Golden Crow Nirvana True Qi

Sky Cloud Peak.

Halfway up the mountain lay a small, naturally formed lake, its water clear to the bottom.

Beside the lake stood a pavilion several dozen yards long and wide, with upturned eaves and exquisitely carved beams.

The pavilion was bustling with voices, packed with people.

With Mu Sining leading the way, Jiang Tian entered the pavilion.

Many long tables had been set up inside. On them sat steaming drinks—tea or wine, he couldn't tell—as well as fruits he had never seen before.

Dozens of people were already there, gathered in groups of three or five. Some spoke in low voices, while others laughed and chatted loudly. Quite a few of them had red entries, and one person, like Lin Chen, whom Jiang Tian had seen yesterday, had two red entries.

That person sat in the seat of honor, looking every bit like the leader.

[Name: Xu Buyu]

[Realm: Qi Gathering]

[Entries: Seven-Orifice Exquisite Heart (Red), Azure Heaven Battle Body (Red)]

Jiang Tian's gaze swept over the crowd, and he silently nodded.

These must be all the Qi Gathering Realm geniuses in the Master-Disciple Lineage.

He had already seen some of them in the sect yesterday and extracted their entries, but there were still quite a few he was seeing for the first time.

Sure enough, he hadn't been disappointed.

[Entry Points: 141167]

His entry points had reached 140,000! That meant he could not only upgrade [Martial Dao Sacred Body (Red)] to a gold entry, but also upgrade his newly acquired [Sword Heart Clarity (Purple)] to a red entry.

The trip had been well worth it.

Jiang Tian was shown to a seat three or four tables away from the seat of honor, beside Mu Sining.

From the moment he entered the pavilion, all sorts of gazes had landed on him: curious, scrutinizing, cold, warm... every kind imaginable.

One gaze, however, was different from the rest.

Jiang Tian followed it.

It belonged to a burly man with a rugged face and a strikingly thick beard. He had bushy brows, large eyes, and a broad back and waist.

His eyes brimmed with jealousy, and his expression was gloomy.

[Name: Hu Hansan]

[Realm: Qi Gathering]

[Entries: Strong as an Ox (Purple), Superb Comprehension (Purple)]

Jiang Tian's brows creased slightly. He only had to think for a moment to figure out why Hu Hansan, who looked uncannily like Zhang Fei, was staring at him like that.

It was obviously because he was close to Mu Sining.

But he didn't take it to heart.

"Junior Brother Jiang."

Xu Buyu spoke from the seat of honor. His expression was warm, and he didn't beat around the bush. Raising his wine cup toward Jiang Tian, he asked outright, "What's your cultivation level now?"

"I've just guided qi into my dantian. It hasn't condensed into liquid yet, so I suppose you could call me early-stage Qi Gathering." Jiang Tian raised his own cup and toasted him from afar.

Xu Buyu laughed heartily, his voice echoing through the pavilion. "Not bad, not bad! Junior Sister Mu said you gathered Gold Qi before you'd even joined the sect. You truly are a genius!"

As soon as he said this, the others chimed in.

"That's right. To guide qi into your body without anyone teaching you—if that's not a genius, what is?"

"Exactly! It took me three months just to get my foot in the door."

Of course, there were also those who took the opportunity to put Jiang Tian down and flatter Xu Buyu instead.

"He's still far from Senior Brother Xu! If I remember right, Senior Brother Xu had gathered Fire Qi before he even joined the sect, didn't he?"

"Of course. How could he possibly compare to Senior Brother Xu?"

Jiang Tian kept smiling, neither arrogant nor deferential, as though he hadn't heard a word.

Xu Buyu frowned and gave a light cough. The pavilion fell silent at once.

"I asked Junior Brother Jiang to come today for two reasons."

He raised one finger, his expression turning solemn as he said, "First, I heard that Song Yongheng has been hounding you and even challenged you to a fight in a few days."

"Song Yongheng is one of the Descendants of the Six Monarchs. He's from a collateral branch, but someone in his branch recently became a Foundation Establishment True Disciple, and that person happens to be his elder brother. With his brother backing him, he acts like he owns the Heavenly Fire Sect and looks down on everyone. He's made life miserable for plenty of disciples from commoner backgrounds."

He paused, then looked Jiang Tian earnestly in the eyes and spoke with heartfelt concern. "Junior Brother Jiang, you may have exceptional talent, but your cultivation still falls far short of his."

He didn't finish the thought, but his meaning was already clear.

No one in the pavilion spoke. Almost every gaze was fixed on Jiang Tian.

Xu Buyu clearly wanted Jiang Tian to ask him for help.

He didn't spell it out, waiting for Jiang Tian to ask of his own accord.

