Longzang

Chapter 990 My Personal Princess (Part 1)

As expected, over 70% of the cultivators selected to cultivate the Moon Dance Dao Embryo at this Dao Foundation Ceremony. Countless cultivators came for that golden core, hoping to pursue a sliver of hope.

No matter how much the mentors pleaded, most cultivators refused to turn back, stubbornly clinging to their goal of conquering the Moon Dance Dao Embryo. However, the Moon Dance Dao Embryo was only slightly inferior to the Dao Foundation of an ordinary person, and its threshold was extremely high compared to other templates. This alone was enough to deter the vast majority of cultivators.

In the past, when high-level templates didn't work, people would choose easier ones. But this time it's different. Once you miss the Moon Dance Embryo, it's equivalent to missing the Dharma Form.

Wei Yuan didn't know where this understanding came from. A 50% chance is called a glimmer of hope, and a one in ten thousand chance is also called a glimmer of hope. The difference between the two kinds of glimmer of hope is huge.

Finally, after much persuasion from the mentors, only a small number of people chose other templates, while most of the losers chose to try again next year.

Therefore, the success rate of this Dao Foundation Assembly was significantly lower than that of the previous one. However, with a large pool of participants, miracles are bound to happen. Surprisingly, more than forty people cultivated the Moon Dance Dao Embryo to the Earth Rank or above. Based on the predicted success rate, many years later, there will be more than twenty Water Dharma Aspects in the Azure Netherworld.

After this conference, the Immortal Swordsman of Heaven and Earth became famous, and his popularity has surpassed that of Wei Yuan.

Where some are happy, others will be disappointed.

As the ceremony drew to a close, Xiaoyu stood motionless by the window, watching the crowd gradually disperse. The warm hues of the setting sun painted him with a soft amber hue, shining into the depths of his clear, lake-like eyes—warm, melancholic, and sorrowful.

At that moment, Xiaoyu finally understood what it meant to be outdated.

Shaoyang Xingjun appeared beside Xiaoyu, looking at the departing cultivators as well, and said, "What's wrong? Are you already feeling down?"

Xiao Yu sighed softly and said, "I already felt guilty, and I couldn't beat them in a fight. This fortune shouldn't have belonged to me in the first place; I was greedy."

The Lesser Yang Star Lord said, "Now that you know the benefits of good fortune, why should you just hand it over?"

Xiaoyu was somewhat surprised: "If you don't let her have it, are you going to argue about it again? What are you going to use to argue? You can't beat her anyway."

The voice of the Lesser Yang Star Lord immediately rose considerably: "That's because she has a physical form in this realm, while I am merely a Dharma Image! And why is my Dharma Image so weak? My Dao power is as vast as the ocean, why has it only decreased by such a small amount?!"

Xiao Yu never expected to get herself into trouble, and was even scolded by Shao Yang Xing Jun, leaving her speechless.

The Lesser Yang Star Lord's expression hardened, and he said, "Even if it's the Greater Yin Sister, it won't be so easy for her to suppress me!"

The Lesser Yang Star Lord stretched out his hand, and a bright yellow and red pearl appeared above his palm, slowly rotating, signifying endless life.

This precious pearl looks seven parts similar to the Myriad Flower Golden Elixir, except that one is Taiyin and the other is Shaoyang.

"What is this?" Xiaoyu asked.

"This is the Dharma form derived by this Star Lord, taking the true meaning of the Great Dao of Lesser Yang: 'When the Yang begins to stir, life is endless,' and it can be named: The Birth of All Things!"

Xiao Yu was taken aback. It seemed that Shao Yang Xing Jun had made up his mind to use his true abilities to directly compete with Tai Yin for destiny. But... could he win?
Before Xiaoyu could ask a question, Shaoyang Xingjun said, "This Dharma Yang Pill is definitely easier to obtain than the Myriad Flower Golden Pill, but my Dao Foundation is not yet perfect. During this time, you should live among the common people and we will work together to improve the prerequisite Dao Foundation. We don't have much time left. Mid-March to early April is the best time to launch 'All Things Grow'."

Upon hearing this, Xiaoyu immediately felt the urgency of time and, no longer caring about sentimentality, plunged headlong into the everyday life of ordinary people.

……

In February of the third year of the Hongjing era, the brief war between Qingming and the State of Zhao came to an end.

King Zhao, Li Shenji, issued an edict to the world, announcing a complete victory in the war. Qingming withdrew from Zhao territory, compensated for the losses, and ceded three counties as a minor punishment.

Meanwhile, in view of Qingming's meritorious service in resisting the foreign tribes and the heavy losses suffered, King Zhao, mindful of this achievement, specially permitted Qingming's caravan to pass through Zhao territory to exchange goods and services. At the same time, seven trade ports were established, and it was promised that they would never be closed, in order to reward their merit in resisting the foreign tribes.

The location of the three counties is not explicitly stated in the edict, but there was indeed a ceremony in which Wei Yuan handed over the land to the three counties. If someone were to use this as a basis for divination, they would arrive at the result stated in the edict.

With a master of divination like Ji Liuli around, deceiving the diviner was a trivial matter. Wei Yuan first occupied three counties in Yuyang Commandery, completing the full process of occupation, and then ceded them to the Zhao Kingdom. The divination revealed that Qingming would cede three counties.

If they still haven't given up and continue with the divination, they're likely to end up divining Wei Yuan. At that point, even if it's Yu Jing, it's very likely to end without a trace.

