Chapter 57: The Shocking Secret of the Purple Palace!

Ascending the Jade Palace

Clear Stream Market, Prefecture Cultivator's Manor.

Since it wasn't the day for the ghost market to open, the Qi Refining stage guards at the entrance to the Prefecture Cultivator's Manor naturally wouldn't let Yulou inside.

True, the Prefecture Cultivator's Manor was much like a brothel—as long as you handed over spirit stones, you could enter—but it still depended on the day.

If you filthy rogue cultivators could waltz in every day without so much as a greeting, where would the dignity of the Town Guardian Cultivator be?

However, the moment Yulou revealed his identity as a scion of the Wang Clan of Anbei Kingdom and explained his purpose, the guards promptly let him through.

A disciple of a great clan who had dealings with the Town Guardian Cultivator's daughter, and was young to boot.

What did it mean to have a limitless future?

This was exactly what it meant to have a limitless future!

Yulou's guess was correct. The Patriarch indeed intended for him to test Mu Changze's thoughts, which was why he specifically named him to deliver the zither in person.

Namely: why did Mu Yingxi ignore the artificers within the Red Lantern Illumination Sect and specifically seek out the Forge Peak Residence?

Her father was a Core Disciple of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect. If he wanted to help her contact an artificer, he wouldn't even need to show his face. With just a single message, what kind of artificer couldn't he find?

After receiving the Patriarch's letter, Yulou belatedly realized that that day might have been a special matchmaking session.

However, her father might not have known about Mu Yingxi visiting the Forge Peak Residence.

The Patriarch might have discussed the matter with Mu Changze, but whether it worked out would ultimately depend on Yulou and Mu Yingxi's own thoughts.

Despite having lived two lives, this was Yulou's first blind date. To say he wasn't nervous would be a lie.

Led by an attendant, Yulou followed the corridors of the Prefecture Cultivator's Manor's front courtyard until he arrived before a side hall.

Separating the corridor from the side hall was a stone arch bridge without pillars. This type of arch bridge, spanning the water without underlying support, was also known as a Flying Rainbow Bridge.

Through the thick stone pillars outside the side hall, Yulou noticed that the interior was draped with curtains adorned with cyan dragon patterns. The master of this place was hiding behind the curtains, making it impossible for him to locate her immediately.

"Young Master Wang, please come in."

A little maidservant wearing a jade ring hairpin, her hair styled in a high bun, and sporting pink embroidered tiger-head shoes skipped over. She pulled back a corner of the curtain, smiling as she beckoned Yulou inside.

Yulou tightened his grip on the willow wood Seven-String Zither in his arms, took a deep breath, and stepped onto the stone arch bridge.

As the little maidservant led the way, Yulou spoke in a low voice.

"I am here on behalf of the Wang Clan to deliver a zither. I dare not accept the title of Young Master."

The little maidservant did not reply to him, instead calling out to the person behind the curtain with a childish giggle.

"Hehe, Miss, he's quite shy."

'Shy?'

At this thought, Yulou felt even more uneasy. 'Are we really having a blind date right here and now?'

Speaking of which, the daughter of a Foundation Establishment realm Core Disciple of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect wasn't a bad catch. How many people wanted such an opportunity but couldn't get it?

"Cuiguo, do not be rude. Bring my zither here."

A familiar voice rang out. It was indeed Mu Yingxi.

Yulou handed the zither to the maidservant named Cuiguo, then stood quietly and obediently in front of the side hall's curtains.

With his head slightly lowered, he happened to see the vivid and lifelike cyan flood dragon embroidered on the curtain.

The flood dragon's body was outlined in cyan silk threads, while its horns and claws were stitched with gold thread. Its two front claws were even gripping a small boat, as if it were caught in the middle of committing an evil deed.

To the left of the flood dragon, a gleaming scimitar was speeding over. The creator of the embroidery had been extremely meticulous, even using different shades of white thread to trace the trajectory of the scimitar slicing through the air.

