"Brother Yang, Brother Xun!" Su Bai cupped his hands in greeting. His father was the Minister of Revenue, controlling Yue Kingdom's finances, so his family was naturally quite wealthy.
When he had first boarded the ship, he had been a little fat boy. Eleven days had passed, yet he had not changed at all—still a little fat boy.
The little fat boy frowned and said softly, "Guess what I heard?"
"What?" Xun Hu asked. "Judging by that expression, it's not good news, is it?"
"Mm!" Su Bai nodded. "I found out that Zhao Bu has an older brother named Zhao Yang. He's an Outer Disciple of the Taiheng Sect, and he's even on the Dragon Gate Ranking. These past few days, Zhao Bu has been recruiting people under his brother's name, promising that anyone willing to follow him can receive Outer Disciple resources. More than thirty people have already chosen to join him!"
"Outer Disciple? Dragon Gate Ranking?" Xun Hu blinked. "What are those?"
"The Taiheng Sect's outer sect holds a Dragon Gate Tournament every year. The top ten can have their names engraved upon the Dragon Gate Ranking!" Yang Ning said. "It supposedly carries the meaning of fish leaping over the Dragon Gate, as well as the sect's hope that they will enter the inner sect."
The Taiheng Sect had hundreds of thousands of outer disciples. What did it mean to rank among the top ten?
More importantly, it was not just ten people per year. Disciples accumulated over several years, even decades, were ranked together. How lofty was such a position?
These people did not need to perform missions or fight over resources. Countless people would naturally offer things up in hopes of currying favor with them. All they needed to do was cultivate with all their might and strive to enter the inner sect.
With such an elder brother, even the tiniest bit of resources leaking from between Zhao Bu's fingers would be an unimaginable sum to students of the Ascension Academy like them.
Yang Ning did not feel particularly displeased by this. He had grown used to it in his previous life. Some people were born in Rome, while others were born as oxen and horses.
"So, we can't deal with Zhao Bu anymore?" Xun Hu asked.
"Does that mean we can only avoid him from now on?" Ning Rong wore purple robes and carried a longsword at her waist. Her maternal lineage was also a martial family of meritorious service, and she had practiced martial arts since childhood. Her temperament was forthright and unyielding—how could she swallow such an insult? She immediately looked at Yang Ning. "Brother Yang, you're the smartest. Hurry and help us think of something!"
Yang Ning had not wanted to involve himself in this sort of thing. He only wanted to cultivate immortality in peace.
But before cultivating immortality, he had failed to understand the situation and become the Minister of Works, exposing his own abilities. He could not avoid this sort of matter either. He could only think of a way to lie low in the future.
Yang Ning thought for a moment, then asked softly, "Can people be killed on this Ascension Boat?"
Ning Rong froze, then shook her head. "Probably not. The Taiheng Sect forbids disciples from killing one another!!"
In truth, there were no shortage of cases of Taiheng Sect disciples killing one another. But there was one prerequisite: do not get caught with irrefutable evidence.
Yet there were only two hundred plus six hundred disciples aboard the Ascension Boat, along with another two hundred Taiheng Sect Outer Disciples standing guard. On average, each person watched four others. If someone killed a person, how could they possibly avoid being caught?
"Then isn't that that?" Yang Ning shrugged. "Since we can't kill him, and he has so many people on his side, then all we can do is cultivate diligently and defeat him openly and honorably with our cultivation!"
"This..." Xun Hu was stunned, then nodded helplessly. "That does seem to be the case, but it still feels pretty frustrating!"
"If your skills are inferior, that's how it is!"
"Then what if he takes the initiative to target us?" Ning Rong asked. "He isn't someone who knows how to endure. He used to bully us by relying on his numbers. Now that he has even more people, won't he bully us even harder?"
That was indeed a problem.
Anyone who had attended middle school knew how terrifying children of this age could be when they engaged in campus bullying. They had no pity, and when they acted, they had no sense of restraint. Though these children were only eleven or twelve, most had practiced martial arts since childhood. Their hands were incredibly strong!
He would not kill anyone, but seriously injuring someone and delaying their cultivation for three or four days was no problem. And Yang Ning and Ning Rong were respectively a bookboy and a servant girl; no one would even entertain their complaints.
If this problem was not solved, they truly would not be able to cultivate in peace!
Yang Ning thought for a moment, then looked around.
It was break time, and the students stood in twos and threes, gathering into little groups according to who they got along with.
Zhao Bu was among them as well. More than twenty youths surrounded him, and he moved about in a great crowd, looking exceedingly imposing.
Zhao Bu's voice was loud and shrill, the piercing child's voice of someone in the middle of puberty. It could be heard from far away.
