Chapter 103: Chapter 102: The Prince’s Banquet

Ling Xiao’s current cultivation was now difficult to judge by the standards of the Canglan Continent. After reaching Foundation Establishment, all of his meridians were completely open. Even the Qi Sea and Qugu acupoints, which Mad Sword Masters needed to unblock, were now totally unimpeded. According to the techniques of the Cultivation Realm, now that Ling Xiao had achieved Foundation Establishment, he could directly absorb the world’s Spiritual Qi to cultivate.

On the Canglan Continent, however, only Martial Artists at or above the level of Sword Venerable were able to directly absorb the Spiritual Qi of the world to cultivate. Furthermore, they lacked a complete and systematic Cultivation Technique like Ling Xiao’s. Almost all of them absorbed Spiritual Qi unconsciously as they trained.

Otherwise, with the Canglan Continent’s abundant Spiritual Qi, how could Martial Artists with the strength of a Sword Saint be so rare!

Ling Xiao, however, wasn’t arrogant enough to believe he had already reached the strength of a Demon Swordsman. This highlighted the difference between the Cultivation Realm and the Canglan Continent. Cultivators would first cleanse their marrow and achieve Foundation Establishment before they began to truly practice. On the Canglan Continent, however, the concepts of marrow cleansing and Foundation Establishment didn’t exist. Martial Artists had to rely purely on their own hard work, breaking through acupoints one by one and forcing their way forward every step of the way.

To use an analogy, one path was a well-defined road; as long as you kept walking, you would eventually reach the end. The other was like forging your own path, a journey full of thorns and hardships, where you might even go astray.

The disparity... was plain to see!

The Inner Strength currently stored in Ling Xiao’s body wasn’t his own. To be precise, it was the medicinal power left over from the Foundation Establishment Pill.

If Ling Xiao overused this power, it would be completely depleted. Even if he managed to regain it through cultivation, it would never be as profound as what he possessed now.

Based on the Sword Qi he could release by controlling his Inner Strength, Ling Xiao’s actual level was likely equivalent to a Second or Third Rank Great Sword Master. If he also utilized the techniques of the Nine Swords of Dugu and the various other cultivation methods he had mastered, he was quite confident he could challenge a Mad Sword Master.

Moreover, in his future cultivation, Ling Xiao wouldn’t need to break through any more acupoints. As the power within his body continued to accumulate, his strength would just grow stronger and stronger!

Ling Xiao remained seated cross-legged on the floor and circulated his energy using Shushan’s unique internal power cultivation method for one more Grand Circulation. When he opened his eyes again, the sharp glint within them was completely restrained. He stood up, and the feeling he once had on Shushan returned to him, granting him an elegant and otherworldly aura.

The flavor of the Dao... had grown richer.

If Ling Xiao were to draw his sword now, others would be even more astonished to discover that he and his sword had already become one, indistinguishable from each other.

The moment he opened the door, he was met with the startled cries of several women. Ye Wen Ni first frowned as she looked at Ling Xiao, who seemed to have a layer of filth caked on his face and hands. But then, she was surprised she couldn’t smell anything foul on him and asked in astonishment, "What... what’s going on?"

"Young Master, you’re finally out!" Qiuyue’s eyes were filled with pleasant surprise. She felt there was something new about him, though she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. ’Whatever it is... it’s a very pleasant feeling. It makes me want to be closer to him.’ As the thought crossed her mind, a blush suddenly bloomed on her cheeks. "Young Master," she said softly, "your bath is ready."

"Oh, thank you," Ling Xiao said casually as he started toward the bath. Qiuyue was baffled by his words of gratitude. ’Isn’t this my duty? Why is the Young Master thanking me?’ she wondered. Fortunately, her and Chunlan’s devotion to Ling Xiao had been unwavering for over a decade, so it never crossed their minds that he might be dissatisfied with them.

Seeing Qiuyue still following him, Ling Xiao said, "I can manage by myself. Just prepare a new set of clothes and leave them there!"

"Understood." Qiuyue smiled gently and went to prepare. To her, no matter how the Young Master changed, he was still her master. If the master was well, they would be happy too. That was all.

