"Bang!"
Jiang Yi's body crashed heavily onto the floor; the back of his head even made brief contact with the floor. But he could obviously feel that Leng Qianqian withdrew some strength in her fist, or else his ribs would have been shattered.
"Haha! My Dragon Elephant Fist is finally at Phenomenal Stage! This hundred taels purple gold is well spent. Lone Wolf, you are seriously amazing…"
Jiang Yi just managed to stand up, but Leng Qianqian shot towards him again, bringing along another fist to his chest. Jiang Yi's body was sent flying again with a 'boom', just like a kite.
"Ss, ss…"
Jiang Yi's edge of the mouth twitched in pain. He struggled to stand again, just to see Leng Qianqian dashing at him violently. He then frantically shouted, "Since I helped you achieve Phenomenal Stage for your martial skill, why are you hitting me?"
"Haha! Lone Wolf, sorry about that!"
Leng Qianqian let out two heartily laughs, fists flying across like shooting stars. A voice that was like the 'gong' of the bell rang again. "I like hitting people when I am angry. When I am happy… I too like to hit people! Just bear with me!"
Mad bitch!
Jiang Yi cursed silently. He could see Leng Qianqian's fist approaching again so he shouted in panic, "Hold on, Miss Leng. My martial skills were just learned a few days ago. If you have the guts to wait for a few days, shall we see who will be beaten up?"
"Just a few days? Are you sure you can defeat me?" Leng Qianqian's fist stopped in mid-air. She saw the unwilling expression from Jiang Yi and withdrew her punch. "Sure, I shall wait a few days for you! If you still can't defeat me by then, I will beat you up so badly that your mom can't recognize you."
Jiang Yi stood up. He nodded as he gently rubbed on his aching chest. "It is a promise, but you have to restrain your strength like now because your cultivation stage is much higher than mine…"
"Sure!"
Leng Qianqian smirked and thoughtlessly reached out her hand. She pulled on the robes of Jiang Yi and walked out. She was smiling as she walked and said, "Come, kid. This sister is pleased today and shall treat you to some wine. We shall not return until we are drunk. Heh heh, I shall see how will that Tingyu hussy defeat me during the recruitment ceremony of the Mt. Spirit Beast College?"
No wonder this young mistress is as equally famous as Ji Tingyu. Her temperament is too intrepid!
Jiang Yi sighed in his heart but rejected: "I still need to continue my sparring sessions. Do you think I am like you? You are an invaluable young mistress while I am just a lowly sparring partner."
"Is it like this? Sure, I will come back to look for you then."
Leng Qianqian nodded and didn't force Jiang Yi. She picked up her long robes and energetically walked out. She then reached out her hand and patted on Manager Yang's shoulder while laughing. "Old Yang, your sparring partner ain't half bad. This hundred taels purple gold is worth it."
Leng Qianqian's words excited those young masters and mistresses who were waiting in the queue. She was affirmed that Jiang Yi did have the ability to help others to achieve Phenomenal Stage on their martial skills, which further increased the queue.
Jiang Yi recuperated for two hours before going in the room again. It was lucky that the other two partners weren't as valiant as Leng Qianqian, which he could deal with ease.
After three sessions, Manager Yang allowed Jiang Yi the rest that he needed. He rejected all the subsequent requests and asked Jiang Yi to go back to his room for rest. Manager Yang knew that having a long-term plan would be much better. If Jiang Yi was to be overworked or injured, it wouldn't be worthwhile. He would rather continue having only three sparring sessions a day to bring up the expectations of these young masters and mistresses.
Jiang Yi was rather relieved. Having only to go for three sessions a day allowed him sufficient time to cultivate and recuperate. If he had to spar a dozen sessions a day like before, he would probably be worked to death.
For the next few days, Jiang Yi would spar for three sessions in the mornings. He would then cultivate without any rest during the afternoons and evenings. The days passed by peacefully. He didn't need to utilize any of the Jiang Clan's martial skills either. He would only rely on the Extreme Divine Steps and Buddha Palm to fight his opponents. Without the appearance of the top ten prodigies, Jiang Yi could easily deal with his opponents using his current strength.
