I Feel Terrifyingly Powerful Right Now!

Although Wang Yu was Han, Atuke and the others did not feel awkward around him in the slightest. Even though the White Qiang had originated from the Western Qiang, that was more than two centuries ago. Furthermore, the White Qiang were on good terms with the Prince of Zhenxi's Manor now, and both Atuke and Ardai even considered themselves half-Han. Besides, what Atuke and Huona cared about right now was the Sacred Ground of the Heavenly Qiang Sect. According to what Wang Yu had said, there were quite a few martial arts manuals there! "In truth, later generations are not necessarily inferior to their predecessors," Wang Yu said. "The martial arts in that sacred ground do not even reach the Grandmaster realm. Only two internal arts touch upon Xiantian, and they fall far short of the Ice and Snow Divine Art." Atuke was completely at a loss for words. "My Prince! The well-fed have no idea what it's like to starve! How precious is a Xiantian art? And how could an ordinary person ever hope to learn the Ice and Snow Divine Art?" Wang Yu countered, "Is it that hard?" Ardai stifled a chuckle, but said with evident pride, "In fact, my master never had a rule about passing it only to women and not men. It's just that none of the men could ever cultivate Ice and Snow True Qi." Huona raised a hand in protest. "I did manage to cultivate it, but the progress was far too slow. It wasn't even as worthwhile as cultivating the Heavenly Ardor Art." Wang Yu nodded in understanding. In this martial arts world, even if people didn't need their spiritual roots tested like in the xianxia novels of his past life, everyone's skeletal constitution, aptitude, and innate gifts were still vastly different. Whether someone was suited for practicing martial arts, what arts suited them best, how efficient they would be, and where their ceiling lay were largely predetermined. Some achieved sudden enlightenment in a single morning and stepped into the Grandmaster realm; some trained bitterly for an entire lifetime and could never reach Xiantian; some could not even develop a sense of inner qi. All of these were real. Looking at it this way, his own natural talent was pretty extraordinary after all: he had mastered the Ice and Snow Divine Art with ease, created the Ice and Fire Dual Heavens himself, and now advanced to Xiantian. He was practically a genius! Tortoise Shell: *???* "So, do you want to go take a look at the Sacred Ground of the Heavenly Qiang Sect?" Wang Yu asked. Atuke and Huona nodded vigorously. Wang Yu had no intention of keeping it hidden. For one, these martial arts were not exceptionally formidable, and the White Qiang already had similar heritage to begin with. For another, the White Qiang were currently allies, and no matter how much they practiced, they wouldn't catch up to the Central Plains. Thirdly, after some time passed, the grassland might very well be brought under Wang Yu's rule anyway. Showing generosity now would earn the White Qiang's gratitude and completely win their loyalty, which would also benefit his future endeavors once the Black Qiang were annexed. "Let's go, I'll take you there!" Wang Yu smiled. Atuke and Huona cupped their fists together. "Thank you, My Prince!" And so, the party piled the corpses at the canyon entrance. Huona, Mayila, and Tasa took Aishake back to the White Qiang Royal Court first to report what had happened, while Wang Yu led Atuke, Ardai, and Paliya toward the Sacred Ground of the Heavenly Qiang Sect. After all, this was the Sacred Ground of the Heavenly Qiang Sect, housing many martial arts manuals. Atuke had the standing to go, but people like Huona and Tasa still lacked the status to view them directly. After sending Huona and the others off, Wang Yu brought the rest to the canyon cliff where the Sacred Ground of the Heavenly Qiang Sect was situated. Working with Atuke, he breached the earth blocking the entrance. They entered the cavern and made their way all the way to the secret heritage chamber in the back. Holding a torch to examine the carvings, Atuke said excitedly, "It really is the Secret of Bone Burial and the Heavenly Ardor Art! And they're different from what our forebears deduced!" Curious, Wang Yu asked, "Which is superior?" Atuke shook his head. "I can't