Neglect

The main doors of Earthly Soil Hall stood wide open, with four brown-robed young sect disciples lining both sides, bowing respectfully to welcome the bustling crowd.

Chu Zhiyuan glanced down at his own official robes and did not enter.

After lunch and a short rest, he had changed into ordinary brocade robes and left Prince Qing's Estate to come to Earthly Soil Hall.

Several estate guards waited outside, while Guo Chi and Zou Fang accompanied him into the hall.

Even though he sensed no Grandmasters inside Earthly Soil Hall, he did not let his guard down.

Beyond the entrance lay an open courtyard, far more spacious than expected—as large as a football field, paved with clean, spotless blue bricks.

To the north stood a main hall flanked by two side halls, their architecture heavy and solemn.

The main hall housed a statue of the Earth Venerable, while the side halls each held a statue of the Earth Mother Goddess, the two goddesses bearing different faces.

Dozens of people were slowly queuing to enter the main hall, and worshippers knelt in the side halls as well.

He followed the crowd into the main hall.

The Earth Venerable stood three zhang tall, its slender fingers forming a mudra. Its face was gaunt, with a long flowing beard, and its tall crown and wide robes differed from the attire of the Great Jing Dynasty, appearing far more ancient.

Before the Earth Venerable statue stood an incense burner, beside which a handsome young man was handing incense sticks one by one to the faithful, his expression solemn and reverent.

Chu Zhiyuan stepped forward, took the incense from the young man, inserted it into the burner, and bowed.

His Super Sensation detected nothing unusual.

The statues of the Earth Venerable and the two Earth Mother Goddesses were utterly ordinary—just three clay idols, though their pigments were somewhat unique.

The handsome young man before him was actually at the Second Layer of the Innate Realm, which surprised him greatly.

This youth was about his own age and at a similar cultivation level.

He himself had trained in the Lesser Violet Sun Technique, later the Greater Violet Sun Technique—secret imperial arts and the finest supreme skills in the world.

He also possessed Super Sensation and had practiced numerous extraordinary techniques from Bright Martial Hall. Though the Jade Lock Golden Pass Technique had cost him time, sharpening the axe did not delay the chopping—it wouldn't slow him down much.

And so, he had reached the Third Layer of the Innate Realm.

This youth, though not as astonishing as Huang Shirong, could still be called a Martial Arts Prodigy.

"Ah!"

Just as Chu Zhiyuan turned to leave, several startled cries rang out beside him.

An old man suddenly collapsed, and the handsome young man stepped forward to catch him.

The old man had been pale and gasping for breath; when he had barely managed to bow his head, he lost his footing and stumbled, about to fall, but the young man caught him in time.

"Father!"

"Father!"

Two honest-faced young men rushed forward to support the old man.

The handsome young man said in a deep voice, "Don't move him. Let me handle this!"

"Young Sect Master..."

"Quiet! Calm yourselves!" the handsome young man ordered.

He gently laid the old man on the ground, then turned and waved his hand: "Everyone step back!"

The crowd quickly retreated, clearing a space.

Chu Zhiyuan stood among the onlookers, observing the handsome young man and the old man.

The old man's breath was rapidly weakening; it seemed to be a heart problem, possibly a heart attack. If delayed any longer, he would die.

He was about to intervene discreetly—he couldn't just watch someone die—when he saw the handsome young man swiftly tap several acupoints on the old man's chest, then stand up, form a mudra with his hands, and chant softly, solemn and dignified.

This reminded Chu Zhiyuan of Zhu Yishan, that High Ritual Elder of the Thick Earth Sect.

He was about to perform a ritual.

Through Super Sensation, the previously ordinary Earth Venerable statue suddenly lit up.

Chu Zhiyuan found it astonishing.

This Earth Venerable statue actually held hidden wonders, fooling even him!

The Earth Venerable statue suddenly emitted a soft glow, which landed on the handsome young man's mudra-bound hands.

His hands, still forming the seal, gently touched the old man.

"Mm..." The old man slowly opened his eyes.

"Father? Father!"

"What are you yelling about? I'm not dead yet!"

The old man's eyes were still dazed as he instinctively scolded.

His gaze gradually cleared, and he hurriedly sat up, lunging forward to kneel, but the handsome young man lifted him to his feet.

The young man released his mudra and waved his hand: "No need for that, elder. The Earth Venerable protects!"

The old man nodded vigorously. "The Earth Venerable has shown his grace. Thank you, Young Sect Master! Thank you, Young Sect Master!"

His old life had been saved.

A warm, soothing energy filled his body, especially around his heart—it felt like a ball of fire was roasting it, making him so comfortable he wanted to drift off to sleep.