Looking at the embroidery of the scimitar beheading the cyan flood dragon, Yulou thought of the female cultivator sitting behind the curtain.

Mu Yingxi, with her early-level Qi Refining cultivation, should be at least a dozen years older than him. Technically, Yulou should be calling her 'Auntie'.

They say that a woman three years older brings a gold brick. Being a dozen years older, wouldn't that bring a whole pile of gold bricks?

"This zither is indeed not bad. The Wang Clan of Anbei Kingdom lives up to its reputation."

At Mu Yingxi's voice, Yulou snapped out of his reverie and explained.

"The Patriarch knew that Senior commissioned this, so he personally took action to refine it. The base material of this zither is the finest willow wood spiritual material, and the strings are made of eighth-grade donkey mane.

"A total of fifteen layers of restrictions have been refined into it, and there is still room for two more layers. If needed in the future, it can be refined further."

Mu Yingxi was older than Yulou and had a higher cultivation base. Even though this was a blind date, calling her 'Senior' was still appropriate.

"No need to call me Senior. Wang Yulou, do you know why I sought out your Wang Clan to commission a Seven-String Zither?"

The person behind the curtain didn't talk about price or quality, but instead began to test Yulou.

"Yulou does not know."

Faced with this kind of opportunity, Yulou thought it over and decided it was best to play it safe first.

Behind the curtain, Mu Yingxi fell silent for a long time. When she finally spoke, her words shocked Yulou.

"I need a Dao Companion—one born sixteen years ago in the Mao Month, and who, aside from a wood spirit root, possesses at least two other types of spirit roots."

'So direct?'

'Could she be wanting me to marry into her family?'

Before Yulou could recover from his shock, Mu Yingxi's next words hit him again.

"You and I were born in the same year and month, but I have a single spirit root. For me to open a Purple Palace, it would undoubtedly be as difficult as ascending to heaven.

"The Red Lantern Illumination Sect has a Dual Cultivation Secret Art. Practicing it allows Dao Companions to complement each other's Dao foundations, combining the strength of two people to open a Purple Palace.

"Wang Yulou, if you are willing to become my Dao Companion, you will be able to effortlessly and easily attain the Purple Palace in the future.

"What are your thoughts?"

Yulou only believed a fraction of Mu Yingxi's words. He refused to believe that a secret art which borrowed an outsider's Dao foundation to open a Purple Palace would come without flaws.

It was obvious if you thought about it: no matter how intimate a pair of Dao Companions were, there would ultimately still be differences between them.

Therefore, he concluded that Mu Yingxi was merely painting empty promises.

The only thing he cared about right now was that Mu Yingxi was born in the exact same year and month as him!

A fact that wasn't widely known, but which the Wang Clan happened to be privy to, was that the rules of heaven and earth had been jointly altered by grand cultivators.

From the past millennium up until now, and even into the future, all Qi Drawing realm cultivators were forced to solidly rely on their talent to cultivate to the Qi Refining stage.

This move had been deliberately designed by grand cultivators to limit the cultivation base of the world's cultivators.

Taking Wang Yulou as an example, if he cultivated step by step, he wouldn't reach Qi Refining until he was at least thirty-one years old.

During this process, he could rely on spiritual food to save himself the toil of daily cultivation, but he could not use any means to increase the speed at which his cultivation grew.

But if Mu Yingxi's words were true, it meant Yulou had a chance to reach Qi Refining ahead of schedule!

"Senior, we were born in the same year and month, so why have you already reached Qi Refining?

"As far as I know, even with a single spirit root, cultivating to Qi Refining should take at least a dozen years."

Exactly. A single spirit root Qi Drawing realm cultivator needed over a dozen years to cultivate to Qi Refining. How did Mu Yingxi become a Qi Refining cultivator in just three years?

Not expecting Yulou to ask this, Mu Yingxi thought for a moment before replying.

