Having fought through the campaign against Xia, entered the hallowed halls of the Jixia Academy, and descended through many levels of blessed lands, from Mianzhu Mountain to Lu Water, then to Gan Mountain, and now to the blessed land of Han Mountain – Jiang Wang was, of course, long since accustomed to such vicissitudes.

Naturally, he understood that he now possessed the qualification to be unaccustomed. He would not indulge in unwarranted self-esteem, nor would he arbitrarily demean himself. He directly faced the many unattainable paragons and unchallengeable peaks of this world, just as he faced his own formidable strength.

Just as at this moment, cross-legged in the blessed land space of the Grand Virtual Realm, he quietly awaited the passage of time. He was filled with anticipation for the upcoming battle, and equally full of confidence.

Not far away, the sundial’s inscription had already changed: “One moment. The master of Jincheng Mountain has determined to challenge. In a moment, the challenge begins.” When he had fallen from the blessed land of Huxi Mountain, ranked forty-seventh, he had encountered Chen Siwu, the heavenly pride of the Divine Arrival realm from the State of Song. At that time, he could already roughly gauge his opponent’s strength, rather than losing without understanding the reason.

The Han Mountain blessed land where he currently resided was ranked sixty-seventh in the Grand Virtual Realm. Falling down a few more times would mean the loss of all blessed land privileges. Although he still hadn’t figured out the exact use of a blessed land in the Grand Virtual Realm, losing was never a good thing.

A moment quickly passed. The sword-discussion platform soared upwards, directly into the river of stars. Two ancient sword-discussion platforms boomed as they collided, and two Divine Arrival realm powerhouses gazed at each other.

Appearance held no meaning within the Grand Virtual Realm, nor did names. Apart from Chen Siwu, who declared, “I act without changing my name, sit without changing my surname; I was born without shirking my face, and I will die without changing my countenance,” Jiang Wang had yet to encounter a second person who appeared in their true form within the Grand Virtual Realm. In a world where competition was intensely fierce, the more thoroughly a person was researched, the closer they were to the precipice of death. Everyone would conceal themselves as much as possible, finding a balance between self-preservation and the gains from the Grand Virtual Realm.

Female.

This was Jiang Wang’s only knowledge of his opponent. He did not draw his sword, nor did he wear one. He now had enough merit to manifest Chang Xiang Si within the Grand Virtual Realm, but his hands were empty.

At this moment, he took a large stride forward, his hands forming seals, and his spiritual consciousness unfurled. Massive amounts of Dao Origin induced terrifying primordial energy from heaven and earth, a vast and surging tide of Qi covering this square world. Above the sword-discussion platform, the sky instantly became a realm of rising winds and surging clouds. Amidst the churning cloud sea, a青蛟 (Azure Dragon) vaguely formed, its length several tens of zhang, letting out a majestic roar!

This was a Transcendent Grade Dao technique that Jiang Wang had newly mastered after being enfeoffed as the Marquis of Wuan. It was even a Dao technique recently developed by the State of Qi’s Academy of Arts, and now appeared before others for the first time!

Times were different from before. In past blessed land challenges, even if he used his sword techniques with full force, it was unlikely anyone would connect him with the Jiang Wang from the Observation River Platform. This was because the blessed land challenge in the Grand Virtual Realm was the battleground for Divine Arrival realm cultivators.

Now, having been enfeoffed as a Marquis in the campaign against Xia, he was a genuine Divine Arrival realm powerhouse. All information about him would be collected as much as possible. Therefore, he planned to carefully conceal his identity as “Dugu Wudi” within the Grand Virtual Realm. Those like Zuo Guangshu and Ning Shuangrong knew his Grand Virtual Realm identity, but they would not spread it outside.

It wasn’t guaranteed that he could hide for how long. To fully conceal oneself while still gaining harvests within the Grand Virtual Realm would inevitably underestimate the heroes of the world. What he sought was to hide for as long as possible.

As a Marquis with military merit for the Great Qi, it was entirely normal for him to visit the Academy of Arts to choose secret arts suitable for his combat system. In fact, on the day of his enfeoffment as a Marquis, he had followed Chong Xuan Zun to the Academy of Arts.

Accompanied by the Chief Eunuch Qiu Ji and Zhong Liwen, the treasure house of this great empire was opened to them without reservation. Everyone had the qualification to choose three Transcendent Grade Dao techniques, which was part of the reward for being enfeoffed as a Marquis.

