Chapter 391: Side Story 11: Waiting Online!

For the past two decades, the Peace Manor was virtually left deserted. And now, nearly all of its previous inhabitants were not at the Trial Tower!

The rankings on the trial tower underwent a slow change in the beginning.

The youngsters smiled. “For a bunch of people who haven’t been here in twenty years, they’re pretty fast to level up, I’ll give them that. But still, going by the rate that they’re advancing, I bet they can’t keep this up for another three levels, right?”

“I thought they’d be far stronger though….”

“Maybe they’ll leave at the next level.”

The teenagers were pretty interested in seeing how the veterans would perform in the Trial Tower. Some had even placed their bets on which levels they would start dropping out.

These kids were laughing away and yet their parents weren’t. They were too busy keeping their eyes glued to the ranking list. Their expressions weren’t anxious but they were serious alright. That was because they knew that these kids were in for the greatest shock of their lives! After all, the people of Peace Manor had never let them down in the past!

The teenagers felt that their parents were taking this thing too seriously when they finally noticed the look on their faces. Maybe a screw had decided to come loose in their heads simultaneously. And so, they whipped out their phones to entertain themselves in the meantime.

However, their phones almost slipped out from their grip the next time they looked up from their phones.

That was because, to their surprise, not a single person from the hundred-odd team had been kicked out from the Trial Tower yet!

In fact, the one at the very top of the list had already breached level 90 a long time ago! They were already at level 93!

The next one had just climbed up to level 90!

***

The teenagers’ first reaction was to check if there was something wrong with the ranking board.

How could one possibly go past level 90, the final hurdle?!

But the truth was right before their eyes! They really did breach level 90, the legendary number! And they were still going up!

Maybe the entire Trial Tower itself had broken down? But how was that possible?! That place was the most important treasure the ancient martial arts world had ever possessed! It simply wasn’t possible that something of such great importance could fail!

But!

If there was nothing wrong with the system, then it must mean that all they were seeing…was true.

Someone really did go past level 91!

The teenagers felt their knees buckle under the weight of their bodies. One by one, the veterans from Peace Manor went past level 91. It was only a matter of time before the entire scoreboard was dominated by these new challengers.

“Wait a second, I must be in a dream…” murmured one of the teenagers.

Not a single individual had ever ventured past level 90 throughout the entirety of the ancient martial arts world’s history! Only a handful had ever breached level 80, nevermind go past level 90!

Even in the ancient martial arts world of today, there were only a handful of people who had climbed up to level 80 who had also inherited special abilities unique to their family. These individuals possessed the ability to understand the truth of space and were pretty much on par with an Almighty One.

And yet, not only had these people breached level 80. They had breezed past level 90 and were quickly approaching level 100!

The teenagers who were skeptical in the beginning felt their legs turn into jelly.

“Hey, say, I’m not dreaming am I?” asked one of the teenagers with a trembling voice. All of a sudden, the world before him seemed increasingly like a fever dream or an illusion.

The person next to him muttered in response, “My dad was right. The Peace Manor really was a mythical existence. They were and still are the peak of what the ancient martial arts world was capable of! No wonder! No wonder the people here have so much respect for them! It’s true! That they’re so powerful! God! Why did I say what I said just now!”

“…”

On that day, the teenagers were shocked beyond words by the entire Peace Manor.

It wasn’t just one or two individuals who were now above level 90! It’s an entire group that’s above level 90 for crying out loud!

In fact! A group was already starting to take form for those who were above level 100!

Level 100! One had to be at the peak of one’s physique to be able to reach such heights!

At this point, their strength was simply incomprehensible for these onlooking teenagers!

It wasn’t just these snot-nosed kids who were shocked beyond words by their performance. Even the great elders stared at the scoreboard with their jaws wide open.

“Darn, as expected of the Peacekeepers! We meet once more and once again, they have taken my breath away!”

“Level 100? Looks like I have to step up my game now!”

“How the hell did these people manage to reach such a level!?”

“It’s understandable for Mister Yao to be capable of this, but Miss Xiao too?! Isn’t she a movie star? How on earth is she so strong as well!?”

“Those who followed Miss Gu’s direction have all reached level 100 now!”

“…”

“Dad, how did these guys do it? Weren’t they really slow in the beginning? As if they were on the brink of failure? How the heck did they manage to climb over level 100 again?!” asked one of the teenagers.

His father shook his head. “We will never know what the Peacekeepers are actually up to. Look, Mister Yao has left the Trial Tower already. I’m gonna go ask him.”

Xiao Yun trailed behind Yao Jiamu who had emerged from the Trial Tower. “Thank god I still have my game,” he turned towards her and said with a cheeky smile.

Xiao Yun responded with a similar smile. “The same goes for me too.”

Yao Jiamu overheard the questions being thrown around about their initial progress in the Trial Tower. He smiled at them. “You’re referring to the beginning? That was when we were using our brute strength to force our way up the levels. We only switched to using our chi when our bodies could take it no longer.”

Thud!

Thud!

