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Chapter 430: Hate Ground No Handle! (1)
Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations
All of a sudden, Large Fatty Long's entire body shuddered, the fats rippling, as if he had abruptly thought of something. He quickly said to Zhou Weiqing: "Little Fatty, what are your Consolidated Equipment? Don't tell me that you have already Consolidated all four?"
Zhou Weiqing nodded and said: "Yes, I have already Consolidated all four!"
Upon hearing that, Long Shiya furrowed his brow, saying solemnly: "Release them one by one for me to see."
Zhou Weiqing nodded. In the previous fight against the Han Tianyou, he had only released his Overlord Bow as he had not got any chance to fight in close combat. Furthermore, even if he released his Legendary Hammers or Yin Yang Giant Spirit Palms, it would not create any extra opportunities against a Heavenly King Stage powerhouse. As such, he had chosen wisely to strike from a distance in a surprise attack. The facts had proven itself that his choice was indeed correct, making use of the fact that he had been underestimated and managing to wound Han Tianyou severely.
A flash of white, and the Overlord Bow appeared in Zhou Weiqing's grasp.
Long Shiya's eyes flashed as he focused on the Overlord Bow, standing in front of Zhou Weiqing as he studied the weapon carefully with his brow furrowed. Finally, he said: "Alright, we can make do with this. A Grandmaster Consolidated Bow, but at least there's two Sockets added onto it. It'll barely do."
Hearing his words, Zhou Weiqing felt a slight shock in his heart. This teacher of his had some great eyes indeed! After all, he knew Long Shiya did not have the Spatial Attribute; that was to say he was definitely not a Consolidating Equipment Master. Under such a circumstance, just by looking at the Overlord Bow, he could actually tell that this three-socketed Overlord Bow was not a Zong Stage Consolidated Equipment, but a Grandmaster one. Such vision was truly worthy of his rank of Heavenly Emperor Stage.
"What effect does this Consolidated Bow of yours have imbued within?" Long Shiya asked.
Zhou Weiqing replied: "An explosive effect, and some strength increase. Basically, within a thousand metres, I have absolute confidence of my accuracy. In terms of archery skills, I have absolute confidence and faith in my abilities."
Long Shiya nodded. He did not doubt that at all; after all, he had witnessed with his own eyes how Zhou Weiqing had used the Seven Stars Accompanying the Moon Archery Skill against Han Tianyou, and that had given even him a shock. That was not just a simple releasing of various Skills, but the intricacies of archery skills had even surprised him, or perhaps even shock.
"Increased strength and an explosive effect, complementing your Strength Physical Jewels, that is not too bad. It is definitely top quality amongst all Grandmaster Consolidated Equipment. Alas, no matter what, it is still a mere Grandmaster Consolidated Equipment… even if it were Zong Stage, that would still be better… Sigh…"
After a slight sigh, Long Shiya lapsed into silent thought. After a while, he said: "Worst come to worse, we can wash out this Consolidated Equipment of yours."
"Wash out? What do you mean?" Zhou Weiqing looked at Long Shiya curiously, not understanding what he was saying.
Long Shiya explained: "Wash out means totally wiping it out from your Physical Jewels, before Consolidating another set of Equipment."
Zhou Weiqing said in surprise: "Such a thing is possible?"
Long Shiya said proudly: "Of course, don't you know why when we reach ten Jewels and above, the rank name starts with Heavenly?"
Zhou Weiqing shook his head, bewildered.
Long Shiya said: "That is because after the ten Jeweled cultivation level, any further progress is truly a path against the heavens. As such, when one is at the maximum level of the Nine-Jeweled stage, attempting to break through the ten Jeweled stage, that is a major bottleneck point. Once you can breakthrough it, you will reach a whole different level. However, from that point onwards, every step forward is unbelievably difficult. Against the heavens, hence the name Heavenly. Ten Jewels as Heavenly King, Eleven Jewels as Heavenly Emperor, and Twelve Jewels as Heavenly God. If one can actually break through the Twelve Jeweled point, it is tantamount to being a true god, with everything within your grasp."
"From the Heavenly King Stage onwards, the Heavenly Energy cultivation has reached the Heavenly Dao Stage, also known as the Ways of Heavens. To master the Ways of Heavens, one can just imagine how tough that is. Just like all the previous stages, the Heavenly Dao Stage also consists of twelve levels, and each Jewel is still Four levels. However, at this point, there is a more finer or precise classification. Each Heavenly Stage is split into the four levels corresponding to their Heavenly Energy level, Low Level, Mid Level, High Level and Max Level. For example, your teacher, I, my Heavenly Energy cultivation stage is at the forty fourth stage, the Max Level of the Heavenly Emperor Stage. One more stage would mean I can reach the Low Level Heavenly God Tier. Alas, just that one last stage is as difficult as ascending the heavens… I have worked hard and strived for over forty years and I still have not succeeded. Perhaps, I will not have any chance to reach that stage in my lifetime."
Zhou Weiqing asked curiously: "What does that have to do with washing out Consolidated Equipment?"
Long Shiya glared at him and said: "How can there be no connection? Since the Heavenly Stage cultivation level is already fighting against the heavens, in that case, how can we not be able to accomplish things that defy nature? Washing out Consolidated Equipment is extremely difficult, and it can only be done with the help of those Heavenly Stage powerhouses. Of course, some unique Consolidating Equipment Scrolls are the main ingredients to do so."
Listening to Long Shiya's words, Zhou Weiqing suddenly remembered back at the Heaven's Expanse Palace where Shangguan Bing'er was going to erase her Stored Skills. In such a case, it was likely that she was also erasing her Consolidated Equipment to swap them out at the same time.
Long Shiya continued: "Well, in any case, we will probably want to change this Consolidated Bow of yours in the future. With your archery skills, if given a complementary powerful God Tier Consolidated Bow, that would bring your combat prowess up several notches. If it's part of a Legendary Set, that would be even better. Alright, let's see your other Consolidated Equipment."
Zhou Weiqing agreed, and in the next moment, the familiar dark gold light shone forth before Long Shiya's surprised eyes. The twin Legendary Dual God Strength Hammers appeared, the massive hammer heads giving even Long Shiya a large surprise.
The outward appearance of these legendary hammers were indeed extremely scary, but though they seemed like a pair, it was actually only a single Consolidated Equipment. One real, one fake, it was indeed a work of art, almost a miracle in itself.
Looking at this pair of hammers in Zhou Weiqing's hands, Long Shiya was truly surprised: "A God Tier Consolidated Equipment! You little brat, you actually have such good stuff! Hahaha, that's great, we are truly a pair of master and disciple indeed. This is truly fate! Those not of the same family won't end up in the same family indeed! Look!"
As he said that, Long Shiya raised his hands, and the dark gold light flashed out and a pair of hammers also appeared in Long Shiya's hands.
However, when compared to the massive hammers in Zhou Weiqing's hands, the pair in Long Shiya's hands were much smaller, about half the size of Zhou Weiqing's. The pair were both bright silver in colour, and from the appearance of an octagon plum blossom.
Besides the full silver body, the hammers shimmered with six colours, resplendent and fine. Though they were much smaller than Zhou Weiqing's hammers, their presence and power was no lesser.
Zhou Weiqing was a Consolidating Equipment Master, and his knowledge and theory regarding Consolidating Equipment were definitely much greater than that of Stored Skills. As soon as he saw the pair of hammers of Long Shiya's, a surprised look crossed his face.
"Master, why is your God Tier Consolidated Equipment not dark gold?" In Zhou Weiqing's memory, all God Tier Consolidated Equipment were dark gold in colour, yet the pair of hammers in Long Shiya's hands were a pure silver in colour. This day was indeed one that was full of surprises for the youth.
Long Shiya grinned and said: "Heh, there is nothing surprising about that. There is only one possibility for God Tier Consolidated Equipment to not be dark gold in colour, and that is a completed Legendary Set. Once a Legendary Set is complete with all its pieces, they will resume their original colours. Also, the colours will be influenced by the Heavenly Jewel Master's personal attributes and cultivation level. This Legendary Set of mine is originally silver in colour, and with my own six attributes, it ended up looking like this. How about it, doesn't it look suave?"
After asking the last question, his face turned a little gloomy, and he muttered to himself: "Both are hammers, why are yours so huge and mine so tiny. I am the Large Fatty, and you are the Little Fatty, yet our hammers are in reverse. That isn't fair at all, not fair at all."
Zhou Weiqing grinned and said: "Master, there isn't anything unfair about that. Although these hammers of mine might seem huge, in truth, the actual volume is the same as your hammers. Look." As he said that, he struck out with the smiling-faced hammer in his left hand towards Long Shiya.
Subconsciously, Long Shiya lifted the hammer in his left hand to receive the blow. With Zhou Weiqing's cultivation level, even if he lay down and let Zhou Weiqing strike at him with all his might, his protective Heavenly Energy aura would not even be broken.
As the hammers intersected, a strange sight occurred. The smiling-face hammer in Zhou Weiqing's left hand actually passed right through the octagon plum blossom hammer, flashing in a bright light with only a slight reverberation.
Although Long Shiya was a Heavenly Emperor Stage powerhouse, just with his eyes alone he had not been able to see the truth of these Legendary Hammers. After all, they were God Tier Consolidated Equipment, far from the Overlord Bow.
"Ehh? Interesting, very interesting." A surprised look crossed Long Shiya's eyes as he stared at Zhou Weiqing's hammers with great interest.