After Ling Xiao finished bathing and walked out, he startled Ye Wen Ni, who happened to look up and see him. The little miss’s mouth hung slightly open, and she pointed at Ling Xiao, dumbstruck, then reached up to touch her own face. "You... you’re Ling Xiao?"

Ling Xiao frowned, finding Ye Wen Ni’s joke not the least bit funny. Just then, Shangguan Yutong hurried in from outside. She knew Ling Xiao had been in seclusion for the past few days, likely attempting to break through to his Celestial Vein. Based on her knowledge, assaulting the Celestial Vein was incredibly risky and potentially fatal, so she had been checking in daily. She also intended to drag away Ye Wen Ni, who had been keeping vigil. That girl had already made quite a name for herself in the senior classes of the academy.

What made Shangguan Yutong not know whether to laugh or cry was that in the short time they had been out training, Ye Wen Ni had already injured seven or eight students who had been pestering her. Although the injuries weren’t serious, her reputation as a "violent girl" had already spread. Moreover, Ye Wen Ni had found out about what happened between Ling Xiao and Xie Xiaoyan and had put out the word that she was going to teach that shameless woman a lesson on Ling Xiao’s behalf.

Shangguan Yutong was just relieved that Ye Wen Ni hadn’t claimed to be Ling Xiao’s woman—that would have been a disaster. It was also fortunate that Xie Xiaoyan was away from the academy on a training expedition with the main group; otherwise, who knew what might have happened. She planned to find time to have a serious talk with Ye Wen Ni and make her understand that students shouldn’t resort to fighting so readily. This was especially true since most of the people she had injured were young masters from prominent families. They hadn’t come seeking retribution yet—probably because Ye Wen Ni was a girl—but there was no telling whether they were secretly plotting against her.

As soon as she entered the room, she too saw Ling Xiao, who had just come out from his bath. The baby-like skin on his face, in particular, stunned Shangguan Yutong and simultaneously sparked a powerful wave of jealousy in her heart. ’This is too much! How can a man’s skin be even better than a woman’s!’

And so, for the next few days, Ling Xiao didn’t appear on campus. Instead, he was busy concocting an elixir to change his skin tone, and also... an Anti-Aging Pill!

He really had no choice. Ling Xiao had previously underestimated just how sensitive women were about their appearance. If he went out looking like this, he was afraid he’d frighten a great many people. His skin was now as soft and smooth as an infant’s, so much so that it made a national beauty like Shangguan Yutong feel jealous. One could only imagine how unreasonably perfect Ling Xiao’s complexion had become.

After taking the elixir to alter his complexion, Ling Xiao’s skin returned to its usual appearance. On closer inspection, however, the delicate texture was still far beyond what any ordinary person could hope to possess.

On the ninth day after Ling Xiao returned to the Imperial Academy, Luo Tian once again paid him a visit. Upon seeing Ling Xiao, Luo Tian was stunned for a moment. He felt that Ling Xiao seemed to have changed a great deal, but he couldn’t put his finger on how.

He glanced at Ling Xiao’s two stunningly beautiful maids and felt a pang of envy. To maintain a low profile, he had only two ordinary maids serving him, despite living in the same type of residence as Ling Xiao. ’This guy sure has it good,’ Luo Tian thought. ’Even his maids are gorgeous, to say nothing of a top-class beauty like Yisha being fond of him.’

"Brother Ling, I’ve finally found you!" Luo Tian said, his face wreathed in a sincere smile. "Kaelin is back. Thanks to the elixir from Classmate Yisha, she’s recovering very well. I’m hosting a banquet at the Xiangxie Inn tonight, mainly for you and Classmate Yisha. I hope you’ll do me the honor of attending, Brother Ling."

Having opened his Celestial Vein, Ling Xiao’s mentality had also changed somewhat. Things he had been wary of in the past no longer seemed so important. Besides, his conscience was clear, and he believed that even the Crown Prince couldn’t do anything to him just for having a meal with Luo Tian. To do so would be tantamount to pushing Ling Tianxiao towards the Second Prince.

In Ling Xiao’s estimation, although Li Tianluo was a man of deep schemes, his character wasn’t bad, and Ling Xiao was willing to befriend a person like that. Nodding, Ling Xiao said, "Don’t worry, I’ll definitely be there on time!"