"Dragon-Tiger Arhat Strength" and "Jiang Li Human Emperor Strength"

"Senior Zhang, how about we just let this go?" Yuan Wu Xing asked tentatively, shrinking his neck.

"Are you afraid?"

"Who would be afraid of those beasts from the Jiang Family? Whenever I think of those corpses, a surge of rage rises in my chest." Yuan Wu Xing stiffened his neck, the veins on his forehead bulging, but he immediately wilted again.

"But if we really affect faith in the Human Emperor, and in turn affect the fight against the Heavenly Demons, then we truly will become sinners for all eternity."

The deaths of several hundred infants were certainly a grave matter, but the Human Emperor guarding the Nine Provinces was a matter greater still. If Yuan Wu Xing had to choose, he would most likely choose the latter.

Jiang Li chuckled. "You're overthinking it. My sect leader once told me that the current Human Emperor possessed talent far surpassing that of all previous generations. As for the power boost from Faith Power—having it is nice, but lacking it changes nothing for Human Emperor Jiang."

Yuan Wu Xing was immediately relieved.

What Jiang Li did not say was that every time he underwent Thunder Tribulation, he grew somewhat stronger. After his fourth tribulation, Faith Power had already become useless to him. One hundred and sixty years ago, he had forged a Bronze Cauldron and placed it within the Human Emperor Palace. All faith in him throughout the Nine Provinces would no longer strengthen him, but would instead enter the Bronze Cauldron, to be left for the next Human Emperor.

"System."

In the dead of night, Jiang Li summoned the system interface.

Congratulations, Host, for undergoing arduous cultivation and fierce battle to defeat Jiang Yixing. Would you like to settle the reward?

Jiang Li's mouth twitched. He dearly wanted to ask the system exactly when this "arduous cultivation and fierce battle" had happened.

Suppressing the urge to complain, Jiang Li said, "Settle the reward."

A stream of pure power descended from the Void and poured into Jiang Li's body.

"This power..."

Jiang Li revealed a surprised expression. "...isn't even as much as what I produce in a single breath. Oh, it's for use in the Qi Refining Stage. Then it's fine."

By Jiang Li's estimate, if he had been able to use this power back then, he would have reached the "perfect" realm during Foundation Establishment. That was treatment reserved for the core disciples of major sects. His foundation would have been far more solid than that of ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators, and his combat power would have surpassed theirs by several levels.

"Good stuff." Jiang Li offered a word of praise, then expelled the power from his body.

What a joke. Who would refine power of unknown origin?

Next, a bamboo scroll bound with a thin red cord fell from the Void. It was called "Dragon-Tiger Arhat Strength," a body-tempering cultivation method.

According to the introduction, as one's cultivation deepened, it would gradually alter the cultivator's blood. When emotions ran high, it could unleash incomparable strength. Its cultivation levels were divided according to the strength of animals: the strength of one ox, one tiger, one elephant, one flood dragon, one dragon, and so on. Minor success required the strength of one tiger, intermediate success required the strength of one dragon, and major success required fully integrating dragon and tiger strength. Upon reaching major success, one could wrestle a True Dragon in a state of extreme fury. It was exceedingly tyrannical.

It took Jiang Li two minutes to finish reading the introduction and three more minutes to make a brief deduction. His conclusion was: five minutes wasted.

This body-tempering cultivation method was extremely powerful. Even Spirit Transformation Stage cultivators would treat it as a priceless treasure.

Yet it was utterly useless to Jiang Li.

Nowadays, the Four Seas dragon race all practiced a cultivation method called "Jiang Li Human Emperor Strength." It was said to have been personally compiled by the Four Seas Dragon Kings. Once cultivated to major success, one could wrestle with one hand of Human Emperor Jiang Li.

Judging by the results, Jiang Li had yet to see any member of the dragon race defeat even one of his hands.

As for things like pills with Pill Clouds and pill fragrance, or mid-grade spirit swords, Jiang Li could not muster the slightest interest.

He had specially set aside an area in his Storage Ring for the system, piling these pills, treasured swords, and body-tempering cultivation methods there together. He attached a label that read:

Counterattack My Ass System's Useless Stuff No. 2

The previous Newbie Gift Pack was naturally No. 1.