That way, he could bring Jiang Tian under his wing without a hitch.

It was a cunningly open play.

"I appreciate your kindness, Senior Brother Xu."

Jiang Tian's expression was calm, but his gaze was utterly resolute.

"There are still eight or nine days... That's plenty of time for me."

The moment he said that, the pavilion erupted.

"What an arrogant brat!"

"You're only in the early stage of the Qi Gathering Realm. Who gave you that confidence? Song Yongheng has already drawn [True Qi] into his body. He's in the late stage of Qi Gathering! You think you can beat him in eight or nine days? Keep dreaming!"

"Exactly! It's good for young people to be confident, but too much confidence is just arrogance!"

The most vicious of them all was Hu Hansan.

His voice was the loudest, his tone the most aggressive.

"Enough!"

Xu Buyu frowned and rebuked them.

The pavilion fell silent again.

Xu Buyu rubbed his brow, his expression complicated.

He wasn't bothered that Jiang Tian didn't want to join him. On the contrary, he thought Jiang Tian had mettle: he didn't rely on others, but on himself.

But wasn't he a little too confident?

It wasn't confidence anymore. It was pure arrogance.

"Never mind. If you change your mind in a few days, come find me. My offer still stands." Xu Buyu smiled faintly and put the matter behind them.

Then he slowly rose to his feet and looked at everyone, his voice ringing clear. "As for the second matter, it concerns every one of you here."

"As you all know, qi varies in length and size."

He paused to keep them in suspense, then continued, "My master, Master Zhuohuo, had eighteen bronze oxen cast. If a disciple of the Master-Disciple Lineage can lift all eighteen oxen in one breath, my master will give them [Golden Crow Nirvana True Qi]. Of course, there will also be corresponding rewards for lifting six, nine, twelve, or fifteen oxen."

"But let me make one thing clear in advance: disciples who have already drawn [True Qi] into their bodies aren't eligible. They can still participate, of course, but they won't receive a reward." Xu Buyu laughed heartily.

Jiang Tian's eyes gleamed, and he could barely contain his eagerness.

From the sound of it, this True Qi was fire-aspected.

He was following the Five Elements path, so he would inevitably need five kinds of [True Qi].

If he could get his hands on this one...

Still, Master Zhuohuo had made a clever move.

On the surface, he was having the Master-Disciple Lineage compete to see who came out on top. In reality, he wanted to make a name for himself and seize the opportunity to recruit a few promising talents.

Among all those present, there were bound to be plenty who, like Jiang Tian, hadn't yet chosen a master.

The crowd buzzed with conversation, as noisy as a marketplace.

"What a shame. I've already gathered [True Qi], so I'm not eligible."

"[Golden Crow Nirvana True Qi]! A top-grade True Qi! If I remember right, you need 150,000 contribution points to redeem that, don't you? Master Zhuohuo is certainly generous!"

"Ha! I only recently reached the middle stage of Qi Gathering. Lifting all eighteen is definitely out of the question, but eight or nine should be no problem, right?"

"Senior Brother Xu, why don't you take us to see them?"

"Come with me." Xu Buyu clapped his hands and smiled, then led the way out of the pavilion.

Before long, they arrived at a platform.

The platform was paved with black bricks of unknown material, dark and heavy-looking.

On it stood eighteen lifelike golden-bronze oxen, each only half a man's height. Their bodies were sleek, their muscles bulging, their horns thrust skyward, and their eyes wide open, as though they might come to life and gallop away at any moment.

The oxen didn't look very big, but the black bricks beneath their hooves were already covered in countless cracks.

Clearly, they were nowhere near as light as they looked.

Jiang Tian walked alongside Mu Sining, unaware that a gloomy gaze behind him had been fixed on his back the whole time.

Jiang Tian leaned toward Mu Sining and asked in a low voice, "Senior Sister Mu, what's the principle behind this?"

"The better the quality of your qi and the more practiced you are at directing it, the more likely you are to lift all eighteen oxen in one go." Mu Sining kept her answer brief.

Jiang Tian nodded, his gaze flickering.

It depended on the quality of his qi and how practiced he was at directing it?

There was no question about the quality of his qi: Solar Qi, one of the most primordial forces in heaven and earth.

As for his skill... Though he'd only drawn Solar Qi into his body yesterday and hadn't fully acclimated to it, with [World-Shocking Wisdom] boosting him, he didn't need to practice.

One glance, and he saw through it. One thought, and it all made sense.

Xu Buyu smiled at the crowd and asked in an unhurried voice, "Who wants to give it a try first?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a rough voice burst beside Jiang Tian's ear.

"Junior Brother Jiang, since you were just so confident, why don't you go first and give it a try?"