tell, but each likely has its merits." Wang Yu nodded. "Like I said, people today surpass the ancients." Atuke continued inspecting the cavern interior. "There's also the Wolf Fang Saber Technique, Gale Saber Technique, Poison Dragon Whip Technique..." Wang Yu remarked, "I'd like to take rubbings to enrich the Prince's Manor armory. You wouldn't mind, would you?" "Of course not!" Atuke hastily shook his head. "You found this place to begin with. Allowing us to view these arts is already more than enough to make us grateful!" Wang Yu nodded; he had only been making a polite gesture. The group took another look around before leaving the cave. By the time they stepped outside, the sky had grown completely dark. However, the thunder of hooves echoed outside, and hundreds of torches burned bright—the main body of the White Qiang forces had arrived. "My Prince!" Zhao Shan and Zhao He dashed over in haste. "Ardai!" Gulanrena hurried over as well. Toward dusk, when they had not yet seen Wang Yu's party return, they had already grown puzzled and faintly anxious. When darkness fell, instead of Wang Yu, Huona had arrived escorting a bound Aishake and his group straight into the royal tent. Their party was drenched in blood, and Tasa was wounded, having clearly fought a ferocious battle. Gulanrena, Zhao Shan, and Zhao He had rushed over immediately and listened as Huona recounted the clash in the canyon. Although Huona had confirmed the safety of Wang Yu and Ardai right away, their hearts had still leapt into their throats upon hearing that Qiao Riyan had blocked their path with troops. Even though Wang Yu was also a Xiantian, Qiao Riyan was the chief disciple of Qiulin Ji! Huona had then described how Wang Yu feigned weakness to overcome the foe, pursued Qiao Riyan deep into the canyon while they clashed with the Xiongnu soldiers, and subsequently returned from outside to block the canyon mouth, wiping out every last Xiongnu warrior. And, of course, Qiao Riyan's unknown fate after plunging into the river, along with the accidental discovery of the Sacred Ground of the Heavenly Qiang Sect. Consequently, Asuli had personally led his warriors here, accompanied by Gulanrena, Zhao Shan, and Zhao He, as well as a detachment of one hundred cavalrymen from the Chengyuan Army. "It's fine, it's fine!" Wang Yu waved a dismissive hand. "A mere Qiao Riyan can be crushed with a flip of my palm!" Zhao Shan and Zhao He could only nod. They realized that Wang Yu had become a figure they had to look up to; he no longer needed their protection. Following him around made them feel more like mere attendants. *We brothers are first-rate experts after all! Among the Great Bandits of Mount Qi, it took Poison Hand Veda himself stepping in to beat us!* *Wait, wasn't Poison Hand Veda killed by Wang Yu with a single sword strike too?* *Never mind then!* Gulanrena walked over to Ardai's side. Seeing Ardai covered in blood, she rushed to support her. "I'm fine, really. I'm not hurt—it's all other people's blood," Ardai said. Ardai's martial arts were not weak to begin with, and Atuke and Huona had constantly kept an eye on her, warding off blades for her, Paliya, and Mayila. As a result, while the two men were injured, the three women remained completely unscathed. "Did Huona tell you everything?" Wang Yu asked. "He did. Qiao Riyan leaped into an underground river, his fate unknown, and the Sacred Ground of the Heavenly Qiang Sect was discovered," Zhao Shan replied. Wang Yu nodded. "Go transcribe a copy of the martial arts manuals inside the sacred ground to enrich the Prince's Manor armory." Zhao Shan and Zhao He's eyes lit up, and they nodded eagerly. In fact, the Prince of Zhenxi's Manor did collect common martial arts across the jianghu for talented soldiers in the army to practice. Those who achieved success could become guards in the prince's manor, which was far easier and more prestigious than serving as ordinary soldiers. While the martial arts in the sacred ground couldn't compare to the direct heritage of the Prince's Manor, they were certainly far superior to run-of-the-mill techniques. Wang Yu left Zhao Shan and Zhao He behind, and Asuli also left behind a hundred White Wolf Guards, while the rest returned to the White Qiang Royal Court. Ardai went to report her safety to Yan Xiangxue, while Wang Yu returned to his own tent and took out the piece of lingzhi. He washed it clean, then began gnawing on it raw! Without Sun Wenzhu around to help brew it into pills, the traditional method of preserving lingzhi would require slicing and sun-drying. Having just fought a major battle, and with the Black Qiang liable to march at any moment, the opposing experts included not only the Heavenly Cripple and Earthly Flaw, but also the injured Shi Mo, his disciple Qubi Amu, and a Xiongnu expert whose depth was unknown. Wang Yu was essentially racing against time; any increase in his strength, however small, was vital. *Boom!