Chapter 319 - 156: Should My Disciple Establish a Grand Lineage in the Future, You Are Permitted to Join and Earn the Merit of Following the Dragon

Chapter 319: Chapter 156: Should My Disciple Establish a Grand Lineage in the Future, You Are Permitted to Join and Earn the Merit of Following the Dragon

"Master Duan, where are you staying in Jiangyin Prefecture these days?"

Leaving the Flying Immortal Temple, Ji Xiu rode his Jade-Horned Spirit Deer and looked at Duan Chenzhou, whose body radiated a baleful aura, before asking his question.

At this, Duan Chenzhou leaped onto the corner of an eave, his back to the moonlight. Hearing the question, he gave a light laugh.

"Once a Martial Artist cultivates True Qi, their Flesh Secret Treasure forms a self-contained cycle. Even without cultivating the Divine Soul, we can be like Qi Cultivators—we can feast on the wind and drink the dew, sustaining ourselves by eating Qi."

"I have no fixed residence these days. My only goal is to temper my Treasure Body until I can break through the Four Limits, undergo a complete Transformation, and achieve the Leakless realm. After that, I will go to Cangbei to seek the right to enter the Corpse Release Tomb and find the remains of your Ancestral Master."

"So, resources are very tight, and I can no longer support your Cultivation like I did back in Anning."

As he said this, an apologetic look appeared in Duan Chenzhou’s eyes.

’This disciple of mine has grown far too quickly. Achievements others couldn’t manage in eight or ten years, he has reached one by one in barely half a year.’

’Moreover, the Martial Dao resources he needs are all things like Spirit Pills and Great Medicines. That’s not stuff you can get your hands on just because you want to.’

"But then again,"

Duan Chenzhou said, his tone shifting as he looked toward the Beicang Marquis’s Mansion:

"you managed to get backing from the Beicang Marquis’s Mansion. If you can win Xiao Pingnan’s favor, a meteoric rise in your future is practically guaranteed."

"With the depth of his family’s resources, and him having only one legitimate daughter..."

"Since you’ve earned her high regard, you shouldn’t be lacking for resources."

"The only reason you could successfully cultivate that Cloud Luo Scroll is because the Marquis’s Mansion helped, right?"

Ji Xiu nodded.

"The Young Lady Heir has a physical ailment and needs to be nourished by Spirit Fish and Spiritual Objects from the sea. I happened to obtain the Mountain and Sea Search Daoist Talisman back in Anning County, and with a bit of talent on top of that, I caught her eye."

"The reason I was able to fully cultivate my True Gang was because she opened the Marquis’s Mansion’s treasury and gave me a Nirvana Flower."

"And then there’s the Daoist Level Divine Talisman Fire, and our Celestial Blade School’s Great Five Decline Celestial Saber... My success in learning them is also thanks to the Marquis’s Mansion’s favor."

"When I left the Beicang Marquis’s Mansion to visit my sister at the Flying Immortal Temple, I originally promised her that I would go straight to the docks, head into the vast sea, and catch a Spirit Fish."

"But then this whole mess happened, and now I’m a little hesitant. If I rashly enter the sea, will I run into another deadly trap like that one..."

"As things stand, I can only shamelessly stay for another two days. Once my Cultivation has progressed, I can repay her then."

As Ji Xiu rode his Spirit Deer, this thought brought a look of resignation to his eyes.

’If he could, he’d want to make more progress with his Mountain and Sea Search Daoist Talisman. Plus, after receiving so many gifts from her, he felt it would be wrong not to give her something she desperately needed in return.’

’But unfortunately, the Black Market Gold Cave had a vicious reputation. It wasn’t just a "large-scale chain" across the Great Xuan; even their branch here in a corner of Jiangyin Prefecture had dared to take on the business of assassinating a True Sect Disciple back in the day!’

’Although he figured he had enough trump cards, what if a Sect Leader Level opponent really showed up? Even if his last-resort techniques could withstand the assault, each use depleted a finite resource. The thought alone made his heart ache.’

Ji Xiu’s original plan had been to go straight back home. He’d intended to wait until he had constructed his Immortal Robe, formally joined the Mansion Courtyard, and won the position of Chief that Fan Nansong spoke of. He would repay his debt for the Divine Talisman Fire in the Divine Soul Cultivation Room, and only once he felt he could hold his own against a Qi Cultivation Grandmaster would he swagger back out into the world.

But after hearing this, Duan Chenzhou, who had been about to leap up and depart, froze in place, a complicated look in his eyes.

"Beicang Marquis Xiao Pingnan’s daughter just gave you all that for free?"

"Has she taken a liking to you?"

Duan Chenzhou couldn’t hold back anymore.

’He had originally thought that his disciple had offered the Jade Marrow Cold Lotus in a simple trade for the assistance of a Nirvana Flower, and in doing so, gained the protection of the Beicang Marquis’s Mansion. Although his disciple had gotten the better end of that deal, in the end, that’s all it was—a deal.’

’But looking at it now...’

’It was probably far more than that!’

Xiao Mingli.

He had heard a thing or two about the reputation of this Heir of the Marquis’s Mansion.

’Frankly, if she hadn’t competed against an Immortal Daoist and lost, suffering a calamity that left her with a chronic, incurable ailment and allowing rivals in her Sect to strip her of her status...’

’By now, even if she couldn’t ascend to the White Jade Capital and be inscribed on the Juvenile Dragon Stele—even if she wasn’t one of those figures at the absolute summit—’

’she would still be a top-tier figure of this generation, unparalleled within One Mansion, and capable of suppressing all those other True Sect Disciples and Saintesses.’

’A phoenix in distress is worse off than a chicken. The proverb was harsh, but...’

’But... could it be that the Young Lady Heir’s spirit had been worn down by years of hardship, her Martial Arts Zen Heart completely shattered? And that now, seeing his handsome and talented disciple with such a bright future, she had started to get some ideas?’

The more Duan Chenzhou thought about it, the more likely it seemed.

’These heiresses from extraordinary families all had sky-high ambitions. They would rather be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix.’

’If they married a genius of equal status, there was no guarantee they wouldn’t be cast aside once they had served their purpose.’

’But if they were to cultivate a young, exceptionally talented Martial Artist who had risen from the bottom, tying all her hopes for the rest of her life to him...’

’That was also an excellent choice!’

’Back in the day, hadn’t the heiress of the Giant House Xie Family taken an interest in him? She had valued his ancient background in the Sword Dao Ancestral Court. After they jointly suppressed the Chaotic Heaven Bandits, hadn’t she considered forming a bond with him, even gifting him the first three scrolls of the Feathered Immortal Robe?’

’It was just that he had thought long and hard back then and chosen not to travel the vast distance to Beicang to seek out the Xie Family, choosing instead to walk his own path.’

’Looking at him now, his disciple was so much like his younger self.’

But compared to that Miss Xie with her bright future, the prospects of today’s Miss Beicang, Xiao Mingli, were bleak indeed.

’If not for the military power Beicang Marquis Xiao Pingnan held in Cangbei, probably very few people would still hold her in awe.’