"A Qi Drawing realm cultivator can enter a Purple Palace grotto-heaven. Inside the grotto-heaven, there is no limit on cultivation."

Since the Wang Clan were considered their own people within the Red Lantern Illumination Sect anyway, there was nothing she couldn't say.

Within a Purple Palace grotto-heaven, a Qi Drawing realm cultivator faced no cultivation limits, as the rules of heaven and earth could not govern a Purple Palace's grotto-heaven.

Yulou carefully savored these words, remaining silent for a long time.

The grand cultivators had bolted the doors shut for everyone else, yet secretly allowed their own direct descendants to enjoy special treatment.

The cruelty of this world was once again laid bare before Yulou.

Yulou also finally understood why spirit rice and spiritual food were so expensive.

The ones consuming them weren't the Qi Refining cultivators sitting in Flavorful Bistro, but the Qi Drawing realm descendants within the great clans and major sects.

Naturally, the great clans and major sects did not lack the funds to buy spirit rice and spiritual food.

"Yulou understands. Thank you, Senior Martial Sister Yingxi, for clearing up my confusion."

Since she didn't let him call her Senior, disliking being made to sound old, he would just make do with calling her Senior Martial Sister.

"However, Yulou doesn't understand. If the Dao foundations between Dao Companions can complement each other through a Dual Cultivation Secret Art, then why does the Red Lantern Illumination Sect's Golden Basin Mending Pill still sell for such a high price?"

Yulou's question made Mu Yingxi fall silent.

Why did the Golden Basin Mending Pill sell for such a high price?

Because it was worth it. A single spirit root cultivator who used it to mend their Dao foundation would possess a Dao foundation that completely belonged to themselves.

On the other hand, achieving Dao foundation complementarity through dual cultivation was, in a sense, taking a shortcut in cultivation, and shortcuts always came with a price.

If one wanted to save on the cost of the Golden Basin Mending Pill, they would have to compensate in other areas.

"Are you trying to reject me?"

Mu Yingxi did not answer Yulou's question, instead throwing the question back at him.

At this point, Yulou was completely certain that the sweet prospect of becoming Dao Companions only looked sweet on the surface.

"Yulou certainly wouldn't dare refuse. It's just that the matter of a Dao Companion requires the approval of the elders in my family.

"I came today merely to deliver a zither, and never expected to encounter such an opportunity."

'Senior Martial Sister, I'm still a child. Whether we become Dao Companions or not, the parents have the final say.'

'I only came here to deliver a zither. There's no need for you to put so much pressure on me.'

"Hahaha, Wang Yulou, you're overthinking it. Even if you wanted to agree, you'd have to reach the Foundation Establishment realm first.

"I've already found four other cultivators similar to you, born sixteen years ago in the Mao Month.

"Go back and cultivate well. Once you reach Foundation Establishment, you might just figure things out."

Mu Yingxi's attitude was actually quite uninhibited, to the point of outright stating she had four backups.

However, to Yulou's ears, there was a certain beauty to her current stubbornness.

'Four others similar to you'—meaning he wasn't unique.

'Once you reach Foundation Establishment, you might figure things out'—meaning he would regret it.

Well, hard to say.

Not daring to overthink it, Yulou bowed and said,

"Yulou understands, Yulou understands. This zither uses willow wood as the base material, and strings made of Grade 8 Donkey Mane refined with essence gold.

"The Patriarch said that Senior Mu works truly hard to protect Clear Stream Market, so the Wang Clan will only charge you one thousand spirit stones."

Mu Yingxi was speechless.

She was surprised to discover that when a person was truly speechless, they would actually laugh in relief.

"Here! Reach Foundation Establishment soon!"

Guided by the curtain, a storage bag flew over, which Yulou easily caught with quick reflexes.

Just as he was about to take the spirit stones out of the storage bag, Mu Yingxi spoke again.

"You can keep it. I can't believe the Wang Clan doesn't even equip its disciples with storage bags."

