Chapter 659: Successive Disciple and First Disciple
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
“The person who confiscated my Ancient Royal Sword looked like your Master. Was it you?” The Marquis of Jinghuan said and his body started to heat up.
Xiao Yan laughed coldly, “I don’t want your magic treasure, but you can leave your life behind.”
The Marquis of Jinghuan laughed, “There’s no need for any more nonsense. Let’s see who’s better.”
As he said, a voice resonated from afar, “Liang An, retreat. You are not just representing yourself, you are also representing the Great Zhou Empire.”
The voice was gentle, but it sounded stern too. It was the voice of Liang Yuan.
The Marquis of Jinghuan’s lips twitched a little. He never kept Liang Yuan in high regard normally.
Liang Yuan said, “You have not even accounted for what happened three years ago. Do you think it’s all settled already?”
The Marquis of Jinghuan creased his brows. After a brief moment, he laughed, “Whatever, you can do whatever you want with me.”
“Comrade Xiao, please forgive us for what’s happened.” A light figure landed in front of Xiao Yan and the rest. It was projected from Liang Yuan’s mana. He clasped his fist and palm at Xiao Yan, Zhu Yi and the rest. “Your sect and the Great Zhou Empire are both on the same page. We should propagate harmony. Liang An has been very rude. I hope that all of you can forgive him.”
Liang Yuan remained calm and looked sincere.
With regards to the Great Zhou Crown Prince, if he faced Lin Feng, however sloppy he might seem, it was still forgivable. Right now, in front of Xiao Yan, Zhu Yi and the rest, his attitude was very proper.
But Xiao Yan, Zhu Yi, Yue Hongyan and Xiao Zhener did not underestimate him because of that.
Truth be told, Liang Yuan did not exactly share a cordial relationship with the Celestial Sect of Wonders. Previously, his avatar even clashed with Zhu Yi, Shi Tianhao and the rest in the Secret Manual of Kun Peng.
When Zhu Yi proceeded for the imperial examination, Liang Yuan also performed some lowly tricks. But Zhu Yi retaliated and thwarted his plans. He even killed some of Liang Yuan’s subordinates who were in the Nascent Soul Stage.
He was not much different from the Marquis of Jinghuan. But now Liang Yuan was acting very proper now and tried to negotiate between both parties. This made Xiao Yan and the rest think more highly of him.
As Liang Yuan acted in this way, he did so with the right manners. He was humble but did not bow down. He did not shame the face of the Great Zhou Empire. On the other hand, he seemed magnanimous. The way he managed the situation was perfect.
Through the previous setback, he had fully matured. Not only did he preserve his position as a Crown Prince, he managed to strengthen his hold on it. Even the Great Qin Empire’s Crown Prince, Shi Chongyun, could not match up to him. The both of them were not even on the same level anymore.
Putting the relative power of the Great Qin and Great Zhou Empire aside, in terms of their successors, the Great Zhou was one up against the Great Qin Empire.
The Marquis of Jinghuan also became less scornful of Liang Yuan. He also started to size him up. Previously, he never put Liang Yuan in high regard. Although he was the Crown Prince, Liang Yuan could not match up to Liang An in terms of talent, skills and contribution to the country.
But his sudden change caused Liang An to view Liang Yuan in a positive light.
While Liang Yuan’s powers were still weaker than Liang An, with their current realms of cultivation, their powers were indeed important, but they only influenced a part of everything. To reach the Immortal Soul Stage, the state of mind of the cultivator was also important.
Liang Yuan’s talent was decently good enough. Along with the resources of the Great Zhou Empire, once his state of mind was boosted, it would be much easier for him to break through the bottleneck as compared to others.
Xiao Yan and Zhu Yi looked at each other. Xiao Yan turned to look at the Marquis of Jinghuan and said, “All of you are guests. We will naturally treat all of you with respect. But we have always stayed true to the principle of treating our friends well and treating our enemies unkindly.”
The Marquis of Jinghuan laughed and he scanned Xiao Zhener and Yue Hongyan. Eventually, his vision landed on Xiao Yan. He said, “At least during the duration of the Sect-Opening Ceremony, I will be a courteous guest.”
Xiao Yan stared at him before laughing, “You better be.”
Zhu Yi turned to look at Liang Yuan, “We all want harmony, but we can tell if the intentions are right. It is important for us to give each other mutual encouragement.”
Liang Yuan replied, “That should be the case, naturally.”
As he finished speaking, Liang Yuan’s light figure that was projected from his powers disappeared. The Marquis of Jinghuan looked at Xiao Yan for one last time before laughing suddenly, “I have some people under me who want to receive some tips on the abhijnas and mantras of the Celestial Sect of Wonders. I wonder if that’s convenient?”
Xiao Yan replied coldly, “Only if you wish.”
The Marquis of Jinghuan turned and walked away, “Dying in battle is better than dying of old age. The people under me are all capable.”
He returned to his own temporary residence, which was a small house. As he entered the place, there was a bunch of people guarding there. Liang Yuan was in the center of everyone, as he sat on a stone bench.
The Marquis of Jinghuan did not seem to be surprised and said, “It’s my honor for the Crown Prince to visit me. It’s just that it’s a little improper for you to enter this place when I’m not around.”
Liang Yuan stared at him and he tapped the stone table in front of him, “Liang An, it’s been three years. Don’t tell me that you have forgotten how you provoked the Demon Phoenix tribe?”
