My Beasts Grind Proficiency For Me

Yang Jing looked at Shi Qingfeng, his eyes narrowing slightly. ’He was incredibly curious. What exactly has Shi Qingfeng figured out?’

A cultivator’s power comprised many factors: Cultivation, cultivation techniques, magical treasures, divine techniques, and so on. ’What on earth did he see that would prompt him to act so deferential?’

"Fellow Daoist, you overpraise me. I’ve simply been a bit more diligent in my cultivation. My power is not as exaggerated as you claim. If anyone were to overhear us, they’d think we were just a pair of shameless boasters, flattering each other."

Seeing that Yang Jing was unwilling to admit it, Shi Qingfeng wasn’t annoyed and continued to speak eloquently.

"It is enough so long as you agree to this pact, Fellow Daoist."

Yang Jing nodded.

"There are a full one hundred and eight streams of Nine Marvelous Creation Qi. After we enter the All Heavens Small Realm, should I encounter you, I will not be the one to attack first."

There was a significant difference between not attacking first and not attacking at all, but Shi Qingfeng was already quite satisfied. In fact, if Yang Jing had agreed too readily, he would have worried the man was fickle and just making an empty promise.

"Before meeting you, Fellow Daoist, I believed the strongest participant in the contest for the Nine Marvels would be Yin Yan, a True Disciple of the Celestial Sword Sect. Fellow Daoist Yin has also reached Perfect Golden Core. It’s said he could have attempted Nascent Soul Formation long ago, but he has been suppressing his cultivation for this very event. His swordsmanship has few rivals among cultivators of his generation in the Central Continent. Techniques like Refining Sword into Silk and Sword Light Division are already second nature to him."

The Central Continent was vast, with more heroes than one could count, so Shi Qingfeng didn’t dare proclaim Yin Yan’s swordsmanship was the best among all Golden Core cultivators. But ever since making a name for himself, Yin Yan had never known defeat.

It was even rumored that a Nascent Soul Sword Cultivator, impressed by his superb swordsmanship, had proactively sought him out for pointers. Sword Cultivators were known for their upright and unyielding character; it was unlikely they would collude for the sake of empty fame.

"It’s also rumored that he awakened a Sword Dao Divine Technique at birth, but no one has ever seen him use it."

Yang Jing nodded.

’As a Sword Cultivator himself, he had naturally taken note of Yin Yan long ago. He could sense a heaven-piercing Sword Qi within the man, and the Lifebound Flying Sword he was refining had to be extraordinary.’

Quite a few cultivators believed Yin Yan ranked first in power. Following him were another Sword Cultivator from the Celestial Sword Sect and seven other cultivators, each one exceptionally powerful.

"Ranked second would be Feng Ri and Feng Yue of the Feng Family. They are siblings, both geniuses with a Fire Element Celestial Spirit Root, and they possess Fire-Extinguishing Divine Techniques. They are the Feng Family’s long-awaited Divinity Transformation Seeds, and their cultivation has also reached Perfect Golden Core. Furthermore, the cultivation technique they practice includes a joint-attack art. They once exchanged three moves with a Nascent Soul Cultivator and fought to a standstill, making the Nascent Soul Cultivator so wary that he retreated of his own accord."

When Feng Ri and Feng Yue joined forces, their power would certainly eclipse Yin Yan’s, so naturally, many sought to ally with them. However, the two were arrogant and highly selective, choosing only three others.

Even Shi Qingfeng didn’t believe Yang Jing could overcome the Feng siblings.

To ensure the pair obtained the Nine Marvelous Creation Qi, the Feng Family had surely prepared an unknown number of treasures for them.

"Third is Xiang Dingtian of the Divine General Sect. The Divine General Sect’s legacy includes a Body Refining Technique from a Divine General of the Upper Realm. When it comes to the path of Body Refinement, they are the undisputed leaders in the Central Continent. I wouldn’t dare claim Yin Yan is the number one swordsman among the Golden Core Cultivators of the Central Continent, but Xiang Dingtian is absolutely number one in Body Refinement," Shi Qingfeng said with absolute certainty.

Body Cultivators were already waning in prominence in the Central Continent, and few sects specialized in this path. They often organized sparring sessions among themselves, and Xiang Dingtian had consistently overpowered his peers. He even had several victories slaying Golden Core Demon Kings on the battlefield to his name.

Although the Central Continent was rife with overt and covert struggles, the chosen successors of major powers rarely had opportunities for true life-or-death battles. Xiang Dingtian’s record of slaying multiple Demon Kings of his tier meant his actual combat experience surpassed that of Yin Yan, Feng Ri, and Feng Yue.

