Chapter 174  : The First Elder of the Divine Fist Sect

“According to this algorithm, one year of true essence cultivation is equivalent to ten years of true energy cultivation?”

Su Jingxing pondered in silence.

Excluding the losses during the conversion process, this ratio wasn’t low either.

With 497 years of cultivation, he was three years away from 500 years.

Su Jingxing immediately drew a deep breath, walked to a corner, and sat cross-legged on the ground. Then, he began to circulate the Nine Steps Trampling Heaven to absorb the worldly energy in the air and condense it into Heaven Trampling True Energy.

Of course, he wasn’t fully focused on absorbing and refining it. Instead, he only gave half of his attention to this.

The remaining half was watching out for the Giant Silver-Winged Wolf’s movements!

Su Jingxing still couldn’t fully trust this Mutated Beast that excelled in both speed and defense.

The necessary precautions had to be taken.

In fact, this was a good opportunity to test it.

He wanted to see if the Giant Silver-Winged Wolf had any other intentions while he was cultivating.

The final light orb was absorbed by the big white goose.

Su Jingxing was the fastest. He was cultivating in a cross-legged position while the big white goose and the Giant Silver-Winged Wolf were still immersed in strengthening their abilities.

After about ten minutes, the big white goose and the Giant Silver-Winged Wolf had finished absorbing the energy. They spread their wings and stretched their bodies.

Even though Su Jingxing did not move, the worldly energy around him continued to converge.

The Giant Silver-Winged Wolf paused, puzzled.

Having seen this a few times, the big white goose flapped its wings and stood in front of Su Jingxing, glowering at the Giant Silver-Winged Wolf.

Aah ooh!

The Giant Silver-Winged Wolf shook its head and glanced disdainfully at the big white goose. Then, it lay down on the ground and waited patiently.

Ga ga!

The big white goose cried out softly and swung its butt, consciously standing guard for Su Jingxing.

Su Jingxing “saw” the entire process, and his heart warmed.

Of course, he still remained vigilant.

As he circulated the Nine Steps Trampling Heaven, large amounts of worldly energy converged above his head and around his body before being absorbed into his body and converted into Heaven Trampling True Energy.

In less than half an hour, he had successfully produced three years of cultivation.

He raised his accumulated true energy cultivation to 500 years!

Of this 500 years of true energy cultivation, apart from the three years he had just produced, the quality of the rest had increased several folds.

As for the exact changes, such as the strength, he would have to test it out first before knowing.

The light orbs “spat” by the silver sunflower targeted all aspects, but it mainly strengthened one’s true energy.

At the very least, Su Jingxing’s biggest change was the Heaven Trampling True Energy in his dantian.

The enhancement of his spirit and physical body was limited.

The increase in his Heaven Trampling True Energy this time had saved Su Jingxing half a year of tempering.

The effects of the light orbs “spat” by the silver sunflower made one gasp in admiration.

Even though the duration wasn’t long, there were enough of them.

There were still about ten days to go before the full moon night and the appearance of the Mausoleum of Prince Qin’s entrance.

Su Jingxing decided to return to the city during the day and stay at the crematorium. At night, he would come back to absorb light orbs “spat” by the silver sunflower, along with the Giant Silver-Winged Wolf and the big white goose.

The light orbs “spat” out would be split equally between the two beasts and one human.

If there were more, Su Jingxing would get the biggest share.

This was the big white goose’s decision, and the Giant Silver-Winged Wolf, for some reason, agreed.

After getting the largest share twice, Su Jingxing didn’t accept it anymore. Instead, he took turns with the rest.

However, the timings at which the silver sunflower “spat” wasn’t fixed. It was during the day sometimes or at night at other times.

If it was during the day, Su Jingxing would have to give it a miss.

Fortunately, the worldly energy in the underground cave was very dense. Every time Su Jingxing absorbed and refined it into Heaven Trampling True Energy, it would quickly recover the next day.

Clearly, the silver sunflower not only had the ability to “spit” mysterious light orbs, but also the ability to gather worldly energy.

Su Jingxing was very pleased.

However, after a week of satisfaction, the silver sunflower suddenly stopped “spitting” light orbs.

Even the outer circle of petals had been retracted, sealing the flower crown within.

Previously, it was in full bloom, but now, it was closed.

“What’s going on, Brother Goose?” asked Su Jingxing, puzzled, as he looked at the closed silver sunflower.

Ga ga! Ga ga!

The big white goose beat its wings against the Giant Silver-Winged Wolf. The Giant Silver-Winged Wolf shook its head and growled lowly a few times.

Ga ga!

The big white goose swatted at the Giant Silver-Winged Wolf before calling out to Su Jingxing.

Ga ga! Ga ga! Ga ga!

“…Fine,” said Su Jingxing, the corners of his lips twitching. “Since you guys don’t know anything and the flower is closed, I won’t be coming back tomorrow. I’ll leave this place to your care.”

Ga ga!?

The big white goose flapped its wings and nodded solemnly.

Aah ooh!

The silver-winged wolf joined in agreement.

“Sorry to trouble you two.”

