Chapter 63: The Heavenly and Mortal Sanctuary
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The expression on Su yu's face faltered as he paid his deep respects to the Third Prince.
The Third Prince had an empathetic look on his face. He sighed. "You, Su Yu, could give up your life in gratitude. I, as someone who was going to die anyway, should do something to help you. If you want to thank someone, thank the person in disguise. He was the one who gave up his life."
Su Yu paid a deep, heartfelt respect to the person in the disguise. Without him, the Duke of Xianyu would never have lived past today.
"Father!" Su Yu was reunited with the Duke of Xianyu. As he noticed the Duke's missing arm, Su Yu's heart turned sour. That limb had been the Duke's sacrifice for him and Xianer.
The Duke of Xianyu had tears in his eyes. He caressed Su Yu's forehead. "It's me who let you down…" The Duke chocked on his words.
Su Yu shook his head. His cold gaze moving over to Bai Qixiong and Guard Chen, who were both trying to hide.
"Father, allow me to deal with these two first!" How could Su Yu forget the horrors Bai Qixiong had put the Duke of Xianyu through? How could he forget the merciless pursuit undertaken by Bai Qixiong and Guard Chen?
Bai Qixiong opened his mouth, but was mercilessly interrupted by Su Yu, "Now that it has come to this, do you think I'll really forgive you?"
Even though they were both only following orders, they had done their best to pursue Su Yu—their actions were inexcusable.
Guard Chen mourned for his life. He did not want to die, so he clenched his jaw and with a grunt severed his internal blood energy channel, destroying his cultivation level.
"Su Yu!" Guard Chen knelt, "I have a wife, parents, and my child. Please spare my life. I have destroyed my own cultivation level and will never again cause any harm to the mortal world anymore. Also, I'll confess—it was the Duke of Qin that sent me to kill you, and Miss Jiang is being imprisoned in the manor of the Duke of Qin."
Su Yu had been unaware of Guard Chen's personal life. He had only assumed that he was an accomplice of the First Prince.
To think that the Duke of Qin had a part to play in the assassination of a Holy Seal bearer!
"Hehe… The Duke of Qin, he truly is a poisonous tumor!" Su Yu walked past Guard Chen without dealing a killing blow. He coldly stared at Bai Qixiong, "What about you?"
Bai Qixiong had a look of unjust. He had spent much effort to raise his cultivation level to the peak of Level Six. How could he destroy his cultivation level now?
"Su Yu! I'll give you a manual of a Saint Level technique, spare me…" He was cautious of Qiu Changjian, but did not give much regard to Su Yu's abilities.
"Forget it, I guess I shall strike and destroy your cultivation level!" Su Yu interrupted him and boldly stepped forward. He did not believe that Bai Qixiong owned a Saint Level technique, and regarded his pleas as a means of delaying the inevitable.
Bai Qixiong laughed angrily. In the past, he had pursued Su Yu. Now that Su Yu was backed by Qiu Changjian, he was arrogant. Does he dare talk about destroying my cultivation level?
With a sparkle in his eyes, Bai Qixiong smirked, "What happens if you cannot beat me?"
"I'll spare you," Su Yu replied.
Bai Qixiong was overjoyed. He let out a long laugh. "Haha! Great! If you can beat me, I shall give you the Saint Level technique with both hands!"
"You have no chance of winning," Su Yu calmly said. He took a step forward and struck decisively.
"Purple Star Thunderbolt!"
Rumble——
Purple thunder flares burned harshly.
Su Yu's expression was cold and unfeeling.
Bai Qixiong tapped on the soft sword on his waist and the sword emanated a cold, soft glow.
"Song of the Breeze Sword!"
Clash——
Su Yu's fists and Bai Qixiong's sword explosively collided.
Thud, thud, thud——
Bai Qixiong's mouth became numb, his expression shocked.
He looked down at the soft sword he was holding and squinted his eyes. "What are those flames?"
He only observed that, during the short time his soft sword came into contact with Su Yu's fists, it showed some signs of melting.
Su Yu subtly nodded his head. The Purple Star Thunderbolt was able to severely wound people of Level Six Upper Tier but was not enough to defeat people at Level Six Peak.
Su Yu took a deep breath as his mind entered a wonderful rhythm.
In the eyes of an outsider, Su Yu became a portrait of himself, separate from the mortal realm.
His purple robe flowed and his black hair danced. His handsome face was picturesque.
Su Yu did not emulate the typical displays of the Heavenly Finger, but instead lightly pushed his palm up in front of him.
Rumble——
Ah——
Something interesting began. The area around Bai Quxiong displayed painting-like qualities as if Su Yu was dragging Bai Qixiong into another realm.
Su Yu's ordinary palm sent Bai Qixiong flying back ten meters.
