Chapter 385 – Grindstone

Translated by: Berrrybunz

Edited by: TN and DeAndreR

“Hey, what business do you have?” Seventh Brother did not blink his eyes as he stared down at the book in his hands. He couldn’t bear to part with it.

Zhang Ming He replied: “So scary, so scary, so scary, Did you know that Tang Tian killed off Ji Xiao Ya!”

“Ji Xiao Ya? Who is she?” Seventh Brother raised his head and looked at him.

“She is a Gold Ranked Martial Artist from the 13th Gold Branch.” Zhang Ming He replied enthusiastically: “Gold Ranked Martial Artist, she was a Gold Ranked Martial Artist! Perverse! That’s too perverse!”

“Oh.” Seventh Brother nodded in agreement as he gazed back at his book.

Zhang Ming He was surprised that Seventh Brother was indifferent about it: “Hey, weren’t you surprised by the news? It is a Gold Ranked Martial Artist. A Gold Ranked Martial Artist!”

“Yes yes yes.” Seventh Brother replied repeatedly while still placing his attention on the book.

Zhang Ming He dashed towards him like an arrow and grabbed him by the neck: “How dare you still look at the book!”

Seventh Brother face swelled red as his eyes gaped wide. He lifted his hands to gesture to Zhang Ming He to release his hands.

Zhang Ming He could see that Seventh Brother was suffocating. Then he slowly released his grip: “If you do not tell me about it clearly, I will not let you go!”

It took some time before Seventh Brother regained his consciousness. He stared angrily at Zhang He Ming.

Zhang Ming He suddenly forced out a smile on his face: “Seventh Brother, my dear brother! Whenever I caught wind of any news, I would immediately share it with you.”

Seventh Brother knew that it was not worth it to quarrel with him, and replied: “Aren’t you able to defeat a Gold Ranked Martial Artist?”

Zhang Ming He stated: “Well… It depends. If it was just a normal sparring session, then I might still be able to win. But if it was a battle to the end, where lives are at stake, then I will lose. Those martial artists are battle crazy.”

“What about Sixth Brother Ye?”

“Should be the same as me.”

“That is the reason why you are surprised right.” Seventh Brother asked: “Because you have never seen Tang Tian as an equal. Even though Tang Tian managed to harm Sixth Brother Ye last time, you still looked down on his capabilities. You have never felt that you guys might have the same level of power.”

Zhang Ming He was not happy by that comment: “I admit that Tang Tian has an exceptional potential. But I do not believe that his strength is on par with mine. Even if it was on par, he shouldn’t be able to defeat a Gold Ranked Martial Artist.”

Seventh Brother gave him a quick glance: “I will go look at the video that you gave to me the other time. I will analyse it and tell you my conclusion.”

Zhang Ming He knew that Seventh Brother was going to criticize him. He quickly covered his ears in anticipation of it.

Seventh Brother told him: “He is a martial artist born to fight.”

“A martial artist that is born to battle?” Zhang Ming He was shocked. He thought he heard it wrongly. Isn’t that a very positive praise? Even Tang Tian wouldn’t have gotten that from him.

“if you ever meet Tang Tian in the future, be careful.” Seventh Brother caution him: “His desire for victory is intense. I have never seen something like that in other martial artists before!

“Is he better than Sixth Brother Ye?” Zhang Ming He asked in a low tone as his smile disappeared.

“They are different.” Seventh Brother replied: “Sixth Brother does not yearn for victory. He yearns, instead, for the thrill, the thrill that separates one from life and death. It is similar to a drug. If you have ever seen Six Brother Ye’s expression from getting injured, you can see that he very much enjoys it.”

Zhang Ming He nodded in agreement. The assessment of Sixth Brother by Seventh Brother was very detailed and accurate.

“But Tang Tian is different. He only chases for victory. No matter what is the situation, defeat is never an option for him. Even though he might not possess immense strength, he has the innate talent when it comes to combat. This surprising talent for battle, allowed him to have intuition like a beast and the calmness of a devil. I always thought that these 2 traits could never merged. But, Tang Tian has proved me wrong.”

