Hehe.
At first, Duan Tianhe was secretly delighted that his spirit had ascended, but after hearing Jiang He's exclamation, he promptly felt that everything was not so good.
Inwardly, Duan Tianhe could not wait to throw the remaining purple-gold sunflower seeds at Jiang He's face.
But after thinking for a while, he still put the Purple Gold Sunflower Seeds in his pocket.
Those things were quite expensive. How much of a pity would it be to throw them away?
Of course, the main reason was that he did not dare to throw them away.
Rising to his feet, he said, "Jiang He, we'll meet at the Martial Arts Department (MAD) at two in the afternoon tomorrow. Remember to come on time."
With that, Duan Tianhe promptly left.
He did not want to keep chatting with Jiang He — it was too painful.
"It's only the fifth tomorrow. What's the hurry? We're all elites and could move quickly. It wouldn't take much time to get to the Western Frontier. "
Jiang He complained. Still, it was about time when he counted the time. After all, he still had many things to do after he got to the Western Frontier.
The wok was bigger.
The old blacksmith worked slowly, and it was only two in the afternoon that he was done.
A fifteen-meter wide wok appeared in Jiang He's vision then. Numbers might not make much of a difference, but the fifteen-meter wok was five stories tall when it was set up.
Moreover, a new alloy was clearly added to the wok, making it appear golden and dazzling.
Jiang He thanked Duan Tianhe and put the wok into his System Backpack … now that he knew about the Spatial Ring, there was no need to be secretive about the use of his System Backpack.
Then, he headed to the market and bought some cinnamon, star anise, fennel, grass fruit, and salt, all of which were essential condiments for stir-frying the five-spice sunflower seeds.
Moreover, he bought cooking wine, ginger, soy sauce, and other condiments for the steamed crabs.
It was almost three in the afternoon when he returned home.
Standing at the gates of his yard, Jiang He took out the fifteen-meter wide wok and told Dumbo, "Later, build a stove outside as I told you."
Both Dumbo and Trumbo now had earth-type superpowers.
At Jiang He's command, a supersized stove soon appeared in the empty space outside.
"The wok's a little too small …"
"It's a little too big. Make it smaller."
Putting the wok on the stove, Jiang He got a water pipe from his house and connected it to the tap water, washing the crabs.
"Oh right …"
"It's said on the Internet that steamed hairy crabs need to be soaked in cooking wine for an hour … It's already three o 'clock. If we soak them for another hour, wouldn't we only be able to eat dinner when they're done?"
After cleaning the crabs, Jiang He mused to himself for a while and came up with an idea.
He took out a box of cooking wine and poured it all into a large iron basin. Then, he stretched out his hand and used his True Qi to grab the cooking wine and sprinkled it on the hairy crabs.
The crab's shell was as hard as A-grade alloy, but Jiang He had poked many holes with his flying sword beforehand, allowing the cooking wine to seep in.
To ensure that the cooking wine would soak evenly and quickly, Jiang He used mild True Qi to help the wine circulate.
In less than ten minutes, this segment was over, and the effect was even better than "soaking" for an hour.
Jiang He sighed in awe. "As expected, you have to be flexible and apply what you learn. Martial arts aren't just for killing, but could be applied in everyday life."
Jiang He remembered a movie he watched, in which people used Taiji to knead dough, Wudang Sword to cut trees, Iron Palm to stop cars, and Wave-treading Subtle Steps to dodge banana peels. Those were the clearest examples of how to apply martial arts to everyday life.
"I need a steamer for steaming hairy crabs … I forgot to ask the old blacksmith to make one for me. Whatever, I'll do it directly with True Qi."
Pouring substantial amounts of tap water into the wok, Jiang He directly used his True Qi to form a net of True Qi over the water. Then, he placed the hairy crabs on top of the net and used his True Qi as a lid to seal the mouth of the wok.
That required immeasurably precise control and application of True Qi, which Jiang He naturally could do easily.
Hence, Dumbo and Trumbo took turns to breathe fire under the wok.
When it was six in the evening, the hairy crabs were finally cooked.
