NOVEL NEXT Chapter 88 - : Verdant Emperor, Supreme Order, Five Minutes
Chapter 88: Verdant Emperor, Supreme Order, Five Minutes
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Time flitted past and would not stop for anyone.
January, the year 9,995 of the Zhou calendar…
As soon as it reached midnight, it marked the fifth year since the awakening of the system. Jiang Ming had been looking for it for a long time.
The westbound sun cast a red glow on the sky and the mountains in the evening.
There were eight dishes and two bowls of soup on the table on the rooftop.
The entire courtyard was filled with the fragrance of the dishes.
“Senior Brother, this is the first time I made shrimp dumplings. Please give it a try,” Zi Linglong said as she placed a dumpling near Jiang Ming’s mouth.
“I’ll do it myself.’
“You used to feed me in the past, so it’s my turn now.”
“I’m not an old man who can’t move anymore.”
“Be good, Senior Brother.”
“A-Alright, then!”
Jiang Ming opened his mouth and ate the dumpling. Then, his eyes glowed, and he exclaimed, “This is so good. You’re even better than me at cooking!”
“Really?”
“Of course! There’s no way I would lie to you!” Jiang Ming said as he wolfed down the rest of the food.
The night came, and the sky was filled with stars.
Jiang Ming sat on the rattan chair, admiring the sky. Zi Linglong washed a plate of fruits and put it on the desk beside him. She poured a cup of tea for herself, went to the other side of the chair, and sat on it.
“Isn’t there another chair on the side?”
“This one is big enough to fit two people, Senior Brother. Let’s share.”
“It’s not that big. Go to the other chair!”
“I’m cold, Senior Brother!”
“Hey, do you think I’d fall for your trap?”
“You don’t love me anymore, Senior Brother? We used to sleep on the same bed when we were kids, remember? How could you do this to me now? I’m so sad…”
“Alright, alright, you’re giving me goosebumps!” Jiang Ming shuddered and hurriedly scooched over.
The wind was warm, and the moon was beautiful.
Seeing that it was almost midnight, Jiang Ming reluctantly sent his Junior Sister away.
After that, he went back to his room and sat on his bed in a lotus position.
He closed his eyes and waited.
Suddenly, he cracked his eyes open, and light burst out in the dark room as the voice of the system rang out in his head.
[Ding: Congratulations to the host for living on Chuyang Peak for five consecutive years and doing at least one kind of labor every day. 2,000 years of cultivation base, 1,000 pieces of top-grade Enlightening Tea Leaf, 1x Five-Minute Extreme Path Experience Card, 1x Supreme Order, and 1x Verdant Emperor Spirit Transformation Technique!]
Although there weren’t many rewards, each of them was good.
‘2,000 years of cultivation base!?’ Jiang Ming was shocked. It seemed to him that the system did not want him to waste his time on collecting mana anymore.
‘Well, this is interesting. 1,000 pieces of top-grade Enlightening Tea Leaf…’
Jiang Ming was certain that its effect would be even better, but he was kind of disappointed at the fact that the system did not give him any Enlightening Stone as a reward.
‘Another one Extreme Path Experience Card? Well, this is a good thing,’ Jiang Ming thought. After all, it could help him to change the tide of the battle in his favor.
When he saw what the Supreme Order could do, Jiang Ming nearly leaped up in shock.
[Supreme Order: A certain being, who had transcended beyond destiny had crafted a supreme pagoda, had distributed different Supreme Orders throughout the entire world. Those who were lucky enough to receive it could enter the pagoda to receive the trial and obtain his legacy or other benefits. Note: It can only be activated with a drop of blood.]
“A being who had transcended beyond destiny? System, on what cultivation base can one transcend beyond destiny?”
However, the system did not reply.
Jiang Ming felt a tingling sensation across his scalp.
‘Transcended beyond destiny, distributing the orders across the entire world. What kind of a monster is he to achieve these feats?’
He commanded his mind to stop going any further and calmed himself down.
He then looked toward the only one special ability in the reward.
