#4 - Chapter 004 Endless Forest of Steles, the Legend of Jiang Taixu

The Stele Forest is the most important place in the ancestral land of the Xia Dynasty's Jiang family.

Countless steles stand, each inscribed with a lineage.

These are the legacies left by the powerful members of the Jiang clan over hundreds of thousands of years.

The Jiang clan was once incredibly powerful, inheriting from ancient emperors, possessing imperial blood, and producing saints within the clan.

However, it has severely declined, with no saints appearing for over ten thousand years.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have sought refuge with the Taixuan Holy Land for protection.

Therefore, within this endless Stele Forest, there are many supreme legacies left by Saint Realm experts.

One needs a certain amount of great luck to find these supreme legacies left by Saint Realm experts.

The Jiang clan hasn't had anyone comprehend the supreme legacies left in the Stele Forest for a thousand years.

The Jiang clan ancestors who could leave a legacy were at least in the Dharma Aspect Realm.

Because, without reaching the Dharma Aspect Realm, it's impossible to create one's own cultivation techniques and martial skills, let alone leave a legacy.

Of course, not all the legacies in the Stele Forest were left by royal ancestors.

Some are legacies left by captured powerful cultivators, and some are left by great demons.

This is also why there is a Prison Forest in the ancestral land.

They are all powerful beings suppressed by the Jiang clan.

Only by leaving their legacy in a stele can they be released or given a quick death.

To leave the ancestral land or avoid torture, some powerful beings have no choice but to leave their legacies in the steles.

Otherwise, why not just kill these powerful beings? Keeping them alive is a threat.

The Stele Forest is not only guarded by powerful formations,

but also by five Heaven-Human Realm elders of the royal family.

One of them has reached the Quasi-Saint stage, with extremely high seniority, and is the guardian deity of the Xia Dynasty.

Outside the ancestral land, there are also stationed one hundred thousand of the most elite troops.

All to protect the safety of the Stele Forest.

Jiang Ning arrived at the Stele Forest.

His eyes were immediately filled with countless towering stone tablets.

The accumulation of hundreds of thousands of years.

The sheer number of steles in the Stele Forest is unimaginable.

Dense, vast, and boundless, stretching as far as the eye can see.

The steles have no written records, only various patterns engraved on them.

A sword, a saber, a drop of rain, a flower...

"This is the Stele Forest, so magnificent!"

Jiang Ning was excited, hoping to find a method to repair his damaged roots.

With the instant-learning cheat, can't he just learn any legacy here?

"Newcomer, so young and already exiled to the ancestral land for reflection, what did you do wrong?"

An old voice suddenly sounded behind Jiang Ning.

Jiang Ning was startled, the old man had arrived silently like a ghost.

The old man was extremely old, his eyes dull, his teeth mostly gone, and his hair almost completely fallen out, leaving only sparse white strands.

He was as thin as a rake, with only skin and bones left.

"Greetings, Senior," Jiang Ning quickly saluted.

Without guessing, he knew this was one of the five elders guarding the Stele Forest.

"I released a demonic woman from the Demon Sect, provoked the Taixuan Holy Land Saintess's younger sister, and was thus stripped of my crown prince status and exiled to the ancestral land for reflection," Jiang Ning said with a wry smile.

"You're not old, but I didn't expect you to be so lecherous. However, it's normal for a hero to be captivated by beauty."

"By the way, remember to only wipe the steles, never inject your spirit into them."

Jiang Ning looked at the old man in confusion.

The old man explained calmly, "Each stele is forged by our Jiang clan using a special method."

"Before their death, each royal ancestor will inject their will into the stele, leaving behind their unique legacy."

"Without amazing comprehension, you will not only fail to comprehend the legacy left on the stele, but you will also be injured by the will on it."

"At best, you'll become an idiot, at worst, you'll die immediately."

"Alright, go wipe the dust off the steles."

After speaking, the old man disappeared on the spot.

Jiang Ning randomly chose a stele and began to wipe it.

On the stele was a pattern of a drop of rain.

Jiang Ning didn't listen to the old man's advice and injected his spirit into the stele.

He wanted to find a way to restore his damaged roots.

Sure enough, when he carefully observed the stele, the cheat was activated.

A line of words appeared in his mind.

[You carefully observed the stele, activated the instant-learning cheat, and comprehended the Earth-Rank High-Grade combat skill 'Raindrop Sword Technique'.]

