The Heavens: Man Covers the Heavens, Refines Treasures to Become an Emperor

The courtyard was small and dilapidated after the last outburst of inner demons.

It simply couldn't withstand the devastating power of the "Nine Shaking Heavens Collapse Path".

Jiang Xuan could only try his best to suppress the spiritual energy around his body, relying solely on the power of his physical blood and qi, combined with his will.

He practiced the basic movements of the Nine Forms of Collapse Technique again and again, pondering the trajectory of the power flow and the essence of its earth-shattering artistic conception.

even so.

When he practiced, the simple movements of starting, gathering energy, and punching were evident.

It also naturally exudes an aura of antiquity, vastness, and implied collapse.

Although no spiritual energy leaked out.

But the sound of fists and feet moving through the air also faintly emitted a low whistling sound, as if the air itself was trembling.

On this day, Xue Jin was holding a wine jar, leaning against the corner of the wall.

Squinting, I watched Jiang Xuan repeatedly demonstrate a straight punch that seemed simple but actually contained infinite profound principles.

After looking at it for a while, he couldn't help but ask in a muffled voice.

"Kid, your boxing style... is quite something. Just looking at your stance, it feels even more ferocious and domineering than the killing techniques I learned back in the army. Where did you learn it? I've never seen you use it before."

Jiang Xuan stopped his punches and his breathing became steady. He knew he couldn't hide it from Xue Jin's eyes, so he vaguely gave a name to test her.

"Obtained by chance, it is named 'The Nine Collapses of Heaven'."

"Nine Heavens Shaking Dao Collapse?"

Xue Jin frowned, trying hard to search her memory, then shook her head.

"Never heard of it. I've heard of most of the top body-refining techniques and offensive skills that the empire has publicly acknowledged, even if I haven't practiced them myself. Your technique... well, the name is quite imposing."

But this method doesn't seem like something from modern times; it's more like an ancient, lost art recorded in ancient books. "You're lucky, kid, you managed to find something like this."

Jiang Xuan saw that Xue Jin was only curious and did not delve into her origins.

He then refrained from further discussion, simply smiled, and continued to immerse himself in his cultivation.

Seeing this, Xue Jin stopped asking questions, gulped down a mouthful of wine, muttered "monster," and went back to dozing off.

As time went by, Jiang Xuan relied on his exceptional comprehension and unwavering perseverance.

Finally, he mastered all the external movements of the nine forms of "Shaking the Heavens and Collapsing the Dao", and his performance was already quite impressive.

The movements flowed smoothly and naturally.

But he knew all too well that this was only the tip of the iceberg.

The true essence lies in the circulation of Qi and blood, the burst of power, and the understanding of the "collapse" concept behind each move.

This requires a lot of practical experience and persistent effort.

That morning, after eating a simple breakfast that Xuejin had somehow gotten her hands on.

Jiang Xuan changed into a clean blue cloth robe and decided to go out.

After several days of secluded study, significant progress has been made.

But I also felt I had hit a bottleneck and needed a change of environment.

More importantly, he needed to understand the situation outside, especially regarding the upcoming provincial examination.

Stepping out of the quiet courtyard, the sounds of bustling people and vehicles immediately filled my ears.

As an important town, Yanxia City was bustling with people from all walks of life making a living.

It was filled with the rich aroma of fireworks.

Jiang Xuan blended into the crowd, experiencing the long-lost bustling city life, and his mind seemed to broaden a bit.

Instead of wandering aimlessly, he headed straight for the famous "Bihai Dojo" in the west of the city.

The Azure Sea Dojo is a place within Yanxia City specifically for cultivators to hone their martial arts skills, test their strength, and even resolve personal grudges.

The interior features various levels of training chambers and martial arts arenas, which can be used as long as a sufficient fee is paid.

Sure enough, the closer it got to the provincial examination, the more booming business became at Bihai Dojo.

The area in front of the temple was crowded with people, mostly young and energetic practitioners.

Each of them had sharp eyes and an impressive aura, and there was a clear sense of competition and scrutiny between them.

Various discussions also reached Jiang Xuan's ears.

"Have you heard? This year, the Prefect himself is the chief examiner, and it's said that the exam is much more difficult than in previous years!"

"More than that! The number of applicants has increased by 30% compared to last year! The competition is fierce!"

"Sigh, I hope I can squeeze into the top 100, at least I can at least have a decent background..."

"My goal is to break into the top thirty! I've heard there's a chance I might be noticed by the prefect's mansion or one of those big families!"

Listening to the discussions around him, Jiang Xuan suddenly realized that there were only about half a month left before the provincial examination began.

Moreover, judging from this situation, the competition is far more intense than he had anticipated.

