Chapter 202: Just the Thought of It Is Exciting
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Previously, Su Jingxing had consulted the Ethereal Sword Immortal about the Martial Art True Intent.
‘The Ethereal Sword Immortal, based on her own experiences, as well as what she learned from exchanges with acquainted top-ranked martial experts, told Su Jingxing that there were three difficulties in condensing Martial Art True Intent.
Firstly, one had to have ample soul power!
‘Without enough soul power, one should simply give up on thinking about Martial Art True Intent.
!!
This was because Martial Art True Intent was a force that interfered with reality through the mind.
If one did not have ample soul power, would his mind be strong?
No way!
And if one’s mind wasn’t strong enough, how could he interfere with reality?
Therefore, having enough soul power was the first step to condensing Martial Art True Intent, and also the most basic step.
If this requirement was not met, all other considerations would be in vain.
Most martial artists broke through to the third-grade only after true energy turned into liquid and the true fluid was used to nourish the mind in the fourth-grade.
First, one had to strengthen the mind and increase soul power.
‘The second step would only begin when soul power had acc.u.mulated to a certain level.
The problem was with the first step. Increasing one’s soul power was not something that could be done on a whim.
To nourish one’s mind with true fluid, one first had to have a large amount of true fluid, right?
‘True fluid was liquefied true energy.
In other words, it all still depended on one’s true energy cultivation!
‘The more profound one’s true energy cultivation was, the faster the nourishment and increase in soul power through the use of true fluid.
However, an increase in cultivation wasn’t something that could be achieved on will.
Under normal circ.u.mstances, having 60 years of true energy cultivation after breaking through to the fourth-grade was considered pretty good.
Century old monsters relied on their talents, luck, and background.
Background meant having a powerful backer could provide a lot of cultivation resources.
Concentration Fruits weren’t the only heavenly treasures that could increase one’s soul power.
The Tianlong Chamber of Commerce, Ci En Bank, the Golden Chen Family, the imperial Xia Family
The major factions in the Yu Nation all had heavenly treasures similar to the Concentration Fruit.
To that end, having background and no background were two completely different worlds.
Most independent cultivators relied on their luck or talents.
A breakdown would show that the first step, having enough soul power, would have fended off 90% of fourth-grade martial artists.
But this wasn’t a problem for Su Jingxing at all.
Be it his boundless soul power or his true energy cultivation of over 800 years.
Su Jingxing had exceeded the requirements to condense Martial Art True Intent.
The second difficulty.
Mind, spirit, and will—these three aspects combined into one.
For this step, perseverance and hard work were useless. It all depended on talent or shortcuts.
‘The first step of increasing true energy cultivation and acc.u.mulating soul power could also be resolved by consuming time.
However, the second step required talent. Without talent, the combination of the three aspects was impossible.
‘Taking shortcuts was an additional route that only came to be after thousands of years of fumbling and experimentation.
After all, just because one lacked talent did not mean they would be forever hopeless.
Relying on external objects to achieve this goal was equally feasible.
Therefore, Shi Zhinie cultivated the Blood Drop Heretic Art, the He Family cooked the Heaven Ascension Feast, and Su Jingxing directly devoured the Sishui Horned Dragon!
That’s right, Su Jingxing had easily resolved the second difficulty with the Sishui Horned Dragon.
The Sishui Horned Dragon was a complete martial dao true intent. Although its might and power had weakened, it had a mature template that could be used as reference.
All Su Jingxing had to do was immerse himself in it and he would be able to combine his mind, spirit, and will.
Not only that, it also provided experience to overcome the third difficulty —the ability to imagine a specific Martial Art True Intent.
One of them was the Sishui Horned Dragon, while the other was Su Jingxing’s Earth self.
While the two didn’t seem to be related, the third difficulty laid in the construction during this process of imagination.
To mold a specific form so that it wouldn’t collapse from being too intangible.
It would be best if one could witness this with his own eyes.
Knives, swords, and staffs were fine. One could also go take a look at some animals and plants.
‘The difficult part was with Mutated Beasts, especially rare ones. There were only rumors about them, but they weren’t to be seen with one’s own eyes and could only be imagined.
This was the case with the Heaven Trampling Elephant.
‘There were only a few people in the past few thousand years who had seen the Heaven Trampling Elephant.
Of course,
A genius that appeared once in a hundred years could definitely come up with a specific form just through their imagination.
Such people could not be represented.
Su Jingxing didn’t have to go through all that trouble either.
That was because he had the Sishui Horned Dragon as reference. Moreover, Su Jingxing knew his Earth self best.
Therefore, this difficulty could also be resolved easily!
None of the three difficulties were difficult for Su Jingxing.
The only problem left was the circulation of true fluid and the manipulation of the power of the universe.
This was generally resolved using advanced internal exercises.
The eighth level of the Nine Steps Trampling Heaven was enough for Su Jingxing to take care of these two minor problems.
Hence.
