Chapter 38: The Many-Fated Spirit Treasure, The Duel Begins

“Do you miss me, or do you miss my cultivation techniques and spells?”
Zhou Xue teased with a smile, her gaze sweeping over Fang Wang with a look of satisfaction.
Fang Wang walked to her side, opened the door as he spoke, “Let’s talk inside.”
“Mm.”
The two entered the cave residence, and the mountain gate closed behind them.
They sat down at the table, Fang Wang poured tea for Zhou Xue and asked, “Has the Fang manor reached the Fang Realm yet?”
Zhou Xue nodded, “Over a hundred disciples have already moved into the Fang Realm. Fifth Uncle and my father are jointly leading them, while Grandfather oversees Nanqiu City. He said the Fang manor shouldn’t entirely relocate; he fears Nanqiu City might fall into chaos.”
Fang Wang frowned slightly upon hearing this.
“Don’t worry,” Zhou Xue continued, “As long as the true identity of the White Robed Swift remains hidden, the Fang manor won’t suffer reprisals from Qingchan Valley or the Li family. As for Lu Yuanjun, he helped the emperor of Great Qi enter Taiyuan Sect. Now that Great Qi is transforming into a cultivation dynasty, his plans have begun. He certainly won’t dare collect souls anymore, and from his perspective, he wouldn’t seek vengeance against the Fang manor lest he expose himself. As for the Great Qi emperor Zhao Zhen, he’s truly ruthless.”
As she said this, Zhou Xue wore a mocking expression.
Fang Wang asked, “Why do you say that?”
“He assassinated the prime minister who carried out the deed, pinned the crime of exterminating nine clans on him, and claimed the previous attack on the Fang manor was masterminded by the prime minister. Not just the Fang manor—other cities that were massacred were also blamed on him. Then, within a short time, he wiped out the prime minister’s entire clan,” Zhou Xue replied.
Fang Wang’s brows knit tighter. “Other cities, too?”
“Yes. Besides the Duke’s residence I visited before, they targeted two other Duke’s residences, slaughtering the cities where they were located. Lu Yuanjun must have collected at least a million souls.”
Hearing Zhou Xue’s words, Fang Wang recalled his earlier conversation with Zhao Zhen: the emperor’s demeanor and speech were gentle and bright, making it hard to imagine he’d committed such ruthless acts in secret.
Fang Wang narrowed his eyes, “Lu Yuanjun sought to collect souls, and Zhao Zhen helped by arranging for Lu Yuanjun’s people to eliminate rival Duke’s residences?”
Zhou Xue nodded, “Exactly. This way, the whole affair appears to be nothing more than a tragic struggle between imperial and ministerial authority, with no involvement from the cultivation world.”
“But with the prime minister dead, wouldn’t we lack evidence for future revenge? Did any cultivators who aided Lu Yuanjun survive?” Fang Wang pressed.
Zhou Xue smiled enigmatically, “If you truly want revenge, do you need evidence? Evidence is only to convince oneself. Leave the vengeance to me; you focus on cultivating. I only tell you the truth so you won’t be deceived by the facades of Lu Yuanjun and Zhao Zhen.”
Fang Wang was about to respond when Zhou Xue interrupted, “Let’s talk about the Nine Vein Duel. You must fight for a place, because the nine victorious disciples will enter the Great Sage Cave Heaven. This is an ancient secret realm, and if all goes well, Taiyuan Sect will benefit most, laying the foundation for its rise.”
Great Sage Cave Heaven?
Fang Wang’s interest was piqued; even Zhou Xue urged him to compete, so there must be great rewards within.
“I’ll enter the Great Sage Cave Heaven as well. When you qualify, I’ll tell you more. This place will be a turning point for the cultivation world of Great Qi, and we’ll encounter sects from other dynasties—perhaps even meet a peerless genius with a Tianyuan Spirit Treasure.”
Zhou Xue smiled, and her words made Fang Wang even more eager for the Great Sage Cave Heaven.