For Wei Yuan, having seven trading ports scattered throughout the northwestern border of Zhao was tantamount to opening the gates wide. The King of Zhao also added two more prefectures outside Yuyang to cultivate red-stemmed cotton as compensation to Wei Yuan. At the King's request, Wei Yuan led a large army to sweep through the three prefectures, arresting all the wealthy landowners and imprisoning them in Qingming. At the same time, he spread specially prepared sand on the land of the three prefectures.

After accomplishing all this, King Zhao sent troops to reclaim the three commanderies. At this time, the wealthy landowners of the three commanderies had vanished, and the government offices and county yamen had been completely burned down by Wei Yuan, with all land deeds and documents reduced to ashes. Thus, the land of the three commanderies became ownerless, which King Zhao gladly accepted, barely managing to fill the gap left by the rampant printing of currency.

……

Zhao Palace, Imperial Study.

King Zhao sat upright behind his desk, his face ashen, not uttering a word, and it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

The crown prince knelt on the ground, remaining motionless, and said, "Please, Father, rescind your decree!"

King Zhao remained silent for a long time, and the crown prince did not raise his head either.

After a long stalemate, King Zhao finally said, "If I don't agree, you won't get up, will you?"

The Crown Prince still said, "Please, Father, retract your decree!"

King Zhao picked up a stack of battle reports that were placed separately to the side, weighed them in his hand, and suddenly slammed them hard on the crown prince's head and body! Then he grabbed the writing brush, ink, and inkstone from the desk and threw them at the crown prince!
The crown prince remained silent and unmoved, clearly intending to fight to the end.

Upon seeing this, King Zhao's anger intensified. He exclaimed, "Have you lost your mind, you crown prince?! You want me to retract my order? What right do I have to do so? It's one thing for you to act recklessly all the time, but this time it's 50,000 elite cavalry! 50,000! 50,000! Just like that, they're gone! How many 50,000 elite cavalry does my Great Zhao have? And you still have the nerve to ask me to retract my order!"

The crown prince trembled slightly before finally saying, "But the dignity of our Great Zhao royal family cannot be trampled upon like this. If word gets out that my sister is doing such a thing, how will future generations judge us?"

King Zhao sat back in his chair, closed his eyes, and chuckled self-deprecatingly, saying, "Dignity? I now have to rely on Wei Yuan's cooperation to maintain the face of my Great Zhao. What dignity is there left to speak of?"

King Zhao took a deep breath, regained his composure, and said, "You may leave. Since you dared to force the abdication today, you should have considered the consequences. Tomorrow, move out of the East Palace and into Lanqing Palace."

The crown prince trembled slightly, but said nothing. He simply kowtowed, stood up, and walked out. When he reached the door of the study, he suddenly turned back and said, "My sixth sister and I are siblings from the same mother, so I have no regrets."

King Zhao sighed and said slowly, "If I hadn't taken this throne, your powerful uncle wouldn't have lasted three moves against me! So, all these years, I've been regretting it."

If the King of Zhao were not the King of Zhao, then naturally the Crown Prince would not be the Crown Prince either. The Crown Prince's face turned ashen, and he silently withdrew.

……

In the study, Wei Yuan was dealing with the follow-up matters of the peace treaty with the Zhao Kingdom when he suddenly looked up and saw the young cultivator appear in front of him again.

Wei Yuan smiled bitterly. This immortal's methods were truly unfathomable; he could enter any place in the world as if it were his own. Even hiding in Qingming, he couldn't escape this calamity.

Wei Yuan forced himself to be alert, stepped out from behind the desk, bowed, and said, "Senior, how have you been? What are your instructions this time?"

The young cultivator pulled a girl out from behind him and said, "I only saw you briefly last time, and I was worried you didn't get a good look, so this time I'll let you see more of me."

This time, the girl was no longer dressed in a tight-fitting outfit or veiled, but rather in simple white clothes. And her skin was even whiter than her clothes. Though wrapped in plain clothes, her fair complexion made the white clothes appear dull. Biting her rosy lower lip, the girl clenched her small, fleshy fists tightly.

Her alabaster-like neck and shoulders drooped gently in a soft arc, yet her eyes burned with a fierce, untamed fire, like a little wildcat flashing its fangs in the snow. Staring at Wei Yuan, her soft, puffed-up cheeks inexplicably flushed, but whenever Wei Yuan glanced at her, her gaze would quickly dart away, as if meeting his eyes would be a disservice to him. This girl, three parts arrogant and seven parts defiant, was none other than the Sixth Princess of the Great Zhao, the Crown Prince's younger sister, Li Ningyi.

The young cultivator said, “You’ve already received all the benefits; now it’s time for you to get to work. From today onward, she will be by your side. You are responsible for teaching her the art of leadership, military strategy, governance, and cultivation. You must also guide her. Everything you know, whatever it may be, you must teach her until she learns it!”
Then I will give you three choices, and you may choose one. First, marry her and have several children; second, help her cultivate into Imperial Vision; third, raise her to become the Empress of Great Zhao.”

Wei Yuan pondered for a moment, then asked the girl, "Do you want to become an empress?"

The girl was furious and slashed at him with her claws.

　P.S.: If I write this, you guys say it's filler. If I don't write it, you complain again. You guys are so hard to please! Now I'll adjust this part and add some back.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)