Imperial Cultivation

Chapter 1177: Chapter 1173: Function

Early the next morning, while he was refining the Golden Sword, Lu Wanshan sent someone to summon him.

After freshening up, he came to the Sect Leader’s Hall and saw Lu Wanshan pacing inside with his hands behind his back.

”Sect Leader.” Chu Zhiyuan clasped his fists in greeting.

Lu Wanshan scrutinized the ancient scabbard at his waist and smiled, ”Is this the Treasure Sword?”

Chu Zhiyuan drew the sword from its sheath and presented it with both hands.

Lu Wanshan took it, flicked his finger, and the sound of a dragon’s roar immediately resonated throughout the hall.

”A fine sword!” Lu Wanshan praised.

Chu Zhiyuan smiled.

Lu Wanshan examined it intently, then after a moment, raised his head in surprise to look at him.

Chu Zhiyuan said, ”Sect Leader, I attempted to imitate the Emperor’s Sword, how did I do?”

”It resembles its form,” Lu Wanshan slowly said, ”Was it originally like this?”

His expression was grave.

Could there be another Heavenly Sword Avatar?

Chu Zhiyuan replied, ”I engraved it myself, this sword is made of a special material.”

Lu Wanshan shook his head, ”Even the owner of the Emperor’s Sword couldn’t achieve this.”

Chu Zhiyuan smiled awkwardly.

Lu Wanshan stared at the sword with thoughtful intensity.

Chu Zhiyuan stood quietly at the side without speaking.

It was evident that Lu Wanshan was deeply shocked, his emotions far from calm.

After a while, Lu Wanshan said in a deep voice, ”Your sword now only has its form but not its true essence.”

Chu Zhiyuan nodded, ”I don’t know the Emperor’s Sword’s mental method.”

”The Emperor’s Sword’s mental method is a secret not to be shared,” Lu Wanshan said, ”No one can pass it on to you, not even I, otherwise we would suffer backlash from the Heavenly Sword.”

Chu Zhiyuan nodded.

He secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Luckily he didn’t let Li Hongzhao teach him, otherwise, she would be in big trouble now.

”Since you engraved it yourself and created this sword, you might as well ponder over it carefully and discover it yourself, it’s already incredibly powerful now.”

Chu Zhiyuan said, ”Yes.”

Lu Wanshan thought for a while and slowly said, ”Travel more, slay more evil demons and demons, perhaps you’ll gain some insights.”

Chu Zhiyuan pondered and solemnly nodded, ”Thank you, Sect Leader!”

Lu Wanshan said, ”The matter of Feixue Cave Mansion has already begun, the battle is about to start, would you like to participate?”

Chu Zhiyuan shook his head, ”There are senior brothers and elders there, it’s unnecessary for me to join, I’ll just return to the Imperial City and wait.”

He had already caught too much attention and couldn’t take all the limelight.

Otherwise, it wouldn’t be fame but animosity.

”Aren’t you interested in killing a bit and collecting more bounties from the Court?”

Chu Zhiyuan said, ”I’ve killed enough already.”

Lu Wanshan shook his head and smiled, ”You’re easily satisfied.”

There is no such thing as the most, only more, that’s what drives most people naturally.

Chu Zhiyuan had killed nearly a hundred evil demons.

With ten evil demons, one can start claiming rewards, but the more you kill, the heavier the bounty.

In such circumstances, naturally, the more you kill, the better.

Chu Zhiyuan could resist the temptation and stop here.

This is rationality over greed.

He nodded inwardly: With such character, he is worthy of great responsibilities.

Chu Zhiyuan said, ”Sect Leader, can’t we directly eradicate the old lairs of Wuxiang Sect, Qianye Sect, and several other evil sects?”

”Difficult. The Court also has its own extraordinary people, it’s not that they haven’t located their old lairs, but even after raid after raid, they haven’t been able to wipe them out,” Lu Wanshan said, ”They’re different from the Myriad Blood Sect.”

”More than one lair?”

”Yes, they use one at a time, once raided, they activate the next one.”

Chu Zhiyuan frowned, ”Indeed troublesome.”

Unless they were directly eradicated, otherwise their lairs could change continuously.

”What’s more important is, Wanxiang Sect and Qianye Sect are skilled at escaping, very hard to kill.”

”My Demon Suppressing Saber is fine, but to truly kill them, it requires intelligence from the Evil Extermination Department.”

”You can collaborate with the Evil Extermination Department,” Lu Wanshan said.

Chu Zhiyuan hesitated.

He actually meant to say this.

To kill more evil demons, relying on the Heavenly Sword Sect is impossible, collaboration with the Evil Extermination Department is necessary.

But the relationship between the Heavenly Sword Sect and the Evil Extermination Department is delicate, being too close to them might provoke criticism.

The Heavenly Sword Sect disciples might feel dissatisfied or wary of him.

Lu Wanshan said, ”I will explain it clearly to the disciples, you represent our Heavenly Sword Sect in collaborating with the Evil Extermination Department.”

Chu Zhiyuan admired Lu Wanshan’s wisdom, seeing through his concerns at a glance.

