Chapter 5: The Martial Arts Realms:
The effects of the Loyalty Pill were eye-opening for Xiao Lingfeng as well.
[Loyalty Pill: It is a special elixir that can make the user 100% loyal to the host.
Special note: This pill can only control individuals whose realm isn't more than one major realm higher than the host, and the person's luck must not be too strong; otherwise, the Loyalty Pill will be ineffective]
Even with these restrictions, the elixir's effects were extraordinary.
Well, the restrictions made sense too.
If there were no limitations, he could simply have the emperor of the Tianyun Empire take the Loyalty Pill, and the entire empire would be his. Or, if he made the main character take the Loyalty Pill, the main protagonist would become his subordinate.
He wouldn't need to cultivate at all; just by using the Loyalty Pill, he could conquer the world, which wasn't the right path!
But then again, Xiao Lingfeng thought he wasn't exactly a righteous person to begin with.
However, this approach wasn't Xiao Lingfeng's style.
He preferred to gradually crush his enemies.
Conquering them directly would be no fun!
Life was more interesting with some challenges.
Nevertheless, he decided not to use the Loyalty Pill casually.
The method of obtaining this elixir was unclear, and its effects increased with his own strength. Since he only had one, he naturally wanted to treasure it.
Now, it was time for him to make a breakthrough in his current realm.
Thinking of this, Xiao Lingfeng pressed a concealed button in a pavilion, entering a dark secret chamber. This chamber was made from special materials, making it difficult for even a Martial Commander Realm expert to damage it, making it the best place for cultivation.
With his safety ensured, Xiao Lingfeng took out the Martial King Pill from the system vault.
Holding the brownish elixir, Xiao Lingfeng felt excited.
For decades, the Martial King Pill was the treasure he had longed for the most. Knowing he was about to make a breakthrough with his body's talent limitations, how could he not be excited?
Thinking of this, he swallowed the Martial King Pill in one gulp and began refining its energy with his cultivation technique.
On the Martial God continent, there was a clear hierarchy of realms.
The first realm was the Body Tempering Realm, which was akin to ordinary people but with slightly more strength.
Reaching the Martial Apprentice Realm set one apart from normal people. At the peak of the Martial Apprentice Realm, one would have the strength of a thousand pounds, akin to the modern-day legend of Xiang Yu reborn.
Beyond this was the Martial Warrior Realm, where one could comprehend a force stronger than pure strength, possessing greater destructive power.
The Great Martial Master Realm allowed one to manifest internal energy for attack or defense.
The Martial General Realm transformed internal energy into more formidable Divine Qi, which had more potent destructive capabilities and was more condensed.
A Martial General Realm expert could project energy from their body to attack enemies from a distance, becoming a prominent figure in Tianye City.
Above this was the Martial Commander Realm, where Divine Qi could be used more perfectly, most notably to condense armor and weapons from Divine Qi. Only three people, including Xiao Lingfeng and the city lord sent from above, had reached this level in Tianye City.
Reaching this level meant becoming a local tyrant, even a significant figure in larger cities.
Above this was the Martial King Realm, the realm Xiao Lingfeng was about to make a breakthrough to.
Reaching this realm would make one a renowned figure in the Tianyun Empire.
Martial King Realm experts were respected everywhere, and even the royal family would offer them positions of guest officials with endless wealth and glory.
However, Martial Kings Realm experts didn't need such rewards.
Ambitious Martial Kings Realm experts could establish their own empires, ruling over millions.
But establishing an empire was one thing, and maintaining it was another.
Most Martial Kings experts didn't establish 'empires' because the tribute required by the Tianyun Empire would be enough to crush them.
Nonetheless, this highlighted the strength and importance of Martial King Realm experts in the Tianyun Empire. Moreover, Martial Kings Realm experts had a unique ability: they could directly control the spiritual Qi between heaven and earth, allowing them to fly.
....
