Chapter 247: Chapter 222: Leader of the Forbidden Guard Army, Xiang Chongyang_1
The progress of Cold Magic Palm surged rapidly.
Cold Magic Palm is a top martial art. Using weapons of second-class martial food was of no use, it needed third-class martial food, hence the progress was extremely slow.
After he had formed the Martial Arts Avatar, he lingered at the beginner stage, so when fighting with the people of the Yan Clan, he didn’t use it.
Before long, the Cold Magic Palm entered the stage of Slight Achievement. The progress was continuous as it soared past the stage of Integration and landed on the stage of almost Mastery at 80%, and then it stopped.
You have to understand that this is a top-tier martial art. The energy consumed in order to improve it is many times more than that consumed by first-tier martial arts.
A section of wooden stake, directly achieved almost Mastery at 80%, not far from Reaching the Peak of Perfection. Lu Yan hypothesized that the power of this wooden stake is close to one of the Immortal Bones obtained from Kunwu Mountain.
He made a huge profit with fifty thousand taels of silver.
It is worth noting that Guan Shan had cultivated for more than a hundred years, and his Cold Magic Palm was just at the stage of Mastery.
After practicing the Cold Magic Palm, Lu Yan’s palms instantly turned snowy white, releasing chilly sensations.
Lu Yan leaned on the wooden table and immediately a layer of frost appeared on the surface of the table.
"Cold Magic Palm at the level of Mastery already has considerable power. If I confront a person from the Yan Clan now, I can restrain their Flame Gold God Fist."
Lu Yan was quite satisfied.
...
At dinner time, Lu Yan ordered eight dishes on the ground floor of the inn.
All were Martial Food, including two of the third-class, two of the second-class, and four of the first-class.
All were dishes that Lu Yan had never tried before.
In Mingwang City, Martial Food was not rationed.
Once satiated with food and wine.
"Boy, I want to ask, do you know where Xiang Chongyang lives?"
Lu Yan asked the young waiter at the inn.
"Xiang Chongyang? According to what I’ve heard, there are three people named that in Mingwang City. Which one are you looking for?"
The waiter replied.
"The one who broke through to the True Body Realm a century ago, the gifted individual of the Mansion of King Ming."
Lu Yan replied.
"Ah? It turns out you are looking for him. He is now one of the ten leaders of the Forbidden Guard Army of Mingwang City, famous throughout Mingwang City. His residence is at South City..."
The waiter elaborated the address in detail.
"Thank you."
Lu Yan took out a silver ticket worth twenty taels from his pocket and handed it to the waiter.
The waiter was elated about receiving it.
Lu Yan returned to his room. The following morning he arrived early at the manor of Xiang Chongyang.
"So it’s here..."
Lu Yan shook his head and chuckled.
He had visited this place before based on the indications from the Tao Book and even now, by tuning into the Tao Book, he could still sense traces of Dao Food.
"It’s you again? Here to scrutinize again as usual. What’s your intention?"
A gatekeeper recognized Lu Yan, his expression turned cold and started scolding him.
"Brother, could you check if Commander Xiang is around? My master is an old friend of the Commander. I have a crucial matter to discuss with Commander Xiang."
Lu Yan bowed and spoke politely.
"You are the disciple of a friend of the Commander? Why are you behaving in a suspicious manner?"
The gatekeeper evidently didn’t believe him.
"Brother, the matter is urgent. Please make a report. It will be hard for both of us to endure the blame if we lose time."
Lu Yan spurred his inner strength. His body glittered and emitted a formidable aura for a moment. Then, he swiftly pulled a silver ticket from his pocket and handed it over.
On it was written the word ’five hundred’.
The gatekeeper wasn’t an ordinary person. He himself was a Martial Marquis. After sensing Lu Yan’s Master-Level aura, he was taken aback. Then he saw the silver ticket that Lu Yan handed over. His face lit up. Quickly securing the silver ticket, he replied, "So you have already reached the Master Level. I didn’t recognize it earlier. The Commander is in today. Just wait for a moment, I will let him know."
Even in the Mansion of King Ming, a Master Level was not a common commodity and held some standing.
