The world was full of disparities, and life held a hundred different paths.
In a supernatural empire where the chasm between the peak and the bottom was vast enough to breed utter despair, rising above one's station was next to impossible for ordinary folk.
Yet the workings of Heaven numbered forty-nine, leaving one avenue of escape for mortal fate.
A cultivator's aptitude could be inherited to some degree, but it also retained an element of pure randomness.
Some were born in an underground crypt yet possessed peerless talent, able to reach the pinnacle of Grandmaster without a scrap of resources. Others were born into wealth and power yet possessed useless physiques, remaining mere mortals even at twenty despite endless supplies.
This offered the common folk at the bottom one of their few chances to transcend their station.
And if cultivating aptitude was merely a possibility, then Heaven's chosen—those blessed with special physiques—held a guaranteed, hundred-percent entry ticket to the highest echelons.
Assuming they were willing to be obedient dogs.
Nominally, there was no hierarchy among unique physiques; each had its own strengths. However, anything bearing the word "Dao Body" was generally far stronger than the rest.
Just like Xu Yuan's Innate Dao Body, acquired after birth.
Were he not the Third Young Master of the Prime Minister's Manor, various factions across the realm would have fought tooth and nail to claim him.
After all, every Innate Dao Body in history had been an unmatched existence that dominated an era. In cultivating talent, comprehension of the Heavenly Dao, and brilliance in combat, they were peerless dragons and phoenixes among men.
Without exception.
At that thought, Xu Yuan's train of thought stalled for a moment, and he selectively chose to skip past it.
Xiao Bai's Five Elements Dao Physique was exceptionally strong. Compared to his jack-of-all-trades Innate Dao Body, the Five Elements Dao Physique was inherently far more attuned to the qi sense of the five elements.
Moreover, according to ancient texts Xu Yuan had read, if matched with a compatible cultivation method, a possessor of the Five Elements Dao Physique could even fight opponents above their realm once their five elements arts reached mastery.
"Muxi is going with you?"
Xu Yuan looked at the woman before him, who was twirling a bronze cup in her fingers, and hesitated slightly. "What grade is the five elements method you have?"
Li Qingyan exhaled a wisp of white vapor, glanced up at the sky, and replied casually, "Grade A."
"Grade A top tier is Grade A, and Grade A low tier is also Grade A—the difference between them is massive."
Xu Yuan chuckled, staring at her pale profile. "Since you're being so vague, it's probably Grade A low tier, isn't it?"
Li Qingyan turned and shot him a sideways glare, her tone carrying a hint of annoyance. "Do you think Grade A low-tier methods grow on trees?"
Of course they didn't.
Most cultivators in this world practiced Grade D methods. Grade C methods were already rarities, and Grade B was almost impossible to come by; one usually had to serve as a dog for a major faction for at least a decade or two to even hope for a chance at receiving one.
As for Grade A... even Zhou Chen, that Grandmaster bootlicker, didn't have one.
Based on Xu Yuan's current understanding of method grades, a Grade A low-tier method roughly corresponded to a purple-tier method in his previous life's *Cangyuan*.
Giving Xiao Bai's Five Elements Dao Physique a purple method was truly a waste.
Lost in thought, Xu Yuan gently shook his head.
"I know how precious Grade A methods are. But Muxi has already cultivated a method before. Having her switch once now, only to switch again later, will be very troublesome."
"Feeling protective?" Li Qingyan narrowed her eyes, her lips curving into a smile.
"Jealous?" Xu Yuan smiled back.
*Crack—*
The bronze cup shattered again.
"......"
Staring at the bronze dust trickling from her slender fingers for several seconds, Xu Yuan's expression instantly turned solemn.
"Qingyan, you know me. I'm only concerned about the risks of switching methods.
"Switching cultivation methods throws the Source Qi inside the body into disarray. The slightest misstep can lead to qi deviation, which at best causes severe injury and drops one's realm, and at worst inflicts irreversible damage on the body."
