"So you see—" Qianqian huffed. "What holy ground of the martial world? They're hardly better than a brothel!"
Wang Yu shot Qianqian a sidelong glance.
Qianqian's comparison was a bit exaggerated. Although Yuxian Palace had married one of its disciples off to the dynasty's Taizu, they had also accepted Taizu's daughter as a disciple. What emperor would send his own daughter to a brothel!
It could only be said that Yuxian Palace was not quite as otherworldly and transcendent as it appeared on the surface.
"Did your sect also lose to Yuxian Palace three hundred years ago?" Wang Yu asked curiously.
Qianqian nodded. "Back then, there was no Yuxian Palace yet, only the Heavenly Palace."
Wang Yu was puzzled. "The Heavenly Palace?"
"The Heavenly Palace and the Sacred Cult were the predecessors of the martial world's Three Great Holy Grounds and the Sacred Cult's seven sects," Qianqian explained. "The Palace Master of the Heavenly Palace and the Cult Master of the Sacred Cult were both experts who had transcended Great Grandmasters.
"Later, both disappeared. The arts they created were all-encompassing and far too difficult, so their disciples split and simplified them. Afterward, due to differing ideals, they parted ways, forming the three palaces of the Heavenly Palace and the seven sects of the Sacred Cult.
"Three hundred years ago—or rather, roughly two hundred and seventy years ago—for reasons no one knows, the Heavenly Palace and the Sacred Cult fought over the realm's supremacy. Unfortunately, my Sacred Cult fell one move short and was ultimately defeated, resulting in the deaths of many experts.
"As a result, due to incomplete inheritances, the martial arts of the seven sects were split once more. It was then that our sect's *Mysterious Maiden Classic* and *Plain Maiden Classic* were divided."
Wang Yu clicked his tongue. "Split twice, and they can still produce Xiantian Grandmasters?"
Qianqian nodded. "The art created by the Cult Master back then was named the *Sacred King Inquiring Heart Record*. It encompassed yin and yang, the five elements, the seven emotions, and the six desires. It is said that upon mastery, one could transcend the Xiantian realm.
"When the Sacred Cult was divided into seven sects, the *Sacred King Inquiring Heart Record* was likewise divided into seven parts. Among them, the Xuansu Sect received the Yin-Yang Record and part of the Six Desires Record, rewriting them into the *Xuansu Classic*, which still reached the realm of Great Grandmaster.
"Later, due to the war three hundred years ago, gaps appeared in the *Xuansu Classic*, making it difficult for later generations to cultivate it normally. Thus, they had no choice but to split it again into the *Mysterious Maiden Classic* and the *Plain Maiden Classic*, capping its upper limit at Grandmaster."
"For three hundred years, the disciples of the Xuansu Sect pondered and studied diligently, wishing to merge the *Mysterious Maiden Classic* and the *Plain Maiden Classic*, but regrettably never succeeded," Qianqian said. "My master pinned her hopes on Old Man Xingxiu's *All Streams Returning to the Source*."
Wang Yu asked, "Is Old Man Xingxiu also a member of the Sacred Cult?"
Qianqian shook her head. "No."
Wang Yu asked, "Then how does your master know that *All Streams Returning to the Source* can merge the *Mysterious Maiden Classic* and the *Plain Maiden Classic*?"
Qianqian countered, "What is the name of that art?"
Wang Yu answered, "*All Streams Returning to the Source*?"
Qianqian looked at Wang Yu without saying a word.
Wang Yu slapped his forehead.
"No way. Just because of the name, your master thought this art could return the *Mysterious Maiden Classic* and *Plain Maiden Classic* to their source?" Wang Yu said helplessly. "Why didn't she return the other arts of the seven sects back to the *Sacred King Inquiring Heart Record* too?"
Qianqian shook her head. "Even Old Man Xingxiu couldn't reach that realm.
"Later on, the three palaces of the Heavenly Palace became the martial world's Three Great Holy Grounds, and the seven sects of the Sacred Cult became the seven sects of the Demonic Cult."
Qianqian continued, "Yet the strife between the Heavenly Palace and the Sacred Cult never ceased, carrying on for more than two hundred years. Forty years ago, when the realm fell into chaos, our cult rose with the momentum. Alas, we still fell short at the final hurdle and failed to cast off the label of 'Demonic Cult.'"
At this point, Qianqian smiled. "The Sacred Cult originally thought we would have to swallow our humiliation for another two hundred years, never expecting trouble to brew in this new dynasty after just forty."
