Ancient Strengthening Technique (Portraits of Beauty)

Chapter 940

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AST 1180 – One Month, Road to State Master Level, Qing Shui"s Formidable Power

"Second brother, let"s learn from each other and swap pointers. Be at ease, I will go easy on you." Yan Leng seldom used such a relaxed tone to speak with others. It almost sounded like he was telling a joke.

Yan Yangchen sucked on his lips, "Let"s fight, bring it on! You don"t have to go easy."

The others started to laugh without saying much. The two of them vacated into the sky.

"We should go watch!" Yan Yangchi said with a smile.

n.o.body had any objections. All of them soared high into the sky to follow them. Higher and higher into the open sky, that place is the best for battle. Even if there was a bustling city down below, there was no fear of destruction.

Yan Yangchen held the pair of giant World Demolition Battle Hammers, they almost blocked his entire back. A tall burly man, coupled with heavy armor, was just like a G.o.d of war.

On the contrary, Yan Leng"s body was long and slender. The body armor he wore was not heavy armor. Only the important body parts were covered with thicker material. The other areas followed the shape of his body. He looked as though he was well tempered. The Blast Dragon Bone Blade emitted a cold killing intent.

"Second brother, show your hand, otherwise you will be forced to be reactive." Yan Leng nodded at Yan Yangchen.

Yan Yangchen did not take it with a grain of salt. He directly cast Demonic Beast Armor Manifestation. Though his strength had become more powerful, his Demonic Beast Armor Manifestation had not reached second form, it was just like a giant pangolin beast silhouette.

Yan Leng cast Demonic Beast Armor Manifestation at the same time, causing Qing Shui to widen his eyes. It was a Fox Beast silhouette. Though the size was not big, it carried the aura of quick-witted Spiritual Qi. His speed should have increased drastically, the only thing he was not certain of was the effect it had on his strength.

For martial art techniques, if they were the same level then their difference was small. With defense, they would lose speed and attack, with speed, they would lose defense and attack … …

Giant Spirit Divine Hammer!

Yan Yangchen raised the pair of Battle Hammers together, causing a huge force to suddenly rise. He seemed to be possessed by a giant Spirit G.o.d,

Mountain Shattering Tiger Strike!

Yan Yangchen"s body moved with absurd speed, striking with one hammer without any fancy movements. This strike was the simplest, causing Qing Shui to laugh. It was like his sword technique foundation, this was the most effective way to deal with speed.

Yan Leng was stunned for a bit. He was probably shocked at Yan Yangchen"s speed. Quickly dodging out of the way, side-stepping two steps, the small blade lightly touched the World Demolition Battle Hammer, allowing Yang Leng to move with increased speed.

Ferocious Snake Leaving the Cave!

Yan Yangchen"s figure suddenly advanced, another giant hammer swooped down in a blur aimed directly at Yan Leng.

If it was a contest of power, Yan Leng was not comparable to Yan Yangchen. However, Yan Leng was all about speed. Right now, Yan Yangchen"s speed was increased, causing Yan Leng to be fl.u.s.tered.

As if Yan Yangchen was releasing a burden, there were ma.s.sive releases of Fire Snake Frenzied Dance and Soaring Dragon Sea Quake. However, Yan Leng seemed to always dodge just in time. He finally realized how scary Yan Leng"s speed was.

Qing Shui and the others could tell that Yan Yangchen was familiar with weaponry, tempered with actual combat experience. On the other hand, Yan Leng was also tempered, but he was skilled in speed and dodging, with some occasional attacks.

Watching the battle unfold before them, the others were regretful. Originally, they had watched Yan Yangchen and Yan Leng ask Qing Shui to smith some weapons, the others were too ill-at-ease to ask. They knew that crafting a good weapon required large amounts of time. Especially now, they were too embarra.s.sed to open their mouths. However, it was not set in stone whether they would ask, since they had witnessed this fight.

The majority of the time, Yan Yangchen was attacking and Yan Leng was resisting. However, in the process of defending, Fire Snake Frenzied Dance could be seen, forcing Yan Yangchen to back up.

This was the power of Talisman Formations, even during times of resistance it could severely damage the opponent. Had Yan Yangchen"s speed not increased, combined with his unique stepping technique, it would have been difficulty to dodge. Even though this was the case, he still suffered light injuries.

"Stop, stop, I am already satisfied," Yan Yangchen yelled. He had already been lightly injured by Fire Snakes Frenzied Dance.

Yan Yangchen jumped directly to Qing Shui"s side, giving him a bear hug, "Thanks to brother Qing Shui, in this contest, I have the utmost confidence."

