Ancient Strengthening Technique (Portraits of Beauty)

Chapter 799

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AST 859 – Dong Clan of the Capital City，Sun Clan of Yun City, Brothers？

"Dong Yan, your friends are my friends. Everyone should come over!" Dongfang Third Elder said, smiling back at Dong Yan.

"Alright, alright. You don"t have to be so polite. We"ll just stay here," Dong Yan laughed.

This time, Dongfang Third Elder did not insist further. He exchanged a few pleasantries with Qing Shui and nodded at Sun Yan before leaving. Even though those were superficial words, he still had to do it for his reputation.

"Bah! That old man really came at the wrong time. He spoiled the fun," Dong Yan laughed looking at both Qing Shui and Sun Yan.

He did not lower the volume of his voice when saying this, so Dongfang Third Elder who had just left jerked for a moment but did not turn back. Instead, he continued walking while the others around them were stunned. Who was that man? As he even made fun of Dongfang Third Elder, the others could not help trying to guess his ident.i.ty.

Next, the new couple appeared. Qing Shui looked at the Dongfang fourth generation member, he was clad in a black-colored knight attire as he held the hand of a woman in a white gown.

The man was suave and handsome, displaying the good genes that were pa.s.sed down through a large clan. Similarly, the woman was very beautiful, even though her face was covered by a silver veil which only revealed her pair of bright eyes.

Qing Shui considered the status of Dongfang clan in Dongfang city and the fact that the man beside him had an established relations.h.i.+p with this clan. He could tell that the man"s background was in no way inferior to the Dongfang Aristocrat Clan. He only thought that the man"s strength was not ordinary; once he realized the man"s status, he felt extremely happy.

"Big Brother Dong, you really know how to hide your ident.i.ty, as expected from someone from the Dong Clan of the capital city." Sun Yan flashed an awkward smile to Dong Yan.

"Sun Clan of Yun City." Dong Yan smiled as he poured a cup of wine.

"Big Brother Dong, so you know," Sun Yan smiled, looking a little embarra.s.sed.

Thereafter, the two men turned to Qing Shui, looking at him as if to say, "Since you know our backgrounds, it"s your turn now."

"I am Qing Shui from the Greencloud Continent," Qing Shui said softly.

"Wow, Greencloud Continent. We must be really have some fate. We met even though you"re from such a distant place. That"s great!" Dong Yan"s eyes brightened as he exclaimed happily.

"I am delighted to meet both of you," Qing Shui said smiling politely. It seemed quite beneficial to have some friends here, even if it was just to pa.s.s time.

The matter of fact was that Qing Shui rarely had any free time. Only idle men would feel bored. However, since he had plenty of time in his Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal, one day did not meant much to him. Other than spending some time in the morning practicing Taichi Fist, he spent most of his time traveling and getting to know some people.

He knew that though he was quite powerful now, he may be nothing in the eyse of some people. He remembered the grace and favors he had received from many people in the past, so he knew the importance of having friends. Unfortunately, he didn"t usually go out to befriend people.

When he first saw Dong Yan and Sun Yan, he already wanted to befriend them. Even more so now, since they were reasonably powerful and their personalities fit with his values.

Qing Shui did not care about their backgrounds as that was not important to him. He was more concerned about how capable they were. Without any talents and capabilities, no matter how rich or influential a person was, they were just good-for-nothings.

"Haha! Great! Since we seem to hit off, let"s be sworn brothers from now on. We won"t conduct any sort of symbolic ceremony but we will consider each other as brothers. Even if we have our disagreements in the future, I will still treat both of you as my brothers," Dong Yan laughed.

"Okay. We will be brothers. Dong Yan will be our elder brother. Qing Shui, you should be younger than me right, I am 35," Sun Yan laughed heartily.

"Nice to meet you, my two older brothers. Since we are brothers, may we be brothers for life," Qing Shui said happily.

Qing Shui was really delighted. This was the first time he felt this way. Even though they did not go through any sort of ceremony, he felt that their bonds were special. Just as the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together. Qing Shui had always known himself to be an easygoing person, it was fairly obvious that Dong Yan and Sun Yan were that way too.

"Come, even though we don"t need a ceremony, I"ll show my sincerity with this cup of wine. Once we drink our cups of wine, we will be brothers for life," Dong Yan, being the eldest brother raised his cup, announced earnestly.

Sun Yan and Qing Shui immediately followed suit. The three of them lifted their heads and downed the wine. Dong Yan rarely had a serious face, from the time Qing Shui first saw him to now, this was actually the first time he looked serious.

