Chapter 138 - 71: Madam, You Wouldn’t Want...

Chapter 138: Chapter 71: Madam, You Wouldn’t Want...

Upon hearing this, Su Wanyi said no more. "I understand. The things you want will be sent over shortly."

And just like that, a marriage alliance had turned into a transaction with a clearly marked price.

In exchange for getting Su Linyin into the top eighteen, Jiang Xuan obtained three thousand Spirit Stones and permission to use Su Wanyi’s network to gather resources for himself.

The latter acted quickly. The medicinal broths Jiang Xuan needed to restore his Power of Heart Soul, the books imbued with a rich Dao Rhyme, and high-grade Spirit Pills—she gathered them all for him in the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

She didn’t even ask for Spirit Stones for any of it.

As she placed the items in Jiang Xuan’s hands, Su Wanyi’s expression turned serious. "I was an old acquaintance of your father and mother, so I suppose that makes me your elder. Consider these items a gift. As for the three thousand Spirit Stones you asked for, I can make the executive decision to raise the amount to five thousand."

"I only have one request: get Linyin into the top eighteen. The higher her rank, the more resources I am willing to give you."

As she spoke her final words, a hint of imperiousness entered her eyes. She stared intently at Jiang Xuan. "You won’t disappoint me, will you?"

Jiang Xuan naturally understood her intentions, which made him chuckle. In an assured tone, he said, "Rest assured, Madam Su. As long as Miss Linyin doesn’t deliberately cause trouble and is willing to listen to me during the assessment, I guarantee she will secure a spot."

With the agreement settled, Jiang Xuan didn’t linger. After a quick word with his mother, he hurried back toward Four Seasons Valley.

Not long after Jiang Xuan left, Su Wanyi also rose and departed from the Jiang Family’s courtyard.

At midnight, when Su Linyin returned home, Su Wanyi told her every last detail of the deal she had made with Jiang Xuan earlier that day.

After a moment’s hesitation, she gave her daughter another unexpected order. "When you have time in the future, you should spend more time with Jiang Xuan."

"Huh?"

Su Linyin was stunned. She understood the deeper meaning behind her mother’s words perfectly well. In fact, that was precisely why she was so confused. "You want me to listen to Jiang Xuan during the assessment, and you want me to spend more time with him? Mother, are you sure you’re not joking?"

"Isn’t Jiang Xuan... just Dong Hao’s lackey?!"

...

Of course, Jiang Xuan was completely unaware of what had transpired in the Su Family’s courtyard.

After returning to his residence in Four Seasons Valley, Jiang Xuan went straight to the Scripture Pavilion and opened the books Su Wanyi had given him.

To his surprise, although the books only recorded the scattered insights and experiences of past masters regarding Qi Cultivation and contained no specific Cultivation Techniques, the system judged their Grade to be Purple.

"?!"

’They’re that powerful...’

Though he didn’t know if Su Wanyi had given him such precious items to ensure her daughter’s advancement or to get on his good side, Jiang Xuan knew he now owed her a favor.

’Looks like I’ll really have to go all out for her in the three-academy joint exam two days from now.’

’Hah, whatever. I’ll stop thinking about that for now. First, let’s see about the Dao Rhyme in these books.’

HUMMM...

After a soft murmur, Jiang Xuan immediately unleashed his Opening Scripture Profound Essence Spell. He used this Curse Technique, combined with the Dao Rhyme from the books, to create a Book Mountain and Sea of Literature Illusion.

RUSH—

This time, the formation of the Mountain of Books and Sea of Literature was completely different from before.

Countless written Runes surged and flowed as if they were alive, gradually coalescing into a Secret Realm that seemed to hold the primordial chaos of Heaven and Earth and contain the Myriad Phenomena.

Before he even truly set foot inside, Jiang Xuan could already hear the crashing of ocean waves in his ears, as if a vast sea and towering mountains were truly unfurling before him.

Sensing this anomaly, Jiang Xuan no longer hesitated. He took a deep breath, and with a stir of his Heart Spirit, he plunged directly into the Illusion Realm.

HUMMM—

Upon entering the Illusion Realm, Jiang Xuan found that the scene before him was also different from previous times.

—In the past, the Mountain of Books and Sea of Literature had always contained the lingering phantoms of those who came before, the traces left behind by the people who had written or authored the books.

