The Human Emperor

There was an elder in the Xu Clan who left the clan to study as an alchemist when he was younger. There weren’t many people who knew of this matter, but it wasn’t a secret among the nobles.

It was due to the occasional pills given by this elder that the offsprings of the Xu Clan had an advantage over others in cultivation.

The pill which he concocted was known as the ‘Bone Forging Pill’, and it was unique to that Xu Clan elder. It wasn’t available in the market, and due to the limited supply, it was never given to outsiders either.

Regarding the Bone Forging Pill, the most famous legend shrouding it was the ‘Three Pills Forging Panther Bone’. With just three pills, one was able to forge the most fundamental layer of Panther Bone without even cultivating.

The cultivation of one’s root bone was publicly acknowledged to be the hardest, yet just three of the Xu Clan’s Bone Forging Pill was sufficient to grant one 1-dan Panther Bone. As such, one could easily imagine the immense value of the pill.

Even so, despite the massive advantage of the pills, the Xu Clan was unable to mass produce these pills.

The forging process of the Bone Forging Pills was extremely complex, and the Xu Clan elder was capable of concocting only five or six every year.

It wasn’t even sufficient for the consumption of their own offsprings, so the Xu Clan was extremely stingy about the Bone Forging Pill.

However, Wang Chong knew that Xu Xuan definitely had the Bone Forging Pill on him, and it was likely that he had more than one.

It was a tradition among the prestigious clans to devote resources to grooming the most outstanding clan member. In the Xu Clan, Xu Xuan’s cultivation may not be the strongest, but his talent was. Without a doubt, the resources of the Xu Clan was tilted toward him.

There was definitely more than one Bone Forging Pill on him.

“You must be joking! How can we give the Bone Forging Pill to you?”

Before Xu Xuan could speak, his elder brother, Xu Jing, lashed out. Their grandfathers were political rivals, and they have fought ferociously with one another when they were younger. The number of times that they have impeached one another was uncountable.

Thus, the Xu Clan never hesitated to humiliate the members of the Wang Clan in public to vent their grandfather’s frustration and pay back everything Wang Chong’s grandfather had done to him back then.

But the Bone Forging Pill was another matter!

It was already a limited commodity in Xu Clan, so how could the lad from Wang Clan dream of obtaining it? Wasn’t this fellow being too optimistic?

At this moment, Xu Jing was even doubting if Ye Yinping was collaborating with Wang Chong to obtain the Xu Clan’s Bone Forging Pill!

“Hmph! If you don’t have the guts to do so, scram!”

Wang Li spouted coldly.

Toward the Xu Clan, Wang Li and Wang Chong shared a rare consensus. But despite their dislike for the Xu Clan, given that grandfather didn’t say a thing about this matter, it wasn’t appropriate for them to do anything either.

Furthermore, they were at the Four Quarters Hall, a place the Sage Emperor built specially for grandfather. Surely the Xu Clan would know better than to go overboard here.

Thus, Wang Li wasn’t too worried about the battle between Wang Chong and Xu Xuan.

“You!”

Xu Jing immediately flew into a temper. But before he could say anything, another voice sounded beside him:

“Hmph, isn’t it just a Bone Tempering Pill? I’ll agree to it!”

“Little Brother Xuan!”

Xu Jing was shocked. It was a huge taboo to take out the Bone Forging Pill for a wager. With this precedent, others would surely follow suit and demand Bone Forging Pills from the Xu Clan. If so, how could the Xu Clan conduct business?

“Big brother, I don’t need you to tell me what to do!”

Xu Xuan spouted rudely, and Xu Jing’s face immediately steeled. This bastard! Just because of his outstanding talent, he gained grandfather’s favor and was stepping more and more out of line. To think that he would even disregard his elder brother now!

However, Xu Xuan paid his big brother no heed. He wasn’t a fool, and he knew what he was doing.

“Wang Chong, I can take out the Bone Forging Pill!”

Stretching his hands into his embrace, he took out a small but exquisite purple box. The Bone Forging Pill was his most valuable possession, and he didn’t feel secure leaving it anywhere. Thus, he has always carried it on him.

“… But Wang Chong, what about you? What are you putting on the line? It can’t be that you thought it would be a one-sided deal?”

Stretching out his hand, Xu Xuan spouted coldly.

