Chapter 299 - 149: Clues to the 3rd Daoist Talisman, Scripture, Martial Domain, Wealthy and Extravagant, 1000 Gold for Horse Bones

Xiao Mingli was not without insight.

Quite the opposite. As the Heir of the Marquis' Mansion, before disaster struck, Li Xuanyi had said she was just one step away from becoming a direct disciple of a Celestial Pillar, perhaps even earning a place on the Juvenile Dragon Stele!

Her perspective and understanding far surpassed that of an entire Prefecture City. She had seen countless prodigies, as numerous as fish in a river.

But in truth, most of those hyped-up 'prodigies,' those supposed 'future Grandmasters' living on empty fame, were nothing remarkable in her eyes.

To put it nicely, they simply had a good background, practiced their martial arts diligently, possessed a modicum of insight, and received their family's backing. That was how they 'shot up the ranks.'

Undeniably, a good background and ample resources could elevate a Martial Artist's potential by several tiers, transforming someone of 'above-average' talent into a 'prodigy.'

But for most, that was where their progress halted.

However, Xiao Mingli had seen true geniuses of the absolute peak.

These were individuals who, at a young age, had already reached the pinnacle of the Martial Dao, distinguishing themselves and earning great fame and accolades.

For that tiny, tiny handful of people, they were the living embodiment of the very concept of talent.

Compared to ninety-nine percent of the Martial Artists in the world...

For them, so-called talent was merely a combination of diligent post-natal effort and inborn insight.

However.

The wandering successors of the Ten Great Celestial Pillars, the direct heirs of the Nine Great Families, the ascendant Immortals, Buddhas, and Divine of the Outer Dao, the Daoists and Sons of Buddha...

The vast majority of these individuals might have been arrogant, looking down on all from their lofty perch, but they were fundamentally different from the so-called 'talents of One Mansion' who simply lived off their parents' achievements, waiting for their days to end.

Every single one of them possessed an Innate Treasure Body, a divine seed within their Divine Soul, a bloodline legacy, or other such marvels. From the very starting line, they already had the power to look down on all creation.

They possessed the best resources, the best legacies, the best masters... The essentials for cultivation—Dharma, companions, wealth, and land—they had them all.

Yet even under such conditions, these individuals still had to fight and claw their way to the top within the Celestial Pillars, the Giant Houses, and their massive Master's Sects. Those with such breathtaking talent, the ones who remained after the great sifting of the sands...

...were the ones who were truly invincible.

Are kings and nobles truly a matter of birth? Can a commoner not look down on them?

Throughout history, such cases have been exceedingly rare.

Just to stand on the same starting line as them, to forge a Martial Dao Treasure Body, would require an exhaustive amount of resources.

But there was nothing to be done about it.

The descendants of Martial Saints and Giants were born with extraordinary power in their veins. With each passing generation, the precious essence accumulated within the Secret Treasure of their physical bodies naturally grew far beyond what any ordinary person could hope to match.

They had various Secret Techniques and methods, or they could rely on their powerful physiques, to consume and refine Treasure Materials to strengthen their bodies.

But for an ordinary Martial Artist...

Even if an Earth Treasure or Celestial Material were placed right before them, they wouldn't necessarily be able to extract its medicinal properties and absorb them without the correct, and often complex, methods.

This was a case of 'sitting before a Treasure Mountain, yet unable to enter.'

But then Xiao Mingli watched as Ji Xiu swallowed the Earth Treasure, the Nirvana Flower, in a single gulp. As he circulated his Gang Skill, there wasn't the slightest flaw; he executed the Dharma Gate to perfection.

Furthermore, his entire frame of muscle and bone seemed almost transparent. Under the watch of his Divine Thought, which penetrated every pore, not a single trace of the flower's medicinal properties was wasted.

Incredibly, he absorbed the medicinal properties of the entire Nirvana Flower completely. After a good long while... he even licked his lips, seemingly wanting more:

"An Earth Treasure, indeed. Its effects are potent."

"Just one plant has saved me more than half a year of arduous cultivation!"

'Without the Nirvana Flower…'

'...just making progress on the Feathered Immortal Robe Cloud Luo Scroll would have been an endless grind.'

Ji Xiu thought, feeling a sense of deep satisfaction.

But in Xiao Mingli's eyes...

The young man stood under the moonlight, draped in starlight. He was illuminated by the silvery specks of light rising from the Cold Jade Spirit Pool, the corners of his robes fluttering, his spirit vibrant and glowing.

She was momentarily stunned, then murmured in admiration:

"What a spirited young man."

The people from the Grand Lineages and Daoist Schools saw Ji Xiu carrying that Sword Plaque and thought he was arrogant and overconfident, a fool who didn't know his own limits.

But in Xiao Mingli's eyes, this was precisely the kind of pride a young prodigy ought to have.

If he hadn't caught her attention, step by step, through these very actions...

...he would not have been worthy of her patronage, nor of the 'Mountain and Sea Search' Daoist Talisman she had bestowed upon him.

At this thought, a smile touched Xiao Mingli's eyes:

"Your Gang Skill has reached Great Success. Within the prefecture, that means you've truly made your mark."

"What are your plans now?"

Ji Xiu's wide sleeves billowed as he rested a hand on his saber, Long Day. A brilliant light gleamed in his eyes:

"I hear that this spring, not long from now, the examination for Prefecture Officials will be held."

"So..."

"I will enter the Mansion Courtyard and take the examination for Prefecture Official!"

Seeing his ambition soaring to the heavens, his Gang Qi churning without rest, as if he meant to challenge the very sky...

The corner of Xiao Mingli's eye lifted, and a look of approval slowly filled her gaze:

"For someone not from a Noble Clan with a legacy of a Hundred Years, who would have an Innate opportunity to enter a True Sect or a Celestial Pillar, this is indeed a good path."

"After all, the Great Xuan is, without a doubt, the greatest Sect in the world."

"In his early years, my own father distinguished himself in the Mansion Courtyard, which is how he earned the chance to be granted a Fiefdom and enfeoffed as a Marquis."

"Ordinary Schools and Daoist Schools... they don't even broach the concept of the Divine Soul."

"But for the Great Xuan's Prefecture Examination, just to qualify, one's physical body and Divine Soul must both meet the standard. Only those who excel in both and take the top spot can truly distinguish themselves from all the other prefectures!"