It was the dull sound of the kids falling over from shock. Although they were already told beforehand of how terrifyingly powerful the Peacekeepers were, this level of power was simply unacceptable!

It would be weird if the Peacekeepers did not create such feelings of inferiority and pure, unfiltered shock among these people!

At this point, there were only a handful of people left who had yet to breach level 100.

“Alang, I have made a mistake. I should not have followed you guys here! You’re all weirdo monsters I swear!” Cecily had once worked alongside the Peacekeepers but this sort of disparity was far bigger than she had anticipated. It was practically a stab to her own ego!

It’s been twenty years since they last met and they weren’t under Gu Xiqiao’s leadership anymore! How on earth were they able to progress so quickly?!

Alang scratched his head. “Stop brooding, it’s time for us to pay Miss Gu a visit at the Jiang family.”

“Hey, wait up, I wanna go too!” Cecily had come here primarily to see Gu Xiqiao, not to witness the Peacekeepers demolish the Trial Tower.

These people left as quickly as they came. What’s left was a crowd of onlookers who slowly returned to their senses.

The older ones patted the youngsters on the shoulder and flashed them a warm, gentle smile. “See that? They are the Peacekeepers we keep talking about. Didn’t you kids say that you could surge ahead of them? Why don’t you go ahead and try your luck up there?”

Some offered words of reassurance. “Hey, it’s alright dear. Keep calm.”

‘Yeah it’s easy for you to say that. But how the hell are we supposed to stay calm? How?!’

The reactions of these teenagers did not really matter in the grander scheme of things. The Peacekeepers’ achievements in the Trial Tower however, spread across the supernatural world at lightning speed. Of course, most of the people reacted in surprise to this news.

The Peacekeepers were surprisingly unfazed by the fact that they had just made history. Cautiously, they made their way towards the Jiang family from every direction.

At the Jiang family.

Shu Chen was busy memorizing the formula for winning a game of cards that Gu Xiqiao had taught her. She emerged from her room upon hearing the butler’s call. “Qiao Qiao has gone out.”

“Out? Where?” asked Xiao Yun.

“To a small place. But still, she told me to relay this message to you guys. ‘Stay calm and think’, she said. You’ll get your answer once she returns.” Despite the fact that Shu Chen was still holding onto a card when she spoke, her face was dead serious.

The Peacekeepers quelled their excitement and gradually started thinking. They left the Jiang family after bidding Shu Chen farewell.

“Grandma.” A clear voice called out.

A 15 or 16-year-old girl slowly descended the stairs. In her hand was a phone from a particular fruit-based brand. She let out a lazy yawn.

Shu Chen’s gaze became much more gentle when she saw the young lady. “Yan Yan, you’ve woken up? Are you hungry?”

“No, I’m not Grandma.” Jiang Yiyan shook her head. Suddenly remembering something, she asked her grandmother, “Where did you say Mom is staying for vacation?”

“N City,” replied Shu Chen with a smile. “If you want to go, just give your mom a call in advance. Or you’ll risk being grounded by your daddy.”

“Oh, I’ve never met such a horrid father before!” Jiang Yiyan plopped down on the sofa. “I just want to spend the night with Mommy! Why’d he have to lock me away on the other side of the continent?!”

“Forgive your father, he craves affection,” responded Shu Chen with a smirk.

Jiang Yiyan smiled back at her grandma. Suddenly she jumped onto her feet as quickly as a coiled-up spring. “Ah, right Grandma! I still have a game to play with you!”

“Nine Heavens?” Shu Chen eyed her granddaughter. “Are you sure about this?”

Jiang Yiyan raised her brow confidently. “Don’t underestimate me. Two days ago, I led a party that cleared out an entire dungeon!”

Shu Chen squinted her eyes at her granddaughter skeptically. “I don’t buy it.”

“…Grandma, aren’t you afraid that you’d lose to me if things go on like this?” Jiang Yiyan was a little let down by her grandma’s reaction. “Fine, I’ll admit it. I actually played on the account in Mom’s bedroom. I bumped into a group that was clearing out a dungeon in Zone 3. Mom saw how hard we were grinding for 30 straight minutes just to take down the first monster. She couldn’t help but carry our team to success, and in a really cool manner might I add! You might not know this but there were two legendary players in our party and even they couldn’t help but kowtow to mom’s prowess at the game!”

Shu Chen’s eyes lit up upon hearing that. “Yeah, I guessed so. But you know, your mom isn’t just really good at games. I know you aren’t told about this but here’s a little story…”

The two of them leaned towards each other and started speaking in whispers. From time to time, one could hear the sound of Jiang Yiyan inhale loudly out of shock.

Jiang Yiyan was not born in mainland China. She knew from a very young age that her parents were not regular humans. Still, she did not expect that her parents possessed such great capability back then! It was straight up incomprehensible!

Actually, Jiang Yirui would occasionally bring this up in their conversations but very rarely would they delve into it in detail.

Jiang Yiyan totally did not expect her mother to leave behind such a legacy!

Twenty years had passed and she is still frequently-mentioned in the entertainment industry. There were so many award-winning directors who were waiting for her return to showbiz!