Zhou Weiqing explained: "These pair of Legendary Hammers are actually one real, one illusory. The smiling-face hammer is illusory, crying-face one is real, and with them, I have tricked many enemies who were stronger than I were. Heh heh."
Long Shiya scolded him laughingly: "You little brat, you sure are cunningly obscene, even your weapons are so disgusting. Well, this pair of hammers are great, no need to wash this one out. Later, we can wash out that Overlord Bow of yours, as well as your other two, that should be enough for you to wear a Legendary Set."
Zhou Weiqing started. "Master, you are giving me an entire Legendary Set?"
Long Shiya gave a humph and said: "Don't think that only the five Great Saint Lands has a monopoly on that, we do have a set of our own. Haven't you seen this pair of hammers that your teacher has? This is the first piece of my Legendary Set. I have an old friend that is a God Tier Consolidating Equipment Master, and this Legendary Set of mine was crafted by him personally. It should not be a big problem for him to create another Set. Oh… right… if you are using the same set as I am, then you'll probably have to erase your set of hammers as well. It would be pointless to have two types of hammers as your weapons, a pointless duplicate. Alas, what a shame, a waste of such a fun pair of hammers."
Zhou Weiqing asked tentatively: "Master, how many pieces does your Legendary Set have?"
Author's Note: The full story of the "Hate Sky No Handle, Hate Ground No Handle" is about to come out. The Six Ultimate Skill Manipulation Arts will slowly show its power in the future, and this is truly the most important transition point in Little Fatty's cultivation path. Do enjoy the story, things are just heating up.
Chapter 431: Hate Ground No Handle! (2)
Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations
Long Shiya said with a pleased expression: "Nine pieces, what about that? You've never heard of something like this right? Legendary Sets are definitely a must for powerhouses to maximise their strength. This 'Hate Sky No Handle' Legendary Set of mine might only be nine pieces, but it will not lose to some of those Legendary Sets with ten pieces. In the first place, Legendary Sets with ten pieces are extremely rare, like the the hair of a phoenix and the horns of the qilin. Only the Heaven's Expanse Palace's Boundless Infinitum Set and the God Vanquishing Heavenly Spirit Set are some of the few known ones."
As soon as Long Shiya mentioned the name of his Legendary Set, Zhou Weiqing was stunned. 'Hate Sky No Handle'? Why was that name so similar to his own Legendary Set?! "Hate Sky No Handle, Hate Ground No Handle" that was an actual phrase right?
Long Shiya thought that Zhou Weiqing had been stunned from the sudden happiness of the situation, and he clapped his shoulder, saying: "Your Father, I, has not married, and without any children. All I have is you, my only disciple. What is mine will also be yours in the future."
"No, no." Zhou Weiqing said hurriedly. Agitatedly, he looked towards Long Shiya and said: "Master, you said your Legendary Set is called the 'Hate Sky No Handle' Legendary Set? That is to say, your Physical Jewels are also the Strength Attribute?
Long Shiya nodded and said: "Of course. This 'Hate Sky No Handle' Legendary Set is the most suitable for Strength Attribute Heavenly Jewel Masters amongst all the Legendary Sets. Have you heard of it before?"
Zhou Weiqing shook his head and said: "Teacher, look."
As he said that, he lifted his arms, hammers still in hand. Another two bursts of dark-gold light sprang forth, and the Yin Yang Giant Spirit Palm along with the corresponding protective bracers appeared in a burst of dark gold light, covering his arms and hands.
The Yin Yang Giant Spirit Palms combined with the Legendary Hammers definitely gave Zhou Weiqing a more imposing presence, and even his Heavenly Energy reverberations seemed a lot stronger.
"You actually have two more God Tier Consolidated Equipment?! You little brat, you are truly born under a lucky star!" From Zhou Weiqing's previous narration of his background and cultivation process, Long Shiya knew that this little rascal was just like himself, a Heavenly Jewel Master who had trained by himself. A self-trained Heavenly Jewel Master, before the age of eighteen, yet he already had three God Tier Consolidated Equipment, and with so many powerful Stored Skills to boot, that was almost a miracle in itself. No, even a miracle was not sufficient to describe it. Even though this little brat in front of him was his own disciple, Long Shiya almost felt jealous of him. After all, in the past when he was cultivating, he had walked the wrong path so many times, spent so much time, cost and effort before he finally gained his first God Tier Consolidated Equipment.
Zhou Weiqing looked to Long Shiya, a look of marveling disbelief in his eyes. "Master, these three God Tier Consolidated Equipment of mine are actually part of a Legendary Set as well. Its name is the 'Hate Ground No Handle' Legendary Set. This… could it be… it has some sort of connection with your 'Hate Sky No Handle'?! The names cannot be simply a coincidence!"
"'Hate Ground No Handle' Legendary Set?" Long Shiya repeated the name, and the next instant, his entire body shuddered as a look of stunned disbelief filled his eyes, and he grabbed onto Zhou Weiqing's shoulders. "What did you say?! You said your Legendary Set is called the 'Hate Ground No Handle'? What… how could this be possible? You actually own the 'Hate Ground No Handle' Legendary Set?!"
By this point, it was clear that Long Shiya actually knew about the 'Hate Ground No Handle' Legendary Set. At that moment, he was even more agitated than Zhou Weiqing, and he was almost incoherent in his rambling.
Zhou Weiqing nodded and said: "Yes, this is exactly the 'Hate Ground No Handle' Legendary Set, the greatest Legendary Set that the forebears of my Legacy of Strength Sect had designed.
"Your Legacy of Strength Sect? What connection do you have with the Legacy of Strength Sect?" Long Shiya was after all at a high cultivation level, and after a moment of shock, he quickly recovered and calmed down. Still, his fixated fiery gaze on Zhou Weiqing was filled with excitement and agitation.
Zhou Weiqing said: "Yes! I forgot to tell you, your great disciple is also a Consolidating Equipment Master. Although I am still only a High Level Consolidating Equipment Master, but my training comes from the Legacy of Strength Sect. This 'Hate Ground No Handle' Legendary Set has been handed down from my teacher. A full set of ten pieces, one more than your 'Hate Sky No Handle' Legendary Set!"
Long Shiya stared dully at Zhou Weiqing for a moment, before muttering: "One can wear out iron shoes in fruitless searching,and yet by a lucky chance just find the exact thing without even looking for it.
I just managed to gain a disciple, and who knew that it would actually also mean the completion of my greatest wish. Good. Good. Very good! Hahahahaha, this is just too great!"
Long Shiya started laughing heartily, his body of fats jiggling around along. His booming laughter was so loud that it felt as if the tent they were in would be sent flying away.
"What a 'Hate Ground No Handle' Legendary Set indeed. Little Fatty, do you know the origin of your 'Hate Ground No Handle' Legendary Set?" At last, Long Shiya stopped laughing, looking back towards Zhou Weiqing and asking in a serious tone.
Zhou Weiqing nodded and said: "Of course I do! This 'Hate Ground No Handle' Legendary Set is our Legacy of Strength Sect's greatest legacy. Allegedly, one of the forebears created this with all his effort, and on the day that he completed the designs, he was too exhausted that he vomited blood and perished. As such, though this 'Hate Ground No Handle' Legendary Set had been passed down, it has never actually been created before."
Upon hearing his words, Long Shiya burst out laughing. "You call that knowing the origin? What do you know! All of what you said is barely the tip of the iceberg. In fact, there is a grand legend behind this Legendary Set. Very well, let your teacher tell you about it… Hate Sky No Handle, Hate Ground No Handle, such a series of overpoweringly domineering names! They are indeed both from the Legacy of Strength; however, they were created in different generations."
"In the Consolidating Equipment Master domain, the most magnificent and glorious era of their Consolidating Equipment Masters was actually many years ago. At that time, the number of Heavenly Jewel Masters were several dozen times more than current day, and there was no lack of Consolidating Equipment Masters as well. Amongst them, there were several powerful sects, including the Legacy of Strength Sect. At that point, that current Sect Leader of the Legacy of Strength and a group of Elders worked together to create the 'Hate Sky No Handle' Legendary Set, and with that, forged the name of the Legacy of Strength in the Consolidating Equipment Master Realm. With this 'Hate Sky No Handle' Legendary Set, the entire Legacy of Strength reached a peak they had never risen to before, earning the respect of Consolidating Equipment Masters and Heavenly Jewel Masters of that time. Of course, at that time, the Heaven's Expanse Palace's God Vanquishing Heavenly Spirit Set or Boundless Infinitum Set did not yet exist. It could be said that the 'Hate Sky No Handle' Legendary Set was indeed the first of its kind, the forefather of all the greatest Legendary Sets. Its power sent all the Strength Attribute Heavenly Jewel Masters clamouring crazily to get it."
"However, after several generations, the Legacy of Strength had passed its zenith, and was starting to be on the wane. At their pinnacle, they had at least a dozen God Tier Consolidating Equipment Masters, but after all that time, the number of God Tier Consolidating Equipment Masters started dropping. About six or seven generations later, only the current Sect Leader was a God Tier Consolidating Equipment Master. Even so, with the 'Hate Sky No Handle' Legendary Set, the Legacy of Strength was still considered one of the top in the Consolidating Equipment Master world. Even though there were starting to be other competitors starting to create their own Legendary Sets, no one could dare say that theirs were stronger than the 'Hate Sky No Handle'. In any case, just in that generation where the Legacy of Strength was worried about carrying on their legacy, two young genius talents appeared. One of them was the daughter of the current Sect Leader. She was absolutely beautiful, and as daughter to the Sect Leader, she was taught all the secrets from a young age. At a mere young nineteen years of age, she had already become a Zong Stage Consolidating Equipment Master, starting to attempt to create the 'Hate Sky No Handle' Set. At that point, everyone thought that the Legacy of Strength was coming back into their own."
