Chapter 92: The Rain Has Passed, But the Sky Remains Cloudy
The river water was icy, permeated with a chilling aura.
The surrounding light was dim.
“The Prefectural Office’s Mining Division is a goldmine.”
Shan Ye sneered, “She keeps claiming we’re noble heirs, righteous and upright.”
“Yet she herself is the one with deep connections.”
“Ignore her,” Liu Tiezhu said gravely. “She thinks we’re new students from the academy and resents how slow we are at cleaning—afraid it’ll delay her profiteering.”
The cave was narrow at the entrance but widened inside, fairly spacious, with a ceiling studded with jagged rocks five to six meters above the ground.
Along the cliff edges, an underground river flowed, sending up waves of cold air.
Deeper inside, faint lights flickered, accompanied by occasional strange cries.
“Jiang Jian.”
Liu Tiezhu stepped forward. “The guardian demons lead the way, Shi Xuan follows right behind.”
“I’ll stay in the center with Shan Ye; the plant spirits follow us.”
“You stay with Yin Yin at the rear—your spells can protect her.”
“What do you think?”
As he spoke.
Two aloe spirits stretched their bodies, unleashing brilliant light.
The area within dozens of meters became as bright as daylight.
“No need for all this trouble.”
Jiang Jian flipped his palm lightly, holding Han Guang in hand.
“I’ll go first. Shan Ye, replenish my Qi. One more plant spirit, follow behind me.”
As these words fell.
Silence fell over the surroundings, leaving only the sound of the underground river.
All eyes turned toward Jiang Jian.
Shan Ye hesitated: “Jiang Jian, let the guardian demons protect you—it’s too dangerous otherwise.”
Jiang Jian refused to waste time; he walked past her and said softly, “Follow me.”
With those words spoken.
Jiang Jian stepped to the very front of the team and walked toward the depths of the underground river.
Liu Tiezhu glanced at Shan Ye. “Do as Jiang Jian says.”
Shan Ye pondered a moment, then said: “I, Jiang Jian, and one aloe spirit will lead the way.”
“You and Yin Yin, with the other aloe spirit, clear any monsters we miss.”
“Shi Xuan leads the guardian demons, providing flank support.”
The group responded: “Understood.”
As they advanced deeper.
The underground river’s water turned a strange black.
The strange sounds around them grew more numerous.
“One kilometer.”
Shan Ye stopped, opened her identity device, and exhaled in relief. “We haven’t encountered anything.”
No sooner had she spoken.
A rock on the cliff face suddenly twisted, revealing a nose, mouth, and neck that stretched toward Shan Ye to bite!
CRACK!
A blade’s light slashed through!
The rock monster shattered instantly into powder!
Jiang Jian, holding Han Guang, spun a sword flourish and continued forward.
Shan Ye lagged a few steps behind, then her pupils contracted: “Jiang Jian, watch out!”
On both sides of the cliff walls.
Countless monsters tore free from the stone, roaring as they lunged!
Jiang Jian’s expression remained calm; he swung his sword horizontally.
BOOM!
A blade of light surged upward!
A blazing white sword rainbow roared through, exploding hundreds of rock monsters at once!
Countless stone fragments scattered, as if a dust rain had fallen ahead.
The area several hundred meters ahead was completely cleared!
Even the things stirring beneath the dark river’s surface now fell silent, motionless.
“Jiang Jian!”
Seeing such terrifying swordlight, Shan Ye’s eyes widened in shock as she whispered, “You’re the new student with 37% Shen Que spiritual essence!”
Jiang Jian made no denial; he stepped forward over the powdered stone debris.
Two kilometers.
Three kilometers.
The rock monsters were all destroyed; the lurking evils around them seemed to sense something.
Whenever Jiang Jian approached, they retreated like receding tides.
“Three kilometers!”
Shan Ye could hardly believe it. “It’s been this easy?”
Jiang Jian slowed his pace, looked ahead, and said softly, “They can’t escape now.”
Ahead in the underground river, countless things clustered together.