In *Cangyuan*, switching methods for a player was simple: acquire the scroll and click to learn it instantly. The only drawback was having to grind proficiency for the new method all over again.
In reality, however, secret techniques, incantations, and sword skills could be learned freely, but a core cultivation method was not something one could change on a whim.
A method was the very foundation through which a cultivator breathed, circulated qi, and advanced their cultivation. Once practiced, it was almost permanently bound to them.
Much like the Blood Yuan Heart Calamity Art Xu Yuan currently practiced.
The more profound the cultivation method, the greater the benefits it granted, but the cost was that its alterations to the body became far harder to purge.
Every cycle of the Blood Yuan Heart Calamity Art imperceptibly remolded his physical form, granting his dantian a reserve of Source Qi far exceeding that of cultivators at the same realm.
If Xu Yuan wanted to switch methods, those excess reserves of Source Qi in his dantian would present a nearly insoluble problem.
Without resolving it, forcing a change of method would inevitably result in qi deviation.
And that was only one of the difficulties.
By the same logic, if Bai Muxi wanted to change her method, she had to gradually purge the alterations her original method had made to her body, step by step, and then slowly integrate the new method, allowing her flesh to gradually adapt.
In other words, every change of method was a complete "re-sculpting" of the body.
Doing it once was manageable, but doing it multiple times would be more than even a Saint's body could withstand.
Unless one possessed the fiercely resilient flesh of an aberrant ghost.
Amidst these thoughts, Xu Yuan searched his memory for a method suitable for Xiao Bai.
Most cultivators chose low-grade methods simply because they had no choice. As Xu Yuan's future confidante, Bai Muxi didn't necessarily need the absolute best, but she deserved at least "orange" tier.
Before long, Xu Yuan found a method in his memories from his past life.
Although there was no such thing as a Five Elements Dao Physique in *Cangyuan*, there were methods tied to the five elements.
The Reversed Origin Six Elements Art.
An orange-tier method he had cultivated in *Cangyuan*, designed for flashy, high-skill mechanics.
To put it simply, it involved chaining skills together to fuse the five elements within the body, forging a "sixth element" such as ice, lightning, or wind.
At this thought, a glint flashed in Xu Yuan's eyes.
This method would undoubtedly suit Xiao Bai perfectly. But where did one obtain it again?
A secret realm? No.
A field chest? No.
A boss drop? It seemed like it.
A full year had passed since his transmigration, and the sheer volume of information from his past life made it difficult to recall which boss dropped it.
Exhaling a long breath, Xu Yuan raised his flagon and took two swigs straight from the spout. Pondering internally, he asked aloud:
"Qingyan, have you heard of a method called the Reversed Origin Six Elements Art?"
"I have."
"Never mind, if you don't know... huh?"
Xu Yuan snapped his head up to look at her, surprise in his eyes. "You know it?"
Li Qingyan looked at him as if looking at a fool.
"My imperial father created it. Why wouldn't this princess know it?"
"......" Xu Yuan fell silent.
*Right, I remember now.*
The Reversed Origin Six Elements Art seemed to have dropped from Xu Changge, that pretentious poseur.
Xu Changge practiced the Sword Dao, which was worlds apart from a five-elements technique, so Xu Yuan hadn't connected the dots right away.
However, this confirmed one thing: in *Cangyuan*, it was indeed his old man who wiped out the imperial clan. Otherwise, the method wouldn't have ended up in Xu Changge's hands.
Pondering this, Xu Yuan ventured tentatively, "Then... Qingyan, could you ask our imperial father for it on my behalf?"
Li Qingyan gave him a helpless look, casually tossing a custom-bound scroll onto the stone table.
"This is it."
Xu Yuan glanced at the method, suspicion in his eyes. "Why do you have it?"
Li Qingyan rolled her eyes at him. "It's a method my imperial father created. Is it strange for this princess to have it?"
