Chapter 50: CH-50: Transperancy not so much!

"Changsheng!" Mulan waved when she noticed him approaching. "Come here! I have something to tell you!"

Gu Changsheng walked over and sat beside her.

"What is it? Did Dodo Duckling finally admit that she’s a swan instead of a duck?"

"No!" Mulan replied indignantly, hugging the little bird. "She’s still Dodo Duckling!"

Gu Changsheng decided that this was not a battle worth fighting.

"Fine. What did you want to tell me?"

Mulan smiled proudly and announced, "I’ve reached the eighth stage of Qi Refinement!"

Gu Changsheng froze.

For several seconds, he simply stared at her.

Then he looked at Dodo Duckling, as though the bird might somehow provide an explanation for what he had just heard.

Finally, he turned back to Mulan.

"The eighth stage?"

"Yes!"

"You mean the eighth stage of Qi Refinement?"

"How many eighth stages do you think there are?"

Gu Changsheng fell silent.

He had spent the past two months cultivating diligently, consuming resources, and steadily improving his foundation. He had finally reached the seventh stage, which he considered a respectable achievement given the circumstances.

Meanwhile, Dong Mulan had somehow reached the eighth stage.

She had done so while spending a considerable portion of her time eating snacks, playing with Dodo Duckling, and occasionally dragging him around to look at things she found interesting.

Gu Changsheng felt that the heavens were being a little unfair.

He wasn’t asking to become the strongest cultivator in the world overnight. He merely wanted to make some reasonable progress without having his wife casually surpass him while holding a rice cake.

Was that really too much to ask?

He looked at Mulan’s cheerful expression and sighed deeply.

"Panda, tell me honestly. Have you been secretly cultivating while I wasn’t looking?"

Mulan tilted her head.

"No. I just cultivated when I felt like it."

Gu Changsheng stared at her again.

Somehow, that answer made the situation even worse.

He had planned to use his system to find fortuitous encounters, improve his cultivation, and eventually catch up with Ye Che. Now, before he had even reached Foundation Establishment, he was already falling behind his own wife.

What was next? Would Dodo Duckling suddenly announce that she had reached the Nascent Soul Realm?

The little white bird chirped softly while continuing to eat her snack.

Gu Changsheng narrowed his eyes at her.

For some reason, he felt that the bird was laughing at him.

Perhaps it was simply his imagination.

After all, what could a tiny white swan possibly know about cultivation?

With a resigned sigh, Gu Changsheng reached for one of Mulan’s snacks and took a bite.

Very well. He would cultivate harder.

He would reach Foundation Establishment, unlock the fortuitous encounter function, and finally begin collecting opportunities like a proper protagonist.

And if Dong Mulan somehow reached the next major realm before him, he would simply have to reconsider his strategy.

Perhaps he could become a renowned chef instead.

At least, nobody would be able to surpass him at eating snacks if he trained hard enough.

A few days later, Gu Changsheng was summoned to Elder Ye’s residence.

Naturally, he had no idea what his master wanted. However, considering that Elder Ye had been generously supplying him with cultivation resources recently, Gu Changsheng was more than willing to make the trip. If the old man wanted to give him another batch of pills, he certainly wouldn’t be foolish enough to refuse.

One could say that their master-disciple relationship had been flourishing lately.

At least, from Gu Changsheng’s perspective.

When he arrived, he discovered that Ye Che, Su Mingyue, and Ning Rongrong had already gathered in the courtyard. Dong Mulan was also there, sitting beside Ning Rongrong while sharing some snacks with Dodo Duckling.

Gu Changsheng glanced at the group before walking over and taking a seat.

"Master, you summoned us?"

Elder Ye nodded, setting down his teacup before looking at the gathered disciples.

"Indeed. There is something important I need to discuss with all of you."

The moment he said this, Gu Changsheng instinctively became a little more attentive.

Important matters generally fell into two categories. The first involved trouble that could potentially get him killed, while the second involved opportunities that could potentially make him rich.

Given his recent luck, he was prepared for either possibility.

"An announcement has recently arrived from the imperial capital of the Qian Kingdom," Elder Ye began. "The imperial court intends to hold a grand competition for cultivators. There will be separate competitions for those in the Qi Refinement Realm, the Foundation Establishment Realm, and the Core Formation Realm."

