Chapter 181: Chapter 150: Enfeoffing the God of Wealth Temple, The Ninth Realm Bottleneck, The Three Religions’ Theory of Destiny

Inside the ancestral hall of the Thunder Pool Daoist Academy.

In the damp, dark room, he stared at the stone statue, which had remained unresponsive for a long time.

Lu Yunwan kowtowed resoundingly several more times, his heart sinking into despair as cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

He had actually committed such a terrible crime.

He had ruined the grand banquet and indirectly killed so many people.

’But I was only hesitating,’ he thought. ’I wanted to get back at Lu Yunqing, but I didn’t dare act on it. Why did I end up mustering the courage to do such a thing?’

At this moment, he couldn’t turn to anyone else for help.

Because he was the trunk of the entire tree.

All his relationships, interests, and dealings were based on the Yunwan Commerce Association, and at its core was him—Lu Yunwan, Prince Langya.

Unlike the Third Prince, who naturally appealed to the Military General Group, or Lu Yunqing, who had a Saint Teacher and the favor of the Civil Servants, he had no such inherent advantages.

He wasn’t even as well-off as Prince Huai’an, Lu Mingyuan, who had a shrewd and capable maternal grandfather.

His tree could not fall. If it did, everything else would come crashing down with it.

As the Seventh Prince, the reason he couldn’t gain the support of the Court or any Immortal Influence was because of his status as a merchant, which was looked down upon.

In Great Yan, the social hierarchy was scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants. Merchants were ranked last, while “scholars” included both learned men and Cultivators, who were at the very top.

Since he wasn’t valued by the Court, no Immortal Influence was naturally willing to support him either.

He could only spend money to buy connections and rely on his own strength to fight for what he wanted.

He had used transactions to trade for the support of the Buddhist Sect.

Now that the Buddhist Sect had lost faith in him, his only remaining hope was this senior, Zhao Gongming.

Just as he was about to give up all hope…

The stone statue before him finally reacted, emitting faint pulses of white light.

“This True Monarch is occupied with pressing matters and cannot get away. What is it now?”

The ethereal voice appeared once more, soothing Lu Yunwan’s frayed nerves.

“Senior, please, save me!”

“This junior is in mortal danger! I was blinded by hatred and have done something treasonous.”

Overjoyed, Lu Yunwan felt a surge of hope. THUD, THUD, THUD! He kowtowed several more times.

“Do not be hasty. Allow this True Monarch to perform a divination.”

As always, the unhurried voice spoke in a slow, measured tone.

“Heh, how interesting. But that’s all it is. The situation is rather simple.”

A moment later, Lu Yunwan heard a few soft chuckles. He asked in confusion, “Simple? Senior, why do you say that?”

The Zhao Gongming statue flickered slightly. “Because the blame for this matter won’t fall on you. It was the work of a National Preceptor named Xun Yu, who used some Magic. Have you encountered any suspicious individuals?”

Lu Yunwan thought back and nodded. “Senior, your foresight is godlike. I have. Someone auctioned a Dragon Race Manifestation Jade, said to be priceless, and I acquired it.”

“Then that’s it. Xun Yu must have used Confucian True Words to make you do this. The primary blame lies with him. At most, you can be accused of fleeing to escape punishment, which isn’t a difficult problem to handle.”

Lu Yunwan’s expression was one of shock. “Could the Xun Yu you speak of be the National Preceptor of Nan Zhou?!”

“The very same.”

Lu Yunwan was utterly stunned.

’If Senior Gongming hadn’t guided me through this maze, I would have still been in the dark.’

’He’s truly worthy of the title Dragon Tiger Xuantan True Monarch. His foresight is incredible; nothing escapes his grasp.’

“You only need to inquire about what happened in the Capital City tonight. The Military Saint took action and forced Xun Yu to reveal his true form. That man has been placed on the kill list of the Military Saint, Ning Tomb. All the major Dynasties are aware of this. You just need to push all the blame onto Xun Yu, and this crisis will be resolved.”