This time, no one dared to underestimate the three weird men. They were definitely some special guests since Dongfang Third Elder acknowledged that man called Dong Yan. This was indeed the att.i.tude that most of the people had towards them. Within the blink of an eye, their impression of these men changed from viewing them as stingy and poor commoners to respectable people of elevated statuses.

Having the thought that those people were a bunch of clowns now made them realize that they were the true clowns.

The head of the Dongfang Aristocrat Clan was an old man of the second generation. He addressed the crowd for a few moments after he came out and proceeded to raise a toast. He announced that it was his grandson"s wedding and urged everyone to enjoy the food and drink.

During that process, many people went up, offering their gifts. This was a good chance to suck up to the clan and there was no way that the people here would miss this chance. Most of the people brought gifts but there were certainly a few who didn"t.

People presented precious herbs, precious stones like jade and agate, sculptures…

"Wow, they actually brought heartgems. They are even black heartgems," a person suddenly exclaimed.

"Heartgems?" Qing Shui asked, puzzled. He recently obtained a Spirit Channeling Jade, also known as the Heart of Jade Mountain. He wondered if the black heartgem was also an item like that.

"Brother, the black heartgem he spoke about is just a high level gem. It is not a true heartgem. A genuine heartgem is way better than his," Sun Yan said mildly. His voice wasn"t loud but many people still heard him.

"You are all freeloaders! What gives you the right to criticize others?"

The middle-age man who had presented the "heartgem" turned to looked at the three of them.

"Funny. See how he reacts once somebody points that out." Dong Yan smiled gently.

Being in the middle of the conflict, the head of Dongfang Aristocrat Clan quickly stepped in to diffuse the situation, "Okay, okay. We kindly accept your gift. Thank you Brother Ling Hu. Brother Dong Yan is a friend of ours, that is why he is here to attend our banquet. Please don"t hold anything against him."

"Brother Dongfang, you well know that these people are freeloaders. Who the h.e.l.l are they anyone? What gives them the right to criticize my gifts. Ling Hu Clan isn"t large but we can"t let others bully us."
The middle-aged man was visibly angry. Anyone caught in such a situation would also feel angry. Besides, Ling Hu Aristocrat Clan was also quite influential, they were not really inferior to the Dongfang Aristocrat Clan.

"Could you allow me to take a look at that heartgem of yours? Anyway, it is just a stone. If you don"t dare, then that proves my point." Sun Yan smiled calmly, not showing any anger.

"I have nothing to hide! I sure would like to see how you would turn it into just a stone."

The middle-aged man did not back down since he was in front of so many people. The people from Dongfang clan brought out the black heartgem, which was the size of a baby"s fist and presented it to Sun Yan.

The members of the Dongfang Clan were curious too. Even though, they did not believe that the Ling hu Clan would do something so preposterous, considering the advancement of the Ling Hu Clan over these few years, there were certainly some disagreements between both families.

This boiled down to the fact that the influence and power of Ling Hu Aristocratic Clan had risen over these few years, this would explain why they might do this. However, everything was just conjecture at this point because they hadn"t reached the situation where they would have a go at each other.

Sun Yan held the black heartgem. He channelled his strength to his palm and within a split second the heartgem was smashed into bits. It was now clear to everyone that only the exterior of the "heartgem" looked the part, whereas its interior was merely stone…

This time, everyone was stunned. For a brief moment, everyone remained silent. All of them stared blankly at the remnants of a stone that was in Sun Yan held in his hand.

"Brother Dongfang, this…this… Please believe me, it"s not fake…"

"f.u.c.k it! This is clearly a stone and you still want him to believe you?!" someone scolded out loudly.

The middle-aged man could no longer make any more excuses. The facts were right in front of everyone so there was no use explaining. Sun Yan smiled to the man from Ling Hu Clan saying, "Even if you didn"t have a gift, there was no way the Dongfang Clan would have chased you out. But, bringing a stone to deceive them…DId you mean to show your disdain towards the Dongfang Clan by such a despicable act? Do you think the members of the Dongfang Aristocrat Clan are idiots?" Sun Yan said sternly, condemning the act.

Qing Shui now knew the true personalities of his two new friends and he could only be impressed by their methods of dealing with the matter at hand. They slowly revealed their hand, giving no leeway for the opponent to escape.
Even that member of the Dongfang Clan did not know what to say. He basically just stared at the middle-aged man.

