Chapter 623 - 92: The Golden Core Makes a Move
Song Changsheng raced to the room where Song Qingqing was keeping the celebratory gifts.
The dozens of gifts from the guests were arranged on a tiered display, organized by value and the status of the giver.
The lowest tier held the most gifts, a miscellaneous assortment from the various Foundation Establishment Influences and Loose Cultivators.
The second tier held gifts from the various Purple Mansion Influences, among which the "Dancing Sword at Sunset" from the Celestial Sword Sect was the most prominent.
The top tier was reserved for gifts from Golden Core Influences. Since Song Changsheng had personally received the gifts from the Celestial Vein Sect and Luoxia City, the only item on it was the red-cloth-covered brocade box presented by Su Ye on behalf of the Golden Crow Sect.
When Song Changsheng arrived, it was sitting there quietly. Everything seemed perfectly normal.
’Could I be wrong?’ Song Changsheng murmured, though the suspicion in his heart had barely faded.
Xia Qingxue wouldn’t have warned him for no reason. Her specific reminder meant that Su Ye did indeed intend to cause trouble behind the scenes; the only question was how.
As it stood, this gift was the most suspicious item. However, he couldn’t rule out the possibility that it was just a Blinding Technique deliberately created by Su Ye, with the real trap waiting later.
’Su Ye was so secretive at the time, refusing to say what was inside. What in the world is in this box?’ Song Changsheng frowned. The red cloth covering it was strangely potent; it not only blocked Divine Sense, but even his [Eye of Truth] couldn’t see through it.
Though curious, he didn’t dare open the brocade box rashly. After all, who knew what might happen when that red cloth was removed?
’I’d better seal it for now.’ After a moment’s thought, Song Changsheng decided to play it safe. With a flick of his finger, he placed a Restriction around the brocade box.
Opening it or destroying it were both too unpredictable. It was better to seal it and maintain the status quo.
Looking at the brocade box encased by the Restriction, Song Changsheng relaxed slightly. He called in Song Qingqing, who was waiting outside, and instructed, "I have a use for this ’Dancing Sword at Sunset’ and the [Recovery Pill].
Give the [Demon Suppression Heart Stone] to Changrong. Let him decide how to use it.
I have no immediate use for this set of Tier Three Middle-grade Array Banners from Sect Leader Huaa, so take them to the Supreme Elder.
Add the rest to the Clan Treasure Vault. Have the Minor Affairs Hall calculate their value as quickly as possible and convert it into Contribution Points for the clanspeople to redeem."
With that said, Song Changsheng gave a wave of his sleeve and departed gracefully, taking the "Dancing Sword at Sunset," the [Recovery Pill], and the Restriction-sealed brocade box with him.
Upon returning to his courtyard, he went straight into his study. He reached out and pressed a small nub beneath a bookshelf, and a section of the wall in front of him slid open to reveal a hidden compartment about a foot square.
"No one will be able to get to it in here," Song Changsheng said with satisfaction.
No one but him ever entered the study, and he was the only one who knew about the hidden compartment’s switch. The brocade box would be perfectly safe here.
Just as he was about to close the compartment, the red cloth on the box suddenly fell off by itself. Before Song Changsheng could react, an intense, piercing light erupted from the box. His vision swam as an unknown power invaded his Sea of Consciousness.
The defenses of his [Ninefold Celestial Palace] were utterly useless. This had never happened before, which meant the person who set this trap had a Cultivation far, far greater than his own.
The scene before him grew increasingly blurry, and his eyelids felt as if they were weighted with lead. A powerful drowsiness washed over him, and Song Changsheng’s consciousness slowly faded into sleep.
Just then, the brocade box opened by itself, projecting the image of an ancient, imposing face.
Had Xia Qingxue been present, she would have been stunned, for this face belonged to none other than her master, Su Ding—the most powerful figure in the Daqi Cultivation World!
With him taking action personally, someone of Song Changsheng’s Cultivation stood no chance of resisting.
Su Ding gazed at Song Changsheng. Once certain his consciousness had descended completely into Chaos, he asked in a deep voice, "Who are you?"
"I am... Song Changsheng," he answered dazedly.
Song Changsheng’s answer satisfied Su Ding, as it proved his technique had worked.
Ordinarily, a man of his status and standing would have no need to go to such lengths or resort to such an ignoble method against a mere junior.
But Song Changsheng’s rise had been simply too fast—so fast that even he found it somewhat unbelievable. This was not a pace a Cultivator from a minor clan should be able to achieve.
Take Su Ye, who had also reached the Purple Mansion Stage before the age of fifty, for example.
His parents were both Purple Mansion Cultivators, so he was born with a Spirit Root—and a one-in-a-million Gold and Celestial Spirit Root at that.
Consequently, his birth sent shockwaves through the entire Daqi Cultivation World. Su Ding placed immense hopes in him, taking him under his personal tutelage at the age of three.
Before the age of five, Su Ye underwent daily medicinal baths worth thousands of Spirit Stones for Washing Marrow and tempering his physique.
At age six, he officially began his training, cultivating the Golden Crow Sect’s most supreme Heart Method, with an unlimited supply of all kinds of precious resources at his disposal.
With abundant resources, guidance from a powerhouse like Su Ding, and his own diligent efforts, Su Ye achieved Foundation Establishment at the age of fourteen using the Ancient Cultivator Foundation Establishment Method.
At twenty-two, an age when most people in the world are just beginning their lives, Su Ye had already reached Foundation Establishment Great Perfection.
Because his cultivation had progressed too quickly and smoothly, Su Ye lacked many crucial insights and experiences. Thus, at Su Ding’s arrangement, he embarked on a brutal, decade-long trial.