Chapter 229

"The power of heaven and earth has its limits. You and I are merely between zero and one. If you don't become one, you will become zero. What will the princess choose?"

In the end, Xiao Minghuang accepted Luo Qianhua's conditions.

At this Heavenly Dipper Assembly, she will unleash a bloodbath.

However, saying that she would kill so many that only one in ten survived was somewhat of an exaggeration.

To be precise, she needs to take action and eliminate the elite disciples of those holy lands.

Before leaving, Luo Qianhua gave her a large amount of spirit stones and pills as extra compensation.

After leaving Hundred Inquiries Pavilion, Xiao Minghuang did not return to the Second Academy, but instead went to Ye Ruoshui's cave with Lin Wanqiu.

In addition, Xu Xiuer did not return to the Hundred Inquiries Pavilion, but instead stayed by Xiao Minghuang's side.

According to her, she was largely to blame for Xiao Minghuang's misfortune, and in order to atone for her sins, she volunteered to continue serving as the princess's maid, just as she had done in the Xia Kingdom.

Although Xiao Minghuang said she didn't blame her, Xu Xiuer insisted on it, so she couldn't persuade her any further.

Ye Ruoshui's cave dwelling was originally very small, consisting of only a training room, an alchemy room, and a bedroom.

Now that four people have moved in, it's a bit small.

However, with the Heavenly Dipper Assembly approaching, there was no time to expand the facility.

Therefore, the four people then faced the problem of room allocation.

Xiao Minghuang looked at the three women standing in front of her, feeling rather helpless.

"Three rooms, one for Xiu'er, that leaves two. How should we divide them?"

Ye Ruoshui made a quick decision. "What can I do? I want to share a room with His Highness!"

As she spoke, she glanced at Lin Wanqiu and gave her a sweet smile, "Let Sister Lin have a single room!"

"What are you saying, Ruoshui? This cave dwelling belongs to Ruoshui. How can we let the host share it with others? I'll share it with Your Highness!"

277. The Third Contractor

Lin Wanqiu refused to admit defeat and argued her case forcefully.

Seeing the two women's open and covert attacks, Xiao Minghuang suddenly felt a headache coming on. Maybe she should just go back to the Second Hospital.

But after all the hardships she had gone through, she always felt that it was better for the whole family to be together.

Just as she was struggling with her decision, Xu Xiuer, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up.

"Two... two elder sisters! I am His Highness's maid, and it is my duty to serve His Highness, so each of you can have your own room!"

She lowered her head and spoke in a very soft voice, as if she had made a mistake, which was pitiful.

"What?!" Ye Ruoshui's eyes widened instantly, her beautiful almond-shaped eyes bulging out.

Lin Wanqiu was also somewhat surprised.

Xu Xiuer's words were completely beyond her expectations.

Xiao Minghuang couldn't stand the way they looked at her like she was a heartless man, and interrupted:

"Alright, hurry up and start cultivating. The Heavenly Dipper Assembly is in a month, so you need to seize the time to improve your strength and stop thinking about such strange things!"

After Ye and Lin left, Xu Xiuer breathed a sigh of relief and said gratefully, "Thank you, Your Highness!"

Xiao Minghuang smiled and said, "Not at all, I should be Xiu'er for getting me out of that situation. They were a bit naive, I'm sorry you had to see that."

Xu Xiuer quickly shook her head. "Not at all, both of you sisters care about His Highness very much. Xiu'er is very envious of you two sisters for having such a wonderful Dao Companion as His Highness!"

"Don't be fooled by them," Xiao Minghuang chuckled, then sighed, "They can really get a hard time when they start eating. If you ever find Dao Companion, don't be a womanizer!"

"Mmm!" Xu Xiuer's pretty face flushed. "I won't be like them!"

Night fell, and the moonlight shone like water.

Xiao Minghuang sat cross-legged on the bed, circulating the <Ziwei Imperial Dao Scripture> and breathing in the Spiritual Qi of the heavens.

Her sudden decision to share a room with Xu Xiuer was not without reason.

Instead, her system was updated without her knowledge, unlocking a third contractor slot, and she would receive a special gift pack after completing the contract.

That's why she kept Xu Xiuer.

Looking back, Xiao Minghuang realized that she had known Xu Xiuer for many years. Although the girl was somewhat gentle, she also had many virtues, such as being loyal, courageous, kind, and pure.

Most importantly, Xu Xiuer is also quite beautiful. If Lin Wanqiu is a lady from a prominent family, and Ye Ruoshui is sweet and lovely, then Xu Xiuer is a girl from a modest family.

Each has its own merits and charm.

This is also why she was willing to become Xu Xiuer's contractor.

[Ding! The system has successfully bound a third contractor. The system functions will be upgraded, and a special reward will be granted!]

[System is currently upgrading...]

[System upgrade complete!]

Upon hearing the system notification, Xiao Minghuang stopped cultivating and opened the system.

After a little research, she understood what the system meant by "upgrade".

In the past, when she gave away opportunities, although it wasn't explicitly stated, she was required to give opportunities that were roughly commensurate with her cultivation level.

In other words, if you give someone a spirit stone, there's a 80% chance you won't get a critical hit; you'll only get the guaranteed return.

However, after the system upgrade, the returned rewards are now linked to the recipient's cultivation level.

Gifting low-level resources to low-level cultivators can sometimes result in a critical hit.

Conversely, if the gift is something the recipient doesn't need at all, it can't be considered a stroke of luck. Even if it's given away, you can only get the bare minimum, not a critical hit.

In addition, to avoid returning items that are completely useless, the return rewards will be given the option to choose, and will no longer be completely random.