“I see.”

Lu Yunwan had a sudden epiphany. His mind cleared, and he knew what he had to do.

The statue reminded him, “However, as this True Monarch sees it, this crisis was a trap set by Xun Yu for both you and Lu Yunqing. He hoped to stir up conflict between you two, allowing Prince Jin’s Mansion to reap the rewards. Your most urgent task is to move against Prince Jin’s Mansion. After all, Xun Yu has already been sanctioned by a Saint and is no longer a threat. Now is the perfect time to deal with him.”

Lu Yunwan deeply agreed, cupping his hands. “Thank you for the reminder, Senior!”

“I will proceed with the follow-up plan methodically, exactly as you’ve instructed, Senior. Once this storm blows over, this junior will immediately implement the ’sell-off’ method you taught me to bankrupt the businesses under the other two Princes, leaving them unable to pay salaries.”

“Mm. Since you are enlightened, this True Monarch should take his leave.”

Lu Yunwan said gratefully, “After this is done, this junior will certainly apply to the Court for your deification. With an official title, the God of Wealth Temple will surely overflow with Incense Power.”

…

Meanwhile, in another place—Qingzhu Hall of the Cold Palace.

“Deification? Does that mean I’ll be able to absorb Incense Power too?”

Lu Mingyuan touched his face and muttered to himself.

’It seems possible, logically speaking,’ he mused. ’Normally, only the Mountain and Water Deities officially deified by Great Yan, as well as Immortal Influences and Sects of all sizes, can absorb Incense Power. This allows a Sect’s Destiny to rise to a new level and flourish for ages.’

If that was the case, then his role as the God of Wealth was about to become real.

Lu Mingyuan rubbed the bridge of his nose, feeling a little tired.

Too much had happened tonight.

It was already late into the night.

Lu Mingyuan lay on his large bed, taking the opportunity to recharge his clones.

His main job now was to gather all intelligence, sit back and enjoy the show, guide Lu Yunwan, and deal with the other Princes.

Under his direction, Lu Yunwan would also target Prince Jin’s Mansion.

And his eighth brother, Lu Yunqing, wouldn’t let Prince Jin’s Mansion off the hook either, due to the death of Princess Consort Ning.

Everyone was now fixated on Prince Jin’s Mansion, which was a silver lining in this whole mess.

“Zi Yun, Hong Wan.”

Lu Mingyuan called out.

The two graceful figures pushed the door open and entered. Zi Yun’s delicate voice asked softly,

“Your Highness, do you require us to attend to you in bed?”

“Come and stay with me for a while.”

Zi Yun obediently came and lay down beside Lu Mingyuan. Feeling the warmth of his body and the beat of his heart, she felt a sense of security.

Hong Wan, on the other hand, removed her top and snuggled up against Lu Mingyuan’s arm.

With an arm around each of them and their sweet fragrance in the air, Lu Mingyuan felt as if he were resting on two pillows. His eyelids grew heavy, and soon, the sound of soft breathing filled the room.

There had been too much to deal with today. Controlling multiple clones had consumed a great deal of his Spiritual Power.

“Your Highness…”

Zi Yun called out softly, but there was no response.

Hong Wan sat up, gently pulled the blanket over Lu Mingyuan, and whispered, “His Highness has fallen asleep.”

They both found it strange. His Highness had simply held them and fallen into a deep sleep just like that?

…

「The next day.」

Lu Mingyuan woke up, feeling full of energy for the day ahead.

He began his daily Martial practice, increasing the number of his Flesh Body’s Acupoints and absorbing a portion of the Buddha’s Relics’ power.

Now, the Buddha’s Relics not only protected his Flesh Body but also provided a continuous source of energy. This energy supplied his body with nutrients as he operated the Divine Sensing Chapter. After absorbing the Buddha Power, the Blood-Colored Taotie Diagram had become much clearer.

It could even manifest as a phantom image behind him, showing faint signs of becoming his Dharma Aspect.

