Looking at the male figure floating from within his body, Su Hao immediately dropped to his knees and said, "Master, back then I stripped Su Chen of his Emperor Bone, and the Blood Wheel I awakened was the Seven-Killing Sword Blood Wheel. Why have I only now broken through to the Nascent Soul Realm?"
He felt deeply frustrated, and even more resentful.
His natural talent was already extremely formidable. Even without fusing with the Emperor Bone, he believed that relying solely on the Seven-Killing Sword Blood Wheel would have allowed him to break through to the Nascent Soul Realm by now.
The Emperor Bone seemed to have become a burden. He had not told anyone about this, not even his father.
The illusory figure smiled and said, "Disciple, do not panic. For ten years, Master has been suppressing your Emperor Bone, as well as your cultivation. Do you know why?"
"This disciple does not know."
Master had suppressed it on purpose?
No wonder his cultivation speed had not improved noticeably; it turned out to be Master's doing.
Without a shred of anger, Su Hao knew very well that for Master to do this, he must have had his own reasons.
"Your Emperor Bone did not awaken naturally within your body; rather, you forcibly stripped it from another and fused it into yourself. A temporary fusion might help you improve rapidly, but as your cultivation grows higher and higher, not only will the Emperor Bone fail to become your foundation, but it will instead backfire on you until it devours you completely."
Ah?
Hearing Master's words, Su Hao was completely stunned, his body trembling with fright.
If it were truly as Master said, the mere thought of it made him break out in a cold sweat.
"Master has suppressed the Emperor Bone for a full ten years. Even with Master's power, it took ten years to make the Emperor Bone completely fuse with you. This Emperor Bone is simply too powerful. Now that you have broken through to the Nascent Soul Realm, the Emperor Bone within your body has fully fused. From now on, your cultivation speed will increase more than tenfold. Within a year, you will definitely reach the Peak Nascent Soul Realm, allowing you to charge into the Soul Palace Realm."
His face was written all through with pleasant surprise and excitement.
"Thank you, Master, for your grace."
"You are this seat's most outstanding disciple. No matter where the Emperor Bone came from, possessing such an Emperor Bone means you will surely become the most powerful existence in the world in days to come."
"This disciple will definitely not fail Master's high expectations."
"Begin."
"Yes."
~~~~~~~~~~~
Su Chen, who had lost the Emperor Bone, possessed the superposition of three Blood Wheels, had obtained the Chaos Swallowing Tower, and had even cultivated the Primordial Gods and Demons Art and the Ancestral Phoenix Nirvana Art. His opportunities far surpassed those of Su Hao.
Who would win and who would lose in their predestined battle of fate remained unknown.
Three days later.
The ten individuals left the Ten-Beast Pagoda and returned to their dormitory. However, no sooner had Su Chen stepped back into his room than a message came from the academy telling him to hurry immediately to the Dean's office; the Dean wanted to see him.
Without a moment of dawdling, Su Chen left the dormitory and headed toward the Dean's office.
Deep within the academy stood a white building. It looked simple and unpretentious, very low-key, with all four sides paved with marble bearing bizarre patterns.
Arriving at the Dean's office, Su Chen knocked on the door.
"Come in."
He pushed the door open and entered.
He saw a middle-aged man sitting behind the desk. He was refined and cultured, with a pair of sword-like brows set upon a resolute face, and his piercing, bright eyes were currently reading a book in his hands.
"Student Su Chen greets the Dean."
Putting down the book, Lan Shang looked at Su Chen and said with great satisfaction, "You really look a lot like your father."
Mentioning his father brought a touch of sorrow to Su Chen's heart. After all, his father was now a living corpse, lying in an ice coffin within the clan, sleeping like a dead man year in and year out.
Seeming to guess the sorrow in Su Chen's heart, Lan Shang continued, "I don't like people who pull strings. Your grandfather has already spoken to me about your situation. Within the academy, you will not receive special treatment; everything must be striven for by yourself, understand?"
"Understood."
"Very good. As for the Su Clan and the Tang Clan, I will handle them for you. As long as you are in the academy, they won't be able to touch a hair on your head."
