Beneath a waterfall deep within the Tengyun Mountain Range, a woman in crimson stood upon a smooth, edge-less boulder, her clothes drenched as she withstood the crushing pressure of the rushing water and swung the iron sword in her hand.
The torrent was fierce, striking her back without causing any sharp pain, yet it easily distracted the mind, making it exceedingly difficult to accomplish anything else beneath such a force.
“Clatter.” Failing to maintain a firm grip, the woman’s long sword was struck by the current and plummeted heavily to the ground.
At the exact same moment, the waterfall’s flow accelerated. Taken completely by surprise and without a shred of defense, the woman was instantly swept off her feet and tumbled roughly into the churning waters beneath the cascade.
Catching her breath, Jiang Xu climbed out from the current, stepped back onto the boulder, and raised her stance, gathering power, drawing her blade, and unleashing a strike.
The sword tip beneath the rushing water wavered crookedly, knocked aside by the current from time to time. Jiang Xu paid it no mind; whenever the sword dropped, she simply picked it up again.
Moreover, the waterfall she had chosen was quite peculiar, its flow erratic, shifting rapidly between fast and slow, making it an extraordinary test of one’s reaction time.
Jiang Xu did not fear monotony. She repeated her sword swings over and over, comprehending the way of the sword while simultaneously adapting to the surging cultivation within her body.
Sometimes, when the mood struck her, Jiang Xu would not return to her courtyard even as night fell, instead continuing to swing her sword by the light of the moon, sometimes persisting for several consecutive days and nights.
When her arms grew so sore and fatigued that she could no longer lift the sword, Jiang Xu would sit cross-legged beneath the waterfall to cultivate, using the cultivation technique taught by Ming Yuan to practice breathing and expel turbid qi.
Ming Yuan had said that her current physique was an absolute, once-in-an-eternity prodigy even among the human race, and it seemed truly to be the case.
Though she did not know what the cultivation speed of those renowned prodigies was like, she could sense that her own cultivation pace had accelerated severalfold compared to before, whether absorbing spiritual energy or expelling impurities.
One had to bear in mind that although this was deep within the Tengyun Mountain Range, where the spiritual energy was rich enough to surpass many areas of the small demon towns, it was still demon territory after all, and comparatively inferior to the human realm.
Thus, Jiang Xu cycled endlessly between sword practice, cultivation, and slaying ferocious beasts. Whenever she grew weary of both activities, she would take her long sword into the mountains to hunt beasts whose strength roughly matched hers or slightly surpassed her own, engaging in fierce combat that unfailingly yielded a few beast carcasses.
When blood was drawn, it became a battle for survival. Fortunately, Jiang Xu’s luck was quite good now, and she survived many close shaves without incident.
After all, she had promised Ming Yuan to become the Young Lord of the demon race and to wait for her awakening. She certainly could not let Ming Yuan wake up only to find herself having to drag her back from the netherworld.
The obtained beast carcasses could be roasted and eaten or taken away to be sold.
Ferocious beasts differed from true demons; they were far more wild and untamed, and crucially, they had yet to develop spiritual intelligence, remaining incapable of speech or taking on a human form.
Consequently, in the eyes of the demon race, beasts were distinct creatures separate from themselves. Since they were recognized as non-kin, trading in their remains was naturally permitted.
Jiang Xu exchanged the beast carcasses for spirit stones, still remembering Ming Yuan’s teasing look of heartache back when she paid out those three hundred spirit stones to purchase the courtyard.
The crimson-robed woman pressed her lips together in resentment, resolving to accumulate a massive hoard of spirit stones all by herself so that when Ming Yuan emerged, she could dazzle her eyes completely.
Hmph, let her laugh at me!
In addition, Jiang Xu purchased a medicine-refining cauldron and a spiritual artifact capable of generating endless spiritual fire, known as the Crimson Fire Wall.
Well, it was as simple and direct as that.
Following her memories, Jiang Xu located her previous batch of medicinal herbs and began refining pills using Ming Yuan’s methods.
She was inherently clever, and Ming Yuan had not deliberately shielded her techniques during her own concoctions, so purely in terms of posture, Jiang Xu’s efforts looked quite proper, well, if one ignored the fact that Ming Yuan used soul fire.
After all, Ming Yuan was merely a soul spirit and could only use soul fire; yet Jiang Xu didn’t even possess soul fire.
To acquire soul fire, one first had to subdue a wisp of heaven-and-earth flame, making it willingly submit.
Only then, should a person’s soul remain intact after death, could they possess and utilize soul fire, a primal flame willing to follow its master through life and death at their beck and call.
After suffering through who knows how many cauldron explosions, Jiang Xu finally refined a batch of formed medicinal pills. She pinched one between her fingers, choosing not to pop it into her mouth, as she harbored a healthy fear of accidentally poisoning herself.
Hence, Jiang Xu produced a medicine pouch, dumped all the pills inside indiscriminately, and intended to show them to Ming Yuan once she woke up.
Practicing the sword, cultivating, slaying beasts, concocting pills, living free and unfettered all by herself, moving like the wind, roaming carefree between heaven and earth.
If Jiang Xu did not carry a sea of blood debts waiting to be avenged and an unyielding hatred burning in her heart, she truly felt this lifestyle was far more carefree and joyful than her days in the human realm, the Jiang family, or the Gong family.
The only flaw was that Ming Yuan was not around!
The woman touched her heart, feeling a distinct sense of yearning. Though she had known Ming Yuan for only a little over half a year, Jiang Xu felt as though she had never longed for anyone this intensely before.
