Qian Ye had spent enough time with Song Zining to gain a considerable understanding of the Heavenly Fate Technique. He even tried it twice, showing a bit of talent. In Song Zining’s words, while he himself was a full finger, Qian Ye, the barbarian, at least had one joint. This meant that, on a day when Qian Ye lacked his dark golden blood force and the Dawn Enlightenment, he could still make a living by predicting fortunes using the Heavenly Fate Technique, relying on his murky origin power.
Those who practiced the Heavenly Fate Technique placed great importance on their mental state and cause and effect. So if Empress Li truly received great benefits from Qian Ye, she should provide appropriate rewards. Only this way could she maintain a clear and unwavering mind. With the reward, neither party would owe anything, and there would be no need to think about it further.
However, no matter how much Qian Ye thought about it, he didn’t recall doing anything for Empress Li. The more he pondered, the more his thoughts veered off. Could it be that Luo Bingfeng and Empress Li had a grudge? Or perhaps those white fruits and wine he gave to Li Kuanglan were of great significance? Or the few plain water lotuses?
If she really valued the plain water lotuses, wouldn’t Eunuch Yang have taken them when he came? Now, Li Kuanglan seemed to have forgotten about them, as they were still in Qian Ye’s possession. But to Empress Li, a few plain water lotuses were insignificant.
Qian Ye sighed softly, deciding not to dwell on it. Yet, the shadows in his heart refused to leave. Being remembered by someone skilled in the Heavenly Fate Technique was never a good thing, especially since Empress Li was one of the top experts in the Imperial Court.
Putting aside his worries, he turned to Xiao Zhuji and said, “Come here, one last try.”
The little girl’s face immediately twisted, and she cried, “No!”
“Really, just one last try.”
“You said that yesterday!”
Seeing that cajoling didn’t work, Qian Ye frowned and barked, “Come here!”
Fearing Qian Ye’s anger, Xiao Zhuji reluctantly approached, arching her body and starting to gather her strength. The ground beneath her feet began to change, faintly glowing a deep green. In an instant, she completed her power accumulation, stomped the ground, and launched herself at Qian Ye, her tiny fists punching fiercely!
As Xiao Zhuji moved, several thunderclaps echoed in the room. Her strength was immense, and her speed was so fast that every movement produced a series of thunderous sounds.
Under Qian Ye’s feet, the ground turned into a void, and he stood there, his entire body suddenly exploding with a series of thunderclaps, eight in total, before delivering a punch to Xiao Zhuji’s small fist.
A muffled thud, and Xiao Zhuji was sent flying backward, but an invisible force held her in place. Otherwise, with her recoil, she would likely crash through walls until stopping a hundred meters away.
But this made her feel awful. Her face turned pale, her eyes dazed, looking like she might throw up. For a spider demon hatchling, eating was the top priority, and throwing up would mean feeling extremely unwell.
Qian Ye only drifted back slightly, and a planetary image appeared behind him, stabilizing him.
He raised his left hand and examined it. Even this simple action caused his bones to crackle. After a few movements, he gradually regained control.
“Is the Eighth-level Mountain Splitting Force still too much? Does it mean my current body is only equivalent to a high-ranking divine general?”
The eight thunderclaps from Qian Ye’s body during the moment of exertion were the mark of the Mountain Splitting Force. Originally, his limit was the Seventh-level, but now he had pushed it to the Eighth. This was something even most divine generals couldn’t achieve.
However, despite the Eighth-level exertion, Qian Ye hadn’t used his full strength. If he had, even with Xiao Zhuji’s formidable body, she wouldn’t have been able to withstand such a powerful blow.
Putting down his hand, Qian Ye said to Xiao Zhuji, “Alright, today’s practice is over. Go eat.”
Xiao Zhuji, with a grim expression, slowly dragged herself towards the dining room. She wasn’t even tempted by food, indicating how miserable she felt.
“Eat well and come back.”
The little girl’s face was ashen, “You said it was the last time!”
“Last time before bedtime, go eat!” Qian Ye waved her off.
The little girl bit her lower lip, tears welling up. But knowing resistance was futile, she went to the dining room with red, teary eyes.
After she left, Qian Ye’s eyes showed a hint of reluctance, and he sighed, “For your better growth, this is necessary.”
On the day Xiao Zhuji was given to Qian Ye, Ye Pupil also gave some instructions for the future. During her rapid growth phase, combat and training were not only necessary but needed to be intense, even life-threatening.
