Ancient Strengthening Technique Chapter: 897

AST 897 - Leaving the Sky Penetrating Mountains, Gathering Again
One month later, Qing Shui was already back at the 1,000 li zone of the Sky Penetrating Mountains. This was considered a relatively safe area and one would be able to encounter many cultivators who were seeking adventure or hunting for treasures. At this moment, Qing Shui felt very warm. Although staying for a prolonged period of time in the Sky Penetrating Mountains didn't make him feel suppressed, humans were social creatures who lived in groups. In the end, he still craved to be in places where there were other people.
Cultivators of all realms could be found in this 1,000 li zone. Everyone was in their own groups, the place was bustling with activity and sounds of laughter flooded the area. The Sky Penetrating Mountains was generally a very dangerous area, but this area was an exception. There were basically no encounters with powerful demonic beasts here.
This area was surrounded by huge mountains, caves, and the like. No one had managed to comb through the entire area and even if someone had managed to comb through a mountain ten times, they still might have missed out stuff. Moreover, no one would conduct a search like that.
Many people would enter and exit every day. Some people would leave with satisfied smiles and great returns, while others would leave in tears, bringing back the corpses of their kin or partners who were covered in blood. There was no end to the number of such occurrences in the World of the Nine Continents daily.
No one paid attention to Qing Shui's appearance in the 1,000 li zone, nor did he called out his Five-Headed Demonic Spider. He merely went on his way on foot, using the Nine Palace Steps.
Qing Shui was very familiar with the concept of practice makes perfect. It took him one whole month to cross 100,000 li. The Nine Palace Steps were very profound and if Qing Shui wasn’t so unfamiliar with it, he would not be so slow.
In this one month, he had spent about eight to nine years in the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal. Now, Qing Shui had just managed to bring the Nine Palace Steps to the small success stage. It was very hard for him to grasp the Seven Star Steps to the Nine Palace Steps.
The Nine Palace Steps had nine positionings. The world was split into eight directions, and Qing Shui still did not understand the theory of the Nine Palace and why they were split into nine palaces. With the Nine Palace Steps, Qing Shui was able to leap freely and reach any spot or positions between the Nine Palace. This was due to the profoundness of the Nine Palace.
It was as if one step could bring one into an entirely new space.
The Nine Palace Eight Trigrams Formation added the Nine Palace positionings onto the basis of the Eight Trigrams Formation. It caused the people trapped within in the formation to be confused and surrounded by killing intent. Qing Shui could rely on the Nine Palace Steps to freely dart around within the formation, launching sneak attacks and could kill from any corner or position, catching his opponents while they were unaware.
He had only succeeded in picking up the Nine Palace Steps three days ago and thus the distance he had traveled for the past three days was much greater than what he had covered before, making Qing Shui feel overjoyed. He continued to use the Nine Palace Steps even when he was in the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal and even when he ate. He would take a short nap when he was tired.
In these Nine Palace positionings, Qing Shui was like a spirit who was extremely agile. Qing Shui enjoyed this feeling a lot. Moreover, after attaining some success with the ‘Nine Palace’, Qing Shui realized that there was an area limit on the ‘Nine Palace’. This area was one that was set out by him and as long as he appeared in a place, the area around him would be considered the area of the ‘Nine Palace’.
1,000 meters!
His ‘Nine Palace’ reached out for 1,000 meters and the area he could control was up to 1,000 meters. Qing Shui was very satisfied with this. It was enough. When he moved, the 'Nine Palace' would automatically move together with him.
For the past three days, including the time he had spent in the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal, Qing Shui was considered to have set the foundations for the Nine Palace Steps. Just this alone could raise Qing Shui's battle prowess by a lot. At least, he would have the advantage in many situations because he was the king in the ‘Nine Palace’. Without breaking through his ‘Nine Palace’, other people would have no way of defeating Qing Shui.
The Nine Palace allowed Qing Shui to gain the greatest territorial advantage, regardless of the time and location. This was because when Qing Shui succeeded in picking up the Nine Palace Steps, the Nine Palace would forever stay together with Qing Shui. As long as his opponents didn't break through his Nine Palace, Qing Shui would not lose. Moreover, Qing Shui's Nine Palace Steps were still improving.
...
A lady wearing a golden phoenix pleated dress stood at the entrance of the Sky Penetrating Mountains. She has been here for the past two months and would always stand here for a very long time every day. Many people knew that this was Mu Clan's Young Miss.
Judging by how things looked, she seemed to be waiting for someone. However, no one knew who she was waiting for. There was a tent set up not far away, where two old men were playing chess. There were also two old women looking at that lady wearing the golden phoenix pleated dress, a hint of worry in their eyes.
The lady who stood there was Mu Qing. When she returned, she informed the people from her clan that she had some things to attend to and would not be around for some time. Worried that something bad would befall her, the seniors from her clan had over ten elders follow her. She didn't say anything to this.
Actually, the people from Mu Clan also knew that this was because of that young man who had not returned yet. They didn't feel good about it either since that old man from Dong Clan had come here himself and requested for them to take care of that young man. Back then, they had given him their promise but they didn't know that this young man was planning to head into the deeper region.
Mu Qing stood there stock-still. Just her back view made everyone in the surroundings unable to resist her charms. However, everyone knew that it was Miss Mu and no one dared to be insolent.
In a tent not too far away, Dong Yan and Sun Yan was sitting down on the ground, drinking wine. However, they would also occasionally glance toward the entrance of the Sky Penetrating Mountains.
