Ancient Strengthening Technique

by Stayrr

A man named Qing Shui, who transcended dimensions and arrived in the Kyushu continent. Storms of blood and wind, resulting in corpses and bones strewn about are extremely common here. The young warrior Qing Shui forged ahead in his path to cultivate, using 10 years to train himself, only to seek vengeance for the one who had forsaken his mother!

2. 34 - 65

Read Ancient Strengthening Technique - Chapter 34 – Iaido online free - Light Novel Full

Chapter 34 Iaido.

Ancient Strengthening Technique Chapter 34 – Iaido

Qing Shui assiduously started his practice to master the way of Iaido, he stood there as images of sword shadows flashed through his mind as he visualized the most simplistic of all sword movements.

After he became exhausted, Qing Shui would take a break and drink water from the pond, eat the wild beasts that he had hunted and even read his books. There were a few times whereby Qing Shui was tempted to pluck the Energy Enhancing Fruit and eat them, but whenever he saw the glistening red color of the fruit, he would unconsciously reject the notion. This unconscious rejection was not born out of the fear that the fruit would be poisonous, however the actual reason was unknown to Qing Shui.

"Why the rush? There is always time, let's wait for a while longer before I consume the Energy Enhancing Fruits." Qing Shui decided to temporarily shelve the idea as he started reading the Continental Medical Annal, 10,000 Herbal Encyclopedia and Herbal Combination Formula again. This was already the second time he read them, not to mention the fact that he had already memorized all of the contents in all three books! However, despite that, Qing Shui knew that he should only stop reading them when he had reached the point of forming an opinion regarding the theories behind the contents! It was only when he reached the point of forming his own opinions that he would be able to review the old and gain new knowledge. Only then would he be qualified to be a teacher!

Of course, he did not neglect the Basic Swords Techniques, in fact, practicing his sword techniques became the main point of Qing Shui's focus during this period of time. If people from the World of the Nine Continents knew that Qing Shui was so obsessed and expended such a huge amount of time and efforts in mastering the sort of simplistic movement of drawing the sword and returning it back to the scabbard, they would undoubtedly call him a foolish madman.

Qing Shui relentlessly practiced his Iaido Technique, he must have already reached the point of executing it hundreds of thousands to millions of times. Practice makes perfect, Qing Shui firmly believed that as long as he practiced this set of simplistic sword movements for a few hundred million times, he would definitely turn this ordinary looking technique into something miraculous!

What Qing Shui wanted, was exactly the effect of turning something ordinary looking into something miraculous! Because Basic Sword Techniques, formed the foundation of all sword users, as long as one assiduously practiced the basics to the pinnacle, the foundation they built would be tough and solid. This would enable them to reach greater and greater heights in the way of the sword in the future!

Another month passed, inside the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal Qing Shui had already been practicing the Iaido technique for 3 years… It could be said that in the whole wide world, only Qing Shui had this way of thinking. Only with sufficient determination would one be willing to expend this much time and effort on something like this.

Time after time he practiced the particular movement set of drawing and returning. Qing Shui had no idea how many wooden staves he had damaged over time. In the beginning, the wooden staves he used were only as thin as the width of a thumb. However, as he progressively improved, the wooden staff he used began to get thicker and thicker and now, it was the size of a wrist!

Everytime, he practiced the Iaido Technique, the amount of friction generated from the force of the movement would be too tough for a normal wooden staff to handle. Qing Shui had to forage for a long time before he found the rare Scryrius Ironwood and fashioned it into a sword. The Scryrius Ironwood was famed for its toughness. Back when he was in the Qing Clan, he remembered seeing furniture made from this type of wood, which was why he recognized this material when he saw it.

What Qing Shui didn't know however, was that other than furniture, there were also plenty of other weapons out there which were created from Scryrius Ironwood.

After finding it, Qing Shui decided to practice against something instead of just solo practice the simplistic set of movements, He stood atop the peak of a high mountain, surveying all four directions, trying to find a good location for his sword practice. Now, it was already August. The climate had turned chilly, but despite only wearing a thin layer of clothes Qing Shui did not fear the cold at all. His constitution had improved to such an extent that, even if he was half naked, the chill would not bother him.

Qing Shui unconcernedly and casually strutted down the mountain, trying to look for a suitable place. He passed by a hillside where there stood a gigantic tree, so large that it would require numerous people to join hands before they could hug it. A gentle breeze blew over, making the yellowed and reddish leaves begin to flutter in the air, falling from the tree branches and landing all over the ground.

Instinctively, Qing Shui executed his Iaido technique and pierced a leaf with the wooden sword he had fashioned out of Scryrius Ironwood. Following this, he continued piercing leaves. A second leaf, a third leaf…… but ultimately, there were still plenty of leaves that fell to the ground.

Qing Shui's current weapon was a wooden sword fashioned from Scryrius Ironwood, it looked simple and crude, but one could not question its toughness. Before this, he had been using staves to practice the sword techniques… However, in the end, a staff is still a staff and is unable to bring out the essence behind the sword arts. So Qing Shui, using his tyrannical strength, had fashioned the staves into the shape of a sword!

Qing Shui momentarily paused and extended his left fist, sending out a punch against the trunk of the gigantic tree. After which, the impact caused numerous leaves to flutter down from the skies as he brandished the wooden sword and charged towards them.

In the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal, other than practicing his sword techniques, he had also been training his Ghostly Steps. Now, using the unfathomable mysterious Ghostly Steps technique in his footwork, Qing Shui was like a fish in water, fluidly moving amongst the leaves as he stabbed towards them from different angles.

Despite only using a technique that seemed deceptively simple, it was actually filled with profoundness. No matter the angle or direction, Qing Shui could unleash a torrent of sword stabs that were unparalleled in speed!

Qing Shui spent all of his time punching the gigantic tree and then attack the falling leaves, only after the poor tree was entirely devoid of leaves did he move on in search of other gigantic trees.

In the middle of his search, he came across a large bird that tried to ambush him. Of course, this bird was not as gigantic nor as ferocious as the previous White-headed Inky Jade Condor. Upon discovering the ambush attempt, just using a single strike, Qing Shui executed his Iaido Technique and pierced through the head of the large bird. Despite the grievous injury, the large bird still managed to fly away. It was because his current sword was fashioned out of a staff. The length of it left much to be desired, and it was unable to pierce all the way through to the brain of that huge bird.

Qing Shui sighed, the length of this sword was too short, if he had a larger and longer sword, he was absolutely certain that he would have been able to kill that bird earlier. His current sword could be considered akin to that of a mosquito bite. No matter how fiercely a mosquito bites, it is still unable to kill a person!

Especially when it comes to beasts with huge stature, it would be exceedingly tough for Qing Shui to kill them with a single strike to the head with his current sword. Conversely, if the opponent he faced was a human, he was certain that he would have no troubles at all.

As time passed and all the trees in the vicinity were stripped naked due to Qing Shui. Qing Shui knew that it was finally time for him to return back to the Qing Clan.

Qing Shui had left home for almost half a year! It was going to be November soon. For this past half year, all the leaves in the vicinity had served as target practice for Qing Shui sword technique.

"One more month should be sufficient for me to rush back to the Qing Village," Qing Shui exclaimed.

This decision to depart the Qing Village was a right one, doing so had gained Qing Shui tons of benefits. The greatest benefit Qing Shui received was not from the mastery of his Iaido Technique but the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal! After months of arduous practice, Qing Shui had already reached a frightening level with regards to his way of the sword. Amongst the thousands of fallen leaves, if one looked closely, one would find an opening created by a sword stab in the center of every leaf. Other than that, if Qing Shui so wished, he could have bunched all the leaves together with his Iaido technique, letting none of them touch the ground. [1]

This was the realm that Qing Shui's mastery of the sword had reached! The total amount of time he had spent on it could be considered close to 10 years! As the saying goes, '10 years to train a sword', he took precisely 10 years to master this single technique, profoundness in simplicity!

Other than using 2 hours everyday to cultivate inside of the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal, the remainder of his time was used to travel. Looking at all the majestic mountains surrounding him, Qing Shui could not help but feel that humans were just too insignificant. Qing Shui sped in the direction of the Qing Village as he could not wait to get back home.

His Ancient Strengthening Technique, was still stuck at the 48th cycle, no matter what he did, he was unable to break through the bottleneck. Despite this failure, Qing Shui was immensely excited. He believed that as long as he could manage to reach the 49th cycle, then he would break into the 4th heavenly layer of the Ancient Strengthening Technique!

During the night, after ending his cultivation practice inside the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal, Qing Shui helplessly sighed… That bottleneck was akin to a huge mountain blocking his path, no matter what he did he was unable to budge it the slightest… there was no hope of him breaking through!

At this moment, he inclined his head and looked up at the 10 blood-red, glistening fruits that hung on the Energy Enhancing Tree.

"Maybe it's time for me to consume the Energy Enhancing Fruits?"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Ancient Strengthening Technique Chapter 35 – Consumption of the Energy Enhancing Fruits

Qing Shui glanced at the 10 glistening, blood-red Energy Enhancing Fruits, the thought of eating them and gaining 500 jin of strength directly was extremely appealing to him. It's a pity that there was the limitation that a human could only consume two Energy Enhancing fruits in their lifetime, because of that, eating more would be pointless. If there was no limit to the stacking effect, he would definitely abuse this to the maximum, and gain an additional 5000 jin of strength every year.

The current Qing Shui, who already possessed a strength level of 15,000 jin, was not overly enamored by the effects granted by Energy Enhancing Fruits. It was only an increment of 500 jin was it not? Not enough to get flustered over. However, as the saying goes, even though the amount of meat a mosquito has is small, it is still meat. [1] Not to mention, he was still sorely unable to break through the bottleneck of the 3rd heavenly layer of the Ancient Strengthening Technique. Although the probability was miniscule, there was still the possibility that consuming the Energy Enhancing Fruits would allow him to break through.

After thinking it through, Qing Shui went in front of the sturdy and vigorous looking Energy Enhancing Tree and sized up the 10 glistening, blood-red Energy Enhancing Fruits. He allowed their savory smell to waft over him before he extended one of his hands and plucked one of the Energy Enhancing Fruit off the branch of the tree.

"Ai! This cannot be possible right? I cannot pluck it off?" Qing Shui estimated that earlier, when he attempted to pluck the fruit off, he had only used a few dozen jin worth of strength, but unexpectedly, he was unable to pluck the fruit off the branch! Not only that, the sturdy Energy Enhancing Tree did not even budge an inch when Qing Shui exerted his strength!

Excellent! Excellent! Qing Shui exclaimed in wonder, after which he exerted even more strength, but he still failed to pluck the fruit from the tree. This time around, Qing Shui had used a few hundred jin worth of strength!

"F*ck!" Getting impatient, Qing Shui directly used an even greater amount of strength and finally succeeded in plucking the Energy Enhancing Fruit. Thinking back, during the moment he succeeded, the strength level he exerted should have been around 500 jin worth of strength!

Qing Shui was absorbed in his thoughts, eating an Energy Enhancing Fruit that gave an increment of 500 jin worth of strength actually required the strength level of 500 jin to pluck the fruit off the branch. This was the first time he had come across such a bizarre thing. However, he was not that surprised by it, as there were even more bizarre things in the World of the Nine Continents. After all, wasn't the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal even more bizarre? Shrugging it off, Qing Shui unconcernedly shook his head. Ever since the day when the Ancient Strengthening Technique appeared in his mind, his ability to comprehend bizarre stuff exceeded that of normal humans!

This fruit, could never have be plucked by an ordinary human….

The size of the Energy Enhancing Fruit was just about the size of Qing Shui's palm, it was emanating slight waves of heat when held. If the Energy Enhancing Fruit was held more tightly, one could feel a scorching heat emanate from it. Looking at the glistening fruit, Qing Shui experimentally took a bite out of it.

En, the texture was a bit tough and a bit crispy, but an extremely savory taste spread out in his mouth, giving rise to an alluring scent! Very quickly, the entire Energy Enhancing Fruit was devoured by Qing Shui! The most surprising thing was that the Energy Enhancing Fruit actually had no seed! After it was eaten, the fruit released waves of fiery Qi that arose from his Dantian, circulated through all of his energy channels and meridians, infusing his body with boundless strength!

Qing Shui activated the Ancient Strengthening Technique as his whole body slowly took on a reddish hue. When compared to his regular attempts at activating the Ancient Strengthening Technique, there was currently a lax but extremely comfortable feeling as he circulated the 48th cycle of Qi. At this moment, Qing Shui finally opened his eyes, but instead of his usual confident expression, there were hints of confusions to be seen in his eyes!

Although he did not manage to break through the bottleneck, Qing Shui was not confused about that. Instead, he was extremely puzzled as to why consuming the Energy Enhancing Fruit actually increased his strength by 2000 jin instead of the 500 jin mentioned! In addition, other than increasing his strength level, the Energy Enhancing Fruit also tempered the tendons and bones of the user! Not only that, there was even the slight effect of impurities cleansing! Too bad that Qing Shui had already undergone two rounds of impurities cleansing. Because of that, this particular effect of consuming the Energy Enhancing Fruit was not displayed. Still, he could not help but be awestruck… This type of fruit, in the hands of a normal human would certainly be considered a great heavenly sent opportunity!

"I thought the description stated that a fruit would only increase one's strength by 500 jin?" Qing Shui scratched his head and had no conclusions despite pondering over it for half a day. In any case, it was not disadvantageous for him, after all, a greater increase was always better than a smaller increase right?

Since there was the limit of two fruits, Qing Shui wasted no time and directly consumed the second Energy Enhancing Fruit. This time around, he did not pause to savor the taste and directly swallowed it. After eating, he could not help but curse "F*!" He only gained an increase of 500 jin of strength!

Reasons flashed through his mind as Qing Shui attempted to make sense of the situation. Could it be, that one could gain greater increase in strength from their first consumption of the fruit? Or was it because his body was special? Maybe it was because he was the current sovereign of the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal…..

After ingesting both of the Energy Enhancing Fruits, Qing Shui gained an increase of about 2,500 jin of strength. This increase in strength could not be looked down upon as it was an approximate increase of 20% of his original strength level. After all, the Ancient Strengthening Technique was a heaven defying technique which focused on tempering the body of the cultivator. It's main focus was on bodily strength and defense; overall it was a technique to strengthen one's entire body!

Looking atop the tree branches, there were still eight more glistening blood-red Energy Enhancing Fruits. Qing Shui plucked them off and bundled them up in a cloth, preparing to gift two of the fruits to Qing Yi and two to Qing Luo when he returned to the Qing Village. Qing Shui had not yet decided how to distribute of the rest of the fruits. In any case, after a year, 100 years would have passed in the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal and he would have 10 more Energy Enhancing Fruits!

During this period of time, Qing Shui also discovered that the crystal clear water inside the pond of the spatial realm would automatically refill itself to it's original level after every reset. Qing Shui was ecstatic on this discovery as he knew that this water was not ordinary water, it had mystical properties! After that he took a look at the purplish soil underneath his feet and pondered: "Should I plant something here? If I don't, it would be a waste of fertile land, but what should I plant? Ahh, I know, herbs with medicinal properties!"

After this period of time, Qing Shui was already extremely knowledgeable about Herbal Medicine and Dan Medicine. That was why he wanted to plant crops of medicinal herbs inside the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal. The best thing that could happen was that he managed to plant the valuable and expensive herbs. However, currently, Qing Shui did not even have the seedlings for the cheapest and most common herbs, which was why the Realm of Violet Jade Immortal was still bare.

Holding the thick and heavy wooden sword in his hand, in an moment of impulse, he decided to carve three words onto the crude looking body of the wooden sword.

Even when rushing on the road, trying to return to the Qing Clan as fast as possible, Qing Shui would still hold the wooden sword in his hand, inadvertently practicing his Iaido Technique. There was a saying that a sword user must reach the state of where the sword never left one's hand. Qing Shui was trying to get a feel of that stage.

"I will soon reach home, the year is almost ending, not to forget about my celebration of coming-of-age. Also, after this year I will be considered an adult, able to marry beautiful wives and father many children, as well as struggle for survival in the World of the Nine Continents on my own."

The Qing Clan could also be considered a Cultivator Clan, which was why people from the Qing Clan tended to marry later. For example, eldest grandson Qing Zi had not married yet. This was because, after getting married, it would be bad if they started to enjoy married life too much and indulged in the pleasure of lovemaking to the point of neglecting their cultivation.

So typically, it was those who had low talent in cultivation that could be allowed to marry a wife early and give birth to children. After they started their own family they would then help the Qing Clan handle their various businesses!

In the eyes of the Qing Clan, Qing Shui was placed in the classification of those that were allowed to start their own family. After all, in the eyes of his clan members, he was nothing but trash. There would not be much progress even if he chose to continue on the path of cultivation.

Qing Shui thought about the World of the Nine Continents, especially the region where the Qing Clan was currently residing. Most families would allow their children to marry around the ages of 16-18 and would be considered an elder after they reached the age of 20!

Regarding this type of early age marriage, Qing Shui was unsure of his own feelings towards it. He knew that in his previous world, marriage was only legal when the male was 22 years old and the female was 20. However, if he took into account his real age, then Qing Shui was already 30 this year. He had hoped that he would be able find a ravishing beauty to be his permanent bed warmer too.

The moment he thought of women, his thoughts would drift to Shi Qing Zhuang, he could only helplessly sigh because Shi Qing Zhuang was the most beautiful woman he had seen who was unrelated to him, but she was already the fiancee of that arrogant jackass, Situ Bu Fan. Regarding those jade-like beauties from the nearby regions, they were either already betrothed to someone or they were underaged lolis!

Qing Shui, for the nearby regions at least, he did not want to bed other people's wives. He also had no interests in lolis. The only type of women that could catch his interest were those that were older than him. Shi Qing Zhuang fits this bill perfectly…..

[1] I'm pretty sure that the author invented this saying. lol I couldn't find anything remotely similar to this. What he meant was that despite the increase in strength being small, there was still an increase in strength.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Ancient Strengthening Technique: Chapter 36 – Return to the Qing Clan

As the year drew to a close, Qing Shui, carrying his backpack, finally arrived at the summit of the western mountains near the Qing Clan. The skies had already faded to a reddish yellow as dusk approached. As Qing Shui gazed into the far-off direction, at the entrance of the Qing Mansion, he saw an unforgettable silhouette. That graceful bearing and that charming appearance, it was as if it had been engraved onto his heart, unforgettable for all eternity.

What Qing Shui saw was the silhouette of Qing Yi. At the instant he saw her, an indescribable feeling of warmth materialized in his heart. Unknowingly, his pace got quicker and quicker and reached a terrifying speed as he sped over to Qing Yi.

"Mother!" Tears involuntarily dripped down his face as Qing Shui felt very blessed at this moment. Thinking back on his experiences for the half past year as well as the time when he almost died, but still, he eventually survived and finally returned home to see his mother.

Hearing the familiar voice, Qing Yi felt a shudder in her heart. Looking ahead, she saw Qing Shui lunging forward and she tightly embraced him.

"Ah, my child, why are you crying? Let mother take a good look at you, hmm your hair has grown longer, you have matured, and you have even grown taller!" Qing Yi gently patted Qing Shui's forehead as she started to tidy his unkempt hair.

"Ai, what happened Shuier? Why is there suddenly a violet dot on your forehead? Strangely enough, it looks really good on you." Qing Yi asked while she curiously touched that speck of violet-colored pearl in the middle of Qing Shui's brow

"Eh, n.. nothing, I do not know what happened either, maybe an unknown bug bit me.After all, I have been travelling for half a year!" Qing Shui hurriedly found an excuse to starve off Qing Yi's question. Luckily for him, in the past 2 months, the once shiny, violet-colored speck of jade pearl had dimmed a little and was no longer as eye-catching!

"Mother dearest, why are you here, do you not need to visit Hundred Miles City before the new year?"

"Haha, who would have thought that there would be such a coincidence, I came out today in the hopes of seeing Shuier, and Shuier really did appear! Since Shuier is here, this year, I will not return to Hundred Miles City." Qing Yi cheekily pinched the cheeks of Qing Shui as she smiled, happiness apparent in her eyes.

Qing Shui felt extremely emotional in his heart, he didn't know for how long Qing Yi had stood there, waiting for him to come back, but he knew that this was certainly not the first day Qing Yi waited for him outside of the entrance to the Qing Mansion.

"Mother, Shuier has matured, in the future let me share your worries and burdens for you, alright? Do not worry and just let me handle it." Qing Shui glanced at Qing Yi, gratitude almost overwhelming him to the point that he did not know what to say. Despite this, he knew that because of the love they shared, there was no need for him to actually say anything.

"Let us go home, it is going to be a new year in a few days. Mother shall personally tailor a new clothes for you to try on." Qing Yi said as they both walked in the direction of the Qing Mansion.

Looking at the Qing Clan, Qing Shui did not feel like anything had changed, now that the year was coming to an end, he could sense the festive atmosphere everywhere. For instance, at the entrance of Qing Clan, and other families nearby, there were big red lanterns as well as some colored satin sashes hanging atop the entrances, fluttering in the wind. Looking around, he saw the kids of the various families running about as they played in the streets, while the older generations of the families would be shopping for new year goods in the bustling marketplace.

Another year was arriving!

After walking into the Qing Mansion, the only thing that made Qing Shui puzzled was that the normally cold family members actually took their own initiative to warmly greet him as he walked past. As such, Qing Shui too smiled back in response.

"Qing Shui, you are back! Did you just returned?" Qing Hai, looking as if he was about to go out, after seeing Qing Shui and Qing Yi, stopped and warmly welcomed him back even without giving Qing Shui the chance to speak.

"It is good that you are back, your mother had been standing at the entrance for every day, from dawn to dusk, for almost a month! Now that you are back, you must properly take care of your mother!" Qing Hai quickly left after speaking, as he did not want to meet Qing Yi's fiery gaze.

"Mo… mother…" Qing Shui stuttered for a moment before his voice gave up.

Qing Shui knew that he was very important in Qing Yi's heart, although previously she had agreed to let Qing Shui leave the Qing Village, he knew that she had done so very reluctantly. Despite the worries in her mind and the fear in her heart, she did not say a single word. She had always been alone, suffering in silence.

After awhile, they arrived at the courtyard which belonged to the both of them. After entering the room, Qing Shui took off his backpack and thought of the eight Energy Enhancing Fruits in it.

"Mother, somehow, I fortuitously came across these fantastic fruits during my travels." As he was talking, Qing Shui opened his backpack and took out the glistening blood-red Energy Enhancing Fruits.

"Hundred-Year Fiery Power Fruit!" Qing Yi exclaimed, shocked to her core!

Qing Shui himself was startled too. To think that the Energy Enhancing Fruits from the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal could actually be identified in the outside world as well. Well, might as well, this saves him the trouble of explaining.

"Mother, you can identify this fruit!?"Qing Shui asked, dumbstruck.

"This is the Hundred-Year Fiery Power Fruit, it only grows in the vicinity of thousand-year old volcanoes, it takes a hundred years for them to mature, and once matured, every fruit will increases a human's strength by 500 jin after consumption. And that is not all, it can also improve one's constitution! Furthermore, this fruit only grows under exceptional circumstances as the requirements are exceedingly harsh to meet, so this fruit could be said to be incomparably valuable. If one use this fruit as a ingredient for pill concoction, the grade of the end product concocted will at least be of the Precious Grade!" Qing Yi explained.

Regarding the effects, Qing Shui already knew all of it, it was just the fruit's name that was different. Qing Shui could only sigh in his heart, when he learned that the fruit was named as Energy Enhancing Fruit, he already felt that it sounded stupid, who could have imagined that this new name, the "Hundred-Year Fiery Power Fruit" would sound even more retarded!

"What a pity!"

"What is a pity?" Qing Shui looked at Qing Yi who was staring at the fruits with emotions akin to regret.

"What a pity that each individual can only consume two of these fruits in a lifetime. If not, then these eight fruits could have enabled your strength to increase tremendously."

"Mother, I thought that these fruits were just ordinary run-of-the-mill fruits so I have already eaten two of them. After which, I could feel that my strength increased a lot and thus, decided to bring these fruits back! Mother, since these fruits can increase strength level as well as improve constitution, hurry up and eat two!"

Qing Yi initially did not eat the fruits because she wanted to save them for Qing Shui. After ascertaining that Qing Shui had already eaten two of the fruits, she no longer hesitated.

"Hurry up and eat two of these fruits, Mother! Who knows, there may be unexpected surprises. You do not have to worry about the fruits running out, I know where the growing place for the fruits is, and it is in a very well hidden place. I can guarantee that no one can find it but me!" Qing Shui lies became more and more far-fetched.

A lie leading to another lie, eventually ending up with a whole web of lies!

Giving in to Qing Shui's urgings, Qing Yi consumed two of the Energy Enhancing Fruits and gained an increase of 1000 jin of strength! This made Qing Shui scratch his head in bewilderment, he still had no clue as to why the effects differed for him when he consumed his first fruit inside the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal.

After that, Qing Yi kept the remaining Energy Enhancing Fruits as she took out a few sets of satin clothings. The materials all came from Hundred Miles City, but from the intricate weavings on the set of clothings, Qing Shui could tell that each of these sets of clothes had been personally tailored by Qing Yi for himself.

From back when he was young till now, all of Qing Shui's clothes had been handmade by Qing Yi.

"Come and try to see if it fits!" Qing Yi happily called out.

Qing Yi help Qing Shui put on a purple satin robe, and it fit him to a T. No one knew better than Qing Yi, not even Qing Shui himself, about the sizes of the clothes and shoes that he wore.

My son looks so much like a charming prince!" Qing Yi said as she admired Qing Shui in his new clothes, laughingly. The smile on her face made Qing Yi look incomparably pure, as if she was radiating sunlight. At this moment, Qing Shui felt extremely blessed in his heart to have a mother like Qing Yi.

Motherly Love was boundless!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Ancient Strengthening Technique: Chapter 37 – Night Market at the Town of the Setting Phoenix

After donning the satin robe embroidered with intricate designs, Qing Shui stood in front of the mirror, admiring his reflection and his elegant features. In addition to the barely perceptible speck of violet pearl, he also gave off an unsurpassed air of grace and elegance, but not to the point where people would mistake him for a female. However, his current looks could definitely match up to the definition of the word,"beautiful".

Qing Shui did not know how other guys would feel if they were called beautiful by others, but personally he would rather look like a beastman than have his current appearance.

Qing Shui bitterly stared at the beautiful clothes on his body. This clothing style was actually quite similar to what that Situ Bu Fan would wear. This could not be considered a new fad as the Qing Clan and the various families in the Qing Village would wear a similar style of clothings every new year. Even Qing Shui himself had worn this style of clothing before, but it had never this awkward. Maybe subconsciously, after meeting Situ Bu Fan, he had no desire to be similar to him in any way.

"If this was not personally tailored for me by mother, I would definitely not wear it!" Qing Shui inwardly grumbled.

As Qing Shui turned his head, and saw the look of happiness in Qing Yi's eyes, he helplessly sighed. Who's mother would not wish for their child to be good looking? Plus, how could such a beauty like Qing Yi give birth to an ugly child?

"Looking good, hehe. In the future, I do not know how many girls will fall for our Shuier." Qing Yi laughingly stated as she gently straightened Qing Shui's collar, sleeves and clothes.

"Mother, let us go to the town! I have never been there before, and I remember Qing Hu saying that the town will be bustling and full of activities since it is a new year!"

Looking at Qing Yi, Qing Shui could not help but feel a trembling in his heart as he remembered Qing Hai's words. He never expected that Qing Yi would actually stand outside the gates and waited for him to return safely, day after day.

"Okay!" Qing Yi agreed! With hints of guilt in her eyes, Qing Yi could not help but sigh. She had always been busy in Hundred Miles City, handling external businesses for the Qing Clan and had neglected Qing Shui in his early childhood years. Qing Yi could only spare time to come back and visit Qing Shui during certain times of the year. Luckily, this child of hers was independent by nature and understood the big picture.

The skies outside had not completely darkened, yet the trees on the streets all were adorned with "Light Stones". The Light Stones were a kind of pebble, capable of emitting soft rays of light. There were many grades of Light Stones, it was said that the Light Stones used in Qing Village were of the lowest grades, so the light rays emitted from them were the weakest as well. There were rumors that some of the grand cities in the Green Cloud Continent had light stones of the highest grade, capable of emitting light rays that were comparable to the moonlight.

At this time of the night street lights were normally supposed to be on, however, because of the festive season, the street lights were not lit as the light stones took their place. Despite this, the effects of the Light Stones, in Qing Shui's opinion, was much better than the light lamps. Following Qing Yi, the two of them walked out of the Qing Clan and in the direction of the Town of the Setting Phoenix.

The Paulownia Town got its name from the towering Paulownia Tree planted in the town. Legend has it that during ancient times, a phoenix once resided on top of the Paulownia tree. Eventually, after it departed, the name of the town was changed to the Town of the Setting Phoenix! Even now, one was able to hear the fascinating stories from the Elders, with detailed explanations that were so vivid that it was as if the elders had seen the phoenix with their very own eyes.

Because both Hundred Miles City and Town of the Setting Phoenix were situated some distance away from the Qing Village, taking into consideration the routes to visit Hundred Miles City were all mountainous paths, many people found it very inconvenient to visit it. Hence, this led to most people choosing to visit the nearby prosperous Town of the Setting Phoenix instead, and as it was the only town in the vicinity!

So generally, people would visit Town of the Setting Phoenix for purchasing and selling items! One more main point to note was that even influential merchants from Hundred Miles City would come to Town of the Setting Phoenix to set up stores and conduct their businesses; selling and purchasing beast leather, meat, crops. Their main aim was to target cultivators who tended to go to the 1,000,000 Li mountains to cultivate. These cultivators would usually need supplies, and they would frequently stop at the Town of the Setting Phoenix to make their purchases, or sell the gains they had acquired.

The distance between Qing Village and Town of the Setting Phoenix was about a little over a thousand meters. Despite having the name of "Town of the Setting Phoenix", in reality this town was also considered a part of Qing Village. This was because, in the radius of a 100 Li, all the surrounding region were called the Qing Village. This left Qing Shui feeling a bit awed, it was as if the Town of the Setting Phoenix was the capital of the Qing Clan.

The road was swamped with many people, as the Qing Clan held absolute authority in the region, many people took the initiative to courteously greet them as they passed.

The rowdy kids infected the bustling atmosphere with a sense of innocence as they ran about and played with each other. Looking at such a scene, anyone would smile in their heart.

"Shuier, how did your training progress during this half year?" Qing Yi asked after looking at the current Qing Shui who was already taller than her by half a head.

"Not too bad!" Qing Shui said as he smiled, giving an answer that made Qing Yi feel very happy.

Since Qing Shui said not too bad, that means that it really was not too bad, Qing Yi knew that Qing Shui would never exaggerate facts to boost his own power. She knew that Qing Shui was not as weak as he looked to be!

As mother and son chatted, unknowingly, they had already arrived at the entrance of the Town of the Setting pheonix. Qing Shui finally saw the legendary Paulownia Tree which gave the town its name. Speaking of which, even Qing Shui found it hard to believe. This was his first time here, in the last 10 years, he had never even stepped foot out of the Qing Mansion, even if he went out, he would only go to the mountains near the Qing Clan.

Qing Shui could not help but be thunderstruck by the size of the towering Paulownia tree. It was over 100m tall in height, and the girth of it requires over 10 humans before they could wrap their hands around the trunk. The many branches and leaves were akin to a gigantic umbrella, he mused to himself "Maybe, a phoenix really did once nest in this tree".

The Town of the Setting Phoenix could not be considered small, in a radius of 10 Li, even now when the night was approaching many prongs of people still remained walking about the streets. Not to mention that this was a festive celebration as the new year was approaching. Everyone was on holiday just to celebrate this occasion, and as such, vendors on the streets were busy hawking their wares, shouting in loud voices as they attempted to attract more customers to their stores! This level of bustling could be compared to some of the cities back in Qing Shui's previous life!

