After the games ended, Monk Qiuyue took out a small pouch and said, “This pouch contains a handful of immortal soil, which this humble monk obtained many years ago from a hidden world in the Beyond. Cultivating spirit plants with this soil would increase their chances of advancing to the next level. If you apply even a small amount to an ordinary spirit plant, its chances of mutating would greatly increase.
“I sensed the qi of many immortal plants in your aura, so I believe it might be of some use to you, young friend. Please accept this as a token of my gratitude for your guidance in the Dao of Go.”
Wei Yuan wanted to decline, but the faint aura emanating from the pouch alone was enough to cause the immortal plants within him to grow restless. He immediately realized that it was no ordinary item and would be of great use to him, so he put aside his shame and accepted it.
Wei Yuan was no pedant. If he was receiving a gift from an elder, and the gift turned out to be useless or of little value to him, then he didn’t mind acting courteous and pretend to refuse. But since this item was valuable beyond imagination, so he accepted it immediately, lest the monk change his mind.
Mister Chen Zhou also said, “In the earlier battle, I observed that you commanded your forces with godlike skill, rivaling even the greatest generals of our time. The principles of military strategy and the Dao of Go are, in fact, the same. Just by observing your Go skills, one can roughly gauge your level of military prowess.
“I have nothing of great value to offer, only this fragment of an ancient military treatise titled Treading Shadows. It is usable by any Avatar. Its effects are dependent on the user’s cultivation level, but it can significantly increase an army’ marching speed for a distance of five thousand li. If wielded by a World Ruler, its effects would be even greater.
“When I acquired this book, it was already a fragment. I believe that there are three other fragments. Unfortunately, this is the only fragment I have found despite many years of searching. I am but a reclusive hermit; this book serves little purpose to me. You, on the other hand, guard the borders of the human realm and face constant battles against foreign races. Precious artifacts should fall into the hands of those destined with them, and I see that this book is destined for you.”
With a sweep of his perception, Wei Yuan immediately grasped the book’s general functions.
An Avatar possessing this book could lead an army of 10,000 infantry to march 400 li per hour, or 1,000 li for a cavalry of the same number. The army aura would not diminish during this period, and they would not fear ambushes or surprise attacks. With this, a formidable force could redeploy as far as 10,000 li away within two days. It possessed significant strategic importance to say the least.
If Wei Yuan or a World Ruler were to wield this book, then the effects would be even greater. Instead of 10,000, he could empower as many as 20,000 troops at once.
This was a godlike artifact, and Wei Yuan was in no position to refuse. Thus, he quickly accepted it without the slightest hesitation. Even as a fragment, the book was already at the level of a World Ruler-level spirit treasure. If he could collect the rest of the missing chapters, then it would be Immortal-tier for sure.
After presenting the gift, Monk Qiuyue felt he hadn’t quite finished and added, “This humble monk feels I must address you as Master once more. Only then will this journey be truly complete....”
Wei Yuan hurriedly put on a serious face and declined—there was just no way he could accept this.
It was then Monk Qiuyue suddenly noticed that True Lord Xuan Yue was smiling somewhat wickedly.
The venerable monk’s Zen mind was currently crystal clear. He immediately activated his innate mystic ability. Somewhat similar to the Buddhist’s telepathy, it allowed him to occasionally hear others’ inner thoughts. The closer their relationship, the clearer the thoughts became.
As soon as he activated the mystic ability, he heard the old scoundrel’s inner voice: “... If this monk addresses Wei Yuan as Master, doesn’t that make him my great-great-granddisciple? Hmm, if we meet again in the jianghu, it would only be right of this old Daoist to address him as Little Monk....”
Monk Qiuyue’s bald head instantly flushed red, and fire blazed from his eyes. The Zen mind that had just been pure and unblemished a second ago suddenly cracked open with a loud snap!
The mystic ability dissipated, and he could no longer hear what followed. But he didn’t need to hear more to know it couldn’t possibly be anything good.
Monk Qiuye glared furiously at True Lord Xuan Yue. It was only out of respect for Wei Yuan that he managed to suppress his rage with great difficulty. He thought to himself, the old scoundrel dares to obstruct my path to enlightenment? This grudge will not go unavenged!
Meanwhile, True Lord Xuan Yue was baffled by Monk Qiuyue’s glare and felt a twinge of anxiety. Could this bald thief possibly know what I’m thinking? He wondered to himself. No, it’s just not possible!
After Wei Yuan accepted the gifts, the Seventh Elder and the two Go grandmasters stayed no further and set off.
For World Rulers, every extra moment spent in the Shattered Realm was torture. Besides, they were eager to return home and review the games. The joy of that far surpassed anything else.
After bidding them goodbye, Wei Yuan suddenly sensed a disturbance inside his sea of consciousness. Countless specks of light drifted in from Heaven and Earth, eventually coalescing into two thick pillars of purple fortune! Literally, they floated within his sea of consciousness like purple crystal pillars.