After looking at these few steps, condensing Martial Art True Intent was just a matter of time for Su Jingxing!
All the problems weren’t problems.
All that was left was time, wasn’t it?
Su Jingxing was forthright.
After pondering for a while and being clear of his targets, he decisively gave Wu Shouhan a heads up. He said he wanted to go into seclusion, but the duration was unknown for now.
‘Wu Shouhan was even more straightforward. He immediately granted Su Jingxing half a year of paid leave.
Even if he didn’t take leave, it wouldn’t affect Su Jingxing’s salary.
But Old Wu was happy to do this, and it could keep others quiet as well.
Without any interference from other factors, after preparing some food and drinks, Su Jingxing stayed in his small courtyard at the foot of the mountain and began to condense his Martial Art True Intent day and night.
Aweek later, a vague outline appeared.
Half a month later, the specific outline was formed.
A month later, a glowing human body was successfully formed.
The facial features of this human body were exactly the same as Su Jingxing’s Earth self.
It was also a little similar to his current body.
Right now, Su Jingxing’s physical body, facial features, and appearance, had undergone continuous tempering and minor adjustments after practicing martial arts. They were already very different from the original Su Jingxing; they were more inclined towards Su Jingxing’s Earth self.
Therefore, if he were to run into friends of the original Su Jingxing from a year ago, they would never a.s.sociate him with “Su Jingxing”. Instead, they would only find him quite familiar.
As time pa.s.sed, this gap would only get bigger.
Now that Su Jingxing’s Earth self had been materialized, his progress was even greater.
However, the current “Su Jingxing” was not yet an actual Martial Art True Intent.
Martial Art True Intent not only had to be manifested, but also had to be equipped with offensive power.
For example, getting “Su Jingxing” to stand up, swing his fists and kick his legs.
It would be like how the Sishui Horned Dragon circled Su Jingxing up and down, dancing and coiling around him as it devoured Bi Qisen’s white snake.
This required time.
‘The current “Su Jingxing” couldn’t even open his eyes.
Even after materializing it, it could not exist for long.
In less than half a minute, it would dissipate on its own.
Even so, Su Jingxing was satisfied.
He was able to condense a Martial Art True Intent in a month’s time—if news of this got out, the entire Yu Nation, including the Changyang Prefecture, would be in turmoil, let alone Qinghe City.
‘An unprecedented commotion!
Su Jingxing didn’t know how long it took for the fastest person to condense Martial Art True Intent.
However, he believed that he could definitely rank in the top ten!
Or top three?
Regardless, Su Jingxing was delighted.
It would take time for the Martial Art True Intent to take effect.
Even converting true energy entirely into true essence required time.
Su Jingxing wasn’t in a hurry.
Once he achieved both, he would be a third-grade martial artist!
After cultivating in seclusion for a month, Su Jingxing first went for a feast. Then, he bought some clothes, cloaks, and masks.
He only reported to the crematorium on the next day.
“Hey, Captain Little Su. You’re back?”
“Long time no see, Captain Little Su. I’ve missed you.”
“Haha! Where did Captain Little Su go to play for such a long time?”
“F*ck off! Was Captain Little Su playing? He was clearly breaking through in seclusion!”
“Really? Captain Little Su?”
As he walked through the entrance of the crematorium, the familiar people he met greeted and joked with him.
While Su Jingxing nodded in response, he took the opportunity to “increase” his strength.
“Tve succeeded. I’m finally in the eighth-grade.”
Silence.
‘The joking group froze on the spot.
He was already in the eighth-grade?
Even though they knew that Su Jingxing would reach the eighth-grade sooner or later, wasn’t this too soon?
Eighth-grade was not the ninth-grade whereby all he had to do was temper and build up his strength.
He also had to exude internal force!
‘The second was the key.
How did Su Jingxing manage to exude internal force so quickly?
Shock, doubt, disbelief, envy, and jealousy.
All sorts of expressions flashed across their faces, and their hearts were in turmoil, unable to calm down.
Seeing this, Su Jingxing didn’t bother explaining and simply stomped on the ground.
Thump!
‘The dull thud woke everyone up.
Subconsciously, everyone looked at the ground.
Su Jingxing took a well-timed opportunity to bid farewell to everyone and left.
‘The crowds’ mouths gaped open as they stared at the ground beneath Su Jingxing’s feet in shock.
Footprint!
Aclear footprint was left on the concrete floor.
More than ten fine cracks could be seen on the ground around and below the footprint.
The problem was that Su Jingxing’s shoes were completely fine.
There wasn’t even a crack, let alone them shattering.
What did that mean?
This meant that Su Jingxing had indeed exuded internal force!
Only when internal force pa.s.ses through the soles of one’s foot and into the ground would it leave such a clear footprint.
In other words, Su Jingxing was really an eighth-grade martial artist!
Whoosh—
After a brief silence, the crowd erupted.
p*mn, eighth-grade! Captain Little Su is really in the eighth-grade!”
