Must-Have for Showing Off: Myriad God Calamity!

Watching the young man leave, Yaoye wore a complicated expression—expectation, confidence, and a hint of barely perceptible disappointment.

"Great-Grandfather, he won't let us down, right?"

A figure emerged from the shadows. Jia Xingtian smiled with complete composure and replied firmly, "He won't."

"When I first met him, that kid was incredibly withdrawn and barely interacted with anyone. He changed a lot after coming to the imperial capital. He became more polite, more mature, and gentle toward everyone. But in truth, he still kept to himself and never formed deep connections with anyone. Even you, his older sister—he never truly accepted you. He knew exactly what he was doing."

"For someone like him to take the initiative and joke with you today is sufficient to explain that he has sincerely accepted you. That is enough. Let nature take its course; there is no need to force anything. With him around, even if this old man is gone someday, the imperial family will remain as steady as a mountain."

"Of course, Yaoye, you've grown up and reached marriageable age. If the two of you end up together, your Great-Grandfather would be delighted to see it. Hahaha."

Yaoye rolled her eyes at her improper old grandfather. Though she was young, she was exceptionally clear-headed.

She gently shook her head and denied it. "No, things are fine as they are now."

If Chen Guan truly had any special thoughts about her, he would not have joked about calling her mother just now. Wouldn't asking her to offer herself in marriage have been better?

The young girl had keenly sensed his attitude from those few words, so she was certain of her judgment.

Unless that kid was a pervert. As flowers bloomed on two branches, each told its own tale. On the other side, Chen Guan had already returned to his room.

After locking the door tight, Chen Guan temporarily ignored the cultivation resources Yaoye had thoughtfully included and took three scrolls from his storage ring, spreading them across the table.

The Mysterious Tier Mid-Grade Cultivation Technique, "Supreme Saint Heavenly Heart Refining"; the Mysterious Tier Mid-Grade Dou Technique, "Thousand Flame Sword Art"; and the Mysterious Tier Mid-Grade Movement Technique, "Drifting Cloud Steps."

Without question, they were all good things. He had carefully selected them from nearly a hundred cultivation techniques and Dou techniques. If they were placed in Wutan City, they would probably be enough to spark a bloody struggle among the Three Great Clans.

The empire's foundation was evident from this alone.

Moreover, Chen Guan was certain that the imperial family possessed even higher-grade cultivation techniques and Dou techniques. However, those were closely guarded secrets kept at the bottom of their coffers.

Being given Mysterious Tier Mid-Grade techniques already showed the imperial family's utmost sincerity. They would also be more than enough for him to use for quite some time.

There was not much to say about the cultivation technique, "Supreme Saint Heavenly Heart Refining." Its name sounded intimidating, but if he truly thought it could make him a saint, he would be overestimating it.

The movement technique, "Drifting Cloud Steps," was an excellent companion for staying home, traveling, killing, and looting. Once he mastered it, Chen Guan's combat strength and ability to preserve his life would surely soar.

Fire Cloud Evil God had once said that among all martial arts under heaven, only speed could not be defeated. The saying applied here as well.

The Dou technique, "Thousand Flame Sword Art," was Chen Guan's favorite of the three.

Though incomplete, it had only three forms in total.

Yet those three forms alone were enough to rival a Mysterious Tier Mid-Grade technique. Its value was obvious.

Beyond that, its ability to make him look cool was even more outstanding.

The first form, Fleeting Beauty, was described in the manual with all sorts of flashy embellishments. But in Chen Guan's eyes, it was simply another version of Myriad Swords Returning to Origin. It could gather countless sword qi behind him and launch an all-encompassing assault upon his enemies. It was a classic AOE skill, with group damage maxed out.

Its only flaw was that its attack power was not particularly high.

Once I learn this move, Mom will never have to worry about me getting mobbed again. Especially when facing fodder weaker than me—one skill can wipe out a whole bunch of them.

The number of sword qi he could gather was tied to his strength.

The second form, Boundless Ocean, was a godly one-on-one technique. It unleashed attacks like rolling waves, each strike stronger than the last, each wave higher than the one before. In theory, so long as his Dou Qi did not run dry, it could reach as many as thirty-three waves.

This move was somewhat similar to Xiao Yan's Eight Extremities Collapse, though unfortunately, it did not carry any Hidden Force.

The third form, Myriad God Calamity, formed a pair of sword wings behind him. In an explosive burst, it allowed him to briefly skim through the air for several seconds at extreme speed. The sword wings were exceptionally sharp, and if used unexpectedly, they could produce remarkable results.