What made Jiang Yi displeased was that there were members from the Ma and Jiang Clan within the queue for his sparring sessions. Once they knew of a sparring partner who could help assist martial artists achieve Phenomenal Stage on their martial skills, various clans sent their elite clansmen to the Martial Arts Hall.
Jiang Yi fought rather awkwardly against the members of the Ma and the Jiang Clan as he was constantly worrying that they would recognize by him.
But Jiang Yi's worries were redundant. Except for the Jiang clansmen of collateral lineage, those elites didn't even see him in the eyes. He was now wearing a mask and using the martial skills from the Martial Arts Hall, how could anyone recognize him? As for the Ma Clan, apart from Ma Fei, the rest of them would naturally be unable to tell that he was Jiang Yi. What's more, Ma Fei's dantian was ruined, why would he be at the Martial Arts Hall?
A few days later, young mistress Leng Qianqian, who was even more intrepid than most men, didn't appear anymore. It was unknown whether she went into training seclusion again. Jiang Yi was rather pleased and at ease. But even if she was to come again, he wasn't afraid, because… his Extreme Divine Steps and Buddha Palm were already at Phenomenal Stage.
Could it really be the effects of the black essence force?
Jiang Yi was full of suspicion himself. Even with his exceptional instincts, he wouldn't be able to achieve Phenomenal Stage for two man-tier superior grade martial skills, using just a few days of sparring sessions. Could he truly possess an Astral Body of the Earth? But if he truly had the Astral Body of the Earth, why wasn't he able to comprehend martial skills so quickly like this?
The next few days were rather serene. Jiang Yi would carry out his three sparring sessions and spend the rest of the time either breaking the seal or cultivating. As the breaking of the seals increased in pace, so did his cultivation speed drastically improve.
Two weeks. Give me another two weeks, and I will finally break through to the fourth stage of the Cast Tripod Realm. I will then… finally be able to go home.
Thinking about Jiang Xiaonu back at home, Jiang Yi felt even more imperative. He extended his cultivation time and slept only four hours a day.
Since he arrived at the Martial Arts Hall for two months, Jiang Xiaonu didn't send any news from home. He knew that Jiang Ruhu wouldn't go find trouble with her, but just in case he would.
After ten days, two pieces of huge news came from the Martial Arts Hall and shocked the entire Skyplume City.
On the same day, two of the top ten prodigies exited from seclusion, each having breakthroughs. Jiang Henshui and Ji Tingyu both broke through to the ninth stage of the Cast Tripod Realm. Ji Tingyu, who was five months younger than Jiang Henshui, became the youth generation's well-deserved no.1 while Jiang Henshui was now suppressing Leng Qianqian who was no.2.
The Ji and Jiang Clan were both delighted. They ordered all their clansmen to return and celebrate their breakthroughs. To achieve the ninth stage of Cast Tripod Realm at such age would mean that they would be able to enroll in the Mt. Spirit Beast College no doubt.
As one of the three major colleges of the continent, Mt. Spirit Beast College didn't belong to any of the vassal states. But those that enrolled in the college and successfully graduated would definitely be sought after by the various vassal states. They were expected to have lots of achievements in their bright future.
With the two of them breaking through, it was the worst news for the rest of the geniuses. Because the Mt. Spirit Beast College was only going to recruit five students, and now the enrollment spots were left with only three. With Leng Qianqian's intrepid combat strength, she might take up one spot. In other words, they would all have to fight for the two remaining spots.
Jiang Henshui, Jiang Rulong, and the rest of the Jiang clansmen went back to the Jiang's residence. It allowed Jiang Yi to be rather relieved. He was most fearful of going against Jiang Henshui. The two of them spent their childhood years together, and they even met previously at the Alchemy lab. If they were to meet in combat, Jiang Henshui might probably identify him.
