novelhk Chapter 83 The Zhou Clan of Huaiyang, the Ancient Spirit Platform
Chapter 83 The Zhou Clan of Huaiyang, the Ancient Spirit Platform
Huaiyang is one of the important sources of Dongda civilization, with an 8000-year history of civilization. Fuxi once established his capital "Wanqiu" here, and it is known as the "source of Chinese surname culture".
In these chaotic times, Huaiyang is one of the few areas that has escaped the turmoil of war, because it is the ancestral home of the Zhou family.
Riding slowly along the country lanes, I watched the farmers busily working in the fields, their genuine smiles a stark contrast to the anxious faces of people in other areas.
Huang Hong glanced at Zhou Bingren, who was following behind, and laughed, "It seems the Zhou family has big plans!"
Also mounted on horseback, Zhou Bingren, though appearing somewhat weak, still maintained his composure and calmly said, "What schemes do we have? We simply wish to live in peace and protect this region. The Zhou family has no ambition to contend for power."
"After all, there are only aristocratic families that last for a thousand years, but there are no dynasties that last for a thousand years."
Upon hearing Zhou Bingren's words, Huang Hong was taken aback, but he did not delve deeper into the topic. Firstly, although Zhou Bingren was the Zhou family's grandmaster, his thoughts could not represent the entire Zhou family; secondly, their relationship was currently one of enmity rather than friendship, and what Zhou Bingren said might not be the truth.
After numerous clashes along the way, Zhou Bingren and Huang Hong suffered a lot at their hands, but things finally calmed down. As for whether they truly accepted their fate, that remains to be seen.
Huang Hong did not hide the purpose of his trip; it was to exchange Zhou Bingren for benefits from the Zhou family.
Although this statement didn't sound very pleasant, it did give Zhou Bingren a sense of relief.
As for the other grandmaster, he was not from the Zhou family, but from a feudal lord who was on good terms with the Zhou family. After asking him some questions, Huang Hong killed him directly. Unfortunately, he only gained a rare talent affix of average quality.
This also made Huang Hong realize that stronger strength does not necessarily mean stronger talent; strength may also be accumulated through resources or other factors.
After realizing this, Huang Hongcai abandoned the idea of killing Zhou Bingren directly.
Huang Hong laughed and said, "When we get to the Zhou family later, I hope there won't be any scene where I smash a cup as a signal, and then eight hundred axemen rush out and surround me?"
Zhou Bingren's expression was not good, but he forced a smile and said, "Young Master Huang is really humorous. The Zhou family has long admired Young Master Huang. Young Master Huang's visit will only bring honor to the Zhou family."
Soon the two arrived at the Zhou family's residence, a huge mansion that stretched as far as the eye could see. In front of the gate were two stone lions, each about ten feet tall, which looked majestic and imposing.
Zhou Bingren was easily recognizable here and was recognized early on, so by the time they arrived at the Zhou family's gate, a large crowd had already gathered there.
However, these people all had strange expressions, some unfriendly, some surprised and suspicious, and they didn't seem to be there to greet us.
Zhou Bingren frowned and asked, "What are you doing?"
Just then, an old man stepped forward from the crowd. Judging from his appearance, he bore a slight resemblance to Zhou Bingren. He first respectfully bowed to Zhou Bingren, and then said, "Uncle Zhou, we just received news that a battle between grandmasters has broken out in Feng County, and then we lost contact with you, so..."
After hearing what the old man said, Huang Hong understood.
Fengxian was near where he fought against Zhou Bingren.
It's likely that the Zhou family knew Zhou Bingren had gone to find him, and then they received news of the Grandmaster Battle breaking out in Feng County. In addition, they couldn't contact Zhou Bingren, so some misunderstandings arose.
Okay, actually it wasn't a misunderstanding.
Zhou Bingren waved his hand and said, "What kind of behavior is this, gathering here? Shouyi stays, everyone else disperse."
Zhou Bingren, the patriarch of the Zhou family, carried considerable weight in his words. Although the others were curious, they dared not ask any further questions, and left after bowing respectfully.
After everyone had left, Zhou Shouyi, the old man who had spoken earlier, smiled and said, "This must be Young Master Huang Hong. Truly, heroes emerge from among the young! Young Master Huang has made the right choice..."