Chapter 6: Breaking Through to Martial King Realm:
At this moment, Xiao Lingfeng needed to decide which type of power he would use to make a breakthrough into the Martial King Realm.
It was important to note that Xiao Lingfeng could challenge opponents above his realm and survive, not just because of his ruthlessness, but also because he had two innate attributes.
On the Martial God Continent, children typically started their martial arts training at the age of 12, once their bones were set.
Before beginning their training, they would use attribute stones to determine their innate talents, which would guide their choice of cultivation techniques.
Xiao Lingfeng began his training at eight years old because his father had spent a fortune on a very gentle body-tempering elixir, which allowed his body to reach the level suitable for training by that age.
Back then, Xiao Lingfeng secretly tested his innate attributes (since that special body-tempering elixir was very expensive, the truth was naturally concealed). His tested attributes were dark and gold dual attributes.
Though dark attribute cultivators were very rare, they were also highly despised.
As a result, dark attribute cultivation techniques were extremely rare.
At the time, the Xiao family wasn't as powerful, and his father was only an eighth-stage Martial General Realm. Therefore, the Xiao family did not have any dark attribute techniques.
So, Xiao Lingfeng only cultivated gold attribute techniques, and everyone in Tianye City believed he had only gold attribute power, unaware of his dark attribute talent.
By chance, he later discovered an ancient relic and obtained a high-level dark attribute technique, successfully activating his dark attribute talent.
Having already cultivated for many years, the dual attribute combination allowed him to rapidly improve his levels, given enough resources.
Consequently, his dark attribute power also advanced swiftly, and both his powers reached the peak of the Martial Commander Realm.
While either of his attributes could make a breakthrough given enough accumulated resources, they were fundamentally two different energies.
Thus, the Martial King Pill could only elevate one attribute to the Martial King Realm. The other attribute would require more time to reach that level.
Xiao Lingfeng quickly decided to use his dark attribute power to make a breakthrough.
Over the years, he had engaged in many dangerous dealings, and to avoid exposing his main identity and losing his last refuge, he created a secondary identity.
However, this secondary identity was now at risk.
Although his second power would only need half a year to reach the Martial King Realm, he couldn't wait any longer.
Moreover, his main identity didn’t need to display such immense power.
Therefore, he released a dense wave of dark Qi, enveloping the Martial King Pill inside his body and absorbing its rich spiritual Qi.
As the Martial King Pill was absorbed, Xiao Lingfeng felt his power reach a peak, unable to make a breakthrough a barrier no matter what. This barrier was familiar to Xiao Lingfeng; it was the unique barrier blocking the Martial Commander Realm from reaching the Martial King Realm, proof of his limited talent.
Previously, he had almost driven himself to despair trying to make a breakthrough this barrier, but now he was confident because the perfect-quality Martial King Pill was no joke.
Having swallowed the Martial King Pill, the dark Qi surged wildly, constantly attacking the barrier within Xiao Lingfeng.
The dark surge seemed endless, and under its relentless assault, cracks began to appear in the barrier, which then slowly shattered.
As the barrier disappeared, the entire dark surge poured through, undergoing a transformation that made it purer.
However, this purer Qi also became incredibly thin. The once boundless dark surge was now reduced to a ball of gas about the size of a basketball.
Nonetheless, Xiao Lingfeng was satisfied because this gas wasn't Qi, but more advanced Yuan Qi.
This Elemental Qi was the key for Martial Kings Realm experts to fly.
Xiao Lingfeng had even heard that the Martial King Realm was the true beginning of cultivation, and understanding Yuan Qi was the first step in true cultivation. Xiao Lingfeng believed this because the higher levels—Martial Emperor and Martial Sovereign—also cultivated Elemental Qi. This indicated that only the Martial King Realm, who could cultivate Elemental Qi, were true powerhouses.
Due to his second identity, Xiao Lingfeng had frequent dealings with Martial King Realm cultivators. He knew that when they made a breakthrough into the Martial King Realm, the Elemental Qi in their bodies was about the size of an adult's fist.