"Besides this young lady genius Consolidating Equipment Master, there was another young talent. A man, though his age was older than hers. When he joined the Legacy of Strength, he was already twenty five years old. However, his age did not affect his talent in creating Consolidating Equipment Scrolls. Within three years of his joining, he had mastered every single skill of the Legacy of Strength, with the exception of the core and most valuable 'Hate Sky No Handle', which was highly restricted."
"One day, the young lady had just completed the first piece of the 'Hate Sky No Handle', but had met into trouble when attempting the second, lost in thought in thinking about it. She had been heading back to ask her father from her closed door cultivation, but enroute she literally bumped into that young man. At that moment, the Scrolls she had just completed dropped to the ground, that is the octagon plum blossom hammers you saw I was using just now. This was also the first time the young pair had met. When the young man saw the Scroll she had dropped, he was delighted, and subconsciously picked it up examining it, lost in its brilliance. Naturally, the young lady was enraged, snatching it back from him, and the two got into an argument. In the midst of their angry words, the young man unknowingly said a line that suddenly sparked a light bulb in the young lady's head, suddenly clearing up the bottleneck that she had been stuck in for the second piece. All of her sudden, her anger was lost, and the pair finally realised they were both of the Legacy of Strength. As such, they started discussing the 'Hate Sky No Handle' Set together."
As he spoke up to this point, Long Shiya paused, a hint of sorrow entering his eyes. "The two were all genius talents who were lost in their research, discussing this Legendary Set and its brilliance, so much so that they forgot their respective status. The young lady also forgot the importance of the Set to the Sect, as it was restricted from ordinary disciples."
"The two were united in mind and in harmony, and slowly a budding love grew between them. From that day onwards, the young lady no longer went into closed door cultivation to create the Scrolls like she used to. Instead, when she met any problems with the 'Hate Sky No Handle' Set, she would look for him to discuss and work together. As the time passed, they managed to complete an entire Set of the Legacy Set. At that point, she had ascended to become a God Tier Consolidating Equipment Master, and while he was still a Zong Stage Consolidating Equipment Master, he was not far from ascending as well. From the time they had first met until this point, it had been eight years. Eight full long years… and in completing their shared goal together, the love between them had flourished."
"The young lady brought the completed Set to her father, the Sect Leader, and also told him about the relationship between her and the young man, not holding anything back. She had been immersed in the Consolidating Equipment world since a young age, with research and creation being all of her life, and she was not familiar with the worldly ways of mankind. Alas, she had never expected that as soon as she told her father about the two of them, he flew into a rage, scolding her angrily, telling her that she had to break up with that young man."
Chapter 432: Hate Ground No Handle! (3)
Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations
"The young lady did not understand why her father was in such a rage, and they parted unhappily. Alas, by the time she went to look for the young man once more, she happened to see that her father had caught him, just about to kill him. In the first place, as the Sect Leader of the Legacy of Strength, her father was afraid that the 'Hate Sky No Handle' Legendary Set would be leaked out, and he was prepared to kill the young man to prevent any such possibility from happening. To any Sect, a Legendary Set Design was of utmost importance, let alone one like the 'Hate Sky No Handle', and it would normally only be passed down to Sect leaders. He had long viewed his daughter as his future successor, and thus had passed it down to her. However, for the design to be seen by this young man who had joined their Legacy of Strength at such a halfway point, that was a huge problem. For the sake of the Sect, he had no choice but to steel his heart and kill him."
"As a God Tier Consolidating Equipment Master, without a doubt he was also a powerful Heavenly Jewel Master. How could the young man be a match for him? Just as he was about to perish, the young lady suddenly sprang out, using her body to block her father's final blow. At that instant, both the young man and her father were stunned. None of them had expected that this young lady who had spent all her life with Consolidating Equipment Scrolls would have such a tough character, willing to sacrifice herself for her love… With her dying breath, she asked the two of them for two wishes, each for one of them. To her father, she asked for his forgiveness and for him not to hurt the young man, that she trusted him absolutely. As for the young man, her wish for him was not to take revenge against the Legacy of Strength."
"With that, she passed away, and the two men were left there stunned silly, silent. A rising star in the Consolidating Equipment Master, one who had just reached the God Tier, had just passed away in such a wasteful fashion. To the Legacy of Strength, this was a massive blow. To both the father and the young man, this was like their world had collapsed."
"The young man left, and he did not take anything with him, even the young lady's corpse. However, before he left, he told the father that he would return one day. He promised that when he returned, he would bring a Legendary Set Design even greater than the 'Hate Sky No Handle', to prove that even without the 'Hate Sky No Handle' Legendary Set, he would still be a great Consolidating Equipment Master."
"Just like that, he disappeared for thirty years, a whole thirty years. After thirty years, he was barely over sixty, but due to a complete mental and physical exhaustion, he looked like he was so old as if on his dying bed. When he finally returned to the Legacy of Strength, everything had changed. The father of the young lady had passed away a year after his daughter's death. Having personally killed his beloved daughter, destroying the hopes of his Sect, no matter as a father or as a Sect Leader, that was too huge a blow for him to take. Without a God Tier Consolidating Equipment Master, the Legacy of Strength had started to fade away swiftly. By the time the young man returned, the entire Legacy of Strength was almost desolate, without the grand lustre it once had."
"Thirty years of hard work, yet at the end of it this was the final result. The 'young man' was struck dumb. He went to the young lady's grave, telling the last few remaining disciples of the Legacy of Strength to bury him together with her after he passed away. As soon as he left those words, he sat down on the ground before her grave, taking out a stack of Scrolls and burning them before her grave as incense."
"His tears streamed down, slowly turning into blood tears, and all the while he was muttering to himself: Thirty years… I created this ten-piece 'Hate Ground No Handle' Legendary Set just to prove myself to your father… to prove that even without the 'Hate Sky No Handle' I could reach the ultimate pinnacle of Consolidating Equipment Masters. Alas, he had long since since left us. Perhaps, we have all been just too stubborn. I'm going to look for you now; with this 'Hate Ground No Handle' design as a sacrificial offering, even your father will have to admit that I now have the qualification to look for you. I will definitely find you in the underworld… I still haven't told you that I love you…"
Long Shiya finally stopped speaking at this point. His expression was calm, but there was a sorrowful melancholy in his eyes that could not be hidden.
Zhou Weiqing stood beside him, his eyes dull as he was fully immersed in this sorrowful tale of love and tragedy.
Lowering his head, grasping the twin Legendary Hammers in his hands tightly, Zhou Weiqing suddenly felt as if had a greater connection with this Legendary Set piece, with it melding together with him. In that moment, it was as if he could sense that sorrow and stubborn iron will within the hammers, and his spirit was filled with a strange feeling.
Long Shiya sighed and said: "I never expected that in my life I would be able to actually see this 'Hate Ground No Handle' Legendary Set. Perhaps, this is truly fate, this meeting between us was destined by this Hate Sky No Handle, Hate Ground No Handle… The wish I've had for years is finally fulfilled. Little Fatty, you have truly helped your teacher return a greatest favour!"
Zhou Weiqing said: "Teacher, but my teacher in the Consolidating Equipment Master arts, Master Huyan did not tell me about this story!"
Long Shiya smiled faintly and said: "Yes, that is natural. At that point, the Legacy of Strength had split into two factions. One is the original faction, while the other was formed by that young genius who had created the 'Hate Ground No Handle' Legendary Set. Since you have the 'Hate Ground No Handle' Legendary Set, that proves that the day he burned the Scrolls as a sacrificial offering for the young lady, he already knew that he was not going to return. He probably already left a set of designs to his own disciple. All these years, although the original faction of the Legacy of Strength was very weak, they still managed to barely carry on their legacy. They also knew about the 'Hate Ground No Handle' Legendary Set, and they have been looking for it all this while, hoping to find either the designs or the actual Legendary Set. Well, anyway, from the fact that I have the 'Hate Sky No Handle' Set, you should know that I have a connection with the original faction of the Legacy of Strength…"
"In the past, when I first met with that bro of mine, he was just like you now… just a High Level Consolidating Equipment Master. With my help, and with all the materials I provided, he was able to eventually become a God Tier Consolidating Equipment Master. He also helped me to Consolidated this entire Set of God Tier Legendary Set. His only request that if I could find the designs, or owner of the 'Hate Ground No Sky' Legendary Set, I had to let him see it. All this years, I have owed him this, and now I can finally repay him with your help. Originally, I wanted to stay back and guide you in cultivating, but it looks like now I have to go and look for him first. Who knows how delighted he will be! Hahaha!"
Zhou Weiqing said reluctantly: "Teacher, you are leaving already?"
Long Shiya nodded and said: "There's no time to be lost. I have always been a person who hates delays, and I've always done things as quickly and vigorously as possible. Since I know where you will be heading, I will come look for you as soon as I have found him."
As he said that, he took out a small little booklet from his bosom and passed it to Zhou Weiqing. "Keep this well… once you have memorised it, burn it all. Do not lose it or let anyone else read it, understood? This is my lifeblood, my final masterpiece."
From the fact that Long Shiya actually kept this little booklet with him, and not even in his Spatial Object, one could tell how much it meant to him. Zhou Weiqing quickly received it respectfully before looking at it. On top of the leather cover, there were a line of simple words: Six Ultimate Skill Manipulation Arts.
