Chapter 834
Invitation and Advice
"Cough cough cough..."
His hazy consciousness was awakened by a violent coughing fit. He coughed uncontrollably until he coughed up a large, dark clot of blood, at which point his disordered breathing calmed down slightly.
Zhuang Yuechan, who had been waiting by his side, quickly picked up the honey water that had been prepared in advance and fed it to Song Changsheng little by little with a jade spoon, just like when Song Changsheng patiently fed her medicine when she was unconscious.
The warm, sweet taste of the honey water cleared Song Changsheng's mind a bit. He reached out and grasped Zhuang Yuechan's soft hand as she fed him the water. He opened his eyes and met her watery gaze, his voice slightly hoarse as he asked, "How long have I been asleep?"
"Three days and two nights, thanks to Elder Ji's [Shangqing Yuhua Pill], otherwise I wouldn't have recovered so quickly. How are you feeling?" Zhuang Yuechan gently stroked Song Changsheng's haggard face with her soft, jade-like hand, her heart filled with tenderness.
"He slept for so long! Has True Lord Yingyue announced the results yet?"
"The Moon Reflection True Lord and the five True Lords have discussed it together, and you have won the first place in this Five Academies Grand Tournament!" Zhuang Yuechan's eyes gleamed with a crystal-clear light, and then she carefully described to him one by one what had happened after Song Changsheng fell into a coma.
After listening, even with Song Changsheng's tempered temperament, he couldn't help but stare at the ceiling for a long time, unable to calm his emotions.
He knew very well what this result meant. It meant that he, and even the entire Wangyue Song Clan, had truly stepped into the limelight, integrated into a higher circle, and had more opportunities to showcase themselves.
Furthermore, from then on, in the general understanding of the human cultivation world, the prefix of the name of the Song family in the southwest of Tianshan would only be "Wangyue" (望月), not "Jinxiuqi" (锦绣旗).
This is legally very advantageous for the Song family.
Despite the fact that the Embroidered Banner acknowledged the "legitimacy" of the Moon Gazing Song Clan under his coercion and enticement, in reality, the major cultivation circles in the border regions still only recognized the Embroidered Banner as the legitimate one. The ten thousand years of accumulated experience are there for all to see, and the influence of the two sides is simply not on the same level.
For this reason, although the branches of the Song family openly and secretly pledged their loyalty to him, they were actually still wavering in their hearts. They were still watching and waiting for the two tigers to fight and decide a true winner.
However, overall, they still prefer the [Brocade Banner].
But with this resounding victory, they need to change their mindset and show more sincerity.
In addition, this victory earned him two Earth Infant Fruits for the Myriad Manifestations Palace. Putting aside the two million academy contribution points, the status of honorary elder of the five academies alone would bring him endless benefits.
This identity grants him greater authority and the right to freely travel between the five academies, and the number of nominees he can recommend each quarter also increases exponentially.
What's most remarkable is that, in addition to the Wanxiang Palace branch, he also has the right to directly recommend students to other branches and even the Zhulu Academy, something that academy tutors cannot do.
Secondly, according to the promise Yi Tianzheng had made to him, as long as he could enter the top three, he could choose any three treasures from the Wanxiang Palace Treasury.
If he wins first place in the elimination rounds, the number of treasures he can choose will increase to five, and he will also be allowed to make one request. This is an extremely crucial step for him and the entire Song family.
Not only can it further solidify its connection with the Wanxiang Palace, the most powerful force in this remote region, but it can also leverage the Wanxiang Palace's resources to address the Song family's weaknesses, achieving two goals at once.
To resolve the grievances with the [Brocade Banner], this might be the only way.
However, he should be most grateful to Zhao Yin, his rival, for such a perfect ending.
Under the influence of that strange purple aura, his strength was weaker than Zhao Yin's. In this situation, his only chance was to take advantage of Zhao Yin's incomplete understanding of him and use his soul technique and the [Unpredictable Killing Array] to exploit an information gap.
Such a tactic may have a surprise effect the first time it is used, but it will almost never work again once the other party is on guard.
Knowing this all along, Zhao Yin still gave up this rare opportunity. His magnanimity and composure were truly admirable. If it were him, he probably wouldn't have been able to do it.
"What was His Majesty's reaction when the Crown Prince voluntarily gave up?" This question inexplicably popped into Song Changsheng's mind.
After pondering for a while, Zhuang Yuechan said, "There doesn't seem to be any special reaction. After True Monarch Yingyue announced the results, the Human King left directly."
"No reaction at all?" Song Changsheng raised an eyebrow.
