0168 Divine Thunder of the Nine Heavens (Second Volume!)

The four of them remained dazed for a long while before looking at each other in bewilderment.

Teng Zhi’s hands were trembling as he held the certificate of merit. He said in a low voice, "No wonder Teacher Hua is capable of such a feat... Did he go out of his way to apply for this just for us?"

Bai Guo stared at his own certificate of merit for a long time, then glanced at Jiang Feng’s. "A second-class merit! Jiang Feng, you don't even need to take the grand examination anymore. With this, you can enter either Western Monarch Academy or Stone Suppressor Academy without taking any entrance exams!"

The Western Monarch Military Academy was one of the four prestigious institutions, with an intimidatingly high threshold. Even passing the provincial examination was not enough; one still had to go through a rigorous specialized test to gain admission.

However, with a second-class certificate of merit, Jiang Feng needed neither the grand examination nor the entrance test. The Western Monarch Military Academy would practically beg him to enroll.

In this world, the Demon-Subduing Army possessed precisely such influence and prestige!

Jiang Feng felt this more deeply than any of them.

Connecting it with Hua Su’s letter, Jiang Feng instantly understood his intentions.

Hua Su had rushed to apply for this certificate of merit specifically to provide Jiang Feng with a shield for self-protection!

Why did Wang Heyou brave the humiliation and rush over in such a panic to take him away?

It was because Lord Fuliu had already detected a hint of his bloodline power and wanted to seize him just as he had seized his older sister!

Wang Heyou’s urgency might have stemmed from an extreme greed for bloodline power, or perhaps something had gone wrong on his sister's end. But without a doubt, this would bring him trouble.

In Taicang City, with Hua Su present and the entire city lending its full support, nothing would happen to him. But now that he had arrived in Qigui City, he needed something formidable to protect himself.

This second-class certificate of merit was undoubtedly a powerful amulet.

Jiang Feng took a deep breath, expressed his silent gratitude to Hua Su in his heart, and carefully put the certificate away.

They hadn't bothered to hide from others when opening the letter. Old Niu had already begun boasting nearby, "I told you so, but you wouldn't believe me. Don't let their youth fool you; they are immensely capable! They made great contributions in the recent demon war, and look—even the Demon-Subduing Army has officially certified it!"

The others exchanged glances and said in unison, "Say no more. You are the great benefactors of our Taicang City. Come, let's go drink!"

Had Ping Luanshan been here, it might have been difficult to refuse, but none of the people present were fond of alcohol. Using the impending grand examination as an excuse, they politely declined the warm invitation and hurried away to take refuge in the courtyard assigned to them, settling down to rest.

Meanwhile, those people crowded around Old Niu, treating him to food and drink while asking him to recount the details of the Taicang Demon War.

The guesthouse belonging to Yushui Prefecture covered a considerable area and boasted an elegant environment. They were assigned an independent courtyard, with each person occupying a separate room.

Jiang Feng put down his luggage, fetched water to wash away three days of dust and grime, and sat down on the straw meditation cushion by the window.

The midnight rabbit popped out of his bundle, nuzzled against his hand, and Ye Xiao drifted out, materializing before him.

She stood with her hands lowered, her presence exuding a natural grace that complemented her jade-like face and water-like hair. Among all the people Jiang Feng had ever seen, no one surpassed her in beauty.

Ye Xiao said, "You gained a lot from the Taicang Demon War. You should settle your mind over the next couple of days and properly organize everything."

Ever since she regained consciousness and her form solidified, she had seemed like a different person when facing Jiang Feng, her gentleness laced with a subtle strictness. She felt partly like a teacher and partly like an elder sister.

Jiang Feng gathered his thoughts, nodded, and said, "Understood."

He half-closed his eyes, speaking partly as if reporting to her and partly as if organizing his own thoughts. "I am currently at the first chain with seven apertures. I still need to open two more apertures to reach the Heavenly Dawn realm. All sixteen of my vital apertures have already been embedded with vital cores."

Previously, Jiang Feng’s vital cores had all been obtained by hunting dawn beasts himself. Later on, due to urgent circumstances and his rapid advancement, the newly embedded vital cores were all provided by Hua Su. Given Hua Su’s capabilities, the ones he gave were top-tier first-grade vital cores, and Jiang Feng still had a few left on hand.

"Aside from the vital branches, a dark vital branch has formed on the reverse side of the Heavenly Heart Seed to store demonic energy. I have unblocked five apertures on it, though they are not yet embedded. Based on my speculation, this dark vital branch can be embedded with demonic cores from the demon race."

Ye Xiao said, "There is only one Heavenly Heart Seed in this entire world, and you are the only martial cultivator capable of absorbing dark dawn power. You are also the only one with a dark vital branch. How you choose to operate it depends entirely on your own plans, and you must proceed with utmost caution."

Jiang Feng abruptly opened his eyes and asked, "There is only one Heavenly Heart Seed?"

Ye Xiao answered candidly, "My memories regarding this are somewhat incomplete, but I remember that this is indeed the case."

Jiang Feng nodded and continued, "I currently have three master-grade treasured artifacts in my Treasure Compendium, but given time, the remaining seven are not a problem. I can attain the rank of a first-grade treasured artifact master at any time."

Ye Xiao nodded. "Mhm. Before the grand examination, find some time to complete it. The benefits of being a treasured artifact master are greater than you imagine. It is always better to secure any advantage within your grasp as early as possible."

Jiang Feng shared the same sentiment. He went on, "The only martial skill I have mastered so far is the Falling Thunder Palm. The Heavenly Mechanism Cube has already fused it with the Manifestation Finger Art, and it feels quite smooth in practice."

"The offensive treasured artifact I currently use is the iron finger-guards given by Teacher Hua, which serves me well enough."

