Chapter 2346 - 2036: Is This Lu Chen’s Scheme?
Lu Chen took the Heavenly Gang Refining Evil Pill to break through to the late-stage Earth Realm and sat before the stone table in the outer courtyard, waiting for Qu He to arrive.
About a quarter of an hour later, a servant approached Lu Chen and said: "Princely Heir, there is an elderly man at the door seeking an audience. He says his name is Qu He, and that you asked him to come."
Upon hearing this, Lu Chen immediately said, "Let him in."
"Yes, Princely Heir."
With that, the servant turned and left, and shortly thereafter, an elderly man dressed in simple linen walked into the courtyard.
His hair and beard were all white, like snow and frost, and his brows and eyes were deep and serene, showing no trace of fierceness.
Though his face bore the fine lines of age, his complexion appeared supple, and his eyes were incredibly clear. His posture was upright, his form was not frail, and he exuded not a hint of sharp killing aura, appearing not like a Spirit Martial Artist, but merely an ordinary old man.
After approaching Lu Chen, the old man half-knelt and said, "This old servant pays respects to the master."
Lu Chen remarked indifferently, "Rise."
"Thank you, master."
Qu He immediately stood up, and Lu Chen then said, "There’s no need to call me master; address me as Princely Heir."
Having said this, Lu Chen glanced at Qu He and then inquired, "To break through to the Heavenly Realm must not be easy, right?"
Lu Chen did not question whether Qu He knew his former self. In his view, with the system in place, certain constraints inevitably exist, and even if he asked Qu He, Qu He would be unable to answer.
Now, he only needed to keep growing stronger, and those restraints would gradually unravel, revealing the truth.
Lu Chen recalled being inside the belly of the Chaos Beast when he sought to break through to become a Celestial, realizing he must undergo trials.
In certain worlds, there exist special constraints, and breaking through to higher realms is not solely about increasing one’s cultivation state; it is crucial whether the heavenly dao of that world imposes restrictions.
From Lu Chen’s investigations during this time, he discovered that Heavenly Realm Strong Persons in Dazhou were rare; known Heavenly Realm Strong Persons nearly did not exist.
Thus, in Lu Chen’s view, becoming a Heavenly Realm Spirit Warrior must be exceedingly difficult.
This is quite normal, as each world has a limited capacity to host strong figures.
Worlds with abundant world origin can sustain more strong figures.
Conversely, worlds with less abundant world origin will have fewer strong figures.
The heavenly dao often restricts the rise of strong figures, and in Lu Chen’s view, the world he occupied at present might be an ordinary world, thus making Heavenly Realm Spirit Warriors count as formidable; the heavenly dao would inevitably restrict the emergence of Heavenly Realm Strong Persons.
After hearing Lu Chen’s question, Qu He replied, "For ordinary Spirit Martial Artists, breaking through to the late-stage Earth Realm indeed poses difficulties, but for the Princely Heir, there are no such restrictions."
Lu Chen asked, "Why is that?"
Qu He answered, "Because the Princely Heir cultivates not with this world’s cultivation technique, but with an abnormal skill, thus not subject to this world’s limitations."
Lu Chen was taken aback; the so-called abnormal skill doesn’t belong to this world’s magic.
Although the cultivation techniques he obtained all came from the system, these techniques still needed deceitful evil for cultivation. Since they required deceitful evil, logically speaking, these cultivation techniques should originate from this world. Why then were they considered abnormal skills now?
Lu Chen didn’t question further; whether abnormal skill or not, as long as it didn’t hinder his power growth, it was fine.
Lu Chen then asked, "How much do you know about this world?"
Upon hearing this, Qu He thought for a moment and then answered, "To the Princely Heir, my understanding of this world is limited."
Considering such aspects might involve certain constraints, Lu Chen chose not to probe further.
"I’ll have someone arrange accommodations for you in the Prince’s Mansion. From now on, stay by my side and protect my safety."
Qu He immediately bowed and said, "Yes, Princely Heir."