Even so, Jiang He realized that steamed hairy crabs were not to his taste even though they were quite good …
Dumbo and Trumbo would have to take advantage.
"Sigh, I should have made them into stir-fried hairy crabs …"
After finishing his meal, Jiang He began to stir-fry sunflower seeds. Soon, a huge wok of five-spice sunflower seeds was done, and Jiang He munched on one and nodded in satisfaction, smiling. "Not bad, not bad. As the saying goes, you get what you pay for. This purple-golden sunflower seed is worth up to millions, and it tastes a hundred times better than normal sunflower seeds after stir-frying!"
…
The fifth of October.
Jiang He only woke up around twelve.
He washed up.
After lunch, he poured himself a cup of rank-nine Origin Fluid to rinse his mouth, and arrived at the Lingzhou City Martial Arts Department (MAD) punctually at two o 'clock.
Even so, the others had already arrived when Jiang He arrived.
There were a total of six slots given to Wang Hou for the Tantra Secret Realm. Jiang He took one, Cheng Dongfeng took another, and Chen Jingzhou of the military took another.
As for the remaining three, one of them was wearing military uniform and appeared to be in his late twenties. He was a rank-seven grandmaster, and his surname was He Litong.
Cheng Dongfeng walked up and introduced him to Jiang He, "Jiang He, this is Battalion Commander He of the Sixth Xibei Field Army's reconnaissance division."
Even as he spoke, he spoke through Secret Acoustics, "He Litong has quite the background. His great-grandfather was one of the founding fathers of the nation."
Jiang He felt deep veneration and offered a fist-palm salute. "Greetings, Battalion Commander He."
He Litong offered a fist-palm salute as well and smiled. "I've heard of your great name, Grandmaster Jiang, and it seems that you do live up to your reputation."
There was also a youth carrying an alloy combat blade over his back.
The youth appeared to be around eighteen or nineteen, and the childishness on his face had yet to fade. He appeared excited to see Jiang He, and even spoke incoherently as he offered a fist-palm salute. "Greetings, Grandmaster Jiang. I'm Yang Chengwu, and our dean often mentions you … many in our school are your fans."
"Oh?"
Jiang He's gaze shifted to the youth, and he could not help chuckling. "A local?"
The youth spoke fluently in the Lingzhou dialect.
Cheng Dongfeng smiled. "This kid was handpicked from the Lingzhou City Martial Arts Academy. He is a descendant of Grandmaster Yang Shipeng, a martial arts grandmaster of his generation, and a disciple of the Yang Sect. He is rank-five pinnacle at a young age, and a B-class Awakened with superstrength."
A rank-five pinnacle and a B-class Awakened with superstrength … the kid's ability would probably rank high in Lingzhou City, or even all of Western Xia. From another angle, it also meant that the disciples of the aristocratic families who learned martial arts would have a higher starting point than the average person after the Revival of Qi.
Jiang He had heard of Grandmaster Yang Shipeng as well.
He was the founder of the [Returning Saber] in the Spiritual State, and it was even recorded on the forum of Warrior Home that he became a grandmaster in the Age of Doom. [Pencil]
Such a person would have a limitless future if they were in the present day.
Yang Shipeng was a Hui, and his Yang Sect had been passed down for over two hundred years. His sons and disciples had founded the Tiger Battalion to rebel against the Qing dynasty, and during the War of Resistance against Japan, they had also seen civilian armed forces bravely resisting the Japanese, and were worthy of respect.
Still, unlike Grandmaster Dong, the founder of the Eight Trigrams School …
Grandmaster Yang could not ascend to a higher level, and died in the chaos of war to protect his country. In fact, there were many like him, just like the hordes of martial artists who had sprung up during the Republic of China.
If they could cultivate up to grandmaster even during the Age of Doom, they would definitely soar to the skies in the current era of the Revival of Qi!
The last person left was a woman.
She was wearing tracksuits and sports shoes, and was carrying a sports bag that was bulging from the inside.
