Chapter 44 - 42: Clash of Prodigies, There Is a Prodigy Named Jiang Hao

Chapter 44: Chapter 42: Clash of Prodigies, There Is a Prodigy Named Jiang Hao

"Uncle Zhang? Uncle Qin? Why is it you two?"

Hearing his voice, the two middle-aged men exchanged a glance, both smiling wryly.

Jiang Hao, however, was profoundly shaken. The moment they removed their face coverings, his astonishment reached its absolute peak. Never in his wildest dreams did he expect that the two masked experts who had escorted him out of danger would be acquaintances.

He had met both men during his childhood; they were among his father’s few close friends. The imposing middle-aged man standing on the far left was Zhang Tiesheng, Father Jiang’s brother-in-arms who had shared life and death with him. The equally stalwart man on the right was Father Jiang and Zhang Tiesheng’s sworn brother, Qin Shiming.

"I truly didn’t expect that the person the Miss sent us to retrieve would actually be Brother Jiang’s child," Zhang Tiesheng sighed with deep emotion, a bitter smile still on his face.

The moment Jiang Hao recognized them, Zhang Tiesheng and Qin Shiming finally confirmed his identity as well. In truth, the two had already guessed who he was during the life-and-death battle, but they had hesitated to acknowledge him. It wasn’t until the words "Uncle Zhang" and "Uncle Qin" left his mouth that they were certain the youth before them was Jiang Taqing’s son.

"Child, you still remember Uncle Zhang and Uncle Qin?" Qin Shiming asked, a hint of joy rising in his heart.

Jiang Hao forced a smile. "Of course I remember. Uncle Qin even held Hao’Er when I was little, and my father often said..."

At the mention of his father, Jiang Hao’s expression instantly filled with immense sorrow, a sharp ache gripping his heart.

Seeing his emotional state, Qin Shiming immediately said, "Child, do not be sad. Brother Jiang hasn’t perished. The Miss’s earlier words were only meant to stimulate all your potential so you could unleash that sword strike."

Jiang Hao’s head snapped up at those words, clinging to them like a lifeline. "Uncle Qin, what did you say? My father...?"

"Your father is indeed still alive," Zhang Tiesheng took over, his eyes seeming to drift into memories of the past. "Two years ago, Brother Jiang came looking for us. He was indeed being hunted by the Qi Family Ancestor and the Celestial Sword Sect in the Earth Realm of Xingyue City, but your father won that battle.

"According to Brother Jiang’s account back then, the battle was incredibly tragic. Even someone as strong as him suffered unimaginably heavy injuries."

In that battle, Jiang Taqing slaughtered the many experts of the Celestial Sword Sect until they trembled in fear. He also heavily injured the Qi Family Ancestor, forcing him into secluded cultivation—so much so that even when Qi Tianyang was killed, the Ancestor had no time to intervene.

"When Brother Jiang found us, he was in a great hurry," Zhang Tiesheng continued. "It seemed an even more powerful enemy was after him, leaving him no choice but to leave the Eastern Domain as soon as possible.

"We provided Brother Jiang with enough Spirit Stones and pills, then personally watched him disappear into the night.

"Originally, your Uncle Qin and I wanted to take you back to the Qin Family to care for you, but Brother Jiang refused."

At that time, Jiang Hao had already become the well-known fool and piece of trash of Xingyue City. Precisely because of this, the Qi Family had spared a disabled fool rather than eliminating the root of the problem, and they hadn’t even reported it to the Celestial Sword Sect. After all, a fool who couldn’t even awaken a martial soul was no different from an ant; the Qi Family simply didn’t care.

And this was exactly what kept Jiang Hao safe. If Qin Shiming and Zhang Tiesheng had taken him back to the Qin Family, the moment he left Xingyue City and escaped the Qi Family’s watchful eyes, they would have undoubtedly killed him on the spot.

Upon hearing the news that his father hadn’t perished, Jiang Hao smiled through tears of joy. However, not even Qin Shiming and Zhang Tiesheng knew why the Celestial Sword Sect and the Qi Family Ancestor were hunting Jiang Taqing. In Father Jiang’s own words, the less they knew, the less likely they were to be dragged into the mess; otherwise, both the Qin Family and the Zhang Family would face inescapable doom. Fortunately, very few people knew about the relationship between the three of them. If others had known, the Qin Family and the Zhang Family would have likely already entered the Celestial Sword Sect’s sights.

"Child, the Miss had no other choice but to say what she did. You must absolutely not blame her," Zhang Tiesheng said helplessly.

Jiang Hao nodded slightly. He naturally understood Gu Qingyan’s goal. Without those words, he wouldn’t have been pushed to his limits to comprehend that sword strike.

Seeing that Jiang Hao’s mood had improved, Zhang Tiesheng slowly gazed out across the entire Earth Realm of Xingyue City, muttering after a moment.

"Hao’Er, the Celestial Sword Sect is now aware of your existence. The name Jiang Hao cannot be used for the time being.

"The Miss has already made arrangements. From now on, you will temporarily stay with your Uncle Qin to cultivate in secret. You will take the alias Qin Fan."

At this point, Zhang Tiesheng couldn’t help but glance at Qin Shiming, a trace of hesitation in his expression, though he continued speaking.

"Qin Fan was originally your Uncle Qin’s illegitimate son from outside the family. He had planned to bring him back to the Qin Family recently, but tragically, the child’s fate was thin. By the time your Uncle Qin and I found him, he had already passed away.

"Since no one in the Qin Family has ever seen the child’s face, you going there under the name Qin Fan will not arouse any suspicion.

"Also, these are things the Miss entrusted your Uncle Qin and me to leave for you: the Concealment Art and the Consolidation Art.

"The Concealment Art can hide your cultivation and strength. As long as they aren’t a King-tier expert, no one will easily see through your true power.

