Lianshan Xin admitted that in this moment, he had acted somewhat impulsively.
Complex problems had no simple solutions—a truth he had understood even in his past life.
Yet between two evils, one had to choose the lesser.
And Lianshan Xin understood even better the danger of hesitating when decisiveness was called for, inviting only endless trouble.
Marrying an imperial princess or slaying one each had its advantages and disadvantages, but Dai Yueying had courted her own demise, completely bankrupting his trust in her.
He was no Lao Ai. He had no confidence he could conquer an empress dowager between the sheets, nor was he confident he could bed an immortal dynasty princess from the Demon Cult who was already bold enough to plot against his parents.
Compared to the lingering nightmares of marrying the princess, Lianshan Xin preferred to let his blade fall swift and clean.
Those who achieved great things could never afford indecision.
Even if some choices turned out to be mistakes, so long as you reached the summit in the future, learned scholars would naturally rationalize your actions.
The only pity was that he had failed to maximize Dai Yueying's utility.
In truth, he could have.
"You went after my parents, so I kill you for my cultivation—that aligns with my values. But if I had used you before killing you, I would have fallen completely. Even in the pursuit of power, one must not forfeit all humanity. That would make me nothing more than power's slave."
Lianshan Xin felt the qi inside him swell steadily, expanding with incredible speed. Most importantly, he clearly sensed that as his internal breath surged, its lethal power grew in tandem—to the point where the meridians throughout his body, which had just been thoroughly opened, began to throb with faint pain once more.
This should never have happened. True qi forged in the Qi Condensation realm ought not to harm the practitioner himself.
Qi Shiyun's words echoed in his ears once more:
"Marry the princess, and your path to becoming a Grandmaster is guaranteed. Slay the princess... and it will help you swiftly break through to the True Intent realm, comprehending our lineage's most lethal and taboo 'Dragon Slaying True Intent.' And then, every branch of your family will be exterminated!"
Lianshan Xin came to a sudden realization. "The true qi in my body is converting into Dragon Slaying True Intent. Dragon Slaying True Intent is far too powerful, its destructive force too terrifying. I just broke through, and now this Dragon Slaying True Intent has suddenly condensed. My rate of breakthrough hasn't kept pace with the evolution of my true qi. To put it simply, while still in the Qi Condensation realm, I suddenly wielded the power of the True Intent realm—and I can barely keep it under control."
This was the backlash of breaking through too quickly.
Very few people ever experienced such a happy problem.
Over the past eighteen years, Lianshan Xin had certainly never felt anything like it.
Yet choices truly determined fate.
Sudden wealth, after all, always relied on ill-gotten gains.
Just like right now.
Glancing at the Dai father and daughter lying neat and tidy, Lianshan Xin turned and walked away.
Princess or enchantress, both were now things of the past.
His urgent priority now was to enter secluded cultivation and advance his cultivation to the True Intent realm as quickly as possible, thoroughly mastering the Dragon Slaying True Intent.
Furthermore, he had to do everything he could to convince Qi Shiyun not to report him.
If possible, he would gladly win Qi Shiyun over in bed as well, but he doubted she would ever give him the chance.
At this thought, Lianshan Xin felt a heavy weight settle on his heart.
The benefits of slaying the princess were already in his hands, and they would continue to feed back into him without end.
Yet the latent perils of slaying the princess officially began from this moment on.
"Young Master."
Seeing Lianshan Xin step out of the room, Du Jiu and Qi Wenbin bowed in greeting together.
Lianshan Xin nodded and asked directly, "Brother Jiu, Brother Qi, do you have corpse-dissolving powder on you?"
"Of course."
"Dissolve both Master Dai and Dai Yueying."
In fact, Lianshan Xin knew how to concoct corpse-dissolving powder himself—Lianshan Jingcheng had taught him.
Miracle doctors were usually adept at killing, including cleaning up the aftermath.
One could never have too many skills, so Lianshan Xin had studied medicine under Lianshan Jingcheng since childhood, though he had spent far less time on it than on martial arts.
It was also mainly because Lianshan Jingcheng had remarked that his innate talent for medicine was limited, and thus never forced him to inherit the family trade.
Lianshan Xin had naturally gone along with that willingly. After all, he had known since his past life: "Persuade someone to practice medicine, and heaven will strike you with lightning."
