HSSB48: My strongest point is that I’m low-key
The Radiant Sun Wheel and Jade Dragon Sword were both outstanding, well-known items amongst all spirit artifacts.
If it weren’t for their family backgrounds, it would be difficult for a Martial Scholar like Yan Zhaoge and Xiao Shen to possess such artifacts.
For mid-grade spirit artifacts, Yan Zhaoge’s father and Xiao Shen’s grandfather would naturally possess many of them.
However, with Yan Zhaoge’s and Xiao Shen’s current cultivation, the number of spirit artifacts that existed in the Eight Extremities World which they would be able to wield were a small number.
Not even mentioning Sacred Artifacts, even a mid-grade or high-grade spiritual artifact, when wielded by a Martial Scholar, would almost be unable to have its power unleashed at all.
Spirit artifacts possessed a spiritual consciousness, which elevated them above typical artifacts.
Thus, Feng Yunsheng was full of surprise as watched Yan Zhaoge survey the Radiant Sun Wheel.
To begin with, spirit artifacts possessed a consciousness that gave them a certain independence. If the other party wasn’t a Martial Grandmaster at the very least, it would be difficult to change the owner of the artifact.
At the moment, the Radiant Sun Wheel was still suppressed by the Jade Dragon Sword, and hadn’t yet submitted and acknowledged Yan Zhaoge as its master.
If it wasn’t for the suppression of the Jade Dragon Sword, it would have long since flown away in search of its erstwhile owner, Xiao Shen.
Now, Yan Zhaoge had gotten the opportunity to lock down the Radiant Sun Wheel, but in the same stroke, had been forced to use his own Jade Dragon Sword to bind it down.
The two spirit artifacts mutually suppressed each other. Without first resolving this problem, forget about the Radiant Sun Wheel—even Yan Zhaoge’s Jade Dragon Sword would be unusable.
In terms of total strength, his strength had dropped a large amount.
For low-grade spirit artifacts, their meaning for Martial Scholars was akin to what a typical artifact would mean for martial pract.i.tioners in the Body Refinement realm.
Having taken the artifact, he naturally had to keep it. Still, if he encountered an enemy while in his current state, it would be a little bit awkward.
“En.” Feng Yunsheng suddenly stared as Yan Zhaoge walked up to the intertwined Radiant Sun Wheel and Jade Dragon Sword, reached out his hands, and used each of them to grab one of the spirit artifacts.
The Radiant Sun Wheel loudly rumbled and let out a fierce aura. At this moment, it was almost as if a slumbering Martial Grandmaster had been woken up.
The Jade Dragon Sword also began to act identically. It was as though the two spirit artifacts had begun to struggle round after round, with neither emerging the victor.
Unperturbed, Yan Zhaoge reached out his two hands and used his ten fingers to gently stroke the spirit artifacts. Using his knuckles, he gently rapped their surface in a strange cadence.
The Jade Dragon Sword and the Radiant Sun Wheel once again vibrated slightly.
Yan Zhaoge’s eyes suddenly flashed with a strange light as they began to mirror a mult.i.tude of transformations, as though he had entered an entirely different world.
Within the world, an enormous golden colored sun was suspended in the sky while a jade colored dragon coiled itself around it.
Under the influences of the continued tapping from Yan Zhaoge, the two spirit artifacts actually began to slowly calm down.
Rather than mutual suppression, the two artifacts had truly become quiet as they entered a temporary state of calmness.
Feng Yunsheng opened her mouth as she thought, “He was actually able to calm down the Radiant Sun Wheel so quickly; just how did he do it?”
“This is practically unheard of!”
Turning back around, Feng Yunsheng lightly gasped in admiration, “Even though this one has heard of your esteemed name before, having seen it in person today, I can firmly say that the rumors weren’t exaggerated in the least—rather, they could only be considered to be too conservative.”
“Hearing isn’t as good as seeing; this idiom is something I’m known ever since I was a child, but the deepest impression I’ve had of it has been today.”
Yan Zhaoge pocketed the two spirit artifacts and pointed a finger, “As a person, I have a lot of strong points, but my best attribute is that I’m low-key.”
“In the future you’ll find that your thinking today will still have been conservative.”
Feng Yunsheng good-naturedly smiled and nodded her head, “Alright, I’ll wait and see.”
She followed up with a question, “That’s right, speaking of your sudden breakthrough into the mid outer aura Martial Scholar realm, why did they all look so dumbfounded? Even though it’s rare to break through under situations of intense pressure, it isn’t unheard of.”
