Red Heart Patrols the Sky

36: Chapter 32 Encounter at Star River_1 36: Chapter 32 Encounter at Star River_1 Just like every preceding day, he successfully completed the Meridian Rush Practice and then stimulated the nascent Path Origin to identify its precise location within the Tongtian Palace, bringing himself one step closer to laying the foundation.

After completing the Meridian Rush Practice, Jiang Wang did not rest but sat in front of the desk in the dim light of an oil lamp and began to copy the “Purple Qi Eastward Great Supremacy Scripture.”

Since only the siblings lived there, they occupied the main room, so they directly converted the southern room into a study.

His senior brothers had long reminded him of Xiao Tiemian’s lack of empathy, so Jiang Wang’s attitude towards copying was meticulous and very serious.

It goes without saying how crucial the lessons on Dao Technique skills were; missing even one was a great loss.

Therefore, Jiang Wang tried to copy both quickly and well.

Until …

“Brother, what are you doing?”

Jiang Anan had somehow sneaked into the study and was looking on curiously with her large, bright eyes.

“…” Jiang Wang said, “Practicing calligraphy.”

“Why did you suddenly start practicing calligraphy?”

Jiang Wang sternly said, “There is a saying: ‘A person’s character can be seen from his handwriting.’ By looking at one’s handwriting, one can distinguish authenticity from falsehood.

Haven’t the masters taught you that?

Practicing calligraphy is very important, Anan should remember to practice often as well.”

“Then how much longer do you have to practice…”

“…Quite a while,” said Jiang Wang.

“Go to sleep first tonight.”

“Oh…”

“What’s the matter, is there something you need?”

“No, nothing…”

Turning around and leaving the study, Jiang Anan sighed like a little adult.

The old coot, punishing me with so much copying.

Now the study’s occupied, where am I supposed to copy?

It’s not that the study couldn’t fit both her and Jiang Wang; rather, she didn’t want her brother to find out she’d been punished with copying.

Jiang Anan thought for a bit, moved a small stool into the bedroom, laid out paper and ink, and started copying while squatting in front of the stool.

“Heaven and earth are mysterious and yellow, the universe is fathomless; the sun and moon are full and diminish, the stars are arrayed…”

She turned to glance at the study; the lamp was still on, mmm, continue copying…

…

The moon was high in the sky, Jiang Wang rubbed his wrists, blew on the ink to dry it, put out the oil lamp, and got up to return to the bedroom.

Even with his strength and speed, he was far from having copied it a hundred times, but at this moment, he had more important things to do.

For tonight was the fifteenth of September, the day of the challenge in the Taixu Illusion Realm auspicious grounds.

When he returned to the bedroom, Anan was already asleep.

Jiang Wang tucked her in and then lay down on his own bed.

The crescent moon mark on the palm of his hand emerged, growing warm.

Jiang Wang closed his eyes, his Divine Sense entering the Taixu Illusion Realm.

The inscription on the sundial had changed: [The master of the Green Jade Platform has confirmed the challenge.

The challenge will begin in a moment.]

The master of the Green Jade Platform was finally resolved to the challenge!

Seeing this line, Jiang Wang felt a sense of urgency that time does not wait, yet also a sense of relief, like a long-awaited boot finally hitting the ground.

On the fifteenth of August that had passed, the master of the Green Jade Platform also chose to forfeit, apparently, the shadow Zuo Guanglie had cast over him in the past was too profound.

But this also meant that after forfeiting several times, this round’s opponent was determined to win.

Jiang Wang did nothing extra; he merely emptied his mind, silently awaiting the appointed time.

When the sundial finally changed, a jade-colored round stone platform beneath Jiang Wang rose simultaneously, lifting him up from the Dongzhen Fudi grounds and flying into the resplendent Star River.

This stone platform was simple in form, devoid of any decoration, but naturally possessed an ancient aura.

The surface was speckled with marks, slashes, sword cuts, burns, and scorch marks…

countless in number, it also exuded a strong murderous air.

Jiang Wang understood that this was his Discussion Platform.

Since obtaining the key to nothingness and entering the Taixu Illusion Realm, he had never used the Discussion Platform.

Firstly, because he understood that with his power, there was likely no benefit in the Taixu Illusion Realm other than being brutally defeated, and secondly…

because each activation of the Discussion Platform required ten points of cultivation strength.

Apart from the natural output of the auspicious grounds, Jiang Wang couldn’t gain any other benefits from the Discussion Platform, thus he was even more reluctant to expend any.

Especially after experiencing the power of the Purple Qi Eastward swordsmanship, he knew the true value of cultivation strength.

It wasn’t long before Jiang Wang could see the Discussion Platform of the same design flying towards him from the depths of the Star River, with a figure in black fluttering atop it.

The two Discussion Platforms in the Star River suddenly accelerated, colliding with each other.

The two small platforms merged into one large platform.

Jiang Wang and his opponent stood on opposite sides of the expanded Discussion Platform.

It was no different from before except for its size.

