115: Five-year collection

Recalling the Water Mist Clone, Jiang Hanwen mobilized his Spiritual Qi, and two figures identical to him appeared before him.

The difference was that these two figures had no aura, no rhythm of a heartbeat, only a body with a blank face; one glance was enough to tell they weren't Immortal Masters.

The next second, Qi and blood transformed into armor, enveloping the two shadows, blurring vision, and then Jiang Hanwen circulated the Divine Breath True Scripture, making his own heartbeat disappear and his aura vanish.

The two Clones, condensed from water Spiritual Qi, were indistinguishable from the main body. Under Jiang Hanwen's control, the Clones even walked forward, brandishing a saber and running, while he himself became the decoy.

Perfect!

Jiang Hanwen's heart settled. This was not a simple one plus one equals two; it was the Water Mist Clone combined with Qi and blood condensation.

Not only could it be used to escape, but it could also be used to attack. As long as Spiritual Qi and Qi and blood did not dry up, they could regenerate infinitely.

The opponent wouldn't be able to determine which was his true body, and would only be able to respond exhaustedly.

After trying for a while, Jiang Hanwen confirmed that within a three-zhang radius, five shadows were the maximum. Any more, and the movements would deform, revealing flaws.

Returning to the ground, Jiang Hanwen continuously released ten thick wall spells, burying the puddle.

Outside, the sky was full of stars, the midsummer evening breeze carried a dry heat, and the chirping of cicadas rose and fell, releasing the unique liveliness of a summer night.

Jiang Hanwen tested his new body in the courtyard; it was a completely different concept from before his Breakthrough.

Without activating the Qi and blood amplification, using only muscle strength, his strength, which was two thousand three hundred catties before his Breakthrough, was now a full fifty thousand catties, a twenty-fold increase!

Besides strength, the next was defense. He tested it, and an ordinary small knife, poked lightly, could not pierce his skin at all.

Using the Chixiao Sword, if he didn't exert force, it could only leave a white mark.

The Qi and Blood Dao—this was the name he gave it.

In all the records of the Zhuang family, this had never been mentioned.

Either he had created it himself, or someone had deliberately concealed the Qi and Blood Dao, not wanting more people to Cultivate it, or it was almost impossible for anyone to achieve, so it gradually disappeared in smaller places.

Jiang Hanwen knew his limits; he had only Cultivated a few hundred Body Tempering Cultivation Techniques, so he definitely couldn't claim to have created it.

Compared to the former, he believed in the latter more.

However, although he only took five years to Breakthrough, he had already spent a long time Cultivating to the ninth level before that.

Coupled with the existence of his Impeccable Body and bitter apricot fruit, he achieved this result.

For an ordinary person, he recalled how he himself had spent eight years to fully grasp a single Zhuangli Fist at the beginning.

Over three hundred Cultivation Techniques, it's not a small number.

For a normal person, even one with good talent, one Cultivation Technique a year would still require over three hundred years.

And without Breakthrough to Qi Induction, with a lifespan of only a hundred years, this was a dead end.

The Qi and Blood Dao is essentially equivalent to Body Cultivator.

Compared to Spiritual Cultivator, who need comprehension, Body Cultivator is a clumsy method, requiring a long time of accumulation, with low status and few means, consuming many resources.

However, as long as one ultimately succeeds in Cultivation, their body can rival a divine weapon, withstand a Heavenly Tribulation, and arm-wrestle with Beast Kings; there are no weak ones.

Body Cultivator, consuming time and resources, is a bottomless pit for others, but for Jiang Hanwen.

What he needed most was this kind of path that required time and resources, because he was steady; a bit of effort yields a bit of reward, never an empty promise!

Time, he had plenty of it. The cost was huge, but he could slowly earn money.

Coincidentally, these few families at the foot of the mountain had alchemists, talismans, and craftsmen.

A craftsman must first sharpen his tools if he is to do his work well. His next goal was to find a way to learn all of them, earn money like crazy, and accumulate resources!

