Ancient Strengthening Technique (Portraits of Beauty)

Chapter 938

AST 1176 – State Master"s Lifespan, Yan Clan, Yan Dingtian

The aura on that person was very profound and from afar, he seemed to be standing there like a tall block of mountain, one that couldn"t be surpa.s.sed. The moment Qing Shui and Yan Jinyu walked in, the man gradually turned.

He was a mature and handsome man, even more mature than the past Canghai. He seemed to be older as well. Qing Shui wasn"t surprised that he could have children like Yan Jinyu and Yan Yangzhao.

However, Qing Shui couldn"t guess his age. His aura was stable as a mountain, his expression calm as water. Qing Shui couldn"t sense his cultivation. But this was normal. This man was Yan Clan"s clan head, Yan City"s City Lord. Qing Shui really couldn"t guess how strong he was.

Qing Shui felt that he shouldn"t be very young, regardless if Yan Jinyu and Yan Yangzhao were his eldest children. In the four continents, a person with this cultivation would be considered young even if he was over 200 years old. They would be able to maintain their youth for a very long period of time.

State Master level… Even the lowest grade State Master would have a lifespan of 1,500 years; Grade Two State Master 2,000 years; and Grade Three State Master seemed to be even longer. However, Qing Shui wasn"t sure how long to be exact.

"Father!" Yan Jinyu ran over happily and hugged the mature and calm man. That feeling of yearning made Qing Shui think of Luan luan, Yuchang and his other kids. He missed them as well.

It was then when the man broke into a happy smile which was warm like the spring"s breeze. Compared to Canghai, this man was a mature man whom ladies would be fatally attracted to. Regardless whether it was mature ladies or young ladies or even men, all of them would take a few more looks and say a few more words. Of course, men wouldn"t like him but would like his charm. It"d be like the fans from Qing Shui"s previous life, where there would be men and women alike.

"La.s.s, who is this? Aren"t you going to introduce him to me?" the man looked toward Qing Shui and nodded as a greeting.

"He is called Qing Shui and is my sworn brother. If it wasn"t for him this time around, your daughter wouldn"t be able to see you anymore." Yan Jinyu spoke happily at the start but ended in a worried tone. She was worried about Yan Clan now.

"Oh."

Yan Dingtian looked at Qing Shui with great interest. Toward the sworn sibling his daughter had made, he was more surprised. It was because his daughter had almost no friends of the opposite s.e.x. She hadn"t gotten close to any men even at her age. This made him a little worried. After knowing that his daughter was normal, he let her do as he wished. After all, life was very long and there was plenty of time.

He looked at Qing Shui and noticed that his cultivation was mediocre but there was an obscured power in his body. He knew that Qing Shui"s actual strength should be a little stronger. However, he realized that he wasn"t sure how much stronger Qing Shui was.

“Who’s the one who dares to lay their hands on my precious daughter? I"ll go kill him myself.” When Yan Dingtian said this, he was still very calm but an abrupt and sharp aura extended out toward the surroundings. There even seemed to be a layer of explosive waves in the air, creating a strange sound.

“Outer city’s Yang Clan. However, they’re already working together with inner city’s Yu Clan, preparing to take actions against Yan Clan. Father, you’ll have to make preparation soon,” Yan Jinyu quickly said.

“Yu Clan?” Yan Dingtian looked at Yan Jinyu, stunned.

“That’s right, father. You must believe what your daughter says and hasten to make preparations. As for whether there are any other clans taking part in this, I’m not sure,” Yan Jinyu looked at Yan Dingtian and said.

“Alright, I understand.”

The man smiled and said that before he turned to Qing Shui, “You’re Qing Shui? Thank you for saving my daughter. Since you’ve become sworn siblings with the la.s.s, then just treat this as your own home. This is an emergency. When the matter is over, I’ll ready a feast to thank you.” Yan Dingtian smiled and walked up to Qing Shui, reaching out his hand as he spoke.

“Uncle, there’s no need to stand on ceremony. We’ll leave you to your work!” Qing Shui reached out his hand and shook the man’s hand.

The man didn’t try to test his cultivation. He just stood up and left. Before he left, he turned to Yan Jinyu and said, smiling, “La.s.s, be a good host to Qing Shui.”

“Father, you should hurry,” Yan Jinyu smiled and said but her expression still reflected a hint of worry.

“There’s no need to worry. Although Uncle is a little taken aback, he isn’t anxious yet. It goes to show that things aren’t as bad as expected,” Qing Shui rea.s.sured Yan Jinyu.