After Lu Yan waited for a while, the gatekeeper returned: "The Commander invites you in. Follow me."
Lu Yan followed the gatekeeper into the mansion, took a detour through the veranda, and bypassed two courtyards to finally arrive at a hall.
From afar, he saw a robust figure seated at the top of the hall, engrossed in drinking tea.
"There’s the Commander. I have to leave now. You should go there on your own."
After the gatekeeper finished speaking, he withdrew and left.
Lu Yan arrived at the hall and was about to pay respects, only to see the robust figure looking up at him.
Instantly, Lu Yan felt his hairs stand on end. In his eyes, the robust figure seemed to transform into a formidable long spear, thrusting towards him.
Lu Yan’s inner strength started to circulate unconsciously. After being pushed back five or six steps, he managed to regain his balance.
Once he looked closely, the robust figure remained seated, motionless.
"What a terrifying aura! Like a peerless divine weapon capable of exterminating everything. Unfathomable and horrifying. Is this the might of a True Body Realm expert?"
Lu Yan was shocked.
"You claim to be the disciple of my old friend? You’d better be able to prove it. I, for one, do not appreciate being lied to."
The robust man spoke, his voice was deep. He wasn’t boisterous, yet he exuded a dignity that demanded respect.
"Junior Lu Yan pays his respects to Commander Xiang."
Lu Yan took a deep breath, bowed with clasped hands and took out a jade pendant from his pocket, "Commander, do you recognize this?"
The moment Xiang Chongyang saw the jade pendant, his aura became frightening once more. But it was fleeting and he composed himself, "Where did you find this jade pendant?"
"My teacher is Chu Chenzhou, and naturally, he gave me this jade token," Lu Yan bowed with his hand in a fist.
The jade token was given to Lu Yan by Guan Shan when he was about to leave. It was Chu Chenzhou’s personal item. Xiang Chongyang would definitely recognize it.
"So, you come from Lingdong? I heard your teacher has passed away. Is it true?" Xiang Chongyang said, his expression softening somewhat.
King Ming’s bodyguards had been to Lingdong to investigate the Spirit Sect. It was normal for Xiang Chongyang, one of the ten commanders of King Ming’s Forbidden Guard Army, to know about this.
"Yes, my teacher was of great age, nearing the end of his life. Several years ago, after a battle with the Spirit Sect, he bid farewell to the world," Lu Yan sighed, showing sadness.
Complex emotions flashed across Xiang Chongyang’s eyes. He said, "A century of separation, and I never thought it would be a permanent goodbye."
"What brings you here to see me?" Xiang Chongyang asked.
"Commander, this is a letter written by my fellow student Guan Shan to you. You will understand once you read it," said Lu Yan, presenting a letter.
Xiang Chongyang reached out and the letter flew out, landing in his hand. He opened the letter and began to read closely.
The letter described clearly how Lu Yan, with an Innate Martial Body and mastery over eleven Inner Strengths, wished to join King Ming’s Bodyguards. Guan Shan hoped Xiang Chongyang would recommend him, so in the future, there would be hope for Chu Chenzhou’s spirit to return to the Mansion of King Ming.
Having finished reading, Xiang Chongyang looked at Lu Yan with a somewhat changed expression. "You really mastered eleven Inner Strengths?" he asked.
"Yes," Lu Yan nodded.
"Then, how did you manage to break through to the Grandmaster Level? Even if your teacher was a Martial Chef Grandmaster, he couldn’t help you in that regard," Xiang Chongyang asked.
"It’s because I am resilient," Lu Yan replied.
Xiang Chongyang seemed to understand, "You indeed have exceptional talent."
After a pause, he added, "An Innate Martial Body with eleven Inner Strengths, and having passed the two hurdles of Martial Marquis and Grandmaster, can be considered an extraordinarily gifted person. You have the potential to achieve the Upper True Body. To recommend you to join King Ming’s Bodyguards, you will definitely receive attention. There’s no problem in that."
