Ancient Strengthening Technique (Portraits of Beauty) Ancient Strengthening Technique Chapter 1136-1137

AST 1136 – Dynasties’ Grades, Sects’ Grades, State Master

"Myriad dynasties? Myriad sects?” Qing Shui asked, in doubt. Everything here was brand new and he needed to rapidly absorb all the knowledge here. Otherwise, it would be very hard for him to sustain himself.

“Myriad dynasties refers to many dynasties, while myriad sects refers to many sects. This place is one where dynasties, sects and clans co-exist,” Qiu Feng smiled and said.

“Mmm, right, which continent in the four continents is this?” Until now, Qing Shui realized that he was still unaware of which continent he had landed on.

“This is the multifarious Western Oxhe Continent. It’s located in the west and the land here is more vast. The land area of the Western Oxhe Continent is comparable even to the land size of all five continents combined,” Qiu Feng smiled and said.

When Qing Shui heard this, he was stunned. This was too astonis.h.i.+ng. Just the Western Oxhe Continent alone was so big?

He had experienced it for himself how big the land of the five continents was. He had been to each of the five continents and had a taste of it.

“Then are the dynasties stronger or are the sects stronger?” Qiu Feng looked at Qiu Feng and asked.

“I don’t know. Some sects are weaker than dynasties but some sects are stronger than dynasties,” Qiu Feng smiled and said.

Qing Shui was struck by a feeling of depression. Saying this was as good as not saying anything at all. He looked around and then smiled and asked, “Where is this place? Does it belong to a dynasty or a sect?”

“Western Oxhe Continent is a dynasty inst.i.tution. Dynasties are segregated into various grades. The same goes for sects. This is the Great Yu Dynasty and is considered the top of the Grade Two Dynasties. Dynasties are segregated into Grade One, Two, Three and Four, with Grade One being the weakest. The higher the grade, the more powerful they were. Those above Grade Four Dynasties are considered legendary.”

“How many dynasties are there in Western Oxhe Continent? Which dynasties are Grade One, which are in Grade Two and Three? Do you know?” Qing Shui smiled and asked.

“The greatest number are Grade One Dynasties and it’s said that there are Grade One to Four Dynasties. There are over ten Grade One Dynasties. However, these are just rumors and I’m not sure how accurate they are,” Qiu Feng gave it some thought and said.

“Oh, right. Brother, how are the grades for the dynasties decided?” Qing Shui was very curious about this question.

“It’s said to be based on the royalty’s abilities, the National Protector State Masters’ ability, as well as the abilities of the clans under the dynasties. The dynasties here are basically a similar system as one with clans. The clan with the royal family would be the members of royalty and control a dynasty. There are also several tens of clans under the royalty who are ranked and would each control the resources in an area,” Qiu Feng smiled and said.

Back in the five continents, Qing Shui had already understood how powerful sects were. The City Lords were all from the sects in an area and the sects were held in high regards. There were even sects who didn’t even know how much land they had under their control. The powerful clans in each city or country would have control over that area.

It was just like how there was even a reign even over Qing Village. In this world, even though it appeared to be very messy, there were still paths for development. Qing Shui came from Qing Village, was the guardian for Hundred Miles City and was even the guardian for the Cang Lang Country and Greencloud Continent.

This was the fate of a powerful cultivator.

In Qing Shui’s previous life, there were official positions in the dynasties. However, it was upon arriving here that he learned that the dynasties here were different from the ones he had from his previous life. However, they were still basically the same. It was just that the officials had been changed to clans and the clans those officials had came from also wielded great power.

Once Qiu Feng explained it, Qing Shui understood. This system was one which clans joined forces to form a dynasty. It should be to stand up against sects with similar systems.

“Brother, what is the State Master about?” Qing Shui recalled that it was mentioned that the position of National Protector State Master seemed to be very important.

“The State Master is a high level existence in a dynasty. The royalty call the person the National Protector State Master. Not all members of royalties are at the level of a State Master but only those from the royal family could be called National Protector State Masters. A Grade One State Master’s level is about 3,000 nimbus. Oh, right. 10,000 stars is equal to one nimbus. A Grade Two State Master has a strength of 6,000 nimbus and the Grade Three State Master has the minimum level of 10,000 nimbus. These seemed to all be rumors and may not be very accurate,” Qiu Feng smiled and said.

It was only then that Qing Shui knew that he was extremely weak. Even a Grade One State Master was much stronger than him. If Qiu Feng were to know that Qing Shui was already comparing himself with State Masters now, he would definitely cough blood.