"But this isn't Grade A low tier."
"When did this princess ever say the method I was offering was Grade A low tier?"
"Haha..."
Xu Yuan chuckled dryly and reached out to take the method, but Li Qingyan pressed a slender index finger lightly atop it. He couldn't budge it at all.
She looked at him with a faint smile. "So, Changtian, do you agree to my proposal from earlier?"
Xu Yuan cleared his throat. "My father probably has a copy of this method as well..."
"Then go ask Duke Xu for it."
"Muxi, you'll be following Qingyan for the next few days."
"......" Bai Muxi remained silent.
Li Qingyan gave a soft snort and lifted her finger. "Very well, then it's yours."
A Grade A top-tier method, a treasure virtually priceless in the outside world, was gifted to him just like that.
Xu Yuan glanced down at the half-inch-thick scroll in his hand and cleared his throat. "Um, Qingyan... I'm entrusting Muxi to you, but go easy on her training. She's actually quite..."
"How this princess teaches her is no concern of yours, Changtian."
Li Qingyan cast her crimson gaze toward Bai Muxi, who was huddled inside the room not daring to come out, and announced clearly, "Lord Chief Arbiter, starting today you shall accompany this princess. I will slowly instruct you in the etiquette of our Great Yan."
Bai Muxi blinked, peering through the crack of the door to cast a pleading look at Xu Yuan.
After meeting her eyes for a split second, Xu Yuan looked up at the sky.
"...Yes," Bai Muxi's timid voice emerged from behind the door.
Seeing this, the corners of Li Qingyan's red lips curled up slightly. She glanced at Xu Yuan, who was still staring at the heavens, and chided, "All right, what are you looking at? The sky is pitch black; what can you possibly see with your cultivation?"
"*Cough.*"
Feeling slightly awkward, Xu Yuan looked back and changed the subject. "Right, Qingyan, why did you return so suddenly?"
At these words, a dangerous glint surfaced in Li Qingyan's flame-shrouded pupils. "What, this princess isn't allowed to return?"
*Damn, stepped on a landmine.*
Xu Yuan's expression didn't waver; instead, he seemed faintly amused. "What's the matter? I was just curious about the Barbarian King. What are you angry about? Did Chi Feng leave behind some trap on his corpse?"
Li Qingyan gave him a deep look, choosing not to press the matter further. She spoke in a clear voice, "This princess returned precisely for that."
With that, Li Qingyan turned her gaze toward the Blood God Stone jade pendant hanging around Xu Yuan's neck.
"Senior, the Barbarian King's corpse is rather peculiar. Some sort of aura seems to linger around him. Do you happen to know what it is?"
"Most likely the remaining saint origin of a Saint that has yet to dissipate."
Luo Xiran's voice sounded, and her form immediately manifested beside them. Looking toward the direction where the Barbarian King had fallen, she said casually, "Actually, Your Highness need not worry excessively. That Barbarian King had only just stepped into Sainthood. Too little time had passed; there was much about a Saint's body he hadn't yet adapted to, and he likely didn't know how to employ many of a Saint's techniques."
"Is that so..." Li Qingyan murmured, then asked, "Meaning there is no danger in approaching him?"
Xu Yuan suddenly chimed in with advice: "Qingyan, your injuries haven't healed yet. It's best to wait a bit longer."
Luo Xiran was clearly still furious over his previous jab about a ten-thousand-year-old virgin, and her words carried thorns. "Can't you little brat stop sticking your mouth in?"
Xu Yuan's eyes flickered, and then he let out a chuckle. "Fine. Since you say so, this young master won't be sticking his mouth in next time."
Luo Xiran snorted, but then realized the double meaning. Her face flushed slightly, and she glared at Xu Yuan, her fists clenching tight. "You disrespectful little brat! You—you're completely shameless!"
"......"
Xu Yuan tilted his head in apparent confusion and opened his mouth.