[The Verdant Emperor Spirit Transformation Technique: After mastering this special ability, one can increase the growth rate of spiritual objects.]
“There is actually a special ability like this?” Jiang Ming’s eyes glowed.
Amongst the spiritual plants he was raising right now, middle-grade would need at least 10 years, while top-grade would take at least 100 years before reaching maturity.
He needed to wait for a long time before he could harvest them. Had he not wanted to gamble, he would have planted all the low-grade spiritual herbs.
He looked through the information of the Verdant Emperor Spirit Transformation Technique and was shocked.
This special ability had three stages. In the first stage, it could increase the growing speed by 10 times. In the second stage, the rate would be increased by 100 times, and in the third stage, 1,000 times.
“Holy moly!” Jiang Ming exclaimed.
However, the special ability had its flaws as well. One was that it could only be used on a spiritual plant once, and second, it needed something to facilitate it from running.
“The world is really a big and wondrous place. I didn’t expect someone could create such a special ability. This is just perfect for me!”
Jiang Ming got down from his bed and paced around in his room.
He decided to put the special ability aside first, for he had something else more important to do.
He flipped his palm, and an order appeared.
The order was gold in color, and the word “Supreme” was engraved on it. Other than that, it looked nothing different from other orders.
It couldn’t be activated through mana and couldn’t be destroyed through physical force. It was an order made from an indestructive material.
After thinking for a long while, Jiang Ming dropped a drop of blood on it, but nothing happened.
Since he had already made up his mind, he was not going to regret his decision.
He activated it through his mana, and in the next second, a strong suction force appeared from the order and sucked him into it.
When he finally regained his posture, he took in his surroundings. It seemed to him that he was in a valley, and he had never been there before. He tried to look forward, but there was nothing but a stretch of mountain ranges in his vision.
He began to check himself, but nothing had changed. He could still open the Human Paths Records.
Just when Jiang Ming heaved out a sigh of relief, a majestic voice echoed.
[Jiang Ming, a human from the Tianyuan World favored by destiny who comes here to accept trials. There will be three trials. Once you pass all of the trials, only then can you see the true face of the supreme pagoda. If you fail, your memory of this place will be removed, and you will be sent back to where you come from. At the same time, the Supreme Order will disappear as well!
[Note: Any special abilities or weapons above the level of a middle-grade Dao Vessel are forbidden.
[Note: No matter how long you’re going to stay here, only one hour will pass in the world you are in!
[Note: The first trial will begin in another 30 seconds!]
The divine voice sounded as if it was talking next to his ears, but in fact, the voice entered right into his head.
‘There are trials? And the world I’m staying in is known as Tianyuan World?’
The corner of Jiang Ming’s lips twitched as a stern expression appeared on his face.
Time flitted by, and a figure appeared about 1,000 miles away from him. It was a young man wearing a white robe. His long hair was neatly tied behind his head, his eyes were sharp, and he had a sharply-chiseled face.
As he was coming toward Jiang Ming, he said, “I’m in the same realm as you, and I’m practicing the Five Elemental Dao Seed!
“Five Elemental Great Grinder!”
As soon as he had finished speaking, he threw an attack at Jiang Ming directly.
“He isn’t a puppet!” Jiang Ming said, “Well, this is going to be tough!”
He was in the same realm as Jiang Ming, but he had already mastered the Five Elemental Dao Seed. There were very few people in the Tianyuan World who could master the Five Elemental Dao Seed. In other words, he couldn’t take the young man in front of him lightly.
While Jiang Ming was thinking about how he should deal with the young man, the young man had engulfed him in a torrent of five elemental forces, trying his very best effort to destroy him like a grinder.
“This special ability is even stronger than the Heaven Suppression Divine Seal and the Wooden Dragon! Besides, he has mastered this special ability to the perfect stage, and I’m afraid even Tian Ci wouldn’t be able to take this attack head-on.”
Jiang Ming thought for a while and then delivered a punch at the Five Elemental Great Grinder.