What existence was a State Master at? They were the people at the pinnacle of a dynasty and even one from the lowest grade was able to reflect how impressive the Western Oxhe Continent was. No matter where they went, they would be in high demand.

“Brother, what I said might not be accurate. You just need to get an idea. Even in a Grade One dynasty, there would also be Grade Two and Three State Masters, just that they are few in number and aren’t sufficient to bring up the grade of the dynasty they belong to. The State Masters’ abilities are the same as the dynasties’. There are Grade Four State Masters above Grade Three State Masters. However, I’m not very sure about their strengths.”

“Then what is the estimated numbers of State Masters? Would there be a big difference between dynasties of different grades?”

“In the royal family of a Grade One Dynasty, there mustn’t be less than 500 Grade One State Masters, 50 Grade Two State Masters and 5 Grade Three State Masters. This would the royal family as well. As for the other clans who are inferior to the royal family, they would be much weaker in comparison. However, in all, their numbers are several times bigger than the number of State Masters in the royal family,” Qiu Feng looked at Qing Shui and said, smiling.

Qing Shui knew that the strength of these great clans was much weaker than the royalty. Otherwise, the royalty wouldn’t be the wielder of power. To think that there were already so many powerful cultivators in Grade One Dynasties…

How many years of acc.u.mulated effort was required for a clan to gain such a high level of prosperity?

“Then what are the numbers like for the State Masters in a Grade Two Dynasty?” Qing Shui asked, feeling curious.

“In the royal family of a Grade Two Dynasty, there mustn’t be less than 5,000 Grade One State Masters, 500 Grade Two State Masters and 50 Grade Three State Masters. This would be for the royal family as well. As for the other clans who are inferior to the royal family, they would be much weaker in comparison. However, in all, their numbers are several times bigger than the number of State Masters in the royal family. Oh, right, not all members of the royal family have the royal lineage. It’s just like how in clans, most of the members aren’t direct descendants and could be just outsiders. However, there are other methods to let them serve the clan.”

Qing Shui now understood. If they were all people from the royal family, how perverse would that be? However, thinking about it, he estimated that at least one-third of them should be of royal blood. Qing Shui thought of himself and the changes that had happened for his clan. Therefore, he knew that these royals would definitely have their own monstrous legacies which were extremely powerful.

If such legacies didn’t exist, with there being so many people and so many experts, the royal family wouldn’t be able to sit at the very top.

The Great Yu Dynasty was a Grade Two Dynasty and was a top notch one at that. There was no further elaboration of a Grade Three Dynasty since Qiu Feng didn’t know about them. However, seeing how the difference between a Grade One and Grade Two dynasty was ten times, then the gap between a Grade Two and Grade Three Dynasty would probably not be lesser than ten times as well.

There were two Grade Four Dynasties in Western Oxhe Continent. The power of a Grade Four State Master caused Qing Shui to feel very astonished. The four continents was a bigger world.

“Mmm, how does Western Oxhe Continent compare to the other three continents?” Qing Shui was both excited and astonished. The world here was so much bigger.

“The area is too wide and we usually can only hear a little about the other three continents. People of our abilities aren’t capable of traveling around,” Qiu Feng shook his head and said in self-mockery.

Just a Western Oxhe Continent was sufficient to compare with the size of the five continents. It was already very hard for Qing Shui to travel between the five continents, let alone doing so here. Seems like he would need to get stronger as soon as possible.

After letting Qing Shui understand the situation and gain some basic knowledge, Qiu Feng took out a detailed map and handed it to Qing Shui. This is the map for Great Yu Dynasty and the Western Oxhe Continent. I don’t have anything for the other areas.

“Brother, I’m just askingif it’s not convenient then you can ignore my question. How is Formation Immortal Sect’s power in Great Yu Dynasty?”

Qiu Feng had brought it up to Qing Shui before that there were certain sects who were very well concealed and the outside world knew nothing about their abilities.

“This is no secret but it’s hard to describe it in a short timespan. Sects are also unique existences here and usually are independent outside of dynasties. Here, only sects would be able to be a match for dynasties but I don’t know who is stronger. Sects are also grouped into grade one, two, three and four. There seems to be a parallel to the dynasties. Formation Immortal Sect used to be basked in great glory but right now, we can only be considered to be at the top of the Grade One Sects.”

It was close to what Qing Shui had expected. Formation Immortal Sect was very powerful. Hearing from Qiu Feng, it seemed that they had declined but they still maintained the abilities of a peak Grade One Sect. They should still be a very strong existence in Great Yu Dynasty.

