Chapter 309 – The Tribulation of Three Lifetimes
“I don’t have the right?”
Qin Nan was stunned for a moment, before he suddenly burst out laughing.
If this were to happen long before, the words would surely have been a huge impact to Qin Nan’s state of mind.
However, since he had obtained the left eye of the Divine God of Battle, his state of mind was totally different now.
“Judging from this copper mirror, it’s highly possible that you used to be an extremely powerful presence. Perhaps in your eyes, only my Martial Spirit is worthy to speak to you, and I don’t have the right to do so.”
“The question is, so what?”
“Your voice seems to be weak, and despite your formidable background, instead of leaving, you chose to stay with me, so I believe I’ve got something that you are seeking for, am I right?”
A cold grin appeared on Qin Nan’s face.
The voice from the copper mirror showed no hesitation, as it said in an honest tone, “You are correct. You are very intelligent, but that alone still does not give you the right.”
“Perhaps that’s what you think, but I am the owner of the Divine Battle Spirit. Who do you think you are, to have the right to judge my authority?”
Qin Nan’s left eye emitted a golden glow.
Although his flesh was only that of a mere human, but a human like him was also the owner of the Divine Battle Spirit!
Surprisingly, the copper mirror fell silent.
“I have no intention to waste my time talking nonsense here.” Qin Nan’s eyes coldly flickered as he said, “What on Earth are you, and why are you so familiar with my business? You better be honest and tell me the truth. Otherwise, I swear you will never get what you are seeking for!”
The green glow of the copper mirror shone brightly, as the icy female voice could be heard as if it had traveled across an endless void, “There’s no point in revealing my background to you for now, and you don’t need to worry about me exposing your secrets. I can cooperate with you, and refine this copper mirror into a treasure for you. I’ll also answer your doubts, but in return, you shall give me some benefits.”
Qin Nan frowned upon hearing this.
This copper mirror was surely something extraordinary if it knew about the presence of the Divine Battle Spirit.
Furthermore, he was now in a tight situation as there must be a certain reason preventing the Divine Battle Spirit from leveling up. There was no guarantee that he would be able to figure out the reason in a short period.
Upon having this thought, Qin Nan could not help but felt a slight headache. He had previously ended up discovering an ancient ginseng that turned out to be Princess Miao Miao, and now what had he managed to find this time?
“What kind of benefits are you looking for?” Qin Nan calmed his thoughts and asked.
“Chaos Qi.” The female voice answered. “Five streams of Chaos Qi, and I’ll answer one question.”
Her voice was cold as always, filled with an unassailable tone, as if she would cancel the cooperation if Qin Nan chose not to agree with the terms.
“Five streams of Chaos Qi?”
Qin Nan’s eyes flickered.
It seemed like the secrets behind the Chaos Qi was greater than what he had expected. Not only was it able to expand his Divine Sense and repair magical weapons, it also possessed some sort of unknown powers.
Currently, he still possessed one hundred and eight streams of Chaos Qi inside his body. If he were to spend five streams of Chaos Qi to obtain the answer he was seeking for, it would serve as a great trade.
“Sure.”
Qin Nan agreed after a slight ponder.
Shoosh!
The green glow of the copper mirror shuddered violently, which penetrated Qin Nan’s mind in a bizarre way. After Qin Nan collected his thoughts, he could see the copper mirror floating on top of his Divine Sense, with a ray of green light connecting to his Divine Sense, as if it had merged into one with Qin Nan.
That being said, Qin Nan could easily tell that he was unable to control the copper mirror, and the copper mirror could not cause any side effects to him.
“I’ll ask a question first; why is my Divine Battle Spirit stuck at the tenth-grade Xuan rank, and is unable to level up despite consuming that many pills?”
Qin Nan took a deep breath and asked at a slow pace.