Wang Yu clicked his tongue. Truly ambitious schemers—always eagerly anticipating chaos under heaven.
Qianqian said, "In every generation, Yuxian Palace sends out one disciple to roam the martial world and engage in a duel against a disciple of the Xuansu Sect. For this generation, the turn has fallen to me."
Wang Yu understood. "Just like Seven Swords Ascend Mount Tianshan?"
"More or less," Qianqian nodded. "Though not quite as formal. If one party knows she is outmatched, she might avoid the fight, or merely engage in a probing spar." Qianqian looked at Wang Yu, speaking faintly, "What matters most is not the appointed duel, but the ownership of the realm."
Wang Yu spread his hands. "I feel you people don't see things as clearly as the Seven Great Sword Sects or the Buddhist and Daoist sects. They take neither side, so whoever ascends the throne won't target them."
The court belongs to the court, and the jianghu belongs to the jianghu.
Reasonably speaking, martial sects shouldn't meddle in who claims the realm. The mindsets of these two realms were entirely different; even if they weren't parallel lines, they should at least keep their distance.
Strictly speaking, the power that the two Buddhist sects and two Daoist palaces could mobilize far exceeded that of the Heavenly Palace and the Sacred Cult, but did you see them entering the fray?
At most, they played a supporting role from the sidelines, but they would never openly declare their allegiances. In any case, they had supreme experts presiding over them, so whoever sat on the throne wouldn't—and wouldn't dare to—target them. Why look for trouble and invite needless hardship?
"Easy for you to say. The Sacred Cult's three centuries of infamy—should we just let that go?"
Qianqian snorted, then explained, "The causes behind the war three hundred years ago are lost to history, but during the great chaos forty years ago, only Yuxian Palace intervened; neither Chaoyang Palace nor Tianhe Palace made a move."
Wang Yu raised an eyebrow. "So the seven of your sects joined forces and still lost to Yuxian Palace?"
"Who said seven sects joined forces?" Qianqian said in dissatisfaction. "Only the Xuansu Sect, the Wentian Sect, and the Floating Light Sect made a move; the Qianyin Sect and the other three sects stayed out of it. The Xuansu Sect and Yuxian Palace have been at odds for centuries, so if Yuxian Palace made a move, the Xuansu Sect was bound to do so as well. As for the Wentian Sect and Floating Light Sect, they're just full of ambitious schemers lusting after power."
Yet none of the three sects possessed an eye as sharp as Yuxian Palace's. Yuxian Palace chose the right person, and today they were the most prestigious of the Three Great Holy Grounds of the martial world, while the seven sects of the Demonic Cult remained the seven sects of the Demonic Cult.
Alright, Wang Yu figured he might have overlooked the deep-seated grievances between the Heavenly Palace and the Sacred Cult. After all, they weren't like the Seven Great Sword Sects or the Buddhist and Daoist sects, which had no mortal enemies.
Once the faction they backed took the realm, they could reverse their public reputation and, backed by imperial might, dispatch a million-strong army to annihilate the other's mountain gate.
"So now that Yuxian Palace's new-generation disciple has emerged, you have to go answer the challenge?" Wang Yu asked.
"Pretty much," Qianqian nodded evasively.
The enmity between Yuxian Palace and the Xuansu Sect had spanned three hundred years, tangled with complex grudges and entanglements that could not be explained in a word or two, but no matter what, a victor had to be decided between them.
"I see." Wang Yu finally understood and couldn't help asking curiously, "Are you confident?"
Qianqian raised her head proudly. "She will never be my match."
Wang Yu gave a thumbs-up. "Jiayou! Add oil!"
Qianqian blinked. "Add what oil?"
Wang Yu said, "'Jiayou' means pumping you up."
Qianqian tilted her head. "Pump what air?"
Wang Yu took a deep breath. "May you achieve immediate victory and return in triumph."
Qianqian's eyes curved into crescents. "Every generation of Yuxian Palace disciples consists of stunning beauties too. If I win, I'll capture her and bring her back to be your concubine. What do you say?"
"Sounds great!" Wang Yu refused no one. "When the time comes, the two of you can serve me together—one in front, one in—"
Before Wang Yu could finish, Qianqian sealed his mouth—using her own.
Wang Yu gripped her softness. Qianqian did not resist, but caught his hand as it tried to wander lower.
