Daily life of a teacher in the martial arts department

Magic and alchemy are inseparable; alchemy is a product of magic. While a skilled alchemist is not necessarily a skilled magician, and a skilled magician is not necessarily a skilled alchemist, most alchemists possess some basic magic. At the very least, they should be able to construct small magic circuits on their own; otherwise, their efficiency would be far too low.

In fact, very few people can be both excellent alchemists and magicians. Although these two fields are inseparable, unlike modern martial artists who can spare the time and energy to become excellent surgeons, alchemy and magic are almost impossible to master simultaneously. This is because either one is enough to exhaust a person's entire time, energy, and patience, and this kind of learning is never-ending, unlike a game where there is a concept of "graduation gear."

Mu Nandong is somewhat of an exception... Why only half? Because he is not only an excellent alchemist, but also an excellent magician.

So the next word is easy to guess, but! This "excellence" is only theoretical.

To use Naruto as an example, he is the kind of ninjutsu master who knows the principles of ninjutsu and its variations, but his hand seal speed is only three seconds per seal, and his chakra volume is so tragically large that it could even replace Kakashi as the new unit of measurement.

Therefore, whether in actual combat or in application, he was a second-rate magician.

But sometimes, theory alone can be very useful.

Just like now.

Mu Nandong is putting the finishing touches on... about "courage".

Frankly, this wasn't something he could make alone. The Empire secretly provided a lot of assistance that both sides were aware of. The items Mu Nandong offered as bounties on the black market would suddenly arrive within days. No one ever asked why the magic source in the alchemy workshop was being used up so quickly, or where those other things had gone.

And now, at the end of July this summer, the 'Courage' that Mu Nandong has poured years of effort into is finally coming to an end.

This weapon was intended to deal with the 'Progenitor,' because Mu Nandong had always considered the Progenitor as his hypothetical enemy, and Qi Yao had always held a certain hope for him. However, in recent days, Mu Nandong keenly sensed that this hope had suddenly vanished, and the forces that had been secretly supporting him had suddenly disappeared.

That's for sure... because the secret of the progenitor's resurrection has been thoroughly verified. Beings like the Earth Mother Goddess are extremely rare; the Clown was slain in mid-July. But in late July, someone saw the Clown alive and kicking more than 10,000 kilometers away in Sakura. The Earth Mother Goddess's resurrection took four thousand years, and even then, it was orchestrated by remnants of the Black Dragon faction. The Clown's resurrection, however, took less than half a month...

The time cost of the Progenitor's resurrection is so low that the value of weapons used to deal with the Progenitor naturally decreases as well. However, Mu Nandong was unaware of this, because he had no access to such secrets known only to those at the center of political power.

Mu Nandong had some guesses in his mind, but he was powerless to do anything about it. Human strength has its limits, and all he could do now was to complete the task of "courage".

No matter how talented you are, it's useless. Completely defeating the progenitor is something that cannot be accomplished by a single generation, or even by a single person.

-

An obscure little country that isn't even marked on a world map.

An unnamed town that isn't even marked on the country's maps.

This was the final location Ji Chaoge chose for the ceremony; he had originally chosen the Anglia Islands. However, he encountered Cain there, so it was impossible to continue, and he had to change the location.

His situation was different from Ye Jiaofang's. Ye Jiaofang chose Sakura as the ceremony location firstly because he had already been discovered; Shen Jiu had activated her X-ray vision, and her human identity was enough to trigger a human calamity. Since the calamity was unavoidable, the only option was to weaken the military's power as much as possible. Secondly, it was because of the characteristics of the defeated lotus. Thus, he ultimately chose Sakura, a metropolis with a population of tens of millions.

As for Ji Chaoge, because Shen Jiu was in a coma, the military wasn't qualified to become his enemy. Perhaps some people knew he was conducting a ritual, but those people, being progenitors or mythical beings, weren't qualified to trigger a human catastrophe. Therefore, Ji Chaoge wasn't too worried that the military would discover his ritual and then unleash an apocalypse upon him... Although he talked about the apocalypse all the time, it was mostly just talk. The apocalypse, as humanity's ultimate weapon, couldn't be used casually unless it was a matter of life and death.

