Cultivation: Fortune by Lots-Chapter 408 - 230. I am a research-oriented talent, not good at fighting_2

Chapter 408: 230. I am a research-oriented talent, not good at fighting_2

Ye Song also smiled.

However, his smile quickly faded, and he asked quietly, "Your Highness, you’re already heading back to the capital. Once we return, it won’t be easy for you to move as freely as before."

The Crown Prince replied offhandedly, "Even this trip wasn’t exactly free. Uncle Xun’an has been watching me all along."

Ye Song expressed his regret, "If only we had a little more time..."

Zhang Hui said, "Patience is a virtue."

Ye Song sighed softly, "Your Highness, with your exceptional talent, even if you stand still for a moment, you could soar into the skies whenever you wish. However... it still requires some time."

In addition to the blessings of the Emperor’s Skill, Zhang Hui’s cultivation foundation was the inheritance of the Confucian Classical Studies. If one could build a solid foundation, it was indeed as efficient as sharpening the axe before felling trees. But even with a solid foundation, although his cultivation would progress at a remarkable speed day by day, he still needed to be cautious about the Heavenly Moat Tribulation that lay between the major realms.

"Patience is a virtue," Zhang Hui repeated calmly.

Ye Song lowered his head. "Yes."

Zhang Hui’s demeanor was relaxed as he smiled. "This trip has been successful, hasn’t it? We’ve climbed another level."

Compared to when he was on Dragon Tiger Mountain, during the few days on the return journey, he had already made another breakthrough, reaching the Fifth Layer of Heaven Realm.

The ostensible reasons were plentiful. The Crown Prince, who had always been confined to the capital, within the palace, journeyed out of the Capital City for the first time in his life. He finally witnessed the majestic and rich landscape of Great Tang, broadening his horizons and mind. Hearing that the Southern Wilderness border was unstable, that remnants of the previous dynasty were causing trouble, and having personally experienced an assassination attempt, he came to appreciate how difficult it was to maintain peace and prosperity. The Crown Prince’s spirit surged, further advancing his cultivation.

But... with Zhang Hui’s talent, was that all there was to it? Many things are understood without saying.

Ye Song said no more, his mind returning to a state of tranquility, devoid of its previous agitation.

The Crown Prince glanced at his cousin, smiling and nodding. But the smile was fleeting, and his expression then grew more serious.

"However," he said, "those Yellow Sky Sect disciples outside Dragon Tiger Mountain—whose orders were they following?"

Ye Song’s expression turned solemn, his brows furrowed. That ill-conceived assassination attempt wasn’t a false flag operation on their part. The assassination had disrupted Crown Prince Zhang Hui’s itinerary. The original plan had included several more stops outside the capital.

Yet, it didn’t seem like the Empress. Not to mention whether the Empress would arrange to have her own nephew eliminated, even if she would, the execution wouldn’t have been so sloppy.

Was it merely a probe to gauge their reaction? Or... is there a third party stirring the pot, hoping to fish in troubled waters? Ye Song speculated.

Zhang Hui stood with his hands behind his back. "Have we still not determined who is backing the Yellow Sky Sect?"

He knew that prominent families like the Jinzhou Ye Clan and the Qingzhou Ye Clan were clandestinely supporting the Yellow Sky Sect to counterbalance the Celestial Master Mansion. But the current situation was rather peculiar. The infiltration of the Yellow Sky Sect by the Jinzhou Ye Clan, the Qingzhou Ye Clan, and other forces had stalled at the middle echelons. Someone else had already preemptively installed their own representatives in the upper echelons of the Yellow Sky Sect. Moreover, various signs indicated that these were two separate groups, but their backers remained mysterious, their origins obscure. Although people like Qingzhou’s Ye Yan had some speculations, they lacked concrete evidence.

Ye Song also expressed his regret. "We currently have no further information. Qi Shuo and Zhao Zongjie are extremely cautious. Although we previously made contact with Qi Shuo, he is very wary, and we haven’t discovered much more. The only valuable clue at the moment is that the assassination attempt seems to have been instigated by Elder Zhao Zongjie of the Yellow Sky Sect, but the reason is unclear."

Zhang Hui nodded slowly, then smiled. "No matter. It’s all the same. Slow and steady wins the race."

He turned to look at a sheet of paper depicting the landscape of Dragon Tiger Mountain. "Although we need to return to the capital earlier than planned, this excursion wasn’t in vain. We’ve visited Pure Yang Palace, Mount Shu, and Dragon Tiger Mountain. After seeing it in person, what is your current view of Dragon Tiger Mountain?"

Ye Song replied without hesitation, "It is indeed quite weak at the moment. Though there are signs of resurgence, they truly rest on the shoulders of just a few individuals. If Jinzhou truly wants to prevent future troubles, the sooner they act, the better."

Though Ye Song said this, he also understood a very simple truth. The cost... who would pay it?

