Chapter 228: Chapter 169: Four Symbols Internal Energy, Breaking Limits! Qilin True Strength, Key to Longevity!_2
"Of course, the most important thing is that the Meteor Sea Gold in the spearhead is what’s truly valuable. I’m sure there are plenty of high-ranking members in the Danxia chamber of commerce who think it would be better to curry favor with you by gifting the spear. But if it were a Storage Bag, they would definitely reclaim it."
"As for the Treasure Patterns on the Storage Bag, even though they say it’s unlocked with Essence Blood, you may not know that someone like me..."
Chu Xisheng’s drunkenness grew heavier as he raised the Storage Bag at his waist and said, "If it had been me dueling you to the death that time, the Storage Bag would naturally have been reclaimed by the Chu Family. Then, the Chu Family would use my Essence Blood to unlock the Storage Bag, retrieve the items inside, and then re-bind it to a new owner."
"Essence Blood? But wouldn’t Brother Chu already have been..."
"Brother Jiang, not being a scion of a major family, naturally doesn’t know that descendants of our major families, once they reach the Blood Exchange Realm, all condense Essence Blood and store a portion within the family. This also serves as a safeguard against the assassination of family members."
Chu Xisheng said this, looking pointedly at Jiang Shu as he continued, "Scions of major families can be quite arrogant and overbearing. If they are below the Blood Exchange Realm, Brother Jiang, you could indeed disregard them. With a little maneuvering, you could add one more corpse to the state city. As long as you dispose of the body properly, reducing it to ash and smoke, even the best coroner wouldn’t be able to find anything. But that’s not the case with descendants in the Blood Exchange Realm."
"A portion of our Essence Blood is stored within the family to guard against such situations. As soon as a descendant in the Blood Exchange Realm is assassinated, an ancient ancestor of the family will use a Secret Technique. This technique allows them to immediately locate the site where the Essence Blood erupted by using it as a beacon. Then, they’ll follow the clues to find the murderer. After all, as long as a Blood Exchange Realm Martial Artist isn’t killed instantly, their dying burst of power is enough to leave some minor markings on the murderer."
"Brother Jiang can check the records of confidential matters in the Danxia chamber of commerce to see what happened to the Liu Family in our state city. There was a genius in the Blood Exchange Realm who auctioned a Treasure and was subsequently assassinated outside the state city. The murderer was quite pleased with himself. However, it didn’t take long for the Liu Family ancestor to take action. He searched the surrounding areas and eventually tracked down the murderer directly in Tianqing Prefecture City, exterminating them in one fell swoop."
"It’s better to resolve enmities than to allow them to fester. If it’s just a small conflict, Brother Jiang, you might as well tell me that Liang Family brat’s name. I can mediate, and we can all go out for a drink together, letting bygones be bygones."
Chu Xisheng spoke very generously.
He also wanted to use this opportunity to further his relationship with Jiang Shu.
"Thank you, Brother Chu."
Jiang Shu downed his drink in one gulp and said, "That indeed would be the best approach. But that person’s character is somewhat deficient, so it’s better not to associate with him. I’ll just swallow this loss for now, and if there’s a chance to meet him in the future, a lesson would suffice."
"Alright, let’s drink up, cheers!"
「Taihe Restaurant.」
Jiang Shu was sitting cross-legged in the Earth-character private room.
After seeing off Chu Xisheng, he immersed himself in his daily Cultivation.
It was only when he received news that the president of the Danxia chamber of commerce had returned that he went out for a trip to the Danxia chamber of commerce.
He met separately with the president and the Great Elder, successfully acquiring a top-grade Cultivation Technique and two top-grade Martial Arts.
However, he only memorized these techniques and Martial Arts and didn’t truly begin to practice them. He knew better than to bite off more than he could chew.
What he truly needed to do now was to grind his ’Four Symbols Internal Energy’ from Perfection to Break Limit. This was a step he had been waiting for for a very long time.
Chu Xisheng must have misunderstood, thinking I might want to kill a member of the Liang Family, which is why he kept reminding me. After all, how could he ever imagine that the Storage Bag of the Liang Family’s alchemy genius, Liang Tingbo, was in my hands?
Liang Tingbo, what a grand scheme, Jiang Shu snorted coldly. It seems that there probably was never any Elixir Recipe in the Storage Bag to begin with. After all, at such a critical life-or-death moment, being able to set a trap was already an accomplishment. Why bother genuinely writing an Elixir Recipe into it?
Moreover, Liang Tingbo himself knew. If it were an ordinary Martial Artist who, after being tricked and enduring torture, traveled thousands of miles to the Liang Family in the state city... The only thing awaiting that Martial Artist would be one path. Death! The Liang Family would never allow the news of his death to get out! Under such an outcome, what would be the point in genuinely going through the trouble of creating an Elixir Recipe?
