149 The Reappearance of Fire Cloud Grass
“Master, these are the spirit stones!”
The two of them talked until late into the night. Zhao Hong took out three square, light blue stones. They were as clear as glass and exuded a faint glow.
With just a glance, Jiang Ming could feel the abundant spiritual energy contained in them.
“The spiritual energy in these three spirit stones alone is equivalent to the Blood Spirit Technique that I’ve been using for months!”
Jiang Ming sighed internally. If he had these spirit stones, he would not have to spend thirty years to reach the fourth level of the Qi Refinement Realm.
“However, I can’t use these spirit stones in a hurry. When I reach the peak of the fourth level of the Qi Refinement Realm, I’ll keep them to break through the bottleneck. They might be of great use,” Jiang Ming thought as he put the spirit stones into his pocket.
Zhao Hong immediately became nervous. He did not know if his master would keep his promise.
Jiang Ming looked at Zhao Hong and muttered in his heart, “I’ve disguised myself very well for the past few decades. Moreover, Zhao Hong is only at the third level of the Qi Refinement Realm. It’s impossible for him to see through my layers of disguises. Although he is a little stupid, he’s a good person. There’s no need to create more trouble. Let nature take its course. The information I get from him is also valuable to me. Since that’s the case, I’ll give him a reward.”
Jiang Ming smiled and said, “I don’t have any pre-prepared techniques with me. Come and get it early tomorrow morning!”
“Yes, thank you, Master!” Zhao Hong was overjoyed.
Jiang Ming asked a few more questions about the world of immortal cultivation, and the master and disciple parted happily.
“In the blink of an eye, it’s already been sixty to seventy years since the last time the fire cloud grass appeared. I’m almost a hundred years old now. When I’m done with my business tomorrow, I’ll leave this place and find a place to quietly cultivate.”
* * *
The next morning, a cold gray mist filled the air.
Jiang Ming walked into the Tiger Subduing Dojo from the back door.
“What?”
As soon as he entered, a smile appeared on Jiang Ming’s face. It turned out that Zhao Hong was not the only one who could not wait.
He walked into the front yard of the martial arts school with an indifferent expression and saw Zhao Hong anxiously pacing back and forth. His hair was wet with dew, and he had no idea how long he had been waiting here.
Seeing Jiang Ming’s appearance, Zhao Hong also walked forward and saluted in surprise.
Jiang Ming smiled and did not say anything more. He handed the prepared technique to Zhao Hong.
“Take a look first!” Jiang Ming shook his head and laughed helplessly when he saw Zhao Hong putting the bag into his pocket.
“I believe in you, Master.” Zhao Hong’s face turned red, but he still took out the technique and flipped it open.
However, Zhao Hong only read the first page before he raised his head in shock. “Master, this is…”
On the first page, it was written that this Tiger Subduing Fist could be cultivated all the way to the Dao Master Realm. In addition, it even instructed one on how to follow the path of a Grandmaster.
“Take care of it. I still have other things to do today!” Jiang Ming said nonchalantly.
After today’s matter, he would probably have nothing to do with this world in the future.
Back then, in the small courtyard in Peace County, he had learned his first martial arts fist technique from Master Zhou. Today, he had passed it down. It was like an inheritance.
The door of the side room next to him was kicked open.
“Old man!”
Wang Ji carried a blade and strode out with a face full of murderous intent. Behind him, two slightly nervous people followed. They were the disciples of the Tiger Subduing Dojo.
On the other side of the house, a few more figures rushed out. Jiang Ming took a rough look. Including Wang Ji, there were five second-class martial artists, all of whom were staring at Jiang Ming with murderous intent.
Jiang Ming looked at this scene with interest.
“Wang Ji, you’re early today,” Jiang Ming said lightly.
Wang Ji stared at Jiang Ming with a face full of anger and said fiercely, “Old man, stop pretending to be calm. Today is the day you die.”
Jiang Ming was calm. “When you became my disciple, you listened to me every day. In the blink of an eye, how come you don’t know how to respect your teacher?”
Wang Ji spat and stared at Jiang Ming with hatred. “I’ve been at your beck and call for decades, doing all your dirty work. However, you’re still not willing to teach me the first-class technique. Why did you pass it to this kid?” He suddenly pointed at Zhao Hong. Obviously, he had already seen Jiang Ming giving Zhao Hong the technique.
“I just don’t want to give it to you. So what?” Jiang Ming smiled indifferently.
