Chapter 27: Chu-Jiang, Great Jin, Cloudstride

Previously in the stronghold within Ninecloud Mountain, Wu Yuan had been pressed for time. Between cleaning up the battlefield and rescuing the chieftain, he had no time to thoroughly examine the two treasures he had acquired. Now that he was back in the safety of the martial academy, he naturally took his time to examine them.

The more he studied the token, the more Wu Yuan felt it was no ordinary object.

Its durability is no joke.

Wu Yuan sat cross-legged on the ground, gripping both ends of the token in each hand.

He tested its durability dozens of times. Fearing that he would crush it, Wu Yuan started by squeezing one side with the strength of several hundred catties. Gradually, he increased it to several thousand, until finally, he exerted his maximum strength! Yet, he couldn't even leave a tiny scratch on it.

Could it be made of divine weapon material?

Wu Yuan frowned slightly.

He would find it tough to damage a fourth-grade superior weapon. However, under the force of tens of thousands of catties, he should theoretically be able to sense changes in the weapon's internal momentum.

But with this golden token, no matter how much strength he added, it felt like clay oxen entering the sea [1]. He could not perceive any internal shift within the token. Clearly, tens of thousands of catties of force were still far below its limit. It was definitely something extraordinary.

The only thing Wu Yuan could think of were the divine weapons he had read about in the martial academy's literature, as well as the numerous novels in his previous life.

Any weapon referred to as 'divine' was composed of extraordinary materials. For fifth-grade weapons, the price of commonly seen weapons like swords, axes, spears, and swords ranged from several hundred to several thousand silver taels. Throwing knives were the exception as little material was required for their construction.

Yang Long's machete was a fourth-grade weapon, one of the best among the superior weapons in Wu Yuan's estimation, and was worth around 10,000 silver taels.

As for divine weapons, they were constructed with special materials and were nigh unbreakable, even under the force of 100,000 catties. Even the most ordinary of third-grade divine weapons, made from the least materials such as throwing knives or daggers, were valued at no less than tens of thousands of silver taels! A regular third-grade divine weapon often cost upwards of 100,000 silver taels, and was hard to come by.

As for second-grade and first-grade divine weapons? In the Middle Land, these were the stuff of legends, rare weaponry whose value could hardly be weighed in mundane objects like gold and silver. Every single second-grade and first-grade divine weapon had an extraordinary origin.

If this is truly made from divine weapon material, the 30,000 silver notes I received might not be worth as much as the material in this token.

Wu Yuan shook his head slightly. Divine weapons were precious treasures of astounding value.

The most important question is, what does this token represent? Some sort of authentication from the Chu-Jiang Empire of the past? Or a keepsake of the Chu-Jiang's lost lineage?

Wu Yuan put down the token, continuing to sift through the books before him, hoping to find some clues within. These books were all related to the Chu-Jiang Empire, and were collected from the martial academy's library.

‘Six Hundred Years of Chu-Jiang’, ‘The Local Customs of Six Hundred Chu-Jiang Counties’, ‘Chronicles of the Chu-Jiang Empire’, ‘The Empire that Emerged from the Chu Continent’, ‘The Secret History of the Chu-Jiang Royal Family’...There were more than ten books in total. After fusing the memories of his body's predecessor, Wu Yuan had a rough understanding of the Chu-Jiang Empire. And after closely reading these books today, he gained a deeper understanding of this great empire that had fallen decades ago.

The Chu-Jiang Empire was established more than 600 years ago in the Chu Continent, giving rise to numerous formidable figures over the centuries. It expanded rapidly, reaching its peak 200 years ago. Spanning across the Chu and Jiang continents, its territory stretched over 20,000 li. It governed 29 provinces, over 600 counties, and housed a population of over 500 million - a massive empire! It was once the top empire in the Middle Land.

The Cloudstride Sect was once a great martial sect under the Chu-Jiang Empire. Although it maintained a high degree of independence, it was subordinate to the imperial royal family and had to lend its strength to the empire when called upon to.

This was until 200 years ago, when a Heavenly Ranker known as Imperator Jin emerged, suppressing all the other experts. He emerged from the border of the Xi Continent, and made numerous political and military maneuvers over the span of twenty years. Eventually, he conquered three nations and nine sects in the Zhong Continent, establishing Great Jin, and renaming the Zhong Continent the Holy Continent.

The Zhong Continent, now known as the Holy Continent, ranked first in terms of territorial size, resources, population, and historical culture among all thirteen continents, surpassing several other continents put together.

Imperator Jin, a former Heavenly Ranker, previously held a universally acknowledged status as the strongest being in the world!

60 years ago, Emperor Jin III thoroughly quelled internal strife within the empire, and then instigated war against the Chu-Jiang Empire. One was in its prime, the other, in decline. 30 years and six decisive battles later, the war between the two great empires concluded with Great Jin's overwhelming march into the capital of the Chu-Jiang Empire, where the core of the Chu royal family was massacred.

The Chu and Yuan Continents were now largely occupied by the Great Jin Empire. Three provinces of the Jiang Continent also fell under their rule, establishing the Great Jin as the world's most powerful nation. The royal family of Great Jin was also recognized as the world's greatest force.