Su Jingxing bade farewell to the wolf and the goose.

After a week of interaction, his relationship with the Giant Silver-Winged Wolf had improved greatly.

When they were idle, Su Jingxing had also warned the Giant Silver-Winged Wolf not to attack humans at its will.

The most prominent feature about Savage Beasts was their urge to kill and devour anyone they saw.

If the Giant Silver-Winged Wolf could promise not to hurt anyone, it wouldn’t be far from becoming a Spiritual Beast.

…

Back at his small courtyard at the foot of the mountain.

Su Jingxing went to work during the day and continued strengthening his secret abilities at night.

From time to time, he would pay attention to the happenings at Xuantian University and the situation at the He Family’s Scholar Restaurant.

The former did not regain their usual peace withLiu Jufen’s death.

Even though the True Energy for Beginners was gone, there was still the Simple Explanations of Array Formations. Although Xuantian University claimed that it had been stolen, only a limited number of people believed it. Even at night, there were still people who would rush into the campus one after another. From the library, to the teaching building, the office building, the dormitories, the family residential building… they would search everywhere that the ancient manuals could be stored.

When there were many such people, fights broke out every night. No one had managed to find the Simple Explanations of Array Formations, yet they got into fights over trivial matters and showed no mercy.

Ma Shifeng, Han Zong, Liang Yiqing, and the other upper echelons of Xuantian University had to patrol the campus every night to stop fights.

If they left them alone, they would have to renovate every level of Xuantian University’s buildings on a large scale.

Under such circumstances, the teachers and students who were on break could only continue on their break.

As long as the destabilizing factor was not eliminated, the entire campus would have to remain vacant.

There was nothing the Martial Suppression Office could do about such matters either. Every night, after Ma Shifeng, Han Zong, Liang Yiqing, and the others stopped the martial artists in the fights, they would be sent to the Martial Suppression Office’s prison.

Every day, however, new people would pop up and continue to break into the campus.

For a day that the Mausoleum of Prince Qin was not found, the Xuantian University would never have peace.

The temptation of advancing to the third-grade was too great.

Ma Shifeng, Han Zong, Liang Yiqing, and the others knew very well that before these people completely gave up, Xuantian University would have to constantly fight outsiders every night.

Despite their fatigue, there was nothing they could do.

When Su Jingxing learned about the situation, he too expressed his helplessness.

On the other hand, he wanted to open the entrance to the Mausoleum of Prince Qin right away.

However, the night of the full moon had yet to arrive, and he didn’t know the exact time yet. There was nothing he could do to help even if he wanted to.

Ma Shifeng and company could only handle the buzz at Xuantian University themselves.

On the other side of town, in the He Family’s Scholar Restaurant.

It had disappeared!

With the Li Family’s cooperation and a simple act of goading, Xu Tailong made the He Family a target.

At the time, Su Jingxing had chased after Liu Jufen and left, so he did not pay attention to how Xu Tailong dealt with the He Family afterward.

When Su Jingxing was done with everything and checked back on the situation, he found that the He Family’s Scholar Restaurant was already deserted.

Xu Tailong wants to avenge his son, and has a third-grade expert backing him. The He Family has no third-grade martial artist so they chose to retreat and go into hiding, or lie low?

Su Jingxing thought about it and understood their choice.

The Shi Family had three secret bases. The He Family, which had kept a low profile for 400 years definitely had their own route of retreat.

On the surface, the He Family’s only business was Scholar Restaurant.

Now that the Scholar Restaurant was empty and the He Family had vanished, no one would be able to find them.

At the very least, Xu Tailong and the Li Family had failed to do so even after putting in much effort.

Truth be told, hidden factions like these were the most unsettling.

If possible, Su Jingxing would rather Xu Tailong find them.

Others only thought that the He Family was low-profile and honest, but Su Jingxing knew that they weren’t any cleaner either.

“Rearing” Feng Tiejian was the perfect example of the He Family’s hypocrisy.

If the He Family was still active on the surface, like through Scholar Restaurant there would be a way to contact them.

However, now that they were in hiding, they were like a venomous snake that was silently lurking in the shadows. The threat was immediately amplified.

At any rate, Feng Tiejian could not return.

Even after two months, Feng Tiejian still had to continue hiding or leave the Changyang Prefecture to go to other prefectures in remote areas of the Yu Nation.

Without getting to the bottom of the He Family’s “pig rearing” secret, Feng Tiejian would die the moment he returned.

…

Su Jingxing paid attention to them daily and waited for the night of the full moon.

Finally, it was the middle of the month.

That night, Su Jingxing arrived downstream of the Sky Water River in Qinghe City ahead of time.

He chose the north bank and walked slowly along the long river bank, waiting for the moonlight to shine on Rooster Mountain.

As the night sky darkened and darkness completely enveloped the land, the moon emerged in the sky on time.

However, the sky above Qinghe City and the Sky Water River were filled with dark clouds!

Boom! Boom!

Thunder boomed and lightning flashed.

Gray clouds covered the sky during the first half of the night, accompanied by claps of thunder.