Sects are independent of dynasties. However, there would also be times when dynasties unite the sects in the dynasty in order to go against other dynasties.

“Brother, do you know about Putuo Mountain?” Qing Shui was asking about Tantai Xuan’s sect.

“Miss Tantai’s sect is still considered quite famous in Great Yu Dynasty. It’s because it’s said that their power doesn’t lose out to Great Yu Dynasty at all. They are very mysterious and have a high status. I don’t know the details either. Right now, Formation Immortal Sect is a far cry from Putuo Mountain and we are no longer standing on the same grounds.”

Qing Shui thought of Di Chen again, wondering where she ws. She should still be in Western Oxhe Continent, right? The Western Oxhe Continent alone was comparable to the five continents in total. To be finding a person in such a big place, an unfamiliar place at that… How could it possibly be easy?

If he wished to find her, he must first rise to the top in Great Yu Dynasty. It would be relatively easier if he had gained a certain level of influence. However, what was it that he needed to do now?

State Master！

Qing Shui’s eyes lit up. He should only be able to gain the ability after becoming an expert that was of a State Master level, right?

The lowest ranked Grade One State Masters have a strength of 3,000 nimbus. The difference in their power was tremendous and this wouldn’t be an easy route.

What should he do? Could it be that he would really need to join a particular group right now?

Qing Shui went into deep thought. To get stronger, he would need to cultivate. This was something which he could do anywhere. After coming to this unfamiliar place, there wasn’t anything he had to attend to at the moment.

Looking for Di Chen wasn’t something he could accomplish just by being anxious. It was only after he had gained power and could use it to his advantage to look for her, would it then be easier. In Great Yu Dynasty, the top notch State Masters were a special existence.

There was Qiu Feng in Formation Immortal Sect and Tantai Xuan in Putuo Mountain. Although he wasn’t on extremely friendly terms with Tantai Xuan, he was considered to have helped her before and they could sort of be considered friends.

Qing Shui secretly decided to himself that he would become Great Yu Dynasty’s State Master as soon as possible, even if it was just one of the lowest grade!

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AST 1137 – Formation Immortal Sect, Changes to the Nine Continents Boots, Realm of Steps of Perfection

Yu Ruyan and Tantai Xuan were on one side, chatting about similar things. Since it was the first time she had came to this place, it was better for her to gain more understanding of the common knowledge in this world.

They continued until about noon when they went out to get some food. Qiu Feng invited Qing Shui, Yu Ruyan and Yu Ruyan to Formation Immortal Sect, so he could host them but Qing Shui shook his head and declined.

Qiu Feng’s branch was the weakest one in Formation Immortal Sect. Formation Immortal Sect was considered a top notch Grade One Sect and there were still many strong experts in the sect. Therefore, Qing Shui didn’t want to find trouble for himself and thus declined Qiu Feng’s kind intentions.

Qiu Feng and the others didn’t insist either. They knew that if some powerful cultivator in the sect were to ask Qing Shui to join their sect and he didn’t agree, it wouldn’t end well.

However, there were always some things which wouldn’t go as planned. Just as Qing Shui and Qiu Feng stopped this conversation, two powerful demonic beasts appeared from afar. Although they were about 100 meters in size, the auras they released weren’t of the same level as what Qing Shui had seen before.

Formation Immortal Sect’s clothes!

Two demonic beasts, which seemed like an eagle yet like a condor but was neither. The fierce auras they unleashed were slightly more powerful compared to the ancient demonic beasts which Qing Shui had encountered before.

Just such demonic beasts already astonished Qing Shui. He was even more taken aback when he saw the two old men on them. It was because he couldn’t sense their abilities with his spiritual sense.

It was like throwing a stone into the sea, the dept was so deep that it couldn’t be fathomed. Many Sealing Formations were drawn on their clothes and accessories, making the clothes appear to be gleaming in a silvery light, causing the two old men to be like members of the G.o.ds.

The old man on the left had pale skin and was truly a person with white hair but a young appearance. His forehead was broad and his head was s.h.i.+ny, causing him to stand out a lot. His eyes were always smiling, giving others a favorable impression in one look. His snow white long brows and beard made him appear even more amiable.

The old man on the right had a tall physique and thick brows. Contrary to the other old man, this one was slightly tanned, had a big nose and a mix of black and white hair. He unleashed an aura like that of a wild beast and was a little fierce. However, Qing Shui still had the feeling that he was unfathomable.

“Greetings to Elder White and Elder Black!”