Combat skills are divided into three ranks: Human, Earth, and Heaven, each rank further divided into upper, middle, and lower grades.

This is the so-called three ranks and nine grades.

Upon reaching the Heaven-Human Realm, one can begin to cultivate divine powers.

Divine powers are divided into four levels: Minor Divine Power, Divine Power, Great Divine Power, and Supreme Divine Power.

Cultivation techniques are still divided into three ranks and nine grades.

Above that are the Saint Classics created by Saints and the Emperor Scriptures created by Emperors.

"An Earth-Rank High-Grade combat skill is already a very powerful combat skill, generally requiring the Dharma Aspect Realm to cultivate."

"Unfortunately, it's not the method I need to restore my damaged roots."

Jiang Ning wasn't disappointed and continued to comprehend the next stele.

However, at this time, he discovered that the instant-learning cheat wasn't being activated.

Helpless, Jiang Ning had to carefully wipe the stele.

Soon, seven days had passed.

Finally, Jiang Ning discovered the rules of the instant-learning cheat.

It can only be activated twice a day.

Within seven days, he comprehended 'Heaven-Shaking Palm', 'Sky-Splitting Leg', 'Gale Spear Force', 'Great Sun Heart Sutra'... fourteen combat skills or cultivation techniques.

Unfortunately, none of them were what Jiang Ning wanted.

He wasn't in a hurry, anyway, there were so many steles here, he could take his time to find them.

Maybe, he could get lucky and find a supreme legacy left by a Saint Realm expert.

It was almost evening, and Jiang Ning prepared to leave the Stele Forest and return.

Coincidentally, Jiang Ning met that extremely old man again.

"Young man, not bad. Your roots are damaged, and you have no cultivation."

"You were actually able to survive seven days in the ancestral land without dying."

Seeing Jiang Ning again, the old man actually revealed a look of admiration.

Proving how terrifying the young man's will was.

He didn't know that Jiang Ning had comprehended the Void Sword Intent, and the baleful aura could no longer enter his body.

Jiang Ning chatted with the old man for a while.

Suddenly, Jiang Ning remembered something.

That was the Void Sword Intent he comprehended in the wooden carving, and he was a little curious about its origin.

"By the way, Senior, I unintentionally heard about the Void Sword Intent, do you know its origin?" Jiang Ning asked.

"Void Sword Intent?" The old man suddenly paused, seriously looked at Jiang Ning.

Then, he said with emotion, "A thousand years ago, there was a man named Jiang Taixu, who was the only member of my Jiang clan in tens of thousands of years to awaken the imperial blood."

"He was considered the hope of revitalizing my Jiang clan, a peerless genius, an unparalleled monster."

"The Void Sword Intent was the unparalleled sword intent he created."

"Unfortunately, he made a big mistake and ruined his life. Otherwise, my Jiang clan would have a Saint sitting, why would we need to act according to the Taixuan Holy Land's wishes."

Jiang Ning was very curious, "What big mistake did he make?"

"This matter is regarded as a great shame of the Jiang clan and is not recorded. Very few people know about it."

"He fell in love with a woman he shouldn't have loved. It seems that the woman was from the Demon Sect. In the end, that woman betrayed him, causing him to make a big mistake."

"As for the specifics, it's been too long, and I'm not too clear."

The old man said.

Heaven-Human Realm experts are still within the scope of mortals, with a lifespan of up to two hundred years.

Once they break through to the Saint Realm and become a Saint, their lifespan can be at least a thousand years.

And the legendary Emperors can live for over ten thousand years, incredibly long.

The old man naturally wouldn't be too clear about things from a thousand years ago.

"It seems that the woman on that wooden carving is the woman Jiang Taixu loved."

"Alas, Jiang Taixu loved her so deeply, I don't know how she could bear to betray him," Jiang Ning thought to himself.

"A peerless genius, ruined because of a woman. If he had focused on cultivation, he would have stood at the peak of the entire Xuanhuang world, what a pity," the old man said with great melancholy.

The occurrence of this matter is truly heartbreaking.

Women really affect the speed of cultivation.

To become a strong person, one cannot fall in love with a woman.

While the old man was still in sorrow, Jiang Ning quietly left.

The matter of him surviving for seven days caused quite a stir in the Prison Forest.

A kid with no cultivation actually survived for seven days.

His will is frighteningly firm.

The person who bet all his wealth was going crazy with joy.

They didn't know that Jiang Ning wasn't incredibly firm-willed, but a cheat.