Chapter 364: Ten Years (4)
Cold sweat dampened the state-magusâs entire face, and he clenched his teeth and forcibly braced himself. His clothes and beard were flying back in disarray. As the storm finally abated, he seemed to walk a loop between life and death. He took several deep breaths, his eyes containing incredible respect. At the same time, though, they carried even more envy. He trained his eyes on the burnt-out incense stick.
Silence. A silence like death. After ten minutes passed, an aged voice echoed, âPresent.â
âImmortal Master.â At this moment, the old man was completely without his previous coolness and composure. Instead, he devoutly kneeled on the floor and tapped his head to it. âYou spoke correctly, sir. Indeed, a cultivator extremely suspected to be an immortal master from an upper realm has descended upon the State of Shangchen. I ask the Immortal Master to show me how this matter is to be handled.â
âHandle?â the aged voice sneered without the slightest concealment. âYou wonât be able to handle him⊠and he can more or less handle all of youâŠâ
âOf those who can reach âInsideâ, which one is not a shocking fiend? Or perhaps a demon-king in the flesh? And you lot want to take care of him yourselves?â
The state-magus didnât dare to raise his head.
âHow many years has it been⊠since This Throne has arrived here⊠How many years has it been alreadyâŠâ Silent for a couple minutes, the aged voice seemed to carry a tinge of well-hidden excitement. âThis realm⊠has mysteriously lost connection with âInsideâ... How many people still remember me?â
âDaomaster Scriptdraw⊠Daomaster Firestream⊠Daomaster Clearmoon⊠Junior has disappointed you⊠but now, thereâs finally a chance to return âInsideâ... Since this fellow Daoist was able to come, he surely has a path to return! Even if I canât⊠the two of us can work together, and the chances will be a few shades better!â
âWhat in the world has happened to this realm⊠It was actually able to break free from the control of three half-step Nascent Soul. The âRealm Anchorâ disconnected, and the âStar Positionâ was lost⊠Itâs practically unimaginable.â
âDao Master?â the state-magus asked carefully, his gaze shining.
There was no answer, as expected. After a few minutes passed, the voice began to laugh. âDao MasterâŠâ
âTo all of you, it is a legendâŠâ
âYesâŠâ The state-magusâs forehead touched the floor, and he asked deferentially, âIn that case⊠what of this Master Xu?â
âObserve him first.â The voice calmed down and said indifferently, âI havenât felt the descent of Foundation Establishment⊠If he is Qi Condensation⊠then there wonât be the slightest impact.â
âDonât obstruct him and donât disturb him, either. Just⊠quietly watch himâŠâ
Another few minutes went by. Only then did the state-magus raise his head. He had already become accustomed to the otherâs mix of modern speech with few scattered bits of the old dialect.
He shot a complicated glance at the burnt-out incense stick and took out a cell phone. âMaster Cui? Itâs me, Zu HuaiâenâŠâ
Calendar, year 783. Two of Shangchenâs ten major qi corporations, the Li Family and Shui Family, had their respective spirit-masters fight over Mount Laojunâs ownership. The battlefield was determined to be Mount Laojunâs summit. One side was a cultivator of Shangchenâs twelve famous high spirit-masters, First Rat. However, based on his background, the other side was Tian Guotao, a mere initial spirit-master.
While everyone believed this to be a one-sided battle, the initial-rank Tian Guotao was surprisingly an equal match to First Rat, one of the twelve high spirit-masters, with his initial-rank evaluation! Ultimately, both sides were powerless to continue fighting, and the bout ended in a draw!
And yet this matter, which shouldâve shocked the State of Shangchen, didnât make the faintest echo. Even the people involved in the Li Family and Shui Family seemed to forget about this matter. A month later, under an unknown personâs hinting, the Shui Family was cut out of this land.
HumâŠ
A helicopter landed again in A-31âs central zone. Exhaustion written all over his face, Tian Guotao walked out. This exhaustion, however, carried a nigh fanatical devotion.
