Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Beiluo, Lake Island.
In the instant that the Earth’s Origin was crushed by Lu Fan and dispersed out, the entire world seemed to change.
The clouds high in the sky transformed into spiral shapes, and thunder continuously sounded like the beating of drums, as though a storm was approaching.
Looking as though a large boulder had been tossed into a lake, the layer of clouds rippled with huge waves.
The Wuhuang Continent was a Low Level Martial World, and despite Lu Fan’s transformations in the Hidden Dragon Ridge and Dragon Gate Secret Realm, though he had reached the top of the Low Level Martial World, it was ultimately still a Low Level Martial World.
They could not condense the Earth’s Origin.
The most the cultivators could do was reach the Internal Organs Realm, where their organs were tempered. They could not derive their own elemental Spirit Qi.
These were the shackles born of the world, and walls the world had put in place.
If Lu Fan wanted to turn the Wuhuang Continent into a Mid Level Martial World, he had to break these shackles and tear down these walls.
Normally, condensing the Earth’s Origin was a feat that would require Lu Fan to spend countless years of work to accomplish.
It might take him a hundred years, a thousand years, or even 10,000 years to reach a standard where the world could reach the next level.
After all, relative to the evolution of a world, the time span of a thousand or 10,000 years was just a blip and not a long time at all.
However, Lu Fan did not have that much time to spare.
As such, he did not dispel the Spiritual Sense of that Lord of the Plane. Instead, using a special technique, he set up a formation, absorbing about a third of the Origin of another Mid Level Martial World.
It was not that he did not want to continue absorbing the Origin, but just like how there were limits to how much people could eat, overeating and becoming bloated would be counterproductive.
The Wuhuang Continent was still unable to withstand the entire Origin of a Mid Level Martial World.
After condensing the Origin, Lu Fan even spent some time condensing its elements.
The Origin had a will of its own, and ever since it was released by Lu Fan and rushed into the sky, it was like a frisky child, bringing huge changes to the entire Wuhuang Continent.
Lu Fan looked forward to these changes, and he was even more interested to see whether others like Nie Changqing would seize this opportunity to transform themselves.
When the wanderers colluded with the Five Barbarians to invade the Great Zhou, the reason Lu Fan chose not to interfere was to allow everyone to gain experience and apply pressure on them. Everyone’s potential and base abilities would only be released and transform if they were pressured to do so. Then, in the instant that the Earth’s Origin was released, they would be able to gain the most significant benefits from the Earth’s Origin.
Compared to the Secret Realms of the Hidden Dragon Ridge and Dragon Gate, the condensing of the Earth’s Origin was the greatest Immortal encounter that Lu Fan had set up.
It was an Immortal encounter that everyone could partake in equally!
The small Responsive Dragon spread its wings. It was a heavenly dragon descendant and was more sensitive to encounters.
Opening its mouth wide, it stopped suppressing its body and transformed into a heavenly dragon ten meters long. With a flap of its wings, it blew up a gale.
It let out a deafening dragon’s roar toward the sky, filled with a mighty pressure.
The concentration of Spirit Qi in the world seemed to boil and started to soar up suddenly.
Sitting in his wheelchair, Lu Fan’s white robes flapped loudly in the wind, as his hair was tossed about. With his eyes closed and his lips curled up in a small smile, he felt the transformation of the entire Wuhuang Continent.
Behind him, the small Responsive Dragon was breathing large amounts of Spirit Qi.
And it was not just the small Responsive Dragon.
The Morning Chrysanthemums, Biluo Peach Blossom, and other plants on the island all began to take in and exhale Spirit Qi in a frenzy. They were plants, but at this moment, they seemed to have their own Spirituality.
The fish in Beiluo Lake started to pop out of the surface far from where the Responsive Dragon was, opening their mouths and breathing out bubbles at the surface of the water.
Some of the fishes even leaped out just slightly above the lake’s surface, as though they wanted to catch this momentary, fleeting encounter in the world.
This was a transformation that all living creatures in the world could enjoy equally.
On the Lake Island…
Ni Yu had just taken out an elixir coated in sugar, but with a clatter, she had dropped it on the ground yet again.
She was shocked stiff!
What… What just happened?
Did the Young Master do something incredible again?
Ning Zhao’s reaction was particularly apparent. The Spirit Qi within her body was boiling, and it was boiling in response to something.