"Train well, and wait for me to come back… I will examine the fruits of your cultivation when I return. When training in this Six Ultimate Skill Manipulation Arts of mine, you should match it with the corresponding Heavenly Cores in order to get double the result. However, I hope that you do not try to rush into things. A good foundation is of utmost importance for Heavenly Jewel Masters. When I return, I will give you a more detailed guide."
Zhou Weiqing agreed respectfully.
"Alright, then your teacher will leave now. I have to go look for my old friend as soon as possible."
"Teacher, wait! This Spatial Sack of yours…" Zhou Weiqing quickly held out the Spatial Sack. He did not know how many Heavenly Cores were in there, but the sheer wealth held within was so immense that he thought even the Heaven's Expanse Palace would not be able to resist.
"You take it, they are of no use to me now anyway. However, do remember that wealth can bring your ruin by other's greed… do not easily show this to anyone. I have lived in this cold north for over forty years, and these Heavenly Cores are not just from Heavenly Beasts I slew, a large portion are also from some insolent Heavenly Jewel Masters, so it looks like you can take advantage of it. Well, it will save you all the wasted time hunting for all the various Heavenly Cores you need. For Heavenly Jewel Masters, cultivating during the younger years when your vital energy is the highest is of utmost importance, as it is the time when cultivation is the easiest. Most of the Heavenly Jewel Masters who have reached the pinnacle have usually built a strong foundation from a young age. If you are able to break through the Heavenly King Stage before the age of thirty, you will have the chance to break through the Heavenly God Stage… Otherwise, no matter how hard you labour in the future, you will be like me, stuck at the max level of the Heavenly Emperor Stage. I have sometimes regretted wasting my youth. Don't be complacent just because you are only seventeen years old… in truth, a dozen years or so will pass in a blink of an eye for us Heavenly Jewel Masters. Also, when I am not by your side, try to restrain yourself and not provoke those Heavenly Stage powerhouses, they are not ones you can handle at your current level…"
As his last words fell, Zhou Weiqing could only sense a green light flash before his eyes, and Long Shiya had already disappeared.
Looking at the Spatial Sack in his hands, Zhou Weiqing still felt a sense of unreality. In just a short amount of time, barely an hour, he had gained a new Heavenly Emperor Stage teacher, and also gained a Spatial Sack that held unbelievable treasures. More so, he had learned of the 'Hate Sky No Handle, Hate Ground No Handle' Legendary Sets and their origins, and his own Legacy of Strength Sect. If there was a phrase to describe his current feelings, perhaps a mix of dazed confusion and miraculous was the most accurate.
By the time Zhou Weiqing returned to his companions, he found that they were all standing there in stunned silence. However, when they saw he had returned so quickly, their eyes all landed on him in unison.
"Where is the Six Ultimate Heavenly Emperor?" Shangguan Fei'er asked softly.
Zhou Weiqing smiled faintly and said: "Teacher had something else to do, so he left first." In front of Zhan LingTian, he did not want to explain too much.
Shangguan Fei'er said: "What do we do now then? Are we still going to the Ten Thousand Beast Heavens?"
Zhou Weiqing said: "No, not anymore. Let's head back to the Peerless Battalion."
Chapter 433: Future Three Grand Armies! (1)
Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations
"We're not going anymore?" Shangguan Fei'er asked curiously.
Zhou Weiqing nodded, saying: "This time, we have barely gotten far and we have already run into so much troubles… it is clear that our luck this run is just too terrible. Well, the more important thing is that our power is just not sufficient, I have been too impatient, reaching far above my means. Furthermore, now that the Blood Red Hell members have clashed with us, and we need to report this back to the Heaven's Expanse Palace immediately, and let them decide on a solution. Bro Zhan, what do you think?"
Zhou Weiqing's last question showed his respect for Zhan LingTian, and as soon as he heard that he felt much more comfortable. After the past few days, Zhou Weiqing had revised his opinion of the arrogant young man. Though that fellow was undoubtedly extremely proud and arrogant, and rather focused on wanting face, he was not a bad person. Just from how he was able to step forward bravely in a time of danger, that was enough to cover his other faults.
Zhan LingTian nodded and said: "This time, the Blood Red Hell was the one who betrayed their own word, also disregarding the honour of our Heaven's Expanse Palace. We do have to send word back about this as soon as possible. I agree with Weiqing, we should return to his Peerless Battalion before returning to the Heaven's Expanse Palace immediately."
Shangguan Fei'er pursed her lips in dissatisfaction before saying: "Fine… I originally wanted to go play around in the Ten Thousand Beast Heavens, you guys are so boring. The first time we meet some problems, you just shrink back."
Zhou Weiqing grinned and said: "Heh heh, that 'shrink' word, well done."
Shangguan Fei'er blushed suddenly, giving him a punch on his shoulder. "You just barely escaped death, and you can't control your mouth again. As a matter of fact, I have to say your luck is unbelievably good. Do you know who the Six Ultimate Heavenly Emperor is? He is one of the top Heavenly Jewel Masters in the entire world, even more senior than my father or big uncle. His power is truly unfathomable, and in the Heavenly Emperor Stage, he is unparalleled."
Zhou Weiqing laughed heartily and said: "Well, I don't know about that, but my teacher has already left. After some time, he will come to the Peerless Battalion to look for me." He only explained things simply; after all this was the secret history of the Legacy of Strength, and he did not wish to spread it in detail.
Zhan LingTian said: "In that case, let us head back then."
Right at that moment, eight Snow Deer Tribesmen walked forth, each carrying different sorts of delicious looking food. The one in front was an old man, looking to be about sixty to seventy years of age. He bowed down respectfully towards them and said: "Honoured guests, greetings to you. Since you are all friends of Great Ancestor, no matter what, you should have a nice meal here at our Snow Deer Tribe before leaving, otherwise Great Ancestor will blame us."
After the events of the evening, the group were rather hungry. Furthermore, in such a biting weather, looking at the piping hot, delicious food, if they could just ignore it like that, they would not be human.
Besides Shangguan Fei'er, all of them were large and stout, especially Ma Qun and Crow, the two champion appetites were tantamount to that of three ordinary men. Looking at the delicious spread before them, deer milk, fried biscuits, bread, barbequed meats, it was a true feat that they managed to keep themselves from drooling.
Zhou Weiqing said: "Alright, thank you all so much. We will leave after eating then." In the first place, he had planned to discuss the possibility of purchasing some mounts from the Snow Deer Tribe, so this was a good opportunity for him. Since their previous tents had been totally destroyed by Han Tianyou, the Snow Deer Tribe led the group to another larger, more luxurious tent. It was lined with soft fur, causing the entire tent to be warm.
The Snow Deer Tribe food definitely was a unique local flavour, although rather heavy, it was filled with a wild fragrance, and they all enjoyed the delicious cuisine. Even Zhan LingTian and Shangguan Fei'er who had eaten many delicious foods in their time couldn't help but eat with gusto. Especially the slightly sweet deer milk was unique but delicious, increasing their appetite drastically while sending a comfortable warmth throughout their bodies in a nourishing way.
As they ate, they quickly learned that the old man was the current Tribe Leader of the Snow Deer Tribe. Although he was rather respectful and polite, the Heavenly Energy reverberations around his body was definitely not weak.
The old man was very respectful towards Zhou Weiqing, and he clearly knew about the Six Ultimate Heavenly Emperor taking him as disciple.
"Elder, has your Snow Deer Tribe always lived here?" Zhou Weiqing asked the old man.
The old man answered with a hint of fear in his voice: "Please do not call me elder, my name is Yi Erhan, please call my name directly. In terms of seniority, you are one generation senior to myself. In the past, my grandfather served the Great Ancestor, and if not for him, our Snow Deer Tribe would have been wiped out long ago."
"Oh. In that case, I'll call you by your name directly, you can also call me by my name. I am Zhou Weiqing." Zhou Weiqing was not overly polite, as he knew how important such seniority matters were. Modesty was a virtue, but overdoing it was just being false. Especially since he was now the Six Ultimate Heavenly Emperor's disciple, and he could not let his teacher lose face.
"In that case, this old man will comply deferentially rather than decline courteously. Mr Zhou, we Snow Deer Tribe are nomadic in nature, though we rear these Snow Deer, the totems of our tribe. In truth, this camp here is just a mere portion of our entire Tribe. The main reason we stay here at this time is to seize the opportunity when there is no war to earn some money from the human traders who take the trading route, to aid our entire tribe in survival."
"In the vast plains of the WanShou Empire, our Snow Deer Tribe is merely a tiny one, barely ten thousand strong. Compared to the larger tribes like the Wolfmen Tribe, Tigermen Tribe, or the Lionmen Tribe, we cannot compare at all. Furthermore, after so many years of wars, many of our tribesmen were drafted for war. Although our death toll was not high, our numbers have never been high, and several times we have came close to being wiped out. Luckily, our Great Ancestor asked the Heavenly Snow Mountain to spare us from drafting, and the great Heavenly Snow Mountain Lord personally allowed it. That gave our Snow Deer Tribe a chance to recuperate and rebuild up our strength, to do some small business in the borders."
Hearing Yi Erhan's words, Zhou Weiqing's heart stirred. It looked like his teacher did have some connection with the Heavenly Snow Mountain after all, even knowing the Legendary Top Powerhouse in the entire mainland.
"I see, so that is why… Well, could I ask if your Snow Deer are available for sale?" Zhou Weiqing asked tentatively.