”I know your intentions are pure, wanting to kill more evil demons. You indeed need to rely on the Evil Extermination Department to achieve this.”

”Thank you, Sect Leader!” Chu Zhiyuan clasped his fists forcefully.

Lu Wanshan treated him exceptionally well.

He vaguely felt like he was being groomed as a Sect Leader.

However, he’s not the only disciple being cultivated this way within the sect; there are several others.

Now he is a seed, needing to compete with other seeds.

This might be the inheritance method of the Heavenly Sword Sect.

...

Chu Zhiyuan had just returned to the Heavenly Sword Branch when an elder came to visit him shortly.

Chu Zhiyuan went to the front yard to meet, and it was someone sent by Huang Zhengyang, who handed over a Black Box.

Inside the Black Box were six Spirit Ascending Pearls.

Chu Zhiyuan showed a smile.

Huang Zhengyang was quite generous; he only asked for five, yet Huang Zhengyang gave him six.

He informed Gu Junqi, then left his small courtyard and exited the city gate.

Outside the South City Gate, Ding Huanchun still stood guard with the City Guards, eyes shining with Golden Light, using the Candle Demon Eye to screen the citizens entering the city.

Chu Zhiyuan greeted him casually and drifted away, seemingly searching for evil demons outside the city.

Ten miles out, he arrived at a mountain peak and sat cross-legged on a piece of bluestone.

No one was around, and suddenly a Light Gate appeared, and Chu Liezhao stepped out of it.

Chu Zhiyuan handed him the Black Box.

Chu Liezhao took it and turned to step into the Light Gate, disappearing without a trace.

He gave half of the Spirit Ascending Pearls to Li Miaotan that very night.

He consumed three himself.

Now this body already possesses the power of the bloodline, having the Heavenly Dragon Bloodline.

After consuming one Spirit Ascending Pearl, he could clearly feel the enhancement of his bloodline, his connection to the Sky Dragon in the Void becoming stronger, and a significant increase in his physical attributes.

So he consumed all three.

Li Miaotan trusted Chu Liezhao deeply and did not hesitate to consume the Spirit Ascending Pearl.

The Phoenix Bloodline surged dramatically.

Both their bloodlines increased greatly, and when cultivating together, their energies exchanged, melding seamlessly, and their cultivation levels skyrocketed.

Without realizing it, they had already broken through their previous constraints, stepping into the Ninth Transitions Venerable Realm.

Chu Zhiyuan sat cross-legged on his bed in the Heavenly Sword Branch, sensing the Ninth Transition through Chu Liezhao.

At the same time, comparing his current state with that of the Ninth Transition.

Also contemplating the accumulation and insights needed for the breakthrough from the Eighth to the Ninth Transition.

The cultivation method of Chu Liezhao’s clone differed from his own, even though they were both transitioning from Eighth to Ninth; the insights and needs were different.

But clearly experiencing what the Ninth Transition was like, gaining clear knowledge, made him understand the disparity between the Eighth and Ninth Transition more distinctly.

This understanding was extremely precious, along with being insightful.

These realizations allowed him to advance a significant amount on the Eighth Transition, boosting his progress more than months of arduous cultivation.

The next morning, while he was refining the Golden Sword, Gu Junqi visited.

”Elder,” Chu Zhiyuan invited him to join him at the stone table and offered a cup of tea.

Gu Junqi said, ”Zhiyuan, aren’t you joining the commotion to kill evil demons?”

Chu Zhiyuan smiled and said, ”I’m resting for a bit, easing up. The consumption was too great a few days ago.”

Gu Junqi said, ”Then you’re missing a good opportunity; the Four Great Sects have already eliminated a large number of evil demons, and more are swarming in like moths to a flame.”

Chu Zhiyuan said, ”They haven’t realized it’s a trap?”

Sixteen experts from the Four Sects were escorting treasures from the Feixue Cave Mansion towards the Dynasty.

Though their number was small, all were Ninth Transitions Venerable, and could form an array.

Apart from these sixteen, nearly a hundred experts from the Four Great Sects were hidden in the shadows.

Under such circumstances, no matter how numerous, the evil demons couldn’t gain any advantage.

A clever one should have sensed something was amiss.

Gu Junqi said, ”They’re not that smart, even if some notice something wrong, they’re compelled to charge forward.”

Chu Zhiyuan shook his head with a chuckle.

Risking lives for an unseen treasure was too rash.

This exemplifies human greed, along with herd mentality.

Once a group gathers, it’s hard to maintain one’s judgment.

Within them, his clone was inducing actions, making it difficult to resist greedy urges.

Moreover, with Wanxiang Sect’s insiders confirming information, they became even more convinced.

”You could join the excitement, kill more evil demons, and earn better rewards.”

”Forget about the rewards,” Chu Zhiyuan said, ”Nothing to force.”

”It’s also about pressuring the Court a bit,” Gu Junqi laughed, ”Let the Court spill out lavish rewards once.”

Chu Zhiyuan’s brows moved, ultimately shaking his head.