"...And, they’re hoping you can give them a portable Concealing Array. They want to use it to protect their disciples and future generations. It seems they’ve beco quite pessimistic," Yang Wuling reported with his head lowered, not daring to et Du Youqian’s gaze. "My Lord, forgive for overstepping..."
"If you know you’re overstepping, then don’t speak," Du Youqian said coolly.
As expected, Yang Wuling didn’t dare say another word. He just stood there with his head down, awaiting a response.
Du Youqian rubbed his numb face.
’Do you have any idea what my last three months have been like?’ he wanted to ask.
Day and night, it was Alchemy, Artifact Refining, Talisman Making...
And all the Elixirs and Magical Artifacts he crafted were Low Level junk, suitable for Qi Cultivation Middle to Late Stage Cultivators.
Mindless, repetitive labor.
It did nothing to help his own progress.
He was about to turn into an unfeeling Artifact Refining and Alchemy Machine.
The only benefit was that his Talisman Making Art had improved significantly.
This was the Cultivation Technique he had the least talent for, yet through sheer practice—brute-force grinding of his proficiency—he had managed to raise it to Tier One Upper Grade.
As for Alchemy and Artifact Refining, where he actually had so talent, improvent required research and contemplation, not this kind of repetitive labor.
Du Youqian complained internally, ’I’ve been working my ass off for three months, and you still...’
’Well, the people of the Wei Wen Alliance are putting their lives on the line, after all.’
With that thought, Du Youqian’s grumbling subsided quite a bit.
He began to seriously consider making a Concealing Array for the Wei Wen Alliance to help them preserve their lineage.
This type of array would certainly not be easy for an ordinary Array Master to create.
Even a Tier Two Array Master might not be able to produce a portable Tier One Middle Grade Concealing Array.
But with his current mastery of arrays, it wasn’t what he would call difficult.
As for the cost of materials, the Sect would reimburse him anyway, so that wasn’t a concern.
But...
Thinking about his life since becoming a True Inheritor, Du Youqian felt from the bottom of his heart that things couldn’t go on like this.
To outsiders, his life was glamorous.
At a young age, he had already secured a future high-level position in the Sect. He had no shortage of resources, and the Sect guaranteed his Cultivation, promising to do everything possible to help him advance to Foundation Establishnt. They also hoped his Cultivation Techniques would break through to Tier Three.
But what was the cost?
He was slaving away for the Sect, performing Alchemy and Artifact Refining day and night.
He didn’t even have any spare ti to polish his Magical Combat skills or practice his Magic.
In short, the Sect wasn’t training him to be a fighter. They couldn’t care less about his path on the Dao.
It was just like in the life before the life before last, when he played online gas and the guild would power-level a character purely for crafting skills.
Du Youqian definitely did not want to be a dedicated crafter.
But he couldn’t just refuse the tasks the Sect assigned him either.
’So you don’t want to do Alchemy and Artifact Refining for the Sect anymore?’
’Fine. First, you can figure out how to pay back the massive amount of resources the Sect invested in you.’
He had previously thought about just lying low in the Sect and grinding his skills to Tier Three.
But ever since the Sect had fallen in status, most of its old Inheritances had been lost. It currently didn’t even possess a Tier Three Skill Inheritance and would have to spend a fortune to purchase one from the outside world.
One could well imagine that even if the Sect spent a fortune to acquire a Tier Three Skill Inheritance for him, they would definitely force him to make a Divine Soul Oath, a Heart Demon Vow, or sothing similar.
Du Youqian felt he had to find a way to solve this problem.
The point of Immortal Cultivating was to beco carefree and unrestrained. If he was just going to be a human-shaped Alchemy and Artifact Refining Machine, he might as well not cultivate at all.
Besides, he needed to accumulate resources as quickly as possible and strive to break through to the Nascent Soul realm within ten reincarnations.
So, he was preparing to return to the Sect soon to have a discussion with the higher-ups.
He wanted to see if he could negotiate so freedom for himself.
After all, he was now a prospective mber of the Sect’s leadership; he wasn’t completely without a voice.
But in his heart, he wasn’t optimistic about the outco of the discussion.
The Sect had its own systems and unwritten rules, and it wouldn’t change things that had been in place for a thousand years just for him.
If he couldn’t negotiate a change... then he would just use the Blood Burning Art, burn away his lifespan, and reincarnate.
’Trying to force to be a crafter?’
’I’ll just delete my character and start over.’
But before "deleting his character," he was going to make a big move to secure a better Spirit Root in his next life and join a higher-level sect—a Second Class one at least, or preferably one of the First-class Sects.
Only then could he obtain more advanced knowledge of Cultivation and higher-level Cultivation Techniques, guaranteeing he would reach Foundation Establishnt in his next life and perhaps even have a shot at Golden Core.
