The Ancient Strengthening Technique

AST 791 - Seventh Level of Soulshake Bell, A Valuable Treasure

Elementary Martial King was ten times stronger than a Peak Xiantian martial warrior. This was no difference for the promotion of each cultivation stage - Houtian, Xiantian, Martial King and Martial Saint - as a cultivator would always gain ten times the power after breaking through to the next cultivation stage. The benefit was irresistible but it would be extremely difficult and costly for a cultivator to reach a breakthrough.

"Hahaha!"

Qing You erupted in laughter after he had been saturated with an abundance of energy from the surroundings. Not only had his wounds completely healed, the increase of his power had made him seem more masculine as well.

"I have reached a breakthrough, Brother Qing Shui." Qing You's eyes shone with a fire of excitement as well as the display of a modest yet unreserved love between two brothers.

Qing Shui was undeniably happy for Qing You. There was no need for words of gratitude between a family as it would be deemed disrespectful towards each other. The feelings of gratitude should always be kept inside the heart instead. There was a reason why parents would never say words of gratitude towards their children but would do anything to protect them in dire situations and why true lovers would die for each other - it was because of love, a form of extreme affection that could overpower a person beyond comprehension.

The love of a family was priceless!

The only one thing Qing Shui would never sacrifice was the love for his family, which was why he would always cherish each member of the Qing Clan for eternity. Romance and friendship would eventually be on the same level of as family love when they had reached the highest level of affection.

"Try to stabilize your power in the meantime, don't rush for another boost to your power too quickly." Qing Shui patted on Qing You's shoulder as he gave advice. Qing You was now half a head taller than Qing Shui. Both him and Qing Zi were now the tallest members of the Qing Clan.

"Okay, I understand." Qing You was almost carried away in a moment of excitement.

……….

After a week had passed, Cang Wuya, Fei Wuji and Bai Gui had finally made it back to the Heavenly Palace. They sighed a breath of relief when they saw that the Heavenly Palace had completed its restoration. Having witnessed Qing Shui's ability to destroy the entire Eastern Palace Aristocrat Clan, they had no concern about the potential subjugation of the Baima Aristocrat Clan on the Heavenly Palace.

With Fei Wuji's personal matters solved, Elder Ge organized a grand feast in the Heavenly Palace as a celebration of the defeat of the Eastern Palace Aristocrat Clan. He had also approved a three-day holiday for everyone in the Heavenly Palace as they continued to celebrate with great food and tasty wine, hoping that the late Old Ancestor would be able to rest in peace with this final closure.

Everyone felt cheerful as they celebrated with a gleeful heart. To be honest, Qing Shui wasn't worried at all. Luan Luan had finally become of great assistance to Qing Shui, which was what she had aimed to achieve. He could rest assured knowing that he wouldn't be fighting alone in future battles anymore.

Qing Shui could still remember what she said to him after her demonic beasts had a breakthrough: "Am I good enough to help daddy now?"

When she finally had Qing Shui's approval, Luan Luan hugged him immediately with a happy expression. She kept on saying that Qing Shui wouldn't have to be very tired most of the time and that he wouldn't have to try extremely hard to protect the whole family by himself…...

Whenever he thought about that conversion with Luan Luan, he would feel a pang in his heart. All this time, she knew what he had done for his family. She couldn't say it even though she could clearly see how much effort he had put on to make himself stronger for everyone's sake. Luan Luan kept those thoughts in her heart, until one day when she had finally become powerful enough to assist her father in the battle, she expressed her feelings to Qing Shui, hoping to share the burden he had to protect the Qing Clan.

…….

Three days had passed by so quickly. The days of calmness would always go by in the blink of an eye. Qing Shui had been home for more than half a month already but the Baima Aristocrat Clan hasn't shown up to look for him. He didn't ponder over it too much as he had been filling his days playing with his children. It was a period of happy and blissful moments.

Qing Shui held Qing Yan in his arms while Shi Qingzhuang played with her as they walked around the Heavenly Palace Mountain together. The little girl's giggles echoed in the air as she continued to do so in a distinctive laugh.

Qing Shui took a glance at his daughter before he looked back at Shi Qingzhuang. He still couldn't believe that he had a daughter with a cold woman like her. Qing Shui recalled the first time he had met her in the Qing Village many years ago.

