Floating Immortal Order

Chapter 11: Me Too

Youyang Envoy

Xu Disheng went forward and took the two ancient secret scrolls.

The first one, Shangqing Qi, was very long, and was split into three cultivation techniques: Qi Nourishing Technique, Qi Controlling Technique, and Spirit Controlling Technique. The third technique could only be cultivated by those in the Xiantian stage, and even with Xu Disheng’s Soul Force, he actually felt a bit dizzy and lightheaded just from looking at the 3 techniques of this Cultivation Method. He could only roughly look at the beginning parts.

Lightly shaking his head, he looked towards the second one, Guiyuan Qi. This one only had 2 parts: Qi Cultivation and Life Extension. Compared to the Shangqing Qi, the first parts of both scrolls were virtually the same. This first step required at minimum Grade 5 Dao Channels, and required the cultivator to develop the ability to perceive qi, yet this step alone had caused countless people to get stuck.

Even though every clan had these two secret scrolls, they simply had no way of cultivating them even provided they had Grade 5 Dao Channels. Adding on the difficulty of cultivating the ability to perceive qi, it was harder than ascending to the heavens.

The cultivation technique parts after the first were different. The Shangqing Qi’s Qi Controlling Technique prioritized slaughter, and the entire page was suffused with killing intent. On the other hand, the Life Extension cultivation technique of the Guiyuan Qi emphasized controlling qi for the purpose of longevity and slowing down the aging process, which made it much more neutral and calm in nature.

Xu Disheng was always diligently cultivating his accompanying cultivation method, Soul Song, which resided in his sea of consciousness. Despite making full use of all the time available in those 5 years, he had barely managed to get down the basics of the first part, the Nourishing Soul Mantra, and could now somewhat control his Soul Force.

His heart stirred, and he raised his head to ask, “Great-Grandfather, are these two secret scrolls methods of cultivating qi?”

“That’s right. Cultivating qi is akin to cultivating profound energy,” Xu Qinying replied with a light sigh. “I suppose I could be considered to be experienced and knowledgeable in my lifetime. When I was younger, I once went to the eastern neighboring Qin Province and saw for myself how big and flourishing that land was. After that, I had become aware of how the You Province was just a barren piece of land in comparison, and how the Ruyang Region was even more so just a small region tucked into a corner. I don’t know how much stronger cultivating profound energy is than cultivating Martial Techniques. The other Elders, including your Grandpa Chaoyang, have pretty much never left the Ruyang Region, so they probably have never heard of cultivating profound energy before. But every time the Dynasty confers a piece of land, they will also grant them these two secret scrolls. Based on my own conjecture, they are probably trying to find the people who can cultivate the sense of qi.”

A light glimmered in Xu Disheng’s pupils. He was already self-aware of the time when he was still in the fetus, and even though he lost his past memories, he was a reincarnated being with innate wisdom, and he had broken through the befuddlement associated with being a fetus.

In these last five years, he had been rather vacant and helpless, and aside from diligently cultivating the Soul Song every day, he had no other objectives. He was a bit muddle-headed, just going along with the flow.

At this moment, his heart which had been stagnant for the last five years gradually began to throb intensely. A sharp, piercingly bright light gleamed in his eyes, and a stream of comprehension suddenly flashed through his heart, and a single phrase suddenly sprung up from his memories.

Cultivators of profound energy can divide mountains and split seas, calling the wind and summoning the rain. They are immortal, possessing eternal longevity.

Xu Disheng recalled these words, but he had no idea how he knew these words. No matter how much he racked his brains, he didn’t have the slightest clue.

“Great-Grandfather, I want to cultivate the Shangqing Qi,” Xu Disheng said, although there was a new, strange light in his eyes.

Xu Qinying glanced at him, somewhat astonished, but he didn’t think too much of it. He nodded his head, and handed over the Shangqing Qi ancient scroll.

“The Patriarch has arrived!” the voice of an armored Zhenhai Army soldier suddenly rang out from outside the palace hall. Xu Chaoyang brought a little white-clothed girl into the palace hall.

Xu Chaoyang cupped his hands in salute and greeted, “Great Elder.”

“At ease,” Xu Qinying took a look at the little girl behind him, who was wearing a long, white dress with a small pink blouse. Although her age was small, she was born with a pleasant charm, making her both attractive and intelligent. “So this is the one under Xu Yan’s Yu County branch family, Xu Qingcheng. We’ve treated you a bit coldly.”

“Great Elder, Qingcheng wouldn’t dare to make a big deal of this,” Xu Qingcheng bowed and said gently in a very polite tone. When she raised her head once again, she saw that Xu Disheng was looking at her, and she gazed fixedly back with her big eyes, not yielding to Xu Disheng’s gaze in the least.

Xu Disheng laughed inwardly and mused to himself that this little girl actually had such a unique temperament. He removed his gaze and didn’t look in her direction again.

Grade 5 Dao Channels were already considered to be extremely rare, and she could be considered a rare talent. But in the face of Xu Disheng’s outstanding genius, the Council of Elders had no choice but to somewhat neglect Xu Qingcheng for this short period of time.

Xu Chaoyang said, “Great Elder, we came this time to allow Xu Qingcheng to choose a secret scroll.”

“Certainly. There are two scrolls, the Shangqing Qi and the Guiyuan Qi. You can see which one you want to cultivate. Sheng’er, hand the Shangqing Qi to your cousin for now.”