Yi Erhan started at that question, before shaking his head with an apologetic look on his face. "I'm afraid not. Unfortunately, the Snow Deer are our totems, and they are the ones who have given us life and everything, how could we possibly trade them? The Snow Deer are our guardian deities, and when we meet any enemies, our finest warriors will mount the Snow Deer to charge through their formations."
"Ahh, I see. No problem." Zhou Weiqing nodded his head with some disappointment. Of course, he would not force such a thing.
Looking at the disappointed look in Zhou Weiqing's face, the Snow Deer Tribe Leader felt some fear. All this while, the Six Ultimate Heavenly Emperor had been their greatest benefactor, yet he had never asked them for anything. In truth, with Long Shiya's power and status, besides providing him with food and comfort, they could not really offer him anything.
At this point, Long Shiya, who had always been alone, had finally managed to get a disciple, and he had finally a request. Wasn't this the perfect opportunity to repay the Six Ultimate Heavenly Emperor and stay in his good books?
"Mr Zhou, could I ask why you are looking to buy the Snow Deer?" Yi Erhan asked tentatively.
Zhou Weiqing laughed heartily and said: "I have a troop of soldiers at the other side of the border. Since I've heard so much about the strength, build and speed of your Snow Deer friends, I originally wanted to purchase some for my soldiers as mounts. They would be extremely useful in future battles."
Yi Erhan furrowed his brow, silent. Selling the Snow Deer was naturally impossible, as it was the most important of their tribal laws. Furthermore, even if he agreed to the request, his own tribesmen would rebel against it.
In truth, Zhou Weiqing had not had much hopes that this would succeed, and he had only been trying his luck in asking. Seeing that Yi Erhan remained silent, he quickly headed back to the table to snatch more food to eat. Snatch was indeed the right word to use here, as in just the short period of time he had been speaking with Yi Erhan, the other members had been gorging on the food. If Zhou Weiqing had been any slower, it would have been likely he did not have anything left to eat.
Zhou Weiqing continued eating comfortably, enjoying himself. However, Yi Erhan was in a dilemma; after all, such a chance was indeed hard to come by, yet it was just too difficult to accomplish.
After a few minutes of silence, it was as if he had suddenly set his resolve, and he abruptly looked up towards Zhou Weiqing and said: "Mr Zhou, as you said, our Snow Deer Tribe's Snow Deers are indeed extremely powerful, even in a one versus one fight, against the tiger or panther steeds, we still have confidence to fight with them. However, our Snow Deer can only be ridden by our Snow Deer Tribesmen, and even for us, we need to individually gain their approval and respect before we can do so, and to become our great Snow Deer Cavalry Warriors. How about this instead, if you have any requirements in future, you can send in a request. As long as the fight is not against our WanShou Empire, I can lend you five hundred Snow Deer Cavalry Warriors. When the fight is over, you can just let them come back."
What? There was even such a good deal? As soon as Zhou Weiqing heard the offer, he was extremely delighted. Without even needing to train these soldiers and he would be able to gain a troop of five hundred powerful Snow Deer Cavalry Warriors? That was unbelievably great news!
Yi Erhan thought that Zhou Weiqing's silence meant he thought it was too little, and he said with a slightly pained tone: "Mr Zhou, our entire tribe only consists about ten thousand in population, and only those finest warriors and elites will be able to become Snow Deer Cavalry Warriors. In our entire army, the Snow Deer Cavalry Warriors only number about a thousand, and we will need to keep some around to deter any possible enemy incursions. Sending out five hundred of them is already our absolute maximum."
"Oh! I do not think it is too little at all, I am extremely happy with that." Zhou Weiqing said hastily. "Tribe Leader Yi Erhan, thank you so much for that. Do not worry, even if I do need your help in the future, I will not use your Snow Deer Cavalry Warriors for nothing. I will pay a good fee as well as food, we'll count it as I am hiring your Snow Deer Cavalry Warriors. How does that sound?"
Yi Erhan did not reject Zhou Weiqing's suggestion. After all, the Snow Deer Tribe was a small tribe, and their Snow Deer Cavalry Warriors were highly sought after by many of the stronger tribes. If not for the fact that the Six Ultimate Heavenly Emperor had ascended the Heavenly Snow Mountain on their behalf, their Snow Deer Tribe might have been swallowed up by a larger tribe by now.
Author's Note:
Tang Tang (his daughter) is sick with pneumonia, and she is on the drip. Yet, at this time, I suddenly saw that I have dropped far below on the monthly vote. Could this be the legendary 'Joy comes never more than once but sorrows never come singly.'? Or a pile of misfortune at once?
My heart is so cold, and feels so terrible.
Tang Tang is ill, and is currently staying at her grandmother's place, which is closer to the hospital where she needs to be on the drip. After this post, I will go to see her again, before coming back to write some more. I will not miss tonight's post as well, as promised I will rush out another release before going back to see Tang Tang.
Although I do not wish to say this, but I have no other choice. For Tang Tang's sake, I can no longer keep a close watch on the monthly vote roll. All this while, my wife has paid a heavy price for my sake, and it is only because of her support that I can continue writing stably. Now that our child is sick, I cannot possibly ask her to handle it all on her own. I can only ask that, brothers and sisters of the Tang Clan, could you allow me to relax and take care of them, to pay back all the support they have given me all this while, and I can leave the monthly vote roll to you? Thank you.
Zen: Just a note that the book has long been complete, I translated this author's note mainly to show how tough it can be for an author, even for one as successful as TJSS.
Chapter 434: Future Three Grand Armies! (2)
Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations
Although none of the tribes would actually dare attack them, it was no easy task just surviving in their WanShou Empire and its harsh conditions. Since those powerful tribes were not able to swallow them, they would also naturally not give them any support. To Yi Erhan, maintaining the livelihoods of so many tribesmen was not an easy task. If they could exchange their services to Zhou Weiqing for food and pay, it would definitely be worth hiring out the five hundred Snow Deer Cavalry Warriors.
Finally, Zhou Weiqing and his group finished their meal and set off on their journey back comfortably. Before leaving, he received a Snow Deer Tribe plaque from Yi Erhan. In the future, when he needed the Snow Deer Cavalry Warriors, he could make use of this plaque to deploy the forces. At the same time, Yi Erhan also told him the other locations where the Snow Deer Tribe would camp in the other parts of the years. Of course, at this point in time, Zhou Weiqing did not know how lucky he was, or what these Snow Deer Cavalry Warriors actually signified. In fact, none of their party knew that amongst the cavalry soldiers of the WanShou Empire, in terms of individual and group fighting capabilities, the Snow Deer Cavalry Warriors actually ranked fourth, behind only the Lionmen Tribe, Tigermen Tribe and Panthermen Tribe, the three largest tribes, also belonging to the Royal Guard. It was truly a miracle that such a small tribe like the Snow Deer Tribe could stay autonomous despite having such a powerful resource.
…
A return trip often felt much faster than when leaving, and before long they were about to reach the Peerless Battalion camp.
Zhan LingTian was still astride his Ghost Demon Horse, and he said to Zhou Weiqing: "I will not be returning with you all, I need to head back to the Heaven's Expanse Palace to report all that has happened thus far. Fei'er, you return together with me."
Shangguan Fei'er bit her lip softly, lowering her head as she said: "Big bro Zhan, you know how difficult it is for me to actually run out to have fun, going back so quickly would be so boring. Let me stay a while more… Anyway, I have nothing else to do when I get back, cultivating anywhere is still the same right?"
Zhan LingTian was no fool, and from the past events he could tell there was something on between Shangguan Fei'er and Zhou Weiqing, even if he wasn't sure what it was exactly. Looking meaningfully at her, he said: "Fei'er, do not forget about Weiqing and Young Miss Bing'er. Well, it is up to you, I do not have the authority to command you, but I trust that no matter what, you should have the restraint and propriety. However, I will not hide your presence here from the two Palace Masters, and whatever they decide I will not be able to help you."
Upon hearing that Zhan LingTian would not forcefully bring her back, Shangguan Fei'er was overjoyed. She ignored the rest of his words, so what if her father and uncle knew where she was? They wouldn't personally come down to get her, nor where they stuck in this borderlands forever. As the saying goes, the skies are high and wide, and the emperor is far away, worse come to worse they could just run away.
"Big Bro Zhan, you're the best! Hehehe, good luck in chasing big sis!" She said happily.
Zhan LingTian flushed slightly, then he nodded towards Zhou Weiqing and said: "In that case, I leave Fei'er to you, please take care of her. This trip north past the border has been a good experience, and I have learned much in it. Your archery and skills are not bad indeed. In the future, when your cultivation level is higher, let's have a good fight."
Zhou Weiqing laughed heartily and said: "No no, I'm no match for that Light-Dark Divine Spear of yours. Bro Zhan, safe travels."
A rare faint smile crossed Zhan LingTian's lips, and with a nudge to his Ghost Demon Horse's flank, he sped off into the distance. He did not return this horse to Zhou Weiqing, its imposing build and power had given him a huge liking for it.
In truth, the reason why Zhan LingTian did not forcefully drag Shangguan Fei'er along had a slightly selfish reason behind as well. In his heart, Zhou Weiqing already had Shangguan Bing'er, and now he had some unclear relations with Shangguan Fei'er as well; naturally he could no longer have anything with his beloved Xue'er. Furthermore, if Zhou Weiqing was entangled with the two Young Misses, how would the two Palace Masters look at him?