Zhang Hui smiled and casually traced characters on the table with his finger. First, ’Xu,’ ’Tang,’ ’Yuan.’ Then, on a new line, he added the character ’Lei.’

Although Zhang Jingzhen, also of the Tang Imperial Court lineage, was currently in seclusion attempting to break through to the Seventh Layer of Heaven Realm, and there were already Seventh Layer cultivators like Shangguan Ning and Yao Yuan, Zhang Hui did not write down their surnames. After finishing, Zhang Hui’s finger paused on the ’Lei’ character, lightly tapping it as he fell into silent contemplation.

Ye Song nodded slightly. "Shangguan and Zhang might still be winnable, but Yao’s potential has largely reached its peak." He also stared at the ’Lei’ character. "This Elder Lei’s cultivation progresses extremely fast, but in other aspects..."

Zhang Hui said, "He went to the Southern Wilderness this time as well, and even acted alongside Xiao Xueting and Shen Qubing, but he didn’t achieve anything of note."

After recalling carefully for a moment, Ye Song spoke, "Now that I think about it, he isn’t particularly known for his combat prowess."

During the Celestial Master Mansion’s most recent internal strife—the great war targeting the Li Clan—this Master Lei wasn’t very prominent. It was only rumored that he did not directly participate in the battles against the Li Clan disciples but instead operated on the periphery of Dragon Tiger Mountain, guarding against incursions from external enemies like the Blood River Sect and Golden City Stronghold. Later, there were rumors that when Zhao Sen, a worm master from the Witchcraft Sect’s Yintuo Mountain, fought Monk Ruyuan of Southern Bodhi, he ambushed and injured Zhao Sen, but Zhao Sen managed to escape.

He did go to the Southern Wilderness for the great battle this time. But for the most part, he played a minor role and had little presence. His master, Yuan Mobai, at least had the distinction of entering the Jiuli secret domain and participating in the interception of Yang Yuqi at the end of the battle at Sleeping Dragon Lake. Yet when Lei Jun explored Star Dragon Abyss with Xiao Xueting and Shen Qubing, nothing of note occurred.

His only achievement that caught the outside world’s attention was news of his appearance in the Zhao River basin. There, as fate would have it, he killed the worm master Zhao Sen, whose physical body he had previously destroyed. However, the first instance was an ambush while Zhao Sen and Monk Ruyuan were engaged in combat, and the second time, Zhao Sen had not yet recovered his peak strength. For a top disciple from a Sacred Land-level force, a so-called ’favored child of heaven,’ such achievements are not particularly stellar.

Of course, for a Middle Three Heavens cultivator, the perilous environment of the Southern Wilderness this time warranted caution, which could be considered reasonable. However, over the years, whenever Lei Jun had gained fame, it was either due to his rapid cultivation progress or because he had assumed the position of a Celestial Master Mansion Elder at such a young age. But specific accomplishments were hard to find. If one had to find something, it was said that he was keen on refining Basic Spirit Talismans, thereby adding to the Sect’s repository of scriptures and techniques.

In the early years, everyone said that he was another prodigy emerging from the Celestial Master Mansion. But recently, controversy and murmurs had begun to circulate in the outside world. Could he be a talent focused solely on cultivation, rather than one inclined to strive for external glory? From this perspective, he could still be considered a cornerstone of the Sect and should not be underestimated. However, this would place him in a different category of individuals.

Perhaps he is like his master, Yuan Mobai, deeply concealing his strength, only to amaze the world with a single feat?

Zhang Hui’s finger tapped lightly on the table surface. "We still need to pay attention and cannot relax. But..." His fingertip moved to the characters ’Xu,’ ’Tang,’ and ’Yuan’ above. "The key is still here."

Ye Song nodded slowly. However, they only needed to monitor the news; the specifics of how to act were a matter for the Jinzhou Ye Clan. The Qingzhou Ye Clan had other important matters to attend to.

"The imperial edict should be arriving soon. Let’s prepare to enter the city," Zhang Hui said, looking at the painting of Dragon Tiger Mountain and tapping it casually.

The paper ignited, and he casually consigned it to the flames.

...

Within Dragon Tiger Mountain, Lei Jun, unperturbed by the storms of the outside world, steadily advanced his own cultivation.

One night, having been contacted, his consciousness entered the universe of the Celestial Book Starry Sky. Aside from the currently dim Mercury Water Luminary, all six luminaries, including Lei Jun’s own Taibai Metal Scepter, were shining brightly.

Lei Jun had indeed come to seek some information: about Lin Che, the Clan Chief of the Jiangzhou Lin Clan, and about news from Great Black Mountain in the Northern Border. Naturally, this was because of his Eldest Senior Sister, Xu Yuanzhen. But Lei Jun didn’t directly ask about Great Black Mountain or matters related to the Jiangzhou Lin Clan.

His question was, "I wonder if any friend has the latest news on the Youzhou Lin Clan?"