Qing Shui discovered that, after arriving in the town, he often saw a plethora of pretty girls; those with jade white skin, long and slender legs, and those with curvaceous figures. How could there be any shortage of pretty girls with so many people on the streets! It was just that, all of these pretty girls were still some distance away when compared to Shi Qing Zhuang.

There were many pretty young ladies shyly glancing at Qing Shui, everytime Qing Yi noticed this, she would tease: "Shuier, look, there are so many pretty young ladies that are stealing glances at you."

Qing Shui felt very happy at this moment. He was not happy because there were plenty of beautiful girls for him to see, he was happy because he could tell that Qing Yi was no longer as depressed as before.

As they looked at the people in the streets; parents would accompany their children, teenage guys and girls were dating, the elderly grandparents were all supporting each other as they enjoyed the atmosphere…

Qing Shui unintentionally saw hints of helplessness and unwillingness flashing through Qing Yi eyes and he could roughly guess what Qing Yi was thinking about. However, to the current him, as long as he did not reach the Xiantian realm, there was nothing he could do about it…

"Mother, what are you thinking about? After tonight has passed, I can finally be considered as an adult. You previously promised me that after my coming of age ceremony, you would let me know about the circumstances of my father." Qing Shui gently held Qing Yi's hands as he asked. The instant Qing Shui mentioned his father, a frightening, razor sharp, ice cold look flashed in his eyes. Upon seeing it, Qing Yi could not help but tremble as she felt the menacing aura emitted from Qing Shui.

"What mother has promised, I will naturally deliver. However, you must not go against my words!" Qing Yi let out a forced smile as she look at Qing Shui with hints of doting in her gaze.

"Do not worry mother. With me by your side, even if the heavens were to tumble down, I would still be here to support you!"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Ancient Strengthening Technique: Chapter 38 – Annual Competition Amongst the Third Generations (1)

"Do not worry mother. With me by your side, even if the heavens were to tumble down, I would still be here to support you!"

Looking at Qing Shui, who was in high spirits, Qing Yi suddenly felt that Qing Shui had become so reliable. That lanky frame of his was suddenly so dependable, she thought as she felt a sweet warmth rise up in her heart. Her son had finally grown up!

Both mother and son slowly strolled the streets, enjoying the lively laughter of the crowd while watching the proceedings of the bustling streets unfold.

Standing at Qing Yi's side, Qing Shui enjoyed the peace of this moment. Even in the middle of these bustling street, as long as Qing Yi was with him, then even if the skies were to fall Qing Shui would still feel that he was safe. Safety wasn't from any protection that Qing Yi could afford him, but from the fact that someone in this world loved him. Drawing an analogy, back in his previous world, even in a prosperous, densely populated city, one would feel that the city was empty. This loneliness stems from the lack of kinship and love, which causes one to feel endless frustration in one's hearts.

It was getting late at night as Qing Shui and Qing Yi both returned to the Qing Clan. There were only two more days left until the new year, although Qing Shui was not clear on the customs of this world, the customs of the Qing Clan were fortunately similar to the ones back when he was on earth. Also, in his previous life, Qing Shui also originated from a poor village and thus the things they did for celebrating the new year here were also similar. Pasting matching couplets, lighting up fireworks, offering incense as a token of respect for the previous generations etc………

The second day, Qing Shui and Qing Yi did spring cleaning together, actually there wasn't that much to tidy up. Although there were servants, Qing Yi did not like it when other people entered her residence. The only exception to this was Qing Shui.

Yesterday night, despite the late hour after they returned, Qing Shui still used two hours of time and cultivated inside the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal. There was no need to ask questions, with such a beneficial time dilation realm aiding him, how could he not grab every chance he could and abuse the sh*t out of it? No matter how busy he was, he would still make time for it.

Looking at the empty space, with that time dilation effect of 100:1, Qing Shui could not help but think to himself "Sigh, what a waste." What a waste it is to not grow spiritual herbs inside the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal. Initially, Qing Shui wanted to grow Precious Grade herbs inside the spatial realm, but how sad was it that the last stalk of the 1000-year Ginseng had already been bought by the Situ Clan. They had even made the trip personally. This goes to show just how valuable a Precious Grade herb was.

"Forget it, I will just wait until I get ahold of some in the future. After all, with 15 acres of earth, I can plant plenty of herbs here, and with the time dilation effect just cultivating the herbs here for a year would be equivalent to a hundred years hehehe." Qing Shui was currently 15 years old, if he started planting herbs now, by the time he was 20, he would have plenty of 500 year old Common Grade spiritual herbs!

After thinking it through, Qing Shui was tremendously excited. If one decided on something, one should simply do it right away as there is no point in hesitating. After all, how could one simply just purchase Precious Grade herbs? Even if they ransacked the entire Hundred Miles City, there may not even be a single Precious Grade herb there. Since he had already decided to start on planting Common Grade herbs first, he still had to demarcate a boundary to ensure that there would still be space for planting Precious Grade herbs in the future.

"After the new year, I shall go and buy a few Common Grade herb seedlings, or forage for some in the wilds. After all, the current me could be considered to have some knowledge on the different types of spiritual herbs!" Qing Shui silently decided that he must do so right away, at the earliest opportunity!

"Ah Qing Shui, when did you return? I heard that for the past half year, you went out to practice your cultivation?"

At the sound of that voice, Qing Shui turned his head. This familiar voice belonged to Qing Yang. They had not met since their last meeting, back when Qing Shui first entered the Qing Clan's practice yard, and all the way to when Qing Yang broke through to the 6th Grade of Martial Warrior. Qing Yang was unlike those youngsters of the other big clans in the Qing Village who looked down and sneered at Qing Shui back in the past.

The usage of the Qing Clan's practice courtyard was not limited to the 3rd generation of the Qing Clan alone. Other than the Qing Clan members, there were plenty of other 3rd generation members from the other big clans in the Qing Village. When comparing the ratio, there were many more members from the other clans when compared to just the Qing Clan. For example, the 3rd generation members from the Lan Clan were also using the courtyard. The Lan Clan members all had outstanding performance throughout these past two years, even more so than the Qing Clan members.

"Hey, it has been a while, it seems like your cultivation has improved again!" After a period of five years, Qing Shui could still discern Qing Hai's level of strength with a single glance. Currently, based on his observations, Qing Hai was at the peak of the 7th Grade of the Martial Warrior realm.

Qing Shui had a feeling that his younger cousin, the genius Qing You, had long surpassed the 7th Grade of the Martial Warrior realm. He only knew that the honest looking Qing Zi was still at the 8th Grade of the Martial Warrior realm.

"Interesting, seems like the competition this year will be more lively!" Qing Shui grinned. The end of year competition was not only limited to the Qing Clan, other clans could participate as well. However, the Qing Clan had a rule, disciples from the Qing Clan must be at least at the 6th Grade of Martial Warrior realm before they can enter the competition. Previously, a few years ago, a few youths from the other clans passed by Qing Village and arrived just in time for the yearly competition. Naturally, the hot-blooded youths, under the pretext of making friends through exchanging of pointers in martial arts, also entered the competition.

On the surface, although it was termed as a "competition", in reality it was more of an exchange of pointers. The only other notable clans from the nearby regions were the Lan Clan from the Qing Village, as well as the Feng Clan and the Tong Clan from the Town of the Setting Phoenix.

"Brother Qing Yang, it seems like this year, you can finally unleash your prowess." Qing Shui smiled.

Qing Yang bitterly smiled and said, "How could it be so easy, do you know not that Lan Ye from the Lan Clan, Feng Xishui from the Feng Clan and Tong Gang from the Tong clan have already broken through to the 9th Grade of the Martial Warrior realm."

"What? the Martial Warrior 9th Grade? How is this possible? Elder Brother Qing Zi is only at the 8th Grade, does this means that no one from our Qing Clan are capable of fighting against them?" Qing Shui did not want to reveal his true strength yet. How weird, in these five years there was such a huge change, and to think that the other large clan's 3rd generation members caught up with the strength level of the 3rd generation of Qing Clan. Looks like the decision that year, for the 2nd generation members to consume the Crippling Divine Pill, was also an action with no other recourse available to them.

"Luckily, we still have Qing You, the genius of our Qing Clan. He has already broken through to the peak level of the Martial Warrior realm and his strength should be sufficient to handle those 9th Grade Martial Warriors from the other clans, while leaving the other small fish and shrimps [1] for us." Qing Yang was beaming when he spoke of Qing You. After all, only when the clans had strong individuals would they be in a better position to fight for future benefits.

Any neer-do-well from clans or sects with a thousand years of history, could be a total wastrel or a useless bum and still be able to look down on others.

After that, Qing Shui went around meeting with other people from the Qing Clan, and also went to pay his respects to Qing Luo. Qing Luo had always doted and treasured him, despite his title of trash. It may be because Qing Luo only had one daughter and his fatherly love for Qing Yi was transferred onto him.

"Qing Shui, you have matured a lot during this half past year, though you must remember that one must not force oneself on the road of cultivation. If the way is full of obstacles, there is always some other paths available for you to take. You should not be overly focused and single-mindedly follow a presumed path that may not be suitable for you when you could soar to greater heights if you selected another path instead. Based on your intelligence, Grandpa shall not try to persuade you anymore. Your own destiny lies in your own hands." Qing Luo said kindly as he looked at the soon to be adult Qing Shui.

"Do not worry Grandpa, I know my limits, I will be fine." Qing Shui knew that there was no need to say that much now.

The second day after the beginning of the new year, the streets were still bustling as everyone soaked up the lively atmosphere. Qing Shui talked about many things with Qing Yi, as they strolled in the streets.

On the fourth day, Qing Luo brought the entire Qing Clan to pay respects to their ancestors.

Another year has passed, the previous year had been an extraordinary one for Qing Shui. He was 16 years old this year, and it was also time for the coming of age ceremony as well as the time for him to decide on which path he wanted to leave the imprint of his footsteps on in the future.

[1] small fish and small shrimps in this context refers to weaker opponents that were not worthy of mention

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Ancient Strengthening Technique: Chapter 39 – Annual Competition Amongst the 3rd Generations (2)

In the blink of an eye, new year's eve had passed. The older one was, the faster time would pass, but for Qing Shui it was the same no matter how long. Although Qing Shui currently had the advantage of the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal, even before that he was already known for his perseverance and determination. Every day, at the scheduled time, whether rain or shine, he would always doggedly pursued his path of cultivation.

The more effort Qing Shui put into cultivation, the more it stood out that he was trash. The amount of effort he put into cultivating could be said to be rivaled by none, yet he was not able to break into the 6th layer of the Blue Lotus Art before the age of 16. What a pity… As a result, Qing Shui's destiny, the path he would walk, at least in the eyes of many, would not have much to do with cultivation.

Today was the 4th day in the new year, and tomorrow was the day for the yearly competition for the 3rd generation! Qing Shui had never once exhibited any interest in this, not even when he was younger. However, this year, he decided to take a look at how the others in his generation would fight.

Qing Shui walked out of his courtyard after he spending two hours, which was equivalent to half a month worth of time, cultivating within the spatial realm, but he was still unable to break through the major bottleneck! Qing Shui felt extremely incapable and powerless. That major bottleneck from the 3rd heavenly layer to the 4th could be said to be a stumbling block that as huge as a towering mountain, obstinately blocking his path in cultivation.

Looking at the huge practice courtyard of the Qing Clan, one could sense that the boisterous atmosphere was even more lively when compared to before. The reason for this was because tomorrow would be the start of the yearly competition between the 3rd generation of each clan. There were many people, including the villagers from the nearby regions, who rushed to the courtyard today and at the same time, secretly probed the strength level of their competitors. This had already been the custom for many years.

Noon was approaching. However, in the dead of winter, despite the sun approaching its zenith, the heat released by its golden rays was not unbearable but almost pleasant instead. The rays of sunlight gave rise to feelings of laziness as one would rather lie down and enjoy the sunlight instead of getting busy elsewhere.

Qing Shui was dumbstruck for a moment after arriving at the Qing Clan's practice courtyard. A layer of vibrant red carpet was laid around the entire courtyard, invoking feelings of celebratory joy and passion as the vibrant color seemed to reflect all of the crowd's excitement.

"Qing Shui ge, I am over here!" Qing Shui turned his head and saw Qing Hu beckoning him over!

Qing Shui didn't have any interactions with Qing Hu for the past half year, he quickly discovered that this cousin of his had already reached the 6th Grade of the Martial Warrior realm! Although Qing Hu had yet to reach the peak of the 6th Grade, Qing Shui still felt deeply moved in his heart. Qing Hu's talent could not be considered bad, he actually managed to improve so much in the short span of half a year!

Looking at Qing Hu's current level of cultivation, Qing Shui would obviously be happy for him! Initially, even if Qing Hu had failed to reach the 6th grade by the age of 16, Qing Shui would still exhaust all other possible means to aid Qing Hu from the shadows in order to increase his cultivation.

"Qing Hu, pretty impressive, but you must work harder in the future if you want to gain a foothold somewhere other than the Qing Village!"

"Haha," Qing Hu laughed in agreement. Qing Hu was about the same height as Qing Shui, only his body was more muscular and well built than Qing Shui's.

Qing Shui knew that the motivation behind Qing Hu's rapid improvements was because of Lan YanEr. If not, how could the lazy Qing Hu have made such a huge improvement within such a short period of time!

As the saying went "The blushed face brings about waters of misfortune!"[1] Or more simply, "femme fatale", with mere words, a woman could motivate a man to improve himself, but on the other hand, the woman could also instantly cause the downfall of a man with a mere flick of her fingers.

For an instant, complicated thoughts could be seen swirling about in Qing Shui's eyes, but when Qing Hu looked in his direction, Qing Shui quickly reverted back to normal.

As they squeezed their way through the crowd, Qing Shui felt that there really were a lot of villagers in the courtyard today. Scanning through the faces of the crowd, he only vaguely recognized a few familiar faces, but most of them were unknown to him.

"Qing Shui ge, that guy is the famous Lan Ye from the Lan Clan!" As Qing Shui was scanning through the faces of the crowd, attempting to catch a glimpse of the few cultivators from the other clans who had broken through to the 9th Grade, Qing Hu interrupted him as he pointed to a certain direction.

In that far off direction stood a lanky youth about 20 years of age. He had an extremely lazy countenance, yet his gaze possessed a charm that cause people to look at him twice. His eyes were not filled with the radiance of glory, nor were they cold and brimming with killing intent. It was more of a look filled with unwavering determination.

"He is someone with a heart of steel and his accomplishments certainly aren't minor things such as simply breaking through to the 9th Grade of the Martial Warrior Realm." This was what Qing Shui's intuition was telling him. He could tell the strength of Lan Ye with just a single glance.

Although Qing Shui did not know how strong he was currently, he knew for sure that he was stronger than all of these so called geniuses, but by how much, he could not tell. All he knew was that his current strength was still quite a distance away from reaching the door of the Xiantian realm.

Standing at the side of Lan Ye, was a beautiful teenage girl. The eyes of that girl seemed to exude flashes of brilliance that were capable of enchanting all but the most strong-willed of men. Her fair skin looked even fairer when contrasted with her silky black hair, and those gigantic twin peaks, akin to mountains, in front of her chest were swaying as she walked. In addition to that she also had a willowy waist and long, slender legs, when this was matched with her snow white shoes, the whole image exuded from her was akin to that of a pure and holy saint.

"No wonder the young master of the Heavenly River Clan wants her to be his, so this is the reason why!" Qing Shui glanced at the beautiful girl beside Lan Ye, after turning his head back he found that Qing Hu had long since spotted Lan YanEr and was gazing at her intently with a lovelorn expression.

Maybe it was the intense gazes focused on her, but Lan YanEr turned her gaze towards the two of them as her beautiful eyes were filled with slight traces of loathing as well as some disdain. After spotting Qing Hu, she raised her fist in response towards the direction of Qing Hu.

The bitterness in Qing Hu's heart was indescribable. He doesn't know why, but the love he felt had already reached the point of being carved into his bones and engraved in his heart [2]." The reason why he had worked so hard at cultivating was all because of her! The Heavens are fair and does not let down one who puts in effort. Because of his hard work, Qing Hu managed to breakthrough into the 6th grade when he was 15 years old, but despite this, the disparity of cultivation levels between him and Lan YanEr was too huge, as a sense of self-defeat unknowingly gushed forth in his heart.

Although Qing Shui was also a novice in terms of love and relationships, he could still understand the pain Qing Hu was going through. After all, during the years where he could not cultivate, the sneers, humiliation and the pain that he felt, although it could not be directly comparable, it was still somewhat similar to what Qing Hu was feeling right now.

After the initial glance, Qing Shui did not spare another glance at her. Despite her beauty, when compared to Shi Qing Zhuang, Lan YanEr was still lacking a bit. Who asked Qing Shui to only like women that were older than him? Not only must their bodies be fully developed, their minds had to be mature as well. Qing Shui just doesn't give a damn about immature girls who act coquettishly and throw tantrums all the time. Speaking of acting coquettishly, Qing Shui actually liked it when a mature girl does that. When a older woman does that, they give off a feeling of rapture that draws him in, completely different from the immature youngsters.

After this, Qing Shui finally left with Qing Hu. For this past half a year, they have had no interactions with each other. Naturally they would have many things on which they wanted to update each other on. After all, they were cousins who had played together since their youth.

"Qing Hu, cultivation has no limits, since you are still young you should take the chance and immerse yourself in cultivation. For stuff like women, after you become strong, many women will naturally throw themselves into your embrace. When that happens, you will find that the beautiful women from before are not worth a single dime."

Qing Shui felt that the women from Hundred Miles City, be it in cultivation, demeanor, dress or even in terms of speech, were all far above that of the women from the villages.

Although all of this was only possible because of the difference in background and money. Men would always gravitate towards women of a certain standard. Giving birth to beautiful daughter, marrying a pretty wife? Money both directly and indirectly played a part in this.

Of course, there were exceptions to this as well. Some girls from the villages would sometimes have an aura that even eclipsed that of those from the cities. However, it was very rare for this to happen, and even if that happened, then that precious gem would be quickly snatched away by others. After all, how could people just wait for you to come and grab it?

Regarding the thoughts of Qing Shui, which were noticeably different from the norm, Qing Hu felt that they were slightly bizarre, yet somehow seemed to make sense. Every time he spoke to Qing Shui, it was as though a burden in his heart would be reduced, and Qing Hu would feel slightly more relaxed because of it.

"Tomorrow is the competition, Qing Shui ge, will you take part in it?"

[1] The saying meant that women brings nothing but trouble, reference to Helen of Troy, whose great beauty was the source of disaster. Don't get me mistaken, I love women and I respect them. 3 women are the best~

(Credits to GT for the analogy) GT is not google translate xD. She's the one from graceful land.

[2] Chinese idiom meaning unforgettable.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Ancient Strengthening Technique: Chapter 40 – Annual Competition Amongst the 3rd Generation (3)

Qing Shui was already up and about as dawn broke. After his morning ablutions, he would enter the Qing Clan's courtyard and do some simple stretches. The air in the morning was at its freshest during this part of the day. What Qing Shui wanted to do was to cultivate the Qi in his body by practicing a simple breathing technique, simply by breathing deeply.

The Ancient Strengthening Technique placed emphasis on the refinement of one's body and bones. Everyday without fail, Qing Shui would practice the Solitary Rapid Fist, getting himself used to the harmonization of the muscles of his body, amplifying his strength to the highest level. In a perfect state of harmonization, not to mention a strike containing 100% of his power, even strikes amplified to 200% or higher were possible.

The silence in the courtyard was broken by the growling from the mastiffs lying about, but after seeing that it was Qing Shui, they soon quieted down and went back to their normally docile posture.

"Ghostly Steps!" Shadows flashed as Qing Shui sped across the courtyard. Qing Shui knew that this set of Ghostly Steps were derived from the essence of all escape techniques. It could even be used to evade and flee when one's opponent was monstrously stronger than oneself, solely based on this fact one could tell how unfathomably mysterious this technique was.

Not only that, but in his repertoire was also the Solitary Rapid Fists! Qing Shui could not help but feel that both the Ghostly Steps and Solitary Rapid Fists complement each other perfectly, almost to the point where one could call it a flawless combination. The two skills he unlocked from the Ancient Strengthening Technique, could actually complement each other to such a degree… This discovery gave Qing Shui pause. Can other skills I obtain from breakthroughs complement each other as well? What a pity that he had still not broken through to the 4th heavenly layer despite such a long time. For the skills that he had already unlocked, the hidden weapon arts, Solitary Rapid Fist as well as Ghostly Steps, he had already cultivated them to a state where it was tough for him to improve them more in the near future.

However, Qing Shui knew that progress on the path of cultivation was akin to a sailing a boat against the currents! Not only would it be hard to break through after a certain level, if one stagnated for too long, one might actually regress as well.

The quintessential essence of the Solitary Rapid Fists lied in both the words "Solitary" and "Rapid", one must train to the point where a single strike was so fast and agile that it would transform into two, two to four and so on. As for the Ghostly steps, the quintessential essence of it lied in the word "Ghostly". One must cultivate the technique to the point where one would be as unpredictable as a shadow, and as illusive as a ghost.

In addition, Qing Shui was now proficient in the usage of swords. Contemplating on the essence of the basic sword techniques through Iaido, following the three-worded mantra – Swiftness, Accuracy, Decisiveness. Swiftness to the point of lightning, Accuracy refers to the way one wield the sword while Decisiveness pertained to the mental state. The essence of the sword could be boiled down to: "It is fine if I do not draw my sword, but when I do, I must obtain victory with a single strike, moving first to counter against any possible retaliation."

———————

It was still morning after he finished his regime, Qing Shui could hear the sounds of the store owners, the sounds of children hoo-hahing through the streets and the melodious sounds of chirping birds.

As he entered his residence, a delicious smell wafted over. Qing Shui looked at the table only to see Qing Yi smiling at him. Laid on the table were two dishes of vegetables and two dishes of wild boar meat, the smell was so alluring that it whet his appetite.

"Shuier, hurry up and eat your meal, let us go and watch the competition later. Observing the battles of others can only bring benefits to your cultivation, even more so than just merely cultivating." Qing Yi beseeched Qing Shui to eat as she explained the benefits to him.

"En, I have long since planned to watch the yearly competition today mother, I am sure that today will be interesting~" Qing Shui said with a grin. Looking at the elegant features of Qing Shui, one would be shocked to find that his table manners were somewhat lacking. Armed with a voracious appetite, he devoured everything with a speed that would rival that of combat soldiers. Qing Yi could only watch with a stunned expression on her face.

In his eyes, he didn't bother much about what people thought about him. Qing Shui knew perfectly well that power was everything. If you are strong enough, then no matter what you do or how boorish you are, people would start to emulate you. If you were weak, then no matter how elegant you appeared to be, people would still only think of you as a sissy.

"Eat slower dear, no one is going to snatch the food away from you." Qing Yi hurriedly said as her eyes bubbled with laughter.

"Mother, who will maintain the order and be the host for this year's competition?" Qing Shui suddenly thought of a question.

"The judges this year will include the Qing Clan, Lan Clan, Feng Clan and the Tong Clan, as well as someone from Hundred Miles City." Qing Yi replied readily. It seemed like this had always been the case for the past as well.

When Qing Shui rushed to the courtyard, he found that the courtyard was swamped with a sea of people. It was as if everyone in the surrounding regions came if they could make it! It was no wonder however, the societies in the World of the Nine Continents were cultivation-oriented.

Despite the area being densely packed with people, there wasn't a single soul to be seen in the spacious arena. At the rear area of the arena were representatives from the various clans who all sat on chairs with a table in front of them.

Standing at the bottom of the judging area, were members from each of the judge's clans. For example, the 3rd generation members of the Qing Clan would congregate together with those of the 2nd generation. It was the same for the Lan Clan, Feng Clan and Tong Clan. Of course, there were also many separate groups of people standing there in disperse droves, but these were those who had neither status nor power.

Qing Shui walked towards the Qing Clan members.

"Oh Qing Shui is here, I thought you always hated watching these yearly competitions?" Qing Zi said laughingly as he glanced in Qing Shui's direction.

"Haha, this event is so hyped up that everyone around me says that this year is going to be interesting. Also, this may be my last chance to watch this event. After all, after the coming of age ceremony, I do not know where my path will lead me." Qing Shui replied with a slight smile on his lips.

Greetings unceasingly flowed from the surroundings and Qing Shui smiled back towards them. All of the 3rd generation members had arrived, and those who were 6th grade martial warrior and higher; Qing Zi, Qing You, Qing Hui, Qing Yang…………… Qing Hu and Qing Bei.

The current cultivation level of Qing Bei was already at the peak of the 7th Grade and was just a hair's breadth away from breaking through to the 8th grade. She really lived up to her name as the little genius of the Qing Clan. Despite being one of the youngest, her martial cultivation had already surpassed many others.

A short moment later, Qing Yi and the rest of the 2nd generation arrived. On the stage was Grandpa Qing Luo, which Qing Shui naturally knew. Next to him was Lan Yu from the Lan Clan, which Qing Shui had met a few times before. However, regarding the Tong Clan and the Feng Clan, Qing Shui had never met their judges before. The Tong Clan sent out a middle-aged burly brute while the Feng Clan's representative was a charming young woman.

Qing Shui could not help but glance over at the charming young woman a couple of times. Her skin was fair and as smooth as white silk, her pair of phoenix eyes were also extremely captivating to look at. She wore a sky-blue dress that tightly hugged her curvaceous figure, displaying her body's contour for all to admire as a slight smile hung on her mature and seductive face. Qing Shui was unable to tell her exact age, but he guessed that she was not that young.

As Qing Shui was lost in his appreciation of the Feng Clan beauty, he got shocked back into reality after seeing Situ Nan Tian standing on the stage. To think that the representative judge from the Hundred Miles City would be this sly old fox, Situ Nan Tian. After noticing the presence of Situ Nan Tian, Qing Shui could not help but scan the crowds a few more times, as he did not know whether Situ Bu Fan would also be here amongst the spectators, together with Shi Qing Zhuang. Deep in his heart, Qing Shui had a strong desire to look upon the ice cold countenance of Shi Qing Zhuang again…

As Qing Shui had expected, the main judge amongst the five was that sly old fox! Situ Nan Tian explained the rules once, as his loud and sonorous voice reached everyone in the crowd.

The rules were common ones: no killing, no poison, no hidden weapons, and once the opponent surrenders, the winner must stay their hand.

After the rules were explained, the start of the competition was immediately announced . This made Qing Shui wonder if all cultivators possessed such a direct manner.

However, what made Qing Shui surprised was that the rules also stated that, out of all the competitors today, the last one standing could be considered the strongest across the 3rd generations.

Still, it was not so bad, as everyone had three chances on stage. This meant that if you were defeated in the first round, you could still choose to fight until you were defeated three times. The only prerequisite was that you were still be able to participate!

After the start of the competition was announced, the main judge departed. Silence reigned in the courtyard as the spectators waited to see who would be the first participant. After a short moment, Qing Hu stepped up on the arena.

The Qing clan knew that, as this were their home ground, this martial competition should naturally begin with one of their own!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Ancient Strengthening Technique: Chapter 41 – Qing Bei vs Lan Yaner

Despite the competition having no limits in regard to the number of people the clans could send, the clans would only select those who had at the bare minimum cultivated to the 6th Grade of the Martial Warrior Realm. The reason being that the divide between the 5th and the 6th Grade could be said to be the first huge cliff that cultivators would face. Cultivators of the 5th Grade could at most be considered slightly stronger humans. It was only when one broke through to the 6th Grade, that they would be considered having set foot upon the path of cultivation. As a result, no matter how many 5th Grade Martial Warriors were sent out, they would all be powerless against a 6th Grade Martial Warrior. They would just be casually defeated with naught but a single move, just like an egg smashing against a rock.

Qing Hu was the first competitor, and as he had just broke through to the 6th Grade of the Martial Warrior Realm, he decided to test his new found strength in the arena. Soon after he entered, an opponent of similar age had entered the arena.

Maybe because Qing Hu was empty-handed, his opponent did not bring any weapons with him as well when he entered the arena.

"Qing Clan, Qing Hu!"

"Lan Clan, Lan Xing!"

After the two fighters did their self-introductions, Situ Nan Tian softly announced the prelude to the battle.

Qing Shui was unsure if Qing Hu had learned any other martial techniques from the Qing Clan, but he was positive that the technique Qing Hu was currently using was none other than the Solitary Rapid Fist he taught him! In Qing Shui's eyes, the strikes and stances executed by Qing Hu looked incomparably clumsy, but apparently it was enough to contend against Lan Xing.

The spectators beneath the arena could tell that when it came to level of strength, attack speed and body movements, Qing Hu was beneath Lan Xing. However, just based on that weird fist technique that he was using, Qing Hu relied on both his agile hands to adequately defend against Lan Xing, and was even successful in causing Lan Xing to retreat a single step. After that exchange, both parties backed off, and Lan Xing stood at the side with his brows furrowed while wringing his numbed hands, as if in shock.

Not giving his opponent any time to rest, Qing Hu rushed forward while carefully considering what were the best paths of attack. Qing Hu could already be considered knowledgeable regarding the locations of the human body's weakest acupoints and important meridians. However, when he faced an opponent of similar strength, despite knowing the positions and weaknesses, the probability of striking at specific acupoints was not high. Even so, Qing Hu's execution was brilliant, and after the second exchange Lan Xing was dumbstruck.

Despite his numbed hands, Lan Xing forcefully clenched his fingers into a fist, and roared as he rushed towards Qing Hu. It seemed that he had learned his lesson, and wanted to depend on his advantageous speed and body movements to fight with Qing Hu instead of fighting head on.

Qing Hu calmly held his ground despite Lan Xing's speed. Qing Hu knew that if Lan Xing wanted to defeat him, it would not be an easy matter at all. Every time Lan Xing wanted to strike at Qing Hu, he would have to come in range of Qing Hu's terrifying fists. Qing Hu slightly raised his arms and readied his fists, delivering devastating attacks whenever there was an opportunity. Gradually, Lan Xing's reaction got slower and slower, while Qing Hu's fists attacks got more and more nimble! This was the effect caused by experiencing actual combat!

As the rules forbade attacks that would cause death, and in addition because there was no hatred between Qing Hu and Lan Xing, Qing Hu refrained from attacking any of the deadly acupoints located on his opponent's head area. Biding his time, and waiting for the right opportunity, Qing Hu finally sprang forward, and caught his opponent by surprise. Using his nimble arms to execute the Solitary Rapid Fist Technique, he positioned himself at Lan Xing's back and skillfully jabbed at the Tian Zhu, Fu Fen, Da Zhu, Fei Yu acupoints [1] around the back neck region of Lan Xing.

Even Qing Shui was awed by Qing Hu's graceful execution. When Qing Hu looked over, Qing Shui showed his approval with his eyes, and a with a slight smile on his lips, he slightly nodded his head in the direction of Qing Hu.

After the fight, the Lan Clan sent two more 6th Grade Martial warriors which were defeated by Qing Hu in the same skillful manner. At this point, not only were the other clans startled by Qing Hu's performance, even the 2nd and 3rd generation of his own Qing Clan felt that he was incredible.

Gradually, Qing Hu was defeated by a 7th Grade Martial Warrior. There was glory even in his defeat. After which, a 7th Grade Martial Warrior of the Tong Clan defeated the 7th Grade Martial Warrior of the Lan Clan, but they in turn lost to a girl from the Feng Clan.

At the end of the 7th Grade Martial Warrior's fight, Lan Yaner was the only one left standing. There was simply no one that could match her under the 8th Grade. Looking at the unyielding woman he loved standing in the arena, a bittersweet feeling surfaced in Qing Hu's heart.

