"No, of course not," Liu Xing replied instantly.

"You have a trick up your sleeve, then" the elder stated.

"Yes, and this trick is connected to what I'm about to ask of you, Elder. After all, I did impress you by fighting that abomination, right?"

"Indeed. What do you want? As long as it's not forbidden or too troublesome, I can grant your request."

Liu Xing nodded. In the end, what he needed was power. While he was already strong, stronger than most people in his realm, he wanted to advance further. His gun allowed him to do so as long as there were many adversaries, and this empire was now full of them.

"What I want is either a cultivation method, a treasure, a talisman, or anything that will allow me to cultivate while moving."

After hearing this, both the elder and the prince raised their eyebrows.

"A peculiar request," the elder commented.

"Couldn't you get something like that from your own sect? After all, you're from the Purple Moon Sect. Our greatest cultivation scriptures, methods, and techniques come from your sect," the prince added.

Liu Xing smiled bitterly. "A sect, whether great or not, is similar in some ways. Everything there comes at a price. And as it happens, I'm quite broke."

His sect points, to this day, were still in the negative, which saddened him. At the very least, he could console himself with the fact that he now possessed a spatial bag and quite a lot of spirit stones.

The elder pinched his chin. "I assume this would help us deal with the situation?"

"Of course."

If he could get something to cultivate while moving, then this nightmare empire would be the best place for him. He could cull those abominations one by one, using their beast cores to kill others as well as advance his cultivation. Who knew? Perhaps when this conflict was over, he would be a mighty Core Splitting cultivator who could fight evenly with Sun Refining cultivators. His heart hammered as he waited for Elder Yang Zhaoyan's answer. Did the elder have something like that? Would one of his milestones to becoming stronger be achieved right here and now?

The elder pinched his chin, then stood up. "Follow me."

Liu Xing and Prince Yang Jinyan stood up and followed him. They were led to a wall in the meeting hall, where a golden statue was carved into the surface. After the three of them stood there for a moment, a section of the wall slid aside, revealing a long, dark hallway with a light shining at the far end.

As the elder stepped inside, Liu Xing and Prince Yang Jinyan followed. Upon entering, he felt the air around him change, becoming warmer. While not a drastic shift, it felt like stepping out of an air-conditioned room.

"Barrier," Liu Xing muttered.

He glanced sideways and saw that even the prince's eyes were searching the surroundings, as if he also didn't know about this hallway. He heard a smooth grinding sound, and when he turned his head, he saw the wall closing behind them.

"I didn't know about this place. Where does this hallway lead, Elder?" the prince asked.

"My own treasury."

This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"You have your own treasury in the clan compound?" the prince asked, surprised.

The elder wore a sad smile. "It formerly belonged to us, the elders, but since I'm the only one left, all of this is mine."

Liu Xing saw the elder mutter something, but he couldn't catch the words even though they were close. The elder's lips blurred for a second, as if he was trying to conceal something. But Liu Xing sensed this wasn't meant to hide anything crucial. After all, while he couldn't hear what the elder said or read his lips, the elder's eyes conveyed his inner feelings. Liu Xing guessed the elder had muttered something like, "This is all mine, not that I want it."

Soon they arrived at a large treasure hall. Three large doors stood before them. The center door was the largest, a double door made purely of gold. The left door was smaller and shone like silver, and the right door appeared to be made of bronze.

"It's actually perfect timing," the elder said, turning his head to the prince. "You are the Yang clan leader now. It's not official yet, but everyone already thinks so. I do too. After all, while I am an exceptional cultivator with talent, I am not fit to be a leader—you are. But your strength is not where it needs to be yet, so use this treasury as you see fit. However, I advise that before you use it to strengthen our clan, use it first to strengthen yourself." He pointed to the golden gate. "Go there."

The prince clenched his fist until his knuckles turned white. Fire burned in his eyes, a resolve that marked him as a man who would never back down. He nodded resolutely and walked toward the golden doors. The doors opened automatically, spilling out a blinding yellow light. After the prince stepped inside, the doors closed, leaving Liu Xing alone with the elder.

The elder then began to walk toward the bronze door. The door opened, and he beckoned Liu Xing inside.

The inside of the room was smaller than he had thought. From where he stood, the edge of the room was only about twenty steps away. Shelves full of books and scrolls stood, splitting the small room into several sections and giving the room the feel of a cozy library. On one side of the room stood a display case filled with armors, weapons, and trinkets like hairpins, necklaces, and belts. Each item shone, and he could feel qi emanating from them.

The elder beckoned him toward a mannequin consisting only of a torso and neck. Hanging from the white mannequin's neck was a necklace made from white stone. The elder took the necklace and showed it to him.

"This necklace is mine. It's called the Solar Stone Necklace."

It was a treasure Liu Xing assumed would be given to him.

With a heart full of anticipation, he hoped with all his might that this necklace possessed the ability he sought.

"I don't have anything that matches exactly what you want. After all, cultivating while moving is not as efficient. This necklace is capable of siphoning qi from around its user, but its efficiency is terrible. It is more like a toy than a real treasure."

Liu Xing observed the necklace. It looked quite clumsily made. The white stone wasn't entirely circular or smooth; it resembled a smooth river rock someone had painted white and tied with a small chain. Still, while the elder called it a toy, it qualified as a treasure. The problem was whether this necklace could solve his problem.

The answer was probably not.

This treasure could only absorb qi from the environment. Cultivation meant absorbing qi into one's body and then into one's consciousness. He suspected this treasure only functioned to absorb qi into the body. This meant he would still need to meditate to integrate the qi into his consciousness.

"You look disappointed," the elder said. "Luckily, this is not the only thing I am going to give you."

The elder then moved to one of the shelves. He riffled through some books and finally took hold of a small blue scroll that looked ancient, covered in dust, with small tears, ink smudges, and cobwebs. The elder gave it to him. Liu Xing dragged a chair over, sat down, and began to read the scroll.

"This scroll describes a meditation method called the Flowing Meditation Method." The elder put his hands behind his back. "Long ago, there was a farmer family on the edge of our empire. All of the family members, though few in number, had a hint of qi in them, making them stronger than normal mortal families." A hint of a smile touched the elder's eyes, as if reminiscing about a fond memory. "The reason for that was this method."

Liu Xing nodded. The story of farmers cultivating while tending their farms felt familiar to him. While he mostly read Chinese web novels, he knew many Westerners shared his taste and also tried writing xianxia stories. One such story was about a cultivator who decided to quit cultivating and become a farmer instead.

Liu Xing smiled, remembering the story, but then he centered his mind and focused.

With a hopeful heart, he began to read the scroll, and soon finished it.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.