After a long while, their lips parted.
Between them stretched a glistening thread of saliva, snapping gently.
Qianqian giggled. "Is this how you want to be served?"
Wang Yu moved to reach for her again, but Qianqian had already flitted away. "Keep dreaming! And remember, you're not allowed to buy an unblemished courtesan~"
Watching Qianqian depart, Wang Yu found himself unable to sleep for the moment.
After all, anyone who discovered an unfamiliar Xiantian Grandmaster had suddenly appeared in their home would be unable to sleep.
Wang Yu decided to simply swallow his final Snow Lotus Yellow Dragon Pill.
*Boom!*
Refining talent, widening meridians, tempering bones...
Ice and fire internal energy surged and circulated within his meridians. With each heavenly cycle, a wisp of internal energy accumulated in his dantian, transforming into his own reservoir of power.
Wang Yu closed his eyes to channel his technique. Once his meridians had widened to their absolute limit, he channeled the remaining medicinal power to further enhance the *Star-Plucking Hand* and *Star-Chasing Steps*, then continued to strengthen the circulation of his internal energy.
Wang Yu had originally been sitting cross-legged on the bed meditating, but then his figure shifted, and he began striking with his palms and darting across the room before returning to the bed to regulate his breath.
Until the east turned pale with dawn...
Wang Yu exhaled a long breath. A plume of white vapor shot forth like an arrow for nearly ten feet, twisting in midair into two entwined ribbons—one steaming with heat, the other frosting with cold.
"Just like that, I've reached Xiantian?"
"A bit sudden, isn't it?"
"Though it doesn't seem to feel like anything extraordinary."
Wang Yu felt a tingling numbness in his meridians, as if he were suspended between ice and fire. Various Xiantian insights into *Flowing Fire Reflection* and the *Ice and Snow Divine Art* flooded his mind in endless waves, and his entire being seemed transformed.
"Well... there is a difference after all."
"Don't flaunt your wealth; keep a low profile... low profile..."
Wang Yu reined in his internal energy, concealed his aura, and got out of bed as usual.
After washing up and heading out, he stopped by Hongyan Pavilion, only to find that Qianqian was already gone.
"Something came up with her family, so she went back to take care of it," Wang Yu explained on her behalf. "She'll be back in a few days."
Since Wang Yu himself had offered the explanation, the others naturally raised no objections.
Li Yunxiu knew Qianqian's true identity and guessed she had left because of sect matters regarding the Xuansu Sect.
Although the Xuansu Sect was a major sect of the Demonic Cult with many experts, those who had truly stepped into Xiantian were certainly few and far between. Qianqian was without doubt the pinnacle of this generation in the Xuansu Sect.
Thus, if the Xuansu Sect faced any matter of great importance, they would still need her to act.
Over the next few days, Wang Yu did not stay idle. Besides continuing to practice martial arts in the mornings with Yan Xiangxue and Ardai, his afternoons were taken up by Wei Gutong.
According to Wei Gutong's exact words, for Wang Yu to have such an extraordinary sense of musicality and not study music was a reckless waste of a heavenly gift!
As it happened, Wang Yu had previously purchased a fine zither. Though far inferior to Bingquan Ming or Wei Gutong's personal Feng Qiwu, it was considered first-rate among ordinary guqins and more than adequate for playing fine music.
Moreover, the *Flowing Springs of the Icy Mountain* Wang Yu studied contained a sound attack technique. Having never used it before, he was rather unfamiliar with it. Now that Wei Gutong was willing to teach, Wang Yu took the opportunity to seek guidance and thoroughly master the sound attack technique.
Additionally, compared to the cumbersome zither, he actually preferred the xiao flute. It was portable, and its tone had strong penetrative power.
As luck would have it, Yan Ziyu was a great master of the xiao!
And so, full and busy days passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, the Shangyuan Festival arrived.
All throughout Longshan Prefecture, lanterns and banners were hung.
At the same time, several inconspicuous men disguised as itinerant peddlers arrived in Longshan Prefecture.
"Prince of Zhenxi..."
A burly man raised his head slightly as he entered the city, gazing up at the three large characters "Longshan Prefecture" upon the city gate. Beneath his conical bamboo hat, his eyes glinted with cold light.
"Cough, cough!"
The burly man coughed twice, appearing to suffer from a chest wound. Seeing several gate-guarding soldiers looking over, he hurriedly lowered his head and walked into the city.
Chapter 104