Yan Leng acted differently from Yan Yangchen but still thanked Qing Shui seriously. In his fight with Yan Yangchen, he did not fully utilize his strength nor did he fully utilize his speed.

The others were naturally aware of Yan Yangchen"s might when he had his whip, plus other weapons" additional effects. Moreover, Yan Yangchen"s speed had increased several times. On the flip side, they did not discover much from Yan Leng, but they could tell that if Yan Leng had been serious it would have been frightening.

Several people landed at the Firecloud Blacksmith Store. Yan Huoyun pouted and said, "Older brother Qing Shui, I have called you older brother for a while now, how come I haven"t gotten any greeting presents?"

Qing Shui looked at Yan Huoyun and laughed. This pet.i.te little girl was charming in her own way. She was the youngest of the Yan Jinyu siblings, but she was also the most spoiled amongst them. Regardless if it was her parents, older brother, older sister or cousins, all of them spoiled her.

Qing Shui took out a battle dress and snow white boots, the power was like that of battle boots but the appearance was more like what a young woman would wear.

"How can I forget about you, in this place only you refer to me as older brother," Qing Shui said while handing them over.

"Like I said, brother Qing Shui is the best," Yan Huoyun said joyously. Her pet.i.te face carried spirituality.

"You should cultivate abilities within the Flame of Five Elements category! I"ll make your weapon later, let me make sets for those who are in the compet.i.tion first." Qing Shui knew he could not get out of doing this, moreover, crafting extra equipment was not much work.

Yan Jinyu and Yan Yueyin would receive a set each. After he gave them their equipment, Qing Shui could sense that Yan Jinyu let out a sigh of relief. It almost felt like a misperception, so he did not put too much thought into it. Once Qing Shui knew Yan Jinyu was joining the compet.i.tion, he had already decided to craft her a full set of equipment.

After Yan Yangchi received Qing Shui"s crafted armor and boots, he said while laughing, "Brother Qing Shui, I don"t have a need for weapons. This time our Yan Clan"s chances of victory has increased quite a bit."

"I wanted to contribute to the best of my abilities. Yan Clan is a large Aristocrat Clan. I know that Uncle would have prepared equipment for all of you. These are things I wanted to craft as a blacksmith in support of all of you."

"You are our brother, what nonsense are you talking about being a blacksmith or not. Though our father supports us, he can only support us with one piece of equipment that matches what you have provided. It may not even match up to the quality of what you provided. There are stronger ones at home but their quant.i.ties are very limited. Those are mostly in the hands of the VIPs. Legendary equipment was also rare, so what you have provided us is already top-tier!"
……

There was one month until the compet.i.tion, thus, the next day they all entered secluded cultivation. All of them were hoping that they could breakthrough in the short amount of time, since the compet.i.tion was dangerous. Moreover, they were not just putting their lives on their line, this would also affect the future of their clan.

They had entered seclusion. Qing Shui had nothing to do. He decided to head towards Firecloud Blacksmith Store. He did not take any orders. The store had several weapons and armor. He only allowed for item exchange but not sales.

At night, Qing Shui continued to cultivate diligently. Qing Shui followed the values where given enough time, hard work compensated for one"s limited abilities and practice made perfect. Everything would pale in the pa.s.sage of time.

As Qing Shui became calm, he thought of Di Chen and that woman that was regarded as the Demon Lord. Seldom, would he think of Yan Zhongyue. Qing Shui guessed that he was in the four continents, but he was uncertain whether he was in Western Oxhe Continent.

He would think of a way to find this man. Regardless of what it took, he would make that man appear in front of his mother. This was something that man owed to his mother.

He would not accept any excuses!

Because he was still alive!

He would also think of his family. As cliché as it sounded, longing was a type of disease. It was not wrong, since longing could develop into illness. Longing could also overburden the mind and then the body. Thus, Qing Shui would try to control himself by not overthinking it. He used his cultivation regiment to remove his longing. With the pa.s.sage of time, he got more used to it.

Through time, people could endure any torture!

Qing Shui looked at the Scarlet Flame Metallic Essence that he had not used much of. This was a gift from Yan Dingtian. It was a product within Scarlet Flame Region, which was regarded as a precious material. It was a Fire Element high quality crafting material.