Indeed, Lan Yaner was the little genius that was the pride of Lan Clan. Even Qing Yang and Qing Hui had suffered defeat in her hands. The short moment of glory Qing Hu brought to the Qing Clan, quickly dissipated as the Lan Clan stole the limelight.

Looking at Lan Yaner who was currently in high spirits and exhibiting an air of unbound arrogance standing on the stage. After she had defeated another 7th Grade Martial Warrior at the peak of the 7th Grade, Qing Bei grit her teeth and jumped into the arena.

"Sigh, forget it, letting this little kid experience the pain of defeat can only be beneficial for her future cultivation. " Qing Hai bitterly said.

Although there was a distance between Lan Yaner who was at the peak of the 7th Grade, as well as Qing Bei who just stepped into the 7th Grade; Qing Bei showed no fear as she narrowed her eyes and locked her gaze onto Lan Yaner.

Lan Yaner had already fully matured as she had already gone through puberty, and could be considered enchanting by males anywhere as they were hooked by the flirtatious expression in her gaze. In comparison, Qing Bei was a rose that had yet to fully mature, who emitted a pure and vivacious feeling.

"You are not my opponent, just obediently retreat, elder sister wouldn't bear to see you in pain." Lan Yaner smiled widely, with her eyes twinkling, as they narrowed to the shape of crescent moons.

"Ahh, what a pity. Even she was older, her character is definitely not my cup of tea. Furthermore, Qing Hu is in love with her." Qing Shui told himself secretly, as he gazed upon the enchanting visage of Lan Yaner.

"Ten moves! I only need ten moves to defeat you. If you are still not defeated by then, I will admit defeat." Qing Bei calmly said as her words left everyone in the audience thunderstruck.

Even Qing Shui was thunderstruck. He had always thought of Qing Bei as a gentle little lamb, and it seemed that this was not so. Qing Bei had actually dared to issue such a proclamation!

Maybe the proclamation had humiliated Lan Yaner, as she did not expect Qing Bei to act so bold. As her smile froze on her face, she grimly said "Oh is that so, you better be careful then." Lan Yaner drew out a light blue sharp sword that had defeated countless others. The color of the sword was as clear as water, such that it could be likened to the limpid eyes of a woman.

In response, Qing Bei took out a set of gauntlets that were made of chains and equipped them. The gauntlets covered all the way up her arms. She inclined her head to look at the waiting Lan Yaner.

Qing Shui knew that the chain gauntlets Qing Bei was using were made from the silk of the icy silkworm only found far in the northern regions. It was impervious to cuts and slashes from ordinary weapons. Beneath the arena, earlier when Qing Hu was fighting, Qing Bei had already told Qing Shui about the origins of this set of chain gauntlets. It was bought by Qing Luo, and there was only one pair of them within the Qing Clan. It could be considered an above average weapon, as the user could still move agilely with them equipped, compared to being encased in heavy gauntlets made of gold and steel which slowed the user down.

The moment Qing Bei first made her move, Qing Shui was dumbstruck. Not only Qing Shui, even the entire Qing Clan was too. Who would have known that Qing Bei had already reached the initial stage of the Qing Clan's Lotus Step. Combining the Lotus Step along with the Solitary Rapid Fist, it was truly a dazzling sight to behold!

Of course, that would not be enough to warrant such startlement. What was truly magnificent, was that the execution of the Solitary Rapid Fist by Qing Bei was even more spectacular that Qing Hu's execution earlier. It seemed as though Qing Bei had already grasped the true essence of the words "Solitary and Rapid", and had truly understood the quintessential essence of this set of fist techniques!

Qing Bei was comparable to a ferocious leopard, lithe and agile, yet she also possessed overbearing strength. She left the audience gasping in admiration as she advanced towards Lan Yaner.

"No wonder this little brat dared to issue such a proclamation. It seems like she wants to use the pressure of a psychological battle in combination with the insights she grasped to thoroughly crush Lan Yaner." Qing Shui came to this realization as he watched the small frame of Qing Bei delivering strikes with the pressure of Mount Tai, as she slowly pushed Lan Yaner back.

To win in a fight, one had to tread the narrow path of bravery to victory. Currently, this description best outlined the situation between Lan Yaner and Qing Bei. The intricate strikes of Qing Bei were comparable to the storms of a typhoon. Her arms could be likened to snakes, as she mercilessly struck out.

"The 8th move!" Qing Bei stated, as her body flashed past while she avoided the horizontal sweep of Lan Yaner's sword.

After being accustomed to the sword strikes of Lan Yaner, Qing Bei wasted no more time. "I have already seen through all your techniques," she said before nimbly rushing forward with the speed of a shooting star, and mercilessly striking her fist at Lan Yaner's Tian Tu Acupoint (2), which knocked her unconscious.

This was the 9th move of Qing Bei!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Ancient Strengthening Technique: Chapter 42 – One Move

After Qing Bei defeated Lan Yaner, the audience members were all momentarily shocked into silence. Even Qing Luo was somewhat embarrassed, staring at the head of the Lan Clan, Lan Yu. His own granddaughter actually possessed a strength akin to a strong wind sweeping the leaves, and defeated the genius – Lan Yaner who was two years older than her.

Lan Yu stood there motionlessly at a loss, but after a moment, he quickly arranged a few others from the Lan Clan to carry the unconscious Lan Yaner away from the arena. Qing Bei did not continue to stand in the arena, she only said a single sentence before jumping down from the stage. "I'm only up here because I couldn't stand her arrogance."

After saying her peace, Qing Bei left the arena. But the words she said had reverberated in the eardrums of the Lan Yu, as he secretly said in his heart, "Little brat, your actions just now could be considered even more presumptuous and conceited than my Yaner."

Despite the competition between the various great clans, all of them still needed to depend on each other as they worked together to safeguard and maintain the Qing Village. Luckily, Qing Bei was young enough that despite her words smacking of arrogance, the tone behind them seemed to have hints of mischievousness in them. Furthermore, the foxy lady with the curvaceous figure and pair of phoenix eyes from the Feng Clan covered her mouth as she laughed lightly, which instantly dispelled the awkward atmosphere. Glancing at that pair of captivating eyes, Qing Shui could not help but felt a nefarious burning sensation down in his loins, as his heart trembled and his eyes flashed with desire.

"What a hot babe, I don't know which lucky guy can hug her to sleep at night. Look at those gigantic twin peaks. Oh my god! That mature and seductive face combined with those flirtatious glances flashing through her captivating pair of eyes, how could any man resist her?" Qing Shui whispered, enchanted.

After which, the arena was shared by Qing Zi with a tall and slender lady with a buxom figure from the Feng Clan. Equipped in her hands, were two chakrams that were a fiery-red in color.

The weapon that Qing Zi chose to use actually gave Qing Shui a sense of amazement. This was because the weapon Qing Zi used was actually a great silvery axe with a height similar to Qing Zi! The width of the axe's head accounted for about one-third that of a human body, fully covering the chest and abdomen area of a human.

Qing Shui gauged that the weapon's weight should be about 150 jin. That impressive looking great axe also emitted a certain psychological pressure, causing opponents to slightly panic as they looked upon such a huge weapon. Swiftly after, both of them started to duel.

Only after they both had announced their names, did Qing Shui know that this girl from the Feng Clan who uses the two chakrams as her weapons was named Feng Yanfei.

After the first exchange, Qing Shui could tell that barring any unexpected incidents, victory would go to Qing Zi. As he had expected, Qing Zi was not simple at all, looking at the way he wielded the huge axe, like a swallow flying across the skies, there were no hints of clumsiness that would usually be associated with using such an unwieldy weapon. His insights into the way of the axe had already broken through to a realm that most ordinary people would not be able to reach!

In comparison, Lan Yanfei was in a slightly more difficult position. As a woman, her strength could not be compared to Qing Zi. If it was not for her superb agility, she would have been defeated long ago by Qing Zi.

Qing Zi calmly executed his techniques, with no hint of hurriedness in his actions. If he was overly intent on winning, Feng Yanfei may have the opportunity to exploit his carelessness. Qing Zi calmly persisted, be it in the amount of strength or speed of attacks, every strike of his was executed to perfection.

"Brother Qing Zi, I admit my defeat. Thank you for showing me mercy!" Feng Yanfei retreated as she said in a very poised and dignified manner, gazing at Qing Zi with a hint of admiration in her eyes.

"Thank you for letting me win!" Qing Zi smiled good-naturedly.

"I wish Brother Qing Zi luck in the next battle. If you are free, this little sister would like to exchange more pointers with you." Feng Yanfei shyly said as she turned her body and descended the arena.

"Oohhhh~" catcalls rang out from the audience.

"This damned little brat actually felt the stirring of romance in the middle of a competition." The beautiful Feng Clan's leader gently smiled. After which, she glanced over at Qing Luo who was happily laughing as he slightly nodded his head in the direction of the Feng Clan's leader.

As the competition continued, Qing Zi was matched against another guy. Only then did the guy realize that Qing Zi had indeed shown mercy when he was dueling Feng Yanfei.

The great axe with power akin to a tornado swept across the arena. Very few of the 8th Grade Martial Warriors could last more than 10 rounds when faced against it. Humans would always tend to gravitate towards people with strength! Especially when such an explosive strength was unleashed with killing intent, which was an extremely magnificent sight to behold. Despite Qing Zi's current strength being far from tyrannical, it was sufficient enough to cause the audience to look at him in a new light.

The smile on Qing Luo's face had never ceased. Qing Hu, Qing Bei and now, Qing Zi, all of them had caused his eyes to shine with brilliance, setting an example for those in the 3rd generation. In comparison, Lan Yu from the Lan Clan and the middle-aged guy from the Tong Clan were shaking their heads in despair. Especially Lan Yu, the beautiful little genius of the Lan Clan had actually lost to a girl two years younger than her. Not to mention that now, the Lan Clan's members who were sent up against Qing Zi were all ruthlessly smashed down.

It was as if Qing Zi temporarily had divine might. His sturdy frame exploded with ferocious strength; he looked like a valiant general slaughtering his foes in defense of his home land. There were more than a few gazes lost in rapture as they were riveted on his muscular frame.

Which teenage girl did not wish to have such a husband? Looking at Qing Zi's good natured smile, loud voices of praise along with the screams of excitement from the teenage girls unceasingly rang out from beneath the arena.

"This world is seriously crazy!" Qing Shui shook his head as he observed the audience.

There was sudden silence as the 9th Grade Martial Warrior, Tong Gang, stepped up on the arena platform with a green steel sword in his hands. Qing Shui surveyed the audience, as he knew that the sword was a popular choice of weapon for people in the World of the Nine Continents. Indeed, more than half the audience were sword-users.

Clashing with someone who was a grade higher in terms of cultivation than him, the speed and ferociousness level that Qing Zi demonstrated earlier, began to lessen. The gap between the difference in cultivation was no joke, and the strength level difference was very obvious. The difference of one grade was comparable the gap of a huge canal, sorely causing cultivators to unable to cross over. Of course, there were still cultivators who could defeat someone of a higher grade, but the rate of occurrence of that could be compared to the feathers of a phoenix and the horns of a giraffe. It was extremely rare for that to happen.

Tong Gang's green steel sword unleashed a torrent of sword strikes comparable to the heavy waves of the ocean. Every time sword and axe clashed, the first energy wave of the sword strike would block the huge axe of Qing Zi, while the second wave, with strength similar to the first, would instantly rush towards Qing Zi.

Finally, after defending for a period of time, Qing Zi's energy reserve gradually diminished as he was eventually defeated. However, he had gained the respect of those in the audience as voices of encouragement and warm applause rang out as Qing Zi exited the arena.

The competition continued, Feng Xishui defeated Tong Gang, but ended up conceding to Lan Ye. All of them were sword users, but after observing their fight, Qing Shui snorted in contempt. No matter how he observed, he felt that the sword strikes displayed by those 9th Grade Martial Warriors from the other Clans were simply abysmal in his eyes. Their swords were too slow and stiff.

The last contender who challenged Lan Ye, was the genius of the Qing Clan, Qing You. Looking at Qing You, Qing Shui could not help but suck in a breath. The sturdiness of Qing You's body, especially his back and waist, could be comparable to a tiger and a bear respectively. And especially his biceps, were at least 30% bigger than Qing Zi. His weapons of choice were a twin set of gigantic hammers, each one comparable to the size of Qing Zi's silvery great axe. The hammers were extremely mysterious. One was unable to tell what materials had been used to create the two hammers, which shone with a dim black light.

Even the audience members were dumbstruck, what… the strength level of the Qing Clan's 3rd generation is insane! Is there a need for each and every one of them to wield such gigantic weapons?

Qing Zi and Qing You were both the sons of Qing Jiang, so they were blood brothers!

Qing You who was a 10th Grade Martial Warrior, only executed a single move from his two gigantic hammers before forcing Lan Ye out of the arena. Wielding both hammers, he sped towards Lan Ye, as he swirled like a spinning top. The dance of the two hammers was so fast that it left no openings, and was so well coordinated that it was even impenetrable by the wind.

At this moment, smiles broke out on the faces of those of the Qing Clan. One strike… with only a single strike, Qing You had forced Lan Ye out of the competition. Qing You had even held back when he struck. If not for him holding back, despite being a 9th Grade Martial Warrior, even Lan Ye would have been pulverized between the twin hammers.

After a short moment of silence, fanatical shouts and cheers rang out from the audience. Qing You stood atop the arena, with a face filled with craftiness akin to that of a goblin. Along with that massive frame of a body, he exuded a demonic-like charm as teenage girls screamed their approval in excitement.

However, after that, a face that was familiar to Qing Shui appeared up on the arena and coldly exclaimed, "I want to fight as well!"

"Bu Fan, stop your nonsense." Situ Nan Tian lightly said.

"Forget it, since Bu Fan has already set foot in the arena, just let the kids play together!" Lan Yu said as he smiled.

"Hmm since Brother Lan said so… what about the rest?" Situ Nan Tian looked the judges as he asked for their opinions.

The rest of the judges quickly agreed, after all this situation was quite common.

"One move, if I can't defeat you in one move, it shall be counted as my loss!" Situ Bu Fan sneered. In Qing Shui's eyes, Situ Bu Fan looked like a buffoon, idiotically exclaiming such a nonsensical statement as if he was trying to awe the audience.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Ancient Strengthening Technique: Chapter 43 – Qing Shui's Magnificent Strike

"One move, if I can't defeat you in one move, it shall be counted as my loss!" Situ Bu Fan sneered. In Qing Shui's eyes, Situ Bu Fan looked like a buffoon by idiotically exclaiming such a nonsensical statement and trying to awe the audience.

However Qing Shui knew that despite Situ Bu Fan's megalomania, he should have seen the martial strength of Qing You, and yet, he still dared to enter the arena and make such a proclamation. Situ Bu Fan's cultivation level should either be at the peak of the Martial Warrior realm, or maybe he had already broken through the Martial General threshold.

Qing You, looking at the handsome and wildly arrogant guy in front of him, felt a sudden impulse to smash the twin hammers on Situ Bu Fan's head.

Qing Shui felt nothing but disgust when he looked upon that nauseating smile plastered on Situ Bu Fan's face. What a pretentious prick!

"Come boy, I will gift you the first three moves, if I didn't… I'm afraid you wouldn't even get the opportunity to attack me." Upon hearing that, Qing You had a nasty expression on his face. He wasted no time, and rushed forward while wielding his twin hammers with herculean strength. Fast and furious!

Situ Bu Fan was akin to a leaf floating in the middle of a tornado as he calmly sidestepped to the left, causing Qing You's attack to miss.

"First move!"

After hearing Situ Bu Fan's provocation, Qing You chopped both his hammers with a burst of speed comparable to lightning towards Situ Bu Fan. Still sneering, Situ Bu Fan lightly retreated in an instant, and continued his provocation.

"Second move!"

Just as Situ Bu Fan finished speaking, at the moment when he had dodged the attack of the twin hammers; Qing You joined both the twin hammers together in a stance resembling that of the character "一". It formed a weapon with over 5m in width, as he executed his whirlwind technique, swirling like a spinning top, once again speeding towards Situ Bu Fan.

For a moment, the arena itself was shaken by the tremendous might generated by the technique Qing You displayed. However, Situ Bu Fan executed his peculiar body movement technique, took a half step forward, backward, left and right. Evading the impact of the hammers by a paper-thin margin. Such was his level of mastery that he even had time in the midst of Qing You's ferocious attacks to alter the direction of the hammers attack!

"Third move!"

"Ahhh!" Qing You roared again. It was unknown if he was panicking, or was cheering for himself as he maneuvered his twin hammers again, and aimed for the chest region of Situ Bu Fan.

At this moment, Situ Bu Fan curled his lips upwards forming an unpleasant smile, as he struck out with his fist. As he struck out, waves of soft green light were emitted from his fist, enveloping it, giving the impression that his fist had actually grown by a size!

"Cha cha!"

"Pu!"

The former sound occurred as fist and hammer made contact, and the second sound rang out because Qing You involuntarily spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. He was flung out of the arena from the impact of the blow, rendering him unconscious.

"Awww, I'm sorry, I already held back. Who would have thought that brother Qing You was so weak that he would accidentally get injured by me." Situ Bu Fan lightly said as he gazed admiringly at the fist he used to defeat Qing You. "What a pretentious bastard!" Qing Shui could not help thinking after he saw that, anger clouding his features.

Qing Luo was affected too, but he quickly regained his normal composure. After Qing You was carried away for treatment, all the members of the Qing Clan had unsightly expressions on their visages.

"Martial General Realm, he must have broken through the Martial General Realm!" A low voice droned out as members of the audience began their discussions.

"How impressive, he really used a single strike to defeat Qing You, I guess that he must have at least broken through to the 2nd Grade of the Martial General Realm."

"Bullshit, what do you know. From my observations, he should be at the 5th Grade of the Martial General Realm. My cousin is at a 2nd Grade Martial General but when compared to Situ Bu Fan, he is still somewhat lacking," a skinny youth retorted.

"Ah, I see brother. Your cousin is really amazing, maybe I can befriend him in the future?"

"No problem!" The skinny youth replied.

"I wonder what your cousin is busy with recently, when would he have the time to meet up?"

"Oh, surely he would have had the time, but what a pity that he was killed 2 years ago!" The skinny youth shook his head, sighing in depression.

The guy who was talking to the skinny youth almost vomited blood and fainted, "Dead people… I don't want to meet dead people urghhhh"……………………….

Situ Nan Tian tried his best to suppress the elation rising in his heart, and was barely able to do so. Mumbling to himself in secret, he said "What a bunch of country bumpkins, fighting to see whoever is the strongest? Even if you are the strongest so what? In the end, only with a single strike, you were still defeated by my grandson. What a joke, what a waste of time."

As the head judge, it would not do for him to burst out into laughter, so the sly old fox could only fake embarrassment, coughing softly.

Standing on the arena, and looking the expression of awe on the faces of the audience, Situ Bu Fan's smile got wider and wider. Qing Shui felt like vomiting looking at that nauseating smile on his face. Unable to bear it any longer, Qing Shui jumped up onto the arena.

"It's you? You want to challenge me?" Situ Bu Fan creased his face. He was in the midst of basking in the gazes of admiration when unexpectedly, he saw another youth jump up onto the arena. Wasn't this action equivalent to slapping his face, and trying to steal his glory?

Looking at that pretentious bastard, Qing Shui had long ago wanted to punch his face and send him sprawling on the ground.

"Qing Shui!"

Qing Shui heard Qing Yi called out, with worry clouding her beautiful features. Turning his head, he calmly gestured at Qing Yi, as if telling her not to worry, and that everything was under his control.

"One move, if I can't defeat you in one move, it shall be counted as my loss!" Qing Shui knew that the best way to humiliate pretentious bastards, was to use their own words against them.

Situ Bu Fan had hated Qing Shui even back then when they first met. He felt that Qing Shui was a threat to him. His own fiancee, Shi Qing Zhuang was famed for being a ice princess. Shewould never hold a conversation with any guys, even if the guy was her own fiance – Situ Bu Fan! However, to think that she had actually spoken with Qing Shui!

After hearing Qing Shui say that he would defeat him with one move, Situ Bu Fan burst out laughing. But even before he finished laughing, Situ Bu Fan suddenly choked as he heard the next sentence from Qing Shui.

"Come boy, I will gift you the first three moves, if not… I'm afraid you wouldn't even get the opportunity to attack me." Qing Shui lightly spoke, mimicking the demeanor of Situ Bu Fan earlier.

The members of the audience could no longer hold back as they began to chortle with laughter. Situ Bu Fan knew that the words Qing Shui spoken was directed to him, mocking him for his earlier behaviour. All his earlier arrogance was replaced by a burning sense of killing intent as all his face was lost by Qing Shui's actions.

With fury suffusing his facial features, Situ Bu Fan rushed forward, striking out with his fist towards the chest area of Qing Shui, but Qing Shui who had the aid of the Ghostly Steps, was akin to a leaf floating in a tornado, mimicking Situ Bu Fan's actions earlier, and lightly sidestepped to the left.

"First move!"

Members of the audience were stunned for a moment, but quickly roared out laughing. All the words and actions of Qing Shui on the arena were exactly the same as what Situ Bu Fan had done earlier!

"Ah!" Situ Bu Fang no longer had the arrogant expression from before, even he himself did not know why every time he meet Qing Shui, he would be filled with an inexplicable anger so intense that his blood would boil.

"Second Move!"

Qing Shui easily dodged the infuriated strike of Situ Bu Fan.

Situ Bu Fan no longer dared to underestimate the enemy as he finally used a fist technique. Both of his fists were emitting waves of light green light, punching towards Qing Shui with an incomparably quick speed as he caged Qing Shui in a flurry of fists shadows. Qing Shui outwardly looked to be in a difficult position, but he was inwardly calm as he used the Ghostly Steps, and faded in and out of the shadows, only dodging each hit at the last possible moment.

"Third move!" Qing Shui spat out the word, causing Situ Bu Fan's hatred of him to rise to the heavens.

"You piece of shit, if you truly have the ability, then don't dodge, let us directly clash with each other." Brimming with killing intent, "Boom, boom!" Sounds of his fist strikes echoed in the air as Situ Bu Fan upped his speed, and unleashed even more fist shadows at the vital areas of Qing Shui's head. It seems that Situ Bu Fan no longer cared about his pride nor the rules of the competition. He was aiming to kill!

Truly angered, Qing Shui glared at Situ Bu Fan's increasingly desperate strikes. Qing Shui no longer hesitated and fully infused both his arms with divine strength, circulating the Qi from the Ancient Strengthening Technique, as he explosively shot up both his palms in the air. With his strength of 20,000 jin, he caught the arms of Situ Bu Fan in the midst of the fist shadows.

"Ka Cha!"

"Pu!"

"Urgh!"

The first sound occurred when the explosive impact broke off both of Situ Bu Fan's arms from the attack. The second sound rang out because the explosive impact had directly travelled to his chest region, which caused him to spit out a mouthful of fresh blood. Lastly, the third sound sounded out just before Situ Bu Fan slipped inside the soothing embrace of unconsciousness. Qing Shui's efforts sent Situ Bu Fan flying from the arena, and finally landing on the ground 10m away.

"It is you who wanted to clash directly with me, so you can't blame me for this. " Qing Shui glanced at both his arms as he sheepishly said " "Awww, I'm sorry, I already held back. Who would have thought that brother Bu Fan was so weak that he would accidentally get injured by me."

However, there was no laughter this time round. All members of the audience were staring mutely at Qing Shui, as if their voices had been stolen by the impossible situation that had just occurred. Even the Qing Clan was staring at him, as if thunderstruck. Qing Shui shyly scratched his head, assuming an well-behaved expression before saying: ""I'm only up here because I couldn't stand his arrogance anymore."

Beneath the arena, upon hearing that, the adorable face of Qing Bei began to turn red from laughter. She was uncontrollably laughing, even after tears had started coming out of her eyes. That final sentence was what she had said after she defeated Lan Yaner!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Ancient Strengthening Technique: Chapter 44 – Coming of Age Ceremony

After witnessing Qing Shui's flawless victory over Situ Bu Fan, Qing Luo was momentarily rendered speechless, but he managed to recover. Glancing at Situ Nan Tian standing there with a stony expression on his face, standing there laughing awkwardly, every time Qing Luo thought of the words Qing Shui said after he exited the arena, he would involuntarily cringe. "I'm only at the 3rd Grade of the Martial Warrior Realm. As everyone knows, I'm trash when it comes to cultivation. I only managed to win simply because I have more brute strength than others."

Wasn't this equivalent to Qing Shui slapping the faces of those who had participated in the competition earlier? However, Qing Luo loved it. This is how a man should be! Strength decided everything, only with sufficient strength would one have the authority to speak.

Situ Nan Tian wanted to find a hole and hide his face. Even after thousands of calculations, no matter how he calculated, never did he expect himself to miss out on the fact that this trash, Qing Shui, could defeat Situ Bu Fan! Only now did he know that the "trash" that was ridiculed by everyone in the Qing Village was actually their hidden ace. Shaking his head, he sighed "Qing Luo… Ah, you cunning old fox."

What Situ Nan Tian didn't know was that Qing Luo was also kept in the dark regarding the true strength of Qing Shui!

Initially, Situ Nan Tian's plan was to bring along Situ Bu Fan, who had already broken through to the 3rd Grade of the Martial General Realm to fully suppress the Qing Clan's members. Who knew that, the opposite occurred instead, turning the Situ Clan into a joke of such huge proportions that it may even be spread to Hundred Miles City.

After the battle concluded, Qing Shui became the youngest expert of the Qing Clan. Using only a single move he knocked the 3rd Grade Martial General, Situ Bu Fan into unconsciousness. What kind of strength did he really possess? At the bare minimum, to be able to do as he did, his level of cultivation should be at least a grade or two higher than Situ Bu Fan.

While he had had his share of the limelight, Qing Shui knew that trouble would soon follow. Firstly, let's not talk about other things, just merely the questioning of his family alone would give him a headache. Luckily, Qing Shui had long anticipated that there would be a day like this, and had made preparations for it. The lies which he unwillingly fed to Qing Yi earlier in the year would be the light leading him out of this tunnel.

After Qing Shui came down from the stage, he could see the expressions on the 3rd generation clan members ranging from awe, surprise, respect and even worship. In the past, the 3rd generation clan members would always looked up to Qing You, admiring his muscular frame and unruly strength. However, only now did they discover that the "trash" in everyone's eyes was a person that vastly surpassed what they had always known to be the epitome of strength. A person that silently endured their harsh words and torment, hiding his true strength until there was a reason for him to no longer do so. How could they not help but admire Qing Shui?

Everyone in the Qing Clan knew that Qing Shui had always been expending all his efforts to the point of disregarding food and drink, all for the sake of improving his cultivation. Despite this, he had always been labeled trash. If he didn't work hard enough, and his strength was low, then people would say that he was nothing but a lazy bum. If he had worked even harder, but with no improvements to his cultivation, people would only say that he is dumb and stupid. Truly, strength was everything. Weakness meant that no matter what he did, he would always be in the wrong.

When compared to the 3rd generation clan members, the 2nd generation and Qing Luo had only felt a deep sense of shock with regards to the prowess Qing Shui had displayed. A person who possessed strength, yet he was willing to be labeled trash. He spent years after years enduring painstaking cultivation to temper himself, and withstanding the loneliness and as well as suffering the sarcastic remarks and gossiping of others. A 15 year old youth actually had the mental fortitude to bear all of that?

After Qing Yi saw Qing Shui, she rushed over to embrace him in a hug. To think that this child of hers had the strength all along, yet chose to endure it. Her child had really grown up. She knew that the reason why Qing Shui had expended so much efforts on cultivation was because previously, no matter what he tried, he had been unable to cultivate! Now that the heavens had given the chance back to him, of course he would grab it.

What Qing Yi didn't know was that, the true reason of why Qing Shui strived so hard was to seek redress for her! A redress for being driven out of the rightful home of her husband! If she knew it, that Qing Shui's efforts were only for herself, she would probably be dumbstruck.

"Shui gege, you are so powerful. I too, can't stand the nauseating actions of that pretentious prick, Situ Bu Fan. Suffering from the delusion that he is the strongest in the world. He simply stinks of arrogance! But now, it's great! Shui gege actually crushed him with a single move, and even caused him to spit out blood. Even if he recovers, all his face and pride will be gone." Qing Bei gleefully spoke, as if she was the one that had defeated Situ Bu Fan. She excitedly chattered away as the smile on her face only got wider and wider.

"Haha talk about yourself. Xiao bei, you better wait for Lan Yaner to find you. You actually caused her to suffer such a disgrace." Qing Shui laughed, as he interrupted Qing Bei's ceaseless chatter.

Qing Shui knew that there was bound to be an "interrogation session". Soon after, as expected, under the gaze of Qing Luo, Qing Shui once again fed the lies about the ancient old man in the mountains that he had once told Qing Yi, to the rest of the members from the 2nd generation. Although they were still somewhat hesitant to believe in him, the results he had displayed earlier couldn't lie. After all, seeing is believing right? Furthermore, Qing Shui was famed for expending untold amounts of effort in his cultivation!

Even so, they still had doubts as to why Qing Shui was still unable to break through the 3rd layer of the Blue Lotus Art. After discussing it for sometime, they could only conclude that Qing Shui's body was unsuitable for cultivating the Blue Lotus Art.

After the battle, the name Qing Shui resounded throughout the whole of the Qing Village, and became the example of the younger generations. Initially, when Qing Shui was labeled as a trash, he had been very low profile and no one would even look twice at him. Now that he was famous, suddenly everyone realized how exquisite looking his features were. For the past few days, Qing Shui discovered that there were plenty of people which he was not acquainted with coming forth to speak to him. There were even plenty of females in the village that cast shy glances at him. All of this caused Qing Shui to be at a loss as to whether he should laugh or cry. In addition to that, there were plenty of proposals for marriage being brought out, however, they were all rejected by Qing Shui. What he wanted now was to quickly reach the XianTian realm. After that, how would he be worried about not being able to get a wife?

During the 10th day of the chinese new year, Qing Shui and the rest underwent the coming of age ceremony. The ceremony was of paramount importance in the world of the nine continents. Only after the ceremony would they be legally considered adults. Marriage, having children, setting up a family and starting your own career, all that could only be condoned after one had gone through the coming of age ceremony.

The things to note during the ceremony were very simple, one simply had to bow to the heavens, the earth and their ancestors before it was concluded. Alongside Qing Shui, there was also Qing Shan and Qing Shi undergoing the ceremony with him.

Qing Shan did not like cultivation, so he would be send out to the Hundred Miles City to conduct some of the businesses under the Qing Clan. Qing Shi on the other hand, was passionate about cultivation, but unfortunately his talent was limited, and had only reached the 4th layer of the Blue Lotus Art at the age of 16.

Before this, everyone had thought that the three of them would be sent to out of the village to help in the Qing Clan business in the Hundred Miles City. Never did they expect that Qing Shui was like a shining gem fallen from the stars.

Especially Qing Luo, he felt that the situation had happened too fast, as if it was surreal. Initially after the Situ Clan caused humiliation to the Qing Clan, defeating Qing You of the same age with only a single move, never would anyone have thought that the trash of the family actually jumped out and turned the tables back on the Situ Clan! At that moment, Qing Luo was still lost in shock, unable to believe his eyes.

"Ah, happiness usually occurs at the most unexpected moments."

—-

The coming of age ceremony ended quickly, now that everyone knew of Qing Shui's potential, how would the Qing Clan sent him out to merely run their businesses?

Contrary to everyone's expectation, Qing Shui actually volunteered himself to go to the Hundred Miles City and help Qing Yi. Facing plenty of objections, with Qing Yi included. Qing Shui did not relent. Once he had decided on something, Qing Shui would rarely change his mind. In the end, he had to mix lies together with truth, and told Qing Luo that his cultivation had reached a critical stage and it would probably help if he went out to experience new things…

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Ancient Strengthening Technique: Chapter 45 – A Divine Crippling Pill

The celebration for the new year would only be finished at the end of the month. The coming of age ceremony was completed on the 10th day of the new year. The Qing Clan was currently the happiest they had ever been. Especially the incident of Qing Shui, when he had defeated the arrogant Situ Bu Fan, was deeply etched in everyone's minds because it had raise their prestige to a whole new level.

