Chapter 561: A Refining Warrior

“I’ve already condensed the holy source. It wouldn’t be much of a loss to give you a Golden Beast Essence Pill. Besides, I have six Golden Beast Essence Pills myself. Giving you one would simply mean a little loss of cultivation. I can easily reclaim it through practice.”

Zhu Hongtao may have looked carelessly unconcerned, but he might get upset if Zhang Ruochen rejected the Golden Beast Essence Pill.

Zhu Hongtao was an archaean survival. Furthermore, he had practiced two forms of exercises, enabling him to condense Golden Beast Essence Pills as well as cultivate a holy source.

Zhang Ruochen wouldn’t accept the Golden Beast Essence Pill, however. He said, “Although I would very much like to attain the Half-Saint Sacred Realm, I wouldn’t use this shortcut. Ingesting this Golden Beast Essence Pill would be no different from sucking your blood.”

Zhu Hongtao’s expression froze a little, but he nodded. He admiringly said, “Your moral character is truly commendable, junior fellow apprentice. But since it’s only between us, you need not treat me as an outsider.”

Zhang Ruochen shook his head wryly and took a step backward instead.

Noticing Zhang Ruochen’s actions, Elder Xuanji nodded his head in satisfaction. He said, “Hongtao, what you have just done is indeed quite inappropriate.”

“Your junior fellow apprentice has just broken through to the Fish-dragon Realm. For now, a Golden Beast Essence Pill might help advance his cultivation remarkably. However, in the long run, excessive enthusiasm only ruins matters. No good will come out of it.”

Zhu Hongtao’s face changed color. He took back the Golden Beast Essence Pill immediately and then bowed. “You’re scaring me, Master. Surely it can’t be this serious?”

Elder Xuanji nodded, and said, “Your junior fellow apprentice is a genius. His future achievement will totally outstrip that of you people. Obviously, we shouldn’t train him like an ordinary warrior. Instead of giving him something, why don’t you protect him in the future? That will shield him from any secret harm.”

Zhu Hongtao clapped his chest and bellowed thunderously. “Since Master says so, I shall be his Cultivation Protector, watching over him in the next 30 years. I shall teach manners to anyone intending him harm.”

Demi-saint Lingshu raised her glance, and sneered. “That’s a careless boast, Second Senior Brother. It’s not easy to be someone’s Cultivation Protector for 30 years!”

“I’m not boasting carelessly. I’m perfectly serious.” Zhu Hongtao replied.

All inheritors of powerful Saintly families must be looked after by a Protector in secret whenever they underwent experience outside.

Most of the time, this Protector stayed in the background and didn’t intervene. He would only show up if the inheritor faced life-threatening danger.

Of course, to train an inheritor to resolve his problems independently, a Protector wouldn’t escort him all the time.

Hence, even though Protectors watched over them in secret, many Saint inheritors from powerful families still died from unforeseen circumstances.

Seeing as the holy source had emerged from his practice, Zhu Hongtao’s cultivation had now reached the realm of a Saint.

Furthermore, he was an archaean survival. His natural strength was magnified by this fact.

If a superior like Zhu Hongtao were to protect Zhang Ruochen for 30 years, the Black Market and Moon Worship Demonic Sect would need several Saints to attack Zhang Ruochen simultaneously in order to kill him before he was able to achieve great prowess.

Zhang Ruochen quickly said, “Thank you, Second Senior Brother.”

“No need for such politeness. Protecting you is a vital task. Otherwise, Master would again complain that I’m frittering away my time.” Zhu Hongtao gave a bizarre smile. He sent a soft voice transmission over to Zhang Ruochen. “When you are back in the Eastern Region, Second Senior Brother shall bring you around. Then you will know the world better.”

Zhang Ruochen smiled. He knew that the “good places” his Second Senior Brother referred to, might not be so good.

It didn’t matter. After all, seeing the world was a good thing.

Seeing as Zhu Hongtao had promised himself as Zhang Ruochen’s Protector, Third Senior Brother Wan Ke had to match this with a big gift. However unwilling, he had to offer Zhang Ruochen the Shooting Star Invisible Cloak.

With both hands holding up the Shooting Star Invisible Cloak, Wan Ke stood up, pursing his lips and giving a stiff, unnatural smile.

Finally, he explained to Zhang Ruochen how to use the Shooting Star Invisible Cloak. After this explanation, he handed the cloak over.

“Thank you, Third Senior Brother.”

“No need for… such politeness. We are all brothers… ” Wan Ke could not help but sigh inwardly, beginning to fret. What better gift could he offer on Zhang Ruochen’s wedding day?

Zhang Ruochen knew this treasure was very valuable but he didn’t refuse it. Any protest would seem like an affectation.

Certain meeting gifts could be accepted while others could not.

“Clip-Clop!”

Heavy footsteps resounded from outside Qinghe Palace, like heavy iron bricks hitting the floor.

Moments later, a tall brawny man strode in through the gate.

The man had a tiger’s back and a bear’s waist. He was dark-skinned and clad in black armor from head to foot. A keen martial spirit blazed out from his eyes, and an icy, murderous air emanated from his body.

Zhang Ruochen turned his eyes toward him. He realized that though the man had entered alone, he gave one a feeling as if thousands of troops and stallions were rampaging forward.

Most warriors would have taken a step backward, frightened by the invisible majestic air emerging from this being. They might shiver, urinate in their pants, or even faint.

“Your disciple Qing Xiao pays his respect to Master.”

The man’s iron-like fists were clasped firmly together. Head and back bowed, he was paying the utmost respect to Elder Xuanji.

