Ancient Strengthening Technique

AST 695 – Grade 5 Nature Energy, The Sixth Portrait of Beauty

In that instant, Qing Shui felt very wonderful. He quickly realized what had happened. Pleasant surprises always come when one least expects it, he had actually broken through to the Fifth Grade of the Nature Energy.

The Fifth Grade of Nature Energy!

At first, this breakthrough gave Qing Shui a huge surprise. The strength of the Nature Energy was impossible to estimate because it was the purest and most righteous energy in heaven and earth. Nature Energy could conquer every obstacle, it was always difficult to raise its grade.

This increase in grade of Nature Energy allowed Qing Shui to decrease the pressure of the statute by one fold. This was the gap between the Fourth Grade of Nature Energy and the Fifth Grade of Nature Energy.

Qing Shui was excited but he gradually calmed himself down and continued to slowly walk forwards. The pressure on his body continued to increase and he was forced to slowly adjust his body’s strength in order to resist it.

Qing Shui was using this opportunity to temper his muscle and bones. Places like this with a pressure that could temper muscles and bones were truly rare. There were people who chose to train using this specialized method but they had to find an expert to exert a pressure on them.

On the surface, it looked similar but the feeling and the effects were different. Qing Shui hadn’t tempered his body like this for a long time and he felt that the effect this time was particularly good. If the strength of his body earlier was like a firm dirt path, it was now a stone path. It felt much more sturdy.

Without realizing it, he had actually walked about fifty steps. Every step Qing Shui took was a meter. It was accurate to the millimeter. At the same time, the pressure caused by the statue was like a large mountain that pressed down on him.

Creak!

The bones in Qing Shui’s body let out a soft sound, it sounded like bones healing, yet it also sounded like cracks being filled up.

Every step he took, Qing Shui’s bones would emit clear cracking sounds. It was as if his bones were about to break. He carried on until his 36th step before he became unable to proceed forwards.

If he took one more step, Qing Shui felt that his bones would be crushed into powder. Although this was a dangerous period, it was also the best time for tempering his body.

Just like this, Qing Shui stood there quietly, bearing the extreme condition. In that moment, the Qi of the Ancient Strengthening Technique circulated to its peak, even the Yin-Yang Image and the other techniques did the same.

The Qi in his body was rapidly consumed. The automatically produced Qi of the Ancient Strengthening Technique and the spirit energy produced by the Yin-Yang Image was unable to keep up with his rate of consumption.

Demon Binding Ropes!

Qing Shui quickly threw the ropes out.

There was no difficulty in tying up something that was stationary. Additionally, the spiritual energy in the Demon Binding Ropes was only being consumed at a slow pace. Qing Shui did not dare to pull it back violently. Instead, he slowly pulled it towards himself.

When the box was pulled back by five meters, the Demon Binding Ropes automatically loosened. Qing Shui threw it out again and continued to pull……

This continued until the spiritual energy in the Demon Binding Ropes was exhausted. The box was only two meters away, but this two meters gap seemed impossible to breach. At this moment, Qing Shui’s body had reached its saturation point, he could only slowly retreat.

After he returned to the entrance of the palace, Qing Shui’s clothes were completely drenched with sweat. Despite this, his complexion was great and he seemed very happy. Without realizing it, two hours had passed.

He used most of that time to temper his muscles and bones with the pressure.

“Are you alright?” Hai Dongqing asked worriedly. She had clearly heard Qing Shui’s dense bones creak earlier. In addition, Qing Shui was now completely drenched in sweat.

“I’m fine. In fact, I feel great. Thank you for your concern. It is late already, you should rest here. I’ll be outside.” Qing Shui took out a bed from the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal, along with pillows and blankets. He placed it by the wall not far away from the entrance of the palace, it was only separated from Qing Shui and the outside by a wall. The inside of the palace was easily accessible from there.

She watched on as Qing Shui nonchalantly placed a layer of beast skin on the floor for himself…… Although these actions may seem minor, it was minor actions like this which would show the inner heart of a person.

At this moment, Hai Dongqing felt an indescribable feeling in her heart. After she wished Qing Shui goodnight, she sat on the side of the bed. She noticed that the beddings on the bed were all new.

Qing Shui released all his demonic beast outside to protect the surroundings before he entered the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal.

The night passed peacefully. After Qing Shui exited the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal, he slept outside for awhile until the sun rose up. He walked outside and faced the east and practiced his Taichi Fist. At the same time, he began to feel the newly upgraded Nature Energy.

In the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal, Qing Shui had already felt the changes to the Nature Energy. That unbreakable vigor had increased significantly and great benefits like poison resistance had started to appear. However, its effects of increasing abilities only gained an additional 10%, going from the original 40% to 50%.

Qing Shui wasn’t sure if he should be disappointed but soon after, he laughed happily. As long as there was an increase, it was good. Furthermore, the biggest use of Nature Energy wasn’t to increase the abilities of the body. It was to resist poison, cure poison, resist mental attacks and many effects, this was the truly heaven-defying aspects of Nature Energy.

He wasn’t able to see the sun but he could feel it. The sun that was blocked by gray clouds didn’t hinder Qing Shui’s efforts to absorb Nature Energy.

After a short while, Hai Dongqing came out and greeted Qing Shui with a smile. She then looked at Qing Shui in an embarrassed manner and said, “I didn’t bring any food, what should we do for breakfast?”

Qing Shui laughed while he looked at Hai Dongqing: “I will deal with it in awhile, we aren’t lacking in birds and animals here.”