Besides these four, Shi Qingfeng also told Yang Jing about many other experts on the boat, though they were all clearly a tier below the top contenders.

Still, Yang Jing listened with rapt attention. ’It was a mystery where Shi Qingfeng had gathered all this information, but he seemed to know everyone’s signature moves and magical combat records as if they were his own family heirlooms.’

’Even Young Master Yi, who had sent someone to recruit him, had his background completely exposed.’

’The Flying Crane and the low-tier cultivators of the Nine Marvels Sect would never have access to this kind of intelligence.’

Yang Jing found it all very enlightening.

"Fellow Daoist, your methods are truly impressive."

"It’s nothing to speak of, nothing at all. I just enjoy collecting odd bits of news and stories in my free time. I never expected it to come in handy like this. I only hope that if we meet in the Small Realm, Fellow Daoist Yang will be merciful."

With a stylish flick of his wrist, Shi Qingfeng withdrew his Daoist Technique.

When he returned to his companions, a haughty-looking female cultivator approached him and asked,

"Senior Brother, that ominous feeling you had... did it come from that cultivator from the Western Continent?"

The Flying Spirit Sect, much like the Nine Marvels Sect, was a Major Sect that had existed since before the Central Continent’s fall. It had survived to this day, showing no signs of decline. Although the female cultivator knew her senior brother’s Spiritual Sense was always extremely accurate thanks to a Divine Technique he possessed, she found it hard to believe that a mere cultivator from the Western Continent could pose a threat to so many experts from prestigious Major Sects.

Shi Qingfeng replied,

"It’s not him."

Zhou Aoshuang wore a look that said, ’I knew it’.

"Senior Brother, you’re overthinking things. The power of the participants in this contest for the Nine Marvels far exceeds the last one. It’s impossible for any single person to overwhelm everyone else in the Small Realm."

Shi Qingfeng shook his head. Ever since entering the Celestial Star Institute, an inexplicable sense of crisis had been building within him, growing stronger with each passing moment.

After boarding the Flying Boat, he had assumed the feeling came from Yang Jing, a Golden Core Cultivator of extraordinary power. But even after probing him slightly, the sense of crisis hadn’t lessened in the slightest.

This left him deeply unsettled.

’Is there a Nascent Soul Demon King hidden among our fellow cultivators? Or has something gone wrong with the Nine Marvels Small Realm?’

Just as his mind raced with a thousand thoughts, unable to find an answer, the Flying Boat lurched to a halt mid-flight, suspended high in the sky.

"Come out!"

The voice of the Nine Marvels Sect’s Divinity Transformation Cultivator echoed through the cabin. Not daring to delay, the numerous Golden Core Cultivators poured out in a steady stream.

Pulled by the Poisonous Flood Dragon, the Flying Boat had flown to an unknown height. When Yang Jing stepped out of the cabin and gazed into the distance, he could see streaks of Gloomy Green True Thunder dancing amidst dense clusters of astral clouds. The Central Continent was completely out of sight.

’This is Arctic True Thunder. We must have flown to the very edge of the Nine Heavens World.’

As a cultivator of the Celestial Thunders Nine Techniques, Yang Jing naturally recognized the nature of this Gloomy Green True Thunder. The North Pole Heaven was the outermost of the First Layer of Heaven in the Nine Heavens World. Any further, and they would pass through the Heaven and Earth Embryonic Membrane, where they would face an endless horde of Outer Celestial Demons.

It was no wonder this Flying Boat required a Nascent Soul Demon Saint Level Poisonous Flood Dragon to pull it. At this altitude, the arrays on most Flying Boats could no longer provide lift.

The astral winds of the North Pole Heaven were fiercely cold, even sharper than a Sword Cultivator’s Sword Qi.

If the Divinity Transformation Cultivator hadn’t used his Magical Power to create a protective barrier, at least half of the Golden Core Cultivators present would have perished.

It was the first time the other Golden Core Cultivators had reached the North Pole Heaven as well, and they looked around with considerable curiosity.

"All of you, take out the Top-Grade Spirit Stones you’re carrying. I will open the passage to the Small Realm for you."

The Nine Marvels Sect’s Divinity Transformation Cultivator spoke impatiently. ’If it weren’t his duty to the Sect, he would have no desire to waste his time playing house with these brats.’

The Nine Marvels Small Realm had a rich Spiritual Mechanism, and a vast amount of Spiritual Qi leaked out every time it was opened. When these Golden Core Cultivators entered, they would absorb and carry some of that Spiritual Qi away with them upon leaving. To prevent the degradation of the Spiritual Qi within the Small Realm, the Nine Marvels Sect had established a rule: entry was permitted only upon the payment of one Top-Grade Spirit Stone to replenish the realm’s energy.

