Chapter 351

: Success
Translator: Radiant Translations Editor: Radiant Translations
After becoming an honorary disciple, Chen Jiu was in no hurry to leave. After all, he and the Meishan Clan Master were both tasked to bring back a World Deity grade secret technique inheritance, but it did not matter exactly when they did so as long as it was before the war broke out. The two of them planned to leave before the twenty years ran out, but until that time, they would naturally focus on cultivating on Crimson Dust Island!
Crimson Dust Island was a cultivation holy land!
Once they left the Xia Clan world, there would be no way for them to come back. They had to use every last sliver of time available.
Chen Jiu had condensed an Only Me Deity Heart, so he picked the body-related World Deity grade secret technique
Hidden Star River
. Its strength was in helping the body develop to an inconceivable level. Once cultivated to the pinnacle, the entire body could become akin to a boundless starry river! Other than its survivability, which was a slightly weaker than that of the Time Immemorial Body, every other aspect exceeded it by quite a bit.
However, its requirements requirements were very difficult to meet, and its cultivation was extremely difficult to carry out. Only the Only Me Deity Heart, which focused on researching the body, barely allowed Chen Jiu to cultivate it.
Even then—be it Chen Jiu or the Meishan Clan Master, each with a self-learned a World Deity grade secret technique—neither of them could match Xue Ying. Now that Chen Jiu and the others had grasped their Deity hearts and secret techniques, they would have a very, very hard time increasing their strength in the future. In fact, it was so difficult that even in ten thousand years, they might not increase it by another step.
For one who has already grasped a complete Deity heart to increase their power…they would have to reach the Deity heart level in other True Meanings and then assimilate those into their own True Deity heart to continue to transform and improve. The ultimate goal and what everyone thirsted for was the ultimate grade one Deity heart.
Xue Ying’s situation was different, however, since his strength was still quickly and fiercely increasing; his three True Meanings were all unceasingly improving. After all, he was still some distance away from attaining a Deity heart.
Sha sha~~~
Inside Xue Ying’s Cultivation Eden room. In an empty courtyard, the leaves of an imposing tree had already turned yellow. As the wind blew, leaves fell.
Xue Ying’s white-robed figure tore through the surrounding space, occasionally appearing and occasionally disappearing.
The spear he held would thrust into nothingness every so often.
Si la! Si la! Si la!
The surrounding empty space suddenly displayed many dark cracks extending all the way into the distance.
I’ve finally achieved a great success. Xue Ying walked out from the empty space, a cheerful look in his eyes. After cultivating here, on Crimson Dust Island, for eleven years, I’ve finally perfected the last two moves of my spear technique. At long last, it is complete.
My strength has finally reached its current limit. A trace of frustration and disappointment flashed in Xue Ying’s eyes. Still, in these eleven years, the progress I’ve made is actually much greater than I expected.
During these eleven years, he had no hex poison perturbing him, while the Time Immemorial Body nourished his soul to an even more formidable degree! On top of that, the cultivation conditions on Crimson Rock Mountain were shockingly good. In one breath, Xue Ying had improved his three True Meanings from early stage three to the peak of the stage three realm. It was already impossibly close to the next level. To walk one more step, he would have to condense his Deity heart.

