Chapter 90
The Nine Provinces were vast, with countless events happening daily, including clashes between Heaven-Man experts and Land Immortals, as well as conflicts between dynasties. It was normal for them not to notice.
***
The news of Wudang becoming a spiritual land only circulated among those who paid attention to Wudang. After all, many present at Wudang were just ordinary martial artists, and others might not believe their words, thinking they were exaggerated.
So, the transformation of Wudang into a spiritual land was only discussed among the strongest martial artists, who could sense some of the commotion. However, Ning Changge didn’t care about this. Fame was useless to him; once his strength reached the heavens, the world would naturally know.
At this moment, he was comfortably enjoying the changes in Wudang’s spiritual energy. The tenfold increase in spiritual energy allowed him to absorb and refine it with great efficiency, steadily advancing toward the peak of the Qi Refining stage.
Ning Changge’s life returned to tranquility. Recently, no challengers had caught his eye; even Jin Ling could defeat them, so they never reached him. However, two recent events surprised him.
The first was that Princess Yunluo had indeed sent him many Daoist scriptures, with delicate handwriting indicating she had personally copied them. She was favored by the Ming Emperor and could freely enter the palace, making the Ming Emperor both amused and helpless.
Ning Changge’s lips curled slightly. The goodwill he had shown that day had unexpectedly yielded results so quickly. The Ming Palace had many treasures, and while there were duplicates, some rare copies delighted Ning Changge.
He couldn’t help but sense the spiritual consciousness he had left on the sword he had gifted, feeling the royal dragon aura surrounding it. “It seems Princess Yunluo is still in the palace. This dense royal dragon aura is quite special,” Ning Changge mused, his eyes filled with wonder.
The royal dragon aura is a mysterious power belonging to the human realm, seemingly capable of enhancing martial cultivation. This is why the emperors of the Nine Provinces are rumored to be formidable.
“In the future, I can occasionally study it. Perhaps I can combine it with the path of immortality,” Ning Changge thought. The spiritual sword given to Princess Yunluo was just a bridge. As his spiritual consciousness grew stronger, the residual consciousness on the sword would also strengthen, allowing him to perceive more about the royal dragon aura.
As for the second event, it surprised him even more. A few days ago, the Supreme Emperor of Great Qin, His Majesty the First Emperor, sent a batch of rare Daoist scriptures and some precious books, apparently acquired during the conquest of the six states.
“I have long heard of the Little Immortal of Wudang, who aspires to pursue immortality and eternal life. I am deeply gratified and have sent six hundred Daoist scriptures to aid the Little Immortal,” was read the proclamation of the Heaven-Man eunuch, to which Ning Changge calmly replied, “Thank you, First Emperor.”
He could guess the First Emperor Ying Zheng’s intentions. This ruler had always yearned for eternal life, and now he was simply establishing goodwill with Ning Changge. He accepted the gift without hesitation. The Daoist scriptures sent by Ying Zheng were precious and would undoubtedly be beneficial to him.
In the Nine Provinces, the First Emperor’s mystery and power were universally acknowledged. No one had ever seen him in action, but everyone knew he was incredibly strong. Even the Martial Emperor of the Martial Imperial City had once expressed a desire to fight the First Emperor if given the chance.
However, as the ruler of a dynasty, the First Emperor wouldn’t engage in ordinary martial conflicts, and no one knew if he had ever clashed with the Martial Emperor in private. Watching the departing Qin envoys, Ning Changge had no particular thoughts. No matter how powerful the First Emperor was, he wouldn’t fear him in Wudang.
Since that was the case, why add unnecessary troubles? If the First Emperor wanted to send Daoist scriptures, he would accept them. In the future, if he succeeded in the path of immortality, he could repay the favor.
However, Ning Changge speculated that the First Emperor was likely investing in multiple areas and didn’t necessarily believe Ning Changge would achieve eternal life.
He shook his head, smiling at the thousands of new Daoist scriptures in the Sutra Pavilion.
Next came leisurely days of reading and comprehending the Dao, which Ning Changge thoroughly enjoyed. However, he hadn’t forgotten to ask Song Yuanqiao and others to help find spiritual items of the water and earth elements.
Since they had already collected some, and soon, the water and earth spiritual swords would be complete, perfecting the Five Elements Spiritual Swords!
***
Time passed quietly, and before he knew it, the year had turned, and Ning Changge was ten years old, his cultivation even more profound and unfathomable. One day, Song Yuanqiao hurriedly arrived, looking serious.
“Little Junior Brother, something major has happened in the martial world. The Emei Sect has been destroyed, and the Heaven-Reliant Sword is missing!”