The Solitary Rapid Fist, especially when used by both Qing Hu and Qing Bei, had power beyond that of the norm. It was an open secret that Qing Shui was the one who taught the stances to them. The other members of the Qing Clan could only stare in envy, but were too embarrassed to ask Qing Shui to teach them this technique.

Qing Luo had great foresight, he saw the benefits of the Solitary Rapid Fist, and was awed by the technique. He had already approached Qing Shui to discuss if Qing Shui was willing to allow all of the members of the Qing Clan to cultivate this particular fist technique. One of the main points was that by cultivating the Solitary Rapid Fist stances, one could hone the nimbleness and flexibility of their limbs. This would only benefit the members in the future as they started to learn the use of other weapons.

To Qing Luo, he felt that the Solitary Rapid Fist techniques were not a closely guarded secret. Since Qing Shui had already taught it to Qing Hu and Qing Bei, he hoped that Qing Shui would be willing to ask his teacher (the ancient old man) to see if it could be taught to the other clan members as well.

"No problem!" Qing Shui replied forthrightly. Firstly, the technique was unlocked when he had broken through the Ancient Strengthening Technique. He had no "ancient old man" teacher as to speak of. Secondly, when cultivating the Solitary Rapid Fist technique, talent was very important. Even if he printed out hard copies and disseminated it across the whole village, there wouldn't be much impact. Also not to mention, the ones he would be teaching it to, would be his own clan members.

After Qing You recovered, he sunk into a deep depression. As the top disciple of the Qing Clan's 3rd Generation, he could not even parry a single strike from Situ Bu Fan. These actions caused the whole of the Qing Clan to be disgraced by his hands.

Looking at how depressed his son was, Qing Jiang tried to uplift his spirits by relating the whole series of events that happened after he fainted. Qing You felt that the whole story was a bunch of bullsh*t. It was too incredulous, especially how Qing Shui defeated Situ Bu Fan with only a single strike. If not for the fact that so many people witnessed it happening, there was no one who would have believed it either. After hearing the story, Qing You gathered a few close friends and even went to verify the story with Lan Ye from the Lan Clan. Lan Ye's reputation as a person who did not lie finally allowed him to believe that the story was true.

Only after the verification did Qing You appear to recover somewhat from his depression. After all, the shadow of Situ Bu Fan's pretentious face kept looming in his mind, akin to a bad dream. He could not help lamenting the fact that he was not strong enough to smash his twin hammers onto Situ Bu Fan's head. Qing You could only lament that he was not able to personally witness Qing Shui making a fool out of Situ Bu Fan.

Qing You had always been an impetuous person. Before he had even recovered from his injuries, he already leapt from his bed and rushed straight to look for Qing Shui. Qing Jiang could only look at the fast departing silhouette of Qing You as he shook his head. He knew that such was the nature of his son, and it would be useless to try to stop him.

Qing Shui was shocked out of his wits when he saw the flustered looking Qing You sprinting towards him. Wasn't Qing You supposed to be in bed, recovering from his injuries? How could he even sprint?

"Ai, Qing You, you should rest well since you are injured!" Qing Shui stated with a smile as he looked at his younger cousin.

Qing You shook his head, as he went straight to the point of his question.

"After I heard that Qing Shui ge trounced that Situ Bu Fan like a little puppy, I immediately felt better." Qing You glanced at Qing Shui, as his eyes glittered with delight.

Qing Shui knew that Qing You, as the epitome of strength within the 3rd generation disciples, had always looked up to and respected those stronger than him. He was someone who possessed explosive strength, as evidenced by the choice of his weapons.

"Heh heh, I had long found his pretentious mug irritating. Luckily I had enough strength to smash him down the arena. Just imagine his earlier arrogance, and then getting beat down a few minutes later." Qing Shui roared with laughter as he chatted with Qing You.

"Hehe!" A endearing voice full of laughter drifted over.

"How could the two of you debase someone behind his back?" Qing Yi had heard their conversation regarding Situ Bu Fan, and was suppressing her urge to openly laugh as she gently berated them.

"Mum!" , "Aunty!"

"Qing Shui, I passed the six other Hundred Year Fiery Power Fruit to your Grandpa. He was very happy when he saw the fruits, and told me that he would give you anything as compensation." Qing Yi said with a smile, with radiance suffusing her complexion.

Qing Shui was momentarily stunned. He knew that Qing Luo had access to the treasure vault, located inside a secret chamber, which kept all the treasured items passed down from the earlier generations of the Qing Clan.

After Qing Shui recovered from his surprise, Qing Yi beckoned to both of them to follow her to meet Qing Luo. "Qing You, later after you meet your grandpa, remember to ask him for two of the fruits. Don't worry I will help you persuade your grandpa." Qing Yi said to Qing You as she pat his shoulder. "With aunty here, there would surely be a share for you."

"Thank you, Aunty!" Qing You was so excited that his whole face was flushed red. He had always been inclined to strength. Now that he knew the fruits would grant him an increase of 1,000 jin in strength, how could he not be passionate about it? If his strength increased by 1,000 jin, at the very least, he would not have lost so badly to Situ Bu Fan.

After they arrived at Qing Luo's residence, they saw Qing Luo was relaxedly enjoying his day, watering the plants in his courtyard. His towering and rugged frame, seemed to give no indications on his age. He was above 100 years old! However, considering the lifespan of peak HouTian experts, he was only middle-aged. It was a pity that Qing Luo had always been cursed by loneliness. Ever since his wife had passed on, he had never remarried, and depended on himself to bring up his children. Now that all his grandchildren had grown up the 2nd generation members urged and supported him to get remarried. However, all matchmaking proposals were rejected by Qing Luo.

"Dad!"

"Grandpa!" Both Qing Shui and Qing You greeted Qing Luo

"Hahaha, excellent!" Qing Luo was in a very joyous mode, and everyone knew the reason behind it was Qing Shui. Most probably, after Situ Bu Fan's arrogant actions, the Qing Clan would have more standing in the Hundred Miles City. In the future when the Qing Clan conducted their business in the Hundred Miles City, they wouldn't be under such constant pressure."

However, now it was different. Qing Shui had easily defeated one of the young masters of the four great clans of Hundred Miles City, and indirectly affected their pride. There was bound to be countless challengers waiting for him at Hundred Miles City, waiting to vent their anger.

"Qing Shui, since you have given the Hundred-Year fruits to us, I will let you choose any item you like from the Qing Clan's treasury. After all, we can't blindly accept your kindness without giving you something in compensation." Qing Luo said.

It was Qing Shui's first time coming into this chamber. The chamber was simple and unadorned, and only consisted of a bed, a bookshelf, and a table and set of chairs.

"Grandpa, what are you saying, we are all one family! Although the Hundred-Year fruits were valuable, the effects could not be stacked. It is only right for me to hand them over to you. After all, I'm a part of the Qing Clan!" Qing Shui said warmly, with hints of steadfastness in his voice. His grandpa had always doted on him. He could still remember back when he was young, and Qing Luo had went all the way to Hundred Miles City to buy the 100-year purple ginseng for his consumption.

Qing Luo was very happy, but despite this, he still wanted Qing Shui to make a request for an item saying that it was necessary, as it was a rule of the Qing Clan. Those who made contributions would be able to receive rewards.

Looking at how determined Qing Luo was, and the slight nod of Qing Yi, signaling her agreement, Qing Shui decided to try his luck…

"Hmm, if that is so, could Grandpa give me a Crippling Divine Pill?"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Ancient Strengthening Technique: Chapter 46 – Circumstances of Qing Shui's Birth (1)

"Hmm, if that is so, could Grandpa give me a Crippling Divine Pill?"

Qing Shui's request had almost given Qing Luo a heart attack. Complex emotions surfaced in his eyes as he faced Qing Shui. "You should already know about the effects of the Crippling Divine Pill. The current you could be considered to have a bright and almost limitless potential, so there is no need for you to even think about this pill at all."

"Yup, Shuier, your grandpa is right. You must not be tempted by the sudden increase in strength and bury all of your future potential!" Qing Yi barely recovered from the shock of Qing Shui's request, as she hurriedly tried to persuade Qing Shui, hoping to change his mind. After all, it was her who told Qing Shui about the effects of the Crippling Divine Pill.

A bitterness arose in Qing Shui's heart. His own future potential was limitless, but the current him was still stuck at the damnable bottleneck, sorely unable to make a breakthrough! That step through the doorway of the 4th heavenly layer, had evaded him for six years… a whole six years !

"I understand, Grandpa, Mother, please rest assured, I will not do anything to damage my potential." Qing Shui exhibited a reassuring smile, for only he alone understood the helplessness that he felt.

Hearing Qing Shui's constant reassurance, both Qing Luo and Qing Yi slightly relaxed, but had not given up on repeatedly reminding him about the harmful effects of the Crippling Divine Pill again and again.

Unknowingly, Qing Shui already stood at the pinnacle of the 3rd generation, and had become the dazzling star of the Qing Clan. Everyone with the exception of Qing Shui himself, was enamored of him and his future achievements. Qing Shui did not like to be out in the limelight, exposing his abilities so soon. After all, could his current abilities really be compared to the truly monstrous cultivators of the continent? It was just that Situ Bu Fan was seriously too annoying, and for the sake of the Qing Clan's future, he had no choice but to enter the arena. However, aside from this Qing Shui had another reason hidden deep within his heart.

"Because that damnable Situ Bu Fan is the fiancee of Shi Qing Zhuang! Just thinking about it makes me uncomfortable. If I'm uncomfortable, then of course I must let it all out, only then would I feel better!" Thinking of this, Qing Shui softly sighed. He did not know why exactly Shi Qing Zhuang kept appearing in his mind.

Qing Shui gently shook his head, trying to clear all the distracting thoughts. The thought of Situ Bu Fan tainting the ice cold beauty was enough to send his emotions spiralling out of control as blazing waves of fiery anger overtook him. Strength, and power. This were the only two things that mattered in the world of the nine continents. With sufficient strength, he could do as he wishes, and even snatch those who took his fancy.

As Qing Shui was lost in his thoughts, Qing Luo took out a sealed box and passed it over to Qing Shui. "Since you are so adamant about this, Grandpa shall grant your wish… but Qing Shui, you must promise me that you would never, ever, under any circumstances consume this pill. For if you do, any hopes of you reaching the Xiantian realm would vanish into the thin air just like a puff of smoke. Your mother and I are both looking forward to your future progression. Bear this in mind alright."

Even at this moment, Qing Luo was still preaching to Qing Shui about the dangers of the Crippling Divine Pill. He feared that Qing Shui would feel that the realm of Xiantian was too difficult to reach. Also, if in the future there was any powers that provoked or humiliated him, Qing Shui may because of a moment of impulse, consume the crippling divine pill and thus, bury his potential.

After all, the coming of age ceremony had already concluded, and Qing Shui was no longer a boy, but officially considered an adult man. Qing Luo believed that he would be able to think things through and make the right decisions. No matter what, a man was entitled to a few secrets and as such, Qing Luo did not question Qing Shui on the reason behind him wanting the Crippling Divine Pill. "Sigh, if only I knew that he would make such a request…" Qing Luo shook his head. If he knew that Qing Shui wanted the Crippling Divine Pill, he would not have been so bold to suggest that Qing Shui could have any item he wanted in the Qing Clan's treasury!

Qing Shui expressed his gratitude after receiving the sealed box. Then he noticed Qing You was red in the face, seemingly wanting to say something, but he had not spoken for fear of interrupting them earlier.

"Grandpa………" After the word resounded out, there was no other sound for a long moment.

Qing Luo smiled, his favorite grandson was Qing You from when he was a child, thus how could he not know what Qing You was thinking about? Everytime he wanted something, Qing You exhibited this particular expression on his face. Qing Luo just received six 100-Year Fiery Power Fruits, and Qing You had that expression on his face. How could Qing Luo not put two and two together?

"Hahaha, kid, I know you want the 100-Year Fiery Power Fruit. Giving two to you is not out of the question, but you must promise me that you will strive and work hard. In addition, after increasing your strength, you cannot wantonly challenge others to show off your might. If you want to challenge someone, then challenge your brother Qing Shui." After saying that, Qing Luo took out two of the 100-Year Fiery Power Fruits and tossed them over to Qing You.

Qing Shui and Qing Yi happily watched as the visibly excited Qing You kept the fruits. In this moment, one could see a mixture of surprise, joy, sincerity and gratitude towards Qing Yi from the eyes of Qing You.

Afterwards, the three of them departed and Qing You excitedly stated, "Aunty, Brother Qing Shui, I shall go now and increase my strength. I will meet you afterwards." He didn't even wait for their replies before turning around and dashing away at full speed.

Looking at the fervor displayed by Qing You, Qing Yi laughed and told Qing Shui, "Your little cousin Qing You won't be able to sleep in peace for a few days. He is too excited."

"Hehe, indeed. In this cultivation-oriented world, how would there be anything more joyful than a massive surge in strength?" Qing Shui smiled.

After returning back to their residence, Qing Shui decided to open the sealed box for a look at the infamous Crippling Divine Pill. Inside the box lay a small white bottle the size of a palm. Just as Qing Shui wanted to open it, he was stopped by Qing Yi.

"Do not recklessly open it Shuier, or the efficaciousness of the pill would be lost after the time it takes to brew a cup of tea."

Qing Shui stopped his actions, "Hmm, is just taking a look forbidden?" Qing Shui really wanted to know how this infamous pill looked like.

"No." Qing Yi said, certainty apparent in her tone.

Ah forget it, since he was unable to peer at the pill, he might as well just pack it up. Today was the 15th day of the month. It was the date for the Lantern Festival in his previous world. Games such as guessing the lantern riddles were not popular in the world of the nine continents, but the whole village was still extremely lively, bustling with noise and excitement. People were everywhere, it was as if everyone who lived in the Qing Village, were out in the streets strolling about, enjoying the festive atmosphere of the Lantern Festival Day.

"Mother, it is so lively out there, let us not remain cooped up in here." Qing Shui wanted to make good use of his time and enjoy the festive mood together with Qing Yi. After all, such opportunities were rare for the both of them.

"Okay!" Qing Yi happily agreed.

In the end, like during the new year, both Qing Shui and Qing Yi decided to go to the Town of the Setting Phoenix. The only difference this time around was that everyone was staring at Qing Shui, and even quite a few others greeted him!

Especially for those of the younger age groups. Strength in this world, was akin to riches in his previous world in terms of status. Qing Shui was considered to be "extremely wealthy" in the eyes of these youths.

What made Qing Shui smile wryly, was that there was plenty of good looking beauties, who out of their own volition, went forward to introduce themselves to Qing Shui, leaving him flustered and looking for places to hide. This could not be blamed on him as it was his first experience in both of his lifetimes to have beautiful girls asking him out.

"Qing Shui, look, there is a ravishing beauty right there, stealing glances at you." Qing Yi happily teased Qing Shui as she pointed her finger off in a certain direction.

After Qing Shui followed the finger, his gaze landed on a five to six year old little girl, whose exquisite features seemed to be carved from jade, as beautiful as a doll. The little girl was currently curiously staring at Qing Shui.

"Oh, a beauty indeed, but only after another 20 years." Qing Shui laughed, as he gently smiled at the little girl. (TL: the pedo reference is strong in this one.)

When they returned back to the Qing Clan, it was already approaching dusk. The sun slowly set, as it dyed the whole land with a dull reddish color. Both mother and son were chatting as they sat on some chairs placed in their courtyard.

After some moments, Qing Shui decided that it was time to get the answers Qing Yi promised him earlier.

"Mother, you once promised this to me. Can you tell me matters of the past now? Especially, about my father?" Qing Shui usually gentle tone of voice hardened perceptibly into something steel-like despite him trying to mask it.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Ancient Strengthening Technique: Chapter 47 – Circumstances of Qing Shui's Birth (2)

"Mother, you once promised this to me. Can you tell me matters of the past now? Especially, about my father?" Qing Shui usually gentle tone of voice hardened perceptibly into something steel-like despite him trying to mask it.

Shudders shook Qing Yi's body as bitterness arose in her heart as she sighed to herself, "Whatever will be, will be."

Looking at Qing Shui, Qing Yi gradually calmed down. However, what she didn't expect was that Qing Shui already had a rough understanding of about 70-80% regarding the whole situation.

" Qing Shui, you are already an adult, even if you didn't ask me, I still would have found a chance to tell you." Qing Yi sighed.

Qing Yi hesitated for a while and said, "Yan Zhong Yue, remember this name well, for it is the name of your father. Zhong Yue is a descendant of the Yan Clan from the Yan Jiang Country. The Yan Clan is considered a reclusive clan, one of the ultimate existences in the entire Yan Jiang Country, with deeply established roots and connections of more than a 1,000 years. The authority of the Yan Clan is so overwhelming that they could wipe out a clan directly with the ease of a flick of their finger, or a stomp of their foot on the ground.

Losing herself in her memories, Qing Yi softly continued.

"Your father possessed a direct bloodline and was one of the leaders in his generation." After speaking, Qing Yi smiled gently at Qing Shui, and continued, "If you see him, you would definitely recognize him, for you could be considered a spitting image of him."

"That year, we met by chance when he came to the western mountainous regions near our Qing Clan for cultivation. Do you believe in love at first sight? Sigh, that was what happened to us. However, elders from his clan strongly forbade us being together, saying that I was not worthy of his love, let alone being a part of the illustrious Yan Clan. Later on, your father defied them, left the Yan Jiang Country and willingly relocated here in order to marry me."

"Two years later, we had a daughter." Pausing momentarily to let the revelation sink in before she continued "That was your elder sister… However, the brief moment of happiness did not last, as soon after, the members of the Yan Clan found us. Your elder sister was only about 5 months old then, yet the elders of the Yan Clan were intent on tearing our family apart. They wanted Zhong Yue to leave with them as there was already another marriage arranged with the eldest daughter from the Xiao Clan.

"The authority of the Xiao Clan in Yan Jiang country was only preceded by that of the Yan Clan. The eldest daughter from the Xiao Clan had an extremely overbearing personality, and had long admired your father ever since they were young. More than just admire, it could almost be called an obsession. Thinking to forge an alliance through marriage, the Yan Clan naturally would not be opposed to it. After all, when two of the most powerful clan in the Yan Jiang country combined their might, even if there were disagreements with the other large clans, there was nothing that could overcome their joint alliance. Because of that, from their viewpoint of the greater picture, the Yan Clan decided to sacrifice the love between me and your father… To the Yan Clan, those who could not bring them any benefits at best could only be used as pawns and then discarded after." Qing Yi choked back a sobs as she continued.

"Your father did not agree, but how could the Yan Clan give up so easily? Using the destruction of the entire Qing Village as a threat, including my life, your father could only obediently submit in the end. But that was not the end of the matter. For insurance, they even took my baby daughter with them, and only left a single sentence behind before they left. "If you ever venture a single step into the Yan Clan, we would make your daughter suffer a fate worst than death."

"With that warning, they succeeded in what they set out to do. They broke apart our family, and to ensure the safety of your sister, neither me nor your father have ever attempted to meet all this years."

"Just when I truly felt that all hope in the world was wiped out, at the peak of depression and almost succumbing to insanity, it was then I felt the stirring of life in my womb… I was pregnant with you Shuier… You are my hope and salvation, bringing me out from the darkness and back into the light. "

"Shuier, my deepest wish is to visit the Yan Clan, but I do not want to go there snivelling, like a beggar. I want to visit there with exaltation and pride, to see my daughter again. All these years… I don't even know how she fared, don't even know if there was anyone there to love her." After this, Qing Yi could no longer control her emotions, tears freely cascaded down her face as she buried her head in Qing Shui's shoulder, trembling with each breath.

Qing Shui let out a breath that he didn't even realize he was holding. It turns out that his earlier assumptions were far from the truth. Never would he have imagined that it was the elders of the Yan clan had utilized such despicable means to force them apart, and to think that he even had a elder sister. He always thought that it was his father who had willingly abandoned them.

Embracing Qing Yi, he had unshed tears in his eyes. How much had Qing Yi suffered, all the mental torture, and yet she had to bear it alone as a lone woman.

"Don't worry mother, what they did to you, I will have them pay it back in full." Qing Shui stated quietly, like the calm before a storm.

That steel-like tone of voice was filled with certainty. The pressure that Qing Shui was emanating now was extremely oppressing. Qing Yi could clearly feel the vengeance in his heart.

"Qing Shui, don't take it seriously. All I want is for you to live your life out in peace and happiness, not in vengeance. Please be happy Shuier, I don't want to see you embark on a path of no return, you have no idea the power the Yan Clan wields. The reason mother is telling you all of this is that this are the things you ought to know. But if you really went for revenge and something did happen to you, I don't know how I would live on. After all, all these things happened so long ago in the past, the scar on my heart had already numbed" Qing Yi attempted a weak smile as she looked at Qing Shui.

Despite this, from the words earlier still resonated within him. "My deepest wish is to visit the Yan Clan, in exaltation and pride, looking for my daughter." Qing Shui knew that Qing Yi would not give up so easily.

He could be sure that Qing Yi would definitely plan a visit to the Yan Clan. Even if it meant her death, she would still choose to go, even if she had to go there begging, she would still choose to go unhesitantly, all because of her very own daughter!

"Mother, don't you worry, I would never boast, and never lie to you. Five years. Give me five years, I will trample upon the entire Yan Clan. Definitely. Believe in me. Just five years is all I ask for. In these five years, I want you to live happily and banish the thoughts of visiting the Yan Clan. If you really did go and something happened to you, I will annihilate each and everyone with the surname of Yan. Pull them out by their roots and eradicate any traces of their existence. I'm a man of my words." Qing Shui was worried and as such, he had no choice but to stall for time. Only after he got stronger, would he be able to achieve his promises.

Qing Yi's senses were reeling from Qing Shui's words. When he had said that if anything happened to her, he would pull down the Yan Clan by their roots and completely massacre the whole of Yan Clan, she actually found herself believing his words. She unconsciously felt that Qing Shui would have the strength to do so in the future, but was unable to say why this was so.

After consoling Qing Yi, Qing Yi had visibly calmed down, but there was a blazing fire lit in her heart. Five years, Qing Shui told her to give him five years, Could they really visit the Yan Clan with their heads held high in five years?

Initially after Qing Shui was born, Qing Yi had fantasized that when he grew up and had some mastery in his cultivation, Qing Shui would be able to return to the Yan Clan to claim back his heritage and ancestry. But who knew that Qing Shui was born with a sickly constitution and was unable to make the slightest progress in cultivation?

It was all wishful thinking on her part as soon after, she realized that how could the Yan Clan care for a bastard child with no talent in cultivation? There was plenty of other geniuses in the Yan Clan after all. It was also extremely common for the descendants of Yan Clan to fling with other women, leaving behind bastards, and not to mention that relations in such a huge clan would obviously be weak and strained, everything was based on pragmatism and benefits.

It was then, Qing Yi had decided that she just wanted Qing Shui to lead a peaceful life inside the Qing Village. After he had grown up and started his own family, then she would depart alone to the Yan Clan to seek news about her daughter, and to see the person that she had always loved.

Indeed, Qing Shui was partially right about some of the things. From this, he could conclude that it was lucky he had not chosen to give in to depression back then.

Everytime he saw the hopeless expression in Qing Yi's eyes, Qing Shui could feel waves of needle-sharp pain assailing his heart. The heavens were fair, they had saw fit to grant him affinity with the Yin-Yang Pendant, in return, he would cultivate with his life at stake, in the hopes of clashing with the Yan Clan one day.

In reality, this goal was set by Qing Shui long ago, only now after hearing the full story, did he affirm his decision and continue looking forward. Qing Shui understood that he must not let hatred cloud his mind or heart. He knew that the two destructive emotions would only delay him from his objectives.

"Mother, everything will get better, don't worry anymore. In the future, just leave these matters to me. One day, I so swear, I will let everyone in this world know of my name, and that you are my mother."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Ancient Strengthening Technique: Chapter 48 – Lingering Charm

Qing Shui had always wanted Qing Yi to unleash all her pent-up sadness and frustrations by venting out all her innermost thoughts. Only by doing that would Qing Yi be able to relax. For so many years, Qing Yi had been bearing this pain all alone, sighing helplessly every time her thoughts turned to this. A burden shared was a burden halved. Now, she would no longer have to bear this burden alone. Qing Shui was determined to be part of it, and had made a promise to Qing Yi that he would go with her to the Yan Clan in five years time.

After their conversation, Qing Shui recorded the essence of the Solitary Rapid Fist onto a piece of paper, including a diagram of the all of the meridian and acupoint positions of the human body on a paper. After all, the Solitary Rapid Fist only had a single stance. As to what degree the rest of the Qing Clan members could master the fist technique would depend on their own level of comprehension.

During this period of time, after Lan Yaner recovered, she immediately issued a challenge to Qing Bei, wanting to wash off the shame and humiliation she had suffered at the competition. However, because of her pride, she did not come personally to issue the challenge, instead sending her servants in her place.

To Qing Shui, Qing Bei was a little devil, and beneath that vivacious exterior lay a mind full of mischievous ideas. In the end, Lan Yaner had no choice but to come personally, because no matter how Lan Yaner provoked or challenged Qing Bei, she would just ignore it. She would only leaving a single reply, "anyway, your loss was visibly witnessed by everyone, so you can say whatever you want as long as the people can believe it." Lan Yaner was infuriated to the point of puking blood when she heard that. With no other resolution, she could only counter by saying, "good, very good… Make sure to watch out next time."

"Next time? What next time? I would still have you flat on the ground every time we fight." Qing Bei ruthlessly countered, without caring about shaming Lan Yaner in public. Qing Shui could almost see the devilish horns growing out of Qing Bei's head, as he silently smiled to himself.

Regarding the Solitary Rapid Fist technique which Qing Shui passed down, the 3rd generation clan members were all exceptionally happy about it. They would often spar with each other using the fist technique, and would compete to see who could unleash the most stances. Everyone knew that while the Solitary Rapid Fist technique only consisted only of a single stance, the higher your comprehension rose, the more stances would you be able to derive from the original stance. Thus, everyone was busily training in it, honing their arms' agility and flexibility, and memorizing the positions of the vital acupoints in the human body.

The atmosphere between the 3rd generation members was extremely competitive. Ever since Lan Yaner discovered that the battle technique Qing Bei had used to defeat her had originated from Qing Shui, she started to actively hate Qing Shui as well. Every time they met, she would glare hatefully at Qing Shui.

Qing Shui who had matured long ago, refused to stoop to the level of Lan Yaner. He only felt that Lan Yaner was incredibly childish, almost to the extent of her reminding him of Situ Bu Fan.

Qing Shui still assiduously cultivated daily. Aside from cultivating during the day, he would enter the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal every night. Despite this, there were still no signs of him breaking through to the 49th cycle of circulated qi. The recent repeated failures made Qing Shui felt a never before sense of crushing defeat.

Looking at the branches of the Energy Enhancing Tree, that had been plucked clean by Qing Shui earlier, remnants of fruit-like things had already begun growing. However, Qing Shui knew that for them to fully mature, it would require a year of time to pass outside of the realm of the Violet Jade Immortal.

Qing Shui planned to depart for Hundred Miles City after a few more days. After that, he planned to purchase common-grade seedlings, and cultivate them inside the spatial realm. "Common-grade so what? He could still make a tidy profit if he sold them as 100-year herbs a year later. With money, he could naturally buy higher grades seedlings, and could then cultivate them for his own usage."

Qing Shui placed a lot of his hopes on spiritual herbs, he wished to master the art of concocting pills and become an alchemist. Only then, with all the knowledge of the otherworldly pill formulas unlocked in his mind, would he have an increased chance compared to others to enter the Xiantian Realm. That year, when the elders from the Yan Clan forcibly broke apart Qing Yi and Yan Zhong Yue, Qing Yi mentioned a Yan Clan elder with strength in the Xiantian realm could tear apart the entire Qing Village with a flick of his finger. Everything depended on the level of one's power!

"Xiantian, was the vital boundary in the myriad realms of cultivation. A cultivator who had taken that initial step into the Xiantian Realm could be considered to have ascended into the heavens. However, for every cultivator which succeeded in entering the doorway of the Xiantian Realm, there were countless millions of others stuck outside of it."

Thinking of the Crippling Divine Pill he possessed, Qing Shui was sorely tempted to consume it so as to aid him in breaking past the 4th heavenly layer. However, he would not lightly take the risk, he understood that once he did so, the probability of him ever entering Xiantian realm would be infinitely close to zero, and he would never be able to take revenge for Qing Yi in his lifetime.

Without any other solutions, Qing Shui could only grit his teeth and continue cultivating assiduously in the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal. He had a very strong feeling that the moment when he broke through to the 49th cycle of circulated Qi, it would be the moment he stepped into the 4th heavenly layer of the Ancient Strengthening Technique.

——–

Today, there was a visitor to Qing Clan which filled Qing Shui with much excitement. That person was the Feng Clan judge from the annual competition. It was that charming lady that he had the hots for! Qing Shui breathed deeply, this was what we call a matured lady, as ripe as a peach, with her curvaceous figure swaying about as if she was a temptress, especially those gigantic twin peaks bobbing about in front of her chest. The body-hugging robe she wore was so tight that one would have expected her twin peaks would burst out of it at any moment. Qing Shui salivated at the thought.

Slender and willowy waist, a full round-shaped bottom, soft and creamy skin, and that pair of bewitching eyes. All of these factors combined caused Qing Shui to unable to guess at the actual age of the Feng Clan lady.

When she glanced at Qing Shui, as her beautiful eyes swept past, in that instant, Qing Shui could see how bewitching her eyes were. They seemed to be filled with a certain look of mistiness combined with a hint of enrapture that was capable of stirring the heartstrings of all but the strongest-willed men.

"Hmm, mature ladies, are indeed my favourite!" Qing Shui fantasized excitedly.

" Qing Shui right? As expected, it is difficult even for me to see through your true strength level." Her lovely voice was extremely pleasing to his ear. Just hearing the words she spoke gave rise to a comfortable feeling in his heart.

"Yup, I'm Qing Shui! You are?" Qing Shui decided to ask directly.

(TL Note: *You are, the word "You – 您" used was a word slightly different from the normal you. It is usually used by juniors when addressing their elders."

"This one's name is Feng Wuxi, from the Feng Clan, but you can call me Aunty Xi!" At this moment, the voice of Qing Luo, suffused with laughter, drifted over.

"Aunty Xi, nice to meet you!" Qing Shui obediently replied.

"Ah, Elder Qing Luo is indeed fortunate, to think that a young hero has appeared in the 3rd generation of your Qing Clan. It really engenders envy from the everyone else!", Feng Wuxi laughed, praising the two of them with a single sentence.

Qing Luo invited Feng Wuxi into their living room, and suddenly along the way, Feng Wuxi extended her hand to grab Qing Shui's hand and pull him along. Shocked by the sudden movement, Qing Shui could not even react as his mind went numb, blindly following as Feng Wuxi pulled him along. He did not know that Feng Wuxi found him extremely adorable, as she could see the signs of nervousness and excitement mingling on his now beet-red face.

Qing Shui could feel that the hands of Feng Wuxi were smooth and silky to the touch. Blood rushed to his head as he stole a glance at Feng Wuxi, it appeared that she was just nonchalantly leading the way.

"Urghh, She only treats me as a child!"

Qing Shui clicked his tongue being slightly annoyed, and enlarged his nostrils to breathe in the fragrance emitted by Feng Wuxi, as his heart thumped faster. Such a rare specimen of a mature woman, I wonder who she sleeps with at night.