Crash——
Bai Qixiong opened his mouth to spew a mouthful of blood as a devastating pain spread within his organs. His chest carried the imprint of a palm. Several of his ribs were broken.
"You!" Bai Qixiong was incredibly shocked. It was the same Holy Decree he had seen before—why was it so much more powerful?
Su Yu gradually awakened from the trance, his enlightenment now much more profound.
After his souls had fused, Su Yu had faintly discovered that blindly following examples of the Holy Decree was foolhardy.
Emulation was ultimately inferior.
Any form of emulation, no matter how successful, would ultimately just be similar to the original act—it would never surpass any limitations.
Thus, Su Yu had boldly tried to incorporate his own techniques when he was in the realm of the Holy Decree—no longer emulating anyone.
The effect was incredible. The technique's power had grown several times, exceeding Su Yu's expectations.
In his relaxed state, Su Yu coldly glared at the defeated Bai Qixiong.
In the past, Bai Qixiong had been an unsurpassable martial artist in his eyes.
Today, Bai Qixiong had been defeated by his palm.
Su Yu did not feel a large sense of accomplishment. He had seen the terrifying abilities of a Level Nine in Qiu Changjian—he no longer considered Level Six Peak to be as incredible as he once did.
His only regret was that he had no fate within the Sanctuary. Without this opportunity, it would be hard for him to learn more mysterious techniques, or find the chance to spar with even more powerful talents.
In the secret chamber, Qiu Changjian candidly sat down. Eight people stood in line in front of him.
"Out of all of you, according to your rankings in the sparring, which of you is the strongest?" Qiu Changjian asked directly.
The eight people looked at each other. The sparring had not come to a conclusion due to the incident with Su Yu, and thus a ranking had not been established.
As if he recognized this fact, Qiu Changjian let out a long sigh. "Alright then, each of you show me your most powerful technique."
"Sir, according to the rules, all eight of us have earned the right to enter the Sanctuary. What's the point in seeing who is stronger than the other?" Xia Jingyu asked.
"Good question." Qiu Changjian observed Xia Jingyu with a little admiration.
The Fiery Minister terrorized everyone, only she had the guts to say the truth. He could see that, while she seemed weak on the outside, she was strong on the inside.
Her question was straight to the point and showed her intelligence. "While all of you have the right to enter the Sanctuary, not all of you hold the right to become a Holy Disciple," Qiu Changjian answered.
Holy Disciple? The same as Qiu Changjian?
"The Sanctuary is divided into two sections, the Heavenly Sanctuary and the Mortal Sanctuary. The Mortal Sanctuary collects talents from all over the world and is governed by the Nine Great Ministers. They are responsible for the teaching of the cultivation techniques of the talents. From the first generation onward, there have been thousands of students within the Mortal Sanctuary. This is the Sanctuary that most people know of.
"As for the Heavenly Sanctuary, we only collect rare geniuses that are one in a million.They become disciples of the Holy King and gain the title of Holy Disciple. They receive the best resources, their status is higher than the disciples in the Mortal Sanctuary. They hold the right to punish disciples in the Mortal Sanctuary should they feel it is justified. Understand?"
The scene of Qiu Changjian punishing the Fiery Minister was still fresh in the mind of the eight people.
Even the esteemed Fiery Minister's fate was dictated by the whims of a disciple from the Heavenly Sanctuary.
The Heavenly Sanctuary was the true Sanctuary. Only by entering the heavenly Sanctuary could they consider themselves truly above regular mortals.
Zheng Yilin's eyes exuded passion, "Sir, how many people in each generation can enter the Heavenly Sanctuary?"
"How many?" Qiu Changjian was sarcastic, "You should have asked how many generations typically pass before anyone actually enters the Heavenly Sanctuary."
What? One person every few generations? The criteria for entry into the Heavenly Sanctuary was harsh beyond imagination.
"Alright, let's start, show me your most powerful technique," Qiu Changjian said.
The four demon students of the martial arts training institute went first. Each displayed their strengths.
Qiu Changjian remained impassive, his starlike eyes calm. He remained silent.
He remained silent until Dong Lin's turn. "Ordinarily, you would not be granted entry into the Mortal Sanctuary," Qiu Changjian commented.
Dong Lin nearly vomited blood. In the empire, he was ranked amongst the top four students and was highly regarded. But in the Mortal Sanctuary, he was below average!
Without a doubt, Dong Lin was not fated to enter the Heavenly Sanctuary—he was considered average in the Mortal Sanctuary.
After Dong Lin, Chong Nanfei displayed his abilities. The eyes of Qiu Changjian remained calm. "You're alright. Probably average in the Mortal Sanctuary."
Chong Nanfei grimaced, to be average even amongst the Mortal Sanctuary would mean that he was not fated to enter the Heavenly Sanctuary.
Xia Jingyu clenched her jaw. Among the eight contenders, her cultivation level was the lowest, and she was afraid that she would not impress Qiu Changjian.