Yang Jing took the Top-Grade Spirit Stone his Sect Leader had given him from his Storage Bag. Before he could even get a firm grip on it, it was snatched away by the Divinity Transformation Cultivator’s Magical Power.

The numerous, rainbow-hued Top-Grade Spirit Stones flew like a flock of birds returning to the forest, vanishing into the Divinity Transformation Cultivator’s possession. He then produced a Magic Sword, and while chanting a Magic Spell, began Stepping on Gang and Fighting in mid-air, performing a dance with the Sword Artifact.

As the Ritual progressed, Yang Jing could sense some kind of behemoth slowly approaching.

Suddenly, a great ROAR echoed through the chaotic sky. Everyone could faintly see a colossal tripod, towering like a mountain, materialize above the Divinity Transformation Cultivator. Its body was like White Jade, with a square belly and four legs. Two handles flanked the mouth of the tripod, radiating a seven-colored Divine Light both inward and outward. The body was covered in Talismanic Script, but it was like looking through frosted glass; even when Yang Jing pushed his Grotto Dark Dharma Eye to its limits, he couldn’t see them clearly.

The next moment, the space around the colossal tripod made a shattering sound as a deep rift was torn open.

The terrifying aura of the Nine Marvels Creation Tripod, a Tier Six Magical Treasure, surged forth, as vast as an abyss and as heavy as a mountain.

"What are you still gawking at? Get in. In three years, I will open the Small Realm again to bring you all out," the Divinity Transformation Cultivator said impatiently.

Only then did the crowd snap out of their stupor, breaking free from the terrifying pressure of the Nine Marvels Creation Tripod and jostling with one another as they flew toward its mouth.

In the contest for the Nine Marvelous Creation Qi, striking first always gave one the upper hand. Finding it even a moment sooner was a significant advantage.

Yang Jing blended in with the other Golden Core Cultivators, discreetly observing the True Register on the tripod’s body. His mind went into a momentary trance, and by the time it cleared, he had already arrived inside the Nine Marvels Small Realm.

He found himself in the middle of a swamp, his vision obscured by lush reeds.

An incomparably dense wave of Spiritual Qi washed over him.

Yang Jing had never experienced Spiritual Qi this rich. If his cultivation hadn’t already reached its limit, his internal Cultivation Technique would have started operating on its own, refining the Spiritual Mechanism.

He used his Bright Qi Talent in conjunction with his Grotto Dark Dharma Eye to survey his surroundings.

Logically, such a high concentration of Spiritual Qi should have condensed into a substance like Spirit Liquid. But the Spiritual Qi in the Nine Marvels Small Realm seemed to have undergone some kind of qualitative change; it remained in a light, gaseous state, yet it was brimming with Spiritual Essence.

If one could cultivate in this Small Realm for an extended period, even those with average talent and unremarkable cultivation techniques could easily reach Foundation Establishment Perfection.

’This must be the kind of atmosphere the ancestors of the sects always longed for, the atmosphere of the Upper Realm.’

Legend had it that in the Upper Realm, a Sect with only a Divinity Transformation cultivator watching over it was considered a minor, third-rate power. It was nothing like the desolate state of the present, where some sects found it difficult to even ensure their Nascent Soul Cultivator lineage didn’t die out.

Yang Jing was about to open his Inner World, but he found that the world he could normally access with ease now felt as if it were thousands of miles away. He could only vaguely sense it, but he couldn’t open it at all.

’It seems this Small Realm has been completely refined by the Nine Marvels Creation Tripod into its own Inner World. That must be why I can’t open mine,’ he deduced.

It was just like how a Magical Treasure with a Spatial Restriction couldn’t be placed inside a Storage Bag; an Inner World couldn’t be opened from within another Inner World. When the Demon-Catching Tripod was inside his own Inner World, he couldn’t open the space within the tripod either.

With this in mind, he carefully concealed his presence, flew high into the sky, and surveyed his surroundings.

Even after straining the Eye Power of his Grotto Dark Dharma Eye to its limit, Yang Jing still couldn’t see the Small Realm’s boundaries. Although the world inside the Nine Marvels Creation Tripod was called a "Small Realm," it was clearly anything but small—it was at least as large as one of the nations of the Western Continent.

Yang Jing slowly descended back to the ground. Now that he had a basic understanding of the Small Realm, he naturally turned his full attention to searching for the Nine Marvelous Creation Qi.