103: Chapter 103 Green Bamboo Island
γ Name: Jiang Hanzhou γ
γ Identity: Outer Sect Disciple (Gold-bordered) γ
γ Cultivation: Viscera Burning Realm Perfection γ
γ Contribution Points: 10 γ
γ Monthly Allowance: Effective on the first of every month, available for collection γ
γ Sect Chores: Not accepted γ
γ Available Tasks: View γ
γ Exchange List: View γ
Jiang Hanzhou moved his mind again and clicked on "Exchange List."
The content of the light screen changed instantly, categorized and dazzling:
γ Cultivation Technique Category γ
γ Azure Sea Tide Birth Art γ (Earth Rank Low Grade) - 10 Contribution Points
γ Fire Crow True Interpretation γ (Earth Rank Low Grade) - 10 Contribution Points
γ Earth Virtue Cultivation Technique γ (Earth Rank Medium Grade) - 50 Contribution Points
γ Geng Metal Breaking Evil Art γ (Heaven Rank Low Grade) - 500 Contribution Points
γ Martial Skill Category γ
γ Medicinal Pill Category γ
γ Materials Category γ
γ Magical Artifact Category γ
Jiang Hanzhou's gaze swept across it quickly, and he already had a plan in mind.
What he lacked most now was not resources, but the System's Cultivation Technique and Martial Skill Legacy, especially high-rank Cultivation Techniques that contained guidance on "True Intent."
He had just touched the threshold of the first form of γ Heavenly Blade γ, "Slaying Clouds and Splitting Peaks," but that was just blade technique, it was "Art."
To condense True Intent and step into the Dragon Elephant Realm, he needed the more fundamental "Law," the comprehension and resonance with the Laws of heaven and earth.
And the Myriad Phenomena Tower of Dragon Abyss Palace was exactly the place he needed most right now.
The flying boat swept past one star island after another.
Some islands had neat spiritual fields filled with the fragrance of medicinal herbs; some islands had smoke rising, with the faint sound of forging coming from them; some islands had Sword Qi crisscrossing, clearly places for practicing martial arts.
About half an hour later, the flying boat began to slow down and descended toward an island below.
This island was not large, oval-shaped, about three miles long from east to west and two miles wide from north to south.
The terrain on the island was undulating, with a low hill in the center, on which grew a large, lush bamboo forest; as the sea breeze blew, waves of bamboo rustled.
There was a sandy beach at the edge of the island, and the seawater was clear enough to see the colorful coral and swimming fish beneath the surface.
On the other side of the island were steep cliffs, where waves crashed, splashing snow-white spray.
"Green Bamboo Island." Commissioner Yan's voice rang out, "Jiang Hanzhou, this is your residence for the next three years."
The flying boat hovered above the island, about three zhang from the ground.
Jiang Hanzhou cupped his hands in a salute to Commissioner Yan, leaped down, and landed lightly on the open space in front of the bamboo forest in the center of the island.
The flying boat did not stop, carrying the others to continue flying toward other islands, and soon disappeared at the edge of the horizon.
Jiang Hanzhou stood in the open space and looked around.
The bamboo forest was deep and secluded, with a bluestone path winding into the depths.
Beside the path stood a waist-high bluestone, with three ancient, simple characters carved into it with Sword Qi: Green Bamboo Island.
The air was filled with the fresh scent of bamboo leaves and the salty dampness of the sea breeze; although the concentration of Spiritual Qi was not as high as on Ancestral Dragon Island, it was far superior to Donghai Prefecture, and there was even a natural Dao rhyme that made one's mind calm.
He followed the path into the bamboo forest.
Deep in the bamboo forest, built along the slope of the small hill, were three bamboo houses.
The bamboo houses were simple in style but quite elegant, with thick bamboo as pillars, thin bamboo as walls, and dried bamboo leaves covering the roof.
In front of the house was a small open space with a stone table and stone stools.
