The gates of Earthly Soil Hall stood wide open. Four young sect members in brown robes stood in two rows on either side, bowing respectfully to welcome the bustling crowd.
Chu Zhiyuan lowered his head to look at his official robes and did not enter.
After lunch and a short rest, he changed into an ordinary brocade robe, left Prince Qing's Estate, and came to Earthly Soil Hall.
Several estate guards waited outside, while Guo Chi and Zou Fang accompanied him into Earthly Soil Hall.
Even after discovering that there were no grandmasters within Earthly Soil Hall, he did not let down his guard.
Beyond the entrance lay a spacious courtyard, more expansive than he had imagined—nearly the size of a football field. Blue bricks paved the ground, spotless without a speck of dust.
Straight ahead stood a main hall, with two side halls flanking it. The architecture was weighty and solemn.
The main hall housed an Earth Venerable Statue, while the side halls held statues of the Earth Mother Goddess. The two Earth Mother Goddess statues had different appearances.
Dozens of people were lining up to enter the main hall, while worshippers also knelt in the two side halls.
He followed the crowd into the main hall.
The Earth Venerable stood three zhang tall. His ten slender fingers formed a hand seal; his face was lean, his long beard drifted in the air, and his high crown and broad robes differed from Great Jing Dynasty attire, giving him an even more ancient air.
Before the Earth Venerable Statue stood an incense burner. Beside it, a handsome young man was distributing incense sticks one by one to the worshippers, his expression solemn and respectful.
Chu Zhiyuan stepped forward, accepted the incense from the young man, inserted it into the burner, and bowed.
His Super Sensation detected nothing unusual.
The Earth Venerable and the two Earth Mother Goddess statues were utterly unremarkable—merely three clay figures, though their paint was somewhat unusual.
What surprised him was that this handsome young man was actually at the Xiantian Second Layer.
The young man was about the same age as him, and his cultivation was comparable as well.
He cultivated the Lesser Violet Sun Technique, and later the Greater Violet Sun Technique—secretly passed down by the imperial family, one of the finest extraordinary arts in the world.
He also possessed Super Sensation and had practiced many extraordinary arts from Bright Martial Hall. Though the Jade Lock Golden Pass Technique had delayed him somewhat, sharpening the blade did not delay the chopping of wood; it would not truly slow him down by much.
Even so, he had only reached the Xiantian Realm's Third Layer.
Although this young man was not as astonishing as Huang Shirong, he still deserved to be called a martial arts prodigy.
"Ah!"
Just as Chu Zhiyuan turned to leave, several cries of alarm rang out beside him.
An old man suddenly collapsed, and the handsome young man took a step forward to catch him.
The old man's face had already been pale, and he had been panting heavily. When he had reluctantly lowered his head to bow just now, he lost his footing upon straightening and staggered toward the ground. The handsome young man had stepped forward and caught him.
"Father!"
"Father!"
Two honest-looking young men hurried forward to support the old man.
The handsome young man said in a deep voice, "Don't move him. Let me do it!"
"Young Sect Master..."
"Stop making noise! Remain calm!" the handsome young man said sternly.
He slowly lowered the old man to the ground, then turned and waved his hand. "Everyone, step back!"
The crowd hurriedly retreated, clearing an open space.
Standing amid the crowd, Chu Zhiyuan observed the handsome young man and the old man.
The old man's breath was rapidly weakening. It appeared to be a heart problem, perhaps a heart attack. If delayed any longer, he would lose his life.
Chu Zhiyuan was just preparing to secretly intervene. He could not simply stand by and watch someone die.
But then he saw the handsome young man swiftly tap several points over the old man's heart. He rose to his feet, formed a seal with both hands, and murmured a low chant, solemn and majestic.
It reminded Chu Zhiyuan of Zhu Yishan, the Thick Earth Sect's High Ritual Elder.
He was about to perform a ritual.
Under Super Sensation, the formerly unremarkable Earth Venerable Statue suddenly lit up.
Chu Zhiyuan found it astonishing.
This Earth Venerable Statue actually concealed such profound mysteries—it had even deceived him!
A ball of soft light suddenly shot from the Earth Venerable Statue and landed upon the handsome young man's seal-formed hands.
With his hands still in the seal, he gently pressed them against the old man.
"Mm..." The old man slowly opened his eyes.
"Father? Father!"
"What are you yelling for? This old man isn't dead yet!"
His eyes were still clouded with confusion when he instinctively snapped at them.
His gaze gradually cleared. He hurriedly rolled over and sat up, then lunged forward into a kneeling posture, only for the handsome young man to lift him up in one motion.
The handsome young man released his hand seal and waved. "There is no need for this, old sir. The Earth Venerable has protected you!"
The old man nodded forcefully. "The Earth Venerable has manifested! Many thanks, Young Sect Master! Many thanks, Young Sect Master!"
His old life had been saved.
