This is not how immortals cultivate

Chapter 426 The value of Prince Zhao's mansion is still rising.

The matter is settled.

Uh, let's forget about dual cultivation.

Xiang Yuan opened his eyes, only to be struck by lightning. He sighed, realizing it was yet another day of enduring humiliation and hardship.

Xiang Yuan and Bai Wuyan had been cultivating together for some time, about half a year. Because of his arrogance, Bai Wuyan looked down on Xiang Yuan, who was only a Grandmaster-level cultivator, so every time they cultivated together, it was Xiang Yuan who cultivated Bai Wuyan, just like a supermarket shopping spree.

Previously, he and Bai Wuyan were cultivating together. He was curious why there were always new laws and principles of heaven and earth on the shelves. He suspected that the rich woman was trying to whet his appetite, lest she take all the medicine at once, pat her butt, and leave, never to return. Therefore, she did not reveal the full details, feeding him a little at a time, focusing on a slow and steady approach.

After visiting Jianxinzhai, he roughly understood the reason.

The Sword Master Su Ran instructed Xiang Yuan on how to control the small world, how to project the small world, and how to strengthen himself through the small world.

Your level of understanding determines how much you gain.

Observing the convergence of Yin and Yang and the evolution of the Five Elements from afar reveals numerous collisions and self-evolutions of the laws of heaven and earth. Learning more about the laws of heaven and earth is more efficient than copying from various sources.

In other words, Xiang Yuan, who has mastered this method, is no longer merely a conveyor of the laws of heaven and earth. With the help of his inner world, he can simulate and deduce them on his own, and even produce the laws of heaven and earth himself.

Of course, these principles of heaven and earth do not arise from nothing, but are derived from the existing foundation, just like the five elements generating each other, where obtaining one allows one to obtain two.

Although Bai Wuyan did not have the cultivation method of a small world, she successfully transcended the tribulation and reached her level, possessing her own set of supernatural abilities to deduce the laws of heaven and earth.

Yan Xuanhe's sword cleaved the heavens, causing the collapse of the laws and order of the Qianyuan Realm. With the Upper Three Realms in a state of utter confusion, Bai Wuyan created her own laws and order to compensate for her shortcomings as a cultivator of the Qianyuan Realm.

Therefore, Xiang Yuan could always see new laws of heaven and earth in Bai Wuyan, and these laws of heaven and earth did not exist in the current Qianyuan Realm.

The rich woman didn't hide anything. Because of her superior cultivation level, she always looked brand new to Xiang Yuan, and he always gained something from their dual cultivation sessions.

Now that Xiang Yuan has mastered the cultivation method of the small world, Bai Wuyan's advantage is gone, and the gap between them will only narrow. Once Xiang Yuan surpasses her, no matter how arrogant Bai Wuyan is, she will have to face reality, humble herself, and consider training Xiang Yuan.

Cultivating immortality is nothing to be ashamed of.

The rich woman has spent so much money; it's time for her to sit back and earn dividends.

It's easy to imagine that from now on, it won't be Xiang Yuan coming to Wushuang Palace to find her, but rather her going to Bawang Mansion to find Xiang Yuan.

Furthermore, Xiang Yuan cultivates the Formless Seal Method, reversing all forms to formlessness, and gathering all forms into one body. He himself walks the great path of uniting the body with all things.

With the Heavenly Emperor's Dao Seed bestowed upon him, the basic principles of heaven and earth encompassed in his inner world far surpassed those of the Plain Dye Sword Venerable. The scale of his evolution of the principles of heaven and earth was so vast that it was truly like a complete world.

Others cultivate the corresponding laws of heaven and earth based on their own inheritance, and use this to condense magic treasures. Xiang Yuan is different. He doesn't pick and choose; he copies whatever is given to him.

And they have a huge appetite!
The Formless Seal Technique makes cultivation difficult for Xiang Yuan. To break through the bottleneck, he must work harder than other cultivators of the same realm and learn more of the laws of heaven and earth.

This is why Bai Wuyan displayed herself without reservation—enough to build up a Nascent Soul stage cultivation level on any other cultivator—while Xiang Yuan still proceeded with his slow, methodical approach. His grand strategy framework was too broad, his expectations too high, making it impossible for him to progress quickly.

A headache-inducing talent: learning everything quickly;
After several blood and marrow cleansing treatments, his talent was infinitely elevated;
The accumulation of blood potions makes the Formless Seal Technique impervious to consumption, allowing it to unleash its talents without restraint, learn faster, and copy more.

