Chapter 501: Chapter 494: Nascent Soul Late Stage, A Worthy Successor

Just as Ling Hua, greatly encouraged by the Sect’s immense power, was preparing to enter seclusion to attempt Core Formation, Du Youqian had already returned to Ruihan City.

With less than sixty years until the cave abode opened, Du Youqian wanted to be more thoroughly prepared.

There were two paths to increasing his strength: comprehending Sword Intent and Divine Abilities.

Or, he could raise his Realm.

Comprehending a powerful Sword Intent or Divine Ability would provide a greater boost to his actual combat power than advancing his Realm from the Nascent Soul Middle Stage to the Nascent Soul Late Stage.

The problem was that sixty years was no guarantee he could comprehend a new, powerful Sword Intent or Divine Ability. It was purely a matter of luck.

However, if he spent these sixty years in secluded cultivation and invested enough resources—purchasing various aids for Enlightenment and elixirs to enhance his Cultivation—Du Youqian’s chances of reaching the Nascent Soul Late Stage would be over seventy percent.

Therefore, after careful consideration, Du Youqian decided to focus all his efforts on advancing his Realm.

He washed his hands of all external affairs, relinquishing all his authority.

For the monarch of a mortal dynasty, relinquishing power is easy, but reclaiming it is difficult.

But in the Cultivation Realm, things were different.

As long as your Realm remained supreme, reclaiming power was just as easy as relinquishing it.

As long as the rest of the family combined was no match for Du Youqian, the family could only bend to his will.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Sixty years passed—an entire mortal lifetime.

When Du Youqian began his seclusion, the cries of newborn infants filled Ruihan City.

By the time Du Youqian emerged from seclusion, eight out of ten of those infants had already passed away. The few who remained were stooped with age, their lives drawing to a close.

On this day, as Sui Xing was cleaning Ruihan City’s great assembly hall according to his usual routine, he abruptly looked up to find a handsome young man seated high upon the White Jade Chair. He looked vaguely familiar, yet Sui Xing couldn’t place him.

Sui Xing froze for a moment. ’What insolent fool dares to behave so presumptuously in the great assembly hall?’ he thought.

He opened his mouth to berate the intruder, but a sudden realization struck him. He remembered that a year ago, the strange celestial phenomena had vanished. Many people had said that the family’s great Ancestor had completed his breakthrough and successfully become a Nascent Soul Late Stage Cultivator. He just needed to consolidate his new Realm, and then it would be time for him to emerge from seclusion.

He immediately dropped to his knees. "Sui Xing pays his respects to the Ancestor! Congratulations on emerging from seclusion and achieving a great leap in your divine skill!"

Du Youqian’s eyes were half-lidded, as if he were still half-asleep. He was immaculately clean, however, and gave off a very faint, pleasant fragrance.

"Oh? Which branch of the family are you from? In your twenties, Foundation Establishment Middle Stage. Your Cultivation isn’t bad. An Earth Spirit Root? Excellent. Even better than Sui Yu’s."

Sui Xing opened his mouth again, but then closed it, hesitating.

Du Youqian’s eyes shot open. "Absurd. You’re my blood brother? Then why are you calling me ’Ancestor’? That’s ridiculous."

Sui Xing nodded awkwardly.

Du Youqian looked Sui Xing up and down, a wry expression on his face.

Sui Xing’s Cultivation was only at the Foundation Establishment Realm, so it was easy for Du Youqian to read the unspoken thoughts on the surface of his mind.

The young man really was his blood brother, born after he had entered seclusion.

His father in this lifetime, perhaps after taking some unknown Miracle Elixir, had defied all expectations and successfully reached Core Formation. Everyone had originally thought that Sui Xiao’s father had no hope of ever forming a core.

Perhaps succeeding at Core Formation had restored some of his father’s confidence. Du Youqian’s mother, Duan Shurui, had gradually mended her relationship with him, and they had started sharing a bed again from time to time.

And so, over twenty years ago, this child named Sui Xing was born—a boy destined to become Elder Xiao’s right-hand man...

Being Elder Xiao’s blood brother and possessing an Earth Spirit Root... let’s just say that as long as Sui Xing didn’t court death, Core Formation was a certainty. He even had a good chance at Nascent Soul Formation, and reaching Divinity Transformation wasn’t entirely out of the question.

The clansmen were already confident that under Elder Xiao’s leadership, Ruihan City could become a true First-class Immortal City.

Sui Xing’s appearance, however, gave the clansmen hope that in a few hundred years, Ruihan City might even be able to contend with the Seven Cities Alliance.

And the most crucial point... Elder Xiao’s parents had given birth to two children: one with a Celestial Spirit Root, and the other with an Earth Spirit Root.

Shouldn’t they redouble their efforts? Perhaps they could produce another child with a Celestial or Earth Spirit Root!

Even if Celestial and Earth Spirit Roots couldn’t be custom-ordered, birthing a child with a Top Grade Spirit Root would be great too. A Top Grade Spirit Root basically guaranteed a spot among the Core Formation cultivators.

For the past twenty years, Duan Shurui and Sui Xiao’s father had been endlessly harassed. The clansmen took every opportunity to beg them to spend more time in the bedroom and work harder at producing children...