"Eldest Brother, do you think that anything will happen to Third Brother? It has been so long..." Sun Yan finished up the wine in his cup with one gulp and asked Dong Yan.
"Third Brother isn't someone who would die young. Don't worry, he'll definitely be fine. He might even come across some great opportunity." Dong Yan frowned slightly but his brows very quickly loosened up.
"Is this what Old Master Dong said?" Sun Yan asked Dong Yan suspiciously.
"Old Master said this before too." When he said this, Dong Yan's expression lightened up.
"If Old Master had said this, then it must be true." Sun Yan seemed to feel slightly more relaxed now.
"Did you sense that Third Brother is in fact very suspicious? My gut feelings are quite good. Did you sense that?" Dong Yan smiled and said.
"The fact that the three of us can get together must be because we each have mysterious things about us. Although we might not be the strongest, we can still be considered to be among the top tier amongst the youngest generation." Sun Yan smiled and said casually.
"Haha, and Third Brother said that he's still able to protect himself in the Sky Penetrating Mountains. He's not someone who's reckless. We can only wait now." Dong Yan gave it some thought before filling up his wine glass.
"Miss Mu would always stand there and in a daze for very long every day. Do you think she..." Sun Yan looked toward the distance at that unrivaled beauty and said.
"I don't know. But it seems like something unusual must have happened between them in the Sky Penetrating Mountains." Dong Yan shook his head and said with a smile.
"Then Eldest Brother you..."
"Haha, I've never thought about this before. If a lady wished for a man to revere him, the lady would definitely not wish to be together with that man. I'm still very clear about this. Even I can't get pass myself." Dong Yan shook his head and said, smiling again.
"That's right. If one can only admire, he wouldn't be mentally in the same state to begin with and the two parties would not be able to get along. The first time I saw her, I knew that his lady would probably only give her heart away to someone stronger than her." Sun Yan took a sip of wine and grinned.
"If Third Brother can marry this kind of lady, it'd be a good match too. It seems that based on the current circumstances, it won't be far now."
"That's right. When Third Brother comes back, we three brothers must have a good drink together." Sun Yan once again looked toward the entrance and said.
...
The entrance was within sight. This trip to the Eastern Victory Divine Continent's Sky Penetrating Mountains could be considered perfect. He should leave soon, after all, he had been away for a very long time.
As he thought of this, he walked leisurely toward the mountain's entrance. However, when he lifted his head to look at the entrance, he fell in a daze. He saw that beautiful lady's silhouette, still beautiful as before.
Qing Shui thought that his eyes were playing tricks on him. He shook his head and looked over once again, only to find out that she was still standing there, looking at him in a daze. That intoxicatingly beautiful face was still as familiar as ever.
Her skin was white and tender, her brows charming and her eyes were full of emotions. Her beautiful skin gave out a transcendent feeling like that of the autumn's moonlight and her shoulders slender. Standing there, she gave off an independent charm which was graceful and otherworldly. From afar, one seemed to be able to sense an aura like that of an orchid.
Her golden colored phoenix dress gave her an additional poised and dignified aura, making her seem like a fairy from the heavens, not being able to blend in with the people in the surroundings.
Qing Shui saw Mu Qing's beautiful figure shudder for a moment before she walked toward him.
Dong Yan and Sun Yan could also see Qing Shui from their positions and they also stood up. After taking a few steps, they saw that Mu Qing had moved and they stopped.
However, the smiles on their faces replaced their previous worried expressions.
Many people in the surroundings were also stunned. Rumors had it that Miss Mu didn't care for any men. However, for the past few days, she seemed to be waiting for someone. it was now that they finally realized that she was waiting for a man, a young and handsome man.
How could this be possible? A lot of people in the surroundings were stunned. They looked at Miss Mu walking over to that man, as if her emotions were very turbulent.
"You're back!"
Mu Qing walked up close to Qing Shui, until there was only one step distance between them. Her beautiful gaze looked at Qing Shui, unblinking. However, she quickly took one step back.
Qing Shui didn't know how to describe his current feelings. He saw the lady before him, as well as Dong Yan and Sun Yan. He felt a faint joy. There were still people here who were thinking about him.
"Mmm, thank you!" Qing Shui smiled and said.
"Are you alright?"
Mu Qing didn't know what to say. Earlier, she felt happy to see Qing Shui and came forward subconsciously. However, it was as if she was suddenly awakened and knew that they could only be considered friends at most. Why did she have those illusion previously?
Therefore, she took one step back. Even though she seemed to have things she wanted to say, there didn't seem to be a need to say anything now.
"Let's head back first!" Qing Shui said softly.
Mu Qing smiled and nodded.
Qing Shui's words could be clearly heard by the people around them. While it sounded normal, others didn't interpret it as such. The two of them acted very normally when they stood there and talked to each other. However, to outsiders, they seemed like a married couple who had been together for many years.
Looking at their expressions and at this heartwarming scene, everyone believed that their relationship was unordinary. It was because Miss Mu had never been so close with a man before, which made such an expression even more surprising.
The two of them walked out, side by side. It was at this moment that Dong Yan, Sun Yan, and some other old men walked over. The other people in the area also left, but together with their departure, news also spread out.
The attention that Miss Mu received was quite high. If she were to remain unmarried, no one would say anything; but if Miss Mu were to fall for a man, that man would be in trouble.
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