A rough count revealed water imps, water snakes, aquatic plant spirits, and more.
On both cliff walls, stone monsters twisted and surged wildly, countless faces struggling to flee deeper in.
“Jing Ling.”
With a palm flip, Han Guang plunged into the cliff wall.
Jiang Jian’s gaze turned icy; he formed hand seals.
Threads of blood-red flame rose slowly.
The next instant.
BOOM!
Countless scarlet true flames erupted from nothingness, burning indiscriminately toward the front of the cave!
Even the black river water was melted by the crimson flames!
A sea of fire boiled!
Jiang Jian did not cease his incantation.
Shen Que spiritual energy surged wildly, pouring into the Jing Ling fire sea!
With the immense spiritual essence as support, the power of the Jing Ling technique surged again!
The blood-red fire sea roared fiercely, ferocious beyond measure!
SIZZLE!
Where the fire sea swept, the burning sounds continued unceasingly, sharp and piercing!
From the endless cave and underground river, countless agonized cries echoed!
Spirit beasts and malevolent entities, writhing in desperation, were swallowed by the fire sea.
All turned to ash, sinking into the deep, black river.
The sizzling sounds echoed through the cave.
Fading farther and farther, until silence fell completely.
After an unknown length of time.
Jiang Jian finally ended his incantation, released his fingers, his face pale.
Three-tenths of his Shen Que spiritual energy had been consumed.
Shan Ye stared wide-eyed, mouth slightly open, fixed on the scene ahead, forgetting entirely to replenish Jiang Jian’s Qi.
Standing there, gazing into the depths of the cave.
No living presence remained.
The surface of the underground river floated a thick layer of black ash, emitting a foul stench.
It was the spiritual ash left by dead demons—a form of cultivation resource.
Not long after.
Shi Xuan arrived, eyes filled with shock, speechless.
Liu Tiezhu stood beside him, murmuring in admiration: “Incredible. Even a second-year academy student wouldn’t reach this level.”
Yin Yin looked at Jiang Jian, equally stunned inside, yet her expression remained calm as she whispered, “Ordinary second-year students aren’t nearly as powerful as Jiang Jian.”
Rapid footsteps approached.
“What… what happened here!”
Li Lu walked forward in her bureau uniform, strides steady.
Gazing at the lifeless dark river, her expression was one of utter disbelief.
She and her team had been collecting stone veins at the one-kilometer mark.
She sensed violent spiritual energy fluctuations deep within.
The collection instruments further showed countless spiritual ashes at the three-kilometer mark!
“My god!”
Li Lu scanned the surroundings, her eyes locking onto the thick layer in the dark river, ecstatic.
“There’s this much natural spiritual ash?”
“Quick! Collect it all!”
She waved her arm; her staff members’ eyes gleamed as they rushed forward with their equipment.
Clang!
A clear sword cry rang out!
A brilliant sword light flashed past, carrying blinding white radiance, grazing Li Lu’s forehead and shattering more than half the stone wall!
Rocks collapsed, falling into the dark river, sinking to the bottom without a single splash.
Li Lu turned pale; a strand of hair snapped and drifted to the ground.
Several staff members trembled violently, freezing in place, silent as stones.
Jiang Jian extended his pale, slender fingers, pulling the Han Guang Sword from the stone wall, and said softly: “These are not natural spiritual ashes.”
He stepped before Li Lu, the tip of Han Guang Sword flickering with blazing white light: “They are my spoils.”
Li Lu stared at the student holding the sword, gritting her teeth.
As a bureau employee and a member of the Li family of Linjiang,
she wanted, as usual, to look down on these students and hurl harsh words.
But meeting Jiang Jian’s cold, clear gaze,
Li Lu’s heart trembled—she couldn’t utter a single word.
She even suspected:
If she said the wrong thing, blazing sword light would strike instantly, annihilating her soul.
Though bureau laws were strict, forbidding humans from harming one another,
at this moment, Li Lu was afraid.
“Student.”
Li Lu forced a smile: “Yes, yes, they’re your spoils—all yours.”
