Chapter 130: Chapter 102: Are You Capable or Not?
Just as it was suggested that the other party might be planning to act, the situation turned out to be completely the opposite, leaving anyone bewildered.
“Be careful, I suspect there’s trickery, who ever apologizes empty-handed?”
Yu Longqing lowered his voice.
Zhang Xuan nodded in agreement.
Who apologizes just with words? Surely one must bring gifts!
Just then, the courtyard gate creaked open nearby, and Sun Qiang, smiling broadly, rushed over, opening his hands to reveal a heap of items.
“Young Master, you’re back! This is a gift from Mr. Liu, thirty thousand Origin Notes, three Destiny Plates, and one hundred thousand Origin Notes given by Lord Xu…”
“…”
Zhang Xuan was stunned.
He had no immediate use for Origin Notes, but the three Destiny Plates were incredibly valuable; the Heavenly Mandate Vitality they contained was more than enough for him to cultivate to the Jade Bone Realm, or even higher!
Unlike his excitement, Yu Longqing squinted his eyes.
Had they recognized his talent as a Fate Master and were now trying to make a full effort to establish ties? Otherwise, why would they give away such precious treasures?
Blast, my early lead in advantage is going to be surpassed by them. It seems I will also need to gather treasures and offer them with all due respect…
“That’s very courteous…”
Signaling Sun Qiang to store the items properly, Zhang Xuan waved his hands with a smile, “Please, come inside!”
“Thank you, Teacher Zhang…”
Xu Xin and Liu Tianzheng breathed a sigh of relief.
Having stood outside for almost two hours, their feet were starting to numb…
In the cool pavilion of the small courtyard, Dao Li was busy making tea for everyone.
Xu Xin and Liu Tianzheng had seen this before and were no longer surprised, but Yu Longqing was finding it hard to keep calm.
He had known that the other party was skilled in beast taming but had not expected such a high level of proficiency… Perhaps, he should try it on the Cangbai Eagle? This creature spent its days either eating or lording it over others, and it was about time it was put to some work.
Even if it couldn’t cook or boil water, brewing tea might be feasible!
“There is no need for formalities, gentlemen. It was just a misunderstanding, and it’s good that we’ve cleared it up…”
After hearing the two men’s purpose, although puzzled, Zhang Xuan calmly accepted.
Seeing that he was neither too angry nor had any objections towards them, Liu Tianzheng and Xu Xin finally felt at ease.
Of course, the former worried about potential retaliation while the latter thought of building relationships, seizing the opportunity to probe.
“I wonder… Do either of you have other matters? If not, I might have some things to attend to…”
After some small talk, Zhang Xuan gestured with his hand.
With enough Destiny Plates, his first step was to convert the Viscera Realm cultivation techniques he had just collected into the Heaven’s Path Divine Art.
Indeed, during his visit to the Book Collection Vault for over two hours, he had gathered over a thousand manuals applicable to the Viscera Realm, which should suffice.
In such a remote location, the sudden appearance of a Life Guardian, who also took notice of him, had put significant pressure on him. Although the other party came with good intentions to apologize, he couldn’t help feeling unsettled. It was best to bolster his cultivation level as soon as possible!
Of course, the most crucial thing was that he also wanted to determine what had happened on Empyrean Kong shi’s side so that he could offer his help.
“Since we’re speaking of matters, there is actually one I wish to discuss with Teacher Zhang…”
Xu Xin smiled.
“Please, speak your mind, Lord Xu!” Zhang Xuan gestured.
After a pause, Xu Xin said, “This is the situation. I am here on behalf of Heaven Mandate Hall to select individuals who can become Life Guardians or even possess the natural talent of a Fate Master. Therefore, in a while, I will discuss with School Head Lu the possibility of holding a competition among the students! I’ve heard that the three disciples you’ve accepted, Teacher Zhang, are exceptionally talented. I hope they can participate, and please don’t decline…”
Unaware of his plans and seeing it as a minor issue, Zhang Xuan nodded, “Of course, that’s possible! My students have just started their practice. Though they might be considered good among the newcomers, they are far behind many senior students…”
Cultivation is not just about practice but also involves various real-life fights to progress swiftly; he was not opposed to his students participating in martial comparisons.
“Rest assured, Teacher Zhang, it’s merely a friendly competition, just for selection purposes. There will be no problems!” Xu Xin quickly replied.
Without much hesitation, Zhang Xuan nodded.
“That’s truly wonderful…”
Having said what needed to be said and having received the agreement, Xu Xin signaled to Liu Tianzheng, and they left the small courtyard.
Achieving their goal, speaking further might only expose more than necessary.
With their departure, Yu Longqing saw no further reason to stay and stood up to say goodbye.
“City Lord Yu, please wait a moment, I actually have a favor to ask!” Zhang Xuan said.
Yu Longqing looked over, “As long as I am able, I will certainly not refuse.”
Liu Tianzheng had sent so many gifts, even bringing money like a formidable Life Guardian, which pressured him greatly. Now, he was not afraid of Zhang Xuan asking for something; he feared if he didn’t ask at all.
Having demands meant he could assist, thereby increasing his significance in the other’s eyes.
“This is the situation. My steward, Sun Qiang, is also a refugee. I was wondering if you could grant him a proper identity…”
Zhang Xuan said busily.
Refugees in the Source World struggled to survive; purchasing items was not easy. He had been caught by the Mo Family and forced to work as a coachman because of this situation. Previous circumstances gave him no choice, but now with the city lord before him and an intention to foster good relations, he naturally spoke up directly.