“Come, let me bring you to look for a room. It’s about time to have our meal as well!” When Yan Jinyu heard Qing Shui’s words and saw that Qing Shui was here, she unknowingly felt at ease. Moreover, she had already informed her father and she believed that he’d be able to make the necessary preparations.

The room Yan Jinyu got for Qing Shui was right next to her pavilion building, However, although the two of them were back-to-back, they didn’t share a common door nor were they connected internally.

Qing Shui wasn’t really worried. He had the feeling that since Yan Clan could stay at the top of Yan City for so many years, keeping themselves deeply rooted here, even the second or third most influential forces or even if more people were to work together, they wouldn’t fall. It was just like how even if Yan City were to collaborate with the other few major cities, they’d definitely be unable to harm the Great Yu Dynasty"s royals.

Therefore, Qing Shui wasn’t worried. He even felt that everything would unknowingly settle down eventually. He was planning to stay here for a few days and then find a location to set up his Firecloud Blacksmith Store. He wanted to get a reputation for himself.

Yan Yangzhao must have gone to attend to some matters. Otherwise, if he were to know that Qing Shui was here, he’d definitely come and see him!

Yan Jinyu brought Qing Shui to the building. Everything inside was brand new and everything required was prepared. The room looked very warming and comfortable. The only thing was that it seemed to be a little feminine. However, that was normal. After all, that place was right next to Yan Jinyu’s.

…

Yan Dingtian left Yan Clan and flew toward the direction out the back. There were no changes to his expression, except that it was a little grim. There was a small mountain range not far from Yan Dingtian and the vegetation was very dense on the mountain.

The plants covered the entire mountain peak and not even a road could be seen. The environment was especially beautiful. Yan Dingtian came to a scenic valley. This valley was neither big nor was it too small. There was a big lake in the middle which had water that was so clear that you could see the bottom. There were various fish in the water.

Occasionally, a flock of birds would come to drink water. There were no large-scaled demonic beasts here. At most, there would only be some small-scaled wild beasts which would appear.

There was a pavilion next to the lake as well as on the lake. There were quite a number of old men here, those who were past their prime. Some of them were fis.h.i.+ng, some of them were playing chess, some of them were drinking tea…

Yan Dingtian landed in the valley and walked over. The moment he came over, some of the old men looked in his direction. They continued to do what they were doing but would nod at Yan Dingtian, indicating that he could enter.

The walls on the valleys were filled with stone houses. Yan Dingtian bowed in all four directions before heading for one of the stone houses.

“It’s Dingtian right? Come in!”

An old-sounding voice rang out. It sounded very amiable but ordinary, as if it was from the most ordinary old man.

“Grandfather!”

Yan Dingtian walked in and bowed to greet the old man.

The stone house wasn’t big but it looked very rustic and impressive. It seemed to be able to let one feel that the luxurious room was something very vulgar. A tall old man with a good build stood in the room.

The room was very simple. There was a stone table in the middle and the old man was standing before it, writing something with a brush.

“Come and have a look to see how these few words look.” The old man seemed to be in a good mood today as he spoke to Yan Dingtian.

On the big piece of beast parchment, the words ‘Awe-Inspiring Righteousness’ were written!

The words were written with great force and exuded a powerful aura. Just from the words alone, one could tell the old man’s character.

“It’s written in bold and vigorous strokes, exuding a feeling of great righteousness. It seemed that Grandfather has attained yet another breakthrough in calligraphy,” Yan Dingtian smiled and said.

“Hahaha, this is what you say every time. Alright, there’s no reason that you’d come here if nothing was up. Has something happened?” The old man led Yan Dingtian to another room.

This room wasn’t big. There was a stone table with a small stove in it. Tea was being boiled on the stove and a faint fragrance filled up the entire room.

The old man took out two small porcelain cups and Yan Dingtian quickly filled the two cups to 70% full and then said, smiling, “Grandfather, Yu Clan is thinking of laying their hands on us.”

“Yu Clan… Haha, I knew that they wouldn’t be content. They must think that our Yan Clan hasn’t had any developments for all these years and that they would be able to wipe us out. However, in this fight, even if our Yan Clan were to win, we’ll still suffer from great casualties. This is the most important thing.” The old man picked up the tea cup, took a sip and spoke slowly.

“Jinyu came back today. To think that Yang Clan are in cahoots with Yu Clan. Yang Clan tried to lay their hands on Jinyu but four Elders from Yang Clan and Wu Clan were killed by Jinyu.”

“The la.s.s’ cultivation has increased?” The old man asked.

