Chapter 170: Chapter 166: Deal Struck, Traveling to the Han Kingdom
With Fang Hua’s reminder, Du Youqian finally remembered.
’That’s right!’
’I’m automatically a True Successor Candidate now.’
’Of course, I could also withdraw from the competition at any time and give up my status as a True Successor Candidate.’
’But... should I really withdraw?’
’It seems I’m not completely without a chance.’
Among the remaining True Successor Candidates, there were two genuine masters. He wasn’t very confident about facing them right now.
But against the other dozen or so, he had a sixty to eighty percent chance of victory.
’Should I fight for it?’
After several days of hesitation, Du Youqian finally decided not to participate in the struggle for the True Inheritor position.
The reason was simple.
The competition for the True Inheritor position wasn’t often a straightforward battle of strength.
Instead, it was a battle of insidious plots and vicious schemes, where one would stop at nothing to eliminate their rivals.
’My actual chances of winning aren’t as high as they look on paper.’
’The risks are too great. If I get ambushed, I might not even get the chance to use Quick Passage and burn away my lifespan to reincarnate.’
’It’s a real shame not to become a True Inheritor.’
But in this life, just managing to get by in the Holy Blood Sect, a First-class Sect, was already a stroke of great fortune.
As long as I cultivate steadily, there will be plenty more opportunities and resources.
I’ll even have a chance at Core Formation.
’There’s really no need to risk it all for the True Inheritor position.’
After he finished teaching and imparting his knowledge to Fang Hua, Du Youqian began to take inventory of his spoils.
The nameless disciple who performed Miscellaneous Tasks had Spiritual Artifacts that were far from high-quality; Du Youqian couldn’t be bothered with them.
The Soul-Devouring Banner and two Defensive Spiritual Artifacts used by Liu Chixin had only sustained minor damage. With a little refinement, they would be good as new. Du Youqian gladly accepted them.
He gifted the kite-shaped Spiritual Artifact, which could achieve Breaking Illusion, to Fang Hua.
A Special Function Spiritual Artifact like this was even more valuable than a Defensive Spiritual Artifact.
Fang Hua accepted the gift without a word.
Although she addressed Du Youqian as "fellow Daoist," in her heart, she already saw him as her master. She would not hesitate to give her life at his command.
She would accept even the most precious of gifts from him with perfect composure.
The Hundred Ghosts Banner, one of Liu Chixin’s trump cards, was truly extraordinary and could serve as a powerful ace in the hole.
The Fierce Ghosts inside the banner had been slain by Du Youqian’s Sword Intent, but his methods were insufficient to destroy them completely.
The Fierce Ghosts had already reformed within the Hundred Ghosts Banner, but they would need to be nurtured for a long time to regain their former power.
The Hundred Ghosts Banner didn’t suit Du Youqian’s style, so he planned to give it to Gu Xiaofang for the time being—but not until Gu Xiaofang reached the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage.
Otherwise, if the wielder was not powerful enough, the Fierce Ghosts within could turn on and devour their master at any moment.
The Hundred Ghosts Banner was more powerful and versatile than the Soul-Devouring Banner, but the risk of it turning on its master was also far more severe.
The Quasi-Treasure palm fan was an item Du Youqian was studying closely.
Its essence lay in the thirty-odd different types of Evil Qi refined into it. An ingenious combination, enhanced by the fan itself, allowed this Evil Qi to unleash immense destructive power. Furthermore, it could slowly recover, meaning it wasn’t a single-use item.
Qi Cultivation Cultivators use Magical Artifacts, Foundation Establishment Cultivators use Spiritual Artifacts, and Core Formation Masters use Treasures. That was the general progression.
The differences between the three weren’t merely in their materials, power, and functions.
Magical Artifacts could be broadly categorized into Attack Spiritual Artifacts, Defensive Spiritual Artifacts, and special function artifacts.
And while they could perform a wide variety of special functions, Magical Artifacts were, in essence, dead objects, possessing not a shred of Spirituality.
Spiritual Artifacts, on the other hand, were, as the name implied, Magical Artifacts that had gained Spirituality.
From Du Youqian’s own experience, using a Spiritual Artifact felt as natural as moving a limb, as if it were an extension of his own body.
They could channel a greater upper limit of Magical Power and, when controlled by Divine Sense, could perform more intricate and subtle maneuvers, as if they had a life and Spirituality of their own.
But—and this was a key point—it was only "as if" they had life and Spirituality.
In reality, they did not.
As for Treasures, Du Youqian had never used one.
With his current Cultivation and Magical Power at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, he would find it very difficult to control a Treasure.
However, based on his readings of various texts, Treasures were supposed to possess a sliver of true Spirituality.
This Spirituality was not the same as human-like Spiritual Wisdom.
Based on the descriptions in the texts, Du Youqian preferred to understand it like this: the greatest difference between a Treasure and a Spiritual Artifact was that a Treasure’s control hub was a self-improving AI with a degree of automation.
When a Core Formation Master released a Treasure in battle, they didn’t need to control it further; the Treasure could engage the enemy automatically.
Of course, a Treasure fighting on its own would be considerably weaker and less agile, making it impossible for it to exploit an enemy’s openings or seize a fleeting tactical advantage.
Even though it was a very clumsy, rudimentary AI, a Treasure could be far more useful than a Spiritual Artifact in certain situations.
The difference between a Treasure and a Spiritual Artifact could be understood as the difference between a robotic vacuum and a broom.
And this palm fan "dropped" by Liu Chixin was merely a Quasi-Treasure.