He had come to Eastern Wasteland Academy precisely to use it as a deterrent against the Su Clan, buying himself more time to cultivate. As for the Tang Clan, it seemed that because of Tang Hao, the Dean already knew about him crippling Tang Hao's Blood Wheel.
If he dared to do it, he dared to own it.
Even if he had to do it all over again, Su Chen would not regret it and would still act the same way. After all, they had signed a pact of life and death and engaged in a life-and-death battle.
"You really know how to cause trouble. You had barely entered the academy before you crippled Tang Hao's Blood Wheel."
Su Chen remained silent.
Without dwelling on the issue further, Lan Shang said, "When Su Hao stripped you of your Emperor Bone, logically speaking, with his talent, he should have already reached the Soul Palace Realm by now. Yet according to the intelligence I received, Su Hao has only just broken through to the High Solid Pill Realm."
The Level 7 Solid Pill Realm through the Level 9 Solid Pill Realm are collectively referred to as the High Solid Pill Realm.
Even Lan Shang found this matter rather peculiar, after all, fusing with the Emperor Bone could not possibly yield zero benefits for one's cultivation.
Su Chen was also suspicious. When he had reencountered Su Hao in the Heavenly Punishment Forest, he had already sensed that Su Hao's cultivation speed was not as fast as one might have imagined.
Although Eastern Wasteland Academy gathered all the geniuses of the entire Eastern Wasteland, Su Hao's natural talent was already decent, and on top of that, he had fused with his own Emperor Bone; he ought to have towered above his peers.
And yet?
"I will help you investigate this matter, but you should understand that since Su Hao has already fused with the Emperor Bone, it certainly won't be simple. If you want revenge, what you need to do is cultivate with peace of mind instead of causing trouble, understand?"
"Understood."
"You may go."
"Yes."
Just as Su Chen turned to leave, the Dean's voice sounded once more.
"My name is Lan Shang. Your father saved my life back then. If you encounter any insoluble problems, come straight here and find me."
Nodding, Su Chen opened the door and walked out.
Watching the retreating figure vanish, Lan Shang let out a deep sigh. He had been so stern precisely because he wanted to spur Su Chen on to cultivate diligently without a moment of slack.
A Su Hao who had fused with the Emperor Bone, a Tang Hao whose Blood Wheel had been crippled—whether it was the Su Clan or the Tang Clan, both were top-tier clans in the Eastern Wasteland. Even if Eastern Wasteland Academy could deter the two clans, the moment Su Chen left the academy, he believed the two clans would undoubtedly make their move.
Could he protect Su Chen forever?
Let alone himself, no matter who it was, it was impossible to offer lifelong protection.
Su Chen still had to rely on himself rather than anyone else.
"I hope you are even more outstanding than your father. To lose the Emperor Bone, alas!"
"With the Emperor Bone, the Emperor Realm is guaranteed. What a pity."
Looking across the entire Eastern Wasteland for over a thousand years, it seemed no one had ever been heard of awakening the Emperor Bone. Su Chen was the first, yet because of the Su family's weakness, he was unable to fuse with the Emperor Bone in time, allowing Su Hao to pick up a bargain and strip it to fuse with it himself.
"Such is fate."
Outside the office.
Having seemingly caught the Dean's words, Su Chen clenched his fists tightly, his gaze resolute as he declared, "My fate is mine to control! If fate is unjust, I shall defy the heavens and change my fate! Whoever dares to block me, I shall slaughter them—even if it be the heavens themselves, I will surely walk upon them!"
Su Hao, just you wait. One day, I, Su Chen, will go to the Su Clan to find you, and settle the score for the robbery of my Emperor Bone and the crippling of my blood and bones back then!
The New Biquge provides you with the fastest updates of the Ancient Emperor of Swallowing. Read Chapter 35, "If Fate Is Unjust, I Shall Defy the Heavens and Change My Fate," for free.
Chapter 36: The Fragmented Gods and Demons Mirror, Soul Cultivation
The Artifact Pavilion.