“That’s simple.” The cold voice appeared from the copper mirror, “There exists an innate difference between a tenth-grade Xuan ranked Martial Spirit and a Di ranked Martial Spirit. For example, your cultivation is now at the half-Martial Emperor Realm, but once you reach the Martial Emperor Realm by forming your Inner Core, you are no longer an ordinary human, but would be considered a true cultivator. There is only one way to upgrade the Divine Battle Spirit—find what it needs.”
It was as if a spark had been ignited in Qin Nan’s mind.
That’s right!
What she said was absolutely right!
He was no longer the same person as before, and his Divine Battle Spirit too had evolved into a greater presence—a tenth-grade Xuan ranked Martial Spirit, only a step away from becoming a Di ranked Martial Spirit—which would result in a tremendous change.
In order for this change to occur, the Divine Battle Spirit no longer needed pills, but something else!
For example, in Jianghuang City, pills such as Martial Emperor Pills and Martial Ancestor Pills were not in high demand, but Arcane Realm Stones were wanted.
Why was that?
It’s because everyone needs Arcane Realm Stones instead of Martial Emperor Pills.
And that’s the same case for the Divine Battle Spirit.
“Then what should I devour?” Qin Nan’s breathing intensified as he added after a slight hesitation, “This is the second question!”
“I don’t know, you have to find it yourself.”
The copper mirror said.
“You don’t know?”
Qin Nan’s eyes open wide.
Aren’t you the informative one, knowing about the secrets of the Divine Battle Spirit, etc., and you are telling me you don’t know what the Divine Battle Spirit needs to level up?
It was as if the copper mirror was aware of Qin Nan’s attitude, as it said, “Even though I don’t know the answer, I can tell you that everything is linked by fate. You will understand what I mean when the time comes; you will know what the Divine Battle Spirit needs to become a Di ranked Martial Spirit.”
“Fate?”
Qin Nan was immersed in deep thought.
Lately, his Divine Battle Spirit had been upgraded at a very rapid pace.
Although it was only his Martial Spirit, there existed a bond between himself and the Martial Spirit. Perhaps he should slow down his pace and spend more time communicating with the Divine Battle Spirit.
Even though it could not speak, nor does it possess any intelligence, but its existence is real.
“Here are ten streams of Chaos Qi!”
Qin Nan felt relieved after organizing his thoughts. He then inserted ten streams of Chaos Qi into the copper mirror without delay.
The entire copper mirror shuddered violently, as the green glow grew stronger. It was as if countless ancient looking runes were flying toward the copper mirror from afar, causing the surface of the copper mirror to shine brightly.
Qin Nan observed the mirror for a while, but he gave up after failing to discover anything extraordinary from it. He then sat down on the spot and closed his eyes.
This time, he did not cultivate, nor did he do anything. He simply fell asleep.
That being said, in his sleep, he had a dream, a dream of his past.
Back when he was ten years old, at the Longhu Mountain Range, a ray of lightning struck down from above…
However, what Qin Nan had failed to notice was that ten rays of light appeared from his body after he was asleep, as a giant blurry figure emerged from the ground, standing in mid-air. Despite that, the people of Jianghuang City failed to notice its presence.
The Divine Battle Spirit lowered its head; its right pupil was empty, but its left pupil emitted a golden glow.
“Don’t think you are powerful now after leaving the Canglan Continent.
“He, is not someone you can look down on!”
“You, are being disrespectful!”
The Divine Battle Spirit’s lips moved slightly, as a shapeless sound wave was transmitted into the copper mirror.
BANG!
The voice penetrated the ancient mirror and traveled across an ancient passage, before arriving at an ancient place, resulting in a terrifying calamity that took a while to return to normal.
Following this, the blurry figure of the Divine Battle Spirit disappeared.