Wei Yuan was taken aback yet again. He never expected to gain fortune from just playing a few games of Go? This was also the first time he realized that the fortune he obtained from a True Lord was purple. It was obviously a full grade higher than the usual blue fortune.
Suddenly, Wei Yuan realized that, if the kifu were to be published and widely circulated, wouldn’t he be able to gain even more fortune? With this thought, Wei Yuan suddenly felt that perhaps he should challenge more grandmasters, Go immortals, Go sages or whatever in the future. The more kifus he compiled, the more fortune he would accumulate.
Also, if he could do this in the Dao of Go, might it also apply to music, calligraphy, and painting?
Unfortunately, after letting his thoughts wander briefly, Wei Yuan couldn’t find any shortcuts for those other arts. He would have to be content with just Go.
True Lord Xuan Yue stayed a little longer to offer guidance on Wei Yuan’s cultivation issues, then instructed him to head to the Water Moon Hall at the central mountain gate as soon as possible.
Although Wei Yuan’s primary method for improving his Avatar’s spirituality today was no longer meditation and seclusion, the original cultivation texts left behind at the Water Moon Hall contained the insights of the previous Immortal Lords into the true intent of Supreme Yin. Those were the most precious treasures of them all.
The true intent of Supreme Yin was already quite close to the Great Dao, ranking only one level below Yin and Yang. Naturally, it was exceptionally precious. Wei Yuan had previously thought that the point of studying the Supreme Yin Lunar Essence Myriad Manifestations Chapter was merely about gaining some cultivation insights, but now that he had found the right path to speed along the spirit-cultivating stage via the Fire of Humanity, he no longer felt any urgency. It was why he had put off returning to the central mountain gate again and again, choosing to visit his founder and his Master at the northern mountain gate instead.
It wasn’t until after he received guidance from True Lord Xuan Yue that Wei Yuan realized the true value of the Supreme Yin Lunar Essence Myriad Manifestations Chapter.
After the guidance was complete, True Lord Xuan Yue offered Wei Yuan a few more words of encouragement before finally taking his leave. Before departing, Wei Yuan presented him with another two sets of mystic treasure-grade robes as a token of filial piety.
These were exactly what True Lord Xuan Yue needed right now, so he gladly accepted them. He also took the opportunity to criticize Fen Hai, claiming that, although his disciple had spent a great deal of cultivation resources and money to advance in his cultivation, but after he succeeded, not only had he failed to contribute to the hall, he instead brought back endless trouble and an ever-growing deficit.
If it weren’t for the unique business Trueman Fen Hai had set up a few years ago—providing water-heating services for others[1]—which brought in some income, Xuan Yue would have expelled him long ago.
On the other hand, Wei Yuan was a different story. Although he had cost not one, but two halls a significant amount of resources in the early days, he was now raking in substantial profits. Excluding the many contributions Wei Yuan had made for the sect, just his training of the Palace of Absolute Beginning’s Dao Soldiers had added nearly 1,000 Dao Foundation stage cultivators to the Skyblue Hall; 700 or 800 of whom were practically free. The returns from this alone were incalculable.
Thanks to this, the Skyblue Hall’s influence in the northern mountain gate campaign had greatly increased as of late, and True Lord Xuan Yue no longer had to personally take the field every day to fulfill the military merit quotas assigned by the Palace. The addition of over 2,000 Dao Foundation stage Dao Soldiers had also eased the pressure on the northern mountain gate significantly and halted their loss of territory.
Furthermore, the stances of some previously neutral factions had begun to shift, and the supply of resources to the northern mountain gate had increased.
Seeing that Founder Xuan Yue was in high spirits, Wei Yuan risked a question, “Didn’t you borrow tens of millions of immortal silver back then? How come you couldn’t afford a spare mystic robe?”
Xuan Yue did not take offense and explained, “Because we’re spending as quickly as we’re earning, of course. With so many new Dao Soldiers suddenly joining our ranks, we have to provide them with everything they need. Food, clothing, shelter, transportation, and cultivation resources—this alone cost several million. The Skyblue Hall’s main hall needs to be rebuilt as well, and if we were aiming to make it presentable, it will cost another couple million.
“Furthermore, I intend to set up a great fortune array and a great spirit gathering array within the mountain gate’s main hall, as well as cultivate several new spirit mountains and herb fields. They cost a lot as a matter of course, but they are investments that will benefit all future generations—it is the most worthwhile use of our immortal silver.
“Finally, your founder hasn’t cultivated in vain, you know? What immortal robe can possibly compare to this mystic body? The Skyblue Hall isn’t even rebuilt yet, and I still have so many disciples to care for. There’s simply no need to waste silver on a robe.”
1. Bro... don’t trigger my asthma.... ☜