The repository for all the academy's treasures, where students could exchange for them freely as long as they had enough contribution points.
Su Chen still had 30,000 contribution points in his possession, and naturally wanted to head over to the Artifact Pavilion and the Martial Pavilion to see if there was anything he needed.
The pure white building consisted of just two floors.
Students of the elementary, intermediate, and advanced classes could only exchange for items and martial arts techniques on the first floor of the Artifact Pavilion. To step onto the second floor, one needed to be an ace class student.
Arriving before the Artifact Pavilion.
He produced his identity jade token to register, and Su Chen walked inside.
*So huge!*
The entire first floor of the Artifact Pavilion was immense, roughly the size of a football field. Clusters of icy-blue water light were neatly arranged in rows, far too many to count.
In front of each icy-blue light cluster was a description of the treasure, along with the required contribution points for exchange.
He had originally thought that possessing 30,000 contribution points would allow him to exchange for a great many things, but now it seemed he couldn't even exchange for a fart.
"Langya Sword, requires 2,3400 contribution points for exchange."
Looking at the description of the Langya Sword, Su Chen understood that it was indeed worth it. Placed in the outside world, it would probably be a priceless goodie that money couldn't buy.
Gold coins? They couldn't purchase it at all.
*Heavenly Bone Sword, requires 48,888 contribution points for exchange.*
*Flying Spirit Tool, requires 190,000 contribution points for exchange.*
Gazing at the words "Flying Spirit Tool," a hint of greed crept into Su Chen's eyes. He knew very well what a flying spirit tool meant among spirit tools.
He believed no one could resist the temptation of a flying spirit tool, but wanting to exchange for one required 190,000 contribution points—it was simply too exorbitant. Looking at the 30,000-plus contribution points displayed on his identity jade token, he couldn't even exchange for one-sixth of a flying spirit tool.
He felt quite depressed.
He could only look, yet he couldn't make it his own.
*Tiangang Hammer, requires 120,000 contribution points for exchange.*
*Yunxiao Boots, requires 177,899 contribution points for exchange.*
He did not continue reading down the list because Su Chen had already realized one thing: relying on the 30,000-plus contribution points in his hands to exchange for the spirit tools and treasures inside the Artifact Pavilion was entirely a joke.
Spirit tools that could be successfully exchanged for under 30,000 contribution points were probably not very good spirit tools either.
Just as Su Chen was about to leave.
The Primordial Gods and Demons Art within his body suddenly began to run on its own. Su Chen whipped around, staring at the first floor of the Artifact Pavilion before him. To be able to trigger the Primordial Gods and Demons Art, this treasure was definitely not simple.
Following the aura of gods and demons within his body, Su Chen walked toward the locked direction.
It was an inconspicuous light cluster on the left, covered in dust, looking as though no one had paid attention to it for who knows how long.
"Fragmented treasure, only 10,000 contribution points."
No wonder nobody cared about it. The mere four words "fragmented treasure" were enough to scare everyone away; after all, 10,000 contribution points was no small sum, and no one was willing to lose them for nothing.
Without the slightest hesitation, he placed his identity jade token before the light cluster.
In an instant.
The 10,000 contribution points on the identity jade token were deducted, leaving a little over 20,000 points.
The light cluster vanished, and a mirror appeared in Su Chen's hand. Both sides were shattered; now he finally understood why this treasure was considered fragmented.
The characters "Gods and Demons" were engraved on the handle, and Su Chen already knew the name of this treasure. Barring any accidents, it should be the so-called Gods and Demons Mirror.
"Pagoda Spirit, can this treasure be repaired?"
This was what Su Chen wanted to know most, because the Gods and Demons Mirror was a fragmented treasure. If it couldn't be repaired, his 10,000 contribution points would have been wasted for nothing.
He had no idea whether he could repair it himself, so he could only ask the Pagoda Spirit.
Immediately.
The voice of the Pagoda Spirit sounded in his mind.