"You must have done something!" The middle-aged man retorted, looking at Sun Yan.

However, everyone just looked at him like he was an idiot because they"ve never heard something that absurd— no one could turn a genuine heartgem into plain stone.

In the end, he could no longer stand being there. He turned and bowed to the head of the Dongfang clan, "Brother Dongfang, you must believe me. I"ll leave for now."

"What a shameless man! He still wants Dongfang Aristocrat Clan to believe him."

"He dared to criticize others when he is the shameless one."

"How could Ling Hu Aristocrat Clan do this? Dongfang Aristocrat Clan doesn"t even need your gift. Even if you don"t have something that good, you can just bring something. That would be better than bringing something fake." More and more people started discussing even though not all members from the Ling Hu Clan had left.

"They should leave. If it was me, I would just kill myself on the spot."

"I say, Ling Hu Aristocrat Clan is so rich, why would they be so stingy?"

In the end, all the members from Ling Hu Clan left hurriedly.

"Thank you, brother. I"d never expect that the members from the Ling Hu Clan would actually do that. We did not expect people to bring gifts but we were definitely disappointed that people would actually try to deceive us like that," the middle-aged head of the clan said to Sun Yan and the people around them.

"Dongfang Fourth Elder, you don"t have to feel this way, just let it be. They must have their reasons for presenting a fake item like that. After all, it is not like they"re poor, so perhaps they found it difficult not being able to bring something decent," Sun yan sighed, shaking his head.

"Dongfang Fourth Elder, this is a gift from the three of us. We hope that you don"t resent it. We are poor, that"s true," Sun Yan said without changing his expression as he brought out a small carved jade sculpture. The craftsmans.h.i.+p was incomparable, it was a sculpture of a couple, representing the couple"s perfect pairing.

"We wouldn"t. This is more important. We will thank you on the behalf of our Ye"er," Dongfang Fourth Elder replied happily.

The banquet lasted into late afternoon and people started to bid their farewells.

Qing Shui, Dong Yan and Sun Yan also stood up and bid their farewells as Dongfang Third Elder and the others sent them off.

"Brother, please help us pay for the fare, we don"t have enough money…"

"This beast carriage belongs to Dongfang clan, the ride is free," Dongfang Third Elder said with a grimace.

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AST 860 – Sacred Land, Yu He Returns To Hundred Miles City

Qing Shui didn’t say anything but when Sun Yan was holding that Heart of the Black Gem, he could sense that Sun Yan had purified and absorbed the spiritual energy. He had done so without batting an eye, causing that Heart of the Black Gem to become a rock without any value.

There were too many people in the world of the nine continents and many strange people as well. There were even people with Golden Bloodline and Violet Bloodline (also known as Violet Golden Bloodline). Moreover, weren’t the things which happened to Qing Shui mysterious enough? Therefore, he could now easily accept any strange occurrence.

It might be a unique physique of Sun Yan"s that allowed him to reach a cultivation level which Qing Shui couldn’t sense despite being so young. However, Qing Shui could sense that Sun Yan’s level was on par with his but wasn’t as strong as Dong Yan.

However, if it was in a one-on-one battle, it would be hard to tell who the victor would be. After all, they each had their killing techniques. However, Qing Shui had the confidence to beat them since he had the Thunderous Beast and with the current prowess his primordial flames was at.

In terms of spirit energy, Qing Shui didn’t dare to say that he was comparable to a Martial Emperor but there were not many from amongst the Martial Emperors that would be able to be to suppress him. As long as he was not suppressed mentally, then he would have the ability to put up a fight. Such a suppression was a complete suppression. If they couldn’t succeed in suppressing him, they would be the ones in danger.

“Let’s head to the city!” After giving it some thought, Dong Yan said to Qing Shui and Sun Yan.

Qing Shui smiled and nodded. So did Sky Penetrating Mountains. Qing Shui’s intention was to head to the city and then to find a way to get to the Sky Penetrating Mountains. Dong Yan was from Dong Clan but he was not that sure about Sun Yan.

“Come, get on. We can chat on the way.” Dong Yan called out his beast ride. It was a huge Golden Eyed Tiger Hawk Beast, a golden-eyed flying demonic beast with a tiger’s head and a hawk’s body.

The three of them leaped up and landed on the back of the Golden Eyed Tiger Hawk Beast, quickly flying toward the city.

“Second Brother, do you have a feud with Linghu Clan?” Dong Yan gave it some thought and asked.