The scope of these Dao techniques was not limited to ancient collections or those captured from other countries; it also included the latest, most cutting-edge extraordinary Dao techniques being developed by the State of Qi’s Academy of Arts. Compared to the rewards Jiang Wang had received before, the specifications were immeasurably higher. Even so, every year thereafter, he could choose one Dao technique within the Academy of Arts that matched his realm to cultivate. This was one of the stipends he enjoyed as the Marquis of Wuan.

Of course, he also had corresponding responsibilities. For example, going to the Jixia Academy to teach, for example, being summoned by the court at any time, including but not limited to participating in wars, cooperating with the Academy of Arts in Dao technique research, and executing all kinds of tasks…

It was also a very important part of Qi’s merit system for powerful individuals to contribute the Dao techniques they developed to the Academy of Arts. For instance, Yi Xingchen was the contemporary True Person who contributed the most to the State of Qi’s Academy of Arts, thereby accumulating vast resources and prestige.

The development of Dao techniques was a domain that no powerful country could afford to relax. In this era of great contention, failing to advance meant falling behind. Qi had a very complete contribution system for this. For example, the massive Dao techniques that Jiang Wang and Chong Xuan Sheng had plundered on the Xia battlefield, after filling the Grand Virtual Realm’s Dao Derivation Platform, could also be converted into a certain amount of contribution when brought back to Qi. Of course, the demands of the State of Qi’s Academy of Arts were different from those of the Grand Virtual Realm’s Dao Derivation Platform. The latter sought novelty and diversity, while the State of Qi’s Academy of Arts had no interest in low-grade Dao techniques unless they were perfect basic Dao techniques like “Flame Flower.”

The Dao techniques that Jiang Wang chose from the Academy of Arts were not all Transcendent Grade, nor were they all the latest developed Dao techniques. He had his considerations. Theoretically speaking, because the evolution of Dao techniques in the present world was in an explosive state, and Dao techniques changed with each passing day, outdated Dao techniques were constantly being eliminated. The more cutting-edge a Dao technique, the more precious it was.

However, those classic Dao techniques that had withstood the test of time still held irreplaceable value. And the choice of Dao techniques also needed to be made from the perspective of what was suitable for oneself.

Among the three Dao techniques Jiang Wang chose, the first was the Outer Building Chapter of the “Sun and Yang Eye.” This eye technique, a secret transmission of the Chang intestines, lost its transmission after the Divine Arrival realm, and the Outer Building Chapter was the pinnacle. Jiang Wang chose this Dao technique to further supplement the Sun and Yang Scarlet Eye.

The Sun and Yang Scarlet Eye, fused with the power of the two great divine abilities, “Sincere Heart Divine Ability” and “Samādhi True Fire,” had boundless potential. Only the Inner Mansion Chapter of the “Sun and Yang Eye” was currently the biggest shortcoming, restricting the further development of the Sun and Yang Scarlet Eye. With the supplement of the Outer Building Chapter, he could push it to a higher level.

The second Dao technique was the Transcendent Grade Yellow Rank “Six Desires Bodhisattva.” It was not a new technique, but a legacy from the withered-to-flourishing courtyard of that year. Jiang Wang chose it because this Dao technique was a good fit for him.

Only the third Dao technique that Jiang Wang chose was the latest development of the Academy of Arts. The four-rank, twelve-grade Dao techniques developed by the Academy of Arts generally aimed for universality and practicality. They sought the overall progress of Qi’s extraordinary forces. However, at the Transcendent Grade level, only strength was the main focus; whether or not more people could learn it was not within the scope of consideration.

This Transcendent Grade Dao technique, named “Azure Dragon’s Seven Transformations,” started with wind movement and integrated the eastern seven constellations. Its complexity and variability were rare even among Yellow Rank Dao techniques. In the three months Jiang Wang spent studying at the Jixia Academy, almost all of his daily cultivation time was invested in this Dao technique.

Today was the first time he would display its power. Where wind rises, clouds surge; in the sky, the Azure Dragon’s movement is clearly seen.

The first transformation of the Azure Dragon’s Seven Transformations was the Horned Wood Flood Dragon (角木蛟). Jiang Wang’s posture within the Grand Virtual Realm was arrogant and confident, perfectly matching the name “Dugu Wudi.” The Azure Dragon in the clouds extended its claws, stirring up changes in heaven and earth. Massive life force pressed down, manifesting equally massive and majestic power! As wood elements gathered, giant trees were pulled up from the ground one by one, instantly forming a forest.