"Huh?"
"......" Luo Xiran choked.
With an expression of earnest bewilderment, Xu Yuan pressed on, "You told me not to stick my mouth in, so I won't. Why get so mad?"
"......"
Wrapped in her lake-blue palace gown, Luo Xiran's delicate frame trembled with rage. Her cheeks flushed an ever-deeper crimson; several times she moved to lash out at him, but the words caught in her throat.
Seeing this, Xu Yuan knew his words had hit their mark. Just as he prepared to continue reigning supreme in verbal warfare, Li Qingyan shot him a cold sideways glare.
"Changtian, Senior is discussing serious matters."
With that, Li Qingyan cupped her hands toward Luo Xiran in a polite salute. "Senior, regarding Changtian's insolence, I hope you can—"
Xu Yuan muttered under his breath, "How was I insolent? She was the one who told me not to stick it in—"
*Bang!*
Before the words had fully left his mouth, the stone table before them shattered into pieces without warning.
Xu Yuan instantly shut his mouth.
The icy glares from both women made him feel as though he could meet an untimely end at any second.
*A mighty Soul Condensation expert truly has no human rights.*
*Sigh!*
Paying Xu Yuan no further heed, Luo Xiran exhaled softly and said in a low voice, "Since the Barbarian King's saint origin has yet to dissipate, I will accompany Your Highness to have a look. If there is danger, I should be able to lend some assistance."
Upon hearing this, Li Qingyan immediately gave a polite reply of gratitude. "Qingyan thanks Senior."
Yet as her words faded, neither woman made a move to leave. Instead, their gazes turned once more toward Xu Yuan, who was sitting obediently to the side.
Feeling chills under their stare, Xu Yuan cleared his throat and whispered, "Uh... what is it?"
Luo Xiran ignored him, and Li Qingyan ignored him as well. The two women simply conversed between themselves.
"Senior, what if we bring Changtian along as well?"
"Mm... though this brat has a foul mouth, we should still bring him. He's too weak."
"Indeed. Changtian's cultivation is frail, and while the Chief Arbiter is a Third Rank Master, her cultivation method is pathetic." At this point, Li Qingyan placed slight emphasis on her words. "If there are spies within the army, she might fail in her duty to 'protect' him. Leaving the two of them here alone does not put my mind at ease."
"......" Xu Yuan remained silent.
"......" Bai Muxi remained silent.
Without another word, Xu Yuan—once a mighty Transcendent aberrant ghost—was packed up and carried off by the two women, leaving Xiao Bai all alone in the wing room...
The site where Chi Feng's corpse had fallen was situated just south of the center of the Barbarians' Sacred City.
Though a Saint was dead, their lingering might endured.
Even his post-mortem plunge had flattened several hundred paces of surrounding buildings, carving a massive crater directly into the Sacred City.
Landing at the edge of the pit and gazing into the distance, a headless corpse lay quietly at the crater's center.
Li Qingyan and Luo Xiran stared unblinkingly at Chi Feng's body, while Xu Yuan looked around in sheer boredom.
Rather unexpectedly, there were no garrisoned soldiers guarding the perimeter.
Of course, it was also possible that Xu Yuan's Soul Condensation cultivation simply couldn't detect high-ranking cultivators.
Thinking this, Xu Yuan spoke up. "Qingyan, you didn't have high-ranking cultivators stand guard here?"
Li Qingyan shot him a glance. "Isn't that because someone's cultivation fell from the Transcendent Realm back down to Soul Condensation? If people saw you like this, they would inevitably begin suspecting this princess's prince consort."
"......"
Xu Yuan chuckled dryly, but he could hear the genuine care beneath the princess's words.
She was helping him conceal his identity.
"Thank you."
"Hmph."
Li Qingyan let out a soft snort, then turned to Luo Xiran, her tone turning solemn.
"Senior, did this Barbarian King leave behind any traps on his corpse?"
Chapter 326