Ancient Strengthening Technique (Web Novel)

AST 1514 - The Treasure Map is the Key to Inheritance, Evil Intent

Qing Shui and Qin Qing had both entered ancient ruins before, and both were dumbfounded by their discovery. They exchanged a look before moving towards the mountain pass; there was only one way to get in and out of the place. Regardless of whether they encountered anyone or not, they could only follow the path in front of them.

This was the location indicated on the treasure map. Hence, this ancient ruin should be where the treasure was hidden. Yet, they did not find any Guardian Beasts obstructing their journey when they were outside.

Cautiously, they walked towards the mountain pass. As they were approaching, Qing Shui was surprised to see a group of twenty people looking over from not far away. However, that was not the most surprising sight, what surprised him more was the Statue above.

Battle God Statue!

This place was similar to the ruins where he received the Battle God Inheritance. If he remembered correctly, this was also a place of Battle God Inheritance along with a mausoleum to signify the won battle.

A far away mountain peak had the same Battle God Statue, yet from its appearance, it seemed like it was the statue of a Battle Goddess instead.

Only at this time did Qing Shui look towards the group of people; most of them were old, but there were also a few middle-aged men in their midst and two who seemed to be on the younger side.

Qing Shui and Qin Qing moved towards them. At this point, they had noticed the pair as well and were watching them suspiciously.

These people were in ordinary garb without many distinctive characteristics. They were all the attire of cultivators, only that the material it was made of seemed to be of pretty high quality. The few elderly men who were leading the group had an extraordinary aura.

The strength of these few elders was mighty, stronger than that of Qing Shui. Still, if he was to battle them one-on-one, he was sure there was still a possibility he could defeat them. He noticed the old men seemed unhappy with their presence.

Qing Shui could understand that, after all, they had arrived first. The concept of “whoever enters first is master” must have made them feel as though the place was already theirs. What he didn’t understand was why the other party remained here; could it be that they were not able to break through the Battle God Statue?

However, he denied the notion once he thought it out. Breaking through should not pose any issues. Then, there must be other reasons.

With a closer look, Qing Shui realized the place was different from the previous ruins he had been in: There was only one Battle God Statue here, and there was even a hall behind it. Other than that, nothing else differed.

Qing Shui had an inkling that he could not grasp. At this time, the old man who was leading the other party looked over at Qing Shui, his eyebrows no longer in a frown and spoke up "What a coincidence for us to have visited this place at the same time."

Qing Shui couldn't make any sense of the old man’s words and neither did he know what the man was trying to imply. Qing Shui merely smiled and said, "I thought so too, not sure how your group found your way here?"

As Qing Shui spoke, he recalled that he had caught onto something previously. With a glance towards Qin Qing, he reckoned that she’d be in for a treat this time around.

"We came across here by chance. Though, unfortunately, we were not lucky enough; the Battle God Inheritance is a Goddess again. We couldn’t even enter." It was clear as the elderly spoke that he felt this was a pity.

The old man had thought that even if he was not able to receive the Battle God Inheritance, he could have at least taken the other treasures. In fact, some Battle God Inheritance did not consider the genders; either men or women would be acceptable.

"That's a pity. I wonder how long you’ve been here. Why the refusal to leave if you couldn’t get anything?" Qing Shui asked, his lips tugged into a cordial smile.

"We came in a hurry and are all a bunch of old men. Hence, a group of people had gone to invite others here."

The meaning behind his words was obvious - they were claiming this as their own, at least until they decided to quit. Any others would not be allowed to take a share of it.

"Elderly, even a change of person would not make any difference. I don't know if you’d believe me or not?" Qing Shui said, still donning his smile.

"Who can say about these things? It’s still better to try." The old man replied gently.

"I wonder if we can try it." Qing Shui asked with a chuckle, but his tone was calm.

The environment here was good; warm as spring and very bright, it was worlds apart from the outside. Of course, it wasn’t to say that it was unpleasant outside, only that it was covered in ice and snow there. Which was better was subjected to personal preferences.

For a moment, the old man was surprised. It was a long while before he looked over at Qing Shui and gave a nod. The elderly knew that to have the audacity to try would mean that Qing Shui must have had a certain level of might. Besides, such things would only befall upon those who were destined for it, so there was no need to offend anyone.

Qing Shui smiled. "Thank you!"

Qing Shui could tell that the elderly was a smart man. He wondered what the others would do if he had found out that Qing Shui was in possession of a treasure map.

Qing Shui and Qin Qing headed towards the distant mountain, towards the Battle God Statue.

"Miss, do you know which Battle God this is?" Qing Shui couldn’t sense the aura of a Battle God Inheritance or the successor of Battle God on Qin Qing. As such, he would help her achieve that with their treasure this time around.

If what Qing Shui thought was true, then the treasure was truly substantial. A set of Battle God Inheritance that was enough to break the group’s head over it. It was a pity that he had already received the inheritance and besides, it seemed like the Battle God Inheritance this time would suit a woman more.

"This is Phoenix Battle God." Qin Qing said softly, her eyes watching the Battle Goddess Statue.

The old men were also intently watching Qing Shui and Qin Qing.

"Brother, is it not a mistake to let them pass?" One of the old men thought for a moment before asking.

"Only those who are strong will be able to make it here, and being so young, there's definitely someone backing them. Furthermore, we have yet found a solution after so long. If there are any valuable items here, we’ll need to be able to retrieve it for it to be worth its value. Offending someone over things which we don’t even have the ability to take is unwise." The old man replied without sparing a glance.