And in Min Younv’s eyes, what she saw was an extremely young male, striding through the emerald forest. His ten fingers changed, as if grasping wind and clouds, grasping the traces of profound Dao techniques. He could turn his hand into clouds and his hand into rain; this square of heaven and earth all changed, seemingly all within his palm. Truly heroic!

This must be a young person, not an old man who achieved Divine Arrival in his youth and retained his appearance. Even if his appearance was not his true one, that kind of soaring and enterprising vitality emanating from within could only be possessed by a young person. Perhaps it was because she was already declining in years that she was so sensitive to this.

As a Divine Arrival realm cultivator whose strength was second only to the state master in the State of Qiao in the Western Border, Min Younv had a clear understanding of her own power. The State of Qiao was located south of the river valley plain and could be said to be a country on the edge of ruin, essentially already submitting under the shadow of the State of Qin. She was indeed not weak; in such a resource-poor country, to be able to achieve Divine Arrival required more talent and effort.

But after reaching Divine Arrival, the decline and weakness of her country was a problem she had to face. A very intuitive reality was that in the past decade, the entire State of Qiao’s treasury had added a total of only eleven Transcendent Grade Dao techniques. Nine of them were old techniques obtained through different channels, and only two were originally from the State of Qiao.

Her country’s situation made it impossible for her to receive more help; she needed to use her own strength as much as possible to support her country. Under such circumstances, and being not one of those absolute top heavenly prides, how could she possibly make significant progress? It was nothing more than relying on the passage of years and accumulating through arduous work.

She asked herself, she was not a very powerful Divine Arrival. The reason she was able to hold a blessed land of this rank was because the Grand Virtual Realm had always been open only to a small degree; she had a first-mover advantage. In a period where there were few monks and much porridge, where it was almost possible to force-feed everyone, everyone ate very well. Relying on the benefits brought by the Grand Virtual Realm’s blessed land, she experienced the fastest period of progress after reaching Divine Arrival.

Pity that good times didn’t last long. With the rapid development of the Grand Virtual Realm in recent years, more and more powerful individuals had joined. At first, only the number of cultivators in the low-grade realms like Wandering Meridian, Cosmic Circle, and Sky Passage exploded, but later the number of cultivators in Ascending Dragon, Inner Mansion, and Outer Building also increased daily.

Now, her blessed land battles were also becoming increasingly difficult. In fact, she had already fallen five ranks, and had just been struck down from the Han Mountain blessed land, without confidence that she could defend the Jincheng Mountain blessed land next month. The threshold here was getting higher and higher; one couldn’t be sure which Divine Arrival realm heavenly pride from which overlord country would appear.

In the battle where she fell from the Han Mountain blessed land, she was completely crushed, without a single chance. The blessed land challenge mechanism in the Grand Virtual Realm was that on the fifteenth day of every month, starting with the seventy-second ranked blessed land, the masters would successively decide whether to challenge forward. Those who could not receive the Grand Virtual Realm message were considered to have forfeited.

And the time of the entire blessed land challenge was wiped away by the Grand Virtual Realm. That is to say, no matter how long a blessed land challenge took to complete, within the Grand Virtual Realm, it was only an instant.

The reason Min Younv chose to challenge forward was not because she had any grand ideas of overturning the situation. She was sure that the person who had decisively defeated her was someone who could advance many ranks further. What she hoped for was that the master of this newly fallen blessed land would be defeated and dejected, thus performing abnormally and allowing her to struggle upwards for a month.

But looking at it now, it seemed like a foolish hope. This “Dugu Wudi,” who had also been struck down in blessed land rankings, where was there any sign of decline? His will was domineering, his demeanor was arrogant and unrestrained. The Transcendent Grade Dao technique he used was something she had never seen before; just this aura alone was extraordinary.

She had never encountered this person before, which meant that this person was at least a strong individual who had once been ranked sixty-first or higher in the blessed land. In other words, before this, she hadn’t even had the opportunity to cross swords with this “Dugu Wudi.”

As her thoughts raced, Min Younv moved with light lotus steps. Her toes clearly pointed at the void, yet it was as if she stepped on the surface of water, rippling out one circle after another. Those trees that grew wildly under the influence of the Dao technique also seemed to be wood born from water. The tree shadows were intertwined with the water shadows.

And then, flowers bloomed in the ripples. One pure white lotus flower after another blossomed open, instantly filling the vision. Those trees were also supported by lotus flowers, the space was also supported by lotus flowers, and naturally, the person striding towards her also had to fall into the midst of the lotus flowers.

