Chapter 68
Why did Your Highness leave so soon?
Ye Ruoshui gently shook her head and then focused her gaze on the notebook.
After quickly flipping through the notebook, she discovered that it contained the Seventh Elder's alchemy experience over the past hundred years. Although the content about alchemy techniques was of no use, since the Seventh Elder's alchemy skills were indeed too poor.
However, the pharmacological descriptions of the elixirs are quite detailed, some based on the Seventh Elder's experiments and others excerpted from other pharmacopoeias. Overall, this notebook still has some value.
And so, Ye Ruoshui sat down and began reading her notes.
As Xiao Minghuang walked out of the main hall, her mind still unsettled, the system's voice rang in her ears.
[Bite!]
[Successfully detected that the host has gifted the opportunity!]
[Congratulations, host! You have triggered a 10,000x critical hit compensation and obtained the mid-grade Earth-rank cultivation technique, <Heavenly Refining Art>!]
Upon hearing the system's voice, Xiao Minghuang was overjoyed, and a smile appeared on her lips.
"The last time the 10,000x compensation was triggered was two months ago."
She calmed herself down and began to examine the cultivation technique.
According to the general rules of system compensation, there is a connection between the compensation and the gift. Therefore, the "Heavenly Refining Art" should be a cultivation method related to alchemy.
After checking, her guess was indeed confirmed.
"The Heavenly Refining Technique uses heaven and earth as a furnace and all things as medicine to refine elixirs. It encompasses all living beings, earth, water, wind, fire, birds and beasts, the Sun, Moon, and Stars, and all kinds of energy in the world."
"To cultivate this method, one must possess an affinity with all things in heaven and earth, and have a pure and innocent heart, relying purely on nature, with nothing outside of one's mind; otherwise, it will be difficult to cultivate."
Upon seeing this, Xiao Minghuang frowned slightly, a hint of disappointment flashing in her eyes.
"How can a person who cultivates themselves, who contends with heaven and earth for creation and with others for opportunities, possess a pure and innocent heart that is detached from worldly strife?"
92. System update, destiny and Destiny/Fate!
After storing the cultivation manual in his storage bag, Xiao Minghuang breathed a sigh of relief and thought to himself:
"If I have the chance, I'll give this cultivation method to Wanqiu or Ruoshui to try. I already have the <Imperial Ziwei Scripture>, so there's not much point in forcibly cultivating this method."
Thinking of this, Xiao Minghuang turned around, intending to return to the palace.
Suddenly, the system's voice rang in her mind again.
[The system has detected that the host has met the gifting limit and is updating...]
The sudden sound made Xiao Minghuang pause in her tracks.
"System, what is the purpose of this function?"
[Hint: The host can view the Destiny/Fate of others. Destiny/Fate levels are divided into eight grades from low to high, namely black, gray, white, blue, cyan, purple, red, and gold. Black is the lowest, and gold is the highest.]
[Note: The higher the Destiny/Fate, the stronger the luck, and the rarer the opportunities that can be triggered. The level of opportunities corresponds to the Destiny/Fate level and is also divided into eight grades. The higher the level, the rarer the opportunity.]
[Upgrade: System evolution complete. A gift pack will be issued. Open now?]
Xiao Minghuang's mind raced, and she responded:
"Open!"
[Hint: Opening the gift pack grants the purple Destiny/Fate 'Banished Immortal Descends'.]
[Open the notification panel to view?]
"Open!"
The words had barely left his mouth.
A virtual panel appeared in her mind.
[Name: Xiao Minghuang]
[Realm: Peak Qi Refining Realm]
[Destiny/Fate: Five Elements Spiritual Root (Metal), Like the North Star (Metal), Immortal Demeanor (Purple)]
[Born with the Five Elements Spiritual Root, the five elements cycle endlessly, creating a perfect whole, in harmony with the Dao, and possessing an comprehension far surpassing that of ordinary people.]
[The North Star hangs high and unmoving, surrounded by countless other stars, destined to rule the world and command all directions.]
[With an ethereal and otherworldly air, she stands out from the crowd wherever she goes, attracting everyone's attention and greatly enhancing her charm, making it easier for others to like her.]
"Is this my Destiny/Fate..."
Xiao Minghuang murmured softly, "Except for the last one, [Banished Immortal Descends], all the other Destiny/Fate are things I already possess."
"It seems I still don't understand myself well enough..."
She immediately stopped thinking about it and turned her attention back to the system.
Above the panel, there remains the Destiny Guidance Compass.
In the direction of the compass needle, there were many dazzling spots of light, some gold, some blue, and some less bright white or cyan.
"This must be the opportunity hint the system was referring to. I didn't expect so many more opportunities to appear in Xia Du!"
Xiao Minghuang's lips curled up slightly, and she was overjoyed. She remembered that she had already explored all the opportunities in Xia Capital a few months ago, so there should be none left.
Her gaze swept over the group of guards and she noticed that they all had white Destiny/Fate, meaning that these people's lives would be unremarkable, with nothing worth paying attention to, and they would almost never encounter any opportunities.
When her gaze turned to the interior of the hall and fell upon Ye Ruoshui, her expression suddenly froze, and her pupils contracted sharply.
A virtual panel appeared before my eyes.
[Name: Ye Ruoshui]
[Destiny/Fate: Pure Heart and Pill Core (Metal), Long-lasting Fortune (Metal), Naturally Fire Affinity (Purple), Left Path Genius (Purple)]
[Realm Level: Qi Refining First Level]
This person possesses a pure and innocent heart, straightforward and genuine; no matter how time may wear them down, their heart remains untainted.