"Not at all, it's like a trivial matter."
"It seems that the relationship between the Crown Prince and His Majesty the King is not very harmonious," Song Changsheng murmured softly.
Rumors circulated that the eldest prince was the most favored son of the King and his future successor, but after several encounters, Song Changsheng discovered that the truth seemed to be quite different.
The king's attitude towards Zhao Yin was unusually cold. In a dynasty, the estrangement between father and son is often the most terrible thing.
Zhuang Yuechan didn't care about any of that. She was more interested in something else: "The [Impermanent Killing Array] is only a mid-grade fourth-order array. Logically speaking, it shouldn't have the power to severely injure Zhao Yin in one blow. How did you manage to do it?"
As one of the few people who knew about Song Changsheng's trump card, she was well aware of the limitations of its power, but Song Changsheng broke through those limitations this time.
"The power of the [Impermanent Killing Array] alone is indeed insufficient to defeat the enemy in one move. However, my cultivation method is special, which allows me to absorb the essence of the sun and moon for my own use and store it in my dantian to form a special kind of 'qi', which I call [Primordial Qi]."
"The [Impermanent Killing Formation] is amplified in power when activated by this energy," Song Changsheng explained without any concealment.
"I see.
"In that case, she does resemble Zhao Yin somewhat," Zhuang Yuechan said thoughtfully.
Song Changsheng raised an eyebrow and said, "My wife noticed it too?"
"Elder Ji told me this after the competition ended. It's already a semi-public secret. Since the birth of the Crown Prince, a wisp of purple energy has been present in his body. The purple energy has countless uses, and strengthening the power of various parts of the body is just the most basic application."
"Apart from that, I don't know much else." Zhuang Yuechan shook her head slightly.
"How did such important news get out?" Song Changsheng was shocked. This was practically equivalent to revealing Zhao Yin's biggest trump card. Could the Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty tolerate such a thing?
"How the information was leaked is unknown. All we know is that someone deliberately spread it. The Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty is trying to block it, but the news has already spread far and wide, so blocking it or not won't make any difference."
"Ahem, it seems the Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty isn't a monolithic entity. We should be careful not to get involved. What's next with the Grand Competition?"
"There was no follow-up. After True Monarch Yingyue announced the results, Li Yufeng voluntarily conceded defeat, followed by Ji Liangyu. Based on the order of their concesions, True Monarch Yingyue determined that Zhao Yin was second in the first round of the competition, Ji Liangyu was third in the second round of the competition, and Li Yufeng was fourth."
Li Yufeng's surrender was within Song Changsheng's expectations. He had already relied on extraordinary luck to get to this point, and with the championship battle over, there was indeed no need to continue.
Ji Liangyu's decision to give up surprised him somewhat. Actually, upon closer examination, it wasn't hard to guess. The reason Ji Liangyu challenged Zhao Yin was because she believed that only Zhao Yin was her opponent, and her goal was to win first place in the competition.
However, Song Changsheng shattered this goal. He then defeated Zhao Yin to win first place in the competition. So, for Ji Liangyu, there was no point in competing with Zhao Yin anymore, because she was a loser, and so was Zhao Yin. They were both out of the running for first place.
“During your recovery period, many people have wanted to see you.”
"Who are they?"
"The Grand Master of the Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty, the Moon Reflection True Lord of the Array Dao Academy, the Spiritual Mechanism True Lord of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion, the Thousand Refinement True Lord of the Hundred Cauldrons Pavilion, and some elders from Golden Core factions, about ten people in total."
“Tianji Pavilion?” Song Changsheng’s heart stirred slightly. Others might not know what these three words represented, but he knew them all too well.
Before the legendary sword immortal ascended to heaven, the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion had already been established in the land of human origins. During this time, it survived several catastrophes that swept across the entire world and has been passed down to the present day in a semi-secluded state.
In terms of historical and cultural foundation, it is absolutely no weaker than the five holy lands of the human race.
The key is that he is good at predicting the secrets of heaven and earth, and is said to know everything under heaven. He has countless secrets in his hands, which makes all the major forces of the human race feel insecure, but no one dares to face the challenge directly.
The half-prophecy that spread throughout most of the human cultivation world was suspected to be the work of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion.
The phrase "the benefits lie in the southwest" has stirred up countless storms.
Everyone knew that the prophecy must have a second half, but no one could get a definite answer. The Heavenly Secrets Pavilion was too mysterious and too dangerous.
As a True Lord, his status within the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion must be quite high. The fact that such a person suddenly wanted to see him made Song Changsheng feel a sense of unease.
