Chapter 111: Shadow Blade Resurfaces In The Martial World (1)
When Wu Yuan initially ranked in the Genius Rankings of the Jiang Continent, he believed that the blood-red mist would sustain him for a year.
However, as time went on, he began to sense that something was amiss. The consumption of the mist was far greater than he had expected. The reason? His physical constitution was improving far too quickly!
The blood-red mist enhances one's potential not temporarily, but permanently.
Wu Yuan recalled the events of last year.
His physical constitution had improved much faster than he had anticipated, and the blood-red mist was far more effective than he had imagined.
By June of last year, the blood-red mist enveloping the black pagoda in Wu Yuan's upper dantian lobe had been completely depleted, all absorbed and fused into his body.
Despite this, Wu Yuan's progress remained swift. Four months ago, his one-armed punch had exceeded 100,000 catties. After the annual competition, when heavy snowfall covered Cloudhill City, he effortlessly reached 110,000 catties! One could say that Wu Yuan was now a firmly established second-grade martial artist.
Though he had only trained on the mountain for a year and a half, his physical constitution had increased by more than 40,000 catties. Bear in mind, Wu Yuan had only recently turned sixteen.
And this was just his physical constitution. His martial skill was still at the Environmental Mastery level, but it had undergone a fundamental transformation.
His overall strength? If he were to encounter his past self who had just ascended the mountain, the current him could kill that boy within five moves!
My body is capable of absorbing a significant amount of blood-red mist. I will soon descend from the mountain to take on a new mission from the Pleiades Guild. This will lead to a considerable enhancement of my physical constitution. Anticipation filled Wu Yuan's eyes.
It had been well over half a year since his last assimilation of the blood-red mist.
What heights could his physical constitution reach after his next round of assimilation, supplemented by the Ancient Immortal Dew? It was hard to predict!
Two more years until the end of my golden development period. By then, how far will my power have increased? Wu Yuan's thoughts started to drift.
Wu Yuan’s rate of progress far surpassed his initial expectations upon his transmigration. This was due to both Wu Yuan's efforts and the influence of the mysterious black pagoda!
With a meticulous and comprehensive cultivation plan in place, and constant adjustments to align his training with his actual rate of progress, Wu Yuan was able to optimize his growth.
If I’d left the mountain in the middle of last year, it would have attracted the attention of the sect's upper echelons. After all, I was only fifteen then.
Given the potential that Wu Yuan had shown, the sect was highly likely to assign a first-rate Adept or even a Savant expert to protect him if he left the mountain, thereby greatly restricting his actions. Back when Gu Ji acted as his personal bodyguard, it gave Wu Yuan a good number of headaches.
Therefore, Wu Yuan persevered in solitary cultivation, prolonging his stay until the conclusion of the annual competition and the arrival of the New Year.
And now, he had just celebrated his sixteenth birthday.
Grandmaster Fang Xia set the second level’s historical record when he was seventeen and nine months old. Now that I'm sixteen, it's about time.
Wu Yuan's strategy was to gradually unveil his strength, keeping it at a reasonable level. The objective was to gain independence as swiftly as possible.
It's time to meet the sect elder.
Wu Yuan retrieved his saber, securing it to his back. Then, he departed from his private courtyard.
...
"Senior Brother Wu!"
"Senior Brother."
"Greetings, Senior Brother Wu." As he walked through the academy, disciples from the Cloud Martial Hall greeted Wu Yuan with beaming faces, some even displaying a hint of reverence.
This was a stark contrast to when Wu Yuan first entered the martial academy. Back then, he was embroiled in debates about who should earn the title of 'top genius' between himself and Senior Brother Xu Hui.
I didn't display much strength in the past, which led to many controversies. But now, no one has any doubts left.
He triumphed over his competitors in two consecutive annual competitions, the most recent one less than ten days ago.
Not a single disciple could withstand more than three moves from Wu Yuan, not even those junior academy disciples who were approaching their fifth year of training.
This performance thrust Wu Yuan's reputation in the Cloud Martial Hall into the spotlight, and he completely replaced Xu Hui's position in the martial academy. The debate about who was the number one genius had since evaporated.
Though he had only joined the Cloud Martial Hall two years ago and was still barely sixteen, many disciples from the senior academy started calling Wu Yuan 'Senior Brother' as well. In the Cloud Martial Hall, power commanded respect!
“Look, that's Senior Brother Wu. Since I joined the martial academy, this is only the second time I've seen him!" As several sixteen to seventeen-year-old female disciples exited the martial grand hall, one of them pointed to Wu Yuan with visible excitement.