Yan Huoyun"s strength was not too strong. It was just about the level of Yu Ruyan. The Yan Clan Inheritance was formidable but it still required the person to have talent, comprehension, personal destiny and temperament.
……

A month quickly pa.s.sed by. The day after tomorrow would mark the end of the one month time frame. The matter of Yan Clan and Yu Clan"s Youth Compet.i.tion had already created an uproar in the surrounding area. Many powerful forces gathered in Yan City hoping to witness the strength of the Yan Clan and Yu Clan"s younger generation.

On this night, Qing Shui consumed the ninth Heaven"s Mystery Pellet within the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal. In addition to the time Qing Shui spent cultivating, with only one Heaven"s Mystery Pellet remaining, Qing Shui"s physical strength had already reached 20 nimbus.

Feeling his own strength, Qing Shui was ecstatic. The formidable strength from using the Big Dipper Sword reached almost 3,000 nimbus. Moreover, Nine Continents Mountain had reached a frightening 6,000 nimbus. The scariest thing was spirit energy. Due to the effect of Big Dipper Sword, Qing Shui"s spirit energy attack reached 7,800 nimbus… …

Spirit energy required the a.s.sistance of Buddha Form Reveal and Buddha"s True Eyes to achieve the same strength!

He had already thought of this when Yan Jinyu first gave him the Heaven"s Mystery Pellet but actually possessing this strength had left him overly excited.

With Qing Shui"s current strength, he felt that if he was matched against a second-grade State Master he would have the power for one battle. At this moment, Qing Shui felt that he was getting a bit over confident.

The nebula within his sea of consciousness expanded several times. The boundless spirit energy left Qing Shui feeling satisfied. In this very moment, Qing Shui finally felt like he had entered the State Master Realm.

It was a spiritual type of feeling!

He felt that he was finally a real State Master, Grade Two State Master!

The sky was brightening. Two days from now would be day of their compet.i.tion. They should be coming out of secluded cultivation today.

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AST 1181 – The Other Four Names, Reserves? Arrival of People from Yu Clan and the Royal Family

Qing Shui had just finished his morning practice when he saw Yan Yangchi and the others coming. This time around, there seemed to be slightly more people than previously.

“You’ve come out from your seclusion. How does it feel? Shall we have a meal together?” Qing Shui smiled and greeted them.

“That’s the reason why we’ve come. It has been almost a month since we last had the food you made. Just thinking about it makes us feel excited.” Yan Yangchen grinned.

“Mmm, Brother Qing Shui, your cultivation level is now unfathomable!” Yan Yangchi looked at Qing Shui and said seriously, smiling.

Yan Yangchi’s words caused everyone to look at Qing Shui seriously. Many of them weren’t able to tell the depth of Qing Shui’s prowess at first glance. He would just appear to be like an ordinary person. This was what was strange.

Amongst them, Yan Yangchi was the strongest. In great aristocratic clans, even one like Yan Clan, one would already be considered a topnotch existence to become a Grade Two State Master before one reached 100 years old. And this was when the person had received the clan’s legacy. Otherwise, this would be something that was hard to imagine.

Right now, Qing Shui’s cultivation had soared to be double what it was before. The cultivation he had gone through during this period of time made Qing Shui feel that even his own speed had increased by quite a bit. In the future, even if he were to cultivate by himself, his speed would be about the same. If he were to achieve a breakthrough to his martial techniques, then his strength would be increased.

“I’ve made some breakthroughs during this period of time!” Qing Shui casually brought them away from the topic and looked toward the other four young men. However, compared to Yan Yangchi and the others, these people were relatively weaker, by quite a lot.

“Qing Shui, I’ve forgotten about it. Come, let me introduce you. This is Yan Yangxing, Yan Yanghong, Yan Yangsong and Yan Yangliu. This is Qing Shui,” Yan Yangchi introduced them.

Qing Shui had already heard previously that the four of them, together with the five people from Yan Yangchi’s side would form the nine people partic.i.p.ating in the compet.i.tion. He didn’t know what the rules to this compet.i.tion were.

“h.e.l.lo!” Qing Shui greeted them politely. It was just that the four of them didn’t seem to be that willing to meet Qing Shui. This made him feel a little strange.

Qing Shui let it be and didn’t show anything on his face. He welcomed the group into the room. The three ladies requested to be the ones to cook and Qing Shui smiled, letting them be. Primarily, Yan Jinyu was the one who had brought this up, Yan Huoyun went along with it. Yan Jinyu had probably not wanted to see her being the only one who was taking action while the others were resting.

After all, as long as they had the spices and could cook the food, there would be no real problems.

Qing Shui and the others waited in the hall. Yan Leng didn’t pay much heed to the other four. Yan Yangchi was the eldest and the other four were their younger cousins.

