Third-grade?
Cao Qingyang had advanced to third grade?!
A wave of astonishment erupted like a thunderclap, and everyone’s expressions were extraordinarily vivid. The jianghu of Great Feng hadn’t seen a third-grade martial artist in many years.
Although the Martial Alliance claimed that the first-generation old Alliance Master was still alive, no one had ever seen him. That old codger, as old as the nation itself, had vanished from the jianghu for hundreds of years.
Now that Cao Qingyang had advanced to third grade, the Martial Alliance’s influence would swell to its highest point in history. The Northern Garrison King of the Great Feng court had just fallen recently…
Did this mean that the martial artists of the jianghu were about to rise?
Would the structure of Great Feng change because of this?
The most excited were undoubtedly the forces of the Martial Alliance. For a jianghu organization to have a third-grade expert openly supporting them, rather than hiding in seclusion and only manipulating things behind the scenes, was an entirely different concept.
Even the Great Feng court only had one Northern Garrison King, and he had fallen.
Now, our Alliance Master Cao is also in third grade. What did this mean? It meant that in the jianghu, the Martial Alliance would have the final say, becoming the most powerful force in the Central Plains second only to the imperial court.
After the death of the Northern Garrison King, the court only had one Supervisor. But the Martial Alliance now had two third-grade experts – the new and old Alliance Masters. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call them second only to the imperial court, would it?
“He’s already third grade…”
Xiao Yue’nu’s beautiful eyes sparkled with admiration. She was genuinely happy for the Martial Alliance and sincerely respected Alliance Master Cao Qingyang.
She was a generation younger than Cao Qingyang. She remembered that when her mother was the Tower Master, she had once evaluated this Martial Alliance Master, saying his talent wasn’t top-tier, and his personality wasn’t particularly outstanding.
If not for the almost unreasonable promotion by the previous Alliance Master, Cao Qingyang would never have become the Martial Alliance Master.
But after all these years, Cao Qingyang had proved himself with facts. He had early on become one of the top three on the martial arts ranking, dominating the martial world of Sword Province, and now he had even advanced to third grade, becoming one of the rarest existences in the martial arts system.
“The Alliance Master has advanced to third grade?” The Divine Fist Gang Leader Fu Jingmen couldn’t hide his shock, his eyes wide.
“If that’s the case, the Nine-Colored Lotus is within reach. And given the Alliance Master’s appreciation for Constable Xu, he won’t take his life… Looking at it this way, our withdrawal from the competition has cost us greatly,” Ink Pavilion Master Yang Cuixue said regretfully.
The two looked at each other, their hearts aching to the point where they could hardly breathe.
Since they had voluntarily chosen to withdraw, when the Nine-Colored Lotus matured in the future, there would be no share for their two sects.
Fu Jingmen gritted his teeth and made up his mind, grumbling, “No way, even if I have to throw a tantrum, I’ll beg the Alliance Master for forgiveness.”
Yang Cuixue’s face twitched. Fu Jingmen was younger than Alliance Master Cao, so throwing a tantrum wasn’t inappropriate, but he was a generation older than Cao Qingyang. Although the jianghu valued strength, it also respected the generational hierarchy.
He couldn’t bring himself to do it, but he was still very upset.
While one side was rejoicing, on the other side, in the Yueshi Mountain Villa, the disciples of the Heaven and Earth Society were ashen-faced.
Just now, the confidence and passion Xu Qi’an had built for them had, at this moment, vanished into thin air.
“If Heaven hadn’t given birth to me, Yang Qianhuan, Great Feng would be in eternal darkness!” Yang Qianhuan shouted, controlling the bed crossbow and firing a cannon to aim at Cao Qingyang, unleashing a barrage of shots.
This was his last act of defiance.
Then, without a second thought, he teleported away.
“Boom! Boom! Boom!”
Cao Qingyang raised his hand, lightly wiping the air in front of him. A barrier made entirely of air appeared, causing the cannonballs to explode and the crossbow bolts to break. Within three zhang of him, all remained calm.
This scene further convinced the observing crowd that he had indeed advanced to third grade. A fourth-grade expert couldn’t handle such power with such ease.
Cao Qingyang slowly entered the formation, walking up to Nangong Qianrou. His voice was calm: “You’re Wei Yuan’s adopted son, people with different backgrounds are always different. I’ll give you a choice.”
“Step aside, and I won’t hold it against you. If you don’t, we’ll fight to the death.”