“So he is Eldest Senior Brother, Saint Qing Xiao,” said Zhang Ruochen to himself.

Elder Xuanji nodded and raised an arm lightly. “No need for more ceremony, Qing Xiao.”

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Saint Qing Xiao raised his head. With a solemn look and a heavy voice, he said, “I have something really important to say. I want to speak to Master alone.”

He gave a slight emphasis on the word “alone.”

Second Senior Brother apprentice Zhu Hongtao glanced at Saint Qing Xiao, and openly bellowed, showing his displeasure. “Eldest Senior Brother, you shouldn’t treat us like outsiders! Can’t you speak straight? Must you guard against us?”

Saint Qing Xiao gave him an icy stare, and said, “This is a matter of grave importance. I’m afraid your big mouth couldn’t keep a secret.”

“Hey… are you blaming me… ”

Zhu Hongtao muttered under his breath.

He seemed a little afraid of Saint Qing Xiao and didn’t dare to say more, immediately bowing his head.

Saint Qing Xiao’s look softened as he fixed his glance on Zhang Ruochen. “This must be our junior fellow apprentice. I have no great present for you. A refining warrior can serve as my meeting gift.”

Saint Qing Xiao took out a black iron ball the size of a fist from the armor scales under his arm. He handed it over to Zhang Ruochen.

This black iron ball was cast out of some unspecified material and weighed several thousand catties. As Zhang Ruochen had received it without any warning, the ball weighed his hand down with a jerk, nearly breaking his wrist bone.

Zhang Ruochen reacted very quickly. Within a second he had adjusted his hand muscles and sinews to grip the ball firmly.

Saint Qing Xiao and Elder Xuanji left Qinghe Palace looking like they had something really important to discuss.

The only people left inside Qinghe Palace were Zhang Ruochen, Zhu Hongtao, Demi-saint Lingshu, and Wan Ke.

The atmosphere within the palace suddenly became quite inhibited.

Wan Ke laughed and said, “Eldest Senior Brother has always had a frosty temperament but he still treats us, junior apprentices, very well.”

“He has given you a refining warrior, a great gift and a very practical item. Do you need us to teach you how to use it?”

Zhang Ruochen smiled and said, “No, I don’t. Although this is the first time I’ve received a refining warrior, I know how to use it quite well.”

Zhang Ruochen squeezed the adamantine iron ball in his palm, injecting Genuine Qi into it, and then activated the inscription on the ball.

“Swoosh!”

The top and bottom halves of the adamantine iron ball started spinning in opposite directions. A tiny fissure could be seen along the middle. Out emerged an iron framework that kept expanding and extending until it became a giant steel humanoid three meters tall.

The giant steel humanoid stood in the center of the palace, looking most dignified and full of physical strength.

It was a refining warrior, a war weapon forged by the Divine Work Ministry of the First Central Empire.

By and large, only the Ministry of War could use a refining warrior.

Unsurprisingly though, certain people related to the Ministry of War, like Zhang Ruochen, could still receive one. So long as only a few were outside, the High-levels at the Ministry of War wouldn’t make a fuss.

A groove was set in the refining warrior’s chest for storing Spiritual Crystals as an energy source.

Of course, for a refining warrior, even a top-grade Spiritual Crystal wouldn’t contain enough Spiritual Qi to last one battle.

Thus, the Ministry of War usually used Holy Stones as their energy source.

Although a Holy Stone was precious, it could still be obtained at the Martial Market Bank, provided you pay through the nose for it.

Therefore, Zhang Ruochen decided to return to the Saint Academy and buy a few Holy Stones to test out the warrior’s power. Eldest Senior Brother’s gift must be quite exceptional.

…

…

Upon leaving Qinghe Palace, Saint Qing Xiao and Elder Xuanji immediately soared and broke through a long, immense stretch of void space. They landed on a meteorite over fifty meters wide.

With a wave of his sleeve, a gust of Holy Qi emerged from Elder Xuanji, forming a huge spherical light screen that enclosed the entire meteorite.

Elder Xuanji saw Saint Qing Xiao’s stern look and said, “It looks like the evil weapon from Xuanwu Primitive World is no mean weapon! This would spell serious trouble, and may implicate many in some big affair.”

The Ministry of War had sent three War Saints to secure the Pillar of the Vicious Sea from Xuanwu Primitive World.

Saint Qing Xiao was one of them.

Saint Qing Xiao nodded, and said most solemnly, “No one expected something like this to exist in Xuanwu Primitive World. I would say it must have been immersed for 100,000 years at the bottom of the sea.

“They must have arrived at Kunlun’s Field 100,000 years ago but we didn’t notice them at all. It’s so frightening!”

With his hands behind his back, Elder Xuanji shook his head. He said, “Maybe someone did know, just that they didn’t record this occurrence in history books. Many great events happened 100,000 years ago. They might all be related to this. Have you forgotten how the Medieval Ancient Times ended?”

Saint Qing Xiao remained silent for a long time. Then, knitting his brows, he said, “I can feel a crisis approaching, yet no one knows when that day will come.”

Elder Xuanji smiled and said, “Don’t worry too much. Kunlun’s Field is experiencing an unprecedented Peak under the rule of the Empress. So many geniuses have emerged, and so many Saints. Martial Arts is flourishing, and so is the Holy Road.

“Furthermore, I’ve heard that the Empress has issued a secret order. She is choosing ten Heirs of Kunlun Field, I believe, to cultivate ten new emperors in the near future. This is to recreate the heyday of the Nine Emperors 800 years ago.”