Yan Yangchen seemed to not pay them much heed either. It was clear that the people here were split into two factions.

Qing Shui didn’t find things like this strange. It wasn’t strange to see such things happening in a great aristocratic clan. Although the clan’s head was Yan Dingtian, the bigger the clan, the harder it was to make it such that everyone was united as one. At least it would be impossible for the entire clan to be fully united. Every family has their problems and such situations weren’t strange. Everything was due to benefits and interests.

“You’re Qing Shui? I heard that you’re sworn siblings with Jinyu and that you’ve even set up a blacksmith store.” Yan Yangliu looked at Qing Shui and asked casually.

“Mmm, that’s right. I’m a blacksmith,” Qing Shui smiled and said.

“Oh, being a blacksmith is good. If you’re able to forge a divine artifact, you’ll be able to soar in fame. You won’t need Yan Clan to give you a blacksmith store then. It makes one feel that you seem to have some motives in becoming sworn siblings with Jinyu,” Yan Yangliu smiled and said calmly.

“What rubbish are you talking about? He is Jinyu’s benefactor. We gave him that willingly. Why, is Jinyu’s life not comparable to a blacksmith store?” Yan Yangzhao spoke out loudly at Yan Yangliu, clearly displeased.

“I’m just saying. Why is Brother Zhao so fired up? If you’re angry, direct your fury toward Yu Clan. Why don’t I take your place for the battle?” Yan Yangliu looked at Yan Yangzhao calmly and said.

“You, you….” Yan Yangzhao was so infuriated that he couldn’t say a word.

“Yangliu, aren’t you going a bit overboard? We’re all a family,” Yan Yangchi spoke up, also slightly displeased.

“What is this? It’s just partic.i.p.ating in a compet.i.tion. What’s the big deal?” Yan Yangchen shouted.

“Yangliu just said something. Do you guys have to go to this extent? Since we’re not welcome, then we’ll leave!” Yan Yangsong smiled and said.

The four of them left and Yan Yangchi didn’t stop them. However, his countenance was very dark. He was the eldest of their generation and there were things which he couldn’t show too clearly. It was just like how he couldn’t say anything today. These people were from the faction he belonged to.

“Brother Qing Shui, their faction has never been able to accept that father took on the role of clan’s head. Therefore, I hope that you won’t hold it against them,” Yan Yangchi said, feeling bad.

“I’m fine. This is nothing.” Qing Shui shook his head and smiled. He really didn’t think much about it. He was already very happy to be able to see Yan Yangzhao and Yan Yangchen standing up for him.

At that moment, the three ladies walked out with the food.

“It’s good that they’re gone. I knew that this would happen. Qing Shui, don’t think too much about it,” Yan Yueyin came out and consoled Qing Shui.

Yan Jinyu didn’t say anything but her gaze when looking at Qing Shui had a hint of apology in it.

“If I can’t even take something so minor, how will I be able to survive? Honestly, I don’t really feel anything toward them,” Qing Shui smiled and said. At this moment, he exuded a powerful aura, causing even Yan Yangchi to be a little astonished.

“Alright, let’s have our meal. We shall see if the three beautiful ladies’ cooking is as nice!” Qing Shui got them all to take a seat.

Now that everything was over, it was as if they were only able to smell the tempting fragrances now. Of course, they all knew that it was thanks to the spices. However, regardless of whether it was thanks to the spices, there was still a great sense of satisfaction for one to be able to cook a meal so fragrant.

“Eldest Brother, I keep having the feeling that something is amiss this time. Did you guys sense anything strange with Eldest Uncle’s faction? I’m even suspecting that they hope to leave Yan Clan,” Yan Yueyin gave it some thought and said.

“Eldest Sister, don’t be spouting rubbish,” Yan Yangchi spoke softly.

“Mmm, I won’t spout rubbish, but we must take early precautions. There are nine rounds of compet.i.tion. We can’t afford to lose. The prowess of Yu Clan’s younger generation is also very strong. We must be fully prepared. The few of us must definitely not lose,” Yan Yueyin said seriously.

“Sigh!”

Yan Yangchi let out a sigh. The atmosphere was a little tense. It was because they felt that the situation wasn’t an optimistic one. What they were worried about was for all four from their Eldest Uncle’s faction to lose.

Although this guess was ridiculous, it wasn’t impossible. Yan Yangchi knew that his Eldest Uncle’s faction had always been against his father’s faction and wanted to have his father replaced.