"To repair the Gods and Demons Mirror, the master can only use his soul to nurture it. However, the master must bear in mind that using the soul to nurture the Gods and Demons Mirror will form a special bond with it. Once the Gods and Demons Mirror shatters, the master's soul will shatter along with it. Furthermore, nurturing the Gods and Demons Mirror with the soul consumes a massive amount of soul energy and requires a very long time."
Listening to the Pagoda Spirit's explanation, Su Chen gasped softly in mixed emotions.
The meaning was very simple.
If he wanted to repair the Gods and Demons Mirror, the only way was soul nurturing, but soul nurturing came with immense risks: if the Gods and Demons Mirror shattered, his soul would shatter too, and it would take a very long time to nurture.
Staring fixedly at the Gods and Demons Mirror in his hand, Su Chen ultimately chose soul nurturing and consulted the Pagoda Spirit on how to carry it out.
It turned out to involve continuously feeding the Gods and Demons Mirror with one's soul. In doing so, it would inevitably affect his martial cultivation, since soul power was extremely important when advancing in martial arts.
After weighing the pros and cons, Su Chen ultimately decided to use his soul to nurture the Gods and Demons Mirror.
"You're Su Chen from the elementary class, number one on the Potential Dragon Ranking."
Hearing someone speak from behind, the Gods and Demons Mirror in Su Chen's hand instantly vanished. He turned around to look at Shen Bingyue before him—this woman he had almost killed actually dared to come looking for him again.
Su Chen remained silent, his face wearing an unbridled expression of disgust and mockery.
The more he acted like this, the angrier Shen Bingyue became. She said coldly, "My sister Shen Bingxue wants to see you."
Shen Bingxue, Shen Bingyue's sister, from Ace Class 2, Level 5 Golden Core Realm, with the Ice and Snow Blood Wheel.
Whether she was willing to accept it or not, Shen Bingyue knew very well that with her strength, she was definitely no match for Su Chen. A student who had just entered the academy had managed to seize the top spot on the Potential Dragon Ranking during the Potential Dragon Contention; that alone spoke volumes.
She could only turn to her sister for help. Although doing so was disgraceful and would make others laugh at her, Shen Bingyue could no longer afford to care about that.
If she didn't win back her face, she was bound to become the laughingstock of the academy.
He directly chose to ignore her.
He was supposed to go see Shen Bingxue?
He had been ignored?
An enraged Shen Bingyue snapped, "Su Chen, don't you dare be so arrogant! My sister comes from the Ace Class!"
What of the Ace Class? Su Chen couldn't be bothered to say much more. He suddenly remembered that he still needed a spatial ring with a larger capacity; the spatial ring on his finger was simply too small and would soon run out of space.
"Little sister, don't be reckless."
At that moment.
A woman whose appearance was about sixty to seventy percent similar to Shen Bingyue's walked in, though her aura was even colder. Dressed in snow-white attire, it perfectly set off her figure.
"Shen Bingxue of the Ace Class."
Seeing Shen Bingxue, the eyes of many male students instantly lit up. After all, Shen Bingxue was even prettier than Shen Bingyue, and even placed across the entire academy, she was a renowned beauty with a multitude of suitors.
Walking to Shen Bingyue's side and glaring at the outrageously arrogant young man before her, Shen Bingxue said coldly, "Relying on some tricks to bully a woman, this junior really knows how to save face for men. Senior sister is truly in awe, which is why I specially took the time today to see what kind of prodigy junior really is."
Insulting someone without using dirty words—vicious enough!
Shen Bingyue's gaze was ice-cold, locked onto the young man before her. If looks could kill, she believed Su Chen would have already been killed countless times over.
The New Biquge provides you with the fastest updates of the Ancient Emperor of Swallowing. Read Chapter 36, "The Fragmented Gods and Demons Mirror, Soul Cultivation," for free.
Chapter 37: You Really Are Quite Shameless
Not a trace of anger could be seen on his face; Su Chen acted as though he had completely ignored her.
Shaking his head helplessly, Su Chen sneered, "Birds of a feather indeed. You two had best stay far away from me, otherwise, I'll make sure you remember it for the rest of your lives."
How arrogant!
