Chapter 230: Chapter 170: Superior Cultivation Technique, Vermilion Palace Thunder Technique Training Essentials!_2
A bright moon cast its light over the great river outside Yunzhou City.
The water sparkled.
Numerous pleasure boats, monopolized by the scions of prominent families, were filled with Oiran dancing and singing, each displaying their distinct charm.
The wide streets of Yunzhou City grew quieter with each passing moment, and the neat footsteps of patrolling soldiers passed by below. Once the footsteps faded into the distance, Jiang Shu opened his eyes. He took a deep breath, pushed open the window, and leaped from the upper floor, landing lightly on the ground.
His appearance transformed in an instant. His face changed from that of a young man to a middle-aged one, and his body became robust, seeming a few centimeters shorter.
Compared to the multitude of large households and clans, noble families were not that numerous. In the vast Yunzhou, there were only four true noble families, each occupying one of the city’s four cardinal directions. The Liang Family was located in North City.
Liang Tingbo, that man—nine out of ten of his words are lies; he has calculated every possibility. If I were to honestly bring the Storage Bag to the Liang Family, they would undoubtedly kill me to cover up his death. If I were to capture one of his direct bloodline and forcibly extract their Essence Blood, the Liang Family’s patriarch would likely sense the change in Essence Blood shortly after I opened the Storage Bag and come to kill me. Never mind a Blood Exchange Realm Martial Artist; even an Acupoint Passage Realm expert is just a slightly larger ant before someone in the Detachment Realm! Liang Tingbo racked his brains over this; there must truly be some significant Treasure in this Storage Bag.
Jiang Shu scoffed internally.
Within an hour, he arrived at his destination.
In North City, within a large compound near the outer city, Palm Wind howled. A young man with determined eyes moved with expansive and decisive motions, the moonlight flowing like water over the entire courtyard. His body whirled incessantly in the air, palms releasing power then retracting with surging energy. Bursts of booming sounds suppressed the surroundings—clear signs he was practicing an incredibly profound Martial Art.
"Who dares to spy on the Liang Family’s Martial Arts!"
Suddenly, the young man stepped forward. His large hand, condensed with True Strength, shot out like a giant whale leaping from the sea, churning up massive waves as it fiercely struck towards the wall.
A Middle Grade Martial Art from the Liang Family: Giant Whale Calming Wave Palm!
Jiang Shu’s eyes lit up. "Impressive technique!" he exclaimed in a low voice, flicking his finger to release a wisp of Vermilion Bird True Strength.
It was like a meteor from beyond the heavens landing in the ocean, instantly igniting.
The young man’s palm strength, wave-like, evaporated instantly.
This! The young man’s pupils constricted as he hastily dodged. But to his surprise, that spark of True Strength automatically dissipated just three finger-widths from his forehead.
The middle-aged man leaped down from the wall.
"Junior Liang Yuanzhou," Liang Yuanzhou said, frowning slightly as he clasped his fists in a salute. "May I ask why Senior has come here?"
By now, he could naturally see that this middle-aged man likely harbored no ill intentions. Otherwise, if the man had struck with full power just now, he would surely have been Suppressed and Killed on the spot. Yet, in the vast Yunzhou, who would dare to kill a disciple of the Liang Family? Although he, Liang Yuanzhou, was just an exceedingly ordinary and unremarkable disciple of the Liang Family, anyone wanting to kill him—even an Acupoint Passage Realm expert—would have to think twice!
"In the Cultivation of Martial Arts, one fast step leads to rapidly advancing through all steps." Jiang Shu approached gradually, his voice slow and deliberate. "Your Talent is actually not bad. If you were in one of the great clans of a County City, even as a collateral member, exhibiting such Talent would mean the clan would do everything to push you to the Blood Exchange Realm."
"Unfortunately, you were born in Yunzhou City, in the Liang Family. Consider the scale on which noble families operate—reaching the Blood Exchange Realm by twenty is considered merely an ordinary genius. And you, how long would it take you to reach this Realm? In Martial Arts Cultivation, Talent is certainly important, but without the support of Martial Arts resources, relying solely on Talent, how can your progress in Martial Arts compare to your peers in the family?"
Under the moonlight, Jiang Shu stood, his gaze fixed on Liang Yuanzhou, then he suddenly paused.
At this moment, Liang Yuanzhou’s breathing had involuntarily started to quicken.
"What... exactly are you trying to say!" His palms clenched tightly into fists, and Liang Yuanzhou took a slight step back. Clearly, he was extremely distrustful of this suddenly appearing middle-aged man.
"The noble families hold a grand competition every year. Although you are a disciple of the Liang Family, you were born into a collateral branch, your parents are deceased, and you have no support within the Liang Family. You’ve reached your current Realm purely through diligent daily Cultivation. All you can obtain are the gold, silver, and Elixirs that noble families customarily provide to collateral disciples each month, and even that is often skimmed off.
"In fact, you’ve already lost at this stage. The path of Martial Arts is all about contention. You started by enduring and yielding. Will those resources ever be returned to you? You’re like a lamb hoping that a satiated wolf won’t eat it. Realistically, is that even possible?
"Others have withheld your Martial Arts resources, converting them into their own. They improve their Martial Arts Realms, prominently display their Talents, catch the eyes of the higher-ups, and gain even more Martial Arts resources.
"And what about you? A little less last month, even less the next. You were on the verge of a breakthrough this month, and nearly broke through again the next. You believe it’s never too late for a gentleman to take revenge, even after ten years, but how many decades do you truly have to wait?"
Every word Jiang Shu spoke struck Liang Yuanzhou to the core.
In these past months of Cultivation, aside from training, his most critical activity had been plotting regarding the Liang Family. Liang Yuanzhou was the target he had finally decided upon.
He was twenty years old and at the Late Stage of the Refining Internal Realm. His Martial Arts Talent was decent among his peers; he was only held back by a lack of resources, which was why he hadn’t advanced to the Blood Exchange Realm.
"That’s my business! What does it have to do with you!" Liang Yuanzhou’s tone became increasingly firm. Yet, at the same time, a flicker of doubt crossed his eyes. He still had no idea what this middle-aged man truly intended.