## AST 656 – The Preparation And Set-up Before The Battle

For the past 50 days, he had spent less than half a month tempering the Demon Binding Ropes. He had no choice. Everything was very sudden, and he did not know when the Demon Binding Ropes would be able to level up again. The Demon Binding Ropes were really amazing, it was a pity that it was useless at the moment against cultivators who had 5000 countries or higher of strength.

Usually, if he could afford to, Qing Shui would work on tempering the Demon Binding Ropes and the Soulshake bell, just like how he would enter the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal daily. This was unless he had some special matters to tend to, such as having to spend a prolonged period of time performing alchemy. At such times, he could not have any breaks in between.

When he sensed the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal acting force on the outside world, Qing Shui quickly dashed out. It was getting brighter outside. For these few days, unless he had things to attend to, Qing Shui would always spend his time in the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal once the next day arrived. He was worried about potential delays if any problems suddenly popped up.

He walked out of his room. While they were in Di Residence, Di Chen would stay together with Di Qing. Their room wasn’t far away from where he was staying. It wasn’t early anymore and although the sun hadn’t risen, it would be rising in about 15 minutes.

Just as he stepped out of his room, the two ladies stepped out from their rooms as well. Upon spotting Qing Shui, their eyes lit up. This caused Qing Shui to look at them, feeling puzzled.

“We’ve only not seen you for a night, how did you become so good looking?” Di Qing looked at Qing Shui and asked outright. She even went right up to him to took a good look, getting so close that Qing Shui could smell her fragrance.

“Good looking?”

Qing Shui touched his face, puzzled. As he was doing so, Di Qing smiled and put up a small mirror before him.

When Qing Shui saw his own reflection, he did not know what to say. There did not seem to be any major changes. His skin had become a little bit better, hmm… his clear eyes seemed to give out a deeper feeling. The only thing that Qing Shui couldn’t accept was the mark between his brows which had been left behind by the Yin-Yang Pendant.

It used to be a dark purple color. Although it stood out very obviously, it was still something he could accept. However, it had started to slowly turn increasingly red, till it appeared to be a little charming. This caused Qing Shui to appear slightly bewitching. Moreover, with Qing Shui’s skin appearing better than before, that mark which was the size of a soybean appeared brighter than before.

“If only you could pass that mark to me.” Di Qing smiled and said.

This was the second time a woman had said this to Qing Shui. Qing Shui did not say much and he merely smiled and told them that he was going out for his morning practice.

“Wait, we’ll go too!” Di Qing pulled Di Chen and said smilingly.

“Then let’s go!” Qing Shui smiled and replied.

The three of them walked out of the pavilion building. There was a special area to allow for them to cultivate in the courtyard. There was even a small arena in the backyard, as well as a small pond. Someone was standing next to the pond.

“Sister Su!” Di Qing smiled gently and called out to her.

Qing Shui suddenly felt that Di Qing had a few sides to her. When they had met for the first time, they had ended up fighting. Back then, she was a cool character who was like a goddess. Now, before outsiders, she still acted like this. It was just that she seemed to not care about her image when she was with Qing Shui. Qing Shui did not know if this was a good thing or not.

When Yuan Su turned and saw the three of them, she appeared to be in a slight daze. However, she quickly smiled and greeting them.

“You’re in a great mood to come look at the fishes so early in the morning.” Di Qing smiled and walked over.

Qing Shui waved his hand and then headed for the small arena. Although it was a small area, it still had a diameter of 30 meters. It was alright for Qing Shui to practice his Taichi there.

With a light leap, he jumped up onto the arena which was over two meters high!

The sun was starting to rise from the east. Qing Shui pushed out his two hands in parallel; Slanted Moon, Up Fist, Shifting Clouds, Left Tail Block…

Qing Shui’s movements were sturdy, showing an indescribable flow and beauty amidst its slowness. It gave people a strange feeling, as well as an indescribable visual impact.

When the three ladies realized that they had been drawn in by Qing Shui’s movements for quite a while, they all appeared as if they had just woken up from a dream in shock. They all smiled, embarrassed.

Di Chen walked up and headed for the other side of the arena, starting her own morning practice.

However, Di Qing did not move. She only stood next to Yuan Su, smiling as she chatted with her.

“What do you think about him?” Di Qing smiled and said.

“Who?” Yuan Su seemed to not understand as she looked at Di Qing.

“You were staring at him earlier on. How could you forget so quickly.” Di Qing looked at Yuan Su with a sly expression.

“Sister Qing, I don’t think that you’re in a position to laugh at me. Earlier, you looked like you couldn’t wait to devour him.” Yuan Su chuckled. Without Qing Shui here, they seemed to be much more daring when they spoke. If he were here, he would definitely be shocked that this lady would be able to smile so innocently.

“Alright, let’s not talk about this. Sister Su, what do you think of Qing Shui as a person?” Di Qing continued to ask.

“What do you want to hear about him? I’m not that close with him so I’m not sure.” Yuan Su smiled and said.

“We’ll just talk casually. After all, it’s just between us sisters.” Di Qing replied with a smile.

“I really don’t know. I only know that he is a capable and intelligent guy.” Yuan Su said smilingly, then looked at Di Qing unblinkingly.

“Why are you looking at me like this?” Di Qing felt a bit uncomfortable under Yuan Su’s gaze.