The surrounding onlookers silently gave him a thumbs-up in their hearts. A student from the elementary class, even if he could rank on the Potential Dragon Ranking, could never hope to contend with students from the Ace Class.
In the Ace Class, anyone chosen at random was in the Golden Core Realm, and Shen Bingxue even hailed from Ace Class 2, a Level 5 Golden Core Realm expert who had awakened the Ice and Snow Blood Wheel.
For someone in the Void Pill Realm to fight the Golden Core Realm meant there was simply no chance whatsoever.
"Su Chen, stop being so arrogant! In front of my sister, I won't allow you to act so wild!"
Stopping her angry younger sister, Shen Bingxue was also somewhat curious. She simply couldn't fathom where this fellow got such courage—was it really just because he ranked first on the Potential Dragon Ranking?
Eastern Wasteland Academy had two major rankings: the Potential Dragon Ranking and the Hundred Battles Ranking.
It was fair to say that even the very last person on the Hundred Battles Ranking could casually defeat the number one on the Potential Dragon Ranking. That was the gap between the two rankings, and the gap in cultivation realms; there was nothing that could bridge it.
"She's your sister, not mine. Why shouldn't I act wild? If you ask me, you two sisters are simply asking for it, courting scoldings of your own accord. I don't have time to keep the two of you company—get out of my sight."
Without giving her an ounce of face, Su Chen completely dismissed Shen Bingxue and Shen Bingyue. Their beauty was, in Su Chen's eyes, not worth a single cent.
It left the surrounding crowd sighing in astonishment; this was truly the first time they had ever encountered such a person.
Shen Bingxue smiled and nodded, though anyone could tell that she was probably enraged to her absolute limit, merely forcing herself to endure it.
After all, Shen Bingxue came from the Ace Class. If she were to casually attack someone from the elementary class, leaving aside whether she would be punished by the academy, her pride alone could not take it.
Bullying the weak with strength made for a very poor reputation if word got out.
Precisely because of this, Shen Bingxue suppressed the anger in her heart and said coldly, "Su Chen, I, Shen Bingxue, formally issue a challenge to you. I accept any form of challenge, including a life-and-death battle. Do you dare to accept?"
A life-and-death battle?
Su Chen had already fought one life-and-death battle with Tang Hao, and that time he had directly crippled Tang Hao's Blood Wheel. Up until now, neither the academy nor the Tang Clan had made any moves; it seemed the academy had sealed off the news.
To this day, no one in the academy knew that Tang Hao's Blood Wheel had been crippled; they only knew that Tang Hao had participated in the Potential Dragon Contention and never returned from the Eastern Wasteland Forest.
Su Chen laughed, his full-faced smile tinged with profound mockery and disdain.
"You really are quite shameless. A dignified student of the Ace Class actually challenging me, a student who has just entered the elementary class? I'd like to ask you, are you at the very bottom of the Ace Class, trying to come find a sense of self-worth over here?"
Naked contempt!
The surrounding crowd pointed and whispered. After all, for an Ace Class student to directly challenge an elementary class student—and moreover, a student from the worst elementary class—such a thing had never happened before; it was an unprecedented first.
"You're shameless!"
"Me? Shameless? The shameless ones are the two of you sisters, especially your sister. If you want a life-and-death battle, wait until I enter the Ace Class. When that time comes, I'll let you know the gap between you and me."
Shen Bingxue, however, smiled coldly and sneered, "Just you? You still want to enter the Ace Class? Three years, five years, or ten years? By the time you enter the Ace Class, I'll have already entered the Imperial Class."
She utterly looked down on Su Chen. Shen Bingxue considered herself a genius; even if she couldn't look down upon the entire academy, she was at least extremely formidable, and she had full confidence in herself to charge into the Imperial Class.
"Whether I can enter or not is not something you need to worry about." With a look of utter disgust, Su Chen truly loathed this type of woman. As for accepting the challenge, he wasn't an idiot—how could he possibly accept?
Although he was full of confidence in his own strength, Su Chen knew very well that with his current strength, he still couldn't defeat a Golden Core Realm martial artist.