Spider demons grew quickly during their development, and their physical strength often couldn’t keep up, leading to a decline. In combat, spider demons both strengthened their bodies and unleashed their true potential, promoting better growth. In ancient times, spider demons were inherently a warlike race, becoming one of the four major races through their ferocity, despite lacking notable talents in wisdom or origin power usage.
Of course, Qian Ye wouldn’t let Xiao Zhuji go out and kill indiscriminately. He had plenty of ways to train her, like the sparring just now. Actually, she was a perfect test subject for martial arts secrets, as she was far more durable than most strong individuals, even divine generals. While training her, Qian Ye could also test many new, powerful techniques.
This training method was very effective, and Xiao Zhuji’s growth accelerated, doubling her appetite. During the growth phase, eating was the sole indicator of truth. The more she ate, the faster her strength increased, fitting the spider demon philosophy.
While waiting for Xiao Zhuji to eat, Qian Ye continued to study the Book of Black. Unable to understand the universe’s evolution, he switched to galaxy formation, then planet rotation, and finally to the weather and terrain changes on a continent, barely grasping some patterns.
Qian Ye couldn’t create profound techniques like his ancestor by observing the cosmos. However, studying the world’s evolution and operation was crucial for his current and future development.
Beyond the divine general threshold, one’s combat strength was partly measured by how much origin power they could draw from their surroundings. The more they could, the stronger their attacks. Mastery of origin power methods was equally important. The more one understood the world’s laws, the better they could use them.
The Book of Black was essentially teaching Qian Ye how to use power beyond that of a divine general, at least concerning continents. Changes at the planetary scale were likely challenging even for high-ranking divine generals.
As for the galaxies and the universe, that was the path of kings, right?
No wonder Qian Ye was injured when he tried to sense the universe’s evolution. The flood of information was overwhelming for him.
In the dining room, the sound of chewing filled the air. Xiao Zhuji started slowly, as eating faster meant returning sooner for training. Not being stupid, she tried to prolong her meal. But as she ate, her speed inevitably increased.
Beast meat was irresistibly delicious. Slow savoring and voracious devouring were entirely different levels of enjoyment.
Such incidents had occurred countless times in recent days. Qian Ye estimated that in ten minutes, Xiao Zhuji would be too full to eat another bite and would obediently return for training.
Just then, Qian Ye sensed someone approaching. They did not stop near the courtyard but hesitated before knocking on the door.
Qian Ye’s face darkened, displeased by the interruption. His mood was unstable, and only training and training Xiao Zhuji provided him any respite. Since the people of Darkflame knew his aversion to disturbances, the visitor must have urgent matters.
Qian Ye opened the door and asked, “What is it?”
Standing at the door was a mercenary leader, once a confidant of Song Zining. He handed Qian Ye an envelope, saying cautiously, “Two people from the Empire want to see you. They brought this letter, saying you would meet them after reading it.”
Qian Ye opened the envelope and glanced at the letter. It bore two emblems, one of which belonged to Ji Tianqing’s family. It was a secret, simple, and abstract symbol, unlike the imperial crest with its serpent motif. From this symbol alone, no one could discern the royal lineage. But Ji Tianqing had shown this to Qian Ye before, revealing its origin in private at the Well of Stars.
Recognizing the symbol, Qian Ye knew the visitors were likely connected to Ji Tianqing, and his frown eased slightly.
The other emblem was more formal and complex. At the top was the military emblem, and below it were mountains and supply crates, the exclusive mark of the military’s equipment department. This department was responsible for the entire army’s logistics and equipment research, making it one of the most influential and lucrative departments.
It was unexpected for the military’s equipment department to seek Qian Ye out. His relationship with the military was strained, and after eliminating their spies in the neutral lands, it worsened.
But the presence of Ji Tianqing’s emblem changed Qian Ye’s mind. He instructed, “Let them wait; I will be right there.”
Qian Ye was not in a hurry. He washed up, changed clothes, and tidied himself before heading to the meeting room.
Making them wait for an hour conveyed his attitude towards the meeting, a lesson taught by Song Zining.
In the meeting room of the Darkflame headquarters, the two visitors had been waiting for a long time. Their tea had been refilled seven or eight times and had become tasteless.
With a bang, a short-haired, thirty-something man slammed his cup on the table and fumed, “Damn it, making us wait! What a big ego he has!”
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