After awhile, Qing Shui went out. He used a stone to kill a nearby wild chicken as well a mountain rabbit. He then expertly skinned and cleaned them. There was an ice stream nearby but even if he didn’t have the ice stream, there wouldn’t be any problems. He would just have to go into the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal.

He started a fire and started to barbecue!

With his primordial flames, Qing Shui did not have to use any fire starting tools, the Fire Bird was able to do so too, it was incredibly convenient. Barbecuing was a skill that required a certain technique, it was a good thing that Qing Shui and barbecued many times in the past, thus he was incomparably familiar with the process.

After the simple breakfast, Qing Shui walked towards the palace. Obtaining that box would be a simple matter today. This time, he still slowly proceeded forward. Qing Shui decided to temper his body further today and consolidate his strength. The benefits of tempering the body were tremendous, it was like building the foundations of a pavilion. One had to use a very heavy object to make sure the ground was firm, this way, the build will be more sturdy. Tempering the body was like building a good foundation.

This time, he still stopped at the 36th step again. He stood still and endured the pressure that had previously brought him to his limits. When he felt that he had reached his limits, Qing Shui slowly retreated.

This step back was done in a calm manner. To advance forward would be to crush his own bones into powder…… Qing Shui seemed to be on the verge of understanding something but he still couldn’t cross that threshold.

Demon Binding Ropes!

After Qing Shui retreated by a step, he used the Demon Binding Ropes to tie the box up before slowly dragging it towards himself. Very soon, the box arrived in front of Qing Shui.

Keeping the Demon Binding Ropes, Qing Shui held the box with one hand. It was much lighter than the box from the previous time. He carried the box and slowly made his way back to the entrance of the palace.

Hai Dongqing had waited at the palace entrance for two hours and had heard the sounds of bones creaking again. However, the sounds today were much softer than the day before. Additionally, the frequency was lower too. It was to the point where she couldn’t hear anything at the end.

After he placed down the box, Qing Shui released a long breath. He then carefully opened up the box and raised his spiritual sense to its peak, in case there was any unforeseen event.

The first time, nothing out of his expectations happened, this time nothing unexpected happened either. He didn’t know what kind of metal this box was made from but it was very heavy.

When Qing Shui saw the things inside, he was shocked and also disappointed at the same time. There was a painting inside, it was a Portrait of Beauty.

Qing Shui had already obtained five Portraits of Beauty, thus he was able to tell this was a Portrait of Beauty with just a glance. There were clothes at its side, as well as an entire set of battle dress and jewelry for females.

With regards to the Portrait of Beauty, Qing Shui didn’t have many expectations towards it. He had only benefited greatly from the dream among the sea of flowers when he obtained the first Portrait of Beauty. As for the others, he hadn’t discovered any benefits from them yet.

Thus, Qing Shui was faintly disappointed. The things that he thirsted for were definitely better than the Portrait of Beauty.

Qing Shui wasn’t anxious to look at this Portrait of Beauty. Instead, he looked at that set of battle dress. The whole set was silvery white. The hairpin, earrings, necklace, bracelet, weapon, battle dress, and boots, they were all a silvery white.

They all glimmered with a bright silver light. In addition, there was an intense Spiritual Qi fluctuation. This Spiritual Qi alone allowed Qing Shui to tell that these were strong items. They were at least of the same grade as the Big Dipper Sword in Qing Shui’s hands.

“En, Beast Parchment?”

Qing Shui saw a Beast Parchment below the battle dress. He hurriedly took it out and read the words on it.

Luan Silver Battle Dress Set, give it to the fated person.

[TL note: The Luan is a kind of mystical bird]

The wearer has to be female and their strength must at least be at the Martial Saint realm. However, their cultivation couldn’t be higher than Peak Martial Saint, even a peak Martial Saint cannot wear this. Only Grade One to Grade Ten Martial Saints could wear this. Works best for people with unique constitutions. hoping that the wearer of the Luan Silver Battle Dress Set wouldn’t massacre anyone.

The user of the Luan Silver Battle Dress Set can activate the ‘Luan’s Strength.’ This ability can temporarily raise one’s abilities by one fold and raise the user’s speed to that of an early Peak Martial Saint. The Luan Silver Sword can ignore defense and the Luan Silver Battle Dress can automatically block three attacks a day. The effects of Luan’s Strength lasts for 15 minutes and can only be used once a day.

Divine equipment?

Qing Shui was a little stunned. The dress he had once given to Di Chen could only block one fatal attack but this set can do so three times. It could raise the user’s abilities by one fold, the most perverse thing was that it raised one’s speed to that of an early peak Martial Saint and the Luan Silver Sword completes ignores defense.

This was a divine equipment for those who were below the Peak Martial Saint level. As long as one reached the cultivation of Grade One Martial Saint, they could put on this Luan Silver Battle Dress Set and activated the Luan’s Strength. In that 15 minutes, they will be the absolute overlord to those below the Peak Martial Saint level. It could cause a Grade One Martial Saint to directly reach a strength equivalent to a Peak Grade Ten Martial Saint. Even dealing with those new Peak Martial Saints, like those with abilities only slightly more than 10000 countries, might be possible. After all, the effect of automatically blocking three attacks was the best when trying to desperately killing someone.

This strength of the Luan Silver Battle Dress Set wasn‘t that it raised one’s strength but rather its terrifying speed and the weapon’s ability to ignore defense. As long as this weapon struck somewhere that wasn’t protected by a divine equipment, then the opponent would definitely die a terrible death. The most important thing was that the Luan Silver Battle Dress could completely block three attacks a day. This would allow the user to catch their opponent off guard and attack, causing their opponents to be unable to even defend.