Chapter 160: Chapter 156: National Fortune? Human Dao Fortune?
After their spar, the two returned to their room.
Fang Hua was still savoring the memory of that sword strike.
Du Youqian, however, had already calmed his mind to carefully perceive something.
A power completely different from Spiritual Qi was continuously emerging from the void like a trickling stream, flowing into Du Youqian’s body.
This power had appeared suddenly a few days ago.
Du Youqian had been startled at the time, thinking someone was secretly casting a curse on him or trying to harm him in some way he didn’t understand.
But after calming down, he realized this power was not harmful to him.
For now, he hadn’t discovered any benefits either.
To be precise, he was currently completely unable to influence this power.
After these trickles flowed into his body, they simply settled there, neither reacting with his body in any way nor being available for him to command.
If he didn’t focus on perceiving it, he couldn’t even feel its existence.
’What exactly is this power?’
Du Youqian had Gu Xiaofang investigate if there had been any unusual movements among the various sects in the Wu Kingdom on that day.
But Gu Xiaofang reported that everything was normal.
He later discovered that the day the power appeared was the very day the new emperor of the Wu Kingdom, Du Yuxi, finally promulgated a series of reforms after years of preparation.
The proclamation also specifically pointed out that most of these reforms had been implemented by the late Emperor You De, while some were ones he had wanted to implement but couldn’t due to the unfavorable circumstances of the time.
In short, it was all to burnish the late Emperor You De’s reputation.
Even though two hundred years had passed.
But the good name of "Duke You De" was still circulating among the common people of the Wu Kingdom.
Most of the lower-class commoners, busy struggling for a living, no longer remembered this name, but the scholars would not forget it.
Because whether one was studying history, literature, military history, military affairs, or architecture... this was a name that could not be avoided.
Especially now that "Duke You De" had become "Emperor You De."
In recent years, studying this "late Emperor You De" had become a fashionable trend among civilian scholars.
And driven by these scholars and their spontaneous promotion, more and more ordinary people learned about the contributions the late Emperor You De had made to the Wu Kingdom, and that he was a great man who cared for the common people and the poor.
Du Youqian couldn’t be sure if this newly appeared power was related to "You De" becoming a hot topic again.
He had some guesses, such as "Power of Incense," "Human Dao Fortune," or "Power of National Destiny."
But he had no way to verify them.
’Perhaps I should find an opportunity to inquire with the Immortal Sects behind the Mortal Realms, like the Shengxuan Sect and the Zhongxuan Sect...’
Because Du Youqian remembered having a conversation with Elder Tao many, many years ago.
Elder Tao had mentioned that Fourth-class Sects like the Shengxuan Sect needed to use the fortune of a nation’s destiny to maintain their own sect’s fortune.
However, in his subsequent cultivation, Du Youqian had rarely heard others mention national destiny or sect fortune, so he had subconsciously ignored these things.
But now that he had suddenly discovered this new power, he couldn’t help but have some ideas.
’Is this power really related to national destiny?’
’Can I use it for myself?’
’Are there benefits? Are there hidden dangers?’
’No need to rush. I’ll investigate it slowly.’
~~~~~~~~~~
Night fell.
Du Youqian finished his meditation and breathing exercises. He planned to rest for a moment before continuing to work on modifying the Secret Technique for Burning Essence Blood.
Unexpectedly, a pair of soft arms wrapped around him from behind.
A soft, scalding body, exuding a fragrance like orchids and musk, pressed close. Fang Hua’s voice sounded by his ear, "Thank you."
Du Youqian frowned. "What are you doing?"
Although Fang Hua’s movements were clumsy and her voice held no hint of seduction, the impact on him was even greater than Shuyue Hua’s had been.
He had to exert immense self-control to keep his mind from wandering.
"I know you rejected Master before."
Du Youqian fell silent.
Even though there had been a sound-proofing formation, Fang Hua was merely naive, not an idiot.
It was normal for her to have suspicions after seeing the state Shuyue Hua was in when she left.
"You don’t like Master, so what about me?"
Du Youqian suppressed the impulse in his heart and said with a smile, "Why are you asking that?"
"Thank you for being willing to help the Hundred Flowers Sect." Fang Hua’s usually crisp voice was now hesitant and even a little hoarse from shyness. "I... I’ll give myself to you."
Du Youqian tried to turn around, but Fang Hua held him tight, not letting him look back.
Her trembling body betrayed her nervousness.
Du Youqian couldn’t help but chuckle. He patted her hand. "Why would you think I’d want you?"
Fang Hua’s body suddenly went rigid.
"You... don’t want me?" Her voice was filled with both confusion and immense disappointment.
It wasn’t that Du Youqian had no favorable impression of Fang Hua.
Rather, he felt that if he took her at this moment, it would surely ruin her.
Right now, she should be advancing bravely and diligently, like a Divine Sword that would sooner break than bend.
She shouldn’t be wasting time and energy on such romantic entanglements.
But rejection was also an art form.
He had to reject her cleanly without hurting her pride, affecting her state of mind, or her future cultivation.
After some thought, Du Youqian said in a calm tone, "Right now, you’re just a cultivator who’s reasonably pretty and has a bit of talent. You’re pretty, but not so beautiful as to move heaven and earth; you have talent, but it hasn’t been fully realized yet. With you being like this, what makes you qualified for me to covet you?"
At this, he gently pried Fang Hua’s small hands off him and turned around.
Fang Hua hung her head, her eyes filled with dejection and the pain of her shattered pride.