She glanced at the lonesome Young Master who was suspended above the Lake Island, and her long eyelashes fluttered. He had his eyes closed, the corners of his lips curled up in a smile, and seemed to have cast aside his worldly cares.
In that instant, the Young Master… looked like an Immortal!
“What are you waiting for? Sit down cross-legged and temper your body.”
Lu Fan’s voice was like a grand command that resounded in Ning Zhao’s ears.
Ning Zhao shuddered, and without any hesitation, she assumed a seated cross-legged position in front of the stone steps of the White Jade City Pavilion.
The Spirit Qi in the world was so concentrated it felt like it might condense into liquid droplets, and it passed into her body wildly. At that moment, she even felt like it would suffocate her.
Ni Yu and Yi Yue also reacted.
Their hearts were trembling.
This was… a great Immortal encounter!
A Spirit Qi storm!
A real Spirit Qi storm. A Spirit Qi storm had truly occurred on Beiluo Lake. Moreover, it was not just that, but to a large degree, this Spirit Qi storm could even engulf Beiluo City or even… the entire Great Zhou Dynasty!
Yi Yue crossed her legs and began practicing the cultivation methods in her mind. The cultivation methods she once thought to be profound were now clear in her mind as though it had been engraved there, and she had never had experienced such clarity in her thoughts before.
The Spirit Qi surged into her body, continuing to toss and turn inside her.
Ni Yu trotted to the island, retrieving a black pot, and put it on her head as she started her cultivation.
At this moment, the black pot shimmered with a bright glow, as it continuously absorbed Spirit Qi. This Spirit Qi then passed through the black pot, surging into Ni Yu’s body.
Ni Yu’s small face was flushed red with excitement.
The feeling was similar to eating a cold and refreshing iced watermelon on a hot summer’s day and eating a mouthful of spicy hot pot on a snowy winter’s day.
It was really… comforting!
The Lake Island was the epicenter of this eruption of Spirit Qi and the source of the rejuvenation of the Earth’s Origin.
Spirit Qi was naturally abundant.
At this moment, in Beiluo City.
Inside Lu Manor…
Lu Changkong, who was enjoying a good conversation over tea with Lv Dongxuan, felt a shock run through his body.
He and Lv Dongxuan looked at each other in the eye, and the two seemed to see a look of disbelief in each other’s eyes.
“This is…”
Lv Dongxuan frantically put down the teacup in his hands and walked briskly out of Lu Manor, his big gold chains shaking.
Lu Changkong also made his way outside, and when the two men saw the huge spiraling clouds in the sky, the color quickly drained from their faces!
“The Spirit Qi is so rich… How can the Spirit Qi in Beiluo City also become so rich?”
Lu Changkong gasped in surprise.
Lv Dongxuan’s face was quivering.
“The Young Master… has come out of the retreat!”
“The true era of cultivators… has come!”
Lv Dongxuan touched a finger to the gold chain hanging from his neck. His entire body was trembling, as he was shaking with excitement.
He had lived more than half of his life already, and he could actually get to see such a spectacular event. In this life… he had no regrets!
Lu Changkong immediately sat down cross-legged, following his instincts, and he began practicing the “Ksitigarbha Sutra” cultivation method. In this instant, in this very moment, he felt like his mind was unobstructed, and as though he was receiving divine assistance, he seemed to have instant understanding!
This was an encounter. A great encounter!
Lu Changkong opened his eyes and looked toward the Lake Island with a complicated expression.
“Fan’er, what have you done?”
******
The capital city.
Outside the Book Pavilion.
Snow was falling heavily, covering the bluestone path in a thick layer of white snow.
A luxurious carriage was parked outside the door on standby. The driver was curled up in front of the carriage, rubbing his hands together and breathing warm air into his palms to warm them up.
Kong Nanfei helped the Master out of the Book Pavilion, with Mo Tianyu carrying a backpack and following behind them.
“Master, you’re really heading to Dongyang County?” Kong Nanfei asked with a frown.
Although Dongyang County had held back the attacks from the Dongyi, it was still an extremely dangerous place.
“You don’t need to worry about me. Just properly protect the capital city.”
“You’re a court official after all. If His Majesty does anything outrageous, someone will certainly punish him. Do not buttheads with His Majesty,” Kong Xiu said.
He had grown older, and his breathing had become weaker than ever, as though he was about to fall asleep at any moment.
“I have two letters with me here. Get people you can trust with your life and send one to the West County and one to the North County,” Kong Xiu said.