She had a fiery red cavalier uniform underneath the cold exterior of her overwhelming beauty. At that time, Qing Shui would never have thought that he would end up with her like this one day.

"What are you thinking about, smiling all weirdly like that?" asked Shi Qingzhuang when she saw a cheeky expression on his face.

"I was thinking about the first time I met you in the Qing Village. Back then, I didn't think we would have a daughter like this one day." Qing Shui looked contently at Qing Yan in his arms before he turned to look at Shi Qingzhuang with a smile.

Shi Qingzhuang was also smiling when she heard those words. She extended her hands and gently rubbed her daughter's cheeks. Qing Shui was showing a satisfied smile on his face when she turned to look at him. Ever since she had given birth to her daughter, she realized that she was now living a more substantial life than before.

"Thinking about home?" Qing Shui asked in a casual manner.

Shi Qingzhuang was stunned by his question. She seemed confused for a while, as if she was waiting for Qing Shui to continue the conversation.

"If possible, let's go back to the Qing Village this coming New Year's Day. That way, you can go back and visit your home." Qing Shui continued.

"Really?" Shi Qingzhuang looked at Qing Shui with a shocked expression.

"Of course. After things are settled here, we can go back immediately. When has your husband ever lied to you?" Qing Shui chuckled.

"That's great. Qing Shui, you are wonderful." Shi Qingzhuang showed a joyful smile as she grinned.

She had missed her grandfather dearly. If she could go back, then she could finally introduce her daughter to her grandfather formally.

When it was already afternoon, Qing Shui went into the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal straightaway. He had no choice but to enter the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal during the day to continue his cultivation. At night, he would be busy as he had planned to spend his time accompanying either Canghai Mingyue or Huoyun Liu-Li.

The Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal that used to feel boundless seemed more compact than before. He had gained quite a few demonic beasts and some had even grown larger, occupying the space inside the realm. Qing Shui now wished that the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal could increase in size as soon as possible so that it wouldn't seem too crowded.

Speaking of which, the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal hadn't been upgraded for a very long time after the last breakthrough to the sixth level. Qing Shui couldn't quite feel the next breakthrough coming up. He would only be able to sense it when the moment of breakthrough had approached.

He pondered for a while, knowing that the breakthrough could not be forced. It was best to allow this sort of stuff approach in a natural way. In any case, the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal was of a heaven-defying treasure or to be precise, the rarest and most valuable treasure he had ever owned.

He took out the violet Soulshake Bell that that had already increased by two levels since the last time he took it out to glance at it. Those who took a glimpse at the bell would think that this was a valuable treasure based on the shocking appearance of the color that exuded the aura of utmost pureness.

Exquisite and magnificent, yet Qing Shui didn't manage to use it once in such a long time, even during the time he had clashed with a group of wild demonic beasts. Back then, he decided against using it due to its ineffectiveness over the the countless demonic beasts. The Soulshake Bell would not be of any help even if he had used it that time.

He continued to temper the Soulshake Bell every day in the same manner, even to this day. The violet color of the Soulshake Bell gleamed in an enchanting light that was faint and gentle.

After he was done tempering the Soulshake Bell for the day, the bell suddenly shook in an abnormal manner in Qing Shui's hand. The violet light enveloped the entire bell, slightly increasing it from the size of a fist to the size of an infant's head. The Soulshake Bell felt more solid and heavier with added quality to its lustre, making it seem like the violet was an embodiment of the bell itself, instead of just a color of the appearance.

The Soulshake Bell had been upgraded!

Qing Shui stared blankly at the Soulshake Bell that had just increased in size. The appearance of the bell remained the same, except for the minor change in the color, as well as the size itself. He didn't expect an upgrade to happen so soon, much less after he had finished tempering it today.

Qing Shui couldn't wait any longer and used the Heavenly Vision Technique to analyze the reformed Soulshake Bell.

The Seventh Level of the Soulshake Bell could be used against demonic beasts that were no more than ten in number. The bell would emit a terrifying sound that would frighten those who heard it. There would be a 30% chance of causing the demonic beasts to flee in frenzy and a 20% of driving the targeted beasts into absolute madness and attack everything around them disregarding whether they were friends or foes. There would also be a 10% chance of causing the targeted beasts to die instantly while ignoring the ranks or levels of the targets. However, some special demonic beasts may be able to decrease the success rate of the Soulshake Bell. This bell could be used once per 15 minutes.