But this time, there were no human figures to be found within the Illusion Realm. As Jiang Xuan looked around, all that met his gaze was a boundless Heaven and Earth. The sun, moon, and stars hung in the firmament above, while mountains and rivers spread out below his feet.

The next moment, an incomparably profound realization flooded his mind, and Jiang Xuan’s pupils contracted as he made a startling discovery:

’No... I’m not just seeing Heaven and Earth. I—am Heaven and Earth!’

That nameless expert had, while writing, infused all the mysteries of Heaven and Earth they had comprehended into the very ink and brushstrokes.

Now, the Dao Rhyme of the books had been completely activated by the Opening Scripture Profound Essence Spell. After transforming into the Mountain of Books and Sea of Literature, this immense Dao Rhyme followed the connection to his Heart Spirit and slowly merged into Jiang Xuan’s sea of consciousness.

BOOM!

Because this stream of Dao Rhyme was too profound and too vast, shortly after it merged into his sea of consciousness, Jiang Xuan’s Heart Soul was battered by the majestic will of Heaven and Earth until it wavered, on the very brink of collapse.

At that moment, it was as if he had forgotten who he was, feeling only that he had become the vast heavens, the Earth, the mountains, the rivers...

At the same time, the clear, ethereal chant of a Daoist drifted out from between Heaven and Earth, echoing in his ears:

"The Dao is born from void, Qi becomes the primal chaos, Heaven and Earth the furnace, myriad spirits the seeds..."

"The sun shines upon the Nine Heavens, the moon clarifies the four corners of the world; stars adorn the cosmic vault, rivers weave through the mortal realm..."

"...Absorb the pure Yang of Heaven and Earth, cleanse the turbid barriers of the physical form, open the deep blockages of the meridians, fortify the Primal Yang in the Sea of Qi..."

"...Heaven and Man breathe in unison, the self and the world return to one, Qi permeates the body, in harmony with the Dao..."

Listening to the Daoist chant, Jiang Xuan focused his Heart Spirit, desperately resisting the assimilating power of the Heaven and Earth Dao Rhyme. At the same time, he used every ounce of his strength to brand the Daoist’s clear chant and his own epiphanies, one by one, into his sea of consciousness.

The process was arduous and painful.

Just as Jiang Xuan was in a stupor, barely aware of his own existence, his agonizing yet blissful journey through the Illusion Realm came to an end. The Dao Rhyme in the books was dissipating, and its weakening allowed Jiang Xuan’s Heart Soul and consciousness to gradually resurface.

’Just now, I was...’

The moment he awoke, a trace of lingering confusion remained in Jiang Xuan’s eyes.

But soon, he had no time to dwell on it. To his dismay, he discovered that the epiphanies in his mind were dissipating as quickly as water poured onto sand.

’This is bad!’

This sight made Jiang Xuan’s heart clench. He quickly closed his eyes, desperately trying to recall every shred of insight from his assimilation with Heaven and Earth, attempting to hold on to the fading memories.

Alas, it was no simple task—the epiphanies were too profound, too vast to be committed to memory in a mere moment.

In the end, most of the epiphanies vanished from Jiang Xuan’s sea of consciousness. He only managed to retain less than a tenth.

To his frustration, that single session of enlightenment had completely consumed the books’ Dao Rhyme, turning them to ash that scattered on the wind. They were, after all, merely the casual jottings of a past master, not an intentionally preserved legacy.

Furthermore, because the content was scattered, profound, and lacked any real structure—written as thoughts came to mind—Jiang Xuan only truly grasped three-tenths of the one-tenth of the epiphanies he had managed to remember.

’So by that logic, from this whole session, I only managed to grasp three-tenths of one-tenth of that master’s epiphanies? Which is... three percent?!’

After figuring it all out, the corner of Jiang Xuan’s mouth twitched, his heart filled with frustrated resignation.

Fortunately, the intent of Heaven and Earth contained within the books was so profound that even though Jiang Xuan had only truly grasped three percent of the epiphanies, he had still accomplished his original goal—his Beginner Qi Cultivator Level had completely reached Perfection.

[You have studied the epiphanies of a predecessor and comprehended a sliver of the intent of Heaven and Earth. You now understand the relationship between Qi Cultivation and Heaven and Earth. Your Qi Cultivator class experience +1307]

[Your Beginner Qi Cultivator Level has increased. Current Level: 4/4.]

What’s more, this session of enlightenment brought an unexpected surprise.

...