Chapter 134 - 69: A Treasure of the Same Grade as a Star Stone

Chapter 134: Chapter 69: A Treasure of the Same Grade as a Star Stone

Having exhausted his Heart Spirit in the final battle, Jiang Xuan lay on the ground, resting for the time it took to drink a cup of tea before he could barely recover a sliver of his Soul Power.

"My strength is spent. Let’s call it a day, shall we?"

"Fine."

After their brief exchange, Jiang Xuan withdrew from the Mirage Mirror・Three Thousand Realms.

The immense drain on his Heart Soul left Jiang Xuan’s face pale when he emerged. His brows were tightly knitted—his depleted spirit sent waves of pain through his head, and his mood naturally soured.

Just as Jiang Xuan was knitting his brows and massaging his temples, a weathered voice, tinged with melancholy, suddenly sounded by his ear.

"You’re out. Judging by your appearance, you lost?"

Turning his head, Jiang Xuan saw that the speaker was the middle-aged man who had come with Su Xingying. He was currently leaning against a pillar of the pavilion, protecting him.

This sight prompted Jiang Xuan to cup his hands and say, "Thank you for your protection, Senior."

Then, thinking the man wanted to know the outcome of the battle, Jiang Xuan answered with genuine admiration, "Yes, I did lose the final match. Before that, I only managed to win by a stroke of luck because Miss Su Xingying was so gracious."

"Miss Su’s strength is immense. I benefited greatly from our exchange..."

Jiang Xuan did not skimp on his praise for Su Xingying.

She was, after all, the one who was going to give him Spirit Stones—a hundred at a time, no less. Jiang Xuan naturally had to consider the feelings of such a lavish and generous client and keep her happy.

However, weary as he was and focused on praising Su Xingying, Jiang Xuan failed to notice that Li Liang’s pupils contracted sharply upon hearing his words of praise.

’Lost the last match? Miss Xingying was being gracious, a lucky victory...’

’Does that mean he won the earlier duels? And more than one?!’

The battle’s outcome stunned Li Liang, filling him with utter disbelief.

He couldn’t fathom how Jiang Xuan, who was only at the Spirit Core Initial Stage and whose Enlightenment had yet to reach Perfection, could possibly defeat his young miss, who had awakened a Divine Power Seed.

’This defies all logic!’

Incredulous, Li Liang froze on the spot. He was naturally unable to utter the words the Su Family and Yu Dai had prepared for him.

Fortunately, he was skilled at concealing his emotions. Coupled with the fact that Jiang Xuan was mentally drained and paid no mind to his expression, this anomaly went unnoticed.

"...You’re very good."

A few breaths later, Li Liang came to his senses. He gave Jiang Xuan a complicated, unreadable look, left him with those words, and walked away in a daze.

Since he hadn’t interacted with the man much, and Li Liang always had a dejected demeanor, Jiang Xuan didn’t notice anything unusual. He simply assumed this was the man’s normal temperament.

However, while he was unaware of Li Liang’s background, Yu Dai, on the other hand, was quite displeased.

The moment Li Liang returned, she snorted coldly and chided, "Li Liang, what are you doing? I told you to go console Jiang Xuan, prey on his frustration with losing, and then guide him. Why didn’t you mention any of it?"

Faced with Yu Dai’s scolding, Li Liang didn’t say much. He just woodenly uttered three words, but these three words made Yu Dai freeze, leaving her standing stunned on the spot.

"Jiang Xuan won."

"Huh???"

"Won? What do you mean?"

The matter was so bizarre that Yu Dai couldn’t process it at first.

A moment later, once she understood the meaning behind Li Liang’s words, she subconsciously shook her head. "Impossible. The Young Miss is at Spirit Core Perfection and has awakened a Divine Power Seed. She has been tempered by all sorts of Heavenly and Earthly Treasures since she was a child. Her Magical Power and the strength of her Flesh Body are three to five times that of an ordinary Cultivator. How could an unremarkable Lower Classes’s Son like Jiang Xuan possibly be a match for her!"

"Yes, how is it possible..." Li Liang repeated with a complex expression, then sighed. "But Jiang Xuan told me so himself."

"Then he’s lying!"

Yu Dai made this judgment with barely a moment’s hesitation.

She didn’t say this out of blind loyalty, nor did she believe her young miss was the strongest in the world.