She missed Ming Yuan’s appearance, missed her smile, longed to hear her speak, and yearned for her gentle, crystal-clear gaze that reflected her own figure.
At that time, Jiang Xu did not yet understand that this emotion was called missing someone.
Cold seasons gave way to warm ones, the sun and moon alternated, and the stars shifted in the cosmos.
Beneath the waterfall, the crimson-robed woman’s sword style had transformed from uncoordinated, obscure, and halting to flowing freely like a dragon dancing, all through the quiet passage of time.
Her sword intent had become natural, profound yet concise. She sheathed her blade; the long sword was merely an ordinary weapon purchased from a small town, and she had no idea how many such blades she had broken or replaced over the years.
Jiang Xu raised her gaze to the horizon where the sun was gradually fading, lengthening her shadow in the falling dusk. Night was approaching once again.
Time flies like an arrow, the sun and moon shuttle like shuttles, and ten years passed in the blink of an eye. Jiang Xu had not returned to that small town; she had sold the courtyard a few days prior.
At this moment, the woman walked unhurriedly, her light footsteps propelling her dozens of meters forward with a single shift. Ten years had flown by, and the selection trial for the demon race’s Young Lord was about to commence.
Jiang Xu looked toward her heart. Ming Yuan, you should be waking up soon too!
The royal city of the demon race presented a stark contrast to the frontier town Jiang Xu had witnessed earlier. Even the city gates alone were constructed from one of the supreme treasures of heaven and earth: Purple Fire Profound Crystal.
From afar, it radiated a dazzling brilliance that illuminated the surrounding night as bright as day, exuding a magnificent, imposing majesty. The guards at the city gates wore unified armor, standing in orderly platoons to inspect and register every entering demon one by one.
Jiang Xu had traveled the path through the wilderness, but unlike the previous profound silence, the surrounding demons passing to and fro were mostly formidable in aura and formidable in cultivation.
Were they heading here for the demon race’s Young Lord selection? Jiang Xu guessed in her heart.
Naturally. The Young Lord of a realm stood second only to one above millions. Even knowing the selection rules were cruel and the competition cutthroat, who would easily give up such an opportunity?
Jiang Xu walked straight toward the city gate.
The guard inquired about her name, origins, and purpose, diligently logging the information before handing her a token.
“This is your credential for moving about within the royal city. If you wish to remain in the royal city after the Young Lord is established, you will need to undergo a reassessment.
Very well, take your token, and you may enter.”
There was not a shred of contempt or mockery toward her half-demon status in his tone, as if she were no different from any ordinary demon.
Jiang Xu accepted the token, which felt pleasantly warm to the touch. She inspected it briefly, tucked it into her storage ring, and turned to walk into the city, developing a slight fondness for the demon royal city.
The bustling prosperity of the royal city far surpassed that of the frontier town. Demons thronged the streets, and market stalls stood shoulder to shoulder in a thriving, packed crowd.
Beyond that, there were grand restaurants, gambling dens, brothels, whatever Jiang Xu had seen in the grand cities of the human realm was not lacking here.
The architecture, layout, and arrangements were surprisingly on par with a major human city, and the spiritual energy in the air was exceptionally rich, a mere few breaths of cultivation here matched half a day of training in the small town.
However, Jiang Xu looked up at the sky. Is that a gathering spiritual array? The royal city truly lives up to its reputation.
To put it simply, aside from the obvious demonic qi radiating from the human-shaped demons walking past, this place was no different from a major human city, seeing as it was, after all, the premier royal city of the demon realm.
As for why all demons walked abroad in human form, it was because although humans were exceedingly weak at birth, their physical bodies were akin to a treasure trove, making cultivation a hundred times easier than for demons, while also allowing them to absorb spiritual energy and retain it within their bodies far more effectively.
From this perspective, half-demons indeed possessed enviable traits. Though looked down upon by both sides, a half-demon combined the cultivation speed of humans with the resilient physique of demons, truly a blessed, best-of-both-worlds existence.
Jiang Xu looked around for a moment, locked her sights on the tallest inn within the royal city, and headed straight toward it. Naturally, demons did not call them inns; they called them residences.
Well, still as simple and crude as ever.
Juntian Tower, the premier tower of the royal city.
Jiang Xu paid one thousand spirit stones, securing a month’s stay.
And in half a month, the selection tournament for the demon race’s Young Lord would officially begin.
Having figured out the registration schedule and method, Jiang Xu went straight to sign up, paying another one thousand spirit stones.
To be honest, Jiang Xu was somewhat surprised; she hadn’t expected the registration fee alone to cost one thousand spirit stones, which was an astronomical sum to many minor demons.
Yet it was also understandable. The position of Young Lord was extraordinary and of paramount importance to the demon race. Furthermore, the demon race had spread word ten years ago that they would select a Young Lord, setting the entry prerequisite at one thousand spirit stones.
It seemed like a lot, but if you hadn’t managed to save up a thousand spirit stones in ten years, it proved your competence was lacking. Since your abilities fell short, what right did you have to covet the position of Young Lord? Go back to your cave and sleep!
Having completed her registration, Jiang Xu returned straight to Juntian Tower to continue her cultivation. With half a month left, the spiritual energy here was even denser than in the Tengyun Mountain Range. Anyway, since Ming Yuan wasn’t awake and she had nothing better to do, why not seize the chance to cultivate harder? Her goal was far more than just becoming the demon race’s Young Lord!