As a top-grade Alchemist of the Liang Family, Liang Tingbo must have left Treasures in this Storage Bag. It would be far too wasteful to leave them unused. Furthermore, the Storage Bag itself is a Treasure, and I can use it until I get a larger one.
Essence Blood, I must obtain it. But the strength of the Liang Family is a bit too formidable. Whether it’s directly asking for it or resorting to theft or robbery, it’s undoubtedly impossible. To acquire it, I’ll have to resort to some tactics.
According to what Chu Xisheng said, the Essence Blood of the family descendants is usually stored in the ancestral hall. Once a descendant breaks through to the Blood Exchange Realm, they can enter alongside the clan elders into the secret chamber next to the ancestral hall and leave behind a drop of Essence Blood.
In his mind, a strategy slowly began to take shape.
While cultivating, Jiang Shu pondered. The names of the Liang Family’s descendants in the Refining Internal Realm unfolded in my mind: the direct line and the collateral lines. Some were arrogant and domineering, consumed by insatiable lust and greed, while others were single-minded in their pursuit of Martial Arts, diligent in their Cultivation, and had very little involvement in social interactions. I am collecting information on every individual, identifying suitable targets. The ancestral halls of any family are strictly off-limits to non-family members. But with the right maneuvers, it might not be impossible to pull off... a ’switching of the prince in disguise’!
As his choice of candidate gradually solidified, Jiang Shu wasn’t in a rush to act. Regardless, breaking through in his own Realm remained his top priority.
Only when his Realm was sufficiently high and he entered the Liang Family could he have more room to maneuver.
Furthermore, should he encounter any major trouble, he could traverse back to Xuanxing at a moment’s notice.
Before going to the Liang Family, not only do I need to achieve Break Limit in ’Four Symbols Internal Energy,’ I also need to master the top-grade Cultivation Technique and Martial Arts. Fusang... Although more than three months have passed and the Tokyo Tower would have been rebuilt, the military will still inspect the area. It’s easy for me to return, easy to break through the first line of encirclement, but to get from Fusang back to Xia Country... It’s best to reach the Acupoint Passage Realm! Fighter jets, tanks—mere Dan Energy and Blood Exchange Realm might are far from enough! Moreover, only when I reach the Acupoint Passage Realm can I fully unleash the power of the Small Five Elements Saber Formation. By then, with the Treasure Pattern activated, whatever fighter jets, whatever tanks, I’ll be able to destroy them with a single slash!
The Martial Arts of the Two Realms begin to diverge significantly after the Refining Internal Realm. Dan Energy is stronger compared to the Blood Exchange Realm. According to Xia Country’s Martial Arts, above Dan Energy lies Gang Energy. If Dan Energy makes one a Great Grandmaster, then Gang Energy makes one a Martial Saint! Upon reaching this Realm, one’s understanding of strength transcends the ordinary and enters the realm of saints. It’s a pity that I’ve never witnessed it, nor even heard of the existence of Gang Energy, let alone its might. Once I’ve reached the Acupoint Passage Realm, I must go to the Imperial Court, explore, and engage with such beings to elevate my understanding of Martial Arts.
The sun rose and the moon set, ascending in the east and descending in the west. The weather in Yunzhou City gradually grew warmer. The cries of the vendors near Taihe Restaurant changed from unfamiliar to incredibly familiar.
Jiang Shu’s blood flowed ceaselessly each day; his pores opened and closed, absorbing the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi.
The ’Dream Sleep Elixir’ was, without him realizing it, also nearing Perfection.
But that was not the most important thing.
The crucial point was that on the panel, the proficiency of his Four Symbols Internal Energy had finally been ground to the absolute limit of Perfection.
After waiting for so long, finally...
Jiang Shu took a deep breath.
An indescribable joy sprang up in his heart.
Inside his body, Four Symbols True Strength circulated for another cycle, just like any other day.
But it was this simple cycle, like a small pebble tossed into a bowl brimming with water, causing the clear water to spill over.
Break Limit!
Jiang Shu vividly remembered the moment when he first used Famished Tiger Roar Mountain Strength to Break Limit, the instant his Inner Strength transformed into True Strength.
It was also that instant when he refined his spleen with his five viscera, achieving the status of a young Grandmaster.
He made a name for himself in one fell swoop.
But now...
The Famished Tiger Roar Mountain Strength, which had accompanied him for so long and constantly tempered his spleen, was replaced by a brand new kind of True Strength.
This True Strength, originating from the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise, was connected through the five viscera.
This True Strength, refining the spleen anew, gradually sketched out the mythical creature with the head of a lion, antlers of a deer, eyes of a tiger, body of an elk, Dragon Scales, and the tail of an ox.
Qilin True Strength.
Symbolizing longevity.