The Bird City massacre, in which more than ten million people died, is merely the tip of the iceberg of the harm brought by the apocalypse. The ruins of that city serve as a warning bell, constantly reminding humanity.

Ji Chaoge summoned back Hishimura Tan's body, intending to give her a warning. But more than anything, she hoped that the other woman could become her tribulation. If that were the case, the room for manipulation would be too great; fate could be deceived, destiny could be controlled. The so-called tribulation was nothing more than a superficial tribulation in form. If this could truly be confirmed... ha.

But if Hiramura Danzakura hadn't become his tribulation, and fate had manipulated something else to deliver a fatal blow... then some of his plans would have been in vain.

Besides Himura Danzao, he also summoned Taiguang, Shuangling, and Youjing... no, to be precise, the first two. As for Youjing, she was already waiting in this town.

However, it seems that Youjing is not the only one waiting in this town... Of course, Ji Chaoge doesn't pay special attention to Ji Qiuming.

Twenty-one years ago, the last city of the alien races fell to the night sky. Ji Chaoge coldly abandoned her younger brother and her parents, who were trapped under the collapsed house, and fled. After several twists and turns, she was captured because of her appearance and forced to become a stand-in for the emperor of the Black Dragon Empire... That could be considered the beginning of everything great. The powerful minister drew an incredible UR card. But unfortunately, he wasn't playing a gacha game with beautiful girls. The Ji Chaoge he drew wouldn't be hardworking and devoted; instead, she devoured him completely, treating it like a beginner's gift pack.

He was both a renowned singer and Ji Chaoge, but most of the time he was the renowned singer, with only a handful of people knowing that he was Ji Chaoge. In reality, however, both identities were the same to him.

Because he doesn't care at all.

These two brothers are actually quite similar.

Ji Qiuming is a born rebellious ghost, that much is obvious. Anyone who learns about his race will suddenly become alert; he is simply the perfect rebellious ghost.

However, Ji Qiuming's indifference was written on his face, while Ji Chaoge's indifference, madness, cruelty, and ambition were all buried deep in his heart.

Chapter 43 The Eve of the Ceremony

In the nameless town, the remnants of the Black Dragon faction returned one after another, summoned by Ji Chaoge.

They agreed to meet on the third floor of a local restaurant... Yes, this restaurant itself was one of the bases of the Black Dragon remnants.

Gu Xuan was the last to arrive at the nameless town. He had been targeted and wanted for a long time, despite his mastery of disguise. The journey had been difficult, but thankfully, he finally confirmed that he wasn't being followed. Unless, of course, some primordial martial arts master was following him, then there was nothing more to say.

He went up to the third floor of the hotel, the scorching air making it hard to breathe... It turned out that this summer, it wasn't just Qiyao that was hot.

Gu Xuan quickened his pace, hoping to get into the air-conditioned room as soon as possible. He pushed open the door, and a blast of cold air hit him. In this summer, it would give everyone the feeling of "coming back to life".

But the blast of cold air that hits you in the face... is a bit too chilly.

Gu Xuan stared intently and saw a man dressed in a cherry-colored ronin outfit sitting directly opposite the door.

"It's you..."

Gu Xuan's face turned solemn, and a sense of fear arose in his heart.

He had met Hiramura Tan's group twice, once during the Earth Mother Goddess incident earlier this year and again during the Holy Alliance's Po Xie Zi group.

That was a past I really didn't want to recall.

Gu Xuan was unaware that Hiyomaru Tan's Sakura had also joined his side. There was only one person who knew all the secrets of the Black Dragon remnants: the Black Dragon Emperor himself. Everyone else only learned something when they received orders. It wasn't that Ji Chaoge wanted to consolidate his power in this way, but he was afraid of being wiped out. He even tampered with his own memories, let alone others.