Gu Changsheng blinked.

A cultivation competition?

Now that sounded interesting.

Such competitions were usually excellent opportunities for cultivators to demonstrate their abilities, earn recognition, and occasionally obtain valuable rewards. Depending on the event, there might even be rare pills, cultivation techniques, or other resources available to the winners.

More importantly, competitions often attracted talented cultivators from various regions.

And where there were talented cultivators, there was always a chance of encountering someone with an unusual destiny.

Gu Changsheng’s thoughts immediately began to wander.

Could this be an opportunity to finally make some progress? Perhaps someone will accidentally reveal the location of an ancient inheritance while bragging about their achievements.

He had to admit that his imagination had become rather active lately.

Unfortunately, Elder Ye’s next words quickly extinguished his enthusiasm.

"However, I do not intend for any of you to participate."

The courtyard fell silent.

Gu Changsheng looked at his master, momentarily wondering whether he had misheard.

Wait, what?

Wasn’t this supposed to be a competition? Why was Elder Ye introducing it like an invitation before immediately informing them that they weren’t allowed to attend?

That was practically the cultivation world’s version of showing someone a delicious meal before telling them they weren’t invited to eat.

Elder Ye ignored Gu Changsheng’s increasingly puzzled expression and continued speaking.

"The situation in the imperial capital is complicated at present. With the emperor’s sudden death, the imperial heirs are competing for support from the noble families. The competition may appear to be a simple gathering for cultivators, but we cannot rule out the possibility that it will become entangled in the succession struggle."

He paused before taking another sip of tea.

"Under ordinary circumstances, participating in such an event could be beneficial. However, I see little reason to expose yourselves to unnecessary risks when the political situation remains unstable."

His expression became slightly more serious.

"The Cloud Piercing Sect has no intention of becoming involved in the imperial succession. We have maintained a good relationship with the Qian Kingdom for generations, and I would prefer to keep it that way."

This time, Gu Changsheng understood his master’s reasoning.

The imperial competition might indeed be a good opportunity, but there was no guarantee that things would proceed peacefully. With five imperial heirs competing for the throne, even an ordinary gathering could turn into a political battlefield.

And if one of them decided to recruit talented cultivators by offering generous rewards, the participants might find themselves caught in a struggle they had never intended to join.

Gu Changsheng had already experienced enough trouble recently.

He had no desire to participate in another event only to discover that someone had arranged a surprise assassination halfway through the festivities.

Honestly, he would rather spend the entire competition sitting at home eating snacks.

It was safer, cheaper, and considerably more enjoyable.

Elder Ye looked around the courtyard, apparently expecting some objections. To his surprise, nobody seemed particularly eager to argue.

Ye Che was the first to speak.

"Master, I agree. Although the competition could help me test my strength against other cultivators, the risks may outweigh the benefits under the current circumstances."

Su Mingyue nodded in agreement.

"I feel the same way. There will be other opportunities to compete in the future. We don’t need to rush into the imperial capital while the situation is so uncertain."

Ning Rongrong, who had been quietly enjoying the conversation from the sidelines, immediately raised her hand.

"I agree too! I think it’s a wonderful idea to stay here and cultivate peacefully."

She paused for a moment before adding, "Besides, competitions are exhausting. Everyone keeps shouting, fighting, and making a big fuss. I would much rather spend my time doing something relaxing."

Gu Changsheng gave her an approving look.

Finally, someone who understood the true meaning of cultivation.

Why spend all day fighting when there were perfectly good snacks waiting at home?

Dong Mulan nodded enthusiastically as well, although she seemed more interested in the rice cake in her hand than the political situation.

"Then we won’t go?"

"That’s right," Gu Changsheng answered.

Mulan smiled happily before offering a piece of rice cake to Dodo Duckling.

"That’s good! We can stay here and eat together."

Gu Changsheng felt that his wife had just summarized the entire matter rather beautifully.

The imperial capital could keep its competition, its political intrigues, and its ambitious imperial heirs. He would happily remain in the Cloud Piercing Sect, where the greatest threat to his peaceful life was Dong Mulan stealing the last piece of his food.