Who Let Him Cultivate?! (WX)
Chapter 1131: Tempering in the Mundane World or Through Battles?
“She only won because she was lucky. One failure means nothing. Everyone, let’s keep pushing forward and aim to make her use a second move!”
The Everlasting Immortal Fairy’s speech was remarkably effective in rallying her troops.
Although they had exhausted all their trump cards, expended tremendous energy, and fought a bitter struggle, they were still no match for Yun Zhi. However, none of them felt worn out. On the contrary, they were all in glowing spirits.
Before returning to the cave abode, they had lain on the ground and slept for a long while. Now that they had woken up, they were more or less fully rested.
Their injuries were more severe than Lu Yang’s, but with the various methods they had at their disposal, their recovery speed was astonishing.
In the blink of an eye, the Dou Heavenly Emperor personally led her troops into battle, and they marched off with great fanfare, leaving Lu Yang to stay in the cave abode alone, like a married woman without her husband’s favor.
Lu Yang blinked, utterly befuddled as to what they were up to.
He took a bite of a flower cake and sipped the Wudao Enlightenment Tea, then noticed something was amiss. He hastily picked up the book and shook it.
“Oh no, crumbs have fallen into the spine of the book!”
Lu Yang was absorbed in cultivation techniques once more. When he looked up a second time, he happened to see that the Great Dou Dynasty had withdrawn its forces and returned to court after a crushing defeat again.
“Fifteen failures mean nothing. Let’s keep pushing forward...”
Watching the group remember to quietly close the door behind them before setting off for their expedition, Lu Yang ate a spirit fruit absentmindedly, only to suddenly grimace.
“So sour! What spirit fruit is this?”
When he looked up for the third time, the Everlasting Immortal Fairy was once again boosting everyone’s morale.
“Eighty failures mean nothing. Everyone, rest for a while.”
The group was so exhausted that they were unsteady on their feet, and they had no energy left to continue fighting. Even Qing He had slumped onto the ground.
Even if they were half-immortals, they couldn’t withstand fighting battle after battle like this.
Nevertheless, their efforts were not without gains. Their coordinated tactics were improving rapidly. The only problem was that their enemy was so overwhelmingly strong that their progress wasn’t apparent.
The corners of Lu Yang’s mouth twitched. Finally, he could no longer hold himself back. “Immortal Fairy, what exactly are you all doing?”
“Campaigning against a formidable foe and expanding our territory!”
“Accomplishing legendary feats and leaving our name in the annals of Dou history!”
“Challenging ourselves and breaking through our limits!”
“Earning noble titles and rising to the pinnacle of officialdom!”
“Campaign once, campaign forever! Our kingdom shall stand eternal!”
Each slogan represented each member’s respective aspiration. Yun Mengmeng and the others howled with fervor, seemingly not all that tired yet.
The history of the Great Dou Dynasty’s campaigns was a chronicle of blood and tears. Over eighty battles, large and small, not only had the Dou Heavenly Emperor personally led her troops into battle, with all three Great Generals deployed, but even civil officials such as the Scribe and the Minister of Rites had laid down their brushes and taken up arms, throwing themselves into the brutal fray.
The Dou Heavenly Emperor lamented the hardships of her people. No matter how dire the battle situation, she resolutely refused to levy taxes, never adding to the people’s burdens. She was truly a wise ruler.
“We are campaigning against Lass Yun!” The Everlasting Immortal Fairy placed her hands on her hips and lifted her chin, as if they had really done something magnificent.
Bang!
The door to the cave abode swung open. The target of their campaign had come knocking.
“Big Senior Sister!” Lu Yang raised both hands in surrender, trying to prove his innocence.
Yun Zhi glanced at the books and the notes scattered across Lu Yang’s desk. She nodded in satisfaction. “Senior Immortal Fairy told me you were working on your cultivation technique. They didn’t want to disturb you inside the cave abode, so they came out to find something to occupy themselves. I happened to pass by and thought I’d check if that was indeed the case.”
Lu Yang’s eyelids twitched. Immortal Fairy, all of you might as well have obediently stayed in the cave abode playing Dou Dizhu[1] or mahjong.
“Not bad. Continue studying.” After offering a few words of encouragement, Yun Zhi turned to leave, but Lu Yang stopped her.
“Big Senior Sister, if I want to stabilize my cultivation realm, which path is better—tempering myself in the mundane world as a mortal or tempering myself through battles?”