As a result, he would rather return by himself and get a scolding than do the 'proper' thing and bring Shangguan Fei'er back. No matter what, all humans would have some form of selfish, or self serving motivations, especially when it came to matters of the heart, Zhan LingTian was willing to do this. After all, chasing Shangguan Xue'er was not an easy task! As the saying goes, all's fair in love and war!
As they watched Zhan LingTian leave, Crow and Ma Qun also rode up closer to Zhou Weiqing, and Crow said: "Weiqing, hold up a bit before leaving, we have something to speak to you about first."
"En?" Zhou Weiqing looked at them with askance.
Lin TianAo stood at the other side of Zhou Weiqing, a faint knowing smile on his face. It was clear he either knew what was going on or had already expected what would happen.
Crow said: "Weiqing, Ma Qun and I will be leaving for a while, so we will part here instead of returning to the Peerless Battalion."
A look of surprise crossed Zhou Weiqing's face. "You two aren't heading back too? Why not?" He was certain he had not done anything to slight or offend his two friends and companions.
Crow glanced towards Ma Qun at her side, and she gave a rare blush before saying: "This silly devil has finally come to his senses, so we have to return to our tribes to settle things. Otherwise, the relationship between our tribes have become strained, and we do not want things to grow worse. After all, our two tribes have always been extremely close, and we do not want to be the cause of a rift."
Upon hearing that, Zhou Weiqing relaxed. "So that's what it is. Alright then, but when you all go back, you better not get married there! After all, we all have to be guests at your marriage! Best thing is have the marriage ceremony at our Peerless Battalion, and we can all get together and enjoy!"
Crow flushed a deeper red, but Ma Qun stuck his chest out proudly and said: "Of course, our marriage will definitely be at the Peerless Battalion, how can there be any question of that! Boss, we are all family, so I will not beat around the bush. Crow and I want to bring our tribes to join up with you."
"Join up with me?" Zhou Weiqing started for a moment. Even he could not comprehend that in such a short moment.
Ma Qun nodded and said: "Originally, we already had such a plan. However, at that time you did not yet have a set place of residence. No matter what, all we care about is you and your talents. Now that you have the Peerless Battalion, that will be a good place for all of us to settle down steadily. You treat those ruffians so well, let alone us family. Crow's tribe is the Gold Crow Tribe, and I am of the Titan Tribe… both our tribes have always been good friends, but we are constantly facing the threat of survival. In the Fei Li Empire, they have always been trying to draft us into the army. However, our numbers have always been low… our state is similar to that of the Snow Deer Tribe, if we enter the army, we would soon be close to having our tribes destroyed."
Zhou Weiqing said dubiously: "Wouldn't joining up with me be the exact same thing? You know my current situation with my Empire and my goals in reviving the Heavenly Bow Empire, it will not be possible to avoid any fights! We are brothers, and I think it is best I state this out clearly beforehand. If you need me to provide any help, that is no problem, but to support to entire tribes for nothing, that might not be possible with my current status and capabilities. Therefore, if you are bringing your entire tribe to join up with me, it is still necessary to actually join the Peerless Battalion."
Ma Qun laughed heartily and said: "Boss, you sure are honest, aren't you afraid we renege on that? Our Titan Tribe and Crow's Gold Crow Tribe are all immensely powerful warriors."
Zhou Weiqing shook his head and said: "It is because we are brothers, I believe it is best to make things clear from the start. If you bring your entire tribe here and regret it in the future, then things would have already advanced to such a point that it is too late."
Ma Qun gave him a thumbs up before saying: "Well, we have indeed not misjudged you. Do not worry, since we have decided to bring our tribesmen to join up with you, we will not avoid fighting. After all, both our tribesmen are all natural powerful warriors. However, how could you be compared to the Fei Li Empire? They want to make use of us, not truly caring for us, using us on the frontlines against the toughest enemies to pit our lives against the WanShou Empire. I know that you will not do that, even those Peerless Battalion ruffians you are training them as archers, teaching them everyday about the importance of their own lives. Clearly, following you is definitely not a disadvantage to us all, and we will have no worry about food and pay. We have already thought this through… for the sake of the future of our tribes, we are betting all our lives on you. Originally, we wanted to speak to you about this before we set off, but that Zhan LingTian was around us all the time, so we kept on delaying it. Now that we have all returned from the WanShou Empire, both Crow and I have decided to go home and explain things out, to persuade our tribes to join up with you. How does that sound?"
Naturally, how could Zhou Weiqing say no to such a good deal? Zhou Weiqing did not attempt to hide his excitement, beaming happily as he said: "Good, very good, that is indeed great! Do not worry, your tribe is also my tribe, my family, hahaha!" He could not be blamed for being so excited. After all, besides the Titan Tribe which Zhou Weiqing had not personally experienced, he was all too familiar with Crow's strength and power. Her cultivation level aside, just the six hundred jin weight, steel skin and bones, and that terrifying strength, all of that were incomparable indeed.
If the Titan Tribe and Gold Crow Tribesmen all had statures like Ma Qun and Crow, they would undoubtedly be the finest heavy infantry units. Of course, Zhou Weiqing would not allow them to waste their lives easily on the battlefield. In that instant, his mind had raced through all the various possibilities, and if he managed to gain the support of these two powerful tribes and they were as he imagined, he would definitely arm them to the teeth, to make each and every one of their warriors a moving fortress of death.
Crow smiled and said: "Alright, Ma Qun and I will take our leave now. I'm afraid that this time, we will be gone for quite a while; after all, it is a full migration of both our tribes. I estimate that it will take us at least half a year, maybe up to a year. We will return to the Peerless Battalion to look for you, so Weiqing, try not to leave there within the next year or so alright."
Zhou Weiqing said: "Wait a moment. Big bro, did you bring any money with you?" Zhou Weiqing turned to look at Lin TianAo.
Lin TianAo shook his head and said: "I only brought a small sum. After all, we were heading to the Ten Thousand Beast Heavens, and I didn't see a need for much money. I passed most of it to Yun Li."
Zhou Weiqing thought for a moment before he reached into his bosom. No one else knew what he was doing, but when he brought his hand back out, he held a hand full of Heavenly Cores.
"Take these with you and look for a safe place to slowly sell them for money to bring back to your tribes. You will need the funds to buy sufficient carts and powerful horses, if possible Ghost Demon Horses or the like. After all, both your tribes people are large and with substantial weight. In this way, it will be easier to move everyone as well, and we can gather back as quickly as possible. These Heavenly Cores are a gift from me to your tribes."
Chapter 435: Future Three Grand Armies! (3)
Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations
As he said that, Zhou Weiqing had already shoved the handful of about a dozen or so Heavenly Cores into Ma Qun's hands. He then reached into his bosom once more, grabbing out handful after handful… only after he had brought out about a hundred or so did he finally stop.
Ma Qun and Crow were not too familiar with Heavenly Cores, and they only felt like these Heavenly Cores were rather pretty. However, Shangguan Fei'er, mounted on her horse at the side, was totally stunned.
All the Heavenly Cores that Zhou Weiqing had taken out were at least from Zong Stage Heavenly Beasts, with some even from Heavenly King Stage Heavenly Beasts. More so, there were actually two huge ones that looked to be from Heavenly Beasts even stronger than that!
Each of these were considered priceless treasures! Since when had Zhou Weiqing become so rich? More importantly, amongst those Heavenly Cores, there were some which were their targets in entering the Ten Thousand Beast Heavens.
"Wait, don't rush off yet." Shangguan Fei'er quickly stepped forward, quickly picking out the few Heavenly King Stage and higher Heavenly Cores.
"What are you doing?" Zhou Weiqing asked her curiously, and she glared at him exasperatedly, saying: "Are you trying to kill them? Do you know what is the worth of these Heavenly Cores? Those he has are already more than enough, at the very least several dozen million or even more than a hundred million gold coins. If they actually tried to sell the ones I took, that would be tantamount to suicide. Don't you know an innocent man can get into trouble just by having too much wealth? Anyway, where did you get so many Heavenly Cores?"
Zhou Weiqing grinned and said: "Heh heh, do you still need to ask? Of course it's from my teacher… ahh it feels so good to have a teacher! Hahaha, well you all can benefit from that relation too."
Hearing Zhou Weiqing's words, Ma Qun quickly kept the Heavenly Cores, an expression of 'I might as well take this' on his face. He looked so fine with his large majestic stature, even larger and honest looking than Zhou Weiqing, but that sly cunning in his heart was no less as well. Crow rolled her eyes at him for that, but she did not protest.
In truth, what Zhou Weiqing had said was indeed true… it was just too great a feeling to have a teacher! Although he already had two other teachers, Mu En and Huyan Aobo, these two other teachers were not Heavenly Jewel Masters, and what they taught him had nothing to do with his Heavenly Jewel Master cultivation.
Ever since Zhou Weiqing's Heavenly Jewels had Awakened, it could be said that almost every step of his cultivation was from his own fumblings and experimentations. The Immortal Deity Technique, Consolidating Equipment, Skill Storing, even down to the usage of Skills, or the Demonic Change State or Devour Skills, all of that had been slowly built up after time, fumbling trial and error and also built up over countless actual combat and life and death situations, improving all this while in his formative years. However, he had never gone through an actual system of learning; in this, he could not compare to any of those members of Great Saint Lands.