Surrounded by auspicious stars and blessed by Heaven, associating with them can enhance one's fortune and bring good luck to oneself and those around them. If one can form Dao Companion, one will receive even greater divine favor, and good fortune will increase significantly.
[Born with an affinity for all things fire-related, cultivating fire-attribute techniques will yield twice the results with half the effort.]
[Possesses a natural talent for unorthodox methods; can easily comprehend alchemy, weapon crafting, talisman making, and formations.]
"Ruoshui... is it really such a coincidence?"
Her expression changed slightly, her feelings complicated. She hadn't expected that this little girl, Ye Ruoshui, would have such a unique Destiny/Fate. She could give away the <Heavenly Refining Art> she had just obtained.
Moreover, Ye Ruoshui's second Destiny/Fate [Long-lasting Fortune] can actually enhance the luck of her Dao Companion.
Upon seeing this description, Xiao Minghuang's expression immediately became complicated, and it was unclear what she was thinking.
A moment later.
Her gaze continued downwards.
There was also a small compass pointing in the direction of the Princess Mansion, where golden light shone brightly—the very place where the opportunity lay.
Xiao Minghuang frowned slightly, guessing that the opportunity pointing to the Princess Mansion most likely referred to Lin Wanqiu.
To confirm this, she quickly left the palace and returned to the Princess Mansion.
Lin Wanqiu was cultivating in the courtyard and did not notice Xiao Minghuang's arrival.
Xiao Minghuang didn't say anything to disturb them; she just wanted to confirm whether the person with the golden Destiny/Fate was indeed Lin Wanqiu.
As expected.
A virtual screen appeared in her mind.
[Name: Lin Wanqiu]
[Destiny/Fate: Sharpness Concealed (Gold), Exquisite Heart (Red), Innate Supreme (Gray), Taiyin Spiritual Body (Unawakened)]
[Realm: Third Level Qi Refining Realm]
This person was born into hardship, kept a low profile, concealed his talents, and remained silent until he made a stunning debut.
[Her lonely and bitter experiences honed her Exquisite Heart and keen intellect, enabling her to assess situations, adapt to circumstances, and find solutions quickly, no matter the situation.]
[She possesses an unawakened Innate Taiyin Spirit Body. Once awakened, her Yin constitution will align perfectly with the Dao, greatly enhancing her comprehension and accelerating her cultivation speed. She will be able to easily comprehend any cultivation technique. If she cultivates with someone possessing Pure Yang Physique, both will benefit immensely.]
"The Destiny/Fate of these two girls are truly astonishing!"
Xiao Minghuang's pupils contracted slightly, surprised. Looking at herself, she was originally just a Yellow-rank spiritual root, nothing special. If she hadn't transmigrated and awakened the system, she would have been just an ordinary person.
However, her ability to travel through time and awaken a system was an unimaginably powerful stroke of luck, so there was no need for her to be jealous of others.
Besides, Ye Ruoshui already belongs to her, so there's no need for her to be envious.
What truly concerned her was Lin Wanqiu's somewhat unusual Destiny/Fate.
The Destiny/Fate "[Innate Supreme]" is actually grayed out and there is no description, but just by looking at the name, you can tell that it is extraordinary.
"It seems there are some stories about Wanqiu that I don't know about."
While pondering, Xiao Minghuang thought of the Jade Pendant that Lin Zhengquan had given her.
It is said that this was an heirloom of Lin Wanqiu's mother. She returned the Jade Pendant to Lin Wanqiu on the way back to the capital, and no compensation was triggered. It is clear that this Jade Pendant was not a matter of chance.
She thought for a while, but still couldn't figure it out, so she stopped dwelling on it and looked at the next sentence.
"If one engages in dual cultivation with someone possessing Pure Yang Physique, both parties will benefit greatly..."
Xiao Minghuang asked in his mind:
93. Yin and Yang complement each other; when Yin reaches its limit, Yang begins to grow.
[Bite!]
[Even without a Pure Yang Physique, one can still cultivate with Innate Taiyin Spirit Body, although the effect on improving cultivation will be greatly reduced.]
For some reason, Xiao Minghuang suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, and a sense of relief inexplicably rose in her heart.
The next moment.
She suddenly realized.
Why did she feel fortunate?
She asked herself the question.
"I don't want Lin Wanqiu to engage in dual cultivation with anyone else, no matter what benefit that would bring her!"
Xiao Minghuang frowned, lost in thought.
Gradually, memories of the past few days began to surface in her mind, from their first meeting to this very moment.
Those scenes of their time together are still vivid in her mind; they are beautiful memories shared by her, Lin Wanqiu, and Ye Ruoshui. Those heartwarming images linger in Xiao Minghuang's mind.
As the memories flowed, Xiao Minghuang's tightly furrowed brows relaxed, and a beautiful smile appeared on her delicate face.
"Could it be...?"
Xiao Minghuang's heart trembled slightly.
"Could it be... that I've fallen for them?"
Xiao Minghuang muttered to herself, her voice trembling with surprise, disbelief, anticipation, and excitement. Her heart was pounding, "thump thump thump," her heart pounding violently.
She had always thought of Lin Wanqiu and Ye Ruoshui as just friends and family, but at this moment, a strange emotion welled up in her heart, as if she had been enlightened. Something seemed to sprout in her heart all at once, and in an instant, it grew into a towering tree that enveloped her entire heart.
Her face flushed slightly, and she seemed somewhat flustered.
At this moment, she finally understood why she felt her heart race and her body temperature rise when she saw Lin Wanqiu and Ye Ruoshui these days—it was because of her heart.
It moved.
The feeling was wonderful, like a feather breaking the still lake in her heart, creating ripples.
She had never felt this way before, and she didn't know if this could be considered the feeling of being in love.