"What do we do if they manage to get it?” The other old man asked again.

"Do you think it’s possible? Even so, there’s nothing we can do. If they do manage to get in, they would have to share what they have found with us." The elderly responded calmly, but his tone indicated that he didn’t think Qing Shui and Qin Qing would be able to get in.

……

Although Qing Shui and Qin Qing didn’t know what kind of ideas the group of men was playing at, they were not afraid of them. If they do have to fight it out, Qing Shui felt that defeating them would only take a short while, and hoped that the men would not seek such inconvenience for either party.

"Take this up with you!" Qing Shui handed the treasure map to Qin Qing.

Qin Qing was stunned. "You’re not going up?"

"If my speculations are right, this treasure map is the key to this place. Only those who have the treasure map will be able to go in. Take it and give it a try. If it doesn’t work, we'll break in." This was not the first time Qing Shui had been in possession of a treasure map.

Qin Qing thought for a moment before taking Qing Shui’s treasure map. She flashed a smile and nodded towards Qing Shui before making her way up towards the mountain. In the next moment, there was an unbelievable sight.

Qin Qing managed to get in safely and without any obstructions. Qing Shui smiled even though he had already predicted this outcome. Still, there was no guarantee that it would work and so, watching her succeed had filled him with glee. The treasure map was really the ticket of opportunity to this Inheritance.

Qing Shui had a feeling that Qin Qing was someone who was rich in good fortune. In general, there was no lack of women around Qing Shui, yet at this time, the only person around him had been her. Even he wasn’t sure what had pushed him to give up the Inheritance for her.

Instead, Qing Shui could have summoned Yehuang Guwu, and while it would have taken up more time, in comparison to the time taken in retrieving the Battle God Inheritance, that was negligible. He didn’t expect that he would just let Qin Qing have the Inheritance…

"Brother, that woman really went in."

"Really? Let us try again."

"Why didn’t the young man head in as well? The woman was the only one who went in."

The elderly had an interesting expression on his face as he watched Qing Shui, the gears moving in his head as the line of people approached Qing Shui.

"Brother, I will go try again. Who knows, maybe there are no further restrictions after that woman’s entry.” The old man from before said again.

“Alright!”

However, as the line of people charged towards the Battle God Statue, it retaliated again and in sharper attacks this time. Now they understood. Perhaps they had a particular item with them, and that they had come especially for this Battle God Inheritance.

"It seems like you came prepared." The old man looked towards Qing Shui and said while displeased.

"You can say so. You don’t have to wait any longer, It’ll be better to head back now." Qing Shui tolerated.

The corners of the old man’s lips were drawn as he set his eyes on Qing Shui. It was akin to the feeling of sewing a wedding dress for others; their men had arrived here first and after half a month’s time, they could only watch the fragrant cake without having the chance to taste it. Yet, as these strangers arrived, they were able to take them just by a stretch of their hands. Naturally, they would feel extremely uneasy with the arrangement.

“When all is said and done, it remains a mere fact that we arrived first. Whosoever enters first is master, are you really not going to give us a share?" The old man had calmed down by the time the words left him.

The old man had never been one that was easy to anger, especially for someone at his level of might. However, he had felt out of sorts in light of what just happened. After all, they didn’t know if there were any other valuable treasures apart from the Battle God Inheritance in there. This caused him to lose his rationality.

Qing Shui laughed. "Not everything could be dealt with that concept; ownership doesn’t automatically belong to whoever finds the item. If that is the case, then what is the use of cultivation?”

"So what you’re trying to say is that you’re stronger than us?" The old man's words were deliberately composed. Suddenly, he was blinded by intent to kill the young man. He was ready to eliminate the man first before moving on to killing the woman. He could at least have whatever the woman brought out as their gain, otherwise, he would feel even more despondent.

"Elderly, allow me to give you a piece of advice: Think through your actions before committing them, or there wouldn’t be any chance for you to even regret when the time comes. You’re not alone, recklessness would call for punishment. Before you do anything, you have to weigh out your own ability." Qing Shui could tell that the old man didn’t bear good intentions but still made an attempt to remind them of the simple fact.

"Ha ha ha. You’re hardly dry behind the ears and yet you dare to lecture me? Even though you have decent might, perhaps even great, but you are still too young." The old man chortled at Qing Shui’s words.

Qing Shui laughed along. "I have said all that I should. If you insist on seeking your own death, don’t blame anyone else."

"This is the tomb of Battle God; to die here wouldn’t be too bad. To be honest, I really do not wish to kill you but you leave me no choice. It is true that humanity is just this cruel, do not blame me." The old man lamented.

Qing Shui was at a loss of whether to cry or laugh. At this time, the elderly had actually lectured him. Qing Shui would much rather stay quiet; he would make the old man weep either way.

With a change of his expression, the old man charged towards Qing Shui in a flash of movement. His hands turned into claws when he aimed them towards Qing Shui’s skull, and his palm was black in color.

Diamond Venomous Claw!

Qing Shui smiled as he reached out at the same time. Indeed, the strength had started running within him and the tremendous power of Nature Energy erupted from the palm of his hands.

Bang!

Ah!

Nature Energy was specifically used to bring under control gaping deficiencies. On top of that, as Qing Shui was stronger than the old man, the single move had disabled the old man’s hand.