The Ancient Strengthening Technique

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AST 1180 - One Month, Road to State Master Level, Qing Shui's Formidable Power

"Second brother, let's learn from each other and swap pointers. Be at ease, I will go easy on you." Yan Leng seldom used such a relaxed tone to speak with others. It almost sounded like he was telling a joke.

Yan Yangchen sucked on his lips, "Let's fight, bring it on! You don't have to go easy."

The others started to laugh without saying much. The two of them vacated into the sky.

"We should go watch!" Yan Yangchi said with a smile.

Nobody had any objections. All of them soared high into the sky to follow them. Higher and higher into the open sky, that place is the best for battle. Even if there was a bustling city down below, there was no fear of destruction.

Yan Yangchen held the pair of giant World Demolition Battle Hammers, they almost blocked his entire back. A tall burly man, coupled with heavy armor, was just like a god of war.

On the contrary, Yan Leng's body was long and slender. The body armor he wore was not heavy armor. Only the important body parts were covered with thicker material. The other areas followed the shape of his body. He looked as though he was well tempered. The Blast Dragon Bone Blade emitted a cold killing intent.

"Second brother, show your hand, otherwise you will be forced to be reactive." Yan Leng nodded at Yan Yangchen.

Yan Yangchen did not take it with a grain of salt. He directly cast Demonic Beast Armor Manifestation. Though his strength had become more powerful, his Demonic Beast Armor Manifestation had not reached second form, it was just like a giant pangolin beast silhouette.

Yan Leng cast Demonic Beast Armor Manifestation at the same time, causing Qing Shui to widen his eyes. It was a Fox Beast silhouette. Though the size was not big, it carried the aura of quick-witted Spiritual Qi. His speed should have increased drastically, the only thing he was not certain of was the effect it had on his strength.

For martial art techniques, if they were the same level then their difference was small. With defense, they would lose speed and attack, with speed, they would lose defense and attack … …

Giant Spirit Divine Hammer!

Yan Yangchen raised the pair of Battle Hammers together, causing a huge force to suddenly rise. He seemed to be possessed by a giant Spirit God,

Mountain Shattering Tiger Strike!

Yan Yangchen's body moved with absurd speed, striking with one hammer without any fancy movements. This strike was the simplest, causing Qing Shui to laugh. It was like his sword technique foundation, this was the most effective way to deal with speed.

Yan Leng was stunned for a bit. He was probably shocked at Yan Yangchen's speed. Quickly dodging out of the way, side-stepping two steps, the small blade lightly touched the World Demolition Battle Hammer, allowing Yang Leng to move with increased speed.

Ferocious Snake Leaving the Cave!

Yan Yangchen's figure suddenly advanced, another giant hammer swooped down in a blur aimed directly at Yan Leng.

If it was a contest of power, Yan Leng was not comparable to Yan Yangchen. However, Yan Leng was all about speed. Right now, Yan Yangchen's speed was increased, causing Yan Leng to be flustered.

As if Yan Yangchen was releasing a burden, there were massive releases of Fire Snake Frenzied Dance and Soaring Dragon Sea Quake. However, Yan Leng seemed to always dodge just in time. He finally realized how scary Yan Leng's speed was.

Qing Shui and the others could tell that Yan Yangchen was familiar with weaponry, tempered with actual combat experience. On the other hand, Yan Leng was also tempered, but he was skilled in speed and dodging, with some occasional attacks.

Watching the battle unfold before them, the others were regretful. Originally, they had watched Yan Yangchen and Yan Leng ask Qing Shui to smith some weapons, the others were too ill-at-ease to ask. They knew that crafting a good weapon required large amounts of time. Especially now, they were too embarrassed to open their mouths. However, it was not set in stone whether they would ask, since they had witnessed this fight.

The majority of the time, Yan Yangchen was attacking and Yan Leng was resisting. However, in the process of defending, Fire Snake Frenzied Dance could be seen, forcing Yan Yangchen to back up.

This was the power of Talisman Formations, even during times of resistance it could severely damage the opponent. Had Yan Yangchen's speed not increased, combined with his unique stepping technique, it would have been difficulty to dodge. Even though this was the case, he still suffered light injuries.

"Stop, stop, I am already satisfied," Yan Yangchen yelled. He had already been lightly injured by Fire Snakes Frenzied Dance.

Yan Yangchen jumped directly to Qing Shui's side, giving him a bear hug, "Thanks to brother Qing Shui, in this contest, I have the utmost confidence."

Yan Leng acted differently from Yan Yangchen but still thanked Qing Shui seriously. In his fight with Yan Yangchen, he did not fully utilize his strength nor did he fully utilize his speed.

The others were naturally aware of Yan Yangchen's might when he had his whip, plus other weapons' additional effects. Moreover, Yan Yangchen's speed had increased several times. On the flip side, they did not discover much from Yan Leng, but they could tell that if Yan Leng had been serious it would have been frightening.

Several people landed at the Firecloud Blacksmith Store. Yan Huoyun pouted and said, "Older brother Qing Shui, I have called you older brother for a while now, how come I haven't gotten any greeting presents?"