“That’s easy!”
Yu Longqing cracked a slight smile.
Under normal circumstances, getting the refugees their identities was quite troublesome, but for him, the city lord, it was merely a trivial matter!
“Then I’ll have to trouble you… Oh, by the way, I might also need to hire some refugees as subordinates, I wonder if the city lord could also arrange a few more…”
Seeing how casually he spoke, Zhang Xuan took the opportunity to say, “If there’s a need to contribute or spend money, I can handle it…”
Sun Qiang was coming, and Zhao Ya, Zheng Yang and others would definitely be brought over too. They would be without identities by then. Since the request was already made, might as well settle it all at once.
“No need to do anything!”
Yu Longqing laughed, “Like this, I’ll have someone send over 20 identity tokens tonight. If that’s not enough, I can send a few more…”
“That’s enough, enough!”
Zhang Xuan bowed his fists, “Thank you, City Lord! With so many identity tokens, I can’t just take them for free. Here’s what, City Lord, if you catch any primordial beasts or the like and need to tame them, just call on me anytime.”
“Many thanks, Teacher Zhang!”
Unexpectedly gaining a promise from him, Yu Longqing’s eyes lit up. After chatting for a bit more, he bowed with his fists, “Then I won’t disturb you any further!”
After saying that, he left the courtyard and headed towards his daughter’s residence.
Haven’t seen her for more than a day, not sure if this girl has been obedient, earnestly practicing the cultivation method taught by Teacher Zhang, and whether she has made any progress. Since he was already here, he might as well check on her.
After everyone had left, Zhang Xuan turned his attention to the three Destiny Plates and a stack of Origin Notes that Sun Qiang handed over, looking puzzled.
Even if Liu Tianzheng had offended him, it wasn’t enough to give so many treasures, right? Had they stumbled upon some fortune?
“It’s like this…”
Seeing his expression, Sun Qiang explained the situation in detail.
Zhang Xuan finally came to understand.
It seemed that initially, Liu Tianzheng had only intended to gift one Destiny Plate, but his steward was persuaded to give more and more…
“Well done!”
Zhang Xuan nodded in satisfaction and then passed the Origin Notes over, “Keep these items, manage the expenses as you see fit! Just bring any matters you can’t handle to me.”
“Yes!” Sun Qiang nodded.
The two had been in sync since their time in the Tianxuan Kingdom, fully attuned to each other without needing much conversation.
Zhang Xuan, holding the three Life Tokens, returned to his room. In just half an hour, he had absorbed them completely. At this moment, the Library of Heaven’s Path was enriched with over twenty-seven thousand more books.
“Merge!”
With a thought, the Viscera Realm cultivation methods he had previously reviewed immediately began to merge, and soon, a Heaven’s Path cultivation technique appeared before him.
With a touch of his finger, the cultivation method flowed into his mind.
“Viscera are the sources of human strength, buoyant viscera lead to longer-lasting strength…”
The beginning of the book offered an introduction; the rest were methods of cultivation. Zhang Xuan wasn’t in a hurry to practice but touched it again, causing a thousand books to ignite. Soon, an effigy appeared, strictly channeling strength in a special manner.
Heavens’ Order!
Remembering the routing, Zhang Xuan sat down cross-legged.
In an instant, rich Origin qi swiftly gathered from all directions, surging into his body.
…
As Zhang Xuan practiced, Yu Longqing arrived at his daughter’s residence.
He had scolded his daughter the day before for missing an opportunity and told her to diligently practice the cultivation method taught by Teacher Zhang. After more than a day, there should be some considerable progress, right!
“Previously possessing the strength of 0.5 horsepower, if she could progress to 0.6 horsepower in just over a day, it would prove that Teacher Zhang’s method is indeed remarkable!”
Pondering this, Yu Longqing pushed the door open and entered the room.
“Dad!”
Seeing her father come in, Yu Xiaoyu, who was practicing, quickly got up.
“How is it, anything you don’t understand that you need my help with?”
Yu Longqing looked over with a smile.
“There are a few things, but the cultivation method taught by the teacher is not to be divulged. I can’t show you the secret manual directly, I can only ask about some points I don’t quite understand…”
Yu Xiaoyu said.
“I understand that, don’t worry. Even if you showed me, I wouldn’t look!” Knowing what his daughter was worried about, Yu Longqing shook his head.
Every teacher had their unique skills, and if students couldn’t even keep these secrets, who would dare to take them in the future?
“Thank you for understanding, father!”
Yu Xiaoyu breathed a sigh of relief, hesitated for a moment, and then brought up a section of the manual given by her teacher which she didn’t understand, “Gathering Origin qi from the eight directions, the body as the mud pill, and the heat treating it into ceramic… I don’t really understand this phrase, I’m not sure how to interpret it!”
“That’s not hard, it means using the body’s eight acupoints to absorb Origin qi, and then refining the body in a process similar to making ceramics, hammered and refined a thousand times until the clay becomes a solid ceramic…”
After pondering for a moment, Yu Longqing explained.
Yu Xiaoyu nodded her head, sat down cross-legged, and started to practice according to the method her father had explained. After a while, she abruptly opened her eyes.
“No, that’s not right. The method you described doesn’t fit with the previous practices. The Origin qi can’t continue … You got it wrong just by asking one question…”
Yu Xiaoyu shook her head, her eyes filled with confusion as she looked towards the man who was once considered a great master and hero in her eyes, “Dad, are you still reliable?”