Seeing her demeanor,
Jiang Jian fell silent, turning to Shan Ye: “Show her the recording.”
According to the learning mission regulations,
original resources from tributary earth veins belong to the bureau.
Spoils acquired during cleanup are taken by students.
A few minutes later,
Li Lu lifted her head from the screen, face filled with horror, staring fixedly at Jiang Jian: “Student, you—”
She stammered for a long time, unable to find the right words.
No matter what, Li Lu had never imagined these spiritual ashes were truly not natural.
They were the ashes of countless demonic spirits and ghosts, burned to cinders by true flame!
The Li family was a renowned clan in the Five Rivers City of Linjiang.
But Li Lu combed through every famous prodigy of the Li family over the past decades in her mind,
and found no student who had reached such strength in first year.
“Prodigy!”
Li Lu’s expression shifted, thoughts surging: “This Jiang Jian student is absolutely a prodigy!”
A prodigy is rarer than a genius.
Only those who crush all peers of their age, dominating an entire bureau,
can be called a prodigy.
“In just half a month since enrollment, his Shen Que spiritual essence has reached 30% of the Divine Bestowal realm!”
“Normally, this is impossible!”
“Even scions of great clans, spending limitless resources—holding life-source essence in one hand, swallowing precious spiritual herbs in the other—don’t advance this fast!”
Li Lu considered a possibility, extremely rare:
“Cultivation is deeply tied to spiritual aptitude!”
“Could Jiang Jian be one of those prodigies with extraordinary aptitude?”
As a Li family member, Li Lu knew secrets unknown to ordinary people.
Many factors influence cultivation.
Innate talent, second talent, cultivation resources.
These are merely some of them.
There is another factor, inaccessible to commoners, yet absolutely crucial.
Aptitude.
Under identical conditions,
those with high aptitude cultivate at least several times faster than those with low aptitude!
Some prodigies’ aptitude is so monstrous, the multiplier is even greater!
“Student Jiang Jian!”
Li Lu suddenly spoke, voice firm: “I invite you to join the Li family.”
Hearing this,
Liu Tiezhu and the others wore strange expressions.
Before Jiang Jian could speak,
Yin Yin stepped forward, blocking him, sneering: “Does the Li family even qualify?”
Li Lu frowned: “Young lady, I wasn’t speaking to you.”
As a Li family member, in Linjiang, she could walk with impunity.
Only a handful of other clans could overshadow the Li family.
That was why, earlier, she had recognized Shi Xuan and the others as scions but shown no fear.
Yin Yin stood, hand brushing her skirt, eyes cold, pale fingers glowing with crimson light.
“I said it: the Li family doesn’t qualify.”
Li Lu stared at her fingers, face turning ashen.
Even Shi Xuan froze, turning to look at Yin Yin.
The next instant,
she said nothing, turned, and led her staff away.
Shi Xuan stared at Yin Yin: “Yin Yin, so you—”
“What?”
Shan Ye interrupted: “Shi Xuan, what were you going to say?”
Jiang Jian turned his gaze toward them.
Shi Xuan hesitated slightly, then spoke: “So you’re not human.”
Hearing this, Shan Ye’s face darkened.
Liu Tiezhu stared at Yin Yin, thoughtful.
Shan Ye gritted his teeth: “Shi Xuan, are you insane?”
Shi Xuan spread his hands: “What did I do?”
“He’s right,” the girl said softly, “I am not human.”
Yin Yin turned her face, hair falling.
Her pale, exquisite features glowed with cold light.
The dark river flowed on.
No one spoke; silence, strange and heavy, settled around them.
“Keep moving,” Jiang Jian said. “Push to ten kilometers—I need to board and cultivate.”
“The Heavenly Ladder ranking match hasn’t been fought yet.”
He looked at Liu Tiezhu: “When we get back, lend me the trans-boundary shuttle’s cultivation chamber.”
Liu Tiezhu snapped out of his daze and smiled: “Of course.”
(End of Chapter)
(End of chapter)
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