Zhou Weiqing's talent was undoubtedly outstanding, richly endowed in so many ways. Yet, it was this same unbelievable talent that also hid so many of his flaws and deficiencies. For a self-learning Heavenly Jewel Master to stumble his way along by himself without any legacies or learnings, to actually develop his own style, one could just imagine how difficult that would be! Although Zhou Weiqing had not manifested any problems up til now, but just like what Long Shiya had explained previously, as his cultivation level would grow, they would ultimately start plaguing him. Having seventy two Skills was at a point that that no ordinary Heavenly Jewel Masters could imagine, and if Zhou Weiqing really tried focusing on all of them, he would never be able to reach the ultimate stage of Heavenly Jewel Masters in his lifetime.
However, it was all different now with the Six Ultimate Heavenly Emperor Long Shiya as his teacher. A man who had already gone through all the fumbling stage and had formed his own style. A hundred years of sheer talent, painstaking labour and thought had given him the achievement he held today, and he was truly a man who knew how tough it was for a self-training Heavenly Jewel Master and the many twisted paths they might have to walk. Furthermore, just like Zhou Weiqing, he had six Attributes, and also the Legendary Set of the same lineage from the Legacy of Strength. Without a doubt, he was the best person in the entire world to teach Zhou Weiqing! Although he had not actually started teaching and guiding Zhou Weiqing, there was no question that once this officially started, it would have major benefits to the young Jewel Master.
In the faint glow, Zhou Weiqing smiled faintly and said: "Ma Qun, Crow, you two be careful. Just like what Fei'er said, do not reveal your wealth too easily. Every time when you sell these Heavenly Cores, don't sell too many at once or at the same place, just a few should be fine. As for the rest, you can give them to your elders for them to use, and also to give them some confidence. I don't need to say anything else, I believe that you both will be able to persuade your tribesmen, and I will be waiting for you here. If you two do not return, I will not leave here, so no matter what, even if you aren't able to come back, do send me a letter."
Ma Qun laughed heartily, thumping his own chest confidently as he said: "Of course we will be back, I still want to continue learning from Big Bro Lin, and to continue on the path of my Assembly Set Shield. This is either make or break for us, even on a worse case scenario, Crow and I can elope and come look for you. Alright, let's go." After saying that, he turned his horse around, and both he and Crow headed towards the other direction. Both of them had the army rank plaque that Zhou Weiqing had given them, and it would not be a problem passing the lines. After all, it was a plaque from the Legion Commander Shen Ji, what possible problems could there be?
Shangguan Fei'er watched them leave, then she grabbed onto Zhou Weiqing's arms, saying ferociously: "Little Fatty, come on, let me see what did you get from your teacher. No wonder you didn't want to go to the Ten Thousand Beast Heavens anymore. Don't tell me you already have enough Heavenly Core materials?"
Zhou Weiqing grabbed the Spatial Sack from his bosom airily, pushing it at Shangguan Fei'er and said: "Look for yourself."
Shangguan Fei'er looked curiously at the Spatial Sack before circulating her Heavenly Energy within to have a look. As soon as she did so, she was so shocked that she almost dropped the Spatial Sack.
Lin TianAo stood at the other side of Zhou Weiqing, silent but smiling. With his stable confident nature, he would always keep his own place as Zhou Weiqing's Follower, despite their close relations. Zhou Weiqing had removed the Blood Rites – Seal of Darkness, but in his heart, that Seal would never be removed.
"This… this… … Little Fatty, the Six Ultimate Heavenly Emperor gave this all to you…?!" Shangguan Fei'er stuttered, totally losing her composure.
Zhou Weiqing nodded and said: "Yes, of course! If I had any of these of my own, would I bother planning to go to the Ten Thousand Beast Heavens with you at that time?"
"Generous… so generous… I have never seen or heard of such a generous teacher. Weiqing, this time you are just too lucky! I can't even begin to count how many Heavenly Cores there are with a look, with mounds and hills of them… Did your teacher rob the Heavenly Snow Mountain treasure troves? If you sell all these Heavenly Cores, you would get an astronomical sum of money… I don't think I could estimate their value."
Zhou Weiqing sighed lightly and said: "My teacher said that he would not help me do anything, and would only guide and teach me. His intention is that I accomplish everything by myself, and only by doing so can I grow well in the grindstone of life. However, although he said that, he has already helped me just too much. This Spatial Sack of Heavenly Cores alone has solved many of our problems. Anyway, I'll pass you this to hold on for usage when we're back at the Peerless Battalion. I will just need to take out a few to concentrate on cultivating what my teacher has taught me, and that will be my focus for now. You can take what is needed from the Spatial Sack to brew the medicine and help my Peerless Battalion brothers Awaken their Personal Power Jewels."
"Our Peerless Battalion is not going the route of numbers, but the path of absolute elites. Only true elites who have been bathed in the fires of war will be truly forged into a powerhouse, to constantly survive on the battlefield. If Ma Qun and Crow return successfully with their tribe, and with the Snow Deer Cavalry Warriors and our own Peerless Battalion archers, this is already an impressive army covering all grounds. With just these few thousand men, I am confident in shaking the Bai Da Empire."
As he spoke up to that point, a cold light flashed in Zhou Weiqing's eyes. Although they had not traveled to the Ten Thousand Beast Heavens as planned, his confidence had already increased drastically. After all, he was no longer alone, and he now had the beginnings of his own group.
Very quickly, the three had returned to the Peerless Battalion. Just as he mentioned in his earlier plan, Zhou Weiqing took a small portion of Heavenly Cores and passed the others to Shangguan Fei'er. Besides those required for the medicine for Awakening Personal Power Jewels, she passed some of the less useful Heavenly Cores to Lin TianAo as a backup source of funds. If the Peerless Battalion had any unexpected need for a large sum of money, those could be used to garner the funds. After all, such high level Heavenly Cores were extremely expensive, no matter which Empire they were sold in.
…
One month later.
Heaven's Expanse Palace.
"Ridiculous! How could Fei'er just run off with Zhou Weiqing. No wonder we couldn't find that girl anywhere." Shangguan Tianyue said angrily.
Shangguan Tianyang had already went back into closed door cultivation, and currently Shangguan Tianyue was in charge of the entire Heaven's Expanse Palace.
Zhan LingTian knelt down respectfully on one knee in front of Shangguan Tianyue, but his expression was like a dried up well, with nary a ripple as he remained calm and impassive.
He had taken an entire month before returning to the Heaven's Expanse Palace, and that was clearly far beyond what was necessary. In truth, he had done so on purpose. It was clear that he was in no rush to get back, or perhaps it could be said that he was doing it on purpose to buy time for Shangguan Fei'er.
Zhan Lingtian's thinking was direct, he wanted to create more opportunities for Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Fei'er, for their relationship to grow even closer. In that way, with Zhou Weiqing mixed up with both Shangguan Bing'er and Shangguan Fei'er, he would not have a chance with his own Xue'er.
Towards Zhou Weiqing, after this trip together across the northern border, Zhan LingTian had a much greater understanding towards him. Although he was not particularly handsome, he had a strange charisma about him that could draw everyone around him to him. Especially when they were all facing Han Tianyou and Zhou Weiqing managed to use his calm judgement and his glib tongue to talk them out of a dead corner, and eventually even becoming the disciple of the Six Ultimate Heavenly Emperor… All of that just combined to make him so much more mature, more powerful. Zhan LingTian could foresee that in the entire young generation across the whole lands, Zhou Weiqing would definitely be his greatest competitor, perhaps even someone that he could not compare to.
Although he no longer had any direct ill will towards Zhou Weiqing, he still did not want to give him a chance to interact with Shangguan Xue'er. After all, what if Shangguan Xue'er was like her two sisters and actually gained feelings for Zhou Weiqing after interacting with him? What would he do then?
Back in the present, Shangguan Tianyue's expression was cloudy, almost sullen. In the shifting glow of the surrounding light, he was pacing around. This time, Shangguan Tianyang had entered close door cultivation once more in an attempt to break through the Heavenly God Tier. Although the chances of success were not high, there always existed that slim hope they clung on to.
Towards Zhou Weiqing, Shangguan Tianyue truly did not know what to think of the young man. However, his vision was much further than Zhan LingTian, and he had actually been waiting for all this time to seize a chance to bring Zhou Weiqing into the Heaven's Expanse Palace.
Chapter 436: Good beginnings! (1)
Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations
The potential problems that lurked beneath Zhou Weiqing's impressive power were clear to the Six Ultimate Heavenly Emperor, naturally how could he and Shangguan Tianyang not be clear of it as well. However, they had their own status and position in mind, and were waiting for Zhou Weiqing to realise this on his own and look for them when he reached that bottleneck. At that point, they could easily bring that little rascal into the Heaven's Expanse Palace, and Bing'er could marry him in a simple rational progression. With his outstanding talents and the Heaven's Expanse Palace's resources and guidance, the future him would become Shangguan Xue'er's future right hand man, and this future generation would definitely be able to support the Heaven's Expanse Palace to a far greater height.
Alas, Shangguan Tianyue had never expected that his second daughter would actually run off with that little brat as well. Her excuse was that she was keeping an eye on him and not allowing him to shift affections and abandon Bing'er… However, did keeping an eye require her to do so personally? Or to take so long? She had even refused to come back even when Zhan LingTian had asked her too…
As for the Blood Red Hell, on the contrary, Shangguan Tianyue was not worried about them. Before Zhan LingTian had even returned, he had already received news from the Blood Red Hell about what had happened. Regarding the matter, the Second Hell Master of the Blood Red Hell had actually came down to the Heaven's Expanse Palace personally to apologize. Furthermore, he had brought along a gift of a Heavenly Emperor Stage Heavenly Beast as an offering to their continued friendship, and that was clearly a strong sign of good faith. More importantly, the result of the attack had been that no loss or harm had come to the Heaven's Expanse Palace, and thus it was easily resolved.