“The la.s.s said that a young man had saved her and the four Elders were also killed by him. He’s Jinyu’s sworn brother…”

“Oh, it seems that this young man isn’t simple. I know that la.s.s’ character well. People she thinks well off, especially a young man… This should be the first after so many years.” The old man seemed to be very happy and didn’t seem to care much about the matters concerning Yu Clan.

“I’m was worried about the matters with Yu Clan and thus only briefly observed him. This young man is very concealed and should have some unique abilities,” Yan Dingtian gave it some thought before saying.

“Mmm, we’ll just leave it to fate. The la.s.s is very headstrong and blessed with great fortune in her life. She’s of age now and we can just leave her alone. If she needs anything, just satisfy her wishes.” The old man’s smile grew increasingly amiable.

“Alright. Grandfather, then what about Yu Clan?”

“Haha, I’ll make a trip to Yu Clan. They aren’t fools. Upon knowing of our abilities, they’ll naturally not dare to take action recklessly. We know what they’re thinking of as well but it’s hard to get them to stop. Moreover, we still have Dingyi who’s a member of the royalty and there’s nothing we need to be concerned about.” The old man gave it some thought as well.

“Grandfather, although Dingyi is a member of the royalty, Yu Clan also has someone who is a member of royalty. This time around, they’ve planned this out for very well and they probably won’t stop so easily,” Yan Dingtian gave it some thought and said.

“There’s no worry. I’ll propose to have a Junior Compet.i.tion. The losers will leave Yan City.” The old man said calmly.

A Junior Compet.i.tion was a compet.i.tion between the young forces in a clan. It decided which clan would become more powerful in the future. Therefore, a powerful young force in the clan would guarantee the clan to become powerful in the future. Of course, the clan would also do their utmost to protect the clan’s outstanding young members, to the extent that they’d let a State Master level cultivator protect them.

“That’s good as well. It’ll be good if we can settle this with a few rounds of the Junior Compet.i.tion. Sigh, this is really a period of great trouble. Yan Clan has already suffered a lot from Scarlet Flame Region and other matters. I wonder if they’ll agree to this,” Yan Dingtian said bitterly.

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AST 1177 – Junior Compet.i.tion, Yan Jinyu’s Siblings, Clan Legacy

“Don’t worry, if he doesn’t even dare to compete in this, how could they possible dare to fight for Yan City with us? Although old men like us from both clans are a form of security, great clans value the future of their clans more and the legacy amongst the younger generation.” The old man smiled and said with certainty.

“There’s a few youngsters in Yu Clan who are especially outstanding. I wonder if fighting a Junior Compet.i.tion will be advantageous to us.” Yan Dingtian was still a little worried.

“After you head back, go have a discussion with the others about this and select the people who will be taking part. This isn’t the first time we’re doing this with others. Yan Clan’s younger generation is still quite strong.” The old man didn’t seem to be very concerned.

“Alright Grandfather. I’ll head back and see to the necessary preparations.”

“Go on. I’ll make a trip to Yu Clan.”

…

By the time Yan Jinyu got Qing Shui his accommodation, the sun had already risen. After they had some food, Yan Jinyu told Qing Shui to get some rest and headed out.

Qing Shui was very bored. He was still thinking about the Nine Waves Great Golden Buddha Palm. Therefore, he entered the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal directly. He wanted to familiarize himself with the control of this powerful battle technique.

Qing Shui had also put aside the Vajra Frenzied Devilish Rod Technique recently. His cultivation had increased a lot recently and the prowess of this battle technique should also have increased by a lot. This was considered one of the more powerful battle techniques that he could perform.

Standing in midair in the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal, Qing Shui raised his arm, creating a series of golden Buddha palm prints. Seven giant golden Buddha palm prints appeared in the air as if they were physical hands, as if they were a line of production, glimmering in golden light. Fluorescent light flowed through it with an indescribable sense of astonishment.

A majestic and dignified aura was exuded. There was also an indestructible power which was strong and domineering but yet benevolent and gentle. They seemed to strangely combine together perfectly.

Qing Shui moved his hand and streams of thoughts appeared in his mind and he followed his heart. The formed lotus shape could confine and he struck out the impactful attack in a straight line. The seven palms joined as one coming down from the top, attacking with the force that could blot out the skies with just the lift of a hand. The prowess was extremely domineering.

Qing Shui performed the seven waves of the Great Golden Buddha Palm excitedly in midair. It felt very good and his mastery increased, bringing up the prowess increasingly as well. Practice makes perfect. An increase in the level of a skill could increase the prowess by a lot.

Nine Continents Mountain!

Qing Shui called out the Nine Continents Mountain and controlled it together. Heart follows intent, seven palms as one, blotting out the skies!

Go!

