[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-grain-of-mountains-and-rivers":3,"chapter-the-grain-of-mountains-and-rivers-the-grain-of-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-194":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Mountains and Rivers of the Imperial Granary",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},2231610,4184,"Chapter 194: Vault of Heaven Tremors, Impact of the Giant Beast","the-grain-of-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-194",194,"\u003Cp>On the stage and off, there was dead silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if some dared to guess that Lu Xingzhou could win, no one dared to guess he would win this quickly; it had taken a total of three moves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first two moves seemed to be probing Shi Tielong’s strength, and once the probing was done, he delivered the finishing blow—clean and decisive. On the surface, he had only suffered some recoil injuries, which could basically be counted as unscathed!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It truly lived up to what he had told Sheng Yuanyao before the battle: \"I'll be back in a flash.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some members of the East River Gang went up to the stage to carry away the heavily injured Shi Tielong, their gazes sweeping over Lu Xingzhou, who stood quietly to the side, filled with fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where did such a Fourth Realm cultivator come from... was he even human?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In reality, Lu Xingzhou was not as relaxed as they imagined. At this moment, his meridians felt as if they had been twisted, the pain was excruciating, and his own power was completely empty—not a shred remained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In full view of everyone, Lu Xingzhou popped an elixir and stood still to heal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Allowing the opponent's full force to enter one's own body was no child's play; if one wasn't careful, it was essentially suicide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though the Yin-Yang Ultimate Intent Technique had the capacity for this and he had spent a long time adapting with the Yin-Yang Grind, this was not something to be trifled with. Roughly speaking, if the opponent's power was slightly stronger than his own, that was the limit of what this technique could bear. Had the opponent been even half a stage stronger, he wouldn't have dared to gamble. In the future, it was best used against those of the same realm or lower; it could be considered a god-tier skill for bullying the weak, but using it for cross-realm combat was too dangerous and could only serve as a trump card.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only when his bone-tempering and sinew-forging reached a higher level, allowing him to withstand more damage, could he use it for cross-realm combat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the stage, Zhang Rongzhi let out a long breath: \"The winner is decided; the Profound Heaven Sect has three victories. Sect Leader Shi, who is your next fighter?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shi Tielong was unconscious and could not answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A man in black with a plain, unremarkable face drifted onto the stage: \"I'll come.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crowd looked at each other in dismay. Even the East River Gang members were completely bewildered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They didn't recognize this person; his origins were extremely mysterious, and only the Sect Leader himself had been in contact with him. They couldn't even discern his cultivation level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Being unable to discern cultivation usually meant one of two things: either they possessed a highly profound concealment technique, or their cultivation was so strong it crushed the current level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Rongzhi frowned: \"You may state your name first.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Just a nameless nobody,\" the man in black laughed. \"I didn't come here to seek fame; I just owed Sect Leader Shi a favor and am here to fight. Fighting is enough; why ask so many questions?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xingzhou frowned. He had recovered somewhat after taking the elixir; the twisted meridians had calmed down, but his power had not even returned to one-third. Facing an opponent whose identity he didn't even know, he had no confidence at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It would be best if the sect sent a Third Realm cultivator to test the opponent's approximate strength before making a decision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if he were a First Realm expert, a Third Realm cultivator would at least be able to test him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sheng Yuanyao was thinking the same thing, and just as she was about to speak, Ye Tinglan spoke first: \"I'll go.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xingzhou and Sheng Yuanyao’s hearts skipped a beat, their expressions changing instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was she truly a First Realm expert?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On this remote, desolate county stage, they had actually gathered two First Realm experts! This level of investment could fight most wars of sect extermination...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Rongzhi nodded: \"This is...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ye Tinglan replied indifferently: \"Since he doesn't state his name, why should I?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Rongzhi’s attitude toward the Profound Heaven Sect was excellent, and even after being rebuffed, he only smiled: \"That is fine. Please ascend the stage.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"One doesn't necessarily have to ascend the stage to state a name. Besides, it's just a matter of catching one's breath; I can't be bothered to move.