If Wang Chong wanted his Bone Forging Pill, he had to take out something worthy of it!

“Fine! Since you took out a Bone Forging Pill, I will put a Wootz steel sword on the line! How is it?”

Wang Chong replied casually.

“Wootz steel sword!”

The Xu Clan offsprings were moved. After Su Bai’s incident, Wang Chong’s involvement in swordsmithing was no longer a secret. Because of Wang Chong’s Wootz steel sword, Su Bai suffered greatly in the Court of Judicial Review. Even now, his clan was unable to fish him out.

There wasn’t anyone in the capital who didn’t know that, and as a result Wang Chong’s Wootz steel sword came into everyone’s attention!

“The Wootz steel sword is known as the world’s number one sword, and a single sword is worth forty to fifty thousand gold taels. Furthermore, it’s a limited commodity. It’s definitely a fair trade for a Bone Forging Pill.”

At this moment, even Xu Jing didn’t disagree to it anymore.

Xu Xuan was extremely moved. There were many ways to raise one’s fighting prowess. The Bone Forging Pill was one of them, and an incomparably sharp sword which was capable of cutting through steel as though a lump of mud was another.

Using a Bone Forging Pill to wager a Wootz steel sword which was worth forty to fifty thousand gold taels was definitely a profitable trade.

“Haha, alright!”

Xu Xuan laughed heartily. With a flick of his finger, he passed the box with a Bone Forging Pill inside over to Xu Jing:

“Big brother, help me hold on to it for now. If I were to lose, pass it to Wang Chong. If I win… Wang Chong, I doubt that your Wang Clan would allow you to renege on your words!”

Wang Chong couldn’t be any more thrilled to see Xu Xuan put his Bone Forging Pill on the line. He was cultivating the Dragon Bone Art, and every single inch of progress required huge effort on his part.

With the Bone Forging Pill, he could hasten this process. In the future, through some other means, he might be able to reach Tiger Bone swiftly.

“Come, Xu Xuan!”

Having accomplished what he wanted, Wang Chong stepped forward.

“Little Brother Chong, are you confident?”

From behind, Wang Zhu Yan asked worriedly. This cousin of hers has always lived idly. Even though he has changed tremendously recently, she had no idea how his progress on his martial arts was.

“Don’t worry.”

Wang Chong smiled as he shot his cousin a ‘reassuring’ gaze. After which, he proceeded forward to the empty field.

“Yinping, don’t worry! I only need three breaths to defeat this lad!”

At the same moment, Xu Xuan turned around and reassured Ye Yinping with a gentle expression.

“Three breaths?”

Ye Yinping frowned in displeasure.

“One move, one move! … Just one move is enough!”

Xu Xuan hurriedly changed his words.

“Hmph, go on!”

Ye Yinping replied coldly. She detested the idea of lowering her head to that weak Wang Clan lad. What kind of medicine did that fellow feed her grandfather for him to demand her to greet him as young master?

She, Ye Yinping, was a person blessed by the heavens. She was in control of her own fate, and she refused to submit to anyone. Why should she lower her head to someone weaker than her? Thus, she decided to make use of this opportunity to humiliate Wang Chong, as well as to dispel her grandfather’s thoughts.

As for Xu Xuan… Hmph, did he really think that she would be with him?

How dare a lowly toad lust of the swan’s flesh!

Oblivious to Ye Yinping’s thoughts, Xu Xuan followed the orders of his goddess and walked onto the empty field delightfully.

“Wang Chong, you should take out your weapon now! Otherwise, I fear that you won’t even have any other chance to do so!”

When he was five zhang away from Wang Chong, Xu Xuan stopped and pointed at Wang Chong arrogantly.

(~16.6m)

He had heard of Wang Chong’s horrid reputation before, and if not for Ye Yinping, such a person wouldn’t be qualified to fight against him.

Of those who challenged him, eight out of ten possessed cultivation higher than his!

“I don’t have any weapon!”

Wang Chong clapped his hands. This was the truth. He gave a sword to Zhao Fengchen, another to the old master, and the other two were still at home.

“Hmph, conceited fellow!”

A sliver of rage flashed across Xu Xuan’s eyes.

“Since you’re courting death, don’t blame me if anything happens!”

Kaka, Xu Xuan’s bones creaked along with the tiles beneath him, as if unable to withstand his weight.

