Heart of the Earth

A dish of Five Radiance Peanuts, a plate of Redfire Spirit Ox meat, and a flask of Spirit Wine sat on the table, giving the scene the air of a gallant swordsman from ancient times in his previous life.

"Waiter, bring me the same spread as Lord Pinghui," Yang Xiao told the waiter beside him, who turned slightly to look at Lord Pinghui.

"Serve him." A neutral voice came from beneath Lord Pinghui's robes. The less Yang Xiao could see of his appearance, the more his curiosity itched. He wanted to lift that hood and see whether this person was a man or a woman.

Remembering that Lord Pinghui was the second most powerful figure in Slaughter Heaven City, Yang Xiao buried the thought deep underground. Not someone I can afford to offend. Definitely not.

The restaurant's service was excellent. No sooner had he ordered than the waiter brought the dishes out from the kitchen. The steaming Redfire Spirit Ox meat made his appetite surge.

He picked up a piece of meat with his chopsticks. It tasted far better than ordinary beef. How could he have meat without wine? He raised his cup and drained it.

Once the wine reached his stomach, his hand trembled. He quietly set down the cup and asked the waiter with a smile, "Brother, how much does this spread cost?"

The waiter draped his rag over his shoulder and bowed. "Young master, the Five Radiance Peanuts cost a hundred Low-Grade Earth Vein Crystals, and the Redfire Spirit Ox meat costs five hundred. This bottle of Stargrass Wine is our specialty, so it's a little more expensive—fifteen hundred Low-Grade Earth Vein Crystals."

Yang Xiao closed his eyes, clenched both fists, and connected to the Earth Vein through his feet. If Slaughter Heaven City's second most powerful figure had not been sitting opposite him, he would already have charged over and overturned the whole restaurant.

Two dishes and a flask of wine cost over two thousand Low-Grade Earth Vein Crystals! Even robbery did not rake in money that fast. Fine, he admitted the peanuts tasted a little better, the beef was delicious, and the wine was nourishing.

He opened his eyes and smiled faintly. "Do you buy ingredients here?"

The waiter froze, then glanced at Lord Pinghui. Seeing no response, he turned back and said, "We're a small establishment. We buy all our ingredients from hunters who specialize in supplying us.

"But if you wish to sell something, young master, that's fine too. We only buy... Demonic beast ingredients, though."

Yang Xiao breathed a sigh of relief. He only had a thousand Low-Grade Earth Vein Crystals left in his Storage Ring. Fortunately, this waiter knew how to read the room.

"Lord Pinghui, I'll go settle a small matter with this young brother, then return to share a few drinks with you." Yang Xiao rose and bowed slightly to Pinghui, then slung an arm around the waiter's shoulders and headed toward the kitchen.

"Count them up. How much are these demonic beast carcasses worth?" Yang Xiao pointed at a heap of carcasses on the ground. He had killed these beasts in passing while searching for Earth Vein Crystals. Some tasted bad, while others were too low-level to provide any nourishment.

The waiter's eyes gleamed at the sight of the carcasses. He stepped forward and counted. "Blackwater Mystic Serpent, a hundred and twenty. Lesser Direwolf demon, a hundred and sixty... Hiss! This is actually a Soul Seed Realm Soul-Devouring Hound King! That's worth twelve hundred."

The heap of ingredients completely changed the waiter's attitude. He ran up to Yang Xiao with a fawning smile. "Honored guest, we'll take all these ingredients. That comes to twenty-five hundred Low-Grade Earth Vein Crystals."

"Bring the change to my table." Yang Xiao waved a hand and returned to his seat. Pinghui sat calmly opposite him. Whether he was looking at Yang Xiao was anyone's guess; his eyes were hidden.

"Lord Pinghui, I'd like to gain experience under you. This is the letter of introduction Uncle Tu asked me to give you." Yang Xiao took out a letter and held it out. Pinghui continued sipping his wine, leaving him with his hand extended for quite some time.

Embarrassed, Yang Xiao set the letter on the table. It seemed he had been ignored.

"Give me a reason to accept you." Pinghui set down his cup without looking at the envelope.

Yang Xiao lowered his head in thought. This person's temperament was as strange as his attire.

He considered his strengths and weaknesses. He was handsome, but that seemed more like the basic qualification for a kept man. He was highly talented, both a Heavenly Master and an Earth Master, but Slaughter Heaven City had the Heavenly Master Palace and the Earth Master Hall, where experts gathered like clouds. They did not necessarily need him.

Deciding to give it a try, Yang Xiao said, "I don't really have any strengths. Aside from being a little more handsome and a little more talented than other people, and being the second person in history with the talent to become both a Heavenly Master and an Earth Master, I don't seem to have any strengths at all."

A pair of seven-colored eyes lit up beneath the black robe. Pinghui said, "I've never met anyone so brazenly shameless. Go out and walk a hundred meters to the left. Take first place in the Earth Master Hall's assessment, and I'll accept you."

Yang Xiao studied those seven-colored eyes curiously. It was his first glimpse of anything unusual beneath the black robe, but before he could look closely, the eyes vanished into darkness again.

