Chapter 66: Two Paths

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Since ancient times, Earth Star has had a clear categorization of the nine grades of martial arts.

Specifically…

Ninth-grade, Superior; sixth-grade, Tyrant; third-grade, King.

Among them, “Superior” referred to one’s status being higher than others after becoming a martial artist.

“Tyrant” referred to a martial artist possessing true energy after advancing to the sixth-grade. As such, the martial artist becomes even stronger and can rule over an area, becoming a local tyrant.

Finally, “King”. At the very beginning, it was a noble title bestowed by the ancient dynasties’ royal families to martial artists who advanced to the third-grade as a reward.

Of course, this title was an honorary one. There was no real power or fief associated with it.

In reality, the only use was to appeasement.

Martial artists who advanced to the third-grade were also well aware of this. Most of them were too lazy to bother with it and basically ignored it.

However, as time passed, the nature of this title slowly became a certification of strength, identity, and status, gradually becoming deeply rooted in the people.

At the end of this evolution, the title of “King” became the pursuit of every martial artist.

If anyone could advance to the third grade, they would gain the corresponding title.

For example, the Sword King, the Saber King, the Spear King…

Those who do not use weapons but with known surnames would carry it in their title.

For example, if Su Jingxing were to advance to the third-grade, people would address him as “King Su”!

Hence.

The actual title of the Ethereal Sword Immortal was Ethereal Sword King.

People called her a “Sword Immortal” because her temperament was very outstanding. She was very similar to Earth Star’s legendary immortal.

Extraordinary, immortal, otherworldly.

She was captivating enough in photos, let alone in person.

Su Jingxing was in a trance.

Fortunately, he quickly reacted and bowed his head to stop looking at her.

The Ethereal Sword Immortal was indeed beautiful and had an extraordinary disposition, but she was also very old.

She was already in her early sixties!

1

Su Jingxing didn’t dare to think too much about a person who was already an old grandmother.

When the Ethereal Sword Immortal began asking questions and explaining the bottlenecks and other knowledge in martial arts, Su Jingxing quickly immersed himself in it. He no longer had any qualms about asking questions or seeking opinions.

Although the Ethereal Sword Immortal took the path of the sword, she was very familiar with the theories, changes, and explanations of other martial arts.

This was the sum of her decades of experience.

Su Jingxing listened, very absorbed.

With such a third-grade martial arts expert who was familiar with all kinds of martial arts personally guiding him, Su Jingxing was suddenly enlightened about some things that he did not understand in the past.

This included the reason why he wanted to unlock the True Energy Card previously but suddenly had a bad feeling and stopped himself.

According to the Ethereal Sword Immortal, the first strand of true energy in the dantian of a sixth-grade martial artist was the most important.

It determined whether the martial artist’s future path would be blazing like fire or cold as ice.

If it was fire from the start, then he would have to take this path to the end. If he wishes to switch to water midway, he would have to reconstruct his dantian, abolish his cultivation, and start anew.

The reason was that the dantian was unique.

Once true energy appears in the dantian, only the same kind of true energy could appear in the future.

This characteristic, put together with his own situation, Su Jingxing figured out his hesitation almost immediately.

It was very simple. If Su Jingxing had unlocked the True Energy Card and absorbed the true energy from it into his dantian, his dantian would have adapted to the attributeless true energy that suddenly surged in.

By the time Su Jingxing wishes to cultivate by himself, his dantian would have lost the ability to produce true energy.

It was not that its dantian was damaged, rather, it had gone on strike!

With free true energy to “feed on”, it did not wish to work hard to “produce” any on its own.

If that was the case, if Su Jingxing wanted to increase his true energy in the future, he could only continue to extract the True Energy Card.

This cultivation method was equivalent to closing off one of Su Jingxing’s paths.

It might be easy for him to increase his true energy with the True Energy Card.

However, this method depended too much on luck.

Martial artists above the sixth-grade were not newbies, where one died every day.

God knew how long Su Jingxing would have to wait to become stronger and reach the third-grade.

It would be different if he produces true energy through his own dantian.

As long as there was an internal exercise specially meant for the cultivation of true energy, and a place with abundant worldly energy energy, he would be able to continuously increase his true energy.

At this time, if he uses True Energy Cards as a supplement, his true energy reserves would undoubtedly grow very quickly.

It was equivalent to taking two paths at one go!

After sorting out this line of thought, Su Jingxing heaved a sigh of relief.

His bad premonition was right!

Decisively stopping the unlocking of the True Energy Card was the wisest choice.

If one could take two paths at one go, who would be willing to take only one?

…

Su Jingxing listened to the Ethereal Sword Immortal’s lessons for an entire day, and only left at nine in the night.

The day’s gains helped Su Jingxing clear up a lot of problems.

And because he was able to take in everything quickly, he did not need to go to the Shi Wang Building tomorrow.

Which meant the guidance had ended.

Tomorrow, it would be Wei Jiajia’s turn to head to the sky garden.

Su Jingxing didn’t complain or feel dissatisfied.

It was not like he wanted to become the disciple of the Ethereal Sword Immortal. After clearing up the doubts and difficulties of the path of martial arts, Su Jingxing only needed to follow the prescribed routine and fulfill the relevant requirements and he would break through to the third-grade!

So, Su Jingxing was very satisfied.

If he had the chance, he wanted to return the Ethereal Sword Immortal this favor.

But come to think of it, this opportunity wouldn’t come.

Su Jingxing shook his head with a smile and returned to the small courtyard at the foot of the mountain.

He’d asked for a day off today. He didn’t have to go to the crematorium.

After a day of “lessons”, he was already hungry.

Su Jingxing brought out some packaged foods he had bought when he moved. He ate as he went on the Internet.

He wanted to see how the media he stepped on in front of the Shi Wang Building in the morning would report the incident.

Su Jingxing knew very well that no matter what he says, the media would distort it.

As such, he left without another word.

After searching online, he found out that he had been mocked by the masses.

“Exposing The True Character of The Lucky Yang Jian.”

“Yang Jian: An Arrogant and Overbearing Youth!”

“The Great Reveal of Yang Jian’s Identity! He Turns Out To Be…”

“The Yang Jian You Don’t Know!”

“…”

Under all sorts of titles, the articles were filled with sarcasm towards Yang Jian.

Of course, they left no traces in their diction. It was either “suspected” or “possible.”

It was just an excuse so that Su Jingxing would not be able to find faults.

And the comments below the articles were unsurprisingly one-sided.

“I told you, this Yang Jian is a very difficult person.”

“Haha, if it were me, I would be arrogant too.”

“Yang Jian is nothing. If not for his dog-shit luck, how could he get to meet the Ethereal Sword Immortal?”

“By the way, did Yang Jian really meet the Ethereal Sword Immortal at the Shi Wang Building?”

“It’s obvious. Yang Jian has yet to step out since he entered the Shi Wang Building.”

“Doesn’t that mean that the Ethereal Sword Immortal is in the Shi Wang Building?”

“Duh!”

“…”

At the end, as expected, Su Jingxing saw the words, Ethereal Sword Immortal.

Clearly.

Some paid comments were trying to lead the conversation to the Ethereal Sword Immortal through him!

“Shi Wang Building, the Shi Family?”