“Yes, Great-Grandfather.” Xu Disheng walked up to Xu Qingcheng and held out the ancient scroll that recorded the Shangqing Qi.

Xu Qingcheng didn’t reach her hand out to receive it. Instead, she stared at Xu Disheng’s face for a while, and only then did she reach out a small, slender, delicate hand to take it.

“Which scroll are you cultivating?” Xu Qingcheng looked at Xu Disheng and asked curtly.

.

“This one,” Xu Disheng said, shaking his head with a laugh.

“Then I will also cultivate this one!” Xu Qingcheng raised her elegantly defined eyebrows and looked at him with unblinking eyes.

“Choosing a secret technique to cultivate is no laughing matter,” Xu Chaoyang chided, shaking his head. His tolerance for someone with Grade 5 Dao Channels, or perhaps to be more precise, his tolerance for the Xu Clan, was nonetheless still extremely high.

“It’s fine. Have someone make a copy, give it to Qingcheng, and then take her away. For the coming days, have her cultivate at the Xu Clan’s Martial Arts Hall. A new pavilion will be built in the capital city in accordance with the same style and structure as the one given to the eldest son of the Patriarch, which will then be bestowed to Qingcheng. Also, reward her with 20 servants, 10 maids, 500 taels of gold, and permission for her parents to come to the capital city to join the staff and earn the usual salary.”

“Understood, Great Elder,” Xu Chaoyang complied, then turned to the armored soldier at his side. “Did you hear that? Pass this on to the Young Patriarch immediately, and have him arrange it without fail.”

“As you command.”

Xu Qinying’s position was aloof and remote. It was hard for anyone to even meet with the Patriarch, Xu Chaoyang, much less Xu Qinying. So now that he had personally given out an order to grant rewards, no one had the courage to neglect his command in the slightest.

The Xu Clan’s Martial Arts Hall was the place where the Xu Clan’s children and the entire body of people with Dao Channels who were attracted to the Xu Clan went to practice martial arts. It was a vast structure that took up a lot of space, and was the core structure of the martial artists that the Xu Clan cultivated.

It was further divided into the Upper Hall and the Lower Hall. The Lower Hall was for children under 13 years of age, while the Upper Hall was for the youths who had already cultivated their Martial Techniques to a basic level. Then, they only had to somewhat train themselves for a few years before they could choose to enter either the Imperial Guards or the Zhenhai Army. Or, they could go back to their own respective towns and become a neighborhood head or a village chief or something similar, and manage the citizens on behalf of the Xu Clan.

“Thank you, Great Elder,” Xu Qingcheng saluted cutely.

“No worries, you can leave for now.”

“Understood.” Xu Qingcheng walked up to the palace gate, where she stopped and turned around, taking one more look at Xu Disheng with her big, beautiful eyes before exiting through the palace gate.

Xu Disheng was somewhat at a loss. Just because he was born a bit better looking than the rest, he had somehow managed to attract the ardent gaze of so many young girls.

“Sheng’er, you seem a bit tired. How about you come tomorrow to choose your Martial Skills?” Xu Qinying said with a chuckle.

His true age was only 5 years old, so after a whole day of rushing about here and there, others would definitely think that he should be tired by now.

Although Xu Disheng wasn’t tired in the slightest, he still replied, “Yes, Great-Grandfather. Please excuse me.”

Once he left the Western Ravine Palace, he sat upon the palanquin prepared by the Zhenhai Army and went straight back to the Green Bamboo Pavilion. These few people would never have guessed that the next day, Xu Disheng wouldn’t be able to come and choose his Martial Skills in the end. 𝙗𝒆𝒅𝙣𝙤𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝙢

The next day, the entire Region received a shock!

Prince Xing of the You Province sent out an envoy fleet to the Ruyang Region. They first stopped at the Guo Clan in Ruyang City, then directly made their way towards the Xu Clan’s Zhenhai City.

The Ruyang Region was in the corner of the You Province. It was surrounded by an endless stretch of barren mountains, which had no signs of human inhabitants within them. It was truly the very edge of the Grand Chu Dynasty’s territory.

The last time the You Province’s Envoy was sent out to the Ruyang Region like this was 200 years ago, when the Bai Family was enfeoffed, and the clan was established. It had already been a full 212 years since then.

Zhenhai City was under strict martial order, and a red carpet had been rolled out, which stretched from the entrance of the city all the way to the center of the plaza in the Juying Palace. The Zhenhai Army was deployed in full force, and all three hundred strong of their black-armored troops were standing on both sides of the red carpet in an imposing manner. The Xu Clan’s five Elders from the Council of Elders, the current Patriarch, Xu Chaoyang, the Young Patriarch, Xu Xiao, and the rest of the upper class of the Xu Clan were all waiting respectfully in Juying Palace.

The delegation’s procession continued unhurriedly along the red carpet. There weren’t many people in the procession, which only consisted of two extravagant horse-drawn carriages, eight porters for the palanquin, and ten guards on horseback. At the front of the procession, there was a white-clothed youth who looked to be about 15 or 16 years of age, riding a precious horse. His pupils resonated with glowing vigor, and his clothes were grand and exquisitely detailed. As he looked around at Zhenhai City, an indescribable look flashed in his eyes.