Over the next seven or eight days, Jiang Chen spent every day training in the Marquis Jianghan estate, consolidating his gains from reaching the Seven-Meridian True Qi stage. When it came to tempering his meridians, he had never been one to cut corners.
Compared to others his age, Jiang Chen understood all too well the importance of tempering meridians. Only by honing them to a flawless state could he ensure absolute safety when breaking through to the next stage.
As one's cultivation level climbed higher, each step forward became significantly more difficult, and the risks grew steadily greater.
If one grew impatient and pushed too fast, it was entirely possible that haste would make waste.
With the support of his seven-meridian True Qi, Jiang Chen also made considerable breakthroughs in two of his martial techniques.
The "Blue Sea Counterflow Blade" consisted of seven forms in total. He had already mastered the first two.
The first form was "Cleaving the Waves," and the second was "Severing the Tide." Each form built upon the last, each stronger than the one before. Jiang Chen had not only perfected both forms individually but also linked them together in fluid succession, doubling their combined power.
The "Kurong Shenquan," however, was far more profound than the Blue Sea Counterflow Blade in terms of its underlying mysteries.
The Blue Sea Counterflow Blade was a bladework technique that emphasized an unstoppable, domineering force. Wherever its edge reached, friend and foe alike would be forced to bow before it.
The Kurong Shenquan, on the other hand, embodied the deepest truths of heaven and earth, fusing the cycles of creation and destruction found in all living things. From one cycle of decay and renewal to nine, there were nine levels of mystical comprehension.
With each level of the cycle he grasped, the power of the Kurong Shenquan doubled.
It had to be said, this technique seemed as though it had been tailor-made for Jiang Chen. The Dao of decay and renewal contained within the Kurong Shenquan was none other than the way of birth, death, and reincarnation. And Jiang Chen, who had been reborn from the son of the Celestial Emperor into the body of a mortal lord's son, had himself traversed the cycle of life and death.
As a result, Jiang Chen's comprehension of the Kurong Shenquan ran deeper and more thorough than his understanding of the Blue Sea Counterflow Blade.
If Jiang Chen had only brought the Blue Sea Counterflow Blade to the Perfection stage for now, the same could not be said of the Kurong Shenquan—he had already brought it to the legendary level. However, the Kurong Shenquan held nine levels of mystery across its nine cycles of decay and renewal, and Jiang Chen had only just grasped the first three.
"This Kurong Shenquan aligns so perfectly with my destiny. In just a few short days, I've comprehended the mysteries of three decays and three renewals. Given time, this technique will surely become a devastating weapon for defeating my enemies. If I can push it to the seventh or eighth level of mystery, then even if my current seven-meridian True Qi hits a plateau, I should have enough to contend with a True Qi Grandmaster. And if I were to grasp all nine renewals and nine decays, who's to say it would be impossible to stand against the legendary experts of the Spirit Realm?"
Jiang Chen felt a unique bond with the Kurong Shenquan, as though this martial technique carried the spiritual weight of his reincarnated existence.
On this day, Jiang Chen had not left his quarters and was training in the practice grounds when Jiang Zheng rushed over with news—Princess Gouyu had arrived.
Princess Gouyu had kept a low profile lately, clearly preparing for her own breakthrough to the Eleven-Meridian True Qi stage. Her appearance now meant everything must be ready.
"I suppose I should congratulate you ahead of time," Jiang Chen said upon seeing her. The princess was radiating vitality, her entire being carrying an ethereal quality, as if bathed in a spring breeze.
Princess Gouyu was clearly in high spirits. "Jiang Chen, I came specifically to thank you. Oh, and I brought you something."
She personally lifted two boxes from her attendant's hands and opened them. The first contained a set of flexible armor. The second held nine flying knives, crafted from that same Heavy Feather Gold Crystal from before. The crystal had originally been nearly transparent, and once forged into knives, each blade was thin as a cicada's wing—so translucent that when sunlight struck them, they seemed to dissolve into the air, vanishing into the void entirely.
Princess Gouyu couldn't help but admire Jiang Chen's eye for the material. Forged into flying knives, the Heavy Feather Gold Crystal produced exactly this kind of effect.
"Jiang Chen, this flexible armor is made from Heavenly Silkworm Thread sourced from the Western Barbarian territories, fused with the hide of a deep-sea Leviathan. It can withstand a full strike from an ordinary True Qi Grandmaster!"
It had to be said, this gesture of gratitude was generous. The armor was something even Jiang Chen found surprising.
"Nice items. I'll take them," Jiang Chen said with a grin, his mood greatly improved.
Princess Gouyu let out a quiet breath of relief. She had been half-afraid Jiang Chen would put on some arrogant display—his ego always bruised her confidence. Seeing him accept the gifts with genuine pleasure made her happier than if she had received treasures herself.
"Jiang Chen, the Dragon's Descent Trials' final assessment is less than half a month away now. This will be the ultimate showdown. How prepared are you?" She couldn't help but take on the worries of someone organizing the trials herself.
"Oh? What are your expectations for me?" Jiang Chen asked with a smile.
"Do you want an honest answer?"
"Do you have a habit of lying?" Jiang Chen raised an eyebrow.
"Fine. Jiang Chen, whether it's me or little Zhiruo, we both hope you'll put on a spectacular performance at the Dragon's Descent Trials!"
"A spectacular performance? That's too vague. Give me specifics."
Princess Gouyu paused, a glint flashing through her phoenix eyes. "If you can defeat every opponent and claim the top position at the Dragon's Descent Trials, we'll both be overjoyed for you."
"Just overjoyed for me? No reward?" Jiang Chen laughed out loud.