The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi on the Canglan Continent was abundant. In Ling Xiao’s eyes, not using every second of every minute for cultivation was a serious waste.

After three days of cultivation, Ling Xiao had once again combed through his new body’s meridians and stored the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi in his Dantian. Although this body had undergone a marrow cleansing via a Foundation Establishment Pill, which made its meridians incredibly wide, its innate deficiencies meant it was a far cry from the body Ling Xiao possessed in his past life. Because of this, Ling Xiao had been extremely cautious during his cultivation, not daring to be the least bit careless. After being nourished by Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi for so long, his meridians had finally been fortified.

Ling Xiao stood up, his every move carrying a naturally harmonious air. Watching him, Chunlan blushed slightly. She felt the young master’s elegant aura growing stronger by the day. Though surprised, she wouldn’t ask questions. If the young master wanted to explain, he would tell them. After all, the two of them were the people closest to him.

"Young Master, this mansion is too large. Should... should we go buy some servants?" Chunlan asked softly.

"Of course. You and Qiuyue can make the decision."

Ling Xiao glanced at Chunlan. "From now on, you two can handle the affairs of the inner residence."

He then turned and walked out the door. Staring at Ling Xiao’s departing figure, Chunlan was lost in a daze for a moment before a joyous smile blossomed on her face. She felt utterly blissful. ’What other maid in a noble family could possibly be as happy as me and Qiuyue? I have to tell Qiuyue this good news right away! Hehe... Even if a mistress comes along in the future, I bet she won’t dare to look down on us. After all, everything in this Ling Mansion was built with our own hands!’

’What a sense of accomplishment!’

Ling Xiao walked outside. The entire inner courtyard was empty. The afternoon sun was no longer so harsh, but a dry heat still hung in the air. An occasional breeze rustled the leaves of the trees in the backyard. Ling Xiao looked up at the rare species of trees. Throughout the garden, there were benches placed at regular intervals. Most of them were carved from massive tree roots, blending into the landscape in natural harmony and embodying a kind of low-key, profound luxury. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Ling Xiao sat down on one of them and began to seriously consider the tasks ahead.

He had originally thought that after arriving at his fief, he would focus solely on cultivation and leave external affairs to others. Now, he realized how naive that idea was. Penzes City was his fief, which meant the entire territory for a hundred miles around Penzes was his domain. While enjoying all the privileges and benefits this land brought him, Ling Xiao also had to shoulder all of its responsibilities!

However, a very practical problem lay before Ling Xiao: he had absolutely no idea how to govern.

It was a bit embarrassing to admit, but it was the truth. Ling Xiao suddenly thought of that girl with exceptional business talent, Miss Huangpu Yue of the Huangpu Clan. ’If I could get a girl like that to help me manage the fief, I’m sure I could relax then, couldn’t I?’

「Meanwhile, a thousand miles away in the Adventurer’s Bar in Wutang Town...」

Miss Huangpu cupped her fragrant cheek with one hand, tapping boredly on the table with the other. Her cherry-red lips were pursed, her charming eyes blinking gently as she spoke. "That mysterious fellow hasn’t shown up in ages. Uncle Cangsong, who do you think he really is?"

Huangpu Cangsong, who should have been at the Huangpu Auction House in the Imperial Capital, was also present in the Adventurer’s Bar. He took a small sip of the crimson liquid in the glass before him, closed his eyes in bliss, and sighed in admiration. "Miss, your bartending skills are becoming more and more exquisite! I truly don’t know how you do it. The wondrous ideas you come up with are simply astounding!"

"Uncle Cangsong!" Huangpu Yue chided, her brow furrowed in exasperation. "It’s not like I’ve fallen for him. I’m just curious, that’s all. Who on earth is he?"

Huangpu Cangsong sighed softly. He had lived for many years and experienced countless events; his judgment was razor-sharp. ’Even if the young miss hasn’t fallen for that boy,’ he thought, ’she’s at the very least deeply intrigued!’

Still, everyone was young once. Huangpu Cangsong racked his brain, trying to recall what he had been doing at Miss Yue’s age, but he couldn’t remember a thing. He just had a vague feeling that life must have been simple and wonderful back then. With another soft sigh, he gave up on the trip down memory lane.

’The miss absolutely cannot get involved with that boy! She is the present and future hope of the Huangpu Family! He may seem impressive, but he is not suitable for her!’

"A while ago, the Ling Family’s third young master, Ling Xiao, commissioned us to find quite a few medicinal herbs. He also managed to break through his condition as a Celestial Vein Master, becoming the only person to do so in the last few hundred years! The others spend their whole lives as Celestial Vein Masters, including our great Chancellor Constant. In truth, he just lacks the courage. Then again, courage is often the other side of foolishness. I’ve heard of a few who tried to force their meridians open with Medicated Baths... they all died."

Huangpu Cangsong’s expression was placid as he spoke, showing little respect when he mentioned Chancellor Constant. This was because Constant’s fame came primarily from the commoners. Among the aristocracy, while every noble paid lip service to respecting the Chancellor, in their hearts, they all wished he would drop dead.

