Chapter 104 - 101: The Secret of the Cold Pond, Enhanced State of Mind

No. Where did such a weak Bone Forging Realm martial artist come from? This bastard, he can’t really be from the Yao Family, can he? Jiang Shu’s brows tightened further. Normally, if I were to launch a backhand slash, a Bone Forging Realm martial artist should have been able to sense the killing intent in advance and either retreat explosively or rush forward to battle me. But what the hell is this? Him just standing there rooted to the spot? I’ve been looking forward to this for so long. The Yao Family has been preparing for so long. And they send *this*? I thought they were brewing up something formidable, but instead, they just dropped a huge turd? In Pingling County, Jiang Shu had yet to truly battle a Bone Forging Realm martial artist. Elder Chou, while appearing to be in the Bone Forging Realm, had long since reached the Refining Internal Realm. Qi Yuan, even now, is only in the Iron Skin Realm. And on Xuanxing, the true Dark Force martial artists I had fought, whether Xie Feichen or Shang Jibei, were all able to put pressure on me. This middle-aged martial artist, he came from a major household, after all. He should have at least learned some low-grade martial arts, right? Just this? It seems that, without realizing it, I have already reached such a height. He searched the body out of habit, taking out the silver notes and golden beans. Jiang Shu carried the head and dragged the corpse, tossing it directly onto an empty patch of ground. After waiting for wild beasts to devour it completely, he then burned the remains to ash. Unknowingly, three people from the Yao Family have now met their demise at my hands. A retainer, a young master, and now, a Bone Forging Realm martial artist. Their pillar, their heir, their leadership—I’ve killed one of each. Quite something, really. Despite these reflections, Jiang Shu’s pace was extremely fast. At his current realm, he could easily traverse this great mountain and could reach Yongning County City at any moment. But right now, I don’t have the relevant maps. And although my strength in the Bone Forging Realm might allow me to fight against many, or even battle the strongest among them with a drawn sword, Yongning County City is a much larger ’map.’ There, there are those in the Blood Exchange Realm, and even higher realms. I still have the task of delivering a letter for Elder Chou. Without the strength of the Refining Internal Realm, I have no plans to leave Pingling County yet. His reasons for coming to the mountain now were twofold: first, to deal with the Yao Family’s underhanded tactics, and second, to see if the cold pond was still occupied. Every blade of grass, every tree felt exceptionally familiar. Soon, Jiang Shu arrived before the cold pond. On the way, an unobservant second-tier Mutant Beast had ended up in his stomach. The Stepping Cloud Ink Leopard was still patrolling its territory. Upon seeing an unfamiliar human arrive, it let out an angry roar. Its entire form blurred into afterimages as its four paws furiously pounded the ground. Only then did Jiang Shu clearly see that beneath its pitch-black fur, the Stepping Cloud Ink Leopard indeed had white, cloud-like markings on the soles of its feet. White Tiger Carrying Corpse! Small Leaping Skill! Fierce Tiger Jumping! Jiang Shu had perfected this three-move combination, having used it against countless second-tier Mutant Beasts. Though the Stepping Cloud Ink Leopard might be considered formidable among second-tier Mutant Beasts, Jiang Shu’s power, and the heavy sword in his hand, were even more terrifying! BOOM! The heavy sword arced forcefully towards the Stepping Cloud Ink Leopard’s neck. Even though the Stepping Cloud Ink Leopard tried to evade immediately, the air seemed to explode. One of its ears, however, was too slow to dodge and was severed, falling to the ground! It let out a mournful, angry roar, its body trembling. Jiang Shu, firmly mounted on its back, thrust forcefully. Black Tiger Heart-picking! In terms of physique, power, or speed, Martial Artists can never surpass Mutant Beasts. But weapons, martial arts, and intelligence compensate for all shortcomings! After four or five more rounds of battle, the Stepping Cloud Ink Leopard, having no chance to flee for its life, was slain by Jiang Shu in a few swift strikes. Its entire head was completely shattered, barely resembling a leopard’s head anymore. "This one is really good; it has a leopard’s whip," Jiang Shu muttered to himself. "Although this species doesn’t exist on Xuanxing, the Heaven and Earth Secret Realm in Yun Dian Province hasn’t been developed for long. People will naturally assume I’ve encountered a new type of Mutant Beast. Maybe I could even ask for a higher price." He skillfully dissected the important materials. Jiang Shu then started a fire and finished eating the leopard meat. Now, every piece of flesh he ate quickly transformed into vital energy and blood. If he ate too much, he would simply practice a set of Tiger Bone Mad Demon Fist in an open area. This both tempered his bones and consumed vital energy and blood. Once depleted, he would feel hungry again. In less than an hour, Jiang Shu had tidied up the site of the battle. Regrettably, the python bones he had long coveted were empty. The marrow inside had been sucked dry; only a few ants crawled within. Placing his backpack to one side, Jiang Shu plunged into the cold pond. This was something I’ve always been curious about. What exactly is the reason so many second-tier Mutant Beasts fight over this place? Who would have thought this cold pond would be so deep! And so cold! Jiang Shu marveled. Not long after entering the cold pond, he spotted a short rootstalk growing on a section of its wall. This was clearly what remained after a Heaven and Earth Treasure Medicine had been harvested. My ’convenient’ master must have come down here for this. But his harvesting technique clearly wasn’t good enough. I reckon even I could do a better job. He chuckled inwardly. Suddenly, a wave of panic surged through him. Jiang Shu forcefully halted his descent; he had been subconsciously diving deeper. Only then did he realize he had unknowingly descended further. Though this additional distance was only a few zhang, it felt like a completely different world compared to the waters above. Just a few zhang higher, he could clearly see various objects on the side walls. But here, it was pitch-black! The brightness hadn’t dimmed gradually; it had plunged abruptly! The surrounding temperature had also dropped to an extreme chill. He surged upward with all his might. Jiang Shu didn’t dare waste a single moment on thought; his mind was instantly poised to transmigrate, bracing for imminent danger. Fortunately, a few breaths later, he breached the surface. "The world is still too vast!" Jiang Shu exclaimed internally. "The Bone Forging Realm is just the initial stage of Martial Arts; I must remain grounded. There’s definitely some secret at the bottom of this cold pond! Back then, Elder Chou was certain: Qianqian had only picked the Heaven and Earth Treasure Medicine and left, without continuing to explore below, so he didn’t discover it. It’s pitch-black at the bottom of the cold pond. In such darkness, the slightest danger could be lethal! A Bone Forging Realm Martial Artist would surely die! Only a Refining Internal Realm Martial Artist, able to see in the dark, would have a slim chance of escape if danger arose." It was like a bucket of cold water dumped over my head, a sobering shock. Recently, my realm and strength have surged. Third-tier Mutant Beasts have died beneath my heavy sword. I can kill Bone Forging Realm martial artists in a single strike. Any second-tier Mutant Beast that approaches me is doomed to die. I had almost forgotten... I’m currently only at the second realm of Martial Arts. Even if this world’s Martial Arts truly only has six realms, as Elder Chou said, I haven’t even reached the middle tier. Pingling County town may be small, but these vast mountains are not small at all! There could be terrifying beings out here capable of killing me. The giant python from before, for instance, was one such creature. Guard against arrogance. Guard against impatience. He picked up his backpack, not daring to linger near the cold pond. Jiang Shu immediately moved twenty li away. Only then did he find a safe cave. He changed into clothes from Xia Country. With a stir of his mind. 「Transmigration.」