As he listed them one by one, his thoughts gradually grew clearer through this process of self-reflection.

Ye Xiao listened quietly before asking, "Then what will you do during this period?"

Jiang Feng replied, "I will try embedding demonic cores, gather materials, complete the remaining seven treasured artifacts, and go to the Treasured Artifact Master Association for certification. Additionally, I need to keep an eye on Lord Fuliu's movements to avoid unnecessary trouble."

Ye Xiao stood before him, nodded, and then added, "Well said. Apart from that, there is one more thing you must do. The Falling Thunder Palm is decent, and after your optimization and improvement, it indeed possesses a certain degree of might. However, it is ultimately just a basic martial skill; when facing stronger enemies, it will fall somewhat short. During this time, I will teach you another martial skill, and you must master it before the grand examination!"

There were only fifteen days left until the grand examination. Mastering a martial skill in fifteen days was practically impossible.

Jiang Feng stared at Ye Xiao, suddenly smiled, and said, "Alright! If you believe I can do it, then I certainly can!"

To teach this martial skill, Ye Xiao still needed some preparation. Before that, Jiang Feng decided to try embedding the apertures on the dark vital branch first.

Before leaving, Kuzhan had given him a pouch of demonic cores. He disdained low-level miscellaneous demons; the pouch contained primarily core-level and lieutenant-level demonic cores from the demon race, along with a few captain-level ones.

Based on his previous experience in embedding vital cores, Jiang Feng knew that while high-level demonic cores possessed immense power, the tender dark vital branch could never withstand them. He had to start with those from low-level demons.

After pondering for a moment, he drew out a relatively pure soldier-level demonic core and held it in his palm.

A moment later, wisps of black qi began to emerge in the room, accompanied by a faint, overpowering floral aroma that drifted toward the window, threatening to escape outside immediately.

Ye Xiao stood frozen by the window and glanced back. She shook her head and murmured, "This child, getting careless at a time like this..." She raised her hand, her fingers appearing nearly transparent in the sunlight. Extending her index finger, she drew a circle in the air, and the entire room was instantly enclosed by a transparent barrier, completely sealing the black qi and fragrance inside so that not a single trace could escape.

Jiang Feng sat upright on the meditation cushion, his eyes half-closed as wisps of black qi rose and entwined with his black hair, casting an eerie and sinister shadow over his features.

After quite a while, he opened his mouth, and all the black qi condensed into a long streak, which he inhaled entirely into his mouth. The fragrance vanished completely, and the room returned to tranquility.

Jiang Feng opened his eyes, his gaze remaining bright and clear. He stood up, and with a flash of movement, he was suddenly by the door. Another flash, and he was at the other end of the room. His speed was hardly inferior to that of Ping Luanshan.

Jiang Feng smiled and nodded. "Indeed, embedding demonic cores is the right path. The principle is the same as with the vital branches; the first dark vital branch can only accommodate soldier-level demonic cores at most. My speed has increased, and my explosive power has improved as well..." He threw a punch, and a sharp sonic boom immediately echoed through the air—the sound produced when fist momentum was too fast and compressed the air into an explosion.

Soon, all five soldier-level demonic cores were successfully embedded. A flash of purplish light crossed the depths of Jiang Feng's eyes. On the surface, he looked unchanged, but his aura had shifted from its previous steady warmth to something more mysterious and ethereal.

Ye Xiao turned around, looked him up and down, and nodded. "Not bad. Power itself has no intrinsic good or evil; it is enough to make good use of it." She beckoned Jiang Feng to come closer and said, "The martial skill I am going to teach you is called the *Nine Heavens Divine Thunder*. It has a total of nine stages, and I will teach you the first stage first."

She reached out and lightly tapped Jiang Feng on the forehead.

This was not the first time she had used this method to transmit information. Previously, Jiang Feng had felt nothing when she touched him, but this time, he clearly felt an extremely soft sensation graze his forehead before vanishing instantly. Immediately afterward, a torrent of information surged inward, flooding his mind.

Jiang Feng steadied himself, suppressing the urge to touch his forehead, and began to organize the information in his mind.

Perhaps to maintain a connection with the Falling Thunder Palm, the martial skill Ye Xiao chose was also of the thunder and lightning attribute, though it was far more complex and powerful than the Falling Thunder Palm.

What she had transmitted was only the first stage, which was also the simplest advancement technique, but just sorting through this portion of the content took Jiang Feng a long time.

An hour later, he let out a long breath, looked up at Ye Xiao, and murmured, "I'm becoming more and more curious about your origins..."

Ye Xiao smiled faintly and said, "That doesn't matter. I am already dead; I am merely a wisp of a remnant soul."

Jiang Feng argued, "But you can already begin incorporating dark dawn power now. Look at you—you are much clearer now than when I first saw you. Back then, you had no memories and no self-awareness... Who knows? Perhaps one day, you might be able to reshape your physical form using dark dawn power?"

Ye Xiao laughed self-deprecatingly. "How could it be that easy? Besides—" She looked down at her own hand and said softly, "Is dark dawn power really something that can be incorporated so easily..."

Her voice trailed off to a whisper at the end, and Jiang Feng didn't hear it clearly. He pressed on, "What did you say?"

Ye Xiao shook her head. "Nothing. Time is short; you should hurry up and practice!"

Whether it was her memories or her identity, whenever the conversation turned to her own affairs, she would always evade it...

Jiang Feng sighed and said, "Fine, fine, I'll listen to you..." He stood up, cleared a space in the room, and truly began to practice.

Ye Xiao stood by the window, watching him quietly, a sudden trace of hostility flashing across her brow.

(To be continued...)

[PS: Second update!]