This was Cao Qingyang’s personality. Even if he was wary of someone’s background, he would state it openly and frankly.
Nangong Qianrou looked at him, his face gloomy. After a few moments of silence, he stepped aside.
Since the other party was in third grade, there was no point in dying needlessly. Moreover, guarding the lotus seed was just a task, and not one that had to be completed at all costs. There was no need to risk his life for it.
Cao Qingyang nodded slightly and continued deeper into the Yueshi Mountain Villa.
The second barrier was the Sword Formation!
The formation master was Chu Yuanzhen.
Dressed in a cyan robe, the top scholar stood in the formation’s eye, looking indifferently at the approaching Cao Qingyang. He showed no fear or trepidation despite the other being in third grade.
“I’ll only make one sword strike. After that, you may come and go as you please.”
Hearing this, Cao Qingyang’s gaze fell on the long sword on his back, and he said, “Is it the sword on your back?”
“You’re not worthy of making me draw that sword,” Chu Yuanzhen said calmly.
“I see,” Cao Qingyang nodded. That was a sword of pride, and “not worthy” didn’t refer to strength, but rather that he wasn’t the right target.
“Then you’re far from it,” Alliance Master Cao added calmly.
Chu Yuanzhen pointed his fingers like a sword toward the sky. In an instant, sword qi filled the heavens and earth.
Cao Qingyang, standing in the midst of it, felt as if he was in a sea of swords and mountains of blades. The ground beneath his feet, the sky above his head, and the air around him had all turned into swords.
This was the sword’s momentum!
Chu Yuanzhen took a step forward, extending his sword fingers towards Cao Qingyang.
He had no sword in his hand, nor had he condensed anything into a sword, but in Cao Qingyang’s eyes, there was a vast sword light illuminating heaven and earth, carrying an unstoppable sharpness, shooting towards him.
As this sword strike came, the heavens and earth unleashed their killing intent together.
Cao Qingyang slowly clenched his fist, meeting the sword light with a straight punch, using the individual might of a martial artist to face the killing intent of heaven and earth.
Chu Yuanzhen’s “sword” shattered inch by inch within the fist. The broken sword qi left sword marks on the ground, some horizontal, some vertical, some slanting…
Looking closely, each sword mark contained a special “sword momentum”. For ordinary jianghu wanderers, each sword mark here represented the highest level of swordsmanship.
If one could comprehend even a bit of it, their cultivation would surely increase greatly.
“I’ve lost,” Chu Yuanzhen said, his right hand trembling slightly, as if in spasm. He managed to cup his fists in salute and stepped aside.
“Using the formation to condense momentum, this sword strike of yours would have been fatal even to a fourth-grade martial artist,” Cao Qingyang gave high praise.
He dusted off his sleeve and continued to move deeper inside. Soon, he saw the small dark-skinned girl from the Southern Borders, Li Na.
“So this barrier is about strength?” Cao Qingyang only glanced at her once before recognizing her as a member of the Strength Gu Sect.
“I’ll only throw one punch too,” Li Na glared at him.
“Straightforward,” Cao Qingyang smiled.
Li Na said no more and began to gather her strength with deep breaths.
Her chest rose and fell slightly, then violently. A gale sprang up on the flat ground, each of her breaths causing exaggerated air currents.
Waves of invisible force reinforced her body, amplified by the formation.
After about ten breaths, her face began to flush. Her neck, arms, and other exposed skin also took on a layer of blood-red color, like cooked shrimp.
Thump thump, thump thump… Li Na’s heart sounded like dense drumbeats, continuous and unbroken. For an ordinary martial artist, their heart would have already burst under such strain.
Her blood flowed like a broken dam, scouring her blood vessels. Her body was like a sleeping giant beast, awakening.
Strange patterns appeared on the surface of her skin, like tattoos, exuding an eerie beauty.
Crack!
The ground suddenly split. Li Na shot forward like an arrow leaving the string. As she moved, she clenched her fist, and the air seemed to burst, emitting a muffled roar.
Boom…
After many years, Xu Qi’an heard again the roar of a supersonic fighter jet.
This punch from Li Na had broken the sound barrier.
The sound lasted only for an instant, then was replaced by an even louder boom, similar to the explosion of a cannonball.
Although many people didn’t see this scene, or their eyes couldn’t capture it, they could deduce from the change in sound that the final explosion came from the collision between the two.
