novelraw Chapter 300 : Dual Cultivation with the Female State Preceptor
Chapter 300 : Dual Cultivation with the Female State Preceptor
Chapter 300: Dual Cultivation with the Female State Preceptor
By the blood-colored Imperial Pool, a woman sat cross-legged.
Her skin was extremely pale—so pale that it seemed to emit a faint glow, a cold, luminous white.
This highly esteemed State Preceptor of Moon Country possessed a slender neck.
Her posture was exceptionally refined, making the curve where her neck met her jawline particularly graceful.
However, in terms of facial features, the Female State Preceptor was not the kind to stun at first glance.
Her appearance matched her position well—it leaned toward a “Mother Earth” type of beauty, the sort often described as a “face of peace and prosperity.”
The more one looked at her, the more pleasing and comforting she became.
At this moment, she had already undressed to the point where only a dudou remained on her upper body.
Yet for some reason, she still exuded an air of dignity.
Only her jade-like feet, long exposed to the air, carried a faintly alluring charm.
This State Preceptor of Moon Country was named Lin Qingci.
She was one of the very few cultivators in the Imperial Capital whose body contained Origin Power.
In the previous round, the third layer of the 【Origin Spirit Realm】 had been resolved by her personally.
Now, her cultivation had reached the Eighth Realm, Third Heaven.
However, due to the special nature of Origin Power, ordinary Eighth Realm cultivators were simply no match for her.
And before Qin Xuanxiao had risen abruptly to prominence, she had been the only person in Moon Country—aside from His Majesty the Emperor—to possess Emperor-level Divine Sense.
At this moment, Lin Qingci had her eyes closed, yet a voice echoed within her mind, as if someone were transmitting their words across space.
“Why do this?” the voice asked.
“Sooner or later, it would all have to come off anyway, wouldn’t it?” she replied calmly.
After speaking, she opened her eyes, glanced at the neatly folded robes beside her, and said, “Besides, you know this already—I never liked these clothes.”
What she referred to was not merely the robe symbolizing her status as State Preceptor.
“I know you prefer freedom, but it won’t be much longer,” the voice sounded again in her mind.
This person referred to himself as “I,” in the imperial sense.
“Ancestor Emperor, Qingci does not prefer freedom. Qingci is simply tired of it,” she said softly, her gaze lowered, her expression as still as an ancient well without ripples.
—Tired of this controlled life.
That strand of Emperor-level Divine Sense fell silent for a brief moment before finally saying, “I have always kept my word. I will not go back on it. Complete this final matter, and whether you stay or leave will be entirely up to you.”
Looking at the blood-colored Imperial Pool before her, Lin Qingci murmured, “Since the Ancestor Emperor claims to keep his word, why then did you abandon Qin Xuanxiao as a vessel and choose Chu Huaixu instead?”
The Emperor-level Divine Sense replied, “I once thought that child Xuanxiao was the most perfect vessel in the world. I did not expect that there would be one even more perfect.”
His tone shifted, revealing undisguised desire and greed.
Lin Qingci was not surprised.
In her view, even if this man had once been a great hero centuries ago, after wandering as a “lonely ghost” for so many years, his temperament had likely changed.
She continued, “That is true. At such a young age, Chu Huaixu has already condensed a Sword Heart, successfully cultivated the 《Dao Canon》, and possesses Origin Power.”
“With such a foundation, there is likely no one else in the world like him.”
“And moreover, he happens to be from Moon Country, able to bear the Fate of the Nation that you carry—only, he is not of the Qin bloodline.”
Upon hearing this, the Emperor-level Divine Sense let out a cold snort.
“Qin bloodline?”
“The reason those descendants enjoy supreme glory and take pride in their bloodline is merely because they share the same blood as me.”
“This is my gift to them.”
“But that child Qin Tianyang dares to use this as a reason to persuade me not to abandon Xuanxiao as a vessel—utterly ridiculous.” He directly spoke the name of the current Emperor of Moon Country.
Clearly, that day in the pavilion of the Imperial Garden, the old emperor had been conversing with this ancestor.
Lin Qingci said, “Indeed. Moon Country has always been your Moon Country, Ancestor Emperor.”
It should be known that every generation of Moon Country’s Emperor carried a strand of his Divine Sense!
Life and death were, in truth, entirely at the whim of this ancestor.
At this moment, the Emperor-level Divine Sense continued, “Moreover, within Chu Huaixu, there seems to be a power even I cannot perceive.”
“Back during the Eastern and Western Continents’ Grand Competition, he was actually able to strike me back directly!”
“People say he is second only to the Dao Ancestor. Perhaps after possession, I may truly reach a realm I have never touched before—the realm beyond the Ninth Realm!” His tone rose, tinged with excitement.
Listening to this, Lin Qingci’s gaze grew increasingly indifferent.
Perhaps during these centuries as a “ghost,” he had gained a trace of madness and lost some of his former restraint and composure.
Every citizen of Moon Country grew up hearing the glorious deeds of the Founding Emperor, holding him in the highest reverence.
But that reverence had long since shattered within Lin Qingci’s heart.
Perhaps distance truly creates beauty.
When one gets too close to certain people, the illusions once held about them inevitably break.
As for the realm beyond the Ninth Realm that he spoke of, Lin Qingci seemed entirely uninterested.
To her, because of this Ancestor Emperor’s existence, even reaching the Ninth Realm might remain a distant dream.
As if sensing her thoughts, the Emperor-level Divine Sense spoke again, “I know what you are thinking. When the time comes, although your Origin Power will be absorbed by me, you have already refined it. The path to the Ninth Realm within you will remain unobstructed.”
“It is only that you will become the only Ninth Realm cultivator in the world without Origin Power.”