“To my knowledge, there are some people who specifically seek out life and death situations and use the pressure to break through their own bottlenecks.”
One of the black-clothed guards by Yan Zhaoge’s side spoke out, “Not even a month ago, Young Master had just stepped into the outer aura Martial Scholar realm.”
These people who always followed Yan Zhaoge everywhere, upon seeing Yan Zhaoge’s miraculous breakthrough, were also struck dumb like wooden chickens. Their shock was even greater than that of the Sacred Sun Clan disciples.
At this point, Feng Yunsheng could no longer restrain herself as she turned to look at Yan Zhaoge.
Half a second later, she spoke again.
“Are you even human?”
Yan Zhaoge only laughed in response, not answering her.
Feng Yunsheng drew in a breath of cold air, taking a long moment before she regained her senses, “Everyone says that despite being a genius, you still are lacking when compared to your esteemed father when he was your age. However, from the looks of it, in cultivation talent at least, you even surpa.s.s your esteemed father.”
Knowledge from before the Great Calamity had been lost forever.
However, after the Great Calamity, amongst all the geniuses and old monsters of the contemporary era, it was Yan Zhaoge’s father—Broad Creed Mountain’s direct lineage disciple Yan Di, who was the youngest Martial Scholar, and also the youngest Martial Grandmaster.
At the same time, it seemed highly likely that he would also become the youngest Martial Saint.
Yan Zhaoge laughed lightly. Comparatively, breaking through from the early to mid outer aura stage had been much easier for him than breaking through from the late inner aura Martial Scholar to the early outer aura Martial Scholar realm.
This had had a lot to do with a number of fortuitous events and chance encounters. Upon reaching the early outer aura Martial scholar realm, he had quickly accomplished the second cleansing of the marrows within his bones. With the Profound Spirit pill to supplement his aura-qi and his encounter with the ice dragon soul providing momentum, he had had the optimal encounters to let him make his breakthrough.
“Everyone says that a tiger father will not birth a useless dog of a son, so I also have to work hard. Even if I can’t surpa.s.s my father, I at least can’t fall behind too much.”
Yan Zhaoge laughed, “What’s more, the path of cultivation leads to a gate. The gate is like flat ground for some people, where they can easily progress; but, for others, they can become trapped at a bottleneck and spend many years without being able to make a single step.”
“Yet, after stepping through this gate, those who had originally fallen behind may not be destined to fall behind forever. The situation could easily invert, with those who had originally fallen behind surpa.s.sing those who were once in the lead.”
“This is also a commonly seen occurrence.”
Feng Yunsheng irritably scowled, “I’ve still never heard of someone as exaggerated as you, who broke through from the early to the mid outer aura stage in just a month. It must be unprecedented.”
Yan Zhaoge raised his eyebrows and laughed, “It’s like I’ve said then; my strong points are very numerous, but staying low key is definitely my strongest point.”
Yan Zhaoge suddenly changed the topic, “Speaking of which, I’m afraid that our meeting here wasn’t entirely coincidental.”
Feng Yunsheng was startled.
Yan Zhaoge looked at her, then gently said, “Originally, our purpose here was to search for Meng Wan.”
“Don’t look at me with that kind of expression. She’s the Sacred Sun Clan’s Maiden of Extreme Yin while I’m a disciple of Broad Creed Mountain. It’s natural that I’d try to make sure she doesn’t win the Extreme Yin Bout.”
Yan Zhaoge stroked his chin, “Thinking back on it, my people were following her tracks, but she sensed our pursuit. In fact, she was constantly leading us towards your side.”
“I was thinking that it was entirely out of character for Meng Wan to leave the Sacred Sun Clan grounds. Indeed, she had not come here without reason.”
Feng Yunsheng’s gaze had become considerably gentler, “Little Wan was here to help me, whose Master had pa.s.sed away. Knowing that Xiao Shen had personally left the clan to look for me, she came hoping to protect me.”
“Leading you to me, she must have hoped that Broad Creed Mountain would s.h.i.+eld me. This way, she wouldn’t have to personally make an appearance, whereupon she would be caught between both sides.”
Yan Zhaoge asked, “You two had the same Master?”
Feng Yunsheng shook her head, “No. However, that year, as we were both similarly Maidens of Extreme Yin, we received much of the same tutoring and training and were often together.”