“Then you can only blame yourself for getting killed!” Wang Ji sneered coldly. “So what if you’re a first-class martial artist? I’m afraid that your vitality has declined to almost nothing. You’re all bark and no bite. I’d like to see how you defend yourself.”
“Wang Ji, don’t talk nonsense, quickly snatch the technique and end this!” a second-class martial artist beside him frowned and shouted.
“Alright, old man, you’re heartless. Don’t blame us for this.” Wang Ji raised the blade in his hand and suddenly shouted, “Let’s go together and chop them up!”
The five second-class martial artists all burst out their blood Qi and charged at Jiang Ming.
Zhao Hong was shocked. He gritted his teeth and wanted to rush forward. He knew that his master’s vitality was exhausted, and he would not be able to withstand their combined attack.
“Go to the back!” Jiang Ming pulled him behind him. This kid was a hothead, but he was loyal.
The fastest martial artist had already raised his fist and aimed at Jiang Ming’s side.
However, in just an instant, this person was sent flying.
Only then did the blood-curdling screech come out. A moment later, silence descended.
Wang Ji took a glance from the corner of his eyes and saw that there was a bloody hole in the place where his chest should be.
“He can’t even throw a few punches.”
Wang Ji was shocked, but now that things had come to this, he could only grit his teeth and shout. He raised his blade and charged forward.
A few muffled sounds were heard as blood splattered everywhere. In the blink of an eye, the school’s courtyard was littered with corpses.
Wang Ji’s limbs were all broken, and he was lying on the ground powerlessly. He looked at the approaching figure in shock. “How can you still have such a vigorous blood Qi?”
Jiang Ming’s eyes were indifferent, “A frog at the bottom of a well doesn’t know how vast the sky is. You can’t imagine the power of a first-class martial artist.”
He picked up Wang Ji’s long blade and stabbed him in the chest, nailing him to the ground.
Zhao Hong’s emotions fluctuated as he looked in shock at his master, who had killed several second-class martial artists in the blink of an eye.
“Compared to your immortal cultivation technique, which one is stronger, and which one is weaker?” Jiang Ming walked back and asked with a smile.
Only then did Zhao Hong return to his senses. He pondered for a moment and said seriously, “If the distance is more than thirty feet, the immortal cultivator will definitely win. However, if it’s within fifteen feet, immortal cultivators below the third level of the Qi Refinement Realm will probably be killed by first-class martial artists. Of course, if the immortal cultivators catch them off guard, it’s difficult for martial artists to resist the attack.”
Jiang Ming nodded slightly. It seemed that his current cultivation as an immortal cultivator was only slightly better than that of a first-class martial artist.
In that case, immortal cultivators had to cultivate to the ninth level of the Qi Refinement Realm to be almost at the Grandmaster realm.
“It seems that I really can’t let go of the path of martial arts. If I encounter immortal cultivators in the future, I might be able to defeat them if I catch them off guard.”
Jiang Ming stopped thinking after a moment. He looked at Zhao Hong and said, “From now on, I will pursue the path to immortality. I will hand over the Tiger Subduing Dojo to you. How you manage it will depend on you.”
Zhao Hong’s eyes were slightly red. He bowed and cupped his fists. “Have a safe journey, Master!”
Jiang Ming patted Zhao Hong’s shoulder. Although his original intention was to plot against Zhao Hong, after decades, he found out that Zhao Hong had a kind heart. The two of them got along well and were good friends now.
“Hehe, let’s go. Let’s go.”
Jiang Ming’s voice dissipated in the wind, leaving only Zhao Hong looking at the messy courtyard in a daze. He stroked the cultivation method in his arms, sighed, and began to clean.
* * *
After seven or eight years, Jiang Ming finally broke through the bottleneck of the fourth level of the Qi Refinement Realm and stepped into the fifth level of the Qi Refinement Realm with the help of the rich spiritual energy in the three spirit stones.
Ten years later, Jiang Ming reached the peak of the fifth level of the Qi Refinement Realm, but no matter what, he could not break into the sixth level.
“It seems like we can only wait for the King of Medicine to appear!”
* * *
Great Cloud City was becoming more and more prosperous. It had surpassed the old capital and became the center of power in the Cloud Empire.
No one mentioned the country of Yan anymore. Even the six Grandmaster families had returned to their former glory.
However, while the world and dynasties changed, some things would always exist.
The new generations of Grandmaster families in the Cloud Empire were so powerful that even the royal family had to show respect to them.
In the Liu family’s courtyard, the head of the Liu family, Liu Huaji, stood with his hands behind his back. He looked at the fire cloud grass in front of him and asked, “How many have you found this month?”