Once a solid foundation is laid, a small world can form within the body, allowing one to evolve the laws of heaven and earth without needing to copy extensively.

Each step is interconnected; whether it's talent or opportunity, neither is dispensable, and not a single element is wasted...

I can't think any further. The more I think about it, the more terrifying it becomes. It's as if the benefits of time travel and the splitting of the primordial spirit into three parts are all part of a scheme.

Getting back to the main point, Xiang Yuan stood behind Bai Wuyan as she changed her clothes, and said to Da Dao, "Bai Wuyan, I have come here to ask for your help with a divination."

Upon hearing about fortune-telling, Bai Wuyan's eyes twitched slightly. She turned her head expressionlessly and gave Xiang Yuan an icy profile.

She divined for Xiang Yuan twice: once for the mastermind behind the reincarnation of the Heavenly Emperor, and once for Abbot Huixing of Dajue Temple. Both were powerful figures in the upper three realms who could conceal the secrets of heaven, causing her to suffer a backlash and vomit blood twice.

Whether it hurts or not, there's plenty of medicine nearby; just take a small sip.

The key issue is that vomiting blood is very embarrassing.

Bai Wuyan felt that Xiang Yuan was doing it on purpose. She had been bullied by Xiang Yuan in the past and held a grudge, so she was trying to find ways to embarrass her.

Bathed in the disdainful gaze of the White House's leader, Xiang Yuan's pretty face flushed slightly, but the wealthy woman still exuded an air of authority.

Who do you want to be counted as?

"The Southern Jin royal family currently has three surviving princes..."

Xiang Yuan explained that the mastermind behind the scenes had struck again. After the Western Chu royal family, it was now the Southern Jin royal family's turn to suffer. He did not want the mastermind to succeed, nor did he want the people of Southern Jin to suffer as well. Therefore, he came to Bai Wuyan to calculate which of the three princes was the right choice to be a wise ruler.

After supporting Xiao Yan to become the emperor of Western Chu, he then supported another emperor of Southern Jin to ascend the throne. After this, the sound of the King of Chu's death would surely be known to every household, to the point that it could stop children from crying.

Xiang Yuan didn't care much about reputation. He had already said what he truly believed in, so why should he care about reputation?

Besides, the Southern Jin Dynasty has no shortage of great Confucian scholars!

Upon hearing Xiang Yuan's words, Bai Wuyan nodded slightly, a smile playing on her lips, her expression a mix of mockery and approval. She slowly said, "No wonder you've accumulated so much merit. You have a kind and compassionate heart, far superior to those who deceive the world and steal fame."

"You are far more magnanimous than the White House Master; you are truly compassionate, having cultivated both the lotus throne and the golden wheel." Xiang Yuan patted back slightly.

Bai Wuyan was very pleased with these words. She gathered a wisp of spiritual light at her fingertips and casually drew several mysterious trajectories in the void.

He could simply divine the fate of three mortals without needing to deduce the secrets of heaven; a simple calculation would yield the result.

Xiang Yuan held his breath and stopped changing his clothes, obediently waiting for Bai Wuyan to give the result of her divination.

There was one thing he didn't mention: it seemed that predicting the fate of three ordinary princes was not a big deal, and Bai Wuyan could handle it with a wave of her hand, but the current situation in Southern Jin was orchestrated by a mastermind behind the scenes, and heaven knows what tricks the other party might have played on the three princes.

Without realizing it, just like the previous two divinations, he ended up vomiting blood again.

Considering that the White House president is no fool and would surely have thought of this, and that reminding him would be seen as disrespecting the intelligence of wealthy women and would invite displeasure, Xiang Yuan will refrain from doing so.

It's best if he doesn't vomit blood, but if he does...

They headed straight for Tianzong, determined to take the wrecked sampan to Southern Jin no matter what.

Get up right now! The sky has fallen, how dare you, the reincarnation of the Heavenly Emperor, lie there!

The divination process was unusually easy, and there was no backlash from the concealment of heavenly secrets. The three princes were indeed ordinary people, and the mastermind behind the scenes had not set any other conspiracies or traps against them.

Seeing Bai Wuyan stop her divination, Xiang Yuan asked, "Palace Master Bai, of these three—Li Mi, Li Zhu, and Li Ke—which one possesses the qualities of an emperor?"

"We have them all, but they're all mediocre; they're neither here nor there."

"Who has the appearance of a wise ruler?"

"Not one."

"..."

Xiang Yuan was dumbfounded. What did "one of them" mean? Were all three of them incompetent rulers?
No way! Putting aside Li Mi and Li Zhu for now, what about that guy named Li Ke? He sounds like a brilliant but foolish ruler. Is he really a tyrant?
After Bai Wuyan explained, Xiang Yuan finally understood that the fact that there were none did not mean that the three Li emperors were all incompetent rulers, but rather that they were all mediocre and equally incompetent, and the outcome would have been the same no matter who became emperor.

Bai Wuyan couldn't predict the future, only the present. The most outstanding princes had all left with the old emperor of Southern Jin, and the remaining three were not the focus of his cultivation. They were the standard invisible figures in the capital, the kind that could be dispensable.

In truth, it was all the fault of the old emperor of Southern Jin. He didn't trust Xiang Yuan, and to give Li Yuanrong face, he threw out three princes he didn't value.

Although these three men frequented high society and received higher education, their training was limited to the etiquette of ordinary princes. They never learned the courses that a crown prince or emperor should have.

Being a carefree prince is fine, but being an emperor would be a bit of a problem. He lacks professional skills and is a complete layman.

For the emperor, being an amateur is not a problem. If you are not good at it, you can make your subordinates do it. The key is that these three lack training, and there are plenty of old foxes in the Southern Jin court. Once these three come to power, it won't be long before they develop hobbies.

They have no say in important matters and cannot get involved, so they can only pass the time with their hobbies.

Xiang Yuan was taken aback by what he heard. He had agreed to respect the dead and not to mock the old emperor of Southern Jin, but he still couldn't help but make a few sarcastic remarks.

The SSR and SR cards were taken away, leaving only three R cards. Now, after the new emperor of Southern Jin ascends the throne, Liu Che and Xiao Yan will be laughing all the way to the bank.

"It's alright, at least it's not N..."

There are ways to justify being mediocre and incompetent; with a little embellishment, one can be called a ruler who maintains the status quo, a hundred times better than a foolish ruler.

The question is, if they're both so bad, which one should you choose?
When Xiang Yuan raised the question, Bai Wuyan was unable to provide a clear answer, and not a single incorrect option could be ruled out.

To reiterate, they are all fairly uniformly mediocre; you can't pick the best among the worst.

"white……"

"Hurry up and change your clothes!"

"Oh."

Hearing Bai Wuyan's unfriendly words, Xiang Yuan realized that he had been so focused on drawing cards that he had forgotten he had been overconfident. He quickly tried to clear his conscience and took out his palace robes to carefully put them away.

The Cloud-woven Celestial Robe is a white palace-style protective garment. At first glance, it appears bright, elegant, and quite dignified. However, once you put it on, you'll find that the process of wearing it is complicated and time-consuming.

Xiang Yuan and Bai Wuyan have achieved success in their dual cultivation. He has even thoroughly absorbed the latter's primordial spirit, so he is quite familiar with the magical treasures used for dual cultivation of body and soul. He is most familiar with the Wujie Sword and the Pure White Golden Wheel, and he also knows about the Cloud-Weaving Heavenly Robe. If he wanted, he could change Bai Wuyan's clothes in a second on the spot.

Unfortunately, it couldn't be done in seconds.

The White House's main concern is attitude. After dressing in his palace robes and tying up his flowing black hair, Xiang Yuan circled Bai Wuyan twice to check for any oversights.

As before, the collar of the palace dress exuded a domineering aura, and he tucked the hem of the dress in.

No problem now.

Only after serving the White House Lord did he have time to put on his own clothes.

The contrast is too great. I miss the King's Mansion. At home, others always dress him.

Bai Wuyan lowered her raised hands, sat down cross-legged, and continued to study the Ninth-Grade Immaculate White Lotus. She was very happy that the magic weapon's grade had been improved, but the unexpected benefit made her quite uneasy, fearing that she had been tricked.

Xiang Yuan tried to sense the surrounding space, and only after confirming that it was not a good place did he...

Instead of teleporting away, he strode out of the White Lotus Palace and saw the obedient gatekeeper, Qingzhuying. He said slowly, "Just now you were cultivating with me and the White Palace Master. Don't overthink it, and don't talk about it. Do you understand?"

I understand, the way of Yin and Yang.

Having confirmed Xiang Yuan's true status in Wushuang Palace, Qing Zhuying dared not say anything more. She didn't even know how to address Xiang Yuan anymore, so she nodded obediently, her attitude becoming even more respectful.

As expected of a rich woman, she's trained him so well!
Xiang Yuan sighed inwardly, told Qing Zhuying to come inside and wait, adjusted his belt, and then teleported away.

Qingzhu Ying looked at Xiang Yuan's departing figure with admiration. No matter how you looked at it, Xiang Yuan had something worthy of her respect.

In conclusion, it's a pity that Wushuang Palace isn't as glamorous as it seems on the surface; its interpersonal relationships are a mess, and it's a place where people play all sorts of games.

I heard that Wushuang Palace and Jianxinzhai are at odds, and the two leaders have a personal grudge. In her immature opinion, the outcome is already decided, and Jianxinzhai is already invincible in terms of moral character.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Tianzong, Mahayana Mountain.

He teleported to the summit of Wendao Peak, closed his eyes, and sensed that Elder Mingxia was teaching her new apprentices swordsmanship.

He had access to the Heavenly Sect's Grand Array; with a single thought, he could see everything on Mount Mahayana.

It's not a matter of whether you can watch it or not, it's just a matter of whether you want to watch it or not.

Seeing that Sword Master Mingxia was taking the instruction of Old Liu's daughter very seriously, Xiang Yuan nodded in satisfaction, thinking to himself, "Your loyalty is evident to the young sect leader. You'll get your share of good treatment in the future."

Now, Xiang Yuan crossed the twelve pavilions and saw Xiao He in front of the Taixu Hall. Before he could even speak, he began to complain.

"Why have you been taking so long? Did the Emperor of Northern Qi invite you to stay for dinner?"

Xiao He grumbled and complained. They had agreed to split up into two groups: he would go to the capital, and Xiang Yuan would go to Tai'an in Northern Qi. However, he ended up making him wait in front of the Taixu Palace for two hours.

You're feasting in the palace while I'm stuck standing guard at the gate—isn't that bullying an honest person?

You're overthinking it. There's no food to be had, and besides, Xiang is the honest guy who was being bullied.

The fate of Wushuang Palace was too tragic. Just thinking about it made Xiang Yuan's vision go white. Not wanting Xiao He to know that he had been wronged, he shook his head and said, "This trip to Northern Qi was not smooth, which is why it took a lot of time."

"What, is your junior brother from the Original Heart Path unwilling to give you face?"

"He is just a junior brother of Benxindao. He has to give face whether he wants to or not. But he is still the emperor. He already gave face to Xichu last time. I can't force him this time."

"Tsk, this is not domineering at all."

Xiao He, speaking in a sarcastic tone, suggested that Xiang Yuan make another trip to Northern Qi, using the relocation of the Liu family's ancestral tombs in Tai'an as leverage, which would surely change Liu Che's mind.

Xiang Yuan rolled his eyes, too lazy to say more to Xiao He. The two entered the Taixu Palace and soon met the extremely illusory Ji Wuzhou.

Ji Wuzhou has been having a rough time lately, either injured or on his way to being injured.

At Wangjian Manor, he was fighting the mastermind behind the scenes from a distance. According to him, his minor injuries were nothing to worry about and he would recover in a couple of days, while his opponent was more seriously injured than him.

Having just recovered from his injuries, he was tricked by Xiang Yuan into going to Dajue Temple to fight against Tahua Zizaitian. He severed the cycle of reincarnation with a single strike, which took a heavy toll, and he hasn't fully recovered yet.

Upon seeing Xiang Yuan arrive today, Ji Wuzhou panicked and blurted out, "My worthy disciple, has that fellow shown up again?"

Compared to the mastermind, Ji Wuzhou is now more afraid of Xiang Yuan. The latter never comes to the temple without a reason, and when trouble comes, Ji Wuzhou, as his master, will get hurt.

What master could withstand this kind of injury? If it continues, he'll start to feel pleasure.

Xiao He had seen Ji Wuzhou's true colors, so he was not surprised by his genuine feelings. Xiang Yuan slapped him on the shoulder, making him wince in pain, and then explained the situation of the Southern Jin Dynasty in the most concise language.

Ji Wuzhou shook his head repeatedly, indicating that his injuries had not yet healed and his life was more important; he would not leave Mount Dacheng this time no matter what.

Seeing this, Xiang Yuan said with disdain, "Master is overthinking it. Before I came, I had someone tell my fortune. I will have no worries in Nan Jin and will not run into the mastermind."

"Then I don't need to set off at all." Ji Wuzhou was overjoyed upon hearing this.

"..." x2
Xiang Yuan and Xiao He exchanged a glance, lamenting that the Heavenly Sect Master was too incompetent, wasting his powerful cultivation in the Upper Three Realms. They unanimously thought of Zhao Wang's Mansion.

From the Prince Zhao's Mansion to the Heavenly Sect, it was merely a matter of moving from one makeshift organization to an even larger one.

"Master, going to Southern Jin is not difficult, the key is what happens afterward. Don't you think you're being too passive?"

After Xiang Yuan finished speaking, Xiao He picked up the thread. Ji Wuzhou and the mastermind were both reincarnations of the Heavenly Emperor. Two tigers cannot share one mountain. All along, Ji Wuzhou had been the one to counter every move and had never taken the initiative to attack.

Just like a siege, the attacker can fail a thousand times, but as long as they win once, they win. The defender is the opposite; even if they win a thousand times, they don't win. If they lose once, they lose everything.

Ji Wuzhou understood this principle. He knew that the mastermind was hiding in the land of rogue cultivators in the East China Sea, but he chose to remain silent because he felt that he was probably no match for them in a direct confrontation.

In Ji Wuzhou's words, this is called "waiting for the enemy to tire themselves out" and "remaining unchanged in the face of all changes." Every time the mastermind makes a move, he takes the opportunity to remove one of the opponent's pieces. When the mastermind has no more pieces to use, and the balance of power shifts, that is the best time for him to counterattack.

Wow, you have a great attitude!
Indeed, she is quite optimistic.

Xiang Yuan and Xiao He each made a comment, directly adopting the Zhao Wang Mansion's approach, regarding Xianyu as their illegitimate father, and preparing to exert their own influence.

The value of Prince Zhao's mansion is still increasing. Whether it's the front yard or the back yard, the experience gained is readily available!

The two ignored Ji Wuzhou and began to discuss things on the spot.

"Young Sect Master..."

"Why are you being so polite, brother-in-law? We're like family, just call me brother-in-law. If you don't like that, I'm still your brother-in-law!"

"..."

With just one sentence, Xiao He was completely overwhelmed, suffering a devastating blow that nearly made him vomit blood from anger.

Xiao He took two deep breaths. Making him call Xiang Yuan his brother-in-law was worse than just killing him. He said irritably, "Young Sect Master, what are the chances of us actually taking action?"

"Generally speaking, the situation is not very clear."

Xiang Yuan shook his head repeatedly. Although he had never seen the mastermind behind the scenes, he had been present at several battles fought remotely, only seeing the tip of the iceberg. Even with the entire Heavenly Sect mobilized, they were no match for the scattered cultivators of the East Sea.

Bringing shame upon oneself is not terrible, but bringing about one's own destruction is unacceptable.

Ji Wuzhou was wary of the mastermind behind the scenes, and so was Xiang Yuan. His thoughts had never changed: when dealing with such evil and unorthodox forces as the mastermind behind the scenes, one should not talk about chivalry or martial arts. One should gather a group of people from the three upper realms and attack them side by side.

We already have a wrecked sampan; if we push forward, we can lure Bai Wuyan over, and then there's the Door-Crack Sword Master...

It's not that we can't lie, but we're worried that 1+1=0, and there's the risk of reconciliation issues.

Xiang Yuan had an ideal professional team in mind: Broken Boat, White House Master, Door-Crack Sword Master, and a simpleton. The problem was that these four people in the Upper Three Realms all had serious personality flaws, each more childish than the last, and they simply couldn't get together.

There used to be Abbot Huixing, but he personally banished him. Bah, I wonder where he went to practice.

The broken sampan salted fish, the White Palace Master and the Door Crack Sword Master were fighting each other, and the simpleton had stated long ago that he would not take action. He explained the method of breaking the Book of Life and Death, and passed it on in a secret bag.

They hid to the side and watched the excitement.

Without sufficient high-end combat power, confronting the mastermind behind the scenes head-on is tantamount to throwing an egg against a rock.

Xiang Yuan sighed helplessly. Even a skilled cook can't cook without rice. Right now, he was just like the Heavenly Sect and its leader, unable to stand up.

"That being said, alliances and counter-alliances are never wrong. If we could get the three kingdoms to join forces..."

Xiao He laughed halfway through his sentence.

As he laughed, he began to ponder the possibilities, his eyes shining brightly. This was the grand scene he had always longed for. If he could bring about a three-way alliance and personally stir up the winds of change in the world, he would have no regrets in this life!
"Brother-in-law, do you have any ideas?"

"There is an immature idea... Pah, who is your brother-in-law? I don't have a brother-in-law like you."

Xiao He glared at Xiang Yuan and said one last time, "My sister is pure and virtuous, she was, she is, and she always will be."

Don't mention marriage; he won't agree!
"Alright, brother-in-law, what do you have to say about your immature idea? What's your plan?"

"..."

Xiao He's face darkened, and he spoke his mind with great anger.

(End of this chapter)