Chapter 7: Imperial Art: Volume One

"Once you reach the Earth Spirit Realm, the rate of improvement isn't as fast as in the beginning. After absorbing so much life force, my cultivation has only advanced a bit. Hmm, if only there was something else to eat."
Travis held his stomach, looking dejected.
Iwao quickly gathered the Storage Rings from these people.
Given the status of these Young Masters, their Storage Rings contained numerous treasures, and Spirit Jade was sure to be among them.
Spirit Jade is an extremely rare mineral found only in Spirit Mines that absorb the Essence of the World. It contains rich Spiritual Energy, used by Beast Tamers for cultivation and as currency to purchase various resources.
Spirit Jade is divided by Spirit Marks, with low-grade Spirit Jade having one mark and high-grade Spirit Jade having nine.
The more Spirit Marks, the more Spiritual Energy it contains, and the higher its value!
After some searching, Iwao collected a thousand One-Mark Spirit Jade.
This was quite a fortune, enough to buy half the streets in the city!
Unfortunately, he didn't find any Martial Techniques or Maneuvers, which was a bit disappointing.
"What's this stuff? Is it tasty?" Travis looked at the pile of One-Mark Spirit Jade, very curious. He reached out, grabbed one, and tossed it into his mouth.
"Don't eat that, it's Spirit Jade!" Iwao tried to stop him, but it was too late.
"Crunch, crunch."
Travis chewed for a while, then commented, "It doesn't have much flavor, and the Spiritual Energy inside is faint, but luckily, there's plenty of it to fill the belly."
After speaking, he suddenly opened his mouth wide and sucked in deeply.
Like a whale sucking in water, a large amount of Spirit Jade flew into his mouth.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
Spirit Jade continuously flew into Travis's mouth, and eventually, he even skipped the chewing process.
Iwao frowned.
While others would use Spirit Jade to release the Spiritual Energy inside and absorb it into their bodies, who had ever seen someone eat it directly?
But then, he remembered the terrifying river of energy within his energy center, and everything became clear.
This Travis surely had an extraordinary background.
After consuming over five hundred One-Mark Spirit Jade, Travis finally sat on the ground, holding his slightly bulging stomach.
He burped, looking satisfied. "Why am I full with just this little? My appetite seems to have decreased."
Boom, boom, boom!
Then, a storm of thunderous Spiritual Energy erupted from Travis's body, rumbling incessantly.
The dense Spiritual Energy glowed, dazzlingly bright.
Third Level of Earth Spirit Realm!
Did he advance?
"Huh, Mr. Travis, it seems like you suddenly remembered something. Here, have a Formula!" Travis reached into the green leaves on his head and then produced a thumb-sized glowing sphere.
He handed the sphere to Iwao. "Try sensing it."
Iwao grasped the sphere.
In the next instant, terrifying information flooded into his mind!
In the void floated a scroll emitting a golden light—
"Imperial Art: Volume One"
Free from the shackles of the Six Paths, immortal and indestructible!
This is a terrifying Maneuver, so terrifying that it transcends the constraints of this world.
The brilliant golden light seemed to transcend the limitations of time and space, piercing deep into the soul.
As the scroll unfolded, it recorded a series of detailed cultivation methods.
When Iwao woke up from his trance, he was horrified to find that this "Imperial Art: Volume One" was already imprinted in his mind, as if deeply engraved in his soul, requiring no recollection, just a thought away.
"This Maneuver..." Iwao couldn't believe it. There could be such a terrifying Maneuver in the world.
The entire Maneuver revolves around one word—Swallow!
At the Human Spirit Realm, swallow elixirs.
At the Earth Spirit Realm, swallow Spirit Jade.
At the Heavenly Spirit Realm, swallow thunder and fire.
At the Profound Spirit Realm, swallow bloodline.
As for what comes after, the text becomes blurry.
Maneuver is extremely important for Beast Tamers, running through their entire lives.
"What grade of Maneuver is this?" Iwao asked.
Maneuvers are divided into Ordinary Grade, Earth Grade, Heaven Grade, and Profound Grade.
The stronger the Maneuver, the stronger the combat power.
"I don't know. This thing seems to have appeared in my mind out of nowhere, but rest assured, I won't harm you if you practice it," Travis explained impatiently, while greedily eating a few more pieces of Spirit Jade.
Seeing this scene, Iwao's pupils slightly constricted.
Is this what it means to swallow Spirit Jade at the Earth Spirit Realm as recorded above?
As for swallowing thunder and fire, swallowing bloodline, a sense of endless novelty began to rise in Iwao's heart.
Moreover, this Maneuver is called "Imperial Art: Volume One," indicating that it's not complete.
Even an incomplete Maneuver is so terrifying.
Once completed, wouldn't it shake the heavens?
Iwao once again remembered the black shadow that tore through space.
With just a word, he suppressed the Primordial Hongmeng Tree into a ball of light and sealed it within himself.
Is this Maneuver related to him?
"Iwao, you're still not dead?" A cold voice sounded not far away.
Recalling all his thoughts, Iwao looked ahead.
In front of him soared a feathered bird engulfed in flames, with a young man in a robe standing on its head.
It was Diata.
Diata's gaze swept across the scene of corpses, his brows furrowing tightly. "You trash, you've returned to the Earth Spirit Realm?"
As Diata's words fell, eight more people approached, their eyes icy.
As one of the four great families of the Great Cyan Empire, the Leach Family's background is extremely profound.
These people are all at the level of Chief of the Guard, with strengths not inferior to the Third Level of Earth Spirit Realm.
Coupled with Diata, it was truly a tight net.
"So many people, it seems like they value me."
Iwao clenched his fist, the killing intent re-emerging on his face. "The foundation of the Leach Family was built by my blood and sweat. Yet, it's been taken advantage of by you wolves. When I regain my peak strength, I will personally destroy you all!"
"Indeed, indeed, but unfortunately, you won't get the chance!" Diata's eyes flashed with killing intent. "Attack with all your might and kill him! Whoever chops off his head will be rewarded with five hundred One-Mark Spirit Jade!"
Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes turned red.
Kill!
In an instant, eight Illusionary Beasts were summoned.
They rushed forward like madmen, forming a siege.
"Kid, the situation isn't good," Travis hesitated. There were too many enemies, and it would be difficult to handle them with their current strength.
But they couldn't afford to dwell on it.
"Mr. Iwao, don't blame me for this," a stubble-faced man sneered, condensing spiritual energy in his hand and striking fiercely.
Iwao raised his fist and blocked with his arm.
With a burst, the handprint shattered.
The stubble-faced man's wrist bent at a bizarre angle.
His bones were even broken!
"Damn it, this kid has a tough body!" The stubble-faced man grimaced, retreating ten meters, covered in cold sweat.
Diata was shocked, memories of Iwao's former prowess resurfacing in his mind.
Riding a blood wolf, appearing and disappearing like a shadow, with a chilling aura of killing intent!
He had recovered?
This time, they couldn't let him leave alive!
With this in mind, Diata controlled the Illusionary Beasts and fiercely swooped down.