readease Chapter 886 Sect War
Chapter 886 Sect War
Xiao Ling's unusual closeness and indulgence towards Ling Qingzhu, while perhaps stemming from a fondness for the original character and plot, was far from superficial. His deliberate attempt to befriend her was driven by deeper motives.
He knew better than anyone that Ling Qingzhu possessed a unique innate talent, making her the only person on the Tianxuan Continent capable of truly perfecting the Supreme Induction Technique and activating the Supreme Origin. Even though he had mastered this technique through a heaven-defying opportunity, as a visitor from another world, his future in directly communicating with the embryo of another plane remained uncertain.
The embryo of a plane is formed from the origin of heaven and earth, and has always been exclusive. If it insists on rejecting him, refusing to meet him or acknowledge him, then no matter how many plans he has, he will have no way to implement them. Only by using Ling Qingzhu as a bridge can he have a chance to touch the most core mystery of this world.
Xiao Ling also had a plan in mind. After stabilizing his spiritual realm, he would personally use the Supreme Sensing Technique as a guide to try to find the traces of the Plane Embryo, establish a connection with it, reach a consensus, and find an opportunity to absorb and refine it.
He would not easily let go of such a supreme treasure as the Plane Embryo. If he could completely absorb and refine the Plane Embryo of the Tianxuan Continent, his cultivation would surely experience a terrifying leap. Even in the vast world, the Plane Embryo was an unparalleled treasure, enough to help one break through to the Heavenly Sovereign Realm. He would never give up such an opportunity.
But he also knew that he was ultimately a visitor from another world, and might not be able to gain the approval of the Plane Embryo, or even meet it.
If he is unable to communicate and connect with it on his own, then he can only turn to carefully nurturing Ling Qingzhu, making her a bridge connecting him to the origin of heaven and earth, so that he can find out the whereabouts of the plane embryo and leave a safe backup plan in advance.
“I find this little girl, Ling Qingzhu, quite pleasing to the eye. I will let her stay by my side to cultivate from now on, and I will give her proper guidance. I will also pass on my cultivation insights into the Supreme Induction Technique to her when the time is right. I think this will be a great thing for your Nine Heavens Taiqing Palace, with no harm whatsoever.”
Ling Qingzhu still felt a lingering awkwardness and unease, but Xiao Ling had already turned to look at the Palace Master of the Nine Heavens Taiqing Palace, his tone casual yet carrying an undeniable certainty, and slowly spoke:
"As for the Reincarnation Realm breakthrough pills I promised you, I will also begin refining them, and they will be ready for you in a few days."
Upon hearing this, the Palace Mistress of Taiqing Palace's eyes instantly lit up with undisguised joy, and her heart was filled with ecstasy. She had been planning how to get Ling Qingzhu closer to Xiao Ling and seek opportunities, but she never expected that the other party would take the initiative to speak up. It was like a pillow being handed to someone who was sleepy, exactly what she wanted.
She quickly suppressed her excitement, her tone full of respect and gratitude: "It is a great honor for Qingzhu to receive personal guidance from a senior!"
After saying that, she immediately turned to look at Ling Qingzhu beside her and urged softly, "Qingzhu, hurry up and thank Senior Xiao Ling!"
Upon hearing her master's instructions, Ling Qingzhu immediately composed herself and bowed respectfully. Just as she was about to speak according to etiquette, she said, "It is truly an honor for Qingzhu to receive your guidance. Qingzhu thanks you in advance..."
Before she could finish speaking, she met Xiao Ling's gentle gaze, which was slightly teasing yet held an undeniable air of authority. Her heart softened instantly, and she swallowed back all the polite words that were on the tip of her tongue.
After a moment's hesitation, she could only softly change her words, her tone still somewhat hesitant:
"Qingzhu thanks Brother Xiao Ling."
Upon hearing this pleasant address, Xiao Ling nodded slightly, a contented smile spreading across his lips.
"Hahaha, Xiao Ling, how dare you tease that little girl? You have no shame! If your admirers were to see you like this, they would be utterly astonished!"
The little ferret on my shoulder was already laughing uncontrollably, its fluffy body curled up in a ball, chuckling heartily, its big, bushy tail swishing merrily. It immediately teased me:
Xiao Ling didn't care at all, only glancing at it indifferently without saying anything more.
Upon hearing the title "Emperor Lingtian," both the Palace Master of the Nine Heavens Taiqing Palace and Ling Qingzhu showed a hint of doubt in their eyes.
This must be Xiao Ling's title outside. With his terrifying strength, if he were famous, they should have heard of him through their information channels, but they had never heard of this person before.
Seeing that Xiao Ling had no intention of explaining, the two wisely refrained from asking further questions and kept their doubts to themselves.
……
For the next period of time, Xiao Ling settled down in the Nine Heavens Taiqing Palace and enjoyed a rare period of leisure and comfort.
