Multi-Natal Treasure Spirits, Duels Arrive

"Are you thinking of me, or the cultivation methods and spells I possess?"

Zhou Xue teased with a smile, appraising Fang Wang with satisfaction in her eyes.

Fang Wang walked to her side, opening the door as he said, "Let's talk inside."

"Okay."

The two entered the cave dwelling, and the mountain gate closed behind them.

They walked to a table and sat down. Fang Wang poured tea for Zhou Xue and asked, "Has the Fang Manor moved into the Fang Realm yet?"

Zhou Xue nodded. "Over a hundred disciples have already moved into the Fang Realm. My fifth uncle and father are jointly leading the relocation. Grandpa is staying in Nanqiu City. He said the Fang Manor cannot move entirely, as he fears trouble in Nanqiu City."

Fang Wang frowned slightly upon hearing this.

"Don't worry. As long as the true identity of the White Clad Startling Swan isn't exposed, the Fang Manor won't face retaliation from Green Cicada Valley or the Li Family. As for Lu Yuanjun, he helped Great Qi's Son of Heaven enter the Taiyuan Sect. The plan to transform Great Qi into a cultivation dynasty has already begun, so he certainly wouldn't dare to continue collecting souls. From his perspective, he wouldn't seek revenge on the Fang Manor for fear of exposure. As for Great Qi's Son of Heaven, Zhao Zhen, he's truly ruthless."

Zhou Xue's expression turned mocking as she said this.

Fang Wang asked, "What makes you say that?"

"He assassinated the Prime Minister who carried out this task and accused him of treason punishable by extermination of his entire clan. He claimed that the previous attack on the Fang Manor was related to the Prime Minister. Not only the Fang Manor but also other massacred cities were all blamed on the Prime Minister, and within a short period, his entire clan was wiped out," Zhou Xue replied.

Fang Wang's brow furrowed. "There were other cities?"

"Yes. Besides the Dukedom Manor I visited before, they targeted two other Dukedom Manors and massacred the cities where they were located. Lu Yuanjun collected at least a million souls."

Hearing Zhou Xue's words, Fang Wang couldn't help but recall his previous conversation with Zhao Zhen. The Son of Heaven had spoken and carried himself with a gentle, sunny demeanor, making it hard to imagine he was capable of such cruel deeds in secret.

Fang Wang narrowed his eyes. "Lu Yuanjun's goal was to collect souls, and Zhao Zhen helped arrange it. Zhao Zhen, in turn, had Lu Yuanjun's people eliminate the dukes who threatened him?"

Zhou Xue nodded. "Exactly. And by doing so, the matter appears to be just a tragic conflict between imperial and ministerial power, with no involvement from the immortal cultivation world."

"But the Prime Minister is dead. If we want revenge, won't we have no evidence? Did any of the cultivators who acted on Lu Yuanjun's behalf survive?" Fang Wang asked, frowning.

Zhou Xue smiled faintly. "If you truly want revenge, do you need evidence? Evidence is just for convincing yourself. Leave the revenge to me; you focus on your cultivation. I'm telling you the truth because I hope you won't be deceived by the outward appearances of Lu Yuanjun and Zhao Zhen."

Just as Fang Wang was about to reply, Zhou Xue interrupted him. "Let's talk about this Nine Meridians Martial Arts Competition. You must compete, because the nine disciples who emerge victorious will enter the Great Sage's Grotto-Heaven. The Great Sage's Grotto-Heaven is a secret realm passed down from ancient times. If nothing unexpected happens, the Taiyuan Sect will benefit the most, laying the foundation for its rise."

The Great Sage's Grotto-Heaven?

Fang Wang's interest was piqued. If even Zhou Xue told him to compete, there must be significant benefits within.

"I will also enter the Great Sage's Grotto-Heaven this time. Once you can enter, I'll explain it to you in detail. The Great Sage's Grotto-Heaven will be a turning point for Great Qi's immortal cultivation world. At the same time, we will encounter cultivation sects from other dynasties, and perhaps even meet an unparalleled genius with a Heaven Origin Treasure Spirit."

Zhou Xue smiled. Her words made Fang Wang even more interested in the Great Sage's Grotto-Heaven.

Fang Wang asked curiously, "What have you been doing these past two years? Just taking care of the Fang Manor?"

Zhou Xue shook her head. "Of course not. I have to strive to become stronger as well."

"What is your current realm?"

"I won't tell you, but I know you've already reached the ninth level of the Spirit Sculpting Realm."

Zhou Xue cupped her right cheek with her hand, staring at Fang Wang and smiling.

Fang Wang's expression stiffened. He hadn't expected Zhou Xue to see through his cultivation. It seemed there was a way to counter his Breathless Natural Skill.

"Honestly, your ability to defeat Li Honggang truly surprised me. It seems you've been holding out on me, kid. It's fine, keep holding out. It makes me feel more at ease having you around," Zhou Xue continued to smile, already comparing Fang Wang to the ancient geniuses in her past life memories.

Fang Wang coughed lightly and asked, "Coincidentally, I have something I wanted to ask. Can a cultivator only have one natal treasure spirit?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xue narrowed her eyes and asked, "Could it be that your treasure spirit space has an anomaly?"