Qing Shui landed the extremely domineering palm onto the Nine Continents Mountain. In that instant, Qing Shui felt that the prowess of the Nine Continents Mountain once again became extremely terrifying and was now beyond Qing Shui’s imagination.

“I wonder if the impact of the Nine Continents Mountain, combined with this “One Hand Cover Sky” will be able to breakthrough the second form of the Demonic Beast Armor Manifestation of that Yang Clan’s old man?” Qing Shui wondered if he could use this method to settle the battle if he were to once again meet someone of that level.

Qing Shui then controlled the lotus-shaped seven waves of the Great Golden Buddha Palm, controlled the Nine Continents Mountain with his mind, while he attempted to try to create another seven waves of the Great Golden Buddha Palm with his other hand.

One Hand Cover Sky!

What made Qing Shui happy was that his spirit energy was sufficient. Although he was lacking in fluency in his control, it wasn’t very hard. He now knew that he had gotten himself another killer move or two. His prowess had soared.

Qing Shui then performed the Diamond Buddha Devil Staff. Right now, he was only able to perform up to the fourth staff.

Diamond Buddha Devil Staff, Fourth Staff, Five Soaring Waves!

However, its prowess was even more powerful than before. It was as if he could turn the sea over with just one staff attack.

Time pa.s.sed as he cultivated and his abilities were starting to stabilize and slowly raise. Although Qing Shui personally felt that it was slow, outsiders would definitely find it terrifying if they were to see it for themselves. Of course, one reason was also because he had the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal. Even if a person’s apt.i.tude wasn’t fantastic, if they were to have a treasure like the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal, they’d be able to stand at the very top. Moreover, Qing Shui had inherited the legacy of the Ancient Strengthening Technique.

When Qing Shui came out, it was about afternoon. When he walked out from the door, he saw that Yan Yangzhao had came back and was chatting with Yan Jinyu at the pavilion downstairs.

When Yan Yangzhao saw Qing Shui, he appeared especially excited, “Younger Brother, you’re finally here. I hadn’t expected that you got along so well with my young sister. It’s good that we’re all one family now.”

“Brother, when did you come back? I was cultivating earlier and hadn’t heard that you guys had came back.” Qing Shui knew that they must have looked for him earlier but hadn’t called out. However, he could still tell.

“I’ve only just came back. Come, father has readied a feast. We need to thank you for saving Jinyu.” Yan Jinyu grabbed Qing Shui and headed off while Yan Jinyu smiled and followed after.

“Sister Yan, is there a solution for the matter with Yu Clan?” Qing Shui gave it some thought and asked. Although he didn’t concern himself in other people’s family matters, he knew about this and if he were to ask, it would just show his concern.

“Father said that it’s likely that we’ll have a Junior Compet.i.tion to decide on the problems between both clans,” Yan Yangzhao said as they walked.

“Junior Compet.i.tion? What’s that?” Qing Shui asked, puzzled.

“There’ll be a compet.i.tion between the younger generation of Yu Clan and Yan Clan. There’ll be nine rounds in total. The losing side will swear on the royal family that they’ll retreat into seclusion, not come out for 1,000 years and not partic.i.p.ate in the fights in the world.” Yan Yangzhao smiled and said.

Qing Shui was stunned. He found such promises strange. However, Qing Shui felt that compared to the oaths people from his previously life that threatened to get themselves struck by lightning and such, this was more effective. It was because their promise would spread throughout Yan City’s inner city and even possibly to the royal family. If it was sworn in the name of the royal family, it would be out of respect to the royal family. However, if one didn’t keep to their promise after losing, it would be a blatant contempt toward the royal family. Since they were weaker than the royal family, no one would dare to go against their words like this.

“This oath is good. Has it been decided when it’ll be? Right, will the two of you be partic.i.p.ating?” Qing Shui smiled and said.

“The time hasn’t been decided. Jinyu will definitely partic.i.p.ate. The younger generation cannot exceed 100 years old. I’ll probably not partic.i.p.ate. The weapon you forged for Jinyu is very powerful. In the past, I was still showing off before her but now I’m being ridiculed by her all the time,” Yan Yangzhao smiled and said.

“The realm the cultivator is at is very important and so is one’s strength. Although the weapon is very important, it doesn’t mean that a powerful weapon will be able to change the results of the battle every single time.” Qing Shui recalled that old man’s terrifying speed, battle technique, experience and the realm he was at. All these had given Qing Shui a deeper understanding toward cultivation.

It was the same for Yan Jinyu as well. Therefore, she fully agreed with what Qing Shui was saying. Qing Shui could kill that old man, but he wasn’t as strong as her. Therefore, she felt that it was due to Qing Shui’s own comprehension and experience.