"It is indeed I, Himura Tan's student." He sat in his seat, resting his chin on one hand, his gaze calm as he swept over the crowd.

Beside him sat the other two of the three souls: a magician in a black robe, and Ji Qiuming, whom Gu Xuan hadn't even noticed at first glance... his presence was too faint.

No one dared to approach Himura Tan's side. He was the only peerless master, and he had personally broken the Three Souls combination. At that time, he was protecting the burden of Shen Jiu when he killed almost all of the Seven Souls and seriously injured the Three Souls. The pressure that everyone felt from him was immense.

Although Hiyomura Tan's attacks on Kui, Ying Qin Guan, and Ye Jiao Fang were all unsuccessful, he was ultimately a peerless master, one of the absolute pinnacles among peerless masters, easily ranking among the top ten and vying for the top five among all martial artists throughout history. Of course, this refers to an ideal combat situation, where both sides are at their peak and have revealed all their trump cards.

In actual combat, things are bound to be far less ideal. Even a god of martial prowess could be killed by a single shot if his internal energy circulation or incantation is not timely enough. The human body is far too fragile.

"You're here too..."

Gu Xuan spoke in a low voice, not daring to say too much, partly out of fear of Himura Tan's voice. But more so because he dared not question the Black Dragon Emperor's decisions.

As the saying goes, a leader who cannot accept questioning and other opinions is not a good leader. But Gu Xuan is clearly not one of those people. It is important for people to know their own limitations, and freedom of speech is not the same as saying whatever one wants.

He pulled out a chair and sat down, and the room fell silent again.

Himura Tanzakura remained calm, holding a handful of nuts in her hand. The sound of her inner energy breaking through the hard shells became the only sound in the room.

The group of six seemed to have nothing to say to each other; the presence of Himura Tanzaku made even casual conversation difficult.

All they could do was wait.

About twenty minutes later, the door was pushed open, and Ji Chaoge, who had lost an eye, walked in.

The main character has finally arrived.

The three souls all became serious, but didn't say much. Ji Chaoge hated unnecessary formalism. Ji Qiuming stood still, not uttering a word, his presence barely noticeable. The mysterious man in the black robe exchanged a glance with Ji Chaoge, but remained silent.

Himura Tanzakura stared intently at Hime Asago, her face expressionless.

"Everyone's here." Ji Chaoge walked in with a smile. Anyone seeing his expression wouldn't think he was an emperor. He looked utterly devoid of authority and didn't seem to possess any ability to command people.

Speaking of which, the emperor of Southern Qin had a solemn and steady appearance, and when he sat on the dragon throne, he exuded an invisible majesty. He was hailed as a true dragon descended to earth. Ji Chaoge recalled the news that came when the Jue Tian Army invaded Southern Qin. When the capital fell, the emperor spoke, and his first and last words were actually, "Oh, can we eat now?"

Ji Chaoge didn't walk to the main seat; she simply pulled out a chair and sat down.

"I won't introduce ourselves. If you can both survive tomorrow's battle, then we can introduce ourselves." Without further ado, Ji Chaoge got straight to the point. "Tomorrow, I plan to hold a ceremony to inherit the destiny of the Earth Mother Goddess."

"...?!"

"what?!"

"tomorrow?"

The three souls were all surprised, clearly their information was not consistent; some knew nothing about it, while others knew only a part of it. But they didn't know the specific time, and felt that tomorrow was too early.

"Ah, tomorrow is a good day, an auspicious day, let's do it tomorrow." Ji Chaoge was talking nonsense, his gaze casually drifting towards Hishimura Tan's cherry blossoms. Therefore, he did not notice the fleeting, eerie smile on Ji Qiuming's face, a smile that even he himself did not notice.

Hisumura Danzao's expression was solemn, but a hint of astonishment flickered in his eyes... His acting skills were worthy of an award-winning actor, and this was exactly the kind of reaction Hisumura Danzao should have.