But Zhao Bu's group was not the largest. The largest belonged to a youth dressed in black brocade embroidered with golden dragons. He had sword-like brows and bright eyes, his gaze profound, carrying himself with the air of someone looking down upon the world. Yang Ning felt that he was somewhat like the First Emperor in his youth.
More than forty people surrounded the youth, their eyes filled with reverence. This spontaneous worship was far stronger than the people Zhao Bu had gathered by borrowing his elder brother's influence.
"Who is that?" Yang Ning asked.
Su Bai turned to glance over, then said, "His name is Lin Jingyun. He's a prince of the Great Sheng Dynasty in Southern Forest!"
"Great Sheng. No wonder!"
Eastern Victory and Western Splendor, Southern Forest and Northern Plains—these were the Taiheng Sect's four major regions. Each region contained many kingdoms and sects that existed by relying upon the Taiheng Sect. Great Sheng was one of them.
However, Southern Forest was overall stronger than Northern Plains, while Great Sheng was the strongest nation in Southern Forest. Great Sheng alone was several times stronger than Zhao Kingdom and Yue Kingdom combined. Lin Jingyun's manner thus became understandable.
"Brother Yang, don't underestimate him. He earned the admiration of so many people not merely because of his background. It is said that Princess of the Man Family took a liking to Lin Jingyun when he was three years old. Not only did she take him as her adopted son, she even gave him an Exquisite Pill. As a result, Lin Jingyun is not only accomplished in both literary and martial arts, but his cultivation talent is also astonishing. He had already entered the Breathing Technique three days ago!"
"The Man Family of Southern Prefecture is a super lineage in southern Taiheng. They excel at raising gu, refining pills, and their inherited Thousand Illusions Hundred Refinements Scripture is a top-tier immortal scripture." Deep Blue swiftly retrieved information on the Man Family.
Yang Ning was not interested in the Man Family. What interested him more was the Exquisite Pill.
The Vast Universe Records recorded that there were many pills usable in the Body Refinement Realm, but only three supreme pills: the Heavenly Heart Pill, the Exquisite Pill, and the Nine Apertures Spirit Connecting Pill.
The Heavenly Heart Pill was a realm-breaking pill only usable at the Body Refinement Tenth Layer. It was said to have an extremely high chance of helping Body Refinement Realm cultivators break through into the Qi Refining Realm. This extremely high chance was practically one hundred percent, because no failures had yet been heard of.
As the first great hurdle of cultivation, the transition from Body Refinement to Qi Refining was the dividing line between immortals and mortals. No one knew how many people had been trapped to death at this pass. Since it could help one break through the barrier, the Heavenly Heart Pill was without doubt the number one pill of the Body Refinement Realm.
The Exquisite Pill was another type of pill. After consuming it, one could form a seven-orifice exquisite heart within the body. From then on, whether learning talent or martial talent, everything would be raised to the fullest. It could allow one to reach the peak of the Body Refinement Realm at a faster speed.
And the reason many people could not break through the Body Refinement Realm was nothing more than insufficient accumulation. Reaching the peak of the Body Refinement Realm faster naturally gave one enough time to accumulate strength, making it another excellent item capable of increasing the chances of breakthrough.
Most precious of all, the exquisite heart formed by the Exquisite Pill had the ability to die in one's stead. So long as a fatal wound struck the heart, the Exquisite Pill could transform into a seven-orifice exquisite heart and complete one resurrection.
Although cultivators all had the habit of grinding their enemies' bones to ash, what if someone happened to be careless? That would be an extra life!
The Nine Apertures Spirit Connecting Pill, meanwhile, was a divine pill of the Demon Beast world.
Bodhi Patriarch once said that all beings with nine apertures could become immortals. But some Demon Beasts, such as a stone becoming a spirit, had no nine apertures. At such times, consuming a Nine Apertures Spirit Connecting Pill would allow them to form nine apertures and step onto the immortal path.
Humans could also consume the Nine Apertures Spirit Connecting Pill. After taking it, the functions of the nine apertures would be greatly enhanced, nearly reaching divinity. From then on, one's ears would be keen, eyes sharp, and sense of smell acute—comparable to the divine abilities of clairvoyance and wind-riding ears. It was also immensely beneficial in battle.
Some immortal sects called the physique of those who had consumed the Nine Apertures Spirit Connecting Pill the Nine Apertures Spirit Connecting Body, another reflection of this pill's miraculous nature.
Each of the three great divine pills had its own wonders. Lin Jingyun had consumed an Exquisite Pill and needed only eight days to enter the Breathing Technique. No wonder he acted so arrogantly.
However...
He still needed eight days to enter after taking an Exquisite Pill? I only needed four days. So the Exquisite Pill's effects seemed merely so-so?
