Imperial Cultivation

Chapter 1328 - 1324: Cancellation

Ning Dongge saw him staring at the gigantic Jade Wall and laughed, "Do you recognize this object?"

Chu Zhiyuan said, "Senior Brother, the mental method inscribed here seems complete, isn’t it worth investigating?"

"We think so too, but unfortunately," Ning Dongge said, "there are no clues, nowhere to search."

"No clues at all?" Chu Zhiyuan asked, "Is there only this one mental method?"

"None at all." Ning Dongge shook his head, "There’s no similar writing in the tower, nor the same aura."

Chu Zhiyuan said, "After our ancestors became Spirit Venerables, their lifespans extended greatly. With such a long time, they must have found ways to pass the time. Didn’t they study these things?"

He pointed to the shelves.

"Even with a long lifespan, it’s not enough," said Ning Dongge. "There’s still cultivation to be continued."

"Isn’t Spirit Venerable the ultimate limit?"

"Not to mention that even Spirit Venerable has Nine Transitions, with varying lifespans, and there’s an ultimate goal beyond that."

"Immortality?"

"Exactly," Ning Dongge nodded. "All Spirit Venerables pursue this. When reaching the Spirit Venerable Realm, each seclusion can start at ten years, typically lasting around a hundred years, some as long as a thousand years. Even the longest lifespan is not enough."

"Immortality..." Chu Zhiyuan’s eyes were bright with anticipation.

Who wouldn’t want immortality?

It’s just that it’s unattainable, so one can only give it up. But if there’s even a sliver of a chance, it won’t be ignored.

Ning Dongge chuckled, "Junior Brother, don’t worry about that now. Achieve Spirit Venerable status first, then we’ll talk. As for this Jade Wall, just take a look, don’t put too much thought into it. Entering the realm of Spirit Venerable early will be infinitely beneficial for the future."

"Yes." Chu Zhiyuan nodded.

If there were no clues from Chu Liezhao’s side, indeed, there would be no starting point.

But things are different now.

Currently, he has only seen two Karma Stone Walls, one here and another at the True Martial Institute.

Is there a connection between the two?

Can this be used to progress further?

"Let’s go." Ning Dongge said no more and turned to leave.

Chu Zhiyuan cupped his fists and stayed behind to start sorting through things, closing his eyes to catch a feeling in the void.

Eventually, his gaze fell on the gigantic Jade Wall.

...

Outer Heaven

Chu Liezhao opened his eyes on the bed.

He looked down at Li Miaotan in his arms.

Li Miaotan nestled close to him, her face hidden from view.

Her neck and fragrant shoulders were like mutton fat jade beneath her glossy black hair, glowing softly.

The fragrance was calming, and her skin was warm and delicate to the touch.

He gently withdrew his arm, slowly pulling it out from the brocade quilt, and rose from the bed.

"Husband..." Li Miaotan awoke slowly, like Haitang Chunshui.

Her drowsy, bright eyes were misty: "What is it?"

Chu Liezhao said, "My lady, I want to go back for a while."

"Hmm, when will you be back?" Li Miaotan asked lazily.

"I’ll try to be back by the evening," Chu Liezhao said.

Li Miaotan gradually became alert, her eyes clearing up: "It’s time to go back and take a look. Should I accompany you?"

Chu Liezhao shook his head.

"It seems a bit rude to never go back and check," she said.

"Has someone been spouting nonsense at the Court?"

"I don’t bother with the Court’s talk. It was Mother Empress who said I should go back to see Father-in-law."

Chu Liezhao snorted, "It’s really a trivial matter. Seeing him or not is the same to me."

Li Miaotan said, "At least you should keep up appearances. Otherwise, it could harm your reputation."

Chu Liezhao smiled, "My reputation over there can’t get any worse."

"...Alright then." Li Miaotan nodded softly, "I’ll listen to you, husband."

The father and son’s grudge is deep, and at this point, it seems difficult to resolve.

Chu Liezhao said, "You should keep sleeping, my lady. I’m heading off."

"So early?"

"I’m going to Great Bright Peak first."

"Alright, don’t start a quarrel with Father-in-law again."

"Heh, I don’t want to argue. It’s just that he can’t stand me, and I can’t force myself to endure it."

"Yes, yes, don’t stoop to his level."

