Xu Min just silently looked at everyone dumbfounded. Were they here to see him?
"He looks so ordinary," someone muttered. Another rebuked the voice with a whisper, "he is quite handsome, though."
"How can he be so strong when he looks like such a weakling?" a third voice whispered. Soon everyone was whispering amongst each other. Xu Min felt like banging his head against a wall. Were these people unaware of the fact that he was right there? That he could hear every single sentence, they said?
Shaking his head, Xu Min decided not to think about it anymore and moved towards the largest tent in the camp. Certainly, this tent belonged to Ouyang Xiu; as he reached it, he noticed he was correct.
Inside the tent was Ouyang Xiu seated with a group of other experts around him. They were talking quietly to one another. Xu Min did not wish to interrupt. Without trying to hear what was being said, he turned around to leave.
"Brother Xu, please enter," Ouyang Xiu's voice drifted through the tent doors. It was clear that he had noticed Xu Min. While he was talking about important matters with his peers, he also decided that Xu Min was an important subject. Thus he decided to suspend their important meeting until later.
One of the people present in the tent frowned slightly but no one said anything to go against what Ouyang Xiu had decided. He was without question the leader of their group. All he decided was how things would be.
Entering into the tent, Xu Min was once more met with curious stares from the other people present. By now, he was growing somewhat used to this. Instead, he just smiled as he reached out his hand and grasped Ouyang Xiu's hand.
The sudden contact surprised everyone present. When they saw that he was pressing something into Ouyang's hand, they all understood why he had chosen to act the way he did.
He just offered a gift to Ouyang Xiu. If Ouyang Xiu had known before that was what Xu Min was doing, he would have declined it, yet now it was already in his hands, what could he do to give it back?
Seeing the forceful act of Xu Min, the others smiled and smirked. Although they were uncertain of what to think of this Xu Min, they knew that now that he had gifted something to Ouyang Xiu, it would not be of little importance. Thus they were all very curious to see just what this gift was. Calling out and demanding to know what it was, however, was a taboo and no one spoke. They just all looked at the small storage treasure within Ouyang Xiu's hands with curiosity and slight greed.
While everyone was excited about Ouyang Xiu getting this gift, the man, himself, was feeling terrible. He looked at the item with a sour heart. He had not wanted anything in return for teaming up with Xu Min. In fact, he had hoped that the two of them could stay as brothers, and their friendship could grow. Was this treasure perhaps a sign that Xu Min was not willing to build a relationship but wanted to pay back what he owed?
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Chapter 97: Declined Challenge
Xu Min was not very skilled when it came to knowing how to act amongst other people. He did not see anything wrong with giving away this gift. When he saw Ouyang Xiu's face, he was quite surprised. The older man did not seem excited about the present. In fact, he looked as though he had been doomed.
"It is just a gift," Xu Min blurted out, "I have no use for these things. I am an individual cultivator, and these items are more suitable for a large sect. Since I have no use for these things, I decided to give them to you as a show of my gratitude for your care and consideration."
Ouyang Xiu was surprised. He had expected that Xu Min was like all the other young masters he had met. Someone who would think of benefits and be calculating and scheming.
Xu Min was neither. He was straightforward and easy to understand. He would use his abilities to protect those he cared for and would be a loyal friend through and through. He would not think about benefits or rewards. That was not the kind of person he was.
Only now did Ouyang Xiu understand this. His face was filled with a great smile as he understood that he made an erroneous judgment earlier.
"I am sorry; I must have offended you," Ouyang Xiu said as he shook his head. It was hard for him to hide the smile on his face. Although Xu Min was unaware of what had happened, he understood that this strange man in front of him now believed he had no hidden agenda with gifting these items to him.
Xu Min shook his head. I'll never understand these young masters, he thought to himself. He said no more and just smiled too. He moved forward, passing on the storage item to Ouyang Xiu.
Though Ouyang Xiu was very curious about what could be within this storage treasure, he did not instantly start roaming through it in front of everybody. He was curious, but he cared more about his reputation. He gently placed the storage treasure on the table and sat down gesturing for Xu Min to take a seat as well.
"Brother Xu, I imagine that you will win this Immortal Valley Rankings," Ouyang Xiu said with respect and a jovial tone in his voice. "I have never before heard of a single person winning. Then again, this is the first time an individual such as you has entered the Immortal Valley Rankings. Just how on earth did you manage to convince Bu Huang to let you enter?"
Ouyang realized what he had just asked. He smiled politely, and he shook his head, "Nevermind, please don't answer that," he said, "I know you must have your secrets, and I don't need to know about them."
"Well, it is quite simple actually and not something to hide," Xu Min said with a shrug of his shoulders, "My teacher and Bu Huang know each other. He recognized me and decided to help me out."
"Winning or losing does not matter much to me," Xu Min continued. "As far as I know, I won't benefit from winning this Immortal Valley Rankings, but Bu Huang's family will benefit. After the kindness they showed me, it is only natural that I will do what I can to repay him." Xu Min smiled. The answer made Ouyang Xiu feel impressed. To repay the kindness and to value relationships, this was without a doubt the best kind of friend one could have.
While Ouyang Xiu asked plenty of questions about what Xu Min had been doing during the Immortal Valley Ranking, the other friends and followers of Ouyang Xiu were quiet as they listened to every word Xu Min spoke.
"The Snow Mountain considered you the bringer of death. They even gave you the nickname Yanluo. You know, I am quite curious, how many people have you killed?"
Ouyang Xiu was a young master, and his family would never allow him to be in danger. This time, within the Immortal Valley Ranking, was the first time he was experiencing life without being protected by a high-ranked expert. Even so, no one truly felt as though the Young Masters would die. Who would be willing, or have the power, to go against these major families? An abnormality like Xu Min was never expected.
Before meeting Xu Min, Ouyang Xiu had fancied himself an expert with a great deal of experience. He was swift in reacting to danger and believed that he was well-versed in real life and death battles. However, when he saw the battle between Xu Min and the young master of Snow Mountain, he understood just how wrong he had been.
Although he was skilled in battle and had killed before, he had never been in real life and death battles. His family would never allow that. Thus he had not been tempered the same way as Xu Min.
For the first time, Ouyang Xiu finally understood. His overprotective family had caused him to be behind some of his peers when it came to worldly experiences. Still, it also meant that he was still alive, so he was uncertain whether he was fortunate or not.
Being born into a great clan, family or sect meant that Ouyang Xiu had grown up with plentiful resources, careful teaching from extreme experts, and treatment equal to a future king. These peerless geniuses within their clans were often treated much better than other young members of their generation. However, instead of being viewed with jealousy and contempt, they were viewed with reverence and admiration.
"Please excuse me," one of the people who had been speaking with Ouyang Xiu before Xu Min appeared called out, "I would like to ask for a sparring match with you. I know my skills are lacking compared to the young master of Snow Mountain, but I wish to test myself against an overwhelming power. Would you be willing to accept such a challenge?"
Although this person was extremely courteous, the only reason he was this courteous was due to Ouyang Xiu's behavior towards Xu Min. He knew that this man was strong, having not personally seen him display his strength, but how could he believe that he was this strong?
Xu Min looked at this young man and then shook his head, "Sorry," he said apologetic. "I would love to accept the challenge, but I am afraid I have to decline. My companion Ye Ling would love to accept in my place, though. I am sure you can have a great battle. He is also a fifth-ranked beast, so he is not much weaker than me."
Upon hearing this, Ye Ling snorted. Although he was the same rank as Xu Min, he had long since understood that his strength was far from parity with this human youth, but he said nothing. It was clear that he was more than satisfied with the praise he had been given.
The person who had issued the challenge was not satisfied. His face turned from red to white to purple as multiple levels of anger rose within him. He did everything in his power to suppress this anger. Unfortunately, he was not very successful. Everyone could see he was about to explode.
"Younger brother Xu, please, just a single duel," a woman urged him. She too wished to see his power on full display. Even more so, though, she wanted to ensure that the older man did not explode from anger, but Xu Min shook his head regretfully.
"It is not that I don't want to participate in a sparring match," he said with a sigh, "the problem is that I fear that if I participate, I will not be able to hold back and will by accident either cripple or kill someone."
His words sounded arrogant, but everyone seemed to feel a certainty within his words. It was as if there was no other option.
"I am so unfortunate that I have not been part of many sparring matches," Xu Min explained. "In the past last year here, I have increased my strength tremendously. Almost every person has tried to kill me, giving me no other choice than to sharpen my attacks, which has made my attacks aimed to kill and not to spare. I am not so brazen as to kill my new friends, so I have to politely decline your invitation. My best solution is for you to try and duel my companion. He is not bad."
"I am capable of withstanding your attacks!" the person who had challenged him shouted. He could no longer hold back his anger. Just as Xu Min was about to respond, a loud, crisp slap resounded in the tent. The person who had spoken out was sent flying out of the tent and landed on the ground. He was completely incapable of understanding what had happened.
Only then did he look at Ouyang Xiu who had an unsightly expression on his face. "You think you can withstand his attacks when not even the young master of Snow Mountain could do so? Not even I dare go against him. What gives you the confidence that you can survive his attacks?"
Hearing Ouyang Xiu's words, everyone seemed to cool down. It was true. They could not even hold a candle to Ouyang Xiu's talent and performance when it came to battling. However, none of them had personally witnessed Xu Min battling. Thus they wished to see just how strong he was.
Just as they were about to open their mouths, a loud voice sounded from outside the camp. "Xu Min!"
The voice was enforced by Qi and traveled thousands of kilometers, making the ground tremble, which made Xu Min lift his head. A snicker appeared on his face. Trouble had come to find him, but he was not unhappy. If anything, he was excited. This was the chance for him to prove just how strong he was. The stronger he was, the more likely he was to be recruited by a major power. By being recruited by a major power, he would gain access to more and better resources, stances, and abilities, enabling him to get his revenge quicker. Xu Min's plans were simple. Everything he did was for the sake of getting revenge as soon as possible while ensuring that he would survive so that he could return to Meilin's side and live life to the fullest.
Rising to his feet, Xu Min rolled his neck and moved out of the tent only to raise an eyebrow in surprise. Behind him, all the others from the tent followed suit. He heard them all gasp.
Right in front of Xu Min was a group of around a hundred experts. All of them were filled with boundless killing intent. They were wielding their weapons, staring at the young man who had just left the tent. No one dared to block them as they all rushed towards Xu Min who was just laughing out loud.
With a voice that was filled with Qi, Xu Min roared to the sky, "Come one, and I will kill one. Come two, and I will kill two. Anyone who steps in my way will forfeit their lives!"
These arrogant words boomed through the entire Immortal Valley. Everyone felt the force that was hidden beneath. It was not empty words. As soon as they were spoken, Xu Min increased his pace. He unsheathed the sword on his back and rushed to meet his opponents.
By his side, Ye Ling had a toothy grin on his face. His internal energies were starting to surround him, and his claws were shining. Both, Xu Min and Ye Ling, were ready to kill the ones opposing them, and both human and beast felt extremely excited.
Ouyang Xiu, who was left behind, did not seem worried. Instead, a smile was on his lips as he looked at the young man and beast rushing to meet the horde of cultivators.
"You wanted to see his real strength. Now keep your eyes open. I am sure that it is time for you to see just what he has kept hidden."
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Chapter 98: Two Against Hundred
"Are we not going to assist him?" one of Ouyang Xiu's followers asked confused. Clearly, they were currently allies. If they did not aid him when he faced an entire army of experts, what kind of allies were they?
"We will assist him," Ouyang Xiu said casually, but his actions said otherwise. He showed no signs of wanting to move. All he did was to stand still, his arms crossed over his chest. A smile played on his lips as his eyes shone with excitement.
Since Ouyang Xiu was not moving, no one else moved. They did not move even when he said that they were going to. Words were one thing, actions were another.
Sensing the doubt and confusion amongst his peers, Ouyang Xiu sighed and explained himself. "Xu Min is going to burst with power soon. If we are in the way, we will likely be butchered as well. Nevertheless, by the time he runs out of energy, we will step in and assist him. We will not allow these people to defeat him; especially since they are our enemies. For now, just watch and enjoy the show, but as soon as he shows signs of fatigue, join the fray and slay as you wish!"
Ouyang Xiu's words made everyone excited. To fight their enemies and kill geniuses of their opposing families made their future more secure. Killing all of the hundred experts who had appeared would truly be a great benefit to the Ouyang family. However, it would not be as easy as they expected it would be. All these experts were true geniuses, and there were so many of them! Even if the Ouyang Camp went against them, it was not possible to get rid of them all just like that. The Ouyang Family would have casualties as well.
It was Xu Min these experts were here for. Though they had enmity with the Ouyang Family, they brazenly were attacking them now to get revenge on Xu Min. If they could succeed in killing Xu Min, then would that not be enough to render tremendous merits for their clan or family?
Xu Min understood their thoughts; he was partly grateful to these experts for throwing away their lives in front of him. He had gained so many new attacks and ways of using his Qi that Xu Min was eager to test it out in a large scale battle.
By his side was the forever faithful Ye Ling, who was just as eager for the battle to start as Xu Min, and the two, man and beast, together rushed into the midsts of the many experts that surrounded him.
Qi filled the air. One stance after another was being displayed causing Qi to rise into the air and take on the shape of various things. Some were fireballs; others were wind blades. Some were blazing suns; others were weapons. All these attacks had only one target but being the target of so many attacks, Xu Min was not worried.
Instead, he lifted his sword and met them head on, feeling how the sword greedily started sucking up all the Qi of the internal experts who had cast the first wave of stances.
Feeling his body trembling with energy, he noticed that so much energy had entered it that he was likely to explode if he did not do something about it soon. With a loud roar, Qi exploded around his body.
Every single strand of Qi was as swift as the wind and as sharp as the sword carrying it. The element of the wind was an inconceivable swordlight. This was not an imitation of the element but the element itself.
Xu Min was a human; it was not possible for him to merge elements and Qi since he was not a fairy. Nonetheless, he had previously fought a fairy and had absorbed her many attacks, even her all out attack which had contained all her knowledge and elemental affinity.
Absorbing all of the fairy's Qi had caused Xu Min's Qi to change. Although Xu Min himself was incapable of merging Qi and elemental affinities, his Qi had still taken on the element of the wind. When Xu Min's Qi was being used, it would be much more deadly than before, and his attacks would be both swifter and fiercer.
It was not only his internal fighting capabilities that had changed, but his physical body had also benefitted greatly from the fight with the fairy. He understood that he could if given the time, be able to use this control over the Wind element in many various ways.
Now, though, was not the time. He was more than satisfied with how swift his strands of Qi traveled. What he relied on right now was the sharpness of his swordlight, and every single strand of Qi contained within it.
Each single Qi was as sharp as a sword; the Qi easily cut through limbs as though they were butter. Screams soon started to ring out as Xu Min began using his Qi without much concern for how much he used.
The sword in hand kept on defending him against the stances. The experts that were in close range were battling Xu Min himself while the Qi wind blades with the swordlight ingrained took care of the ones at a distance.
Although Xu Min was capable of attacking and defending, he was using his Qi with wild abandonment. He soon found that although his body was being filled with the Qi that the sword had absorbed, it became harder and harder to control it. The energy was running wild, and every single attack he used became more and more berserk.
"How are we going to join in?" One of Ouyang's previously silent followers asked amazed while she looked at the onslaught occuring in front of her. Xu Min had started out as a dazzling and amazing cultivator. His every move had contained beauty and power. The way every single flash of his sword would block both stances and the external experts in one go was simply beautiful to behold. The Qi which left his body had such a lofty air to it as it had soared through the air and chopped people apart. Each move of Xu Min had at least wounded and killed three experts.
But as the fight went on, he seemed to lose some of the sophisticated air and turned savage. The more he killed, the more menacing his attacks became, causing him to go more berserk as he used more Qi.
These spectators were unaware of the fact that Xu Min was trying to use as much Qi as possible in the attempt to not explode. Nor did they know the actual dangerous predicament he was in. His own Qi was drawing dangerously low, making it hard for him to continue the battle.
By his side, Ye Ling was in a similar situation. Although both of them were strong, they had a limit to how much Qi they could control. The majority of their opponents were four-star Warriors. They were no easy opponents. Xu Min had to use some of his real abilities to deal with them. He understood that he and Ye Ling were being pushed into a corner, and he was uncertain of what to do.
"I can ask Ouyang Xiu to help," Xu Min mused, but then shook his head. "He will just be in the way," he mumbled harshly to himself. Another frenzied wave of Wind Qi fused with Swordlight struck out spontaneously. He used his sword to block as more chaotic Qi entered his body.
"Master truly gifted me a wonderful item!" Xu Min sighed to himself in praise. He felt how easily he could block others. "I only have a little bit of Qi left," he mused, "Will I have to die here? There is only around thirty experts left, but can I truly have to give up by now? Master did me a great favor; I want to return to him and prove my strength!"
Suddenly Xu Min's mind, which had started to consider the fact that he might be losing stumbled upon something he had not thought about in a long time. "Master gifted me with two great treasures," he said. This time his voice was rather loud, and everyone heard him. Their hearts were starting to shake in worry but also greed.
"These two treasures have already saved my life more times than I can count and once more it will be the treasures gifted to me by the master which saves me!"
Having said this Xu Min took a stance, something which shocked everyone present.
Although Xu Min had previously used Qi in the way an internal expert would do, no one had ever before seen him make a stance and everyone became extra careful.
"Ye Ling come here!" Xu Min called out. The lion did not need to wait a moment. Instantly, he was standing by Xu Min's side. His breathing was hard, and he had small cuts and wounds all over his body. Blood was flowing from the fur and from the look of it he had broken a few ribs.
Xu Min was not without wounds either. Even though he had been able to have an almost perfect defense, he could not defend against two sides at the same time and had been forced to take a few attacks head on. He had wounds all over his body too, but the frenzied Qi that was roaming his body was stopping it from bleeding almost instantly, making his clothes look tattered, but it was hard to see any blood.
"Guard me for two minutes," Xu Min ordered before he closed his eyes. He steadied himself and stretched an arm up.
The rest of his own Qi together with all the chaotic Qi that he had absorbed was instantly roaring through his body in a specific pattern before it started seeping out.
The sun in the sky turned dark; a manifestation of stars seemed to appear instead. Everywhere small shards of jade as sharp as razors appeared one after another at an astonishing speed.
These shards were so many and all over the area. When Ouyang Xiu saw this spectacle, his eyes widened. He instantly gave a single order, "Retreat. NOW!" before he turned to leave.
No one dallied, even the ones who had attacked Xu Min were shocked and turned to leave, but it was all too late. Xu Min opened his eyes; a cold gleam appeared within them as he clenched his fist. Thousands upon thousands of shards started to whistle through the air at a speed even his wind blade could not achieve.
These jade shards embedded themselves within the bodies of everyone present. Some shot right through the bodies while others were directly cut through.
The thirtysomething remaining cultivators all had tried to flee, but not one of them were able to survive. They collapsed on the ground one after another. Blood flowed from all their wounds. Their eyes were filled with despair. Even such an overpowering group was incapable of doing anything to Xu Min!
Outside the Immortal Valley, everyone had been watching the battle. At first, the Snow Mountain people had been excited and gloated as they looked at the place where Ouyang's family was seated, but their expression quickly turned sour.
When they saw the Radiant Jade Shower their faces were incredibly pale, but not only them. Everyone present had pale faces. Suddenly someone mumbled just loud enough for all to hear, "you don't think that his master is him, do you?"
Within this voice was disbelief but also fear, an unfathomable fear.
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Chapter 99: The End of the Rankings
"No...it can't be," the elder of Snow Mountain shook his head, but his words were hesitating;fear was evident in his eyes. This world was vast. This continent alone contained many experts, experts who were so strong their names had long remained known throughout the entire world, experts that brought peace, glory, and stability to the continent. However, they were also some experts known for their insanity, their madness and illogical spontaneity of their actions.
The man they were all thinking about was one of these deranged experts. He was someone who claimed to be one of the strongest in the entire world, but also worked without logic.
"He vanished years ago; there is no way he would suddenly emerge," the Snow Mountain Elder tried to explain to himself. Nonetheless,looking at Xu Min's recent attack , his heart screamed the truth. Who knew if this man was truly his master, and if he was, wasn't that tantamount to having made an enemy out of the world's number one lunatic?
This, he could not accept. Thus he refused to believe that there was a connection between the two. In spite of this conclusion, no matter how much he thought about it he had no other solution to as to why Xu Min was capable of using this attack. He started to feel real fear the enemy that his Snow Mountain had created.
It was not only him. Anyone allied with Snow Mountain felt the same fear; this new discovery caused many to glare at Snow Mountain with displeasure. If their sects and families fell because of them and their decisions they could never face their ancestors in the afterlife.
"Perhaps he stumbled across a heritage left behind by him," the Snow Mountain Elder said lowly but just high enough for all to hear it. Nany agreed. Still, none of them wished to insult Xu Min further. If there was even the slightest chance that his master was the famous lunatic they were thinking of, they just signed their own death certificate.
Inside the Immortal Valley, Xu Min was standing still. His body was shaking as he had overdrawn his energy, and he was deadly pale. Still, he had killed all the hundred experts that came against him; he was incredibly excited because of this.
"I need to meditate now," he said seriously. He abruptly sat down in the middle of the bloodstained battlefield, not caring for the many corpses which littered the ground around him.
He quickly started to absorb the essence of the heavens and the earth into his dantian and refined it into Qi, ensuring that he soon could at least move again.
While cultivating, he once more became one with the world. He entered this ethereal state where his mind was everywhere, and he was able to enter into enlightenment.
While he was thinking, the wind around him was gently blowing around his body. He could feel everything everywhere around him. He felt that without using his Qi, he could control the wind in the surrounding area. Xu Min realized all he needed was his thoughts. Consequently, with just one thought, he created a wind blade made from only the wind, no Qi, and he used it to slice at one of the corpses on the ground.
This wind blade was not as strong as the blade that he had made with the Qi, but it was much times swifter. It was as though a whole world opened up in Xu Min's mind, and he finally understood how he could use the wind around him exactly as he wished to. If he merged with it, either his swordlight or his Qi he could make the most dangerous attacks while being concealed by the wind.
Xu Min was not very knowledgeable when it came to cultivation. He knew that there were nine stars of the Warrior rank. Thus, he wished to become a nine-star Warrior. However, he was unaware of the fact that humans could not control the elements. Seeing all those elemental imitated attacks he saw earlier, he thought they were real, much like how he was controlling the wind right now.
While Xu Min was busy cultivating, no one dared to come near him. No one was attempting to kill him now, and even Ouyang Xiu ordered his men to stay back and not interrupt him. Ouyang Xiu remembered being taught about the enlightened experience one has after a life and death battle. It was very important, and if he interrupted Xu Min, it was likely that he would lose his spark of enlightenment.
Instead, Ouyang Xiu and his followers stayed just outside of Xu Min's reach, observing him, guarding him and chatting amongst one another.
"Who was it that wanted to have a sparring match with him before?" A woman asked teasingly as she looked at the man in question. As soon as the words escaped her lips, his face turned dark from anger first and then red in embarrassment of his own actions previously. It was clear that Xu Min had been telling the truth. He truly did not know how to hold back, and if they had sparred, it was likely to have ended with the death of the other person.
Ouyang Xiu chuckled as he heard them joke behind him, yet his eyes did not leave Xu Min. Having befriended this young man was a good decision, but he feared that he was going to misunderstand why they had not assisted him in the battle. It was not because they did not want to, truly, but because Xu Min had simply been too frenzied in his attacks. He was so frenzied in fact that no one was capable of staying alive.
As Ouyang Xiu was thinking this, his eyes twitched slightly. However, he also felt that Xu Min would understand this. He did not know if he wished for the younger man to wake up as soon as possible so that he could explain their reasoning, or if he wished that he did not wake up anytime soon, so he did not have to explain. His emotions were mixed.
No matter what Ouyang Xiu wished, he had no control over Xu Min. The young man was completely unaware of the fact that he was being observed. In his mind, the only thing which he was trying to comprehend was the fact that he needed to fully comprehend and understand the marvelous power of the Wind.
Xu Min was seated in meditation for a full seven hours before he finally opened his eyes. Once he did, the wind in the surrounding areas all rose into a gale. The tattered clothes on his body fluttered in the wind together with his hair, and he smiled happily as he felt his body become one with the wind.
The sudden gale instantly died down. Xu Min stood up, a great smile was on his lips. "Brother Ouyang!" Xu Min called out as he saw the Ouyang camp standing by his side. He was surprised. Every corpse had been removed from the battleground, but the blood and stench of death were still heavy in the air.
"What is this?" he asked surprised. "Did you clean after me?" He had not wished to trouble the Ouyang family with such a messy job of cleaning up after his killing, but Ouyang Xiu shook his head, "these people who died were teleported out of the Immortal Valley. Their corpses can be picked up by their families, or they will be cremated and their ashes spread over the Immortal Valley."
Hearing this explanation, Xu Min was enlightened once more. He had not guessed that the Immortal Valley Guardians actually took care of the killed experts, but thinking about it, every person was a genius of the younger generation. It was only natural that their families wished to bring back their remains.
"To be honest, though there are deaths every time an Immortal Valley Ranking, this is the first time it has been this bloody," Ouyang Xiu continued. "In recent years a hundred experts have died on average in each ranking, but this year you killed a hundred experts in an hour, just like that!! It is simply hard to understand how it is possible."
Xu Min just laughed, "I would not have killed that many, had they not tried to kill me," he said. Ouyang Xiu nodded his head. Although this had been a bloody Immortal Valley Ranking, it did not affect him. As a matter of fact, it was beneficial to him as it was all his opponents that were being killed one after another. Almost the entire younger generation of Snow Mountain had been killed. This was a cause for celebration.
Xu Min returned to the Ouyang camp and one day slowly took another. Often the experts from the camp would group up and enter the deep forests on search for treasures to gain or beasts to kill.
While everyone was busy with their treasure hunts ,Xu Min was focused on learning the stances that he had stolen from the many people he had killed. While focused on this, he came to realized that control over elements was not something humans were capable of doing. Every time he encountered a problem with cultivation he would go to Ouyang Xiu to chat with him. He soon understood that elemental energies could not be merged with Qi unless one was a fairy.
Realizing that it had to do with fairies, Xu Min quickly understood that it had to do with the fairy he had encountered within the Blood Pagoda. Absorbing that energy was enough to give him some control over her element.
Xu Min made sure not to tell anyone about this control over Wind as he kept it as a secret weapon but while training he would often merge Qi and swordlight with the wind.
One day after another went by and soon the year had come to pass. The entire Ouyang faction was standing together with Xu Min on the side and a ripple descended down upon every member present as they were teleported out of the Immortal Valley.
As they arrived at the platform where they had entered into the Immortal Valley in the first place, they found that all the seats were filled with the elders and experts from the various families, clans and sects and all of them were staring at one person, Xu Min.
Although Xu Min had performed amazingly during his time within the Immortal Valley Ranking, he had made many enemies by killing the younger generation experts. Thus, what they saw in the eyes of these elders was disbelief, worry and lingering fear. All these families had experts far stronger than Xu Min in their midsts, a single elder would be able to kill Xu Min instantly. However, they still showed their fear causing everyone else to be worried about what exactly the audience had seen from the water screens. Could Xu Min have gained some incredible legacy during the Immortal Valley Rankings or was there some other thing that caused this fear?
Everyone present made sure to ask the families about it later but for now they did not have the time. A delegation of Guardians appeared behind the teleportation array leading into the Immortal Valley. With a few ancient words no one understood, the formation dimmed and no one would be able to activate it until the Guardians chose to do so next time.
"The winner of this year's Immortal Valley Ranking is the unaffiliated Xu Min," a loud voice boomed through the silence. No one cheered, no one booed, everyone were completely quiet. With an approving nod, the Guardian continued his announcements.
"The second place goes to Ouyang Xiu from the Ouyang Family."
"Third place goes to Dong Qi from the Swordsplitter Sect."
"We, the Guardians of The Immortal Valley, have decided to reward the first place with a chance to join our sect and study in our Immortal Valley Academy."
"The second place will be rewarded with five thousand spirit pills."
"The third place will be rewarded with two heavenly treasures."
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Chapter 100: Student
The voice reverberated through the entire audience. Everyone was stunned speechless by these words, yet their silence did not last long. Soon after, a murmur erupted as everyone began discussing the rewards.
The first place reward was simply inconceivable. To think that the famous and secretive Immortal Valley Guardians were going to allow an outsider to enter among them was something they had never thought possible. Had they known that this was the prize, then they would have told their geniuses to win at any cost. However, in hindsight, they could only sigh, knowing that it was highly unlikely for them to defeat Xu Min and take his ranking as number one.
"Perhaps the prize was chosen based on the fact that this guy was unaffiliated with the major powers within the Immortal Ruins. It could be that they refuse to take in someone who is part of a sect or a family, which would cause someone to have split loyalties." Somebody mused. His voice was just audible enough for others to hear, and many felt that this was logical.
Getting past their surprise over the reward for the first rank, the congregation was also surprised by the items that the second and third place were granted. "The prizes this year were simply outstanding. Considering all the wealth they had most likely accumulated through their travels in the Immortal Valley alongside these pills or heavenly treasures, they will turn into true peerless geniuses that can fight even those above their rank."
Many sighed in despair. Dong Qi and his Swordsplitter Sect were allied with the Ouyang Family, and both of these geniuses would traverse the world unlike any had before them.
"To have gained a hundred spirit pills, it would not be impossible for Ouyang Xiu easily to break into the sixth star. It might even be possible for him to become a seven-star Warrior," an Ouyang member said excitedly. His words sent waves through the audience, causing some to feel pressure and others to feel excitement depending on their relationship with the Ouyang Family.
"Spirit pills raised a cultivator's base level of strength, but a heavenly treasure can burst out with strength and increase their offensive or defensive power. Some heavenly treasures can even protect the user against an immortal's attacks for ten breaths of time!" Someone from the Swordsplitter sect exclaimed.
"It is a shame that younger brother Dong was unable to acquire the spirit pills. Nevertheless, acquiring two heavenly treasures will be able to help him survive when he goes out traveling."
While everyone in the audience was either discussing the prizes and what effect it would have on the future for the Immortal Ruins, Xu Min was quiet and contemplative. He was thinking about what to do. He had hoped to ally himself with some major force and seek tutelage from them, but now it seemed he had been offered a position in one of the most prestigious schools in the entire Immortal Ruins.
However, Xu Min was rather cautious when it came to his future. He could not understand why he had been offered such a high position when he had done nothing to deserve. If it had been standard practice for them to accept students, then he would not have hesitated. Nonetheless, hearing that they never before had allowed for outsiders to enter made him worried about what exactly could be the cause of this sudden interest in him.
By his side, Ye Ling was standing still. He looked at the cloaked Guardians, and a pondering look appeared in his eyes. Seeing this expression, Xu Min was curious as to what his companion was thinking, but he did not ask. This place was not the best location for conversation.
To gain something, I need to give something, Xu Min thought to himself and sighed. Let us try and see what these Guardians of Immortal Valley can do for me. Then I will decide if we are going to stay in this school or not. "If it can benefit me and help me improve, then I am more than willing to become part of their school. If they limit my future progress and try to keep me from getting revenge, then I will leave this school!" He pondered the pros and cons.
Having reached a decision, Xu Min no longer lingered on the thought of what to do. Instead he focused fully on what was happening around him. He saw many joyful faces, some troubled, and others that were filled with grief and hate.
A Guardian appeared with three storage treasures within his hands. One was a bottle that he gifted to Ouyang Xiu, with the number of spirit pills promised inside.
The second item was a bracelet of some kind; Dong Qi accepted it humbly.
The final item was a ring, and this ring was gifted to Xu Min. It was a slim ring with a black stone embedded on the top. Accepting the ring, Xu Min did not know if he was supposed to look through it or not, but he refrained from expecting it after seeing how the two others also refrained from searching through their storage treasures.
"I declare this Immortal Valley Ranking as ended. You can come and collect the corpses of your participants if they are in a decent condition. Those who are dismembered or have in other way been impossible for us to identify will be burned and have their ashes scattered over the Immortal Valley."
He turned around. The unceremonious ending was apparently the same every time. The audience started to stand up. Everyone was extra slow as they watched the guardian move to Xu Min's side and gesture for the younger man to follow him.
Xu Min, who had made his decision to follow the Guardians and see what this school was like, respectfully tagged along. He nodded a goodbye to Ouyang Xiu, who gave him a thumbs up and a pearlescent smile.