Kong Nanfei received the letters. After looking at the recipients’ names on the envelopes, his eyes unconsciously narrowed.
He raised his head to look up in disbelief at Kong Xiu.
“Master…”
“Do your cultivation properly, and stay true to the core of Confucianism. Don’t be like your father… You are a good child.”
The wrinkles on the Master’s aged face bunched up as he raised his hand.
He had wanted to pat Kong Nanfei on the head, but he was only able to reach Kong Nanfei’s shoulders.
He swept off the snow that had gathered there.
Carrying the luggage on his back, Mo Tianyu’s face quivered as he looked at the Master who was in the dusk of his life. He had the feeling that his own hexagram was kind of unreliable.
Did the hexagram reading not show that the Book Pavilion and the Master would have great fortune?!
“Old Mo, take good care of the Master,” Kong Nanfei said seriously.
“I will definitely bring the Master back safely,” Mo Tianyu replied, nodding solemnly.
Following this, he ducked into the carriage along with the Master.
The snow was fluttering in the air on this wintry day, covering the roof of the Book Pavilion in a thick layer of snow.
The banana tree in the courtyard was bent over from the weight of the snow, like the old and rickety back of the Master.
The wooden wheels squeaked as they rolled through the thick snow.
Kong Nanfei let out a breath of warm air.
As he looked at the two gullies in the snow plowed out by the horse carriage, he clenched the letters in his hand tightly.
As the carriage moved into the distance…
All of a sudden…
The Master, wrapped in a velvet robe inside the carriage, opened his turbid eyes that had seen much over his long years of life.
Brilliant colors were sparkling in his eyes.
“Hm?”
Reaching out a trembling hand, he lifted the screen of the carriage, as the heavy snowfall immediately poured in through the window.
Raising his hand, he allowed a piece of snow to fall into his palm.
The Master’s gaze, which was well past his prime, unexpectedly lit up.
“Is this the real reason Ping’an ordered the fighting to be stopped for three months?”
“Thinking about the entire world… This is the White Jade City.”
“This old man… is unworthy.”
The Master sighed out loud with a smile.
From this day onward, the era of the Hundred Schools of Philosophy had truly ended.
The falling petals of snow melted, turning into an air current that flowed inside the carriage.
Still, the Master let out a laugh.
“Even so, this old man can bloom with a light like a scorching sun, even in the dusk of his life. This way, there will be no regrets.”
“It’s just a pity that going to the Lake Island to spend my last days…”
“Is probably no longer possible.”
******
Zijin Palace, Royal Garden.
As snow fell from the sky…
Yuwen Xiu carried a wooden barrel containing raw meat, as an old eunuch led two younger eunuchs standing behind him.
He took pieces of raw meat and threw them into the lake, as the Black Dragon devoured them at a rapid pace.
Yuwen Xiu’s eyes narrowed as he smiled dotingly, watching the Black Dragon gulping down the raw meat.
Suddenly…
With a piece of raw meat in its jaw, the Black Dragon raised its head to stare at the changing sky.
In its eyes, a gleam of excitement suddenly appeared.
Tossing aside the raw meat, the Black Dragon opened its mouth to let out a loud dragon’s roar.
The layer of ice covering the surface of the green pond began to crack apart, the water from the pond rising up between the cracks.
Yuwen Xiu was immediately taken aback, not knowing why the Black Dragon was suddenly in a frenzy.
******
It was not just the capital city and Beiluo City.
The biggest reactions were at the frontier garrisons of the three counties, which were considered to be the bloodiest fields of battle.
South County.
The figure formed by the accumulation of dirt lost all its elegance and indifference.
The strategic mindset he initially had was now shattered into pieces, as though it had been crushed!
Raising his head, he looked at the sky, which was releasing ripples of Spirit Qi.
The color of his face instantly changed.
“This is… The aura of the Earth’s Origin?!”
The burly man was dumbfounded.
The Earth’s Origin?
Why would the Earth’s Origin be born? Was this not a Low Level Martial World?
“No… This world is leveling up! It’s going to become… a Mid Level Martial World!”
The burly man seemed to have thought of something, as his entire body quivered.
As for all the people in South County, they also underwent tremendous changes.
The Dragon Gate in South County began to quake.
The Coiled Dragon began to roll about in the mud, growling in excitement.
