Chen Hao hadn't noticed anything unusual about Jiang Fang's condition. At that moment, he was immersed in practicing his saber technique.
He was also somewhat glad he had used the Saber Technique Skill Card while sparring with Jiang Fang.
During their fight, he had discovered that the Artistic Conception in her saber technique was guiding his will, subtly changing it.
Now, all of Chen Hao's focus was fixed on savoring that Artistic Conception. He couldn't spare any attention to sense what else was happening.
As time passed, Jiang Fang also began using her Artistic Conception-level saber technique with all her might.
At first, she had been able to keep him somewhat suppressed. But then an elusive aura began to emerge from him, growing stronger and stronger. It felt strangely familiar to her.
Fortunately, these training rooms for War God Rank fighters had been specially reinforced. Otherwise, their sparring would have reduced the place to rubble long ago.
The aura around Chen Hao grew stronger and stronger. When it passed a certain threshold, it suddenly changed, and his saber technique began to display the same Artistic Conception as Jiang Fang's.
It was no weaker than hers. Chen Hao opened his eyes, and they finally came into focus. A startlingly cold glint shone in them.
Seeing the aura radiating from Chen Hao, Jiang Fang felt her fighting spirit surge. This time, she didn't wait for him to attack. She swung both sabers and struck back.
Compared with before, Chen Hao could now block her attacks with ease. He had completely absorbed the medicinal power of the Nine-Hundred-Year He Shou Wu. It seemed his physical abilities had crossed the threshold into Elementary War God Rank. That meant his Mental Power was already at Advanced Wargod level!
Then Chen Hao noticed that the force behind Jiang Fang's saber seemed about equal to his own, and he couldn't help feeling puzzled.
Thinking of her saber technique, he understood. It lacked explosive power and speed, but its resilience gave it remarkable staying power.
Jiang Fang seemed intent on continuing the spar, and Chen Hao was happy to oblige. Although his body had finished absorbing the medicinal effects, he still had plenty of energy.
After an hour of high-intensity fighting, Jiang Fang, who had already expended a great deal of energy, began to grow unsteady.
Their blades collided. The impact knocked both sabers from Jiang Fang's hands, and the force sent her stumbling to the ground.
Seeing this, Chen Hao darted to her side and caught her around the waist. Jiang Fang's eyes, however, had gone somewhat unfocused.
She had known Chen Hao would surpass her sooner or later, but she couldn't believe she had been defeated so easily—and so soon—by one of her students.
Seeing the shock, disappointment, and other complicated emotions flicker through Jiang Fang's eyes, Chen Hao raised an eyebrow. He helped her sit cross-legged, then with a flash of his hand, produced the 1,200-year-old Thousand-Year He Shou Wu.
Jiang Fang's expression changed. She was just about to speak when Chen Hao shoved the Thousand-Year He Shou Wu into her mouth. "Eat it!"
Still somewhat dazed, she heard Chen Hao and instinctively took a bite. At once, her entire body's cells sent out signals of hunger.
Jiang Fang came to her senses and slapped away the hand Chen Hao was using to keep pushing the He Shou Wu into her mouth. She looked at the large chunk she had already eaten.
She rolled her eyes at Chen Hao, then realized this looked much like the one he had eaten earlier. Her eyes narrowed. Chen Hao's voice came from beside her. "Eat all of it. Don't waste the medicinal effects. Don't talk—hurry up and cultivate your Gene Energy."
Jiang Fang's expression shifted. Spurred on by the signals from her body, she still sat in the Five Hearts Facing Heaven posture and began cultivating Gene Energy.
Chen Hao quietly left the underground training room while Jiang Fang cultivated her Gene Energy. He closed the training room door behind him, then stepped out of the villa and gently shut the front door. Finally, he looked up at the sky and let out a soft breath. "That should settle what I owed her, right? She feels really nice!"
Chen Hao was extremely pleased with what he had gained this time. Not only had he collected a large number of Skill Cards, he had also raised his saber technique to the Artistic Conception level.
The only regret was that this was clearly an Artistic Conception related to water, which didn't mesh well with the Nine Heavens Thunder Blade he practiced.
This counted as cheating his way to a breakthrough, didn't it? He could vaguely sense that his will had undergone a transformation, but he had no idea how profound it was.
Chen Hao returned to the underground training room at his home in Jiangnan Pavilion and casually used Identify on himself to check his status:
Chen Hao Race: Earthling Age: 19 Talent: Mental Power. Realm: Spiritual Thought Master Apprentice Level 9, Martial Artist Apprentice Level 7. Skills: Basic Movement Technique, Mastery Basic Saber Technique, Artistic Conception level. Nine Heavens Thunder Blade, Fourth Form (Incomplete) Nine Heavens Thunder Blade, Second Form (Perfect)
Simple, yet astonishing.
He had been cultivating for only a little over half a month, yet he had achieved as much as other people did in half a lifetime.
"Now that I've reached War God Rank and my saber technique has reached the Artistic Conception level, I should be able to use a Spirit of Grass and Wood without any worries. I've advanced a bit too quickly, though. I don't know if it's left any hidden problems in my body. To be safe, I'll take a 3,000-year-old Ginseng."
Chen Hao took out a ginseng root that was almost shaped like a person. The moment it appeared, the entire training room filled with a fresh, medicinal fragrance.
He shoved the ginseng into his mouth and bit down. A fresh sweetness filled his mouth. The piece he had bitten off suddenly softened, almost like jelly, and slid down his throat.
His eyes lit up. As expected of a Spirit of Grass and Wood—the taste was far better than that of the 900-year-old one. He stuffed the rest of the ginseng into his mouth and swallowed it.
His body's cells immediately sent out a feeling of extreme hunger. After absorbing the Spirit of Grass and Wood, they seemed to be cheering with joy.
He quickly sat cross-legged, assumed the Five Hearts Facing Heaven posture, and began cultivating Gene Energy.
Only then did Chen Hao understand what the original story meant when it said that using a Spirit of Grass and Wood to improve one's physical abilities was an incredibly pleasant experience. He almost wanted to lose himself in that feeling forever.
After an unknown amount of time, the intense, blissful feeling faded, and Chen Hao opened his eyes. A fragrant scent came from the space in front of him.
He looked closely in surprise. Jiang Fang was sitting in front of him, staring at him blankly with a complicated expression. When she saw him open his eyes, her gaze wavered, and she looked away.
Chen Hao reminded himself silently that from now on, whenever he cultivated, he had to find a safe place.
When he was immersed in cultivation, he wouldn't be able to react at all if danger came. Thinking of this, he asked Xiao Mei in his mind,
"Xiao Mei, why didn't you warn me when someone came in?"
"Master, isn't she the mistress? Besides, she didn't mean any harm when she came in. She even closed the basement door for you to keep others from disturbing you. And she just kept watching you; she didn't seem to want to hurt you. On the contrary, she displayed some of the behaviors of females on Earth when they're in heat."
Chen Hao was at a loss for words. Xiao Mei had only just been created, so expecting her to understand these kinds of relationships was a bit much. Even after studying human behavior for the past few days, she still had trouble understanding them.
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