Fang Wang didn't hide anything, explaining what he had sensed. After he finished speaking, Zhou Xue wasn't shocked but spoke with a tone of emotion. "So that's how it is. No wonder your talent is so great. That's right, there are indeed cultivators in this world who possess more than one natal treasure spirit. The prodigy I saw with the most treasure spirits had nine natal treasure spirits. He ascended with me, and after ascending, he became unstoppable, reaching a level I had to look up to."

Fang Wang raised an eyebrow. "Is that true? What kind of realm allows even an Immortal Venerable to look up to them?"

"The so-called Immortal Venerable is just a respectful title in the upper realm. I am not the strongest existence in the upper realm, otherwise, I wouldn't have returned to this time," Zhou Xue replied. She seemed reluctant to discuss the upper realm further and returned to the topic of natal treasure spirits.

"The cultivation realms are divided into Qi Nurturing, Spirit Sculpting, Spirit Pill, Mysterious Heart, and Spirit Condensation. Generally speaking, possessing an Earth Origin Treasure Spirit gives one hope of breaking through to the Spirit Condensation Realm. Currently, there are only a handful of great cultivators in the Spirit Condensation Realm in Great Qi's immortal cultivation world, which shows the importance of treasure spirit grades. Those with multiple natal treasure spirits, having one or two extra natal treasure spirits, have a greater chance than other cultivators."

"Take you as an example. The grade of your second natal treasure spirit may not be inferior to your first, but it could also be unranked. It all depends on fate."

"It's estimated that you'll be able to shape your second natal treasure spirit when you break through to the Spirit Pill Realm."

Fang Wang's heart surged with excitement. Although he hadn't used the Celestial Palace Halberd, when he was in the Celestial Palace before, wielding the Celestial Palace Halberd and performing the Nine Dragon Divine Transformation Art, the power was terrifying, proving that the Celestial Palace Halberd was far superior to the high-grade magic artifact, the Qing Jun Sword.

What if he could have another natal treasure spirit...

The two continued to chat. Fang Wang asked questions, and Zhou Xue answered them. Gradually, Fang Wang's understanding of the immortal cultivation world grew.

An hour later.

Zhou Xue stood up, preparing to leave. Fang Wang immediately saw her off.

"Don't make any more requests. When you reach the Spirit Pill Realm, I'll teach you another technique. I definitely won't disappoint you," Zhou Xue said as she walked ahead.

Fang Wang curled his lips, thinking to himself, Am I the kind of person who only wants to take?

"Alright, that day won't be too far off!"

"Mmm."

A month passed quickly. During this month, Fang Wang, unusually, did not cultivate but instead planted spiritual herbs and flowers in his cave dwelling.

As the day of the Nine Peaks Martial Competition arrived, Fang Wang's disciple token vibrated with spiritual energy. He immediately picked it up, and Yang Yuanzi's voice echoed from within:

"Fang Wang, come to Pure Heart Hall immediately."

Fang Wang got up, tidied himself up briefly, and then left his cave dwelling.

As soon as he stepped out, he saw Gu Li and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

Gu Li noticed his expression and said with annoyance, "What? You think I'm not qualified to represent the Third Peak?"

"Not at all, it's just that you've only recently joined..."

"You don't seriously think the Nine Peaks Martial Competition is just a battle among Spirit Pill Realm cultivators, do you?"

"Isn't it?"

"How could that be? Spirit Pill Realm cultivators are already qualified to be promoted to low-level elders and deacons. While there are indeed Spirit Pill Realm disciples participating in the Nine Peaks Martial Competition, they make up less than forty percent."

Gu Li snorted. Her words gave Fang Wang a clearer understanding of the Taiyuan Sect.

Above the Spirit Pill Realm was the Mysterious Heart Realm. According to Zhou Xue, the peak masters of each peak were all in the Mysterious Heart Realm. As for the Spirit Condensation Realm, only the Sect Master, Guang Qiuxian, might have reached it.

Fang Wang smiled and said, "Let's go. We have to bring glory to the Third Peak."

"Hmph!"

Gu Li rolled her eyes at him, and then the two of them rode their swords towards Pure Heart Hall on the mountaintop.

In front of Pure Heart Hall, Yang Yuanzi and the Senior Disciple, Li Yu, were already waiting. After Fang Wang and Gu Li landed, four more people had yet to arrive.

Not long after, the remaining four arrived one after another.

Fang Wang noticed that besides him and Gu Li, there were three other Spirit Sculpting Realm cultivators, all at the eighth level of the Spirit Sculpting Realm. No wonder the Third Peak ranked second to last in the previous competition.

Yang Yuanzi scanned the nine disciples below, his expressionless face saying, "Since new disciples are participating, I will reiterate the rules. The upcoming Nine Peaks Martial Competition will be conducted in a one-on-one duel format. The peak masters will select opponents, and they can only choose peaks ranked higher than their own. The disciples of one peak will duel against another in rotation. We have seven choices, while the first peak, ranked first, can only wait for other peaks to challenge them. During the competition, if all disciples of a higher-ranked peak are defeated, their rank will be replaced by the victor. The defeated peak can consider whether to continue challenging, but the nine participating disciples cannot be replaced."

"Ultimately, the nine disciples with the most individual wins will represent the Taiyuan Sect in venturing into the grotto-heavens and blessed lands to seek opportunities!"