Ji Chaoge's gaze fell on Feicun Tan Ying's face, but he looked away in an instant, his face calm and composed, revealing nothing of his inner thoughts.

He said, "Tomorrow, at noon, I will be holding a ceremony in Canglong Valley, which is twelve miles north of the town. There may be a battle. I hope everyone will be prepared. If you don't know the place, go and scout it out today. Be there on time at 11 o'clock tomorrow."

Then, Ji Chaoge got up neatly and left the room.

Are you done talking?

Yes, that's all.

He wasn't there to discuss things with his subordinates; he was simply there to announce this matter. Back in the Black Dragon era, only the strategist known as "Eternal Bird" could discuss things with Ji Chaoge, but that strategist was also buried by the apocalypse. From now on, all decisions would be made by Ji Chaoge himself.

As for the details of the incident... needless to say, Ji Chaoge's meaning has never changed. If I've only told you this much, then it means I believe that's enough for you to complete the task I've entrusted to you. Don't pry into anything else.

Hisumura Tan's acting continued, the look of horror still lingering in her eyes, as she whispered, "Is he always like this?"

The three souls exchanged glances, but no one responded. The man in black robes ignored Himura Tan's presence and left the room. It was Ji Qiuming, who had been staying in the corner of the room, who spoke up.

His voice carried a strange huskiness and a hint of playfulness, hidden within it, making it extremely difficult to detect.

"Absolutely."

Chapter Forty-Four: The Ancestral Revival!

July 31st, Azure Dragon Valley.

Despite its impressive name, this place is nothing more than a small valley a hundred meters long and wide, with a winding river flowing beneath it. The surrounding vegetation is lush and verdant, and it is sparsely populated.

It was already 11:30 a.m. when the remnants of the Black Dragon faction had all arrived. By the stream, a piece of land had been cleared out, with ancient inscriptions carved on the ground and corresponding offerings placed around it.

...There are real and fake offerings, there's not much to say about that. Even Ye Jiaofang would deliberately spend some effort to collect fake offerings when collecting offerings, let alone Ji Chaoge. Not only did he prepare a large number of fake offerings, but he also hid some of them, exploiting a bug in the range of influence of the ritual, placing them underground or in streams, and even hollowing out trees to hide some of them. There were both real and fake offerings.

Then there are these ancient inscriptions and formations... Ji Chaoge drew them himself, and they have nothing to do with the ritual.

Birds of a feather flock together; there's a reason why the clown and this guy ended up together.

"Who could it be..."

Ji Chaoge sat cross-legged on the ground with his hands on his knees. His expression made it seem as if he was on a spring outing.

The remnants of the Black Dragon gang separated and remained silent.

Himura Tan's distance from Hime Asago was neither too close nor too far; he had his back to Hime Asago, avoiding direct eye contact. On the plane, the mysterious man appeared and warned Himura Tan's actions. Even so, Himura Tan's thoughts still lingered on taking action.

The three souls of the Black Dragon remnant were nothing more than defeated opponents. Besides, back then he was without a weapon, protected by the Nine Gods, and without the Undying Worm. Now he has a weapon, doesn't need the Nine Gods, and his weakness of low margin for error has been compensated for by the Undying Worm. Although he wouldn't say that his strength has undergone a qualitative change, it has greatly increased. These three had also been instilled with inner demons by him. If they really fought, they would probably be terrified after just a few moves, especially Gu Xuan. A single sword-snatching move would be enough to greatly reduce his fighting spirit.

The problem is... that person in black robes. Their whereabouts are mysterious, and it's unknown whether they are male or female. They always cover their face with a black robe, so who knows what kind of person they are? They are a huge variable.

—Hime Akimura wouldn't take Ji Qiuming seriously.

Furthermore, Wenren Geshi himself also put considerable pressure on Himura Tan's character. He didn't know what the other party was up to or what tricks he had up his sleeve. But regardless, in terms of sheer combat power, Himura Tan's character could easily kill them all... no, killing them all was impossible.