Yulou bowed once more and promptly slipped away.

'What do you know? It's not like the Wang Clan lacks storage bags. They don't equip us with them because they're afraid we'll be targeted!'

Seeing this brat walk away without so much as a backward glance, Mu Yingxi didn't get angry.

He was just a cultivator from a minor clan with a shallow worldview. Why get angry?

She shook her head and placed the zither on the edge of the square table in front of her.

Her pure, worldly-untainted jade fingers gently plucked the strings, and the melodious, elegant sound of the zither slowly danced out.

By the Clear Stream of Qin Rhyme spirit eye within the Prefecture Cultivator's Manor, Mu Changze, who was in the middle of cultivating, heard the zither music and opened his eyes.

He listened for a moment, then suddenly gave a light chuckle and resumed his cultivation.

Meanwhile, back behind the curtain, Cuiguo, who had been listening to the zither, suddenly remembered something and spoke up in confusion.

"Miss, when did you get four other young masters? How come Cuiguo doesn't know about them?"

Instantly, Mu Yingxi's zither music descended into chaos, and one of the strings snapped under the force of her sudden anger.

Hearing the shift in the music, Yulou instinctively sped up his pace to leave.

'Crap, it sounds like something went wrong with the Seven-String Zither. I need to run!'

A moment's thought made the situation clear. No matter how intimate the relationship between Dao Companions, there would ultimately be differences between them.

Therefore, he concluded that Mu Yingxi was merely painting a pretty picture to entice him.

The only thing he cared about right now was that he and Mu Yingxi were born in the exact same year and month!

It was a little-known fact, but one the Wang Clan happened to be aware of: the rules of heaven and earth had been altered by the combined efforts of grand cultivators.

From a thousand years ago up to the present—and even into the future—all cultivators in the Qi Drawing realm had to rely solely on their innate talent to reach the Qi Refining stage.

This restriction had been designed by grand cultivators to limit the cultivation levels of all cultivators between heaven and earth.

Taking Wang Yulou as an example, if he cultivated step by step, he would be at least thirty-one years old before he could reach the Qi Refining stage.

During this process, he could consume spiritual food to replace the daily toil of cultivation, but he could not use any methods to accelerate his growth.

But if Mu Yingxi's words were true, it meant Yulou had a chance to reach Qi Refining ahead of schedule!

"Senior, we were born in the same year and month, so why did you reach Qi Refining so early?

"As far as I know, even with a single spirit root, cultivating to Qi Refining should take at least a dozen years."

Indeed, it took a dozen years for a single spirit root Qi Induction cultivator to reach Qi Refining. How had Mu Yingxi become a Qi Refining cultivator in just three years?

Not expecting Yulou to ask this, Mu Yingxi thought for a moment before answering.

"Qi Drawing realm cultivators can enter a Purple Palace grotto-heaven. Inside a grotto-heaven, there are no limits on cultivation."

After all, the Wang Clan was considered an affiliate of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect, so there was no harm in speaking openly.

Inside a Purple Palace grotto-heaven, Qi Drawing realm cultivators faced no cultivation limits. The rules of heaven and earth could not reach the grotto-heaven of a Purple Palace cultivator.

Yulou carefully mulled over these words, remaining silent for a long time.

The grand cultivators had barred the gates for everyone else, yet allowed their own direct descendants to sneakily receive special treatment.

The cruelty of this world was once again laid bare before Yulou.

He finally understood why spirit rice and spiritual food were so expensive.

The ones consuming them were not the Qi Refining cultivators sitting in the Flavorful Bistro, but the Qi Drawing realm direct descendants within the great clans and large sects.

These great clans and large sects naturally didn't care about the minor expense of buying spirit rice and spiritual food.

"I understand. Thank you... Senior Martial Sister Yingxi, for clearing my doubts."

Since she didn't want to be called 'Senior' and disliked sounding old, he settled for calling her 'Senior Martial Sister.'