Qing Shui felt that he was extremely evil, his mind was filled with scenes of the "Artistic Films" he watched back in his previous life. He was fantasizing about him doing it with Feng Wuxi, being the stars of the videos, trying out all the positions…

Only after they had entered the living room, did Qing Shui awaken from his fantasies.

"What a sin!" Qing Shui was caught between a rock and a hard place and was silently berating himself for his earlier thoughts.

"I'm here to discuss the matters between my clan's Yue Ru [1] and your Qing Zi. The two of them are quite compatible with each other, so I wish to arrange a marriage between them, what do you think?"

Qing Shui knew that Yue Ru was the one who fought with Qing Zi during the annual competition. He rubbed his nose as he thought "To think that they would be married soon after today."

[1] previously her name in the earlier annual competition was Feng Yanfei, I think the author forgotten lol. Well whatever, her name is Feng Yue Ru now.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Ancient Strengthening Technique: Chapter 49 – The Mysterious Feng Wu Xi

In reality, back during the annual competition the members of the audience had taken note of the mutual attraction between Feng Yue Ru and Qing Zi, especially the two sharp-eyed leaders of both clans.

After the annual competition concluded, true to her words, Feng Yue Ru sought out Qing Zi under the pretext of exchanging pointers. The two of them hit off very well, and got along like a house on fire. Interactions between both of them started to get more and more frequent, and from the heated gazes they exchanged, one could see that the two younglings had already fallen into the raging river of love.

Especially, after the Feng Clan saw Qing Shui's performance at the annual competition, they had decisively agreed to improve their relations with the Qing Clan through a marriage proposal.

Thus, Feng Wuxi had personally made a trip, hoping to settle the marriage engagement as soon as possible!

"Excellent, Excellent, this matter is concluded. Tomorrow I shall get Qing Jiang to make a trip personally down to the Feng Clan and deliver the betrothal gifts, and following that we will choose an auspicious date for the two lovebirds to get married." Qing Luo laughed uproariously. It could be seen that he was in an extremely good mood.

"Hahaha, Elder Qing Luo is indeed a straightforward man. I think the two young lovebirds would be tremendously pleased to hear of this." Feng Wuxi lightly smiled, and it was only now that she had stopped clutching Qing Shui's hand.

"Ah Grandpa, brother Qing Zi is getting married?" Qing Shui appeared startled, but hints of excitement could be heard in his voice.

"Yup! A grown up man and woman ought to get married. Your brother Qing Zi is already 26, and his talent on the path of cultivation could at most be considered slightly above average. It is time for him to set up a family and help out with the clan's businesses." Qing Luo replied with a smile; no hints of regret had appeared in his voice.

"Keke, Qing Shui, are you jealous that your brother Qing Zi is getting married? Do you want Aunty Xi to introduce to some lovely females that I am acquainted with? I truly do not know which of these ladies would have the luck to be able to marry to you." Feng Wuxi gently teased Qing Shui.

How could old man Qing Luo not see through Feng Wuxi's intentions? It was normal for humans to show favoritism. Feng Wuxi was someone who had a clear mind and kind heart with an extremely high level of foresight. He knew that she would not take advantage of Qing Shui.

Qing Luo also held some hints of admirations for this young leader of the Feng Clan. Her cultivation level could be considered within the top three in the entire Qing Village. Qing Luo knew that if it were not for the accident that occurred in the past, Feng Wuxi's cultivation level would not be merely at this level and could even be considered a phoenix soaring through the nine heavens.

After Qing Shui heard Feng Wuxi speaking of marriage, he shook his head inwardly. As long as the matter with the Yan Clan was not settled, he could not even begin to consider the possibility of marriage. Qing Shui now only wanted to pursue the path to power, so he had no desire to court any woman.

"Aunty Xi, I'm still young, so I will temporarily shelf the idea." Qing Shui replied, giggling happily. In his heart, even Qing Shui himself was disgusted by the actions he was doing. "Ahh, if I was still in my previous life, I would surely get the best actor award."

Indeed, after he arrived in this world, his personality has changed. Appearing cool and collected on the exterior, leaving a good impression to others and only displaying his true self when no one was around. For example, cussing and swearing when things went wrong could only be done in private. When the annual competition ended, the good impression they had of him, had only magnified into adoration. Qing Shui became the model of excellence for the younger generations to follow.

"Keke, no need to hurry." Feng Wuxi smiled, however Qing Shui could observe a slight hint of craftiness within that smile of hers. Shaking his head, he thought that he had hallucinated, but after blinking his eyes, he realized that there was no mistake. Such an expression on the face of this mature woman was so seductive and filled with attraction.

Feng Wuxi promptly left soon after she finished discussion of the marriage engagement. However, before she left, she extended an invitation to Qing Shui, asking him to visit the Feng Clan more often. After all, the two clans were soon to be interrelated.

"Qing Shui, this particular woman eats people up, even swallowing their skeletons, you'd best be careful. Were it not for that accident, how would she be here." Qing Luo mysteriously warned him before lapsing into silence.

Qing Shui felt that his Grandpa was trying to say something in between the lines, but looking at the expression of Qing Luo, Qing Shui knew that his Grandpa had no intention to elaborate on it. He only said so much in an attempt to warn him. Now that Qing Shui has been warned, there was no need for Qing Luo to continue elaborating.

For the next few days, Qing Shui joined the rest of the 3rd generation Clan members to cultivate. Compared to the past, there were many disciples who had come forward to engage with Qing Shui, in the hopes that he would give them some pointers.

After the new year, Qing Shui had decided to follow Qing Yi to help her out in her business over at Hundred Miles City. Initially, all of the Qing Clan elders had been shocked by his request. However, seeing how determined Qing Shui was, along with the many smooth lies prepared by Qing Shui, in the end they were all swayed by his arguments and had no choice but to acquiesce to his wishes.

Other than their 3rd uncle and his wife, who stayed over at Hundred Miles City in celebration for the new year, Qing Yi would be the one in charge to escort Qing Zi, Qing Shan, Qing Shi and Qing Shui to Hundred Miles City.

Both Qing You and Qing Hu wanted to go as well, but were denied their requests by Qing Luo, who told them to stop their nonsense and to treat this seriously. Qing Luo silently sighed to himself, "Qing Shui has already disrupted the original rules of the Qing Clan. This trouble was caused by his strength." Afterwards, Qing Luo could only laugh along.

The travellers hopped into a carriage which was pulled by two huge horses. Seeing the two horses caused Qing Shui to reminisce about the emberlion steed of Shi Qing Zhuang. However, following that line of thought, he was reminded involuntarily of that pretentious prick – Situ Bu Fan.

There was only a single route to travel if one wanted to go to Hundred Miles City. The width of the road was just enough for two carriages to traverse through. The terrain of the path was entirely mountainous, which made it difficult for smooth travel. Thus, travellers would need about four hours before they could arrive at their destination.

The scenery though not filled with visions of lush forests and open seas, were nevertheless scenic. There were many different types and shapes of fascinating rocks and stones along the path, which drew the interest of Qing Shui. "When I'm stronger in the future, I must leave my footprints on all the continents of this world."

Traversing on the road, especially sitting in a carriage, can be quite uninteresting and boring. Conversations between them soon started as a means to pass the time, and soon everyone was familiar with each other.

Not only were they from the same clan, they were direct relatives too. As such, their relationship got better and better after they were more familiar with each other.

Especially for Qing Shi, who was the son of Qing He and had circumstances similar to that of Qing Shui. He got along very well with Qing Shui. Qing Shi was exceedingly passionate for cultivation, but his talent was limited, and as such he had only broken through to the 4th grade of the Blue Lotus Art. Not to mention, their ages were close to each other. Qing Shui was only about a month older than him. Seeing how Qing Shui managed to break his own limits and arrived at his current strength today, Qing Shi quickly got well acquainted with Qing Shui, in the hopes that he could pick up some tips and pointers from him.

Qing Shui admired the personality of Qing Shi very much. Here is one who was the mirror image of himself, sharing the same fate. Qing Shui could not help thinking that this would be his destiny too, if not for some fortuitous encounters that happened.

Despite putting expending so much effort, because of his lack of talent, Qing Shi was doomed not to be able progress far on the path of cultivation. However, he never gave up, nor said a word in complaint; forging on ahead with confidence.

"We will arrive at Hundred Miles City shortly, and after that I will bring all of you to the "Yu He" Inn to enjoy the great food there!"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Ancient Strengthening Technique: Chapter 0050 – The Prosperous Hundred Miles City

"We will arrive at Hundred Miles City shortly, and after that I will bring all of you to the "Yu He Inn" to enjoy the great food there!"

Looking at how happy Qing Yi was, Qing Shui concluded that the "Yu He Inn" should be one of the top grade inns of Hundred Miles City.

Soon, they could see the huge city walls of Hundred Miles City looming in their sight. When the horse carriage stopped at the City Entrance, Qing Shui could not compare the sight in front of his eyes to the ones in the period dramas he had watched in his previous life.

The City Walls were 15m high, and about 30m thick. Qing Shui exclaimed in wonder as he determined the toughness of the walls. All the walls were carved from huge slabs of Lazurite Stones, and every slab weighed at least a few thousand jin. However, what truly amazed Qing Shui was that he could find no cracks when he examined the city walls!

"Truly, this is the skill of both a master architect and master constructor!" Hidden in the depths of his mind, there too was information regarding the arts and skills of architects and construction. It was just that he had yet to unlock them.

Not only were the city walls solid and tall, the enormous black metallic gates looked incomparably thick and heavy, emitting a slight air of oppression.

"That steel gate would require the strength of at least 20 humans to open it." Qing Yi added in explanation as she saw Qing Shui looking at the gate.

Standing on both sides of the entrance were 30 guards standing at attention. They wore yellow martial guardsmen uniforms, wielding sharp swords in their hands.

There were two guards that were responsible for checking the belongings of those entering and exiting the city, and every visitor who wanted to gain entry would have to pay a toll of 1 copper coin! For those who rode on a horse carriage, they had to pay double, while merchants with caravans had to pay up to four times the price!

Very quickly, it was the turn for the Qing Clan's carriage to pay the toll fee. Much to Qing Shui's surprise, the two guardsmen merely waved them in as they stepped aside, allowing the carriage to gain entry to the city free of charge. "Mother, why don't we need to pay the toll fee?"

Qing Yi lightly smiled, "Although we are not an extremely powerful clan, we still have some slight fame and prestige over here in the Hundred Miles City. After all, they would have to give us some face due to your Grandpa being at the peak of Houtian Realm. Also your second uncle too, who had recently broken through to the 10th Grade of Martial Commander."

After entering the city, Qing Shui's eyes began to shine with excitement. The spacious streets were about 50 meters wide, and the roads were all paved with marble. It was so vast that Qing Shui couldn't see the end of the street with a single glance.

To think that Hundred Miles City could be prosperous to this extent. Just building the city walls, as well as the marbled streets would need to expend an untold amount of wealth and manpower. The shops and inns on the streets were neither simple nor unsophisticated, they all looked extremely affluent.

Merchant shops littered both sides of the streets as the crowd gave rise to a bustling atmosphere. The streets were extremely spacious; other than horse carriages, there were also other exotic looking ferocious beasts pulling on merchant carts.

Wondrous sights in every direction left Qing Shui captivated. He was focusing his attention everywhere, as if loathe to miss anything of interest. Randomly, he focused his attention onto a strange looking beast that was pulling a carriage.

"Woah woah, this big fellow, what is he? How is he so enormous?" Qing Shui pointed to a red-colored beast that was roughly comparable the total mass of five bulls.

"This is a fire bull. Don't be fooled by its humongous size, as it actually has a gentle personality. Although it's speed could only be considered average, it's strength and endurance level are extraordinary, so fire bulls are usually the choice of most people when it comes to selecting beasts of burden." Qing Yi smiled as she saw Qing Shui's curiosity as she explained the details to him.

The horse carriage the Qing Clan was in, proceeded onwards till they arrived at an even more luxurious street. Qing Shui felt that this place was the focal point of Hundred Miles City. There were many more people, residences and shops when compared to the street he was at earlier. Of course, they followed the same layout. Pedestrians had to walk close to both sides of the street while the central lane was for horse carriages, or those who mounted steeds or beasts.

The carriage stopped in front of a huge building. Curiously, Qing Shui looked around and saw four big words written on a plaque hanging near the doorway: "Qing Clan Medicinal Business". So this place was the location of their very own family business!

The building was five stories high, and it possessed neither grace nor beauty. When looking upon it, one could only feel a dreary, dull feeling emitting from it.

"Let us go and take a look, since this will be our residence during the time we are here."

Qing Shui, Qing Shan and Qing Shi followed Qing Yi to a building nearby, the moment they entered, Qing Shui's eyes started sparkling. What a spacious field, the length and breadth should be at least 100m or more. To think that our Qing Clan was rich enough to own such a big plot of land in the Hundred Miles City, seems that we do have some status here after all.

Opposite the plot of land, there was a garden about 200m in length and breadth, which was surrounded by a low wall of stone.

Qing Shui wandered into the garden and discovered that this was the place used for planting of the medicinal herbs. Upon discovering that there were a plethora of herbs being planted here, a huge smile appeared on his face.

What made him so excited was not the number of herbs that they were cultivating, but it was the many different varieties that they had here! 8-Immortal Grass, 8-Immortal Flower, Night's Fragrance, Great Earth Root, Goat-Horned Ginseng, Violet Hibiscus…

This garden which belonged to the Qing Clan was called the Hundred Medicine Garden, which Qing Shui noticed as he saw the name of the garden written near the entrance.

Initially, Qing Shui planned to buy some herbal seedlings, and it seemed that now there was no need for him to be so troubled over it, considering the many different varieties of medicinal herbs in the Hundred Medicinal garden. The smile on his face got wider and wider. Seems like the plot of land in his realm of the Violet Jade Immortal would no longer be so bare and empty.

There were two youths that were currently busy working inside the Hundred Medicinal Garden. They were digging holes, planting crops and weeding out various bad plants. Qing Shui was here to look for people of the Qing Clan, and not these ordinary workers. Only now did he realize that there were such a small number of Qing Clan members working with Qing Yi regarding this medicinal business. There was a storage room for storing all the harvested herbs, but it seems that the Qing Clan Medicinal Business was targeting the common-grade herbs market.

"Qing Shui!"

Hearing someone call out his name, Qing Shui turned his head and realized that it was his 3rd uncle, Qing Hu! [1]

"3rd uncle, this place is so good! It is much more prosperous compared to our Qing Village." Qing Shui laughed as he walk towards his 3rd uncle.

[1] the word Hu, is written differently in chinese but with the same pronunciation. His cousin Qing Hu (Blue Tiger), his 3rd uncle Qing Hu (Blue Lake). Chinese can be pretty confusing T.T for those of you interested, Qing Shui stands for (Blue Water), Qing Yi (Blue Clothes) LOL the naming sense is pretty weird when translated into English, that's one of the reasons why I didn't do that. And oh ya, the word Qing, depending on context could also be translated as green. Roflolmao

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

AST 0051 – The Woman Named Yu He

"Did you really defeat Situ Bu Fan?"

"Third Uncle, whom did you hear it from?" By Qing Shui's estimation, his 3rd uncle shouldn't have known about this matter.

"This matter was already made known to the larger clans residing in the Hundred Miles City. Thus, many of those self-proclaimed geniuses of the younger generations want to spar against you."

Qing Shui lightly laughed, just the younger generations? They do not have the qualifications to make him regard them seriously. Of course, there may be those hidden within the younger generation of "geniuses" who also had the luck to meet with fortuitous events, and gain perverse strength from those encounters. However, such cases were far and few between.

"Do you believe it, 3rd uncle?" Qing Shui laughingly asked, Qing Shui knew that his 3rd uncle was even more of a blockhead than Qing Zi. 3rd Uncle Qing Hu was straight forward to a fault. His character could be aptly described with but a single word: Honesty.

"Seriously speaking, I do not know if I should believe it or not. However, after hearing that bunch of rich young masters who were furiously scolded Situ Bu Fan, calling him a pig head that has lost all the face and pride of their Hundred Miles City, I had no choice but to believe that it's real." While speaking, Qing Hu had been observing Qing Shui. Something was different with Qing Shui, but he could not put his hand onto what was it, it seemed like… This quiet and unassuming nephew of his was suddenly like a totally different person, brimming with confidence.

"Hehe, simply because I have more brute strength, thus I accidentally crushed that pig head till the point of unconsciousness." Qing Shui, in the eyes of the Qing Clan elders, had always been an honest and sensible child, but the words that just came out of his mouth was much easier said than done…

Qing Hu's mouth slightly twitched, but he did not say anything as a radiant smile appeared on his face. "Let's go, 3rd uncle knew that you all would be here today, and has already made the reservations at Yu He Inn. Let us go there and enjoy a scrumptious meal for lunch today."

There were only three to five members of Qing Clan working in the Qing Clan's Medicinal Store. The rest were all hired labor who had almost all gone on break because of the new year celebrations. Usually, from the Qing Clan there was only Qing Hu and his wife, as well as Qing Yi… Now, there were a total of six people. In addition to the three others from the elder generation, there was also Qing Shui, Qing Shan and Qing Shi.

Qing Shi was the son of Qing Hu, and now that Qing Hu and his wife saw that their son had arrived at Hundred Miles City, they did not know if they should be happy or sad. Coming here, to Hundred Miles City to help out in the business meant that your talent in cultivation was limited, but on the other hand being able to see their son daily was pretty good too.

The Yu He Inn was located on the same luxurious street in Hundred Miles City, and as such, there was only a short distance that needed to be travelled when they embarked from the Qing Clan's Medicinal Store to the Inn. Hence, instead of taking the horse carriages, the six of them decided to travel on foot. This suited Qing Shui's intentions perfectly, because other than him wanting to see all the interesting things displayed out in the streets, he also wanted to take the chance to observe the pretty ladies from Hundred Miles City too.

On their way to the Yu He Inn, Qing Shui realized that contrary to popular belief, despite being in the prosperous Hundred Miles City, beautiful ladies were not a dime a dozen. It was just that the ladies in the city paid attention to their state of dress, and used their fashion sense to fully display the contours and outlines of their graceful bodies.

"Hahaha, Qing Shui is really an adult now, look at him secretly observing the pretty ladies." Qing Hu's wife, Yuan Ying involuntarily broke out into a smile as she caught Qing Shui's turning his head in the direction of a well-endowed lady.

"Aunty, beautiful things are there to be admired. I'm just a young man seeking relaxation in beauty." Qing Shui replied, in a seemingly self-righteous manner.

"Oh, you… This little brat is really interesting. To think that you could come up with such a reason for seeing beautiful girls."

Turning his head in the direction of the voice, Qing Shui discovered a young woman looking at him. Her buxom was full, yet not overwhelmingly large. Her legs were akin to the point of perfection, long with the bones in a straight line from thigh to her slim ankle. The outline of her legs curving in and out at key points, while her slender waist could be akin to that of a water snake, lithe and graceful. Her fair and slender neck was extremely sexy, and her fashion sense was neat and elegant. She had a charming, misty look in her black eyes, a nose akin to a jade and a little mouth adorned with full red lips that were slightly curled upwards.

"Little fellow, I wonder if I possess the qualifications to make you feast your eyes on me." The young lady flirtatiously teased Qing Shui.

"Oh my lovely lady, of course you fully deserve my attention. Please let me feast my eyes on you for all eternity of time, even after the oceans have dried up and the rocks crumbled away, I would still want to gaze upon your enchanting visage. Your beauty is akin to an work of art, a beautiful scenery!" Qing Shui seriously replied.

Qing Shui's words made the lady unable to hold back a laughter, as the sound of her laughter made Qing Shui's heart go slightly numb. It was extremely comfortable to hear.

"Young Miss Yu, this is my son Qing Shui, please don't listen to his nonsense. This son of mine is full of warped logic." Qing Yi happily introduced the both of them, appearing to be very familiar with the young woman that caught Qing Shui's interest.

"Ah, so it's the legendary Qing Shui, I heard that the wastrel from the Situ Clan was trounced by you. Good job!" The beautiful young woman surnamed Yu chortled with laughter as she blinked her eyes. Just looking at her made Qing Shui felt slightly intoxicated.

Qing Shui did not expect his defeat of Situ Bu Fan to spread so fast, even this young woman knew about it. Hmm, Yu He Inn, this woman was also surnamed Yu, could it be that this Inn belonged to her?

"Let's go, the reserved room is already prepared and awaiting your arrival. Let this meal be on me instead." The young woman smiled as she led Qing Yi and Yuan Ying forward.

After a short moment, Qing Shui inclined his head and realized that they had arrived at the Yu He Inn. This building was even taller than their Qing Clan's medicinal store, and in contrast, it displayed a certain sense of extravagance, befitting the fact that it was one of the best inns in the city.

At the top of the building was a banner fluttering like a dragon and phoenix dancing in the wind, with the words "Yu He Inn" written on it.

Other than being grand and imposing, the building was also designed meticulously for practical use. Despite the wintry climate outside, the interior of Yu He Inn was designed with bridges over flowing water, full of beauty and filled with the fragrance of the birds and flowers. The temperature was controlled to make guests feel extremely comfortable. It felt like one was in spring time instead.

Every minor detail was taken note of. Anything regarding customer's comfort and convenience were all fully planned for. For example, even the waitresses of the Inn were top quality beauties, but of course because this place was not in a red-light district like brothels, it was all prim and proper.

From this, one could see that merely dining in the Yu He Inn, was not something that could be afforded by the commoners inhabiting the Hundred Miles City. Only those with a certain status or wealthy families would be able to afford it. Despite the exorbitant prices, there seemed to be no deterrence as Yu He Inn was usually packed to the brim with visitors.

The best seats were obviously at the top of the building. Very quickly, they ascended to the top floor of the Yu He Inn, and entered the room with windows that were facing the streets. Gazing out from this location enable one to take in the full sight of the luxurious street, and one could even see the impressive city walls far off in the horizon.

Only after this did the young lady surnamed Yu left. From the others, Qing Shui managed to find out that her full name was Yu He, and she was the boss of this place. She was one of the clan members belonging to the Yu Clan of Hundred Miles City.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

AST 0052 – Visiting the Hundred Medicinal Garden

Before leaving the Yu He Inn, Qing Shui actually had his tofu eaten [1] by Yu He. Feeling extremely depressed in his heart, Qing Shui almost cried. How could this have happened? Wasn't he the only one qualified to eat the tofu of others? Before Qing Shui and company left, Yu He lightly pinched the sides of his cheeks as she laughingly stated that in the future, all the costs for Qing Shui would be waived should he wish to visit the Yu He Inn.

Qing Yi was smiling in delight after looking at the shy expression on Qing Shui's face; although she would probably vomit blood if she knew what Qing Shui was thinking in his head. In reality, Qing Shui felt an immense amount of satisfaction, and enjoyed it tremendously when the jade-like hands of Yu He were pinching his face. The only thing that was bothering him was the fact that a strapping young man like him was getting teased like a little boy in public by a woman only a few years older. Qing Shui silently despaired. Could it be that she too wants to treat me like a little kid?

As they returned back to the Qing Clan's Medicinal Store, Qing Shui was constantly pondering on how to best transplant the herbs from the Hundred Medicinal Garden to the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal. The earlier he could transfer them the better; after all a delay of a single day actually meant a waste of 100 days. Hence, Qing Shui was extremely anxious to revisit the Hundred Medicinal Garden to transplant the medicinal herbs into his spatial realm.

"Mother, I wish to visit the Hundred Medicinal Garden. Do you know how many different varieties of spiritual herbs are there?"

"Approximately 1,200 different types, don't look down on the fact that these herbs are all of the common grade, the demand for them in the market is staggeringly huge." Qing Yi replied instantly, appearing to be very familiar with the medicinal business.

"The herbs in the Hundred Medicinal Garden, when would they be considered to have matured? After they have matured, what are the steps that need to be taken afterwards? How do we harvest them?" Qing Shui, seeing how familiar Qing Yi was, continued with his questions.

"There are many different kinds of herbs, thus the methods for cultivating and harvesting, as well as the time taken for the herbs to mature are all different. On average, the period for our herbs to mature would usually range between 10 months to two years. For some of the herbs there are no differences in the effects of the herb no matter if we harvested them a year after they matured or 20 years later. Some herbs, even after harvesting, we would just need to cultivate it as per normal, and after a period of time, we could harvest the herbs again. An example would be the leaves from the tea plants. We would only need to pluck the leaves before drying them, and they would be ready to use as medicine. Most of the other herbs, after they have matured we would be able to use the seedlings produced to re-plant the herbs again.

After finishing her explanation, Qing Yi glanced suspiciously at Qing Shui. She wondered why was Qing Shui asking such in-depth questions.

"Hehe, just a random thought." Qing Shui ruffled his hair as he sheepishly smiled in response.

"Mother, in the future, just leave all the management of the Hundred Medicinal Garden to me, this way, I will be able to increase my knowledge." Qing Shui rubbed his hands in glee.

"Hmm, I can agree to your request. Truthfully, there isn't really much for you to manage over here at Hundred Medicinal Garden. In addition to seeding and harvesting the herbs, the duties includes setting up a store in the streets of the city, and delivering our herbs to auction houses." Qing Yi briefly explained the crucial things to take note of to Qing Shui.

In the afternoon, Qing Shui spent all his time in the Hundred Medicinal Garden. There were countless herbs being cultivated in here. Some of the herbs sown had a height as tall as a human being, while others were only as tall as the height of a single finger. The herbs looked as though they were planted without any detailed planning, as layers and layers of herbs of different heights adorned the plot of land. However, within this seemingly uncoordinated planting, there existed a sense of beauty.

It appeared that the knowledge gained from reading the three medical books earlier was making itself useful now. Based on the effects of each herb, and the time they took to mature, Qing Shui shifted a portion of herbs which he found useful into his Realm of the Violet Jade immortal.

To his surprise, Qing Shui even found some rare spiritual herbs such as snow lotuses, ginseng and linzhi being cultivated inside the Hundred Medicinal Garden. Qing Shui walked closer to the plot of land that measured about 10 square foot. From his estimations, these rare herbs were about 2-3 years of age. Sneakily glancing around, Qing Shui did what he did best and transferred a small portion of it back inside his spatial realm.

Throughout the entire afternoon, in order to mask his movements, Qing Shui would only choose 3-5 stalks of the best herbs that could be found in the Hundred Medicinal Garden to be transferred into his spatial realm. After a whole afternoon of hard work, the land in the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal was no longer as barren as before. A patch of green could be seen where all the herbs seedlings were transplanted.

Qing Shui did not want to cultivate too many of any one herb. His wish was to fill up all the space inside the spatial realm with a wide variety of herbs. However, this was obviously impossible to accomplish in the short term.

"Hmm, I should go to the storage house", Qing Shui thought. He wanted to see if there were any herbs that he missed.

The storage house was located near the entrance to the Hundred Medical Garden. Pushing open the two heavy steel doors, Qing Shui stepped inside and discovered that the ventilation in the storage room was very good due to the many small windows embedded on the roof.

There were many tables in the storage room, and placed on them were many sealed baskets and sacks. It seems as though those herbs that were fully dried were placed inside the sacks, and sealed inside the baskets were all the half-sunned and half-dried herbs. The storage room wasn't that big, only about 30 square feet large. Qing Shui continued exploring the storage house, and as he walked towards the end, he finally discovered what he was looking for. In front of him were many baskets filled with colorful seeds of different sizes, belonging to a variety of different herbs.

"These… The seeds of the rare White Poria Flower, Agony Leaves and White Crane Lingzhi!" Qing Shui excitedly grab a few handful of seeds for each variety. After the time it took to brew a cup of tea, and after he completed his efforts, only then did Qing Shui feel at ease in his heart. In any case, with the amazing effects of the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal, if he did not fully maximize the potential of the realm, then he might as well bang his head on a wall and die for being an idiot.

By the time night had fallen, the efforts shown earlier in the day had exhausted Qing Shui. Despite his exhaustion, he did not fall asleep immediately. It had already become a routine for him to enter the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal for his cultivation every night. With a slight exercise of his will, Qing Shui stepped inside his spatial realm as a surprising sight awaited him…

[1] getting his tofu eaten – getting taken advantage of

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

AST 0053 – Discovered Treasure?

That night, after Qing Shui entered the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal, his face broke out into a smile as he discovered that his backbreaking efforts of transplanting the seedlings earlier in the afternoon had already been rewarded. The former barren patch of land was now filled with a myriad of colors, there were green-colored herbs, yellow-colored herbs and red-colored herbs beginning to sprout within the boundaries of that plot of land. It was extremely pleasing to see, and gave off an atmosphere that was brimming with vitality which had not been present in the barren land before.

Looking at the big patch of growth that was in the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal, Qing Shui slowly strolled to the center of the realm where the crystal-clear lake was located. The spiritual energy emitted by the crystal water felt extremely abundant to him, as Qing Shui wondered : "Hmm, maybe I could rear some species of fishes and turtles here? I could eat them up after they are fully grown. The dishes which I ate previously at the Yu He Inn were just too delicious."

(TL: How evil… what a glutton)

"The turtle soup could be considered a great source of nourishment. It nourishes the most important part of a guy's body. However, why did Yu He order that dish for us? Perhaps it is for 3rd uncle Qing Hu?" Qing Shui scratched his head in confusion as he started to wildly guess. After all, Yu He was an incomparably ravishing hot babe, but Qing Shui could not begin to guess at her intentions.

"How evil, to think that 3rd uncle, appearing to be honest on the surface, was actually hunting for beauties under the eyes of aunty Yuan Ying. What a powerful facade. A true man does not reveal his intentions easily."

The more Qing Shui thought of it, the more possible it felt to him. That day, on the lunch table, Qing Shui noticed that his 3rd uncle drank many bowls of the turtle soup. Although Qing Shui drank a lot too, but there was no way Yu He was interested in him right? The only reason why he drank the turtle soup was because he found it delicious. After all, Qing Shui currently did not have a partner to unleash all the nefarious fire contained in his loins, so why would he need to nourish his little bird that much? If he drank too much of it, wouldn't it be akin to him finding trouble for himself, since there was no way for him to let off his heat?

Initially, Qing Shui wanted to immediately release a few live fishes into the crystal lake for an experiment, but after thinking for a bit, he decided to temporarily shelve the idea.

"There is no hurry, I will do so once I have the opportunity to get the live fishes."

Clearing his head of the distracting thoughts, Qing Shui sat down and crossed his legs as he began the circulate the Ancient Strengthening Technique. Only after he had some accomplishment in the Ancient Strengthening Technique, would his path be smoother in the future. One cycle of circulation, two cycle of circulation… Time passed and as Qing Shui met the barrier at the 48th cycle, he gathered all his energy, while enduring the backlash, trying to push past the barrier with all his force. The end result was… failure. There was not even the slightest bit of inclination that the barrier would budge.

"What the fuck! Why is it still not working? Is my potential truly so weak?" Qing Shui sighed with depression evident in his eyes. Creasing his brows, he stood up. Despite having such a god-sent treasured item before him, with Qing Shui fully maxing out the available cultivation time inside of the spatial realm he still could not break through the 4th heavenly layer at all. An extreme sense of despair which he had never felt before arose in his heart. If he could not break through to the 4th heavenly layer of the Ancient Strengthening Technique, he would be forever destined to be a pitiful worm struggling on the ground. Don't even mention the Yan Clan, he could not even afford to offend the few great clans stationed in the Hundred Miles City.

The Iaido technique, which he comprehended from the , had already reached the small-success stage. In order to raise his strength rapidly in the short term, Qing Shui decided to focus his efforts on training the "piercing" effect of his sword arts. Using the three word mantra – Swift, Accurate, Decisive, Qing Shui wanted to base on his understanding of the mantra's essence, and concentrate all his might onto his sword tip.

Speaking of it was easy, but actually executing it was beyond tough. Despite the difficulty, Qing Shui still wielded his Scryrius Iron Wood Sword and slashed out arcs in the air. After which, he shook his head. The feel of the technique did not seem to feel right. Again and again, Qing Shui would contemplate each of the sword movements as he slashed out, trying to find the optimal point.

