Chapter 567: Chapter 566 Named Disciple
"Shi Xiaole, I will remember you. Let’s go."
Ou Wukai wore a sullen expression, a trace of fear remaining evident in his eyes. He turned around, taking the equally color-drained Peng Dian with him.
Bai Xueying was conflicted as she watched Shi Xiaole. Just as she was about to communicate telepathically, she was stopped by Zi Xiangbo’s gentle shake of her head. The women left with the Tianyan Sword Lord, their bodies and spirits falling apart.
The terrifying nature of the Saintess was beyond what most people could imagine. Should they beg Shi Xiaole for help, it would only endanger him.
With the Array System withdrawn, the heroes in the square regained their freedom, and the place became lively once again.
Shi Xiaole asked, "The four of you, are you sure you can escape?"
In a sudden flicker, he was beside one of them. The man immediately exploded with an overwhelming aura, but Shi Xiaole’s power was unparalleled, unmatched by even the top ten in Xuanwu State. After a few moves, he pointed at the man’s acupoint.
At the same time, the three odd men each held off another. With Shi Xiaole’s help, they controlled their opponents quickly.
These four were disguised individuals hiding amongst the crowd from the Four Symbols Mountain.
Their disguise skills were average, and as they couldn’t hide their aura, Shi Xiaole spotted them early on. Withdrawing the Array System was to prevent innocent people from getting caught and affected by the subsequent fight.
"As a righteous hero, are you planning to wipe us out completely?"
One of the Four Symbols Mountain men, the tall and skinny old man, exclaimed.
"Of course, I won’t kill you. However, to set an example for the enemies of Wuling Villa, I’m going to detain you for fifty years. Take them away."
Shi Xiaole waved his hand, and several Wuling Villa disciples stepped forward, taking away the four men.
No one voiced any objections.
The Four Symbols Mountain men were not gentlemen, and their peculiar characters meant they had no relationships with the crowd involved. No one would risk offending Shi Xiaole for them.
The banquet continued, the atmosphere, instead of deflating, became even more fervent.
Several battles solidified Shi Xiaole’s image as a powerful figure, raising his credibility to an extreme high. Neither Ai Renxiong, the master of Ai Family, nor Yu Qinghe, the head of the Yu Family, could compare.
In terms of power, they were far behind Shi Xiaole.
In terms of backing influence, who dares say that Wuling Villa, even though it just established but with four top Lords, is not a superior force?
Thinking carefully, everyone realized that unbeknownst to them, Shi Xiaole had truly become a mighty hero who could influence the future of Xuanwu State, a giant in the martial world!
The banquet continued for three days and nights, creating an atmosphere of convivial joy.
With everyone’s departure, the happenings at Wuling Villa spread out like a giant storm, adding a legendary aura to Shi Xiaole.
The major forces in Xuanwu State and Shuntian Capital were astonished by the news.
Shi Xiaole’s progress speed is unbelievable. Just a few months ago, he had killed hundreds of top experts, and now he’s come straight into the top ten. Even covering a thousand miles in a day doesn’t come close to his speed.
Given Shi Xiaole’s current influence, Wuling Villa ought to be teeming with followers and elite warriors, yet many discovered that the number of young people and masters wishing to join Wuling Villa was not as large as they had imagined.
"After all, Nine Heavens Mountain has always been known as a site of great misfortune, capable of stripping someone’s luck away. Despite Shi Xiaole’s current momentum, it is hard to predict his future."
"Indeed. Why would Shi Xiaole specifically choose such a place? Even if it was a common place, with him there, many people would be willing to join."
Matters of Fengshui are both real and fabricated. However, most martial artists valued it highly. Living in a place known to bring misfortune would be a constant prick at one’s mind. Over time, it would undoubtedly impede one’s cultivation progress.
...
Inside a secluded estate.
Zi Xiangbo and Bai Xueying lowered their heads, their petite bodies softly trembling as though deeply afraid.
At their feet laid three bodies—or rather, what was left of them; more akin to acid-soaked corpses; only bones wrapped in wrinkled skin remained.
"Are these three Ou Wukai, Peng Dian, and Tianyan Sword Lord?"
Ren Mengzhen, as she lounged on her recliner, still held her smile.
Uncle Lu behind her frowned.
Zi Xiangbo whispered, "Reporting to the Saintess, we were suddenly attacked by a man in black during our journey back. Ou Wukai and the others fell victim to this man. Their capabilities seemed to have been sucked out of their bodies."
Ren Mengzhen slightly squinted her eyes. This simple action held extraordinary charm.
Uncle Lu said, "Saintess, they appear to have fallen victim to the Absorption Great Method of the Ghost Lethal Sect."
The Ghost Lethal Sect, being one of the six paths of the Demon Door, held different values compared to the Dreamy Sect. These past years, if not for resisting the Righteous Path, both sects would have been at odds with each other.
"The Absorption Great Method isn’t this powerful unless the person has completely mastered the technique,"
Ren Mengzhen mumbled under her breath as she stood up and began inspecting the corpses. After a while, she laughed, "Alright, discard these three to feed the dogs and inform the headquarters about this."
Once everything was cleared by the minions, Uncle Lu asked, "Saintess, how do you plan on dealing with Shi Xiaole?"
"Only a fool would enjoy making enemies. That young man has some skills, and his way of doing things isn’t like some pedants from the Righteous Path. When the time is right, I have my ways of having him submit to me."