Within this period of time, Jiang Yi spared some time to comprehend the Exploding Essence Palm. But due to the two and a half missing pages, along with the missing crucial technique on essence force compression, Jiang Yi's insane martial skills instinct wasn't able to be fully utilized. He was wholeheartedly trying to break through to the fourth stage of the Cast Tripod Realm and didn't have sufficient time to comprehend the Exploding Essence Palm; hence, he didn't bother about it.
Five days later, Jiang Yi walked out from his room and, as usual, sparred with three members of the various clans. Manager Yang's expression was filled with satisfaction when he saw Jiang Yi. After all, Jiang Yi did help the Martial Arts Hall profit quite a bit during this time. He was beginning to favor Jiang Yi quite a bit.
Unexpectedly, Jiang Yi didn't go into the Technique Practicing Room for any spars, but he came over to Manager Yang instead and whispered, "Manager, I want to ask for two days of leave of absence. I wish to head back home."
"Mm?" Manager Yang's brows lifted. He scanned Jiang Yi's body, and his eyes quickly brightened. He whispered in reply, "Lone Wolf, have you broken through to the fourth stage of the Cast Tripod Realm?"
The eyes under Jiang Yi's mask were filled with excitement and delight. With his constant diligence in cultivation, the endless supply of Spirit Divine Elixirs from Manager Yang, and the enhancement of the elixirs' effects using his black essence force, it allowed Jiang Yi to increase his cultivation stage from second to the fourth stage of the Cast Tripod Realm in just a few months. He finally had some strength to protect himself and could finally return home.
"Alright then!"
Although unwilling, Manager Yang still nodded. "It will be good for you to rest for two days. But since you have already attained the fourth stage of the Cast Tripod Realm, the Martial Arts Hall will not be supplying you another more elixirs. It would be hard to use elixirs to improve your cultivation stage anyway. Of course… the money that you earned in the Martial Arts Hall could be used to purchase earth-tier elixirs to assist your cultivation. I will ask the men to give you a discount."
Jiang Yi didn't think so far ahead. He, who was previously a sealed trash, managed to attain the fourth stage of the Cast Tripod Realm in a few months. With the assistance of the black essence force, his overall combat strength could barely match the top ten prodigies of the city. What else could he be unsatisfied about?
Ignoring the young masters and young mistresses who were in the queue, Jiang Yi bid Manager Yang farewell and quickly headed out of the Martial Arts Hall. The moment he stepped out of the Martial Arts Hall and breathed in the fresh air outside, Jiang Yi felt an overwhelming satisfaction. He wished he could yell out towards the sky to release his pent-up stress during this period of time.
"Swish!"
Circulating the blue essence force, he dashed forward with lightning speed. Due to his Lone Wolf's mask, it attracted a lot of attention from the people in the plaza.
Quickly turning into an uninhabited alley, Jiang Yi took off his mask and wore his original black warrior's robe. He even put on a mantle before sprinting in the alley. He finally arrived at the west gate of Jiang's residence in thirty minutes.
Xiaonu, I am finally back. Young Master is back!
In a flash, Jiang Yi rushed into the Western Court of the Jiang's residence before the doors had any reaction. As he approached his own little courtyard, his pace of footsteps turned urgent, even his delicate face was filled with emotions.
"Bang!"
The doors of the courtyard were shut. Jiang Yi immediately pushed it open with force and strode in with large steps as he shouted, "Xiaonu, Xiaonu, Young Master is back!"
The entire courtyard was in silence, not a single voice could be heard. Jiang Yi's expression changed. He quickly rushed into the house and searched through the entire courtyard but couldn't find anyone.
"Xiaonu, Xiaonu, where are you?!"
He couldn't help but roar as he had this bad feeling in his heart. His face contorted into a terrifying expression, just like this sinister look of his Lone Wolf's mask.
Jiang Yi yelled out numerous times, but the entire courtyard had no reply. His expression was turning unpleasant as his eyes flickered constantly, his entire body trembling severely. In this world, his only close relative was Jiang Xiaonu. If she ended up dead, Jiang Yi didn't know if he would go crazy.
Chunya! Yes, I have to look for Chunya!
Jiang Yi suddenly awakened from realization and frantically ran outside. Chunya's residence was just nearby, and she would definitely know where Xiaonu went.