"Senior Brother Wu is like a dragon that one may catch glimpses of but is never fully seen," remarked an older female disciple. “I've only caught glimpses of Senior Brother Wu a handful of times, even though we share the same age."
"I heard Senior Brother Wu no longer attends the instructors' classes."
"Legend has it that Senior Brother Wu's martial skills surpass even Instructor Zhao’s!"
"Really? Are you sure?"
"I heard this from a custodian senior in my family. Senior Brother Wu is said to train year-round in various parts of Cloudhill, hardly ever staying at the martial academy."
"Maybe next year, Senior Brother Wu will become the 'Great Senior Brother' of the entire martial academy." The group of disciples discussed excitedly.
During his two years as a disciple of the academy, Wu Yuan had created many legends.
Of the 700-800 disciples across both the senior and junior academies, a vast majority believed that by the next annual competition, Wu Yuan had a high chance of securing a spot among the top ten Cloud Heirs. He might even take first place!
The Cloud Martial Hall's rules never stated that disciples from the junior academy couldn't compete for the position of Cloud Heir. However, it had been decades since the Cloud Martial Hall last saw such a prodigy.
Xu Hui managed to achieve it, but only in his fourth year at the academy, where he ranked eighth among the Cloud Heirs. In his fifth year, he took first place among the Cloud Heirs.
Everyone believed that Wu Yuan was even stronger than Xu Hui all those years ago. No one among the current top ten Cloud Heirs could deny this, and none had ever been heard complaining about it. They all understood that Wu Yuan existed on a different level from them.
When the gap was small, it bred jealousy. But when the gap was too wide, all that was left was admiration, reverence, or fear!
However, Wu Yuan had no interest in pursuing status within the Cloud Martial Hall, just as he remained indifferent to the idle discussions among the disciples.
...
After leaving the martial academy, he arrived at the south region of Cloudhill.
Rows of imposing structures, edifices, and waterside pavilions stood, with vigilant guards patrolling their perimeters.
Visible and concealed sentry posts could be found at almost every turn, ensuring such stringent security that not even a Savant expert could infiltrate unnoticed.
This was the Finance Hall's territory. The soldiers, core disciples, and inner disciples all recognized Wu Yuan, allowing him to pass through effortlessly.
He soon came to a halt at a grand hall and announced his arrival.
"Wu Yuan, the sect elder has permitted you to enter," said a courteous middle-aged man in white robes.
"Thank you, Custodian," Wu Yuan smiled.
"No trouble at all, please follow me," replied the man in white robes. He was a second-rate Adept and personal bodyguard of the sect elder, but he did not dare treat Wu Yuan with the slightest disrespect.
Together, they arrived at the grand hall, where only a couple of maidservants were present.
"Wu Yuan pays his respects to Sect Elder Huan," Wu Yuan bowed.
"Haha, Wu Yuan, what brings you here out of the blue?" An obese, purple-robed man chuckled as he descended the steps.
The purple-robed man had a menacing face, which only grew more frightful when he laughed. He was a sect elder of the Finance Hall, Huan Zidong.
But Wu Yuan knew that Huan Zidong's personality was the complete opposite of his intimidating exterior.
Over the past year or so, Wu Yuan came to understand that the Finance Hall only had three Savant experts, who were considered relatively weak in terms of martial power among the five halls of the Cloudstride Sect.
The three Savant experts were the hall master, the deputy hall master, and Sect Elder Huan Zidong.
The hall master? Wu Yuan had only met him once. The deputy hall master? They had never met, as he was rumored to be stationed in Baihu year-round.
The one he interacted with most frequently was Sect Elder Huan Zidong. Over the past year, they had met and conversed on five or six occasions.
Huan Zidong had a rather gentle disposition and was widely known throughout the sect.
However, his most prominent title was 'the son of a Grandmaster', owing to his father’s position as The Sword Hierarch.
But to Wu Yuan, Sect Elder Huan Zidong held multiple identities. He was not only the master of Protectorate Gao Yu but also the grandfather of Huan Xinyan. With these complex relationships intertwining, Wu Yuan's association with Huan Zidong was destined to be a rather complicated one.
Among the higher-ups of the sect, it was an accepted fact that Wu Yuan was part of Huan Zidong's faction.
The Cloudstride Sect’s territory spanned a large area, governing tens of millions of people. The sect's internal power was naturally divided among its numerous hall masters and sect elders, giving rise to countless factions that competed with each other. However, in the face of external threats, these factions would inevitably come together in a show of unity.
"Sect Elder, the year is coming to an end, and I wish to leave the mountain," Wu Yuan stated bluntly.
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