Hearing this, the Female State Preceptor’s expression remained calm. Her tone carried no mockery as she simply said, “Then I must thank His Majesty.”
The Emperor-level Divine Sense fell silent again, but did not become angry.
After a while, he sighed and said, “Having you cultivate the 《Bridal Garment》 has indeed wronged you.”
Bridal Garment, Bridal Garment—one’s entire cultivation becoming a wedding garment for another.
“It does not matter. Everything is for the Approaching Heaven-and-Earth Calamity,” Lin Qingci said, her tone still devoid of emotion, yet directly blocking his next line.
Ordinarily, he would sigh and use the calamity as justification.
The Ancestor Emperor changed the subject and asked, “Could it be… you also do not wish for me to possess Chu Huaixu? Do you think Xuanxiao is more suitable as a vessel?”
Wearing only a dudou on her upper body, Lin Qingci looked toward the Imperial Pool and said, “From my perspective alone, after your possession, dual cultivation with Chu Huaixu’s body is more acceptable to me.”
“After all, he is more handsome than Xuanxiao. And since I watched Xuanxiao grow up, engaging in dual cultivation with his body would make me somewhat uncomfortable.”
This Female State Preceptor seemed particularly adept at speaking mildly while delivering subtly sarcastic remarks.
As everyone knew, Qin Xuanxiao bore a striking resemblance to the Ancestor Emperor.
Saying Chu Huaixu was more handsome naturally carried deeper implications.
Even her decision to arrive early at the Imperial Pool and remove her outer robe was, in fact, a subtle jab at him.
The Emperor-level Divine Sense seemed long accustomed to this.
He let out another sigh.
“If not for the Approaching Heaven-and-Earth Calamity, I would not wish to do this, nor should I.”
Lin Qingci replied, “Ancestor Emperor need not say more. Qingci understands. You elevated me step by step to the position of State Preceptor. As one honored by the people of Moon Country, this is what I ought to do. How could I not understand?”
As she spoke, she glanced at the State Preceptor robe she had already removed.
The Ancestor Emperor said, “But I must still remind you—the 《Bridal Garment》 is special. During dual cultivation, both body and mind must be fully invested. I know that in your heart, you see this as a form of release, but your body…”
This technique was extremely sinister. It was not enough for the body to merely comply without resistance.
There had to be genuine immersion, even physical pleasure.
“Your Majesty need not worry. Qingci has brought an aphrodisiac.”
“When the time comes, at the moment you carry out the possession, I will take it and wait for the effects to manifest.”
“This will ensure that immediately after your successful possession, we can begin dual cultivation at once, using the moment of fusion to maximize the effect of the 《Bridal Garment》.”
The Emperor-level Divine Sense said nothing more.
He seemed quite satisfied with this arrangement.
Only the Female State Preceptor gazed quietly at the blood pool ahead.
Her expression held neither joy nor sorrow.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
During these three days, Chu Huaixu had been acting as a sparring partner for Big Ice Block and Little Xu.
He also hoped the two of them would achieve good rankings.
The reason was simple—the rewards of the Eastern and Western Continents’ Grand Competition were extremely generous.
Moreover, the rewards for the Third Realm competition were far greater than those of the First Realm.
Overall, the Moon Country royal family was quite lavish in its spending.
During this time, Lin Zixuan came once for no apparent reason, foolishly suggesting that Chu Huaixu plant another Spirit Seed, only to be directly refused by Dead Fox.
What did she take him for, an idiot?
When the petite girl returned to report to her master, the old blind man said, “There is no longer any need. Otherwise, I would not have let you go on your own like a fool.”
Today, after dawn, all participants would head to the Martial Arena of the Academy to draw lots.
The preliminary round would begin that afternoon.
According to the original plan, Chu Huaixu—who had directly advanced to the top sixteen—intended to take this opportunity to visit the Imperial Pool.
“The later rounds might be worth watching.”
“As for the earlier rounds, they’re not even worth it—just like children playing around.”
Within the courtyard, all Dao Gate disciples began assembling.
After half an incense stick of time, Nangong Yue and the others would lead them to the Martial Arena.
These major cultivators would have reserved seats in the stands to observe the matches.
The overall process was quite similar to when the Dao Gate hosted the Eastern Continent Grand Competition.
What surprised Chu Huaixu, however, was that Jiang Zhi said to him, “I will accompany you to the Imperial Pool later. I will guard outside for you.”
Clearly, in the eyes of this old man, the early rounds of the competition were not worth watching.
By comparison, the safety of his grand-disciple was far more important.
He had clearly taken some of Cheng Yuyan’s earlier words to heart.
This trip to Moon Country was murky.
Jiang Zhi himself had come as Chu Huaixu’s bodyguard, and was also responsible for guarding the Bronze Sword.
Thus, the Sword Case containing the Bronze Sword was currently on his back.
Xu Ziqing’s personal strength was also considerable, and he would not need the sword in the early rounds.
If he was unlucky and drew a difficult opponent early on, Nangong Yue would come to the Imperial Pool to retrieve the Sword Case.
Thus, they split into two groups.
Chu Huaixu and Jiang Zhi soon arrived outside that stone structure.
This master even used a secret technique to leave a mark of his Divine Sense on his grand-disciple.
In this way, if his life were in danger, he would be able to sense it immediately.
Looking at the structure before him, Chu Huaixu could not help but sigh inwardly:
“Tsk! It really does look like a massive coffin.”
After verifying his identity, he put on the blood-colored crystal necklace, and the Moon Country cultivators stationed there allowed him to pass.
Without this necklace, the restrictions inside would blast intruders into dust.
As the stone door opened, Chu Huaixu walked inside.
What he did not know was that in the deepest part of this place, a woman in meditation slowly opened her eyes the moment he stepped in.