Qing Shui looked at Yan Huoyun and laughed. This petite little girl was charming in her own way. She was the youngest of the Yan Jinyu siblings, but she was also the most spoiled amongst them. Regardless if it was her parents, older brother, older sister or cousins, all of them spoiled her.

Qing Shui took out a battle dress and snow white boots, the power was like that of battle boots but the appearance was more like what a young woman would wear.

"How can I forget about you, in this place only you refer to me as older brother," Qing Shui said while handing them over.

"Like I said, brother Qing Shui is the best," Yan Huoyun said joyously. Her petite face carried spirituality.

"You should cultivate abilities within the Flame of Five Elements category! I'll make your weapon later, let me make sets for those who are in the competition first." Qing Shui knew he could not get out of doing this, moreover, crafting extra equipment was not much work.

Yan Jinyu and Yan Yueyin would receive a set each. After he gave them their equipment, Qing Shui could sense that Yan Jinyu let out a sigh of relief. It almost felt like a misperception, so he did not put too much thought into it. Once Qing Shui knew Yan Jinyu was joining the competition, he had already decided to craft her a full set of equipment.

After Yan Yangchi received Qing Shui's crafted armor and boots, he said while laughing, "Brother Qing Shui, I don't have a need for weapons. This time our Yan Clan's chances of victory has increased quite a bit."

"I wanted to contribute to the best of my abilities. Yan Clan is a large Aristocrat Clan. I know that Uncle would have prepared equipment for all of you. These are things I wanted to craft as a blacksmith in support of all of you."

"You are our brother, what nonsense are you talking about being a blacksmith or not. Though our father supports us, he can only support us with one piece of equipment that matches what you have provided. It may not even match up to the quality of what you provided. There are stronger ones at home but their quantities are very limited. Those are mostly in the hands of the VIPs. Legendary equipment was also rare, so what you have provided us is already top-tier!"

……

There was one month until the competition, thus, the next day they all entered secluded cultivation. All of them were hoping that they could breakthrough in the short amount of time, since the competition was dangerous. Moreover, they were not just putting their lives on their line, this would also affect the future of their clan.

They had entered seclusion. Qing Shui had nothing to do. He decided to head towards Firecloud Blacksmith Store. He did not take any orders. The store had several weapons and armor. He only allowed for item exchange but not sales.

At night, Qing Shui continued to cultivate diligently. Qing Shui followed the values where given enough time, hard work compensated for one's limited abilities and practice made perfect. Everything would pale in the passage of time.

As Qing Shui became calm, he thought of Di Chen and that woman that was regarded as the Demon Lord. Seldom, would he think of Yan Zhongyue. Qing Shui guessed that he was in the four continents, but he was uncertain whether he was in Western Oxhe Continent.

He would think of a way to find this man. Regardless of what it took, he would make that man appear in front of his mother. This was something that man owed to his mother.

He would not accept any excuses!

Because he was still alive!

He would also think of his family. As cliche as it sounded, longing was a type of disease. It was not wrong, since longing could develop into illness. Longing could also overburden the mind and then the body. Thus, Qing Shui would try to control himself by not overthinking it. He used his cultivation regiment to remove his longing. With the passage of time, he got more used to it.

Through time, people could endure any torture!

Qing Shui looked at the Scarlet Flame Metallic Essence that he had not used much of. This was a gift from Yan Dingtian. It was a product within Scarlet Flame Region, which was regarded as a precious material. It was a Fire Element high quality crafting material.

Yan Huoyun's strength was not too strong. It was just about the level of Yu Ruyan. The Yan Clan Inheritance was formidable but it still required the person to have talent, comprehension, personal destiny and temperament.

……

A month quickly passed by. The day after tomorrow would mark the end of the one month time frame. The matter of Yan Clan and Yu Clan's Youth Competition had already created an uproar in the surrounding area. Many powerful forces gathered in Yan City hoping to witness the strength of the Yan Clan and Yu Clan's younger generation.

On this night, Qing Shui consumed the ninth Heaven's Mystery Pellet within the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal. In addition to the time Qing Shui spent cultivating, with only one Heaven's Mystery Pellet remaining, Qing Shui's physical strength had already reached 20 nimbus.

Feeling his own strength, Qing Shui was ecstatic. The formidable strength from using the Big Dipper Sword reached almost 3,000 nimbus. Moreover, Nine Continents Mountain had reached a frightening 6,000 nimbus. The scariest thing was spirit energy. Due to the effect of Big Dipper Sword, Qing Shui's spirit energy attack reached 7,800 nimbus… …

Spirit energy required the assistance of Buddha Form Reveal and Buddha's True Eyes to achieve the same strength!

He had already thought of this when Yan Jinyu first gave him the Heaven's Mystery Pellet but actually possessing this strength had left him overly excited.

With Qing Shui's current strength, he felt that if he was matched against a second-grade State Master he would have the power for one battle. At this moment, Qing Shui felt that he was getting a bit over confident.

The nebula within his sea of consciousness expanded several times. The boundless spirit energy left Qing Shui feeling satisfied. In this very moment, Qing Shui finally felt like he had entered the State Master Realm.

It was a spiritual type of feeling!

He felt that he was finally a real State Master, Grade Two State Master!

The sky was brightening. Two days from now would be day of their competition. They should be coming out of secluded cultivation today.

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