"The Consolidation Art is meant to stabilize your cultivation base. You’ve broken through too quickly lately and need to properly consolidate your foundation.

"Aside from those, the Miss also left you a Cultivation Technique called the Spirit Transformation Celestial Technique. It can aid you in spirit transformation, washing away impurities from your mortal body. It will be enough for you to break through from the Unity Realm to the Peak of Spirit Transformation Realm."

After saying this, Zhang Tiesheng carefully handed the two supplementary arts and the Cultivation Technique to Jiang Hao, a flicker of envy flashing in his eyes.

Evidently, the items Gu Qingyan provided were no ordinary techniques. Looking at the objects in his hands, Jiang Hao knew that it would be impossible for him and Gu Qingyan to ever go their separate ways as strangers again.

Qin Shiming watched Jiang Hao accept the items and gave a slight nod. "Although the Celestial Sword Sect is terrifying, with this Concealment Art, it won’t be easy for them to find someone in a short amount of time."

"Exactly. As long as we can hold out until the Prodigy Battle begins, even the Celestial Sword Sect will only be able to watch Hao’Er grow step by step," Zhang Tiesheng added.

Jiang Hao looked confused. "Uncle Qin, why do you say that? Is there something special about the Prodigy Battle?"

The two men looked at each other and shared a smile.

"You might not know this, Hao’Er, but once the Prodigy Battle begins, it will usher in the era of your younger generation," Qin Shiming explained.

"When that time comes, all members of the older generation are forbidden from attacking the prodigies. Otherwise, they will face the wrath of the All Heavens and Myriad Realms as well as the Imperial Race, who will destroy their foundations and wipe out their Daoist Lineages.

"At that time, all the older experts will be restricted until the Prodigy Battle concludes."

In other words, this upcoming period would be the time for Jiang Hao to rise. However, the era of the Prodigy Battle was also incredibly cruel. Even if the older generation couldn’t intervene, the struggles among the new generation of prodigies would be even more terrifying. While the older generation of the Celestial Sword Sect couldn’t attack Jiang Hao, their new generation could act without any scruples.

Taking one last deep look at the Earth Realm of Xingyue City behind him, Jiang Hao followed the two men, slowly disappearing into the endless mountain range.

Time slowly slipped by. In the blink of an eye, three months passed.

On a certain day, three months later, inside a hidden Cultivation Chamber in Tang City, located within the Earth Realm of Celestial City, a figure in white robes sat cross-legged. He slowly opened his eyes, his body exuding the aura of the Creation Realm Third Layer.

Feeling his concealed cultivation, Jiang Hao finally realized just how terrifying the Concealment Art Gu Qingyan had left him truly was. Now, having taken the alias Qin Fan, he had moved into the Qin Family within Qin City, completely adopting a new identity.

However, ever since entering the Qin Family, Jiang Hao had remained in secluded cultivation behind closed doors, healing his injuries while simultaneously consolidating his past cultivation base. During those three months in the Earth Realm of Xingyue City, he had broken through too rapidly, leaving behind significant hidden dangers. Fortunately, the realms before the Unity Realm didn’t have too much impact, and consolidating them now meant there would be no fatal flaws.

It was only after stepping into the Unity Realm that cultivation truly entered its critical phase.

Just as Jiang Hao was waking up in the Cultivation Chamber, the City Lord’s Mansion of Qin City was buzzing with commotion.

Inside a side room of the Qin Family’s magnificent main hall, numerous direct descendants of the Qin Family and young men and women of different surnames from Qin City were gathered together, all filled with indignation.

"The City Lord is too biased toward that Qin Fan! A guy with only a Creation Realm Third Layer cultivation was actually given a private Cultivation Chamber, and a Level One Cultivation Chamber at that!"

"Creation Realm Third Layer... Qin City has at least eight hundred, if not a thousand people with that kind of strength, right? What right does that Qin Fan have?"

"Exactly! Even a top-tier prodigy like Fairy Qin only got a Level Two Cultivation Chamber. And Fairy Qin is Lord City Lord’s own precious daughter, the future hope of the Qin Family!"

"Even though that Qin Fan is also Lord City Lord’s illegitimate son from outside, this is just way too unfair. Cultivation Chambers are supposed to belong to the capable. To give it to a Creation Realm Third Layer is truly unacceptable."

"Alright, Father has his own reasons. Everyone, please say less," a gentle voice interjected.

"Sister, Father is being so biased. Are you not angry at all?"

At these words, everyone’s gaze converged on a single young woman.

She was a fresh and elegant girl dressed in a pink five-ribbon dress. Beautiful beyond words, she possessed an otherworldly, ethereal temperament. Brimming with Spiritual Qi and bearing a peerless visage, she looked exactly like a fairy who had descended to the mortal realm. No wonder people called her Fairy; she truly had the grace of a heavenly maiden.

This girl was none other than Qin Shiming’s treasured daughter, one of the ten great prodigies of the Earth Realm of Celestial City, and the youthful genius of the Qin Family in Qin City—Qin Xiangyuan.

Hearing the complaints, the young woman’s beautiful eyes flickered as she fell into deep thought. She clearly felt that something was amiss. Intelligent as she was, she suspected the situation wasn’t so simple. When that Qin Fan was brought back, he seemed to have suffered extremely heavy injuries. Moreover, she had detected a faint trace of unstable aura fluctuation coming from that white-robed youth at the time.

Her words, however, had put a stop to everyone’s grumbling, shifting the topic to a recent rumor instead.

"By the way, have you guys heard? They say a peerless prodigy was born in the Earth Realm of Xingyue City not too long ago."

"I heard about that too. What was his name again? Jiang something?"

"Jiang Hao!"

"Right, right, right! His name is Jiang Hao."