Chapter 1010: Sheer Cold
“Hmph, you don’t need to know!”
Ling Xian’er snorted. But with her looks, even her slightly angry face was overwhelmingly beautiful. If the former handsome dandy saw it, his eyes would have certainly lit up, and he would have been unable to control himself.
“Okay… let’s go back!”
Fang Yuan’s eyes narrowed and glanced toward the nearby bushes before leaving the scene with his two subordinates.
With eyes full of hatred, Wang Tianming looked at the direction that Fang Yuan had left in. He then cupped his hands toward Ling Xian’er. “My name is Wang Tianming. Thank you for saving me, miss. I will surely repay your kindness in the future!”
“You are also a fellow Pugilistic World member, so there’s no need for thanks. However, do you really plan on seeking revenge against this Fang Xu three years from now? He is not only the young sect master of the Noble Mountain Sect but a famous genius in the Pugilistic World as well!”
Ling Xian’er sized up Wang Tianming curiously. “With all due respect… with your potential and cultivation, that will be extremely difficult!”
Wang Tianming trembled.
The Noble Mountain Sect was a first-class sect with countless experts. The sect master, ‘Fang Tianhan,’ was at Connate perfection and rank forty-nine on the Martial Roll!
Fang Xu reached where he was today with his father’s personal teaching, the martial arts of the Noble Mountain Sect, countless magical pills, and his own outstanding talent.
Wang Tianming was behind in every respect, and it would be incredibly difficult for him to catch up.
“Although it is extremely difficult, I must do it!” Wang Tianming clenched his fist. “I will definitely catch up to his cultivation within three years!”
Although he had learned some martial arts, they were basic techniques taught to him by a traveling Daoist. Nevertheless, he made this declaration in a confident tone that was full of conviction and charisma.
“Hehe… this kind of reckless youngster is becoming rare these days!”
A silhouette flashed, and a middle-aged man in green robes appeared on the scene.
Three fluttering strands of beard decorated his elegant features. He had a scholarly temperament, looking like a village teacher.
“Daddy!” Ling Xian’er exclaimed and affectionately attached herself to his arm.
This man was none other than the Great River Alliance Leader, Ling Xian’er’s father, Xuan Tianzi.
“Why didn’t you come out earlier and teach that dandy a lesson?” Ling Xian’er pouted.
“His father and I are both experts on the Martial Roll, and it wouldn’t be wise to start a conflict…” Xuan Tianzi smiled. However, he was still a little puzzled. “That Fang Xu seemed to have sensed my presence before he left. How is that possible for someone on the Hidden Dragon Roll?”
The Martial Dao was popular in this world, and the ‘Martial Roll’ served to distinguish between the experts.
On the other hand, the Hidden Dragon Roll was for the new generation of young experts. Those on the roll could not exceed thirty years old, and the ones at the top of the roll were at most at the initial Connate realm.
With such a huge difference in power, it should not have been possible for him to sense anything!
“Greetings Alliance Leader!” Wang Tianming greeted respectfully.
“Good! Wang Tianming, is it?” Xuan Tianzi sized up Wang Tianming carefully. For some reason, he felt a sense of joy. “Although you’re a bit reckless, that’s adorable as well. Would you like to join the Great River Alliance and become my in-name disciple?”
“Disciple is willing. Disciple pays respect to Master!” Wang Tianming knelt without any hesitation and gave Xuan Tianzi eight kowtows.
“Hmm… All right, you will return with us to the Great River Alliance… There’s no need to visit this Noble Mountain Sect now!” Xuan Tianzi stroked his beard while feeling slightly shocked.
Even the Ling Xian’er at his side looked at him in astonishment. The stringency that Xuan Tianzi chose his disciples with was well-known.
However, she agreed with not going to the Noble Mountain Sect. “That Fang Xu is so annoying. I don’t want to have anything to do with him at all!”
“Not bad…”
With doting eyes, Xuan Tianzi looked at his daughter. “That Fang Xu is truly not a good match. My Xian’er’s ideal husband must excel in both martial arts and academics, and be a person of character… Of course, the most important thing is to catch Xian’er’s eyes. Haha…”
…
Noble Mountain Sect.
“This world… is too real… Too real to find any flaws!”
Fang Yuan narrowed his eyes, observed everything carefully on the way back, and could not help feeling shocked. “As expected of the Abominable Lord’s arrangements… It almost made me think that he had obtained a world fragment from somewhere and merged it with the dream world… Wait! That’s not out of the question!”
“Young Master!”
“Greetings, Eldest Senior Brother!”
He held an extraordinary position within the Noble Mountain Sect, and the disciples and deacons greeted him along the way.
“Mmmm!”
Following the dandy’s memory, Fang Yuan walked with an arrogant swagger.
“I must have the power to protect myself if I want to explore this world!”
After returning to his room, he shut the door and ordered that no one was to disturb his seclusion training. He sat cross-legged on a meditation mat and began contemplating. “The rules of this world are strict, and it only has the power of Martial Dao True Qi… Even I can’t break through them. How strange.”
He became even more suspicious that the Abominable Lord had used a hybrid method to arrange this dream world protection. He had either used a True Spirit Exile Array or had merged a fragment of a Martial Dao world with it, making it feel very realistic.