Yun Zhi pondered for a bit. “Actually, it makes no difference.”
Lu Yang nodded, half-understanding. “Big Senior Sister, are you saying that the three thousand paths of the Great Dao lead to the same destination? Regardless of what I choose, it’s essentially a process of clearing the heart, seeing one’s true nature, and verifying one’s original intent, which aligns with my cultivation technique. Is that right?”
“No. What I mean is that given your luck, even if you choose the path of tempering yourself in the mundane world as a mortal, you will end up tempering yourself through battles anyway.”
Lu Yang was silent. Big Senior Sister, these words cut me to the quick. I admit that I’m fond of battles, but I’ve never once initiated a conflict. It’s clearly because the Battle of the Great Era has arrived, and battles have broken out everywhere. I just happened to be caught in the middle of it.
“Xiao Yangzi, don’t be afraid. The Great Dou Dynasty will always be your solid backing. Go ahead and become a mortal in the mundane world. If you encounter any battles, we’ll help you fight!” the Everlasting Immortal Fairy declared with loyalty.
The Great Dou Dynasty could stand firm for years without collapsing and even continued to expand, establishing Lu Yang as its crown prince. This was all thanks to the Everlasting Immortal Fairy’s principle—she didn’t judge based on ability, but only on the closeness of relationships. She appointed people according to merit, valuing the code of brotherhood in the jianghu.
After Yun Zhi left, Lu Yang let out a sigh. I wonder when Big Senior Sister will come to fetch me. When will this undercover assignment finally come to an end?
Cultivation knew no time.
Lu Yang shut himself inside his cave abode, burying himself in his studies day and night. The rest of the Great Dou Dynasty also confined themselves to his cave abode, immersing themselves in their own amusements day and night.
Both parties had their own matters, and the days passed peacefully.
“Almost there.” Lu Yang picked up a stack of papers and gave it a light flick.
Over these past days, he had studied cultivation techniques, contemplated their meanings, unraveled their complexities thread by thread, and woven in his own understanding. At last, he had produced this piece of work.
Then, with a bang, the papers crumbled into fine powder under his flick.
Lu Yang covered his face. Just now, his cultivation had spiked momentarily to the Basic Transcendent Tribulation Stage, and he had failed to control his strength. All his achievements had been reduced to ashes.
Fortunately, it was his own work, and he could write it quickly.
“I’ll go look for Big Senior Sister.”
By now, Lu Yang had recovered for the most part. He no longer limped and needed no assistance to walk.
He opened the door of the cave abode, and the Everlasting Immortal Fairy and the others fell in line behind him like bodyguards.
~~~
Lu Yang found Yun Zhi at the summit of Heaven’s Gate Peak. She had been staying here during this period.
Yun Zhi sat on the monarch chair, holding a sword manual in her hand. Gan Tian was playing the qin with her eyes blindfolded. As the breeze brushed past, the grass rustled. The scenery was as beautiful as a painting.
Seeing Lu Yang arrive, Yun Zhi discreetly tucked away the sword manual, but Yun Mengmeng still caught her.
“Aiya, Little Zhi, you’re looking at sword manuals again. Can’t you be like me? If you can’t learn it, just give up.”
Yun Zhi pretended not to have heard Yun Mengmeng’s remark. “Are you done writing your cultivation technique?”
“Yes.” Lu Yang presented the cultivation manual to Yun Zhi respectfully.
After reading through it once, Yun Zhi uttered two words indifferently. “Not bad.”
Compared to the cultivation technique he had written at the very beginning, Little Junior Brother has clearly improved considerably.
“Let me see, let me see!” Hearing Yun Zhi praise Lu Yang, Yun Mengmeng clamored to have a look.
Ao Ling, Qing He, and the others pressed their heads together, peering at the manuscript in Yun Mengmeng’s hands.
“It’s indeed not bad.” Qing He was surprised. Although there are a few flaws, this is from my current perspective. If I were at the Void Refinement Stage myself, I would never have been able to produce a cultivation technique of this caliber.
“The Young Creed Leader is so impressive.”
“Of course. How could our Second-in-Command not be impressive?”
“Big Senior Sister, regarding my cultivation technique...” Lu Yang looked at Yun Zhi expectantly.
“Only forty percent needs revision,” she said.
1. Dou Dizhu is a Chinese card game often translated as “Fight the Landlord.” It is probably one of the most iconic Chinese games alongside mahjong and weiqi. ☜