The Ancient Strengthening Technique

AST 1604 - Death of the Old Man, Qing Shui's Victory

Qing Shui stood at a distance that was neither too far nor close; he was afraid that the old man would retaliate before dying. With the manipulation from his mind, he had used the Marrow Nibbling Golden Dragon Silkworm to destroy the brain of the elderly, but the skull of those who were stronger would naturally be more resilient than the average person. Some would even be able to defend against it.

It was a pity that the old man in front of him didn't have such ability. Although the old man was in extreme pain, he didn't make a sound. His consciousness was beginning to blur until suddenly, he reached for his temple.

Bang!

The sound that rang out wasn't resounding but reverberating. The old man knew that he had no chance of surviving and his consciousness had begun to blur. He was afraid of he wouldn't have a peaceful death, and so he went with ending it on his own.

With the death of the old man, Qing Shui breathed a sigh of relief, and the Marrow Nibbling Golden Dragon Silkworm returned to Central Palace Blood Essence Pool. All at once, Qing Shui felt as though he might collapse; his body could completely heal itself as long as he was alive, only that it would take time to mend.

Qing Shui's strong regenerative ability and strong body healing ability had placed him in a good position. Since his defense was powerful, there were few who could cause harm to him.

Qing Shui stretched his hand, and kept the old man's scissors, spikes and even his Interspatial Silk Sachet. It was his well-deserved loot from the victory, but his gestures were still sneaky with no one realizing that Qing Shui had kept them. After all, they were still recovering from the shock caused by Qing Shui.

Qing Shui thought a lot about it as well. His own Marrow Nibbling Golden Dragon Silkworm had already saved his life several times, turning the tide time and again. The fatality of its attack was impossible to guard against. The main point was the oblivion of his enemies about it, even such a powerful force like Niu Clan's elderly would not be spared.

Marrow Nibbling Golden Dragon Silkworm was also constantly improving. Its route was similar to the Dragon Slaying Beast with the exception that its stature very much smaller, but its power was even more terrifying. This made it even more difficult to guard against.

It hadn't been used for a long time. Some things were better left unused on a regular basis, and likewise, not develop reliance over them; the fewer people who know about it, the better. Once the information becomes widespread, then such a deadly trump card would become less useful—his opponent would definitely have devised countermeasures against it.

To catch an enemy off-guard with a surprise attack is the best method of combat!

Qing Shui didn't move, choosing to remain standing in mid-air seeing as nobody knew if there were any other representative from Niu Clan. If there was an even more powerful character than that Niu Clan old man, then Qing Shui would surely meet his demise today. That person would definitely not let Qing Shui off the hook.

Niu Clan had been reduced into a frenzy. They carried old man's corpse back, all of them grief-stricken for a time. However, what they were grieving over wasn't the old man, but the fact that their protection was now gone. It seems to them that the obstacle wouldn't be an easy one to cross.

Qing Shui used his Golden Fragrance Jade healed most of his injuries. In addition to his Qi of the Ancient Strengthening Technique, they ceaselessly mend his wounds and injured meridian. The Yin-Yang Image in the sea of his consciousness was active, restoring the Qing Shui's essence, qi, and spirit.

Those from Imperial Cuisine Hall breathed a sigh of relief. They knew of Qing Shui's miraculous healing techniques; as long he was still alive, he would be able to recover. At the same time, though, they were worried that there were still contenders from Niu Clan who would continue battling.

"How surprising! Miraculous Physician Qing managed to defeat Niu Clan's elderly."

"The old man from Niu Clan isn't just any ordinary person; it is said that he was a demon who had lived for thousands of years."

"Carefully not to be heard by Niu Clan. You'll get into serious trouble."

"He's already dead anyway, and the people from Niu Clan can't be bothered about people like us now. I heard that Niu Clan is a successor of the ancient Demon King."

"It seems that is true. It is said that to they are the successors of Titan Ox Demon King, but they are still human. Although, I have heard that in ancient times, they're a Titan Ox Demon."

……

A quarter of an hour passed, and still no one from Niu Clan came up to fight. A series of sorrowful weeping were around sounding from Niu Clan; they were in chaos.

"Big Brother, that brat is already exhausted. Perhaps there's a chance for me to take his life now." A middle-aged man who looked to be nearing the ranks of an elderly spoke up.

"You must be careful." A dignified old man spoke up after some thoughts. If they knew that Qing Shui had already recovered most of his injuries, he wondered if they would still proceed with it.

Qing Shui smiled when he saw the man who appeared from the distance. He figured out what Niu Clan was playing at but he wasn't overly concerned about it. If he was in their shoes, he might have done the same—after all, this was an opportunity.

"Let's get started!" The man was straight to the point, not wanting to drag this out any longer. The longer time he dragged on, the better it might have been for him but the time in between might also help Qing Shui recover.

Qing Shui nodded with a smile. 'Let's start! "

"For a clan like Niu Clan to do such a thing… isn't that too despicable."

"It's normal though. On the contrary, they might be called fools for not seizing an opportunity like this; even Niu Clan wouldn't be willing to leave matters as they are. It'll only remain as a plague in their heart."

"I wouldn't have fought if I were Miraculous Physician Qing, Niu Clan's old man is now dead anyway. As long as the injury healed, wouldn't Niu Clan still be able to do as they pleased."

"Did you really think Niu Clan will allow Miraculous Physician Qing to surrender?"

……

After Qing Shui's nod of acknowledgement, the man took out a giant green prong. The man was a direct descendant of Niu Clan. Even if he wasn't one of those who attained Demon King's inheritance, his might should not be underestimated. Compared to Demon Child Niu, he shouldn't be any less inferior.