"Jiang He, this is a genius recommended by the Xi 'an Martial Arts Department (MAD). Her name is Zhou Rui, and she is twenty-three years old. She was a former national fencing athlete and A-class Awakened, and her awakened power is a Royal Sword."
The woman walked up and offered Jiang He a fist-palm salute.
Clearly …
She should not know Jiang He.
Still, she was respectful toward Jiang He after hearing He Litong address him as Grandmaster Jiang.
Jiang He gave the woman a few more looks.
Royal Sword …
The Transcendent ability of a swordsman was indeed rare, and every swordsman was extremely powerful. Even the weakest A-level swordsman was equivalent to a seventh-level martial arts master.
After the greetings, Jiang He chatted with Chen Jingzhou and Cheng Dongfeng.
In truth, he was a little puzzled.
Yang Chengwu, He Litong, and Zhou Rui were all youths and had great value in grooming. Cheng Dongfeng and Chen Jingzhou, on the other hand, were already old men, and yet they could enter the Tantra Secret Realm?
Jiang He was not aware that Chen Jingzhou was actually a genius as well.
He was a rank-nine elite who had grasped sword will before he turned sixty, and had a good chance of reaching divine-tier.
As for Cheng Dongfeng …
Cheng Dongfeng was once an unmatched rank-six, and that was a title he earned through real fighting. Still, Jiang He had completely eclipsed his brilliance after he came to Lingzhou City, and he was now one step ahead of Duan Tianhe after he ascended as a grandmaster.
He would not have caught Grandmaster Dong's attention if he was mediocre, and he would not have been personally taught by him.
Soon enough.
Duan Tianhe, Three Blades Lin, and Ji Dongxu had arrived.
After greeting them, Three Blades Lin cut to the chase and said, "Get ready. We'll depart at five o 'clock sharp. Moreover, the path to the Western Frontier has been severely damaged by Ferals, so you would have to walk to Tantra."
"It's a long journey and you would have to cross over two thousand kilometers of wildlands. There are many dangers along the way, with Ferals everywhere and the Sky Demon Cult might even send their elites to ambush us … so be careful."
Three Blades Lin would be escorting them in secret, although he did not say it out loud. The journey over two thousand kilometers of wildlands could be considered a training for the group.
After explaining the precautions, Three Blades Lin asked, "Do you have any questions?"
Chen Jingzhou and the others all shook their heads, while Jiang He rose to his feet and said, "Well … where is the actual location of Tantra? I have a map … what if I can't find the Tantra Sect alone if we get separated? "
Others aside …
Three Blades Lin did not expect that, and promptly said, "I've told Chen Jingzhou where the Tantra Sect is, but to avoid the situation Jiang He mentioned, I'll have someone prepare a few maps and give them to you before you depart."
Jiang He mused to himself for a while before saying, "Old Lin, we'll be unfamiliar with the place and people after we reach Tantra. Moreover, I heard that Minister Wang had a falling out with the Tantra Sect and fought his way up to their mountain to claim a spot. What if the Tantra Sect disciples come looking for trouble and we accidentally kill one of them …"
Jiang He promptly changed his tone and laughed when he saw Three Blades Lin's eyes spitting fire. "Well, I'm just joking … I'll be careful when the time comes and try not to kill anyone."
Blade King Three Blades Lin: "…"
Jiang He still had a lot of questions.
Even so …
He did not ask any more.
For example, could he lure the Sky Demon Cultists to ambush them along the way?
Or would he pass by Mount Tian on his way to the Tantra Sect … if he did, would he get into trouble if he went up the mountain and killed the Golden-Crowned Black Eagle that attacked him in Jiangnan?
"Whatever. The boss of the Martial Arts Department (MAD) got us a spot in the end, and I'm just going there to bask in the limelight. It's not good to ask too many questions."
Jiang He thought to himself. Get ready …
He would play it by ear when he was on the way.
(PS: I'm ten votes away from reaching Top 100 in the Monthly Votes. Everyone, vote for me if you have a ticket, and I'll show you guys something special when I reach Top 100 — I'm washing my feet upside down!)
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