"This is great," Ouyang mumbled, "To think that I will have a good relationship with someone from the Guardians of the Immortal Valley. This will prove to be even more beneficial in the future than when he was a wandering cultivator." Pondering for a little and looking around, Ouyang Xiu still saw reverence and slight fear in the eyes of people as they looked at Xu Min. Ouyang Xiu could not help but wonder what exactly was the reason for this look. He made a note to ask the elders of his family later on when they were on their way back home to the Ouyang Family.
Xu Min and Ye Ling were both following behind this cloaked man, keeping a slight distance and saying absolutely nothing. It was not that Xu Min had no questions, but he was uncertain of how and when to ask them.
What Xu Min had most in mind was thoughts of Cao Cao. They had been separated for a whole year, and he was worried how this snake friend of his was doing. Had he been mistreated while the Immortal Valley Ranking had been underway? Had he been given enough food? Where was he? There were many questions. But no matter how much he thought about it, there was no polite way to ask these questions. As a result, Xu Min kept quiet.
Glancing behind him, the Guardian had an approving smile on his face, hidden beneath the cloak; he led Xu Min to a few old buildings. These old buildings were tightly protected by Guardians, and their auras were so overwhelming that Xu Min had never experienced anything like it before.
The style of these buildings was similar to that of the Blood Pagoda. All of them were multiple stories tall, and a powerful aura was permanently emitting out from each one. Xu Min was amazed at the sight of this. However, he keenly understood even though it was grand and beautiful, it was far from big enough to house a whole sect. This was likely just the entrance into the real school.
In tow behind the Guardian, they easily entered the middle mansion, the largest of them all. Many Guardians were stationed outside this mansion, and all of them were looking at Xu Min. It was impossible for him to decipher their expressions since everyone of them hid beneath a cloak, completely covering their faces. Nonetheless, he felt no hostility only curiosity.
They went through one corridor after another, past door after door. Finally, they reached a large room where the Guardian in front stopped, causing both Xu Min and Ye Ling to stop in their tracks as well.
"Please enter," the Guardian said as he stepped aside. His voice was playful and contained some excitement. From the voice, it was clear he had a favorable opinion of Xu Min.
Xu Min instantly felt much more at ease hearing the friendly voice. Without delay, he and Ye Ling entered through the massive set of double doors.
His mouth opened upon entering. He was standing in a chamber where the ceiling was a complete manifestation of the sky above; the sun shone, and the clouds gently flowed. Even the heat this sun radiated was as real as the one outside the mansion.
The floor was filled with rows of meditation mats on either side of him. As he walked forward, he saw that the prayer mats were occupied by Guardians here and there, meditating silently.
The end of the chamber was raised by fifteen steps, elongating up towards a platform housing a conclave of Guardians. Six guardians were standing on either side. In the middle was a throne-like chair where a final guardian was seated.
While most of these guardians, except the masked ones, had black hair, this one person had hair that was as silver as the most beautiful rays of moonlight.
From this, Xu Min could guess that the man was older than the others. The imposing aura that he possessed was so overwhelming even Xu Min felt it impossible to breathe.
Reaching the foot of the stairs, Xu Min did not ascend them. Instead, he knelt down. These were his elders; all of them had the power to kill him with but a thought. Showing respect to such astonishing figures was no disgrace.
"Arise, Child," the seated figure spoke out. His voice did not contain any Qi, but it still felt as sharp as a knife that cut deep into Xu Min's body, filling him with a boundless strength.
Xu Min did not ask any questions but quickly followed the order. He stood upright and looked on at these experts, uncertain as to what was expected of him.
"We have invited you to join our faction. Although we have never done so before, you have something that we are searching for. Furthermore, you will be able to truly flourish in our school."
"We will not force you to join us. It will be hard for you, both mentally and physically. However, I believe you have what it takes to become an unmatched expert soaring in the skies." The elder kept talking. Every word of his caused Xu Min's blood to boil.
A place where he could flourish? A place with not only benefits but also challenges. Was this not what he had been looking for all this time?
"Honorable Elders, please allow for this lowly one to become a disciple of the Guardians of the Immortal Valley," he said as he bowed three times towards the ground.
Seeing this reaction, they were all initially stunned, yet they soon smiled in approval beneath their cloaks. Even a few of the elders physical showed their approval by nodding.
"Follow Master Mu Zi. He will take you to the academy and teach you all you need to know." The seated elder beckoned Xu Min to come with his hand. One of the twelve elders by his side stepped forward. This elder bowed to the others and turned to leave. Around this man's neck was a small green snake with an indescribably excited expression on its face.
This is it, Xu Min thought to himself. This is my new beginning to life; a new chance to become strong enough to get revenge!
As Xu Min thought so to himself, his fists clenched. With a bow to the elders, he turned around and followed obediently behind the elder named Mu Zi.
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Chapter 101: Guardian Tree
Walking through a transportation portal, Xu Min and Ye Lin arrived within the deepest and darkest part of a forest. Xu Min was starting to feel worried about what he had just stepped into.
"We are back in the Immortal Valley," Ye Ling mumbled in a very low voice, so low in fact Xu Min could only hear it because he was on high alert. Although it made no sense for these Guardians to take him to a remote area and just kill him, he could not help but feel this would be what happened to him.
"Have you been here before?" Xu Min mumbled in return. Ye Ling just shook his head without explaining anything further. Whether or not he had something to say, he did not say it since the elder turned to look at them.
Because he was wearing a cloak, it was hard to see whether or not he was looking at them with a stern expression or not. Thus the three, two men and the beast, said no more.
The group was walking on a small trail. At first sight, the trail seemed to belong to a group of beasts, but upon further inspection, it was a rather busy road. The ground was covered by leaves. It seemed as though it was barely stepped upon, but the path was wide, and there were no signs of any animals close by.
When Xu Min, Ye Ling, and the elder were moving on the path none of them stepped hard and not a leaf was turned. Since Xu Min and Ye Ling had stopped talking no sound could be heard, not even the normal sounds of animals that would inhabit such a grand forest.
They walked for what seemed like an eternity, In reality, though, it only took them around one hour before the elder stopped in his tracks and looked to the side. There was a massive tree at least five hundred meters tall with a tree trunk so thick even ten people together could not reach all the way around it.
The elder, looking at this tree and nodded his head. He bowed deeply in front of him. These actions caused Xu Min to be stunned at first, but upon remembering the scene he had seen in Cao Cao's home, he realized trees were conscious beings too. He followed suit and bowed towards the tree. Even Ye Ling copied his action.
"This is our Guardian Tree; it is the entrance to our Academy," the elder explained for the first time since they had exited the buildings in the Immortal Ruins. "The Guardian Tree is as old as the Immortal Valley itself and has seen countless conflicts and times of peace. It has grown in harsh weathers and experienced torrential rains and forest fires. Now it is the sovereign of all plants."
"This Guardian tree is the root and foundation of our sect. Treat it with the respect it deserves."
As the elder finished speaking, the tree lowered its branches. Soon it was possible for it to touch the elder and Xu Min. It paid absolutely no attention to Ye Ling.
At this point, Xu Min was extremely nervous. To be scrutinized by a tree was not something he had expected. He had no idea what this tree was looking for, so his heart was beating rapidly while he stood still like a twig, not daring to utter any sound nor make any movements.
It was not only Xu Min who was worried. The elder felt his heart beat rapidly as well. Just like Xu Min, he feared the verdict of the tree. This particular elder had been very supportive of Xu Min during the Immortal Valley Rankings. He had been one of the speakers that suggested they take him in. Nevertheless, it was not him who ultimately decided if Xu Min was good enough for their sect. Only someone approved by the Guardian Tree could enter into the academy.
The leaves were now completely covering Xu Min, making him seem as if he had been a part of the tree from the very start. He had trouble breathing, but he did not complain.
An ancient power rushed through his body. The power entered him into the deepest core of his dantian and examined every single cell of his being.
This ancient power clearly did not belong to him, nor did it merge with his Qi to become his power. Instead, it was as if it was roaming through his body to investigate his level of his power and the abilities he possessed.
Slowly the ancient power started to seep out of his body. This time it entered the leaves that covered him until there was nothing left. By then the leaves let go of him. The tree once more stood tall and straight; the branches no longer bending down.
Xu Min was unaware of what had happened. He did not know the type of energy that had been used nor did he understand what kind of power this ancient tree had. He was unable to fully understand the purpose either. Thus he waited patiently for the tree to make its verdict. He had no power to go against this tree, so all he could do was to wait.
The Elder was even more impatient. He understood what was going on much better than Xu Min, and he also knew how important this was for them. Although Xu Min had not been given any specific information about the school just yet, if he did not gain approval now, he needed to be killed. They could not afford to let anyone who knew even the slightest information about their sect go free.
Since this elder was greatly interested in Xu Min and his potential, he was not willing to see such a talented individual die a meaningless death. As a result, he astutely and impatiently observed the tree with great expectations.
Xu Min unaware of his possibly grim fate was not so nervous. If he did not manage to become a student of this academy, then he would just choose to go elsewhere to increase his strength. He was incapable of knowing he would die if he failed.
The tree, seemingly not reacting to the tension that was building beneath it, spent a lot of time considering. Xu Min was not a true member of the Guardians of the Immortal Valley, but after his visit to the Blood Pagoda, he could be considered almost one.
A rustling noise sounded through the leaves and branches, and a gentle breeze swept past the elder and Xu Min. Suddenly a portal appeared out of nowhere; right in front of the tree trunk and the elder heaved a heavy sigh of relief.
"We heed your decision," he said with veneration in his voice and bowed deeply once more after which he led Xu Min to the portal.
"Enter," he ordered. Xu Min, who dared not dally around, instantly entered the portal followed closely by Ye Ling.
The two left the quietness of the forest. The moment they stepped through the portal, they were assaulted by noise. It sounded as if they were standing in the middle of a busy square filled with people who were discussing one thing after another.
Once Xu Min stepped through this portal and heard the noise, though, it only took a short while before it turned silent, hushing sounds could be heard.
It took Xu Min's eyes a moment to get used to the new location. As he opened them, he found that he was within a small chamber. Behind him was a portal which led straight to the Guardian Tree. Then the Elder appeared.
"We are in the middle of the central palace of the Immortal Valley Academy. Outside is thousands of students our academy teaches. Since they heard that we were going to take in a new student , all of them have been waiting to see you."
"This is the first time in our history that a new student has been introduced to our academy. It is a great event. I am sure they had been taking bets as to whether or not you successfully managed to get past the Guardian Tree."
"Some people will be supporting you while others will not be. Many will be hostile towards you and try to make life hard for you. However, if you can prove your strength, you will be able to continue where not many will be able to put up a fight against you."
"I have to warn you, though," the elder continued, "the geniuses of the rest of these Immortal Ruins are nothing compared to the geniuses of our academy. You, although fairly strong, can only be considered average when it comes to true battles."
"Do your best and make the elders, who supported you to join, us proud. If you need anything, don't hesitate to come looking for me. I, Mu Zi, will do anything in my power to assist you. I will always be on your side."
Xu Min, hearing these words, felt grateful. He was not sure why people would be hostile towards him unless it were because he was different from them. However, did being different mean that one should be treated with enmity?
Xu Min did not understand this, but truthfully he did not care. Even if the world turned against him, he would just go against the world. If an Immortal blocked his way, he would find a way to kill an Immortal, let alone these students. They might be geniuses but how many geniuses had Xu Min already killed? He did not fear the geniuses of this academy even though he understood they were the real deal.
Mu Zi would not lie to him about the fact that his strength was only considered mediocre. He also knew that all he needed was to gain further control of his abilities. All the things he had gained from the Blood Pagoda were just waiting for him to gain a better understanding of. Once he had time to control his abilities and understand his items, his power would soar to the sky. His combat ability would become frightening, and his rank would jump once more.
All this, Xu Min understood. This was why he was not frightened by these geniuses. He doubted that they would commit fratricide, kill members of their school.
Although Xu Min was done with his old life, the childhood he had gone through had taught him how to endure. He knew how to hold a grudge, but most importantly he knew how to bide time. He knew how to hold back when he was insulted. This was another reason why he felt confident in his ability to survive. Some might call him cowardly, but Xu Min would remember every single insult that had been placed upon him and paid it back tenfold. Though, this was until he was certain that he could return this insult tenfold. He had to have confidence he could win.
Because of these certainties of his ability, Xu Min was not too worried about the possibility of creating numerous enemies. So far in his life, he already had so many that he could hardly count. Everywhere he went he would end up killing large groups of experts, causing more and more factions to view him unfavorably. To have some enemies within this academy was not the worst thing he had to think about.
"Are you ready?" Elder Mu Zi asked. His voice revealed the excitement he had for Xu Min. Xu Min steeled himself up before he nodded his head. He was ready.
Together the four of them, the elder, Xu Min and the two beasts, stepped forward and got ready to meet the masses which were waiting for him outside. Even though Xu Min was not too worried about his future here, he could not help but have a rapid beating heart and feel the excitement to see his new home.
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Chapter 102: Around the Academy
"He doesn't look that different."
"Look at his ears."
"What do you think his clothes are made from?"
"Why do you think they took in a human?"
"Humans completely lacks any majestic aura. Look at him he seems so plain."
The voices resounded all over the places. Many whispered, but some were louder than others; their voices could easily be heard. The words spoken made Xu Min's ears twitch. Human? Were these students not humans?
He started inspecting all of them, and it was true. They seemed very different from any other human he had seen. There were two kinds of experts in front of him. The way the experts stood made it seem like they were split into two groups.
Neither of these groups was wearing the cloaks that the Guardians wore themselves. Thus it was easier for Xu Min to examine them. The first group had pointy ears. Their eyes were of various colors, and so was their hair. Many had white hair or light blond with blue eyes.One could only describe them as incredibly beautiful and handsome. The women all looked regal; their aura was so majestic that one felt like prostrating themselves in front of them. Men would go to war over this kind of beauty.
The men all resembled heroes. Their aura was also majestic but so imposing that one would think twice before getting in their way. This group of experts was all earthly beauties. It seemed they were connected to the earth in some way as if they were the sovereigns of the earth.
The other group contained only women. These women were not as regal as the others. However, if it was possible, they were even more, beautiful than the other women. Their faces were so pure, so innocent that just speaking to them would soil their innocence. Xu Min had seen someone with a similar aura once before. A soul which seemed to have the same haughtiness, the same beauty, and the same purity. It was the fairy from within the Blood Pagoda.
It was clear these groups of people were split between being an elf and being a fairy.
These fairies and elves were both very curious about Xu Min, but Xu Min was more curious about them. It was not everyday that one meet and saw both elves and fairies, creatures that supposedly only lived in legends.
The elves and fairies were aware that the outside world was filled with humans, but they had never before been allowed to leave the safety of the academy. Because of this, they were extra curious about Xu Min. Xu Min was now the personification of all humans in front of these fairy tale beings.
Xu Min stood still in front of everyone. He was unsure of what was going to happen, where he was going to go and how he was going to be introduced to this academy. Elder Mu Zi was just standing to the side with his hood covering his head. He was not displaying what he thought about this situation at all.
Xu Min sighed and straightened his back. If he was going to be here for entertainment, then he might as well get a good look at everyone else as well. His eyes made contact with quite a few of the elves. Many of them were filled with excitement and curiosity, but a few were filled with animosity and hate. This hate was directed at all of humanity since Xu Min had appeared, though, it was him that all this hate was thrown on.
Mu Zi was taking a long time before he finally stepped in front and raised his hands, "Students, students, my dear students. I am glad to see that you all have come to welcome our new student, Xu Min The Guardian Tree has already approved of him. He will be attending both the classes for elves and the classes for the fairies. He controls the Wind element and who knows which other elements he might turn out to gain enlightenment into. He also has a spirit bow and access to the elves spirit power, not to mention, he is both an internal and external cultivator."
"Since he will be participating in both morning and evening classes, it is only natural that he will get to know all of you. I assume that you will all look after him and behave like proper classmates. Although humans are our enemies, this person is neither human nor elf nor fairy; if anything he is a little bit of everything, so treat him like you would treat your friends."
The words spoken by Mu Zi made everyone murmur amongst themselves. He was neither human, elf or fairy? How could one become a mixture of all three races? This was completely inconceivable for them.
Without waiting to say anything else, Mu Zi started leaving the platform where they had been standing. Xu Min quickly followed suit. Behind him Ye Ling, who had not uttered a single sound since they reached the Guardian Tree. He also quickly scurried after Xu Min. His tail was between his legs, and his eyes were alert and filled with worry.
Seeing Ye Ling like this, Xu Min was curious as for the reason, but he did not ask. Instead, he just gently rested his hand on the large lion's shoulder and gave it a reaffirming squeeze. As long as Xu Min was around, no one was allowed to touch Ye Ling.
Mu Zi kept moving further and further into the academy. One building after another was introduced to Xu Min. Some were the residents of the students; others were residents for the teachers. Each student had their residence. They were split into male and female houses; fairies were in one part of the academy while there were elves in another.
"This is the academy's library. Anyone is welcome to come here and study the history of our races or the current affairs of the world. It is also possible to study cultivation methods and techniques the library. It is free for all students; you can visit it anytime and all the time. It is open every day and night, and we have a librarian looking after it. He is an immortal, so you must always treat him with respect."
"This is the Pill Palace. Here you can trade contribution points for various medicinal pills, or once a year you will be given your pill allowance. There are so many different kinds of pills that it is hard to determine which ones will help you the most. Nevertheless, after a bit of time, you will know what you need the most. We have pills which raise your cultivation base, pills which purify your Qi, and pills which help you control your element better. We even have healing pills for if you are the kind of person who gets into fights all the time. As well, two immortals who looks after the Pill Palace so treat them with the respect they deserve."
"This is our Ability Hall. In here we have various abilities which can be taught to you for the price of contribution points. Some of the abilities can't be made even from contribution points but need specific contributions or reasons to allow one to enter. The Ability hall's master is also an immortal. Trying to sneak into the parts where the higher ranked abilities are located will be a bad decision, you will regret it later."
"This is the Sparring Field. As you can see, there are multiple arenas, stages, and cages placed all over this field. All of them are for the single purpose of allowing the students within our academy to engage in matches against one another. Some bet their contribution points for these matches, so it is a good way of gaining resources. As a new student, I can imagine that they will be rather harsh against you, trying to skin you alive or take your contribution points away from you."
"This is the Mission Tower. Here you can take on various missions for contribution points. The missions contain anything from sweeping the floor to entering the Immortal Valley to slay beasts or pick up treasures."
"This Academy is located in the heart of the Immortal Valley. It is filled with formations to keep unwanted people and animals away from our location. It is completely impossible to enter unless you have been granted access to the Guardian Tree."
"This academy is educating new guardians for the Immortal Valley. As long as they are students, they are not allowed to leave the academy. Upon graduation, though, they are allowed to become Guardians and can roam our territories here within the Immortal Ruins."
"You are a special case as you look like a human," Mu Zi continued, talking as they kept walking forward, "you might be given specific tasks outside of our territories as you can mingle in with the humans easily. We will see what the Mission Tower will have in store for you."
"The last place I wish to tell you about is the outlet. This place is rather important," Elder Mu Zi walked to a barn-like building. Unlike the others, this building did not have the prehistoric majestic air to it. It was simply as a small barn, but from elder Mu Zi's words, Xu Min understood that this building was perhaps the most important out of all he had seen so far.
"The outlet is the place where you get your monthly resources. You will be given hundred contribution points a month. The rest you will have to get from the mission tower. You will also be given a small portion of medicinal pills. Some that heal you, others that make it so that you feel no hunger and some to improve your cultivation. Apart from contribution points and medicinal pills, this is also the place where you will acquire your clothes, utensils and other important things. If you are to go on a large mission, provisions will also come from this outlet."
"Come with me," Mu Zi ordered. His arms were crossed on his back. He went into the outlet, closely followed by Xu Min.
Inside the outlet, everything was in the dim light. Not much light shone through the windows, but a small counter could be seen.Behind this counter, an elderly woman was seated. She was in a reclining chair, and her eyes were closed. She looked as if she was asleep. Xu Min prefered not to wake her, but Mu Zi seemed to be of another opinion. He tapped the counter rather forcefully causing the woman to open an eye in dismay.
"Mu Zi you beansprout! I was sleeping so soundly. Don't tell me that I need to be woken up at this godforsaken hour?! It is still another half a month before I need to deliver the monthly provisions!"
The voice was filled with displeasure and unhappiness while a great smile was spreading on Mu Zi's lips.
"Don't be so grumpy, old hag," he said laughingly, "I brought you our newest student. You should be excited about seeing him!"
"Oh the Guardian Tree approved of him; did it now?" Suddenly the old woman showed some slight interest. She slowly stood up and went to the counter, looking at Xu Min with an interested gaze. "hum, he is truly not bad for a human. To have become one with an elf and a fairy is remarkable. His potential seems not bad. Okay, I will forgive you for waking me up this time. Let me find his items."
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Chapter 103: Cottage
"First I will give you four pills of Refrain. These pills are to be consumed once a week, and they will ensure that your body does not feel hungry. It also provides all the nutrition needed for a young body in a period of growth so do not worry about that."
"The second thing I will give to you is your student uniform and a spare set. You will be granted a new uniform every half year. Though this might sound like a lot, but you will be destroying your uniforms on a regular basis while doing missions. Let me give you a piece of advice; when accepting a duel always wear your own clothes and when you go on a mission, always wear your own clothes. If you need more uniforms than this, you have to purchase them using your contribution points."
"Right. Then we have shoes," she continued and slapped a pair of black, very average, shoes on the counter, "You are allowed one pair of shoes a year, if you ruin before that time allotment similarly with the clothes, you'll need contribution points."
"Here is a bag of random pills. We have ten pills of Qi gathering which improves your cultivation speed; we have five tablets of coagulation. Use them if you get wounded either during missions or in duels. Finally, we have three pills created from Beast Bone Powder. You only get the beast bone powder pills once every year; these pills will strengthen your body. They are refined from some rare beasts found in the Immortal Valley. Preferably Golden-Furred Blood Lions or similar creatures. The pills will enhance your body so much so you will be able to feel a noticeable difference when using brute strength."
"I know you have a Golden-Furred Blood Lion as a pet, and he will most likely hate this academy. Many of the students as well will envy your ability to tame one, but don't feel too about eating these pills. All the beasts we kill are those who go to kill us It is a matter of life and death. We don't hunt down particular beasts for the sake of our pills."
"There are the pills and the uniforms. Now you will also need some contribution points." the woman continued. She seemed to follow a checklist in her mind. It was incredibly rare that new students appeared a part from once a year when the elves and fairies reached the right age would be allowed to enter. However, a transfer student in the middle of the year? Unheard of!
"You are a new student and a human to boot. You have done very well in the Blood Pagoda. Let me tell you a secret, not even our students dare enter the Blood Pagoda. As a reward, you have been granted extra contribution points for allowing our elders to see what is awaiting the students inside that madhouse."
"You have been approved of by the Guardian Tree and allowed the basic amount of contribution points from that.
"You have two beast companions. Both are of high rank, especially that little green snake of yours, so you will also be granted contribution points for this."
"You were the winner of the Immortal Valley Ranking and killed rather many geniuses, weeding out some of the experts who later might cause problems for us. That accomplishment also warrants you to some contribution points."
"Let's see, in total; you have five thousand and seven hundred contribution points. That is unheard of for a new student!" the woman exclaimed amused.
"Once a month you will gain contribution points, but the amount you get is one hundred each month. The rest you will gain by completing missions."
"If you find treasures while roaming the Immortal Valley that you cannot use you can also choose to exchange it for contribution points or even sell it on your own at the sparring field. Many students set up stalls there the first weekend of the month to sell pills or other items that they don't need for contribution points or other more needed items."
"Now you have the choice of picking up a weapon if you are interested in doing so," the lady said. She already knew Xu Min's answer. The way he carried the sword on his back instead of storing it in a storage treasure showed that he already had found the weapon he preferred using.
Rightly so, Xu Min shook his head, "Thank you madam, but no thank you. I already have a weapon which I can entrust my life to; I am not willing to replace it, not even with such incredible craftsmanship as the one made of by the elves."
The older lady nodded her head. Her sharp gaze looked at the sword in the sheath until her eyes widened and she trembled slightly.
"You know someone called Wang Li?" she asked with a hoarse voice. Xu Min, who had not expected this question to be asked, was as shocked as the woman. He narrowed his eyes and looked at the woman in front of him, but he felt no hostility.
"You know master Wang Li?" he asked confused. The woman nodded her head. "Long ago, in another time we all knew him. Who would have guessed that old man Li was your master. No wonder, no wonder," she said twice and nodded her head again. A new softness was within her eyes as she looked at Xu Min.
"Be careful," she warned him, "you just got your contribution points. Never let anyone know how many points you have. Neither bet all of them at once in a duel. Also take care with the duels. Although fratricide is forbidden, there are still many who would love to bully the newcomers, especially if they can get some points at the same time."
"Not to mention the ones who are against you because you are human. Being a human is enough reason for them to cripple you, so if you feel animosity towards you don't hesitate to decline the challenge."
"Don't worry," Mu Zi said from within the hooded cloak, "I am going to make an announcement saying that the Sparring Field will be closed for the next seven days. Within these seven days, you will be able to relax and get used to this new place. As well to mention you will have some more time to comprehend the abilities you acquired in the Immortal Valley. You can also use some of your contribution points and purchase various items to increase either your rank or your combat ability."
Hesitating for some time, Mu Zi's hand stroked his cheek, "Actually do not rush to become a six-star Warrior just yet," he said. "you just reached the fifth-star not long ago, and you jumped from a two-star to a five-star Warrior in a year. This jump is already incredible; now you need to stabilize your foundation."
Xu Min, feeling that both the elderly woman and Mu Zi cared for him, was grateful for their consideration. "Thank you," Xu Min said as he cupped his hands and bowed slightly. When someone treated him with kindness and respect, he was going to return the respect and friendship tenfold.
"We have given you everything you are entitled to," Mu Zi said with a smile. However, with a wave of his hand a small medallion with an engraved dragon appeared in his hand. "Take this," he said and pushed it into Xu Min's hands, "this is a medallion which is bound to me. If you encounter problems here in the academy shatter the emblem, and I'll come to your aid. It is not much, but I owe it to your master to take good care of you."
Xu Min frowned. He looked up to his master a lot but why were these elves so respectful of him? Was this the reason that they had accepted him within their academy? Xu Min could only guess as he knew that asking these questions would not yield any answers. Still, whenever he thought about his master who was working hard at the docks every single day, he found it weird that others spoke of him with such reverence.
Hearing that this medallion was because of his master, Xu Min dared not say no, but he quickly stored it within one of his storage treasures to hid it away.
"This way," Mu Zi led Xu Min out of the Outlet. As soon as, they exited out of the cabin. They were face to face with a group of elves and fairies which were looking at Xu Min with great curiosity.
"Hear my commands, the next seven days the Sparring Field will be closed!" Mu Zi called out; his voice was filled with Qi. Everyone within the entire academy could hear him whether they were immortals or mortals.
Some were filled with delight as they heard this announcement while others were filled with disappointment. some even resented Xu Min for this inconvenient occurrence..
Those resentful experts were the ones who had looked forward to battling Xu Min. Nevertheless, a sinister expression appeared on a few faces in the crowd. It was clear that they were all thinking how could seven days change anything. In seven days your filthy human face will be on this floor. .
Their thoughts were so clear on their faces that Xu Min could easily read their expressions. Nevertheless, he paid them no heed. Instead he followed behind Mu Zi as they left the square outside the outlet and returned to the residential area of the academy.
Here many big buildings were towering side by side and each student had their own room within these buildings. Mu Zi walked right past them and stopped in front of a small cottage. It was not much bigger than the one he had lived in together with his sister, but it was of much better quality. It had a roof made from new straw, walls made from clay and a wooden door. In the roof was a hole where smoke could escape. It appeared like any other ordinary cottage.
"You are different. Thus you have been given your own home," Mu Zi said apologetic. "We usually have our students split into the housing of elves together and fairies together, but you control the elements like a fairy and the spirit power like an elf. You also possess the body of a human. We can not determine where to place you. In the end, we decided to house you separately. I hope you will like it." Mu Zi said apologetically but Xu Min truly liked it. He nodded his head in satisfaction. "Thank you so much, elder Mu Zi," he said with a deep bow towards the elder and looked at what was to be his new home for who knew how long.
"In that case, I will take my leave," Mu Zi said with a nod of his head. He left, leaving behind Xu Min who instantly entered his new house. The inside was as neat as the outside. There was a bed to the side and a fireplace in the middle. To the other side was a desk and a chair and the ground was swept clear of anything which one might find on most floors.
Seeing the house being so clean and neat, Xu Min picked up some wooden blocks and instantly lit a fire in the fireplace before he sat down in meditation. He had understood that there were many mysteries about the elemental control that he still needed to understand. Now that he had seven days of peace he would be able to gain a vast amount of understanding of his new acquired skill.
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Chapter 104: Domain
Wind. The wind was everywhere around him. It was an element which Xu Min had acquired by absorbing the fairie's powers within the Blood Pagoda, and this control over the wind had benefitted him previously in other battles.
He was now capable of commanding the wind, shaping it into anything from wind blades to an assistant for his attacks. The wind allowed for him to move much quicker than he had been able to before. He felt the wind close to his body, and he was capable of comprehending that within this element was a deep secret, the secret of the power of the wind and the truth behind this element.
The more Xu Min thought about the wind, the more he understood about it. The wind was present everywhere, even right next to him now. As he emerged himself in the feeling of this element, he came to understand that it could be controlled in so many different ways.
A gentle breeze played with Xu Min's hair while he was pondering the secrets of the wind. Slowly and gradually, he felt himself slip into a stage very similar to becoming one with the world.
Xu Min, amidst the gentle breeze, was fully focused on his meditation; his mind was slowly leaving his body when it merged with the wind. It was so comfortable, Xu Min himself had become a breeze of wind, traveling vast distance with a single breeze, encompassing everything as the wind was everywhere, never to be seen but always to be felt.
Xu Min could feel himself leaving his body within the small house and traveling through the Academy as a gust of wind. He experienced the sights he had seen once before. He gently played with the hair of some fairies, brushed against the clothes of some elves and even flew past some immortals. No one, however, raised an eyebrow at this sudden gust of wind. No one seemed to sense that it was not just a single gust of the wind but Xu Min's mind hidden within.
Xu Min felt free like a bird, free as a spirit as he soared in the sky. He flew where he wished to fly, and he was not restrained by anything.
Xu Min was enjoying himself so much that he did not notice the darkness that quickly descended on the Academy. He had taken to the sky and was wafting back and forth at the top of the clouds. Suddenly he noticed that the world had turned dark. He was startled as he had fully emerged himself in the feeling of unlimited freedom.
Taking to the ground, Xu Min returned to his body. With an emotional sigh, he finally seemed to understand something incredible. The wind was everywhere, and one could merge with the wind. He could control any wisp of the wind, any gust, and any storm. He could brew typhoons and command hurricanes, but what's more, he could merge with the wind with things such as his swordlight, his soul, and his attacks. Every gust of wind could contain the attacks he had learned. Merging his sword with the wind, he would even be able to attack anywhere at any time. Where the wind was, he would also be.
It was not only his sword which was able to merge with the wind and travel at astonishing speeds; Xu Min was also able to do the same act with his entire body, blending with the wind and traveling at a speed similar to a strong wind gust. It would be so swift that his attacks had now increased tremendously.
"Turns out that I might be able to manage in a duel like this," Xu Min mused to himself. He dared not be complacent, though. He had just gained access to the element of wind, and suddenly he understood the hidden secrets hidden within it. Would not other opponents to also have understood and comprehended this before?
What Xu Min had understood was a domain. The Wind domain gave him full control over his specific element and was the highest level of comprehension that one could have towards an element.
Smiling, Xu Min understood others were likely to also having comprehended it since he was able to gain access to it. Thus he still needed to focus on increasing his strength for these few days of peace. It was clear that many experts were going to challenge him. Even more would be coming to witness this downfall of Xu Min, the representative of humanity. Xu Min could a little understand their sentiment and their grudges, but he still felt it was rather uncomfortable to be the target of all this hate and curiosity. All he wanted was to become a normal student, increase his strength and then kill the Zhong family. After that, he wanted to live a casual life together with Meilin, have children and become an expert that reached Immortality.
Xu Min had already planned out his life, and he was satisfied with it. There was nothing more he wanted. This is why he wanted to solely on increasing his strength as soon as possible so that he could get his revenge completed. Then he could live a peaceful life.
Spending the rest of the night contemplating and thinking about the benefits he had gained, Xu Min also considered which pursuit he should focus on to become stronger.
"Spirit. It seems that the elves are using spirit bows and other kinds of spiritually influenced attacks. I have not gained any insight into this aspect. I need to practice instead of continuing to ponder and meditate," Xu Min mused to himself.
