Chapter 642
Unique Skills!
Most scholars were searching for rare and precious materials or inheritances, and occasionally conflicts would break out, but none of them affected him.
Jiang Wang's figure, like a pale blue streak of light, silently landed on the edge of this floating landmass spanning millions of miles.
The soil beneath my feet carried a faint fragrance of grass and trees, quite different from the heavy and vastness of the primordial heavenly realm. The spiritual energy here was more gentle and warm, yet it also contained a subtle and imperceptible pressure of order—presumably the Daoist charm left behind by the saint Tu Yixin who created this realm.
He looked up and saw undulating mountains in the distance, with the phantom of a Qilin flickering among the pines and cypresses. Its golden scales reflected a magnificent luster in the sunlight, truly embodying the auspicious spirit of the Qilin, which is revered in the realm of auspicious omens.
"This is it."
With a flick of his finger, Jiang Wang sent a wisp of divine thought spreading out like a spider's thread, instantly covering the entire landmass.
His divine sense was as sharp as a needle, bypassing several subtle probes on the land, and directly locking onto a blue stone cave located in the center of the land.
There were no restrictions outside the cave, only a stone tablet inscribed with the word "Shi Jian".
Inside the cave dwelling, on the stone tablet bearing the two characters, sat a burly figure, his body shrouded in powerful true energy, exuding a heavy aura like a mountain. It was none other than Shi Jian, a first-level Heavenly Saint of Strength.
Jiang Wang moved swiftly and appeared at the entrance of the cave. His footsteps landed as lightly as a feather, yet they caused Shi Jian inside the cave to suddenly open his eyes.
Those eyes, like forged from red bronze, radiated an unparalleled sharpness. Shi Jian suddenly stood up, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles cracked, and stared at Jiang Wang, demanding sharply, "Who are you? How dare you trespass into my cave!"
Jiang Wang stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping indifferently over Shi Jian.
This person was nine feet tall, with bronze skin. He wore a coarse cloth outfit and his bare arms were muscular and bulging, every inch of which contained explosive power. He was clearly quite skilled in physical training, which explained why he was able to stand firm among the first-level power saints.
"I'll use your identity for a while."
Jiang Wang's voice was calm and even, yet it carried an undeniable air of authority.
Upon hearing this, Shi Jian was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter, the sound of which caused the rocks on the top of the cave to fall in a flurry.
"Arrogant fool! How dare you speak such boastful words in front of me, Shi Jian! You are also a Saint of Strength? Judging from your concealed aura, could it be that you intend to steal my identity and challenge the Secret Realm Tower?"
Having lived alone in this realm for many years, he naturally knew the rules of the Secret Realm Tower and was also aware of the desires of outsiders who wanted to obtain qualifications. However, he had never seen such a straightforward and arrogant person.
"Not too stupid."
Jiang Wang nodded slightly, "If you know what's good for you, disperse your soul on your own, and I'll leave you with a complete corpse."
If one resists, both body and soul will be annihilated, leaving no chance for reincarnation.
"presumptuous!"
Shi Jian flew into a rage and stomped his foot, causing the entire cave to tremble instantly and the ground to crack open like a spider web.
His figure shot out like an arrow, his fists carrying immense force, aimed straight at Jiang Wang's face.
This punch concentrated all his strength, causing the air to explode and creating a visible shockwave that instantly crushed the surrounding bluestone tables and chairs into dust.
"I, Shi Jian, have cultivated diligently for a million years, and my physical body is comparable to a low-grade innate spiritual treasure. I'll see what you're capable of!"
Faced with Shi Jian's thunderous attack, Jiang Wang remained calm. Only when the fist was about to hit him did he slowly raise his right hand and lightly place his fingertips on Shi Jian's fist.
With a muffled thud, Shi Jian felt an irresistible force coming from the other's fingertips, like an ancient divine mountain pressing down. His proud physical strength instantly collapsed, and his arm bones made a clear cracking sound. The intense pain spread from his arm to his entire body.
Shi Jian's pupils shrank suddenly, his face filled with disbelief.
His physical strength was among the top of the first-level power saints. He could even hold his own against a saint in the early stage of the second level. But in front of this person, he couldn't even withstand a single move.
Jiang Wang slightly flipped his wrist, and a gentle yet inescapable force wrapped around Shi Jian's neck, lifting him up.
Shi Jian struggled fiercely, flailing his limbs wildly, channeling his inner energy wildly, but he could not break free from those seemingly slender fingers.
"You... what realm are you at? You can't possibly be a First Heaven Saint!"
"You're not qualified to know."
Jiang Wang's gaze turned cold, and his divine sense invaded Shi Jian's mind like a blade.
Shi Jian let out a shrill scream, his soul fluctuating violently as he tried to resist, but was easily suppressed by Jiang Wang's divine sense.
"Tell me, where is the identification document? How can I be recognized as a native cultivator by the Auspicious Realm?"
