Becoming a Deity from Planting the Bodhi Tree-Chapter 333 - 167: Dragon Tiger Cloud Map, Plane Exploration_4
The visitor turned out to be Yan Ruhuo from the War Control Department, whom Ji Jingqiu had met before.
And the elderly man in front of him was the only surviving one of the three Supreme Grandmasters from the Mu Family.
He is the foundation that holds the Federation steady, an unshakable cornerstone!
The elderly man responded, "This time they sent a young one instead, not bad, certainly better to look at than those old fogies. What's the official stance?"
Yan Ruhuo said respectfully,
"The exploration of the half-plane starts tomorrow, and the higher-ups hope to utilize your power to monitor the battle situation within the half-plane."
"This selection process is secondarily about distributing the rights to develop passages for the Federation. The real key is to select seed warriors worthy of the Federation's investment. Talent and intelligence are primary, but temperament and character are even more critical!"
The old man chuckled and said, "So you're not telling those young ones that you can see what's happening in the half-plane?"
Even though the old man was laughing, Yan Ruhuo didn't dare to relax even slightly, bowing respectfully and saying, fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
"It's also part of the assessment, as certain temperaments and characters cannot be seen at ordinary times. Although it might seem like laying a trap, it is of great importance. The Federation must carefully consider its options as there will be no room for regret once a wrong choice is made."
The old man nodded but made no comment.
A Supreme Grandmaster could glimpse part of a person's Heart Image, but it might not be accurate, for human nature is complicated.
He had no intention of nitpicking a young person.
Whether they would succeed or fail, where their future would lead, whether they would be good or evil, none could say for certain, because life is filled with Impermanence.
He had long since become accustomed to it.
"Although I can investigate the battle conditions within the half-plane, I'm not omnipotent; there are some areas that even I can't probe. Don't come complaining to me afterwards," said the old man.
"We wouldn't dare!" Yan Ruhuo hastened to reply.
...
...
"Junior brother!"
"Senior Brother Shi!"
Shi Xuanzhen, who had already arrived, was waiting for Ji Jingqiu in the courtyard.
Ji Jingqiu led Shi Xuanzhen into his own room.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries,
Shi Xuanzhen solemnly took out a Visualization Map.
"This is the divine intent impression of the 'Dragon Tiger Cloud Map' from the dojo that Qingyang Ancestor asked me to bring over. Junior brother, keep it safe."
Hearing it was the dojo's foundational Visualization Map, 'Dragon Tiger Cloud Map,' Ji Jingqiu was startled and carefully took the map.
On it, a dragon and a tiger were depicted in a lifelike struggle, with an Azure Dragon soaring through the clouds, spiraling above the Nine Heavens, its head held high and eyes blazing like torches, its whiskers fluttering in the wind, while below was a white tiger standing on a mountain peak, howling upwards.
The wind was Formless, the clouds were without shape.
With just one look, Ji Jingqiu felt the Divine Intent on it, stirring something within him.
He suppressed the urge to enter meditation right then and there, and put away the Visualization Map.
He then turned to discuss the upcoming exploration of the half-plane with Senior Brother Shi.
Ji Jingqiu specifically shared several coordinates of opportunities he got from Aunt Mu with Shi Xuanzhen, telling him to try and compete for them if possible, and explicitly instructed that this information was an internal tip from the Mu Family and must not be leaked.
Shi Xuanzhen looked serious, nodding solemnly, assuring Ji Jingqiu he could be at ease.
The two whispered for a while, with Shi Xuanzhen conveying that the dojo's intention this time was to focus on Ji Jingqiu securing a seed warrior spot.
...
...
That night.
Staring at the Bitter Sea Pool, a koi fish belly-up and floating quietly on the surface, looking like a dead fish, Ji Jingqiu fell into thought.
He couldn't help but turn to look at Fatty Hu rolling under the Bodhi Tree.
His visualization indeed had issues!
The Charging Tiger had become Fatty Hu, and the Azure Dragon was even worse, directly "devolving" into a koi fish!
And it liked to play dead!
He casually grabbed a Ten Thousand Ancient Blade and poked the "dead fish" floating on the pool's surface.