New mission released: After joining the Cloud Transformation Sect, Yun Bo, the grandson of the Great Elder of the Cloud Transformation Faction, believed your Five Elements Spiritual Root lowered the sect's average spiritual root quality and made things difficult for you at every turn. Please defeat him with overwhelming power.

This mission may be abandoned.

Mission reward: One opportunity for enlightenment, one Mysterious Map Fragment, and one High-Grade Spirit Tool of any style (can advance).

This time, Jiang Li could quickly recall who Yun Bo was.

The Cloud Transformation Faction was a small sect near Green City. It had one sect leader at the Late Stage Golden Core and five Golden Core elders. Back then, Jiang Li's Heavenly Spiritual Root had concealed itself, and what he displayed to the outside world was only the worst Five Elements Spiritual Root. No sect wanted to take him in. By observing the shopping lists of Cloud Transformation Faction disciples descending the mountain, Jiang Li deduced that the faction's purse was empty. He then took the opportunity to find a chance to speak with the sect leader, analyzed the local economic situation for him, and told him how to make money. The sect leader was astonished as though seeing a god, and against all opposition, had Jiang Li manage the finances under his supervision.

Jiang Li lived up to expectations, turning around the Cloud Transformation Faction's losses. He even acquired several smaller sects. In the end, after obtaining the Cloud Transformation Faction's core cultivation method and receiving cultivation guidance from the Grand Elder, Jiang Li once again traveled through Great Zhou.

During that time, Yun Bo formed cliques and bullied newcomers. Jiang Li discussed it with the Great Elder and had the Great Elder pretend to die. Those who had followed behind Yun Bo scattered like birds and beasts. Only after Yun Bo experienced the warmth and coldness of the human world did he finally understand that cultivation was the most important thing, so he turned over a new leaf and cultivated diligently.

"When I returned to the Cloud Transformation Faction three hundred years ago, Yun Bo had already cultivated to the Nascent Soul Realm. With the few Longevity Pills I gave him as well, surviving until now shouldn't be a problem."

Jiang Li decided not to abandon this mission for the time being.

That Mysterious Map Fragment attracted him.

New function unlocked: Shop

Jiang Li was delighted. At last, there was an interesting function. He summoned the shop, and a screen-like light curtain appeared in his mind. The goods upon it were arranged neatly, with an enormous variety.

Whenever his consciousness focused on an item, the light curtain displayed an introduction to that item.

However, Jiang Li was soon somewhat disappointed. The items displayed on the light curtain were all things that existed in their world. There were neither the phones, computers, nuclear bombs, and satellites from Jiang Li's previous life, nor specialties from the Immortal World.

Whether there were phones or not did not matter. He mainly wanted to try out what it felt like to withstand a nuclear bomb with his physical body.

"System, are there no products from other worlds?"

Please proceed to other worlds first, Host.

Jiang Li curled his lip. Another useless function. If he could go elsewhere, what would he need this system for? "System, sort them from highest to lowest according to the number of source points required."

The number of items on the light curtain quickly changed. At the very front were the cultivation methods of their Human Emperor Palace, followed by the Dao Sect's sect-protecting treasure, the Yin-Yang Heaven Seal. After that came the hidden treasures of other sects and imperial cities: Tribulation Transcendence puppets, immortals' Handwritten Notes, and the like.

Those things were all good, but Jiang Li had either used them before or had no use for them.

For example, when fighting the Extraterrestrial Demon, the Dao Sect had lent the Taiji Heaven Seal to Jiang Li. Jiang Li struck a few times with the seal, then discovered that his own weapon was still more convenient, so he returned the Heaven Seal to the Dao Sect. He had even less use for a Tribulation Transcendence puppet. As a dignified Great Ascension Stage cultivator, what would he need a Tribulation Transcendence puppet for? As for immortals' Handwritten Notes, he had read them in exchange for teaching cultivation experience.

Moreover, Jiang Li suspected that these things had not appeared out of thin air, but had been stolen from the sects.