As long as he learned it, no matter how crappy the skill, with infinite practice over time, Jiang Hanwen was confident he could turn it into a divine technique.

Just like his Spirit Rain Technique, because it was cast too many times, it went from ten breaths to thirty breaths, to no time limit, raining continuously as long as Spiritual Qi was sufficient.

Now, he could even control the cloud cluster to not disperse for three days.

He could Cultivate on one side while the cloud cluster was on the other, and when the time came, it would rain by itself.

Jiang Hanwen slipped into the tunnel and disappeared.

In the vast night, the bookstore at the foot of the mountain was knocked on.

“Expand the house according to this drawing and change the plaque. Here are the blueprints and the money. Any problems?”

Jiang Hanwen stood before Xia Zhijie, who was at the fifth level of Mortal Transformation, handing him two gold bars. Xia Zhijie skillfully took them and carefully examined the blueprints.

Every month, he would symbolically check on the grandfather and grandson, distribute their monthly stipend, inquire about news, and guide Xia Zhijie in his Cultivation.

The two parties were no longer as unfamiliar as they once were.

Xia Zhijie nodded, tentatively looking at Jiang Hanwen: “No problem, shopkeeper. When the time comes, if you need to hire people, I have a friend who wants to come. What do you think?”

“A friend?” Jiang Hanwen asked.

Xia Zhijie explained:

“She was a refugee who arrived the day before yesterday and was almost abducted by the Black Tiger Gang. My grandfather and I took pity on her and let her copy books.

She's in the woodshed in the backyard now. Do you want to see her?”

Glancing at the sky, Jiang Hanwen shook his head.

“Next time. For the courtyard, hurry it up. This time, I'm staying for a long time.”

“Understood, shopkeeper.”

Whoosh!

Jiang Hanwen's figure disappeared into the night.

With a creak, the old and frail Xia Dong pushed open the door and looked at his grandson, saying:

“What did the shopkeeper say?”

Xia Zhijie smiled helplessly: “The shopkeeper said he would consider taking her in next time.”

“Alas, I hope the shopkeeper isn't scared away. They are all suffering people,” Xia Dong said, leaning on a chair and sitting down.

A hint of indifference flashed in Xia Zhijie's eyes: “Grandpa, in this world, there aren't that many suffering people. It's all human malice at play.”

“...”

Three months later, in Jiang Hanwen's courtyard, over three hundred Cultivation Techniques were piled up into a small hill.

With one hand, he pinched four fingers, and golden-red runes were etched into his palm as Blazing Sun Burst blasted out.

“Whoosh!”

A large ball of fire flew down, forming a ring and igniting the pile of books.

Jiang Hanwen looked back at the house. The third-grade spirit gathering grass he had cultivated, along with its soil, had all been transferred. The tunnel was destroyed, and not a single personal item remained in the house.

Both scent and traces were completely erased, ensuring nothing was left.

This descent from the mountain was a permanent farewell; he would never return.

“Thump-thump-”

A soft knock sounded on the door, and Zhang Ping's steady voice came from outside.

“Chief Steward Jiang, everyone from the foot of the mountain has arrived.”

Jiang Hanwen, carrying a book bag from the table, pushed open the door. Five years had passed in a flash. Zhang Ping had grown taller, and the youthful awkwardness on his face had faded, replaced by composure.

Under his tutelage and with ample resources, his Realm had soared from the first level to the current eighth level, a speed comparable to that of the Geniuses recruited as guards by the Zhuang family.

Even his tone of voice was crisp and decisive, without any rashness.

It proved that with resources and proper guidance, Breakthrough to Qi Induction was not a difficult task.

The only thing that remained unchanged were the sparkling stars hidden in his eyes, still brilliant.

“Let's go.”

“Yes.”

Zhang Ping looked at the bonfire on the ground, feeling a bad premonition, but he wasn't sure what was happening.

Just looking at Chief Steward Jiang's expression, he felt a little sad, as if something was about to be lost.

This was the first time in five years that Chief Steward Jiang had gathered everyone from the Medicine Field.