Chapter 9: "Dragon-Tiger Arhat Strength" and "Jiang Li’s Human Sovereign Strength"

“Senior Zhang, should we just let this go?” Yuan Wuxing shrank his neck and asked cautiously.

“Are you afraid?”

“Afraid of those Jiang Family beasts? Of course not! Just thinking about those corpses fills me with rage.” Yuan Wuxing’s neck stiffened, veins bulging on his forehead. But soon, his anger deflated.

“But if we really end up shaking people’s faith in the Human Sovereign and that affects the fight against the Outer World Demons, we’d become eternal sinners.”

The deaths of hundreds of infants were no small matter. But the Human Sovereign protecting the Nine Provinces was even greater. If forced to choose, Yuan Wuxing would most likely choose the latter.

Jiang Li chuckled. “You’re overthinking it. My sect leader once told me that the current Human Sovereign is an exceptional genius, far surpassing all his predecessors. The Power of Faith is a nice bonus for him, but whether he has it or not makes little difference.”

Yuan Wuxing immediately felt relieved.

What Jiang Li didn’t say was that every time he underwent Heavenly Tribulation, he grew stronger. After his fourth tribulation, the Power of Faith became completely useless to him.

One hundred and sixty years ago, he had forged a bronze cauldron and placed it in the Human Sovereign Hall. From then on, all faith directed toward him was stored within that cauldron rather than empowering him—saving it for the next Human Sovereign instead.

“System.”
Late at night, when the world was silent, Jiang Li summoned his system interface.

【Congratulations, Host! After rigorous cultivation and a hard-fought battle, you have defeated Jiang Yixing. Would you like to claim your reward?】

Jiang Li’s mouth twitched.

“Rigorous cultivation and a hard-fought battle?” He wanted to ask the system when exactly he had experienced either of those.

Suppressing the urge to complain, he said, “Claim reward.”

A surge of pure energy descended from the void, pouring into his body.

“This energy…” Jiang Li’s expression was one of mild surprise. “…isn’t even as much as what I generate in a single breath. Oh, it’s meant for the Qi Refining Stage? Never mind, then.”

Based on his estimation, if he had received this energy during his Foundation Establishment, he would have reached a “perfect” state—something usually reserved for the core disciples of major sects. The foundation built this way would be far stronger than that of an average Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator, significantly boosting combat power.

“Not bad.” Jiang Li praised casually before expelling the energy from his body.

Who in their right mind would refine energy of unknown origin?

Next, a bamboo scroll tied with a fine red string dropped out of the void.

It was titled “Dragon-Tiger Arhat Strength”, a body refinement technique.

According to its description, as one cultivated, their blood would transform, granting immense bursts of power in moments of intense emotion. The stages of cultivation were categorized by the strength of various beasts:

One Bull’s Strength
One Tiger’s Strength
One Elephant’s Strength
One Flood Dragon’s Strength
One True Dragon’s Strength
Achieving minor mastery meant obtaining One Tiger’s Strength. Mid-mastery required One True Dragon’s Strength. Complete mastery allowed the user to merge the power of dragons and tigers, enabling them to physically wrestle with a real dragon in moments of extreme rage.

After spending two minutes reading the manual and three minutes analyzing its principles, Jiang Li reached a conclusion:

He had just wasted five minutes.

This body refinement technique was indeed powerful—even Soul Formation Stage cultivators would consider it a priceless treasure.

But for Jiang Li?

Utterly useless.

Currently, among the Four Seas Dragon Clan, there was a widely practiced technique known as “Jiang Li’s Human Sovereign Strength.”

It was said to have been personally compiled by the Four Sea Dragon Kings. If cultivated to perfection, one could supposedly contend against one of Jiang Li’s hands.

So far, Jiang Li had yet to see a dragon actually win against his hand.

As for other rewards—elixirs with pill clouds and fragrant aromas, mid-grade spirit swords—Jiang Li couldn’t even muster the slightest interest.

In his storage ring, he had specifically designated a section for system rewards, where he dumped all the useless items he received.

He even labeled it:

“Counterattack System’s Useless Junk – No. 2”

Naturally, the “Beginner’s Gift Pack” had been No. 1.

[New Mission Issued]
【After joining Huayun Sect, the grandson of the Grand Elder, Yun Bo, believed your Five Element Spirit Root dragged down the sect’s average talent. He made trouble for you at every turn. Please defeat him with overwhelming strength.】

【This mission may be declined.】

【Mission Rewards: One Sudden Enlightenment opportunity, one mysterious map fragment, and one high-grade spirit artifact of any design (Upgradeable).】

This time, Jiang Li immediately remembered who Yun Bo was.

The Huayun Sect was a small sect near Qing City. Its sect master was a late-stage Golden Core cultivator, with five Golden Core elders.

Back then, Jiang Li had hidden his Heavenly Spirit Root, making it appear as the weakest Five Element Spirit Root. No sect was willing to accept him.

However, through analyzing the Huayun Sect disciples’ shopping lists, he deduced that the sect was financially struggling.

So, he approached the sect master, discussed the local economy, and proposed ways for the sect to make money.

The sect master was stunned by his insights and, against opposition, placed Jiang Li in charge of finances—overseen by himself.

Jiang Li turned the sect’s financial losses into profits, even acquiring several smaller sects in the process.

After obtaining the sect’s core cultivation techniques and guidance from the Grand Elder, Jiang Li left to explore the Great Zhou Dynasty once more.

During that time, Yun Bo had been a bully, gathering followers to oppress newcomers.

So, Jiang Li collaborated with the Grand Elder, who faked his own death.

With their leader gone, Yun Bo’s followers scattered. Experiencing the cold reality of human nature, Yun Bo finally realized the importance of cultivation and reformed himself, dedicating his life to training.

“Three hundred years ago, when I returned to the Huayun Sect, Yun Bo had already reached the Nascent Soul Stage. With the longevity pills I left him, he should still be alive.”

Jiang Li decided not to reject this mission for now.

That mysterious map fragment intrigued him.

[New Feature Unlocked: Shop]
Jiang Li’s eyes lit up.

Finally, something interesting!

Summoning the Shop Interface, a light screen resembling a computer monitor appeared in his mind, displaying countless neatly arranged items.

By focusing on an item, he could immediately view its details.

But within seconds, his excitement faded.

All the items were things that already existed in this world—nothing from his previous life like phones, computers, nukes, or satellites, nor any exclusive Celestial Realm treasures.

He didn’t particularly care about the phone, but he really wanted to test whether his body could withstand a nuclear explosion.

“System, are there items from other worlds?”

【Host must first travel to another world.】

Jiang Li curled his lip. Another useless feature.

If I could travel to other worlds on my own, why would I need a system in the first place?

“System, sort items by highest to lowest Source Point cost.”

The list reshuffled instantly.

At the top were:

Human Sovereign Hall’s secret techniques
Dao Sect’s supreme treasure: Yin-Yang Heaven Seal
Various imperial city and sect heirlooms, Tribulation Stage puppets, and Immortal manuals
All powerful, but Jiang Li had either used them before or had no use for them.

More importantly, he suspected these weren’t created by the system but stolen from sects.