"It's just that I don't understand one thing. If the Dao foundations of Dao Companions can complement each other through the Dual Cultivation Secret Art, then why is the Red Lantern Illumination Sect's Golden Basin Mending Pill still sold for such a high price?"

Yulou's question made Mu Yingxi fall silent.

Why was the Golden Basin Mending Pill sold for such a high price?

Because it was worth it. The Dao foundation repaired by a single spirit root cultivator using the pill truly became their own.

Using a dual cultivation method to complement a Dao foundation was, in a sense, a shortcut. And taking shortcuts always came with a price.

If one wanted to save on the cost of a Golden Basin Mending Pill, they would have to compensate in other areas.

"Are you trying to refuse?"

Mu Yingxi did not answer Yulou's question, instead throwing the problem back at him.

Yulou was now completely certain that the so-called sweet deal of becoming her Dao Companion only looked appealing on the surface.

"Of course I wouldn't dare refuse. It's just that taking a Dao Companion requires the approval of the family elders.

"Today, I only came to deliver a zither. I never expected to encounter such a situation."

'Senior Martial Sister, I am still just a child. Whether or not I take a Dao Companion is up to my parents.'

'I just came to drop off a zither. There's no need to put me under so much pressure.'

"Hahaha, Wang Yulou, you're overthinking it. Even if you wanted to agree, you would have to reach Foundation Establishment first.

"I have already found four other cultivators similar to you, born sixteen years ago in the Mao Month.

"Go back and cultivate well. When you reach Foundation Establishment, you might just figure it out."

Mu Yingxi's attitude was surprisingly free and easy, even going so far as to casually mention she had four backups.

However, to Yulou's ears, there was a certain stubborn beauty to her words.

Four others similar to him—meaning he wasn't unique.

When he reached Foundation Establishment, he would figure it out—meaning he would regret it by then.

Hmm, hard to say.

Not daring to overthink it, Yulou bowed and said,

"I understand, I understand. This zither uses willow wood as the base material, and eighth-grade donkey mane refined with fine gold for the strings.

"The Patriarch stated that Senior Mu works too hard protecting Clear Stream Market, so the Wang Clan will only charge you one thousand spirit stones."

Mu Yingxi was left speechless.

She was surprised to find that one could actually smile in relief even when rendered speechless.

"Take it! May you reach Foundation Establishment soon!"

A storage bag flew out from behind the curtain. Yulou's quick reflexes allowed him to catch it effortlessly.

Just as he was about to take the spirit stones out, Mu Yingxi spoke again.

"The bag is a gift. I can't believe the Wang Clan doesn't even issue storage bags to its disciples."

Yulou bowed once more, then quickly scrambled away.

'What do you know? It's not that the Wang Clan lacks storage bags. They don't issue them because they're afraid we'll be targeted!'

Seeing the brat leave without even looking back, Mu Yingxi wasn't angry.

He was just a cultivator from a minor family with a shallow perspective. What was there to be angry about?

She shook her head and placed the Seven-String Zither on the edge of the square table in front of her.

Her pure, flawless fingers gently plucked the strings, and an elegant, melodious tune slowly danced out.

At the Clear Stream of Qin Rhyme spiritual eye within the Prefecture Cultivator's Manor, Mu Changze, who was in the middle of cultivation, heard the zither music and opened his eyes.

He listened for a moment, gave a soft chuckle, and resumed his cultivation.

Meanwhile, back behind the curtain, Cuiguo, who had been listening to the zither, suddenly remembered something and asked in confusion.

"Miss, when did you find four other young masters? Why didn't I know about this?"

Instantly, Mu Yingxi's playing dissolved into chaos, and a string snapped under the sudden force of her annoyance.

Hearing the sudden discord in the music outside, Yulou subconsciously quickened his pace.

'Oh no, there must be a problem with that Seven-String Zither. I need to run!'