\" As Ye Tinglan said this, she leisurely snapped her fingers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Others only heard a \"snap,\" but the man in black’s expression changed drastically.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was as if a thunderclap had exploded in his sea of consciousness; giant drums roared, and the heavens howled. His head felt as if it were about to split open, and instantly, blood flowed from his seven orifices as he let out a scream and collapsed, unconscious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The onlookers below the stage were all stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had looked so imposing ascending the stage, only to be wiped out by a single snap?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A clash of spiritual sense was something where outsiders couldn't even understand the excitement; it wasn't as visually stimulating as a Ninth Realm brawl of fists and kicks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The arbiters on the stage, however, were not as ignorant as the onlookers. Chu Zheng, the Great Elder of the Huanhua Sword Sect who had been invited as the chief arbiter, was drenched in cold sweat: \"This kind of spiritual soul tremor... peak First Realm...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The opponent was able to take the hit without dying, so he must also be a First Realm expert; the exact stage is unknown.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn it, who could have known that in a martial arts tournament in this remote county, a peak First Realm expert would appear? That was one of the top figures in the entire Great Qian!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The county garrison commander, Tu Yugui, slid in his seat, barely daring to sit still.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He came from a Holy Land and recognized it—what spiritual soul tremor, what peak First Realm... that was the Holy Land’s supreme technique, the Vault of Heaven Tremors. Even if a First Realm expert could use it, they couldn't possibly do it so effortlessly. She was a Super-Realm expert... this unmasked woman was the Imperial Preceptor!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They said the Profound Heaven Sect only had one pitiful foreign aid, but no one said that foreign aid was the number one in the world!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By what right was he sitting in the arbiter's seat, letting the Imperial Preceptor act as a contestant below? Had he gone mad?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No, wait—if you have the Imperial Preceptor, why fight this war? Just crook your finger and let the other side attack together; wouldn't that be simpler?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sheng Yuanyao asked in a low voice: \"Teacher Ye, this is?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ye Tinglan replied indifferently: \"The twentieth on the Hero Ranking, the Thunder Sword, Lei Chong. Known as the Lone God Sword; it seems he has already thrown his lot in with the Prince of Jin.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sheng Yuanyao narrowed her eyes slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ye Tinglan said: \"Are you still going to tear me apart?\" Sheng Yuanyao’s pretty face flushed red; she never imagined the Imperial Preceptor would bring that up to her face!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The opponent has no one stronger. The strongest is the junior brother brought by Shi Zhong, a peak Third Realm expert. The rest are all early Third Realm; you can solve them yourselves... Hmm, among them, although the Lingyun Sect’s Daoist Jingxu is also early Third Realm, he is stronger than the others and likely has more tricks up his sleeve.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sheng Yuanyao responded carefully: \"Thank you, Imperial Preceptor.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ye Tinglan replied indifferently: \"If you truly want to thank me, don't reveal my identity in front of Lu Xingzhou.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sheng Yuanyao asked cautiously: \"Is the Imperial Preceptor doing this for...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Initially, it was for the Yama Hall,\" Ye Tinglan did not hide it. \"But I do truly cherish talent. Lu Xingzhou and Lu Nuonuo are both the top talents of this generation. If I can lead them onto the right path, it would be a great merit for the country and the people.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sheng Yuanyao immediately expressed her stance: \"Xingzhou is a good person!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ye Tinglan glanced at her sideways, the mockery in her eyes making Sheng Yuanyao’s face burn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What kind of \"good person\" is shameless with his own Sect Leader and can still look at his own teacher with such a wistful gaze? Cherishing the jade and pitying the fragrance? Ha.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Regardless of their inner drama, in the eyes of the onlookers, this was the most boring battle, and someone was already urging: \"Carry him away, carry him away! East River Gang, who is next? Hurry up!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Rongzhi also said: \"The Profound Heaven Sect has four victories. East River Gang, who is next?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The East River Gang members silently went up to the stage to carry away the man in black, Lei Chong. For a while, no one dared to ascend the stage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Are you kidding? Over there sits a pervert who can make people bleed from their seven orifices with a single snap. Who wants to go up and take a snap?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then Ye Tinglan said leisurely: \"As foreign aid, I only promise to make this one move.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The East River Gang side let out a collective sigh of relief, only then realizing they were drenched in cold sweat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Lingyun Sect’s Sect Leader, Daoist Jingxu, stood before Lu Xingzhou, his malice undisguised: \"Lu Xingzhou, this is the end for those who do evil—those who lose the Dao find little support. Even your foreign aid only agreed to make one move for you; you truly are a failure as a person.