The shock wave overturned the stone slabs, blowing away all the surrounding buildings, trees, rockeries, and other objects, forming a circular area with a diameter of over ten meters.
In this circular area, only bare ground remained, even the laid stone slabs no longer existed.
Li Na sat on the ground, panting heavily. Her right arm hung limp, the entire arm, including the hand, had all its bones shattered.
Cao Qingyang shook his aching fist and sighed, “In terms of pure strength, the Strength Gu Sect is unparalleled in the world.”
At the third barrier, he saw a burly monk standing with his hands clasped, his face looking as if he bore a great grudge.
“Judging by your appearance, it seems you won’t retreat. You also want to exchange moves with me?” the purple-robed Alliance Master said with a smile.
He then glanced around, noticing that the surroundings were shrouded in mist, easily causing one to lose their sense of direction.
“This seems to be a maze formation, it doesn’t enhance your combat power,” Cao Qingyang reminded him. “You haven’t even reached fourth grade, aren’t you afraid I’ll kill you with one slap?”
Heng Yuan didn’t respond, taking a step back. The mist immediately swirled, swallowing him up.
A few seconds later, Cao Qingyang’s ears twitched slightly, and he swung his palm towards his left rear.
With a muffled grunt, Heng Yuan’s form appeared, staggering backward. He once again merged into the mist, then appeared behind Cao Qingyang, but was met with a fierce backward thrust from the purple-robed Alliance Master who had anticipated it, sending him flying straight back.
He couldn’t get up again.
Cao Qingyang continued forward, passing through the mist and arriving at a courtyard. Here, ghostly winds howled, and wails of ghosts and gods echoed. Insubstantial phantoms swirled in the air, emitting shrill cries.
“You’re not third grade.”
Amidst the wails of ten thousand ghosts, Li Miaozhen floated in the air, silently looking down at Cao Qingyang.
Her body appeared substantial, but this wasn’t her real physical body, but rather her Yin spirit.
The Dao sect excelled most in spiritual realm techniques. Even witches, who were also proficient in this field, were a step behind the Dao sect.
Martial artists were known for their destructive power and physical techniques. Although they weren’t weak in the spiritual realm, they weren’t particularly outstanding either.
This Great Ghost Formation was specifically designed to counter fourth-grade martial artists.
“I am indeed third grade now, but my spirit is still a bit short of third grade,” Cao Qingyang said frankly.
The essence blood bestowed by the ancestors had allowed him to experience the terrifying power of a third-grade martial artist in the short term, but his spirit remained at its original level.
Li Miaozhen took out an illusory mirror and held it up in the air. The mirror reflected Cao Qingyang’s image.
She reached into the mirror, pulled out that human figure, and with a flick of her finger, sent it into a straw doll.
Streams of lost souls pounced on the straw doll, pinning down its limbs and head.
Li Miaozhen reached out and grasped an illusory awl from thin air, about to pierce it into the straw doll’s brow.
Cao Qingyang’s qi surged, and the straw doll exploded, blasting the lost souls pressing on it into powder.
Li Miaozhen raised her head and suddenly let out a piercing scream.
In the formation, countless Yin spirits likewise raised their heads, emitting shrill cries.
The invisible, intangible sound waves pierced Cao Qingyang’s brain like steel nails, stirring his spirit and ravaging his consciousness.
At the same time, Cao Qingyang’s clothes began to rebel. His belt tried to strangle him, his clothes attempted to bind him, and his sleeves knotted together, effectively binding his hands.
Taking advantage of his moment of confusion, Li Miaozhen dove down, turning herself into an arrow shooting towards Cao Qingyang’s brow.
Behind her was an army of thousands.
The lost souls crowded around her, following her.
Cao Qingyang awoke just in time, biting his tongue and spitting out a mouthful of blood mist.
Hiss hiss hiss…
The lost souls touched the blood mist and dissipated with screams.
Li Miaozhen rolled painfully in the air, letting out a miserable cry. Her Yin spirit dimmed a bit.
“But my blood essence is third grade. The blood from my tongue tip is extremely Yang. You haven’t achieved a Yang spirit, so you can’t withstand my blood,” Cao Qingyang smiled.
“Raising ghosts isn’t easy. Will you put these souls away yourself, or should I help them transcend?” he sneered.
Li Miaozhen had tried her best. Her Yin spirit returned to her physical body, and then she took off the sachet at her waist, untied the knot, and collected the lost souls back.