Fang Wang asked curiously, “What have you been doing these past two years? Just looking after the Fang manor?”
Zhou Xue shook her head, “Of course not. I have to strive to become stronger, too.”
“What realm are you in now?”
“I won’t tell you, but I know you’ve reached the ninth layer of the Spirit Molding Realm.”
Zhou Xue rested her chin in her right hand, staring at Fang Wang with a smile.
Fang Wang’s expression stiffened; he hadn’t expected Zhou Xue to see through his cultivation. Apparently, the Silent Nature Technique has its weaknesses.
“Honestly, your victory over Li Honggang surprised me. It seems you’ve kept secrets from me, too. That’s fine—keep them. Only then can I rest easy,” Zhou Xue said, still smiling. She was already comparing Fang Wang to the legendary geniuses from her past life.
Fang Wang coughed lightly and asked, “I have a question: can a cultivator have more than one Life Spirit Treasure?”
Zhou Xue narrowed her eyes, “Is something strange happening in your Spirit Treasure space?”
Fang Wang didn’t hide anything and described his experience. When he finished, Zhou Xue wasn’t shocked; instead, she spoke with a tone of wonder, “So that’s it. No wonder your talent is so strong. Yes, there are indeed cultivators with more than one Life Spirit Treasure. I’ve seen a prodigy who had nine Life Spirit Treasures. We ascended together, and after ascending, he became unstoppable, someone even I have to look up to.”
Fang Wang raised his brow, “Is that true? What kind of realm would make even a Celestial Lord look up to him?”
“The so-called Celestial Lord is merely a title in the upper realm. I’m not the strongest there; otherwise, I wouldn’t have returned to this time,” Zhou Xue replied, clearly not wanting to talk further about the upper realm. She continued on the topic of Life Spirit Treasures.
“Cultivation realms are divided into Nourishing Qi, Spirit Molding, Spirit Pill, Profound Heart, and Mind Condensation. Generally, possessing an Earth Origin Spirit Treasure gives hope of breaking into Mind Condensation. Currently, the number of Mind Condensation cultivators in Great Qi’s cultivation world can be counted on one hand, which shows the importance of the Spirit Treasure’s grade. Those with multiple Life Spirit Treasures have greater possibilities than others.”
“For you, your second Life Spirit Treasure might not be inferior in grade to your first, though it could be unremarkable—it all depends on fate.”
“Probably, when you break through to Spirit Pill Realm, you’ll be able to forge your second Life Spirit Treasure.”
Fang Wang’s heart surged with excitement. He had yet to use the Celestial Palace Halberd, but when he wielded it in the Celestial Palace and performed the Nine Dragon Divine Transformation, its power was terrifying, far surpassing the top-grade Spirit Sword, Qingjun Sword.
If he could gain another Life Spirit Treasure…
Their conversation continued, with Fang Wang asking and Zhou Xue answering, deepening his understanding of the cultivation world.
An hour later.
Zhou Xue rose to leave, and Fang Wang immediately accompanied her out.
“Don’t ask for more. When you reach Spirit Pill Realm, I’ll pass you another technique—it won’t disappoint you,” Zhou Xue said as she walked ahead.
Fang Wang pursed his lips, thinking to himself, am I the sort who only wants to take?
“All right, that day won’t be far off!”
“Mm.”

…
A month passed quickly. During this time, Fang Wang rarely cultivated; instead, he grew spirit herbs and flowers in his cave residence.
When the day of the Nine Vein Duel arrived, his disciple token pulsed with spiritual energy. He picked it up, and Yang Yuanzi’s voice sounded from within:
“Fang Wang, come to the Purity Hall immediately.”
Fang Wang rose, tidied himself briefly, and left his cave.
As soon as he stepped out, he saw Gu Li, which made him raise his brow.
Gu Li noticed his expression and said irritably, “What? You think I’m not qualified to represent the Third Vein?”
“Not exactly, but you just entered the sect…”
“You don’t think the Nine Vein Duel is all Spirit Pill Realm disciples fighting each other, do you?”
“Isn’t it?”
“How could it be? Spirit Pill Realm disciples are already eligible to become low-ranking elders or stewards. Although some Spirit Pill Realm disciples participate in the Nine Vein Duel, they make up less than forty percent.”
Gu Li snorted; her words gave Fang Wang a clearer understanding of Taiyuan Sect.
Above Spirit Pill Realm is Profound Heart Realm. According to Zhou Xue, the heads of each vein are all Profound Heart Realm, and as for Mind Condensation Realm, only the sect master Guang Qiuxian may have reached it.
Fang Wang smiled, “Let’s go. We must bring honor to the Third Vein.”
“Hmph!”
Gu Li glared at him, then both flew sword to the summit’s Purity Hall.
In front of Purity Hall, Yang Yuanzi and the chief disciple Li Yu were already waiting. After Fang Wang and Gu Li landed, four others had yet to arrive.
Soon, the remaining four arrived one after another.
Fang Wang noted that besides himself and Gu Li, there were three other Spirit Molding Realm disciples, all at the eighth layer. No wonder the Third Vein ranked second to last in the previous duel.
Yang Yuanzi swept his gaze over the nine disciples below, expressionless, and said, “Since there are new disciples, I’ll explain the rules again. The coming Nine Vein Duel is one-on-one, with each vein head choosing an opponent. Only higher-ranked veins can be challenged. It’s vein versus vein, with disciples taking turns in duels. We have seven options, while the top-ranked First Vein must wait for others to challenge them. During the duel, if all disciples from a higher-ranked vein are defeated, the winner replaces their rank. The losing vein may choose to continue challenging, but the nine participating disciples cannot be swapped out.”
“In the end, the nine disciples with the most individual victories will represent Taiyuan Sect, venturing into the blessed cave heavens to seek their fortunes!”