After a while, the ancient place was left in a mess, as a lady stared into the void and wore a shocked expression, “Incredible, since when had the Canglan Continent given birth to such a presence? Divine Battle Spirit? What exactly are you?” It took her a long time to collect her thoughts, as she let out a sigh, “Qin Nan, huh? Perhaps you will be my Tribulation of Three Lifetimes…”
Translator: XephiZ
Editor: DOCuinn
Chapter 310 – The Selection Begins
For the remaining time, Qin Nan tried to communicate with the Divine Battle Spirit. Although he did not find out what the thing that the Divine Battle Spirit required to level up was, he could feel the bond between himself and the Divine Battle Spirit to be stronger, as if he had now completely merged with the Martial Spirit.
“With my tenth-grade Xuan ranked Martial Spirit, roaming across the lower district is no longer a problem for me. As for the thing that the Divine Battle Spirits needs, my instinct is telling me that I will discover what it is after joining the two Sacred Areas.”
Qin Nan mumbled to himself; this instinct appeared after he had communicated with his Divine Battle Spirit, and he had no idea where it came from.
“There’s only a month left until the selection takes place. I shall repair my Inner Core before that!”
Qin Nan’s eyes flickered as he took out the treasures that he had obtained from the auction—including the Elixir of Total Recovery—and consumed them in an orderly fashion.
He could not help but admit that these treasures were exceedingly incredible; not only were they able to repair his Inner Core, they could also strengthen his flesh.
Time gradually passed; a month was gone in the blink of an eye.
In a month, Qin Nan spent all of his focus on repairing his Inner Core. As for the Longhu Ancestor Beast and Princess Miao Miao, they too had gone into seclusion as they decided not to disturb Qin Nan. Besides, Princess Miao Miao managed to recover from her previous injury, allowing her cultivation to reach the half-Martial Dominator Realm.
“My Inner Core, possesses all my will.
“It may be fortunate encounters, or fate in a sense.”
“……”
At that instant, Qin Nan’s shattered Core was finally restored. With the will of the left eye of the Divine God of Battle as its essence, and the Blazing Sun Golden Armor Body Technique, the Art of Heart-Calming and Demon-Expelling, his will, and his Saber Intent as the Eye of the Formation, he managed to stabilize his Inner Core.
Despite that, he could not detect the force of the Heavens and Earth, thus he could not trigger the Tribulation of the Martial Emperor Realm.
“My Inner Core is extraordinary compared to others. Last time, the Tribulation only occurred during the grand occasion with the help of great geniuses and the people of the top four sects being the spectators. If I want to level up to the Martial Emperor Realm, I’m afraid a grand occasion is essential!”
Qin Nan came to a realization after pondering for a while.
The Inner Core possessed some sort of intelligence. If it happened to be extraordinary, in order to complete the process, it must be revered by a crowd like the ascension of an emperor.
As such, many among the crowd felt pitiful when they saw Qin Nan’s Inner Core being shattered into pieces, resulting in him losing a great opportunity.
At that instant, the copper mirror in Qin Nan’s Divine Sense suddenly spoke with a cold voice, “Now that you have Chaos Qi inside your body, why aren’t you merging it with your Inner Core?”
“Merging Chaos Qi with the Inner Core?”
Qin Nan was startled.
He had never thought of this before.
However, the copper mirror was not wrong. Since the Chaos Qi was capable of expanding his Divine Sense and repairing the magical weapons, it was highly possible that he could also merge it with his Inner Core to achieve some sort of magical effect.
“Let’s try it now!”
Qin Nan’s eyes glistened with excitement, as he immediately controlled a stream of Chaos Qi and merged it with his Inner Core.
BANG!
A loud explosion took place as if his Inner Core had been ignited, as endless rays of light were emitted from it. Within it, various intents and wills became excited and rumbled vigorously.
The shocking reaction continued for a period of ten breaths’ time, before the Inner Core turned quiet. However, the Inner Core was now greyish-white in color, and he could feel an indescribable force being accumulated within it.
“This…”
Qin Nan was stunned.
He had not expected such a great change to happen.
“This Chaos Qi is absolutely remarkable!” Judging from the appearance of the Inner Core, it was as if it had gone into seclusion, and there would be a tremendous change to it once it was completely formed.
