Chapter 101: Strength Increasing (Chapter Three—Dear Readers, Please Support the First Subscription)

Chapter 102: Growth in Strength

"Brother, do you want a wife? She’s from a Celestial Immortal family, the eldest daughter Su Yueyao. She is sixteen, a beautiful and gentle young lady."

"The cultivation technique she practices is the 'Luan-Phoenix Entwining Dragon Art.' You might not understand it, but it will definitely be beneficial to you."

"This small Celestial Immortal family lost their ancestor during an advancement, and to ensure the family's prosperity, they wish to attach themselves to me, betting on my future success in the Immortal Dao."

"Brother, I lack nothing right now, and my heart is set on the Dao; I have no interest in worldly romance."

"Seeing that Su Yueyao suits your taste, I’ve decided to have her bring her entire family to marry into your life in exchange for my future support."

"As long as you give the word, brother, I will have Su Yueyao and her entire family move to Leizhou immediately."

Reading this letter, Xu Chen could feel the profound sincerity of his sworn brother between the lines.

"You’re dedicated to the Dao, but you think I have time to mess around?"

Xu Chen picked up pen and paper to write a reply. Once finished, he sealed it and summoned an express delivery crane to take it away.

"Express delivery."

"You got it!" The crane spread its wings and soared into the sky.

Watching the crane disappear into the horizon, Xu Chen pondered what kind of technique the "Luan-Phoenix Entwining Dragon Art" actually was. After a moment of thought, he pulled out his disciple token and sent a message to Zong Changshou.

The reply was almost instantaneous.

"The Luan-Phoenix Entwining Dragon Art is a technique practiced by daughters of small families, specifically designed for marriage alliances with higher-status families."

"It has mediocre effects on the user herself, but it is extremely beneficial to the man. It is a form of Dragon-Phoenix dual cultivation, profound and infinite in its mysteries."

"If one marries a woman practicing this technique, even if she has only mortal-grade talent, she still has a chance to ascend to the Immortal Dao in the future. It is one of the few ways for those with mortal-grade talent to defy destiny."

"Also, one more thing: to practice the Luan-Phoenix Entwining Dragon Art, one must have either top-tier talent or a pure and kind heart. Once married, that woman will be devoted for life, with absolute loyalty."

Looking at Zong Changshou’s reply, Xu Chen thought that if he didn't have his "cheat," he would definitely call his sworn brother "father" out of gratitude.

***

In the Human Emperor’s Great Dao Palace, atop the clouds, Jiang Beici lay peacefully, watching the sky. Space rippled in the distance, and a woman who had transformed from a crane landed gracefully beside him.

"Beici, your letter," the woman said softly.

"Just deliver the letter. Don't appear before me in human form."

The letter in the woman's hand was snatched away by an invisible force and floated before Jiang Beici.

"Understood." The woman smiled slightly and stepped through space, vanishing.

The letter opened automatically. Jiang Beici lay on the clouds, reading it.

"I knew you wouldn't agree. I'll just have them wait a while longer."

"The Luan-Phoenix Entwining Dragon Art is just right for my brother." Jiang Beici smiled faintly.

A mirror-like communication artifact appeared before him, showing a woman in her thirties.

"Your Highness, has your brother agreed?" the woman asked expectantly. This human prodigy was their family's only hope. She knew her daughter wasn't a match for him, but she was perfect for his brother in Leizhou. As long as they forged this connection, the family would have a future. If this man became a Golden Immortal in the future, their family would rise higher than ever before.

"My brother hasn't agreed yet, but it’s only a matter of time."

"Tell your daughter to cultivate diligently and keep her heart free from worldly distractions."

"As long as she does that, your little family will be under my protection."

Jiang Beici’s calm words rang in the woman’s ears like a massive bell. At that moment, she knew her family was secure—her daughter had a good husband, and her son had a powerful backer.

"Understood. I will keep a close watch on Yueyao," the woman promised.

"Good. If this comes to pass, I, Jiang Beici, will owe your family a favor."

"Your Highness, there is no need for that! Our family will gladly serve you for generations to come," she said, trembling with excitement.

***

"No need for that. That is all."

Jiang Beici ended the call and wrote another letter to Xu Chen.

***

At the Daoxi Sect, in the practice ground outside Xu Chen's cave dwelling, a young whale’s cry pierced the morning light. Xu Chen’s body moved like a swimming dragon, flowing through the world in rhythm with his breathing technique.

The Cloud Whale Breathing Technique didn't require specific postures. Xu Chen had discovered by accident that practicing while lying in a lounge chair was more effective. After deeper research, he found that being in a buoyant state in water allowed him to adapt to the technique faster. Finally, he had a sudden inspiration: by gathering his strength throughout his body and using the "Void-Stepping" method, he could drift through the air like a fish, doubling his cultivation speed.

By now, he had mastered the ability to drift through the air with effortless, flowing power.

"It's a good thing the formations block everyone's view, or it would be embarrassing to float around like this," Xu Chen said, exhaling sharply as he finished the fourth breathing method, concluding today's training.