He looked up at Yang Wuling.
The young man was in his twenties, with... rugged features.
That’s right, he was the legitimate son of Yang Wenwan, the Governor of Three States.
It was strange. They say sons take after their mothers and daughters take after their fathers.
Yang Wenwan might have been ugly, but his wife and concubines were all very beautiful.
So why did all his sons look just like him?
"Don’t contact the people from the Wei Wen Alliance anymore. I have a feeling it’s dangerous to be in touch with them now."
Yang Wuling’s expression changed. "Could it be that the Runhe Comrce Association is about to make its move?"
Just as Du Youqian was about to speak, he suddenly had a premonition. "No. They’ve already made their move."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On a long, silent night, Chen Yingzhi, dressed in a long, cut-out gown, drifted gracefully through streets and alleyways.
She seed to be wandering aimlessly, like a beautiful elf bathing in the silvery moonlight.
Suddenly, she stopped and bowed respectfully. "Master, why have you co in person?"
The woman who had appeared out of nowhere wore black-red lip rouge. Her figure was voluptuous and sleek, and her bewitching smile was unforgettable.
It was none other than i Shuyu, a young prodigy of the Heavenly Emotions and Oceanic Resents Sect, a Foundation Establishnt Late Stage cultivator not yet sixty years old.
i Shuyu looked up at the moon. Her face was as tender as a sixteen-year-old’s, set with a pair of large, dark purple eyes the size of apricots. Her hazy gaze was like that of a naive young girl who had yet to see the world.
It was a stark contradiction to her bewitching aura.
But this very contradiction had a way of stirring both a protective instinct and a desire for exploration in others.
Even Chen Yingzhi, a woman herself, felt from the bottom of her heart that her master possessed an infinite charm.
i Shuyu didn’t speak, so naturally, Chen Yingzhi didn’t dare to either.
In the quiet night, the two won, each with her own distinct charm, stood silently beneath the moon.
After a long while, as if waking from a dream, i Shuyu looked down at her disciple and laughed charmingly. "My dear disciple, your Cultivation has improved. Not bad. A pity you still fall a bit short of that little wench, Lin Sha."
Chen Yingzhi said respectfully, "I will do my best to catch up."
"No need to chase. It’s fine. Talent isn’t sothing you can catch up to just by wanting it. If you get a chance to kill her in the future, then just kill her and seize her fortune and opportunities," i Shuyu’s expression grew much more languid as she spoke via voice transmission. "But that’s a matter for later. We’ll set it aside for now. I have sothing to entrust to you."
"Please give your orders, Master."
i Shuyu’s lips moved slightly, her voice entering Chen Yingzhi’s ears.
A shocked expression appeared on Chen Yingzhi’s face.
She looked at her master, wanting to speak but hesitating.
i Shuyu smiled faintly, issuing a threat in a sweet, delicate voice, "If a fourth person finds out, you know the consequences."
Although i Shuyu spoke with a smile, the indifference and cruelty in her dark purple eyes sent a chill down Chen Yingzhi’s spine.
Chen Yingzhi quickly lowered her head and bowed. "I will be sure to keep my lips sealed, telling only that True Inheritor from the Zhongxuan Sect. If I accidentally let it slip, I will take my own life to atone for my failure to you."
"Good." i Shuyu flicked her long sleeve and turned to leave.
"Master!"
"What is it now?"
i Shuyu’s voice was light, but Chen Yingzhi could already detect her master’s impatience.
But she didn’t dare say, "It’s nothing."
’If it’s nothing, why did you call out to ? Do you dare trifle with your master?’
That would only invite an even harsher punishnt.
She could only brace herself and ask, "We are preparing to draw in the net soon, to completely exterminate those stubborn fools from the so-called Wei Wen Alliance, including their descendants. However, I am worried that the True Inheritor from the Zhongxuan Sect will intervene. I ask for your guidance, Master. How should I handle this?"
i Shuyu tilted her head in thought, then smiled. "Let him be. I trust he knows his limits and understands what he can and cannot do. In any case, don’t stop him, no matter what he tries to do. If he doesn’t know what’s good for him, that’s fine too. Once the main business is concluded, if he’s not dead, I’ll just rip out his Divine Soul, refine it into the Hundred Souls Banner, and give it to my dear martial-niece as a congratulatory gift for her promotion to Foundation Establishnt."
Chen Yingzhi didn’t dare say another word. She just bowed deeply, watching as i Shuyu departed into the distance.
Once i Shuyu’s figure had vanished, Chen Yingzhi returned to the vicinity of Wang Zhiping’s hiding shack in just a few leaps.
She looked around, hesitated for a mont, then said, "Send the word: we’re closing the net. All the fish have taken the bait. We’ll catch them all in one fell swoop tonight."
"Yes!" Li Ying responded crisply.
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