Shh-shh-shh!
As Jiang Yi took a single step out of his courtyard, he saw a tanned and lean lass walking over. She was terrified when she saw the sinister expression of Jiang Yi. Her body trembled as she stuttered, "Young Master Jiang Yi, you… you are back."
"Chunya!"
Seeing Chunya in this pitiful state, Jiang Yi's heart sank again as he sprinted towards her. Before he was even near to her, he yelled, "Chunya, where is Xiaonu?"
Chunya's body trembled once again; she took two steps back and forced a smile, "Young Master Jiang Yi. Two days ago, Xiaonu said… she was going to visit a relative. She will only be back after two weeks."
"Bullsh*t!"
Jiang Yi shouted coldly as his body circulated his essence force, releasing an imposing aura that put pressure on her so much that Chunya nearly couldn't breathe. He grabbed Chunya's arm and said coldly, "Chunya, stop your nonsense. Xiaonu and I are both orphans, what relatives do we have? Don't be afraid… tell me the truth. Do you know that I am really worried about her?"
Chunya lowered her head and began to mumble. Her eyes were filled with the dilemma, but she finally clenched her teeth and replied, "Young Master Jiang Yi, Xiaonu is fine. You don't have to worry. She will be back in two weeks."
"Huh…"
Jiang Yi let out a long breath; it was fine as long as Jiang Xiaonu wasn't dead. He tried his best to remain calm so that his tonality could sound more at ease. "Where did she go? Chunya, don't lie to me and tell me everything. Don't be afraid, I will be here no matter what; I will not trouble you."
"Young Master Jiang Yi, stop asking!"
Chunya stomped hard and perplexedly said, "You just have to wait for two weeks, and Xiaonu will definitely be back. I promised her not to say anything."
Seeing how Chunya was, Jiang Yi surprisingly calmed down. He sighed and gestured his hand, "Oh! Then you should head back first. I will wait for half a month."
As if relieved from a burden, Chunya nodded and walked into the courtyard. She turned around to take a peek at Jiang Yi. She could only let out a breath of relief after reaching her home. She then quickly ran into one of the rooms.
The room was small, and it was filled with the smell of herbs. A frail body was lying on the bed: half the body was wrapped in bandages which had subtle blood stains. Half of the delicate face was swollen like a meat bun while the eyes were rather tensed up. Seeing Chunya walking in, a gentle voice could be heard: "Chunya, has the Young Master truly left?"
"En…" Chunya patted on her chest and stuck out her tongue as she replied, "Young Master Jiang Yi scared me to death. I nearly told him the truth. Xiaonu, are you sure you want to cover up the truth from Young Master Jiang Yi? If he found out about this, he would surely be mad."
Jiang Xiaonu's expression dimmed down and sighed quietly. "What should I do if I don't hide from him? How can I let Young Master see how I look like now…?"
"Why can't you show me how you look?"
Right at this moment, an indifferent voice interrupted the words of Jiang Xiaonu. The doors were forcefully opened, and a black figure strode in with a cold gaze and an infuriated expression.
When he saw Jiang Xiaonu wrapped in bandages, his body stopped moving entirely. The anger on his face vanished, and his eyes were filled with heartache. He stood by the door and looked at Jiang Xiaonu from afar. He only sighed after a moment and spoke out three words, "Who did this?"
"Young—young Master!" Jiang Xiaonu panicked, her eyes filled with fear. She knew her young master all too well; he doted on her from a young age. Every time she got bullied, he would risk his life to get revenge. It was the same issue with the Fengyue Brothel.
She paused for a moment, shook her head, and replied, "Young Master, Xiaonu accidentally fell and hurt herself…"
"Shut up!"
Jiang Yi yelled suddenly and interrupted Jiang Xiaonu. He turned to look at Chunya and shouted, "Chunya! You say it!"
