Chapter 102: Are You Still Capable?
Chapter 102: Are You Still Capable?
Just as he mentioned that the other party might want to take action, the situation turned out to be completely the opposite, leaving anyone feeling a bit bewildered.
“Be careful, I’m afraid there’s a trick. How can someone come to apologize empty-handed?”
Yu Longqing whispered.
Zhang Xuan nodded in agreement.
Who would apologize just by saying it? They surely must bring a gift!
At this moment, the courtyard door creaked open, and a grinning Sun Qiang ran up with his palm open, presenting a pile of items.
“Master, you’re back! This is a gift sent by Mr. Liu, thirty thousand source coins, three Destiny Disks, and one hundred thousand source coins from Lord Xu...”
Zhang Xuan was stunned.
Items like those from the Source City were temporarily unnecessary, but three Destiny Disks were too precious; the Heaven’s Fate Energy contained within was enough for him to cultivate to the Jade Bone Realm and even higher!In contrast to his excitement, Yu Longqing squinted his eyes.
This confirmed the other party’s Destiny Master talent; they planned to use everything they had to befriend him. Otherwise, why would they present such precious treasures?
Oh no, the advantage I gained early on is about to be overtaken by them. It seems I also need to collect treasures and present them with a proper attitude...
“You’re too generous,” Zhang Xuan gestured for Sun Qiang to put the items away, smiling broadly. “Please, come inside!”
“Thank you, Teacher Zhang...” Xu Xin and Liu Tianzhi breathed a sigh of relief.
They had stood outside for almost an hour, and their legs were getting numb.
In the small courtyard's pavilion, Dao Li busied himself brewing tea for everyone.
Xu Xin and Liu Tianzhi had already met and were no longer surprised. Yu Longqing could hardly contain himself.
He had known the other party was skilled in beast taming, but he hadn’t expected it to be so high... I should try the Cangback Eagle when I get back. This fellow does nothing but eat and show off; it’s time to let it do some work.
Even if it couldn’t cook or boil water, brewing tea should be fine, right?
“You two are too polite; it’s just a misunderstanding. It’s good as long as we clear things up…”
After hearing their intentions, Zhang Xuan, though puzzled, accepted calmly.
Seeing he wasn’t too angry and held no ill will toward them, Liu Tianzhi and Xu Xin finally felt at ease.
Of course, the former was worried about his potential revenge, while the latter was thinking about building a relationship and taking the opportunity to probe.
“I wonder... do you two have any other matters? If not, I may have some things to attend to…”
After chatting for a while, Zhang Xuan waved his hand.
With enough Destiny Disks, he could first refine the internal organ realm techniques he had just collected into Heaven's Path techniques.
In the more than an hour he spent in the library, he had gathered over a thousand books on the internal organ realm cultivation method; it should be enough.
With such a remote location suddenly having a Fate Guardian take notice of him, it put considerable pressure on him. Though the other party’s attitude was good and they sincerely came to apologize, he still felt uneasy and wanted to improve his cultivation as soon as possible!
Moreover, the key was that he also wanted to ascertain what had happened on Kong Shi’s side to help out.
“There is indeed something I want to discuss with Teacher Zhang...” Xu Xin smiled.
“Please, go ahead, Lord Xu!” Zhang Xuan gestured.
After a brief pause, Xu Xin said, “I’m here representing the Destiny Hall to select some talents who can become Fate Guardians or even possess Destiny Master talent. Therefore... soon, I’ll be discussing with Dean Lu about holding a competition among the students! I’ve heard that the three disciples you accepted are exceptionally gifted, so I hope you’ll allow them to participate and not refuse…”
Unaware of his intentions, Zhang Xuan nodded at such a trivial matter: “Of course! But my students have just begun their cultivation; among the new students, they might still be considered good, but compared to many old students, they are lacking.”
Cultivation isn’t just about practice; it requires various combat experiences to advance rapidly. He was not against his students competing in a martial arts contest.
“Rest assured, Teacher Zhang! It’s merely a selection; there won’t be any issues!” Xu Xin hurriedly said.
After little hesitation, Zhang Xuan nodded.
“That’s wonderful!”
Having said what he needed to, Xu Xin beckoned Liu Tianzhi to leave the small courtyard.
With their goal achieved, saying too much would expose them.
Once they left, Yu Longqing had no reason to stay and stood to bid farewell.
“Wait, City Lord Yu! I happen to have a favor to ask!” Zhang Xuan said.
Yu Longqing looked over: “As long as it’s within my capability, I won’t decline.”
With Liu Tianzhi having given so many gifts, even a renowned Fate Guardian brought money, putting him under considerable pressure. He wasn’t afraid of the other party asking; he was just afraid they wouldn’t speak up.
If there’s a demand, there will be a way to help, which can increase his weight in the other’s mind.
“It’s about my steward Sun Qiang, who is also a drifter. I wonder if you could provide him with a suitable identity?”
Zhang Xuan hurriedly said.
Drifters struggle to survive in the Source World; purchasing items is quite inconvenient. He had been captured by the Mo family for this reason.
There was no way back then, but now that the city lord was right in front of him and he was deliberately establishing a good relationship, he naturally opened his mouth.
“This is easy!”
