Requesting Merit

Listening to Waves Courtyard

The lattice window stood open. A bright moon, like a silver platter set into the pitch-black night sky, seemed to peer through the window at Chu Zhiyuan's handsome face.

Chu Zhiyuan sat cross-legged, the Cold Jade Box placed before his knees. Within it, the Flying Dragon Pearl emitted a dim purple-gold gleam.

The Dragon Transformation Technique was circulating madly.

The moment the Flying Dragon Pearl came near him, the Dragon Transformation Technique seemed suddenly to acquire a will of its own. It no longer required his focused guidance and began circulating wildly on its own.

It was like a fine steed changing from a leisurely stroll to a headlong gallop, its speed increasing roughly fivefold. What had once taken one full circulation now completed five.

And it required none of his mental effort.

Such a bizarre occurrence, one he had never even imagined, was happening right before his eyes, leaving the corners of his mouth permanently raised.

With the Dragon Transformation Technique and the Flying Dragon Pearl working together, his progress would be beyond imagination. Added to that were the Meridian Washing Art and the further enhanced power of the Jade Lock Golden Pass Technique; his advancement would only become faster.

His original plan had been to stop practicing the Meridian Washing Art after his coming match with Cheng Tianfeng of Great Zhen, and first cultivate the Dragon Transformation Technique to sufficient mastery so as to avoid shortening his life and damaging his body.

Now that he had the Flying Dragon Pearl, there was no need to stop cultivating the Meridian Washing Art. His Dragon Transformation Technique realm was enough to suppress the harm caused by the Meridian Washing Art.

He reached out, picked up the Flying Dragon Pearl, and held it before his eyes.

Under his Super Sensation, the Flying Dragon Pearl appeared filled with mercury.

Silvery bright, pure, and glittering, it possessed a smooth, silky, yet heavy and condensed texture.

He had an intuition: he could draw out this shining mercury at any moment and merge it into his own True Qi, instantly causing his True Qi and cultivation to soar.

Seeing that gleaming, weighty True Qi, he felt an intense urge to draw it out, like a man dying of thirst upon encountering a sweet spring.

He forcibly restrained that urge.

How was drawing True Qi from a Dragon Pearl any different from consuming spiritual pills to increase one's cultivation? Both would sever the road to Grandmaster.

What he sought was the Dragon Pearl's influence on the Dragon Transformation Technique.

More importantly, he had vaguely realized that though the True Qi within the Dragon Pearl was easy to take, it carried hidden consequences. Otherwise, the Emperor would not have warned him that it was inauspicious.

Since the Emperor had called it inauspicious, there was likely something wrong with the True Qi inside the Dragon Pearl.

Based on the books he had read, he surmised that the True Qi in the Dragon Pearl had likely been tainted by a trace of dragon nature, which could affect one's mind and will.

Xu Wanshan had used an Earth Dragon Pearl to enhance his cultivation and had nearly cut off his path to Grandmaster.

Either the Flying Flower Sword Sect did not know this secret, or it knew but did not care, never having hoped to achieve Grandmasterhood in the first place. Or perhaps it had learned too late and could only continue down the wrong path.

He opened his eyes and closed the Cold Jade Box.

The surging, roaring aura of the Dragon Transformation Technique came to an abrupt halt.

He allowed it to stop. He began using the Sword Washing Art, refining the Misty Purple Qi, then focused his mind and circulated the Dragon Binding Rope before opening the Cold Jade Box again.

Just as he had expected, the Dragon Binding Rope also circulated about five times faster than usual.

The Dragon Pearl stimulated all martial arts of the Dragon Subduing Sect.

What had originally required him to slowly gather strands of deep purple aura and transform them into a purple rope, taking at least the time it took to drink two cups of tea, now took only the blink of an eye.

He closed the Cold Jade Box. The Earthly Yuan Art drew in the earth's qi to replenish his True Qi; the Sword Washing Art purified the Misty Purple Qi into deep purple qi; he activated the Dragon Binding Rope and opened the Cold Jade Box. In an instant, another Dragon Binding Rope formed.

Close the Cold Jade Box -> Earthly Yuan Art replenishes qi -> Sword Washing Art cleanses qi -> circulate Dragon Binding Rope -> open Cold Jade Box -> condense one Dragon Binding Rope.

Nine Dragon Binding Ropes took only half the original time.

The first light of dawn appeared in the bedroom of Listening to Waves Courtyard.

Chu Zhiyuan slowly opened his eyes, divine light bursting forth and illuminating the room.

He had finally broken through the Seventh Layer of the Jade Tower and entered the Eighth Layer realm!

At this pace, breaking through the next eight layers of the Jade Tower, reaching the Ninefold realm... breaking through the Eleventh Layer of the Jade Tower and entering the Twelfth Layer realm, then breaking through the Twelfth Layer of the Jade Tower to attain Innate Perfection, would probably take around a year.

That was already shocking enough to startle heaven and earth.

Yet he still felt it was not fast enough. Until he became a Grandmaster, he would never truly feel safe.

Fortunately, his current realm now matched Cheng Tianfeng's.

That was, if the Supervisory Department's assessment was correct and Cheng Tianfeng truly was at the Eighth Layer.

To be safe, he could not relax. He would strive to advance another layer before Cheng Tianfeng reached the Jade Capital.