The man was very decisive, charging directly at Qing Shui. The scythe in his hand brought about a huge afterimage, striking towards Qing Shui in a furious manner.

The huge scythe stirred up a bright flame. The man was taking a risk; he was gambling on the presumption that Qing Shui fatigued from his previous battle. In the middle-aged man's train of thoughts, Qing Shui might have some strength left, but there was no way he could keep up a fierce battle.

Qing Shui injured his left shoulder, but it was much better now. He held the Golden Battle Halberd in his right hand. Though his strength was affected, but without the same kind of weapon, such as the scissors and spikes the old man had before, it will be difficult to inflict damage on Qing Shui.

Qing Shui's smashed with his Golden Battle Halberd. The violent force drained the man of his color because Dragon Slaying Beast had already started rushing over from the side.

Qing Shui's blow was not fatal because at the same moment, Qing Shui had unleashed Emperor's Qi and Art of Pursuing.

This stumped the man. With unexpected swiftness, Golden Battle Halberd collided against the man's huge sickle.

Shadow Pursuit!

The man was smashed backwards from the collision. With the impairment on the man's strength—coupled with his subdued state after detecting the strength of Qing Shui, before they had even begun their battle—it seemed that this would be the end of his life.

Dragon Slaying Beast's sharp claws pierced into the man's neck and slashed across his head. While the Dragon Slaying Beast wasn't big in size but it was still about the size of a camel; its paw wasn't tiny at all.

Less than a breath's time passed from beginning to end of the battle. A Niu Clan elite had vanished just like that; the clan's heart chilled at the this, and no one else approached to fight.

Qing Shui remained waiting atop the arena, slowly recovering from his injury. The appearance of the former man had allowed Qing Shui a sigh of relief; he knew that there was no one else in Niu Clan who was more powerful than the old man.

Qing Shui thought back to the man who had the Thunder Roc Condor Demon King Inheritance. The successor of Thunder Roc Condor Demon King Inheritance wasn't part of the clan, but he must have been in alliance with Niu Clan in order to increase his strength. Niu Clan had both the old man and Demon Child Niu, hence they had great prospects. In synergy, they would have been even more powerful.

This incident had been out of his expectations. Lei Ming was stronger than Demon Child Niu, and as of now, there was nothing about Niu Clan that scared him. There was the old man in the past that could instigate such fear, but now, there was no one in Niu Clan who could anymore.

After half an hour, Qing Shui slowly said, "Is there anyone in Niu Clan who still wishes to fight? Today is the third day, so remember what I said. I will wait another ten minutes, if there's no one else, then I will assume there are no other contenders."

There wasn't a single movement at Niu Clan. Qing Shui's had mentioned before that Niu Clan's patriarch was to lead their direct descendants in repairing the damage done to Imperial Cuisine Hall. For a clan like Niu Clan, the most important thing was their reputation and pride. Qing Shui's demand was a slap to their face.

However, Niu Clan felt complicated upon Qing Shui's words; they were afraid to be killed by Qing Shui. Since he had reiterated his previous speech, then it was likely he wouldn't kill anymore.

Still, there were exceptions. It was better to be proven wrong before killing. Niu Clan's patriarch thought over it a lot. For Niu Clan's sake, they might not be able to continue with this; perhaps he could look in other places for someone who could subdue this young man. Maybe he could look for other inheritor clans of Demon King; they would definitely be willing to cooperate with Niu Clan, just on the basis of the network as successors of Demon King.

When the time was up, Qing Shui looked towards Niu Clan before heading back to the people from Imperial Cuisine Hall. He flashed a smile at Qin Qing and others. "Let's go back!"

"How do you feel?" Qin Qing looked at Qing Shui worriedly.

Qing Shui's heart warmed at the sight of the perfection of in front of his eyes. He smiled. "I'm fine; I have a thick skin."

Lan Lingfeng, Yin Tong and others smiled at the side. They were perceptive people, and could tell that the relationship between Qin Qing and Qing Shui were definitely more than just friends. At least they could all tell that they both liked each other.

Yet, they didn't know that there was a big gap between Qin Qing and Qing Shui, which the latter did not have the confidence to cross over. Qin Qing wanted love that belonged to her only, something Qing Shui couldn't give her.

If Qin Qing insisted on it stubbornly, then Qing Shui would have no choice. He wouldn't force her to stay. Not to mention, relationships weren't something that could force to begin with and thus, looking at the beauty, he could only let nature take its course. He was passive, while Qin Qing had complete control.

The group of them was happy to return to the Imperial Cuisine Hall. Drenched in blood, Qing Shui naturally went to take a bath, with others following suit. After a change of outfit, Qing Shui felt more comfortable and the injury on his body was no longer an issue. The old man's penetrated attacked on Qing Shui's shoulder had missed the most crucial bones due to Qing Shui's evasion. Together with his powerful healing powers and the medicinal herbs, it had already healed by much.

This time, Qing Shui was the last to come out of the shower; they were all out when he was done. When Yu Niang heard that Qing Shui was injured, she grew extremely worried; Qing Shui had been the greatest blessing in her life. She insisted time and again that she didn't want Qing Shui to call her Sister, for she didn't feel like she was worthy of the title. From Qing Shui, all she had ever done was to take or be gifted by Qing Shui and she didn't seem to have given Qing Shui anything in return.

She didn't know that her softness and grace, the purity and dignity was already a repayment for Qing Shui. Qing Shui would feel a sense of tranquillity and warmth at the sight of Yu Niang, and it was something which he cherished.