Chapter 269: The Tragic Life of King Xuanwu and the Two Top-Level Secret Scriptures (I)

Deep within the Yunwu Mountains, a rushing river cascaded off a 320-meter-high[1] cliff, forming a majestic waterfall that thundered down with a deafening roar. Halfway down the waterfall, a big rock jutted out at an angle, creating the perfect scenic viewpoint.

Dressed in his black and red armor, Chen Chu sat cross-legged at the tip of the rock. A blue light emanated from his wristwatch's holographic display, forming a large array of text in mid-air.

He was reviewing a high-level guide for the Divine Mountain True Martial Art, which drew inspiration from the vastness of the heavens to cultivate immense strength and endurance, enough to carry mountains.

The guide described the essence of each stage in detail, from the function of the involved meridians to the changes and tempering that one’s true power and body underwent. It also listed which mutated beast essences to use for each stage, which resources would contain the necessary mountainous essence for absorption, and what effects could be achieved.

Although it lacked the core of the fourth stage's will, the guide comprehensively detailed the art’s complex intricacies. This high-level art, which could be cultivated to the peak of the Sixth Heavenly Realm and touched the limits of martial arts, could be said to embody the creator's lifelong effort. Each stage of the art had been tested multiple times, and even minor missteps could result in serious injuries.

Every time Chen Chu finished studying a high-level martial art guide, he marveled at the achievements of his predecessors, holding deep respect for them. Without them paving the way, he wouldn’t have reached the peak of the Fifth Heavenly Realm so quickly, even with the enhancement from attribute points.

After finishing the guide, Chen Chu slowly closed his eyes, his mind swirling with countless characters. His consciousness raced, absorbing, understanding, and analyzing the art.

After deciding to pursue the path of creating his own top-level secret scripture, Chen Chu had been spending his time either cultivating or looking at other high-level arts through the Celestial Think Tank System, aiming to enrich his understanding and enhance his martial foundation by learning from a wide array of sources.

For now, he had given up on hunting mutated beasts to earn contribution points. As a large number of students flocked to the outer regions of the Yunwu Mountains, teams of cultivators at the Fifth Heavenly Realm had started venturing into the midsection, filling the entire range with vibrant activities.

Despite the abundance of high-level mutated creatures in the mountains, the new demand for them far outweighed the supply. Most of the level 6 mutated creatures in the deeper part of the mountains had also been killed by the teachers during the hunt for the cultists, prompting the few that remained to go into hiding.

On top of that, many resources had already been swiped by geniuses in the late stage of the Fifth Heavenly Realm. As a result, after dominating the southern battlefield and becoming the leading figure among the young generation in the south, Chen Chu found that he couldn’t earn nearly as many contribution points as he had before.

If he diligently explored the depths of the mountains, he could still find some level 5 beasts, such as the one he had slayed on his last trip out. However, the entire process of entering the mountains, searching for a beast, and transporting the body back now took three or four days. That was hardly worth it for just a little over a hundred contribution points.

Ultimately, he decided to split his focus. His goals were to break into the Sixth Heavenly Realm within a month, accumulate 500 contribution points, and study a hundred high-level arts. Once he achieved those, he would have to consider other ways to get stronger; after reaching the Sixth Heavenly Realm, the school would no longer be of much help to him.

Fortunately, he now had full access to East Xia’s library of high-level martial art guides without needing to spend contribution points, which saved him a significant amount. Under normal circumstances, a comprehensive guide of the first three stages would cost 50 points, while a complete guide would require 300.

Meanwhile, the Thunder Fiery Colossal Beast had been in a semi-dormant state for a week, quietly undergoing its transformation from level 7 to level 8.

During the Thunder Beast’s slumber, the newly crowned master of the Dragon Palace, the Silver Colossal Dragon, led the Single-horned Kun and the Dragon Turtle on a rampage, sweeping through all level 7 creatures within a thousand kilometers of the palace.

Those level 7 creatures were supposedly given three choices: Submit, flee, or be killed. So far, however, the Silver Dragon hadn’t managed to subdue a single beast, mainly because it always charged into battle as soon as it encountered one.

There was no need to worry about the Thunder Beast’s safety in the Dragon Palace, as it was in a state of light sleep and could wake up at any moment to tear apart any intruders. It was simply too tired to move, which caused Chen Chu to feel drowsy all day.