The moonlight was completely blocked. It couldn’t even shine on Rooster Mountain, let alone show the entrance to the Mausoleum of Prince Qin.

Faced with this scene, Su Jingxing, who had been filled with joy, felt as though he had been drenched in heavy rain. He felt bitter, sullen, helpless, and amused.

After waiting for half a month, what greeted him was a downpour.

In the second half of the night, rain poured from the sky like a torrential river.

Refusing to give up, Su Jingxing waited until the rain stopped and the dark clouds dissipated.

But, the moon had already set, and it was less than half an hour before dawn.

In that case, he would have to wait another month before he could find the entrance to the Mausoleum of Prince Qin!

“Wouldn’t the Concentration Fruits have ripened in another month?”

Su Jingxing was at a loss for words as he gazed at the sky that had cleared up again.

Coincidentally, Su Jingxing’s excitement was greatly dampened by the downpour.

However, there was nothing he could do but wait for the following month.

“Fine, it’s been buried for 400 years anyway. A month is nothing.”

Su Jingxing comforted himself.

He had to continue waiting for the opening of the Mausoleum of Prince Qin.

On the other hand, the Concentration Fruits were about to ripen.

Taking advantage of the fact that there was no one outside the city at dawn, Su Jingxing executed his lightness skill and made a beeline for the Tai Ming Mountain Reservoir. Once there, he returned to the underground cave where the Concentration Fruit Tree grew with familiar ease.

After examining it, he realized that the Concentration Fruits were indeed becoming greener and greener.

Su Jingxing did a quick calculation. They would be ripe in about half a month.

At that time, he would be able to consume them to increase his soul power and visualize a tangible Heaven Trampling Elephant.

Compared to the unknown Mausoleum of Prince Qin, the Concentration Fruit was within reach.

Just the thought of the Concentration Fruit ripening excited him greatly.

After staying in the underground cave for a while, Su Jingxing reluctantly left.

After returning to his small courtyard at the foot of the mountain, he washed up and went to work.

When he arrived at the crematorium, he realized that it was exceptionally quiet and solemn today.

Walking through the entrance, Su Jingxing picked up a bunch of cards. When he saw the row of martial artists standing at the entrance of the farewell ceremony hall, he arched an eyebrow

Someone from a big faction had died!

Dressed in uniform attires with overpowering aura and domineeringly occupying the entire farewell ceremony hall. This was a scene that would only appear when a high-ranking personnel of a major faction had passed away and had his or her body placed in the hall.

Su Jingxing had encountered such a situation once before, but he didn’t expect to bump into another today.

Just then, Gu Bo walked over from a small path, and Su Jingxing went up to him.

“Who died, Team Leader Gu?” asked Su Jingxing in a low voice, moving closer.

“First Elder of the Divine Fist Sect, Shi Mingshi.”

Gu Bo responded in a low voice as well. “I just went to take a look at the information. Shi Mingshi was a fourth-grade martial artist when he was alive, but his age was there. He was 98 years old. Even though he wasn’t at the end of his lifespan, he had suffered some injuries in his early years, and his foundation was badly damaged. Even though he had been taking tonics and cultivating internal exercises that produced healing true energy, his physical body had not adjusted well. It’s already good enough that he lasted until yesterday.”

“To die at 98 years old, it could be considered naturally dying of old age. There’s nothing to regret.”

“Heh, that’s nothing but empty talk,” said Su Jingxing with a soft laugh. “I’m certain that if the old man had a chance to live, he definitely wouldn’t want to die just like that. Once a person is dead, even the best funeral would mean nothing.”

Gu Bo didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “That’s normal. Who wants to die? Alright, enough talking. Shi Mingshi’s death has nothing to do with us. The Divine Fist Sect won’t take up the entire farewell ceremony hall for too long either. Uncle Wu has already spoken to them. Everything will be back to normal by noon.”

“That’s more like it,” said Su Jingxing, nodding.

“Sigh. They’ll kick up a fuss if we don’t agree to it. Giving them a morning was the decision after negotiations,” said Gu Bo, shaking his head. “I’ll get back to work. Talk to you later.”

“Go ahead,” said Su Jingxing, waving his hand as he watched Gu Bo leave.

Then, he gazed at the farewell ceremony hall for a moment before turning around and heading to his office.

After entering the room, he sat down and closed the door. Then, he opened his palm space and brought out the extracted cards.

He held them in his palm and read through them one by one.

Soon, he locked onto his target.

It was a card from the corpse of the Divine Fist Sect’s First Elder.

Deduction Card!

Ordinary people would never give such cards. The same went for ordinary martial artists, even if they were in the sixth-grade or fifth-grade.

The Deduction Card Card could only be extracted from corpses of martial artists who had created their own martial arts based on outstanding martial arts theories.

Shi Mingshi had been a fourth-grade martial artist when he was alive, and was the First Elder of the Divine Fist Sect.

Even though Su Jingxing had no idea what kind of martial art he had created or cultivated, there was no doubt that the Deduction Card came from him.

This was because the card contained a total of five deductions, and every deduction had a one-third chance of success.

How could ordinary martial artists possibly possess such a high probability?