After some thought, Xia Jingyu recalled the Holy Decree that Su Yu had taught her and decided to give it a try.
Xia Jingyu took a breath, then immersed herself in a peaceful place—she conjured a vision of a day beneath the moon and under pear tree flowers, quiet and harmonious. The mental image provided warmth—as if she lied in Su Yu's soft embrace. These thoughts in mind, Xia Jingyu used the Heavenly Finger.
Creak——
Her finger sliced the air and a unique rhythm was set. It made her feel like a celestial being from a painting.
Qiu Changjian's starlike eyes sparkled, his face showed the first traces of a smile, "Not bad, the Holy Decree is precise and refined, harboring the massive energy of the universe. The rhythm envelops miles of lakes and mountains, pretty and wondrous! It seems that this trip was not wasted, and I have found a person worthy of the Heavenly Sanctuary.
"What is your name?" Qiu Changjian was smiling, his tone friendly.
"Xia Jingyu." She was confused, she could enter the Heavenly Sanctuary?
"Alright, Junior Xia, you have a day to prepare and take care of your personal life in the mortal realm. Tomorrow you shall follow me to the Heavenly Sanctuary. We have one more member." Qiu Changjian was visibly joyful.
What? All eight people were shocked; Xia Jingyu was entering the Heavenly Sanctuary?
All because Xia Jingyu had displayed the Holy Decree?
The only one left, Zheng Yilin, was visibly excited. He cupped his hands and laughed, "Congratulations Jingyu, looks like we shall be spending much time together in the Heavenly Sanctuary. I hope that we can help each other out in the future."
He was elated. To think that the Holy Decree was what set apart the Heavenly Sanctuary and the Mortal Sanctuary. He, Zheng Yilin, had also gained insight into the Holy Decree and had the right to enter the Heavenly Sanctuary.
This meant that he could spend more time with Xia Jingyu in the future.
He thought about the Heavenly Sanctuary, faraway and mysterious—foreign to everyone. Xia Jingyu, being a lady, would naturally be uneasy. Xia Jingyu and him were from the same region and would naturally, as strangers in this new world, cling to each other and help each other when needed.
Amidst the constant interaction, feelings might develop and Xia Jingyu might fall for him. They could then get married.
At this thought, Zheng Yilin felt comfort and fiery emotions.
Su Yu, Su Yu, so what if you have defeated me? Xia Jingyu will ultimately be my woman. You can admire me from the mortal world!
Xia Jingyu creased her brows lightly and let out a sigh.
Qiu Changjian had a surprised look, naturally expectant. "So you have gained insight into the Holy Decree too? Quick, show us."
Zheng Yilin was arrogant, but he put on a show of humility as he gravely displayed his Holy Decree.
A cluster of light encircled his body. He unleashed ten fists, each complicated by the light, making it hard to distinguish illusion from reality.
He finished his display feeling satisfied. Zheng Yilin lifted his head to look at Qiu Changjian, his expression suddenly frozen.
Qiu Changjian's expectant face had vanished, his starlike eyes filled with disappointment, "Ordinary, below average in the Mortal Sanctuary."
This comment hit Zheng Yilin like lightning. He could not recover. "But… but I have also gained insight into the Holy Decree. Xia Jingyu could enter the Heavenly Sanctuary, why can I only qualify for the Mortal Sanctuary?" He stuttered.
Qiu Changjian's eyes grew dull. "The Holy Decree is split into different levels; basic, medium, and advanced. Junior Xia's Holy Decree was a medium level Holy Decree. As long as we cultivate it, there are high hopes that she could match up to the Holy King. You cannot compare to her."
There were levels of the Holy Decree?
Zheng Yilin was completely shocked, his heart felt as if it had shattered—dropped from heaven into hell. He bitterly moaned, "It turns out that the Holy Decree I have gained insight into is only of a basic level."
Hearing this, Qiu Changjian scolded Zheng Yilin without mercy, "Basic level? You overestimate your Holy Decree. Your Holy Decree has not even scratched the surface of the basic level. Anyone who trains for a year or two in the Mortal Sanctuary can achieve your level of Holy Decree."
What? Not even the surface of the basic level? Zheng Yilin felt as though he was splashed with a basin of ice water. He shivered at the thought.
Qiu Changjian waved his hand. "Alright, all of you go back for now. Junior Xia will enter the Heavenly Sanctuary with me tomorrow. The rest of you shall await instructions. Within ten days there would be a person from the Mortal Sanctuary to take you away."
After speaking, Qiu Changjian stood up.
"Senior Qiu, may I recommend a person. He is sure to satisfy you." Xia Jingyu flashed a wide smile, as beautiful as summer flowers.
Qiu Changjian raised his eyebrows, "Oh? Who is this person so highly recommended by Junior Xia?"