Time was pressing.

He also needed to temper the Sword Washing Art, the Great Avalanche Sword Art, and the Within Reach, Yet Worlds Apart Step. Cultivation was important, but so was mastery of martial skills.

--

In the dawn light, he arrived at Bright Martial Hall.

After exchanging greetings with Chu Mingxuan, Chu Zhiting, Chu Zhichuan, and the others, Chu Qingfeng appeared. He glanced at Chu Zhiyuan but said nothing.

Chu Zhiyuan knew that Chu Qingfeng could tell from that glance that his aura had strengthened and that he had advanced another layer.

If Chu Qingfeng knew, then the Emperor knew as well. The Emperor could provide support tailored to his progress at any time, increasing his chances of defeating Cheng Tianfeng.

Chu Zhiyao, however, had not come today.

That left Chu Zhiyuan rather curious.

Given Chu Zhiyao's temperament, he valued cultivation above all else. He came to Bright Martial Hall to practice every day, rain or shine, and was unfailingly punctual.

When he asked Chu Mingxuan, Chu Zhiting, and Chu Zhichuan, none knew. Chu Qingfeng did not know either.

Chu Zhichuan guessed, "Fourth Uncle's birthday is coming up. Maybe Third Brother is helping look for anything they might have missed and is swamped with work."

Chu Mingxuan said, "Fourth Brother rarely handles affairs and has always been a hands-off shopkeeper. Now that Third Brother has returned, of course Third Brother has to manage everything large and small in the residence. It must be a terrible nuisance."

No matter how much Chu Zhiyao valued cultivation, he could not neglect Prince Xuan's birthday. He had to make sure nothing went wrong at the evening banquet.

"Tomorrow night is Fourth Brother's birthday," Chu Mingxuan said with a smile. "We can have a good time... Fourth Son, you'll be going, right?"

Chu Zhiyuan nodded.

Chu Mingxuan revealed an odd smile. "Not just us. People from some Duke's Mansions, Count's Mansions, and Marquis's Mansions will also be attending. It'll be extremely lively."

Chu Zhiyuan said, "What else?"

"Hehe, besides the Young Dukes, Young Counts, and Young Marquises, there will also be young ladies from all the residences." Chu Mingxuan raised his brows and smiled strangely. "A great many marriages begin when people catch each other's eye at times like this."

Chu Zhiyuan quickly waved his hands. "Eighteenth Uncle, how could I have the mind for such things right now?"

"Ah, true." Chu Mingxuan comfortingly patted his shoulder.

The burden on Chu Zhiyuan's shoulders was too heavy, enough to make one gasp for breath. He truly had no mind for looking at young ladies.

"But Fourth Son, you cannot bury your head in hard cultivation all the time. You should still relax now and then; work and rest must be balanced," Chu Mingxuan said. "Go tomorrow night and unwind."

Chu Zhiyuan nodded in agreement.

When he arrived at the Ministry of Rites Office to report for duty, he saw Gao Lingfeng approach with a beaming face, clasping his fists in congratulations.

"My lord, congratulations, congratulations! I heard that the memorial requesting Ninth Grade Merit for you was submitted to the Audit Department yesterday."

"Oh?"

Gao Lingfeng said with a smile, "The Minister said that being able to promptly contain the conflict between the Thick Earth Sect and the Flying Flower Sword Sect before it spread was entirely thanks to your timely judgment and your far-sighted pacification, my lord. It merits exceptional Ninth Grade Merit."

Chu Zhiyuan smiled. "And what about you, Lord Gao?"

Gao Lingfeng said, "This subordinate counts for half a merit as well. It will be entered into the merit register."

Two half-merits could make one Ninth Grade Merit, which was already joyous enough.

Such opportunities were rare indeed.

Chu Zhiyuan sat behind his desk, casually picked up a case file, and smiled. "It was also a matter of fortunate coincidence. My luck was good enough, I suppose."

Gao Lingfeng shook his head solemnly. "This was not luck. If this subordinate had been in your place, not only would I have failed to earn merit, I would instead have been punished."

Assistant Director had indeed received preferential treatment because he was the Heir Apparent, gaining the opportunity to preside over the groundbreaking ceremony at the Flying Flower Sword Sect's separate courtyard.

But if he himself had been the Assistant Director, he would have kept his distance from the Flying Flower Sword Sect. He would not have said an unnecessary word or meddled in matters that were not his concern.

And with the conflict between the Flying Flower Sword Sect and the Thick Earth Sect, if he had been unable to mediate it, he might not have been wise enough to report it immediately. He would certainly have hesitated.

Had the matter been delayed, allowing the Flying Flower Sword Sect and the Thick Earth Sect to clash further or even cause loss of life, it would have been difficult to truly suppress it.

Therefore, requesting this Ninth Grade Merit for the Assistant Director was not excessive in the slightest.

Chu Zhiyuan said, "I wonder when this Ninth Grade Merit will be approved."

The Great Zhen delegation would arrive soon. It would be far too regrettable if approval came only after the delegation arrived.

He had always exchanged Ninth Grade Merit for Minor Marrow Cleansing Pills to accelerate the first layer of the Dragon Transformation Technique's meridian cultivation. Only now did he realize that he should not have exchanged them for Minor Marrow Cleansing Pills; Dragon Blood Stones would have been more effective.