My Arts Evolve When Perfected

The Flame Lotus blossomed with a tremendous roar. Lin Wei and the others froze mid-stride, the warm, fiery light reflected in their stunned eyes.

Hundreds of North Snow Wolf Demons had been annihilated in a single spear strike. At this moment, Jiang Qiu was, for all intents and purposes, a master of the Dharma Realm.

The transformations and progress they had more or less achieved during the Wolf Emperor’s trial now seemed as insignificant as dust. Even Xia Qing, who had advanced three realms in one go, no longer seemed so impressive.

The vast amount of Soul Ice Spirit Charm in the Ice Palace could temper the physical body and fuel cultivation, but not everyone was capable of withstanding it.

Among them all, Jiang Qiu was one of a kind.

They reined in their thoughts, clenched their fists, and strode forward, following Jiang Qiu’s figure out of North Snow Ridge as he traveled by Yukong. Their footprints were gradually buried by the ceaseless snow.

"AWOOOO—"

An enraged howl from a Wolf King echoed from far behind them, but it was already too late to catch them.

...

With a single thought, Jiang Qiu broke the Soul Binding on his Storage Necklace. He took out the [Coordinate Disc] to find the way to North Border City, then led Lin Wei and the others north.

After passing one scattered settlement after another, they finally spotted the silhouette of a massive city.

Amidst the vast, snowy landscape stood a city wall over thirty meters high. It separated the low, disorderly tent homes outside from the varied halls and buildings of different heights that it protected within.

Pedestrians streamed in and out of the city gates. Along the sides of the wide, snow-free road knelt all sorts of refugees: some missing limbs, some with demonic features or a single eye, others mumbling incoherently...

Jiang Qiu walked at the head of the group. He casually pulled out several bright-red hundred-Xia Coin bills, bent down, and placed them in front of a legless beggar. The beggar’s eyes widened, and he began to kowtow, speaking words in an incomprehensible foreign tongue.

TAP. TAP. TAP.

The group of several hundred people swept across the main road and into the city proper. They soon found the Xia Country Management District and prepared to handle the documentation for checking into the Xia Country Hotel. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"Jiang Qiu..."

Ice Lotus clutched Jiang Qiu’s right hand, her bright eyes darting around warily.

"It’s alright. Go and buy some things you need."

Jiang Qiu patted her head, which now reached his armpit. He entrusted her to a female attendant from the Xia Country Hotel, giving her some money to buy clothes and other necessities.

’If I hadn’t met Ice Lotus, her chances of surviving in North Snow Ridge would have been slim to none. Now that we’re here, I have to make sure she’s properly settled...’

Jiang Qiu watched her tense figure retreat, glancing back every few steps. He offered her a reassuring smile. The moment she was out of sight, the clamor of the hotel lobby pulled him from his reverie.

"What? Three months have already passed?!"

"Grandmaster Zhu was held up by the Demon Race and couldn’t get to the site in time to save the two instructors..."

’Three months?’

A jolt went through Jiang Qiu’s heart.

BEEP.

He opened his phone, and a long, continuous stream of messages popped up: Liu Zili, Zhang Shan, Sun Yongsheng, An Ling, Zhai Song...

Even Xue Zhang, an upperclassman he’d only met a handful of times, had sent a message of concern on the day of the incident.

Jiang Qiu felt a slight numbness in his cheeks as a peculiar warmth washed over him. But when he noticed the date in the upper-left corner, his pupils constricted in shock. "November 1st?!"

Because of the ambush by the Ancestral Great Demon Feng Li, the journey from Northwest Martial University to North Border City had taken more than three months.

’Normally, this would be the latter half of the Rookie Tournament, yet I haven’t taken on a single mission...’

THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.

Suddenly, the sound of heavy footsteps approached from outside, growing closer until someone strode into the hotel. "The Rookie Tournament students are all back alive?!"

The voice, like a tiger’s roar, drew everyone’s gaze. Jiang Qiu turned to see a stout, elderly man in a greatcoat stride into view. With his thick eyebrows and white hair, he had the commanding presence of a veteran, though his eyelids were slightly swollen and dark.

He was none other than Zhu Weiyi, the Martial Arts Grandmaster stationed by Xia Country in North Border City.