“That’s right, that’s right. Father tells me that all the time as well. However, I just can’t stand that temptation.” Yan Yangzhao smiled awkwardly.

When they reached the main hall, the place where Qing Shui had came to the first time, the feast was already prepared. There were not many people. There was Yan Dingtian and a charming mature lady who was a little like Yan Jinyu standing next to him. It should be Yan Jinyu’s mother.

Other than that, there were six other youngsters, four men and two ladies. All of them appeared to be very outstanding. The men had an imposing aura on them as well. Most importantly, the aura these people exuded were all even stronger than Yan Yangzhao.

Yan Yangzhao was one step away to become a Grade One State Master but these people were above the level of a Grade One State Master. This the aristocrat inheritance from aristocratic clans. They shouldn’t be very young. People who were in their 70s or 80s were still definitely still considered to be extremely young in the Western Oxhe Continent.

Qing Shui was now used to it as well. He was going to turn 40 soon. In the nine continents, even when he was back in the five continents, people tended to neglect age as well. After all, even ordinary people had a lifespan of around 150 years old. Those who led a longer lives could live to an age of close to 200 years.

In the world where there was strong spiritual qi of heaven and earth, people had long lifespans and strong vitality. Therefore, they appeared young and full of vigor.

The two ladies were about the same age as Yan Jinyu and were extremely outstanding both in terms of their appearances and dispositions. One of them was wearing emerald green clothes while the other was in fiery red clothes. The lady in fiery red clothes seemed to be younger. She had exquisite features, bright eyes and a beautiful nose. She looked at Qing Shui with a curious smile.

“Qing Shui, come, come. I’ll introduce you. These are all my children. Qing Shui isn’t an outsider either. He is Jinyu’s sworn younger brother. In the future, we’ll all be family,” Yan Dingtian smiled, walked over, grabbed Qing Shui’s hand and said.

The others didn’t seem to find this strange, as if they had heard of this earlier. A tall and handsome mature man smiled and said to Qing Shui. “I’m Yan Yangchi, the eldest amongst the siblings. If you don’t mind, you can call me Eldest Brother like Jinyu and the others.”

“Eldest Brother Yan, I’ve often heard Sister Yan talk about you. I finally have the chance to meet you in person.” Qing Shui smiled and said.

“Qing Shui, I’m Yan Yangchen. If you don’t mind, you can call me 2nd Brother. Of course, I’ll be happy if you address me as Yan Yangchen as well. I can tell that your cultivation is good. We can have some exchange another time. I didn’t expect that you’ll be able to defeat a Grade Two State Master.” A rough-looking guy said very forthrightly. He was the most rough amongst all of them and should have the most straightforward personality.

“h.e.l.lo, 2nd Brother. I like personality like yours the most. I hope that when the time comes, you’ll go easy on me.” Qing Shui reached out his hand and shook it with the man as he said happily.

“2nd Brother, can you show some restraint? At least look for him for a spar after knowing him for a few days. You always want to spar with people when you just meet them,” Yan Jinyu said speechlessly.

Yan Jinyu wasn’t old but was considered the more calm ones out of them.

“Qing Shui, I’m Yan Yueyin. I’m older than Jinyu. Do you want to call me elder sister? My name is very useful around in Yan City.” The mature and charming lady in emerald green clothes smiled as she put out her white and beautiful hand.

Qing Shui smiled and shook it. “Sister Yueyin is as beautiful as what Sister Yan has sad. If I were to encounter any problems, I’ll definitely come to ask for your help.”

…

The lady in red clothes seemed to be slightly younger than Qing Shui and was called Yan Huoyun. Although her name was strange, she was very warm and welcoming. She gladly called Qing Shui Elder Brother Qing Shui.

The beautiful married lady was Yan Jinyu’s and Yan Yangzhao’s mother. The other two men were called Yan Long and Yan Leng. Yan Long was still ok but Yan Leng was a bit cold and unsociable. However, he still politely greeted Qing Shui. It was just that his smile was a little stiff.

“Brother Qing Shui, don’t think too much of it. This is how my brother is like. The number of times he has smiled can be counted. He has only smiled because he’s happy to meet you. Usually, there aren’t many people who can make him smile. Even his fiancee doesn’t get such treatment,” Yan Huoyun smiled and explained to Qing Shui.

“Oh, I’m flattered!”

“Since we all know each other, come, everyone, take a seat. Today we’re welcoming Qing Shui and expressing our thanks to him,” Yan Dingtian once again said.

Qing Shui joined the others and took his seat. These should be Yan Dingtian’s more outstanding children.

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