“Come, come. If we don’t dig in, the food will turn cold! Let’s fill up our stomachs first!”

“I wonder if there’s anyone on reserves?” Qing Shui smiled and asked.

“Yes and there’s quite a number of them.”

“Then count me in as a reserve. I’m confident that I’ll help you clinch a victory,” Qing Shui gave it some thought and said.

Yan Yangchi and the others all had a hint of happiness reflected on their faces. They knew that Qing Shui was stronger than Yan Jinyu and could be much more so. If Qing Shui could take part, their chances of winning would be much higher.

“For real?” Yan Yangchi looked at Qing Shui.

“Of course!”

…

After the meal, it was already late in the morning. Yan Huoyun smiled and said, “The weather is quite nice today. Why don’t all of us go out and have a walk around? I heard that quite a number of people from the royal family have come to Yan City as well. Eldest Brother, I wonder if your fiancee has come?”

“Alright!”

None of them had any objections. For the past month, Qing Shui had not left his place. He always wanted to go out and take a look.

The group headed out the door of the manor. The door to Firecloud Blacksmith Store was closed, indicating that it wasn’t open for business. The public had gotten used to this. However, Firecloud Blacksmith Store didn’t receive any negative impact because of this. On the contrary, its reputation soared even further.

The group of them, all of them being either handsome men or beautiful ladies, were especially eye catching. Yan Huoyun had a lively personality and was the most active amongst them.

It wasn’t that they wanted to buy anything, so they just randomly looked around. After a period of seclusion, Qing Shui enjoyed such a lively atmosphere. When a person is cooped up in a room for too long, he would be very willing to head out for a walk. Even if there wasn’t anyone one recognized, even if one didn’t talk to someone else, just taking a look around would feel very comfortable.

What Qing Shui thought more about was Yan Yangchi’s fiancee. How old was Yan Yangchi now? The fact that he was able to partic.i.p.ate in the compet.i.tion would mean that he wasn’t over 100 years old but should be at least around 80 or even older. It seemed like when one reached their cultivation level, their mindset would go through a tremendous change.

In a clan like Yan Clan, such things were very normal. Another thing was that Yan Yangchi’s fiancee seemed to be a member of royalty. It seemed that the royal family still valued some clans from powerful cities very highly. Only by joining forces with these clans would they then be able to have a stable position in the dynasty.

Qing Shui understood this as well. It was just like how in the ancient times of his previous life, princesses would be married to the sons of important court officials in a bid to strengthen ties. Usually, the court officials involved would definitely be the more prominent ones in the court, whose smallest actions could cause the entire dynasty to shake. Political marriages were considered a very effective means and both parties would feel at ease, thus being able to dismiss certain plots from forming.

Suddenly, Yan Yangchi stood there and looked ahead. A few young masters dressed in luxurious clothes were smiled and chatting as they walked over.

Qing Shui saw them as well. From Yan Yangchi’s expression, he was able to guess that these people should be from Yu Clan. However, Yan Yangchi wouldn’t have such a reaction if they were just people from Yu Clan. Therefore, Qing Shui guessed that there must be other people amongst the group.

They should be people from the royal family!

Qing Shui had just guessed this when Yan Yueyin spoke up, “Since when has Yu Clan been so close with the 3rd Prince and 7th Princess?”

The other party seemed to also have noticed Yan Yangchi and the rest by now. Yan Yangchi smiled and walked over, “3rd Prince, 7th Princess, when did the two of you arrive? Why didn’t you let me know?”

Qing Shui saw that one of them was a man in violet colored clothes. The man wasn’t considered handsome, but he had an indescribable domineering aura, one that was like a dragon. It gave him an indescribably n.o.ble aura and Qing Shui felt that this must be because the man should have cultivated the martial techniques pa.s.sed down in the royal family.

The 7th Princess wore a phoenix dress and was very beautiful. She had bright eyes, beautiful teeth and exuded an aura of n.o.bility and youth. She wore a faint smile and had an indescribably poised demeanor to her. The feeling that she gave off was that nothing was of any concern to her. Right now, she looked at Yan Yangchi and the others with great interest.

“Brother, is Eldest Brother’s fiancee the 7th Princess?” Qing Shui asked Yan Yangzhao softly.

“No, it’s the 5th Princess.”

Qing Shui replied with an ”Oh” and then looked toward the men from Yu Clan. They should be about the same age as Yan Yangchen and the others and their cultivations were on par as well, at least on the surface. He felt that these people should also be the ones partic.i.p.ating in the battle. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be the ones to be coming into contact with the members of the royalty.

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