Jiang Yi's imposing aura was much denser than before, and his eyes were overflowing with killing aura which frightened Chunya so much that she dared not speak. She hesitated for a moment before clenching her teeth to speak, "Young Master Jiang Yi. It's Young Master Hu, Young Master Jiang Bao, and Jiang Song… Two days ago, the three of them came to your place and asked Xiaonu where you went. Xiaonu didn't want to tell them; thus, they beat her up. Had it not been that I was early… Xiaonu might have died in their hands."
"Enough!"
After hearing Chunya's explanation, Jiang Yi's expression quickly settled down. He retrieved a piece of golden leaf and tossed it to Chunya. "Chunya, go find a good physician for Xiaonu. Take good care of her, and I will be back shortly."
"Young Master!"
Jiang Xiaonu's expression immediately changed. She struggled to sit up and yelled desperately, "Young Master, don't be rash. Xiaonu is fine, ouch…"
Due to her abrupt movements, Jiang Xiaonu aggravated her wounds and couldn't help but shed tears. Even so, her eyes were locked onto Jiang Yi as she desperately shook her head.
Shh-shh-shh!
What made Jiang Xiaonu lost hope was that Jiang Yi turned a deaf ear and turned around with an ashen face, without leaving behind any words.
"Young Master! Young Master!"
Jiang Xiaonu shouted non-stop, but Jiang Yi's footsteps sounded like it was getting further. She then turned to plead Chunya, "Chunya, quickly go stop my Young Master. He cannot go; he is going to be beaten to death…"
"Xiaonu, don't move! I can't stop Young Master Jiang Yi. No one can!"
Chunya shook her head and helped Jiang Xiaonu to lie down. Chunya didn't appear as panicky as before, but her eyes were glistering. She looked in the direction where Jiang Yi left and pursed up her lips, "Xiaonu, don't worry! I feel that Young Master Jiang Yi isn't like before. You don't know that feeling I felt earlier. It was just as horrifying as seeing the Clan Head…"
…
"Pong, Pong, Pong…!"
Jiang Clan's Disciplinary Court was suddenly echoed with the dull rings of the bell. The Deputy Elder of the Disciplinary Court—Jiang Yunshi, who was having his tea, nearly dropped his teacup. On the outside of the Disciplinary Court was a bell meant for grievances—which any clansmen who met with any acts of vengeance or grievances—could use to alert the Disciplinary Court.
It was a part of the Jiang Clan's rules that anyone who sounded the bell of grievances would need to be attended to. But clan rules were just rules. The clansmen of the Jiang Clan—all saw the Disciplinary Court as a demonic existence; who would dare to make a ding at the Disciplinary Court?
The Chief Elder position of the Disciplinary Court had always been held by Grand Elder Jiang Yunhai. But after the disappearance of the Grand Elder, the Clan Head appointed Jiang Yunshi as Deputy Elder who held control of all affairs regarding the Disciplinary Court. Jiang Yunshi was just a Deputy Elder, but he held quite a bit of authority within the Jiang Clan.
He was currently nicknamed by the Jiang clansmen as "Yama's Face" due to him always having this angered look.
Jiang Yunshi walked to the front in a hurry and yelled furiously at one of the Jiang's guardsmen, "Which bastard is ringing the bell outside?! Bring him in!"
The one who rang the bell was brought in quickly. Jiang Yunshi hadn't seen this clansman before so he then burst out yelling, "What grievances do you have? The clan just began our celebratory feast yesterday, and you are here complaining about a grievance? If there isn't any, you better be careful—I will break your leg!"
"Jiang Yi pays his respects to Deputy Elder of the Disciplinary Court!"
The person who came was obviously Jiang Yi. He entered the Disciplinary Court, which every clansman feared, like a tiger yet remained calm as ever. He paid his respects to Jiang Yunshi before speaking, "If I rang the bell, it means I have a grievance to report. I want to report of Jiang Ruhu, Jiang Bao, and Jiang Song. They had beaten up my servant girl, Jiang Xiaonu, without any valid reason, causing her to have severe injuries and even almost lose her life. I plead for the Disciplinary Court to punish them."