’I saw his picture before we left. I didn’t expect to meet him in person three months later.’

"When I reached the site of the attack, it was a complete disaster. I thought... I really thought..."

Zhu Weiyi’s face flushed, and his words became choked, the corners of his eyes glistening.

His gaze swept over the several hundred people in the hotel lobby. They were the future hope of the Northwest Province, and indeed, of the entire Xia Country.

’Damn that despicable Demon King [Chen]! Dispatching his Demon Race to ambush so many of our new generation’s greatest talents!’

Zhu Weiyi clenched his fists, anger flashing in his eyes. But as he began to inspect the young geniuses more closely, his anger gave way to surprise. "Young lady, you must be Xia Qing? You’re already at the Sixth Realm of the Bright Soul!"

The more students he scanned, the wider his eyes became. The number of them in the Bright Soul Realm was far greater than what the files from Northwest Martial University had indicated. Even those who hadn’t yet reached the Bright Soul Realm had incredibly solid foundations.

’There’s even one in the Dharma Realm?!’

Zhu Weiyi’s eyebrows shot up in shock and delight. "You must be the genius with Ninth Rank Jade Sinews, Jiang Qiu? Old Hong’s sixth personal disciple! Excellent, just excellent..."

He laughed heartily, clapping Jiang Qiu on the shoulder. Soon, one of the students puffed out his chest and began to loudly recount their ordeal in the Wolf Emperor’s trial. Zhu Weiyi grew even more astonished. "So that’s how so many of them made it through... it was all because of Jiang Qiu..."

The atmosphere in the hall became lively, like a reunion feast around a campfire. After a round of greetings and pleasantries, everyone was settled in. They were each given the various documents and informational pamphlets required for their stay in North Border City.

When the conversations wound down, Zhu Weiyi led Jiang Qiu aside, walking with him down a carpeted hallway on the second floor. His eyes shone with a peculiar light. "Jiang Qiu," he said, "just for leading so many people out of North Snow Ridge, you’ve already earned the right to be the champion of the Rookie Tournament.

What’s more, you advanced to the Dharma Realm in such a short period. Your talent is one-of-a-kind. There’s no need for you to compete against them anymore."

Jiang Qiu raised an eyebrow. "So I don’t need to take any more missions for the Rookie Tournament?"

’With achievements like these, it was no surprise he could be considered the champion,’ Jiang Qiu thought, ’but it was still a pleasant surprise.’

’The champion of the Rookie Tournament gets a good amount of Fiery Flame Spirit Charm Fragrance and can even choose to learn a Secret Technique!’

"No need. To most people, you’re already a Dharma Realm master; these small missions are beneath you now," Zhu Weiyi said with a faint, deep-eyed smile. "However, you can try to secure a spot to enter the Northern Wilderness Great Secret Realm. In one month, the first Great Secret Realm in the Northern Wilderness is set to truly manifest."

"I need a spot to enter a Great Secret Realm?"

Jiang Qiu’s brow furrowed.

’Why would you need a spot to enter a Secret Realm? During their active phases, it’s hard enough just to stay out of them. Are Great Secret Realms different from regular ones?’

"That’s right. Every Great Secret Realm has its own unique Laws and rules. This one in the Northern Wilderness even sent down a stone tablet in advance as a proclamation. It states that members of the Human Race and Demon Race at the Dharma Realm or Ancestral Return Realm can enter with a token, but they must be at Seventh Rank Jade Sinews or above. The more talented, the better."

Zhu Weiyi casually produced a simple, glittering golden Token. A strange ripple washed through Jiang Qiu’s mind, resonating with the fragmented memories he had of the Wolf Emperor.

’It seems familiar, but I can’t recall what the symbol is...’

"According to our interpretation of the stele, this new Northern Wilderness Great Secret Realm contains a heaven-shaking Spiritual Object: the Enlightenment Fruit." Zhu Weiyi’s tone grew heavy, and he placed a rough hand on Jiang Qiu’s shoulder. "The situation in the Northwest Province is deteriorating. We need new power to rise up, and the Enlightenment Fruit can allow a person to take a great leap on their path in an instant.

For a Soldier Cultivator, that means skipping decades of arduous cultivation, shattering their bottleneck, and achieving the Martial Arts Grandmaster Realm in a single stroke."