The Marquis of Jinghuan sat opposite Liang Yuan, as if there was no distinction between their statuses. He looked at Liang Yuan calmly, “Of course I remember it.”
“Oh, then you must also remember how you atoned for your mistake.” Liang Yuan said. “It’s been three years. Where’s the remaining half of the picture manual, don’t tell me that you have forgotten what you promised?”
The Marquis of Jinghuan answered, “Of course I remember, but there’s still time before I have to fulfil it. Don’t be too anxious.”
“I have to admit that, you have improved from before. At least I don’t treat you like trash anymore. But you are still far off from His Majesty and the Marquis of Xuanji. They won’t be so anxious.”
Liang Yuan was being lectured by the Marquis of Jinghuan, but he was not furious. He said calmly, “I am reminding you for your own sake. It’s enough if you know it.”
After he finished saying, he stood up and walked away. The rest of his followers followed behind him closely without speaking.
“Liang An, don’t think that you can achieve success in one way or another. In the end, you may just find yourself with nowhere to go. Your actions are monitored by my father. Know your place.”
After the Marquis of Jinghuan heard this, his eyes moved a little as he watched Liang Yuan leaving.
He laughed slightly, “I am not trying to achieve success in one way or another. On the contrary, I have everything in my control.”
As the Marquis of Jinghuan clapped his hands, two young man came to him very quickly. They looked at him calmly. Although they were decked in military wear and they looked the same as the other subordinates of the Marquis of Jinghuan, the way they looked at him did not possess the passion and respect a soldier had for his commander.
There was a hint of respect, but it was for the cultivation realm and powers of the Marquis of Jinghuan.
“The Great Master brought the both of you to me, and I have brought the both of you into the Celestial Sect of Wonders.” The Marquis of Jinghuan said. “The opportunity to spar with the disciples of the Celestial Sect of Wonders, I have also obtained for the both of you. Whether the both of you can find whoever you want to, it all depends on fate.”
The two young man nodded their heads and bowed towards him, “Thank you Sir. We shall carry on from here”
The Marquis of Jinghuan looked at the both of them, “Don’t say that I never warned the both of you. Even if the both of you find him, don’t think of laying a move on him here. Grab the opportunity when he leaves the place. If something happens here, the Great Master can’t help the both of you.”
One of them replied, “Please rest assured, Sir. We know what to do.”
The Marquis of Jinghuan waved his hand and the both of them retreated.
“Next, I will just watch what happens.” The Marquis of Jinghuan stood up. “There are many beauties in the Celestial Sect of Wonders. It’s a pity I can’t get them in the meantime. But it’s fine, the more it’s like that, the more interested I am. If it’s too easy for me to get, there’s no fun in it.”
He creased his brows slightly and revealed a nonchalant expression. “I thought of rearing a pig, while Xiao Yan has become quite ‘plump’ for me to ‘slaughter’. I should do it soon, otherwise, this pig of mine will go running away.”
Liang Yuan left the residence of the Marquis of Jinghuan and proceeded towards his own residence.
As he walked, Liang Yuan communicated with the people around him, “How’s the progress with the hidden pawn that we placed in the Celestial Sect of Wonders?”
A Nascent Soul Stage cultivator beside him nodded his head silently and left the group.
After burying a Voice-Projecting Crystal and leaving a mark, the Nascent Soul Stage cultivator left and returned to the residence of Liang Yuan.
After entering his residence, Liang Yuan sat in his seat and this Nascent Soul Stage cultivator said, “Let’s see when this hidden pawn can obtain the Voice-Projecting Crystal. This is not Mount Yujing. I believe the supervision and control of the place will be more relaxed.”
“The hidden pawn has successfully become a Successive Disciple of the Celestial Sect of Wonders, but the Celestial Sect of Wonders has stationed them all over Mount Kunlun to receive guests these few days. I am not sure when he will return to Yun Peak and get the Voice-Projecting Crystal.”
Liang Yuan said, “No worries. We must be patient.”
Before he finished speaking, the expression of the Nascent Soul Stage cultivator changed, “Your Highness, there’s a response.”
He retrieved a Voice-Projecting Crystal and summoned his own powers. After sensing for a while, he nodded his head, “It’s not discovered by some other disciples from the Celestial Sect of Wonders. I can confirm that it’s the hidden pawn.”
Liang Yuan gestured, “Connect to him.”
The Nascent Soul Stage cultivator connected both parties. After a brief moment, a voice came from the other side. “It’s me.”
“How’s your current situation and the progress of the mission?” The Nascent Soul Stage cultivator went straight into the topic.
The other party replied, “The situation is well so far. Everything is normal. But the thing you asked me to do, it’s a little difficult now.”
“The Celestial Way of the Eight Trigrams is only possessed by Lin Feng and his Immediate Disciples. While the mantras that the Successive Disciples cultivate are also from the secret manual of the sect, they are derived from the Celestial Way of the Eight Trigrams.”
“Although they are also very brilliant, my Master ever said that these mantras cannot be reversed to deduce the Celestial Way of the Eight Trigrams. It seems like it’s true.”
The Nascent Soul Stage cultivator raised his brows, “There must be people who will succeed it. It can’t be the end of it at your Master’s generation.”
The voice on the other side was a little uncertain, “That’s right. What I heard was that during this internal competition, the most outstanding Successive Disciples under each faction will be determined. They will then be promoted to the First Disciple.”
“Although I’m not sure, I believe that the First Disciples have the highest chance of inheriting everything from their own Masters.”