Transcendent Grade Dao technique, Illusionary Lotus Sea! The ground was lotus flowers, the air was lotus flowers. Lotus flowers bloomed under Min Younv’s feet, yet they blossomed in every visible place. Lotus flowers bloomed on the trees, on the Azure Dragon, and even in Jiang Wang’s left eye, a lotus flower suddenly sprouted! The scene was horrifying to the extreme.

But Jiang Wang regarded this as nothing, then walked upon the lotus flowers, then was born from the lotus flowers. The power of his spiritual consciousness was being rapidly devoured. He simply waved his hand.

His sleeve brushed, and wind and clouds moved. The Azure Dragon in the clouds suddenly shed its azure color, horns sprouted from its head, and its entire body suddenly emitted golden light! The flood dragon had already transformed into a dragon.

The second transformation of the Azure Dragon’s Seven Transformations was the Golden Dragon of the Root (亢金龙)! Not a simple dissipation of wood elements and gathering of metal elements, but gold being born from wood, the five elements inverted! That lush forest of trees directly collapsed and disintegrated. Replacing it was intensely sharp golden light.

Golden light shone everywhere. Wherever it fell, it was cut open, torn apart. The boundless golden light fell like knives, slicing apart the lotus flowers one by one. Golden light also sprouted from Jiang Wang’s eyes, directly gouging out that lotus flower. For a moment, his left eye was a hollow pit.

But the golden light howled, shuttling like an arrow rain. Min Younv did not stop, her posture twirling elegantly, flying and dancing amidst the sharp golden rain. She had a beautiful name, the so-called “Lady of a Hundred Flowers,” her beauty itself being unparalleled. As she moved through this space, it was like a spring breeze dancing.

But the lotus flowers opened and fell again, a boundless lotus sea, illusion born and illusion destroyed. The power of the Azure Dragon’s Seven Transformations intensely collided with the power of the Illusionary Lotus Sea. The lotus flowers gradually probed into the cloud layer, and in the process of being constantly cut apart, they also climbed onto the golden dragon’s body. Jiang Wang was advancing, and Min Younv was retreating and turning.

The Golden Dragon in the clouds suddenly let out a long golden roar, and the golden light instantly scattered away. The lotus flowers in the sky and on the ground momentarily lost their target. And from the ground, a soil-yellow colored badger suddenly drilled out. Its eyes had a hint of gold, seemingly condensing all the sharpness of the Golden Dragon of the Root. Its body was as swift as a flash of lightning, lunging straight for Min Younv’s throat!

The third transformation of the Azure Dragon’s Seven Transformations was the Earth Badger of the Room (氏土貉). Min Younv shattered the lotus flowers beneath her feet, a flicker, and she was already far away. The Earth Badger of the Room simply twisted, yet it closed in again.

In the Illusionary Lotus Sea, Min Younv’s body technique was almost at its limit, but she simply couldn’t shake off this small soil badger. This single soil badger came and went like lightning, leaving no trace when it departed, making it fundamentally impossible to block. Although its body was not large, its teeth were sharp enough to even bite through space.

In this kind of dangerous pursuit, Min Younv still maintained an elegant posture, simply raising her orchid finger and gently pointing. Everything around became quiet, so quiet it was like being in a deep mountain ancient forest when a fragrant wind suddenly blew to one’s nose. Empty valley smells a secluded orchid!

This was the Transcendent Grade Dao technique, “Empty Valley Orchid Sound.” One did not see its flower, only smelled its fragrance. Seeing this flower meant being killed by this sound. As the fragrance drifted, a slender orchid grass seemed to grow out of nowhere, tightly缠住 (entwining) the Earth Badger of the Room. The short, fat, and fierce Earth Badger of the Room was tied motionless in the air.

Also bound by the orchid grass were Jiang Wang’s ten fingers, and Jiang Wang himself. Orchid flower grass, today it binds the Azure Dragon! Lotus flowers sprouted in his eyes, his ears, his lips, from all seven orifices. The lotus sea, illusion born and destroyed, wanted to drown him in the water.

And at this moment, Jiang Wang simply closed his eyes. His face, which had been modified to be especially handsome in the Grand Virtual Realm, at this moment shone with a kind of holiness! A kind of lewdness! His face suddenly became bright and then dark. When it was bright, it was endlessly solemn; when it was dark, desires proliferated.

The legacy of the great Buddhist sect, the Withered-to-Flourishing Courtyard, Transcendent Grade Dao technique, Six Desires Bodhisattva! It was a divine Buddha, and also a ghostly demon!

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