At the edge of the open space, there was even a small, neatly cultivated garden patch planted with some common medicinal herbs; they were growing well, clearly well-tended by the previous owner.
Behind the bamboo house was a clear spring, the spring water gurgling out to form a small stream that wound through the bamboo forest and finally poured into the sea at the edge of the island.
Jiang Hanzhou pushed open the door of the middle bamboo house.
The furnishings inside were simple but complete: a bamboo bed, a bamboo table, a bamboo chair, a bookshelf, and even a meditation cushion.
Several landscape paintings with distant Concepts hung on the walls, with poems inscribed beneath them in elegant handwriting.
On the bookshelf were dozens of old books, mostly travelogues, miscellaneous notes, records of Donghai customs, as well as a few classics on basic Medicinal Pill identification and Formation entry-level knowledge.
Jiang Hanzhou walked to the window and pushed it open.
Outside the window was the garden patch, and further away was the lush bamboo forest, with swaying bamboo shadows. The sea breeze passed through the forest, bringing a rustling sound.
An indescribable sense of groundedness, like warm spring water, slowly permeated his limbs and bones.
After drifting for several months, experiencing life and death, disguises, escapes, slaughter, and assessments... finally, at this moment, everything had settled.
He had a place to land that belonged to him, a "home" where he could Cultivate with peace of mind and not worry about being hunted for the time being.
Although it was only temporary, and the road ahead was still long and dangerous, at least he was standing at a new starting point.
Jiang Hanzhou sat down on a stone stool, took out a coarse pottery teapot and a small bag of tea leaves from his sumeru pouchβthese were ordinary tea leaves he had bought casually while in Donghai Prefecture; they couldn't be counted as spiritual tea, but at this moment, they were just right.
Using his finger as a blade, he shaved a section of bamboo tube by the clear spring, fetched spring water, and with a slight flicker of Heavenly Dipper Precious Qi from his fingertips, boiled the spring water and brewed a pot of rough tea.
The fragrance of the tea mixed with the clear scent of bamboo leaves, curling and dispersing in the air.
He held the coarse pottery teacup, looking at the scene where the sea and sky merged in the distance, his heart completely calm.
His thoughts drifted involuntarily back to that battle in the prison cell.
That blade, "Slaying Clouds and Splitting Peaks."
He closed his eyes and savored it carefully.
When the blade was raised, that state of "self-forgetfulness," his mind sinking into the earth's veins and rising to the drifting clouds, himself seemingly becoming a bridge connecting heaven and earth, becoming the "momentum" itself.
That was not brute force, not technique, but a use of "Intent."
"Borrowing the momentum of heaven and earth..."
Jiang Hanzhou muttered to himself.
He suddenly thought of the resonance of "water," "force," and "Tide" that he had sensed in the sea when his Evil Flood Dragon Wave Surfing Art had reached Perfection.
Water is extremely soft, yet also extremely hard.
Tides, in their rising and falling, contain the supreme power of the gravitational pull of heaven and earth and the movement of the sun and moon.
Surging, seemingly disordered, actually has its own rhythm and cadence.
"What if... I integrated the rising and falling of 'tides' and the rhythm of 'surging' into the 'momentum' of 'Slaying Clouds and Splitting Peaks'?"
Jiang Hanzhou's eyes snapped open, a flash of light dancing in his pupils.
The first form of γ Heavenly Blade γ emphasizes "self-forgetfulness and borrowing momentum" to slash through everything.
And the intent of the tides is also a manifestation of the great momentum of heaven and earth, and it is extremely compatible with his long-term experience of Cultivating by the sea and the Foundation of his Evil Flood Dragon Wave Surfing Art.
If he could gain some comprehension, perhaps it could add a touch of his own "Intent" to his blade technique.
And this was exactly the beginning of condensing True Intent!
"It's not just blade technique..." Jiang Hanzhou's thoughts became increasingly active, "The Dragon-Tiger Qi and blood of the Dragon Subduing and Tiger Taming Skill is extremely Yang and extremely hard; if it could be combined with the extreme softness of water, combining hardness and softness, perhaps I could walk a different path."