Deity Heart?
Xue Ying frowned.
Despite his three True Meanings having all reached the peak of the stage three realm, none of them had the slightest premonition of condensing a Deity heart.
To cross that final step was clearly very, very difficult.
The Meishan Clan Master and Chen Jiu had both reached the peak of the stage three realm many years before, had undergone a significant amount of tempering, and had a tremendous accumulation of experience. In the end, it was under the pressure of Crimson Rock Mountain’s ordeals that they succeeded in dangerously breaking through. In fact, in the Deity World, a very large amount of such people never actually took that last step.
As for in the future, when all the three of his True Meanings reached the Deity heart stage, Xue Ying had yet to decide on which True Deity heart he would condense. For the moment, there was no sense in thinking too much on that subject, since reaching the Deity heart stage was the more immediate step.
My secret skill spear technique suite has achieved a great success, and my True Meanings have reached the peak! There was a gleam in Xue Ying’s eyes. Hopefully, this time I can pass the challenge of the sixth floor!
He had already been stuck at the Soaring Cloud Tower’s sixth floor for about three years.
With his last two spear technique skills now perfected, he concluded that his strength had greatly increased! However, this was his last chance! Should he lose again, he would have no way of increasing his strength again in a short enough amount of time.
From the outside, an honorary disciple’s Cultivation Eden room was just an ordinary courtyard. Upon walking inside, however, the space would suddenly enlarge!
After leaving the Cultivation Eden, Xue Ying continued on to the Path of Reflection.
There, he walked the path like always before—ever upwards, step after step! He was aware that the inner heart had to be constantly stirred, or it would not only stagnate, but rather decline. Xue Ying would walk the Path of Reflection about ten times every day.
Hong hong hong~~~ The feeling of tiredness pervaded his entire soul, which faintly blossomed rays of light in response.
He kept walking, step after step. Before long, he was past the first segment and stepped onto the second. There, the feeling of weariness became more turbulent and powerful; it practically drowned the soul and became more powerful with every step Xue Ying took. He finally fell down from the stone steps as he sunk into a deep sleep. The crash into the lake below sent countless waves splashing outward. There, on the lake, Xue Ying smiled and then got up to walk the path a second time.
Then again. And again. He walked the path ten times!
As he walked toward the Soaring Cloud Pagoda, Xue Ying was serene. There, he raised his head to view the nine-storied structure in its entirety.
On the sixth floor of the nine-storied tower.
Xue Ying walked up along the wooden staircase. The sixth floor of the tower consisted of an empty circular space, in the center of which sat a white-bearded old man with his legged crossed. This old man was resting a slender black sword by his knees. It was a thin sword without a scabbard and seemed to not contain the slightest bit of power.

It’s been two months, kid. Have you improved at all?
The white-bearded old man curled his lips into a smile.
If you’ve not made any improvements, I’d prefer it if you didn’t waste my time.


Senior, this junior of yours would like to give it another try,
Xue Ying said.

Good.

The white-bearded old man got up.
Weng!
Without any warning, a multitude of circular ripples spread over the room from the white-bearded old man’s location. These ripples enveloped every single spot in that space, be it real, shadow, or anything in-between; all layers were permeated, and even the particles were searched. These incorporeal ripples also carried a sort of vibrating force. Even a first-class individual such as Lord You Lan would see his body break down and collapse under the vibrational force of these ripples surrounding the old man.
This was one of the frightening secret techniques that the white-bearded old man used.
Ordinary newly-ascended deities would all be easily extinguished under the effect of those circular ripples.
Xue Ying, on the other hand, simply stood there without minding them in the least. His Time Immemorial Body alone could easily resist their effect. With a grin, he voiced out,
Senior, take care.


Just worry about making a move.
The white-bearded old man was extremely haughty.
Hua.
Xue Ying suddenly disappeared in mid-air.

Trying to hide, eh?
The old man grinned as he spread the countless ripples surrounding him in every direction. As he did so, his expression gradually changed.
How can this be possible!

Those ripples, which covered every inch of space in that round room, suddenly shrunk to become incredibly tiny—so tiny that they were hard to see with the naked eye. The white-bearded old man employed his searching technique to its maximum ability.
He’s gone!
The white-bearded old man was somewhat shocked and couldn’t help but open his mouth to say,
Kid, you’ve grasped the Mirage Deity Heart?

As he knew it, once Xue Ying grasped the Mirage Deity Heart, his body would essentially be a part of the Mirage, and its concealing ability would be much more terrifying than even the stage three realm. At that point, it would be so powerful that the original body would no longer need to even make a move, since his Mirage True Body would actually have a strength comparable to the original. This was among the reasons why Mirage Deity Heart experts were considered among the most terrifying of assassins.

Not long has passed since you’ve reached the peak stage three realm, yet without any accumulation of experience and without any blocks in the road, you’ve actually reached the Deity heart stage?
The white-bearded old man was not willing to believe such a thing.

This junior isn’t that amazing. This one’s True Meaning of Mirage has just recently reached the peak of the stage three realm. I’ve yet to comprehend even an outline of the Deity heart stage! I’ve merely perfected this True Meaning of Mirage secret skill, which allowed me to accomplish such a thing.
Xue Ying’s voice resonated in the surrounding space. Xue Ying’s confidence had now reached new heights. Since the old man couldn’t discover him, his chances of winning were greater than thirty percent at the very least.