"Since I cannot focus on my spirit attacks right now, and I already comprehended the Wind domain, I better focus on stances. I am not strong enough for the Lunar Crow and Solar Rabbit stance just yet. Nevertheless, I can still try all the stances that imitate the elements. Hopefully, if I don't go up against a fairy, I should be fine as their elemental control is superior to these cheap imitations as well as though elves cannot control elements either. Being up against them, I should have a chance."
Xu Min was mumbling to himself. Upon reaching a decision, he spent the rest of the evening focusing on stances. He did not have time to perfect all stance, so he did not know whether or not he wished to learn an entry level in all stances or if he wished to go into details with a few of them. Both ideas could prove to be beneficial, but it all depended on which kind of experts he would be up against.
Xu Min did not have time to sleep. The next couple of days were spent in his cottage where he was cultivating, pondering, meditating and experimenting with stances. Sometimes he would play with the wind, other times he would train with his sword. Before he knew it the seven days had gone past and the sparring field was open once more.
That morning that the sparring field opened, Xu Min noticed that the outside of his cottage, which usually had been completely silent, was bustling with life. Many students had come to hear who would be the first one to challenge him to a duel. So far none of them had seen much from Xu Min.
Xu Min had just joined the academy. Because seven days of peace were given to him, he had not needed to participate in the classes before the eighth day; now it was time.
Waking up, he was aware that he had two classes: one in the morning and one in the evening. The morning class was with the fairies while the evening he would be with the elves.Usually, the students would only participate in one of the classes, but Xu Min was a special case. Thus he had no other option than to participate in both. This also meant that he had a few hours before the lessons started to spar at the sparring field.
Xu Min was painfully aware of this fact. He packed down the medicinal pills he had been given and sighed deeply as he rose from the bed where he sat and meditated all night.
"Human boy you have nothing to do here!" A voice finally boomed through the air. "Come show us your strength, so we know what is so special about you!"
The voice was very hostile, and it did not try to give Xu Min any face to the voice. All it intended was to insult him, to make him feel unfairly treated and become furious. The more furious he became, the better it was the one who called him out, but Xu Min had experienced too much through his life, a few words were not going to upset him.
Sighing, the young man opened the door to his cottage and went outside; the entire area turned silent. Previously many had been whispering to one another. They were gossiping about Xu Min's ability or reactions. Nevertheless, when he went outside in such a casual and collected way, everyone was stunned. He was simply too calm considering the words spoken before.
Even the speaker felt that something was amiss. He was slightly embarrassed by the words he said, but he knew that there was no turning back now. He snorted as he took a step forward. "Good to see that you at least have the guts to show up! Don't dally around; hurry to the sparring field."
Xu Min just sighed as he looked at this aggressive person. He shook his head, displaying a maturity which clearly looked down on the aggressiveness of this young man.
Without waiting for the entourage which had arrived to see his battle, Xu Min started moving towards the sparring field. He did not move with the help of the wind but walked casually. The control he had over the wind could not be displayed casually. He had to depend on the element of surprise to defeat many of these elves and fairies.
If he could defeat the majority of the challengers, he would already have done enough. He could not kill anyone. However, considering the words were spoken by Mu Zi, Xu Min did not have the ability to kill these experts. Thus he had no reason to hold back either. On his back was the sword which could feel his fighting spirit and started to vibrate in response to the battles that were to come.
Seeing that Xu Min, who was one against many, was able to have a small smile on his face these elves and fairies were filled with mixed emotions. Some were perplexed; others were indignant. Most thought that he was too certain of his abilities and was overestimating his strength. While a few were worried that Xu Min truly had some strength that no other expert had been able to see through.
Even immortals had shown up at the sparring field to see the battles that were to unfold; all of them came to see Xu Min purely because of curiosity. He was a human, but he had been accepted by the Guardian Tree. He had traits from both humans, elves, and fairies. He was an enigma that no one could understand. These immortals were all curious about what kind of person he was what his combat ability was like and how he could manage against their experts.
Not just this, these immortals were guardians of different parts of the academy. They did not often see entertainment such as this. For them, this was a welcome change, and all of them were excited about how the battles would go. They even went as far as to bet amongst themselves.
Some of them had heard rumors from the Immortal Valley Ranking and were positive towards Xu Min. While others blamed Xu Min for humanity's mistakes just like a few of the students. After noticing that the immortals were there, Xu Min still was carefully smiling as he observed what was happening around him.
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Chapter 105: Sparring Field
"Good, Good!" The person who challenged Xu Min was excited to see so many people showed up to watch the duel. Even Xu Min was surprised by the shocking amount of Immortals who were standing around the sparring field. It was suddenly clear to Xu Min why the Guardians of the Immortal Valley had always been the strongest faction within the entire Immortal Ruins. Having this many immortals in one single sect, obviously, they had the upper hand compared to other younger sects.
Yetto thinks that these lofty creatures were so bored that they would want to watch the younger generation duel; this was something that caused much more surprise with Xu Min.
What he was not aware of however was the immortals usually would not pay attention to the sparring matches. Since Xu Min, a human, had appeared out of nowhere in the middle of their lands, they all wished to see what kind of fighter he was.
Xu Min, although not aware of the immortal's real purpose for watching the duels, was clearly aware of the thoughts of all the other experts from his generation. It was clear that they intended to tear him down. They intended to battle him one after another. If he somehow managed to succeed in his first duel, another and stronger expert would be ready to challenge him again. It would become a fight of attrition, and Xu Min would eventually lose.
Knowing that he would lose at some point, Xu Min was not feeling dejected. Instead, he was filled with excitement. He was going to prove to them just how strong he was. With the help of the devour of his sword, he would last for a lot longer than what they would expect. He had to be careful with his energy. He should not wantonly absorb too much energy. Then he might go berserk.
Xu Min, having decided to last as long as possible was already at one with the world stage. As he stepped onto the stage, a red flame appeared on the part of his body. This red flame did not require him to use any Qi. It was clearly the Worldly flame from being One with the World. As everyone saw this, they started mumbling with each other. Xu Min did not mind showing this little bit of his strength. Instead of allowing for the flame to cover his entire body, he concentrated all flames on the sword he unsheathed.
This sword was now a big flaming sword. The flames were so intense that ripples could be seen in the air surrounding it.
"So you have a little bit of ability," the elf sneered as he too jumped onto the stage. Blue energy swirled around his arm, and a longsword was created from this blue energy.
"I know you have spiritual energy somewhere. Otherwise, they would not make you take the elven classes, but your control over spiritual energy is likely to be many times weaker than mine. I am an elf, and I have controlled spiritual energy for my entire life!"
"Although your sword is combined with the Worldly Flame, it is but a simple materialistic sword. It cannot hold a candle to my spirit sword when it comes to sharpness, speed or force, but let me get a taste of a human sword!"
Xu Min looked at this person with a cold expression in his eyes. He knew that elves could make various weapons from spiritual energy. The one he had merged with had made the spirit bow and was focused on ranged attacks. Nevertheless, it would also make sense that other elves specialized in other weapons.
Still, Xu Min had complete faith in his sword. It was a marvelous treasure. Although it was not as sharp as other swords, the devouring ability inside it, mixed with the sheer force that the sword possessed from devouring plentiful amounts of energy made this sword many times stronger than the swords of any other expert. Even for someone who understood spiritual energy a little like Xu Min, he still had complete faith in his sword.
Seeing that Xu Min was in no rush to answer the opponent some of the Immortals nodded their heads in approval. His heart was steady; his entire being had been prepared for battle. Trashing his opponents with words was not a thing Xu Min did. This secure confidence in himself gained approval from quite some experts.
Seeing this, the expert who had challenged Xu Min to the duel was feeling indignant. He grits his teeth hard as he looked at Xu Min the way a venomous snake looks at its prey. He was supposed to become the hero of all elves. The vigilant star in front of the beautiful fairies and a perfect student in front of the Immortals. Now he seemed rather silly, and this he could not accept.
"If you have nothing to say, then let us start this sparring match! Oh, right, I forgot. You are new so let me explain the rules to you." he sneered in a mocking voice, "You cannot kill anyone but fists have no eyes and strength knows no limits. If I accidentally cripple you, then I am not to be blamed!"
The last sentence shocked everyone. Although it was true that one could not be blamed for accidentally crippling their opponent, it was clear that this man was aiming for that outcome. Such a malicious thought was disliked by the majority of the students. Although they might dislike the human, they did not wish to cripple a fellow student. Now it was too late. They could only watch as their hearts were beating rapidly, and their eyes were staring wide open.
"Let us begin!" he roared while rushing towards Xu Min with the sword raised over his head and used some profound movement technique.
Seeing the speed, Xu Min frowned slightly. He decided it was not necessary for him to use his domain to deal with this man. If possible, he wished to keep this for as late as possible. Instead, he made hundreds of wind blades.
Anyone below the Immortal rank seeing this attack would assume that Xu Min was only imitating the elements; no one took it seriously since it was clearly imitation. A sneaky smile slowly emerged on Xu Min's face alongside the faces of most Immortals whose faces changed drastically upon seeing that the opponent was casually charging through the wind blades.
The first ten wind blades were as easy to break through like a gentle breeze. The expert against Xu Min started to feel completely confident in himself as he charged forward.
. So far Xu Min had done nothing else than creating those hundreds of wind blades. He was casually standing behind them, watching the elf who was rushing towards him with a calm look in his eyes. Suddenly the advance of the elf halted. Multiple wounds appeared on his body. He stood still as his white clothes dyed red from his blood. He had trembled for a few moments before he collapsed on the ground; his consciousness was gone.
Xu Min had not killed his opponent but waited for the moment when he had gained enough confidence in himself to charge forward; Xu Min merged some of the wind with swordlight, and these had penetrated the elf's body deeply. At first, it had been so sharp that he had not noticed any pain, only a slight discomfort as he ran into the wind blades until his body had reached a point where it could no longer stay standing. His consciousness vanished as blood kept flowing.
Silence enveloped the entire area. "Were imitated attacks supposed to be this strong?" "Why was senior brother cut by the wind blades? They seemed so weak?" "I told you he has some hidden strength!"
Many whispers erupted as Xu Min had won the sparring match, swiftly and effortlessly. The majority of these students were all between the third star and the sixth star, but a few of the seventh and eight stars were also there.
Of the many experts, only a few of the eight-star warriors and the immortals were capable of guessing that Xu Min had comprehended the Wind domain. Those who guessed also figured out he had some inborn talent for sword fighting. To create the swordlight revealedhe was no normal sword user.
To have comprehended a wind domain, everyone who had understood Xu Min's true power was able to determine that he truly had the power of a fairy at least. The power to control an element. To see this, and the fact that he had comprehended a domain without the help of their school, they already felt that he was a genius which they did not see often. To let him become a student was no shame to their academy.
There were, however, many students who had not understood his real strength.They felt indignant and puzzled. How had he won the way he had? Was he cheating? Was there some secret beneath it?
"I, Lu Xiaopeng, challenge you to a sparring match!" another person called out as a group of students were removing the first challenger from the field. "I fail to believe you did not use a lot of power to execute that attack from before," he murmured to himself while looking at Xu Min. His face revealed some uncertainty. This was a complete gamble from his side. If Xu Min had not used all his energy, he would be able to defeat him quickly, but if he was weak now, then defeating him would bring great merits.
Thinking like this, Lu Xiaopeng decided to try it and took the gamble while Xu Min did not mind and nodded in agreement.
Once more, Xu Min created hundreds of wind blades and once more infused a few of them with swordlight. It went the same way as it had done previously, defeating Lu Xiaopeng was as simple as defeating the first opponent. Silence enveloped the entire area. No one discussed what could be the cause of Xu Min's victory.
"He can keep going on like this forever until he meets a person who can go against his swordlight," one of the immortals whispered to the guy near him. The guy nodded his head, "Right," he said, "being able to control the wind in a wind domain means that he is using no energy at all when attacking. The swordlight is like the wind domain; it does not depend on his Qi but his comprehension, thus it is hard to guard against. He will become one of the top ranks on our heavenly ranking soon," the other immortal laughed.
A third person appeared then a fourth and a fifth and all of them were defeated in the same manner; Xu Min kept creating hundreds of wind blades, but no matter how many he created he did not seem tired. He still had yet to use the flaming sword in his hand nor had he displayed any of his spiritual energy.
By now a few people had been observing him for quite some time. All of them were gradually understanding that this attack which seemed simple was not as simple as it seemed.
Although not many realized he had comprehended a domain, many started to understand Xu Min had infused this seemingly simple attack with swordlight. One of these observers stepped forward with a smile on his face, a sinister smile.
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Chapter 106: Lunatic
Looking at this young man, Xu Min started to become a little alert. He could feel great hostility emitting from this person, and a vague feeling of danger resided in the back of his head.
Still, he stood as he had been standing so far. He closed his eyes for a brief moment. By his side, Ye Ling was seated, and around his neck, Cao Cao was hanging. The snake was not talking; the lion was equally not making a sound.
Before the duels had started, Xu Min had ordered them only to interfere if he was on the verge of being crippled. He needed to prove his strength, and he could only do so by relying on his personal power. If he did not, others would question whether or not he was worthy of respect or if it was solely his contracted beasts which they should acknowledge.
Xu Min opened his eyes once more and took a deep breath. He was completely balanced. He was in the state of being one with the world, and the sword in his hands hummed as though it was screaming out to battle. Xu Min felt how this lust for battle permeated from the sword into him; it sparked his killing intent as it spread through his body.
These elves had lived in the academy since they were six years old; although they had been out on missions in the Immortal Valley before, where they had to kill specific beasts, they were not used to true life and death battles. In many ways, they were similar to the geniuses of the high-ranked sects and families that belonged to the Immortal Ruins. Their hearts started to quiver as they felt the cold killing intent spreading from Xu Min. Xu Min, who was standing in front of them, turned from being an innocent-looking young man into an asura, a devil.
The Immortals all nodded their heads in approval. The higher-ranked experts, who had been allowed to leave the Immortal Valley and enter the world outside knew as well what it meant to have such an outstanding killing intent; they too nodded their heads in approval. This young man might not have been born as an elf or a fairy, but he had some amazing abilities that made him stand as equals to the elves and the fairies. The fact that he could control the wind and understood its domain, alongside the fact that Elder Mu Zi had said he also controlled spiritual energy, these immortals had already approved of Xu Min.
The ones below the seven-star Warrior rank were unaware of these thoughts from the upper echelon. Instead, they exhibited indignation at these turns of events. They were the exalted races of elves and fairies. They were born gifted by the world; their training talent was better than the humans and their comprehension even more so. They could do anything humans could do and even more. Nonetheless, here was a human who was said to have everything they possessed and, maybe, even more. It was hard for them to acknowledge this fact. If anything, they felt jealousy.
"Are you ready?" The man who had jumped onto the stage asked. Xu Min casually nodded his head. Hundreds of wind blades appeared. However, while they were appearing, the elf did not allow for Xu Min to infuse them with his swordlight. He created a spear from his spiritual energy and with a sweep of his spear, he managed to clear more than half of the blades in one move, catching Xu Min off guard.
Xu Min was surprised, but he was not shocked to the point of flinching. He had expected this elf to be different from the others. The moment he had summoned forth the many wind blades, he had already started the next part of his offense, merging swordlight into the wind.
This time, Xu Min was not only merging the light into the wind blades but also he merged swordlight into a few of the normal gusts of wind that were gently flowing about the stage. This was to catch the opponent off guard. It was clear that he would defend against the many wind blades and avoid the swordlight in them, but could he guard against the wind? The wind was everywhere at once, guarding against it would require a tremendous amount of effort even for a six-star Warrior. This guy was only a mere five-star Warrior, and Xu Min knew the fighter was incapable of doing so.
Being aware of this, Xu Min's eyes turned cold as he lifted the sword in his hand and swung it out. A massive, visible line of swordlight shot forward at the speed of the wind, almost impossible to dodge.
This elf was no normal elf, however. The moment the elf sensed the incoming swordlight, he lifted his spear, enveloping himself in spearlight.
Xu Min smiled while watching how the spearlight, which, although not as strong as the swordlight, carried with it an immense force and strength and was used to defend against his attack. He felt enlightened as he had only thought that swordlight could be used to attack. The thought of using it for defense never really crossed his mind. Now, looking at this spearlight, he understood that he had been wrong.
These duels, although easy so far, had been of great help to Xu Min. He had seen spiritual energy used in other shapes than just the bow that he knew how to use. As well, he had seen spearlight used defensively. His mind was filled with new knowledge, and he could not wait to rush back to his small cottage and start contemplating on these two subjects.
Still, he pushed these thoughts to the back of his mind. He did not entertain his newfound excitement. He was currently in the middle of a battle, and he needed to continue, so he could preferably win.
A loud boom resounded through the sparring field as the swordlight collided with the defensive spearlight. The energy forced the elf a few steps backward. The elf felt as if a sledgehammer had struck him straight in the chest. The spearlight around his body faltered and vanished. The remaining fifty wind blades swished in the air as they descended upon him.
Gritting his teeth, the young elf refused to give up and gathered all the spearlight he could in front of him to block the assault of the incoming wind blades. However,t a gentle wind came from the back while he was preparing for the attack in front of him. The surprise attack from behind carried with it the most fearsome of all the swordlights.
A soft sound could be heard before the elf on the stage collapsed on the ground. Blood spurted from his mouth as he had been stabbed in the side.
Xu Min had made sure to avoid vital areas and important organs, but the stab was so deep that it went straight through his body. It had come so suddenly and so unexpectedly that no one understood what had happened for a brief moment.
The eyes of the elf were filled with unwillingness and also hate as he looked at Xu Min. Nevertheless, the young man did not attack. The elf knew he had lost.
No more of the five-star Warriors stood up to challenge Xu Min as they helped the wounded elf off the stage. Silence descended on the stage. How had he won? Everyone was certain that there had been no wind blades behind their compatriot's back, but he still had been stabbed right through the body.
"He is a freak," a beautiful fairy whispered to the other fairies, who followed behind her in single file. All of them listened intently to her whisper. It was clear that the followers had no idea how Xu Min had done it. This woman, nevertheless, the young six-star Warrior ranked Fairy, smiled as she gently caressed her cheek, "to think that a human has gained insight into the wind domain," she said in a low voice audible only to her followers. All of them gasped at the mere thought of this.
They were fairies. Their dream was to gain insight into a domain one day. The reason that this six-star Warrior fairy who whispered this news was their leader was not only because of her beauty or high rank as a six-star Warrior but because she had gained insight into two domains. ] She was a well-known figure in the academy and a very popular woman as well.
Xu Min was aware that his movement caused a few people to have seen through his secret. Nonetheless, he also knew that those who had seen through it were all exalted experts who would not lower themselves to fight an expert weaker than themselves by a whole rank. They would gain nothing if they won, and losing would only make them a fool. Almost no one was willing to take on such a task.
"To think that senior brother would lose!" A girl said.She was shocked as she looked at the elf who was being ferried off from the stage. The battle had been too swift. No one had seen what had wounded him. Everything had been too mysterious. Suddenly someone started calling out in protest, "he cheated!" One of the elves had yelled this petty assumption.
His words resounded in the silence; soon an uproar began. Everyone felt that he must have cheated to have won the way he had. Everyone was yelling out that Xu Min must have cheated somehow.
"Better pacify them," a tired voice sounded next to the ears of all Immortals. An old man appeared next to Xu Min moments after. Xu Min had never seen this man before, but every elf and fairy became completely quiet as he appeared.
The old man looked at Xu Min curiously before he winked his eye and said in a voice that was not hidden at all, "your master might be a lunatic, but he did produce quite a talented student!"
Hearing this, Xu Min's face turned slightly sour. He understood that Wang Li was clearly not just an old man who worked at the docks in Honghe City. Xu Min was reminded once again of just how much he owed this old man and to hear him being called a lunatic was something that did not sit well with Xu Min. However, Xu Min was not suicidal; he just passively looked at the Immortal instead without saying anything.
The many students once more started gossiping amongst each other. The Immortals knew of Xu Min's master? Could it be that he was the student of some elven Immortal from their sect who had left the academy to travel the world? Or perhaps it was a beautiful fairy who wished to see the world of man? In their minds, it made sense that his master was an elf or a fairy for him to be able to control the two energies exclusive to these races.
"Xu Min has not used any form of cheating during these sparring matches; he has relied solely on his personal ability and will continue to do so. I will stand as the judge to ensure that this battle will go out of hand."
The man paused for a moment. Xu Min secretly hoped no more experts would step up. He was fairly certain in his ability to deal with every single five-star Warrior, but anything above that would turn into a desperate battle.
Just as Xu Min thought this, the old man looked around before a cackling laughter escaped his lips. He said with his high-pitched voice, "It seems there is no five-star Warrior who can compete against him. Thus why don't you six-star Warriors give it a try?"
An explosion of voices swept through the Sparring Field as the words made it to all ears, but Xu Min's face turned rather stern as a result. Was it in this Immortal's place to decide which opponents Xu Min could battle against? Sighing, he knew he could do nothing about it now, but looking at Ye Ling and Cao Cao brought him a sliver of comfort. At least he would be able to keep his life if he was going to lose badly.
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Chapter 107: Sword
Before Xu Min had time to complain, the clattering voices filled the air. Although the Immortal had suggested to the six-star warriors to step up and duel Xu Min, no one wished to be the first. Xu Min had fought so well against the five-star Warriors no one knew what strength he was hiding.
Additionally, winning against Xu Min would not bring any fame to a six-star Warrior. They were supposed to win since they were both older and stronger than Xu Min. If they, on the other hand, lost, then they would be the joke of the academy. Though losing to a younger and weaker expert happened from time to time it was still very embarrassing when it happened. No one wished to be the first person to be tested.
"Are they scared of this human?" someone mumbled. The words embarrassed the seniors. All of them were certain that they could defeat Xu Min, they were just not sure of how much the defeat would cost them. As well, revealing their secrets was enough to make it harder for them to become higher ranked on the heavenly ranking.
"It's not that they are worried about the human; they are worried about displaying their strength so close to the heavenly rankings. It is only half a year left before they are going to go through the rank once more. By then they need to explode with power unseen by any if they wished to rank highly."
Seeing that these six-star Warriors were not willing to step up, Xu Min heaved a heavy sigh of relief. He had feared that he would have to continue the battle for a longer period. It seemed, though, that this heavenly ranking that everyone was talking about was enough to keep them from challenging him.
The Immortal seemed to have noticed the same thing, but all he could do was sigh and shake his head in disappointment. He had hoped to see Xu Min display his full grasp of the Domain so he could understand how deep this youngster's understanding was.
Still, he also understood the six-star Warriors worries. When he was about to give up and move away from the sparring match a fairy finally stepped forward. When Xu Min looked at her, he was astonished by her beauty. Although someone like Yong Meilin was considered beautiful, she paled in comparison to this young woman. This woman showed no signs of hostility that the others he had dueled so far had shown. If anything, she expressed a bit of curiosity.
Behind her was a group of other fairies. These fairies were not as beautiful even though they would be considered peerless beauties in the outside world. Each and every one of them glared at Xu Min without hiding their hostility in their eyes. The immortal who was observing the sparring matches grinned widely.
"If it isn't the fiery fairy. Tell me little miss fairy, are you going to battle against youngster Xu Min? Even though he is around ten years younger than you and a whole star weaker, will you still challenge him?" The Immortal did not hide the rank and age of Xu Min. As soon as he spoke, everyone once more broke out in loud chatter. They were all stunned to hear that Xu Min was that young. To have reached the five-star Warrior rank at such an age was an accomplishment even for the elves and the fairies!
They were, of course, unaware that only a year ago, Xu Min had just broken into the third-star of the Warrior rank due to the assistance of the Blood Pagoda. His strength had soared into the heavens.
Xu Min, looking at the fairy known as the fiery fairy, was a little uncomfortable. He understood that against a fairy his chances for success were not very high. Although he had understood the domain, he was not likely to be the only one who had understood it. In fact, Xu Min was certain that all fairies understood at least one domain if not more.
Xu Min pondered for a short while on how to do this. However, when he looked at the sword in his hands, he felt a comfortable feeling of reliability. He had still not used his sword yet. Considering that he previously, in the blood pagoda, had managed to rely fully on his sword to defeat a fairy, he felt a lot calmer than he was before.
Suddenly, reminded of the previous battle, a smile slowly spread on Xu Min's face. Yes, there were great risks with what he intended to do, but there were also possibilities.
Previously Xu Min had absorbed the energy of the wind fairy and had gained control over her element as the energy had entered his body. If he was able to battle another fairy, which had gained insight into another element, would that mean that Xu Min could gain control over yet another element?
Xu Min was unsure, but the chance was there. Thus, since the chance was there, he was going to give it his all.
From the name, Xu Min quickly guessed that this woman had to do with the element of fire. Fire was not something completely foreign for Xu Min as he had gained control over the worldly flame from being one with the world. In his mind, he was already excited about the possibility which had offered itself to him.
The Immortal was shocked as he looked at Xu Min. When he had mentioned that the six-star experts could step forward, he had felt the unwillingness in the young man. But now, this reluctance was completely gone and replaced by excitement.
Can he be infatuated by the fairie's beauty? The immortal mused to himself. Looking at Xu Min, though, he felt this reaction was different. It did not feel like infatuation but instead a genuine desire to do battle.
The sudden change in Xu Min was not noticed not only by the Immortal who was standing on the stage, anyone with a certain strength could sense the change of energy from being resigned to becoming filled with an urge to fight. As to the sudden change in his attitude, no matter how they looked at him, no one was able to sense the cause.
Even the fairy was surprised. Behind her was the beautiful fairy who earlier had grasped two domains was stunned by the change in attitude. Looking at Xu Min with a pondering expression, her eyes turned serious. Although she was considered one of the higher ranked experts in the academy due to her understanding of two domains, she felt some danger being emitted from this young man on the stage.
As the fairy went on stage, a sea of flames appeared everywhere. It was clear that she had understood the domain of fire.These flames were scorching hot, even hotter than the worldly flames around Xu Min's sword.
Where the audience expected to see despair in Xu Min's eyes as he was enveloped by flames, they instead saw a small smile on his lips and excitement in his eyes. Was this the expression of someone who was about to be burned to death?
Closing his eyes for a moment, Xu Min was ecstatic. As long as the fairy kept throwing flame after flame at him, he would manage. With the sword in his hand he could drain the fairy, but if they came to direct confrontations, then Xu Min would likely lose out. He still had not understood how to use the domain to enhance his close quarter's combat other than the fact it could make his movements much swifter.
Opening his eyes, Xu Min pushed all of this behind him. His eyes focused on the flames all around him, and the sword in his hands started swinging it in a circle in front of him like a fan. This fan was also covered by flames, but as soon as the worldly flame came into contact with the flame of the domain, it would burn and vanished. Strangely enough, the red flames also seemed to vanish as soon as they reached Xu Min. They were swallowed up whole by this young man, and as to how he did it, even the Immortals were incapable of knowing.
Xu Min knew that he could not continue to hide just how much of a treasure the sword in his hands was. He also knew that these elves and fairies seemed to know of his master and somewhat feared him. Due to this, he did not hesitate to use what had been granted him and with a greedy heart did he start to absorb the fire energy that was being thrown at him.
The fire was hot as it entered his body. It felt as if he had been in a warm bath for too long. His body was going numb, and small prickling sensations appeared on his skin. Still, this flame kept traveling through his body and slowly merged with his inner energy much like the wind energy had done before.
At the start, the fire energy in his body was limited. Although he greedily absorbed one flame after another, not much change could be found in his inner energies. It was clear that the wind fairy from the Blood Pagoda had a deeper understanding of her energy. Thus more elemental energy was within the attack causing it to be more potent when absorbed.
Still, Xu Min relentlessly continued his absorption of the flames. He went out of his way to meet the flames head on. He even absorbed the ones in the perimeter around him. Everyone present was stunned, but no one was as shocked as the fiery fairy. To see her pride and joy, the fire domain being absorbed as easily as it was, she felt powerless and even more intrigued as to how it was even possible for a human being to absorb her flames.
The battle held no suspense. The Fiery Fairy was not going to engage in close quarter's combat as it was not her specialty. All she did was try and squeeze out every single ounce of energy in her body to scorch Xu Min to death. Unfortunately, he just kept absorbing the energies.Soon he started to feel a small change in his inner energies. Entwined with the wind energy, the and fire energy started to rush through the Qi, and soon his internal energies had the traits of both Wind and Fire. The fire was weaker than the wind, but closing his eyes and sensing the world around him, Xu Min could feel how the elements of the world around him was pouring itself into him. The wind and the flame elements within himself were constantly strengthened.
Seeing the end of the battle, no one spoke. The Immortals all looked at Xu Min as if he was some monster.
Looking at Xu Min, the Immortal who had said he would look after the battles slowly turned to Xu Min. His face had become serious, but the eyes were not on the young man himself but rather his sword.
"Lend me your sword," he said with a voice which did not even offer the slightest chance to decline. Knowing that his sword would get noticed at some point, Xu Min was unsure of what to do. Being able to sense his hesitation the immortal once more looked at Xu Min, "I won't steal it from you," he guaranteed, "I just need to check something."
Aware that he could not fully trust these immortals, Xu Min also knew he could be killed with just a wave of the hand from one of the Immortals. He had no other option than to hand over his sword. His eyes were blazing with unwillingness, but even so, he did as he was told.
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Chapter 108: Devouring
It was clear Xu Min was not willing to let go of his sword. Some gloated because of this; they felt that this sword was a secret treasure, and once the Immortals would get their hands on it, they would never let it go. Once Xu Min would lose it; then this young man would no longer be of any danger to them.
Others felt it was a little out of line. Finding treasures were not an easy task, and no one wished for their things to be stolen by an Immortal. If an Immortal took notice of their treasures, would that not mean that they too had to hand it over? Usually, Immortals were very lofty and would never stoop to steal an item from other experts, but this time it was different. This time the Immortals had started to act and who knew who would be next?
The Immortal, having taken the sword into his hand raised an eyebrow in surprise. He swung it slightly, but nothing happened. There were no signs of a connection between either him nor the sword. The more he swung it, the more it felt like a dead object in his hands.
"You there!" he called at Xu Min. He raised the sword once more, "Wind blades. Send me the hundreds of wind blades attack you made before," he ordered. Although Xu Min would prefer not to do it, he had no excuse and did as he was told.
Hundreds of wind blades appeared around him; all of them came chopping down on the expert in front of him.
Wind blades of this level would never be able to harm an Immortal, but Xu Min's aim was not to harm but to do exactly as he was told. There would be no reason for the Immortal to punish him and take his sword away.
Gritting his teeth, Xu Min looked at the wind blades appearing in front of the Immortal. He waited to see if his sword would absorb these energies, but nothing happened.
The sword collided with the attacks as a normal sword would and the wind blades sent ripples down the sword's handle, causing it to tremble slightly in the hands of the Immortal.
Seeing this, the Immortal was surprised. It was clear that he had not expected this outcome, but neither had Xu Min. Even though the young man was surprised, he refused to show any feelings on his face. Instead, a small smile appeared across his face.
"Immortal, Sir, have you examined my sword enough?" Xu Min asked curiously, but the immortal completely ignored him, "Again!" he called out. Xu Min did the same thing, yet it was clear that the Immortal was infusing the sword with Qi.
Seeing the sword being infused with Qi, Xu Min became worried. He was worried that the sword would either absorb this Qi or that the Qi would release the stored energies within the sword. However, his worries were useless.
The sword was as dead in the hands of the Immortal just as it was alive in the hands of Xu Min. It showed no will, no humming sounds, no devouring abilities no matter what the Immortal did.
Sweeping the sword with his consciousness, he tried to find some secrets from the sword, but nothing could be found. It was as if the sword was an ordinary sword.
While the Immortal was searching the sword, everyone had expected it to become a treasure but seeing that this was not happening everyone knew that there were only two possibilities.
The first possibility was that the sword had already recognized Xu Min as its master and only he could unlock its secrets. The second possibility was that this devouring ability was not a part of the sword but instead of Xu Min's inborn ability.
The first possibility was frightening. For a treasure to be able to pick its master was simply outstanding. Such a treasure could only be found once in a lifetime.
If it was Xu Min's inborn ability, then it made Xu Min into a frightening specimen. He could not be considered human, nor elf or fairy. Instead, he would be a completely new sort of creature that they had never heard about before.
The Immortal was tentative as he looked at Xu Min. He was curious as to whether or not the abnormality was the sword or the young man in front of him. Nonetheless, he also knew that even if it was the young man, this young man was a student of the academy. Killing him to seize his treasure was not going to happen, so in the end, knowing the truth could only make his heart ache with greed and jealousy.
