Asura Emperor Venerable
Chapter 475: Pursuing the Strongest

Chapter 475: Chapter 475: Pursuing the Strongest

The only ones still fighting were Zhang Zixuan and her most ardent admirer.

Shi Hao disliked these meaningless fights, and since he bore no grudges against Zhang Zixuan, he couldn’t possibly kill her in cold blood.

So, he let out a long howl, guided by his domain, he charged forward and with three punches and two kicks, he sent Zhang Zixuan flying.

"Scram!" he barked sharply.

With an awe-inspiring presence, no one else dared to advance.

Shi Hao turned to Guan Liuqing and said, "Your brother-in-law was causing trouble; I killed him. Do you accept this?"

Guan Liuqing naturally did not want to admit it, but after witnessing Shi Hao decisively kill seven people, he too dared not provoke Shi Hao directly. He could only nod, frustratingly conceding, "I accept."

Shi Hao nodded. "Since you accept, if you ever act foolishly again, I will kill you."

He scanned the crowd. "If anyone here feels dissatisfied, feel free to challenge me. However, you’ll need to bet your Bitter Heart Tea against me; anyone without tea leaves, don’t waste my time."

Damn, wasn’t this blatantly trying to swindle Bitter Heart Tea?

Everyone shook their heads. This guy was too strong. He definitely had the strength to be on the Detached Ranking, not just the Detached Genius Ranking. To defeat him, one would need to be a genius recognized on both rankings, and although Zhang Zixuan was on the genius list, her strength still fell short.

Shi Hao couldn’t help regretting; he should have held back at first, made bets with these people then unleashed his fury. By now, he would have amassed a significant amount of Bitter Heart Tea.

Alas, there was no such thing as a regret medicine in the world.

It was all Guan Liuqing’s fault. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have needed to reveal his power so soon.

Thinking about this, Shi Hao felt extremely irritable, his stomach churning with anger.

"Now then—" he strode toward Guan Liuqing, "you owe me a hundred leaves of Bitter Heart Tea. When will you pay me back?"

Huh, what’s this now?

Guan Liuqing was stunned. I have already conceded. We’ve moved past this, so why are you pursuing this with me again?

"I—"

"What ’I’? Hurry up and pay!" Shi Hao clenched his fist, glaring fiercely at the other man.

Guan Liuqing, terrified, quickly took out the eleven leaves of Bitter Heart Tea he had on him and handed them over to Shi Hao, feeling that if he didn’t obediently hand them over, he was going to suffer greatly.

So weak!

Everyone watching shook their heads. This Guan Liuqing was too feeble; he got so scared even though there wasn’t much of a threat, his legs went soft.

That might be what they thought, but they all stepped back a bit into the Zhao Family’s gate before they felt a bit more settled.

—Shi Hao might be fierce, but he wouldn’t dare to cause trouble by barging into the Zhao Family, right?

"Remember, you still owe me eighty-nine leaves of Bitter Heart Tea," Shi Hao said, then turned and walked away.

Guan Liuqing collapsed on the ground like a mud puddle, only regretting his actions thoroughly after Shi Hao’s figure had disappeared from sight.

Why did I become weak so quickly?

Now, not only was the Bitter Heart Tea taken, but I also owed eighty-nine leaves. Where am I supposed to reason this out?

In the crowd, Zhang Zixuan stood with her sword, her feelings complex.

She still hated Shi Hao, but he was younger than her and had easily defeated her, showing his martial arts talents far exceeded hers. Moreover, he was quite good-looking!

Given that, shouldn’t he take responsibility for hitting her chest?

Thinking this, she immediately chased after him.

Yes, she should make this guy take responsibility. There was no way he could just hit and run.

...

Shi Hao darted through the air, ensuring there was no one around before he whooshed into the Immortal Abode.

Then, he boiled some water and added a leaf of Bitter Heart Tea.

He began to sip the tea, and quickly, as the hot tea entered his stomach, his thoughts became incredibly sharp.

Shi Hao sat down, and within his Soul Sea, the Sun Dharma Aspect immediately underwent Evolution.

To build a perfect Sun Dharma Aspect, Shi Hao needed to dedicate an astonishing amount of time to deduction, for he was now only able to touch upon the Laws but not yet qualified to study or deduce them, thus, of course, it required even more time.

Fortunately, with the Bitter Heart Tea, he could save a lot of time.

Soon, the effect of the tea leaf was exhausted since it could only be steeped once, so Shi Hao took another leaf and brewed another cup of tea to drink.

Cup after cup, he didn’t go out at all, but kept drinking tea and deducing the Dharma appearance.

Time flew by, and Shi Hao’s research on the Sun Dharma Aspect grew deeper and deeper. Shortly, a month passed, over a hundred leaves of Bitter Heart Tea had been completely used up, and Shi Hao finally achieved great success.

Now, the Sun Dharma Aspect could finally be considered somewhat accomplished. However, Shi Hao could not progress further at this point due to the limitations imposed by his own realm.

Once he advanced in realm, he could naturally enhance the power of the Dharma Aspect, but as far as Self-Observation is concerned, he had truly reached its endpoint.

Theoretically speaking, Shi Hao had cultivated the Dharma Aspect to the endpoint of the first stage. If his power caught up and reached the pinnacle of this phase, he could then break through to the second phase.

Here came the problem.

What should he choose for the second Dharma Aspect?

Most people’s nine Dharma Aspects are the same, and even if different, they are broadly similar, such as all being weapons or Ferocious Beasts with essentially identical attributes.

The greater the difference between Dharma Aspects, the longer it naturally takes to cultivate them. Choosing the same or similar aspects would save a substantial amount of time, allowing focus on accumulating power.

Honestly, the Sun Dharma Aspect was already mighty enough. Even if all ten Dharma Aspects were the same, Shi Hao believed he could sweep through Self-Observation.

The Sun Dharma Aspect, ah! For its cultivation, Yue Ying even took his spirit for a round through the Sun, which should make it the strongest Dharma Aspect in the Mortal World, perhaps unmatched.

Yet, Shi Hao’s goal was not merely to be the first in the Mortal World; he intended to advance to the Immortal Realm later.

In the Immortal Realm, would just one Sun Dharma Aspect be enough?

Even facing a fully accomplished Tyrant Body, could he handle it?

Thus, Shi Hao was not satisfied with cultivating just one Sun Dharma Aspect.

Despite only taking half a year and an additional month to develop the Sun Dharma Aspect from scratch and perfect it to a stage of basic accomplishment, he had relied on both Yue Ying and Bitter Heart Tea to aid him.

Could he continue to be so lucky in the future?

Would cultivating each Dharma Aspect in the future take ten or eight years?

How long would Su Manman have to wait, and how long would he have to wait?

In pursuing the ultimate path of martial arts and considering the duration, Shi Hao found himself hesitating.

"Do I pursue the limit of the martial arts path, or do I save time to see Manman as soon as possible?"

Shi Hao thought for a while and finally made up his mind.

"From the occasional snippets Manman lets slip, her family in the Immortal Realm also belongs to the top echelons, so even if I become an Immortal, going to her family would only make me an obscure, nameless man; why would they marry their daughter to me?"

"Therefore, I must continue to pursue being the strongest."

"The higher the realm, the longer the lifespan. Builders of the Sky Ladder can live for five thousand years, so how about Immortals? At least ten thousand to start."

"Regardless of time, I must pursue the ultimate strength!"