The weakness and frailty that had gripped him vanished in an instant. Truly miraculous!

As expected of the Young Sect Master!

Surely the reincarnation of the Earth Venerable!

"Boundless Earth Venerable!" The handsome young man solemnly bowed his head in salute.

"Boundless Earth Venerable!"

"Boundless Earth Venerable!"

The crowd raised their voices in salute, bowing one after another.

Chu Zhiyuan stood among the crowd, his face full of admiration.

This was borrowing the power of the divine statue—a force distinct from True Qi, with effects that seemed divine.

But this was likely the power of incense and faith, wasn't it? Something the Imperial Court looked upon with disfavor.

An invisible surge of force emanated from him, pushing the others aside as he stepped forward to help the young man lift the old man to his feet.

Under Super Sensation, he saw through the old man's body in an instant and sensed that strange, wondrous power.

That power was rapidly repairing the old man's heart, like sweet rain drenching a long-parched land—the effect was astonishing.

He marveled inwardly.

This power's ability to heal the body was nothing short of miraculous, surpassing even the Dragon Transformation Technique.

It even outclassed any healing method in the Bright Martial Hall.

Truly, the world was vast and full of wonders.

When he had read the Thick Earth Sect's files, they had heavily emphasized their Young Sect Master, Feng Zhihao.

Feng Zhihao was a prodigy in cultivation, with rumors of being the Earth Venerable's reincarnation. His prestige within the Thick Earth Sect was immense, to the point where he threatened to overshadow the Sect Master himself.

Now, it seemed Feng Zhihao truly possessed a miraculous technique, performing wonders before the crowd. No wonder his reputation was so high.

Feng Zhihao remained calm and solemn. After his salute, he dismissed the crowd, telling them not to delay their worship of the Earth Venerable.

His words carried great weight.

One by one, the people paid their respects to the Earth Venerable, bowed to him, and then departed.

Chu Zhiyuan left the main hall and went to the adjacent Earth Mother Hall to pay his respects. No matter what, bowing before a divine statue was never a mistake.

He had once been an atheist, but after experiencing reincarnation, his views had changed.

After making his rounds of worship, he glanced at Zou Fang.

Zou Fang nodded lightly, found a Thick Earth Sect disciple, and murmured a few words. The disciple then looked toward Chu Zhiyuan.

Chu Zhiyuan paced the courtyard with his hands behind his back.

The disciple entered the main hall and, after a moment, returned to Zou Fang's side, whispering a few sentences.

Zou Fang listened, frowned slightly, and came to Chu Zhiyuan. In a low voice, she said, "He says he must first receive the faithful. Once the worshippers have left, he will come to pay his respects to you, Young Master."

Chu Zhiyuan raised an eyebrow and smiled.

"Young Master, let's go!" Guo Chi's face darkened like an enraged black bear, his demeanor ready to explode at any moment.

Chu Zhiyuan shook his head. "Let's wait a while."

Guo Chi's eyes widened in confusion.

He couldn't understand how Feng Zhihao dared to be so arrogant and insolent, nor why Chu Zhiyuan wouldn't just leave.

A noble Young Master like him—why suffer this humiliation!

Chu Zhiyuan said, "This Young Sect Master is indeed someone worth knowing. I want to make his acquaintance."

"Another arrogant fool!" Guo Chi huffed, glaring angrily toward the main hall.

Chu Zhiyuan paced the courtyard with his hands behind his back, taking the opportunity to cultivate. His Super Sensation spread outward, covering an area thirty zhang in radius.

He focused his attention on Feng Zhihao.

The files had said nothing about Feng Zhihao's temperament. He hadn't expected him to be so unruly and defiant.

Neither his official rank nor his status as a Young Master was something the Thick Earth Sect could afford to slight, yet Feng Zhihao dared to do so.

Naturally, he either had something to rely on, or he harbored resentment.

The root of it lay in the Thirteenth Prince's concubine—she was his elder sister.

The Thirteenth Prince, Prince Huai, was Chu Zhichuan's father.

Prince Qing's Estate naturally couldn't compare to Prince Huai's Estate; in Feng Zhihao's view, the Heir Apparent of Prince Qing's Estate had no real way to deal with him.

Chu Zhiyuan observed Feng Zhihao's subtle movements, as well as the shifts in his breath.

Feng Zhihao held the incense as he sent off the faithful, his breathing steady and not engaged in cultivation, his expression solemn and dignified, as if performing a sacred act.

Chu Zhiyuan watched for a while, vaguely guessing—was this Feng Zhihao tempering his heart?

Purifying the mind and focusing the will—was this a cultivation method of the Thick Earth Sect?

After watching for some time, his own heart grew calm along with it, its effect comparable to holding the Qingying Sword.