He drank the Emerald Green Jade Liquid that had accumulated in the Heaven-Controlling Bottle in one gulp, gaining tens of thousands of nutrient points.

「Blood Glutton Celestial Fall Scripture – Divine Sensing Chapter (Ninth Floor: 150,000/500,000)」

He had even discovered another use for the Heaven-Controlling Bottle. If he placed priceless, treasured herbs inside it, he could accelerate the age of the Spirit Medicine.

He did a comparison and found the ratio was about one to twenty.

A ten-year-old Dragon-Tiger Blood-Qi Herb would immediately double in value, but this function wasn’t particularly useful to him.

The effects of even hundred-year-old Treasure Level Heaven and Earth Spiritual Treasures were extremely limited on him now.

After all, the Heaven-Controlling Bottle was only a Hundred Treasures Level Spiritual Artifact.

The word “Flawed” in its description indicated that the Heaven-Controlling Bottle was incomplete. Perhaps it would have greater uses in the future.

The Jade Pendant that Princess Jinwu had given him, however, was quite useful. It could nurture Magical Treasures.

Lu Mingyuan had already placed his new saber, Yang Su—ranked eleventh in the world—inside it.

He had a good idea who had sent it to him.

The old drunkard, Zhao Xuanwu.

’I just don’t know how he got this saber. He didn’t steal it, did he?’

’If so, that would be just his style.’

This famous saber, now in his possession, had not yet had a chance to be unsheathed and taste blood.

After another morning of Cultivation, boosted by numerous Treasures, he finally broke through the eight-thousand-acupoint mark.

He was now just two steps away from the theoretical limit recorded in the annals.

「Azure Destiny – Martial Venerable, Refinement Level increased to 50%」

「Promotion Trait – Attainment (Middle Level)」

「Attainment (Middle Level): Breaks one’s personal shackles, greatly increasing Flesh Body potential. Acupoints become limitless. Allows for comprehension of Cultivation Techniques, slightly raising their potential and grade.」

With the Refinement Level of his “Martial Venerable” Fate Grid now over halfway complete, compared to the partial potential it granted before, it could now greatly increase his Flesh Body’s potential and slightly raise the grade of his Cultivation Techniques through comprehension.

Lu Mingyuan had a faint, unsettling feeling.

Logically, he should be making steady progress in his Cultivation toward the Ninth Realm Dragon Gate.

However, he could sense an invisible resistance, a force working against him from the unseen world.

Furthermore, looking through the historical records, among the many Emperors of Great Yan, not a single one besides the Grand Ancestor had ever broken through to the Ninth Realm.

’Could there be some kind of curse?’

Lu Mingyuan once heard Yun Qinghe explain that the amount of Destiny in the world is finite. An entire world possesses only so much Destiny, which limits the number of Cultivators who can reach the highest realms. This includes the Three Religions Cultivators, the major Dynasties, and all Cultivators under heaven. Everyone holds their own share.

Why are some people born at the finish line, blessed with immense Destiny from birth— heralded by phenomena like a thousand miles of violet mist, an auspicious white deer acknowledging them as master, steam rising from the great marshes, or a True Dragon devouring the sun?

It was because their innate share of Destiny was vast. As long as they followed their path, they were bound to become extraordinary figures.

To live was to fight not just for one’s breath, but for one’s destiny.

No matter which path a Cultivator walked, they had to abide by this principle.

The doctrines of the Confucian Family, the legacies of the Taoist Sect, and the scriptural merits of the Buddhist Sect were all methods for continuously expanding one’s own Destiny.

’As a Martial Artist, if I want to expand my own Destiny, what should I do?’

It was like a Sect with limited resources; only a certain number of Cultivators could ever reach the Middle Fifth Grade. There was always an upper limit.

’This impending bottleneck before the Ninth Realm… it’s not because my talent is insufficient. Could it be because my Destiny is lacking?’

For the first time, Lu Mingyuan began to seriously contemplate this problem.

…

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