As everyone knew, without a Flying Dou Technique, only a Dou Wang could form Dou Qi Wings. Because of this ability, it was extremely difficult for a Dou Ling to cross ranks and kill a Dou Wang. Many geniuses could casually defeat opponents above their level before reaching the Dou Wang realm, but once they did, it became impossible. Dou Qi Wings were a major reason why.

But if one knew Myriad God Calamity, things would be different. If a Dou Ling suddenly launched an attack, assassinating a Dou Wang would not be impossible.

This move was perfect for a Schemer ambushing people!

Chen Guan's eyes burned with excitement. He could barely wait to learn it, but after ruthlessly pinching the flesh of his thigh, he finally calmed down after a long while.

With the little Dou Qi in his body, let alone sword wings, he probably could not even gather more than a few strands of sword qi.

His top priority now was to proceed steadily, switch cultivation techniques, and raise his strength. That was the proper path, lest he run out of steam halfway through showing off and make a complete fool of himself on the spot.

Putting away the movement technique and Dou technique, Chen Guan held "Supreme Saint Heavenly Heart Refining" and read it carefully, memorizing the meridian circulation routes and hand seals within. Only after thoroughly understanding them did he sit cross-legged, form the hand seals, and begin cultivating.

The moment he switched cultivation techniques, Chen Guan clearly felt the difference between the Mysterious Tier and the Yellow Tier. The speed at which he absorbed and refined Dou Qi was more than twice as fast as before.

After completing one Circulation Cycle, Chen Guan stopped and took out a Grade 1 Qi Boosting Pill, swallowing it. This was a pill specially supplied to the imperial family that could assist cultivation during the Dou Zhe stage.

His cultivation speed increased by several more degrees. Ordinary people could never imagine the joy of taking pills; it was impossible not to become immersed in it.

One month later.

Inside a single room, a muffled boom sounded. The young man sitting cross-legged opened his eyes. Feeling the abundant Dou Qi within his body, he could not conceal the delight on his face.

"Four-Star Dou Practitioner already. That is about the same timing I predicted. Today seems to be the day of the five-year assessment. Fine, I'll go out and get some fresh air."

The Training Ground was especially noisy today. Nearly everyone who had entered around the same time as Chen Guan would be taking part in the assessment. Even those who had arrived later would not miss such a rare spectacle.

The moment the young man stepped outside, he saw a solid wall of people surrounding Training Ground Type D, packed so tightly that not even water could pass through.

"Chen Guan, you finally came out. I thought you weren't even interested in an event like this. Though Captain Yan gave us both special permission not to take the assessment, watching the excitement is still pretty interesting."

A familiar voice rang out. It was none other than the number-one genius who regarded him as his lifelong enemy—Zhao Gang.

Chen Guan returned his smile and felt that the imperial family's arrangements were quite considerate. To avoid drawing attention by giving him exclusive privileges, they had exempted Gang Zi from the assessment as well. On the surface, it looked entirely fair and impartial.

After all, in the eyes of their peers, the two of them truly were the Sleeping Dragon and Young Phoenix. If even they could not pass the assessment, then no one else needed to take it.

"A balance between work and rest. I came out to get some air. You've improved a lot lately."

"Hehe, I'm at Dou Qi Stage Seven now. My talent isn't an undeserved reputation. Once their assessment is over, let's spar again." Zhao Gang gestured proudly.

Chen Guan seriously suspected that Zhao Gang had been waiting outside his door for half the day just to show off and challenge him to a fight.

But Dou Qi Stage Seven challenging a Four-Star Dou Practitioner? Even Xiao Yan was not as bold as you!

"Forget it. I have something to do later. Next time for sure."

Chen Guan politely declined. He truly did not want to crush Zhao Gang too badly. He was still a minor genius, after all. If he became utterly discouraged because of it and caused the imperial family to lose a talent, Chen Guan would feel rather guilty.

"You really have something to do?"

"I really do."

"Fine, then. We'll make plans another day."

Chen Guan nodded and said next time, patting Zhao Gang on the arm as he headed toward the entrance of the training area. He had already seen Yaoye waving at him from the city wall opposite.

PS: To explain how he went from One-Star Dou Practitioner to Four-Star Dou Practitioner in a month: Xiao Yan advanced at the same speed in the Original Work. Chen Guan's talent is better than Xiao Yan's, and his cultivation technique is Mysterious Tier, but the supplementary resources provided by the imperial family definitely cannot compare to the medicine Old Yao specially refined for Xiao Yan. One factor adds while the other subtracts, so this speed is just right.