"Ahem!" Zhou Bingren coughed lightly, interrupting Zhou Shouyi, and said, "Shouyi, go and make arrangements. Young Master Huang will be staying at my Zhou family's residence for a few days."
Zhou Shouyi was slightly taken aback, but quickly recovered and respectfully agreed.
Huang Hong revealed a half-smile.
From the Zhou family's perspective, Zhou Bingren was going to make a deal with Huang Hong and also to extend an invitation. In addition, they had a portrait of Huang Hong, so when they saw Huang Hong come to the Zhou family with Zhou Bingren, it was naturally a sign that a deal had been reached and Huang Hong had become one of their own.
Although Zhou Bingren knew that he couldn't hide the fact that he had been defeated and captured, he didn't want to lose face, so he interrupted Zhou Shouyi.
Huang Hong naturally understood this, but he was here to ask for benefits, so saving face wasn't that important.
Next, in this strange atmosphere, Huang Hong received a grand reception from the Zhou family. Zhou Bingren understood the actual situation, so he followed Huang Hong the whole time without any intention of leaving. This made many old foxes see through the scheme.
After the banquet, Huang Hong said straightforwardly, "Senior Zhou, I would like to visit the Zhou Family Martial Arts Pavilion. Also, I'm afraid I might encounter some problems I don't understand, so I would like to ask Senior Zhou to come along so I can ask you questions at any time."
Zhou Bingren smiled and said, "Of course."
Thus, to the astonishment of the Zhou family, the two entered the Zhou family's martial arts pavilion.
Three days later, Huang Hong closed the book in his hands.
During this time, he read through all the martial arts classics collected by the Zhou family, and he gained a lot. What really surprised him was the record about ancient Qi cultivators.
In fact, it is not surprising that there is a lineage of Qi cultivators in this world. The fighting spirit of the Yuan Dou Huang Quan is actually a branch that has been passed down and continued by the ancient Qi cultivators.
The ancient Qi Refining lineage collected by the Zhou family originated from the Lingtai Sect. The sect's philosophy is based on the saying "A clear and bright Lingtai, Qi flowing through the entire body," emphasizing the use of the Qi Sea as the foundation and the Lingtai as the pivot, refining Qi and forging artifacts, and cultivating both internal and external aspects simultaneously.
Although it was just a fragment, Huang Hong still managed to comprehend a skill called "Qi Sea Condensation Technique" from it.
【Qi Sea Condensation Elixir Technique】
Quality: Rare
Grade: 1/10 (1/100)
Attribute: Increases the cohesion of 'Qi' by 5% and the total amount by 10%.
Cultivating the "Qi Sea Condensation Technique" not only increases your level and grants attributes, but also significantly accelerates the growth of "Qi," as it is a technique specifically designed for cultivating "Qi."
Without hesitation, Huang Hong leveled it up to the maximum level and obtained the skill specialization "Qi Dan".
Qi Pill: Gathering Qi into a pill, the total amount of Qi in the body is increased by an additional 100% on the original basis.
In that instant, Huang Hong felt the "qi" within his body begin to surge wildly, converging towards his dantian and gradually condensing into a phantom pill.
At the same time, the "Qi Sea Condensation Technique" slowly circulated, as if streams of water were flowing in, nourishing the parched body.
Feeling the changes within his body, Huang Hong was overjoyed, but also couldn't help but sigh.
According to ancient texts, the "Qi Sea Condensing Elixir Technique" is merely an introductory technique of the Lingtai Sect. Further advanced techniques include powerful methods such as the "Lingtai Forging Technique" and the "Tai Xu Qi Guiding Method."
The former is an offensive technique that uses divine sense as a hammer and spiritual fire as a furnace to forge one's natal magic weapon from the earth's finest gold. The magic weapon's power awakens its spirit as the realm increases.
The latter is the fundamental technique, which can draw in the pure energy of the Nine Heavens and the turbid energy of the Nine Netherworlds to counteract each other. The meridians are tempered during the yin-yang interaction, and eventually one can cultivate the "Great Void Spirit Body", which is immune to all magic.