He calmly walked over in front of the villa and bowed deeply for a full ten seconds.
A tie!
Between him and a high spirit-master!
He was unable to forget the scene that time, First Ratâs incredulous eyes under his mask and the surrounding spectators. Lord Li leaned on his cane, the veins on his hand swelling under his skin, and looked at him in shock. In the vicinity, each member of the Li Family who didnât view him favorablyâin fact, no one present favored himânow had their eyes rounded and mouths gaped. Their gazes congregated on him.
The people of the Shui Family looked at him, and some looked to First Rat. They werenât sure whether or not the high spirit-master had thrown the match. Only Tian Guotao himself knew that the opponent had summoned his full strength long ago!
And there was also⊠that high and lofty state-magus!
The man hadnât lost composure, but the look in his eyes was stunned all the same.
He couldnât forget the feeling of the crowd focusing on him. He engraved it in his heart. Even he felt that
this
was a spirit-master! A true spirit-master!
After the competition, Lord Li had personally doubled the compensation to invite him to return to the family. Publicly and secretly, the Shui Family had expressed their willingness to pay an even higher price. There were even other families that extended an olive branch. Contracts that he dared not hold wild hope for in the past were placed in front of him. He rejected them all.
Because he clearly understood who gave him all of this.
The expression on his face each time he saw Xu Yangyi was respectful. While these things possibly werenât profound, or perhaps they were only basic, general knowledge to the other, this foundational knowledge left him incredibly glad of his prompt decision back then to act as Xu Yangyiâs steward.
âMaster Xuâs qi⊠has gotten stronger againâŠâ He took a deep breath, absent of the least bit complacency, and gazed deeply at the villa facing him. Even standing outside, he could now sense streaks of wave-like qi buffeting his face. They were almost solid.
âWhen⊠will I be able to reach this stepâŠ?â
Clearcloud calendar, year 785. In the Li Familyâs spirit-land war, Tian Guotao set out again. Yet this time, he was against First Rat again. They fought for four hours and fifteen minutes. Only through one move had Tian Guotao managed to scrape a victory.
In the same year, the Spirit-Master Guild had sent an invitation letter to Tian Guotao, inviting him to examine his aptitude again. They were rejected.
After the event, the Li Family invited him to become their idol of worship. They were rejected. Two months later, the surrounding 20,000 meters of District A-31 were divided for the Li Familyâs possession. They freely provided Xu Yangyi to use it for any time limit of his disclosure.
Clearcloud calendar, year 788. The Li Family applied for first-class endowments, but were met with four familiesâ obstruction. In a disadvantage of four against one, Tian Guotao did not fall. Three months later, the Li Family succeeded in being promoted to the endowment of a platinum developer. From there onwards, all of Beifeng City completely fell into their hands.
The Spirit-Master Guild sent another invitation. They were rejected. A month afterwards, the Spirit-Master Guild put on file that Tian Guotao had been automatically promoted to high spirit-master. He was ranked in the top six among the Twelve Zodiac Beasts.
Clearcloud calendar, year 789. High spirit-masters Ninth Monkey, Tenth Rooster, and Eleventh Dog went together to visit District A-31. The outcome was unknown, but the trio immediately chose to enter seclusion after they returned.
Clearcloud calendar, year 791⊠a whole nine years had already passed since Xu Yangyi had arrived in this world. Not once had he shown his face in Tian Guotaoâs slow and steady process of preparation and success. Nonetheless, even a dumber person would still more or less clearly figure out the origin within, over the course of so many years of investigation.
Moreover, Tian Guotao had never masked it from anyone who asked. He said with exceptional sincerity, âFor being able to become who I am today, I must thank Master Xu. Were it not for him, my current self wouldnât exist.â
This year, heâd already been elected as the top figure below special-rank spirit-masters! He was known as the the spirit-master with the most promise to assail the next twenty-year office of state-magus. However, his name wasnât seen on the registration form at the beginning of the year.
