Chapter 544: Chapter 542: Chi Xue Dojo
"Of course I’m serious."
Xu Yang wasn’t joking with Shi Hu.
After all, this guy once gave him a Spiritual Boat.
Seeing Xu Yang’s expression, Shi Hu immediately remembered the results of their bet, and his face instantly darkened.
He calmed down right away, sneered, and said, "You think I’ll fall for it again?"
"I’m not betting with you!"
Thinking of Xu Yang’s monstrous abilities and those unfathomable tricks, Shi Hu didn’t hesitate to give up his covetousness for the Ink Cloud Boat—no matter how he played, he’d lose.
Xu Yang looked helpless, sighed, and said, "This is you backing out, then."
"No matter what, I’m not betting!"
Shi Hu’s attitude was adamant.
"Then forget it."
Xu Yang waved his hand and looked inside himself.
After finishing cultivation, he hadn’t had the chance to check his progress.
Nearly three months of bitter cultivation under the secret realm tree had given him a massive boost.
His Spirit Mark surged all the way to seven feet three inches.
Minghuo had also improved greatly; his overall cultivation reached the High-tier True Monarch level, and he was almost at the verge of breaking through to True Monarch Perfection.
"The others are advancing quickly, too. By then, Xiao Ming’s strength will probably be even greater."
Xu Yang felt a heavy weight in his heart, hoping to gain something at the Chi Xue Dojo.
"Tell me more about this Chi Xue Dojo."
"Alright."
...
Chi Xue Dojo was huge.
It was built amid a vast, ancient mountain range, one of the oldest in the Spirit Realm.
Most of the mountain range was within the dojo’s scope.
Hills rose and fell, ancient trees towered over the land, giant stones stood everywhere.
Among the mountains were winding jade pathways, pavilions, towers, and corridors, along with endless stairways interwoven in all directions.
It truly looked like a hidden ancient sect, concealed in the mighty old mountains.
"So this is Chi Xue Dojo?"
Xu Yang was quite surprised.
Words could never compare to seeing it with your own eyes.
The sight and arrangement, like a ’hidden ancient sect’, made him slightly doubt Shi Hu’s description.
Would a place like this really have fierce competition?
No matter how he looked at it, it didn’t seem that way.
Shi Hu said blandly, "That’s just appearance. Inside, it’s set up very much like a sect; but once people start fighting, it’s a different story."
"Of course, the arrangements inside were set up by top-tier Shenxiao Grand Sovereigns. Very hard to damage."
Xu Yang looked thoughtful, gazing at everything from afar.
He looked up at the sky.
There was a blurry arc of light, shimmering slightly under the sunlight.
"That’s a restriction barrier, covering the entire dojo. Unless you have the strength of a top-tier Shenxiao Grand Sovereign, you can’t break it," explained Shi Hu.
At that moment, a sudden howl came from behind.
The two turned simultaneously.
They saw seven or eight Martial Artists flying toward them.
"You two still hanging around here? It’s lively inside."
There were both middle-aged and young people; seeing Xu Yang and Shi Hu, so young and yet at High-tier True Monarch realm, they couldn’t help but give a tip.
It’s lively?
Xu Yang and Shi Hu exchanged glances; Shi Hu quickly asked, "Something happening inside?"
"Rumor has it the Blood Ming Divine Sparrow is about to awaken!"
"We’re heading in!"
With that, the group dashed in.
"Blood Ming Divine Sparrow... damn!" Shi Hu suddenly sucked in a breath, his eyes ablaze. He slapped Xu Yang’s shoulder excitedly, "Come on, move!"
"Talk while we walk."
Xu Yang instantly shut his mouth.
"The Blood Ming Divine Sparrow is an ancient beast raised by Chi Xue—the dojo master. Its background is huge, bloodline extremely powerful; they say in ancient times, when these sparrows were abundant, they ruled whole regions of the Spirit Realm!"
"Chi Xue only got his status in the Spirit Realm because of a Blood Ming Divine Sparrow; even top forces avoid offending him."
"After all, with a Blood Ming Divine Sparrow, he’s basically equivalent to two top-tier Shenxiao Grand Sovereigns!"
Shi Hu spoke rapidly, "Rumor is, every time the Blood Ming Divine Sparrow wakes from its slumber, it exhales once—this breath benefits Martial Artists tremendously."
"Even more incredible than those two treasures I mentioned earlier."
Xu Yang was slightly surprised, spoke sternly, "Enough with the nonsense."
"Hmpf."
"If you can withstand its breath, it’s like being reborn; a top-notch Shenxiao ancient beast refining your body. Just imagine—that’s a world-class upgrade!"
Shi Hu’s eyes glowed; he was feverish, "At the very least, our strength would increase by forty to fifty percent; breaking through to True Monarch Perfection is a cinch."
"With my strength, even without lasting long, say half an hour of the tempering would equal a hundred drops of Divine Demon Blood, dozens of Holy Elephant Jade Bones—the boost is even greater!"
Damn!
Hearing this, Xu Yang was finally moved.
The two dashed into the dojo at lightning speed.
Xu Yang immediately felt an invisible pressure and restraint engulf the space.
Completely isolated from the outside.
The air was thick with Evil Qi and a killing intent.
"This dojo is divided into Eighteen Gates of Nine Turns!"
Shi Hu quickly explained, pointing at the road ahead: "Go forward, there’re tons of forks and twists, pick any, and you’ll encounter puppets blocking the way. Beat them, and you move on."
"Each segment has two gates, marked at the entrance, and the puppets are strongest there."
"As for what benefits you gain, it’s all up to luck!"
"Only by passing through all Eighteen Gates of Nine Turns can you reach the Blood Ming Divine Sparrow’s sleeping ground!"
"What are we waiting for?"
Xu Yang grinned, dashed forward.
"Are we going together?" Shi Hu shouted.
"Need my help?" Xu Yang called back, without turning his head.
"Hmpf!"
Shi Hu’s face darkened as he snorted, choosing a different jade path from Xu Yang’s.
Xu Yang chuckled, charging ahead along his road.
After passing through a forest and turning around a mountain, a towering, hulking figure appeared.
"This puppet—such strong spiritual power!"
Xu Yang’s eyes narrowed.
The puppet blocking the path was cast in ancient bronze, massive in stature, with intricate blood-red spirit marks engraved on its chest. Its eyes gleamed with twin sparks of crimson, looking especially eerie.
The rich spiritual force around it made it seem almost alive.
"Looks like it’s truly something special!"
Recalling Shi Hu’s introduction, Xu Yang smiled and suddenly accelerated.
Buzz!
The puppet’s blood-red eyes twisted, spirit marks on its body awakened, and a thin layer of blood light enveloped it.
In that instant, it seemed alive.
"Kill!"
The puppet roared, unleashing the aura of an Initial Stage True Monarch. A blood-red blade materialized in its hand. Taking a step, it sent a torrent of blade strikes crashing toward Xu Yang.
Such overwhelming blade intent exploded forth.
But, the puppet was far too weak.
Xu Yang flashed in close, his body shuddering, like a tilted ancient mountain, smashing apart the blade light and clashing with the puppet.
Boom!
The puppet was struck like lightning; the blood glow shattered, the spirit marks on its chest twisted violently and tangled together, sending it flying backward in disarray.
But it wasn’t truly injured.
"Huh?"
Xu Yang raised his brows in surprise, looking incredulously at the puppet that fell to the ground, then climbed up again.