He said, "I will obey your instructions, Lord Pinghui."

After finishing his food and wine—and Pinghui's order as well—Yang Xiao left the restaurant.

He had no idea where Pinghui's strange temperament came from. Ever since sitting down, he had not seen Pinghui touch his chopsticks. Following the principle of wasting nothing, Yang Xiao had gone to the trouble of polishing off his food for him.

The Earth Master Hall's assessment was about to begin. The crowd outside the hall was packed in layer upon layer, so tightly that not even water could trickle through.

An open space of roughly a hundred square meters had been left inside the crowd for those taking part in the recruitment.

The doors slowly opened, and two black-robed figures emerged.

Yellow light flashed repeatedly across the open space as one Earth Master after another used Shrinking Earth to Inches to arrive before the doors.

Yang Xiao lingered at the back, listening to the discussions behind him.

An old man in black robes stepped out, his face covered in wrinkles and bearing a smile that could frighten children. "I am Fu Shi, an elder of the Earth Master Hall. I will oversee this year's recruitment. Those taking the assessment, please enter the hall."

Yang Xiao and the others followed Fu Shi into the hall, with him bringing up the rear.

Including him, twenty people were participating in this recruitment. One black-clad youth caught his attention. Not only did this youth have the highest cultivation among the candidates, but he also looked a little like... Huangfu Shenghua.

"Heaven wouldn't be so cruel as to let two brothers suffer my abuse one after the other, would it? Ah, what a headache," Yang Xiao muttered at the back. This person looked far too much like Huangfu Shenghua. If he really was Huangfu Shenghua's brother, things would get rather amusing.

They followed Fu Shi into a great hall. Yang Xiao looked around. Hundreds of unusual mountains were carved into the four walls, linked together to form a grand formation. However, its designer's skill had been limited, leaving the mountains' advantages less than fully exploited.

The designer had probably been an Immortal. This formation could only deal with two or three Immortal-level figures. If Yang Xiao possessed that kind of magical power, he could connect to the Earth Vein and alter the mountains' shapes, slaughtering more than ten times as many Immortal-level beings.

The hall's floor caught his attention instead. Yellow lines crisscrossed it, forming a teleportation formation. However, it was ancient and more than half ruined, leaving it usable only for short-distance teleportation.

Standing at the front of the hall, Fu Shi addressed them. "The Earth Master Hall's assessment is simple. In a moment, we will teleport you to Ten Thousand Mountains Forest outside the city."

"Find Earth Vein Crystals or an Earth Marvel in Ten Thousand Mountains Forest, and you pass. Naturally, the more valuable your finds, the more resources you will receive after joining the Earth Master Hall."

"You may even have the opportunity to visit the Earth Master Hall in the Imperial Capital and receive personal instruction from Hall Master Shi Yuanwu, Great Zhou's foremost Earth Master."

"Now, everyone stand in the center of the hall."

Yang Xiao took three steps forward, placing himself precisely at the teleportation formation's edge. The formation was badly damaged, limiting its range, so everyone had to crowd together.

Fu Shi swept his sleeve, sending hundreds of Mid-Grade Earth Vein Crystals flying into positions around the hall. The yellow lines on the floor began to glow.

Yang Xiao's head spun briefly. When it cleared, he was standing atop a tall mountain, surrounded on all sides by peaks—the same mountain range he had seen when entering the city.

Seeing the full extent of the range shook Yang Xiao to his core. This place truly deserved the name Ten Thousand Peaks Forest. His mountain was very high, yet all he could see in the distance were more peaks. A single glance revealed over a hundred.

Fu Shi stood proudly in midair and pointed at the distant mountains. "The assessment begins now."

The nineteen other candidates used Shrinking Earth to Inches and headed into the distance.

Yang Xiao remained where he was, studying his surroundings and sensing the Earth Vein Qi. The denser the Earth Vein Qi, the greater the chance of a marvel taking shape there.

Gradually, his gaze shifted eastward. He could sense a powerful pulse of Earth Vein Qi in that direction, stronger than any he had encountered since embarking on the path of an Earth Master.

His figure flashed as he stepped toward the pulsing Earth Vein Qi.

Every few steps, he stopped to sense it again, then changed direction.

A short while later, Yang Xiao frowned. This Earth Vein Qi had actually gained a mind of its own and was leading him in circles.

He increased his strides from a hundred meters to five hundred, already the limit of his Shrinking Earth to Inches. With every step, he connected to the Earth Vein and borrowed its power to weave a net. He was determined to catch this thing today.

Suddenly, Yang Xiao stopped and looked a hundred meters ahead. The Earth Master who resembled Huangfu Shenghua was also pursuing it.

Their gazes met, then swiftly parted. Now it would come down to their respective abilities.

They continued chasing the thing. Suddenly, rocks flew up and hurtled toward Yang Xiao.

Yang Xiao snorted coldly. Several Earth Chains rose into the air and shattered the rocks. At the same time, four more Earth Chains blocked the other man's path.