The four guardsmen within the Disciplinary Court had a change in expression; they looked at Jiang Yi with pity when they heard Jiang Yi greeted Jiang Yunshi as 'Deputy Elder'. Jiang Yunshi was indeed Deputy Elder, but who would dare to come in the Disciplinary Court and not addressed him as Chief Elder? This clansman was so ignorant and still dared to report on the son of the Chief Supervisor? Did he just hang himself, or was he tired of living?
Before Jiang Yi even finished his sentence, Jiang Yunshi's expression turned severe. He slammed his hand on the table and spoke furiously, "Do such minute matters require you to ring for grievance? Do Jiang Ruhu and the trio have any problem with their brains? Why would they beat up your servant girl without any reason? If you didn't provoke them, would they do it to you? Get your ass back and cultivate. If you dare create any more disturbance, I shall lay out severe punishment and with no forgiveness—hmph!"
"As I expected…"
Jiang Yi let out a sneer and didn't continue. He bowed with cupped fist and headed out. This Jiang Yunshi was the young blood brother of the Clan Head, Jiang Yunshan. The Chief Supervisor Jiang Yunshe was the cousin brother of Jiang Yunshi. Their lineage held most of the Jiang Clan's authority. If someone wanted to report Jiang Yunshe's son, Jiang Yunshi would naturally side with their own lineage.
Jiang Yi never once thought he could rely on the Disciplinary Court. He just wanted the Disciplinary Court to know that he wasn't creating trouble for no reason. For no reason… he didn't flip out.
Leaving the Disciplinary Court, he headed straight for the Jiang Clan's inner courtyard. He stood in front of an imposing manor and shouted, "Jiang Ruhu, someone is here looking for you."
The gates of the manor opened soon enough. An old servant looked at Jiang Yi with doubt and asked, "Who are you? Young Master Hu went to the Martial Arts Demonstration Court. Go look for him there."
Jiang Yi nodded and turned back to the center courtyard. Fifteen minutes later, he found the Martial Arts Demonstration Court where the clansmen practiced their martial arts. Before he even reached the Martial Arts Demonstration Court, he could hear the yells of the clansmen practicing. It was obvious that there were plenty of clansmen practicing within.
Martial Arts Demonstration Court. It must have been eight years since I came here right?
Looking at the imposing aura emitted by the Martial Arts Demonstration Court, Jiang Yi let out a smirk and took large strides towards the massive hall. He gently pushed the gates and swept in like lightning.
The insides of the Martial Arts Demonstration Court were huge, and there were forty or fifty Jiang clansmen demonstrating their martial skills. The sudden appearance of Jiang Yi attracted the looks of a group of people. After identifying Jiang Yi, around twenty pairs of eyes lit up and looked at each other with excitement.
Jiang Yi finally appeared!
"Ruying, go get my brother!"
Jiang Ruhu, who sat at the corner lazily, suddenly got spirited. He whispered something to Jiang Ruying by his side and asked him to leave by the side gate. Jiang Ruhu then brought a group of men and headed towards Jiang Yi. From far away, he let out a scoff, "Jiang Yi, what are you doing here? Is this place somewhere you should be at?"
Jiang Yi scanned his surroundings and made sure there wasn't any Jiang Clan's expert around. He then sneered and looked around before locking his eyes on Jiang Ruhu. "This place indeed isn't a place meant for me. Had it not been because you guys are here, I truly didn't want to come…"
Finishing his statement, he strode in with large steps and closed the heavy doors. He then swept his gaze across everyone with eyes like a saber. Jiang Yi declared, "Everyone, listen up. Today, I only want the 6 legs of Jiang Ruhu, Jiang Bao, and Jiang Song. The rest of you better stand aside, or else… you shall bear the consequences."
"Wow! "
The entire Martial Arts Demonstration Court went into commotion. Many of the Jiang clansmen thought they heard wrongly. There were at least a dozen clansmen who were of the fourth or the fifth stage of the Cast Tripod Realm, how could Jiang Yi be this brazen? What's more, this Martial Arts Demonstration Court was an important facility of the Jiang Clan, and Jiang Yi dared to declare war here? Wasn't he clearly challenging the prowess of the Disciplinary Court?
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