Silence came at once, aside from the occasionally flapping of the bonfire against the wind.

Every pair of eyes were staring at Jiang He, unsure what to say just then.

It was only after a long time that Cheng Dongfeng grumbled, “What is Minister w.a.n.g thinking? Why would he have us travel along with Jiang He?

Was this not a blow to morale?

If this happened a few more times, Cheng Dongfeng felt like his martial heart would crumble.

Chen Jingzhou nodded, agreeing to it profoundly, though he soon chuckled, “Thankfully I've grasped Sword Will and strode up to the best amongst rank-nine, or Jiang He would have overtaken me.”

A weird look appeared on Cheng Dongfeng's face at his words.

He glanced at Jiang He and then at Chen Jingzhou, eventually swallowing the words that were at the tip of his tongue.

It seems that Cheng Jingzhou did not know that Jiang He had grasped Sword Will and could trade blows even against the Blade King!

On the other hand, Jiang He's eyes lit up.

Having completed his ascension, he withdrew his aura. As the silhouette of six suns behind him faded, he walked up and said, “Commander Chen, I actually have some questions about cultivation that I wanted to ask you about… but I've never had the chance.”

Chen Jingzhou smiled like an elderly uppercla.s.sman, saying, “Ask away. I'll tell you anything I know.”

Jiang He thought about it before saying, “So, it's like this, Commander Chen—I've actually grasped Sword Will a few days ago by using a tuft of Sword Will Barrenwort… it's not much at just around thirty percent, but I since hadn't yet learned any swordplay, I want to ask—how could I infuse Sword Will into my sword techniques?”

Even as he spoke, Jiang He charged his sword will to demonstrate it to Chen Jingzhou.

Chen Jingzhou scowled at once, feeling as if he received a 100000x critical hit on his heart.

Grasping sword will without learning swordplay?

I've trained in the sword for almost forty years, stopping at neither rain nor snow… was it all for nothing?

Still, complaints were complaints. As Chen Jingzhou came to his senses, he did not hold back, and told Jiang He much about sword will.

“Grasping sword will without cultivating swordplay… even if you achieved that with the Sword Will Barrenwort, it is clear that you are the only one person with such talent for the ways of the sword!”

Indeed, Chen Jingzhou even looked expectant.

If Jiang He could learn swordplay, where could the limits of his future be?

“Learn swordplay?”

Jiang He shook his head, sighing. “I'm too busy recently, so learning swordplay would have to wait for now. I should complete my grasp over sword will instead, since grasping it perfectly would help improve my cultivation.”

Chen Jingzhou: “…”

He felt a mysterious impulse to curse at Jiang He's ancestors.

What sort of a person is this!

Nonetheless, after so much excitement and food, the group did not even have the time to rest. Hence, Chen Jingzhou forced a smile, saying, “Alright, let's rest for a bit more, and we've continue moving at twelve.”

The Ferals near the village had all vanished without a twice after Jiang He threw a handful of pea bombs. Moreover, since Yang Chengwu—the weakest amongst the group was rank-six pinnacle, there was no danger to be afraid of.

After that Jiang He packed up his grill rack, muttering as he did, “Not having water-type powers is such a bother out in the wild, since I can't clean up… eh?”

Even as he spoke, he turned towards Yang Chengwu and asked in surprise, “Why didn't you eat the grilled meat?”

The youth had left the skewers hanging in front of himself and smiled, “Bro Jiang, us Hui people don't eat snakes.”

Only then did Jiang He remember that Yang Chengwu was the heir to Yang Clan School, famed for the Reverse Backblade.

He liked the kid even more now—what with him having such cultivation just a couple years short of twenty, as well as possessing remarkable talent and a fine mindset.

One must know that this was a pinnacle King Feral's meat, and even martial artists the likes of Cheng Dongfeng would benefit in cultivation from eating it. Even so, the kid actually resisted the temptation.

“G-grandmaster Jiang, I'll help you clean up.”

Zhou Rui approached Jiang He voluntarily at that.

Her impression of Jiang He had now taken a hundred-eighty degree spin. Aside from her shock, she was even more curious about him…

The Blue King Drake?

Everyone knew that w.a.n.g Hou had slain the Blue King Drake since the media had been promoting that piece of news. But for Jiang He to get his hands on the creature's flesh… could he have a connection to w.a.n.g Hou?

Nonetheless, after putting the grill rack back inside his System Backpack, Jiang He stopped talking and went to a corner to sit cross-legged, closing his eyes to rest while he checked his own body.

He was now rank-nine.

His Strengthened Nine Yang Technique had also improved to the Sixth Tier, although it was not full mastery since it was not improved using Farm points.

Jiang He estimated that if he could gain mastery over the sixth tier, his cultivation would improve to rank-nine pinnacle too.

At that point, reaching divine-tier was a matter of time when he developed his sword will then.

“Somehow, a martial arts newbie like me is reaching divine-tier?” Jiang He was rather b.u.mmed out, since he did not really cultivate in any sense.

Even as he directed his True Qi's flow for some cultivating, he became bored in just minutes…

He opened his eyes to find others sitting cross-legged in meditation as well and adjusting their regenerative abilities. As such, Jiang He left the village for a leisurely stroll around it.