Rather, she had reasoned it out with common sense and concluded that no matter how you looked at it, her young miss’s advantages were overwhelming. That’s why she was certain Jiang Xuan was lying to save face.

Her words even caused Li Liang to waver. Compared to the idea of Jiang Xuan defeating Su Xingying, him lying to save face was certainly more in line with common sense.

’But is there any need for that? The Young Miss is about to emerge from the Illusion Realm...’

Just as his thoughts were in turmoil, with a soft hum, Su Xingying’s eyes snapped open.

After leaving the Illusion Realm, she wore a complicated, unreadable expression. She didn’t immediately look at Yu Dai or Li Liang beside her, but instead turned her gaze toward Jiang Xuan.

This action made Yu Dai’s heart sink.

Although she hadn’t asked yet, her young miss’s expression already gave her an ominous feeling.

And that premonition soon became reality.

"Young Miss, this duel, you..."

"I lost. I lost twelve... thirteen times in a row."

In the final battle, although Jiang Xuan had died first, Su Xingying still counted the loss as her own.

Her words completely shattered Yu Dai’s understanding of the world.

"Lost... How is that possible? But you... you’ve awakened a Divine Power Seed?!"

She couldn’t accept it. There was a hint of disappointment in Su Xingying’s eyes, but she quickly recovered her composure.

"Nothing is impossible. Although Jiang Xuan comes from the Lower Classes, he is an undeniable genius. I have no complaints about losing to him."

Having said that, she ignored Yu Dai, who looked as if her entire worldview had crumbled, and walked straight toward Jiang Xuan.

Stopping in front of Jiang Xuan, she said with a serious expression, "Young Master Jiang Xuan, your performance just now was far beyond my expectations. But our battle isn’t over. I won’t keep losing forever!"

As she spoke, she placed thirteen Middle Grade Spirit Stones into Jiang Xuan’s hand.

Her straightforwardness actually made Jiang Xuan feel a little embarrassed.

It was mainly because he had earned so much from her. All in all, it was two thousand Spirit Stones—a sum that many Spirit Core Late Stage Cultivators might not even possess.

Su Xingying, on the other hand, didn’t seem to mind at all.

"Don’t feel bad. This is what we agreed upon beforehand, and it’s the reward you’ve earned. Besides, you can think of it as my investment in you." At this, she gave a radiant smile. "We can be considered friends now, right? If I ask for your help in the future, will you agree?"

Since she put it that way, Jiang Xuan no longer stood on ceremony.

Besides, Jiang Xuan recalled that in this world, the gap between people was enormous. Two thousand Spirit Stones seemed like a lot to him, but it was likely just the cost of a single meal for someone like Su Xingying.

With that thought, the Spirit Stones in his hand no longer felt so heavy.

As for Su Xingying’s playful words, Jiang Xuan gave his response. "I will... As long as you provide enough Spirit Stones, I’ll do everything in my power to solve all your troubles."

"..." Hearing this, Su Xingying helplessly brought a hand to her forehead. "I thought you’d changed. It seems your habit of getting starry-eyed at the sight of Spirit Stones hasn’t changed one bit. And that last sentence of yours completely ruined the mood!"

After taking the Spirit Stones, the two chatted for a little while longer before Jiang Xuan stood up to leave.

This time, however, Su Xingying’s attitude toward Jiang Xuan was different. She personally saw him onto the Flying Ship and watched his figure disappear into the distance.

This scene only deepened the anxiety in Yu Dai’s heart, but this time, she was worried about something else entirely.

...

Jiang Xuan was, of course, completely unaware of Yu Dai’s thoughts and worries. After taking the Flying Ship back to the Four Seasons Valley, he first spent a period of time resting and recuperating.

Once his spirit had fully recovered and Xia He had returned to the valley, Jiang Xuan immediately sought her out to ask about the Secret Techniques of the Valley of Spring and the Valley of Autumn.

"The Recovery Secret Technique, and the Valley of Autumn’s Fruition Secret Technique... we have both in the valley. The Valley of Autumn’s Main Cultivation Method, the *Three Elements Dao Fruit*, is about condensing the three treasures—Essence, Qi, and Spirit—each into a Dao Fruit. Besides being the key to overcoming the Death Tribulation, these Dao Fruits also serve as a reserve energy source for the Four Seasons Valley’s Cultivators."

