Chapter 298: Enticement of the Heavenly Saber Pavilion
Off in the distance, Mu Heng and Zhang Lie looked at the defeated Murong Chong. There was a lonely look in their eyes. Zhang Lie smiled bitterly and said, “I originally thought that after working hard for more than a month, I would be able to catch up to him. Who knew, he actually pulled even further away from me. Now, it seems like a distant dream. Even Murong Chong is not his match anymore.”
Mu Heng got up and said, “Don’t overthink this. His potential is different from ours. His future accomplishments will be different, as well. However, with someone like that in front of us, someone who we can make our target, our strength will increase faster.”
“That’s right. The higher his talent, the more pressure there is on us. As long as I am not lazy or don’t lose my confidence, my strength will be improved at a much faster rate.”
The lonely look in Zhang Lie’s eyes flashed by, and was replaced by an expression of resolve and confidence.
If you take two people, one with a hundred points of potential and the other fifty points, as targets, the end results will be very different. Hence, the two of them were very fortunate, they had a rival like Xiao Chen, a person who had a hundred points in potential.
When Liu Ruyue saw the Jade Maiden Peak disciples carrying the two injured people down, a faint smile appeared on her graceful face. “This is probably the best result.”
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Three days later, in a courtyard on Jade Maiden Peak, Xiao Chen lay peacefully on a reclining chair in the courtyard. There was an incense pot on the stone table beside him.
The smoke from the burning incense spiraled upward, and a faint medicinal scent lingered in the courtyard. When inhaled, it let one feel refreshed. One could not help but relax after that.
The injuries Xiao Chen incurred in the fight with Murong Chong were more severe than he had originally thought.
His opponent's state of wind and state of cloud were infused into those wounds, making them very difficult to heal. There were also meridians that had suffered some damage.
The most severe one was the injury incurred by the Mysterious Phenomena clashing head-on. Back then, Xiao Chen and Murong Chong had both suppressed their internal injuries. After the fight ended, it then acted up a hundred times worse than it should have been.
With both internal and external injuries, it would be impossible for Xiao Chen to completely recover within a month.
However, Xiao Chen had received the best care of Jade Maiden Peak. The Heavenly Saber Pavilion elders were not stingy in letting him use a myriad assortment of Medicinal Pills.
Furthermore, Xiao Chen had a Jade Maiden Peak’s Elder with a healing Martial Spirit helping mend his meridians and internal organs personally.
After only three days, Xiao Chen’s injuries were mostly gone. After another four days, he should be able to recover back to his peak.
All of this is because the strength Xiao Chen displayed had attracted the attention of the upper echelons of the Heavenly Saber Pavilion.
Although Xiao Chen was originally very strong, he was still just a Medial Grade Martial Saint. There were many people in the Heavenly Saber Pavilion that had reached Medial Grade Martial Saint at his age. When the entire Great Qin Nation was taken into perspective, there were even more that had done so.
However, the combat prowess Xiao Chen had displayed, and his horrifying state of thunder, forced others to have a whole new level of respect for him; he was not a simple Medial Grade Martial Saint.
Every sect would pay special attention to their geniuses. They would funnel all sorts of resources toward those geniuses. Naturally, the Heavenly Saber Pavilion was not an exception. It was not strange that they showed so much care for Xiao Chen.
Xiao Chen lay on his chair, looking at the clear skies above. Every breath he took consisted of refreshing air. His entire body felt comfortable.
This was actually part of the Jade Maiden Peak’s special treatment methods. The reclining chair was not made of ordinary wood. Instead, it was made of thousand-year-old spiritual wood.
In other words, if this Recovery Chair was taken out and ripped into pieces, it would still be able to fetch at least a thousand Medial Grade Spirit Stones.
When one laid on it, the thousand-year-old Spiritual Energy contained within it would permeate through the skin, infusing into the blood, flesh, bones, and marrow, circulating to every organ in the cultivator’s body.
Furthermore, the herbs and incense powder in the incense pots were also made of the Spirit Herbs picked in the Jade Maiden Peak gardens according to Xiao Chen’s instructions. They were specially used to replenish the spirit.
Such relaxing treatment methods allowed Xiao Chen to feel a peace he had never felt before. Since he had returned to Qingyun Peak, he had never relaxed. Now, he had completely calmed down.
In the past three days, Xiao Chen did not think anything or do anything. He simply laid there quietly. He discovered that there was an improvement to his mental state.
“Haha, Little Brother Ye Chen, are you resting?” a drawn-out laughter came from outside the courtyard just as Xiao Chen’s eyes were shutting.
Xiao Chen quickly opened his eyes. He got up and greeted his guest, “Elder Tang!”
Elder Tang was a member of the Elders’ Assembly. He was peak Martial King and his potential had not dried up yet.
With the right conditions and opportunity, he would be able to advance to Martial Monarch at any time. He could be said to be a true expert. Even a hundred Xiao Chens would not be a match for him.
There were only nine elders in the entire Heavenly Saber Pavilion. Under the situation of not having a Pavilion Master, these elders had a frightening amount of authority. All the major decisions of the Heavenly Saber Pavilion had to go through the Elders’ Assembly’s approval before they could be passed.
Elder Tang had already come to look for Xiao Chen on the first day of his recovery. The purpose of his visit had placed Xiao Chen into a difficult position.