As she spoke, Ren Mengzhen lifted Zi Xiangbo and Bai Xueying’s chins, "That man is truly chivalrous. He actually spared you two beauties, but this Saintess won’t be so generous. Follow me to the room, serve me like you did last time."
The faces of both women turned red and pale, and goosebumps rose on their necks. It was clear that they had experienced what was about to happen more than once.
...
Inside the secret chamber of Wuling Villa.
As Shi Xiaole slowly awoke from his meditation, anyone present would be shocked to discover that his cultivation realm had skyrocketed from the early stages of the nine levels of Dragon Gate Realm to its peak.
"The vigorous air of Ou Wukai and Peng Dian is indeed much purer than that of ordinary people. Compared to them, the Tianyan Sword Lord falls far short."
Upon reaching the Divine Barrier Realm with his spiritual strength, aside from the enhancement of his perceptive capabilities, he could also precipitate spiritual seeds and implant them into other people’s bodies.
As long as the distance between the spiritual strength and the spiritual seed was not too great, they could be sensed.
Of course, the ability to separate spiritual seeds was not limitless. Even a Divine Barrier powerhouse could generally only separate two to three seeds. Any more would cause harm to oneself.
The purity of Shi Xiaole’s spiritual strength was remarkably high, thus, after many days of practice, he was able to separate roughly five times.
Before Ou and Peng departed, he secretly implanted his spiritual seeds within Ou Wukai’s body, then made up an excuse to catch up and annex their strengths.
Shi Xiaole was also not afraid of the Dreamy Sect’s investigation. The Karmic Conversion Skill was one of his biggest secrets. As long as he carefully concealed his cultivation progress, no one would associate it with him.
"Next, it depends on those four."
Standing up, Shi Xiaole went to the dungeon where the Four Elephants Mountain people were being held. The area around the dungeon was fortified with the Array System, making it one of the most secure places in the villa.
Without giving the Four Elephants Mountain people a chance to speak, Shi Xiaole suppressed their vocal points, absorbed all their strength one by one, and then disposed of their bodies, leaving no trace.
After refining, Shi Xiaole was disappointed to find that his cultivation level had not increased much. Much of the vigorous air had dissipated from his pores.
"Each person’s body has a limit to how much vigorous air it can absorb."
Shi Xiaole quickly found the reason.
His physical talent was just average. Generally speaking, even if he cultivated to the peak of the Dragon Gate Realm, the vigorous air he absorbed would not be more than sixty percent of what it is now.
Fortunately, he had cultivated the Vajra Unbreakable Body skill, greatly enhancing his physique. Right now, when considering the total volume and quality of vigorous air, Shi Xiaole possibly surpassed anyone in Shuntian Capital.
As for whether there were any stronger warriors from other places, it was hard to say. Many powerful figures existed in the martial world, and no one has ever dared to claim to be the strongest.
"Uncle Meng, I’ve killed these four. There’s no need to send anyone to bring food from now on."
Outside the dungeon, the person responsible for guarding this place was none other than Meng Qi, Su Yanru’s original confidante and the previous chief steward of the Golden Phoenix Tower. He had once secretly guarded Shi Xiaole in the Huajian Sect, and his loyalty was unquestionable.
"I understand, Villa Master."
Meng Qi nodded, not asking any further questions.
Days passed peacefully.
Shi Xiaole continued to cultivate and monitor the happenings outside.
Although not many warriors were asking to join Wuling Villa each day, Shi Xiaole still didn’t lower his standards, which resulted in the majority of people being rejected.
However, there were some gains.
Among the applicants, Shi Xiaole took a liking to two young boys, one seven years old, the other six.
The seven-year-old boy was called Chou Hentian. His name was said to be self-chosen, and at such a young age, his eyes carried a murderous intent that not even adults possessed.
According to the villa’s disciples’ investigations, this boy’s family had been killed by mountain bandits. His mother hid him under the bed, which allowed him to narrowly escape.
When his uncle discovered him, his eyes were blood-red and his palms were covered in blood, with deep scratches engraved into the stone floor. It was because of his murderous aura that he was rejected by many martial arts forces.
As a last resort, his uncle brought Chou Hentian here.
The other six-year-old boy was named Qi Yuanzheng. He was the complete opposite of Chou Hentian. His eyes were big, and he smiled at everyone he saw. He even stared at Shi Xiaole with deep admiration.
His family hadn’t planned to bring him here, but Qi Yuanzheng, although appearing weak, was incredibly determined. He cried and threw tantrums until they finally relented and took him here.
"Are you two willing to become my named disciples?"
Shi Xiaole’s question caused everyone in the hall to react with astonishment, with Chou Hentian’s uncle practically overjoyed.
"Can you help me get my revenge?"
Chou Hentian asked.
"Of course, but the reason I’m teaching you martial arts is not for revenge, but to make you useful to the martial world."
Chou Hentian didn’t understand the last part; all he knew was that everyone else had advised him to let go of his hatred, while the young man before him was willing to indulge his desire for vengeance. This was the person he was looking for, so he kneeled down.
Qi Yuanzheng kneeled down even faster than Chou Hentian, calling Shi Xiaole "Master" with a sweet voice.
Taking in these two boys was simply what Shi Xiaole wanted.
Chou Hentian’s aptitude wasn’t high, but Shi Xiaole was curious to see how much of an achievement someone as early-blooming and resilient as him could achieve under his guidance.
On the contrary, Qi Yuanzheng, with his peculiar root bone and extraordinary talent, was perhaps a genius that only came once every few decades.