He secretly decided that he would have to find a way to gather more detailed information about the assessment later, so that he would have a clear understanding of the situation.

After entering the dojo hall and paying a fee of ten gold coins, Jiang Xuan was led by a servant to a standard martial arts secret room marked "Human Gang Realm".

The secret chamber was quite spacious, built of hard blue stone, with simple reinforcing runes engraved on the surrounding walls.

In the center of the secret chamber stood ten "copper-skinned puppets" with a metallic sheen and an ancient design.

These puppets are roughly equivalent to the early or mid-stage of the Human Realm. They are tough and thick-skinned, making them a common sparring partner for honing martial arts skills.

"Guest, how many puppets would you like to activate?"

The waiter asked routinely.

"Start all."

Jiang Xuan said calmly.

The waiter glanced at Jiang Xuan with slight surprise.

For ordinary cultivators at the Gang Realm, facing three to five copper-skinned puppets at the same time is already quite strenuous.

This seemingly young guest actually wants to activate all ten?
But he didn't ask any more questions and skillfully activated the mechanism on the wall.

"Om-"

The red light in the eyes of the ten bronze-skinned puppets suddenly shone brightly.

The stiff body creaked, locking onto the only living creature in the secret room—Jiang Xuan!
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The first three puppets to be activated charged towards Jiang Xuan in a triangular formation with heavy steps, their steel fists creating a whistling sound!

Jiang Xuan neither dodged nor avoided, his eyes flashing with a sharp light.

The dormant spiritual energy within his body surged forth instantly, converging on his right fist!

He didn't use any fancy moves, just a simple straight punch!
It is the first move of the "Nine Shaking Heavens Collapse Path" - Mountain Splitting Collapse!

However, this time, he no longer held back his power!
The punch was delivered silently, yet it seemed to drain the air from the sealed room!
An indescribable, terrifying fist intent suddenly erupted! Before the fist, the air distorted, emitting a mournful cry of unbearable pressure!
"Boom!!!"

The bronze-skinned puppet, bearing the brunt of the attack, couldn't even fully unleash its punch. And yet, it was this seemingly ordinary blow that struck.

The body, forged from refined copper, shattered inch by inch, starting from the fist, and then exploded with a bang, turning into metal fragments and powder everywhere!

The power of that punch is far from exhausted!

The terrifying force of the punch continued to sweep forward, slamming hard into the two puppets behind it!
"Boom! Boom!"

Two more loud explosions!

The two puppets met the same fate, instantly blasted into scrap metal, with fragments flying everywhere!
The scattered force of the punch even impacted the blue stone walls of the secret chamber, causing the entire chamber to tremble slightly, and the reinforcing spiritual patterns engraved on the walls flickered!

The power of one punch is so terrifying!
Just as the remaining six puppets activated and were about to launch their attack—

"Crack!"

A mechanism next to the door of the secret room seemed to have been triggered by the violent energy impact just now, and the door slid open automatically with a "whoosh"!

Outside the door stood the very same waiter who had led the way. He had heard the deafening noise coming from inside and had rushed over to check on things.

When he saw what was happening inside the secret room, he froze!
Inside the secret room, Jiang Xuan stood unharmed, his breathing steady.

Of the original ten bronze-skinned puppets, only six remain standing stiffly in place.

The other four...along with some metal debris on the ground...disappeared?

"Guest...guest...are you alright? These...the puppets here..."

The waiter stammered, his mind a little foggy.

Jiang Xuan withdrew his fist, pointed to the almost unrecognizable metallic powder on the ground, and said in a calm tone.

"Oh, it's nothing. It's just that those four puppets seemed to be of poor quality. I accidentally blasted them to dust when I was testing my punches earlier."

"Boom... obliterated into dust?!"

The waiter looked at the pile of metal powder on the ground, then at the composed Jiang Xuan, and the shock on his face was gradually replaced by heartache.

These bronze puppets were very expensive to make, and with four of them destroyed at once, the dojo will definitely hold him accountable.

He spoke cautiously to Jiang Xuan with a mournful face.

“This…Young master, your strength far surpasses that of ordinary people. This puppet at the Human Gang Realm is indeed too fragile for you. How about…we change you to a secret chamber used by Earth Gang Realm cultivators? The puppets there are more robust and should be able to withstand your…training.”

Jiang Xuan felt that his punch earlier hadn't been enough; these copper-skinned puppets were indeed too fragile.

Unable to fully appreciate the power of the "Nine Shaking Heavens Collapse Dao", he nodded upon hearing this.

"can."

The waiter, feeling as if he had been granted a pardon, quickly led Jiang Xuan away from the messy secret room, through several corridors, and into another area.

The secret chamber here is noticeably more spacious and sturdier, with a sign on the door indicating "Earthly Rank Realm".