A whole nine years and then some. His name couldnât be hidden whatsoever. Any corporation related to qi, any spirit-master, knew of him. They furthermore knew of the person behind himâthe madman that had secluded himself for over nine years, not stepping out once.
For over nine years, no one could enter District A-31. All kinds of rumors were already spreading in the spirit-master world about the valley. Some said that a secret special-rank spirit-master resided there. With this ability, he taught Tian Guotao who had already dropped a boundary nine years ago. Some said that Tian Guotao had obtained Grandmaster Zhangâs true text. There wasnât some special-rank spirit-master hiding in the villa.
None could enter, and Tian Guotao absolutely wouldnât appear unless there was some business. Discussion about that Master Xu, who had once been a source of rumor, finally became a trace smaller during the endless period of time. Oddly, though, the three-state magi never set one foot into District A-31, as if they had made a pact.
Clearcloud calendar, year 792⊠the tenth year since Xu Yangyi had come to the Clearcloud Realm.
A whole ten years.
Tian Guotao quietly sat on the grass outside the villa. Just as always, he tidied the lawn and poured a cup of tea.
The sun rose and fell. Xu Yangyi didnât appear.
He wasnât baffled. Even he hadnât seen Master Xu since two years ago. After the other had left behind an arcane effort for him, he didnât come out again.
He remember very clearly. At twelve midnight in the year 790, he was abruptly summoned. Xu Yangyi simply gave him three pieces of paper and said afterwards: âIn these three years, watch carefully.â Since then, the basement door wasnât opened.
This was his 730th cup of tea. For over two years each day, he hadnât stopped.
âMaster Xu⊠what are you doingâŠâ He watched the villa with some expectation but also some apprehension. He made tea on the lawn, not having any other way to do so. This was because⊠after that day, a completely different qi from before grew stronger and stronger inside the villa! It seemed to accumulate for a full ten years, finally discovering a gap and condensing inside the entire structure.
He was unable to approach.
That oppressive might was totally different than before. Although it was about the same as Master Xuâs qi that he was familiar with, it possessed a difference of heaven and earth!
His cultivation grew higher and higher, and so did his scope. He understood clearly that even if the Three Great State-Magi banded together, they werenât an opponent to this qi!
No⊠he feared that the entire continentâs state-magi added together wouldnât do! It had already transcended a kind of boundary and arrived at an unfathomable realm!
Two years, each day, the aura progressively became stronger. And in these past days⊠black clouds filled the sky, not drifting away.
âHuffâŠâ Meanwhile in the basement, Xu Yangyi calmly opened his eyes.
His temperament had somewhat changed from the time heâd just arrived. It had become even cooler and solitary. He resembled a sharp sword sheathed in a scabbard, at rest when not out, but blood was bound to be seen once drawn.
And in his bodyâs surroundings, rays of solid-like qi revolved around him. The him of this moment⊠was floating in the air!
Not with the help of the Ketu-Rahu Sword! Not with the help of any magik artifact! He was truly floating in the air, cast away from gravity!
Each of his major acupuncture points were flashing with dazzling white light, and golden talismans wandered all over his body. In his heart, he screamed more fiercely than ever before!
âItâs timeâŠâ He raised his eyes up, and a wisp of great vicissitudes in disagreement with his age flashed through them. A smile finally blossomed at the corner of his mouth. âItâll be these several daysâŠâ
âTen years⊠Harmonizing the Ketu-Rahu Sword and my body, and getting roughly familiar with the Void Spirit Immortal Physique took five years. After thatâŠâ He suddenly brought his gaze up and looked at the surrounding walls. He smiled faintly and extended a finger.
âHeavenly Opening⊠First Erosion!â
BOOM!
The surrounding walls answered and collapsed! However, each brick was floating like him. They hung suspended in the air, free of gravity!
He controlled his might. Heâd once witnessed the complete edition of this move used at full strength, the Demonchariot Pheasant occupying the stargazer altar! Perhaps the basement would immediately become the heart of a storm!
A storm of spiritual force! A storm that swept the world! The nexus of a natural anomaly!
âDevour Blood!â
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