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Qing Shui woke up punctually. As the saying goes, a whole day's work depended on a good start in the morning. Taking in a deep breath, Qing Shui enjoyed the fresh morning air.

After which, he descended to the first floor of their residence, only to see a clumsy silhouette doggedly practicing the Solitary Rapid Fist.

"Wow, he is even more determined than me!" Qing Shui could see Qing Shi struggling to understand the concepts behind the set of fist technique. Although determination was important, in the end, talent played a huge part in the path to cultivation.

"Qing Shi, you are already awake!" Qing Shui smiled as he greeted Qing Shi.

"Hehe, Qing Shui, you yourself have already awoken too. There's no choice, my talent is not that good, and as such I would have to put in more effort in cultivation when compared to others, that is the only way I could ever hope to catch up." Qing Shi was very optimistic, and just by seeing that honest smile of his, it felt just like the splitting image of his father, Qing Hu.

Just with a casual glance, Qing Shui could tell that the Solitary Rapid Fist executed by Qing Shi was full of openings and flaws. Naturally, Qing Shui begin correcting Qing Shi on his stance, and instructing him in the appropriate amount of strength and pathways of attacks.

After that, Qing Shui personally instructed Qing Shi by sparring with him, pointing out his errors and enabling Qing Shi to experience rapid improvement, which caused Qing Shi to be overwhelmed with gratitude.

———-

After breakfast.

"Qing Shui, as this your first time here in the Hundred Miles City, you should explore the streets together with Qing Shan and Qing Shi. After all, the young ones like yourselves should enjoy the lively atmosphere." Qing Hu suggested. He was very happy that Qing Shui had defeated the scion from the Situ Clan. Because of Qing Shui, the Qing Clan's face and reputation skyrocketed in the Hundred Miles City.

"Right, okay, I have the same intention as well, after all this place is so much larger than our Qing Village. I'm sure the streets will be filled with plenty of excitement." Qing Shui lightly smiled.

After which, the three youngsters walked out of the Qing Clan's Medicinal Store. Looking at the lively crowd outside on the streets, there were even some who mounted strange, exotic-looking beasts whose steps rumbled through the streets with an air of grandeur. In particular, Qing Shui loved observing such strange ferocious beasts. He knew that a beast tamer profession existed in this world. If he could one day learn the secret arts required for beast taming, and tame a bunch of ferocious beasts into submission, how cool would that be?

Street stores on both sides of the streets had all kinds of strange and fascinating curios out on display. Before Qing Shui and the rest went out, Qing Yi had passed a bank note of 100 taels of silver to him. Although this amount could not be considered huge, it was not little as well. After all, in comparison, an expenditure of this amount was sufficient for the six members of the Qing Clan to enjoy a meal at the Yu He Inn.

The three youngster strolled about, slowly exploring each corner of the bustling street. Suddenly, they saw an old man setting up a small store on the ground. The old man was so decrepit-looking that he almost seemed to have a foot in his grave, but bizarrely, his eyes were sparkling bright. The only reason why Qing Shui noticed this particular store was because the crowds of people seemed to be avoiding this particular spot, and had no interest in giving patronage to the old man. This left a conspicuously empty corner in the middle of the streets.

There were only two items displayed. One was a black-colored tree branch the size of a baby's arm, and a dark and swarthy piece of black stone. Qing Shui felt extremely puzzled, why would this old man put two seemingly black and ugly looking things out on display?

There were many passersby, but after taking a look, all of them dispersed, clearly they had no intention of buying the items that were displayed. Out of curiousity Qing Shui squatted down as he scrutinized both of the dirty looking things on display. "Old man, what are these two things? Can I know the price?"

The bright eyes of the old man regarded Qing Shui intently. Although Qing Shui was displaying interest in his goods, the old man did not appeared happy as he emotionlessly glanced at the two items on display before saying, "I'm not sure either. All I know is that this branch is at least 60 years of age, but look at it, still sleek and shiny, with no signs of rotting. As for this substance similar to a stone, I know only that it is incomparably tough, even blacksmiths are incapable of refining it."

Qing Shui's heart skipped a beat, perhaps, just like what he always read in the novels in his previous world, has he come upon a treasure? However, he immediately discarded the thought, after all, how could treasures be so easily found? Still, that stone was incomparably tough, and Qing Shui was interested in buying it.

"Old man, could I inspect these two items slowly?" Qing Shui wanted to test if the stone-like object was as tough as what the old man said.

"Little brother, take all the time you need." The old man nonchalantly replied.

Qing Shui first picked up the dirty looking tree branch, and at the same instant he came into contact with it, he could feel a tremendous life-force welling up within it. More accurately, Qing Shui could feel an abundance of spiritual energy being emitted from this black-colored tree branch. It was… Some what similar to the spiritual energy emitted by the crystal lake in his Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal. Without a doubt, Qing Shui could conclude that this branch was a treasure indeed, it was just that he was unsure of what exactly it was.

Next, Qing Shui held the black and swarthy stone-like substance up in his palm, silently, without anyone noticing, Qing Shui using a part of his 20,000 jin strength, directly applied pressure as he tried to crush it. One had to know that if it was normal iron or steel, after that level of pressure had been applied by Qing Shui, their shape would surely be distorted.

However, there were no changes to this piece of black stone-like substance. Qing Shui stared at it, thunderstruck. A thought floated about in his mind, but it was nothing but a guess.

"Could this be… Iron Essence? A material that was tougher by iron at least a 100 times!"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

AST 0054 – Challenge from Hundred Miles City

"Could this be… Iron Essence? A material that was tougher than iron by at least a 100 times!"

If this stone-like thing was really the fabled iron essence, then it could be considered as having obtained a treasure. In any case, Qing Shui had already discarded any thoughts he had of saving his money. He was prepared to go all out, and was determined to purchase this. Money, after being spent can always be earned again, but if he missed the chance to obtain a treasure, who knew how long would it be before he could come across another chance like this again.

"Old man, how much do you want for these two items?" Qing Shui decided to go straight to the point as he did not want to waste time haggling over the price for the items.

"There was once someone who offered me 80 taels of silver for this tree branch, but I didn't accept then. However, now in order to survive I have no choice but to sell it. Little Brother, if you are willing to take out 80 taels of silver, besides this tree branch I can throw in the dark stone for you as well."

Without any hesitation, Qing Shui immediately took out the banknote which Qing Yi had given him, and paid the old man for the two items. After obtaining the items, he immediately deposited them inside his spatial realm, rubbing his hands in glee. In the other stalls nearby, Qing Shan and Qing Shi were still haggling over the prices of other curios with their respective sellers.

In the blink of an eye, Qing Shui was only left with 20 taels of silver. But in his eyes, the two items he had just obtained was definitely worth much more than that. Qing Shui knew that even with 1,000 or 10,000 taels of gold, one would not necessarily be able to purchase such treasures.

Walking to where Qing Shan and Qing Shi were, Qing Shui discovered that they were both currently looking at a piece of jade in the shape of a pendant. Qing Shui knew nothing about the jade, be it the grading of the purity, or the pricing of the jade. However, from the heated expression in Qing Shan's eyes, Qing Shui knew that his cousin was hooked. The crafty seller obviously did not miss Qing Shan's heated expression with his sharp eyes.

"Yo, little brother, this jade pendant is obviously of the top grade. Look at the clear green color, the cutting and the solidity of it!" The middle-aged seller enthusiastically promoted his wares.

All merchants were crafty in nature, Qing Shui could feel that, this seller in front of him was someone who had already perfected the arts of selling. In his previous world, such a person would be called a master salesman. Be it the tone of voice, the amount of hesitancy used, the enthusiastic sharing of information, the smile, the way of speaking; all of it was meticulously designed to make the customer feel at ease. How many would be able to resist it?

"Qing Shan, how much does he want to sell it for?" Qing Shui smiled lightly as he took note of the way Qing Shan was clutching it. Thinking in his heart: You fool! Don't you know what a poker face is? Just by looking at you, one would already know that you are determined to buy it, after seeing this, if the owner doesn't butcher you, then he would be the idiotic one!"

"50 taels of silver." Qing Shan creased his forehead as he replied.

Although Qing Shui did not know jade, he knew that any grade of jade that 50 taels of silver would purchase, would certainly not be any good stuff. It may even be the lowest grade of jade.

"50 taels of silver? That expensive? Forget it Qing Shan, earlier when I was strolling through the streets, I noticed another booth not far away from here. Among the wares, there was even a jade pendant that looked similar to this! The other seller was only selling it for 10 taels of silver, let us go take a look. We could always come back here later. Qing Shui interjected, foiling the plots of the crafty merchant.

"Is this true? How far away is it? Does the jade pendant really look the same?" Qing Shan's heart was moved. Silently observing the expression of the merchant, which ranged from urgency to panic, Qing Shui knew that his plan was going to be successful.

"Oh the booth is really near to here. Rest assured, the jade pendant looks exactly the same, and not only that, I heard that the other booth was giving out some freebies if you purchase their jade pendant too. Let's go!" Qing Shui beamed with a wide smile.

"Wait! Wait! Don't panic, the price is always negotiable. How much would you young sirs be willing to pay for this jade?" The crafty merchant almost cried when he saw that Qing Shan was leaving.

"Hmm, how about 10 taels of silver in addition to you throwing in that little jade lion over there?" Qing Shui, after replying, pointed his finger in the direction of a tattered looking small carving of a jade lion. Ever since his experience with the Yin-Yang pendant, Qing Shui had begun to take an interest in worn and tattered things.

(TL: is Qing shui's new profession a rags bones man? xD)

Initially, the crafty merchant thought to renegotiate, but after seeing the steely glint of determination in Qing Shui's eyes, he could only blame his luck and accepted the offer.

"Qing Shui, this lion belongs to you, thank you. Luckily you were here, if not I would be sucked dry by that black-hearted merchant. After all, I only have about 50 taels of silver on me" Qing Shan stated before happily passing the jade lion over to Qing Shui.

"Hehehe, how could there be another similar jade pendant? The moment I saw the merchant, I could already tell that he was a black-hearted guy. To think that he would fall for my bluff."

Qing Shui was concurrently fiddling around with the jade lion while strolling about the streets, chatting with Qing Shan and Qing Shi. After half a day, he still had not discovered anything out of the ordinary with the jade lion. "How could there be so many treasures lying about" Qing Shui sighed. While Qing Shan, ever since he bought the jade pendant, had been infatuated by it to the point where he took the jade pendant out for admiration every few minutes. Shaking his head, Qing Shui could not understand why Qing Shan was so in love with that ordinary piece of jade. If it was him, he would only be obsessed to this extent if the jade had the same mystical properties of his Yin-Yang Jade Pendant.

After which, they wandered to an even more bustling street. Not to mention, the stores on both sides of the street were more luxurious looking. There were tailor shops and most importantly, weapon stores!

"Let us go to the weapon store!" Qing Shui led the way as they entered into the luxurious looking store.

The difference between weapon stores and blacksmiths were that in weapon stores, all of the equipment was already made and ready for sale. While for the blacksmith, you would have to place your customized order, and decide on the length of the weapon, which materials use for forging, the shape, etc ,etc

As he entered into the store, Qing Shui eyes sparkled with luster. There were a myriad of weapons of all varieties lying about here: Sabres, Spears, Swords, Staves, Axes, Whips, Tridents, Halberds, Hook Swords, Hammers, Chakrams.

From Qing Shui's estimation, there were at least about 30 different varieties of weapons. As he scratched his head in puzzlement, he pondered… Weren't there only 18 types of weapons? Suddenly, in an instant, the hair on the back of his neck stood up, and Qing Shui could sense a glare filled with killing intent directed towards his back.

Swiftly turning around, ai, the paths of enemies were bound to cross indeed. Situ Bu Fan, along with five to six other teenagers, had just entered the weapon store too. That malicious gaze belonged to Situ Bu Fan, it seemed as though Qing Shui had left a huge shadow in his heart. To think that Situ Bu Fan could recognize him just from his back view alone.

Qing Shui could clearly feel the sense of rage emanating from Situ Bu Fan. After all, Qing Shui did embarrass him greatly. A young master from one of the four great clans of Hundred Miles City, losing to a country bumpkin who was five years younger than him? If that was not embarrassing enough, how about a 3rd Grade Martial General, losing to a 3rd Grade Martial Warrior, losing to someone an entire realm below him.

Ignoring Situ Bu Fan, Qing Shui swept his gaze across the other youths standing beside him. All of them were decked out in expensive looking garbs, and had hints of arrogance embedded between their brows. Seems like these youths were from the various large clans and powerful factions that hailed from Hundred Miles City.

"To think that you dare to step into my Hundred Miles City. I was just about to go to the Qing Village to look for you. Thanks for saving me all the trouble." The current Situ Bu Fan no longer had the pretentious look about him that was prevalent back when he stood upon the Qing Clan's arena.

"This was the country bumpkin that defeated you?" With disdain heavily filling his voice, one of the youths at the side of Situ Bu Fan exclaimed.

From the looks of this youth, he was about 25-26 years of age. Without knowing why, Qing Shui was filled with the same revulsion just like when he stared at Situ Bu Fan.

Birds of a feather flock together, these bunch of of rich men's sons grew up in the loving embrace of a protective bubble. Such humans always seemed to be looking down at people while they did not realize that they were nothing but frogs in a well.

"Yes, this is the guy who sneak attacked me. I never expected his strength to be so huge, and lost due to a moment of carelessness." Situ Bu Fan hatefully exclaimed, twisting his words to maintain an aura of righteous fury. Qing Shui gawked. This was the first time that he saw someone who was a better actor than him.

After the words were said, not only Qing Shui, Qing Shi and Qing Shan found it ludicrous as well and started laughing uproariously.

After laughing, Qing Shi disdainfully replied, "Sneak attack? To think you have the gall to say such nonsense. That day, Qing Shui magnanimously gifted you three moves. To think that a revered Martial General couldn't even defeat a Martial Warrior with a three move advantage. Not only that, as a Martial General, you couldn't even stand up to one of his attacks. Vomiting blood and even getting knocked unconscious? Pei! Your face is even thicker than yo mama ass."

(TL: Pei = sound of spitting. The yourmama joke was not in the raws, just something i added to spice up the conversation xD)

Qing Shui laughed, never did he expect that the honest looking Qing Shi, was also capable of using psychological attacks.

However, that last sentence was the limit of Situ Bu Fan. "ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHH, I WILL KILL YOU! FIGHT ME." Situ Bu Fan's whole body was shaking from barely suppressing his anger, as he shrieked madly while glaring at Qing Shui with bloodshot eyes, akin to a raging bull.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

AST 0055 – Overwhelming

Staring at the crazed look in Situ Bu Fan's eyes, Qing Shui knew that "face" was even more important than life itself for people like Situ Bu Fan. Well, not my problem, since he is already this incensed, why not let me add some oil to the fire.

"Challenge me? Are you worthy? If everyone wanted to challenge me, wouldn't it be very troublesome?" Qing Shui coldly replied, with a scornful note in his voice.

Right from the start, regarding this bunch of youths, the moment Qing Shui saw them, he already had no favorable impression. Although he could see that their cultivation level was relatively strong for their age, Qing Shui knew that without a doubt this effect was caused from the ingestion of spiritual medicines. For the cultivation realms below Martial Commander, the effects of spiritual medicine would be at their strongest. This was because the pills concocted by low grade alchemists had virtually no effect on those who were at the Martial Commander Realm or higher.

Looking at the arrogant expressions on their face, one could see that this bunch of 25-26 year old youths had respect for no one. They thought that with their meager bit of power they were the ultimate existences in this Hundred Miles City. Qing Shui could only feel contempt for people like them.

Although the great clans of Hundred Miles City had a history of a few hundred years, to think that the descendants of these clans with such a shallow backing actually dared to be so conceited, and as proud as lucifer. This could only be considered the case of a frog living at the bottom of the well, with no concept of the vast world outside.

"You, you… you…" Situ Bu Fan choked on his words as he stuttered, never had he suffered such a grave humiliation.

"FUCK! Stop dodging me, are you afraid?" This time around, Situ Bu Fan drew his sword, and pointed the tip at Qing Shui as he reissued the challenge again.

Qing Shui furrowed his brows, according to the rules of combat in the world of the nine continents there were only two choices when someone pointed his sword at you and issued a challenge. First, you accept his challenge, and life and death shall be decided by the victor. Second, you surrender!

Initially, Qing Shui had not wanted to be in the limelight so quickly again just after he arrived in Hundred Miles City. Despite the fact that he was stronger than the peers of his generations, when comparing himself to the might of the 4 great clans of the Hundred Miles City, there was still some distance away. His meager bit of strength could not allow him to wander the city unchallenged, but he was not an idiot nor a frog in the well akin to the 5-6 youths which were currently surrounding him.

Sigh, Qing Shui was caught between a rock and a hard place. If he lost, he would be subjected to endless humiliation. If he won, he would face unending challenges. If he defeated all of the younger generations in the Hundred Miles City, there was no guarantee that the elders from the four great clans would not hunt him down. What a terrible headache.

Surrendering? There was no way Qing Shui would stand for it. Although the saying went A true man does not react to provocations, but these bunch of lowlifes in front of him were a constant eyesore to him.

"Since you want to court death, I will help you. Get out and wait for me, I will be out after I have bought my weapon." Qing Shui furrowed his brows. He knew that based on the personalities of the bunch of rich young masters, the more he tolerated, the more they would climb over his head. Against these types of people, the best way to sever their arrogance was to show them strength.

"This brat seems to be quite confident, you sure you can handle him?" One of the youths near Situ Bu Fan spoke, as the whole lot of them walked outside the weapon store.

"Are you doubting me? Trust me, I was empty-handed when I fought with him last time. Because of a moment of carelessness, he sneak attacked me. This time around, I want to let him know of the difference between the heavens and earth. I want to show him what an insignificant insect he is. I want him to forever lower his head in shame, and to know that Hundred Miles City is not a place for the likes of him to visit." Situ Bu Fan grit his teeth and said with hatred.

Qing Shui showed no reaction after he heard the words they had spoken. Hatred? Let them hate, the more their emotions influenced them, the more clumsy they would be. No longer caring about them, Qing Shui proceeded forward to the weapons rack and began to choose a weapon.

Looking at the prices of the weapons sold, and inspecting his money pouch again and again, Qing Shui's jaw dropped. "Damn it, seems like I could only afford that common ironwood sword. Forget it, I will just buy it then." The previous Scryrius Iron Sword, had already been worn out by Qing Shui with his repeated usage when practicing his sword skills in the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal.

"Boss, could you sell this ironwood sword to me cheaper?" Looking at the common ironwood sword which cost 18 tales of silver, although the workmanship was exquisite, the weight of the sword was much heavier than he had expected. In addition to that, the edges and the tip of the sword were not as sharp as he liked, it was somewhat thick and blunt, and doesn't seem to be like a weapon at all. Instead, it was more akin to an ornament or a child's plaything.

"No bargaining, this sword was crafted by our master smith." The middle-aged boss stated firmly. Without a choice, Qing Shui could only smile wryly as he purchased the ironwood sword.

When Qing Shui finally stepped out of the store, his challengers were all slack-jawed, especially Situ Bu Fan, the sword in his hand was trembling uncontrollably.

"You, excellent, excellent, excellent…" After saying, Situ Bu Fan was bristling with so much anger, almost to the point of eruption. To think that Qing Shui would slight him so much.

Qing Shui shrugged, it was not that he did not want to purchase a proper weapon. But with the amount of money he had left, he had no choice but to opt for this instead. "What a waste, if I had known that Situ Bu Fan would be angered to this extent, I would have just picked a tree branch before turning up for the challenge. Might as well let Situ Bu Fan burst his blood vessels and die, it would save me the trouble."

"F*cking country bumpkin who has no idea of death."

Despite all the vocal abuse, Qing Shui felt nothing. He would not lower himself to their level.

This time round, Situ Bu Fan dare not underestimate Qing Shui. He carefully drew out a blue-colored treasure sword, and in that instant, the body of the sword seemed to gleamed with layers of blue light, emitting a sense of chill, causing the temperature of the surroundings to dip rapidly.

"This sword of mine is also known as the cold ice sword, prepare to meet your maker!" Even before he finished his sentence, Situ Bu Fan had already leapt forward, fast and furious, the sword in his hand continuously slashed out arcs, sealing the path of advancement and retreat for Qing Shui."

"Since you want to play, I will play with you!" The Iaido technique which he comprehended from the three-word mantra, had already been practiced millions upon millions of time, to the state where he could turn something ordinary into extraordinary. The Iaido technique that Qing Shui executed, there was nothing fanciful in it. It looked simple and ordinary, with the only emphasis being on the word "speed". The speed which he unleashed this attack was swift to the point where it dazzled the eyes, reaching an unfathomable realm.

That ordinary sword strike of Qing Shui seemed to shine with the brilliance of a comet. It dazzled the eyes of the spectators, and even himself. Although he was unable to see the sword strikes infused with the killing intent from Situ Bu Fan, Qing Shui was not worried. Before the attack could reach him, during that span of time, Qing Shui knew that he could unleash a torrent of up to a few hundred sword stabs.

"Bang!" The sword of Qing Shui stabbed right into the You Chi acupoint of Situ Bu Fan's wrist. Not only was the speed of the strike as fast as lightning, but it was also extremely accurate. Such a thing would only be possible if one had practiced with the sword for decades.

Situ Bu Fan stood there dumbly, not even realizing what had happened. When he came to his senses, his eyes turned into saucers as he was filled with disbelief. Looking at his dumbfounded expressions, Qing Shui took the chance to wink at him.

Situ Bu Fan had long recognized the sword attack that Qing Shui was using. "There was no way I could win empty-handed, and thus, I wanted to depend on the sharpness of my weapon to effortlessly defeat him, and yet as before, he only used a single strike. Not only that, that strike was from the !"

"What the fuck? This brat is using the , this is impossible right? Although the form looked similar, but the speed and force behind it was extremely tyrannical. To think that the sword forms from the could be used this way." One of the youths with Situ Bu Fan muttered after he came to his senses.

"Brat, I don't know what witchcraft you are using. Taste my sword!" Another youth, the one who looked down on Qing Shui earlier, after he came to his senses, began utilizing a movement technique, swiftly moving in the form of the word "之", as he unleashed a sword strike towards Qing Shui.

Qing Shui calmy analyzed the sword strike of his current opponent. From the surface, the sword looked ferocious and unparalleled in strength, seemingly rushing straight towards him. However, from the way his opponent stepped, and the angle of his attacks, as well as the directional shift in his eyes, Qing Shui knew that that the sword strike unleashed was a feint, the actual strike had still yet to make it's appearance. Pretending to overlook that, Qing Shui decided to prominently display some openings to bait the sword user. He had long found this arrogant youth to be an eyesore.

Standing there motionlessly, as Qing Shui expected, within the shadow of the first stab, was another stab with even greater strength and speed. "Shadow Illusion Swordplay!" The youth cried out. Just when the sword was about 3 inches away from penetrating his body, Qing Shui executed the Ghostly Steps, sidestepping to the left, and with a flip of his wrist, Qing Shui rotated the ironwood sword in his hand, causing the edges of the sword to face the ground. Using the flat side of the sword body, he mercilessly slammed the thick body of the sword right at the temple of the his opponent with breathtaking speed.

"Pa!"

That arrogant youth swooned, as he fainted right away. This strike of Qing Shui had targeted his head. It would have been as easy as flipping the palm of his hand if Qing Shui had wanted his life.

Maybe it was the shock that Qing Shui defeated two of their comrades, or maybe, it was the look of derision in the eyes of the crowd, the remaining youths could not tolerate it any longer as they all drew out their weapons and rushed towards Qing Shui.

Looking at the enraged faces of the other youths, Qing Shui shook his head helplessly and began executing his Ghostly Steps. "One shot, one kill", His silhouette flashed as he stepped in and out of the shadows, while the ironwood sword in his hand stabbed out repeatedly.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

AST 0056 – Meeting Shi Qing Zhuang again

Looking at the thunderstruck expression of Situ Bu Fan, Qing Shui waved his hands towards him and beamed. Littered around the ground were the unconscious bodies of all his friends.

A bitterness arose in Situ Bu Fan's heart. This group of friends, especially Shi Zong Yao from the Shi Clan, had already broken through to the 5th Grade of the Martial General Realm. Thinking back to when he had lost to Qing Shui in the Qing Clan, and after he returned to Hundred Miles City, Shi Zong Yao was the one who was the most vocal, and had scolded Situ Bu Fan until the dog's blood dripped on his head [1]. He called him a pig head and other nasty sounding names, throwing away the face of Hundred Miles City. To think that now, that same"country bumpkin" actually defeated Shi Zong Yao. Wasn't his defeat even more humiliating than himself?

This was just human nature. When there was only one person who was defeated, the person would inevitably feel that he is useless. However, when among the group, if a person with a stronger cultivation level than him had lost, then it was no longer a disgrace. It was a truth that the person standing before him was stronger than them!

At this moment, the ruckus caused many people on the street to train their sights upon him. With no wish to be spectated like a caged animal in a zoo, Qing Shui motioned Qing Shi and Qing Shan to prepare to leave the area. However, the instant he turned his head, a numbness filled his heart. Was he hallucinating? The ice cold visage of the person which he had always dreamt about was right there in front of him!

Shi Qing Zhuang!

Shi Qing Zhuang was wearing a fiery-red pleated skirt, as her cold eyes were filled with complexity. She stood there mutely not even saying a word, and just stared at him silently.

The Qing Shui now, felt his heartbeat quicken. The person he always wanted was standing right in front of him, gazing at him. Despite his experiences from two lifetimes, he was essentially still a virgin and did not have much experience with the opposite s*x. Although he had read a lot of dating theory books, and even watched many artistic films, how could that be compared to reality! Licking his lips, he told himself not to be nervous as he greeted Shi Qing Zhuang.

"H… Hi! How are you doing? Do you remember me? I was the one who rode your emberlion steed that day when you visited the Qing Village." Qing Shui rustled his hair as he hurriedly forced a smile onto his face to cover for the awkward moment where he had stuttered.

Shi Qing Zhuang's cold countenance slightly melted as her sexy red lips slightly twitched into a light smile. Ahhh that smile, it was akin to the brilliance of the life-giving sun in the dead cold of winter, and the blissful wind that blew past you during the scorching heat of the summer. Qing Shui found that he had forgotten the words he was preparing to say, as he lost himself in her smile.

"Follow me!" Shi Qing Zhuang's cool and sweet sounding voice drifted over, before she turned and left.

An extremely complicated feeling mixed with bitterness and depression arose in Situ Bu Fan's heart. Shi Qing Zhuang was a woman who had been betrothed to him ever since they were babies, and she had never even spared a glance at him.

Qing Shui started, but he swiftly recovered. With a huge grin on his face he waved goodbye to Qing Shi and Qing Shan. That smile on his face was something that all men knew about – the smile of someone about to get laid. After the two of them had departed, Qing Shui speedily chased after the silhouette of Shi Qing Zhuang.

After Qing Shui heard the two words uttered coldly by Shi Qing Zhuang, he immediately came to rapt attention. Although he disliked pretentious and haughty ladies, but to him, this was the true personality of Shi Qing Zhuang! Furthermore, she had not even glanced at her fiancee, but had already spoken with him. He silently cheering himself on. Hehehe, seems like I'm really popular indeed. Not to mention that currently, Shi Qing Zhuang was the most beautiful lady he had ever met.

Behind them, Situ Bu Fan gnashed his teeth in frustration, as a venomous look filled with hatred was directed at the back of Shi Qing Zhuang and Qing Shui. Gritting his teeth, he swore, "F*cking adulterous couple, one day I will fondle her right in front of your eyes."

As they walked together, unknown whether it was mere coincidence or pre-planned action, the shoulders of Qing Shui constantly rubbed against that of Shi Qing Zhuang.

Shi Qing Zhuang slightly wrinkled her brows, as she coldly stared at Qing Shui who was beside her. To her surprise, she discovered that this little fellow actually had refined and exquisite features, and had a face filled with elegance and slight bit of masculinity, with eyes filled with a clear sense of direction. This was a man who knew what he wanted to achieve in the future. Inadvertently, she could not help but to compare him to those "refined" men who were around her, who appeared gentle and kindhearted on the surface, but in reality were constantly checking her out secretly with eyes filled with lust. The difference between them was akin to that of heaven and earth.

His eyes, were especially charming. They seemed to hold within them an enchantment that made people want to stare at them. In between his eyebrows, was a hint of heroic spirit that could entrance most ladies. Additionly, that cheeky smile of his was filled with enthusiasm and brightness on the outside, but Shi Qing Zhuang could tell that it was nothing but a mockery. She could see that hidden within Qing Shui's smile, were traces of traits that were similar to her, aloof and proud. Overall, Shi Qing Zhuang could not help but to conclude that this little fellow was indeed good looking.

Suddenly, Shi Qing Zhuang froze. How could I be so mesmerized with external appearances, and not to mention this is a kid that is even younger than me.

"Elder Sis Zhuang, why are you staring?" Qing Shui suddenly interjected, calling out a term that seemed somewhat appropriate. After all, Shi Qing Zhuang was about 5 years older than him.

After hearing the term used to address her, Qing Shi Zhuang almost jumped up in shock, but quickly, got over it. It seemed somewhat correct for Qing Shui to address her as such.

"Don't you know that you have just created immense trouble?" Qing Shi Zhuang calmly stated.

"Trouble? What trouble do you mean? Could it be that bunch of trash?" Qing Shui laughingly replied. Qing Shui could sense that the reply made earlier by Shi Qing Zhuang vaguely hinted at concern for his well-being, which caused his heart to be slightly warmed.

"Trash? You are right, but do you know who these trash are?" Shi Qing Zhuang's lips lightly twitched, as though she was suppressing her laughter because Qing Shui just made a joke.

Qing Shui shook his head, staring at Shi Qing Zhuang, waiting for her to tell him the answers.

"You should know that Situ Bu Fan is from the Situ Clan. Among the trash, one of them was my 2nd brother, Shi Zong Yao, there was also the young master of the Ding Clan. And do you know that the Ding Clan was a large clan on the scale of the Situ Clan? You really are something, first time in Hundred Miles City and you have already created trouble with three of the largest clans here.

"Sh*t." Qing Shui thought. Never did he expected that Shi Qing Zhuang's brother would be among the people he defeated. However, despite explaining everything, Shi Qing Zhuang did not appear upset, or have any hints of dismay or reproachfulness, even after knowing that he was the one who defeated her brother.

"Although you defeated this bunch of people, you ought to know that with their caliber, there is no way that they were the main scions of the four great clans. Take my second brother for example, under the doting care of my parents and with the aid of countless spiritual medicine, he broke through to the 5th Grade of the Martial General Realm. But so what? What has it done for him? He severely lacks actual combat experiences, even a 1st Grade Martial General that has honed their skills in actual combat would easily be able to defeat him." Shi Qing Zhuang explained as her brows slightly creased. It was as if she was trying to warn Qing Shui of something unsaid.

"Hehehe, are you worried for me or concerned about me." Qing Shui smiled cheekily, as though he was not worried at all.

[1] 狗血淋头 (dog's blood dripping on one's head) – chinese idiom meaning: to curse or berate someone heavily

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

AST 0057 – Endless flirtation, asking for an yard after obtaining an inch

Qing Shui was extremely joyful at this moment, as he got bolder and bolder. If it was under normal circumstances, he would definitely wouldn't have dared to utter such words, constantly verbally taking advantage of Shi Qing Zhuang.

Upon hearing Qing Shui's constant smooth talk, Shi Qing Zhuang felt very bizarre. She was the youngest among her family, and was the only female child. As such, she was the shining pearl of the Shi Clan, and was showered with love and affection from a child till now.