Du Youqian lifted Fang Hua’s delicate chin with one hand, forcing her to meet his gaze. "Do you want me to value you more, to desire you, to be unable to refuse you? Then go cultivate. If you can become a Female Sword Immortal at the Core Formation Realm, both awe-inspiring and alluringly graceful, I definitely wouldn’t be able to refuse your charm."
Du Youqian felt his own words were actually quite cringey.
’Even a girl in her early twenties on Earth would scoff, "Uncle, stop trying to PUA me. I’m not falling for that."’
However, based on his understanding of Fang Hua, this naive girl might just buy it.
Sure enough, Fang Hua’s long eyelashes fluttered, and her bright, large eyes once again shone with sharpness and confidence.
"I will definitely reach Core Formation."
After a pause, she added, "Before you do."
Du Youqian smiled. "I’ll be waiting."
Fang Hua pouted. "When that time comes, I won’t be like I am now. If you want me, you’ll have to beg."
Du Youqian nodded emphatically. "Alright, when the time comes, I’ll definitely hug your fair thighs and beg you properly."
Fang Hua’s face turned red. "Pah! You’re shameless."
Soon, her expression turned serious. "Help me."
"Help you with what?"
"Help me improve my Sword Intent faster. I need to spend more time on raising my cultivation."
Du Youqian naturally wouldn’t refuse.
"Alright. Cultivation is the foundation of everything. Your choice is the right one."
~~~~~~~~~
The next day, Du Youqian went to the Hundred Flowers Sect to choose his share of the rewards.
Shuyue Hua, accompanied by several beautiful female disciples, escorted him the entire time, introducing him to the various Cultivation Techniques, Inheritances, and treasures.
The foundation of a sect with an eight-thousand-year inheritance, even if it was only a Third-class Sect and hadn’t been as illustrious as the Zhongxuan Sect in its history, was not to be underestimated.
When Shuyue Hua truly opened up the Sect’s treasury for Du Youqian to choose from, he even felt a bit dazzled.
In the end, after careful selection, he chose a Pupil Technique and a Dual Cultivation Secret Technique.
a few precious ores, and two thousand-year-old Spirit Grasses that could be used as the main ingredients for Tier Three Elixirs.
Finally, they even gave Du Youqian one of the Top Grade Spiritual Artifacts left behind by Master Xin.
In total, the value was around three thousand Spiritual Jades.
They had really spared no expense.
Of course, the value of the Pupil Technique and the Secret Technique was nominal. Although they were claimed to be worth 1,200 Spiritual Jades, they were only giving Du Youqian a copy, so they weren’t losing anything tangible.
The tangible items the Hundred Flowers Sect truly gave up were worth 1,800 Spiritual Jades: the Top Grade Spiritual Artifact, the precious ores, and the two thousand-year-old Spirit Grasses.
Du Youqian planned to give the ores to Feng Xiaoyi as a tribute later. He had to hold on tight to that powerful backer.
He planned to preserve the two Spirit Grasses carefully and use them when he was ready to attempt to master the Tier Three Alchemy Technique.
He also planned to use the Top Grade Spiritual Artifact himself.
The Pupil Technique was called the "Purple Brightness Eye-Cleansing Technique," and it had the function of Eliminating Illusions.
Once he mastered this Pupil Technique, Du Youqian would no longer need to carry a Spiritual Artifact for Eliminating Illusions.
This would free up an "equipment slot" to carry other Spiritual Artifacts.
Of course, this wasn’t a game. The so-called "equipment slot" was just a figure of speech.
But if a cultivator carried too many Magical Artifacts and Spiritual Artifacts, they could conflict with each other, and it would be difficult for their Divine Sense and Magical Power to control so many artifacts at once. Therefore, one could think of it as having limited "equipment slots".
In Du Youqian’s opinion, based on its description, the final effect of the "Purple Brightness Eye-Cleansing Technique" was actually somewhat disappointing and didn’t fully meet his standards.
Although in the eyes of an ordinary cultivator, this was already a very precious Pupil Technique.
But a true prodigy would never use such a second-rate item.
However, this Pupil Technique was not without its merits.
Its advantages were that it was simple to cultivate, didn’t require many rare materials, and wouldn’t conflict with other Pupil Techniques. He could use it for the time being.
The Dual Cultivation Secret Technique was called the "Jielin Secret Cave Room Rejuvenation Skill." It was a Secret Technique comparable in value to the Hundred Flowers Sect’s Foundation Technique, which showed how precious it was.
Although Du Youqian had no intention of practicing any Dual Cultivation Techniques, there was no harm in getting a Dual Cultivation Secret Technique for reference.
At the very least, it could prevent him from being used by others for "Gathering and Replenishing".
The Top Grade Spiritual Artifact had a supportive function; it could obscure the secrets of heaven to a small degree and was said to be able to prevent scrying from Divination Arts below Tier Three.
In coordination with Du Youqian’s Great Divine Ability, "Knowing the Celestial Mandate," it should produce an even better effect.
All in all, Du Youqian was quite satisfied with this harvest.
After all, it was all free.
He didn’t have to pay any price for it.
"Rest assured, I’ll take care of your sect’s demotion matter. I guarantee that when the day comes, you will feel that today’s investment was more than worth it."
Shuyue Hua’s face was a mask of bitter conflict, her heart a tangled mess of worries. In the end, she could only let out a soft sigh. "Then we’ll have to entrust everything to you, Lord Yu."