He asked the palace master to use the Nine Heavens Taiqing Palace's channels to collect a large number of rare spiritual herbs from the Tianxuan Continent for himself.
The laws of heaven and earth in the Dou Qi Continent and the Tian Xuan Continent are very different, and the medicinal properties of spiritual herbs are also very different. For Xiao Ling, who is well-traveled and knowledgeable, this is full of novelty and interest.
For a top-tier alchemist like him, studying unfamiliar pharmacology is a pleasure in itself.
With a vision and alchemy mastery far beyond his time, coupled with high-grade rare medicines found by the Nine Heavens Taiqing Palace and his own collection of treasures, Xiao Ling, through dedicated study, created several new pill formulas.
After several rounds of preparation and refinement, a potent and powerful pill was quietly created, its effects perfectly suited to help a Reincarnation Realm expert break through the shackles and enter the Reincarnation Realm.
Xiao Ling didn't give much thought to the naming of the pill; considering its effects, he simply named it the Reincarnation Pill.
After personally testing the medicine and confirming its effectiveness, Xiao Ling immediately refined another Reincarnation Pill and presented it to the Palace Master of the Nine Heavens Taiqing Palace, fulfilling his previous agreement.
The Palace Master of Taiqing Palace accepted this treasure, which was enough to rewrite her own destiny, and was filled with undisguised excitement.
Breaking through to the Reincarnation Realm was the lifelong pursuit of a powerhouse like her in the Reincarnation Realm. Once she succeeded, it would mean truly stepping into the top ranks of the Tianxuan Continent and standing at the pinnacle of all living beings.
Without the slightest hesitation, she carefully put away the pill, took her leave, and immediately went into seclusion, preparing to use the power of the Reincarnation Pill to break through to the long-awaited Reincarnation Realm.
Besides immersing himself in alchemy and studying pharmacology, Xiao Ling never neglected his practice of the Supreme Induction Technique. Every day, he used the Supreme Induction Technique as a guide to concentrate his mind and try to communicate with the power of the planes in the dark, in order to find the traces of the plane embryo.
No matter how he tried, his sea of consciousness remained empty; the legendary Plane Embryo, which supposedly governed the origin of heaven and earth, showed not even the slightest trace of its aura. This fruitless search inevitably filled Xiao Ling with a sense of helplessness. As time passed, he gradually suppressed his obsession and sighed inwardly. It seemed that he was ultimately an "outsider" to this world; the Plane Embryo showed him no affinity whatsoever, and was even deliberately distant.
Since this path was blocked, Xiao Ling stopped forcing it and made up his mind. The most important thing right now was to properly nurture Ling Qingzhu. Once she had fully mastered the Supreme Sensing Technique and truly communicated with the origin of this world, he would use her as a bridge to sense the existence of the Plane Embryo.
During this period, under Xiao Ling's tireless guidance and support, Ling Qingzhu's cultivation level was rising at a terrifying speed.
The rare and precious medicinal materials that Xiao Ling casually took out, as well as the rare pills he personally refined, were all absorbed and refined by her without any hidden dangers. Her cultivation level advanced by leaps and bounds without any side effects.
Not only her cultivation level, but also her spiritual power level broke through one after another under Xiao Ling's targeted guidance, and her own strength underwent a leapfrog transformation.
This astonishing rate of improvement often gave Ling Qingzhu a sense of unreality, as if she were in a dream. She couldn't help but wonder in her heart if this speed of cultivation was really reasonable. In comparison, her years of hard work seemed somewhat insignificant.
As they spent more and more time together, their relationship grew closer. Ling Qingzhu gradually gained a deeper understanding of Xiao Ling. Although he possessed extraordinary cultivation and usually had a calm and aloof demeanor, she discovered over time that he was actually gentle and approachable, not at all as unapproachable as she thought.
Occasionally, he would reveal a casualness and liveliness that was completely different from his usual indifferent demeanor. The contrast hidden beneath his cool exterior made Ling Qingzhu feel a little strange.
Occasionally, when Ling Qingzhu was asking about cultivation techniques, she would quietly inquire about Xiao Ling's past. Xiao Ling did not deliberately hide anything from her, and would occasionally tell her about some strange and wonderful stories from the Dou Qi Continent, as well as his legendary experience of rising from a small border town to the top of the continent.
When it came to the many female confidantes who had accompanied him along the way, he only mentioned them briefly and did not say much.
Listening to Xiao Ling calmly recount his various deeds, Ling Qingzhu felt as if she were there herself, sketching in her mind his figure as he overcame all obstacles and swept away powerful enemies, until he reached the top of the continent. She felt even more admiration for this always calm and composed man.
"The Dou Qi Continent... what kind of world is it? It's truly something to yearn for." Ling Qingzhu gazed into the distance and sighed softly.