Qin Nan took a deep breath.
Previously, after merging the will of the left eye of the Divine God of Battle with his Inner Core, the Tribulation of the Martial Emperor Realm had grown to six hundred feet wide.
How crazy would the Tribulation of the Martial Emperor Realm be after the Chaos Qi is merged with the Inner Core?
“Hey copper mirror, thanks for the advice!”
Although Qin Nan was not too fond of this copper mirror, he had always been grateful towards those who helped him, thus he felt that it was reasonable for him to express his gratitude.
However, the copper mirror showed no reaction and remained still.
“Qin Nan!”
Princess Miao Miao suddenly spoke.
Qin Nan immediately opened his eyes and said, “What’s wrong?”
“Your aura…” Princess Miao Miao frowned slightly. Upon reaching the half-Martial Dominator Realm, her senses were sharper now, and just a moment ago, she could sense a forbidden power within Qin Nan’s body.
What did a forbidden power mean?
Something that was unaccepted by the Heavens and Earth, was referred to as forbidden!
“My Inner Core has experienced a new change.” Qin Nan let out a smile and continued, “Isn’t the selection of the two Sacred Areas happening soon?”
“It’s starting tomorrow! While you were still in seclusion, Jianghuang had already sent someone over to invite you to a party taking place at his mansion today, and to take part in the trial tomorrow!” Princess Miao Miao turned excited while saying this, as she immediately forgot about the forbidden power she had detected. Party, party is my favorite; it’s time to enjoy drinks again!
“Wowowow, I’m going to the selection too, to torture all the little brats!” The Longhu Ancestor Beast let out a cry.
He felt incredibly unbalanced now. This asshole Qin Nan is getting stronger and more terrifying; even Princess Miao Miao has reached the half-Martial Dominator Realm. It seems like I’m the most useless one among the trio, and can only be treated as cannon fodder at crucial times. Therefore, I must regain my confidence by defeating all the geniuses during the selection!
“Cut the bullshit!”
Qin Nan rolled his eyes; This idiot had initially promised to be his mount for three days, but he ended up going back on his words. As a result, Qin Nan was mad at him.
“Let’s head to the City Lord’s Mansion now!”
……
……
As night fell, a party took place at the City Lord’s Mansion. Many geniuses received an invitation to attend it, even some of the famous authorities were present.
As for the Six-Eared Divine Being and the Saintess of the Trading Alliance, they did not show up at the party, mainly because after the Emperor Weapons and Dominator Weapons exploded, not only had it resulted in a severe loss, many cultivators lost their trust in the capabilities of the Trading Alliance and decided not to partner with them anymore. As a result, the loss suffered by the Trading Alliance was even greater than expected.
At the party, Princess Miao Miao ‘conquered’ the scene; even Jianghuang and Fang Jian were no match for her, resulting in the City Lord’s Mansion being drowned in the same laughter for the entire night.
The following day, the selection of the two Sacred Areas began!
BANG!
The entire Jianghuang City experienced a rare change, as countless golden beams were fired from the edges of the city, causing the area within thirty miles of the city to be encapsulated within a golden barrier.
On top of the City Lord’s Mansion of Jianghuang City, a huge square-shaped dojo slowly rose into the air and floated above the city, before countless beams of light were shone downward, attracting the attention of the people in the city.
Shoosh!
Jianghuang’s figure sprang into the air and stood above the huge dojo. Unlike his previous appearance, his body emitted a terrifying aura, shocking the whole city.
“I am the City Lord of Jianghuang City, and under the command of the two Sacred Areas, I’ll be taking charge of the selection for the two Sacred Areas today. The trial is split into three rounds. Those who meet the requirements will advance to the next round, and the others will be disqualified! When the selection takes place, all businesses are not allowed to operate, and all cultivators are not allowed to work, to witness the births of the geniuses of a new era! I now declare the selection to begin!”
Following Jianghuang’s roar, the entire Jianghuang City was immersed in an uproar.
