Free Web NovelChapter 1855: Chapter 1058: Out of Control
When Yang Xiao woke up from his sleep, it was already noon, and he felt refreshed and invigorated.
In the past two days, Tong Han hadn’t come looking for him; it was said she was in seclusion, training under Jiu Shan Jinglan.
With a master like Jiu Shan Jinglan guiding her, Yang Xiao felt much at ease.
If one day Tong Han could fully control that ring, her true combat power would be terrifying, possibly even rivaling his own.
The woman sealed in the ring was an Empire Countess of the Holy Valutis Empire, the Empress’s Ice Rose, whose power was even above Second Demon Uncle.
He was about to leave in a few days, and before departing, he hoped to find Tong Han and bid her farewell in person, as he didn’t know when they would meet again.
Yang Xiao had many friends in the country, but few he truly trusted, and Tong Han was one of them. He felt a bit reluctant about leaving.
Yet reason told him that staying was the best outcome for Tong Han because the stakes of the ring were too high. If outsiders learned of it, it would incite a new wave of bloodshed that he couldn’t protect Tong Han from with his current abilities.
Additionally, upon returning, he needed to quickly visit the Esoteric Sect. Firstly, because his six-month term with the Cannibal Buddha was up, and he didn’t want to break his promise; secondly, he wanted to check on Elder Sheng, to see how his recovery was going since reclaiming the academy was imperative.
Yang Xiao promised to help Elder Sheng reclaim the academy, and apart from their personal feelings, this was essentially a transaction.
Sheng Yanlin needed Yang Xiao’s Patrol Defense Office connections to help suppress the rebellion and regain control of the academy; meanwhile, Yang Xiao hoped for reciprocal benefits after Sheng Yanlin reclaimed the academy.
After all, Upper Three Bookshops had maintained neutrality throughout almost a century, at least on the surface. Once this power struggle was successful, it meant Yiling Academy would completely side with the Patrol Defense Office, and no doubt, Yang Xiao’s contributions would be noted, marking him as the prime contributor.
With Yiling Academy’s support in the future, he’d have another ace up his sleeve.
In just a few years, Yang Xiao utilized his character and abilities to weave an extensive network of connections for himself.
In the country, there were the three major forces, along with Upper Three Bookshops, Yi Sect, and other established forces; abroad, there were the Esoteric Cannibal Buddha and Japan’s Kusunoki Family. ƒrēewebnovel.com
Recalling a few years back, he was a complete novice, recklessly pulled into the Nightmare World. The hardships and challenges he faced along the way were known only to him.
Yang Xiao couldn’t help but give a wry smile, thinking his experiences could fill a book. His drama friends would joke about how realistic the stories in his new scripts felt.
Yang Xiao didn’t have the heart to tell them that these were all true, and when he wasn’t writing scripts, he was in dungeons and fighting ghosts.
Winning was necessary to get out and write a script; if one day all contact was lost, it meant he’d hit a tough spot in a dungeon, or someone had outsmarted him.
The afternoon sunlight was warm and pleasant as it fell on him. In the courtyard, Yang Xiao practiced a few sets of martial arts before rehearsing a sword skill taught by an Esoteric Elder.
Admittedly, the folks from the Esoteric Sect had some tricks up their sleeves; their sword skill was straightforward, neither fancy nor superfluous. The moves were either throat slashes or eye gouges, or fierce attacks to the lower body. If one got hit slightly, it resulted in either death or severe injury.
Although not elegant in execution, it was immensely practical, the kind of thing Yang Xiao appreciated.
He was a very pragmatic person.
After dinner, when night had fallen, Yang Xiao arrived on time at a secluded courtyard as agreed with Beiyu Ye. Upon opening the door, he found Beiyu Ye already waiting, and a samurai puppet lay at his feet.
There was no wasted time. Following Beiyu Ye’s guidance, Yang Xiao began practicing with the Human Bone Staff.
Unexpectedly, it went remarkably smoothly this time. Before long, the puppet on the ground showed signs of responsiveness, and Yang Xiao genuinely established a connection with it.
"Not bad, you’ve got almost as much flair as I did when I started!" Beiyu Ye couldn’t help but praise upon seeing this. Yang Xiao’s intuition and progress exceeded the expectations of this young Dragon Tiger Mountain talent.
Originally, according to Beiyu Ye’s estimate, achieving this stage would take at least three more days.
Yang Xiao maneuvered the puppet to perform some basic actions. Initially, the puppet was stiff, moving awkwardly like a marionette. But as time progressed, its actions became more fluid and natural, with even its expressions more lifelike.
Half an hour later, Yang Xiao had the puppet practice a set of martial arts moves and even performed a few backflips, leaving Beiyu Ye almost dumbfounded.
Beiyu Ye couldn’t understand what had happened to Yang Xiao. In just one day, it seemed like this guy had suddenly unlocked his governor and conception vessels, advancing rapidly in the arts of Corpse Refining and Corpse Control. Had he been taking some kind of tonic?
If so, where did he get it? Beiyu Ye wanted some too.
"Brother Beiyu, I think... I think I can control this puppet to use magic artifacts now." Yang Xiao suddenly said, concentrating all his efforts on the puppet.
"Nani?!" Beiyu Ye exclaimed in disbelief. It was important to know that this puppet wasn’t just any low-level puppet, but a high-rank puppet surpassing the half-step Nether Realm.
For Yang Xiao at his current stage to even barely control its movements would already be considered extraordinarily gifted.
"Yang, be careful not to push yourself too hard. I admit your talent in Corpse Control is nearly at my level now." Beiyu Ye, although joking, was genuinely worried about Yang Xiao overexerting himself, as he was grateful to Yang Xiao.