Constant had spent almost his entire life figuring out how to benefit the common people. For that, he was the greatest, most unprecedented chancellor the Empire had ever seen!

"The Ling Family’s third young master?" A hint of curiosity crept into Huangpu Yue’s voice. She looked up and stretched languidly, like a lazy cat. "There have been so many rumors about him lately. He sounds like a rather interesting person!"

"Indeed, Miss. I would suggest you take a trip south for a while. I hear that elves occasionally appear on the slave market in Penzes City!" Huangpu Cangsong said, doing his utmost to divert her attention so she would forget the mysterious man. "Haven’t you always been curious about elves? If you’re lucky, you might just encounter one. In fact, many high-ranking nobles and ministers keep elves, but they are a rare sight for common folk."

Huangpu Yue’s brow furrowed when she heard the word "keep," but she said nothing. This was, after all, a world where the strong preyed on the weak. The nobles were the class that set the rules and enjoyed the privileges. ’Hasn’t my own family struggled desperately for generations,’ she thought, ’all for the sake of attaining that same noble status?’

Unfortunately, their status as wealthy merchants was a major obstacle to their dream of becoming nobles. Although nobles had their own enterprises, they would never manage them personally—it was far too demeaning for someone of their station.

’A bunch of hypocrites!’ Huangpu Yue cursed inwardly, gritting her teeth. Out loud, she said, "To the south? Sounds good! It just so happens I haven’t seen the sea in ages!"

Huangpu Cangsong blinked. "Miss, I don’t believe you’ve ever seen the sea."

"Hehe," she giggled. "Can’t a girl see it in a book?"

As Ling Xiao sat there, his mind had unknowingly begun to wander. In the Taoist School, true Divine Soul Emergence was a Divine Power one could only grasp after reaching the Soul Emergence Stage, which itself came after the Nascent Soul Stage. Therefore, Ling Xiao’s "wandering" was simply his Spirit Platform entering the Void Realm—a state of no thought, no ceasing, no desire, and no rumination, a state where he achieved unity with his Daoxin. This was tremendously beneficial for cultivating the Mental Realm.

A cool evening breeze stirred, finally snapping Ling Xiao back to his senses. When he checked his mental state, he was overjoyed. This afternoon of unintentional meditation had actually elevated his mental realm directly to the Mid-Golden Core Stage!

The mental realm, which was the most difficult aspect to train in the Cultivation Realm, was something he was repeatedly breaking through here. One’s actual power would always increase with diligent cultivation, but the Daoxin was a profoundly mysterious thing. A person could remain stuck for a thousand years, their cultivation stagnating until they died of old age. Yet, it was also possible to achieve a sudden, great enlightenment and soar to the heavens!

Ling Xiao’s eyes focused, and two beams of almost-tangible light shot forth. For an instant, his eyes shone with a brilliance that made it impossible to look at them directly, but fortunately, the light vanished in a flash.

With a wave of his hand, the Fine Willow Sword materialized in his grasp. One of the perks of powerful Spiritual Power was being able to use a Storage Ring as easily as thinking!

A blade of light, barely a foot long, hissed from the Fine Willow Sword. It seemed even shorter than the blade of a Tier Three Great Sword Master, but a closer look would reveal that Ling Xiao’s sword gleam was a faint, snow-white light—unlike any known form of Sword Qi on the continent!

This Sword Qi was generated by channeling Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi; its power was on a completely different level.

With a flick of his sword and a nimble shift in his footwork, Ling Xiao’s body was instantly enveloped in the snow-white Sword Qi. Gradually, his movements created an energy field. All the plants within a dozen meters began to sway in time with his Sword Dance, leaving Chunlan, who had come over to remind him about dinner, utterly dumbfounded as she watched from a distance.

The plants, especially the delicate flowers—not a single one had lost even a leaf to Ling Xiao’s incomparably sharp Sword Qi!

’Is... is that still Sword Qi?’

As Chunlan watched, she couldn’t help but begin to dance as well. She held no sword in her hand, but she held a sword in her heart. Every move and form she made was from the Jade Maiden Sword Skill Ling Xiao had taught her. At first, she struggled to keep up with his rhythm, but she gradually became more proficient. From a distance, she looked like an exquisite dancer, her entire being seemingly on the verge of melting into the surrounding environment.

Ling Xiao had already stopped his own dance. Watching Chunlan, he couldn’t help but smile. ’This girl... she’s excellent cultivation material! To be able to enter the Void Realm so easily! Looks like I should train her properly when I have the time.’

Ling Xiao thought.

---------------------------------

Some friends have suggested that I should have a fixed update schedule, otherwise the wait is too difficult. Thinking about it, that makes sense. My bad.

So how about this: from now on, I’ll release one Chapter at 6 PM, one at 8 PM, and one at 10 PM every evening. I’ll do my best to be punctual, but it might take some time to get into the rhythm. If I’m occasionally late, please be understanding. In any case, Xiaodao will try his best.

Bonus Chapters are a separate matter!

As for tonight, I’ll see... I’ll try my best to write and post one more Chapter, but it will definitely be very late. If you can’t wait up, please get some rest! (To be continued. If you wish to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com for more Chapters. Support the author and support official reading!)