Translator: XephiZ
Editor: DOCuinn
Chapter 311 – Always the Limelight
On the square-shaped dojo, Jianghuang sat in the leading spot, while Fang Jian sat on his left. On his right sat a middle-aged man wearing a dark expression, similar to a poisonous snake, who turned out to be the envoy of the Feiyang Sacred Area!
Behind them sat the authorities of Jianghuang City.
In the center of the dojo stood thousands of disciples, who all came from various kingdoms and sects within the lower district. Every single one of them possessed remarkable strength and auras, worthy to be referred to as super geniuses.
Qin Nan stood among them, and quickly scanned the crowd with his left eye of the Divine God of Battle. Following this, his expression turned excited.
“Interesting, there are thirteen people with Xuan ranked Martial Spirits. Besides that, several of them have reached the peak of the Martial Emperor Realm!”
The selection of the two Sacred Areas had no restriction on one’s cultivation. Even Martial Ancestor Realm and Martial Dominator Realm experts were allowed to take part in it. However, these experts would be participating in different trials.
Initially, he did not have high hopes in the selection after meeting Leng Jianxiong and Hong Fu. However, he could feel his blood turning impatient after seeing the geniuses at the scene.
That was his battling blood turning excited!
Having a chance to compete against geniuses from different places, and emerge victorious in the end!
“The first round will be a test of strength, and the second one will be focusing on your Martial Spirits. The third round is a test of sword drawing.” Jianghuang said in a clear tone, “Geniuses of the lower district, the two Sacred Areas have assigned twenty assessing officers here; you are allowed to pick any officer and start the trial!”
After his speech, twenty figures of various ages and both genders appeared from Jianghuang City, who turned out to be the assessing officers from the Feiyang Sacred Area and the Qinglong Sacred Area.
The atmosphere of the scene was lightened up at that instant.
The participating geniuses could no longer withhold their excitement, as they began to take part in the trial.
With a flicker, Qin Nan made his move to take part in the first round of the trial.
At that instant, a rare occurrence took place, as the Inner Core inside his body vibrated vigorously, as if it was being awakened.
“Shit!”
Qin Nan’s face turned pale.
His Inner Core had now merged with the Chaos Qi. If it were to evolve here, it would surely trigger the Tribulation of the Martial Emperor Realm, which would definitely stop the selection from taking place.
“What great timing!”
Qin Nan was left speechless.
Why couldn’t my Inner Core be awakened earlier or later, but rather at such a crucial timing?
While he was lost in his thoughts, Fang Jian immediately shouted after being aware of Qin Nan’s strange behavior, “In the name of the envoy of the Qinglong Sacred Area, I now declare Qin Nan to advance to the next round, without the need to participate in the first round!”
An uproar took place among the crowd after hearing the words.
“What? Advance to the next round straight away? Who is this Qin Nan?”
“Tsk tsk, isn’t this Qin Nan the one who was being surrounded by the Trading Alliance a while ago? I was told that this guy possessed a formidable background. Even the envoy of the Qinglong Sacred Area was utterly respectful toward him!”
“Meh, one who advances by abusing his relationship, not a big deal!”
“That’s right!”
“……”
Many of the geniuses wore unpleasant expressions.
Although ordinary cultivators would normally be respectful toward those who possessed a formidable background, these people were considered the top geniuses in their own countries and sects respectively. Therefore, they had their own pride, and possessed a hint of antipathy toward those who planned to abuse their background.
Qin Nan remained expressionless; although he was not fond of abusing his relationship, under such circumstances, there was no way he could participate in the trial. His first priority now was to stabilize his Inner Core. Otherwise, everyone here would not be able to take part in the selection!
Without any hesitation, he immediately came to Fang Jian’s side and sat down with his eyes closed.
“Tsk tsk, Brother Fang, so this is the genius you are fond of? Why is his cultivation only at the half-Martial Emperor Realm?” At that instant, the middle-aged envoy of the Feiyang Sacred Area smirked and spoke in a mocking tone.