After reading it, Xiao Minghuang looked thoughtful.

"The system upgrade has its advantages and disadvantages, but overall it's more convenient."

Next, she checked the system's special rewards.

Simply put, it's a chance to get a critical hit out of nowhere.

No gifting is required; you'll directly receive a critical hit reward of a treasure.

Xiao Minghuang thought for a moment and used this opportunity on the Heavenly Dipper Star Chart.

Aside from the rusty sword of unknown grade, the most precious thing she possesses right now is this Heaven-Rank magic weapon.

[Ding! Successfully detected that the host has gifted a favorable opportunity. Compensation returned: 10 Lesser Heavenly Star Chart!]

"The Lesser Heavenly Star Chart?"

Upon hearing the system notification, Xiao Minghuang was momentarily stunned before remembering the two Lesser Heavenly Star Chart she already possessed.

With the two images returned by the system, there are a total of twelve images.

As is well known, twelve is an extremely special number in the eyes of cultivators.

A year has twelve months, and a day has twelve two-hour periods.

The number twelve is subtly in harmony with the Great Dao.

Xiao Minghuang believes that collecting all twelve pictures may bring about some kind of change.

So she took out the Lesser Heavenly Star Chart without hesitation.

The twelve paintings were arranged in a row, surrounding her to form a huge circle, with countless stars twinkling among the galaxies, like a dazzling star ring.

Swish~~

The twelve images flashed simultaneously, then quickly disappeared, transforming into a stream of light that shot into Xiao Minghuang's brow.

The next moment, she found herself standing in a galaxy.

All around her was the vast universe, an endless sea of stars, as if she were in the middle of a vast cosmos, with stars floating around her.

These stars were not as desolate and cold as one might imagine; on the contrary, they were warm and gentle, as if one had returned to one's homeland, feeling comfortable and at ease.

"I see..."

Xiao Minghuang muttered to herself.

As a complete Lesser Heavenly Star Chart was pieced together, she gradually understood the truth about this magical artifact.

Her twelve existing pictures each represent countless small stars, and when pieced together, they form a complete Lesser Heavenly Star Chart.

There are twelve such array diagrams in total, which, when combined, form a complete Great Zhou Heavenly Star Chart.

But this is not the final form of the magic weapon.

The twelve Great Zhou Heavenly Star Chart are merely supplementary diagrams for the complete magic weapon.

To make it complete, you need to add the main image, including the Heavenly Dipper Star Chart, and connect them together.

The main image is clearly not just one Heavenly Dipper Star Chart; it should also be composed of many different parts, just like the secondary image.

Even a fragment of a secondary image is a Rank 1 Earth- tier magic weapon; a fragment of a single main image is a Rank 1 Heaven- tier magic weapon. How terrifying would it be if they were combined completely?

Xiao Minghuang didn't think too much about it. She calmed herself down and figured that with the Heavenly Dipper Star Chart and the Lesser Heavenly Star Chart, she should be able to handle the challenge of the Heavenly Dipper Assembly.

"But if I break through to the Nascent Soul Realm before the small meeting, I'll have a better chance."

Previously, under the influence of the Clear Sky Saint King, the Heavenly Dipper Assembly extremely dangerous, and Xiao Minghuang also planned to make thorough preparations and do her best to improve her strength to the limit before participating in the competition.

Next, Xiao Minghuang passed the discarded pills and rusty sword she had obtained earlier through the hands of Ye and Lin.

[Ding! Successfully detected that the host has gifted you with an opportunity. Please choose one of the following compensation options:]

[1. Earth Tier Top-grade elixir, the Tongyuan Fire Spirit Pill.]

[2. Five years of cultivation.]

[Note: If cultivation compensation is selected, it is equivalent to the maximum cultivation level the host can reach each year at their current cultivation level.]

278. Breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Realm

Upon seeing the brand-new system panel, Xiao Minghuang pondered for a moment and ultimately chose cultivation level.

She calculated that if she were to cultivate in seclusion and completely absorb the Tongyuan Fire Spirit Pill, the resulting improvement would be slightly greater than directly gaining cultivation points.

However, the Heavenly Dipper Assembly is next month, and if I go into seclusion, I might miss it, so it's better to choose a cultivation level directly.

However, just to be on the safe side, she still asked a question.

"System, does the compensation for cultivation need to be refined?"

[Ding! The cultivation level compensated by the system is no different from the cultivation level cultivated by the host himself. It does not require refinement and can be directly and completely absorbed.]

Xiao Minghuang was relieved, and then chose to compensate for her cultivation level without hesitation.

A surge of pure cultivation energy instantly flowed into her body, permeating her limbs and bones, and merging into her Dantian.

In a short while, her primordial embryo evolved into her Primordial Spirit, Dantian evolved into her purple palace, which continued to expand.

This process lasted a long time before finally subsiding.

Feeling the surge of power within him, Xiao Minghuang smiled broadly.

Within her Dantian... Purple Mansion, floated a tiny figure identical to her, about one-tenth the size of her original body. This meant that she had broken through the Primal Embryo Realm and entered the Nascent Soul Realm.

"I should be at the first level of the Nascent Soul Realm now."

Advancing from the Primal Embryo Realm to the Nascent Soul Realm, although it is only a advancement of one realm, is a qualitative leap.

Xiao Minghuang believed that with the Star Chart magic weapon and her Sword Dao Domain, she was invincible in the Nascent Soul Realm!

Next, she collected the reward for the rusty sword.

[Ding! Please select one of the following rewards:]

[1. Random sword-shaped Celestial Rank Magic Treasure.]