Li Qinglin has ascended the throne.
A king who doesn’t even care about the invasion from the West and sends his son to handle it shows just how weak his control over the army is. Li Qinglin didn’t even need to force anyone; he just had to deal with his own problems for a bit to avoid any unexpected issues in the palace. Just like that, the king wisely announced his abdication.
While Li Qinglin was throwing a tantrum at home, the imperial edict had already spread.
Even though the king ignored state affairs, he was still a typical politician. He knew that if he didn’t take the initiative, he might not even survive. By stepping down, he could live comfortably as a retired emperor and pursue his own path.
Of course, he didn’t know he only had a few days left to live.
The king’s voluntary abdication made Li Qinglin’s legal standing look much better and avoided many potential undercurrents and turmoil. Amidst the clamor in the capital searching for the remnants of the Eastern Huazi’s evil sect, Li Qinglin officially took the throne.
Qin Yi was sitting in his room practicing and didn’t get involved in the grand ceremony.
Li Qinglin’s quick ascension meant he truly wouldn’t give up the throne.
Qin Yi felt conflicted about this. The best path for Li Qinglin right now would be to give up the throne and focus on cultivating, but that would be good for Li Qinglin and not for Li Qingjun. She would have to remain trapped in the golden palace, becoming a queen she never wanted to be, bearing a heavy burden that could crush her.
If Li Qinglin wanted to take the throne, then so be it... As long as he was alive, Li Qingjun would at least still have some choices.
He once thought that his enemy was Eastern Huazi, but only now did he realize that Eastern Huazi himself wasn’t the important part. What mattered was what he experienced and gained during this process.
This isn’t a game where defeating a boss gives you experience points.
This is life.
Even if Liu Su could treat this mortal world like a game, Qin Yi couldn’t be so detached. He had to admit he was genuinely worried about Li Qinglin’s mindset, Li Qingjun’s future, and the fate of Nan Li.
As Ming He said, getting too deep into the play leads to getting lost in a dream.
Right now, his biggest hope was for a reply from Ming He’s sect, which could turn everything around, leading to a happy ending and avoiding many troubles.
In the meantime, thinking about anything was useless; it was better to focus on his own cultivation.
At least in this matter, defeating a boss did give him experience points to level up.
Three months had passed since he crossed over, and he had been practicing martial arts since day one, guided by Liu Su, which was clearly better than the original owner’s attempts at figuring things out alone. He also took various body-strengthening herbs and nourishing qi herbs for medicinal baths. His cultivation should have advanced rapidly, but the actual results were quite ordinary; he couldn’t break through his innate barriers.
This was naturally because his current self was filled with resentment, making it hard to cultivate either martial arts or Dao. This time, he personally avenged two enemies and contributed to Eastern Huazi’s downfall. With this revenge thoroughly taken, the original owner’s resentment should have been swept away. If it weren’t for Li Qinglin’s situation disrupting his joy of success, he should have made a breakthrough the moment Eastern Huazi died.
Now, it was fine; he just needed to focus and clear his mind of the distractions brought on by Li Qinglin’s matters.
In a state of confusion, a warm energy spread from his dantian, circulating through his body, flowing down his spine and up to the crown of his head. It felt like a door to heaven had opened, connecting him to a divine bridge. His small world expanded completely, merging with the outside world, achieving a great cycle.
It felt as if all vitality seeped into his pores, spreading through his skin and deep into his bones. Qin Yi felt that even without breathing, he could live for a long time...
He had reached the innate realm.
Qin Yi opened his eyes.
The stone door of the quiet room was clearly visible, with the texture of the grains on it standing out.
The dust around him looked like it had been illuminated in a dark room; the tiny particles that were once invisible were now clearly defined.
The whole world became clear.
This feeling even brought a heartfelt sense of emotion, as if he had come a step closer to the essence of the world.
For cultivators, whether in martial arts or Dao, isn’t the goal to be different from ordinary people? This clear perception of the world is, isn’t it, a kind of transcendence?
Qin Yi tried to throw a punch.