Fang Jian’s eyes flickered with a confused look.
What the hell was this guy on about?
Was he trying to mock Qin Nan?
Don’t you know that one of the Peak Leaders of your Feiyang Sacred Area is one of the pillars supporting Qin Nan from behind?
The middle-aged envoy turned furious after his presence was ignored, mainly because he was jealous of Fang Jian’s luck. How did he earn the favor of the first Peak Leader of the Qinglong Sacred Area while he was still unrecognized, despite the fact that they were both envoys?
The middle-aged envoy withheld the anger in his heart, whose eyes flickered as a sudden thought came up to him, before he spoke with a loud voice, “In the name of the envoy of the Feiyang Sacred Area, I now declare Leng Aotian to advance to the next round without the need to participate in the first round!”
The words served as a grenade to the crowd.
The envoys had never declared someone to advance to the next round straight away in the previous years’ selection. However, the two envoys had done so today.
That being said, the reaction of the crowd was totally different, as their faces were filled with astonishment.
“What? Leng Aotian is also taking part in the selection?”
“Damn it, with him participating, how would I be able to come first?”
“Crap, how unlucky; I did not expect him to come out of seclusion this year!”
“……”
The expressions of the geniuses turned exceedingly unpleasant, as if they had encountered a great foe.
Apart from them, even the cultivators of Jianghuang City was startled, before turning excited.
They had not expected Leng Aotian to take part in the selection.
Who was Leng Aotian?
Leng Aotian was Leng Jianxiong’s brother, who possessed a fifth-grade Xuan ranked Martial Spirit. Last year, he had also taken part in the selection of the two Sacred Areas, and ended up being noticed by the two Sacred Areas, allowing his name to be made known to the world. However, another terrifying genius had suddenly appeared last year, who ended up outclassing Leng Aotian. In the end, Leng Aotian chose to reject the offer of the two Sacred Areas and returned to his sect to cultivate in seclusion.
A year later, and Leng Aotian had decided to participate in the selection once again!
On the spectating platform, the authorities were startled, as their faces were filled with a hint of anticipation.
Jianghuang’s eyes flickered with an astonished expression as he exclaimed, “What a surprise to know that your Feiyang Sacred Area has managed to draw Leng Aotian to your side. By the way, where is Leng Aotian? I’ve yet to see him among the participants.”
“Jianghuang, Leng Aotian is still in the city. He had no intention of participating since the selection is quite boring in his eyes.” The envoy of the Feiyang Sacred Area spoke with a prideful expression, who switched his tone as he glanced at Fang Jian, “And since Brother Fang has picked a disciple to advance to the next round, I’ve asked Leng Aotian to come over, so he could compete with Qin Nan in the third round of sword drawing, and we shall see who has the greater talent.”
Jianghuang frowned his eyebrows slightly.
Even though he was not too fond of Leng Aotian, he could not help but admit that he had a great talent among the geniuses of the lower district, a super genius with a bright future ahead of him.
Leaving aside Qin Nan’s Martial Spirit, his cultivation of the half-Martial Emperor Realm alone would result in a disadvantage in the third round.
Although Jianghuang had the urge to say something, he had no idea how he could approach the matter, as there would always be competition between the Feiyang Sacred Area and the Qinglong Sacred Area while fighting over great talents every year. Now that the two envoys had picked their own candidates, it was reasonable for the two to compete against each other, in order to see which one of them would turn out to be the greater talent.
On the other hand, Fang Jian wore a complicated expression.
Was this guy’s brain kicked by a donkey?
Why would you let Leng Aotian compete with Qin Nan?
Fang Jian then recollected the scene last year, in which Leng Aotian was outmatched by the genius. Poor guy, being forced to face Qin Nan this year. The thought caused Fang Jian’s lip to twitch uncontrollably.
Translator: XephiZ
Editor: DOCuinn
TL Note: A saying which means “Are you out of your mind?”