"However, I cannot simply trust you because of a jade pendant and a letter. Chu Chenzhou’s unique martial art, Cold Magic Palm, how good are you at it? Give me a full-force palm strike," he challenged.
"I hope you will forgive me," Lu Yan replied, readying himself.
He stimulated his eleven Inner Strengths to the extreme, initiating Cold Magic Palm. His palms turned snow-white and crystal clear, radiating intense cold.
With a light yell, he pushed both palms toward Xiang Chongyang.
An intense cold wave spread out, and wherever it passed, the ground turned into a layer of ice crystals, demonstrating its astonishing power.
However, his palms were stopped three feet away from Xiang Chongyang by an invisible wall of air. No matter how much he tried to stimulate his Inner Strength, he could not make progress.
Suddenly, he felt a jolt in the invisible wall. A force, vast as the sea, rushed toward him, causing Lu Yan to involuntarily step back three times, his Qi-blood tumbling.
"So, this is the power of the True Body Realm. It’s absolutely astounding. Even with my full force, while he just sat there motionless, there was absolutely nothing I could do against him. The gap is as large as the difference between heaven and earth," Lu Yan was full of astonishment.
However, he guessed that not all of those in the True Body Realm are this strong.
Xiang Chongyang was naturally a gifted individual. A hundred years ago, he entered the True Body Realm, and now he is even more unfathomable.
"Not bad. Your Cold Magic Palm is quite refined, and you’re not far from achieving mastery. For someone of your age to have cultivated Cold Magic Palm to this level, your comprehension is beyond excellent. Joining King Ming’s Bodyguards and going to the Hidden Dragon Camp for intensive training is a matter already decided," Xiang Chongyang said, showing signs of admiration."
"Of course, being a part of King Ming’s Bodyguards gives one the potential to meet King Ming. The admission process is extremely strict. Only by having a clear investigation of your background, can you officially join," Xiang Chongyang said, nodding at Lu Yan, his eyes expressing approval.
Lu Yan was quietly relieved. Luckily, he ate a piece of Dao Food before coming here, significantly improving his Cold Magic Palm technique. Otherwise, if he could only show a beginner-level Cold Magic Palm, he did not know how he would have explained himself.
"Of course, I can only recommend you. I’m just one of the Forbidden Guard commanders, not a commander of King Ming’s Bodyguards. The decision to let you join King Ming’s Bodyguards is not up to me. Once I report this, you’ll have to wait a few days," Xiang Chongyang said.
"Thank you, senior," said Lu Yan, expressing his gratitude.
"Hmm. Do well and try to bring back Chenzhou’s spirit to the Mansion of King Ming and his ancestral temple as soon as possible, thus fulfilling his last wish," said Xiang Chongyang, his eyes reflecting a complicated mixture of emotions, as if he were reminiscing about something.
"I will certainly do my best," Lu Yan said, and then he quickly added, "Senior, I came to Mansion of King Ming for another important thing besides wanting to join King Ming’s bodyguards."
"Speak," Xiang Chongyang said.
"In the six prefectures of Lingdong, there appears to have been the emergence of an immortal," Lu Yan said.
Xiang Chongyang’s eyes lit up, and his aura was surging wildly, with his True Vigor rolling like a tide.
"An immortal? Are you telling the truth?" Xiang Chongyang asked.
"It’s absolutely true..."
Immediately, Lu Yan detailed the drought that had ravaged the area near Changfeng City and the exhaustion of the Blood Land Vein.
Of course, he did not to mention that he had sent his Avatar to investigate. Instead, he said he had sent his True Body, discovering a gigantic lizard sleeping, from which he had barely escaped.
Additionally, he also mentioned Guan Shan’s judgment.
After hearing Lu Yan’s account, Xiang Chongyang pondered deeply and then said, "According to what you said, it’s highly likely to be an immortal. Judging by the size, it’s likely still immature. Good, I’ll report this. The Mansion of King Ming will definitely send masters to hunt the immortal. If successful, it’ll be a great achievement."
"However, I suggest that we wait until you pass the examination of King Ming’s Bodyguards before reporting this. At that time, you will receive a lot of reward points for your merits," Xiang Chongyang said.