Zhang Ming He shook his head: “Even if that is the case, it was still impossible for him to eradicate a Gold Ranked Martial Artist.”

Seventh Brother laughed: “This is a trait that people often ignore.”

“What trait is that?” Zhang Ming He asked.

“His speed of improvement, will always exceed people’s expectation.”

Zhang Ming He was stunned by that.

Seventh Brother continued after seeing the shocked expression from him: “There is something I have always wanted to say. Today is the right opportunity.”

Zhang Ming He recollected his attention and said: “Seventh Brother, do we still need to hide something from each other?”

“It isn’t that he is too fast, but you are too slow.” Seventh Brother looked dead straight at Zhang Ming He’s eyes: “You might have a strong innate talent but you lack the determination. You often put your energy and time on fighting and scheming against your enemies. Now, Tang Tian has managed to kill off a Gold Ranked Martial Artist. Based on your current speed, you might need another 2 years before you can propel yourself into the top 3,000 ranked martial artists.”

Zhang Ming He mouth was now gaping wide. But he was silent.

“But how did other people manage to do it?” Seventh Brother asked: “This might seem unreasonable but since others have managed to do it, you will lose if you do not catch up to them.”

Seventh Brother continued: “It is similar to the contest among all of you. The winner might not be the best in fighting, nor is his family the strongest. But it is based on whose sword is stronger and who is able to last till the end. If you have the strongest sword that can rival anyone, then there is no need for you to be scheming against them to win. I know you all always look down on Sixth Brother, but at least he still has a chance. Qiu Shan is already dead. If Sixth Brother is unable to make you learn, then Tang Tian will. Your blade is already blunt. Now it is the moment to put in the time to sharpen it again.”

Zhang Ming He was ashamed by what he said. It was true that he had been putting his time on other external issues instead of his personal training.

“The Honorable Martial Group has stood on the universe summit for far too long and had ignored the developments of our rivals!”

On the second day, Seventh Brother’s words had traverse through the higher echelons of the Honorable Martial Group, causing a great buzz. Many of the Elders on the panel were praising what Seventh Brother had said. Many of the big branches within the Group now planned to direct their resources and training to the younger generations.

And with Seventh Brother’s statement, Tang Tian’s name was also renowned among the higher echelons of the Honorable Martial Group.

Tang Tian was thus given a new nickname, Grindstone.

******************************************************

At this point in time, Mr. Grindstone was not happy at all because he was currently being tormented by other people.

Tang Tian eyes gaped wide open and stared down at the Thousand Hands Devil Lord who was standing in front of him. He was raging within him. He had already killed a Gold Ranked Martial Artist, yet he was still beaten so badly by an old hag.

It was as if the Thousand Hands Devil Lord did not even look at Tang Tian completely. He stepped onto the surface of the sparkling and translucent ocean surface as he mused about something intently.

What was he praying about…

Seeing that it might be an opportunity to strike, Tang Tian suddenly dashed at him.

Bang!

He was thrown back at a much higher speed as he plunged into the ocean.

Thousand Hands Devil Lord took a quick glance at the struggling Tang Tian. He was annoyed by the pesky Tang Tian. Even though Tang Tian’s strength was weak, he wouldn’t stop trying.

Tang Tian struggled out of the water. He took a deep breath and scanned his surrounding.

What a beautiful ocean.

“Hey, what is this place?”

Thousand Hands Devil Lord voice rang out from atop the struggling Tang Tian. Tang Tian replied: “This is the Indigo Mirror Ocean.”

“Indigo Mirror Ocean? That is not bad a name.” Thousand Hands Devil Lord

Tang Tian calmed himself down as he bobbled around in the water. Thousand Hands Devil Lord was curious as his surroundings. The Lord’s strength was the strongest he had ever encountered out of all Spirit Generals. His martial techniques were also formidable.