It was about a hundred meters in diameter, and Jiang Wang knew this was the true battleground.

Due to the special rules of the Taixu Illusion Realm, Jiang Wang couldn’t see his opponent’s face clearly.

But he heard his opponent’s voice.

“Since my last crushing defeat at your hands, I have prepared an entire half year for this battle!” the owner of the Qingyu Podium said, “I’ve finally mastered the incomplete techniques of the Gentleman’s Nine Swords from ancient times.

Please, have a taste!”

The Gentleman’s Nine Swords from ancient times?

Sounds strong…

A Confucianist Gate disciple?

Thinking this, Jiang Wang had already started channeling his True Yuan, ready to respond.

The True Yuan consumed in the Taixu Illusion Realm wasn’t real, so he dared to fight with all his might.

His Purple Qi Eastward sword techniques were from a Transcendent swordsmanship textbook, and only with the infusion of ample True Yuan could they truly unleash their power.

Thus, what he was about to demonstrate was the strongest state he had never shown before.

“Heaven’s way is strenuous, and the gentleman must constantly strive to strengthen himself!”

Then, Jiang Wang heard the Qingyu Podium owner recite this line lightly.

And so he saw a sword, a very ordinary-looking sword without any distinctive features.

It just moved forward, forward — there was a mountain before it, and it pierced through the mountain; there was a river before it, and it cut through the river.

There was the broad, boundless sky before it, and it lunged straight for the sky too!

It was indomitable, it pushed onward without hesitation.

Shattering rocks, leveling forests, slaying demons, vanquishing evil…

This sword thrust towards anything that stood in its way, no matter what it was!

Jiang Wang was still holding his sword, the Path Origin accumulated in the Tongtian Palace boiling and surging within him, the killing method of Purple Qi Eastward sword technique almost integrated into his instinct.

But that sword had already pierced his heart.

He had died in battle.

The owner of the Qingyu Podium looked at the suddenly vacant Discussion Platform and was momentarily stunned.

He had considerable confidence in the Gentleman’s Nine Swords lost in the annals of history, but he also remembered how powerful his opponent was.

Yet this battle was completely one-sided, a sweep.

He had won.

The master of the Qingyu Podium, no, now he was the master of the Dongzhen Wastes.

The new owner of the twenty-third blessed land stood dumbfounded on the Discussion Platform, his heart surging with emotion.

Meanwhile, Jiang Wang, who had descended to the Qingyu Podium, had already accepted the fact that he had lost.

According to the rules of producing merits in the top thirty-six blessed lands, there was an increment of one hundred merit points per level.

This month he would only acquire one thousand seven hundred and fifty merit points, missing a full hundred points.

The blessed lands in the Taixu Illusion Realm were only nominal, unrelated to the actual blessed lands in the real world.

Therefore, moving from the Dongzhen Wastes to the Qingyu Podium did not change the environment, which was still a dreamlike space filled with an aura of immortality, even the sundial remained the same.

The only change was in the production of merit.

Jiang Wang pondered for a moment, then silently summoned the Cultivation Platform.

He hadn’t touched the one thousand eight hundred and fifty merit points from August, and adding the one thousand seven hundred and fifty merit points produced in September, he had accumulated a total of three thousand six hundred merit points.

Jiang Wang put all these merits into the Purple Qi Eastward sword techniques and began extrapolating.

The impact of the ancient Gentleman’s Nine Swords was too great on him; it was swordsmanship he simply could not resist.

Without the slightest chance, he needed a stronger swordsmanship manual, even if it cost everything he currently had.

The jade book on the bamboo desk shifted slightly and then suddenly stopped.

Then a line of ink appeared on the book, [The current sword technique has reached the limit of the first-layer Cultivation Platform and cannot be extrapolated further.

Remaining merit: Three thousand five hundred ninety points.]

Jiang Wang’s eyelids twitched, this damn Cultivation Platform hadn’t completed the extrapolation, yet it still deducted ten points of merit!

It turned out that the Cultivation Platform’s extrapolation of Cultivation Techniques and Dao Techniques wasn’t infinitely scalable but had its inherent foundation and limits.

And different levels of Cultivation Platforms had different exploration limits.

The Purple Qi Eastward sword techniques were based on extrapolation from mortal martial arts, and they had reached their peak.

Unless the Cultivation Platform was upgraded, there would be no further progress.

Jiang Wang had no stronger moves left, nor did he have any desire to seek punishment on the Discussion Platform, so he took a moment to compose himself and exited the Taixu Illusion Realm.

But no matter how one looked at it, this month he was short a full hundred and ten merit points.

At this thought, Jiang Wang sighed deeply.

“Brother, what are you doing?” Jiang Anan’s voice rang out in the room, full of concern.

It was unclear whether she had woken up in the middle of the night or hadn’t fallen asleep in the first place.

Jiang Wang replied irritably, “I’m staying up late.

I’ll call you when it’s cooked.”

In the darkness, Jiang Anan’s eyes suddenly lit up, “Does it taste good?”