"Tell me, where did you get this sword?" The Immortal asked Xu Min. He was unsure whether or not to check if it was Xu Min who was abnormal or if it was the sword. All he could do was stall for time, asking questions while making up his mind.
"It was gifted to me by my master when I was about to leave his tutelage," Xu Min said honestly. He considered whether or not he should try to wrest the sword back from the hands of the Immortal, but he quickly decided against it and chose just to wait and see what would happen.
Nodding his head, the Immortal looked at Xu Min with curious eyes. With a flick of his fingers, a small fireball appeared in front of him. The fireball in front of the Immortal had the strength of a four-star Warrior. When he flicked it towards Xu Min, he was going to test whether or not Xu Min would absorb it or if he would get hit by it.
Xu Min was at his wit's end. He did not have his sword by his side to assist him, so absorbing the flame could prove problematic. Still, Xu Min did not give up. He closed his eyes and searched deep within himself until he found his dantian where his Qi was pooled.
The Qi was now entwined in two different colors.One was red the other was gray. The red color radiated heat while the gray let free some wind.
Ignoring the gray strands of energy, Xu Min pulled forth all the red energy he could. He had noticed how the elemental affinities constantly drew in the elements from the outside world. This in a way was a bit like the devour stance he was used to.
"Had he taken anything else than fire then I would be really in trouble," Xu Min mumbled as his eyes locked onto the fireball. He started rotating all the red energy within his body; the quicker he rotated it through his body, the more of the fire element in the world around him was absorbed into his body.
The small fireball started disintegrating, turning into the fragments of the element he could consume. Fortunately, the fireball was not made to injure Xu Min. Thus the fireball was of a lower rank than him making it possible for him to absorb it just like one would with the elements of the world around him. Had the fireball been of the fifth-star or above, then Xu Min would have no chance of devouring it and would instead become wounded. However, the Immortal wanted to make sure that Xu Min would not be injured.
These experts, the Immortals, and the students, only saw that the elements were devoured previously. None of them were aware that Xu Min, by devouring the energies, had changed his own Qi to match the elements devoured.
It was common knowledge that anyone who controlled an element could consume the same elements on a weaker basis, but Xu Min had shown no talent of having any control over fire before which was the reason this expert had chosen to throw a fireball instead of a wind blade.
When they saw that this fireball was being broken up into small fragments of elemental energy and then devoured by Xu Min, they all stopped in their tracks. No one dared to speak; rather, everyone stared at him in a daze.
Even the majority of the Immortals were the same. They were filled with shock and stunned as they saw the fireball being devoured. Although it looked slightly different from how he had devoured the energies before there was no question that this fire had been absorbed by him in some way; he had devoured the fireball without any sword. Therefore almost everyone came to the conclusion that it was not the sword that was the true treasure but the young man on the sparring field.
"Here, take back your sword," the Immortal from the sparring field said. He handed back the sword to Xu Min who heaved a heavy sigh of relief. He had been granted by incredible luck to get out of it the way he had. As he looked around, he noticed that everyone was looking at him with different expressions. Some expressed fear while others showed worry and even some were curious. Of course, there were some who were jealous, and some had not hidden even the slightest bit of resentment and hostility in their faces.
While the majority were of the impression that Xu Min had absorbed and devoured the energies on his own, there was a small group of three Immortals who knew the truth. These three immortals all knew about Xu Min's master. The moment they had seen the sword they knew which sword it was.
All of them had been curious to see how Xu Min would manage the fireball. They were amazed when they saw him absorb it as the element of the world. Only now did they fully understand just how wonderful this sword truly was. To give Xu Min the control over the fire from just devouring it earlier was simply too powerful, but none of these three were in a rush to fight each other for the sword, much less touch a hair on the head of this young man. They all felt that their lives were more important than owning the treasure for a short amount of time.
Xu Min, who had been given his sword back felt relief deeply. He had been so scared that it would be taken away from him, but he also knew that he could not have acted differently from what he did; he needed to stay alive so that he could get revenge.
By his side Ye Ling was growling slightly, displaying his displeasure with the actions of the Immortal. Just like Xu Min, the lion dared not do much more than a casual growl. The snake around his neck was even more silent. After having been with the Guardians for as long as he had, he fully understood just how strong these Immortals were and how weak he was. Currently, Cao Cao was a bit weaker than Xu Min. He knew that it was not his place to interrupt the Immortal. Although he would not kill him out of respect for Cao Cao's father, he would likely still cause trouble for Xu Min in the future.
Therefore all of them just stayed silent as they received the sword back. Without waiting to see whether or not there were more who wanted to duel, Xu Min jumped off from the stage and moved through the crowd of people to leave.
He had lost all his will to do battle. He went straight back to the cottage where he sat down and collected his mind. He began calming his emotions before it was time for him to attend his first class.
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Chapter 109: Class
Xu Min sighed as he looked into the sky. He was on his way to his first class. As he reached it, he saw a whole colosseum filled with students sitting on stone chairs with stone desks in front of them. They were all looking down at the Immortal who was standing on the stage, waiting for the rest of the students to arrive.
Xu Min was one of the last students to arrive. He found a seat right in the very back where not many sat. Although he was trying his very best not to attract attention, everyone looked at him with curiosity.
While Xu Min entered the classroom, his eyes swept across the many elves. He quickly found that the majority of them were foreigners to him. He had never seen them before, and many of them gave him a sense of pressure. Only now did he understand that the Immortal Mu Zi had been correct when he had said that Xu Min was only average at this academy. Although he had comprehended a domain, he could only be considered ordinary here at the academy.
It was only the weakest experts who had come to the sparring field previously that day. None of the real experts had come to see the battles. It was clear that none of them had taken Xu Min seriously. However, now that he had defeated even the Fiery Fairy they watched him with curiosity. He was not on their level, but he was not weak either.
"Find your seats, everyone," the Immortal said with a hoarse voice. He sounded quite old. Although Immortals did not age, they would remain the way they looked when they became Immortals. They all looked differently. Some were young when they became Immortals while others were older. This man was clearly older when he had become an Immortal. Nevertheless, the man's age did not decrease the level of respect afforded to him. The older one became, the harder it was to advance. Thus, to see an old immortal, was quite rare but also a show of someone having great discipline and determination.
Such a person, Xu Min felt quite a bit of respect towards. He was silent as he looked at the Immortal at the platform.
As he looked down, he noticed that his eyes locked with the Immortal's eyes. A small smile was on his face as he looked at Xu Min with curiosity. The moment he saw that Xu Min looked at him he nodded politely before he turned his gaze away.
"It seems that many of these Immortals know about my master," Xu Min mused to himself. There was no reason that an esteemed Immortal such as this one needed to be polite to him. It was clear that it was because of something else and the only thing that Xu Min could think about was his master. "I do wonder what kind of person master Wang Li is?" he sighed.
"Welcome to class," the Immortal spoke up, his voice rang through the entire colosseum as he spoke. Every single student could hear his voice, and no one spoke. Everyone politely waited to hear what was being said.
"Today we have a new student in our class; this student is Xu Min, the first human to enter our academy," the expert calmly explained. Every set of eyes within the colosseum turned to look at Xu Min who was seated in the back.
Many eyes showed hostility, but some showed indifference or even curiosity. It was clear that the stronger ones paid no real attention to Xu Min. He was but a lovely human, someone who had appeared in their academy, but he could not hold a candle to them and their powers. Thus they did not bother with him.
"It seems that I was only up against the weaker ones," Xu Min mocked himself. He understood perfectly well what it meant to be average. He was not of the weaker experts within the academy, but he was not amongst the strongest ones either. He was just neatly placed in the middle, or so he had been before he had comprehended his domain.
Even Mu Zi was unaware of the fact that Xu Min had comprehended a domain; therefore his strength had risen drastically, but he still had a very long way to go before he could be considered one of the stronger individuals within the academy.
"I need to become stronger, I need to get my strength under control and to understand the spiritual energy within me." he mumbled to himself, "the sooner I understand this, the sooner I can return to the Blood Pagoda. When I enter the Blood Pagoda once more, I will be able to gain enough strength to face the Zhong family."
Xu Min's heart was still filled with the need for revenge. Years had gone by after his sister's death, but the flames of rage within his body had not changed. He needed to ensure that his sister was avenged. He would make sure t the ones who had caused her to die would tortuously pay tribute to her memory.
Just thinking about it, Xu Min felt his body heat up in anger. Nevertheless, he closed his eyes for a moment and calmed himself, ensuring that his killing intent did not run wild.
In the classroom, three people looked at Xu Min at that moment. One was the Immortal while the others were two high ranked students. All three of them had confused expressions on their faces and traces of keen interest.
The killing intent had lasted for but a second and had not fully enveloped anyone. However, during these brief moments, it had been so sharp and dreadful that the two students who had noticed it felt a chill run down their spine. This feeling was only felt when they were out on missions and encountered dangerous opponents.
For such a young man to have killing intent like this, just how many people had he murdered? Just how much hostility burned within his body? It was not before now that these two students started to feel that something was not right with this human who had joined them.
The Immortal was the same. Although all of the Immortals within the academy knew who Xu Min's master was, they knew nothing of the life he had led before joining the Immortal Valley Rankings. Many of these Immortals were also unaware of his massacres within the Immortal Valley. They were teachers or guardians of the academy and their campus; they were not able to leave to view the recordings from the Immortal Valley Rankings, nor did they have much interest in it. It was a human competition after all.
Xu Min had his eyes closed, so he was unaware of the fact that three experts had looked at him with interest. When he opened them again, everyone had turned to look at the Immortal on the stage who was slowly pacing forth and back.
"As I said just before, we have a new student in our class. Because of this, we are going to go through the fundamentals of what Spiritual Energy is and how to use it." the Immortal stated. Unhappiness could be heard in the voices of the students as they started to mumble.
The Immortal was not deaf; he heard every single word spoken within his classroom, even the words mumbled by Xu Min earlier. As he heard the words, his eyes grew cold.
"When we get new elves into the class we also go through the basics of the Spiritual Energy. When that happens no one complaints, but now you all want to complain about the fact that a new student needs to know about spiritual energy? How lowly of you!"
"But he is a human!" someone could not help but call out, "it is already very nice of us to allow him to attend our classes. Why do we need to go out of our way to also take care of him?"
"He is a student of this academy! Not just any human." the immortal said impatiently. However, he calmed down and let out a sigh as he looked at the student who had spoken.
Xu Min, who was seated at the far back, also heard the unhappy voices. He was considering if he should tell the Immortal that he, as a matter of fact, knew about the basics of the Spiritual Energy.
He had previously consumed the soul of an elf. Not just his strength and spiritual energy, but also his every memory. If he had not learned about spiritual energy this way, then how would he be able to use the spirit bow the way he could?
"Spiritual energy is not like Qi. Where Qi is located in the dantian; spiritual energy is located in a small orb placed on my forehead. Spiritual Energy is what humans consider magic. It is another kind of energy which allows for another kind of attacks. It is like Qi, but it does not require stances to be activated, nor is it able to merge with the body and increase my physical strength.
"What Spiritual Energy can do is either take the shape of a spirit weapon, each person has their favored spirit weapon, or it can take on any shape or form. Personally, I know of the Devouring World where the Spiritual Energy enters the entire world and starts rotating, forcing the people around me to be dragged into a whirlwind.
"I also know that Spiritual Energy can work as the internal energy of a Qi cultivator, only stronger and more dangerous than what Qi can do, which is why elves are considered the strongest in offense from all the races.
"You know the Devouring World?" The Immortal asked with bated breath. Not just him; everyone present looked at him as if he was a lunatic. There were disbelief and shock in their eyes.
"I know the Devouring World," Xu Min affirmed with a nod of his head. The words caused, even more, disturbance within the classroom. As to why it was such a big deal that he knew the Devouring World, Xu Min did not know.
"I see. Well, you seem to understand Spiritual Energy," the Immortal nodded his head with a surprised expression on his face. "In that case, we will start discussing the two ways of using spiritual energy, as in offense and defense.
"Spiritual Energy is mainly used in offense. We each have a spirit weapon which suits us. It is usually a weapon which allows us to unleash our potential. The majority has swords, but there is also lances, staves, sabers, daggers and so on.
"Apart from weapons, Spiritual Energy can take on any shape or form depending on the wishes of the user. As Xu Min said, humans are fearful of elves because they need to make stances to compete while elves do not need to waste time on a stance but can instantly send out their Spiritual Energy. On the other hand, the external experts of humans can turn out to be our true doom. The weakness of an elf is close combat. We can use our spiritual energy as we please, but if they can come through our attack, our lacking defense will become our downfall.
"This is why we focus on how to use Spiritual Energy as a defense!" the Immortal kept speaking. The more he spoke, the more a smile appeared on Xu Min's face. Was this not teaching Xu Min how to defeat elves? If he knew how the elves would go against external practitioners, then it would be easy for him to take this into account in his future battles.
Xu Min was thinking about this so called heavens ranking that would take place soon. If he could learn how to deal with elves before then, then he would be able to rank higher than otherwise. With a keen expression on his face, he listened to every single word the expert said.
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Chapter 110: Senior Apprentice Brother
The rest of the class was solely on how to use spiritual energy for defensive measures. Everyone listened carefully; even Xu Min found it interesting; as the class ended, he stayed in his seat for some time. His eyes narrowed, and his hand gently stroked his chin as he was in deep thought.
What he had learned today could help him improve his defenses, but it was also the same as teaching him how to fight against elves. It seemed his teacher was especially helping Xu Min out, but he had no reason to do so. The teacher was clearly an immortal elf himself. Thus, for his teacher to tell him the weaknesses of elves was this not too strange?
Shaking his head, Xu Min decided not to think about it anymore. He stood up to leave. As he did, he noticed that a few elves were still present. All of the elves were looking at him curiously. If he had his eyes opened earlier when the killing intent spilled out for a brief moment, he would know that the ones looking at him were the same ones who noticed something, but he did not realize this.
"I don't have time for duels right now," Xu Min mumbled to himself with a slight annoyance before he turned to leave. He was constantly waiting to be stopped even though no one tried to stop him; he heaved a heavy sigh of relief as he left the classroom with no more trouble.
Just as he left, however, he noticed that it was not going to be as simple as he has thought. Outside a whole group of elves were waiting for him., An elf who was clearly stronger than the ones he had battled at the sparring fields led all of them. Nonetheless, this guy was not as strong as the ones he had caught his attention in the classroom.
Although these experts were weaker, Xu Min was not that overconfident in his power. There was a lot of elves. After the battle in the Immortal Valley, he understood if he fought many enemies at once, he needed to be wary of the possibility of berserking. If he truly went berserk again, he could not help but fear for these elves' lives, not to mention his life if he was to kill many of his fellow students.
Berserking was something only he could allow to use against opponents stronger than him or against crowds that he needed to kill quickly. He felt pressured by the group of experts in front of him. Dealing with these elves would not be simple.
"Senior apprentice brother, what are you doing here?" An amused voice suddenly sounded out from behind Xu Min. This voice belonged to one of the men who had been seated in the classroom just moments before. Looking behind him, Xu Min found that everyone had left at the same time as he had. These experts were all smiling as they stood behind Xu Min, making him feel even more uncomfortable.
Xu Min was not paranoid, but he was new to this academy. Only the immortals had shown him politeness. So far, all students had been hostile. Therefore, he was on alert as soon as he associated with the students.
"This human beat up my younger brother!" The one they referred to as senior apprentice brother said, "If I do not avenge him, how can I continue being his older brother?!"
His eyes were filled with hate; his teeth were gnashing hard against each other, and his entire entourage was nodding their heads. They all agreed with this older martial brother of theirs. Quite a few experts had been beaten up by Xu Min this morning, and they all wished to see him get beat up instead.
"If you are going to battle, why don't you let me join in for fun then?" A sweet and alluring voice came from behind the group of elves. Everyone turned around to see who dared to interrupt. It was a fairy who was seated on a small stone. Her clothes were blue as deep as the sea, her hair shone like gold, and her blue eyes were so sharp that it felt as if they could see the very soul of the one they looked upon.
"Why would you defend a mere human?" the senior apprentice brother questioned the woman. It was impossible for him to have any real hostility towards her. Instead, he was more confused than angry.
"He is a student at our academy," the fairy said with a shrug of her shoulders, "he is a classmate of mine. If I don't even protect my classmates, then what kind of person am I?"
Hearing this the three elves behind Xu Min laughed out loud. Their voices were completely unhindered, and not even the slightest bit of worry could be heard. It was completely unrestrained, and the face of the senior apprentice brother turned completely red.
"I admire you. You are without a doubt a light fairy, but this is a matter between men!" the senior apprentice man hissed at the woman. He was clearly insulted by the young woman and the three elves behind Xu Min. Even so, he dared not talk back to them. Instead, he tried to find a way to fight Xu Min.
"Is it a matter for you to interfere with?" one of the elves behind Xu Min also stepped forward. His aura was so domineering that even Xu Min narrowed his eyes.
"This matter is about a duel which took place in the sparring field. We have a rule saying that no one can seek vengeance for a battle lost in the sparring field. However, here you are, trying to take revenge for a brother who lost."
"He was tricked by a human!" the senior apprentice brother stayed adamant. "It was not a fair match of the sparring field! He tricked everyone into believing that he was weak, and then he used his maleficent powers to defeat his opponents!"
"Maleficent powers?" the light fairy sounded genuinely insulted for a moment, "you consider elemental powers to be evil? Thus, you are claiming that, us, fairies are evil? Instead of being so mean to him, is it not much more admirable that he can control both spiritual power and elemental energies?"
The more she spoke, the more ashamed the group of elves that had come to pressure Xu Min became. Every word was like a sharp knife that kept turning inside his pride, chopping it to bits and eventually he was just shaking from embarrassment and anger. Instead of pursuing his original goal of challenging Xu Min, he just turned to leave.
"No need to rush away like that," Xu Min suddenly spoke up. His words confused everyone present. The whole reason the light fairy and the three elves stood up for him was that they found him interesting. He had so many secrets, and they wished to understand this human who had done what was impossible.
"We can choose to battle now, or we can meet at the heavenly ranking. Either is fine for me, a mere elf like you, I do not fear you." Xu Min snorted. His words caused everyone to look at Xu Min in a new light.
Some thought he was insane. It must be that the victories from the earlier sparring matches had gone to his head and made him arrogant so that he did not place anyone else in his eyes, while four people were of a different understanding.
The three elves and the light fairy all stared at Xu Min surprised. They had understood that Xu Min contained plenty of secrets and hidden strengths. If he were so certain of his victory against this senior apprentice brother, then he probably would win.
The classes were split up into the age of the students rather than their talent, and this senior apprentice brother was not stronger than any of the three experts behind Xu Min. Nor was he stronger than the light fairy, but even if they were to battle him, they would face some difficulties. He had been at the academy for a long time and had completed plenty of missions. This experience rewarded him with a lot of resources. As well, even though his rank was only of the sixth star of the Warrior rank, his combat ability was quite high.
"Are you ready to fight me right now?" The senior apprentice brother was silent for some time after asking the question. He had been in life and death situations against some beasts in the Immortal Valley and right now he was feeling a chill going down his spine. This chill was similar to what he felt when he stood in front of the most awe-inspiring beasts he had met before.
Feeling like this, the senior apprentice brother became apprehensive. He understood now that this human expert had some secrets, but he was riding on a tiger's back and was unable to get off. Even though he wished to retract his challenge, it was too late now.
"You want to wait until the Heavenly Rankings? Keep dreaming. My younger brother is not even able to attend this year's heavenly ranking because of you! I need to get my vengeance now. Let us go to the sparring fields right now since classes have ended for the day!"
Just as the senior apprentice brother had finally gained the courage to speak up while standing straight and looking all righteous, the light fairy sighed and spoke up once more, "classes are over for you elves, but they are still ongoing for classmate Xu Min," she said with her sweet voice, "he has to attend the fairy lessons soon. Since it is like this, he cannot go to the sparring field before tomorrow morning."
Hearing the light fairie's words the senior apprentice brother's face turned at first sour but then slightly relieved.
"If that is the case, then we might as well wait for the Heavenly Ranking," he said and shook his head, "I will let you train until the time for the the heavenly ranking. Then we will see who is the strongest!"
Without waiting for an answer the senior apprentice brother turned around and started walking away from the office. Just as he walked away, the Immortal teacher appeared out of nowhere and looked at him.
"You need to be more careful. Although you feel that you can deal with this man, you cannot deal with everyone. A little bit of humbleness goes a long way." he smiled. Xu Min bowed deeply out of gratitude. It was clear that this teacher wished Xu Min the best and the warning was out of his best interest.
Turning around, Xu Min also bowed to the three elves and the light fairy. "Thank you all for your help to block this senior apprentice brother," Xu Min said the heartfelt words. A smile appeared on his face, completely stunning the four other experts.
They had indeed tried to help him. In the end, they had also succeeded in making the duel get delayed, but they also understood that for Xu Min, this was not necessary. Seeing Xu Min displaying such respectful greeting, they were all stunned. It did not last long, they quickly all smiled before the light fairy stepped forward.
"Class will start soon, come with me. I'll take you to the classroom."
Xu Min nodded his head. With a respectful distance, he followed behind the fairy, not too close nor too far away. He looked at the scenes rather than the beautiful fairy in front of him.The woman was surprised by his ability to completely ignore her beauty since not even the elves were capable of doing that.
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Chapter 111: Mu Jianyao
As Xu Min reached the classroom, he was shocked to see that there were not only female fairies but also male fairies. Albeit fewer in numbers, that is.
The moment he arrived in the classroom together with the light fairy, everyone turned silent. No one moved, and everyone just stared at the two experts who had appeared together.
"That's the human."
"Why is he with the light fairy?"
"He doesn't look that different."
Murmurs erupted in the classroom from the astonished fairies. The female fairies unabashedly stared at Xu Min with curiosity while the few male fairies had hostility written in their eyes.
To think the fact that he accompanied the light fairy was enough to cause some of them to like him and others to dislike him as a result. It was evident to Xu Min that this light fairy was special. Clearly, all the fairies admired and held her in their hearts, at least the ones from this class.
The lecture itself was relatively simple. The topic focused on the energy of wind. Nevertheless, the contents of what was expounded on were something Xu Min had already known from his own understanding and experience.
The fairy teacher was a man; he was less friendly than the teacher of the elves' classes. Seeing that Xu Min had not paid much attention to the class, he had often asked him questions only to be answered straightforwardly with the correct answers.
As the class ended, the sun was starting to decline on the beautiful summer sky. Everyone was filled with excitement as they left the classroom.
While the majority were going to spend some time together, Xu Min slipped away easily. Although he was rather popular and quite sought after right now, no one seemed to see him sneak away. Everyone was too busy chatting with their friends.
As Xu Min left the classroom, he noticed that a group of elves was waiting for someone, most likely him, at the entrance to the fairy classroom.
Xu Min pondered for a moment after noticing this group. Should he confront them or not? He eventually decided against it. Xu Min went to the opposite side of the classroom to avoid them; he found a tall wall, which he quickly scaled with the help of the wind.
Jumping down on the other side, Xu Min was unsure of whether or not this was legal, but he would rather run away than being ganged up upon.
When he landed on the ground, he found himself in a place that resembled a garden. There were no students around him, only many medicinal herbs. They seemed to be similar to the ones he had seen in the magical forest where he had first met Cao Cao.
"This ought to be the academy's medicinal garden," Cao Cao, who was hanging on Xu Min's neck, said slowly as he looked around. He had grown up with medicines, so he knew what exactly each and every one of these herbs were. Xu Min was not interested in them.
He could not take even one medicinal herb, so why care?. These plants belonged to the academy, not him, and if he took them, he was likely to suffer some severe punishments. To obtain these plants, one needed to use contribution points.
Thinking like this, Xu Min quickly wanted to find a way to leave the garden. Suddenly, he saw a figure flashing towards him and felt a hand on his throat.
"Who dares to barge into my medicinal garden?" the voice asked in a low and dangerous growl.
Xu Min wanted to answer, he truly did, but he could not. The hand on his throat was gripping so hard he had problems breathing. The figure even hoisted him up from the ground, making his legs dangle in the air. This was clearly an Immortal, a simple move of his hand had already rendered Xu Min completely incapable of acting, and this was before any force was emitted from the man's bony fingers.
"Oh right," The figure seemed to understand that Xu Min could not answer. He released the young man, who proceeded to stumble to the ground, gasping for air and holding his neck. He felt indents on his neck from where the fingers had held him.
"I'm Xu Min," he introduced himself with a very low and hoarse voice, "I am a new student. I did not know this area was forbidden. I deeply apologize. All I wanted was to find my way out."
Every word he said was the truth. He truly had never expected that jumping past the wall would cause such drama, nor had he expected that an Immortal would be waiting for him at the other side who was ready to kill him if he said something wrong. Right now, all he wanted was to escape alive.
"I see," the figure said. Some of the hostility in the voice disappeared. Even now, Xu Min was unaware of whether or not the figure in front of him was a fairy or an elf, or even a male or a female.
As Xu Min caught his breath, he slowly rose to his feet once more and dusted off the soil from his clothes. He was standing on a small path made from soil that framed the different patches where the plants were situated. He could only imagine the disaster that might have occurred if he had landed in a patch of land that was filled with these plants. The Immortal would have likely killed him on the spot.
As he thought of this, a shiver ran down his spine. By now, he truly regretted that he did not meet those silly elves that had ganged up on him. As he was thinking this, he felt a hand under his chin lift his head up and move it side to side.
The Immortal in front of him wore a massive cloak much like the Guardians of the Immortal Valley, making it hard to see his or her features. However, the hand out from the cloak, which was lifting his head, appeared youthful with skin as beautiful and white as porcelain, and long fingers that were graceful to look at.
"You look odd," The Immortal said as it cocked its head, looking rather confused at Xu Min.
"You are not an elf, neither are you a fairy. Could you be a human? A human was allowed to join our academy?"
The Immortal was ecstatic and seemed excited. It was as if it was really happy that a human had joined them, but what made Xu Min confused was the fact that this Immortal had not heard about him before.
"I'm a human who can control both spiritual energy and elemental affinities," he explained, "The Guardian Tree approved of me, and I became a student of this academy. Currently, I am living in the small cabin and attending both classes."
Xu Min was not sure why he divulged so much about himself, but this Immortal no longer seemed to have any hostility towards him. Instead, the Immortal released his face and started pacing around him, looking at him from every single angle.
"Interesting," the figure said, "amazing." It was not sarcastic. This was genuine interest. As the Immortal saw the confusion on Xu Min's face, the Immortal stopped. The two porcelain white hands moved to the cloak's hood and took it off, revealed the most stunning beauty Xu Min had ever seen before.
At first, he was blinded by her beauty. He was stunned witless. He was unable to say anything and just stood there jaws agape, staring at the woman in front of him. She seemed to be at most twenty years of age. Looking at her, it was impossible to say if she was a fairy or an elf.
Her ears were pointed like an elf's, but her appearance was that of fairy. Around her was a frosty air as though she was an ice queen, a woman with no emotions. Even so, she took an unusual interest in Xu Min.
She lifted her hand, and a set of daggers appeared. These daggers were clearly created from spiritual energy. As she lifted these two daggers, the surrounding area suddenly turned gray and rain started to fall. It was rain that fell from a previously cloudless sky. She was clearly in control of this new raincloud.
"I'm not a human," she said with a smile on her face, "But I am half elf and half fairy. It is not normal for fairies and elves to find partners amongst each other. However, when they do, they are usually incapable of producing offspring, but I was born from such a couple. I am the only expert of my kind."
"The cabin you live in now used to be my cabin. When I was a student, they also made me live there since I was neither fairy nor elf. I had to attend both classes, but no one wanted to befriend me since I belonged to neither the elves nor the fairies."
One could sense a small grudge from this immortal as she sighed deeply, "the Academy's teachers did everything they could to make me feel welcome. To them, I was a wondrous genius, almost the future of their joint races, but in the end, I ended up as the teacher in charge of the Medicinal Garden."
She hesitated slightly as she looked at Xu Min. Then a smile appeared on her lips, "Why don't you take me as your master?" She asked. Her smile grew increasingly brilliant.
"If you become a personal disciple of one of the Immortals within the academy, you won't have to attend classes, but you will have to show up whenever I call for you. I can teach you how to use Spiritual Energy and Elemental Affinity alongside a kind of energy I created when I merged the two."
Everything the woman said made Xu Min more and more interested. Nevertheless, to take a master was no simple matter. Considering the offer he was given, he was thinking about how he wished to improve his strength quickly, and to do so required for him to rely on someone specific. After having considered the merits and demerits for some time, he nodded his head and said, "I already have one master whom I owe my life, but if you are fine with me sharing two masters, then allow me to bow to you," Xu Min explained seriously.
Upon hearing his response, the Immortal hesitated for a moment. A few moments later, her eyes shone with interest in this young man in front of her, and she nodded her head. "I am fine with sharing you with another master. I am sure he has taught you the human ways of fighting, but he cannot teach you about the ways of an elf or a fairy; for that you will need me."
Hearing this, Xu Min did not hesitate and fell to his knees where he bowed three times in front of this beautiful woman. His sincerity shocked her, but soon a warm smile appeared on her handsome face.
"This is not only a chance for you, but also a chance for me," she murmured so low that Xu Min could not hear it.
"Follow me," She said as Xu Min rose to his feet. Slowly, they moved through the mist-filled medicinal garden. The medicinal garden was very large, and it astonishingly took an entire hour to reach the outer perimeter.
"My name is Mu Jianyao." the woman suddenly said with her back turned to Xu Min, "you can call me by my name or call me master, but that is up to you."
Together, the two left the medicinal garden. As they did, everyone in the vicinity stared at them. One was a celestial beauty, while the other was a young man who, although handsome, was far from the otherworldly beauty of the fairies or possessing the strong aura of an elf.
"It's the human! What is he doing together with Miss Mu?"
"Miss Mu is as beautiful as always. How can she walk together with someone as ugly as that human boy?"
"They are both strange; it was only a matter of time before they met each other."
"Jealous! I'm so jealous of how that human waste can walk next to Miss Mu!"
A lot of voices sounded out as Xu Min walked behind Mu Jianyao. Although he did not have the larger ears of an elf, he heard everything as clear as day. A wry smile appeared on his lips, but Xu Min did not act on it. He simply just shook his head. The fairies and elves were going to learn that, although he was a human, he was far from weak. It was soon time for the heavenly rankings to begin!
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Chapter 112: Brothers
As Mu Jianyao and Xu Min walked through the area, she was not bothered by the whispers. Everyone had long since agreed that she was the most beautiful woman at the academy. She even had an unofficial fan club since she was the youngest of all the Immortals at the academy; her beauty would remain breathtaking.
Unfortunately, Mu Jianyao was not often out of the Medicinal Garden. Many went to the garden to purchase herbs just to see her, but she had always been an ice queen. No one had managed to make her smile. No one had even managed to make her speak more than one or two words to them. Now here she was, walking with Xu Min right behind her.
"What do you think he has done to get such attention from Miss Mu?"
"Do you think he tried to steal her herbs?"
"Maybe he said something inappropriate towards Immortal Miss Mu; He is just a human after all."
While everyone was theorizing why Xu Min was being treated special, they walked past as if no one was talking about them. Mu Jianyao was used to always being stared at and talked about. She grew up with people looking down upon her.
During her childhood and youth, she had been an ugly duckling. She was often made fun of but as her power grew her beauty increased. Finally, she became the celestial being that everyone loved, but within her heart, she always remembered how the others had treated her. They treated her differently, shunning her from their friendship.
Back then she had cried alone in her cabin a lot. Now that the same ugly things were being said about Xu Min, she could not help but wonder just how he was dealing with these words. However, when she sneaked a glance at Xu Min, she was shocked. Xu Min was walking with a smirk on his face, looking as if he owned the entire world. He did not seem even the slightest bit worried about the words were spoken about him.
"He's pretty tough, not bad," Mu Jianyao murmured to herself with a smile on her face, a smile which none apart from herself understood. Some assumed that it was a smile of anger; others thought it was a smile of curiosity, but no matter what, where Mu Jianyao and Xu Min walked, a whole group of experts followed.
Xu Min nor Mu Jianyao did nothing to stop these followers behind them. Both of them, unbeknownst to each other, shared the same thought. If these elves or fairies wished to know what their purpose was, then let them know. In the end, the ones who would be suffering would be all the elves and fairies as they would learn that Mu Jianyao had chosen a human as a disciple over them.
The walk through the academy was long, a little too long Xu Min could not help but wonder if Mu Jianyao was intentionally making the walk longer than usual. In the end, he said nothing, though. Even if she wished to make it longer than usual and attract attention to their movements, he would support her. She was his new master, and he would follow all of her commands as long as she did not order him to throw away his life.