Breaking through five barriers in one go, the Yueshi Mountain Villa’s careful arrangements seemed like child’s play before Cao Qingyang, crumbling like dry twigs, overwhelmingly conquered.
“Alliance Master Cao is peerless, truly a first-class hero in the world.”
“Unbelievable. We thought it would be a bitter fight, but it turned out to be so easy.”
“Alliance Master Cao, could we perhaps have a share? We’re willing to work for the Martial Alliance.”
The vast crowd followed the path Cao Qingyang had opened, advancing straight in.
Everyone’s faces were filled with smiles. They truly hadn’t expected Cao Qingyang to be so formidable, turning what should have been a fierce battle into child’s play.
The formations were painstakingly arranged by high-grade spell casters, the outstanding disciples of the Heaven and Earth Sects personally guarding them – none of these were enough to hinder Cao Qingyang.
He was unstoppable.
If Alliance Master Cao hadn’t reached third grade, this might have been a bitter struggle. But now, taking the Nine-Colored Lotus had no obstacles at all. It was practically within reach.
“So the Alliance Master had everything under control. No wonder he never cared about our attitudes and wasn’t concerned about Yang Cuixue and Fu Jingmen’s withdrawal,” the Master of the Thousand Machines Sect sighed.
“Then his purpose in gathering us…” The graceful and intelligent Xiao Yue’nu murmured, then fell silent.
The answer was obvious. Cao Qingyang’s purpose in gathering the various gangs wasn’t to deal with the Yueshi Mountain Villa. Their real enemies were the Earth Sect and the imperial court’s forces.
Even the gathered jianghu wanderers were potential enemies to be guarded against.
If it was just the Yueshi Mountain Villa, the Alliance Master alone could overwhelm them.
The disciples of the Heaven and Earth Society gritted their teeth in frustration, gathering together, forced to retreat continuously by the crowd of heroes.
They no longer needed to defend their positions, because, in everyone’s original expectations, this should have been a bitter and prolonged struggle.
Feelings of despair welled up in every disciple’s heart.
“Oh, that little beauty looks so fresh and tender. Haha, I don’t want the lotus seed anymore, I’ll take a pretty girl back instead.”
Someone in the crowd of disciples spotted Qiu Chan’yi and immediately his eyes lit up.
Qiu Chan’yi’s beauty would stand out even in the Wanhua Tower, where beauties were as common as clouds.
Among the jianghu wanderers, there was never a shortage of ruffians and lechers. Immediately, several men called to their friends and began to surround Qiu Chan’yi and the others.
Seeing this, the demonic cultivators of the Earth Sect smiled sinisterly: “That’s right. Even if you can’t get the lotus seed, taking back a pretty girl wouldn’t be a wasted trip.”
“If you don’t make a move, we’ll be the first to act.”
The Earth Sect Taoists were inciting the jianghu ruffians to take action, to kill these Earth Sect “traitors” who refused to join the demonic path.
The Heaven and Earth Society disciples retreated again and again, towards the deepest part of the mountain villa, towards the Cold Pool where the Nine-Colored Lotus was nurtured.
Where could they retreat to once they reached the edge of the Cold Pool?
At that time, they could only fight to the death.
The Heaven and Earth Society disciples showed resolute expressions.
The battle here hadn’t started yet, because at this moment, everyone heard a cold laugh coming from the direction of the Cold Pool:
“Alliance Master Cao, why don’t you wait a bit? Let me kill these petty thieves first, then I’ll come to fight you.”
Those jianghu folks who had been coveting Qiu Chan’yi’s beauty immediately fell silent, suppressing their thoughts.
They were still quite afraid of Constable Xu.
Qiu Chan’yi felt relieved, feeling that that voice seemed to have a special magic, filling people with a sense of security.
Both sides faced off while moving, soon arriving at the edge of the Cold Pool. The first thing they saw was the Nine-Colored Lotus swaying with rainbow light in the pool.
An old Taoist sat cross-legged by the pool.
Standing on the only path to the Cold Pool was a young man in black tight-fitting clothes, with a high ponytail, one hand resting on his sword hilt, facing off against Cao Qingyang.
In terms of presence, he wasn’t losing by even half a point.
“This barrier doesn’t seem to have a formation. How does Constable Xu plan to defend?” Cao Qingyang smiled gently, exuding confidence in certain victories.
In an instant, hundreds of “spectators” turned their gazes towards Xu Qi’an.