"As for recovery... The Valley of Spring and the Valley of Summer have both collaborated with the Valley of Autumn in the past. The Three Elements Dao Fruit can be infused with the Spirit Charm of various Techniques, granting it special, miraculous effects."

"For example, the Spring Returning Dao Fruit can transform pure Essence Qi into a Vitality Spirit Charm, healing injuries in an instant. The Flame Sun Dao Fruit, on the other hand..."

Listening to Xia He’s detailed explanation, Jiang Xuan realized that the path he had conceived through his own Spirituality had already been explored by the predecessors of the Four Seasons Valley.

There were even existing Cultivation Techniques available for direct Cultivation.

The only problem was that these were all core secrets of the valley. He would have to wait until after the hundred-day assessment and formally be accepted into a Dharma Vein before he could begin practicing them.

Jiang Xuan had no choice but to set the matter aside for now.

’Oh well, the Frost Heaven Divine Sword is enough for me right now. I should just focus on practicing the Qi Cultivation Technique first.’

Having made up his mind, Jiang Xuan spent that day completely immersed in the Mountain of Books and Sea of Literature, diligently studying various insights and notes on Qi Cultivation.

After a night of quiet cultivation, Jiang Xuan went to the Chen Daoist School again the next day.

He had come this time intending to discuss a deal with Dong Hao: to trade the thirteen Middle Grade Spirit Stones in his possession for Dao Scriptures and Daoist Collections to further stock his personal Scripture Pavilion and enhance his Spirituality.

What made Jiang Xuan raise an eyebrow, though not entirely unexpectedly, was that Dong Hao was also looking for him.

"Brother Jiang, I finally found you! Come quick, I just got some news."

In order to win the second round of the assessment and maintain his early advantage, Dong Hao had not been idle these past few days.

While cultivating diligently, he had also sent Nan Zhi and others to run around the various peaks, gathering intelligence on the prodigies from the three Daoist Schools.

Now, he was relaying all the information he had collected to Jiang Xuan.

This was all within Jiang Xuan’s expectations. With his recent great increase in strength, passing the assessment was almost a certainty. All he cared about now was his final ranking.

But Dong Hao lacked such confidence, so he had to be extra diligent in his preparations.

He first began talking about several prodigies of the same level: Su Linyin, Zeng Jun, and the top disciples from the other two Daoist Schools.

Although Jiang Xuan listened attentively, he didn’t pay too much mind to these figures.

It wasn’t until Dong Hao mentioned the top figures from the other two Daoist Schools that he focused his full attention.

"During the second round of the assessment, you must be careful of Qiao Yue and Tang Yinzheng from the Rooster Daoist School. Their status in the Rooster Daoist School is equivalent to Qin Feng and Xie Hanyan in our school. Although these people are vying for the top spots and aren’t our primary opponents, approaching them recklessly could very well get you attacked."

"And then there’s the Yin Daoist School. They only have one prodigy truly worth noting—Chen Qianjun."

At this point, Dong Hao’s expression didn’t relax; instead, it grew even more solemn.

And his next words caused a sharp glint to flash in Jiang Xuan’s eyes.

"If nothing unexpected happens, he’ll be the strongest in this joint examination of the three schools. In fact, this joint examination was orchestrated and promoted entirely by the Chen Family."

"I also heard that the Chen Family is extremely confident in his strength. To attract the participation of our Daoist School’s Qin Feng and Xie Hanyan, as well as Qiao Yue and Tang Yinzheng from the other school, they’ve specifically placed great treasures among the top ten rewards. The prize for first place is even a Treasure Level Treasure!"

While Dong Hao was lost in his own thoughts, Jiang Xuan’s heart trembled violently upon hearing of something so valuable. He unconsciously clenched his fists.

’A Treasure Level treasure?! I remember Su Xingying saying that the endlessly wondrous Star Stone, which costs one hundred and eighty thousand Spirit Stones to buy, was only a treasure of this Grade... To think there’s something so precious in this joint examination!’

At this moment, Jiang Xuan was truly stunned. At the same time, his heart began to pound relentlessly.

Although he felt that the treasure offered by the Chen Family might not be as powerful as Su Xingying’s Star Stone, it was still a treasure of the same grade.

And this solidified Jiang Xuan’s resolve.

’I have to fight for it. I must have it. A treasure like this could save me months, or even years, of effort.’