“Eldest Brother can tell?” Sun Yan asked doubtfully.

What Sun Yan was asking was actually if Dong Yan could tell that he had absorbed the energy from the Heart of the Black Gem.

“I can sense it slightly but I can’t be sure. If you were to deny it, I would believe that as well,” Dong Yan smiled and replied.

Qing Shui had not expected Dong Yan to raise the question he had wanted to ask. He smiled and looked at Sun Yan. “Seems like 3rd Brother could tell as well. Those who can tell are all extremely talented people. It seems that it’s the guiding from the Heavens that we can become brothers here today.” Sun Yan smiled, as if he was very happy.

“That’s right. Today is really a happy day, a very happy day,” Dong Yan smiled and said.

“Is Eldest Brother on very good terms with Dongfang Aristocrat Clan?” Qing Shui asked.

“Interests, it’s all about the interests. Dongfang Clan’s businesses need our Dong Clan to help cover them. We don’t have that much of a relations.h.i.+p, it’s just all about mutual interests,” Dong Yan smiled and said.

“The people from Linghu Clan bully the weak and fear the strong. I’ve seen Linghu Clan’s Young Master beating up the elderly and s.n.a.t.c.hing women. The people from Dongfang Aristocrat Clan are no better, it’s just that they’ve done a good job of keeping up their facade. In reality, they are no better than Linghu Clan. Therefore, I wanted to let the grudge between the two clans become even stronger. It’d be even better if they could end up fighting,” Sun Yan smiled and said.

“Haha, I’m clear about what Dongfang Clan has been doing. It’s just as what second Brother has said, thus I don’t have a good impression of them. Although it appears as if they treat me very well, they actually hate me a lot but just can’t do anything about it.” Dong Yan looked at them and smiled.

“That’s right, 3rd Brother, why have you come all the way to the Eastern Victory Divine Continent alone from Greencloud Continent? You can tell us, no need to stand on ceremony with us.” Dong Yan smiled and looked at Qing Shui.

“I’m here to look for Sky Penetrating Gra.s.s which is 5,000 Years or older,” Qing Shui smiled and answered.

“Sky Penetrating Gra.s.s? That is is a rare treasure. Although Dong Clan has quite some rare treasures, the Sky Penetrating Gra.s.s isn’t one of them,” Dong Yan was stunned as he spoke to Qing Shui.

“I know. This is really a rare find. I’ve heard that the chances of it appearing in the Sky Penetrating Mountains seems to be slightly higher,” Qing Shui said after some though. He knew that this was something he could discuss with them.

“Mmmm, the Sky Penetrating Mountains is one of the most dangerous places in the Eastern Victory Divine Continent. The place is filled with heavenly and earthly treasures as well as rare mutated beasts. However, it’s just too dangerous. 80% of the Sky Penetrating Gra.s.s out here is from the Sky Penetrating Mountains,” Dong Yan looked at Qing Shui and said.

“Then that’s good. I was worried that even the Sky Penetrating Mountains might not have it. Then I’d really be left with no way out.” When Qing Shui heard Dong Yan’s words, he was slightly relieved. It was fine even if it was dangerous, at least, there was still a chance.

“If third Brother must really go in, get someone to go with you. At least you’ll be able to take care of each other and the success rate would be higher,” Dong Yan gave it some thought and said.

“Mmm, seems like it’s really dangerous inside but I’ll definitely go in.” Qing Shui had not expected that Dong Yan would say something similar to the old man from Golden Buddha Temple. It seemed like he would really need to find someone to accompany him for this trip.

“Alright, when we’ve reached the city, Eldest Brother will recommend you to a clan. This clan is a bit special and enters the Sky Penetrating Mountains once in awhile. If you were to enter with them, I’ll be at ease too,” Dong Yan gave it some thought before looking at Qing Shui seriously and saying.

“Then I’ll have to thank Eldest Brother.” Qing Shui had not expected that Dong Yan would be able to find such a clan for him. This was good as well, at least his company for the trip was settled and would probably be able to enter the Sky Penetrating Mountains soon. As long as he managed to get his hands on the Sky Penetrating Gra.s.s, he would be able to refine two medicinal pills which would increase his abilities by a lot, to the extent that he might even soar into the skies…

“We’re brothers, why the need to stand on ceremony?” Dong Yan smiled and said to Qing Shui.

Qing Shui smiled and nodded, feeling very warm inside.

It really felt more relaxing to have someone he was familiar with when in a foreign land.