Because of her cold and aloof nature, even when she was younger, children around her had never once called her elder sister. This was the first time she was called elder sister by albeit, a younger guy than her, but that guy could also already be considered an adult! Such a sensation was truly new to her.

"You better stop talking so glibly! I have yet to seek you out for revenge for what you did to my second brother!" Shi Qing Zhuang got more and more flustered, this guy was obviously taking advantage of her verbally, and yet, she did not feel the slightest bit of anger. Instead of anger, she even felt the urge to laugh. This was not her, this had never happened before.

That pretty pout in embarrassment by Shi Qing Zhuang electrocuted Qing Shui. Slack-jawed, he stored it deep inside his memory. Keeping his silence, he continued stealing glances at Shi Qing Zhuang. That cold beauty of hers was unique and extremely attractive to him. Qing Shui was unsure if it was precisely her aloof nature that make Shi Qing Zhuang so appealing, after all, all men want things they cannot obtain.

"Although your current strength is sufficient to defeat that bunch of young masters earlier, you have to beware of future retaliation. After all, even though these members of the various great clans were not the cream of the crop, to citizens of Hundred Miles City, defeating all of them in a single go is equivalent to destroying their "face" and pride. I dare say that there will be many challengers looking out and causing trouble for you, for the sake of regaining their "face" again."

After pondering for a moment, Qing Shui couldn't help but agree that this was troublesome indeed. If in the future, there were constant challengers pointing their swords at him, demanding a challenge, how would he have the time to pull out the weeds one by one. Although before that ruckus he caused, Qing Shui had already briefly thought about this, it seems that he had severely underestimate the implications.

"Elder sis, do you know, among the great clans, who has the strongest cultivation levels amongst the younger generations over here at Hundred Miles City?" Qing Shui knew that if his opponents wanted to regain their "face", they would surely send their strongest in their younger generation to challenge him repeatedly. If he knew their strength, when he faced them, he could at least be prepared for it.

"You are pretty optimistic, to think that you could even ask this sort of question, seems like you are really confident. However, I have to say that your strength is really beyond expectations. Looking at how young you are, I wonder how even trained to achieve your current level of strength. To answer your original question, there are two opponents you have to watch out for. Situ Luan from the Situ Clan, and Ding Lang from the Ding Clan. They are both amongst the 3rd generation, and they are about 30 in age, as well as both of them having already broken through to the 2nd and 3rd Grade of Martial Commander." Qing Shi Zhuang replied, as the slightest trace of worry could be heard in her tone.

Shi Qing Zhuang felt that the number of times she laughed today, had already far exceeded the total number of times she had laughed in 1 year. She too, could not help but to surreptitiously steal glances at this man in front of her, even though he was barely just a man.

After Qing Shui obtained the information from Shi Qing Zhuang, he finally let out a sigh of relief. Thank God, the cultivation of the strongest among the 3rd generations was still within his expectations. The 2nd generation genius, Qing He of the Qing Clan, had similar level of strength during his 30s as well. Without knowing why, Qing Shui unconsciously felt that currently, he was capable of clashing directly with opponents who were at the 2nd and 3rd grade of the Martial Commander Realm.

"Thank you for your information, you know what, elder sis, you should smile more in the future. You are like a blooming rose, you look so dazzling when you smile, there is no exaggeration when I say that your beauty is even capable of causing kings to forfeit their empires." Qing Shui continued teasing Shi Qing Zhuang, as the reddish tinge on Shi Qing Zhuang's face got more and more rosy.

"Little brat, do you want to get beaten up!" After saying that, Shi Qing Zhuang extended her fist, and gently knocked it against Qing Shui's shoulder while furiously blushing. This was the first time she had executed such a gesture comparable to a little girl.

Qing Shui kept smiling like an idiot, as he happily allowed Qing Shi Zhuang to knock him down. There wasn't even any sensation of pain, all he could think about was Shi Qing Zhuang blushing, and that dazzling smile of hers, which had already been firmly embedded in his mind. There were two types of women that could make a man happy. First, an incomparably ravishing beauty, that was capable of toppling kingdoms. Second, adorable women. A woman was beautiful because of how cute she was to you. Shi Qing Zhuang obviously belonged to the first category, if she could just act a little more adorably, then there was no doubt that she would drive men everywhere mad.

"Anyway, I'm already an adult and no longer a child, so you must remember to treat me like an adult alright." Seriousness was apparent in his eyes, as he said to Shi Qing Zhuang.

All men in their lifetime, would probably have flirted before with the opposite s*x. The main point was that even though you could ask for an yard after obtaining an inch, you must know when to stop. If it was too overly done, the girl would only feel turn off and be driven away.

"Okay, I have to leave now, you better take care of yourself, little adult!" A light laughter rang out as Shi Qing Zhuang was leaving. The sound of that laughter was akin to a demonic charm, constantly revolving around his brain, unable to dissipate.

"So beautiful, you are going to be mine in the future!" Qing Shui only had this thought at this moment. He had never wanted anything so much before. So this was what people called "Longing", and "Desire".

There were many types of longings and desires, including: riches, power, women. They could be a source of motivation, but if one was controlled by their desires, then they would only end up in a pitiable situation.

"If you are free, you could always come to visit me at the Qing Clan's Medical Store, I will be sure to make you happy." Qing Shui called out after Shi Qing Zhuang's retreating figure. Despite the few short moments he spent with her, he had never felt so blissful before in his life, and there was no telling when would their next meet up be. As such, Qing Shui was reluctant to let Shi Qing Zhuang leave just like this.

Maybe Shi Qing Zhuang could hear the sincerity in Qing Shui's voice, she unexpectedly nodded her head before she left. That beautiful back view of hers could be compared to butterflies fluttering about among the flowers.

With a spring in his step, Qing Shui decided to return back to the Qing Clan's Medical Store. Unknowingly, it was already noon. As he returned back the store, to his surprise, he found Qing Yi, his 3rd uncle and aunty, Qing Shan and Qing Shi all waiting for him, gazing at him with a strange light in their eyes.

"Qing Shui, did you really use the sword forms from the to defeat Situ Bu Fan and his cronies?"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 0058 – The secret of Situ Luan

"Qing Shui, did you really use the sword forms from the Basic Sword Techniques to defeat Situ Bu Fan and his cronies?"

Qing Yi's happiness was tinged with astonishment as she inquired. After all, Qing Yi was familiar with the bunch of youths which Qing Shui had defeated, and thus knew of their strength level. She could not help but to feel pride. The proudest moment of a mother was when her child truly shined with impressiveness. This was the most gratifying, as well as the most touching of all moments.

"Right, you all should not look down on the Basic Sword Techniques, hidden within them were foundations that would grant you a deeper understanding on the way of the sword!" Qing Shui seriously replied, as it was true.

"Qing Shui, how did you manage to do it? Among those people you defeated there was one named Shi Zong Yao whom I known personally. His strength is nothing to sneeze at." 3rd Uncle Qing Hu furrowed his brows in suspicion as he asked.

"Actually, there is really no secret. You guys know the various sword forms listed out in the Basic Sword Techniques right? Of all the sword forms, the piercing form was the one with the fastest speed. I practiced that form over hundreds of millions of times, to the extent that I had even lost count of the amount, and gained some enlightenment regarding the "truth" of the sword. I believe that if others trained the same way as me, perfecting a simple move over hundreds of millions of times, he too would be able to gain the same enlightenment as I did." Qing Shui felt that there was no need to keep this a secret. After all, how many were like him, and could squander time in training just a simple sword movement. How many would have heaven-defying time dilation artifacts to help them do so?

Everyone was dumbstruck by what Qing Shui had said. It took 10 years to polish your sword skills, this was what everyone knew. However, to think that the most simple sword techniques could have such a terrifying strength hidden within them after they were honed countless times. What a change of perspective… How much willpower did the sword user need? Everyone's gaze was filled with awe and respect when they gazed upon Qing Shui.

A radiant smile blossomed on Qing Yi's face as she ruffled Qing Shui's hair, while complex emotions rose in her heart. She felt that Qing Shui was growing increasingly mysterious. The surprises that Qing Shui had given her, had far exceeded all her expectations. She could not help but feel impressed by the ancient old man who had taught Qing Shui.

————————————–

A certain luxurious room in Hundred Miles City!

A stalwart, strongly-built man dressed in gaudy robes was reclining on a comfortable bed while beside him, a scantily-clad busty woman with a towel covering her, was giving the young man a massage.

The woman had a head full of long black hair with milky-white skin, a willowy waist and a charming appearance. Her ears, small and slightly curved were extremely attractive.

An hour passed as the moans grew louder and louder in intensity when suddenly, there was only silence. The man coldly smiled, as he rousted his body and exited the room.

The man followed the corridor outside the room as he descended the stairs. This was an independent luxurious courtyard, as the owners seemed to spare no expenses in designing it. Red carpets were laid out everywhere, from the corridors to the main hall, and it looked to be suitable for keeping a mistress in a splendid abode.

As the man entered the great hall, his handsome visage immediately transformed from a look filled with pain and anguish, to exhibiting supreme confidence. All the males in the great hall stood up and greeted him as they walked in front of the man.

"Brother Luan is still the strongest among us." A skinny and weak looking youth started to bootlick as he extended a thumbs up gesture to the man named Brother Luan.

The man called Brother Luan, was filled with a lascivious smile. This smile, was something that all males understood.

The man called Brother Luan was none other than Situ Luan from the Situ Clan, the strongest amongst the younger generation. He appeared to be at ease while joking and laughing around with his band of brothers, yet his heart was heavy as he heard their praises.

"Brother Luan, that youth from the Qing Village earlier, had trounced your younger brother as well as Shi Zong Yao earlier." A strongly built youth with a build comparable to a tiger's back and bear's waist spoke.

"Ding Chen, wasn't your younger brother Ding Xing also among those defeated?" After Situ Luan and the rest sat down, a young lady quickly served them tea.

The teacups were all made from purple sand, which showcased the wealth of the Situ Clan. This group of people gathered were all profligate sons of the rich, or disciples from the large clans. Every meal they had was filled with mouth-watering delicious food in abundance. They ate well while playing with women extensively.

"Hehe!" Ding Chen laughed embarrassedly.

"Ding Chen, keeping a low profile won't do you any good. Don't tell me you really want that fellow Ding Lang to succeed the Ding Clan as the Clan Head? So what you are not the eldest grandson? You can still create beneficial situations for yourself, blackening Ding Lang's reputation and forcing him out of the Ding Clan." Despite Ding Chen looking honest and upright, Situ Luan knew that hidden underneath that idiotic facade, was a ruthless and cold-blooded man.

"The time is not right yet, let's wait for a while more, when that time comes, Brother Luan must lend me a helping hand!" Ding Chen continued laughing.

Ever since Situ Luan injured the lower part of his body during cultivation, he had tried all remedies and seeked the opinions of countless doctors but to no avail. All his hopes were dashed into pieces, no matter how charming or attractive a woman is, it was still useless to him! Under a fit of rage, he killed all the doctors he had consulted, leaving only himself who knew the secret.

After which, he spent all his efforts in focusing on his cultivation, but his previous girlfriend knew about this. So he had no choice but to use underhanded methods to lure her over, threatening her to kill her whole family. Without a choice, his ex girlfriend could only comply, and suffered… death for all her efforts.

"Does Ding Lang knows about this?" Situ Luan questioned as he cast a sidelong glance at Ding Chen.

"He knows, but he had never once shown any inclination to bother with our affairs. How would he ever think highly of this group of people!" Ding Chen said as complex emotions colored his tone.

"Hmmph, that fellow always had his head up in the air, in the future when he dies, I'm afraid he won't even know what killed him." Situ Luan coldly exclaimed.

"Outsiders have already climbed on top of our head, after all, Ding Lang is the representative of all the younger generations in Hundred Miles City. We should do nothing, and see how long he can endure this humiliation."

These people here were all members of the great clans of Hundred Miles City. Ding Chen was from the Ding Clan, his only motive in befriending Situ Luan, was for Situ Luan to help him to dispose of Ding Lang.

————————————————————————

Qing Shui in the Qing Clan's Medicinal Store, was busy with his own affairs. He was not even the slightest bit of concerned regarding the bunch of good for nothings that he had defeated. As long as they don't come to look for him for trouble, Qing Should could care less for the things they did. Even if they were to rob the stores in public or murder someone in broad daylight, it was still none of his business. After all, Qing Shui was not that kind, he was not Jesus.

During the night, Qing Shui entered into the realm of the Violet Jade Immortal. He thought of the two treasures which he had stored in his spatial realm earlier that day as he searched the crystal pond before retrieving the black-colored tree branch that was filled with spiritual power. Despite observing for almost half a day, he was not able to tell what it could be used for, and eventually he decided to plant the tree branch in the soil near the Energy Enhancing Tree and he poured some of the water from the crystal pond over it.

As for the iron essence, he placed it on the wet soil near the crystal pond as he sat down cross-leggedly in preparation for his cultivation. Other than assiduously enduring the backlash from the failure of breaking through to the 49th cycle, Qing Shui would use the time after he failed, to train in his Ghostly Steps, Solitary Rapid Fist, Hidden Weapons Technique and the sword forms from the Basic Sword Techniques too.

Qing Shui hope that he would soon be able to step into the 4th Heavenly Layer of the Ancient Strengthening Technique!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

AST 0059 – Qing Shui's Lust

Qing Shui would always stay in the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal till the last second, before he was forcibly ejected by it. With such a rare treasure, he did not want to even waste a single iota of time!

For the past few days, there were no movement from the younger generations of Hundred Miles City. Qing Shui was pleasantly surprised, although he found it somewhat bizarre, but he was not going to waste his time contemplating the reason behind it. He spent his time fully focused on cultivating and brushing up on his knowledge on the various spiritual herbs he had transplanted into the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal.

Now, in his spatial realm, there was already a large patch of vegetation. Greens, yellows, reds, different colors wove together forming a pretty sight, akin to a tourist attraction in the once barren land of the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal.

The spiritual herbs were no longer mere seedlings, with the spatial realm's time dilation effect aiding their growth, they were exhibiting a vigorous sense of vitality. From Qing Shui's estimation, other than the time dilation effect, he strongly believed that the mystical water from the crystal pond which seemed to be saturated with boundless spiritual qi, also had something to do with it.

From the experience he gained within Hundred Medicinal Garden, he learned that there would always be spiritual herbs that withered and died off. However, much to his surprise he judged that the vigorous sense of vitality being emitted seemed to indicate that the herbs he transplanted here into the spatial realm wouldn't wither and die off.

Looking at the huge patch of greenery, Qing Shui could feel a calmness in his heart. It was as if he had been emboldened by the growth of the herbs, and confidence in his knowledge. He had something to depend on, comparable to those rich youths from the large clans.

Actually, this huge source of wealth, would need at least 10 years before they fully matured. 10 years on the outside meant 1,000 years in the spatial realm. A huge patch of spiritual herbs that have aged 1,000 years, how would anyone be able to produce such a large volume of herbs? Just thinking about it caused Qing Shui to be filled with endless yearning and excitement.

He shouldn't count chickens before they hatch. Shaking his head to clear his mind of his yearning, Qing Shui went over to inspect the black-colored tree branch which he had planted in the soil earlier. He discovered that other than the branch's surface becoming more sleek and moist, there were no other changes. Furrowing his brows, he decided to continue leaving it in the soil and watering it. Qing Shui was unsure if this black-colored tree branch or tree root would be able to even germinate or bear flowers or fruits.

The business of the Qing Clan's Medicinal Store was relatively slow-paced, not very busy. The majority of their clients were mainly the pharmacies and spiritual herbs store owners of Hundred Miles City, who would come over to purchase ingredients.

Other than the store owners, there were also citizens from Hundred Miles City who were sick and sought medical aid. Besides these two types of customers, they also had customers who wanted to purchase rarer herbs that could not be found in other spiritual herb stores or pharmacies.

Other than selling spiritual herbs, the Qing Clan's Medicinal Store also built up their supply by planting their own herbs and buying them from others as well. A part of their supply also came from people who went up the mountains to gather herbs, or those who had cultivated the herbs themselves. Of course, the prices for buying the herbs were substantially lower than their selling price, as the Qing Clan would still need to further process the herbs before it became a refined product which would then be sold off.

Other that that, the Qing Clan's Medicinal Store also had a trading agreement with Heavenly River City. They would usually cart over rare and valuable herbs that Heavenly River City was lacking in exchange for rare and valuable herbs that Hundred Miles City was lacking. It was a win-win situation!

Speaking of the Heavenly River City, Qing Shui had been involuntarily reminded of Lan Yaner, the woman that his cousin Qing Hu had incessantly yearned for. Although Lan Yaner had completed her puberty, having the figure of a full-grown woman and was indeed charming, he could not help but feel that she still nothing but a child.

Qing Shui had always felt that this woman was nothing but trouble.

The reason why the Qing Clan could have a trading agreement with Heavenly River City, a city that was even larger and more prosperous than Hundred Miles City by many times, was because the Qing Clan had an extremely close relationship with the Hua Clan from Heavenly River City!

The clan leader for the Hua Clan once had his life saved by Qing Luo. The relationship between him and Qing Luo was extremely close, and as they hit it off, they decided to become sworn brothers. Back then, they did not inquire too much about each other's background, they only knew that one was from Heavenly River City, and the other was from Qing Village.

Only much later, when they had visited each other during festive occasions, did Qing Luo discover that his sworn brother Hua Sui Yun was from the Hua Clan, which was one of the most wealthy clans in Heavenly River City, and was now the current clan leader of the Hua Clan.

Although the Hua Clan could be considered a powerful clan in Heavenly River City, there were still plenty of other clans which exceeded them in status and power. After all, the likes of Heavenly River City was not something Hundred Miles City could be compared to.

Qing Shui heard Qing Yi say that recently the Hua Clan's Clan Leader, Hua Sui Yun, had managed to break through to the fabled realm of Xiantian, further cementing the Hua Clan's status in Heavenly River City. To think that back then, his strength was equivalent to Qing Luo, but now there was a world of difference between them.

Xiantian and Houtian, one was the heavens and the other was earth. Qing Luo was at the peak of Houtian, at the 10th grade of the Martial Commander Realm. As long as he could manage to take just that tiny step forward, stepping into the doorway of the Xiantian realm, he would instantly transform from a sparrow to a phoenix. Although it was such a pity, after all in the World of the Nine Continents there were plenty of those with the same cultivation level as Qing Luo. How could it be so easy to take that final step? The estimated probability of being able to step into the Xiantian realm, was not even 1 out of 10,000!

Ever since Hua Sui Yun had broken through to the Xiantian realm, he had left all handling of the clan's matters to his son. He repeatedly reiterated that in the future, regardless how trivial the matter that the Qing Clan needed help with, the Hua Clan must do their utmost to help. As a result, the trade agreement came about, and most of the money made flowed into the coffers of the Qing Clan.

The relations between both clans were extremely close. Hua Sui Yun had long treated Qing Yi as his very own daughter. Thus, the business dealings between the Qing Clan and the Hua Clan were both handled by Qing Yi.

"Mother, in the future when you visit Heavenly River City, could you bring me along? I want to see the sights of Heavenly River City!" Qing Shui excitedly exclaimed after learning the details of the connections that existed between their two families.

"Okay, I shall introduce Grandpa Yun to you!" Qing Yi smilingly replied.

"Right, by the way, this spiritual herb was in the recent batch that they sent over from Heavenly River City. What kind of spiritual herb is this?" Qing Shui was trembling with excitement. Although he roughly knew the answer to his question, he still decided to inquire about it for confirmation.

"This is the Four-Leaf Flower. This spiritual herb only grows in the Heavenly River Valley of Heavenly River City. Although it looks ordinary, the effects and benefits contained within are tremendous. This is one of the crucial ingredients when concocting a panacea medicine for serious illnesses, and in all of Hundred Miles City, only the Qing Clan possess this herb."

"As expected, it was the Four-Leaf Flower. Qing Shui was very excited, as though he was meeting an old friend. He had finally found something familiar in this world!" Qing Shui, held the Four-Leaf Flower in his hands, and inspected it closely.

"Four-Leaf Flower, this was one of the most trashy spiritual herbs when Qing Shui was playing [Western Fantasy, back in his previous world. To think that it was considered a valuable resource here in Hundred Miles City. Despite this, he was unsure of which grade the Four-Leaf Flower fell under. All he knew was that for spiritual herbs ranked 3rd grade and above only alchemists were able to concoct pills from them."

Qing Yi would visit Heavenly River City twice a year. Every journey would take at least a month. The first visit was at the beginning of the year, and the second was during the autumn season. Qing Yi had only recently returned from her visit to Heavenly River City, and the time until the next trip was about a half a year.

"Mother, do you know which are the strongest clans residing here in Hundred Miles City?" Qing Shui asked while helping Qing Yi to store the batch of spiritual herbs from Heavenly River City.

"On the surface, the strongest clans here are: Shi Clan, Situ Clan, Yu Clan, Ding Clan. But as for those legendary cultivators from the Xiantian realm, no one knows how many are there. But how many of those Xiantian cultivators would willingly remain here at such a small city? The larger and more powerful cities are all offering unimaginable wealth and benefits to attract the Xiantian cultivators to join them." Qing Yi slowly explained.

"That boss of Yu He Inn, whom you met earlier is someone who belongs to the Yu Clan!" Qing Yi, with laughter apparent on her face, continued saying, while memories of Yu He pinching Qing Shui's cheek floated up in her mind.

"Oh!" Thoughts unexpectedly rose of that cheeky young lady that was slightly older than him, the one who kept teasing him earlier. Her figure was perfectly proportioned, with well rounded breasts that were not overly huge. Her slender frame had just the right amount of flesh which would be best for hugging close during sleep at night. That slightly matured face, which had a hint of mischievousness in those charming eyes that was greatly arousing. Such flavor, of course he had to sample it.

Qing Shi Zhuang was cold and aloof, while Yu He had a touch more grace and flirtatious manner. One was a ice princess while the other could only be described as a naughty kitten.

It takes a 100 years of karma and fate to be able to meet on the same boat, while a 1,000 years of karma and fate is needed to share the same pillow. Hehehe, meeting me is equivalent to a 1,000 years of karma and fate, both of them should not think of running away. Qing Shui rubbed his nose as he fantasized about hugging these two perfect specimens of woman to sleep every night, making his heart itch with anticipation as if he couldn't wait to rush over to push them down.

Qing Yi, who was standing beside him was bewildered by the sudden change in expression of Qing Shui, while she suddenly felt a strong urge rising to kick her son.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

AST 0060 – The Dao of Money Making

"Are the relationships between the four great clans harmonious?" Qing Shui asked. In his mind he didn't think that they would be, after all, the four clans are direct competitors against each other in Hundred Miles City!

"The relations between the four great clans, are bound together for good or ill, seemingly like grasshoppers competing with each other while standing on a string. Despite their intense rivalry, there are also inter-clan marriage engagements between the four clans. An example, from the current generation it would be Situ Bu Fan from the Situ Clan and Shi Qing Zhuang from the Shi Clan. Thus, the relationship between the four clans could only be described as kinship, but with a touch of enmity embedded within.

"No wonder Shi Qing Zhuang couldn't be bothered with Situ Bu Fan, after all, it was an arranged marriage. Could her cold personality stem from this?" Qing Shui, knew that Shi Qing Zhuang had already left a extremely deep impression in his heart. Try as he might, there was no way he would be able to forget about her. As such, he was extremely concerned with everything that had to do with Shi Qing Zhuang.

"Could the economic strength wielded by the clans in the Qing Village that are doing business here in Hundred Miles City, be compared the the economic strength of the four great clans?" Qing Shui knew that other than his Qing Clan, there were also the Lan Clan, Tong Clan and Feng Clan who have businesses here at Hundred Miles City.

"No, even if all the clans in the Qing Village combined together, we would not be a match for any of the great clans in Hundred Miles City. Despite this, your grandpa is still someone at the peak of Houtian. Even if they ignore this fact, they would still have to be careful not to antagonize us any further than necessary as they also know about the relationship between our Qing Clan and the Hua Clan of Heavenly River City." Qing Yi explained.

"You don't have to worry about the older generations of the four clans, they would not have the guts to deal with you. But still, you have to be careful of the schemes of those from the younger generations. Especially, Situ Luan from the Situ Clan as well as Ding Lang from the Ding Clan. They are extremely strong. Both of them have talent comparable to your 2nd uncle, and have a high possibility of stepping into the peak of Houtian, by the age of 40."

Qing Shui already expected this much. He knew that the reason Qing Yi was telling him all this was because she was worried for him. Showing a carefree expression, Qing Shui smiled lightly as he reassured Qing Yi.

Qing Yi felt that something was off with Qing Shui, as if he had some secrets that he was not sharing with her. For no reason at all, this child of her seemed to be filled with boundless confidence, as if he was a totally different person. If it were not for the fact that blood runs thick and she could feel a connection with Qing Shui, she would surely have suspected that the person in front of her was a stranger.

Recently Qing Shui felt that making money was a good thing, but the him now could only be considered extremely poor. All his future riches would be generated from the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal but… that was in the future. Now, even if he wanted to buy things from the streets, he would have no capital to do so. Not to mention that the memories he unlocked earlier, all those jewerly cutting, jewelry smithing techniques were all useless if he could not even purchase the raw materials.

Still, things were not as bad as they seemed on the surface. He would only need to wait a few more years to rake in the money with the help of the time-dilation effect of his spatial realm. The problem is right now! I can't open my mouth and ask for money from Mother every time right? She had just given me a 100 taels of silver just two days ago!" Before this, Qing Shui had no concept of money, after all, he had been living in the Qing Clan, where all his needs had been catered for. Now that he had arrived in Hundred Miles City, he began to understand the value of money. A banknote of 100 taels, was sufficient to feed a family of five for half a month. You could even visit the "Night Fragrance Court" (brothel) to enjoy the services of their top class escorts for a single night.

As he strolled, Qing Shui begin to think of ways of making money. Walking around aimlessly on the streets of the prosperous Hundred Miles City meant time passed quickly, and it was already evening in the blink of an eye. The atmosphere on the streets in the Hundred Miles City was always lively. In the surroundings, there were the voices of sellers trying to attract potential customers over, while crowds of people swamped the streets. This was not chaotic, but instead it made it easier for one to adapt to the lively atmosphere of the city. As he wandered, Qing Shui suddenly came to a stop. On the side of the street, there was an old granny as well as a cute little girl seemingly selling three large buckets of water.

Qing Shui noticed this duo because they were very striking among the swathes of vendors on the streets. The old granny who was missing an arm, was accompanied by a little girl approximately the age of 10. Even though the clothes worn by the little girl were somewhat worn, they were not filled with dirt or stains and were extremely clean. With a pair of bright eyes flitting about that were filled with curiosity, and long eyelashes that were blinking constantly, she was extremely adorable. However, from judging from the hard-set of her cherry small mouth, one could tell how obstinate the girl could be.

With his interest piqued, Qing Shui approached the three large water buckets, only to see that contained within them, was 10 over thumb-sized little black fishes as well as a few baby river turtles. As Qing Shui squatted down to inspect closer, he could see the hope-filled gaze apparent in the eyes of the little girl.

Qing Shui felt bitterness invading his heart. He was neither a good man nor an evil man. He never had any intention to rescue all of the people who were suffering in this world. Although he could still do his best if he encountered any who truly needed his help.

Qing Shui had always wanted to test and see if the mystical water from the crystal pond was capable of sustaining the growth of animals… Seems like the opportunity to do so has come.

"Little sister, can you tell me the prices for these fishes and turtles?" Qing Shui asked with a gentle expression in his eyes.

The little girl adorably blinked her eyes as she continued to stare at Qing Shui, "Big Brother, you are not lying right? Do you really want to buy them?"

All of the little fishes and turtles were caught by the little girl using a small net. Since the size of the merchandise was too small to be eaten, the little girl suggested for her granny to set up a store, trying to sell them as pets instead.

"Yup, of course I want to, night is soon approaching, don't you want to go back and rest with your granny?" Qing Shui laughed lightly.

"All these were caught by Nier from the creekside, if big brother wants them, Nier could show you the location for catching the fishes and turtles, there is no need to spend money on them!" That young lady named Nier exclaimed seriously, with a touch of innocence in her eyes, as she smiled, revealing her two adorable tiger teeth. [1]

"Oh, but I specifically want the fishes and turtles you have here. Can big brother combine the 3 buckets of water into one and pay you two taels of silver for them?" After he finished his sentence, Qing Shui directly poured the contents of the two other water buckets, combining them into one, as he withdrew the last of his money and passed the two taels of silver over to that little girl.

"Big brother… Two taels of silver is too much, these fishes and turtles are not so expensive…." The little girl frantically waved her hands in disagreement, as she took a step backwards.

Qing Shui, found that his liking of the personality of this little girl grew by the second, as he smiled and replied, "Silly girl, big brother says it is worth that much. Take it, go buy something good for your granny to eat."

The little girl hesitated for a long while, before gradually accepting: "Big brother, what is your name, how can I find you?"

"My name is Qing Shui, if you want to look for big brother, just go to the Qing Clan's Medical Store. Little sister, if you need any help, no matter how big or small, you can look for me, got it?" Qing Shui patted Nier on her head as he continued smiling.

"Okay, I've got it, big brother!"

After which, Qing Shui saw the little girl holding the two empty buckets of water with one hand while supporting her granny with the other, slowly leaving the streets. But after the little girl took a few steps, she turned her head back and gazed at Qing Shui, with a wide smile breaking out on her face, revealing her adorable tiger teeth once again.

The setting sun caused their shadows to be lengthened, before their silhouettes finally disappeared from the streets.

After that, Qing Shui walked to a remote location, and entered into his spatial realm while holding the bucket of water, containing the fishes and turtles which he just bought. Walking to the center of the crystal pond, he first released a little turtle into the water.

"Hmm" Qing Shui gazed at the little river turtle swimming about in the water, after a short moment, the turtle appear to be seemingly more energetic and agile than before.

Qing Shui was extremely excited, the effect of the time-dilation seemed even better for rearing animals than herbs. Especially for fishes, he would just need to rear them in the crystal pond for three days before they are ready to be ate.

His eyes grew bright as a sudden thought flashed past in his brain. This was it! This was the way to grow rich! I just need a supply of these small fishes. Hehehehe, I better think of a good explanation, if not there would certainly be people suspicious.

[1] tiger teeth means – particular teeth that juts out in an adorable way. (ED: a picture is worth a thousand words)

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

AST 0061 Salivating

Shaking his head, Qing Shui threw caution to the winds, as he released all the remaining little fishes and river turtles into the crystal pond. He hoped that the mystical properties of the crystal water which was infused with boundless spiritual energy would somehow be able to evolve them.

With a huge grin plastered on his face, Qing Shui cackled while rubbing his hands in glee. He knew that in the near future, these little fishes and river turtles would be his source of income.

Qing Shui cultivated inside the spatial realm, while observing the growth of the little fishes and river turtles, after about three days, he noticed from his experiments that not only the sizes of the fishes and turtles grew a lot bigger, they seemed to be brimming with vitality, even emitting a imperceptible black shine in their eyes, as if they had somehow gained intelligence. This discovery caused Qing Shui to be dumbstruck. If this was the truly the case, after 10 years in the spatial realm, wouldn't they evolve into demonic beasts?

However, he suddenly paused as he felt that something was off. "Hmm not right, after all, how could the lifespan of fishes and prawns exceed that of 100 years? Only turtles would be able to have such a long lifespan."

As he stepped out of the spatial realm, the neurons in his brains were rapidly firing. Qing Shui needed to think of a way to maximise his profits, and to keep this a secret. The best way to do so, was to actually rear fishes, prawns, crabs and turtles in the pond inside the Hundred Medicinal Garden.

Now, there was a fiery blaze in Qing Shui's heart. Only when there was a goal, would there be motivation. The glow in Qing Shuis eyes shone brighter and brighter as he envisioned various scenarios as he try to find a solution to his problems. Unknowingly, it was already night time when he returned back to the Qing Clan's Medicinal Store.