Upon reaching Origin Energy Tier 7, one’s strength would increase significantly, granting them incredible might behind every action.

Xu Xuan’s best record was killing a rampaging male elephant with a single punch!

The Xu Clan initially intended to present the elephant to the royal family, but it suddenly went on a rampage and charged out of its enclosure, onto the streets.

Back then, Xu Xuan knocked it down with a single punch, and blood flowed down from its seven apertures. It didn’t take long before it fell completely motionless.

Even though the woman he loved thought nothing of him, Xu Xuan’s strength was the real deal. If Wang Chong thought that he could easily obtain the Bone Forging Pill from him, he couldn’t be any more mistaken.

“Ferocious Elephant Technique!”

A might gathered beneath his feet, and Xu Xuan’s surroundings suddenly became blurred and distorted. A powerful aura exuded from his body.

Upon seeing this sight, a slight astonishment flickered across Ye Yinping’s eyes. Given how even Ye Yinping was taken aback by the sight, lest needs to be said about the others.

“Ferocious Elephant Technique! It’s the Ferocious Elephant Technique!”

Shocked exclaims sounded in the surroundings. Those who could enter the Four Quarters Embassy were either affluent or noble, and their eye for things was extraordinary. It didn’t take long for someone to recognize the skill.

Hearing the exclaims, the offsprings of the Xu Clan smiled smugly.

There was a reason why the Xu Clan was engaged in the elephant trade. Back then, when their grandfather gained merit through saving the emperor, the royal family bestowed upon them a few secret arts of the royal family, and one of them was the 《Ferocious Elephant Technique》.

While everyone was still cultivating inferior techniques like ‘Iron Chain Treading River’, the members of the Xu Clan were already cultivating powerful martial arts like the Ferocious Elephant Technique.

The moment one mastered this technique, there would be few who would be able to rival one in the same cultivation realm.

It was precisely because of this 《Ferocious Elephant Technique》 that Xu Xuan was unmatched by his peers. If Wang Chong used a weapon, he might still stand a chance, but bare-fisted, he was simply courting death!

“Ferocious Elephant Technique!”

Roaring loudly within, Xu Xuan’s spirit, intent, and body fused together as one, and the air around him suddenly burst apart. A call reminiscent of that of an elephant roared in the air.

Shrouded in a layer of ripped air, Xu Xuan charged forward as though a rampaging elephant toward Wang Chong. Given the force of the charge, it was likely that even a mountain would shatter upon struck.

“Not good!”

“Young Master Chong is in danger! ——”

………

The offsprings of the Zhao, Sun, Ma, and Hu Clan in the surroundings were alarmed. Wang Li and Wang Zhu Yan’s faces turned pale, and just as they were about to step forward to save him, an unthinkable turn of events occurred.

Hong long!

Faster than words could describe, just as Xu Shan was about to knock into Wang Chong with absurd speed, Wang Chong suddenly leaped into the air.

In an instant, it seemed as though Wang Chong has disappeared, and in his place was a lively and nimble flood dragon.

That flood dragon coiled in the air before sweeping downward.

“Herculean Punch! ——”

Gathering the strength in his entire body, he triggered both the Dragon Bone Art and Herculean Punch simultaneously and struck downward.

Hong long!

The ground tremored, and stone tiles cracked. Dust covered the empty field, but one could vaguely hear the sorrowful cry of an elephant. Then, before everyone’s dumbfounded gaze, as though a wooden pillar, Xu Xuan fell to the ground.

Boom!

A loud thud echoed. The mouths of the spectators were wide open. The entire Four Quarters Embassy was ghastly silent!

Fragrant Elephant (香象) [Used Ferocious instead]

It could refer to elephant during mating season (because of the scent they release)

There’s also a Bodhi who goes by the same name, but I couldn’t find the English name.

Or it could have come from the saying 香象渡河 (The Elephant Crossing the River)

It is a metaphor to describe how well enlightened one was.

There is a story behind it speaking of three animals, a rabbit, a horse, and an elephant, and the three of them wanted to cross the river.

The rabbit could only float on the surface, the horse might or might not reach the bed of the river, while the elephant’s feet would surely reach the bed of the river.

It is just like reading a book. Three people might finish reading the same book (crossing a river), but how well (deep) they understand the story (step into the river) is a different matter.

The phrase is usually used to describe one who is enlightened.