...
Chapter 7: The Dreaded Black Wind Bandits:
Now, with Divine Qi the size of a basketball, much larger than that of typical Martial King Realm cultivators, how could Xiao Lingfeng not be satisfied?
However, he didn't relax.
He knew that the reason he had such an abundance of Divine Qi was due to the perfect-grade Martial King Pill, not his own abilities.
With his breakthrough complete, he wanted his spirit beast to advance as well.
He rolled up his right sleeve, revealing a bracer on his right arm, which featured a black gemstone.
This was a sixth-grade Spirit Storage Stone, capable of storing a sixth-level beast, and he had bought it at a high price.
After all, he was very wealthy, and those who followed him couldn't live in poor conditions. Moreover, his ambitions were vast, so he purchased this Spirit Storage Stone.
However, the beast inside the stone should belong to his third identity, the one despised by everyone.
Hence, he didn't make the Spirit Storage Stone into an obvious spirit beast bracelet. Instead, he bought a piece of fifth-grade black iron, crafted it into a bracer, and embedded the gemstone in it.
Since warriors weren't afraid of extreme temperatures, he usually wore long sleeves, which naturally concealed the Spirit Storage Stone.
At this moment, Xiao Lingfeng activated the Spirit Storage Stone, and a burst of black light erupted from it.
When the black light dissipated, a huge black wolf appeared in the secret chamber.
This black wolf stood over six meters tall and was nearly thirteen meters long.
Although the beast was intimidating, it wasn't unusual on the Martial God Continent, where much larger beasts roamed.
However, hearing the name of this black wolf would strike fear into most people within the Tianyun Empire.
The fierce Black Wolf King was a peak fifth-level beast, and had power comparable to a peak Martial Commander Realm cultivator. But its true terror lay not in its strength but in what it symbolized: the most formidable bandit group in the Tianyun Empire, the Black Wind Cavalry.
Of course, this title was self-proclaimed.
The common people called them the Black Wind Bandits. These bandits always operated in groups, and their strength was formidable.
Although their numbers were just over a hundred, each was a Martial General Realm cultivator, and every one of their mounts was a fourth-level Black Wolf.
Such a powerful group wasn't something even Martial King Realm families dared to provoke lightly.
Despite their numerous raids, the Black Wind Bandits were careful, never stealing strategic resources or plundering commoners’ goods, which led the Tianyun Empire to turn a blind eye to their existence.
Even so, rumors made the Black Wind Bandits a feared presence.
Xiao Lingfeng wasn't afraid of the common folk; if the Black Wind Bandits appeared before them, they would likely only wet their pants.
His true fear was the might of the entire Tianyun Empire. Having attended the Tianyun Conference in the capital, he knew the true power of the empire. Therefore, he knew not to provoke the empire, as the Black Wind Cavalry wouldn't stand a chance against a full-scale attack.
So, he never raided important supplies.
Yet, the Black Wind Bandits’ existence still made many uneasy. Their survival was thanks to the Black Wind Mountain’s terrain, where they cleverly created hidden passages to evade pursuers.
Over time, powerful families stopped wasting their resources on a futile chase, forming an unspoken agreement with the Black Wind Cavalry. However, if his true identity as the leader of the Black Wind Cavalry were revealed, endless pursuers would come after him.
He might escape back to the Black Wind Mountain, but the Xiao family wouldn't be so lucky. Though he felt no familial affection for the current Xiao family members, his parents in this life had treated him very well.
His mother died of illness when he was ten, worrying about his safety until her last breath. His father died at fifty, killed by beasts while treasure hunting in the Beast Mountain Range, leaving not even a complete corpse.
But Xiao Lingfeng would never forget how his father had spent half the family’s fortune and all his personal assets to buy him the body-tempering elixir that allowed him to start training four years early.
(+10 Advance chapters are available on Patreon!)
-To be continued!
****
Translated & Edited by:
-SilverBerry