Xiao Ling chuckled upon hearing this, and gently pinched the girl's soft, pretty face: "When you are strong enough to traverse planes on your own, you can go and explore the Dou Qi Continent. With me, the strongest person on the Dou Qi Continent, here, I will definitely treat you well."
Ling Qingzhu had grown accustomed to such intimate gestures over the past few days, and her face didn't show much unusualness. She merely glanced at him lightly and said in a clear voice, "You are now a Dou Di expert, with such formidable strength. If you truly wish, it wouldn't be difficult for you to take me directly to the Dou Qi Continent. Why must you wait for me to cultivate to the required level on my own?"
"How can you confuse these two things?" Xiao Ling shook his head, his tone serious. "It's two completely different things for me to take you there versus for you to go on your own. Right now, you should focus on your cultivation and not think about these other things. Little girl, you're only eleven or twelve years old. Cultivation is the most important thing, understand?"
"Okay, okay, I got it. Don't worry, I won't neglect my cultivation."
Ling Qingzhu nodded helplessly, then, as if suddenly remembering something, her eyes flickered slightly, and she said softly, "By the way... in a few days, it will be the time for the sect war. Would you like to go and watch it? Although it's just a small-scale competition among the younger generation, I wonder if you'd be interested?"
"Sect war..."
Upon hearing Ling Qingzhu's words, Xiao Ling's fingertips paused slightly, and he murmured softly:
Seeing his expression, Ling Qingzhu assumed he wasn't very familiar with this grand event in the Eastern Xuan Region, so she immediately began to explain it in a soft voice.
"This sect war is a grand event spearheaded by the eight super sects of our Eastern Xuan Region. It is held every few years, and the participants are all outstanding young disciples from each sect. The competition takes place in a dedicated ancient battlefield secret realm. Firstly, it allows the geniuses of each sect to learn from each other and hone their skills. Secondly, it is also a way to rank the young generation of each sect and compete for the rare treasures and cultivation resources in the secret realm. Many smaller sects outside the eight major sects will also participate. It is considered the most anticipated competition among the young generation in the Eastern Xuan Region."
"Qingzhu, will you participate in this sect war?"
After she finished speaking, Xiao Ling looked up at the girl in front of him, a faint smile in his eyes, and asked directly,
"I am still young and my cultivation level has not yet reached the threshold for participation, so naturally I will not participate. In this great battle, only senior brothers and sisters within the sect who have reached the Second Nirvana Realm or above will represent the Nine Heavens Taiqing Palace in the battle."
Upon hearing this, Ling Qingzhu gently shook her head, her beautiful face calm, and replied softly,
Although Ling Qingzhu's cultivation has increased at an astonishing rate during this period with Xiao Ling's unconditional support, and she has successfully entered the Creation Realm, there is still a considerable gap between her and the minimum requirement of the Sect War, the Dual Nirvana Realm, and she is ultimately not qualified to participate.
Xiao Ling lightly brushed his fingertips, his smile gentle, his tone full of certainty and doting on her: "It seems that my Qingzhu will not be able to participate this time, but it doesn't matter. When the next sect war comes, I'm afraid no one in the younger generation of the Eastern Xuan Region will be able to be your opponent."
Ling Qingzhu listened, her heart fluttering slightly, but she did not refute him. She knew in her heart that with Xiao Ling's all-out guidance and cultivation, let alone the next great battle, even breaking through the Reincarnation Realm within ten years was by no means a pipe dream.
Thinking of this, a faint blush crept onto the girl's delicate cheeks, and a few shy, musing thoughts welled up in her heart: Why is he being so kind to her? Could it be that he wants to take her as his wife? If he really asks, should she... agree?
She was, after all, just an eleven or twelve-year-old girl. Although she was usually aloof and proud, she still had a childlike innocence and girlish thoughts deep down, so it was hard for her to avoid having such wild thoughts.
She quickly shook her head gently, hastily dispelling the embarrassing thoughts in her mind. She looked up at Xiao Ling and said calmly, "Alright, alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Do you want to go watch this sect war or not?"
Looking at her flustered and dodging appearance just now, Xiao Ling's smile deepened. He pretended to ponder for a moment and asked in return, "From what you're saying, you're planning to go to the scene to take a look?"
Seeing Ling Qingzhu nod slightly, he then laughed loudly, "If you want to go, I will accompany you. It's just a way to pass the time."
Upon hearing Xiao Ling's agreement, a faint smile unconsciously appeared on Ling Qingzhu's usually aloof and expressionless face, her lips curving upwards slightly. However, she quickly suppressed the smile again.
However, that smile was fleeting, yet Xiao Ling still clearly saw it. He coughed inwardly, feeling helpless and inwardly grumbling.
How did I end up on the path of raising a child again? (End of Chapter)