At that moment, his wristwatch buzzed lightly, signaling an incoming message.

Chen Qi: Chen Chu, return to base immediately. There's something important.

Important?

Chen Chu's eyes filled with curiosity. In a flash, he disappeared, moving through the mountains at an astonishing speed.

The next morning, Chen Chu arrived back at the school base. As he stepped onto the square, he saw a Bluebird fighter jet parked there, attracting a crowd of onlookers. Beside the jet, Captain Du Yu was talking with Chen Qi.

Chen Chu walked over quickly and greeted them. "Miss Chen, Captain Du."

Seeing Chen Chu's hurried return, Chen Qi looked surprised. "I thought you wouldn’t get here until noon, but you made it by morning. Go with Du Yu to the rear main base. General Ling wants to see you."

"General Ling? What for?" Chen Chu paused, puzzled about what the commander of the southern battlefield might want with him.

"I don’t know the details. He just told me to ask if you’re interested in two top-level secret scriptures. If you are, head over there."

Two secret scriptures?

Chen Chu’s eyes lit up. Although he had already applied for the Divine Might Dragon Elephant secret scripture, it was incomplete. Having two more complete scriptures for reference would greatly assist him in developing his own.

Faced with a temptation like this, Chen Chu couldn’t refuse, even though he sensed that this likely wasn’t going to be a simple matter. After all, the reward was too enticing.

Buzz!

Under many watchful eyes, the Bluebird jet slowly ascended. Its engines exploded with powerful thrust, and with a roar, it left the school base at supersonic speed to head toward the rear military base.

Soon, the jet crossed over a thousand kilometers and arrived at the rear base, slowly landing on the open space of the airfield. After passing through several layers of strict security checks, Chen Chu was led by a soldier to the main office of the base's command building.

"Chen Tianjiao[2], General Ling is inside. You may go in."

Chen Chu nodded and politely said, "Thank you."

The soldier quickly shook his head. "Oh no, it's no trouble at all."

As the commander of the entire southern battlefield, Ling Yi had a big office that was segmented into two areas: one for daily work, and the other filled with display screens.

Seeing Chen Chu walk in, Ling Yi smiled warmly from behind his desk. "Haha... Little Chen, there you are. Please, have a seat."

"Hello, General Ling," Chen Chu said politely and sat down across from him.

It was hard not to be polite. When Chen Chu entered the office, his keen intuition sensed a terrifying pressure from this man, despite him being in his fifties or sixties. Even though the aura was restrained, it made Chen Chu feel like he was facing an ancient colossal beast. General Ling was incredibly strong, at least in the Ninth Heavenly Realm.

Ling Yi spoke kindly. "I've actually been wanting to chat with you for a while, but I've been very busy. I'm glad I finally got the chance today. I didn't expect that, in just a little over ten years, the southern cultivation world would produce another prodigy. You've reached the highest level of the young generation after only cultivating for half a year, displaying overwhelming power and a truly invincible spirit."

Chen Chu replied modestly, "You're too kind, General. My achievements today are thanks to the school."

"Haha... that's not just flattery. Although our education system in East Xia is well-developed, getting to this level still depends on your own efforts. By the way, our backend data shows that you've been browsing many high-level martial arts recently. Have you learned anything from them?"

Chen Chu nodded. "I've learned a lot. Reading the martial art guides made me realize how narrow my understanding of true martial arts was. I've been overly focused on short-term gains at the expense of enriching myself."

"That's normal. Everyone focuses on cultivating realms when they first start. It's only when they get to a certain level that they turn to learning more to deepen their foundation. Many never reach that stage, or they only realize it at the Sixth Heavenly Realm.

"What's commendable is that you didn't continue to pursue quick breakthroughs after becoming the top of the young generation in the south. Instead, you chose to solidify and enrich your true martial path. Although this may slow your progress in the short term, a solid foundation will allow you to advance more steadily and achieve greater heights."

1. The original novel uses "a hundred zhang," which is an old, uncommonly used unit of length; this was converted for consistency. ☜

𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

2. Tianjiao means "prodigy" in Chinese, it seems to also be used as a title in this novel. ☜