Chapter 8: Mysterious Maiden

Refining Qi into Gang, Grandmaster Realm, achieved!

The Innate Realm True Qi within his body was now more solid; Jiang Xuan circulated his technique, and the purple-black North Ming True Qi formed a Three-Foot Qi Wall outside his body.

"The Sweeping Monk should also be Grandmaster Realm."

"As expected of an immortality pill; often the more powerful the divine elixir, the harsher the conditions for consumption. Like the Great Return Pill of the wuxia world, ordinary people taking it would likely explode and die, but consuming this immortality pill allows life energy to be stored within the body for later refinement—truly miraculous."

The vast Life Essence Qi enabled Jiang Xuan to break through to Grandmaster Realm, and this was merely the most insignificant fraction of the power contained within the divine fruit.

To fully refine all the energy within the divine fruit requires a long time and a far higher realm, so that the essence stored within his body can be transformed into what is needed for cultivation.

But even just that insignificant bit of energy from the fruit allowed Jiang Xuan to reach the Grandmaster Realm that countless martial artists of the Tianlong World vie to attain.

Jiang Xuan ate three divine fruits, leaving one for a rainy day.

"Ye Zi, it's confirmed—Jiang Ge might really be a descendant of a legendary Ancient Martial Family, or maybe from the Dragon Group?"

Ye Fan and Pang Bo also ate the divine fruit, but aside from their fatigue disappearing, they felt nothing else special.

At this moment, Jiang Xuan's eyes were tightly closed, his hands continuously changing hand seals at his Dantian, the purple Three-Foot Qi Wall enveloping his entire body, shocking to behold.

"Jiang Xuan was mysterious even in university; perhaps it really is as you say," Ye Fan spoke.

This seemed to be a cultivation technique, but it was Jiang Xuan's privacy, so he did not dare ask.

"Very much like the Qi Walls in TV dramas, really cool." Jiang Xuan seemed to have started his Cultivation Path long ago.

But Pang Bo had no other ill intentions.

Everyone came from Earth, far from home, and Jiang Xuan was part of their small group; the stronger Jiang Xuan became, the better it would be for them.

At this moment Jiang Xuan finished circulating his Qi, slowly opened his eyes, and True Qi sank into his body.

The Three-Foot Qi Wall was merely one trait of Grandmaster Realm; besides that, as Jiang Xuan circulated his True Qi, his mind sank into his body and he could even see his various organs.

Circulating the Lingbo Microstep, in a flash he was already a hundred meters away.

A comprehensive improvement; although he did not circulate True Qi to attempt an attack, feeling the solid True Qi within his body, he knew a single thread of True Qi could pierce through three elephants.

Entering Grandmaster Realm, Jiang Xuan felt he should have the power to fight a Bitter Sea Realm cultivator; combined with the Bronze Furnace within the Treasure Mirror, he might not be unable to challenge the Life Spring.

He slowly exhaled a breath of Turbid Qi.

"I once had an opportunity and obtained some cultivation techniques. Once we settle down, I can teach them to you." Seeing the two look doubtful and envious, Jiang Xuan laughed.

The three prepared to return; before leaving, they scooped up spring water and drank until full, then Jiang Xuan took out prepared mineral water bottles, filled several, and stored them within the Treasure Mirror Space.

……

On the way back, many students in twos and threes were also solving their food problem; when climbing Mount Tai everyone had prepared some snacks and water, and although they could not eat their fill now, it could at least solve their urgent need.

After barely solving the hunger problem, everyone discussed the exit to go down the mountain, and finally unanimously decided on a direction leading to the exit.

Thus all the students set out.

On the road down the mountain, everyone was very cautious, guarding their surroundings, fearing a wild beast might appear from somewhere unknown.

After walking who knows how long, not to mention wild beasts, not even a single ant appeared, and everyone gradually relaxed.

The distance between mountains was too great; when they walked until dark and could not see the road, the tired crowd had no choice but to rest on the spot for a night.

The mountain forest at night was even more quiet and terrifying; everyone huddled together to rest, hoping to gain a sense of security from their classmates.

Jiang Xuan, on the other hand, was not nervous; he sat cross-legged, meditating instead of sleeping, contemplating the martial arts he had learned over these years in his heart.

As for the Dao Pattern brands of countless Magic Treasures within the Treasure Mirror, he wanted to contemplate them, but for Jiang Xuan at present they were like heavenly scripture, completely incomprehensible.

As expected, tomorrow someone would lead them out of the Ancient Forbidden Land.

Time slowly passed; Jiang Xuan was in cultivation, his whole person in a state of Heaven-Man Unity.

After a whole night of cultivation, Jiang Xuan felt refreshed, though his Cultivation Level had not increased much; after reaching Grandmaster Realm, improvement became more difficult, requiring persistent perseverance day by day.

The strength of Grandmaster Realm in the wuxia world was enough for him to get through the difficult early period of Beidou.

The rising morning sun cast a thread of light; Jiang Xuan's whole person seemed even more extraordinary.

Many female classmates who woke up secretly cast their gazes upon Jiang Xuan, secretly regretting not having interacted more with this classmate during university.

"Let's set out."

Jiang Xuan spoke.

"Go."

"Set out."