"Qing Shui, you are back, we were all waiting for you to have dinner together. Today, aunty Qing Yi cooked her best dishes – grilled fish, as well as your favourite turtle nourishment soup!" Qing Shi excitedly exclaimed, not noticing that Qing Shui's face turned a shade paler at the mention of his favourite soup.

However, at this exact moment, it was as though a switch flipped on in his mind. "This was it! An opening that I can use, damn it I'm a genius!"

"Mother, are the ingredients expensive?" Qing Shui asked while gesturing to the grilled fish and turtle soup.

"Yes, they are even more expensive compared to some of the prices for beast meat. It is not ideal to rear species of fishes in the Hundred Miles City, and as such, most of the supply came from external sources. As for turtles, they grow too slowly to be sold as a commodity, even if you want to hunt them in the wild, turtles are relatively rare. "

"Perhaps the environment in Hundred Miles City is unable to support rearing of species of sea creatures?"

"No, not unable to support, but the time it takes to rear them is too long, hence, the supply for Hundred Miles City come from external sources."

"Mother, I wish to try rearing some fishes in the pond in our Hundred Medical Garden."

Qing Yi was puzzled, didn't she just explained the difficulties of rearing fishes? Why would Qing Shui still be interested in the prospect? Her son was getting increasingly mysterious indeed.

"Hehe, Mother, don't you worry, I can guarantee that the fishes I rear, would definitely be better than those you bought outside." Qing Shui smiled, looking straight at Qing Yi, with a very honest expression in his eyes.

The following day, Qing Yi passed banknotes worth 300 taels of silver to Qing Shui, giving him the authority to do what he deemed necessary. Qing Yi grinned happily, it seems like Qing Yi was still the one who knew him best.

As he wandered the streets, looking for more live fishes to buy, he suddenly thought of the words Nier said to him. Qing Shui's eyes gleamed with excitement as he rushed off to the creekside which Nier had mentioned.

The golden dusk creek, was the creek near the valley of a nearby mountain. Although it was very wide, the water level was shallow. It was relatively near the outskirts of Hundred Miles City. Travelling on foot, the distance was still reachable after 15 minutes of brisk walking.

The water level was only knee deep, and the water was extremely clear. One could see numerous water species such as little fishes, shrimps, crabs and even turtles. However, they were not homebred, and the largest size of the creatures, was even smaller than the size of a palm.

"Ai! Isn't that Nier?" Qing Shui spotted Nier together with two other kids that were similar size to her, holding on to their small little fishing nets.

"Nier!" Qing Shui shouted.

The little girl turned her head back, as an adorable smile broke out as she ran over.

"Big brother, why are you here?" Nier stared at Qing Shui as she blinked her eyelashes curiously.

"Big brother, do you need more fishes and turtles? Is that why you are here today?" Ni'er excitedly pulled on Qing Shui's hand as she led him towards the two other kids.

"Let me ask more of my friends to help fulfil big brother's request! This way, the speed would be faster."

Qing Shui was moved after hearing how enthusiastic Ni'er was in helping him.

"Okay little sister, just ask all your friends to help, I will pay 10 copper coins per bucket of water is that okay?" Qing Shui offered a price that was about 5x time higher than the normal cost.

"Big Brother, the price is too high, just a copper coin or two would do." Ni'er frantically refused Qing Shui's offer.

"Be obedient, listen to big brother, even though big brother is not rich, I won't ill treat you guys."

After hearing Qing Shui's assurance, Ni'er smiled happily as she ran off, gathering her friends.

After a short while, Ni'er brought along 10 others, and spent about half a day catching countless little fishes,prawns and turtles.

Qing Shui felt his heart soften looking at how hard these poor kids are working. In the end, he gave them a tael of silver for each water bucket that was filled with sea creatures

Now that Qing Shui was more accustomed the concept of money in this world, he knew that a tael of silver was roughly equivalent to $100 in his previous world!

After half a day more, over 20 buckets of water were filled with sea creatures that the children caught. Entering into his spatial realm, Qing Shui poured in the contents of more than half of the 20 buckets into the crystal pond.

The children should really be rewarded for their efforts. Qing Shui was extremely pleased with the results of the catch. For the species of fishes, there were many varieties. Blackfish, grass carp and catfish were the majority while other fish species constituted a minority. For the turtle species, there were only a single variety – black turtles.

Qing Shui took a long wooden shaft, and balanced the remaining eight buckets of water on it, before rapidly exiting his spatial realm, hurrying back to the Qing Clan's Medical Store. Balancing four buckets on each side, Qing Shui hurried to the pond located inside the Hundred Medicinal Garden. Contained within each bucket, was water from the crystal pond. To increase their rate of growth, Qing Shui had replaced the sea water with water from the crystal pond before slipping the sea creatures back into it.

On the way there, Qing Shui met Qing Shi, who giggled uncontrollably after witnessing how anxious Qing Shui looked. His laughter drew the attention of Yuan Ying and Qing Yi, who looked over smiling kindly at Qing Shui.

Qing Shui, ignoring Qing Shi, hurriedly made his way to the pond before awkwardly releasing all the sea creatures from the eight buckets into it. He hope that his guess was right, the spiritual qi-imbued water would be able to somehow stimulate the growth.

Only after he completed that, did he feel secure in his heart. The next step, was to look for a business partner to sell them the live ingredients. Involuntarily, memories of Yu He Inn floated up in his mind. That turtle soup and that cheeky young woman. Especially that cheeky young woman, Qing Shui found himself wanting to interact with her.

As he lost himself in his fantasies, he could almost see Yu He. That look on her elegant looking face, that lithe and graceful body, decked out in the bikinis of his previous world, and that smile, filled with tantalizing promises, inching closer and closer to him. His heartbeat increased as he gulped, when suddenly…

"What are you thinking of you smelly brat, why are you salivating?!"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

AST 0062 – Accidental Collision

"What are you thinking of you smelly brat, why are you salivating?!"

Qing Shui started, and hurriedly wiped his hands on the sides of his mouth, but there were no traces of any saliva to be found. His actions were extremely comical, and caused Qing Yi to clutch her stomach as she burst into laughter.

Qing Shui stood beside Qing Yi, as he observed the fishes, prawns, crabs and turtles of different sizes swimming lazily in the pond. One day in his spatial realm was equivalent to a hundred days out here. Qing Shui's plan was to interchangeably replace a portion of the fishes in the spatial realm with the fishes out here.

However, a day later an unexpected problem occurred. The black fishes of the earlier batch that were released into the crystal pond had grown larger and more ferocious. They actually started a feeding frenzy, and devoured the other smaller fishes. "…." To think that Qing Shui had considered so many aspects before implementing his plan, yet he overlooked something so simple.

Qing Shui depressedly sighed as he looked at the few remaining fishes and turtles inside the crystal pond. All these remaining fishes were the cream of the crop. It was unknown if the reason was because the black fishes were of the same species, so they cannibalised each other, or if it was because of some other factors. Despite all of this, the turtles were safe. It seems that the teeth of the black fishes were still unable to penetrate the defensive shells of the turtles.

Through the effects of the time-dilation, in the span of a few days the black fishes had already grown to be about a foot long. The black river turtles had grown to roughly the size of a palm. Strangely, while the black fishes became increasingly ferocious, the black river turtles became much more agile and nimble.

In the Hundred Medicinal Garden pond, Qing Shui slipped in some fishes and river turtles that he took from the spatial realm. Maybe it was the existence of the water lilies, or perhaps there were more varieties of sea creatures in this normal pond, or because the environment had changed, but the black fishes seemed to be less ferocious. They weren't showing any inclination to devour the other fishes now.

Cultivating, was always the main focus for Qing Shui. So the majority of the time spent inside the spatial realm, was used by Qing Shui to attempt to break through the barrier of the 48th cycle of circulated Qi. Despite Qing Shui being stuck at the 48th cycle, the years of relentless cultivating had already enlarged his energy channels and strengthened his bones and muscles by a large margin. After all, the Ancient Strengthening Technique was a technique that focused on the tempering of one's body. It was not surprising for Qing Shui to acquire other benefits despite being unable to break through. In addition, Qing Shui had a very strong intuition that once he broke through the 49th cycle of circulated Qi, he would at the very least be at the peak of Houtian.

The dreamless night passed swiftly. In the morning, as usual, Qing Shui would guide Qing Shi on the intricacies of the Solitary Rapid Fist. After breakfast, Qing Shui left the clan store, walking to a remote place before entering the spatial realm, and retrieved two black fishes and transferred them into a half-filled water bucket. Qing Shui covered the water bucket with a lid, before slowly strolling the streets, making his way to the Yu He Inn. Of course, he did not forget to admire the sights of the pretty ladies out on the streets.

In no time at all he arrived at the Yu He Inn.

"Sir, are you alone?" A young girl, wearing a sexy waitress outfit, smiled professionally as she attended to Qing Shui.

No wonder the business of the Yu He Inn was so good! All the waitresses here, not only were they wearing the sexy outfits, they were all cream of the crop top-rated beauties! Previously when Qing Shui was here, he had focused his attention to much on Yu He, and did not have the chance to admire these beauties.

"Oh, I'm here to find your boss. You can just say my name is Qing Shui, she should be willing to meet me." Qing Shui lightly smiled as he admired the beauty of this waitress.

"Alright, please wait for a moment."

After the waitress left, Qing Shui, calmly and collectedly, without batting an eyelid, continued to feast his eyes on all the waitresses at the inn. Those tight outfits were sexy in the sense that they did not reveal everything. They only showed peeps of some of the crucial areas such as half of the bust area, the neck, shoulders, the knees. They invoked wanton desires, leaving little to the imagination. Especially the contours of their shapely bottoms, snow white legs, and the shapes their bursting cleavage. These combination of factors would definitely entice men into visiting here even if the food sucked. In his previous world, Qing Shui knew that as long as you tipped the ladies, you could fondle them a little. However, he did not dare to try that here.

Those perky butts and long shapely legs, along with the snow white skin of the waitresses, caused Qing Shui to feel an itch in his heart.

"Are they nice looking?" A charming voice filled with magnetism whispered in Qing Shui's ear.

"Extremely!" Qing Shui spontaneously blurted out. After which, he turned his head and saw Yu He staring at him with an expression that could only be described as smiling, but yet not a smile. "Sh*t!" Qing Shui glupped.

A graceful figure, decked in a white-colored female warrior attire gave Yu He a charming and holy feel. Oozing incomparable s*x appeal, those plump red lips, and with that smile-yet-not-a-smile expression on her face, left Qing Shui slacked-jawed.

"Ehh, you are much better looking!" Qing Shui hurriedly exclaimed, albeit somewhat awkwardly.

Yu He glanced at Qing Shui with amusement twinkling in her eyes. Still, looking at his clear eyes, Yu He could feel that Qing Shui was being sincere. How adorable, to think that a hundred sentences of praises from other men could not be compared to one sentence from this young man.

"Let's go, today let elder sister treat you to a meal!" Yu He happily said.

"Okay, pass this to your chef, these are the raw ingredients for our meal today. It will definitely give you a surprise." Qing Shui passed the small bucket of water over to Yu He.

Yu He suspiciously glanced at Qing Shui, before opening the lid of the water bucket. After which, she gasped slightly in shock. In the water, were two black fishes, seemingly filled with vitality. The luster of their scales, and brightness in their eyes… these were two top-grade quality fishes that couldn't even be bought even if you had the money. However, she had a feeling that the reason behind Qing Shui's visit, was nothing as simple as just eating a meal with her.

"Xinyue, pass this to Uncle Hong; get him to personally cook for us".

Yu He passed the small bucket over to one of the waitresses as she instructed her.

"Let's go, follow elder sister up" Yu He pulled Qing Shui by his hand as they ascended the stairs.

Qing Shui took his time, admiring that elegant and graceful figure of Yu He. With her walking in front, he could take his time to enjoy admiring the light trembling of her shapely bottom as she ascended up the stairs.

Entranced by that vision, Qing Shui did not realize that Yu He had stopped. Lost in a daze, Qing Shui continued moving, and suddenly "Ploff", the blissful sound of something ascending to the Nine Heavens rang out. Qing Shui had accidentally pressed his face, right into the shapely bottom of Yu He. In that instant, Qing Shui felt like he was floating. The feeling of that softness as well as the well-toned elasticity of the muscles, coupled with a sense of mind-numbing fragrance, stole his soul away. This left him in an overwhelmed state of ecstasy.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

AST 0063 – Dining with a beauty

Time momentarily seemed to stop, as Qing Shui unconsciously lingered in that awkward position, his hands automatically extended out and held Yu He by her waist. Unbidden, Qing Shui seemed to have lost all sense of conscious thought as his instincts took over. Gently, he began rubbing his nose and lips on the area of contact, mesmerised by the fragrance. He lamented the fact that a thin piece of smooth silky fabric was blocking him from ascending to the heavens.

"Hey, you smelly brat, that's enough!" Yu He cried out frantically in a panic, momentarily shocked out of her wits with a slight hint of anger clouding her tone.

Qing Shui, stunned, embarrassedly removed his hands as he gradually inclined his head. Only to see a pair of ruddy red lips pursed in displeasure. Hints of cold anger could be seen from her eyes. "How beautiful" the thought was fleeting as it crossed Qing Shui's mind before he recovered. He managed to stammer out "ummm it's n…not my fault, you suddenly paused, so I bumped into you. It was an accident!" Qing Shui rubbed his nose as he avoided the eyes of Yu He. After a while, the fiery countenance of Yu He visibly softened. Who could manage to stay angry for long when Qing Shui was so adorable.

Yu He speechlessly looked at Qing Shui, and could not help thinking, "Is this little guy destined to be my bane? Even though he is younger than me, he could already be considered an adult. If it was some other guy who did that to me, I would have instantly crippled him…"

Yu He could not help lightly blushing at Qing Shui's actions. There was even a moment of unexplainable climatic excitement at the earlier contact.

Pausing to steady herself, Yu He said somewhat abashedly "Let's go, if you dare do that again, I'm going to castrate you."

Qing Shui, with his brilliant acting immediately assumed a submissive posture, and replied with puppy eyes, "No can do, I still want to get married and have kids in the future, so I still need my little bird."

"Enough, let's go. You only know how to take advantage of me. Still acting pure? Hmph, you must think that this elder sister's eyes have gone blind. Your acting is not bad, but not good enough. I'm going to ignore you from now on." The words of Yu He left Qing Shui flabbergasted. Even though it was true that he was normally a lusty guy, but he truly had no control about what happened earlier!

After which, they proceeded to the top level of Yu He Inn, and went to the chamber beside the room which the Qing Clan had dined in previously. The moment they entered the chamber, Qing Shui had a strong impression that this place belonged to a lady. There was a fluffy sofa that had space for three, a yellow table made of pineapple wood, wallpapers of blue skies and clouds and wooden panels for the floor. There was also a faint smell of orchids that permeated the whole room, giving off a refreshing feeling to the occupants. Yu He closed the door after they entered, as she lightly smiled to Qing Shui.

This chamber, possibly belonged to Yu He. Qing Shui deduced.

Turning his head back, he saw Yu He reclining on that fluffy white sofa. Her jade white skin when complemented with her white warrior attire, those beautiful black eyes set in that exquisite face, bordered on elegance almost to the point of nobility. That graceful and lithe figure that was leaning backwards made his blood boil in excitement.

Looking at the reaction Qing Shui had after glancing at her, Yu He could not help but smirk slightly. However that smirk was quickly gone from her face as rosy redness tinged her cheeks quickly after. Apparently, the memories of what happened earlier were still fresh in her mind. Qing Shui felt surprised at the reaction of Yu He, and to spare her from the embarrassment, he quickly changed the subject.

"Elder sis, can I peek inside your room?" Qing Shui already knew the answer, but still, he could not resist asking Yu He.

"No." Yu He directly rejected the request. Indeed, her elegance mixed in with a touch of straightforwardness, gave off an extremely comfortable feeling to Qing Shui.

"Knock knock!"

"Come in." Yu He stated, after hearing the knocking at the door.

Xinyue entered the room, bearing a large plate with a delicious smile wafting from it. Qing Shui knew that this should be the two black fishes that he brought earlier.

"Little missus, Uncle Hong could no longer control himself, and he had already eaten one of the fishes. If it was not for me reminding him of your orders, I'm afraid that there would be nothing left of the two fishes."

After Xinyue set the plate down, Yu He invited her to try the fish out with them. After all, if Uncle Hong's cooking skills were considered ranked 2nd in the whole of Hundred Miles City, then there would be no one who dared to say that they were ranked first.

"It's okay, just now when Uncle Hong ate the first fish, he offered me some too. The taste was really beyond my expectations, both of us had never tasted something so scrumptious before." Xinyue cheekily replied, before she ran off.

"This cheeky little brat!" Yu He smiled.

The atmosphere got slightly… weird. A guy and a girl, alone in one room, where the guy was just silently gazing at her. This caused Yu He to be slightly frantic because she could feel that the gaze used when Qing Shui was looking at her was akin to someone staring at his own woman. There were traces of doting, love, admiration and pride…

"What am I thinking about, he is just a little kid. After all, I'm older than him by 10 years, why am I still fantasizing. In a few years time after I grow older and wrinkled, I bet he couldn't even bother to give me another look." Yu He silently berated herself.

Feeling hot in her cheeks, Yu He hurriedly said "Come, let us try Uncle Hong's cooking skills!" Yu He used her chopsticks and picked up a piece of fish meat, before elegantly placing it in her dainty mouth. Such graceful actions were very pleasing to the eye. Qing Shui had no inclination to eat, as he stared at Yu He. Merely watching her eating brought to him a sense of satisfaction that was filled with enjoyment.

"It is too delicious! When did Uncle Hong's cooking skills became so good? Even other famous chefs in this world, wouldn't be able to produce such a taste!"

All of a sudden, Yu He finally noticed Qing Shui was not eating, but still gazing at her idiotically. She knew that Qing Shui had come here with some other motives, but she was unable to figure out what he really wanted.

After contemplating, Yu He wasted no more time and began to dig in again. Qing Shui was extremely depressed when he saw that a third of the fish had already been finished by Yu He. How could he miss this chance to dine with a beautiful girl?

Coming to his senses, Qing Shui started devouring voraciously, akin to a ravenous wolf. While Yu He on the other hand, was still eating gracefully. The disparity between their eating styles was made even more obvious by the mess Qing Shui was making on his side of the table.

"Yummy!" Qing Shui rubbed his tummy.

Yu He glanced at Qing Shui with an expression that lay between amusement and suspicion. "You can go ahead and tell me the real reason why you are here today. Although I'll admit that this fish is one of the best I've ever eaten, I don't believe that is your only purpose in coming here today."

"Hehe, I just wanted to be able to enjoy dinner with you. If there's no beautiful ladies for company, no matter how heavenly the dish tastes like, it would still taste like ashes to me."

"Silly kid, beautiful ladies floating left and right every time you open your mouth. Do you know what beautiful girls are for?" Yu He couldn't help it, and teased Qing Shui.

"Beautiful girls are there to be cherished!"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

AST 0064 – Have you hugged enough?

"Beautiful girls are there to be cherished!"

Yu He was stunned, as she stared strangely at Qing Shui. She only saw the clear eyes of Qing Shui looking back at her. Encompassed in his gaze, was accommodation and tender protectiveness. How could this young man already possess such a gaze. Other than that, from his eyes, she could see wisdom and foresight. There was also purpose, yet all of these qualities were also adorned with layers of gentleness. It was extremely attractive!

"Oh, so do you know how to cherish woman?" Yu He laughed, she felt extremely elated at this moment, but was uncertain why she felt this way. She only knew that she felt at peace in her heart, and a sense of security.

"I will do things for her, take over her burdens, protect her, and make her happy." Qing Shui was caught unawares by Yu He sudden question. Without much time to think, he hurriedly blurted out a bunch of nonsensical stuff.

Yu He could not help but laugh at his inane replies. At this moment she felt that Qing Shui had a really pure heart. She felt that he would be a good husband to his future wife.

"If elder sis wants you to dote on me, would you do so?" Yu He continued teasing Qing Shui, and yet, it had some traces of seriousness hidden in it.

"Elder Sister Yu He should be one of the top few ravishing beauties in our country. I think the number of suitors you have would constitute almost half of the entire population. Are you serious that you need me to dote upon you?" Qing Shui glanced at Yu He seriously, and in his heart at this moment, he was thinking – If Yu He was serious, Qing Shui didn't mind at all. After all, Yu He was exactly his type of tofu. A mature lady older than him by 10 years, yummy.

"Hehe, sister is just teasing you. Sigh… a woman like me, who would still want me, who would still cherish me?" Yu He bitterly smiled, as if there was something on her heart, as she glanced at Qing Shui.

Qing Shui did not reply, he knew that Yu He was from the Yu Clan, and had a high status. To say that Yu He truly fall in love with him? Only if Qing Shui's brains were damaged, would he believe it. Maybe in her eyes, he was just a youngling, someone to tease, to laugh with. What she really needed was a strong man capable of protecting her.

The more beautiful a woman is, the more it was likely they would be surrounded by lecherous wolves [1]. There were two ways to get beautiful girls you desire. One, was both parties were willing. Second, to be so strong to the point where no one would dare to say a thing. A person with sufficient strength, would have millions of ways to break apart a loving couple, or could directly pressure the male party to leave.

"Okay, we should not be digressing so far from our main topic. Qing Shui, elder sister should be able to guess your intentions for coming here today. Tell you what, as long as you are willing to provide the same type of fish that we ate earlier, whatever conditions you have, I would satisfy you." Yu He blinked her beautiful lashes as she looked to Qing Shui.

Qing Shui laughed lightly, as he looked at Yu He, who was reclining lazily on the sofa. "A merchandise is only valuable if it is rare. This type of fish was bred using a special method, and there are a limited number of them. At most, I would be able to supply you with 10 of such fish per day. But, if beautiful ladies like yourself want to dine with me, then no matter how many of the fish you need, I would still be able to provide."

"Only 10 such fishes everyday, although the amount is somewhat meagre, but still, I believe if I set the selling price at 100 taels of silver per fish, the customers would still be raving for more." Yu He murmured to herself.

"You already know how delicious the fish tasted, and I can guaranteed that other than me, no other supplier would be able to provide this kind of fish. What we need now, is a good marketing strategy. Not to mention 100 taels, I believe even if it was sold for 1,000 taels, there would still be people willing to try!"

Yu He's eyes flashed, "Wow, I didn't think that a little brat like yourself would have a business-oriented mind too."

Qing Shui almost fainted when he heard Yu He referring to him as a little brat. Feeling stabbing waves of depression assailing his heart, feeling wretched beyond measure.

This fish is reared by you?" Yu He randomly asked a question, while observing Qing Shui closely.

"This can be considered so I guess. However, if there are others who ask you this question, please keep my identity a secret. After all, this has a lot to do with money." Qing Shui embarrassedly replied.

"Are you so lacking of money? Hehe, elder sister will not take advantage of you. How about 30% of the proceeds to you and 70% to me?"

Qing Shui gently smiled as he rejected the proposition. "It's not that I'm lacking for money, I have no money! How about a 50/50 split of the proceeds? Let us earn money together."

In the end, Yu He furrowed her brows as she considered, and eventually accepted the offer. Stalking forward like a tigress after her prey, she hugged Qing Shui. Qing Shui stood there mutely, dumbstruck by her actions. Her actions caused the virgin Qing Shui to float on cloud nine, as his mind blanked out.

"Happy partnership." Yu He whispered in Qing Shui's ear in the instant she hugged him.

That charming and magnetic voice, gently brushed past his ear. Qing Shui could feel himself blushing as his ears went red. This type of feeling was incomparably refreshing. After the initial awkwardness, Qing Shui quickly recovered, and only joy remained.

"Happy partnership!" Qing Shui replied, and initiated the hug this time around just as Yu He was retreating, while a nefarious fire burned in his lower region.

Shock suffused the features of Yu He as she gasped. Never did she think that Qing Shui would be so daring. Although Qing Shui was 10 years younger, he was still already considered a man. However, in that embrace of his, Yu He did not show any signs of anger or rejection.

When observing Yu He at such a close distance, Qing Shui was in awe. Her beauty was capable of stirring the souls of men. Looking at her delicate face, and limpid eyes akin to the beauty of valuable gemstones, Yu He appeared like a celestial being flying in the skies. Her elegance was beyond comparison as Qing Shui continued to hug harder.

"Pfft, have you hugged enough?" Yu He gently patted Qing Shui's back as she lightly said.

"Not enough, even if I could hug you for a lifetime, it would never be enough!" Qing Shui continued hugging as he nestled his face in Yu He's neck.

"You smelly brat, your mouth is indeed sweet. However, you are not allowed to take advantage of me like this in the future. Hmph, you little naughty egg." Yu He gently replied, but made no moves to free herself from the embrace.

Qing Shui unwillingly relinquished his hold on Yu He, feeling slight dissatisfaction in his heart. The scenario was not going according to the plots of the adult novels and "artistic" films he had watched in his past life. Wasn't the lady in question supposed to eat him up like a cougar?

"Maybe I'm not the main actor." Qing Shui frowned. "Either that or, I have not read enough adult novels or learnt sufficient cheesy lines to use yet." Shaking his head, Qing Shui's inner voice retorted, "No! I am the main lead! I will be in control of my own destiny and direct and produce my very own version."

After Qing Shui left, Yu He remained in her room pondering over the matters of her heart. She felt that Qing Shui had already somehow wormed his way inside of her heart. Obviously, she did not believe that she would fall for Qing Shui, a guy who was so much younger than her. Yet, she was not disgusted or angered by his actions. She only felt joy and happiness as they joked around during the times they spent together.

The first time she met him, was out of curiosity! A young man, with a shy and bashful appearance had actually defeated Situ Bu Fan. In any case, didn't the saying go that the relations between a man and woman would always start because of curiosity, and eventually slowly develop to the point where there was love?

The second time was this occassion, when Qing Shui had brought her two of the unique black fishes. It was the most delicious thing that she had ever eaten. Looking out of the window, and glancing at the back view of Qing Shui, Yu He could not help but feel joy, as well as how mysterious the young man who just hugged her was.

[1] – horny men

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

AST 0065 – Night Fragrance Court

Qing Shui delivered half a month's worth of fish over to Yu He Inn. Knowing that Qing Shui lacked money, Yu He directly took out 1,000 taels of silver and paid him. Qing Shui could not help thinking about how much of a young and wealthy entrepreneur she was, as he was filled with admiration.

"Damn my granny, earning money is so easy?" Qing Shui rolled his eyes at Yu He, who easily withdrew 1,000 taels of silver without batting an eyelid.

Qing Shui accepted the money straight with no hesitation. After all, when the 150 black fishes were sold, the total profits would be 15,000 taels of silver! After the 50/50 split, Qing Shui would still be able to receive 7,500 taels of silver.

"Calm, I must be calm!" Qing Shui repeatedly told himself as he took the money and left Yu He Inn.

Elation in his heart, he thought about all the things he could do with the money. He was distracted, and started wandering about aimlessly. When he finally came to his senses, he realized that he was lost. He was right smack in the middle of another luxurious looking street, which was filled with the sounds of people singing and laughing.

Especially from a building at the far end of the street, there were a lot of people entering it. Moving closer, Qing Shui could smell the perfumed fragrance of rouge and makeup powder drifting from it.

"Wow, I could even smell it from so far away. Could it be this is a place that sells cosmetic items for the ladies? Let me go in and take a peek. After all from his observations, all the customers that were entering the building were males, young and old. The expressions on their faces… invoked a curiosity in Qing Shui, as he was unable to guess what sort of place that building was.

Traces of a smile hung upon his lips as he made his way to the entrance of the building. "Night Fragrance Court" looking at the name of this building, Qing Shui understood.

So this was a brothel. The design was comparable to the Yu He Inn, full of bright colors and filled with beautiful ladies all around. The only difference was, in this place, as long as he had the money, he could fondle the ladies as he wished.

Qing Shui had of course heard of the infamous Night Fragrance Court before. This place was a paradise for men. Every single woman in the Night Fragrance Court, was a ravishing beauty. There were many men who gave positive reviews after trying the "services" offered by this place, and there were even those who would spend a year of their hard-earned savings just for a single night with any one of the beautiful courtesans hailing from here.

Passing by Qing Shui, were men of various ages. For those older men, they were about 50-60, and for those younger ones, about 13-14. At the entrances, were several captivating beauties about 20 years of age who were beautifully attired, acting as advertisers, flirtatiously pulling customers off the streets, and inciting lust in them as the customers were persuaded to enter.

"This was the custom of the world of the nine continents, even young males of about 13-14 years old would already knew of the matters between man and woman. It was not surprising for those who belonged to the large clans to be able to afford to visit brothels."

Qing Shui stood at the entrance, as an old man walked past him, when a soft voice filled with awe rang out. "Sir you are so powerful in bed, please remember to look for Yaner next time you are here."

Shaking his head, Qing Shui stare dumbly at the old man, could his "weapon" still be erect? I wonder if there is viagra in this world.

"Young Master, why don't you come in and try our services. We will make you very happy, no matter what kind of play you like, we would accompany you." A ravishing beauty flirtatiously smiled at him as she invited him in.

Qing Shui could feel an aura that was remarkably different compared to the rest of the ladies from this particular brothel. She looked to be about 26-30 years, and should have been in this line of work for a long time.

"Young Master? I have become a young master." Qing Shui wanted to laugh.

"Could it be that my age is too young?" Qing Shui rubbed his nose as he pondered.

"Men who don't flirt around are idiots" Urgh, I will just treat it like a form of cultivating my heart. Convincing himself with no effort at all, Qing Shui stepped inside the Night Fragrance Court.

"Young Master, you are so interesting, is this your first time here?" The girl continued leading Qing Shui, as she smiled lightly.

"Ah, how did you know? Is the word "First Time" written on my forehead?" Qing Shui asked with suspicion in his voice.

"Hahaha!" Crisp laughter vibrated the girl's busty chest as a amourous expression filled her face. Her beauty surpassed only by the sunset, her figure full and curvaceous. Especially her butt, what a perky butt, Qing Shui could not help wanting to plant his hands onto it.

"What a pity that she ended up in a brothel." Qing Shui silently thought to himself.

"Young Master is really humorous, although the words "First Time" are not written on your forehead, from Young Master's expression and mannerism, I was able to deduce that it was the first visit for Young Master. Furthermore, if my guess is right, Young Master shouldn't have tasted any women before. Only virgins would have their heart beat that fast when they are here." The girl explained, gazing tenderly at Qing Shui, seducing him.

Qing Shui scrutinized this woman closely. Her brows were like a waning moon, with limpid watery eyes, a exquisite nose, and ruby red lips. With light makeup accentuating her beauty. Her figure was tall and lithe, and her age about 26-30.

Qing Shui felt somewhat awkward as his virginity was called into question by a random woman on the streets. However, from the conversation they exchanged earlier, Qing Shui could determine that this woman had strong observation skills with powerful analytical ability that were a tier higher than ordinary humans."

"Just looking at my expression, you were able to instantly determine that I was a virgin, this is just too disgraceful." To think that he would get called up for being a virgin the very first time he visited a brothel.

"Young Master, there is a difference between those who are virgins and those who are not. The latter, when visiting here, would usually have lascivious expressions on their face as their smiles are filled with lust. As for you, you are different, I have been observing you for a long period of time."

As they spoke, the girl led Qing Shui into the main hallway. Countless ravishing beauties in their revealing attires decked the entire hallway, some were talking to customers, and some simply reclined comfortably on the chairs.

"Young Master, you can take along any of the girls that catch your eye, satisfaction is guaranteed!"

Qing Shui paused, his senses were tingling. At this moment, Qing Shui could feel that the woman before him, was not as simple as she looked. What was she hiding? Could it be that she was the owner of the brothel?

"Oh, if that is so, I want you. Would you be able to satisfy me?"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter