Promise!

Chapter 290, Taiding

Just as Shangguan Yunchang broke through, the Cen and Ge families in the state government sensed and were alarmed.

Cangzhou Prefecture Government Office.

"That's a real breakthrough!"

Xuanyuan Zhengji sighed with a complicated expression: "From now on, I will be even more at their mercy."

As he sighed, he thought of Xiao Linye.

Xuanyuan Zhengji arranged a position for Xiao Linye in the state government and also served as his backer. Naturally, this was not only to disgust the three major families, but also to push him to the forefront as a pawn and challenge them.

Another important reason is that the spiritual power of all living beings offered by Xiao Linye, although Xuan Yuanzhengji does not know the specifics, is a pure energy crystal that has been tested in this way. It is beneficial and harmless, and it is helpful for him to recover from his soul injury.

The reason they gave up on Xiao Linye was because the Shangguan family, who now control the Xuantian Division, or more specifically, because they were manipulated by the old lady Shangguan Jinfeng through both soft and hard tactics.

As for the hard part, although Xuan Yuanzheng was in the wrong in the Li Shizong incident, Cen Chongxuan and Shangguan Jinfeng tricked him later, so he would not give in on this point again. However, Shangguan Jinfeng was not a martial artist and used Zhuang Jin to scare him, which was probably to say, "If you don't behave, I will close the door and release Zhuang Jin!"
The soft approach is to give up Xiao Linye and transfer some of the benefits to him.

Faced with this carrot-and-stick approach, Xuan Yuan Zhengji, though unwilling, had no choice but to grit his teeth and accept it.

'Unfortunately, it was Zhuang Jin who attacked Xiao Linye that day.'

Xuanyuan Zhengji acknowledged the matter and gave up on Xiao Linye, but he still harbored some expectations.

He knew that Xiao Linye was no ordinary person, and if the Shangguan family underestimated him, they would suffer a great loss. If Shangguan Jinfeng, or the heads of the other two families, Cen Chongxuan and Ge Daoqian, were to take action, they might not be able to defeat him.

This could test Xiao Linye's methods, and perhaps even make Xiao Linye more dependent on him, allowing him to take advantage of the situation and obtain that special item—the method for creating the power of all living beings' thoughts.

Xuanyuan Zhengji had high hopes, but he didn't expect that Shangguan Jinfeng would push the task onto Zhuang Jin in order to make Zhuang Jin distinguish between classes and positions.

As a Yin God martial artist, Xuan Yuan Zhengji had dealt with Zhuang Jin before and knew him best. He was aware of Zhuang Jin's strength and didn't even dare to hide and secretly pursue him.

That opportunity has most likely already fallen into Zhuang Jin's hands. Alas, what a pity.

"Returning to today's events, the old lady of the Shangguan family was troublesome enough, but now Shangguan Yunchang has broken through, not to mention Zhuang Jin."

'The other two families, the Cen family and the Ge family, are not pushovers either.'

Xuanyuan Zhengji felt utterly exhausted. A hundred words welled up in his mind, but in the end, they all boiled down to four words: The advantage lies in... Bah, it's the fiery passion of bandits!

He suddenly lost interest and didn't want to play with them anymore.

"A governor's term is ten years, with a maximum of three consecutive terms. I've already served two. After the massive energy surge at the end of next year, it will be another ten years. At that time, I'll probably be transferred to another governorship, leaving this mess in Cangzhou to the next governor!"

After thinking about it this way, Xuanyuan Zhengji felt relieved.

……

The Cen family.

"Three Yin Gods in one family, what a fine Shangguan family!"

Cen Chongxuan also sighed.

He had previously tolerated Xiao Linye and the Azure Dragon Society, intending to let the Shangguan family take action to weaken them, but now it seems that there has been no weakening.

Needless to say, all the members of the Azure Dragon Society below Xiao Linye are easy targets. The only tough nut to crack is that Shangguan Jinfeng has pushed the task onto Zhuang Jin.

According to news from some time ago, Zhuang Jin took out a 'Vajra Relic', which shows that although the pursuit of Xiao Linye was dangerous, it turned out to be auspicious and even brought considerable benefits.

Because of that 'Diamond Relic', Shangguan Yunchang's physical body techniques also broke through, and now she has even achieved the status of a Yin God.

'Shangguan Yunchang's breakthrough isn't just about becoming a Yin God; more importantly, it's about her identity. She's the designated patriarch of the Shangguan family, and now that she's broken through, she'll likely soon obtain access to the Shangguan family's Sky-Piercing Mirror.'

Cen Chongxuan had always harbored a thought: that the three families could join forces to give Zhuang Jin a severe blow, but with Shangguan Yunchang's breakthrough, that idea was completely shattered.

The martial arts techniques of the Shangguan, Cen, and Ge families are divided into wind, thunder, and ice attributes. When the three family heads join forces, they can have an ultimate trump card, but this is not a conventional method and is quite labor-intensive.

But in fact, there is another method that can be used without paying a price: the Suspended Sky Mirror absorbs the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and accumulates it over sixty years. It can cleanse the super-limit Vajra Realm beasts in the three dead zones of the Funiu Mountains. He had an idea to use this method against Zhuang Jin, but this requires the cooperation of the three families and full access to the Suspended Sky Mirror, which now seems impossible.

"Well, well, there was little hope to begin with. Now, the only way out is to appease him and send him away from the capital."

Cen Chongxuan was shrewd and calculating, but he was not stupid. Since he was outmatched, he would not cause any more trouble and planned to wait quietly for Zhuang Jin to leave completely.

……

The Ge family.

"She's really something. Compared to that little girl from the Shangguan family, my daughter is far inferior."

Ge Daoqian shook his head slightly, not having as many thoughts as Xuan Yuanzhengji and Cen Chongxuan, but simply thinking about his own situation.

Now that his lifespan is nearing its end, he only wants to pass on his legacy peacefully. He will not devote any energy to other matters until this is resolved.

Just as for individual needs, survival is always the top priority, and the same is true for families; survival and inheritance are the most important things in the first order.

……

The following day, Shangguan Jinfeng handed over the position of head of the Shangguan family to Shangguan Yunchang.

It is worth mentioning that inheriting the position of family head naturally requires transferring the authority of the Suspended Sky Mirror, which also means the extraction of the Suspended Sky Mirror's original power. This will have a certain backlash, causing loss of vital energy, even a drop in cultivation level, and in the most serious case, sudden death.

In the case of Shangguan Yunchang, she did not use the Three-Part Suspended Sky Mirror's authority during her breakthrough, so she was minimally affected. She only used it during her previous cultivation, so it had only a very minor impact.

When Shangguan Jinfeng broke through, she had probably integrated less than one-tenth of her original essence. She was the kind of person who could "get on the train first and buy the ticket later." Over the years, she had already made up for her shortcomings. Now, even if her authority was transferred, there would be some impact, but with the help of nourishing substances, the impact would be relatively limited. At least she would not fall in realm.

To put it more bluntly, all three heads of the powerful families are frauds, but the degree of their inflated claims varies, with Shangguan Jinfeng being considered one of the better ones.

Under such circumstances, after the inheritance, Shangguan Jinfeng still maintained the Yin God realm. As a result, before Shangguan Jinfeng's lifespan expired, including Zhuang Jin, the Shangguan family had three Yin Gods, which can be described as flourishing and reaching its peak.

Subsequently, Shangguan Yunchang inherited the position of family head and the Yin God Ceremony, which were held together, making it another grand event. The magnificence of that day needs no further elaboration. In short, through this grand event, Shangguan Yunchang announced her ascension to the throne, and the Shangguan family ushered in her era.

When the commotion subsided, Shangguan Yunchang took over the Shangguan family, but fell into silence and made no move. In fact, during the last year or so that the Shangguan family was in charge of the Xuantian Division, compared to the previous Shangguan Jinfeng era, the round table meetings, the Azure Dragon Society and other events were unusually calm.

The reasons for this are twofold. On the one hand, Shangguan Jinfeng paved the way in advance, basically clearing away any troubles. On the other hand, Shangguan Yunchang, having just taken office, prioritized stability and preferred inaction over action.

This composure has earned the secret admiration of many.

As for Zhuang Jin, after Shangguan Yunchang broke through to the Yin God realm and took office as the head of the Shangguan family, becoming incredibly powerful and influential, his presence faded, and he retreated into the background to focus on cultivation.

However, no one dared to underestimate him. Anyone with eyes could see that after Shangguan Yunchang took over the Shangguan family, his status in Cangzhou City had truly become extraordinary.

Time passed just like that, and more than a year went by in the blink of an eye. By the end of the sixty-seventh year of Qian Yuan, Zhuang Jin had completed his accumulation of the first level of Yin Shen Jing meditative state.

……

Cangzhou City, First Ring Road, Shangguan Family Residence, Quiet Room.

"After two and a half years, I have finally completed the accumulation of the first level of Yin Spirit realm!"

When Zhuang Jin killed that Vajra Realm Teng Snake, he obtained half of the 'Vajra Relic' and used it to refine a pill for Shangguan Yunchang to break through the bottleneck of her physical body's secret techniques. He also used the other half to refine a pill to accelerate his own realm accumulation. It only took a few months. If he could continue to have such pills available, the time would have been much shorter.

However, during that pursuit of Xiao Linye, when they entered the Triple Dead Zone, the appearance of the Teng Snake, which was not restrained by the advantages of his own soul, the abnormal entry of the Teng Snake into the domain, and the subsequent support from several Vajra Realm beasts, all these strange situations indicated that there might be some kind of change in the Triple Dead Zone of the Funiu Mountains.

A wise man does not stand under a crumbling wall, and Zhuang Jin would not risk his life by going into the mountains to hunt Vajra Realm beasts in order to accelerate his cultivation.

Without the elixir of the 'Diamond Relic' to accelerate the accumulation of realm, the only way to accumulate realm is through slow self-cultivation. Furthermore, the person is reluctant to use the energy stored in the Holy Spirit Pearl and uses the Black Yuan Pill, which is cultivated from Black Jade Grass of the ultimate age in the Azure Yuan Pot, as resources. As a result, the effect of this method is getting weaker and weaker, and the speed of realm accumulation is also slowed down, which is why it has been delayed until now.

"Fortunately, with the Treasure Basin upgrade, the pills that help speed up the process, and the Holy Spirit Pearl's enhancement, all things considered, it's not too slow."

Zhuang Jin sighed inwardly, composed himself, and narrowed his gaze: "Two and a half years of accumulation have finally come to this day. Waiting any longer is useless. The time to break through to the second level of the Yin God Realm is now!"

hum!
As he closed his eyes and concentrated, circulating his energy, vertical lines of shimmering light appeared between his brows, and a halo of light materialized behind his head, slowly rotating.

At this moment, Zhuang Jin's consciousness had already sunk into the sea of ​​her soul. As she continued to descend, she reached a certain limit and faced a boundary at a certain level.

Here, those with strong spiritual power can pass through relatively easily, but for him, this obstacle was as if it didn't exist. He went straight in and entered a completely new world.

If the state of tranquility is the gathering of chaotic thoughts, then the endless ripples on the surface of the sea of ​​the soul transform into a clear, mirror-like state.

At this moment, one enters another level. The sea of ​​the soul is not only on the surface, but even beneath the calm surface, the hidden undercurrents and subtle fluctuations of the divine soul power are stagnant and calm, as the heart settles down.

There is a saying: "He who can remain calm even if Mount Tai collapses before him is worthy of being a general." This is a similar state of composure!

As Zhuang Jin's consciousness penetrated deep into the sea of ​​his soul, his spiritual level broke through, causing his own divine essence to also undergo a transformation.

hum!
The Holy Spirit Pearl floated out, and after absorbing the Void Stone, it could be controlled at a more subtle level. At this moment, the pure ice attribute energy turned into stardust and light dust, which was absorbed by the rotating halo behind his head. This way, there was no waste, and it was also easier to refine.

Within the dantian, the glazed golden elixir, as it rotated, used the power of the divine soul and absorbed pure ice-attribute energy as fuel, like a large millstone, grinding the divine essence into even purer form.

In this process, it becomes more pure and solid, adding a touch of indestructible and indelible quality.

After a full incense stick's time.

hum!
Zhuang Jin opened his eyes. The vertical line of glassy light between his brows and the halo behind his head disappeared without the slightest fluctuation. This was the ultimate return to simplicity: "The second level of Yin Spirit Realm - the Realm of Tranquility, is complete!"

……

Swish!
Zhuang Jin stood up and carefully felt the changes in himself after the breakthrough. The glazed golden core in his dantian was heavier and had an indescribable texture. His divine energy was also more refined.

Then, the Yin Spirit Domain is enhanced, its range increases by 50%, and it can be controlled more precisely, making its power incomparable to what it was before.

'Most importantly, however, is the stillness of the second level of the Yin Spirit realm, the hallmark of which is—a clear understanding of the world!'

With a thought, his consciousness descended into the sea of ​​his soul to another level, and his perception of the outside world changed instantly. In his perception, the entire world seemed to become transparent.

Zhuang Jin carefully experienced that this state had two effects: first, his original extrasensory perception and mental perception were enhanced; second, he could directly 'see' the primordial energy of heaven and earth, and the power of his Yin God martial arts was greatly enhanced.

'Indeed, from the first level of Yin Spirit meditation to the second level of Tranquil Meditation, it's quite a change indeed.'

He muttered to himself, then suddenly realized: 'As far as I know, there are four other Yin God realm martial artists in Cangzhou—oh, now there are five. Yun Chang goes without saying, but Xuan Yuan Zhengji and the heads of the three great families all broke through using shortcuts and are stuck at the first level.'

"So, in other words, with my current stable state at the second level of the Yin Spirit Realm, I can be considered the number one person in Cangzhou in terms of cultivation level?!"

"As for a direct comparison of strength, even if the three great family heads used their Sky-Piercing Mirror authority to amplify their power, within the third ring, I could most likely defeat them in a one-on-one fight. If they weren't from the three great family groups, with their combined wind, thunder, and ice attributes, the sum of its parts would far exceed three. I could easily defeat three or five ordinary Yin God level one cultivators."

Zhuang Jin nodded slightly, but he was not arrogant or complacent. His goal was immortality and his ambition was to explore the stars and the sea. He would not limit his vision to the small area of ​​Cangzhou.

"Having reached this stage, a problem arises regarding further cultivation: the Black Jade Grass cultivated in the mid-grade Azure Origin Pot, with a maximum cultivation period of 250 years, is producing low-grade Black Origin Pills that are becoming increasingly less effective for me. It's possible that after a while, I'll have to utilize the energy stored in the Holy Spirit Pearl."

'Alright, let's continue with these supplies for now, and change them when the effect becomes negligible... Hmm? Wait a minute!'

Zhuang Jin suddenly thought that if there were Vajra Realm beasts, the situation might be delayed for a while longer.

Whether it's the meat of a Vajra Realm beast or the pills refined from the 'Vajra Relic,' they are all highly beneficial to Yin God martial artists. As an aid, they can naturally help him cultivate with low-grade Black Yuan Pills for a while longer.

'However, the Vajra Realm beasts are all located in the three dead zones of the Funiu Mountains. There seems to be something fishy about this; there might be some kind of mutation going on!'

Zhuang Jin wasn't the type to hide problems and wait until they were exposed and irreversible before regretting it. He had already told Shangguan Yunchang about the strange things that happened when he encountered Xiao Linye during the chase.

However, at the time, Shangguan Yunchang kept it a secret, saying there was no need to worry, and that they could wait and see how things would be handled during the next large-scale energy tide, and that she would give him a surprise.

"The energy surge at the end of this year is massive. With that time approaching, let's ask Yun Chang about the details!"

Thinking of this, Zhuang Jin left the pass and went straight to find Shangguan Yunchang.

……

(End of this chapter)