"LingTian, in your eyes, how did Fei'er treat Zhou Weiqing?" Shangguan Tianyue finally asked solemnly.
Zhan LingTian lowered his head and said: "It's hard to say."
"Hard to say? Speak the truth!" Shangguan Tianyue raised his voice slightly.
Zhan LingTian hesitated for a moment before saying: "Second Young Miss seems to be overly close to that Zhou Weiqing, and they do not seem like ordinary friends. Yet, they are not intimate in any way. As for what is the exact relationship between them, I do not know."
With the eyes of a Heavenly Jewel Master, it was an easy task to see whether a girl was still 'whole', and though Zhan LingTian was still a virgin, he could still easily see that. It was also the reason why he was willing to take his time to come back, not at all in a rush to report back. He was more than happy to have Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Fei'er end up having intimate relations, and having Shangguan Tianyue angry with Zhou Weiqing.
At the same time, Zhan LingTian also hid a truth. He did not mention anything about the Six Ultimate Heavenly Emperor, as he did not want Zhou Weiqing to grow more important in Shangguan Tianyue's eyes.
"Hmph!" Shangguan Tianyue gave an angry grunt. "That little brat, courting one of my daughters isn't enough for him? Is he trying to chase Fei'er as well? Our Little Demon Girl Fei'er actually didn't cause trouble for him, instead staying together with him? Hmph, that brat!"
Alas for Zhan LingTian, no matter how he listened in, he just felt that Shangguan Tianyue's voice was rather weird… as if he wasn't really that angry.
"Second Palace Master, should I go back again and bring Second Young Miss back?" Zhan LingTian asked tentatively.
Shangguan Tianyue glanced at him and said exasperatedly: "Can you really bring Fei'er back? With Fei'er's cultivation level, and with Zhou Weiqing's help, the two of them working together… even you will not be able to do anything against them. Look, even Han Tianyou actually took damage from the few of you."
Zhan LingTian's expression instantly turned slightly ugly, but he did not protest at that truth.
"Alright, dismissed. This time, you have done well, and you have not thrown our Heaven's Expanse Palace's face in front of the Blood Red Hell. Still, you need to work hard and cultivate. Xue'er is yet another step closer to the eight-Jeweled stage.
Hearing those words, Zhan LingTian's body shook. With Shangguan Tianyue saying that she was one step closer, that naturally meant she had raised a level of Heavenly Energy. In that case, Shangguan Xue'er had already caught up with him in terms of Heavenly Energy, reaching the same stage! More so, she was much younger than he was! Instantly, an invisible pressure seemed to weigh down on Zhan LingTian, causing him to find it difficult to even breathe.
"Yes, Second Palace Master, I will definitely work hard and cultivate."
Zhan Lingtian bowed down respectfully before Shangguan Tianyue before backing out of the room.
Watching him leave, the anger on Shangguan Tianyue's face slowly subsided, and he gave a soft sigh before muttering to himself: "LongTian, this child, he is truly not bad. Alas, his view of the bigger picture is just too narrow, not even a match for Zhou Weiqing. Such a shame…"
"Father, I will go get Fei'er back." A cold, clear voice rang out from the shadows at the side, and a cold-faced Shangguan Xue'er walked out.
Clearly, she had been there for quite some time, only Zhan LingTian did not know about it.
Shangguan Tianyue looked at Shangguan Xue'er and he said: "Xue'er, what do you think the reason Fei'er followed Zhou Weiqing?"
Without hesitation, Shangguan Xue'er said: "Curiosity and revenge. Don't you know Fei'er's character? At that time in the Lustre Spatial Realm she lost out to Zhou Weiqing, how could she possibly let it go so easily? Furthermore, add to that the curiosity about him, that is probably the reason she ran off to follow him."
Shangguan Tianyue gave a bitter smile and said: "That little brat Zhou Weiqing, he wouldn't chase another one of my daughters right. Hmph, that would be too huge a loss."
Shangguan Xue'er definitely knew her father much clearer than Zhan LingTian did, and she looked at him suspiciously as she said: "Father, why do I feel like you are very happy instead, not angry about Fei'er and Zhou Weiqing?"
A faint smile crossed Shangguan Tianyue's lips and he said: "Do I? You can even tell… Xue'er, looks like you have improved a lot. Well, Fei'er following Zhou Weiqing is actually not a bad thing in my eyes. At least, that will let us have some idea what this little brat is up to. Zhou Weiqing this little rascal is extremely different from most youths. The most outstanding and impressive thing about him is not his cultivation level or power, but his will, tenacity and sight. In that aspect, no one in your generation is able to compare to him, not even you. However, that sort of thing also poses another problem, a strong draw towards females, especially when combined with that impressive power and talent of his, that is even more so. With Fei'er by his side, at least that is far better than having those Heavenly Demon Sect or Heavenly Snow Mountain ones by his side. Furthermore, he is at least choosing to develop himself at our ZhongTian Empire, not any other place."
Upon hearing her father's words, Shangguan Xue'er was stunned. She had not imagined that not only did her father's outward showing of being indisposed towards Zhou Weiqing just an act, he actually placed such importance upon him.
"Father, but… Zhou Weiqing and Third Sis is already a pair! What would happen if Fei'er mixed in between them? It was just not long before Third Sis had just returned to us, and she is still in the midst of closed door cultivation… No, no, this will not do. If anything happened between Fei'er and Zhou Weiqing, what would Bing'er do? Mother is still ignoring you, if such a thing happened on top of everything, I'm afraid."
Hearing Shangguan Xue'er mention Tang Xian, a helpless look appeared on Shangguan Tianyue's face. Thinking for a moment, he said: "You are right, but you should know that girl Fei'er's temper. If she decides on something, not even ten dragons can drag her from it. I will go speak to your mother about this. You head to the northern border; you are the only one who can bring her back. However, I do not want you to show yourself directly straight away. As the saying goes, The players in the chess game might be blind to the situation,while a bystander sees everything clearly. You take a close look on Zhou Weiqing's development in the north and let me know all about it. At the same time, keep a close eye on that Little Demon Girl your sister, don't let her and Zhou Weiqing advance too far beyond, otherwise things might be troublesome. If she really has that thinking, you bring her back."
Shangguan Xue'er nodded and said: "That is the only thing we can do now. In that case, I will pack up and leave then."
Shangguan Xue'er took her leave as well, and looking at his daughter's retreating figure, Shangguan Tianyue did not know why but he suddenly had a bad feeling about things.
If at this moment Zhan LingTian knew that by not bringing Shangguan Fei'er back, it had ended up in Shangguan Xue'er actually being sent to keep an eye on Zhou Weiqing, perhaps he would puke blood. This was truly a miraculous scheme of his to backfire, to lose one's wife as well as one's soldiers!
…
Northern Border. Peerless Battalion.
Zhou Weiqing sat cross-legged in his large tent, fully concentrating on cultivating. A month had passed since he had returned, and ever since that time, he had spent almost all his time in his tent. As for training the Peerless Battalion, there was Shangguan Fei'er, his seven masters of the Heavenly Bow Unit, Wei Feng and the others, and that was more than sufficient.
Lin TianAo had returned to the TianBei City to take command there and to ensure things went well. Of course, at the same time, he brought Yun Li and Little Miss Muddle back there with him. After all, they would be much safer there than at the Peerless Battalion. Their importance to Zhou Weiqing and the entire Peerless Battalion was without question.
Ever since his return, Zhou Weiqing had started training in theSix Ultimate Skill Manipulation Arts. Of course, he had first memorised the entirety of the little booklet and followed Long Shiya's instructions to destroy it after.
The training of the Six Ultimate Skill Manipulation Arts was much more difficult that he had expected. It was totally a complicated type of energy manipulation, conversion and connection.
If one had to make a metaphorical comparison, it would be tantamount to using the the Three Thousand Tempering Method, but instead of using it on an individual Skill, it was focusing on the control of Heavenly Energy, but it was tempering all six types of Attributes Heavenly Energy all at once.
In Zhou Weiqing's hands, he held six Heavenly King Stage Heavenly Beast's Cores, just exactly corresponding to his own six Attributes. The six Heavenly Cores flew about in his hands, and the Heavenly Energy he was unleashing also changed at lightning speed as per the Attribute. At the same time, as he swapped them about, he also had to unleash an ordinary Heavenly Skill.
However, that Heavenly Skill was not one that he had Stored, but an imitation with his Heavenly Energy. Of course, being a mere beginner, his imitations were far from the power that Long Shiya could bring forth. His current puny imitation couldn't even kill a rabbit if he tried.
A month of hard work had finally given Zhou Weiqing some understanding of the Six Ultimate Skill Manipulation Arts. It truly had a high requirement of understanding Heavenly Energy, the various Attributes and all their aspects, as well as fine grained control over it all. At his current state, he had barely taken a first step into this world, and had a much longer road to travel down this path. The more he trained in it, the more he improved, but at the same time, the more he realised the sheer intricacies and deep profound secrets that lay within the tip of the iceberg of cultivation. Furthermore, what Long Shiya had given him was actually only the entrance level of the manipulation arts, a mere beginning. Examining his own progress, Zhou Weiqing was certain that without at least a year or two of hard work, he would not be able to fully grasp it.
Trying to reach the maximum capabilities of the Six Ultimate Skill Manipulation Arts was definitely not something that could be accomplished easily or quickly. It could be said that by training in it, for the foreseeable future Zhou Weiqing's actual combat prowess would not increase directly at all.