"By the way, why are we suddenly talking about Lin Jingyun?" Xun Hu asked. "Weren't we discussing Zhao Bu?"
"As the saying goes, brothers may quarrel within their walls, but together fend off insult from beyond. Our conflict with Zhao Bu is an internal conflict of Northern Plains. But if someone from Southern Forest comes to bully us, what would Zhao Bu do?" Yang Ning said softly.
"This..." Xun Hu was first stunned, then his eyes immediately lit up.
"But would Zhao Bu stand up for us?" Ning Rong was not so optimistic. "If he learns that we offended Lin Jingyun, he might even help Lin Jingyun stomp on us!"
"So it cannot be us offending Lin Jingyun. It has to be one of Zhao Bu's underlings!" Yang Ning spread his hands. "He can't possibly refuse to stand up for his own underling, can he?"
"His underlings aren't idiots." Su Bai asked, "Why would they offend Lin Jingyun for no reason?"
"That will be up to you!" Yang Ning looked at Su Bai. "I know you've always been dissatisfied with me, and you like Ning Rong, but Ning Rong likes me—"
Su Bai's face turned pale. "You're talking nonsense. How could I be dissatisfied with you? And how would I dare like Ning Rong?"
Ning Rong immediately clenched her fists. "What do you mean? I'm not worthy of your liking?"
Su Bai hurriedly waved his hands. "It's not that you're unworthy. I just don't dare!"
Ning Rong became even angrier at once. Though she was valiant and dashing, and believed herself no worse than the sons of kings and nobles, she still had a maiden's heart to some extent.
Yang Ning said, "Stop fooling around. I'm establishing a setup here. My status is still too low, so it truly isn't suitable. Then let's change it to Xun Hu. Su Bai, you like Ning Rong, but Ning Rong likes Xun Hu, so your love turns to hatred, and you decide to deal with him!"
Ning Rong puffed out her cheeks. Xun Hu? He was an idiot. Who would like him?
But Yang Ning did not care about her expression and continued, "Do you understand?"
Su Bai blinked. "You want me to go undercover?"
"Yes!" Yang Ning nodded. "Then won't you become Zhao Bu's underling?"
Su Bai's eyes lit up. "That sounds... rather interesting?"
"This is a good plan!" Xun Hu turned and asked, "Su Bai, are you willing to go?"
"I'm definitely willing. As long as I can screw him over, I'd be willing even if I died! But would Zhao Bu believe me?" Su Bai was full of youthful spirit. With national hatred and family enmity, along with the fury of being bullied these past few days, he would certainly be willing if he could take revenge!
Moreover, this sounded rather interesting. After all, he was a chuunibyou teenager—he loved the feeling of accomplishing great things.
But Zhao Bu was no fool either!
"Then tell him directly that I sent you to be an undercover agent, but that you sincerely want to defect to him. After all, he has an elder brother who is an Outer Disciple. What are we? Mere prodigies are worthless before the Dragon Gate Ranking. Xun Hu is also a poor prince who cannot pull out more than a few taels of silver. There is no future in following us at all!"
Doing this would certainly draw some hatred onto himself, but Yang Ning had already been regarded as an enemy by Zhao Bu, so he did not care about any of it.
And with the Exquisite Pill as an example, he believed that his cheat was even stronger than the three great divine pills. As long as he was given a stable cultivation environment, let alone Zhao Bu, he could catch up even to Zhao Bu's elder brother.
By the time the hatred shifted back to him, he would no longer fear it!
After hearing Yang Ning's words, Su Bai was instantly speechless, while Xun Hu also looked utterly bewildered. Those words were far too convincing!
If I were Zhao Bu, I would believe it too!
After all, everything he said was the truth! Following Zhao Bu really did seem to offer a better future than following Xun Hu!
"Besides, you won't lose out by following him. Demand more pay. Make him understand one principle: if he is willing to take in even an enemy's underling and offer such generous treatment, then how much more would he offer to someone who bears him no grudge?" Yang Ning continued teaching.
Xun Hu was speechless too. As expected of a prodigy—was his heart black?
Ning Rong's bright eyes widened as well. As expected of the prodigy whose name shook a hundred kingdoms—he could even think of something like this? Good thing he was one of them.
If someone encountered such an opponent, would they not be schemed to death?
"..." Su Bai remained silent for a long while, unable to refute him. Only then did he say, "Then... shall I go find him tonight?"
"Not tonight. Right now!" Yang Ning said. "I'll write down the lines for you to memorize. Then we'll get ready to start the show!"
"..."
A while later, Xun Hu suddenly slammed the table. "Su Bai, are you shameless after being given face?!"
"So what if I am shameless after being given face!" Su Bai shot to his feet. "And you too, Yang Ning—you're just a stinking farmer!"
Before you continue