Finally, after walking through the academy for what seemed like ages, they finally arrive at the Mission Tower.
"Xu Min," Mu Jianyao called out, and Xu Min instantly stepped up next to his master. She flicked her hand and a big leaf appeared out of nowhere. The woman stepped onto it before she reached out her hand, gestured for Xu Min to take it. As he did, she pulled him on top of the leaf.
Qi gushed out of her body; it entered the leaf beneath them, making the leaf move up into the air. It first hovered a few centimeters above ground before it rose further and further into the air until it reached the top of the tower.
At the top of the tower, there was a doorway with no door. The leaf went straight for this door. As they reached it, Mu Jianyao entered into the doorway and Xu Min, who was not too comfortable staying on the floating leaf, quickly followed behind.
"This is the office of our headmaster," Mu Jianyao said with a smile on her face. "He already knows everything happening at the academy, but we still need to come and inform him about our relationship. He needs to give us his blessings."
Hearing this, Xu Min could not help but fear that for some reason this headmaster would go against them. Maybe he disliked humans? Maybe he was a fan of Mu Jianyao. There were so many possibilities. However, to Xu Min who had already acknowledged Mu Jianyao as his master, he was very worried.
"Welcome human and mixed blood bastard" a voice called out casually. The words were not very friendly; in fact, they were down right rude. Even though Xu Min did not mind being called a human, he was seething with anger when he heard how his master being called a mixed blood bastard.
Sensing the rising anger in her apprentice's temper, Mu Jianyao quickly placed a hand on his head. Suddenly Xu Min lost all power over his body. Even his mouth no longer worked. His entire body became that of a puppet. A mere touch of an Immortal had already rendered him completely useless.
"Mu Jianyao greets father," the woman called out. She did not care at all about what she had been called the moment before. On her face was no anger or hostility. When he saw the complete lack of response, a sigh could be heard from within the shadows.
"I saw you smile earlier today. A smile from you is as rare as a crimson moon," the voice from before said. "I thought that perhaps I could see more of your emotions today, but you are truly like your mother. She never let any of your emotions show. She displayed the same expression till the day she died. Will you not give in and allow for emotions to once more become part of your life? Will you not try to live again?"
Although Xu Min had been filled with anger before he was now filled with curiosity about the life of his Master. However just as he thought he'd hear more, Mu Jianyao's voice cut through the office.
"Father, I came to inform you that I have taken an apprentice. I wish to teach him the arts of spiritual energy and the control of elemental affinities."
There was truly no emotion within her voice. The excitement Xu Min had sensed in her voice when they had been in the medicinal garden had completely vanished. Even so, Xu Min did not mind. He felt that although this woman was an ice queen but deep within her were raging emotions. One day he would help her say what she truly felt.
"I have no reason to refuse you, and considering the killing intent your student displayed when I called you a mixed blood bastard, I can tell he already appreciates you. I can accept him as your student. Who knows, one day you might become a gentle soul once more."
Mu Jianyao did not wait for any longer. She touched Xu Min again. His body returned to his control, but he did not speak. He followed behind his master as the two of them once more stepped on board the floating leaf before they landed on the ground. By now the square where the mission tower was located was filled with elves and fairies. The word about Xu Min and Mu Jianyao had long since reached them all, and many were curious as to what was happening.
As they landed on the ground, Mu Jianyao turned around and looked at Xu Min.
"Now that you are my disciple let's begin. Your first task as my apprentice is simple. I wish for you to take a mission to kill twenty five-star beasts within the Immortal Valley. Bring me all the beast cores. Do not use your snake or your lion. They can tag along, but they are not allowed to attack. Oh, and you are only allowed to use your elemental affinities when you attack them."
Having said that Mu Jianyao started moving away. However, before she got far away, she turned around once more and looked at Xu Min before she threw a vial towards him.
"This is the present you get from taking me as your master. Spend today and tomorrow to consume this pill and leave the day after, as soon as you return, see me. Also, don't die out there. I have never had an apprentice before, and I would prefer not losing you already."
Hearing the words, Xu Min bowed deeply to Mu Jianyao before he turned around and left. The crowd in front of him made way for him to walk through. Although they were filled with jealousy and hate, now no one dared to attack him now. He was the direct apprentice of an Immortal. Only a handful of students at the academy could brag of such results. Those who could were already at the top of the heavenly rankings.
Not to mention that this was no ordinary immortal; this was immortal Mu Jianyao! She was a goddess amongst the students, but she had always been an ice queen. How had Xu Min managed to become someone that she deemed acceptable?
Many were filled with a belly full of anger, but what could they do apart from returning to their mansions? Ganging up on Xu Min would cause Mu Jianyao to take revenge. She had already said that she did not want him to die and he was her first apprentice. It was clear that she cared about him to some extent. No one wished to become enemies with an Immortal.
Seeing everyone bewildered about what just had passed, Xu Min could not help but snicker. He said nothing, though, as he returned to his room. In his hands was the present he had received from Mu Jianyao. On his neck was Cao Cao who was looking around, constantly ensuring that no one sneaked up on them. When they reached the cabin, they found that Ye Ling was awaiting them.
Ye Ling was free to move as he wished. Everyone knew he belonged to Xu Min, and no one wished to fight with such a fierce beast. For some reason, though, Ye Ling decided to stay in the cabin, acting more like a guard dog rather than t walk around unless necessary.
"What happened today?" He asked curiously as he saw Xu Min's excited face. Xu Min's lips split into a great smile, "I gained a new master," he said seriously as he sat down on his bed, "A new Immortal master who is capable of using both elemental affinities and spiritual energy. She is also very pretty, but of course, she does not compare to my Meilin," Xu Min laughed out loud.
"I am in a hurry. I need to consume this pill and refine the medicinal properties of it, but I also need to sit down and meditate and comprehend the element of fire which I absorbed today. I need to gain some basic understanding of it so that I can use it on the mission I need to undertake."
Looking at Ye Ling, Xu Min smiled, "Wanna go out with me to the Immortal Valley once more?" He asked excitedly. Ye Ling showed a toothy grin, "Wherever you go, I will follow you. We are brothers and companions, and we will forever experience hardships and joyous occasions together!"
Hearing Ye Ling's words, Xu Min felt warmth in his heart. He gave both Cao Cao and Ye Ling a big hug, "With brothers like the two of you, who needs other friends?" he said emotionally.
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Chapter 113: Human Magic
The news about Mu Jianyao becoming Xu Min's master spread like wildfire in the academy.Every elf and fairy were discussing this amazing news.
Both elves and fairies felt jealous. They all admired Mu Jianyao and looked up to her. Many would visit the medicinal garden for the sake of just seeing her even though she usually wore a cloak that hid her face. Her hands would be seen trading the herbs for contribution points, and her frosty voice could be heard.
Many of these experts had dreamt about becoming her apprentice. Some had even dreamt of becoming her lover due to her beauty. Nevertheless, no one felt they had the talent to step forward and raise the question of her taking them as apprentices.
Now Xu Min was her apprentice. This fact alone filled the elves and fairies were filled with depression since they wished they had spoken up earlier. Now it was too late. An immortal could teach and train one student at a time. They were to devote all of their attention to this one student. As long as Xu Min was at the academy, no one would be able to take over his spot.
Therefore when the students heard that Xu Min had already been given his first mission, all of them hoped he would die. If he died, all of the elves would battle for the chance of becoming Mu Jianyao's new apprentice.
Although they all hoped for Xu Min to die, none of them would be the bringer of his death. Killing him was even less of a possibility.
Although they disliked Xu Min, he was a student of their academy and killing a fellow student was simply unacceptable. Not only that, he now had the protection of an Immortal. No one knew whether or not this ice queen was willing to take revenge on her student. There was a slight chance. With this chance existing who in the world would be stupid enough to anger an Immortal?
Xu Min, who was at home in the cabin, was completely unaware of what exactly was happening in the rest of the academy. Xu Min was instead looking at the medicinal pill in his hand and smiled. "I will eat this pill first. Then I will focus on the fire elemental affinity afterward," Xu Min said to himself while sitting down on his bed in a lotus position. Ye Ling placed himself in front of the door while Cao Cao wrapped himself around the neck of Xu Min as always.
Placing the pill within his mouth, Xu Min felt a foreign energy starting to rush into his body from the world outside. It was as if a whirlwind appeared in the middle of his dantian and with a strong suction force drew every ounce of energy from the surrounding world into his body where it quickly was refined and turned into Qi.
He felt his dantian constantly expanding. The Qi pool within was flooding; more and more energy filled up the space and cracks which appeared on the dantian. Every time it seemed as though it would burst, the whirlwind would send out golden beams of light which would once more heal the cracks in the dantian. Nonetheless, it allowed the dantian to increase in size which took much time.
Xu Min's forehead was filled with beads of sweat; his teeth grit hard, and his hands tightened into fists. He was in severe pain. Every time the dantian started cracking he would feel some intense pain. He could not describe this pain; it was so painful, and it would come time and time again. Nevertheless, he endured. Xu Min had long since noticed just how much his rank advanced. When he could see the direct improvements in his strength, Xu Min could do nothing else than to continue with the suction of energy. The pain made him stronger.
The medicinal pill was indeed potent, so potent that Xu Min had completely lost all senses. He only focused on one thing, and that was to get through the painful cultivation as soon as possible with as many benefits as absolutely possible.
The whirlwind had started out with just absorbing the energy within the cabin, but soon all of it had been consumed. It started spinning swifter, dragging in more and more energy from the surrounding areas. It became powerful even the students noticed the suction force which came from within his room.
Many were filled with jealousy. They knew that this sudden display of suction force was due to Mu Jianyao. The fact that Xu Min could benefit from such treatment was only because of the amazing Immortal lady.
While some experts were busy feeling upset about Xu Min's ability to become Mu Jianyao's student, others found it interesting and were more curious as to what kind of person Xu Min truly was.
A few of the students who had Immortals as their masters were curious as to whether or not Xu Min would turn into a threat when it came to the Heavenly Ranking. Others were curious as to how he had convinced Mu Jianyao to take him in. Whereas, some were just curious about how much strength he was hiding.
Everyone knew that Mu Jianyao was the daughter of the headmaster of the academy. She was an elf and a fairy. Being the only child who had been born with the ability to control both spiritual energy and elemental affinities gave her a special place in the hearts of all elves and fairies. She was revered as a goddess, and her beauty made her even more loved by all.
Xu Min sat in the room the entire day and night. The whirlwind in his dantian slowly diminished in size and absorbed less and less Qi until it completely vanished. By this time, Xu Min could feel that his rank had risen a full level. He had managed to break into a six-star warrior; however, he was at the very beginning of a six-star warrior, having much less Qi than other experts at that level.
"Congratulations on your breakthrough!" Ye Ling and Cao Cao said simultaneously to Xu Min who was smiling from ear to ear. Although the night had been incredibly painful, he had gone through it, and the rewards he had harvested were amazing.
Xu Min had wanted to sit down and meditate more on the fire elemental energy he had recently absorbed and made it part of his energy. However, considering the sun was rising in the sky, Xu Min did not have the time to ponder upon the fire element. He had been told to go to the Immortal Valley this day and finish off a mission when he finished consuming the medicinal pill, and thus He stood up, washed, changed his clothes to his personal black robes and moved towards the mission tower.
As he reached the mission tower, he saw that it was filled with people. Some were here to take their missions while others were gathered to see Xu Min. They pointed at him as if he was some celebrity that they wished to get a slight glance of. Xu Min felt rather uncomfortable, but he pretended he did not see any of them. Instead, he strode into the mission tower and went straight to the counter.
There were many kinds of missions at the mission tower, and they were ranked depending on their difficulty.
Some of these missions were always available, such as the one Xu Min needed. These were killing beasts for their beast cores. Then there were the easy missions which were missions which had to be done at the academy. This could be cleaning the stairs or cleaning the sidewalks or painting the houses. These missions had no danger, but considering the lack of participation, their pay in contribution points was not low.
Killing monsters were one of the lower paid missions, but Xu Min understood that he was not here for the sake of gaining contribution points but for the sake of learning how to use his power in battle.
Nothing enhanced one's performance as much as life and death battles.
Xu Min quickly obtained his mission. With all eyes upon him, he straightened his back, called for Ye Ling and slowly move towards the academy's exit. It was time for him to enter Immortal Valley once more and kill beasts. This time he was not allowed to use the sword in his hand; he had to rely solely on his elemental affinity. This was not an easy task.
"Xu Min!" Someone suddenly called out. Looking behind him, Xu Min saw the light fairy coming his way. A sweet smile was on her beautiful face as she looked at him.
"I need to take a mission as well. Why don't the two of us go together?" she asked with the sweetest smile on her face. Hearing the question, Xu Min was quite stunned. "Together?" he asked to ensure that he had heard her correctly, but the light fairy just nodded her head, "I am going to the Immortal Valley as well to do a mission similar to yours. Why don't we travel together? If we are two, killing more beasts will be easy," her reply was tempting, but Xu Min was not certain.
"My master told me that I have to kill my beasts," he said hesitantly, "I am not even allowed to have my companions attacking. How can I go with you and let you attack them for me?" Xu Min was unsure of what to do. He was not aware of how to deal with this light fairy. Although she was attractive, Xu Min's heart had already been given to Meilin. No other woman could sway him. He would prefer not being part of any drama. Thus he wished to stay away from the beautiful women around him.
Seeing that she had been rejected, tears welled up in her eyes. She looked at Xu Min and asked, "Why are you so mean to me?" with a trembling voice.
Although the voice was trembling, it was not low. Everyone could hear what she said. They instantly assumed Xu Min was bullying her and a group of experts stepped forward.
"Hey you, human, what do you think you are doing making our most beautiful fairy cry?" one of the men asked. His body filled with muscles and his eyes blazed with killing intent.
It as not only him, a whole group of people were the same, but Xu Min just sneered as he shrugged his shoulders, "what I do to her has nothing to do with you," he said with a domineering voice that left no room for argument. The answer was incredibly rude but enough for everyone present; the light fairy did not go against his words. If anything, she just looked down at the ground and mumbled something indistinct.
"Well let us be good friends in the future," Xu Min said to the woman with a smile on his face. He started to move away from the large group of people who had observed the impossible. Had Xu Min done something to all the beautiful women of the academy to make them come up to him? No one knew, but many rumors started to spread. The rumors said he was using some human magic to take over the mind of all beautiful women.
All this was happening while Xu Min finally reached the Guardian Tree and left the academy grounds.
"I would never have believed I could leave the academy this soon," he mumbled to himself. He gestured for Ye Ling to follow him. Instead of moving towards the outskirts of the Immortal Valley, Xu Min moved into the depths of the forest on the hunt for five and six-star beasts that he could defeat with his elemental affinity alone.
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Chapter 114: Pack of Wolves
Agonizing howls reverberated through the entire forest; thick scents of blood permeated the forest's air. On the ground, one could see the corpse of a Sabertooth Blood Wolf scattered into pieces. Upon closer inspection, the body was still dripping blood; it must have recently died.
Following a small animal trail, there were more and more Sabertooth Blood Wolves' lying on the ground, one after another. Some were lying in stacks while others were lying with space between them.
Every corpse lacked its beast core, and all of them seemed to have been cut straight through by something sharp and in multiple times at the same time.
The further down the animal trail the more corpses one could find. Eventually, some of them even had their beast cores left within the corpses. The further down the trail, the heavier the air was with the stench of blood; it was even flowing on the ground, making small puddles.
One howl after another cried out. Some in agony, others with fighting spirit. One thing was certain, though, there was a whole group of beasts in front, and these beasts were battling something fierce.
This something was Xu Min. Currently, he was cursing under his breath. He had seen one Sabertooth Blood Wolf and decided it would be the first enemy he would slaughter for his mission. Then he realized too late he was on their territory. As soon as he had slain one, another two would appear.
Xu Min was not one to give up. By the time he realized that there was simply too many wolves around him, he was already surrounded with no way to retreat.
Killing the first twenty was done by only using his wind domain after which he took the beast cores. As the group of wolves reached the hundreds, he no longer had the freedom to do whatever he pleased. Instead, he unsheathed his sword and relied on both Ye Ling and Cao Cao to assist him in battling against all the wolves.
One hundred wolves turned into two hundred wolves, and two hundred wolves turned to three hundred wolves. The pack of wolves was so massive that Xu Min felt his skull go numb.Nevertheless, he had no other option than to keep battling.
Demonic beasts also use a kind of energy. This energy was swallowed whole by Xu Min's sword equally to how it devoured the energy of elves and fairies.
In spite of this, Xu Min was careful with how much energy he would absorb. He remembered how he had entered a frenzied berserker stance before when he needed to battle all those human cultivators within the Immortal Valley Rankings. However, now he wished to avoid that occurrence for as long as possible.
He did not know how long he could handle the berserker stance. He knew it took a hard toll on his body and that at some point he would be incapable of holding on. The longer he held off, the better it would be.
Xu Min swung his sword in rapid succession. Countless piercing shrieks could be heard as the sword cut open the wind and slashed through the bodies of the beasts.
Not only this, the wind within the forest had consistently increased in strength from a soft and gentle breeze to a wild and ferocious gale.
One wind blade after another descended on the wolves. Their bodies, although strong, could not handle the sharpness of the wind blades and were chopped into pieces. Xu Min's sword was constantly dancing in the air, slashing and chopping wolves into pieces.
It was not only Xu Min who was going all out, but Cao Cao as well was soaring through the sky, landing on one wolf after another. He would bite them through their skin and allow for his poison to enter their bodies, instantly killing them.
Cao Cao was currently the weakest of them all, but his killing was the cleanest. One bite and the five-star Warrior beasts would die instantly. While it could not kill the sixth-star warrior ranked wolves, it did petrify them, paralyze them and ensure that they could no longer move. This then allowed for the wind blade to chop them into small bits without any problems.
Ye Ling was also still a five-star beast, and he was equal to the Sabertooth Blood Wolves, meaning he could only fight one at a time. Nonetheless, Ye Ling was ruthless too; he had benefitted greatly from following Xu Min. He had been gifted medicinal pills and treasured herbs. His strength could rival that of the sixth-star beasts, even so, he could only take one at a time.
As he killed his enemies, he would instantly swallow their beast cores.
Beast cores worked somewhat the same way for beasts as it did for Xu Min to absorb the energy of other experts.
He would be able to replenish the energy he had in his body while at the same time he would become stronger and stronger. Unfortunately, it required some time to refine this energy.
Seeing that no more beasts appeared, Xu Min was ecstatic. He finally gave up on his hesitation. The sword in his hand started humming, and flames appeared all over his body.
So far Xu Min had done all in his power to preserve his energy and rely on the wind domain. This reliance on the energy from nature did not drain his Qi reserve. Now that he decided to give up on being calm, Xu Min let go of all his energy and started absorbing energy greedily.
Before he had mainly focused on defense and killed those who jumped at him, but now Xu Min focused on offense. His entire body was bared in front of these beasts. Many of them attacked him in groups. Some launched themselves on his back of him, and others bit his arms and legs, trying to slow him down, destroy his body or injure him.
Although Xu Min managed to kick them off his legs, throw those on his back off, and smash the ones on his arms into trees, he was still injured. He had small wounds all over his body. His robe was torn into pieces, and blood soaked his cloak.
Nevertheless, these injuries were nothing compared to the injuries that the Wolves were taking. His offense had become frightening. Wolves died one after another under his relentless attacks. No one had the power to truly go against him.
The more wolves that Xu Min killed, the more baleful his aura became, and the swifter his killings became.
The wolves started to hesitate on whether or not they should attack. Some even turned around and tried to escape. The pack of wolves which had been around a thousand at the start was now only a few remaining. Even the leader of the pack had lost its life in Xu Min's hands.
Standing back, panting hard, Xu Min looked at himself only to find his body littered with wounds all over. His clothes were only rags, and they were soaked in blood. As well, there were wounds of various degrees of damage spread across his entire body.
Not only him, Cao Cao and Ye Ling were also filled with wounds all over, but Xu Min was extremely happy when he saw that both of them were fine.
He quickly got three pills from the storage treasure and put one in his mouth while tossing the other two to his companions. These pills did wonder. They stopped the wounds from bleeding and slowly started healing the wounds.
While the pill could not fully heal the more severe wounds, it made the ones decent enough for the bloody crew to regain their combat ability.
"Let us get all the beast cores before we leave," Xu Min decided, "You can take as many as you can eat, but leave the rest for me. I want to exchange them for contribution points," he declared. The two beasts nodded their heads before they greedily started slicing open the heads of the wolves to extract their beast cores.
The two, Ye Ling and Cao Cao, were greedily absorbing one core after another until the point they no longer could consume even one more core. Their bodies burst with energy. They needed to sit down and refine this energy they had consumed and merge it with their energy so that it was no longer just a foreign energy that had penetrated their bodies but an energy which belonged to them. Once they refined and merged the energy, they could command it without problems.
Xu Min had also absorbed a high amount of energy during the battle, but most of it had already been used during his berserk offense against the wolves. The energy left over was possible to be refined while he was still moving around and picking up one core after another.
In the end, Xu Min ended up with four hundred and twenty-seven beast cores of either the fifth or sixth ranking. This was a handsome reward which would be able to make it possible for him to gain quite a lot of contribution points.
Having finished what they came for, the small group of three quickly left the battleground and entered the forest. They were on the lookout for a place to bathe and clear their skin or fur of the coagulated blood. Xu Min also wished to change his clothes as the rags he was wearing could not be considered to act as any covering.
It did not take long before Xu Min found a small stream. Together with his companions, they jumped into the chilled water and washed all the blood off their body. The few gaping wounds that were left behind stung as the cold water touched them, but the pill had truly changed quite a bit, and the wounds did not bleed any longer.
"Who goes here?" A voice suddenly sounded out as Xu Min had dressed. He turned around and saw behind him a whole group of elves standing irately staring at him.
"A mere human dares to enter the Immortal Valley when the Immortal Valley Rankings are over?!" the leader asked with disgust in his voice. "Don't blame us for being impolite, but breaking the rules laid down by the guardians can only lead to death!"
Having spoken, the young elf rushed forward as spiritual energy condensed in his hand to a beautiful sword. Upon seeing this, Xu Min just sneered as he opened up the force of the wind domain.
The soft wind turned fierce, the wind blades that appeared were sharper than any sword, and the attack that Xu Min unleashed could rival any of the fairies he had met so far.
"Is this a way to treat your fellow student?" he yelled at them. While the other elves instantly stopped, the one at the front completely disregarded Xu Min's words and continued his advance.
Xu Min had only had one lesson in spiritual energy, but that lesson had focused on the defensive use of spiritual energy. The energy erupted from his body and laid itself like a massive shield in front of Xu Min.
Seeing spiritual energy being controlled by a human shocked everyone. They were stunned;, even the advancing man was silent as he stared at Xu Min.
"Who are you?" he asked dumbfounded. Xu Min, who finally made them retract some of their hostility, just shrugged his shoulders.
"I am a new student at the academy, and I happen to be the personal student to Miss Mu Jianyao."
Xu Min could have avoided mentioning his master's name, but he wished to make these kids understand just how stupid their actions were. Thus, to do so, he needed to borrow her name to pressure them.
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Chapter 115: A Week Off
When they heard the name Mu Jianyao mentioned, the one who was about to attack, grew pale and then turned green.
As to whether or not Xu Min was the student of Mu Jianyao was not something he believed, but the fact that he knew the name meant he did have some connection with the academy. Attacking fellow students was frowned upon, and he felt rather unhappy about this fact. However, he also felt he could not be blamed for this attack since the person in front of him was apparently human. How could a human possibly be invited to the academy for elves and fairies? It was simply inconceivable and never heard of before.
Furthermore, this supposed human he had used spiritual energy! This was something none of them could deny. As to how a human could use this kind of power, he simply did not know.
The atmosphere was both tense and awkward at the same time. The elf who had attacked did not wish to back down. His face twisted with anger and disgust while he thought about how this human would be his junior apprentice brother.
Without saying anything else, the older elf turned to leave. His mood clearly soured. His followers were hesitating as to what they should do, but seeing that Xu Min did not bother with them, they started to make their way towards the Guardian Tree at the same time as Xu Min.
This group of elves had been out on a long mission deep in the Immortal Valley. They were all exhausted and had been away from home for a longer period than they expected, so they were unaware of what had happened in the academy while they were gone.
Seeing that Xu Min was going the same way, they felt rather awkward,; they were unsure of whether or not they should talk to him. In the end, they decided from refraining from doing so. Since the leader of their group ignored Xu Min, they followed suit and completely ignored him as well. Still, they felt rather awkward. Thus no one spoke at all. All of them were silent as they reached the Guardian tree; they bowed deeply towards it before they were transferred into the academy grounds.
As soon as they arrived, they paused. The leader of their group stopped. He was incredibly curious as to whether or not Xu Min would be able to enter through the Guardian Tree or if Xu Min had used some other kind of entrance. He highly doubted that a human could be approved of by the Guardian Tree.
Moments after he was proven wrong. Xu Min appeared just as they had done through the portal created by the Guardian Tree. Without even glancing at the group of elves that were waiting for him, he moved towards the mission tower.
This group of elves was also on their way to the mission tower to hand in their mission. All of them were curious as to what kind of mission he had undergone. Looking at Ye Ling, they assumed it had to do with capturing him.
Once again they were surprised when they reached the mission tower, and Xu Min pulled out all the beast cores from within his storage treasure. So many cores appeared from Xu Min's storage that the woman behind the counter was flabbergasted, even the group of elves were stunned.
They were even more stunned when they heard the woman behind the counter open her mouth, "Young man, didn't you just leave the academy two days ago?"
Her eyes shone in disbelief. She knew to kill these many beasts in such a short time was just impossible. Unless it was a siege of beasts against one person, and if that happened it was highly unlikely for the person who was besieged to survive.
Xu Min only survived because of his ability to absorb energy from the wolves, use it as his own, and go berserk mixed with his acute control over the wind element and his wind domain.
Without one or the other, he would have lost his life, but he managed to get through it. He had sustained severe injuries, but fortunately enough he possessed powerful medicinal pills which almost healed his body.
Handing in the beast cores, he gained an astonishing three thousand contribution points. A smile spread on his lips as he rushed back to the herb garden where he knew his master would be awaiting him.
Knocking on the door, he waited to hear the frosty voice sound out from within. "Enter," she said, and he quickly entered the room.
"You came back rather soon," she said with her dry and cold voice. There was no emotion in her voice making it hard for Xu Min to determine her thoughts.
"I encountered a pack of Sabertooth Blood Wolves," Xu Min explained. "At the start, it was not too challenging. I managed to complete my mission relying solely on my wind domain. Unfortunately more and more wolves appeared. In the end, I had to go all out and use all my abilities to survive. Even my beast companions had to assist me in my survival."
Xu Min hid nothing. He knew he had been told to only rely on his wind domain, but in the situation, he faced he had needed more than just a wind domain. He felt that he needed to inform his master about this matter truthfully.
Mu Jianyao's one eyebrow raised in surprise when she heard what Xu Min said, but she nodded her head in approval. "I know about the pack of Sabertooth Blood Wolves we have in the forest. They are ferocious and bloodthirsty. They have been the bane of many of our students. To hear that you managed to get rid of many of them is admirable."
Although Mu Jianyao's words were praising Xu Min, there was no emotion behind it. Thus the young man was quite uncertain about whether or not it was true praise or just empty words.
The young man and the Immortal woman stood there, face to face for some time. Neither of them spoke, and neither of them made any attempts to move away. It was in one way awkward but at the same time comfortable, as if they had found someone who understood each other.
The magical atmosphere was suddenly interrupted as someone knocked on the door to the medicinal garden. With a sigh, Mu Jianyao and Xu Min looked towards the doorway.
"Enter," she said with her frosty voice. Moments after the elf who had attacked Xu Min within the Immortal Valley entered. Seeing that Xu Min was together with Mu Jianyao his face turned sour. He quickly controlled his emotions and a smile spread on his lips.
"Miss Mu, I am here to purchase some medicinal plants. If you could be so kind and assist me, then I would be very grateful."
His words were incredibly polite. He even bowed slightly to the beautiful woman in front of him. Hearing the words, Mu Jianyao gave him a slight nod before she turned to Xu Min once more.
"You must have gained some significant benefits considering what you went through within the Immortal Valley this time. I will give you a week off to stabilize your cultivation and to ponder upon the benefits you have gained. After a week, find me at sunrise here in the Medicinal Garden. That is when your lessons will start."
Xu Min quickly approved of this idea. He had still not had the time to comprehend the fire energy that his body had absorbed during the sparring matches nor did he have full control over his berserk ability. He needed to gain better control over himself so that he could stand a chance in the Heavenly Ranking coming soon.
As Xu Min was about to leave, he cupped his hands to the older elf and gave him a nod, "Senior Apprentice Brother," he said politely with a tinge of slight mockery. Xu Min remembered a grudge, and this man had not given him any positive vibes. It was clear that he preferred Xu Min to be gone, and this made Xu Min know that he inevitably had to step upon this man. He would unmercifully show him that he was worthy of being Mu Jianyao's student.
Leaving the medicinal garden, Xu Min was happy that he had a full week to himself. During this week he had to comprehend some introduction of the fire element. He had absorbed so much, and he needed to learn how to consume the fire elements from the world around him. He also needed to merge this elemental affinity with him so that he could use it in combat.
Ideally, he would be able to comprehend this element as quickly as he had comprehended the wind element. He hoped to acquire a second domain, so he could merge these two domains into one, making it possible for him to reach a whole new level of strength.
It was not only Xu Min who was going to benefit from this one week of meditation. Cao Cao and Ye Ling had eaten so many beast cores that their bodies were filled with volatile energy which needed to be refined and merged with their own.
On their way through the academy, many students looked at him, but no one attacked or challenged him to a duel. He was no longer a mere student but a direct disciple to an Immortal, and not just any immortal but Miss Mu Jianyao.
Entering the cabin that now belonged to him, he instantly moved to the bed while Ye Ling and Cao Cao moved next to the fireplace. Noticing that both were shivering with cold and that a cold sweat was soaking their bodies, Xu Min instantly waited with his cultivation and started the fire as he worriedly looked at the two beast companions of his.
Xu Min had no more family. To him, these two were as much of a family as he ever could get. He would never allow anything to happen to them.
Both beasts had entered meditation, but black smoke was permeating from their bodies while energy ripples kept appearing just above their skin. It was clear that they had been very greedy while eating the beast cores and had overestimated their abilities to refine the energy. Even so, Xu Min stayed by their side and used towels to wipe down the sweat and ensure that the fireplace never died down.
While Xu Min was busy dealing with the flame, he noticed a few things that he had not noticed before. The flame was mesmerizing him. He noticed how the flames were dancing and luring him in. Their profound way of moving, flickering here and there, vanishing from one location to appear in another, always reaching for the sky above.
Without noticing what he was doing, Xu Min's hand reached into the flame. He felt how it wrapped his hand. A gentle heat could be felt, but the flame was not burning him as he had expected.
Grasping a flame within his hand, Xu Min withdrew it from the fireplace. The flame within his hand stayed there, dancing and flickering within his hand. Instead of feeding it more wood, Xu Min allowed for a stream of Qi to exit his hand and enter the flame. After injecting the flames with his Qi, they soared much higher than before.
"I think I get it," Xu Min mumbled to himself as he was staring hypnotized at the flame in his hand. Playing with the flame, it gently went past his fingers, and moved to his shoulder, cladding his entire body in flames but even, so his clothes did not catch on fire, neither did the ground. The flame was completely controlled by Xu Min.
"This must be the first step, gaining affinity with the flame." he mused to himself. He then released the flame which jumped back to the fireplace.
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Chapter 116: Fire Affinity
Xu Min was astonished he could touch and control the flame; nevertheless,t he was still not capable of creating his flame so far. If he wished to control or have access to fire, he needed a fireplace or some flame which he could feed with his Qi.
Quickly releasing the flame back into the fireplace, he once more focused on his two friends. They were no longer sweating as profusely, and their bodies no longer trembled. They laid down as if they were asleep but ripples of energy still left their bodies.
Seeing this, he quickly relaxed. Originally he had planned on sitting by the bed and merging with the fire element all around him in the surroundings, but now that he had felt the fire he knew that cultivating by the flame's side was the best solution.
Closing his eyes, he felt small specks of red lights surrounding him. Xu Min breathed these specks of light in. When they entered his body, these specks of light all traveled throughout the meridians before they ended up within the dantian where the Qi pool was. They greedily sucked up every single speck of light.
The Qi pool within the dantian cave already had some colors to it. Green specks of light were visible within the Qi pool, but as the red ones were absorbed they too appeared within the Qi pool and mixed with the green specks.