The group made ready and continued forward in a mighty procession.

By noon, the trees in the mountains gradually thinned, and a broad region appeared before everyone.

Birds flew by, cicadas chirped, butterflies danced.

"Finally out."

"There's a deer over there."

At this time, everyone was in high spirits, their long-suppressed moods relaxing.

"Careful!" a classmate cried out.

At the same time, a purple flash streaked by, and the sound of a heavy object falling came.

A headless white-foreheaded great tiger fell beside a classmate; the tiger's head rolled away, the tiger's body still maintained an attacking posture, and fresh blood gushed from its neck.

"Jiang Xuan, thank... thank you!"

This classmate was drenched in cold sweat.

If Jiang Xuan had acted a second later, he would have been bitten to death by this giant tiger instantly.

Everyone then realized Jiang Xuan had no Buddhist Treasure in his hand, and besides, the Buddhist Treasure at Great Thunder Sound Temple had already been absorbed by the Giant Coffin, losing its divine radiance and power.

"Perhaps this classmate had already begun cultivating back on Earth." Recalling Jiang Xuan's various mysteries all along, a classmate couldn't help but speculate, and also looked forward even more to the future Cultivation Path.

"We should have left the forbidden region; everyone pay attention to observing our surroundings," Jiang Xuan spoke.

Everyone continued forward.

"I feel terrible, my body is burning up!"

At this moment, a female classmate suddenly cried out.

"Me too, it's so painful!"

"Ah, I'm dying of discomfort!"

One after another, people felt their bodies turn strange, their whole bodies turning red and feverish, blood seeming to burn.

Everyone felt something was wrong. Some rolled on the ground trying to relieve the pain, but to no avail. In the end, the entire group except Jiang Xuan fell unconscious from the pain.

Jiang Xuan remained conscious, but the pain did not lessen by half. Precisely because his consciousness was clear, the suffering he felt was even more intense.

After an unknown time, the dull-knife-cutting-flesh pain receded like a tide.

Jiang Xuan felt his age state return to when he was fifteen or sixteen, full of vigor, vitality vigorous.

Looking at Ye Fan and Pang Bo, they seemed like twelve or thirteen-year-old youths.

As for Liu Yiyi, because she had only eaten one divine fruit, she looked to be in her thirties, having shed her youthful greenness and gained a mature woman's rhyme flavor.

The others, however, looked as if they had aged forty or fifty years, becoming decrepit with old age.

Decades of lifespan, gone in the snap of a finger — such is the way of things.

Ye Fan and Pang Bo woke up one after another. Seeing their current state, they were greatly shocked. Then seeing the others' state, they were even more shaken.

"Jiang Ge, what's going on?"

Pang Bo asked in surprise.

"It should be the Ancient Forbidden Land. Perhaps there exists a power in the Ancient Forbidden Land that strips away human lifespan, and we ate those unknown fruits..."

Jiang Xuan did not continue speaking.

Ye Fan and Pang Bo also understood.

All three had eaten those mysterious fruits, unexpectedly not only resisting the forbidden land's power but even reverse-growing, their ages returning to youth.

Slowly, the crowd woke up one after another. Discovering they had turned into old people, walking with trembling steps, so that even a gust of wind could knock them over, they immediately wailed, sobbing sounds unceasing.

Li Xiaoman and Lin Jia, two women famed for their beauty, were even more unable to accept becoming old ladies. Their once-proud figures hunched over; they wished they could bang their heads against the ground. This was more unbearable than killing them.

"Don't come over, don't you come over."

Seeing Ye Fan look at her, Li Xiaoman screamed, covering her face with both hands.

"Why haven't you aged?"

Wang Yan screamed, pointing at Pang Bo.

Hearing this, everyone looked at the three — Jiang Xuan and the others.

"Oh dear, Grandma Wang, please don't get agitated. It would be bad if you fell." Pang Bo certainly didn't humor her.

"What exactly is going on? Why did you become young while we became old? How can we change back?"

Li Xiaoman stopped crying, nearly begging.

"We picked a kind of fruit. It might be the reason." Ye Fan said.

For a while, no one knew what to do.

Just then, a single thread of rainbow light flew from the distance, landing before Jiang Xuan and the others in the blink of an eye.

The rainbow light dispersed, and a graceful blue figure walked over.

A blue-clad young girl, like a spirit under the night moon, immortal bearing transcending dust, as if not belonging to the mortal world, gathering spiritual qi and beauty in one body.

Her green hair like a waterfall fell down her back, dancing lightly. A thread of green hair scattered across her chest. Countenance like jade, figure slender, curves graceful. In a pale blue dress naturally fluttering, jade legs straight, beautiful as a fairy who does not eat mortal fireworks.

This woman, who seemed not of the human world, looked at the crowd, revealing a doubtful expression. When her gaze fell on Jiang Xuan, a thread of curiosity flashed in her eyes, as if surprised that among this group there was actually such a dust-transcending youth.

The woman was very calm, asking a sentence very gently.

It was not the Huaxia language, yet everyone understood. Although this language was not Huaxia, it was very similar; strung together, the sentences could be understood by all.

"Have you entered the Ancient Forbidden Land?"

Tears wet the pig trotter rice, vowing to earn one million.

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(Chapter End)