They exchanged attacks from a distance, borrowing the Earth Vein's power to obstruct each other. Yang Xiao easily neutralized wave after wave of attacks, and his opponent did the same.

Their main purpose was merely to impede each other, so neither struck to kill. They had no time for that, either.

Suddenly, the other man stopped and stamped his right foot. A great net woven from the power of the Earth Vein rose from the ground, with a beating heart trapped at its center.

Thump! Thump!

Yang Xiao's heart began beating in time with it. This was actually a Heart of the Earth, a marvel that could only form when the heart of a dead Immortal-level demonic beast fell into a place rich in Earth Vein Qi. It was an Immortal treasure!

Both men swallowed. The other man reached out to seize the heart, but just as his hand approached, it gave a violent beat, flew out of the net, and returned to the earth.

His expression turned ugly as he glared darkly at Yang Xiao. "This is all your fault! Otherwise, I, Huangfu Shengtian, would have obtained the Heart of the Earth already. Today, I'll teach you a lesson, you brat who doesn't know how high heaven stands or how deep the earth runs!"

Yang Xiao frowned. Clearly, this man's Earth Master techniques were insufficiently practiced, leaving a flaw in his Earth Net, yet he was blaming Yang Xiao.

Was he the sort to indulge someone else's spoiled child?

Yang Xiao turned to leave. With his back to Huangfu Shengtian, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly. Huangfu Shengtian's Earth Master techniques were inferior to his own, and the Earth Net he had woven reached ten meters deeper. When the Heart of the Earth escaped just now, he had caught it without Huangfu Shengtian noticing.

"Courting death! Did I give you permission to leave?" A dozen or so huge rocks flew toward Yang Xiao. He turned and waved his hand, sending a dozen Earth Chains into the air to shatter them.

Yang Xiao narrowed his eyes and said coldly, "Don't provoke me, or I'll beat you until even your mother can't recognize you."

Huangfu Shengtian threw his head back and laughed. "A piece of trash like you dares threaten me, Huangfu Shengtian?

"Today, I'll show you what despair means.

"Mountain Moving!"

Huangfu Shengtian braced both feet against the ground. Streams of earth vein qi poured toward a small mountain in the distance. The earth shook as the mountain slowly rose.

"I've only ever given others despair. No one has ever made me despair. Today, I'll show you what a true Earth Master is." Yang Xiao's eyes opened slightly wider as his magical power poured into the ground. Earth Vein Qi from a hundred li around converged beneath his feet, forming a thirty-meter hand that slapped toward the small mountain.

With a thunderous boom, the mountain exploded. Falling rubble buried Huangfu Shengtian beneath it.

Yang Xiao flashed forward to stand before Huangfu Shengtian. "My name is Yang Xiao. Tell Huangfu Shenghua that if he wants trouble with me, he can come to the City Lord's residence. I'll make sure both you brothers learn what true despair means."

Pfft!

Upon hearing this, Huangfu Shengtian spat out a jet of blood, his head lolling aside as he fainted.

"And this is supposed to be a genius?" Yang Xiao said disdainfully.

He sat down on the spot and took out a pile of Earth Vein Crystals to replenish his magical power. His first use of Earth’s Right Hand had consumed far too much of it.

This was originally an Earth Master technique of the Soul Seed Realm. Fortunately, he cultivated the Great Martial Canon, making his magical power comparable in purity to that of a Soul Seed Realm cultivator. Otherwise, he could not have used it at all.

When he finished meditating, Huangfu Shengtian was still unconscious. Yang Xiao ignored him. The appearance of a Heart of the Earth here was far too strange. If his guess was correct, the Earth Master Hall had deliberately nurtured it and released it this time to lure the newcomers.

An ordinary person really would have been helpless against the Heart of the Earth, but he was an Earth Master who cultivated the Carefree Scripture.

Yang Xiao raised his Earth Net. A heart beat at its center—the very Heart of the Earth that had escaped Huangfu Shengtian's grasp.

He grew nervous. The Heart of the Earth was an immortal treasure. Then he frowned. If he was seeing correctly, this Heart of the Earth had yet to mature.

Fortunately, it had not matured. A fully mature Heart of the Earth was beyond his ability to capture.

Yang Xiao drew a breath. Earth’s Right Hand appeared once more and slowly reached toward the Heart of the Earth.

Suddenly, the Heart of the Earth sensed the threat and struggled violently. The Earth Net began to break. Yang Xiao sped up, and Earth’s Right Hand clenched abruptly, catching the Heart of the Earth in its grasp.

He breathed a sigh of relief. It had almost escaped.

Borrowing the Earth Vein's power, Yang Xiao sealed the Heart of the Earth and hurriedly fled toward Slaughter Heaven City.

Before long, the Earth Master Hall would discover that the Heart of the Earth was missing. If he did not leave now, he would not be able to leave later.

He had to reach the City Lord's Residence before the Earth Master Hall noticed.

No matter how powerful the Earth Master Hall was, it would not dare run wild in the City Lord's Residence.