Although there were both red and green specks of light within the Qi pool, only a fraction of these specks were red. The majority was green, but this did not frighten Xu Min. In fact, it made sense for him.
He had already comprehended the wind domain and could control the wind as he pleased, so it was natural he had absorbed a major amount of the wind specks of light. Whereas, he was a complete beginner when it came to the fire element. He was still unable to create even the simplest of flames.
Xu Min was not unhappy with this. The fact that he was capable of controlling an already created flame was already a great step. Now to control it further, he needed two things.
One of these things was time. He needed time to absorb as many of these red specks of light as he could. Secondly, he needed to comprehend what the flame was.
There were some profound secrets within the flame, much like they had been within the wind. He had been reasonably quick at absorbing and understanding the wind element because he had absorbed all of the fairy's energy within the Blood Pagoda. Consequently, he had reached the number of green specks of light needed to reach the Wind domain quickly.
Furthermore, he needed to comprehend the flame. He needed to understand what fire was and what profound secrets were hidden within it. Fortunately, Xu Min's ability to comprehend was rather good.
Xu Min was certain that he would be capable of controlling the fire soon, and while the two companions were busy refining the beast cores that they had consumed, Xu Min was busy greedily absorbing every single red speck of light in his surroundings.
Day after day went past in a blur. Within the cabin nothing happened, the beasts and Xu Min did not move from their respective seats. The fireplace which at first had been burning wood was now being sustained solely by Xu Min's Qi. He was trying to improve his control over flames alongside his absorption of red specks of light.
He hoped to understand some of the fire's profound mysteries. The more he could comprehend, the sooner his fire domain would reach the level of his wind domain.
While Xu Min and his two companions were busy cultivating and stabilizing the energy gains they had gotten from their first mission, the grounds outside were filled with shocking talks.
No one was questioning whether or not Xu Min was the student of Mu Jianyao any longer and instead; their interest changed to the soon upcoming Heavenly Rankings. The ones who ranked the highest on the Heavenly Rankings were all direct disciples of the Immortals at the academy.
The Heavenly Rankings top five had been the same for the last three years. All of them being personally been taught by outstanding Immortals. Amongst all the immortals, Mu Jianyao was considered the strongest since she controlled both the Spiritual Energy and Elemental Affinity.
Everyone would at some point in their life dream about becoming her student. It was an impossible dream since Mu Jianyao never took in a student
Now that Xu Min had been taken as her personal disciple, it proved he had something the others did not. All of them felt increasingly resentful at this unacknowledged fact.
"He might have become the student of Miss Mu, but he is still a human. He will be trashed during the Heavenly Ranking. When he does, Mu Jianyao will realize just how bad a decision she made. Of course, then she will find another student to make her personal disciple and trash this lowly human."
"I look forward to when he gets knocked off his high horse. This human is nothing more than a cultivator who has had some lucky encounters in his life. Someone relying solely on luck is not worthy of Miss Mu's time!"
"I agree! That disgusting human must have eaten some miraculous herb which made his strength soar in a moment. Now that he no longer has this herb to rely on in the future, his strength will not soar any longer. Becoming stronger will be impossible for him!"
Many different theories were everywhere in the academy. Although some of the students believed in Xu Min's ability and thought he would do good, now he became Miss Mu's disciple, the majority of the students believed he would fail miserably.
"He might turn into a dark horse in this tournament. Do you remember back when Mu Jianyao entered the Heavenly Ranking for the first time? She reached top five in one go; it was simply outstanding. Now she has taken a student, I can't help but expect something outstanding from him as well," one of the Immortals said to another Immortal as they were discussing the Heavenly Rankings.
The Heavenly Rankings was very important to the academy for more than one reason. The amount of resources that the students would gain was based upon one's rank the received in the Heavenly Rankings, not to mention the ability to be noticed by an Immortal and thus become a direct disciple.
It was also important for the sake of hierarchy amongst the students. The higher one's rank was, the more respect one would be met with. Also, special missions were only available when one had gained a specific ranking in the Heavenly Rankings.
"I would be surprised if he doesn't do good," Another Immortal joined in the conversation, "We all know that he is the student of that lunatic, and now he is becoming the student of Mu Jianyao. It is only natural that he has some outstanding talents. Copying Mu Jianyao's performance should not be impossible for him."
The immortals were all of the same belief that Xu Min had some power that was hidden beneath his calm exterior that he was not as simple as he seemed. He was a human who had joined the ranks of fairies and elves; he had to be mysterious.
The week went by swiftly. Even though Xu Min was not present, the gossip continued to flourish. By the time Xu Min left the cabin, he had found that the glances that were thrown his way had changed.
Everyone was looking at Xu Min no matter where he went; they would group together to start talking about him. Some looked gloating when they imagined how he would be defeated time and time again within the tournament, proving he was nothing special.
Others would look at him with jealousy. Jealousy for the amazing materials he had gotten his hands on before and being a disciple of Mu Jianyao.
Xu Min completely ignored everyone as he focused on the things that Mu Jianyao had told him to. He had spent seven days to get his foundation stabilized and even better; he was very close to being able to create a flame. He had absorbed plenty of red sparks of light, but he was still a long way from the fire domain.
This week of training not only benefitted Xu Min, Cao Cao and Ye Ling had benefitted as well. Ye Ling had reached the peak of the sixth rank while Cao Cao had reached the early stages of the sixth rank. Both of them had changed, not just in their levels of strength but also in size and intelligence.
Cao Cao which used to be able to lay around Xu Min's neck was now unable to do so. He was no longer a small snake but a four-meter long snake as thick as a tree.
Ye Ling's size had also grown but nowhere near as much. The two beasts had sparred against each other. Although Ye Ling was the highest ranked of the two, he was just incapable of defeating Cao Cao in direct combat and even more so when they used their ultimate attacks.
Both beasts were so massive that when Xu Min walked the academy grounds, they took up the entire road. The elves and fairies had to step out of their way.
Seeing the two formidable beasts, many felt jealousy. No one knew exactly which kind of snake Cao Cao was, but even immortals treated it politely. It was clear that he was no ordinary beast.
Reaching the medicinal garden, Xu Min saw that there were multiple students standing in a queue. Xu Min, feeling slightly confused, decided to also stand in a queue. Everyone here was there for the sake of seeing Mu Jianyao. Xu Min was already very disliked and moving in front of everyone would be considered incredibly arrogant.
The queue moved slowly as the people who were queued spent every single moment possible together with Mu Jianyao.
While waiting, Xu Min had closed his eyes and sensed all the red specks of light around him as he absorbed them one by one.
He looked rather silly as he was standing there, eyes closed and swaying slightly from side to side, but the energy ripples which left his body made everyone understand that he was not sleeping but practicing. The fact that he could practice while standing in line was utterly unexpected.
The time went by slowly, but finally, the queue in front of Xu Min had vanished. He walked into the garden and looked around. He found his master, Mu Jianyao standing cloaked in her robes, hiding her entire figure and head. The only thing which could be seen was her pearl white and elegant hands which were gently touching plants.
Hearing the door open, she turned around only to see not a customer but her student instead.
Underneath the cloak, a wry smile could be seen on her face. However, it was covered by the cloak no one would ever know.
"Took you long enough!" she said with her cold voice. Xu Min bowed deeply, "Your student apologizes, but I was unaware of whether or not I should skip the queue. I am already rather disliked, showing such arrogance would make me seem even more disliked." he said honestly. His words only caused Mu Jianyao to snort.
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Chapter 117: Merge
"You are my student. As my student, you can come and go as you please. Don't waste my time or your time in the queue again."
Although Mu Jianyao was stern and sounded annoyed, she did not physically punish him for having wasted her time only verbally reprimanded. She then finished dealing with the one student that had come in after Xu Min.
"Sit down and meditate," Mu Jianyao told Xu Min. He immediately sat down and started to sense the fire in the surrounding area and greedily absorbed the energy.
Mu Jianyao stood at the counter and gave herbs to the students that appeared. It appeared as if she was ignoring Xu Min, but the young man was not discouraged. He continued to absorb the energy at the back of the room.
Every student who came into the room stared at the young man who was sitting in the corner. Some of them had jealousy in their eyes as they saw this human was allowed in Miss Mu's private space. Others had curiosity in their eyes as they could not help but wonder just how strong this young man was.
Soon it turned to night, Xu Min had done nothing but cultivate all day. Xu Min did not mind; cultivating was what he needed to do to increase his strength and focus. Although these extra things such as Spiritual Energy and Elemental Affinity was things he appreciated, he was still a human. He knew that his Qi was what he should focus on. The more Qi he had, the higher his rank would be and the stronger he would become.
He needed to become very strong. The Zhong family leader was a seven-star Warrior by the time that Xu Min left. Now he was most likely an eight-star warrior or possibly even an Immortal!
Xu Min had to become an Immortal to defeat him and to do so he needed strength. He needed the Qi within his body to become increasingly rich. Thus he cultivated day and night.
Mu Jianyao had made him cultivate to see his patience. As day turned to night, she noticed not even the slightest bit of impatience within this student of hers. This lack of impatience she noticed no impatience or no defiance she was rather pleased.
"You can stop now," she said as she closed the door, not allowing any more experts to enter and buy herbs.
"Spiritual Energy is a force which needs imagination. First, though, show me the weapon you have, the spiritual energy weapon which was fated to be with you," she ordered.Xu Min did not even waste the slightest bit of time. He instantly summoned the spirit bow that he had learned from the elf within the Blood Pagoda.
"A bow?" Mu Jianyao was rather surprised when she saw this. "Most elves have swords, a few have spears, and some have sabers. It is quite rare to find someone who possesses a bow."
Contemplating for a bit, Mu Jianyao looked at Xu Min. She was considering what she should teach him next.
"Spiritual Energy can be used as an invisible force. It is somewhat similar to an internal expert's use of Qi except you don't need stances. The Spiritual Energy runs through your body and reacts on the impulses you get. Try summoning the Spiritual Energy and throw a ball on it at the stone over there. I want you to try to break it," Mu Jianyao said while pointing at a big boulder.
Hearing the order, Xu Min was unaware of how exactly he should use this spiritual energy. Closing his eyes, he felt the spiritual energy within his body. Finding this energy, he led it through his meridians and felt how it left his palm as a gas-like consistency.
As this gas left his hand, it gathered itself in his palm. The more gas that left, the more clear this gas turned into a flame-like orb in his hand.
As the orb stopped being transparent, Xu Min pointed it at the big boulder. The wisp of energy shot forward so swiftly that a beam of light was left behind.
An explosion boomed out as the spiritual energy landed on the boulder and thousands of small pebbles flew through the air. A few of them grazed Xu Min's cheek. Small streams of blood started to trickle down where the pebbles grazed his skin.
Xu Min was shocked when he looked at what previously was a large boulder but now was nothing but rubble. It was many times more powerful than what he had expected.
"Spiritual Energy can be used to defend you as well. You can use the energy to form a shield on your arm or to make an invisible armor around your body. Even though the spiritual energy is capable of creating defenses, it is primarily for offense, making the defense quite weak."
"This also means that the body armor is not the strongest; it is quite easy to break through. The body armor should only be used against minor attacks. If you try to use it for something bigger you will suffer."
"The shield is better to use when it comes to strong defenses. It is not very strong, but it is capable of slowing down the speed of the attacks, protecting you just fine against most attacks. However killing moves and finishing attacks, those it cannot stop."
Xu Min, listening to the words nodded his head solemnly. The one and only lesson he had attended had indeed focused on defense of elves; by now he had a decent understanding of this.
"While it is not very easy to protect yourself when it comes to Spiritual Energy, fairies are much luckier. Depending on the element, some of the fairies are impossible to injury especially fire, earth and water fairies. They are great at defense."
"Tell me, which elements do you possess?" Mu Jianyao finally asked as she looked at the young man in front of her.
Scratching his hair a little embarrassed, Xu Min answered seriously, "I have reached the domain level of the wind element, but I also control fire. My control over fire though is much less refined."
"Oh, Fire and Wind, I see." Thinking for a bit Mu Jianyao was quiet. She tapped her finger against her chin, clearly in deep thought.
"Fire is the strongest of all the elements since it is good at both defense and offense."
"Although it cannot compare to the wind when it comes to offense, it is almost at the same level with its explosive and violent nature. While it is great at offense like this, it is also great at defending. If you are covering your entire body in a flame armor, it would be very hard for attacks to truly touch you as the flame will evaporate any energy that is coming straight towards you."
"While Elemental attacks are seemingly much more powerful than spiritual energy, fairies have a harder time reproducing than elves. Consequently, there are fewer fairies that exist than elves."
"To even it out, fairies are the most talented, but they are also the minority of all the races. After fairies there are demons, but I have, to be honest, and say that I am unaware of whether or not any demons survived the extermination the humans carried out all those years ago."
"The demons were also a minority, but there were more of them than fairies. Then we have the elves. Although they are the least talented compared to fairies and demons, elves have the benefit of having an easier time reproducing, making them more numerous. I am sure that you have noticed this when you've looked at the students here at the academy. There are quite a lot of elves, but not that many fairies."
"Then, of course, there are humans. Their talent is the lowest amongst all races, but they breed and reproduce like rabbits! There are humans everywhere. They keep increasing in this area. Eventually, there won't be enough space, and they will be forced to move across the sea."
"Power and ability to reproduce might not seem as if it is connected, but it is. It is something which mother nature has ensured for the sake of balancing out the incredibly strong races."
"And then there is the rarest of all the races. A mixture of the different races which is capable of controlling both energies. So far only one has been born, and that one is me. Although you are capable of using both Elemental Affinity and Spiritual Energy, you can do so because of some unorthodox reason that I don't understand. What is extraordinary is that even though you are a human, you can use both Qi, Spiritual Energy, and Elemental Affinity. It is simply outstanding!"
Mu Jianyao was indeed amazed by Xu Min's ability to control more than one kind of energy. She always secretly hoped for someone like her to be born. Thus, she was simply too happy to have come across Xu Min. Even if he used unorthodox means to become able to use these energies, she did not care at all.
"The Heavenly Ranking will begin shortly. Since it is about to begin soon, you will have to fight many experts of this academy. I will do my best to assist you in this tournament. To do so, I will teach you an ultimate secret, a secret which only my father knows about."
"When you control both spiritual energy and elemental affinity, it is possible to merge the two. Although they, alone, have weaknesses, when you merge them, they become many times more powerful than they were before. You will be able to deal with the true experts of this academy!"
Hearing this Xu Min's heart started racing. This was exactly what he needed. He needed to become stronger; he needed to gain power that allowed for him to fight those who were stronger than him.
Deep inside of Xu Min's body was a flame of hatred and vengeance burning. When he heard that Mu Jianyao could help him become even stronger, he knew that this was something which would help him gain the vengeance that he had been searching for since forever.
Mu Jianyao was an Immortal. Seeing the change in Xu Min's face brought on by his killing intent surge in his eyes shocked Mu Jianyao.
She was an Immortal, not a saint. She had killed many many people in the world outside. She knew what it was like to hold a grudge. However, this was no longer a mere grudge. Looking at Xu Min, she could feel that whatever it was that he was hiding within his heart, it was simply too intense for her to understand.
I will be able to use this Heavenly Ranking to hone my skills! There will be experts of the seventh rank, and I can test how my ability is compared to these other experts. If I can deal with the experts of this academy that are of the seventh rank, then I am well on the way to deal with the Zhong Family leader, Xu Min thought to himself.
"After this tournament, I will undertake a period of closed-door training to reach the seventh star. I will head straight for the blood pagoda. Then I should be able to deal with the Zhong family leader. I can do this!" Xu Min was mumbling to himself. Although his voice was very low; Mu Jianyao heard every single word of her student. Hearing this upset her, it seemed that this student of hers had quite a bit of secret hidden deep within his usually smiling self.
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Chapter 118: Divine Flower
"Hurry back and train some more," Mu Jianyao ordered Xu Min. She looked at the man who seemed innocent and simple on the outside, but who had some deep scars deep within his soul.
She pretended she had heard nothing, but deep inside she was very curious as to why such a young man would possess such a killing intent and such a determination to gain vengeance. Something terrible must have happened earlier, but he was only a young man. His life had just started, how and what could have happened?
"I better not ask him," Mu Jianyao said with a shake of her head, "Some things are better not remembered, but I will do what I can to make him a strong expert, an expert who can clean up the mess that he has from his past."
Mu Jianyao concluded Xu Min was her student no matter what past he had. He was fueled by anger and vengeance, but she was in no position to scold him for this. She was no saint, and she knew that those who had a goal in life were the ones who gained the most astonishing achievements.
Her student was no ordinary fellow. He had to do well on the Heavenly Ranking for the sake of her pride thus Mu Jianyao took the teaching of Xu Min seriously.
She made sure to teach him properly. During the day whenshe had to give the medicinal herbs to the students, she would take small breaks in between of their visits to correct Xu Min's cultivation, to give him small pointers or to make small explanations of Spiritual Energy, Elemental Affinity and the way the two were merged.
Every day, Xu Min would be in the same room as his master, and he would be training hard. Sometimes he would sit down and ponder on the two new energies and their merging. Other times he would be attacking large boulders with either his bare hands or with his sword in his hands.
Sometimes he would look like a living torch; other times his hair would flutter slightly in the wind and wind blades would appear all around him.
Xu Min would do his best to control his elements and to merge them with the spiritual energy. At first, he did not have much success in this aspect. Nevertheless as time went on, he became more and more proficient in the skill. Unfortunately, he was far from as good as Mu Jianyao.
Soon Xu Min's life followed a specific schedule. In the morning he would wake up and go straight to Mu Jianyao's rooms at the medicinal garden. Here he would cultivate, practice and merge the energies during the entire day. As the students vanished from the Medicinal Garden a few hours would be spent on fighting against massive boulders after which Xu Min had to live through one hour of torturous sparring with Mu Jianyao.
Although she had lowered her strength to be as strong as Xu Min, her understanding of her elements and her attacks was many times more outstanding than Xu Min's, resulting in him being beaten up day after day.
As soon as he was finished with the beating or sparring as Mu Jianyao called it, Xu Min would return to his cabin where he would eat some food and talk a little with Cao Cao and Ye Ling before passing out all night. He was not even cultivating during the night. Instead, he was just sleeping to allow for his mind to get some rest.
During these days though Xu Min's rank did not rise itself very much due to the lack of absorption of the heavens and the earth, he could feel how his body was becoming stronger and stronger; his combat ability was just soaring to the sky. By now his ability to stay alive was better than it had ever been before.
One day Mu Jianyao looked at Xu Min as he appeared in front of her and a smile spread on her usually cold face. She had become very fond of this young man who was following every order she gave him and who was growing immensely under her care.
"There is only one more week until the Heavenly Rankings begins," she said quietly as she looked at Xu Min. Her face displayed some uncertainty as she looked at him. He had become much stronger than he was before; even Mu Jianyao, his teacher, was unaware of just how strong he had become.
"Do your best!" she said as she reached out her hand and gave him a very beautiful silver colored orchid with a golden stem..
"This is a divine flower. Divine flowers are incredibly rare; they grow on trees very rarely, so when we find one, we make sure to never take their roots. Although the majority of their magical properties are within these roots, the flower itself and the stem contains amazing energy which will allow for you to increase your Qi."
"I know that you have not managed to raise your strength very much recently because of your intense focus on the elemental affinity and the spiritual energy. Therefore I wish to make up for it by giving you this medicinal plant. It might not be enough to make you break into the seventh star, but it should be able to help you get close to that threshold."
Hearing this, Xu Min felt very grateful. Mu Jianyao was doing everything in her power to help Xu Min raise his strength and become capable of living up to the expectations she had placed on him.
"Thank you," he replied heartfelt. "I don't know how to repay all the kindness that you show me, but I will bring you honor!"
"As long as you reach the top ten, then I am satisfied," Mu Jianyao laughed. Just as Xu Min was about to open his mouth, Mu Jianyao shook her head, "Don't. Go back to your cabin and refine this medicinal plant. Spend the next week increasing your strength. Show me the difference when we meet again at the tournament!"
Xu Min bowed deeply to his teacher before he turned around and left. In his hands was the flower he had been given. He could not help but hold it tightly to his body while he rushed back to the cabin. Now was not the time to be interrupted.
Reaching the cabin, Xu Min saw that both Cao Cao and Ye Ling were cultivating, and their strength was being raised rapidly. Looking at these two, Xu Min's heart went warm. These were his brothers; he knew that they would go through hell and back with him.
Sitting down on his bed, he opened his hand and looked at the flower. The flower truly lived up to being called a divine flower, just as he was holding it he could feel the energy pulsating from it. His heart throbbed in excitement. An unconcealable smile was on his lips as he gently licked them. He was completely stunned by the power of this flower. Just holding it in his hand was enough for him to feel how all the essence of the heavens and the earth flowed into his body.
Clenching his teeth and straightening his determination, Xu Min closed his eyes for a moment where he was mentally preparing himself.
When the eyes opened again, a certain determination within was shining brightly as he looked at the herb once more. He gave a slight nod and opened his mouth. He placed the herb within his mouth.
The flower, as soon as it came into contact with the tongue, melted to drops of golden and silver liquid which gently slid down his throat.
The moment it entered his body, Xu Min's eyes opened wide.He felt the temperature of his body rapidly rising. The body was no longer as normal as it was before, it started shaking as the temperature was making Xu Min feel acute pain.
As the heat rose, the pain followed right behind. Soon Xu Min's focus was solely on trying to withstand this volatile pain.
The heat started at Xu Min's mouth as the herb turned to liquid. Afterward, it spread down to his throat, and from the throat, it spread to the stomach, and from the stomach it spread out, entering every single vein and cell in his body.
This blazing heat that had enveloped him was agonizingly painful. As the time went on, he was capable of feeling that his body had become a giant black hole which was absorbing the essence of the heavens and the earth at a speed he had never experienced before. Every pore in his body was absorbing the energy. This divine energy was mingling with every single cell and organs in his body, strengthening not only his Qi pool and expanding this, but also increasing the strength of the flesh, the muscles, and the bones.
Everything was becoming stronger and stronger, more and more energy entered the body, and soon his Qi pool was overflowing; the Qi roamed meaninglessly in all the meridians within the body.
Sensing that he was becoming like a balloon with too much air about to explode, Xu Min focused all his attention on the dantian where the Qi pool was constantly expanding.
"This is going to hurt," he said as he grit his teeth, but he had no other option. He used his consciousness to make all the rampant Qi enter the dantian once more and compressed it within the Qi pool.
Cracks started to appear on the dantian as it was being filled with energy. However, as soon as a crack appeared, Qi would repair the crack again. This procedure repeated thousands of times.
With each of the cracks, Xu Min would turn pale and be filled with pain. t As soon as it was healed, a relaxed expression would appear on his face.
Having this repeated action, the dantian constantly expanded together with the Qi pool until it finally was big enough to accommodate all of the energy.
Opening his eyes, Xu Min noticed that black steam was leaving his body. Once he opened his eyes though, this steam stopped erupting from his body.
Standing up, he felt how every bone in his body was creaking. His entire body was reborn, and he could feel a strength so outstanding he could not describe it. This divine flower had changed so much for him; his new strength was nowhere near the old one. He had truly become a force to be reckoned with.
Thinking like this a smile appeared on his lips. He had his long time goal of getting revenge on the Zhong Family, but right now he had another goal. Mu Jianyao had done so much for him, and with her help, it was now much easier to settle his score with the Zhong family. For her, he would prove that although he was a human, he should not be underestimated. He was indeed worthy of being her student, and Mu Jianyao had done it the right way. He would win the Heavenly Ranking and prove to everyone just how outstanding he was!
Concluding this outcome, a smile appeared on his lips. He had spent six days refining the divine flower. Now there were only a few hours before the Heavenly Ranking begun. Stretching and changing his clothes, he gestured for Ye Ling and Cao Cao to follow him. Together these three brothers left the small cabin and entered the academy. It was time for the Heavenly Ranking to begin, so every single part of the academy was filled with people. They were all going to participate and everyone would be hoping for easy first opponents. Xu Min, on the other hand, did not care about who he was against. Many of the experts were of equal strength to him;he needed to go all out in every battle if he wanted to win.
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Chater 119: Heavenly Rankings Begins
Xu Min was excited as he was walking around the academy, but it wasn't just him. All around him the atmosphere pulsed with excitement. Even amongst all the students, they were thrilled. Laughter rang throughout the open grounds. Everyone seemed to be moving towards the sparring field.
Usually, half the students within the academy would be out on missions in the Immortal Valley to earn contribution points. However, this time everyone had returned to the academy. No one wanted to miss out on the heavenly rankings. Even the students who had not finished had rushed back to partake in this event.
Xu Min was unaware of which kind of rewards the heavenly rankings offered, but he could sense an allure and importance in the air. This moment was different from the beginning of his time at the academy.
This was also the first time he met the stronger experts at the academy. All the private disciples of the immortals were here.They looked down on the rest of the students. They all stood together in a group, discussing something Xu Min did not know.
This group was considered the elite amongst the academy. They were rarely on campus and were most of the time out on missions in the constant pursuit of contribution points to trade for cultivation resources.
When they saw Xu Min, two of the women frowned. They could not help but feel that this human had nothing to do with their academy and needed to be kicked out as soon as possible. He had been picked up by Mu Jianyao, and although they were personal disciples, the experts that they were following were weaker than this woman.
So far the rankings always worked where the strongest expert was the disciple of the strongest immortal, but now the strongest immortal was Mu Jianyao, and no one would even guess Xu Min could be the strongest expert. It just couldn't be true that her student, a mere human, was going to become the next champion, could it?
These experts all felt indignant. They were the cream of the crop, and everyone was supposed to look up to them, revere them, and praise them. For some unknown reason, all of them were looking at the human, some with jealousy and hate, others with curiosity and interest.
"So he is the famous human," a fairy from the group of elites said with a smile on her face. Her emotions were simply impossible to guess. While she was looking curiously at the human, the face of three of the male experts were turning increasingly sour.
This woman was an expert amongst experts. She had ranked second amongst the experts at the last heavenly ranking. Many men were wooing her, including three of the experts who also were personal disciples of the immortals. Amongst them was the number one ranked student, a young elf who was around twenty years of age. He wore a very frosty expression on his face.
"He is only famous because he is a human," the elf said disdainly. "We cannot forget that he is a new student and has only been at the academy for a very short period. As well, out of his time here he has been Mu Jianyao's disciple only ten percent. Although we would take him seriously, had he been here for longer, I don't feel like we need to lower ourselves to his level as it is now. He is far from being able to threaten our position."
Xu Min, who was walking past this group of experts, clearly heard every word they were saying, but he said nothing. He just looked at the elf and smiled. It was a smile which did not reach his eyes; rather, it was filled with coldness, intended to warn rather than welcome.
The elf was startled slightly when he noticed the glance and smile from Xu Min, but he quickly shook his head. In his mind Xu Min was not worthy of anything, Xu Min was not even worthy of him getting annoyed with.
Xu Min continued walking towards the sparring field; as he reached the area, the light fairy came floating towards him.
The fairy who ranked second at the last heavenly ranking was shocked when she saw that Xu Min and the light fairy greeted each other like friends. Contrary to what the heavenly ranked fairy expected, the light fairy did not leave Xu Min's side. Instead, she stayed and chatted with him. Her pearl-like laughter resounded through the silent area, but neither Xu Min nor the Light Fairy seemed to care about the fact that the two of them were the center of all attention.
While the faces of some of the immortal disciples felt a bit better after seeing Xu Min's relationship with the light fairy was good, others became more upset since they had been wooing the light fairy previously. She was a woman who had never before placed an elf within her mind was now merrily chatting with a human. It was shocking for everyone!
Soon the entire area was filled with people. Every student from the academy had appeared. Sounds of voices could be heard chatting to one another as they all waited for the tournament to begin.
"Students!" A voice called out; everyone quieted down. Hovering in the air everyone was the headmaster. As he clapped his hands, beams of light from everywhere over the academy came towards the headmaster.
Soon twenty immortals were moving next to him all of them bowing in unison. "Greetings headmaster," they all called out. When Xu Min looked closer at Mu Jianyao, he noticed while she bowed and called out it she seemed as if she was swallowing a toad. It was clear that she in no way wished to respect her father.
Seeing this, Xu Min had to hide his smile behind a hand. Nevertheless, the moment he smiled, he felt the eyes of his master land on him, and these eyes promised a world of pain. The smile on his face quickly vanished and instead a sigh escaped his lips.
Seeing the change in Xu Min's appearance, the Light Fairy could not help but laugh herself. Once Mu Jianyao saw Xu Min being laughed at, she felt much better.
"Everyone, this is the beginning of the Heavenly Rankings! We will split the students into four groups.The winner of these groups will move on to the semi-final."
Lifting his hand, a strong wind suddenly appeared and divided the group into four smaller groups. Then the immortals split into four groups of five and flew down to the students.
In their hands was a jar. Each jar contained numbers and colors. Each color had some one to two hundred and fifty hundred, and these students as soon as their opponent had been found started the battles.
Xu Min had withdrawn the red tag number seven, but the blue number seven had not appeared yet, so Xu Min was waiting for his battle to begin.
While he was waiting, one battle after another ended before his number seven opponent appeared.
Xu Min was excited. He stood on the stage. He was smiling at his opponent who moved towards him. However, as quickly as the smiled appeared, it disappeared. The student bowed at him and quickly jumped off the stage, "I forfeit!" he called as he ran as fast as he could.
Seeing this, Xu Min was shocked. He could do nothing but accept it without complaining and step off the stage. He had no reason to stay on the stage with no one to battle. As he left the light fairy stepped up. Her opponent equally gave up quickly, and she could only shrug her shoulders as she too jumped down from the stage.
Although the day had to go through a total of two hundred and fifty battles on each of the stages, this process did not take as long as one would expect. Every student had an inkling of how strong their opponents were. Around half the students chose to give up right away. The ones who did battle were quickly finishing their fights. Soon the first day of the heavenly rankings had come to a close.
The next day Xu Min once more was matched with a weak opponent who gave up instantly. The two hundred and fifty students had now dropped down to sixty-three students. Since it was an uneven number the following day, a student who had been chosen randomly was allowed to advance to the fourth day without battle Xu Min also advanced with no problem as all his opponents gave up without a hint of resistance.
He had been incredibly lucky so far. All his opponents had given up at the mere sight of him, but this was not going to last for long. He knew that sooner or later he would run into a dead stop. As to whether or not he could overcome this challenge depended on how well he fought.
Looking at the elf who ranked first, he noticed that this expert had not battled yet either, but this expert was not in the same group as Xu Min.
"Let us hope he fails before I have to battle him," Xu Min mumbled to himself as he shook his head. Looking over the remaining experts of the same group that he was in, he found that some of the first-ranked elf's friends were in his group. All of them were looking at Xu Min with hostility as they cracked their knuckles.
Seeing this, Xu Min just smiled at them. He wished to prove that he was just as good as these experts; he knew that if he failed his master would flay him alive.
The following day Xu Min's luck finally ended.
His group had a total of six experts who had immortal teachers. Every single one of them had reached this stage with no problems whatsoever.
Now Xu Min finally understood why all of his opponents so far had forfeited instead of fighting him. The reason was not just because that they had seen Xu Min display his prowess before at the sparring field, but because he was the student of an immortal. It was clearly the habit that no one would fight the immortal students apart from other disciples of immortals.
Although this Heavenly Ranking was made for every single student to participate the truth was that no one cared for the ordinary students. It was a way to rank the immortal's students and see how strong they were compared to one another.
The only reason that every student would participate was that that they would be given contribution points. The further they reached, the more rounds they finished, the more contribution points they would gain.
This time Xu Min was up against one of the previous rankers of the heavenly ranking. Usually, the rankers on the heavenly ranking would not be up against each other this early. Nonetheless, for some reason, Xu Min was already up against one of the heavenly rankers. This meant that one of the rankers would be kicked out of top twenty, and one of the previous rankers would now rank below some of the ordinary students!
Everyone was looking at the stage with bated breath, some of the students within the group were filled with excitement as they realized that they would be ranked higher than their current rank if Xu Min were to win.
Standing on the stage, a casual smile adorned Xu Min's face as he looked at the other expert who was moving towards the sparring arena where Xu Min stood. Xu Min patiently waited for his opponent to approach.
The other expert had a hideous expression on his face. His teeth were bared in a sneer, and his eyes shone with anger. Although he did not think that he would lose to such a mere human as Xu Min, he was still feeling threatened by the fact that he had to fight a proper fight as early as this.
As he landed on the stage, one of the immortals flew to the stage and stood there perfectly still. "I am the judge for this battle. Although fists have no eyes and kicks know no fear, hold back on killing moves. Killing your opponent is not allowed. Should we see that you use true killing techniques with killing intent, I will interfere and stop you. The perpetrator will be punished severely!" Looking at the two experts, the immortal nodded his head, "Let the battle begin!"