After walking in a giant circle round the village, he couldn't help frowning in confusion when he found nothing.

What the heck?

Before this, Duan Tianhe and Three Blades Lin mentioned something about being wary of a Sky Demon Cult ambush… and he had already blown a Fiend scout to death, meaning that the Sky Demon Cult indeed had plans for these six prodigies.

What the heck?

But…

Where were the Sky Demon Cultists?

Jiang He simply did not know that Three Blades Lin had gotten rid of the Sky Demon Cultists, and imitated his group by starting a fire and grilling some meat.

Even so, he spat everything out after taking a bite of what he cooked.

It was horrible.

After all, would there be any taste if he had no condiments?

Speechless, Three Blades Lin sighed. “I've learned, I've truly learned… I have a Spatial Ring too, so why hadn't I thought of bringing a grill rack and condiments?”

Soon, it was twelve, and Jiang He's group kept moving forward.

Even as he sat leisurely on the black panther's back, Jiang He munched on some Three Blades Lin while watching the others sprinted along, looking envious especially at Zhou Rui, who was physically the weakest and soldiered on through gritted teeth despite her look of exhaustion. “Well… I wouldn't have gotten a mount if I knew the journey would be so long and boring. Running along with you people would have been fun.”

“Woah… what the h.e.l.l!”

Cheng Dongfeng, who was following behind the black panther scowled. “Why don't you run a couple hundred miles too?”

“Forget it.”

Jiang He shook his head, sighing. “It's better for me to sit on a mount rather than maintaining such a slow pace.”

Everyone was gritting their teeth in frustration at his words, but they could not do anything about it.

With a burst of strength at his sole, Cheng Dongfeng ran until he was level with the black panther, asking as they advanced, “By the way, didn't you ignite the charcoal by shooting flames from your palm just now, Jiang He? Did you awaken fire-type powers?”

Jiang He glanced at Cheng Dongfeng.

How long has it been, and you only noticed that now?

Isn't your reaction time a little too slow?

Still, he nodded, whereas Cheng Dongfeng laughed and acted as if it was normal. “That's what I was saying… I could feel that the power wasn't a manifestation of True Qi. Guess I was right, you've awakened again.”

Even so, he was bellowing inwardly.

Truly, comparing oneself to others always ends with frustration!

Awakened individuals were rare in the first place, and awakening superpowers was more difficult for powerful martial artists than your average joe…

There were many Awakened who trained in martial arts as well, but rarely would elite martial artists awaken—it was basically common sense.

And yet, common sense does not seem to apply to Jiang He.

Suddenly, Jiang He asked from atop the black panther's back, “By the way, could we slightly adjust the route to the Tantra Sect?”

“Eh?”

Puzzled, Chen Jingzhou darted towards Jiang He, saying, “The route marked on the map should be the safest since it avoids the territories of many powerful Ferals, even Feral Kings. That said, if you have something in mind, we could reroute—but under the condition that everyone's safety is a.s.sured.”

“a.s.sure everyone's safety?”

Jiang He looked at the others rather uncertainly.

He planned to reroute into Lake Kanas, and when the others take a break at that location, he would make time to head towards Mount Tian, which was merely several hundred miles away…

Be that as it may, Lake Kanas was a Feral King's domain. Even if no one would go near the lake itself, who would know if the Red Toad King would suddenly spring out and start some trouble?

Nonetheless, wouldn't everyone be safe if he got rid of the Red Toad King?

After musing irresolutely to himself for a long while, Jiang He then seriously said, “No worries, everyone. I'll ensure all of you would be safe.”

Chen Jingzhou only grinned at that. “Very well, we shall reroute according to the path you decide on. Anything is fine as long as we reach the mountain gates of the Tantra Sect by nightfall of the sixth day.”

“We are as unworried as we could be about you, Jiang He.”

Despite not knowing the clash between Three Blades Lin and Jiang He, Chen Jingzhou was actually aware that Jiang He had actually slain the Black King Drake.

With his strength, as long as he did not go full suicidal and provoke a real Feral King… what difference was the wildlands to Jiang He's own backyard?

Even so, Chen Jingzhou started panicking several hours later.

As they continued onward, he identified their route and somberly said, “Jiang He, we would probably reach Lake Kanas in another two hundred miles from the path of our advance. It's a forbidden zone, as the Red Toad King had taken residence there. That beast is trouble—it ascended as a Feral King six years ago, and a Senior Commander of the military as well as a divine-tier elite stationed at the Western Frontier failed to take it down together!”

“Is the Red Toad King that powerful?”

Jiang He was rather shocked even as Chen Jingzhou smiled begrudgingly. “In terms of ability, it does not stand amongst the best Feral Kings, but it could spit venom that would injure anyone beneath divine-tier. In fact, divine-tier elites could be poisoned if caught off guard, their ability decreasing.”

“Venom?”

Jiang He breathed a sigh of relief, grinning, “Well, there's nothing to be afraid of if its strongest power is spitting venom. I have a lot of Bezoar Detox Pills, which incidentally negates that.”