The waiter opened one of the rooms, inside which stood ten puppets.

The material is clearly of higher quality, with a cool metallic luster, and the body is also taller and more robust.

Simple spiritual patterns were engraved on the joints, faintly radiating power fluctuations equivalent to those of a cultivator at the Earthly Realm.

"Young master, please."

Once activated, the puppets here possess strength roughly equivalent to the early stage of the Earthly Realm. You must be extremely careful.

The waiter gave a brief instruction, then quickly left the secret room and closed the door.

He wiped away his cold sweat with lingering fear, not daring to delay for a moment, and quickly ran towards the management office in the backyard of the dojo.

He must immediately report the situation here to the supervisor!

The person in charge of the Bihai Dojo was a stout middle-aged man named Yin Daxu.

Right now, I'm leisurely lying in a rocking chair, sipping fragrant tea.

After listening to the waiter's breathless and embellished report, Yin Daxu suddenly sat up, his small eyes wide open.

"What?! A secret chamber for the Human Realm cultivator, and you shattered four bronze-skinned puppets with a single punch? And the walls shook violently? Are you sure you didn't see that wrong? Are you sure this wasn't sent by some rival to cause trouble?"

The waiter swore an oath.

“It’s absolutely true, Steward Yin!”
The boy looked quite young.

But the fist was terrifying! Now... now I've arranged for him to be placed in the puppet chamber of the Earthly Rank Realm, as he requested..."

"What?! You arranged for him to be placed in the secret chamber of the Earthly Rank Realm?!"

Upon hearing this, Yin Daxu nearly jumped up, his fat face trembling with anger.

"You idiot! Do you even know how much a Di Gang Realm puppet costs? If he dismantles it again, I'll skin you alive!"

He could no longer sit still. He shoved the waiter aside and stormed angrily toward the Earthly Rank Realm secret chamber area.

He wanted to see which blind fool dared to cause trouble at his Bihai Dojo!

As he and his attendant rushed to the door of the secret room.

Then came a series of loud "booms" and "cracks" from inside, and the entire heavy stone door was shaking slightly!

Yin Daxu's heart sank. Without thinking twice, he pushed open the door to the secret room!

The sight that came into view made his pupils shrink sharply, and anger instantly surged to the top of his head!
Inside the secret chamber, seven or eight of the ten expensive Earthly Realm puppets were already leaning to one side or the other.

It was either missing an arm or a leg, with parts scattered all over the ground, and the spirit patterns were dim, clearly indicating that it was completely unusable!
The instigator, a boy dressed in blue cloth, was chasing after the last intact puppet and beating it mercilessly!
"You little beast! You're asking for death! How dare you destroy my temple..."

Yin Daxu was so angry that his fat body trembled, and he cursed loudly as he rushed in.

Just then, the boy seemed to stop what he was doing because someone had intruded and turned around.

When Yin Daxu saw that handsome yet cold young face, his anger instantly vanished, leaving only fear and chill!
That face…it left a deep impression on him!

Not long ago on the stage, this was the kid who fought that evil star Huang Jianchen to a standstill, and in the end, he even won!
How could Yin Daxu possibly afford to offend someone who dared to beat even the young master of the Biguang Pavilion to death?
"So...it's Young Master Jiang Xuan who has graced us with his presence!"

Yin Daxu's angry expression instantly turned into a fawning smile.

His change of expression was astonishing; he immediately bowed and spoke with utmost respect.

"Forgive my poor eyesight, I failed to recognize you at first glance! May I ask why you have come to my Azure Sea Dojo today...?"

Jiang Xuan looked at the fat man whose attitude had completely changed and said calmly.

"It's nothing, just a routine martial arts practice."

Yin Daxu inwardly groaned, "Your training method is too exhausting for the puppets!"

But his smile grew even wider.

"I see! Young Master's divine might is unparalleled. This Earthly Realm puppet is indeed unworthy of your status! In my humble opinion, how about... how about we move to the secret chamber reserved for Heavenly Realm cultivators? The puppets there are guaranteed to satisfy your desires!"

"Celestial Realm?"

Jiang Xuan frowned slightly.

His current cultivation level is only at the Earthly Gang Realm. Wouldn't it be too much pressure for him to challenge a puppet at the Heavenly Gang Realm, which is a whole major realm higher?
Seeing Jiang Xuan hesitate, Yin Daxu insisted with unusual enthusiasm.

"Young Master, rest assured! Although the Heavenly Gang Realm secret chamber is risky, with your strength, you will certainly be unharmed! Even if... even if there is some damage, it is all out of my good intentions, and I would never dare to ask you to compensate me for a single penny! I only hope that you have a good time!" (End of Chapter)