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xingzhou gave Ye Tinglan a resentful look, but Ye Tinglan looked up at the sky, too lazy to pay him any mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During the Profound Heaven Sect’s founding ceremony, the Lingyun Sect had provoked them and suffered from Lu Xingzhou’s Profound Gold Thunder Fire Array, losing four men. The two sides had a blood feud, and their malice was even deeper than that of the East River Gang, as the East River Gang’s conflict was merely over industrial interests and no one had died.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xingzhou sighed: \"Back then, the East River Gang, the Burning Incense Tower, the Cangshan Sword Sect, and your Lingyun Sect all provoked us. Aside from the Burning Incense Tower, which truly launched a surprise attack, do you know why I only killed your people and let the East River Gang and the Cangshan Sword Sect off lightly?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Daoist Jingxu stared at him coldly. Who could know why? Everyone knew he wanted to pull one group and hit another, but why did he have to hit him?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xingzhou replied indifferently: \"Actually, it's very simple. It's just because back then, the East River Gang was stronger than us, so we didn't dare to move. Although the Cangshan Sword Sect was weak, they acted honorably and had the spirit of swordsmen, so I couldn't bear to. Only you—neither strong nor good people—if I didn't use you to sacrifice the flag, who would I use?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jingxu flew into a rage: \"Lu Xingzhou!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Look, your Daoist name is 'Jingxu' (Quiet Void), yet you are irritable and prone to anger; you truly lack what you claim to have,\" Lu Xingzhou laughed. \"Foreign aid only making one move is nothing; as a guest elder, I only make one move as well. The Profound Heaven Sect is full of talent; we have to let everyone show their faces, right?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After saying this, he flicked his sleeves and turned to leave the stage: \"For this kind of trash, our Profound Heaven Sect only needs to send out a child... Nuonuo, go play.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>People watched with their own eyes as a chubby five or six-year-old girl eating a candied hawthorn jumped onto the high stage: \"Hello, Grandpa, my name is Lu Nuonuo.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whatever others were feeling, Daoist Jingxu only felt naked humiliation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This little girl—has she even finished wearing diapers? And she’s coming up to fight a Third Realm expert!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although everyone in their hearts knew that \"Lu Xingzhou and his disciple together beheaded Ye Wufeng,\" and this Lu Nuonuo was no ordinary child, her appearance was too deceptive. No one dared to imagine that during that battle, Nuonuo was actually stronger than Lu Xingzhou; people only imagined she could provide some containment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nuonuo smiled ingratiatingly: \"Grandpa, my teacher told me to come on stage, I didn't dare not to... How about you let me make one move, and I'll go down once I've finished my task.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jingxu sneered: \"Even if I let you make a move, with so many people watching, I can't afford to lose face! If this little doll can even hit a corner of my clothes, I will...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the word \"lose\" could leave his mouth, a blur flashed before his eyes, and the ingratiating Nuonuo had already vanished from her spot, her small fist already pounding into his lower abdomen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What speed!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jingxu was horrified in his heart, quickly forming a protective layer of hooked vines in front of him, while grass and trees on the ground grew wildly, grabbing Nuonuo’s ankles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A rare wood-element cultivator.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But they would never know why Lu Xingzhou had let Nuonuo fight this battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The grass and trees on the ground touched Nuonuo’s ankles, but suddenly, as if they had received someone’s order, they let go, as if they were just tickling her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The vines in front of her even took the initiative to scatter, and the seemingly layered, hooked, and thorny defense became wide open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Daoist Jingxu hadn't even figured out where the problem lay before the small fist pounded heavily into his stomach.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was as if he had been struck by an ancient giant beast; Daoist Jingxu flew into the air, falling directly toward his own viewing stand, blood spraying from his body like a rainbow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Bang!\" His body smashed into the viewing stand, creating a huge crater.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>K.O.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The East River Gang and the Lingyun Sect, two Third Realm sects, had unexpectedly reached the same conclusion—being smashed into the ground, creating a massive crater.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The difference was that Nuonuo had only used a single move.\u003C\u002Fp>",2381,"2026-06-18T01:46:09.112Z","2026-06-18T03:18:02.290Z",1,"Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite","75d241166b3863d006d9f6a93b9454937e7edb9509734667cb34f782fd4bd7dd","the-grain-of-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-195","the-grain-of-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-193",325,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fmountains-and-rivers-of-the-imperial-granary-cover.jpg"]