“Genius, a genius! Captain Little Su is definitely a genius!”
“A.15…no, 16-year-old eighth-grade martial artist! How many people can do that?”
“Let Captain Little Su can definitely advance to the seventh-grade before the age of 20!”
“Nonsense! Advancing to the sixth-grade before the age of 20 is more like it!”
Everyone was beyond excited.
Soon, the news that Su Jingxing was an eighth-grade martial artist spread throughout the crematorium.
All of a sudden, the crematorium staff basked in his glory. The relatives of the deceased, who had come to collect their ashes or hold a farewell ceremony were also clicking their tongues.
‘A16-year-old eighth-grade martial artist was indeed worthy of the t.i.tle “genius”.
‘The crematorium produced a genius, which was even more astonishing.
‘Wu Shouhan jumped up in excitement when he heard the news.
He rushed to Su Jingxing’s office and chatted with him for a long time.
His strategy had proved to be extremely fruitful.
He gave Su Jingxing’s absolute freedom and look, he was now an eighth-grade martial artist.
This year, he had reached the eighth-grade. In the following years, seventh-grade, and a few more years, he would reach the sixth-grade!
He would be a martial artist in the middle ranks at the young age of 20, and he was from the crematorium.
Just the thought of it was exciting!
There was nothing to be said. They had to celebrate.
Su Jingxing couldn’t stop him even if he wanted to. With a wave of his hand, Wu Shouhan announced that he was inviting all the staff to the hotel for a meal to celebrate Su Jingxing’s advancement.
Of course, they went to the hotels in batches.
The crematorium couldn’t be without workers, so people on shift had to wait for the next round.
The idle ones left immediately..
The canteen staff also had a day off and went to the hotel.
‘Wu Shouhan had paid for everything personally.
Old Wu was overjoyed!
He drank with Su Jingxing all the way and ended up lying on the table.
Originally, Su Jingxing didn’t want to make a big deal out of this.
However, Old Wu insisted on it, and there was no point in stopping him.
Fortunately, after some celebrations, he finally calmed down.
However, when everyone looked at Su Jingxing again, their eyes were filled with respect.
Eighth-grade was a step above ninth-grade.
Those who weren’t close to him instinctively feared him.
‘The managers were even more polite when greeting him.
Even Gu Bo, Kong Dabao, and the other members of the Corpse Collection Team One became a little reserved.
It took Su Jingxing a few days to get them back to normal.
On this day.
On the way home from work, Su Jingxing received a call from Shen Qian.
With the destruction of the Shi Family, the Stone Annihilation Alliance was mostly dispersed.
After the new year, there were only a few people left. With Shen Qian as the leader, these people rebuilt a small studio and served Su Jingxing while taking in jobs themselves.
Su Jingxing wasn’t against the idea of making deals with them. There were some things he couldn’t be bothered to do, and it was best to leave them to Shen Qian and the others. It saved him a lot of trouble and effort.
Therefore, he answered Shen Qian’s call without much thought.
“Senior, there’s a matter, I don’t know if you’ve learned about it?”
Hmm?
Su Jingxing raised his eyebrows. “What do you mean?”
“I’s about a stone tablet,” explained Shen Qian, organizing her words. “Before the new year, there was a strange commotion in the Sky Water River. The waters surged, and waves splashed onto the bank. According to our investigations, there were no floods or heavy rainstorms in the upper reaches. In
short, the Sky Water River was very strange back then.”
“I know that,” replied Su Jingxing as he walked. “But what does that have to do with this?”
“It’s related.”
Shen Qian drew a deep breath. “The source of this incident was the stone tablet that Leng Lin captured first. Oh, by the way, Leng Lin is our computer expert. Senior hasn’t seen him before. He stays at home and doesn’t like to go out.”
“Go on.”
“Yes, Senior,” said Shen Qian again. “Early the next morning after the commotion in the Sky Water River, Leng Lin controlled a drone to examine the situation on the river surface. Out of curiosity, he captured a bunch of photos using the drone.
“Later on, when I was organizing the photos, I discovered a stone tablet in the corner of one of them.
“A stone tablet floating on the river surface!
“At the time, Leng Lin didn’t think too much about it and uploaded the photo to a forum, letting everyone speculate about whether it might have been a tombstone. At first, it wasn’t that bad on the forum. Although it was quite popular, it didn’t attract much attention.
“But gradually, for some reason, the posts on the forum disappeared, and more and more people came to look for Leng Lin.
“At first, it was a private company, then a large one. Finally, the Li and Zhou families also came.
“Up till yesterday, almost all the major factions in Qinghe City had approached Leng Lin to see if he had any other pictures of the stone tablet.
“Of course Leng Lin denied it. Most people believed him, but some didn’t. These people are tracking his address online every day.
“This is strange, I…”
“You want me to help Leng Lin, don’t you?” interrupted Su Jingxing..