…

In a barren land, a lady in crescent white colored silk clothes was looking at the sky, a light frown appearing on her beautiful face.

“Chen`er, you’re thinking about him again,” an old lady with white hair but the complexion of a youth walked up to her and spoke softly.

“Master, I’m now already a Peak Martial Saint. When will I be able to leave?” Di Chen looked at the old lady and asked.

“Chen`er, with your current abilities, you’ll not be able to help him if you were to go back. Don’t you wish to help him? You should know how he has been living all his life.” The old lady looked at Di Chen and sighed.

“Master, what cultivation level must I be at to be able to help him?” Di Chen asked the old lady.

“I haven’t told you before but I’m someone from “Lotus Realm”.” The old lady looked at Di Chen and smiled, saying.

"Lotus Realm?"

“That’s right. Not many people in the world of the nine continents know of this existence. It is one of the three sacred lands and as my disciple, you’re naturally also someone from Lotus Realm. Now, there’s a way out for you,” the old lady looked at Di Chen and said slowly.

Di Chen was now feeling slightly numbed. Looking at the old lady, she asked, “What is it?"

“Go back with me to “Lotus Realm” to take the Test of the Sacred Platform. With your bone structure and having cultivated the secret manual of the Lotus Realm, you should be able to get through it. When that happens, your abilities will improve by a lot and you will be able to receive the legacy of the sacred land. It’ll be very easy for you to help him then.” The old lady looked at Di Chen.

Di Chen had been here for a very long time and had been practicing the martial techniques the old lady had imparted to her. There was no shortage of medicinal pills and she thought that she would be able to leave after having gained some success in the martial technique but to think that a Lotus Realm sacred land had popped up.

She knew that this old lady whom she called Master would not harm her but would just do her good. Her feelings for this old lady surpa.s.sed what she had for her own father. it was because this old lady had risked her life in order to protect Di Chen.

“Does Master wishes for me to do this?” Di Chen looked at the old lady and asked softly.

The old lady hesitated for a short moment before nodding.

“Alright, then I’ll listen to you,” Di Chen smiled and said to the old lady.

However, her heart sank. She didn’t even know the reason why it did.

…

Several huge flying beasts soared over Hundred Miles City. The one in the lead was even a green colored Mystic Bird while the other four were white-colored Tiger Swallows. A lady was standing on the huge Mystic Bird while there were four ladies who were standing on each of the respective Tiger Swallow. They were all young beautiful ladies.

The one lady on the Mystic Bird had a beautiful figure with great curves. There was no expression on her dignified and beautiful face but a hint of gentleness would appear when she looked toward the ground.

They only landed after arriving near Yu clan. By this time, many people had already gathered near Yu Clan, wanting to see who they had offended. However, when they saw the lady in the lead, they were all stunned.

Yu He!

To think that this beautiful lady was actually Yu He who had left a few years ago. Compared to before, she had an aura that made it hard for others to get near…

“Grandfather!”

When Yu He saw Yu Donghao, she called out and ran over.

“La.s.s, you’re back!” A gratified smiled appeared on Yu Donghao’s face. His granddaughter had grown up.

The people from Yu Clan were both surprised and happy. Just from seeing the few powerful flying demonic beasts and the auras and disposition given out by the ten plus ladies, they could tell that the Yu He today was different from before.

However, some of them felt a bit uneasy. Back then, there were quite a number of people who had not treated Yu He well. If not for the fact that Yu Donghao adored his granddaughter, she would probably have been forced to be left with nothing. But now, Yu Clan would probably be nothing to her.

Things were now different from before. What was the use of thinking of the past? One’s level determined one’s sights.

It was impossible for Yu He to forget about everything but the things in the past, especially those which were unhappy memories, were now not worth mentioning. She would not change nor did she hope to. Those who had caused trouble for her in the past were her kin by blood and on her grandfather’s account, she would not deal with them. However, neither would she form good relations with them. It was not worth it.

Those who had treated her well in the past when she was down, she would return the favor to them several times over.

“Tongning, instruct the kitchen staff to prepare a more sumptuous meal,” Yu Donghao laughed happily and said.

“Yes, Old Master! A middle-aged man smiled and said before quickly leaving.”

“Young Miss, we’ll head to an inn nearby,” a few young and beautiful ladies said to Yu He.

Yu He hesitated before nodding. There was no need to worry for their safety. Putting Hundred Miles City aside, there were not many people in Greencloud Continent who would dare to do anything to them.

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