Just as he finished, an express delivery crane flew overhead.

"Drop the letter," Xu Chen said.

The letter fluttered down into his hands. It was from his sworn brother again. He opened it and read the first few lines:

"Don't worry, she will be your woman eventually."

"Whenever you want her, I'll have them sent over."

"Brother, I am now in the Human Emperor’s Great Dao Palace, and I am addressed as 'Your Highness'."

"Xu Chen, I’ve got your back from now on."

Reading this, Xu Chen felt a warmth in his heart.

"Brother, who’s got whose back is yet to be determined."

"But what does it mean to be called 'Your Highness' in the Human Emperor’s Great Dao Palace? Did he adopt the Ninth Human Emperor as his foster father?"

"Don't overthink it. Just keep cultivating."

"My sworn brother is already in the Return-to-Void Realm. I can't fall too far behind."

With that thought, Xu Chen returned to his cave, entered the Saintly White Space, and pushed open the silver door of the Star Body-Refining Method.

Days were spent cultivating; nights were spent battling the Star Body-Refining clones.

Half a year later, a long whale cry echoed throughout the practice ground. Xu Chen had finally mastered all twelve forms of the Cloud Whale Breathing Technique.

"So difficult, but I've finally started."

He had originally thought he’d found a shortcut, but it still took half a year to even get an entry-level grasp.

"My internal blood-energy has increased by the strength of two tigers. This Cloud Whale Breathing Technique is truly extraordinary."

Xu Chen now possessed the strength of four dragons, one tiger, and nine oxen.

"The gathering is coming up soon. Let me clear the Cloud Whale Breathing Technique challenge first."

He rushed back into the Saintly White Space. A battered silver door appeared before him.

"Silver level, not bad."

He pushed the door open. Behind it lay an endless sea, where his clone sat atop the head of a giant whale.

"You're here?" the clone asked calmly.

"Shall we fight, or will you let me pass?" Xu Chen floated in the air, looking at the clone.

"Your strength is enough for you to pass, but let's have a fight. It would be quite boring to just let you through."

The clone slowly stood up, and a twenty-foot-long illusory image of a cloud whale appeared behind him.

"The whales in this sea are all raised by me. Let's fight in the sky."

The clone moved like a dragon, drifting toward the sky.

"Exactly what I was hoping for!"

Xu Chen stepped through the void, heading higher. His surging blood-energy was like an ocean.

*BOOM!*

Xu Chen and the clone collided like a cataclysmic event. A shockwave spread, and Xu Chen was knocked back dozens of feet.

"Five dragons of strength—truly impressive!"

Xu Chen lunged forward with a palm strike. Behind him, a phantom of a raging sea appeared, and a golden sun began to rise above it. Instantly, Xu Chen’s aura grew even more violent.

The golden sun rose, a dragon gate appeared, and the carp transformed into a giant whale, leaping high over the gate. Xu Chen’s aura climbed once again.

The clone sighed at the sight. "If it weren't for the rules restricting me, someone like you would be..."

Before he could finish, the clone was sent flying as he met Xu Chen’s strike.

*BANG!*

The clone plummeted like a meteor into the sea below. The world shattered, and Xu Chen’s consciousness was transferred into an unknown space.

When he regained his senses, he found himself in the body of a small whale, swimming through the ocean with its mother. Years passed, and the whale grew large, eventually consuming a Divine Sea Holy Lotus. His formerly muddled mind began to gain wisdom. He discovered a breathing technique hidden deep within his instincts. Using this technique, he triggered his ancestral bloodline. His fins grew, and he leaped from the sea into the sky, taking the clouds as his ocean and the mist as his companion.

Xu Chen felt the whale's breathing technique deeply, gaining profound insights. When the world shattered and he returned to the Saintly White Space, a flood of enlightenment rushed into his mind.

Only after fully absorbing these insights did he return to his physical body.

In the practice ground, a phantom of a cloud whale appeared behind Xu Chen. He felt his blood-energy as vast as the sea, endless and continuous. He knew that by unleashing this sea of blood, every move he made would possess incredible power.

He activated the training puppet in the corner. From ten yards away, Xu Chen struck with his full force, his power shaking the void.

*BOOM!*

The puppet was sent flying like a streak of light, slamming into the mountain wall dozens of yards away.

After a long time, the puppet finished its repairs and walked back to Xu Chen’s side.

"Power: Five dragons, six tigers. Power level exceeds parameters. Please readjust the puppet's settings."

"An increase of about one dragon and four tigers of strength, plus the two tigers from the initial entry. This is my biggest jump in strength yet."

At first, when Xu Chen was clearing the blood-energy foundation stages, he had fantasized that the strength would simply stack up. But as he cultivated, he realized that the blood-energy gained from tempering his heart, organs, muscles, bones, and skin was limited. The techniques could not simply be stacked; they only provided incremental gains.

Therefore, Xu Chen was extremely satisfied with this level of growth.