Since the fall of the Chu-Jiang Empire, not a single sect or nation in the Middle Land dared to challenge the Great Jin Empire.

At that time, the core of the Chu-Jiang Empire's royal family was nearly wiped out, and its territories were in chaos. Ultimately, the Cloudstride Sect and a distant branch of the Chu-Jiang Empire, the Baijiang Kingdom, emerged victorious in claiming four provinces each, greatly expanding their influence.

200 years after its establishment, the Great Jin Empire spans tens of thousands of li, but the expansion of its territory is far from over.

Wu Yuan sighed inwardly, putting down the book.

The martial might of the Great Jin Empire far surpassed that of any other present nation. Every new generation of emperor displayed great ambition, and the various sects and nations could perceive their unrelenting desire to unite the Middle Land.

The Battle of Hillstride eight years ago was the first battle between Emperor Jin IV of the Great Jin Empire and the Cloudstride Sect. The Cloudstride Sect suffered a defeat, leading to the loss of their ancestral land, the Hillstride Province, and a reduction in their jurisdiction from four provinces to three. The Battle of Hillstride was therefore viewed as a continuation of the war between Great Jin and Chu-Jiang.

Great Jin is ambitious, and has the strength to unify the Central Plains. But the major powers from the Yan, Wu, and Dong Continents will not stand by and allow it to happen. They might all be supporting the Cloudstride Sect in secret.

After the fall of the Chu-Jiang Empire, the Cloudstride Sect became the first line of defense against the eastward advance of the Great Jin Empire.

Father... he fell in the Battle of Hillstride.

Wu Yuan’s eyes were downcast. Images of his father from his inherited memories came to mind, stirring up a whirlwind of emotions.

Deep down, Wu Yuan bore little affection for the Great Jin Empire.

Eight years have passed since the Battle of Hillstride. Although the world appears to be at peace, there's no predicting when the Great Jin Empire might begin another invasion.

A sense of urgency gnawed at him. His strength was far from sufficient! He couldn't even kill a first-rate Adept. What could he do in a massive war between two nations? What could he do against an empire like Great Jin, with its numerous experts and millions of soldiers? He couldn't even protect his own family and clan!

This token... it might hold a great secret.

Wu Yuan speculated, staring at the token.

The Chu-Jiang Empire fell, but the foundation of a 600-year-old empire is sure to be profound. The movement to restore the empire has never ceased.

Not to mention, many distant branches of the Chu-Jiang royal family had managed to escape, like the Baijiang Kingdom that ruled four provinces. Their rapid rise from humble beginnings was largely due to their claim of being a distant branch of the Chu-Jiang royal family, which gave them massive influence.

The first-rate Adept I encountered harbors a deep hatred for me, and likely has powerful backing. The Cloudstride Sect might not even measure up. Before I have enough power, I can't let it be known that I wiped out the Vicious Tiger Gang.

If word gets out, it could bring calamity to my entire clan!

Second-rate Adepts wouldn't dare cause trouble in a county city. But a first-rate Adept wouldn’t be too worried about assassinating a county mayor, unless perhaps they were surrounded by the Southdream Army on open ground.

He had to be careful.

After the battle at Ninecloud Mountain, Wu Yuan's understanding of the Middle Land deepened: might makes right, and life is as cheap as grass!

As for this jade vial?

Wu Yuan carefully stored the golden token and picked up the jade vial. Unsealing the vial, waves of refreshing aroma wafted out, bringing a wonderful sense of comfort to Wu Yuan.

Judging by this ‘Compendium of Natural Treasures’, this jade vial likely contains a food and medicine type natural treasure.

Wu Yuan replaced the stopper.

The Compendium of Natural Treasures only provided vague descriptions, but it clearly explained some basic knowledge. Natural treasures were categorized into three major types: food and medicine, mineral, and special. Each major type was further divided into many subcategories.

The natural treasures often mentioned by ordinary folk were mostly of the food and medicine type, which could directly enhance the strength of martial artists and improve their constitution. And the raw materials used in the production of divine weapons were essentially mineral type natural treasures.

However, this is just my preliminary judgment, I can't be sure.

Wu Yuan shook his head faintly.

Ingest it directly? No matter how confident Wu Yuan was, or how well he could control his body, he wasn't that bold. Natural treasures were not always beneficial, they could be harmful too! Powerful martial artists usually didn't fear common poisons, but deadly toxins derived from certain natural treasures were said to affect even Grandmasters.

To determine what exactly is in the jade vial, the best method is to seek the Starcom Consortium's advice. The second best method is to seek out the alchemist in Li City.

All branches of the Starcom Consortium gathered goods from all over the world. They surely had a way to identify it. Alchemists were arguably the people who dealt with natural treasures the most. The probability of them correctly identifying this treasure was also high. But Wu Yuan was reluctant to try either of these methods. It would increase the risk of exposing himself.

Li City is too small. The Vicious Tiger Gang just got wiped out, creating a tense atmosphere and drawing interest from numerous factions. If I were to unveil such a valuable treasure here, it could quickly become a target. Let's try some silly methods first.

First of all, he needed to confirm whether the material in the jade vial was beneficial or detrimental!

1. (idiom) never to be heard of again; gone forever ?