The Koi flipped over, stirring a burst of spray, and slowly swam towards him, lifting its head to blow a stream of bubbles, seemingly terrified that he would scale and gut it, full of a pleasing intent.
Ji Jingqiu thought of Fatty Hu's second form and immediately, a thought crossed his mind.
"Show me what you can do, or else you'll be on the dinner table tonight."
The Koi quickly flipped its long tail, exhaling strands of dark mist, which seemed to hold the intent of Silent Annihilation. As soon as the black fog appeared, it collided and stirred against the Glazed Glass Light shed by the Bodhi Tree, unable to spread, restricted in a corner.
Moments later, the Koi's figure could no longer be seen; within the surging black fog, a pair of blood-red dragon eyes slowly opened.
As if the curtain of night had been lifted, a slender black dragon ascended, clouds enveloping its form. Between its dragon scales, there was a dark and profound fire that never extinguished, quietly lying on the back of Ji Jingqiu's hand, revealing its belly.
Ji Jingqiu extended a finger to poke it, feeling a certain sensation in his heart.
It seemed both these creatures had been touched by the Power of Bitter Sea from All Worlds Suffering Sea, undergoing some sort of mutation.
Did it represent some kind of Origin Power of the Bitter Sea?
...
...
The next morning.
On the distant horizon, a touch of sunrise emerged.
The exploration of the Po Suo Half-plane was about to begin, and more and more Martial Artists gathered from all directions.
This event was much larger than the selection battle two months ago.
The younger generation of Martial Artists of the Federation, all under twenty, assembled here.
Ji Jingqiu looked out over the crowd and saw Yan Dongshun and others he had encountered during the previous exchange competition.
Apart from them, he noticed a tall short-haired woman holding a blade, her face cold and stunningly beautiful.
Qin Qingjue, whom he had met once before.
Ji Jingqiu had also recently learned that this member of the Six Great Families, the Qin Family, was of higher status than Mu Juncheng.
Standing out like a Crane Standing in a Flock of Chickens in the crowd, there seemed to be some kind of invisible pressure around her, causing people nearby to maintain a certain distance from her.
Qin Qingjue, feeling his gaze, looked up. Her gaze was calm like still water, and she nodded slightly.
There were too many people in this area. As Ji Jingqiu looked around, he felt many eyes on him - cautious, fervent, fearful, and even... malicious and hostile.
He withdrew his gaze, indifferent to the many onlookers, and calmly waited for the passage to open.
Martial Artists he was acquainted with started to gather around him.
These were peers he had gotten to know through previous clashes in combat.
At some point, he had become the so-called center of attention.
On a platform in the distance.
A group of young Martial Artists was scanning the crowd below.
"Brother Luan, that's the up-and-coming Ji Jingqiu." Someone said with a light chuckle.
The leader was a figure straight and unyielding like a long spear, his aura incredibly strong, as if his presence alone could suppress the entire platform.
Ke Pingluan of the Ke family, who had followed the Grandmaster in his family since childhood, was one of the most outstanding Martial Artists in the Ke family for a thousand years and one of the leaders of his generation among the Six Great Families.
He watched the distant figure of Ji Jingqiu, his expression calm, his eyes deep, his thoughts unknown.
The many Martial Artists gathered did not have to wait long.
Under the direction of the Grandmaster of the Mu family, the passage to the Po Suo Half-plane was quickly opened.
Everyone began to enter in an orderly manner.
After bidding farewell to Yin Wushuang, Yue You Rong, and others, Ji Jingqiu was the first to step through the portal in the Void.
In a single step, it was as though heaven and earth had swapped places.
...
Demon Eye Empire.
The passage to the Po Suo Half-plane has been opened.
A Grandmaster Martial Artist from the Luofeng Ancient Country, addressing the three Sealing King-level youngsters, said solemnly:
"Remember, once you enter the Half-plane, your goal is not to explore the relics, but to eliminate Ji Jingqiu of the Yanhuang Federation!"
"When the time comes, there will be Martial Artists from within the Yanhuang Federation who will connect with you, working from inside and out, to coordinate with you in taking down Ji Jingqiu!"