* The moment he ingested the lingzhi, it transformed under the tortoise shell's effect into a warm current that merged into the shell before feeding back out, flooding Wang Yu's meridians and marrow throughout his body. *Holy crap! Such potent medicinal power!* *It feels even stronger than the Snow Lotus Yellow Dragon Pill! No, far stronger!* Wang Yu's marrow throbbed as his bone density steadily tightened. His meridians widened, his internal organs grew tougher, and his ice and fire internal energy coursed through his channels like surging rivers; he could even hear the rushing sound of true qi circulating within his body. The martial intents of Flowing Fire Reflection, the Ice and Snow Divine Art, Flowing Springs of the Icy Mountain, Ice and Fire Dual Heavens, the Method of Harmonizing Yang through Taiyin, and other techniques flashed, interacted, and merged within his consciousness in turn... The true martial intents of the Seven Forms of the Setting Sun, Swallow Carrying Spring, the Star-Plucking Hand, the Star-Chasing Steps, the Seventy-Two Forms of Wind and Snow, and various other arts manifested beneath his fingers one after another. *Without realizing it, I've already mastered so many martial arts?* *I feel terrifyingly powerful right now!* Two months ago, Wang Yu had relied on the last Snow Lotus Yellow Dragon Pill to advance to Xiantian, but the medicinal potency had only been enough to push him into the initial threshold; his foundation had been unstable, and many of his martial arts were far from proficient. Over the subsequent two months, he had trained diligently without pills, solidifying his foundation, mastering what he had learned, and finally gaining the ability to treat Yan Xiangxue's injuries. Now, having consumed this fragrant lingzhi, Wang Yu took another massive leap forward. Not only did all his arts manifest Xiantian intent, but they also integrated harmoniously into a unified whole, bringing every martial technique to full mastery. One could say that overnight, Wang Yu had attained the pinnacle of what he could currently reach. The next morning. Asuli dispatched more men to garrison the Sacred Ground of the Heavenly Qiang Sect. Zhao Shan and Zhao He returned to the camp bearing the transcribed martial arts manuals and presented them to Wang Yu. Zhao Shan reported, "Because the Black Qiang might attack at any moment, the White Qiang King also had a copy made of every technique as a secret reserve for the White Qiang Royal Court, and plans to have men destroy all the martial arts carved into the stone walls." "Of course Asuli wouldn't want to leave these arts to the Black Qiang." Wang Yu nodded, then asked, "How are these manuals?" Zhao He chuckled. "They're quite decent arts. As the pillar of the Western Qiang back then, the Heavenly Qiang Sect certainly had real skill." Meanwhile, nearly a hundred li east of the White Qiang Royal Court, a herder from a small tribe was grazing sheep by a river when he spotted a corpse drifting downstream. Not far from where he stood, it drifted toward the bank and eventually washed ashore. *Are they fighting upstream again?* *Is it a tribal clash, or a personal vendetta?* The herder pondered as he walked over to the riverbank, hoping he might scavenge something valuable from the body. *Even if there's nothing, these clothes look pretty good.* The herder reached out, dragged the corpse onto the riverbank, and was just about to rifle through the pockets when the corpse suddenly shot out a hand and seized his wrist! "A walking corpse?!" the herder shrieked. The corpse snapped its eyes open and rasped, "Save me, and I will repay you with ten gold ingots!"