His true qi surged forth, producing a sound like a tiger’s roar. He finally experienced Li Qinglin’s level, which brought a qualitative leap in his body’s improvement, strength enhancement, mental vigor, and even vitality. Qin Yi was sure that if Li Qinglin weren’t at this level, he probably wouldn’t even be able to walk due to aging.
As he had predicted, this breakthrough also benefited his magical power. What was once a thin thread of magical energy had now grown robust like a small plant.
Suddenly, Liu Su’s voice echoed in his sea of consciousness: “Reaching the innate level means you can somewhat sense the existence of spiritual consciousness. If you purely practice martial arts, you still can’t use your spiritual consciousness, but now that you have magical power, you might be able to find a way…”
Qin Yi’s heart stirred: “You mean…”
“I’ll teach you a technique; try to see if you can communicate with me using your mind. Just try to convey what you want to say to the wolf tooth club with your thoughts. If it’s just for that, it should be doable.”
Qin Yi was overjoyed. He couldn’t communicate mentally, and talking to the club felt silly. When there were others around, he often couldn’t say anything, which was frustrating. If he could really communicate with Liu Su without speaking, it would make him even happier than doubling his strength.
He carefully sensed and indeed felt his spiritual consciousness like an ocean, vast and boundless, but he didn’t know how to use it. Following Liu Su’s technique felt somewhat tangible, as if he could manage to do something… He tried to send a thought to the wolf tooth club in his hand: “Club?”
“…” Liu Su was silent.
“Did I fail?” Qin Yi wasn’t discouraged and continued sending thoughts: “Let’s try again…”
“Don’t bother trying; I can’t be bothered to deal with you,” Liu Su said. “Don’t show off your shallow technique in front of Ming He; she’ll notice you’re communicating with your club in an instant, and it’ll be embarrassing.”
Qin Yi kept playing with his thoughts: “I think you’re getting bolder in speaking to Ming He. Is your soul power recovering now?”
“Yeah.” Liu Su replied lightly. “Actually, I’ve been recovering every day for the past three months, but this self-recovery is very slow. I need something to nourish my soul.”
Qin Yi asked curiously: “Tell me what you need to nourish your soul. I could have asked the people from the prince’s residence to find herbs for you.”
“I didn’t want to say back then,” Liu Su said. “At that time, you were still wary of me. If you found out I was trying to find something to nourish my soul, it would only add to your suspicions.”
“Alright. Anyway, I’ll start helping you find herbs today.” Qin Yi stood up, stretched his arms, and waved the wolf tooth club: “You need to be full of energy too, club.”
Liu Su was speechless.
A voice from outside the door announced: “Mr. Qin, the king has sent someone to summon you.”
The king… Qin Yi paused for a moment before remembering that the current king was Li Qinglin. He pushed down his uncomfortable feelings and opened the door.
In front of him stood a eunuch, bowing and flattering: “Congratulations, National Teacher, congratulations…”
Qin Yi frowned: “Did you call the wrong person? Eastern Huazi is at the market.”
“No, no.” The eunuch opened the imperial edict and didn’t bother reading the flowery language. He directly said: “The king has ascended today and is rewarding his ministers. The first reward is for Qin Yi, making you the National Teacher of Nan Li, the Holy Teacher of Qingwei, with everything from the original Changsheng Temple transferred to you, including this former prince’s residence…”
Qin Yi twitched his mouth, wanting to curse about this mess, but the words got stuck in his throat as he suddenly asked: “What’s in the original Changsheng Temple?”
The eunuch smiled apologetically: “The evil sect leader Eastern Huazi has plundered for many years, so of course, there are countless treasures stored in the treasury, just waiting for you to inspect…”
Qin Yi looked at the wolf tooth club in his hand, and the words of refusal just wouldn’t come out. Finally, he sighed: “Please thank the king for me.”
Suddenly, he felt someone watching him. Turning around, he saw Li Qingjun standing not far away, quietly looking at him.
Qin Yi felt a bit awkward, unsure how to explain, but then he saw Li Qingjun smile slightly: “Take it; only you know how to use it well. You want to help your brother, right?”
This sister is truly worth caring for! Qin Yi was so moved that he almost hugged her and gave her a fierce kiss in public. He replied seriously: “Don’t worry. I’m not Eastern Huazi.”
(End of this chapter)