Yu Longqing smiled slightly.
Under normal circumstances, granting an identity to drifters can be complicated, but for him as the city lord, it was a trivial matter!
“Then I’d be grateful... oh, by the way, I might also need to recruit some drifters as servants. I wonder if the city lord could help arrange a few more.”
Seeing how relaxed he was, Zhang Xuan took the opportunity to speak: “If contributions or expenses are needed, I can manage them.”
Now that Sun Qiang was here, Zhao Ya, Zheng Yang, and others would surely need to be brought over as well. Since he had spoken once, it was better to settle everything in one go.
“No need to do anything!”
Yu Longqing chuckled: “I’ll send over twenty identity tokens tonight; if that’s not enough, I’ll send more.”
“That’s enough!”
Zhang Xuan clasped his fists. “Thank you, City Lord! With so many identity tokens, I can’t take advantage of you. If you need to capture a precious Source Beast to tame, just call me.”
“Thank you, Teacher Zhang!”
Not expecting to gain such a commitment from the other party, Yu Longqing’s eyes lit up. After chatting for a while longer, he bowed and clasped his fists: “Then I won’t disturb you any longer!”
After that, he left the small courtyard, heading towards his daughter’s residence.
Having not seen her for more than a day, he wondered if the girl had been obedient, diligently cultivating Teacher Zhang’s techniques, and whether she had made any progress. Since he was here, it was a good time to check.
Once everyone had left, Zhang Xuan turned his attention to the three Destiny Disks and a pile of source tickets Sun Qiang handed over, his expression full of confusion.
Even if Liu Tianzhi had offended him, it shouldn’t warrant such an extravagant gift, right? Did he come into a fortune?
“It’s like this…”
Seeing his expression, Sun Qiang detailed what had just happened.
Zhang Xuan suddenly understood.
It seemed that Liu Tianzhi had originally intended to give just one Destiny Disk, but was fooled by this steward into taking more and more…
“You did well!”
Zhang Xuan nodded in satisfaction, then handed over the source tickets: “You take these; spend them however you wish! Just pass on the tasks that can’t be handled to me.”
“Yes!” Sun Qiang nodded.
The two had been cooperating since they were in the Tianxuan Kingdom, and they had become very tacit. There was no need for too many words.
Zhang Xuan observed the three Destiny Disks, returned to his room, and in just half an hour, absorbed them all. At that moment, the Library of Heaven's Path had gained over twenty-seven thousand new books.
“Merge!”
With a thought, the internal organ realm techniques he had reviewed before immediately fused together, and then a book of Heaven’s Path techniques appeared before him.
As he touched it, the cultivation method flowed into his mind.
The internal organs are the source of human strength. The more vitality the internal organs have, the longer the energy will be...
The book began with an introduction; the latter part detailed the cultivation methods. Zhang Xuan was not in a hurry to cultivate but focused on another point. A thousand books began to burn, and suddenly, a little figure appeared, strictly following the special method to operate the power.
Heaven's Path Order!
Remembering the operation route, Zhang Xuan sat cross-legged.
In the meantime, rich source energy immediately gathered from all directions and surged into his body.
---
As Zhang Xuan cultivated, Yu Longqing arrived at his daughter’s residence.
Yesterday, he had scolded his daughter for missing an opportunity, telling her to properly practice the techniques taught by Teacher Zhang. Now that more than a day had passed, she should have made considerable
progress!
“If I had 0.5 strength before, and with more than a day, if I can progress to 0.6 horsepower, it means Teacher Zhang’s techniques are indeed formidable!”
Thinking to himself, Yu Longqing pushed the door open and walked into the room.
“Dad!”
Seeing her father come in, Yu Xiaoyu quickly stood up.
“How’s it going? Is there anything you don’t understand? Do you need me to help guide you?”
Yu Longqing smiled as he looked over.
“There are some, but the techniques taught by the teacher cannot be leaked. I can’t show you the methods directly; I can only ask about areas I don’t quite understand.”
Yu Xiaoyu said.
“I understand this point. Don’t worry; even if you show me, I wouldn’t look!” Knowing what his daughter was worried about, Yu Longqing shook his head.
Every teacher has their unique skills, and if students can’t keep this little secret, who would dare to accept students in the future?
“Thank you for understanding, Dad!”
Yu Xiaoyu breathed a sigh of relief. After hesitating for a moment, she asked about a passage she didn’t understand from the secret manual given by her teacher: “Source energy gathers from all directions, the physical body is like mud, and fiery flames transform it into porcelain... I don’t quite understand how to interpret this!”
“That’s simple. It means utilizing the eight acupoints in your body to absorb source energy, then tempering your physical body, much like how porcelain is made. It requires hammering and refining repeatedly to transform the muddy body into solid porcelain...”
After thinking for a while, Yu Longqing explained.
Yu Xiaoyu nodded and sat cross-legged, practicing according to her father’s explanation. After a while, she suddenly opened her eyes wide.
“No, the method you mentioned doesn’t quite fit with my previous training. I can’t absorb the source energy at all... I just asked one question, and you explained it wrong!”
Yu Xiaoyu shook her head, looking at the man before her, who was once a formidable hero in her eyes, filled with confusion: “Dad, are you still capable?”
Author's Note