“Sister Qing, I was able to tell that the gaze you had when you looked him was very different. It was a little similar to that of your sister’s. I keep feeling that something has happened between the two of you. Come, share it with me. Let’s see how he had moved the heart of a lady who is worshiped by all the guys in the Seven Stars Country.” Yuan Su teased.

Di Qing felt a little embarrassed to hear that. She suddenly tickled Yuan Su’s armpits and said, “Let’s see if you still dare to spout rubbish.”

The two beautiful ladies were having fun, their soft and beautiful voices ringing out far away.

Qing Shui did not try to listen to the sounds in the area and was totally submerged in his own mental state. Qing Shui’s progress in his abilities made him feel that he must take some time to improve his mastery of this new energy.

Practicing Taichi was a very good option, it required a good grasp of one’s strength to gain a balance between power and softness. What he needed to do now was to spend some time even when he was in the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal to practice Taichi. This would allow him to completely absorb the new powers he had just gained.

He practiced all the way until the late morning before Qing Shui stopped. He had still wanted to practice the Thousand Buddha Palm Imprint but decided to give it up for now. It was because the three ladies seemed to still be waiting for him.

He leaped off the arena and walked toward the three ladies. It was about time for breakfast!

During the meal, everyone in Di Clan was present, even Old Madam Mo. However, when Di Xuan and Old Madam Mo saw Qing Shui, their gazes were filled with disbelief and then they quickly broke into smiles.

They could also tell that Qing Shui’s abilities had improved a lot. Most importantly, Qing Shui’s charms had elevated qualitatively compared to before. This should be highly related to the progress of his abilities. With vast improvements, his confidence would also be boosted. It was a relief on both his mental and physical state, giving him an additional hint of unrestrained aura.

Old Madam Mo and Di Xuan saw that Qing Shui’s abilities were at best at the elementary stage of a Grade Six Martial Saint. However, this still made them extremely astonished. The rate of his growth was too unbelievable.

Qing Shui also met the three middle-aged people in the Alchemist Sect. It was as Yuan Su had said, one of them was a Grade Eight Martial Saint, slightly weaker compared to Di Xuan, while the remaining two were struggling between the Seventh and Eighth Grade of the Martial Saint Realm. They were just one step into the Grade Eight Martial Saint level.

“You must be Qing Shui! It’s the first time lass Yuan had recommended someone so strongly. You’re really a promising young man.” An old man with a strong scholarly feel said.

“Senior, you flatter me. This time around, I still have to thank the three of you for coming to help.” Qing Shui smiled and greeted them from the stand of a junior.

“We can only help from the sides. Old Madam Mo said that this would be sufficient.”

Qing Shui met with Yuan Su’s two other uncles from the main house and knew that the three of them were cousins. The Grade Eight Martial Saint was Yuan Hua, the one with a taller and stronger build was Yuan Song, and the last one with the most white hair, who looked the oldest, was Yuan Chong.

Everyone sat down. Maybe it was because those who supported Di Jing felt too humiliated to say anything thus they remaining silent. Those who supported Di Xuan were very active.

The number of people who supported Di Xuan were lesser when compared to the number of people supporting his other brothers. Although Di Clan was not a clan with a high population, the other factions had at least twice the number of people Di Xuan had. Therefore, there were only about 200 people in Di Clan’s main house, with people across a number of generations. It was likely that this event had united the entire Di Clan.

For a clan as reputable as Di Clan, having only around 200 people in the main family was really too little. The others were practically outsiders and were the Di Clan’s in-laws. In fact, a majority of Di Clan’s businesses were all managed by the families of their in-laws. However, the bulk of the profits would belong to Di Clan. Power determined everything. This was the rule, the obvious way of doing things. Moreover, this was also a win-win situation.

They had an enjoyable meal. There were a number of Martial Saint leveled cultivators in Di Clan. However, the Old Ancestor who could hold the ground was no longer around and the Di Clan had since dropped to become the weakest amongst the seven stars in the Seven Stars Country. The could barely keep up and stay as one of them.

In the World of the Nine Continents, if a person were to gain success, everyone around him would be able to bask together in his glory. When the Old Ancestor was around, the Di Clan could sit comfortably amongst the seven stars without any worry. But now that he was not around to carry the weight on his shoulders, the Di Clan’s powers had increasingly weakened. Even the Residence of the Sky Tyrant Lord had thought of ways to bully them.

This time around, the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect had stayed in seclusion for such a long period of time and could no longer hold it in. Qing Shui did not know if he was considered to be lucky or unlucky to be here when they appeared.

If he weren’t here, he might not have gained the powers he had today. If he stayed, his life could be at risked. One could never get the best of both worlds and dangers would always tend to accompany opportunities. Therefore, at least for now, Qing Shui did not feel regretful.

“Qing Shui, let’s discuss how we’re going to take on the Fight of the Ultimate Life and Death today!” Di Xuan smiled and said to Qing Shui. Di Clan’s clan head, Di Xiong, merely smiled as he watched from the side. He seemed to have decided to let Di Xuan handle this case entirely.

“Senior, there is strength in numbers. I’m not very familiar with the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect and the other clans. If anyone has any good suggestions, just feel free to speak.” said Qing Shui after giving it some thought.