Qiu Feng and the others bowed and greeted the two old men respectfully.

“Haha, we’re all family, there’s no need to stand on ceremony. Just be more at ease!” The white-skinned old man laughed and said.

On the other hand, the tanned faced old man’s huge eyes glanced around. All the people who were glanced at, shuddered. This was an Elder from their Formation Immortal Sect, the lowest Master in the sect. Even if they hadn’t reached the level of the lowest grade State Master, they were not far from that and would become one very soon. He was already one step into the door of becoming a State Master.

Suddenly, the tanned faced old man’s eyes landed on Qing Shui. A weird glow flashed in his eyes as he looked toward Qing Shui, “That lad there. In the future, you’ll be my disciple.”

The tanned face old man pointed a finger at Qing Shui, causing everyone else present to feel very envious. How great was it to be taken in as a disciple by an Elder? This was a State Master and even the lowest grade State Master was revered and treated with great importance.

However, Qing Shui frowned. He didn’t wish to become anyone’s disciple. At the very least, he didn’t have a favorable impression of this man, especially not toward the domineering aura he gave off.

“Old Black, you’re really fast to speak up. This is really a good seed. With time, he’ll definitely be ten times stronger than you,” the amiable looking old man laughed and said.

“Elder, he isn’t a member of our Formation Immortal Sect.” Qiu Feng saw Qing Shui’s frown and stepped out to speak up.

“Qiu Feng, can you not tolerate that there’s someone else who’s stronger than you and you cannot accept him?” The tanned face old man’s sharp eyes pierced toward Qiu Feng like a blade.

Suddenly, Qiu Feng’s clothes were drenched with perspiration!

“Elder, Qiu Feng didn’t mean that…”

“Alright, you don’t have to continue.” Elder Black waved his hand to interrupt Qiu Feng’s words.

Qiu Feng took one step back and looked toward Qing Shui apologetically. Qing Shui smiled and shook his head.

“Young man, many people begged me to take them in as my disciple but I didn’t agree. How about it? If you become my disciple, you’ll be able to soar into the skies with just one step,” the tanned face old man looked at Qing Shui and said calmly.

“Soar into the skies with just one step? Sir, may I ask what your strength is?” Although Qing Shui was a far cry from the level of a State Master level existence, he wouldn’t want it even if a Grade One State Master were to take him in as a disciple. He had no intentions of finding himself a Master and only Yiye Jiange had been his Master for a short period of time. It that wasn’t even considered official.

“Haha, my abilities just barely reached the level of a Grade One State Master. Why? Am I not qualified to be your Master?” the tanned face man laughed and said, his voice was loud and clear, having a confidence that came from deep within.

“Would you be able to teach me to become a Grade Two or Grade Three State Master?” Qing Shui asked softly after the old man stopped laughing.

The tanned faced old man glared at him for very long before he said slowly, “Lad, I hadn’t expected you to have such great expectations. To be honest, I have the confidence to nurture you into a Grade One State Master in 100 years. However, I don’t have any confidence to achieve anything beyond that.”

“100 years to only become a Grade One State Master…” Qing Shui mumbled softly to himself.

Qing Shui’s voice was not very loud but it was sufficient to let the people in the surroundings hear him. Suddenly, it became so silent that they would probably hear the sound of a needle dropping to the ground. Even Yu Ruyan and Tantai Xuan looked at Qing Shui, stunned.

“Arrogant! Ignorant! Do you think that it’s so easy to attain a breakthrough to become a Grade One State Master? Come, let me see how much you’re worth.” The tanned face old man seemed to be have become a little agitated. He wasn’t a person who could get irritated so easily but this time around, it was primarily because he wanted to take Qing Shui as his disciple.

"Wait. Don’t you think that you’re bullying the weak to be testing my abilities now? Even if you were to beat me and killed me, would there be any meaning to it?" Qing Shui shook his head and said, smiling, not anxious in the least.

Not just the tanned faced old man, even the pale faced old man was also astonished that Qing Shui was really so calm. It seemed that even a State Master was nothing much to this young man…

In the Western Oxhe Continent, only those who had reached the level of a Grade One State Master could be considered a true powerful expert. The grades of dynasties and sects were actually a comparison of the State Master level cultivators.

The tanned face old man was stunned for a moment. When had he ever been so disregarded by others before this? If it was someone else, he would probably have gone over and killed them with a palm. However, he couldn’t bear to do that to this young man. Talents were hard to come by.