There was also True Lord Yingyue; he wondered if the other party had noticed something, which was why he wanted to meet him.
However, "Inscribing the Formation with One's Body" was originally the masterpiece of He Yunxuan, a disciple of the Formation Academy. Perhaps we can inquire about Gu Yiyi's whereabouts from True Monarch Yingyue. If she is no longer alive, handing this technique over to True Monarch Yingyue would be considered fulfilling He Yunxuan's past request.
"Since several True Lords have personally spoken, it may be difficult to refuse," Zhuang Yuechan said, noticing Song Changsheng's concerns.
Song Changsheng shook his head slightly and said, "Refusing is of course impossible. Let's meet them one by one. But before that, I need to pay my respects to True Lord Dragon Elephant."
As the saying goes, speak of the devil and he shall appear. No sooner had he finished speaking than Ji Shinian’s voice came from outside the door: “Fellow Daoist Zixu, have you woken up?”
"I am unable to move around freely and cannot personally greet you. I would like to ask Fellow Daoist Ji to come inside and have a chat."
A moment later, Ji Shinian pushed open the door and entered, asking with concern, "Fellow Daoist, you are indeed awake. Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?"
"Thank you for the elixir, fellow Daoist. My injuries are no longer a problem."
"It is truly a cause for celebration that you, fellow Daoist, have won first place in the Five Academies Grand Competition."
Upon learning of your awakening, everyone wanted to visit and congratulate you, but considering that you have just awakened and it is not appropriate for you to see too many people, I declined their invitation to come alone.
Seeing that fellow Daoist's health has improved significantly, everyone can finally relax.
"Fellow Daoist, is there anything the True Lord has to instruct you on?" Song Changsheng got straight to the point. He had just awakened Ji Shinian and had already received the news. Apart from the True Lord, he couldn't think of anyone else with such keen insight.
Since he was sent by the Dragon Elephant True Lord, Ji Shinian certainly couldn't have come just for these few pleasantries.
Upon hearing this, Ji Shinian said in a deep voice, "I have come here mainly to tell you two things, my friend."
Firstly, the Earth Infant Fruit will ripen in ten days, and everyone will need to be present at that time.
Secondly, regarding the matter of several True Lords requesting to see you, it is your freedom to see whomever you wish, and the palace will not interfere with you in any way, so you can rest assured about that.
But the Supreme Elder has a piece of advice for you, which I will pass on to you.”
"Please speak, fellow Daoist." Song Changsheng also straightened his attitude.
"Whether it's the Grand Master or the Moon Reflection True Lord, you can treat them normally, nine parts truth and one part falsehood are fine. But in front of the Spiritual Master of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion, you either don't answer, or you must tell the truth. Don't try to fool people with lies. He is an extraordinary person, and you can't hide anything from him."
If he asks you some rather private questions, you can simply refuse to answer, and the Vientiane Palace will naturally stand behind you.
Finally, don't get too involved with him. Historically, those who have been too involved with the Tianji Pavilion have generally not had a good ending.
These are all the instructions from the Supreme Elder. Rest assured and recover; I will not disturb you any longer.
After Ji Shinian left, Song Changsheng and his wife fell into silence. The other party's reminder undoubtedly deepened his doubts.
"Alright, let's meet force with force and water with earth. Let's collect the Earth Infant Fruit first, and then we'll accept the invitations from the True Lords later," Song Changsheng said with a sigh.
Ten days passed quickly. With the help of various elixirs and medicines, Song Changsheng's injuries recovered rapidly and were almost completely healed. Although the competition was difficult, the benefits he gained far outweighed the losses.
In particular, his competitions with Ji Liangyu and Zhao Yin have significantly improved him in all aspects. As long as he calms down and secludes himself for a period of time, he is confident that he will reach the peak of the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm.
Keep in mind that it has only been a few years since he broke through to the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm; this speed is simply astonishing.
The couple first met up with Ji Shinian and others, and then headed together to the location of "Master Liu" at Zhulu Academy.
Only then did everyone realize that this willow spirit, which had grown to the fifth level, was not only the guardian of Zhulu Academy, but also the watcher of Wuhua Cave.
The Five Flowers Grotto-Heaven refers to the small world where the five major powers first discovered the Earth Infant Fruit Tree. However, it was later transformed into a blessed land specifically for cultivating the Earth Infant Fruit.
Everyone had gathered there, and when Song Changsheng and Zhao Yin appeared simultaneously, all eyes instantly focused on them…
...(End of chapter)