Shi Jian's consciousness gradually blurred under the crushing pressure of Jiang Wang's divine sense, and he could only instinctively speak: "In...in the storage jade talisman in my dantian...the identity token is the 'World Heart Jade Token' issued by the Auspicious Realm...as long as I have the jade token, the guards of the Secret Realm Tower will recognize me..."
With a flick of his finger, Jiang Wang caused a flash of light to appear in Shi Jian's dantian, and a cyan jade talisman was extracted.
The jade talisman felt warm and smooth to the touch, with intricate cloud patterns carved on it. In the center was a small, milky-white jade stone, which was the Boundary Heart Jade Plaque.
He extended his divine sense to scan the jade talisman, confirming that there was nothing else of importance inside besides the jade tablet. Then his eyes narrowed and the force of his fingertips increased slightly.
"No... spare me..."
Shi Jian's voice was weak, and his eyes were filled with fear.
"Go in peace. I will make good use of your physical body."
As soon as Jiang Wang finished speaking, his divine sense instantly shattered Shi Jian's soul.
Shi Jian's body stiffened abruptly, then he lost all vitality and collapsed limply to the ground.
Jiang Wang raised his hand and waved, and a blue flame ignited, enveloping Shi Jian's corpse. After a moment, it was completely burned away, leaving only a wisp of pure physical essence that he absorbed into his body, which served as a supplement to the body.
He picked up the Boundary Heart Jade Token, infused it with a wisp of divine thought, and the token instantly glowed with a soft light. The cloud patterns on it flowed, faintly connecting with the surrounding spiritual energy of heaven and earth, clearly indicating that his identity had been bound.
Jiang Wang's figure swayed, and his aura changed, transforming him into Shi Jian's appearance. Whether it was his aura, appearance, or the fluctuations of his physical body, he was no different from the real Shi Jian. Even the strength and true energy in his dantian were deliberately suppressed to the peak level of the first heaven.
"That way, there won't be any problem."
Jiang Wang muttered something, put away the storage jade talisman, and turned to walk out of the cave.
At this moment, several roars of Qilin came from afar, and several figures came riding on the clouds. The leader was a middle-aged cultivator dressed in a golden robe. His aura was slightly stronger than Shi Jian's, and he was obviously one of the managers of this land.
"Shi Jian, you've finally decided to come out."
The golden-robed cultivator landed in front of Jiang Wang, his gaze sweeping over him with a hint of mockery on his lips. "I've heard you've been in seclusion recently, honing your physical body. Are you trying to break through to the second level, or are you planning to challenge the Secret Realm Tower?"
Jiang Wang imitated Shi Jian's usual rough tone and clasped his hands in a fist salute: "Brother Li is joking. It's not that easy to break through to the Second Heaven."
I plan to test the waters at the Secret Realm Tower. If I can get through three levels, I can enter the Great Dao Secret Realm sooner, avoiding the need to wait three hundred million years.
He already knew from Shi Jian's memories that the person in front of him was named Li Kun, a peak first-level Heavenly Saint of Strength, who had known Shi Jian for many years. Their relationship was not harmonious, but it was not to the point of falling out.
Li Kun raised an eyebrow, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes: "You? Shi Jian, I'm not trying to be mean, but although your physical body is strong, your strength and true energy are too stagnant. To think you can defeat a Saint of the Third Heaven is simply a pipe dream. I advise you to be more discreet and wait for the selection competition three hundred million years from now. Maybe then you'll have a sliver of a chance."
"Whether it works or not, we'll only know after we try."
Jiang Wang's tone was calm, yet it carried an undeniable firmness.
He knew that the more he acted in accordance with Shi Jian's character at this moment, the less likely he would be suspected.
A cultivator next to Li Kun sneered, "Shi Jian, are you blinded by greed? Just a few days ago, a cultivator whose physical strength was no weaker than yours went to challenge the Secret Realm Tower, but he was beaten to a pulp by the tower guardian on the third floor and returned with his soul severely injured."
"If you go there, won't you be courting death?"
"Everyone has their own destiny. My mind is made up, so there's no need for you all to persuade me."
After Jiang Wang finished speaking, he ignored the others and flew towards the edge of the land.
He could feel the gazes of Li Kun and the others behind him, which carried a mocking and spectator-like tone, but he didn't take them to heart.
To him, the opinions of these first-level sages were utterly insignificant.
Leaving this floating land, Jiang Wang determined his direction and flew straight towards the center of the Auspicious Realm.
The celestial realm of the Auspicious Realm is vast and boundless, with floating landmasses scattered like stars. On each landmass, cultivators and Qilin tribes dwell. Along the way, one can often see agile Qilins soaring through the clouds, or hear the voices of cultivators discussing the Dao. It is a peaceful scene, completely different from the murderous atmosphere of the primordial world.
During the flight, Jiang Wang's divine sense quietly spread, probing the surrounding situation.