“Although Netherheaven Demon Gods can break the limitations of worlds… this world is half real and half false, having the qualities of both the real world and a dream world at the same time, making it tough for me to even start doing anything.”
Fang Yuan sighed. “Looks like I’ll have to play by the rules.”
Using this dandy’s memory, he knew immediately that the Martial Dao was flourishing in this world, and martial artists were at the top of the world.
However, despite the many sects, true teachings were few. Most in the Pugilistic World were martial artists at the Acquired realm.
Connate experts could easily reign supreme over a region.
“Connate means to return True Qi to its origin. Fang Xu has already passed this level! Within my body is Connate True Primordial Qi… But in the Connate realm, there are the initial, intermediate, peak, and perfection stages. The difference between each stage is even greater than the difference between Acquired and Connate!”
According to his memory, an intermediate Connate expert could easily defeat two or three Fang Xus. The higher the level, the more apparent the difference. After reaching the perfection stage, group attacks were useless, and only those at the same level stood any chance.
“The reason is that all the perfection experts are bound to have mastered intent… be it Sword Intent or Saber Intent. In fact… this is a kind of spiritual pressure or domain… Experts using this would naturally steamroll ordinary people…”
At Connate perfection, the spirit underwent a qualitative change.
And this was the secret to why they did not fear group attacks from lower-level martial artists!
The release of intent would intimate those with evil intentions!
Although this was supposed to be a secret, Fang Tianhan, Fang Xu’s father, had told him a long time ago.
“The presence that I sensed hiding… was it Ling Xian’er’s father, the Great River Alliance Lleader, Xuan Tianzi?
“Looks like I have to increase my strength as soon as possible. Otherwise, others could casually crush me like a fly, which would be quite unfortunate!”
Although death in this world was not true death, increased immersion of the True Spirit and even damage to the true body were inevitable.
He closed his eyes, and the Connate True Primordial Qi in his body started circulating according to a certain path. He was practicing the Noble Mountain Sect’s number one cultivation technique— ‘Sheer Cold Divine Formula!’
“How strange…” After one cycle, Fang Yuan was even more surprised. “Although this cultivation technique is crude, I can’t find any flaws even with my experience. In other words, I could even cultivate it in the real world…”
Low-level cultivation techniques also had their own merits.
Because the level was low, it was not much different from the nomological rules of Great Daos, and they were very adaptable.
It was like the common combat techniques of ordinary people. As long as the physiological structure was similar, the techniques were usable even in different worlds.
This was the same for the ‘Sheer Cold Divine Formula’. According to Fang Yuan’s estimations, it was directly usable in other similar martial art worlds. The adaptability was frightening.
“As expected… a fragment of a martial arts world has merged with this dream world.”
Fang Yuan was also an expert of the Dao of Dream Master and confirmed his earlier speculation. “The Abominable Lord is sure something!”
He could use his Dream Master methods to unravel simple dream worlds, and the fragments of small worlds were no match for the power of the Netherheaven Demon God.
However, the combination of the two presented a new form, and deciphering it tested Fang Yuan’s abilities.
“‘Sheer Cold Divine Formula’ consists of three chapters, setting Connate perfection as the goal. They are Winter Snow, Endure Frost, and Sheer Cold! Fang Xu had cultivated a dozen or so years before finally finishing the Winter Snow chapter and advancing to the Connate realm!”
In Fang Yuan’s mind, a chapter on an inner force core cultivation technique and the corresponding moves and movement techniques suddenly emerged.
“Cultivation power isn’t something that happens overnight unless you use heavenly materials and earthly treasures, such as a hundred-year vermilion fruit. As for the situation now? Impossible.”
The original Fang Xu was a heaven’s chosen and destined to succeed.
However, after his True Spirit awoke and wanted to break through the dream world, the entire world would stop him by making things as difficult for him as possible.
“The former Fang Xu would be able to obtain any heavenly materials and earthly treasures. However, now it was his enemy’s turn to enjoy providence. Discovering secret martial arts manuals by jumping off a cliff, having old men pass them down personally, and so on were all possible! For instance, that Wang Tianming…”
Fang Yuan shook his head in his mind. “My providence has suffered great damage, and I will face obstacles at every turn. How could I forcefully provoke karma?”
Fortunately, the nomological rules of this world were strict. Even if it was heaven’s will, he would not die from a sudden lightning strike. After all, this was just a mortal world.
“But under heaven’s will, the circumstances will eventually end up unfavorable for me. The only way is to resolve matters by force!” Fang Yuan made up his mind. “I’ll put aside cultivation power for now and focus on trying to master intent!”
‘Sheer Cold Divine Formula’ aimed toward Connate perfection, so it would naturally teach intent as well.
There was an incredible mysterious snowflake pattern on the last page of the martial arts manual. According to Fang Tianhan, if someone could make sense of the pattern, they would have comprehended intent.
It was a shame that only Fang Tianhan could understand the pattern out of all the Connate experts in the Noble Mountain Sect.
Fang Tianhan had also used this to advance directly to Connate perfection and enter the Martial Roll.
“Regarding comprehension… hehe…”
Fang Yuan laughed coldly. He directly skipped the many cultivation techniques and started focusing on the snowflake pattern.