He couldn’t even dodge or block any of his attacks. It sucked away the confidence that he gained from beating Ji Xiao Ya.

He had never even heard of the name Thousand Hands Devil Lord, but it was so powerful. This world truly had tons of stuff left to explore.

Tang Tian was not disheartened. He was encouraging himself quietly. I must be better than him!

Tang Tian placed the Lord as his bullseye. He was not angry at all as he sat down quietly on the ocean’s surface.

“Tell me about what is happening in the world right now.” The Lord asked.

Tang Tian sympathized with him. Having being summoned after so long, the Lord’s friends and families must have left the world a long time ago. Tang Tian then thought of Uncle Bing and Ghost Claw Nong.

“Sure.” Tang Tian replied.

Thousand Hands Devil Lord was surprised as he raised his head. He could see the sincerity in Tang Tian’s eyes.

He walked towards Tang Tian and sat down beside him.

Tang Tian then started his story. It was both confusing and lack chronological order.

“….Let me tell you, at that time, Qian Hui was very powerful….Then I discovered that I was a genius in martial techniques. Qian Hui sure had an eye for talents, hahaha….”

“…Mosquito Cow was also formidable himself. Once he had mastered the Wild Earth Blade, then we shall battle again…”

“…Little Xu Xu is enjoyable to be with, so is Crane. But Crane is more scheming. Haha, I have long seen through them…”

“The Onyx Soul is very powerful, so is the Honorable Martial Group. Did they exist during your time? They did! Wow, they were actually so powerful…”

……

The Lord listened intently as his expressions changed during the entire conversation with Tang Tian. His looks towards Tang Tian had become much warmer and friendlier than before.

Especially when Tang Tian boasted about himself proudly as the “Godlike young lad”, the Thousand Hands Devil Lord let out a soft smile at the edge of his lips.

He was rejoiced to have met such a teenager in a desolate and eerie place in the middle of the ocean.

After talking for so long, Tang Tian felt that he had explained the entire history well to the Lord. He stopped and glanced at the Thousand Hands Devil Lord: “Hey, do you really understand what I had said?”

“Yes I do.” The Lord nodded his head.

In the horizon, rays of light pierced through the calm seas.

Was the sun rising?

Would I dissipate?

What a scary ocean…

“Hahahaha, I knew that you understood!” Tang Tian was elated.

Thousand Hands Devil Lord replied: “Tang Tian, do you want to learn the Thousand Cleave Demonic Hand?”

“Of course I do!” Tang Tian replied without hesitating: “Can you teach me?”

The Lord smiled and pointed out to the sea: “It will teach you.”

Seeing Tang Tian’s blank expression, He continued without explaining: “Tang Tian, are you willing to help me with something?”

“Sure, anything.” Tang Tian replied blankly. He felt that the Lord was a reasonable and friendly person after talking.

“If you ever go to the Sextans Constellation, make your way to Pagoda City. There is a family with the last name of Feng, and they have an ancestor called Feng Yan Er. If you are able to find this family, could you pass this martial technique down to them?” The Lord asked Tang Tian. He knew that his request was slightly too demanding considering the difficulty of achieving it.

“Ok.” Tang Tian nodded: “If I ever go to the Sextans Constellations, I will definitely be going to Merlin City. But if I do not get the chance to go there, I cannot promise you that I can help you with that.”

“Thank you for your help!” Thousand Hands Devil Lord brightened up. The sky grew even brighter as the Sun slowly rose across the horizon.

The blinding lights forced Tang Tian to squint his eyes. He could hear the Lord shouting at him from a distant: “Tang Tian, you must remember. When mastering the Thousand Cleave Demonic Hand, do not let your eyes fool you!”

Once the voice faded, the Lord suddenly disappeared from Tang Tian’s eyes.

The mesmerizing and beautiful illusion of the Indigo Mirror Ocean suddenly changed right in front of Tang Tian.