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Chapter 120: Rankers
The fight began, but neither Xu Min nor his opponent was eager to open up with the first attack. Both knew that once one attacked that person would also display their weaknesses. Neither of them wanted to let this occur.
Xu Min knew that this person was a student of an Immortal, making him a person Xu Min should not underestimate. He needed to use his full strength if he wanted to win this fight. Nevertheless, since the opponent did not take the initiative to attack, Xu Min went on the defensive. He lifted his finger and summoned a small red flame which flickered lively on his hand.
Much like how Xu Min had used the wind blades before, Xu Min now created one flame after another hovering in the air around him; these fire orbs all flickered with an amazing light.
Seeing the flames, many students turned sour with jealousy and bitterness. Everyone knew Xu Min could control the wind to some degree, but they had never before heard about him controlling fire. His sudden display showed that not only was he able to feel the elemental energy around him but he had an elemental affinity with more than one of the elements.
Some fairies were astonished instead of being jealous. It was not unnatural for fairies to connect with more than one element but it was the elements that Xu Min had managed to connect to.
The Air was powerful. Not only was it incredibly sharp and destructive, but it was also incredibly swift, able to increase the speed of the cultivator.
Fire was even more destructive than air. Where air was sharp, fire was volatile and explosive; it could cause incredible amounts of damage. The speed of the wind alongside the sharp wind blades and the destructive sharpness coupled with the fire's explosive nature, Xu Min could produce a lot of damage in a very short amount of time.
Unfortunately, he was still not at the domain level in the fire element so that he could create some fire orbs, but none of them were as powerful as they could be. Furthermore, he could control a little flame, but he could not turn the surrounding area into a flaming inferno.
Fortunately, he was up against an elf. Elves were not capable of controlling elements, so he could not control fire and overwhelm Xu Min's small fireballs. Thinking like this, a sinister grin appeared on Xu Min's face as he flicked his fingers and one fireball after another was shot at the ranker in front of him.
The ranker had summoned his spirit weapon, a longsword. Although these fireballs were incredibly easy to defeat, they required the ranker to use his sword to deflect them. It's true Xu Min did not have great control over fire. However, these small fire orbs contained the element of fire; they were filled to the brim with a volatile inferno which would explode the moment it touched something. If it touched the skin of the elf, injuries would occur.
But this ranker was not dumb, he knew about the different levels of understanding the elements. Feeling the heat from Xu Min's fire orb, he could feel that this young man was not well versed in the element of fire. He could not help but sneer in disdain. Did this human think that some weak fire orbs were enough to attack him?
Lifting his longsword, he blocked every single one of the fire orbs; the smile on his face increased. He felt more and more comfortable in the fight. He was certain that he would be able to defeat this human quite easily, making him complacent.
The observers of the match felt like hitting their heads on the walls. Although the fire orbs were easy to deal with, these were clearly not the most dangerous attacks that Xu Min possessed. Everyone had heard about his outstanding wind element control, but his opponent against him completely forgot about Xu Min's other abilities and now was underestimating him badly. Even Xu Min was shocked about how lightly he was being taken.
Shrugging his shoulders, Xu Mi lifted his arm and summoned forth three wind blades. However, these wind blades were currently invisible. He had not merged them together but just summoned them to be ready to attack the opponent at any moment.
Xu Min did not stop here; he waved his hand and even more red fiery orbs appeared out of nowhere. They all shot towards his opponent in front of Xu Min.
Seeing the onslaught of fire orbs the ranker sneered at Xu Min, lifted his large sword, he blocked one after another. His full focus was on these fire orbs. While he focused on them, Xu Min leisurely moved his hand. The three wind blades solidified, shot forward at the speed of the wind, and paused just as they had bypassed the longsword and landed as a triangle around the rankers neck. Had Xu Min not stopped these wind blades, the fighter's head would have been cut off cleanly from the neck.
The elf was standing still. He dared not move even in the slightest since he feared that the wind blades would cut his throat. He was filled with unhappiness and mad at himself.
Now that the battle was over he was reminded of the wind control. Seeing how Xu Min had managed to mask the wind blades in the wind itself, it was clear that Xu Min had reached the domain level of the wind element. Every one of the elves felt uncomfortable about this. Every gust of wind could be turned into a wind blade; his performance had made them all worried.
Even the fairies felt discomforted. Xu Min had not shown many of his hidden cards; however, showing his ability to deal with this ranker as simply as he did, they all felt a chill run down their spine. The majority were feeling lucky that Xu Min was not in the same group as them. The ones who were in the same group felt less relieved. Though Xu Min had displayed his domain ability, as long as he did not have any more hidden secrets, then they could battle him.
A domain ability was frightening, but he was not the only student who had comprehended a domain; thus the other fighters felt that they could handle him. Nonetheless, thinking about the sword in Xu Min's hand and the ability to devour energy, they began to feel less secure.
None of these rankers had seen Xu Min battle before. All they knew was from what they had heard their followers say. They focused on describing his wind control and even more so on the absorption ability he had.
The fighters clearly understood and respected Xu Min's wind domain, but the ability to devour was something they did not understand thus they were slightly nervous. They had hoped that the ranker he was up against at the first match would have forced him to reveal more of his abilities. Nevertheless, in the end, the battle had ended far too simply. Even though they had been able to know for certain that the control was at the domain level, they had already guessed this; in turn, they felt that the battle was a wasted opportunity. All of them looked rather sourly at the ranker who had been defeated.
"The battle is finished," The Immortal yelled out. The ranker had not given up or forfeited, but it was clear that his life was currently at risk. If Xu Min were to attack with the poor student, then he would be a head shorter.
Not only the student fighters felt uncomfortable with the easy win that Xu Min got, the Immortal which taught this student was severely disappointed as well. His student had lost his rank and was now going to be overcome by ordinary students on the heavenly ranking in the future year.
While the rankers were unhappy and some of the Immortals felt worried in their heart, a small group were filled with excitement for Xu Min. One of these was the light fairy which instantly went to Xu Min's side to congratulate him.
Even Mu Jianyao was smiling happily as she saw Xu Min's victory of the previous student. Her student had still not embarrassed her.
"You did well! You have hidden so many of your secrets well," the light fairy said excitedly as she looked at Xu Min, "you will be able to defeat at least a few other rankers, and soon you will shoot up the rankers chart and become a true leading power within the academy."
Seeing the excitement in the light fairy's face, Xu Min could not help but laugh a little. He was not willing to become a leader at this academy. All he wanted was to increase his strength and preferably become strong enough to battle the Zhong Family as soon as possible.
Thinking about this upcoming battle, killing intent billowed up within his body. Even though Xu Min tried to suppress it, he was incapable of fully killing it. The killing intent was seeping out from every single pore of his body.
The light fairy at the side was feeling uncomfortable when she felt this cold killing intent. She felt as if her body was being thrown into a frozen lake; her senses were assaulted by the cold atmosphere.
Everyone present realized this killing intent, but no one acted on it. They could feel that Xu Min was trying to suppressing it on his own. Every Immortal started asking themselves just what could have happened to this young man for him to release such a ferocious killing intent. A young man should not have such a heavy grudge, but here it was stunning everyone present.
"He needs to be careful," Mu Jianyao whispered to herself as she looked at Xu Min down on the ground. "Xu Min is still young, but he has such an urge to kill. If he is not careful, he will end up battling his inner demons, and fighting inner demons can be frightening, especially in his age. He might be trapped within his heart demon and unable to leave again."
Although Mu Jianyao was mumbling the words, every one of the Immortals could hear what she said. All of them felt that she was correct. They were Immortals, and all of them had gone through a battle with their heart demon at some point, but they had never before heard of such a young man having such a strong killing intent.
While the immortals were busy discussing and contemplating about heart demons and Xu Min, the young man had managed to control his killing intent without many of the students noticing it.
Seeing the light fairy's expression which was frightened, Xu Min smiled at her and patted her hair gently, "Sorry," he said with a wry smile, "Sometimes when I think about my past, I am unable to contain my killing intent. There is this family which I have to kill no matter what; whenever I think about it, I am unable to control myself. I'll try and keep the killing intent within me in the future, and no longer trouble you."
Feeling the hand which gently patted her hair, the light fairy's face turned red. She could not help but giggle a little bit. Many of the elves looked at this scene and felt their heart breaking in two or filled with jealousy. The light fairy was a very famous fairy within the academy. She was wooed by both rankers and normal students alike. Seeing her blush by the hand of a human, everyone was filled with indignation and wished to rip him to shreds on their own.
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Chapter 121: Next Battle
Sensing the many hostile eyes, Xu Min could do nothing but shake his head. He did not care about how others viewed him. The Light Fairy was someone whom he had considered a friend. Thus he would treat her as one, even if this caused others to be displeased.
"Well done fighting. It seems that ranker underestimated you," the light fairy said with a smile on her lips. She could not hide the fact that she was proud of Xu Min.
The light fairy was not much older than Xu Min. It was expected that when the next Immortal allowed for their student to graduate, they would take her in. As such, she was a half ranker already.
After this fight, all the others somewhat lost their luster. The battles were simple and straightforward; none of them held any excitement.
Seeing that the end of the night was over, the next few days went on in a blur. Before it was finally time for the exciting parts of the tournament, it was time for the final two matches of each of the groups to find the semifinalists and then the finalists. At this point, now only rankers remained.
Everyone arrived early in the morning. A bustling atmosphere filled the academy. Every student was talking to one another, discussing who they thought would end up being up winning the group fights, as well who they expected to become the tournament champion.
Although no one expected Xu Min to rank highly, everyone was excited to see what tricks he had up his sleeves. Logically thinking, Xu Min was the one who had been a student of an Immortal for the shortest amount of time. Consequently, people did not expect him to be able to put up much resistance, but no one knew exactly how he fought. No one had seen him go all out. For some reason, some of the students who had seen him at the sparring field had the impression that he might be able to put up a brave fight. The ones who had been beaten by him were split into two groups. The first group was people who blamed everything else for their loss and truly believed that Xu Min was nothing more than cannon fodder, an easy person to defeat.
The other group was certain that Xu Min, who had defeated them, was truly an expert in disguise; he would be able to dominate the battles. The previous fight against the ranker had especially made them feel like this. Seeing Xu Min easily manage him, they had unexpectedly high expectations now.
Xu Min was unaware of the two groups of students' reflections of him. When it came to him and his fighting ability, he did not care either way. When Xu Min reached the sparring field, his eyes roamed across a lot of students before they landed on the petite figure of the light fairy and with a smile on his mouth, he moved towards her.
He felt a feeling of friendship with this light fairy. She was a little bit like his deceased sister, and he could not help but want to be her friend, but there were no romantic feelings in the gaze that landed on her. In his heart, there was only one woman whom he would ever love, and that was Yong Meilin, the young auctioneer from Ri Chu City who was waiting patiently for his return.
Thinking about Yong Meilin, Xu Min's heart became warm, and the gentlest smile appeared on his lips, a smile which stunned everyone who looked at him. The fairies' hearts started throbbing in surprise. Even the light fairy, who had noticed Xu Min, could not maintain her indifferent attitude, and a look of surprise appeared on her face before she was startled as she noticed that her heart had skipped a beat.
"Come and draw your lots so that we know who will be fighting who today," the Immortal said. The four remaining experts from the group politely moved as they were told and drew their lots. Xu Min was not the first to battle but the second. Now he could watch the others fight. In his mind, he had already decided that he was going to fight the winner of this battle tomorrow, so knowing what the fight was like could be of great assistance to him.
Seeing Xu Min''s focused eyes, the light fairy smiled a little since she felt very special for being beside this young man who had turned the academy upside down.
Although he was a little extreme and had shocked her time and time again, the light fairy felt that there was something special about him. He had scared her with his killing intent and had surprised her with the ability to control both spiritual energy and elemental affinity and not to mention his devouring ability that no one knew anything concrete about yet.
The battle began. An elf and a fairy were fighting against each other. The fairy was higher ranked than the elf the previous year, but they had been ranked rather close to one another. The elf was certain that with a bit of luck he could win this time.
Scorching hot flames instantly combusted out of nowhere as the fairy had gained the domain level of the fire element. The elf was using a spirit sword to continually cleave the flames into small embers; spiritual energy was floating everywhere.
This spiritual energy was covering the elf like a shield protecting him from the wayward embers that shot towards him. The sword was not only protecting him against the flames, but it was also attacking at the same time, stabbing and slashing towards the fairy which used shields made of flames to protect herself.
The strength of the two fighting parties was clearly equal as neither managed to get the upper hand. Both were spending their energy, one on fire shields and constant fire attacks, the other with his spirit sword and spiritual energy attacks and shields.
Looking at the fight, Xu Min was rather bored. Although he had to be alert against both of the rankers, he was also sure that if they did not display more strength than this, then he would be able to beat them.
The one he was up against today, however, was not as simple to manage as these two fighting experts. Last year he was ranked as the fourth on the heavenly rankings. This time it was likely that he was even stronger. No expert who had the guidance of an Immortal was bound to improve over the span of a year.
Xu Min, although interested in the battle in front of him, was many times more interested in the fight that he was going to fight later; he was almost shaking with excitement.
The last time he had gone all out was during the Immortal Valley Rankings where he had fought a hundred experts at once. He had been forced to use his berserker stance, and every last strand of energy had been used to kill his opponents.
The fights that Xu Min had been in previously were all life and death battles. It was fought where one would lose their life with just the slightest bit of mistake. If one lost, one was lucky if they ended up as cripples.
Xu Min was used to fights like that. When he looked at this tournament, he could not help but feel that it was slightly wasteful. Still, he wished to win and to win he would give it his all. Although the tournament did not have life and death battles, he was likely to go all out if he wished to win.
While in deep thought about his battles, Xu Min realized that the fight that had been ongoing was finishing. The fairy had a greater advantage compared to the elf. Although he could control his spiritual energy and use it as the fairy used her fire, she used less of her energy controlling the fire as this fire was created by the energy in the world surrounding her.
The elf was running out of spiritual energy, and he could no longer hold on. The loss was so similar as to how it had been the previous year. Although he felt bitter, he could only clench his teeth and accept it. Their level was simply too similar, and the fairy had the benefit of her race. Fairies were simply the hardest to deal with since they did not have much internal energy but relied on the elements that surrounded them. As soon as she saw that her opponent was running out of energy, an exhausted smile appeared on her lips. She spent her energy to control the fire that was floating in the air, compress it into an explosive fireball which finally managed to remove even the smallest bit of spiritual energy that was left.
"Winner is the Fairy of the Inferno," the judge said carelessly. The surrounding area turned into a loud and noisy crowd. Although the fight had been a dogfight between two evenly ranked experts, these were the rankers of the academy, the pride of all students and their display of power had fully astonished them.
Fairies did not use inner energy as much as they used elemental affinity to attack. They used elemental affinity, and the elements in the surrounding world answered their call it took a toll on the fairy's body. She was only able to channel the elemental energy through her body for a specific amount of time before she would also need to give up. By pushing her limits, she should be able to control it for a longer period, but it would injure her body in return.
Although one could only control the energy for a specific amount of time, this was a rather long amount of time compared to how other experts were capable of controlling their energy.
Thinking like this, Xu Min smiled slightly. He controlled both internal energy such as Qi and spiritual energy, but he also possessed the ability to control elemental affinity and his sword allowed for him to devour even more energy and make it his own. Xu Min had so many tricks up his sleeves that he fully believed in himself. He would be able to become the highest ranked in the heavenly rankings before it was possible for him to advance and visit the Blood Pagoda once more.
After visiting the Blood Pagoda a second time, Xu Min fully believed that he would be able to deal with the Zhong family. He was soon within his reach of his goal.
Blood was boiling within Xu Min's body as he thought about the Zhong family. His eyes shone with a desire to battle. He heard the Immortal at the stage call out, "The next battle is to begin, the second battle in this group is to commence!"
Clenching his hand, Xu Min took a deep breath and forced the bloodlust within him to go down a bit. He chuckled as he moved towards the stage and stood on top of it.
The person he was up against was an elf which had ranked fourth last year. His eyes were filled with hostility. Looking at this person, Xu Min could instantly see that his eyes were not those of a person willing to do a friendly battle. These eyes showed a bloodlust that Xu Min was all too familiar with. The fighter's eyes showed a hate he had seen so many times before. With a snort, he had instantly understood that this expert in front of him was not going to go easy on him. He was not going to underestimate him. He was going to do his very best to humiliate and hopefully cripple him. After seeing this expression on his opponent's face, Xu Min's lips curled upwards, and he no longer suppressed the killing intent in his body.
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Chapter 122: Fighting the Fourth Ranked
The killing intent that rose from Xu Min was so thick that the temperature around him started plummeting. A few experts in the audience started shivering while others got goosebumps. A chill ran down their spines, and their eyes were filled with uncertainty and discomfort.
How could a young man like this possibly send out such a killing intent? How could such a young man be as if he was a beast? The ferociousness he displayed was one they only knew from the demonic beasts that one encountered within the Immortal Valley. However, it was one thing to see this ferociousness with beasts, but another thing to see it with a human being.
The Immortal who was judging the battle was able to see the hostility in the eyes of the elf.He could also feel the immense killing intent that was bursting out from Xu Min's body, but he said nothing. All he did was look at the two with a thinking expression on his face. Looking at Xu Min, his eyes were complex, but he did nothing more than call out, "Let the battle begin!"
However, prior to the yell, the battle had already begun. The energy of the two experts had already intersected. Every time the two energies came into contact with one small explosion could be heard. One energy was the spiritual energy of the elf; the other was the cold and ruthless killing intent of Xu Min. Although killing intent was not something which could be used directly in battle, it still had a great influence on a fight.
The purpose of killing is to lay itself like a blanket over anyone present. Unless they were strong enough to shake this energy off them, it would make them unable to use their full potential in a fight. It would, whether the opponent wanted to or not, influence their bodies and make them incapable of fully controlling their strength.
Although the killing intent had been released a few times at the academy so far, Xu Min had never used it like this before. Everyone felt shocked and scared since they were being affected by this killing intent. It was not before now that they understood just how important real combat ability was when it came to fighting. Had Xu Min not battled through multiple life and death situations he would not have such a strong killing intent. Without this strong killing intent, how could he not possibly be a dangerous opponent?
Everyone held their breaths. The moment that the Immortal judge called out, both Xu Min and the elf shot forward like two bolts of lightning. A screech could be heard in the air as Xu Min unsheathed his sword, and a swoosh could be heard from the elf's spirit weapon.
The swoosh and the screech collided with a massive explosion. The swift advance was halted as they faced off against one another. Their swords landed against each other; both were forced backward, and both took three steps backward before they stopped. Clearly, they were evenly matched.
Everyone watching gasped in shock upon seeing this. Xu Min, who was new to the academy was already able to fight equally with the guy who had ranked fourth the previous year! Although none of them had used their inner energy, still the fight was already intense. Right now they were relying fully on their respective strength in the previous clash.
"You're not bad," Xu Min praised the elf. Instead of getting told anything in return, the elf that was standing in front of him roared out loud before he lifted his sword above his head. He charged towards Xu Min once more.
The hostility in the eyes of this opponent was so dense that even the audience felt rather uncomfortable about it. Although Xu Min was different from them and they did not like him that much, none of them felt such a strong hostility towards him as this elf did. What was behind this hostility, Xu Min had no idea. However, he did not care as to why his opponent hated him to this degree. The fact was the elf did hate Xu Min, and he was not one to let the tiger back into the mountain. He was going to use this opportunity to get rid of this elf. Killing was not accepted, so crippling him was the only thing Xu Min could do.
His gaze turned cold, the hands clenched on the handle of his sword; he observed the expert in front of him with his frosty glance.
The elf was moving towards him at speed close to lightning, but to Xu Min, who had become one with the world, it was rather slow. Relying on his connection with the wind, every single movement from this elf was visible to Xu Min. He gracefully turned to the side, dodging the sword which came crashing down from above. The sword cut a deep cut into the stone beneath them.
Xu Min narrowed his eyes. It was clear that this elf was using finishing moves which would instantly kill Xu Min if it landed on him, but the judge was pretending not to notice. Realizing this Xu Min's entire body started heating up with anger. The anger which always burned inside him started erupting, and a strength he had never felt before filled his entire being. It was as if he was going berserk again.
"Let us see who can handle all of this energy the most," Xu Min sneered at the elf. He allowed his sword to start devouring the spiritual energy which was present in the air where the sword strike had just appeared.
The devouring ability followed the spiritual energy in the air to the expert that was standing beside Xu Min. It greedily started to absorb the energy that belonged to this expert.
The more energy which entered Xu Min, the more energy he needed to use. Xu Min's action was truly a berserker stance as he poured all the energy from the spiritual energy he absorbed into the sword in his hand. A silvery shine appeared on top of it.
No longer waiting, Xu Min attacked the elf. He pulled out the sword and at the same time created a hundred wind blades, all of which containing his swordlight.
The more he created, the better he felt. He was currently like a balloon which was filled with energy and the more he used, the less likely he was to explode.
The elf, on the other hand, had noticed that something was wrong. Xu Min's opponent was feeling depleted. His spiritual energy within his body was being dragged out of him, and he saw Xu Min's wanton use of his spiritual energy that Xu Min. Consequently,d he could guess that this was the so-called devouring ability Xu Min possessed. How to stop this devouring was, however, not something he knew how to do.
"Seems like I need to rush and kill you off instantly," The elf said with viciousness in his voice. Even though he said he was going to kill Xu Min, the judge still did not act. Even the other Immortals were watching this match with doubt on their faces. Furthermore, the headmaster was also watching it. Nevertheless, he said nothing to the strange venomous person Xu Min was up against, so no one else dared say anything either.
Xu Min's anger rose instantly. He had been told that killing moves were not permitted in this battle; he had been told it was a friendly spar, and he had to remember that the opponent was a fellow disciple.
Right now, this fellow disciple was breaking every rule that he had been told to follow; even though he was fighting like this, no one said anything. They could all see it, but they all collectively did nothing. The only one who was seemingly uncomfortable about it was his master Mu Jianyao. Even she did nothing as she looked at her father who was not breaking in to stop the fight.
"So that's how it will be?" Xu Min sneered to himself. "Right, just because I joined this academy doesn't mean they would like me. I am a human, who did I think would step up to assist me when an elf is my opponent? In that case, let us see how they react when I pay back with the same hostility that I am being shown!"
Suddenly an enormous amount of spiritual energy erupted from Xu Min's body. Thousands of swordlights appeared around him, all of which were going straight for the elf.
Just as the swordlights shot forward, Xu Min took a stance. The stance he made was a stance he had not made for a long time; it was a stance he had learned from his master a long time ago. It was the Radiant Jade Shower that his master had taught him. Thousands upon thousands of small jade arrowheads appeared. They all glittered in the light. Their appearance was filled with beauty. Many of the students sighed in praise as they saw this attack while the Immortals all jolted with fear and confusion.
Pointing at the elf, these many thousands of jade arrowheads all headed for the elf who was already struggling to try and block the swordlights that had been hidden within the wind blades.
The elf was good at offense, but rather bad at defense. He could use his sword to cut down the swordlights. Nonetheless, when thousands of them were being shot at him at the same time, he was only capable of protecting himself against the most crucial attacks. He was able to deflect the swordlights aiming at his vital areas, but he allowed others to cut his arms and legs.
When he saw the many thousands of jade arrowheads heading to his head, he went numb. He was uncomfortable as he looked at all these arrowheads. What kind of attack was this? Were humans able to use their internal energy to create such a scary attack while being as weak as this young man? If he was so deadly now already then how would he be when he became an Immortal?
The elf's heart filled with jealousy as he thought this; he refused to give up and continued to use his sword to try and stand against the many attacks. The more he swung his sword, the less spiritual energy he had left. Whereas Xu Min was constantly absorbing more and more of his spiritual energy, causing him to be drained quickly, yet also allowing Xu Min to push out a lot of attacks in one go. The more of his energy he used, the more he could absorb.
The fight had not gone on for long. The two opponents had exchanged blows a few times, but now Xu Min was fully dominating the elf. He was bombarding him with attacks; he continued to use his wind blades with swordlight.
Soon the elf which was filled with hate was running low on energy. Xu Min, on the other hand, was so radiant his body was almost bursting with energy. The change between the two was so outstanding that the students had problems believing what they were seeing.
Even the Immortals were shocked. Seeing Xu Min dominate the fight the way he did shock them all. Even more so when they saw Xu Min was seemingly still bursting with energy even though he was using so much that energy fluctuations could be seen coming from his body.
Xu Min's clothes were a little disorderly after the first clash, but the elf was in a terrible shape.
His clothes had all been cut to shreds; his skin filled with small wounds; blood was flowing from all over. Even his handsome face had cuts on the cheeks, forehead and just above one eye.
"Don't think I will give up this easily!" The elf spat out with some blood before he waved his hand and a red pill appeared in his hand. "I never thought I needed to use this on you, but here we go! I will rip you to shreds. I will make you suffer a fate far worse than death! Prepare to beg for forgiveness!" he growled as he threw the pill into his mouth. All the energy in the area rushed into his body.
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Chapter 123: Hate
"He is using an Energy Gathering Pill!" One of the fairies in the audience exclaimed. She was shocked to her core when she looked at the pill in the elf's hands.
When everyone heard and understood the fairies words, a collective gasp was uttered as every elf and fairy were in disbelief. Even the immortals had an ugly expression on their faces as they realized that this elf expert on the stage had taken a pill.
"I will shred you to bits, maul your skin and throw you to the beasts in the Immortal Valley to gnaw upon your bones! You are a mere human, a disgusting human! How can you think that you can defeat me?! How can you be the one chosen by Mu Jianyao?!"
Hearing these statements, everyone was shocked, but the expression on Mu Jianyao's face turned sour. She sent a glance towards the Immortal teacher of this elf. The face of his Immortal teacher also had a shocked expression on his face which quickly turned away. To have a student that cheated was throwing away the face of both himself and his teacher, one could guess just how furious this immortal was.
"We should stop this," Mu Jianyao said anxiously but no one paid her any attention. The Energy Gathering Pill was a pill which allowed for the consumer to devour all energy in the surroundings and use it as his own. It was similar to how Xu Min was devouring the energy of his opponent.
The elf was bursting with energy. His body was releasing ripples of energy, and every move he made was filled with so much power that even Xu Min had problems staying on the stage.
The elf took a step and beneath his feet cracks appeared on the stone as the energy was pressuring down. Another step and even more ripples of energy were pushing out, the ripples alone were enough to make Xu Min back away slightly.
"I guess I have no other option than to go all out," Xu Min mumbled and took a deep breath with eyes closed. He reached out for the sword in his hand and willed it to start devouring the energy that was being released as ripples from the elf and soon all this excess energy was like a steady stream of mist that floated across the stage and entered Xu Min's sword and from the sword into the body.
The white mist was even visible for the immortals and the audience, but no matter how they looked at this, no one was capable of telling exactly how it was done.
"You previously tested whether or not it was the sword or he who was capable of absorbing the energies right?" The headmaster asked an immortal who was standing by his side.
This immortal was no stranger to Xu Min, he was the one who had claimed to be the judge of the sparring field matches and also the immortal who had examined his sword previously.
Hearing the question from his master the immortal nodded his head, "Yes," he said affirmatively, "I checked it before, and it is not the sword which is the reason for him absorbing energy. He is capable of absorbing energy on his own as well."
Although Xu Min had used some tricks to absorb the attack back then, this immortal had no way of knowing this, and he was completely certain that the absorption was an ability Xu Min had in his body. A strange ability yes, but none the less an ability his body contained.
The certainty in his voice was enough to make every single member of the group of immortals certain that he was correct. It made sense that this expert who could control both Qi, spiritual energy and elemental affinity also had other secrets in his body and no one questioned whether it was the sword or his body who consumed the energy any longer.
While Xu Min had been pressured before his body now was capable of contesting against the aura that was rushing against him as he was consuming it all, it was a fight against who was able to consume the most energy, Xu Min from the elf, and the elf from the surrounding world.
Xu Min could feel that the energy he was consuming was many times more powerful than when he had battled a hundred experts alone in the Immortal Valley. He was now stronger than he was then, but so was his opponent and now he was able to feel that his body was not as strong as the opponents body. He could not contain as much energy as his opponent could, but Xu Min refused to give up.
Cursing at the immortals who were still not stopping the battle Xu Min closed his eyes and started to let go of all the binds that he had in his body. He released his hate that was usually hidden beneath one after another layer of defenses, the hate which had burned within his body for so many years, a hate which had fueled him through life for so long, but this was the first time he fully released it.
Together with the hate he also created thousands of wind blades, every single one of them with a swordlight merged into the wind blades, as they shot towards the elf in front of him.
Xu Min's hate was so strong that the moment it arrived, it was like a massive tsunami of energy which was released, a dark energy which started to seep out of Xu Min's body.
The moment this energy arrived, and eerie atmosphere appeared everywhere around him. The dark energy which seeped out from Xu Min's body laid an oppressive aura on everything present, and suddenly blood started to fall like a stream of tears from Xu Min's right eye.
As the blood fell, the dark energy intensified and every student felt terrible. It was worse than when Xu Min released his killing intent; this energy did not just make them chill and make them feel like they had entered an area with cold weather. Instead, the black mist-like energy entered their bodies and sucked away all their happiness. All of them felt as if they were thrown into a world of despair; their bodies became weaker and weaker.
It was not only the audience which was being affected by this sudden despair that erupted from Xu Min's body, but the elf in front of him was even more unfortunate than them.
All the hate in Xu Min's body was being aimed straight at this elf; the others were just hit by the remnant energy that roamed around.
The elf started screaming. The hate was so powerful that he felt his entire world become dark, there was no hope, no light, no joy left, all that was there was endless despair, even the color vanished from his eyes as he was corroded by the hate.
Even the immortals were stunned for a moment by the sudden outburst, but the headmaster suddenly waved his arms and landed on the platform between Xu Min and the elf, his arms spread and he soaked in all the darkness that kept seeping out from Xu Min's body.
"Get a hold of yourself!" The headmaster called out as Xu Min's eyes turned completely black, the hate was not only corroding the enemies, it was also corroding Xu Min's own body and mind.
Hearing the voice, Xu Min's mind which was hibernating far back within the consciousness seemed to hear these words and slowly woke up.
The hate receded, and Xu Min returned. The blood stopped flowing from his eye, and his pupils returned to the eyes instead of the complete darkness which had filled it earlier.
The hate, which had run rampant and filled Xu Min's entire body was slowly overpowered and locked away deep within his body once more.
As the hate was being locked down, Xu Min regained his consciousness and realized that the entire area was filled with a black mist, but although he understood that it was him who had affected every single student, he did not feel guilty.
The first one to break the rules had been the elf who was now collapsed on the ground, had he not consumed the Energy Gathering Pill, then Xu Min would not have been forced into such dire straits.
The Immortals had clearly been very curious about how Xu Min would handle this expert, and since they had been curious, it was only fair that Xu Min showed them some of his hidden strength. Had they stopped the elf, then Xu Min would not have been pushed that far and wounded every single member of the academy as a result.
But Xu Min got his hate under control, and the other immortals started flying around, annihilating the black mist which had covered the students and slowly their minds were relieved from the darkness they had descended into.
While the students awoke, all of them felt terror in their hearts as they looked at Xu Min. This young human seemed to have so many unfathomable secrets hidden within his body. To think he could make all of them that fearful after only a few moments, that was something no one before him had ever managed.
While the students who had been hit by the excess energy were fine, the elf in front of them was not. Although there were three immortals next to him, all three using their abilities to suck out the black energy, it seemed as though it was neverending.
The elf had collapsed on the ground and no matter how much they attempted, it seemed as if it was an impossible task they were doing.
"Xu Min," The headmaster called out and Xu Min, who knew that they would blame him if something happened to this expert, even if it was their mistake for not interrupting when the elf took the pill, he sighed deeply and went towards the headmaster.
"The hate you contain is far more powerful than any of us could ever imagine. You have hidden it all too well. Now, although we are shocked, it is too severe an attack."
"As it is now we are incapable of fully removing all the hate and darkness from this student, his body might be fine but his mind is being corroded by your hate. Do you think that it is possible for you to withdraw this hate that you use to attack him with?"
"You tell me that my attack is too severe, but you saw it yourself, my opponent used an Energy Gathering Pill. I am a lower rank than him and I do not have as good a grasp on spiritual energy as he does. My only option was to use some of my hidden power which ended in this way. Had you stopped him when he ate the pill then I would not have to use my innermost emotions." Hui Yue responded with a frown on his face.