He discovered that most cultivators in the Auspicious Realm primarily cultivated physical strength, while a few cultivated the power of laws, but even they were mostly associated with "strength."
The connection is clearly influenced by Tu Yixin, the creator of this world.
As the supreme beings of the auspicious realm, the Qilin clan not only possesses a powerful bloodline but also controls a portion of the auspicious energy of heaven and earth, making them a force to be reckoned with. Many Qilin even possess the cultivation level of a saint.
About half an hour later, an incredibly massive floating continent appeared before Jiang Wang's eyes.
This continent was dozens of times larger than the land he had been on before, with a length and width of over ten million miles. In the center of the continent stood a towering black ancient tower that reached into the clouds. The tower was covered with ancient patterns and faintly exuded the pressure of the Great Dao. It was the Secret Realm Tower.
Below the Secret Realm Tower, a number of cultivators were gathered, mostly First Heaven Saints, with a few Second Heaven Saints observing from the sidelines.
On either side of the tower gate stood a cultivator clad in silver armor, their auras calm and composed. Both were peak-level Second Heaven Saints, clearly the guardians of the Secret Realm Tower.
Jiang Wang landed and blended into the crowd.
The sounds of many cultivators discussing the challenge of the Secret Realm Tower reached my ears.
"Have you heard? Yesterday, a Saint at the early stage of the Second Heaven challenged the Fifth Heaven and managed to withstand a hundred moves before being defeated. That's quite an achievement in recent years."
"So what? To pass through the ninth level, one must at least have the strength of a Saint of the Ninth Heaven. Throughout history, very few people have been able to do that."
"We first-level saints are lucky if we can pass through three levels. We only hope to enter the Great Dao Secret Realm ahead of time and learn the basics of the Nine Extremes Primordial Chaos Technique."
Jiang Wang listened quietly, gaining a clearer understanding of the Secret Realm Tower.
He looked up at the secret tower. The ancient patterns on the tower seemed to contain boundless power, faintly resonating with the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth. It was clearly a treasure containing the laws of the Great Dao.
"It seems this tower is not simple either."
Jiang Wang murmured something, then squeezed through the crowd and walked towards the tower gate.
The two silver-armored guards sharpened their gazes and looked at Jiang Wang simultaneously. The guard on the left said in a deep voice, "Show your Boundary Heart Jade Token to confirm your identity."
Jiang Wang raised his hand and took out the Boundary Heart Jade Token, which emitted a soft light.
The guard took the jade token, infused it with a wisp of true energy, and the information on the token instantly entered his mind.
"Shi Jian, a first-level Heavenly Saint of Strength, a native cultivator."
The guard verified the information and returned the jade token to Jiang Wang. "You may enter. Do you know the challenge rules?"
"I know."
Jiang Wang nodded.
From Shi Jian's memory, he already knew the challenge rules: after passing each level, one could rest for three hours or choose to directly challenge the next level; if one voluntarily surrendered during the challenge, the guards would hold back, but if one insisted on fighting to the death, being killed would be one's own misfortune; passing three levels would grant one the qualification to enter the Great Dao Secret Realm, and if one could continue to advance, the Great Dao rewards obtained after entering the secret realm would become more generous with each additional level passed.
"Go in."
The guard stepped aside to make way and said in a calm tone, "The guardian of the first level is Zhou Hu, a peak-level Strength Saint of the First Heaven. Good luck."
Jiang Wang said no more and stepped into the tower gate.
He passed through a faint membrane of light and instantly entered a vast space.
This place seemed to be an independent world. The sky was gray, the ground was hard black stone, and there was nothing around. Only a tall, black-clad cultivator stood directly in front of him, his aura violent. He was Zhou Hu, the guardian of the first level of the tower.
Zhou Hu stared intently at Jiang Wang, grinning and revealing a set of white teeth: "Another challenger? Judging from your aura, you're not far behind me."
State your name, Zhou Hu does not kill nameless nobodies.
"Shi Jian".
Jiang Wang spoke calmly, his figure standing still, his true energy slowly circulating around him, deliberately suppressing it to the peak level of the first heaven. If he were to reveal strength far exceeding his opponent's from the beginning, it would inevitably arouse suspicion.
"Shi Jian? Never heard of him."
Zhou Hu waved his hand, stretched his limbs, and his bones cracked. "No matter who you are, if you want to get past me, you'll have to show your true skills! Take this!"
Before he finished speaking, Zhou Hu moved like a charging tiger, his fists carrying a whistling wind as he slammed into Jiang Wang's chest.
His strength and true energy were condensed and violent, clearly demonstrating his unique mastery of force application.
Jiang Wang neither dodged nor avoided the punch, and threw one as well.
The two fist shadows collided with a loud "boom," and a violent shockwave spread outwards, shattering the black stones on the ground and forming a huge crater.
Jiang Wang felt a slight tremor in his arm, while Zhou Hu was shaken and took three steps back, a look of surprise flashing in his eyes.
"Interesting, impressive physical strength." (End of Chapter)