Elder Tang had seen Xiao Chen’s talent, and had promised him many benefits, wanting to take him on as his personal disciple. Xiao Chen had already rejected him once. The purpose of his visit this time should be the same.
When Elder Tang saw Xiao Chen get up, he waved his hand and a gentle force pushed Xiao Chen back down. He laughed, “Little Brother Ye Chen, you are currently injured. You should dispense with the formalities. Have you thought about that matter I spoke to you about the other day?”
When Xiao Chen heard this, he smiled bitterly in his heart. It seemed like his rejection back then was taken as him considering it. Otherwise, it could be that Elder Tang was pretending to be a fool.
Without waiting for Xiao Chen to reply, Elder Tang continued, “Actually, you should consider this seriously. After so many years, I have not taken in any personal disciples. Once you become my disciple and I become a supreme elder in the future, my spot as an elder will be yours.
“The cultivation resources that an elder receives is much greater than you can imagine. When we cultivate, we use Medial Grade Spirit Stones, Medicinal Pills, all sorts of secret techniques, and some Martial Techniques exclusive to the Heavenly Saber Pavilion. All these could be yours.”
Xiao Chen replied, “Elder Tang, I…”
Elder Tang interrupted him and continued, “I am already aware of the assassination attempt on your life on your way back to the Heavenly Saber Pavilion. I have already warned Song Que. He will not dare to make any more moves against you.
“The most important thing is that after you become an elder, you can duel Song Que openly. Hehe… Even if you ‘accidentally’ severely injured Song Que in the duel, there will not be any problems. That is the right of an elder. What do you think? Tempting, right?
“I know what you are worried about. You just have to say it and I can help you deal with Liu Ruyue’s side.”
Elder Tang had actively laid out all the benefits. If Xiao Chen were to say he was not tempted at all, he would be lying. However, these conditions were not enough to move him.
Xiao Chen said calmly, “My apologies, Elder Tang. I really cannot agree.”
“Haha! Ninth Elder is here to poach my student again?” Just as Elder Tang was about to continue, there was a melodious laughter in the courtyard. It was Liu Ruyue, walking over leisurely.
When Elder Tang saw Liu Ruyue coming, he could not help but show some embarrassment on his face. Regardless of the situation, he was still a senior. He was caught red-handed trying to poach a disciple, anyone would feel embarrassed at that.
“Haha, Little Ruyue is joking, how could I be poaching your disciple. I am just here to check on Little Brother Ye Chen. I shall that my leave first. If Littler Brother Ye Chen has any problems in the future, you can come look for me.”
When Elder Tang saw Liu Ruyue had already arrived, he laughed the matter off and immediately left.
Xiao Chen immediately felt more relaxed. He looked at Liu Ruyue and smiled, “Good thing you came. Otherwise, I would be placed in a very difficult position.”
Liu Ruyue sighed inside. She thought of when she first met with Xiao Chen. Until today, she still felt it was funny. However, her judgment was right. He was someone who could re-establish the prestige of Qingyun Peak.
Liu Ruyue had no other purpose in coming here; she only came to see Xiao Chen, to check on his injuries, and accompany him to help him pass the time.
The two of them chatted for a long time; most of what they spoke about was their understanding of the Martial Way. The two of them were now almost equal in strength. The master-disciple relationship was already thin; it was more like a part-friend-part-teacher kind of relationship.
The sky slowly turned dark. When dusk arrived, they stopped talking and Liu Ruyue took her leave.
The following few days went by peacefully. The people Xiao Chen knew, Mu Heng, Zhang Lie, Liu Suifeng, and Chu Xinyun, all came to see him. This gave him a warm feeling in his heart.
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Three days later at night, Xiao Chen’s injuries had completely recovered. His was now back to his peak state.
Furthermore, after the fight with Murong Chong and a week of quiet rest, Xiao Chen felt his combat prowess increase significantly, even though there were not much advancement in his cultivation.
This was the benefit of a true fight. If a genius did not have a good rival or intense fights, there would never be any significant improvements.
Only in a big fight could he find out where he was lacking. After that, he could undergo training to correct those weaknesses. After that, going through another big fight would check and see if his thoughts were correct or not.
If such a positive cycle continued, one’s strength could be rapidly and stably improved, and truly reach the peak. Hence, every cultivator had to continually set targets for themselves.
“Sha! Sha!”
Late in the night, Xiao Chen suddenly heard footsteps. Xiao Chen’s expression changed. The figure flashed in the air and immediately appeared in the courtyard.
When Xiao Chen saw the figure clearly, he was astonished. “Murong Chong!”
Murong Chong was dressed in black, and his saber was hanging at his waist. He walked out of the darkness and over to Xiao Chen.
Xiao Chen recovered his calm. He asked doubtfully, “What are you doing here? Are you here to fight me again?”
Murong Chong’s handsome face remained expressionless. He said indifferently, “There is no need for now. You are right. There are some things that are not yours until you have grasped them in your hands. I clung on too heavily in the past. Now that I have realized this, I have decided to leave this place.”
Xiao Chen was not surprised at Murong Chong’s words. With his cultivation and strength, he has already reached a bottleneck in the Heavenly Saber Pavilion. With his potential, the Heavenly Saber Pavilion would not be able to keep him here. It was just a matter of time before he left.
Xiao Chen let down his guard and his expression became warmer. He asked, “Where are you intending to go?”