Lu Chen then had accommodations arranged for Qu He and fell into contemplation.
Having now broken through to the Earth Realm, and with the Heavenly Realm Strong Person, Qu He, by his side, it was time to head for Guangling County and check his somewhat estranged father’s situation.
Since leaving the Capital City is imminent, he might as well address another matter concurrently.
Thinking of this, Lu Chen promptly had paper and pen brought, and then started composing a letter to Yun Yudie.
...
At the top floor pavillion of the Hundred Flowers Tower, Xu Jingshu sat at a round table with the Zhou Xiaoxiao sisters.
Sensing the aura emanating from the Zhou Xiaoxiao sisters, Xu Jingshu felt uneasy within.
She hadn’t expected that in under a year, the sisters would break through to the late-stage Xuan Realm.
Given their current pace of ascending through the realm, it might not take long for them to break through to the Emperor Realm.
Thinking of how their cultivation states surpassed her own as Saintess, Xu Jingshu felt an urgent need.
She aspired to quickly advance her cultivation state, but the Sect Hierarch instructed her not to engage with Lu Chen, thus leaving her vexed.
At this moment, Xu Jingshu asked coldly, "You’ve been in Zhen Nan Prince Manor for quite some time; why haven’t you gathered any critical intelligence on it? Were you really bought off by Lu Chen?"
Zhou Xiaoxiao quickly explained, "Saintess, it’s the Sect Hierarch who instructed us not to act rashly, requiring us only to stay covertly beside Lu Chen."
For Yun Yudie now, Zhen Nan Prince Manor held no particular intelligence importance; her sole interest lay in Lu Chen.
However, due to the formidable figures in Zhen Nan Prince Manor, coupled with Lu Chen’s presence in the Capital City, the Heavenly Fate Sect found dealing with Lu Chen challenging, thus resorting to leaving Zhou Xiaoxiao sisters beside Lu Chen. Any intelligence regarding Lu Chen would be sent back to the Heavenly Fate Sect.
Yet, aside from sleeping with them, Lu Chen hardly dealt with anything else of significance. They couldn’t exactly detail what they did with Lu Chen in reports, could they?
Upon hearing Zhou Xiaoxiao’s explanation, Xu Jingshu was about to speak when Zhou Youyou, with a pastry in hand, asked, "Saintess, do you wish to break through to a higher realm?"
Xu Jingshu, upon hearing Zhou Youyou’s inquiry, realized what Zhou Youyou would propose next, and asked coldly, "Are you suggesting I take you to Zhen Nan Prince Manor?"
She wished to break through to the Earth Realm, yet needed more premium blood meals for that, and if she didn’t resort to such means, she’d have to follow Zhou Xiaoxiao sisters’ example and absorb Lu Chen’s vitality at Zhen Nan Prince Manor.
Zhou Youyou asking this question evidently aimed to bring her into Zhen Nan Prince Manor too.
Seeing that Xu Jingshu grasped her intent, Zhou Youyou admitted, "Indeed, if the Saintess is willing to engage with Lu Chen, it wouldn’t take long to break through to the Earth Realm."
Truth be told, Xu Jingshu found Zhou Youyou’s offer enticing, yet remembering Yun Yudie’s orders, she coldly remarked, "Is this Lu Chen’s scheme? Unexpectedly, you, a Protector of the Heavenly Fate Sect, are acting as a mouthpiece for humans."
Xu Jingshu immediately attributed Zhou Youyou’s words to Lu Chen’s influence.
Facing Xu Jingshu’s skepticism, Zhou Youyou didn’t rebuke; she was merely offering help, letting Xu Jingshu believe it or not at her discretion.
Xu Jingshu could go if she chose, or refrain if not; it wasn’t Zhou Youyou’s concern.
Conversely, Zhou Youyou preferred not to have more competition vying for Lu Chen.
Were Xu Jingshu not the Heavenly Fate Sect’s Saintess, Zhou Youyou wouldn’t have bothered asking.