Just imagine it: a couple of Core Formation cultivators being treated like breeding machines by their own clan. Their lives certainly couldn’t have been very pleasant.

But when Du Youqian read a little further into Sui Xing’s memories, he could no longer smile.

The clansmen had used a combination of threats and bribes to find two newly-ascended Core Formation Kun Cultivators from the Rong Family and the Bian Family. They wanted these women to serve Du Youqian in the hopes of bearing a son or daughter for the great Celestial Spirit Root prodigy...

Du Youqian could no longer sit still.

He had originally come to the great assembly hall to hold a meeting, catch up on the family’s affairs from the past sixty years, and make the appropriate arrangements.

But this perilous situation forced him to make a temporary strategic retreat...

Sui Xing felt a warm hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Du Youqian smiling warmly at him. "Get up, little brother."

"Yes!" Sui Xing felt his nose tingle.

He had imagined his first meeting with his older brother many times.

Sometimes, he would fantasize that his brother would treat him kindly, calling him "little brother."

But once he was clear-headed again, he would dismiss such an unrealistic notion.

He knew that Sui Xiao was first and foremost the Nascent Soul Ancestor of Ruihan City, and only secondarily his blood brother.

How could he possibly have guessed what was on Du Youqian’s mind?

Although the Immortal Dao was a path that prized the self, Du Youqian couldn’t be a complete loner.

If he discovered a young person with boundless potential, he would find a way to form a good connection, even taking them on as a disciple.

Sui Xing, however, was destined from birth to be his kin. If one were to draw circles of trust around Du Youqian, Fang Hua and Lin Sha would be at the very center; they had accompanied him for more than one lifetime and knew many of his secrets. People like Sui Xing, Ling Hua, and Deng Maoyu would be in the next circle out.

As long as he was careful to keep the boy from going astray and took the time to nurture their bond, then in a few hundred, or even one or two thousand years, the role Sui Xing could play on his path to the Dao would be no less than that of Ling Hua or Deng Maoyu.

After helping Sui Xing to his feet, Du Youqian said, "You’re practicing the family’s Cultivation Technique, I presume? You should switch as soon as possible. I’ll pass on a ’Scripture’-grade technique to you. Although it’s incomplete, it can support your Cultivation all the way to the Divinity Transformation Realm."

Sui Xing, of course, had no objections. He was only in his twenties, with a Foundation Establishment Middle Stage Cultivation.

By re-cultivating with a ’Scripture’-grade technique, he could recover his current level of Cultivation in just a few years.

This wasn’t a waste of time. It was like sharpening the axe before chopping the wood.

Du Youqian channeled his Magical Power into Sui Xing’s body and quickly determined his Spirit Root Attribute.

He had an ordinary, Wood Attribute Single Spirit Root. He couldn’t take the path of the Golden Jade Flying Scripture of the Eight Realms of Truth.

Du Youqian pondered for a moment. Sui Xing had never been to Momenan, and it was common knowledge that he was a Sui Family Cultivator, so it was impossible to pass him off as a genius discovered in and guided from Momenan.

Therefore, he couldn’t have him cultivate the foundation techniques of the Major Sects.

"This is the Supreme Cave Truth Nine Revolutions and Nine Transformations Celestial Dance Scripture. Cultivate it well. If there’s anything you don’t understand, ask me." Du Youqian quickly inscribed a Jade Scroll, placed a Restriction on it, and handed it to Sui Xing.

Only Sui Xing would be able to read it with his Divine Sense; if anyone else tried to peek inside, the Jade Scroll would immediately disintegrate.

Du Youqian planned to groom Sui Xing as a core confidant, so he didn’t hesitate to use the Supreme Cave Truth Nine Revolutions and Nine Transformations Celestial Dance Scripture for his training.

And if Sui Xing were to betray him in the future... frankly, the Supreme Cave Truth Nine Revolutions and Nine Transformations Celestial Dance Scripture was riddled with traps.

Without guidance, the best-case scenario for Sui Xing would be to avoid Dissipating his Skill and Re-cultivating, eventually becoming the weakest possible Nascent Soul cultivator. A worse fate would be to die of old age, helpless, after multiple failed attempts at Scattering and Re-Cultivation.

Du Youqian then gave a Treasure and some elixirs to this brother he had just acquired. "I have other matters to attend to and must leave Ruihan City immediately. You can explain things to everyone for me."

After taking a few steps, Du Youqian turned back and gently patted Sui Xing’s shoulder. "By the way, if I’m not back for a while, don’t be in a hurry to attempt Core Formation. Stay in the Foundation Establishment Realm and have a few children. Help our branch of the family flourish, understand?"

Sui Xing was a bit shy. If not for Du Youqian’s sharp hearing, he would have never heard the "Mmm" that rumbled deep in the boy’s throat.

"Hahaha!" Du Youqian roared with laughter and flew out of the great assembly hall.

After finding Little Wukong, who he had let roam free for sixty years, Du Youqian placed the monkey on his shoulder, boarded a Tier Four Flying Boat, and leisurely flew off toward Huailai City.

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