His mana surged through his veins as he collected all his strength on his fist. He delivered another punch at the young man and crushed him.
“Congratulations to Jiang Ming for passing the first trial!”
The voice rang out again, and his surroundings shattered like a mirror. As light began to flash around him, he found that he was standing at one end of a staircase.
He lifted his head and looked up. The stairs were made of jade and extended into mid-air, with a total of 100 steps.
“Jiang Ming, this is your second trial. You will need to climb the heavenly ladder. Reaching the top means you’ve passed the trial, and falling means you’ve failed!” The voice rang out again.
Jiang Ming’s pupils constricted.
‘Climbing the heavenly ladder?’
As he was thinking, he had stepped onto the first step. Suddenly, he felt as if a heavy weight was suppressing him and there was a big stone on his heart.
“Is this trial going to test my willpower?” Jiang Ming speculated.
As he moved on step forward, the weight on his heart would become stronger while his body would become heavier.
However, he had strong willpower, so it did not affect him much.
When he was staying at Chuyang Peak, he might look lazy and weak-willed, but he would do his best in mastering it whenever he comprehended one Dao. It was also considered a form of refining and strengthening his willpower.
As such, he had strong willpower that couldn’t be compared by other people.
Soon, he had arrived at the 89th step.
As his feet landed on the step, something rang through his heart. It felt as if a divine mountain had descended and exerted strong pressure on him, trying its best to crush his willpower.
When he reached the 90th step, the invincible pressure transformed into a sword of light. It flew across the sky and aimed straight at his sea of consciousness.
“This attack is as strong as a strike from a peak Nascent Soul martial artist!” Jiang Ming exclaimed.
The sword of light landed, but it did nothing to his sea of consciousness.
Jiang Ming continued to climb the stage.
On the 91st step, the sword of light split into two.
On the 98th step, the sword of light split into nine, each and every one of its attacks equivalent to the full power of a Nascent Soul martial artist.
Jiang Ming was stumped momentarily. However, he soon regained his composure and continued to climb the stairs.
Bam!
The swords of light became even stronger and more terrifying. It was something he had never seen before as the barrage of swords of light dashed toward his sea of consciousness.
“This is equivalent to a strike of a Primal Spirit martial artist!”
This wasn’t a physical attack. Instead, the attack was directed straight into his mind.
Jiang Ming stopped when he arrived at the top, and the pressure he felt disappeared.
His mind also suddenly shone brightly, as if a layer of dust had been wiped away. He was more in tune with heaven and earth.
At that moment, the feeling was akin to when he was drinking the Enlightening Tea.
He knew this was a trial as well as an opportunity.
Suddenly, he felt something and turned around.
In front of him was a big platform, and on top of the platform stood a stone monument. There were countless lines and light dots on it, looking just like stars.
“Congratulations on passing your second trial, Jiang Ming.
“Now, onward to the third trial. In front of you is the Million Mana Monument. You’re required to comprehend a special ability in three days.”
The voice disappeared after it had given its instructions.
Jiang Ming’s heart skipped a beat.
‘I need to comprehend a special ability in three days?’
It took more than three days to learn a special ability, let alone comprehend it.
“The first trial is about combat prowess, and only a genius like Tian Ci has a chance of passing it. The second trial is about willpower, and only a person in the Primal Spirit Realm can pass it. The third trial is about intellect. Unless one is extremely bright, who can accomplish it?”
Jiang Ming shook his head.
Battle prowess, willpower, and intellect—these three represented the innate ability of a living being, and apparently, intellect was more important than the rest of the two.
After all, one just needed to master more special abilities to increase their battle prowess. Willpower could be cultivated as well, but how about intellect?
It was nearly impossible to improve one’s intellect through the help of external force.
“Three days, huh…”
Jiang Ming walked over and sat in front of the stone monument. He wanted to take out an Enlightening Tea Leaf, but he couldn’t do so no matter how hard he tried.
“This ability…”
He felt a chill creeping down his spine.
He turned his head toward the stone monument without thinking twice and was absorbed into it.