The headmaster was shocked when he heard that Xu Min was talking back to him but Mu Jianyao, who was standing behind the headmaster, gave Xu Min an approving nod. She thought that it was for the best that he defended himself.
"I admit we made a mistake," the headmaster said as he spread out his arms and sighed, "Although we made a mistake, it would be too much to waste this young student. Please step forward and try to use your own emotions to draw out the hate from within his body."
Xu Min contemplated for a short while as to what he should do. The headmaster was waiting patiently although he knew they did not have a lot of time to deal with the hate. Xu Min did not care for the expert but since the headmaster was speaking so politely to him, he decided that he would help out.
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Chapter 124: Leaving
Truth be told, Xu Min was rather indignant and upset. The Immortals had not stepped in when he was in a bad situation. They had not stopped his opponent when he consumed the Energy Gathering Pill and instead waited to see how Xu Min would handle it. However the moment he had released a bit of his hate and killing intent they had acted immediately. Now they even had the guts to ask him to save the person who wanted him dead.
In the beginning, Xu Min respected these elders.As things were now, he no longer respected them. If anything, he was disappointed in their obvious favoritism of the elf in front of him.
Even though Xu Min felt as such, he still understood what things were appropriate to say and what things should be kept to himself. He walked towards his opponent.
Sighing, he wondered if it was the right decision to save him. Although he was unwilling, he had to respect the headmaster. Thus Xu Min closed his eyes and projecting himself into the elf's inner soul. Everywhere he went he encountered remnant energies of his hate. His mind picked up every single ounce of energy before he gathered it all in one large ball just outside the stomach of the expert.
Having gathered all the hate in one place, Xu Min forced it out of his body. A small black mist started to evaporate from his skin. The energy that evaporated into the air was being sucked back into Xu Min's body where he poured it into the hate that was within his core. Although this dark energy was poison to others, it was fuel for Xu Min. This hate drove him to move forward.
"This heavenly ranking means nothing," Xu Min mumbled to himself as he narrowed his eyes. Why would anyone care about being the strongest at the Academy; Xu Min was not even the slightest bit interested in continuing after the present events. All he wanted was to reach the seventh-star rank, so he could enter the Blood Pagoda once more, finish the final trial and then visit the Zhong family to gain his revenge.
Looking at the Immortals of the Academy, Xu Min snorted. All respect was gone. He turned to leave without even caring about anything around him. He was sure that the experts present would be looked after by the Immortals. They were the real students of the academy after all.
Looking at Xu Min's departing back the headmaster shook his head regretfully. He understood the young man's thoughts, and he felt guilty. He understood their reactions and bias between students was not acceptable. He had shown too much favoritism. However, in his defense, Xu Min had so many secrets that the only one way see them was if he was pushed like he had been pushed this time.
Sighing the headmaster stopped looking after Xu Min. Instead he turned to the many students that were all looking at Xu Min with fear in their eyes. Even the light fairy, who had been chatting merrily with him earlier, was hesitating whether to follow him or not.She too was scared.
The feeling of hopelessness which had descended upon them, the sudden clenching of their heart and the headaches that had left them completely vulnerable to their opponent had shocked them all, especially when they understood that this was just the remnant energy. Thinking about how the main body of this energy had invaded the elf on the stage, everyone shivered in fear. Was it truly possible to survive?
The mist that had left Xu Min had not only permeated the ones on stage where he had been fighting, but it had also spread to the entire area. Even the other platforms where rankers had been fought had been affected.
"We will stop the heavenly ranking for today. The fights from today will be restarted tomorrow with exception of the one against Xu Min and Li Feng. Li Feng consumed a pill and was disqualified; Xu Min goes on to the next battle." the headmaster announced.
His words surprised everyone. They were sure that Xu Min had used some demonic martial arts. After seeing the headmaster announcing him as the winner, they realized Xu Min's attack was not a demonic spell or curse, but still, it was so deadly, so powerful.
The audience was in an uproar. If this was not a demonic art, then what else was it? What could it possibly be that would leave such an effect on everyone? Even the elf whom he had fought was still unconscious on the stage, surrounded by Immortals which kept checking his pulse and his vitals.
"Everyone return to your dwellings and spend the rest of the day cultivating," another immortal called out. Although these elves and fairies had a lot of theories that they were discussing with one another, they dared not go directly against the orders, and slowly they all moved towards their rooms in the dorms.
Xu Min arrived in the cabin that he had been given and saw that both Cao Cao and Ye Ling were present. They were looking at him with excitement and expectations, clearly waiting to hear how he had done today. When he saw them though he just laughed a little at how ridiculous the day had been; he quickly told them what had happened.
Hearing about what had happened, both Cao Cao and Ye Ling were as indignant as Xu Min. Both started complaining about favoritism and how elves and fairies could not be trusted.
These two beasts and their outbursts made Xu Min laugh a little; the sourness within his heart started to subside.
Although Xu Min was feeling better, deep within him he felt how the hate was rolling and constantly moving around. Fighting the constraints that he had placed upon it, he needed to use some of his energy to keep it pushed down.
"This child has so much hate within his body," one of the Immortals sighed. He was carrying the unconscious elf towards the hospital wing of the academy, "with all that hate I fear that he will not be able to survive when he encounters his heart demon."
Many of the other immortals nodded their heads, all of them seemed to agree with this man, and they all sighed.
"Perhaps he will bring us great things in the future," the headmaster finally said, wanting to not agree nor disagree with the other experts.
"There is no reason to stay here any longer," Xu Min finally decided. "I don't care about winning or losing the heavenly rankings," Xu Min told the beasts with a certainty, "I need to break into the seventh star. Once this happens, then I can move to the Blood Pagoda. I can feel that I am very close to breaking through because of my hate erupting in my body and forcing my potential out."
"Since it is like this, let us go to the Blood Pagoda tomorrow morning," Xu Min decided. "It is quite deep into the Immortal Valley, so I need to travel for quite some time. During this travel, I will battle beast after beast.I am sure that I will reach the seventh star by the time we arrive at the Blood Pagoda. If we don't then we can camp outside of the pagoda for a short while until I break through."
Xu Min had already made up his mind. Since he had decided, he stood up and left the cabin, heading straight for the herb location where Mu Jianyao was living. He had already expected that the day's battles would have been canceled and he was correct. The whole academy ground was empty, no elves or fairies could be seen anywhere.
Xu Min entered the herb garden and walked around for some time, surprised that he could not see Mu Jianyao anywhere. After some time he shook his head and went to the desk where she usually would hand medicines to the students.
Finding pen and paper, Xu Min wrote a message to her, explaining that he was sorry that he could no longer participate in the heavenly rankings. He had a very important place he needed to go, somewhere where he would be able to increase his strength once again.
He wrote down what had happened to him and his sister to explain the hate within him and said that he needed to get revenge before he could let go of the hate within him.
He also made sure to point out that the one who was to take this revenge was him or he would never be satisfied. Thus he had to work harder than ever before. He needed to take this opportunity to be able to increase his strength faster rather than stay and play games with other students who were fighting for nothing more than a rank as the best in an academy. Xu Min needed real experience rather than just sparring matches.
Finally, Xu Min thanked Mu Jianyao for everything she had done for him. Although they had not known each other for long, he had learned better control over his Spiritual Energy, and he had acquired better control over his elemental affinity.
The fire which he had absorbed earlier was now much easier to control. Even though it was still not at the point where he had a domain level of control, he was becoming much better.
Xu Min ended the letter with a promise. He promised that as soon as he had taken care of his revenge, he would return to the academy and spend some more time with them. For now, though, the most important thing in his life was to get revenge.
Finishing the letter, Xu Min returned to his cabin and looked at Cao Cao and Ye Ling. Both were laying down, cultivating. Xu Min quickly packed everything from the cabin into his storage treasure before he looked at the two beasts.
"Although I said we would leave tomorrow, I think it might be better to leave now," he said decisively, "there is something going on, and I wish to avoid being caught."
The two beasts did not care where they were. For them, the most important thing was to be together with Xu Min. Wherever that would be, it doesn't matter.
Leaving the academy, Xu Min sent a glance back at them. Had it not been for the way he was treated, then he would have stayed for a longer time. Nevertheless, now that the hate had erupted, Xu Min understood how big an influence it had on his life. He did not have the time to leisurely live at the Academy. He had to increase his strength as fast as possible so that he could gain his vengeance.
Once he finished his vengeance, then it would be time for him to live. It would finally be time for him to enjoy life. Then he would return to Mu Jianyao and the few friends he had made at the academy.
Thinking like this, Xu Min smiled. He also missed one specific person whom he had left for some time before. He truly missed Yong Meilin, his Meilin, who was working hard as an auctioneer.
Making his way through the Guardian Tree, Xu Min cleared his mind. Now was not the time to think about all the great things waiting for him when he had finished his revenge. Right now all he could focus about was gaining strength for his revenge. The face of his sister kept floating in front of him; he gritted his teeth. The Zhong Family was going to pay for what they had done.
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ChaƄter 125: Returning to the Blood Pagoda
After leaving the academy, Xu Min finally felt he was on the right way again. He had remembered what was important to him, and he knew that he would never find happiness and peace again if he did not exact revenge.
While Xu Min was walking through the forest, he was no longer the smiling and docile person he had been in the academy. The aura around him was sharp as a drawn blade; his eyes were clear and filled with boundless hate and killing intent.
Making their way through the forest, Xu Min, Cao Cao, and Ye Ling came across many magical beasts. However, the majority left as soon as they felt Xu Min and his group appear, disappearing as fast as they could.Only a few had the guts to stay after feeling the killing intent erupting from the three friends. Those who did stay were slain with no second thought.
Soon the killing intent which permeated the air around Xu Min also contained the scent of blood. Fewer and fewer beasts appeared in front of the small group of three.
Even seventh-ranked beasts would shy away from these three. Not only was the killing intent so intense, but also these three experts moved together. Even though they were of a lower rank, the fierceness they displayed was truly frightening.
The path leading to the Blood Pagoda was not well traveled. All the beasts that lived in this area were at most the seventh rank as it was not too deep into the Immortal Valley. Ye Ling knew his way around the Immortal Valley as he had lived there his entire life and made sure that they avoided every family of beast along the way. Although Ye Ling, Cao Cao, and Xu Min were fierce, they might have trouble to fight a full family on their own.
The travel through the Immortal Valley did not take too long. Knowing his way around it only took them nine days to reach the Blood Pagoda. During that time Xu Min had broken through to the seventh star. Defeating one beast after another had solidified his foundations but also boosted his potential.
Reaching the Blood Pagoda, Xu Min was filled with expectations. Last time he had entered the Blood Pagoda he had become much stronger. Becoming one more rank higher, he he he would be ready to face off against the Zhong, family leader.
Xu Min had many tricks up his sleeve. He possessed all the stances that he had stolen from the internal experts in the Immortal Valley Rankings, all of which were of high quality and allowed for him to become a real internal expert with many attacks that others could not compete against.
He also had his external strength where he could become one with the world. He had his sword which could absorb energies and help him go berserk.
Finally,t he also had the spiritual energy from the elf he had consumed and the elemental affinities of wind and fire.
All these things combined made him incredibly strong. So strong in fact that he should be able to compete with anyone below the rank of an Immortal. Though Xu Min assumed that the Zhong family leader had become an eight-star Warrior, he was certain that he did not have the talent to become an Immortal, at least not with the time he had been given.
Reaching the Blood Pagoda, Cao Cao was deeply disturbed while looking at it. It was filled with an eerie atmosphere and heavy air. One could see that it was not a place where one would venture in without knowing about it beforehand.
Seeing this tower again, Xu Min was not filled with dread but intense excitement. He understood that many geniuses had died in the Blood Pagoda, but he also knew that great threats came with great benefits and the more dangerous it was, the stronger he would become.
"I am going to enter. I don't know how long I will be inside for," Xu Min said to Cao Cao and Ye Ling. His voice was honest as he looked at the tall Blood Pagoda with anticipation. "I don't even know if I will come back out again. We have the beast contract between us, so if I am to die, you will know. If I die, I hope you will help me gain revenge in my stead."
Xu Min could not let go of the revenge he had to take. Even if he died, he needed to know that someone else would take his revenge. The two beasts, who had been with him for years already, both nodded their heads. If Xu Min truly died, they would gain strength until they were so strong that they could slaughter the Zhong family, its young master, and its leader.
Seeing that these two agreed, Xu Min felt much calmer. He was going to do anything in his power to stay alive, but if he failed he knew that his revenge would not be completely forgotten.
Still, he wished to take revenge himself. If he wanted others to take the revenge for him, then he would have asked Mu Jianyao or Wang Li. He wanted to kill these people on his own, to make them suffer and to make them become buried with his sister! It was him who had to take this revenge for the peace of his mind!
Sighing deeply and steadying himself, Xu Min looked at the Blood Pagoda. He understood that he could not let his emotions get the better of him before he entered this building.He needed a moment to calm himself.
"I'm going," he said determined to Cao Cao and Ye Ling, who both looked at Xu Min with eyes blazing with excitement. They had seen Xu Min produce one miracle after another, and both of them expected him to produce yet another miracle. Expected of him to return many times stronger than he had been before!
Xu Min opened his closed eyes and breathed out. With determination, he stepped forward and moved to the door of the Blood Pagoda. Entering the tower, a shiver ran through his body, and he appeared on the same platform where he had fought so many experts in the past.
In front of him was the set of stairs that led to the second floor and Xu Min stepped up on top of it, reaching the floor above.
"Welcome back mortal soul!" the familiar voice sounded out once more. The force behind the voice made even Xu Min's decisive soul shudder beneath the immense pressure.
Xu Min said nothing; he just cupped his hands and bowed deeply towards the Blood Pagoda itself. He knew that the voice he heard was the soul of the pagoda.
As to what this soul was, Xu Min was rather curious. It was clearly not a mortal soul, considering how it spoke to Xu Min, referring his soul as mortal. However, was it the soul of an immortal that had died, or what is it a new type of soul?.
Xu Min was curious, but he said nothing, asked nothing and did not even hint at his curiosity. He had his priorities straight, what mattered was not what kind of soul this master of the Blood Pagoda was, but to become stronger and capable of gaining revenge upon the Zhong family.
"Well done, most would ask questions, but you did not. Even though you are curious, your curiosity does not control you. I give you credit for this," the voice suddenly boomed out again, shocking Xu Min.
"I do not care about what you use your strength for." the voice of the pagoda spoke out once more. No matter whether Xu Min spoke or not, his deepest thoughts were laid bare to this pagoda.
"For some reason, I am very talkative today," the pagoda said casually, " I will tell you about myself, and why I don't care what you use your power for."
"I guess you could say that I am the soul of this blood pagoda. More correctly, I think you should say that I am a martial soul."
"A martial soul is an amalgamation of all the souls which have died within this tower."
"Originally this tower had no soul. This was a place where elves and fairies would have their death battles. As more and more people died, more and more souls started to gather within this tower."
"These souls slowly merged with one another, and became the soul of the tower."
"However, We became bored. Not many experts came to fight us any longer, and we were just stuck here. Hearing that every year a specific amount of experts would come and fight we were swayed and said yes."
"Fighters no longer had to battle each other; they came to fight the souls of the deceased. The elves and fairies decided to make it into a training ground. They came to converse with us; they would send a group of experts every year. In return for us training them they would give us endless treasures in return and vice versa. We used them to train us as well."
"We were showered in treasures. Many experts came to fight every single year. Of these experts at least a few would leave their little lives with us and merge with our soul, strengthening us. One day it all stopped. One day the elves and fairies no longer came to participate in the fights, and we lost our entertainment."
"Years went by before magical beasts appeared. The lions appeared, and they decided to use our trials to temper their young ones. Not many of their offspring survived entering the Blood Pagoda. Nonetheless, they were beasts; they had many children. Losing half of them was nothing much."
"Fortunately these lions were quite intelligent, and they too became part of our strength."
"Who would have expected that a human boy would appear, a human boy who would absorb the energy of our soul. You consumed the soul of an elf. This absorption was very similar to how we absorb. It feels familiar. Your sword feels familiar to us."
"But now you understand. The reason we told you is on account of the hate within your heart. It is because of the hate that urges to get revenge that we needed to tell you because the chance of you leaving this tower is incredibly slim. The more hate you have, the harder the last trial will become. You have way more hate than any other being we have ever encountered."
"But before this, you need to get the reward for the trial which you just completed."
"We gave you a task of returning to us after becoming a seven-star warrior. To think you did it as swiftly as you did, we are quite amazed. The reward will be even bigger now that you did it as swiftly as you did. However, if you take this reward, you have to attempt the final trial. As to whether or not you survive, it is up to your ability."
"You can of course also choose to give up now, turn away and not be given another chance at the rewards as well as the chance to become a peerless genius."
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Chapter 126: Heart Demon
Xu Min narrowed his eyes as he heard the words spoken by the soul of the Blood Pagoda. He had come all this way for the sake of the trial. He was not going to give up practical the moment he just stepped in not even if this trial would be near impossible for him.
This trial dealt with everything about hate, and Xu Min was filled with hate. It was a type of hate that consumed him and other people. Nonetheless, he would try. Deep within his heart, he also heaved a heavy sigh of relief. He knew that even if he failed Cao Cao and Ye Ling taking over his revenge.
"I wish to take the test," Xu Min said determinedly. His eyes shone, and his back was straight.
"Kudos to you kid for going all the way." the voice said slightly surprised.
"I have, to be honest with you. I do not think you will be able to survive this trial. Then using your reward for reaching the seventh star will be wasted."
"Because of this, I won't give you the treasure before you finish the last trial. I swear it will not have any effect on your performance if you consume it or not."
Xu Min pouted slightly. He had hoped to feel stronger already; he could not help but mumble "stingy," but he said nothing else and quickly came to terms with the soul's conditions.
"There is no use to waste more time. Let us start the final trial!" Xu Min ordered. He sat down on the floor refusing to move before it started.
"Do not blame me later when you join me; I hate internal strife," the amalgamation laughed with a voice that slowly vanished in the distance. Xu Min became engulfed in sweat as he felt intense pain wreck his body.
The pain felt as if someone was cutting out his heart in his chest. He felt that knives were being stabbed into his body and leaving gaping wounds as if he was being smashed by massive stones.
All this pain was intense; so intense in fact Xu Min could hardly breathe, but he persevered through the pain. He tried clearing his mind and grit his teeth. His body trembled, sweat started to stream down his face, soaking his clothes and revealing just how difficult his current condition was.
Suddenly the pain changed in nature. It was no longer physical but going into the emotional pain of his soul. His soul was corroding, chipped away at small bits and the pain he experienced was many times more painful than what he had experienced before when his body was undergoing torture. Nevertheless, Xu Min did not panic.
He felt that it was impossible to fight this power which was eating up his soul. He also concluded that even though the pain he felt was so intense, it was, nonetheless, not real. It was a test of some sort to see how he would react when he was put in a situation he could not fight.
On the contrary to the soul's response, if his soul was truly eaten up, he could not become a part of the amalgamation. Thus Xu Min reached the conclusion that it was but a trick of some kind and kept calm.
The moment this conclusion appeared in Xu Min's mind the pain of his soul being ripped apart stopped. He descended into an ethereal state where he was neither awake nor asleep.
His mind was sucking in energy from the surrounding areas at the most rapid speed possible, solidifying the foundation of his seventh-star rank.
Energy poured into the body of Xu Min. As soon as he had managed to acquire the foundations of the seventh star solidified he thought he had already gained quite a lot, but his body just kept absorbing more and more energy as his rank kept climbing. Soon he had reached the middle rank of the seventh star, but even still his body kept absorbing energy at a rapid rate.
Xu Min was very well aware that this insane speed of energy absorption was only possible because he had the assistance of the Blood Pagoda.
"Don't be complacent," the voice of the amalgamation spoke out once more, "You might have passed through the first part of the trial, but the first part is the easy part. I have yet to see anyone fail it. Everyone who has reached this stage has managed to pass the first part of the trial. Whereas only a handful have succeeded the second part of the trial."
Although the amalgamation said these words to make him less confident in himself, the words caused a completely different feeling within Xu Min.
He was feeling competitive but also relieved. So far a handful of all the geniuses who had reached this step had managed to succeed in the final trial meaning that it was not impossible. If Xu Min gave it his all, he might stand a chance too.
Laughter rung through the walls in the Blood Pavilion as the amalgamation saw the change in Xu Min's personality. The spirit's voice sounded out, "since you are so set on becoming the next champion of the Blood Pagoda, please do not hesitate to let me tell you about the trial you will experience once your body stops absorbing this energy of the heavens and the earth!"
"The trial is quite simple. Every single expert of a certain level will have to go through it. Though most experts do not have to experience it before they become Immortals!"
"This trial is to face your heart demon!"
"Every person has a demon in their heart. The more anger and hate they carry the stronger this demon is. Facing this heart demon is deadly. One mistake and your path of cultivation will be shattered; one mistake and even your soul will not be left unscathed."
"A heart demon is the final way to temper your soul and allow for your body to take the final transformation. As soon as you have faced your heart demon, your soul will be the same level as the souls of an Immortal. You will face no bottlenecks in your future cultivation. All you will need to become an Immortal is to gather enough energy of the essence of the heavens and the earth, and you will succeed."
"Unfortunately nothing is ever that simple." the blood pagoda snickered while it continued to speak, "You have a heart filled with darkness, a heart filled with the stench of blood. You have killed more people than I can count; everything has been done in the name of vengeance. Your heart demon is strong! So strong that even I cannot imagine just how terrible this trial will be for you."
Xu Min considered all that was told to him. However, he held his head held high, and his brows calm and confident. "I will face this heart demon with my strength! If it is not enough, then I can only blame myself for being weak!" Xu Min said decisively with a voice filled with determination. He knew that in this world strength was absolute. Although he was not the biggest genius around when he did not have his sword to depend on. Moreover, he was not the strongest expert in the trials of the Blood Pagoda's history; he was without a doubt the calmest and most collected one.
Xu Min had an ability that the others did not have. Because of his urge to win the fight against the Zhong family, he was very calm and decisive. As long as he saw a slim chance of success, he would rush towards this ray of light and not let anything stop him.
Although the Amalgamation was certain that Xu Min would not succeed this endeavor, Xu Min still did not give up. He did not become filled with fear even after hearing he would soon face his heart demon.
To be honest, when one looked at Xu Min's face, all they saw was anticipation. One had to fight the heart demon at some point in life. Even though most fought it at the same time as they were about to reach the Immortal rank, some would face their heart demon earlier, and this was of great benefit to them.
The sooner one faced their heart demon the more time for improvement one had; the stronger one would become.
Even Immortals had different ranks amongst themselves. The ones who had undergone the heart demon trial before they became Immortals had a longer time for their souls to mature. In the long run, this was easier for them to reach the peak of the Immortal rank.
Taking a deep breath, Xu Min steeled himself. A space around him twisted and churned as he was moved to a specific place in the Blood Pagoda, a place where everything was dark at first. Slowly his eyes got used to the darkness. He found that a small red hue appeared as time went by.
As time went by Xu Min waited for his heart, which had been clenched tight in worry, to slowly settle down. He could observe the surrounding areas with a calm heart and mind.
The red hue turned to a red light. Soon Xu Min saw a small red gem appearing in front of him. This red gem was at first the shape of a small gem. As time went on Xu Min noticed that it was not that the room became brighter because of the red gem, but the red gem was absorbing all the darkness from within the room.
This darkness started to be molded into the figure of a small child. In front of Xu Min was the child of the young master looking the same as the day when Xu Min had escaped the Zhong family compound.
Xu Min's eyes blazed with killing intent. His energy erupted from his body. One with the world, wind domain, radiant jade shower, the sword. All the tricks that Xu Min had up his sleeve were being displayed. The power he released was so outstanding that even an eight-star warrior would feel his heart clench and his life flash in front of his eyes.
Although this much power appeared, the face of the young man, who had killed his sister remained unfazed throughout the entire process. Moving a single hand,he managed to defend against the swordlight. He easily dispelled the wind blades, and even the thousands of jade shards from the radiant jade shower were nothing.
Smiling wickedly, the child just stood there, ready to face any onslaught that Xu Min brought down upon him, but anything he did was useless.
The more Xu Min tried, the more exhausted he became, both physically and mentally. Even so, there was no way for him to even wound the clothes of this young man.
After having rained down attack after attack on top of this young child, Xu Min finally regained consciousness. So far he had acted solely on the anger which had exploded the moment he had seen the child, but after getting thoroughly defeated, Xu Min understood that something was not right.
Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes he noticed that the child started frowning. Something was not right, but as to what it was, Xu Min did not know.
"This is my heart demon," he said to himself, "The demon within my heart is the young master of the Zhong family. He caused me to feel this agony. However, at the same time, this situation shaped me into who I am today."
"I need to find a way to defeat this heart demon; it cannot be impossible!" Xu Min was filled with determination. His body started blazing with a golden sheen.
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Chapter 127: Emotions
The golden hue on Xu Min's body caused the young master to flinch and retreat. The figure who had previously been completely calm against all of Xu Min's attacks was now retreating rapidly. He had a dark sneer on his face, and his eyes were filled with fear and hesitation.
Pondering, Xu Min wondered what to do in the middle of this heart demon trial. Was the young master setting up a trap or was he genuinely afraid of this golden hue? Xu Min did not know, but he quickly concluded that it was worth a try. If it proved to be a trick, then he would get beaten. However, if it were not a trick, then he would end up regretting it the rest of his life, which most likely would be a rather short amount of time.
Xu Min's eyes turned serious; he grit his teeth and took one step forward, one after another. He held the sword in his hands and noticed that the sword was also shining with the same golden hue as before.
The closer he came to the young master, the more panicked he seemed. He even went as far as to send out attacks.
The real young master could not be as high leveled as this figure was. The attacks he sent out were all around the eight-star warrior rank; all of them were a mixture of spiritual energy, elemental affinity, stances and physical attacks.
All of them were filled with a force that was no weaker than Xu Min's power. If it were not for the sake of Xu Min being surrounded by the golden light, then he would have had a hard time protecting himself. However, the moment the attacks came into contact with Xu Min's golden shine, they would diminish in power, and Xu Min could block it with no problems at all.
At this point, Xu Min sneered again, and a cold gleam appeared in his eyes. The golden sheen seemed to help him survive. Thus he could also use it to destroy the heart demon in front of him.
Stepping forward one step after another, the heart demon in shape of the young master could no longer move further away. His face was filled with unwillingness. His appearance was similar to how Xu Min expected the real young master to look when he was cornered and slaughtered by himself.
The more anger rose within Xu Min, the dimmer the golden light became and slowly a smile appeared on the young master's face.
"Don't think you can trick me!" Xu Min exclaimed as he closed his eyes once more and calmed his heart. He imagined a lake in front of him, a lake with no ripples just a calm surface. That was how his heart should be.
Xu Min quickly realized the heart demon was doing anything in it's power to cause Xu Min to succumb to his emotions. Not just the emotions of anger, but also pain or agony. Allowing for any emotion to take over his body was enough to make the heart demon succeed.
Realizing this Xu Min became even more attentive to what happened around him, his mind was steeled towards finishing this as soon as possible. Just as he pressed closer and closer to the young master, the face suddenly changed. It now looked like the old overseer Tian, the man whom Xu Min had treated as his father back in the sect.
Seeing this man, Xu Min's emotions went into a turmoil. He had looked up to him for such a long time, but at the last moment, he was betrayed. Even now he still remembered the words spoken by this man; even now he still remembered how Overseer Tian had rushed after him for a very long time within the forest surrounding the Zhong family compound.
When Xu Min was a child, Overseer Tian was the most important man in his life. Xu Min felt the golden sheen becoming dull. His emotions were filled with hate and anger and a slight bit of nostalgia. As he thought about it, Xu Min closed his eyes once more.
"It won't be that easy," he mumbled as he took a deep breath and slowly started to remind himself that what was in front of him was not real. He needed to remind himself that everything around him was created by his heart demon, and it was not real.
Unfortunately, the emotions were not there because of the heart demon; they were just triggered because of it. The emotions were true and had been in his heart ever since he was a small child running away from the Zhong family compound. These emotions had grown a root in his heart long ago, but it was impossible for Xu Min to get rid of them.
This was the reason that the amalgamation was certain that Xu Min would succumb to this heart demon. If it had just been about hate and revenge, then it would be possible to survive it. However, when there was such hate as revenge, there is usually someone who had been loved deeply, someone who cared for much more than one's self. As long as this emotion prevailed or came out of control, the heart demon would win.
The heart demon was currently trying to do exactly this. It was trying to involve the love and care that Xu Min had experienced to make him lose himself in the care he once received.
Fortunately for Xu Min, this heart demon had chosen to take Overseer Tian and show him this man's appearance. Although he had long since considered him his father, he had also been betrayed by this person and thus the man was dead in his heart.
For Xu Min, there were two kinds of people in the world. One of them was the ones who had been the cause of his sister's death and those who had hunted him and wanted him dead. The other group of people was those who did not wish to kill him.
In Xu Min's world, there were two groups of people. If you were a part of the first group, Xu Min would kill you. The second group consisted of people Xu Min would not kill.
Seeing that the golden hue on his body was returning even faster than it had vanished, the face of Overseer Tian was turning grim. He looked at Xu Min with an angry face. It was clear that he only had one possibility left to try, though, he had wished not to do so.
Xu Min, who was looking at the heart demon, was at first surprised. He could guess what this demon was planning, but he hoped that it would not.
Xu Min's eyes narrowed at the same time while the eyes of Overseer Tian narrowed. Two seconds after, the heart demon looked exactly like his older sister as she had looked the day on her death.
"I already saw her in a previous challenge. Is this the best you can do?" Xu Min asked with bated breath. Although he had seen her before, he was feeling uncomfortable seeing her again. Although he loved her, he had long since understood she was dead. When she came back to life something was wrong.
Xu Min had expected that his sister would look at him and ask for pity; he steeled his heart, but when he looked at his sister something was wrong.
Her face was not filled with teary eyes and a pitiful expression. Rather, her eyes were hostile, and her teeth bared in a hateful grin with manic eyes.
"I died because of you!" she suddenly screeched with her familiar voice. The words completely stunned Xu Min so much that he could barely move. Let alone speak.
"Had you been a good boy who played with the other children and knew your position as a servant boy then I would never have died!"
"If you had not displayed your superiority and made the young master jealous then I would still be alive!"
"Everything is your fault! It was not the young master who killed me but you! You are the bane of my existence. If you wish to punish someone, punish yourself!"
The more she spoke, the paler Xu Min became. He was aware that this was the heart demon; nonetheless, he was realized that every single word his pseudo sister said was correct. He was indeed the one who had caused his sister to die. The thought had crossed his mind many times during the many years he had trained solely for the purpose of getting the revenge.
The golden hue on his body and sword vanished slowly; it was being removed as Xu Min fell deeper and deeper into his despair.
The sister whom he loved, the sister whom he adored and the sister whom he had given his whole life to revenge was enough to make him sink into despair. The heart demon was powerful. It's most effective and powerful appearance was the one of his sister and his guilt. He was overwhelmed with the emotions.
Xu Min was all alone. He usually had either Cao Cao or Ye Ling by his side. Now he had no one to rely upon, and his heart was aching. His mind went black as he thought about how his sister had died because of him. Perhaps it was best that he died. Perhaps he was truly the reason for her death.
Slumping to the ground, Xu Min looked at the hateful expression on his sister's face and sighed deeply. It was clearly the truth. He had known it all along, but it was the emotion he had hidden the deepest within himself and never before allowed it to emerge.
Now he saw how the hideous expression of his sister, his heart was heavy and his eyes did not even want to do anything else than looking at his sister and wait for his end.
As he had reached this point, no golden hue remained, no sheen or luster. Instead, a darkness started to permeate his body and made the surrounding areas harder to see.
With a final look at his sister, Xu Min noticed that she no longer had a malicious expression on her face but instead smiled. A gentle, happy smile, the smile that Xu Min was used to see every single day; the smile he knew his sister used every time she would speak with him.
"Something is not right," Xu Min said to himself in the middle of the darkness that was descending upon him in at a rapid pace.
"My sister loved me as much as I love her. She would never blame me for her death even if I were the one who caused her to die. She would do nothing but accept it. She would never harbor a grudge against me, much like I never would against her."
"This is the heart demon! The guilt might be mine, but my sister would never approve of it! She would never blame me! My sister loved me, and this love is all that I need!"
Xu Min suddenly became stronger and stronger. His mental fortitude got stronger and stronger., His eyes started to focus once more, and the darkness started to withdraw again. The gentle smile on his sister's face turned sour. The eyes widened, and a screech erupted from her mouth as she charged forward, raising her nails like claws and her teeth turned to fangs. The sister he loved turned into looking like a demon, a true heart demon!
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