After You Broke Off the Engagement, I Broke Through Twelve Realms in a Single Day! - Chapter 29:
Chapter 29: He Was Just Too Cautious
Since the day Fairy Yuehua personally traveled to the Imperial Capital to meet the Emperor of the Great Qing Empire, the news of Li Feng annihilating Jiuyang Mountain spread like wildfire. In just three days, it reached all thirty-six provinces and one hundred eighty prefectures of the Great Qing Empire.
In tea houses, taverns, and marketplaces, everyone was talking about the eighteen-year-old peerless prodigy who had single-handedly destroyed an entire sect.
“Have you heard? Lord Li, the Imperial Preceptor, with just a wave of his hand, annihilated eight Martial Emperors. It’s said he may have already broken through to the Martial Venerable Realm, reaching the level of Elder Zhang!”
“Exactly! They say he controls the Mirror of Heaven and Man, capable of swallowing the heavens and devouring the sun. A single sweep of its light can kill a Martial Venerable instantly!”
“…”
Inside the most luxurious Tianxiang Tower in the Imperial Capital, a few richly dressed young noblemen were animatedly discussing all the rumors they had gathered from various places.
One young man in blue robes lowered his voice mysteriously, “Brothers, let me remind you — never go near Jiuyang Mountain again. My uncle works in the Ministry of War, and he says the place has turned into a ghost land. Within a hundred kilometers, not a bird or beast remains, and even the soil has turned purplish black…”
“Shh! Watch your words!” His companion quickly stopped him. “The court has already issued a ban. No one is allowed to speak carelessly about Jiuyang Mountain.”
Not far from them, a black-clad figure wearing a bamboo hat silently drank wine. Upon hearing this, he smirked coldly, a flash of blood-red light flickering in his eyes.
If Li Feng were here, he would immediately recognize that the aura on this man was identical to the one he had sensed on Jiang Ran when he killed him.
Clearly, the mysterious demonic puppets of Jiuyang Mountain had begun to emerge on a large scale.
With the Emperor’s decree, the events at the Celestial Jade Sect were now public knowledge.
The people of the Great Qing Empire were terrified of the changes at Jiuyang Mountain, but at the same time, Li Feng’s name had become renowned throughout the world. He truly achieved “there is no one under heaven who does not know you”!
Even Xu Wenlong, who was leading the villagers in digging canals in a poor county, heard the villagers talking about how Li Feng eradicated demons.
Standing in the muddy fields, he wiped the sweat from his forehead, looked up at the sun, and smiled, “With Lord Li around, the skies of the Great Qing Empire will not collapse!”
Princess Luo Qingxian, dressed in plain farm clothes, handed Xu Wenlong a bowl of murky canal water, her eyes showing relief as she smiled, “A true dragon like Senior Brother Li — even if he only swims a few laps in the Great Qing Empire’s pond, the splashes alone are enough to wash away all demons and monsters.”
Xu Wenlong nodded in agreement, lifting his hoe with renewed vigor, “The rise and fall of the world is the responsibility of every man. I can’t assist him in saving the world, but I can do my part to make the villagers here prosperous and live good lives!”
Now, his skin was rough and tanned by the sun, and he looked even more like a farmer than the actual farmers. But this only made the villagers respect and love him even more.
“Everyone, let’s work harder! We can’t lose to our scholar magistrate!”
The villagers laughed heartily and worked together with even greater effort. Their canal was almost completed.
…
[Li Feng has quelled the demon uprising of Jiuyang Mountain, a great merit to the state. Today, We bestow upon him the title of Grand Preceptor, grant him a Grand Preceptor’s mansion, one thousand hectares of spiritual fields, and the noble title ‘State-Stabilizing Duke.’ He may attend court without bowing and enter with sword and boots.]
The imperial edict awarding Li Feng arrived swiftly at Jishang Academy, setting the entire academy ablaze with excitement. All the teachers and students were filled with pride.
“To be appointed one of the Three Dukes at eighteen is an unparalleled honor! The title ‘State-Stabilizing’ has never been granted since the founding of the empire. Senior Brother Li’s achievements are almost equal to Elder Zhang’s!”
“Sigh, if Senior Brother Li had a hundred more years, he would surely break through to the Martial Venerable Realm. It’s just a pity that Elder Zhang and the Great Qing Empire probably won’t last that long.”
“Don’t speak such unlucky words! Even if Senior Brother Li doesn’t break through, with the Mirror of Heaven and Man, he can still possess Martial Venerable combat strength. Our Great Qing Empire won’t fall!”