In medicine, Lianshan Xin was only on par with an ordinary physician in Jiangzhou. Yet in realms such as "corpse-dissolving powder" and "how to plausibly treat a patient to death," Lianshan Jingcheng had "praised" him for surpassing the master.
Lianshan Xin simply took that as modesty on his father's part.
He had not brought any corpse-dissolving powder with him today. After all, he had visited Bailudong Academy earlier, and carrying such a thing around smelled too much like a terrorist, which clashed terribly with the academy's aesthetic.
Hearing Lianshan Xin say "Dissolve both Master Dai and Dai Yueying," Du Jiu and Qi Wenbin froze at the same time.
Even Du Jiu, whose wits were usually sharp, instinctively swallowed a mouthful of saliva, asking in shock, "Young Master, Dai Yueying... is dead?"
"Yes. Her identity as a Demon Cult heretic was exposed, and she took her own life out of shame."
Du Jiu did not believe for a second that Dai Yueying would kill herself out of shame, yet he dared not doubt it.
Qi Wenbin recalled his earlier worry that Lianshan Xin might show womanish mercy. Looking at him now, he realized he hadn't known the first thing about what "ruthless and decisive" truly meant.
The two exchanged a glance, reading the awe in each other's eyes.
"Is there a problem?" Lianshan Xin asked calmly.
If these two claimed there was a problem, he would have to replace his personal bodyguards.
Fortunately, Du Jiu and Qi Wenbin were qualified members of the Nine Heavens, carrying out their superior's orders with absolute rigor.
"No problem at all."
"Your subordinates will go dissolve them at once."
Lianshan Xin nodded. "This matter involves 'Blood Guanyin,' so do not report it up the chain for now. I will report it to Tanhua Qi and Lord Heavenly Sword in private."
"We obey your command!" both answered in unison.
Naturally, Du Jiu and Qi Wenbin dared not object.
The present Lianshan Xin commanded their reverence not only through his methods, but even standing there, he exuded a tangible, razor-sharp aura that washed over them. He was like a divine sword about to leave its scabbard, its piercing edge impossible to conceal any longer.
Their instincts were correct, even if they misunderstood the reason.
Lianshan Xin was simply struggling to contain the burgeoning Dragon Slaying True Intent inside him, causing a fraction of it to seep through his body and giving the impression of an unsheathed blade.
Yet combined with his age of eighteen and what he had just done, it fit the phrase "the reckless pride of youth" to perfection.
No outsider would suspect a thing.
Lianshan Xin only worried that Qi Shiyun would read too much into it.
And at this very moment... Qi Shiyun was indeed overthinking.
Inside the secluded cultivation chamber of Bailudong Academy.
Qi Shiyun had originally intended merely to meditate at leisure.
Though Lianshan Xin had broken through two realms in rapid succession, she was already at the peak of the Grandmaster realm; the sheer amount of progress required for her breakthrough was astronomical.
She had not expected Lianshan Xin to help her much.
And that was indeed the case.
After digesting the gains from guiding Lianshan Xin into the Dao this time, Qi Shiyun felt her cultivation and murmured to herself, "Some progress, but not much. Still, Lianshan Xin has only just stepped onto the Dao. His future potential is immense, promising great things... Wait?"
All of a sudden, Qi Shiyun felt her personal fortune swell by a full tenth in an instant.
Her mind grew incomparably lucid.
The various veils of mist that had long thwarted her breakthrough began to dissolve in this moment.
She beheld an entirely new realm—the Domain realm!
Boundless worldly power gradually rose from her hands, spiraling around her form.
Over at the Imperial Library Pavilion.
Heavenly Sword stiffened, swiftly moving into the courtyard and staring in astonishment toward the secluded cultivation chamber.
"Shiyun... Under normal circumstances, she would have needed at least another year to break through. How can she be showing signs of a breakthrough already? A Domain realm cultivator at twenty-four? Isn't that terrifying? Wouldn't that mean she has a chance of manifesting a dharma idol before thirty?"
That was precisely the question Qi Shiyun was pondering right now.
"What happened? Who just gave me such a divine assist?"
"Which of my generals fought so valiantly?"
"It definitely wasn't Lianshan Xin—his contribution was already finished."
"As expected, I'm far smarter than Master. Casting a wide net to catch more fish was the right call after all. With ninety-one Chosen Sons of Heaven, even if the east stays dark, the west will shine. There's always someone who can surprise me."
Delighted with herself, Qi Shiyun instantly ruled out Young Master Xin, No. 91.
Chapter 35