Free Web NovelChapter 202: Chapter 202: Second Layer Perfection
That last incident was so severe that word of it had spread throughout all Six Armies of the Great Xia Dragon Guard.
It had made Liu Canghai quite infamous; even these retired Grand Commanders now knew who he was.
Hearing this, the color drained from Liu Canghai’s face, and his expression turned utterly foul.
Although he had been stripped of his status as a Guard General, he was still a Martial Spirit Level expert. Moreover, he had his own powerful connections and might one day make a comeback.
As such, most people still treated him with the respect due to a Guard General.
However, these old-timers at the exchange center couldn’t care less about his strength or his connections.
"Sir, I admit my attack was reckless. But Chu Qingyun and his friends were the ones who injured my men first," Liu Canghai said, lowering his head, his face a mask of resentment.
"Injured them first? I didn’t see that. The moment I looked over, all I saw was you, Liu Canghai, committing insubordination and attacking two captains."
"Causing trouble in my exchange center? Then I’ll teach you a lesson on Liu the Third’s behalf!"
As the old man spoke, he casually waved his hand. Liu Canghai let out a wretched cry as he was sent flying out of the exchange center’s main courtyard. A dull THUD echoed as he hit the ground.
Seeing this, both Chu Qingyun and Xia He were a little baffled.
Chu Qingyun had guessed there was an expert stationed at the exchange center, and that they likely wouldn’t just stand by and let Liu Canghai commit murder.
His plan was simply for the expert to intercept Liu Canghai and stall until Grand Commander Chu Yu heard what was happening and arrived. That would have been enough to ensure their safety.
He never expected this old man to not only appear out of nowhere but also to help them so decisively, even going so far as to punish Liu Canghai himself!
Of course, neither of them knew that while their brazen attack on Liu Cangyi and his five companions had violated the rules of the Great Xia Dragon Guard, it had perfectly suited the tastes of these old-timers.
"Thank you for your righteous intervention, Senior." freēwēbηovel.c૦m
After Liu Canghai and his men had left, Chu Qingyun and Xia He bowed with clasped fists to the old man.
Liu Canghai had caught them completely off guard, and with Grand Commander Chu Yu absent, they would have been in serious trouble if not for the old man’s help.
"Haha, it’s nothing! I’ve long been sick of that pack of dogs led by Liu Cangyi. The fact that you two taught them a lesson helped me blow off some steam!"
With that, the old man smiled and left, his gaze toward Chu Qingyun and Xia He filled with immense satisfaction.
At their age and status, they had long since stopped caring about offending people.
Discovering two talented and driven juniors, on the other hand, was far more interesting to them.
The six men in charge of tallying Military Merits in the Captain District had all been brutally beaten and had already been carried away to treat their wounds.
However, besides the Captain District, there were also the general district and the Military Guard District.
Soon enough, two clerks from the general district rushed over to the Captain District. They respectfully helped Chu Qingyun and Xia He tally their Military Merits, converting all the merits on their Assessment Tokens into their chosen items.
Having witnessed the miserable state of Liu Cangyi and his men with their own eyes, the remaining staff didn’t dare to act smug in front of Chu Qingyun and Xia He.
Besides the Third Layer of the Profound Celestial Divine Pattern Secret Technique, ten Red Fire Vines, and three Wood-type Spiritual Medicines, Chu Qingyun exchanged his remaining Military Merits for three drops of Primordial Spirit Liquid and over four thousand Top-Grade Primordial Stones.
Xia He didn’t have much he needed to buy, so he converted all his Military Merits into Primordial Spirit Liquid and Top-Grade Primordial Stones, saving himself the hassle of carrying around two separate tokens.
「Back in the Celestial Wind Army’s quarters.」
Sun Daxiong looked at Chu Qingyun and Xia He with shame. "Chu, Xia," he said, "I’m truly sorry about what happened. I couldn’t stand with you against Guard General Liu. But... you know my family is in the County City..."
"Haha, Old Sun, don’t say things like that between us! Besides, with your level of strength, you would’ve been no help anyway," Xia He said with a loud laugh.
Chu Qingyun also smiled. "Xia He is right. Don’t worry about it, Sun."
"You two... Alright, haha! I, Old Sun, knew I didn’t misjudge you! It’s getting late today, but tomorrow! Tomorrow at Songhe Tower, I’m treating you both to a proper feast!"
Since it was already late, the three of them found a place for a quick bite before returning to their respective quarters.
After closing his door, Chu Qingyun took out the ten Red Fire Vines and lined them up on his table.
The Red Fire Vines were Tier Three Spiritual Medicine, each about thirty centimeters long and fiery red from end to end. After opening the jade box they were stored in, he could see small flames occasionally flaring up from their surfaces.
Different types of Spiritual Medicine had to be used in different ways.
These Red Fire Vines were clearly not meant to be eaten. Instead, he had to use his Primordial Power to refine them, extracting the Essence of Fire within to complete the Inscription Refining for the Second Layer of the Profound Celestial Divine Pattern.
Even with the purity of his Primordial Power as an eighth-level Martial Artist, handling a Tier Three Spiritual Medicine was still quite difficult.
Just suppressing the Flame Power emanating from the Red Fire Vines felt more difficult than when he had handled the Fiery Red Lotus.
After all, You Yun had pre-processed that Fiery Red Lotus for him, making it almost effortless to use.
After a dozen minutes or so spent suppressing the Flame Power, the Red Fire Vine finally began to break down bit by bit under the influence of Chu Qingyun’s Primordial Power.
As the dregs flaked away, tiny bits of the Essence of Spiritual Medicine were separated out. Chu Qingyun drew them into his body, temporarily enveloping them with his Primordial Power.
Once the essence of the first Red Fire Vine was completely extracted, the rest became much simpler.
’It would be a waste not to use the Devouring Martial Soul as a free laborer.’
Chu Qingyun directly wrapped the refined Essence of Spiritual Medicine with his Primordial Power and sent it over to his Devouring Martial Soul.
As if provoked, the Devouring Martial Soul consumed the Essence of Spiritual Medicine. Soon after, streams of tranquil yet pure flame-based spiritual power were released from it.
Any power absorbed by the Devouring Martial Soul became exceptionally pure and easy to control, as simple to wield as his own Primordial Power.
And so, in half a night, Chu Qingyun refined all ten Red Fire Vines, bringing his cultivation of the Second Layer of the Profound Celestial Divine Pattern to complete perfection!
Previously, only his right arm had reached the Second Layer of the Profound Celestial Divine Pattern.
He had done this primarily to practice the Thrusting Sword Technique, and it also enhanced his attack power to some degree since he always wielded his sword with his right hand.
But now that the Second Layer of the Profound Celestial Divine Pattern was perfected, his overall strength—including his speed, power, and defense—had taken a significant leap forward.
With the Second Layer’s cultivation complete, Chu Qingyun went to bed.
Although he now had the Secret Technique for the Third Layer and the three Wood-type Spiritual Medicines, cultivation wasn’t something that could be rushed.
Meanwhile, that very night, Liu Canghai took the crippled Liu Cangyi to see his uncle.