"Haha..." Chu Liezhao laughed, "You’re treating me like a child, my lady. I’m off then."

He walked outside, and Li Yuchun entered lightly to help him dress.

With the long robe worn, he looked exceptional in the blue robe, waved his hand to open a Light Gate, and stepped into it, disappearing from view.

...

Heaven-Reaching Sect

On the second floor of the Ten Thousand Knowledge Tower, before a bookshelf, was placed an Arhat Bed, where Chu Zhiyuan sat cross-legged, holding an ancient book, with a purple cover and pale yellow pages.

He set the book down, appearing lost in thought.

Chu Liezhao had returned to Great Bright Peak and visited Chu Honglin to inquire about the Karma Stone.

But he didn’t find out much, only that the Karma Stone was obtained by an ancestor, engraved with the Light Ode, and could aid cultivation.

As for where it was obtained, there was no record, and it was unclear.

This lead was thus cut short.

Thinking of this, Chu Zhiyuan got off the Arhat Bed and approached the Karma Stone Wall again.

The text on it was peculiar, without a single repetition or any discernible pattern.

Even with the fusion of the Miao Ling Pearl and his extraordinary comprehension, he couldn’t understand the text from nothing.

At that time, Chu Liezhao wrote several characters and handed them to Chu Honglin, wanting him to investigate what they were.

Chu Honglin could leverage the power of the Jade Dynasty, and the power of the entire Court is incomparable to that of an individual.

Although the Heaven-Reaching Sect is formidable, it is still a sparsely populated Martial Arts Sect. In terms of cultivation, it is extremely powerful, with many Spirit Venerables.

But this doesn’t mean that the Heaven-Reaching Sect is almighty; quite the contrary, it has inherent limitations and weaknesses in many matters.

For example, in intelligence gathering, it falls far short of a Court’s capabilities.

After returning to the Prince Consort Mansion, Chu Liezhao wrote several characters again and asked Li Miaotan to help find someone to investigate.

...

Three mornings later, Chu Zhiyuan appeared in the small courtyard of Xiao Ruoling of the Profound Yin Palace.

At that time, there were four people in Xiao Ruoling’s courtyard, besides Xiao Ruoling and Shen Hanyue, there were two young girls.

They were sitting by the stone table, admiring the flowers, drinking tea, and eating snacks, occasionally letting out delicate laughter.

Their laughter was crisp and drifted through the small courtyard.

When they suddenly saw Chu Zhiyuan appear, the laughter abruptly stopped as they looked at him in surprise.

Chu Zhiyuan nodded gently, looking toward Xiao Ruoling.

Shen Hanyue smiled, "Princely Heir, come, let me introduce you. These two Junior Sisters entered the palace with us at the same time. This is Junior Sister Huang Jiaoyun and this is Junior Sister Jiang Luan."

She pointed to a young girl with an oval face and pale yellow robe, and another with a round face dressed in a dark green robe.

Chu Zhiyuan smiled and nodded.

Shen Hanyue giggled, "This is the sister’s husband. You already know."

The two girls examined Chu Zhiyuan with smiling eyes, cupping their fists and laughing, "Greetings, Mr. Chu."

Chu Zhiyuan smiled and cupped his fists, "Pleasure to meet you."

He was a little surprised.

He originally thought that with Xiao Ruoling and Shen Hanyue announcing their seclusion, no outsiders would be in the courtyard.

Xiao Ruoling said, "Junior Sister Huang, Junior Sister Jiang, let’s talk another day."

"Senior Sister Xiao, isn’t that too much?" The round-faced Jiang Luan laughed, "As soon as your husband comes, you make us leave. Do you find us an eyesore?"

"He came because there’s something important," Xiao Ruoling said, "It’s business."

"So us coming here doesn’t count as business?!" Jiang Luan protested.

Chu Zhiyuan smiled silently.

The other girl softly said, "Alright, Junior Sister Huang, let’s go for now."

Shen Hanyue smiled, "Junior Sister Huang is so understanding."

Jiang Luan said, "Alright, let’s go. Everyone is now saying that it’s because of Senior Sister Xiao and Senior Sister Shen that our trial was canceled. It seems it’s also related to Mr. Chu."

Chu Zhiyuan raised an eyebrow.