Within the Dragon Gate, a majestic Spirit Qi storm swept through. Like a hurricane, it rushed out of the Dragon Gate, fanning out and spreading across the various parts of South County.
Nanjin City.
Sima Qingshan, who was seated atop the city walls, suddenly opened his eyes.
His mind suddenly became clear, and he looked up in the sky in disbelief.
He seemed to hear hints of a resounding and commanding voice in his ears.
Sima Qingshan had spent three months among the terracotta warriors condensing his Spirit Qi to its peak state through his painting. At this moment…
The shackles in his mind were violently broken apart.
He practiced the painting cultivation method passed on to him by an Immortal, and it was as though he could clearly visualize how the Spirit Qi was flowing within his own body.
In this instant…
He seemed to have a lucky breakthrough, entering into the Internal Organs Realm!
A majestic Spirit Qi was coming from within South County, transforming into a vortex that was gathering and funneling on top of his head.
It was a baptism of Spirit Qi scouring Sima Qingshan’s body.
On the battlefield…
Tang Yimo used his Eight Meridians Escaping Demonic Technique, absorbing the Spirit Qi, as the cool Spirit Qi allowed him to heal his injuries.
Jing Yue gripped the Jing Heaven Sword, as he stood in place, entering into a deep meditative state.
Before his very eyes, there seemed to be a surging wave of golden light, blending together with his sword spirit…
The sword spirit that had given him an initial insight now seemed to soar rapidly.
This left Jing Yue with an inexplicable feeling of pleasure.
It felt as though…
Long ago, when he encountered enemies he could not defeat, he would escape at tremendous speeds. He had the same kind of feeling when his enemies wanted to hit him but could not, a sense of… comfort.
It was not only Jing Yue who felt this.
In the Daoist Pavilion, Xie Yunling and many students also felt it.
Additionally, the swordsmen of the Sword Pavilion seemed to sense the surging Spirit Qi in the world at this moment and began their transformation.
All of this was seen by the burly man, as his expression grew more and more ugly.
******
South County.
The evil bald Buddhist monk and man of light incarnated as a blonde man raised their heads in disbelief.
On top of Hurao Gate…
The unshaven corners of Nie Changqing’s mouth perked up unconsciously.
Raising his hand, a butcher’s knife immediately shot into his hand.
He sat cross-legged on top of the city gates, letting out a chuckle that lingered in the city gates.
“I get it now… So the reason the Young Master stopped the fighting for three months was all for this moment?”
“As expected of the Young Master, he knows everything.”
Nie Changqing laughed out loud.
Four Spirit Qi swirls appeared on his body, greedily swallowing the Spirit Qi that was fanning out and being released from the Dongyan River Dragon Gate. The Spirit Qi swirl at his heart began to condense gradually. His internal organs… would soon be shaped!
Nie Changqing looked toward Mingyue and said, “Girl, seize this rare encounter.”
Her ten fingers were bleeding, and she was wearing a veil.
Mingyue was startled and also felt the changes in the world.
She hurriedly began to practice her cultivation.
On the battlefield outside Hurao Gate…
The Overlord was exuding Demonic Qi from his entire body. Wielding an axe in one hand and a shield in the other, he felt the white snow falling from the sky on his body, feeling the rich Spirit Qi embodied within the snow.
He suddenly burst out in laughter.
“The heavens… have not forsaken our Western Liang!”
In the next instant, a huge swirl formed above the Overlord’s head, as it sucked in Spirit Qi.
Lv Mudui and Mo Liuqi had already assumed cross-legged positions long ago.
In the instant that the Earth’s Origin was condensed…
All the cultivators in the world felt something.
Everyone in the world experienced the same thing.
Everyone wanted to seize this rare opportunity.
After the initial shock, the evil bald Buddhist monk had a bottomless ferocity in his eyes.
“Kill!”
The man of light also nodded.
Looking each other in the eyes, the aura of a Peak Foundation Building level was frantically released.
At this moment, neither of them was planning to hold back.
It was because they discovered that something about this Low Level Martial World… was strange!
Boom!
The evil bald Buddhist monk stepped out, and it was as though fresh blood was surging, and countless wailing souls were churning.
Even so…
He only took a single step forward and did not dare to make another move.
The reason was…
Very faintly…
Through the misty Spirit Qi, they seemed to be able to see…
A figure seated in a wheelchair slowly opening his eyes to look at them impassively.
A single look.
It was enough to take their courage to continue to act… and reduce it to nothing.