Qing Shui was still dumbfounded by what he saw. Even though the effect of the Soulshake Bell ability did not change, there were other minor changes to the number of targets and the success rate - maximum ten targets and increase in success rates. This bell was essentially the beast tamers' kryptonite.

Of course, when an artifact had become stronger, the limitation of use would be enforced. Once per 15 minutes wasn't a big issue for Qing Shui - he could use it again after tossing it into the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal for a breath of time…….

With that in mind, there was essentially no problem if he were to face a powerful demonic beast in the future. He wouldn't have to worry for his opponent's demonic beast anymore. Moreover, the Soulshake Bell could now store a greater amount of power, so Qing Shui wouldn't need to worry about replenishing the power after a few uses.

Suddenly, the thought about the supreme sect - the Lion King's Ridge - popped into his mind. Most of their members were beast tamers with demonic beasts largely hailing from Northern Sacred Lu Continent. The majority of the beast tamers out there were considered amateurs but those with extraordinary talents, including some beast tamers and the beast tamer clans, were not far behind in number. The Lion King's Ridge was the best among the beast tamer clans in the world.

Did God just sent a preparation for him to take over the Lion King's Ridge one day……?

Nevertheless, Qing Shui continued to temper the Second Level Demon Binding Ropes and the Third Level Blackjade Poisonous Spiderweb next. He wasn't particularly insistent on their respective upgrades right now, especially the spider web, because he wanted to cultivate the toxicity of the poison to a proper level first before using the web during the battle. If he could temper the spider web to the next level, he might be able to strengthen the poison infused in it as well.

The Blackjade Poisonous Spiderweb was obviously poisonous in nature. The greater the level of the spider web, the higher the toxicity of the poison would be - perhaps a few time stronger than the previous level. Qing Shui had a hunch that if the Blackjade Poisonous Spiderweb was able to breakthrough to the seventh level, then it would be able to display a power on par with the Five Colored Poison. He decided to temper the spider web sufficiently every single day until it had accumulated to the point of a breakthrough.

Thousand Hammer Technique!

Sword of Sixth Wave!

Hidden Weapon Technique!

………….

Another half a month had passed. Ironically, when Qing Shui had almost forgotten the existence of the Baima Aristocrat Clan, they finally showed up again in the Heavenly Palace. Qing Shui was playing with Qing Yin in the courtyard when one of the disciples of the Heavenly Palace came to report of their arrival.

"Patriarch, the people from the Baima Aristocrat Clan had arrived at the Heavenly Palace. They have requested a meeting with you." A young disciple swiftly gave a report to Qing Shui.

"How many are there? Where are they at?" Qing Shui picked up Qing Yin and asked the young disciple of the Heavenly Palace.

"They are at the square in the mountain peak. There are about ten of them in total."

"Hmm, understood. You may go back now." Qing Shui smiled, allowing the disciple to go back to the Heavenly Palace swiftly.

"Yin`er, go play with your mother. Daddy will come back soon and play with you, okay?" Qing Shui put down Qing Yin and knelt on his knees to speak with the little girl.

Qing Yin was still too young to be able to understand his words. He didn't intend to make her understand either. As he was still talking to Qing Yin, Canghai Mingyue was already walking in his direction. He assumed that the others had already received the news as well.

"Qing Shui, go. Be careful!" Canghai Mingyue picked up the little girl and bid Qing Shui to stay cautious.

"Alright. Don't worry, you can rest assured that your husband will do just fine." Qing Shui replied with a smile and planted a kiss on Qing Yin's cheek. He then gave a peck on Canghai Mingyue's cheek as well, almost overwhelming her with mixed emotions.

"Daddy, I want to go with you."

Luan Luan stepped forward and expressed her intention. She smiled and greeted Canghai Mingyue before reaching out her hand to touch Qing Yin's small cheeks. After that she went up to Qing Shui and held him by his arm.

"Then let's go!" Qing Shui wanted to refuse her request but thought about for a moment before replying to her with a rejection. Luan Luan had made up her mind to fight and she would be fighting with him in the future battles. He agreed to let her come along so she would be able to gain some experience if a fight were to break out between him and the members of the Baima Aristocrat Clan.

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