Warm energy filled his body, especially around his heart, as though a ball of fire were roasting it. It felt so comfortable that he wanted to fall asleep.
The weakness and helplessness that had plagued him vanished without a trace. It was simply miraculous!
Worthy indeed of the Young Sect Master!
Sure enough, he was the Earth Venerable reincarnated!
"Boundless Earth Venerable!" The handsome young man solemnly clasped his hands in salute.
"Boundless Earth Venerable!"
"Boundless Earth Venerable!"
The crowd clasped their hands and shouted in unison.
Chu Zhiyuan stood among the crowd, his face full of admiration.
He had borrowed the statue's power—a force distinct from True Qi, with effects as miraculous as divine intervention.
But this was incense-and-faith power, was it not? The very thing the Imperial Court regarded with wariness.
Invisible force surged from his body, squeezing others aside as he stepped forward to help the young man lift the old man up.
Under Super Sensation, he instantly saw the old man's body with crystal clarity and sensed that strange mass of power.
That strange power was rapidly repairing the old man's heart, like sweet rain falling upon land parched by a long drought. Its effects were astonishing.
He secretly marveled.
This power's ability to repair the body was truly miraculous, surpassing even the Dragon Transformation Technique.
It even surpassed every healing art of Bright Martial Hall.
Sure enough, the world was vast, and wonders abounded.
When he had read the Thick Earth Sect dossiers, they had placed particular emphasis on its Young Sect Master, Feng Zhihao.
Feng Zhihao was a cultivation prodigy, with rumors claiming he was the Earth Venerable reincarnated. His prestige within the Thick Earth Sect was exceedingly lofty, and he even showed signs of replacing the sect leader.
Now it seemed that Feng Zhihao truly possessed extraordinary arts. He displayed divinity before the people; no wonder his reputation was so high.
Calm and dignified, Feng Zhihao clasped his hands after the ritual and told everyone to disperse, lest they delay their worship of the Earth Venerable.
His words carried great weight.
After worshipping the Earth Venerable, everyone bowed to him before leaving.
Chu Zhiyuan left the main hall and went to the nearby Earth Mother Hall to offer his respects. No matter what, bowing before a divine statue could never be wrong.
He had originally been an atheist, but after experiencing reincarnation, he had changed his outlook.
After making the rounds of worship, he looked toward Zou Fang.
Zou Fang nodded lightly, found a Thick Earth Sect member, and murmured a few words to him. The sect member then looked toward Chu Zhiyuan.
Chu Zhiyuan paced through the courtyard with his hands behind his back.
The sect member entered the main hall. A short while later, he came before Zou Fang and spoke to her quietly.
After hearing him out, Zou Fang frowned slightly and came to Chu Zhiyuan. "They must first receive the worshippers. Once the worshippers have left, they will come pay respects to you, Young Master."
Chu Zhiyuan raised a sword-like brow and smiled.
"Heir Apparent, let's leave!" Guo Chi's expression darkened. Like a furious black bear, he looked ready to erupt at any moment.
Chu Zhiyuan shook his head. "Then we'll wait."
Guo Chi's eyes widened in confusion.
He could neither understand how Feng Zhihao dared to put on such airs and act so arrogantly, nor why Chu Zhiyuan would not simply leave.
How could a dignified Heir Apparent endure such humiliation!
Chu Zhiyuan said, "This Young Sect Master truly is someone noteworthy. I should get acquainted with him."
"Another arrogant fellow!" Guo Chi glared indignantly toward the main hall.
Chu Zhiyuan paced the courtyard with his hands behind his back. At the same time, he took the opportunity to cultivate, keeping his Super Sensation spread out to encompass a radius of thirty zhang.
Feng Zhihao was the one he watched most closely.
The dossiers had not described Feng Zhihao's temperament. He had not expected him to be so wild and unruly.
Neither Chu Zhiyuan's official post nor his status as Heir Apparent was something the Thick Earth Sect could afford to slight, yet Feng Zhihao had done so anyway.
Naturally, he had something to rely on—or perhaps he harbored resentment as well.
The root of it was the Thirteenth Prince's concubine, who was precisely Feng Zhihao's elder sister.
The Thirteenth Prince, Prince Huai, was Chu Zhichuan's father.
Prince Qing's Estate naturally could not compare with Prince Huai's Estate. In Feng Zhihao's eyes, the Heir Apparent of Prince Qing's Estate could do little to him.
Chu Zhiyuan observed Feng Zhihao's slightest movements and changes in breath.
Feng Zhihao held incense and handed it to the worshippers. His breath was stable, and he was not cultivating. His expression remained solemn and majestic, as if he were carrying out a sacred task.
After watching for a while, Chu Zhiyuan vaguely guessed that Feng Zhihao was tempering his heart.
Was this a Thick Earth Sect cultivation method—purifying the heart and focusing the will?
After watching for some time, even his own heart gradually calmed. The effect rivaled holding the Qingying Sword.
Before you continue