“Elders, he is my friend and came with me this time around. He doesn’t have the intention of joining any sects. What do you think if you were to let him be?” Tantai Xuan smiled and said to the two old men.

Seeing that Tantai Xuan had stepped forth, the two old men could only find themselves a way out so as not to appear too embarra.s.sed. The tanned face old man had pointed to Qing Shui to get him to become his disciple earlier. If there were no one to help resolve the situation, the old man would use force to “protect” his pride. Otherwise, he would have lost too much face.

It was good that Putuo Mountain stepped up. They could only smile and say, “Since he is a friend of Miss Tantai, then we won’t force it either. In the future, if you have time, do come visit Formation Immortal Sect.”

With that, they nodded and brought the others back with them.

Qing Shui hadn’t expected things to be like this. In the past, if one had a high official post, they would be able to crush others. Here, it was the same if sects or dynasties were one grade higher and it would be one-sided and overwhelming. After all, the difference in strengths was too great.

Qing Shui smiled and said, to Qiu Feng, “Thanks, brother.”

“Thank you, Miss Tantai!”

Qing Shui turned to speak to Tantai Xuan.

“I didn’t help much, you should thank Miss Tantai,” Qiu Feng shook his head helplessly and said, smiling.

“Alright, you helped me as well. I only said one line,” Tantai Xuan smiled.

Qing Shui wasn’t stupid and naturally knew the reason Tantai Xuan was put in high regard. Tantai Xuan definitely had a high status in Putuo Mountain. If it was an ordinary disciple, even if the person was from a Grade Four Sect, that State Master wouldn’t have shown her any face either.

“Brother, my sect is calling for me to return. Are you guys going to follow Miss Tantai? Will you first look for a place to stay?” Qiu Feng asked Qing Shui.

“Brother, you can return first. I’ll look for you when I’m free. You can just leave us be,” Qing Shui smiled and said to Qiu Feng. They both patted each other on the shoulder.

The other people had already left and Qiu Feng also disappeared into the distance, following after the people who had left earlier.

Qing Shui saw that the surroundings had already turned quiet. There were still some people from Formation Immortal Sect in the distance who were there to guard the teleportation array. Afterward, the teleportation array would also slowly close and only be activated again five years later.

“Come, I’ll bring you guys around the area, Sister Ruyan. I’ll be your guide,” Yu Ruyan looked at the surroundings and said to Ruyan.

“Then I’ll have to trouble Sister Xuan,” Yu Ruyan smiled and said politely.

“You’re already calling me Sister Xuan, so why are you still standing on ceremony? Let’s go!”

Tantai Xuan called out the World Cleansing Demonic Lotus and pulled Yu Ruyan up. She then smiled and said to Qing Shui, “You better not lose sight of us.”

Qing Shui had always wanted to go up the Lotus Platform but seeing that Tantai Xuan had no intention of letting him do that, he could only call out the Golden Scaled Dragon Elephant and go up, following after the Lotus Platform as they flew out of the mountains.

Seated on the back of the Golden Scaled Dragon Elephant, he felt that there was a change to its speed. It seemed to be a lot faster now. He suddenly recalled that when they were using the teleportation array, a brief change happened to the Nine Continents Boots.

He quickly looked toward them with his Heavenly Vision Technique.

Nine Continents Boots!

Refined from the star fragments and strange beasts in the world of the nine continents. Has a mysterious and unfathomable ability.

Increases speed threefold; reduces depletion threefold; hard for even a Martial Emperor to harm it in the slightest. Comes with the battle technique Nine Continents Steps.

In the past, it had increased speed twofold; reduced depletion twofold. Right now it actually increases his speed threefold and reduces depletion by threefold!

Nine Continent Steps: Activating the Nine Continent Boots and Nine Continent Steps will allow the user travel 800,000 li in a straight line instantly. Currently at the fourth level, Realm of Steps of Perfection, can be used eight times in a day.

The user of the Nine Continents Steps can concurrently bring along with him all living things within a 50-meter radius from him, including humans, demonic beasts and others.

Prerequisite: Martial Emperor level!

Qing Shui looked at the ability of the Nine Continents Boots happily while he was on the Golden Scaled Dragon Elephant. Right now, he felt very agitated. The land area of the Western Oxhe Continent were very vast and he felt that the reason the Nine Continents Boots had suddenly increased in its abilities must definitely be because of the Ancient Teleportation Array. It might have gone through the change after absorbing its energy.

Compared to the Nine Continents Boots from before, it had powered up by a lot. His speed went through a tremendous change. This was good stuff, an ability that was more important than strength.

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