He put down his teacup, stood up, walked to the edge of the bamboo forest, and gazed at the endless sea in the distance.
Waves rolled in layers toward the shore, crashing against the reefs, splashing up a sky full of water spray, and then slowly receding. It went on in cycles, never stopping.
Jiang Hanzhou just watched quietly, his mind seemingly following the rising and falling tides, entering a state of emptiness.
He did not know how much time had passed; the sun was setting, and the sea was dyed a magnificent gold and red.
Jiang Hanzhou slowly exhaled a long breath, the divine light in his eyes restrained, but his aura seemed to have become more rounded.
He turned and returned to the bamboo house, sat down again, and took out the white jade token.
With a thought, he opened the exchange list again.
This time, his gaze fell directly on the entries in the "Cultivation Technique Category" and "Martial Skill Category" marked with "contains Concept" and "can comprehend True Intent."
...
Jiang Hanzhou's gaze lingered on the γ Azure Sea Tide Birth Art γ for a moment.
Ten Contribution Points; he happened to have ten points.
At the same time, he had the inheritance of Ghost Ink Venerable and Master Sang.
Contribution Points could be exchanged for silver, but silver could not be exchanged for Contribution Points; however, those martial arts below the True Intent martial arts could be purchased with silver.
Otherwise, Bai Tianxiao would not have been able to purchase the γ Evil Flood Dragon Wave Surfing Art γ.
With a thought, his consciousness sank into his sumeru pouch, and he began to take stock.
Two million one hundred thousand taels of silver notes; this was a huge sum of money, but within Dragon Abyss Palace, worldly gold and silver had limited value, and transactions were mostly in Contribution Points.
Three bottles of Medicinal Pill; their use was temporarily unknown, but they could be carried by a Dragon Elephant Realm powerhouse, so they were definitely not ordinary items and could be kept for now.
The Jade Slip of the γ Heavenly Blade γ fragment; this was a priceless treasure and must never be shown to others.
The sheepskin scroll of the γ Heart Furnace Artifact Forging Art γ; it was not needed for now, but its value was extremely high, especially for powerhouses above the Dragon Elephant Realm.
There were also the medicated baits for feeding Gu insects from Ghost Ink Venerable, as well as some miscellaneous Materials and odds and ends.
"First, go to the 'Myriad Phenomena Tower' to see the market situation." Jiang Hanzhou already had a decision in his heart, "Exchange for the γ Azure Sea Tide Birth Art γ to comprehend the Tide Concept, and at the same time... exchange for a large number of Profound Rank Martial Skills!"
A light flickered in his eyes.
The Late Bloomer fate needed three thousand years of Martial Arts Comprehension accumulation to advance to the fifth rank.
Now, he had already accumulated one thousand nine hundred and eighty years, leaving only one thousand and twenty years.
In the Outer Sect of Dragon Abyss Palace, Profound Rank Martial Skills were as vast as the sea.
With the resources in his hand, exchanging for dozens of Profound Rank Martial Skills was not difficult.
Once the fate advanced to the fifth rank, his Comprehension Ability would take another leap, and by then, comprehending the γ Heavenly Blade γ and condensing True Intent would surely yield twice the result with half the effort!
And this was his greatest reliance for breaking through to the Dragon Elephant Realm.
The night deepened, and the sea breeze grew cooler.
On Green Bamboo Island, bamboo shadows swayed, and only the middle bamboo house revealed a warm yellow light.
Jiang Hanzhou sat cross-legged on the bamboo bed, with several old books he had found on the bookshelf spread out before him, carefully reading the detailed records about the layout of the Outer Sect of Dragon Abyss Palace, the ways to obtain Contribution Points, and the "Myriad Phenomena Tower."
Tomorrow, he would go to that Myriad Phenomena Tower.
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