Behind the scenes, she had altered the course of history for the medical industry of China, earning her the unconditional loyalty of countless talented prodigies!

Gu Xiqiao had so many followers that before they even finished speaking, Jiang Yiyan had already lost grasp of how popular her mother actually was.

Seeing her granddaughter’s expression, she thought to herself, ‘If I were to lay everything your mother achieved before you, there might be a chance that you’d be shocked to death!’

One of them was a noble madame who was well-respected by many and the other was a cold, unattainable second young mistress of the Jiang family. However, unbeknownst to the public, these two were so sloppy and laid-back at home.

Jiang Han grabbed his things and he stood at the door before leaving. “I’m going out.”

No one responded.

Jiang Han waited for a moment before raising his voice. “I’M GOING OUT!”

Still, no response.

“I SAID, I’M LEAVING!” Jiang Han shuffled closer to the whispering duo.

Finally, the butler couldn’t stand the awkwardness and approached him with a sympathetic smile. “Have a safe journey master.”

Jiang Han: “…I don’t need your sympathy.”

The butler remained silent. He picked up his shears and went off to tend to the garden plants.

“…”

Baixing Village in N City could be considered a slum twenty years ago. Now, it had already developed into a tourist destination receiving millions of tourists annually.

After having undergone countless rounds of renovation, one could hardly make out that this place was once a dilapidated part of N City. Well, apart from two essential landmarks. The first being the house where Gu Xiqiao once lived, and the grave of the woman who took her in as her own daughter.

The people here guarded these two locations for the past twenty years. There was virtually no change to these specific spots.

Wang Qi was abandoned by his family here when she was very young. Like Gu Xiqiao, she was adopted by a family here in Baixing Village. This year, she was 18 years old, and was in her third year of high school.

Today was her first vacation since she got into her third year of senior high. Early in the morning, she grabbed the things her parents had packed before she headed uphill. She knew there was a grave up on that hill, and further beyond that grave, there was a little cottage where a blonde-hair blue-eyed foreigner lived.

The inhabitants of their village treated this foreigner with respect. This person was wise and extremely knowledgeable, especially in the realm of medicine. Every time she came to deliver the goods to him, he’d teach her a lesson or two in self-defense.

 Like many mornings in the past, she would stop by the grave to say a quick prayer before proceeding to the little cottage.

But, today was different. She was approaching the grave when she noticed two figures lingering around it. One of them was significantly taller than the other. From afar, she couldn’t make out accurately who they were, so she hastened her footsteps to get close in on them. Suddenly, a woman in a plain dress stood up with the aid of the man next to her.

Wang Qi called out to them, “This place is off-limits. Outsiders aren’t allowed here, you…”

She went silent halfway through her sentence.

The man standing before the grave peered over in her direction. His gaze was so cold that it felt almost like that of a corpse’s. His demeanor was so overpowering that it forced her to avert her gaze. Still, Wang Qi could not deny how attractive this man was. He was at least multiple times more attractive than the idols she saw on TV. Still, she did not dare to drool over him for too long.

Wang Qi stumbled backward. Then, the woman standing next to the man turned towards her as well.

Like her partner, the woman was equally as attractive. Her eyes were shining bright and the soft features on her face were so pretty that she seemed almost like a work of art.

“Wang Qi, you go back first.” A heavy, low voice said to her from behind.

“Mister Emery, ” Wang Qi passed the basket of goods over to Emery.

He smiled at her. “You head downhill for now. I’ll teach you a lesson on acupuncture in the afternoon.”

Wang Qi kept peering back at them as she made her way back home. The two were still standing there on the hill. She remembered that the village elder once told her to report to him whenever someone suddenly appeared on the hill.

Wang Qi marched all the way to the village elder’s home to do just that.

“You’re saying that there were two people on the hilltop? What did they look like?” The village elder’s voice was tense. He was so taken aback that his shoes weren’t even on the right side of his feet!

“The man’s face was stone-cold but the woman was really really beautiful. Mister Emery seems to know them but he ordered me to come downhill.” Wang Qi did not need to work too hard to recall their faces. They were so incredibly beautiful that the sight had already burned itself into her memory.

“Yes! It’s her! It’s her!” The village elder’s eyes started to redden. “Shi Tou! Shi Tou! Come out! Quick! Your Sister Gu has returned!”

A tall masculine man emerged from the house shortly after the village elder’s shouts. “Dad, what are you saying?”

“Your Sister Gu, should now…cough cough…should be on the hilltop…” The village elder vanished into thin air right after saying that.

Wang Qi looked at the village chief who was always cool-headed in the past. The corners of his eyes were now red. His wife hastily grabbed something before rushing up the hill. She was puzzled. Just who was the village chief referring to?

Sister Gu…her surname’s probably Gu…could it be? That woman’s face seemed vaguely familiar too.

Wang Qi’s eyes were wide open when she was hit by the sudden realization!

With trembling hands, she whipped out her phone and started a new thread.

“I am seeking advice! I just found out that my idol actually hails from the same village as me! How should I approach her?! I’m waiting for your answers online! Hurry up!”