59: Chapter 59 The Age of Great Contention

On the Yanlong River, a small boat sailed through the thick mist.

On the deck, Master Cai Jing and Su Jiuchuan stood against the wind, gazing at the dense fog over the river.

"I don't have much time, so I can only bring you along on the road. We'll see how many of your questions I can answer along the way!"

Su Jiuchuan's spirits lifted. He had found it strange that after Master Cai Jing promised to answer his questions last night, he had brought him to the riverside, found a boat, and boarded it directly.

He hesitated for a long time before finally asking the question buried deep in his heart: "It seems like there are more and more monsters in the wild. Why is that? And those monsters are extremely formidable, some even comparable to a First-grade Martial Artist."

Master Cai Jing nodded upon hearing this, pondered for a long while, and then said: "It is said that ten thousand years ago, it was the Great Zhou Dynasty. At that time, Spiritual Qi was abundant; not to mention that the Xiantian Realm was everywhere, even those in the Golden Core Realm were not uncommon."

"Perhaps some change occurred later, causing the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi to thin out, and high-level Cultivators gradually disappeared. By the time of the Great Wei Dynasty, the highest cultivation a Cultivator in this Realm could reach was the Destiny Realm. Even the naturally gifted Founder Emperor Qian Xinghe of Great Wei was no exception."

"In fact, thousands of years ago, there was no such thing as the Destiny Realm. The third stage of the Xiantian Realm was called the False Core. However, because of the limitations of the rules of Heaven and Earth, no one could ever reach the Golden Core Realm again. Everyone said this was a limitation of destiny, so it became known as the Destiny Realm."

"Correspondingly, over ten thousand years ago, those wild creatures that cultivated by absorbing the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi also possessed great Divine Ability. For example, there were monsters comparable to the Xiantian Realm, and even demons comparable to Golden Core Cultivators."

"Likewise, after the Spiritual Qi became thin, the demons disappeared, and there were not many monsters left either."

"However, in the last few hundred years, it seems that destiny is changing. The earliest occurrence was three hundred years ago, when a Spirit Tide appeared. Every time a Spirit Tide appears, the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi becomes particularly dense, as if the Spiritual Qi hidden in certain places has been released."

Three hundred years ago? Was this what Ouyang Xian meant by the change in destiny?

"Then it appeared once every fifty years. In the last hundred years, it started appearing every ten years, and this year it is appearing every six months. The next Spirit Tide will appear in three months."

Upon hearing this, Su Jiuchuan's heart stirred. So that was why Young Master Lin Yanyi was only coming to find him in three months; it seemed he had gained benefits from that Spirit Tide, which allowed him to reach the Half-Step Innate so quickly.

Master Cai Jing continued: "Because of the increase in Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, those wild creatures are absorbing it and are gradually evolving."

"Do you know why there have always been so few Xiantian Martial Artists walking outside?"

Su Jiuchuan realized it was true. It stood to reason that every major Family and major School had Xiantian Martial Artists, so how could they allow a First-grade Martial Artist like himself to run around causing trouble?

"Because all Xiantian Martial Artists must adjust their states and seize the opportunity of the Spirit Tide's outbreak to break through as soon as possible. This is an Era of Great Contention, and the situation in this world is about to change drastically."

Su Jiuchuan was stirred by these words, but immediately he wanted to ask, then why are you still running around?

Master Cai Jing glanced at him and said: "My situation is quite special; we'll talk about it later."

Su Jiuchuan didn't speak. He already understood; wasn't this just the resurgence of Spiritual Qi? Were humans and those animals desperately competing to increase their strength?

He had originally intended to ask what the Xiantian Realm was about and how it was stronger than the grade levels, but now he felt he had gotten off-topic, so he quickly asked: "Is the Xiantian Realm just a quantitative change compared to the grade levels?"

Master Cai Jing smiled, stroked his long beard, and laughed: "The biggest difference between Xiantian Martial Artists and grade-level Martial Artists is that Xiantian Martial Artists can project their True Qi outward."

At that moment, a fish leaped from the river surface. Master Cai Jing casually beckoned, and the fish was pulled into his palm as if it were being held by something.

In his open palm, the little fish flopped about but couldn't jump out. After a while, Master Cai Jing tossed the fish back into the river.

"Because of this characteristic, some brilliant people have created Xiantian Skills, and these skills often add certain attributes. Similarly, those wild creatures that reach the level of monsters will also develop their own Innate skills."

At this moment, Su Jiuchuan thought of the Ape Monster in the Gold Mine. It seemed that the Ape Might at that time was its Innate skill.

He just didn't know if that old guy Wang Chenghu had no Xiantian Skills, or if he couldn't use them because he was injured, which allowed him to take advantage of the situation.

"Oh, that's right." Su Jiuchuan suddenly remembered the text from the soles of the Ape Monster's feet and quickly took out the copied cloth strip and handed it over.

"This was found on a monster. Could you help me see what kind of script this is?"

"Oh? You encountered a monster and managed to escape?" Master Cai Jing looked at him with some suspicion and took the cloth strip.

Su Jiuchuan said somewhat awkwardly: "It was injured."

"This... this is Jingu Script!" Master Cai Jing was greatly shocked.

"Legend has it that this was the script exclusively used by the royal Family of the Great Zhou Dynasty ten thousand years ago."

"Then do you know what this word means?"

Master Cai Jing shook his head and said: "This kind of script is too rare; I'm afraid only the masters in the Imperial Academy in the capital would possibly know it."

"Imperial Academy?" Su Jiuchuan noted this place.

He wanted to ask more, but unexpectedly, Master Cai Jing said: "We have arrived."

Ahead, in the middle of the mist, a small island could be vaguely seen.

On the shore, three people were standing there, seemingly waiting for someone.

Su Jiuchuan saw at a glance that Cai Rujin was standing behind a middle-aged woman, looking around, and there was also a middle-aged man beside her.

"Uncle Chen, hasn't my father arrived yet? Why haven't I seen him?"

Chen Han did not answer but shouted toward them: "Brother Cai, you are late!"

Master Cai Jing made a leap and jumped directly onto the shore. Su Jiuchuan quickly followed with a leap and stood behind him.

"I know you have no malicious intent toward my daughter, so why not let her come over?" Master Cai Jing said calmly.

Chen Han was furious and said: "It has only been twenty years, and you have actually forgotten what the three of us agreed upon back then. In this Era of Great Contention, how could we miss out?"

"Being so indecisive, is this still the Blade Fanatic I once knew?"

Su Jiuchuan was somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected Master Cai Jing to have a past where he was called the Blade Fanatic. He didn't even see a handle of a blade on him now.

Master Cai Jing did not respond but looked at Cai Rujin with a loving expression and said calmly: "People... change. I promised her mother that I would take good care of her..."

"Bang!" Mei Gaojie, the middle-aged woman, was the first to get angry, but she only struck the trunk of a willow tree nearby. Wood chips flew everywhere, and a bowl-sized hole appeared.

"Are you really resigned to..."

Chen Han waved his hand to interrupt her, and then the three of them began to converse using a sound transmission secret technique.

After a full half cup of tea's time, Master Cai Jing said: "You all should step aside for a moment. I have a few words to say to them."

Chen Han and Mei Gaojie nodded as if relieved, then turned and left.

Master Cai Jing pulled his daughter to his side and said to Su Jiuchuan: "Do you still remember that you promised me you would do one thing?"