“…”
The students of Jishang Academy all regarded Li Feng with pride. In fact, the entire Great Qing Empire’s citizens viewed him as the next Elder Zhang.
At eighteen, he had become the Grand Preceptor, one of the Three Dukes, and the State-Stabilizing Duke. He destroyed eight Martial Emperors from Jiuyang Mountain. In the history of the Great Qing Empire, there was no precedent — not even Elder Zhang, at the same age, could compare!
[You sat in Kuzhou Pavilion comprehending for two and a half years to obtain this chance. To repay the cause and effect, you must stay at Jishang Academy for five years. The days you have stayed: 92/1825.]
Two months passed quickly, and Li Feng clearly noticed Jishang Academy growing more deserted.
Many familiar faces had already gone to the frontlines of the Great Qing Empire, while he had been specially ordered by Elder Zhang to remain and cultivate diligently at the academy.
As time passed, the day of Elder Zhang’s death drew nearer.
Even the [Seven Stars Lamp] that extended his life was nearly out of oil, and the atmosphere across the Great Qing Empire grew increasingly tense. On the streets, everyone’s face was taut with worry.
The armies of the four neighboring countries were stationed outside the borders, just waiting for the old scholar, who had held them off for centuries, to fall so they could invade and feast on the Great Qing Empire.
Although the Martial Venerables had yet to engage directly, the Martial Emperors had already started large-scale battles. Three newly advanced Martial Emperors of the Great Qing Empire had already fallen.
They were called “old prodigies” because they were all over a hundred years old.
Before Li Feng emerged, Martial Emperors at a hundred years old were considered promising talents at the peak of their vigor.
They could have stayed safely in the rear to continue cultivating.
But since Li Feng’s rise, these “young” Martial Emperors were no longer noteworthy.
They could no longer remain safely in the rear; they had to go to the battlefield to fight for glory and opportunity for their families.
Naturally, this earned Li Feng some unseen enmity.
In the streets and alleys, rumors spread:
They said Elder Zhang and Li Feng were all show and no substance. It was because of them and Jishang Academy that the Great Qing Empire was now facing national disaster.
If it weren’t for Jishang Academy hoarding the spiritual-grade cultivation technique [Heaven and Man Record] and the spiritual artifact [Mirror of Heaven and Man], neighboring countries wouldn’t have banded together to invade. If only they surrendered these treasures, war could be avoided. Jishang Academy was too selfish, sacrificing countless commoners to protect their own interests.
Although those spreading these seditious rumors were quickly arrested, the rumors only grew more rampant. It was as if unseen hands were deliberately stirring public resentment, eager to push Li Feng onto the battlefield.
Even within Jishang Academy, some voices whispered in secret, questioning whether Li Feng was hiding in the academy out of fear of death.
Perhaps his so-called feats were fake, and defeating the masters of Jiuyang Mountain had all been due to the Mirror of Heaven and Man.
Whenever Li Feng heard these secret discussions, he would simply smile at them and say:
“What you say is true. I stay here because I fear death. I relied on the Mirror of Heaven and Man to defeat the masters of Jiuyang Mountain. There’s nothing shameful about that.”
“If you’re unconvinced, you can try breaking through to the Martial Emperor Realm at eighteen like I did. Maybe you’ll get to hide and cling to life in the academy like me.”
His shamelessness left those whisperers speechless.
After all, no one else had ever achieved a Martial Emperor breakthrough at eighteen.
After chasing away the gossipers, Li Feng, as usual, sat beneath the Heaven and Man Record and closed his eyes to cultivate.
Here in the academy, he had unrestricted access to cultivation resources, aided by a spiritual-grade technique and the mysterious jade bottle left by his parents. He had never cultivated under such abundant conditions.
Combined with his superior-grade spiritual body, his cultivation skyrocketed. In just two months, he had already reached the 5th stage Martial Emperor Realm.
Breaking through a stage a month — if word got out, the martial world would be in utter disbelief, and even the most gifted prodigies would despair.
This was the Martial Emperor Realm!
Even Elder Zhang needed several years to break through a single stage back then, sometimes decades if he hit a bottleneck.
But Li Feng still thought it was too slow. To kill four Martial Venerables at once, even with the Mirror of Heaven and Man, he would need to at least reach the 9th stage Martial Emperor Realm.
If he wasn’t several stages stronger than his opponents, Li Feng didn’t feel secure.
Without a [Reversal of Cause and Effect] prompt, he had to prepare for the worst — facing the Martial Venerables of four nations together and wiping them all out!
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Respect for Xu Wenlong, each swing of his royal hoe feeds another family for generations! o7