In other words, its materials and refinement process met the standards of a Treasure, and the Restrictions had been embedded, but it had yet to fully mature and lacked Spirituality. To put it another way, the basic AI program had been installed, but it hadn’t had enough time to learn. It was still an idiot.
It would have to be nurtured for several years, or even decades, to become a true Treasure.
This was a process that required patient, meticulous effort; there were no shortcuts.
Liu Chixin had been so pained to use it because attacking with the palm fan would add several years to its nurturing time and consume a great deal of its Evil Qi.
The palm fan’s style also didn’t align with Du Youqian’s. He had no intention of using it himself; forcing it would only disrupt his combat rhythm.
However, this Quasi-Treasure required immense Magical Power and Divine Sense to wield effectively, and currently, none of his subordinates were capable of using it.
He decided to hold onto it for now and perhaps reward it to Meng Xiao in the future, once he had accumulated enough merits.
As for the Talisman Treasure and the Tier Three Talisman, there wasn’t much to say. They would serve as excellent trump cards until he reached Core Formation.
The Tier Three Lower Grade Yin Thunder Pearl was exceptionally effective against Demon Sect Disciples who dabbled with souls. If an expert like Liu Chixin were to take a direct hit while unprepared, death would be certain.
Liu Chixin had been too reluctant to use these fine items before, and now they had all fallen into Du Youqian’s hands.
A quick calculation revealed that Liu Chixin and his subordinate had provided Du Youqian with a haul worth nearly 20,000 Spiritual Jade.
The Quasi-Treasure Level palm fan alone was worth over 5,000 Spiritual Jade, making it even more valuable than the Upper Grade Soul-Extinguishing Lamp he had looted from Li Tai’s body.
Selling it would be enough to trade for a Top Grade Spiritual Artifact Level Flying Sword, a Top Grade Attack Spirit Artifact, a Top Grade Defense Spiritual Artifact, and a Special Function Spiritual Artifact.
The Talisman Treasure, with two uses remaining, was also worth several thousand Spiritual Jade.
The Soul-Devouring Banner was also a precious item worth two or three thousand Spiritual Jade.
The Hundred Ghosts Banner’s value was nearly on par with the Quasi-Treasure Level palm fan.
’Treasure-Bringing Child Liu Chixin...’ Du Youqian felt he would remember that name for at least eight hundred years.
Before long, Luo Jinyu returned on a Flying Boat, bringing the Sect’s official punishment: the forfeiture of two years’ worth of Contribution Points.
Du Youqian had long expected such a meaningless slap on the wrist.
After all, Liu Chixin had started the trouble himself. The most Du Youqian could be accused of was not holding back—and within the Holy Blood Sect, any disciple foolish enough to hold back in a fight usually ended up inside a Hundred Ghosts Banner or a Soul-Devouring Banner, or as fuel for a Soul-Extinguishing Lamp.
So, Du Youqian’s actions really weren’t excessive.
As an Inner Disciple and the Guardian Envoy of the Qi Country, Du Youqian’s two years of Contribution Points, if privately exchanged for Spiritual Jade with other disciples, would amount to around two hundred twenty or two hundred thirty.
For an ordinary Inner Disciple, this loss would be painful enough to sting.
But Du Youqian had earned nearly 20,000 Spiritual Jade in spoils from Liu Chixin and his subordinate.
To lose Contribution Points worth about one percent of that... was nothing.
Feng Xiaoyi had also sent a Jade Slip, which explained the matter with Liu Chixin in detail.
Feng Xiaoyi had reached an agreement with Liu Chixin’s master. Unexpectedly, Liu Chixin felt the price was too steep. He had planned to beat Du Youqian up, strong-arm him into lowering the price, and maybe even get the Flower Cyan Gang Jade Vein—with reserves valued at over two million Spiritual Jade—for free.
Therefore, Liu Chixin had brought his death upon himself, and his master couldn’t be bothered to make a fuss over a dead man.
Feng Xiaoyi had since struck a new deal with the master of another True Successor Candidate. She estimated that this new party would soon arrive to trade with Du Youqian.
Sure enough, half a month later, Nong Jiasong—the young Cultivator ranked twelfth among the True Successor Candidates, or rather, eleventh now—arrived at the still-unrepaired Qi Country Guardian Envoy’s Mansion. He was so humble and polite he hardly seemed like a Demon Cultivator. He handed Du Youqian a single-use Jade Scroll containing the Secret Technique, "Red Blood Seven Transitions Technique," along with the authorization to cultivate it.
He then took up residence there, preparing to personally oversee the transition and wait for his chosen representative, the new Qi Country Guardian Envoy, to take office.
Du Youqian spent a few idle days before finally receiving his new orders.
The Spiritual Boat rose swiftly into the air, carrying him, Luo Jinyu, Fang Hua, Gu Xiaofang, Fang Simin, and a contingent of fierce-looking attendants, as it flew toward the Han Kingdom.
As for the miners, Luo Jinyu had quietly "dealt with" the most wicked and sinful among them.
The ordinary Loose Cultivators, meanwhile, were placed under a new Restriction. If they ever spoke to anyone about the mining operation, or if someone attempted a Soul Search on them, their souls would immediately self-destruct, killing them instantly.
However, Du Youqian also paid them a handsome bonus for their years of hard labor in the mine and gave them a chance to live.
As the Flying Boat arrived within the borders of the Han Kingdom, Du Youqian’s thoughts began to drift.
’Old friends,’ he thought, ’are you all still well?’
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