Imperial Cultivation Chapter 1554 - 1550: Probing

Huang Zhengyang watched him scrutinize the Jade Pendant and laughed. "This is the Token unique to the Imperial Palace Tributes. With this in hand, you can freely enter and leave the Forbidden Garden of the Imperial Palace."

Chu Zhiyuan said, "All Tributes use this Token?"

Huang Zhengyang said, "It seems what you Spirit Venerables use is different from ordinary Tributes... Is there something wrong with this Token?"

He had already noticed the faint smile at Chu Zhiyuan’s lips, with something unusual hidden within.

He weighed the Token, then shook his head.

This Token was clearly precious at a glance, not a common item; otherwise it would not be used as the credential of a Spirit Venerable Tribute.

Chu Zhiyuan shook his head. "This Token is quite out of the ordinary."

"The material of this Token is strange—impervious to blade and spear, untouched by water and fire."

"Brother Huang, you’ve even tested it?"

"Hehe, I’ve heard of it, heard of it." Huang Zhengyang said, a bit embarrassed.

He had indeed tried it with a sword: not the slightest mark left; the material was peculiar.

Chu Zhiyuan tucked it into his sleeve and directly entered the Jade Sea and Sky.

Once something entered his own Heaven and Earth within, everything could be seen through with perfect clarity, far clearer and deeper than with Super Sense.

He soon understood that this lump of strange aura indeed contained Spiritual qualities.

And this Spiritual quality was extremely peculiar—pure and tender, like a newborn infant.

With such Spiritual nature, it was impossible to monitor him, to peer at what he saw and heard.

Then what use did it have?

His curiosity was intense, yet he did not rush to unravel it. The Token was already in his hand; there was no need to be hasty.

Huang Zhengyang laughed. "This time I’ve finally accomplished a great merit. With merit achieved, I’ll withdraw and be off."

Chu Zhiyuan rose with a smile and saw him off.

Once they passed through the courtyard gate, just as he was turning away, Huang Zhengyang said, "Brother Chu, now that you’re already a Tribute, you should make a trip to the Imperial Palace as soon as possible."

Chu Zhiyuan nodded slightly.

Huang Zhengyang said, "When the time comes, I’ll go with you, and we’ll first pay our respects to Lord Zhou."

"Director Zhou?"

"Exactly."

"Mm." Chu Zhiyuan agreed.

...

Chu Zhiyuan flickered and appeared in his small courtyard within Profound Yin Palace.

Inside the little courtyard, Zhou Qingyu was wholly focused on cultivating, white mist billowing.

Seeing him appear, she stopped her movements and stepped forward to salute.

Chu Zhiyuan stretched out his hand and tossed the Token to her.

Zhou Qingyu hurriedly reached out to catch it, curiously examined it a few times, then raised her head to look at Chu Zhiyuan.

Chu Zhiyuan said, "Hold on to it for me for now. Give it back to me tomorrow."

"Master, what is this?" Zhou Qingyu asked curiously. "It’s very unusual. Is it a Treasure?"

Chu Zhiyuan said, "You could call it a Treasure. It’s the Court’s Imperial Palace Tribute Token."

"Master, you finally agreed?" Zhou Qingyu held the Token in her palm, full of curiosity.

Chu Zhiyuan laughed. "Your cultivation has reached sufficient maturity; there’s no need to delay any longer."

"Master will be able to enter the Imperial Palace and look upon those rare Exotic Treasures in the collections?"

"Mm."

"Will you be able to ask for some?"

"You have no need for those Spiritual Treasures yet. For now, earnest cultivation is what truly matters."

"It’s not for me. It’s for Mistress and Aunt Shen. It seems neither of them has any good Spiritual Treasure."

Chu Zhiyuan couldn’t help laughing. "You even worry about that?"

Zhou Qingyu smiled bashfully. "I heard Aunt Shen say that she has no good Spiritual Treasure, only the Spirit Shuttle. It’s far too monotonous."

Chu Zhiyuan fell into thought.

He had indeed overlooked this, assuming that as elite disciples of Profound Yin Palace, they would not lack Spiritual Treasures.

Moreover, the Spirit Shuttle was itself a rarely seen Spiritual Treasure under heaven; having that alone was already more than sufficient.

A Spiritual Treasure for fleeing for one’s life is the most precious of Spiritual Treasures, no different from having several extra lives.

"Mm, I understand." He inclined his head slightly. "It’s rare that you have such filial concern."

Zhou Qingyu’s brows immediately relaxed and her eyes shone with delight.

...

Chu Zhiyuan appeared in the grand hall of Heaven-Reaching Sect.

The grand hall was empty, with no sign of Zhang Ji Yuan or Ning Dongge.

The two were clearly in the midst of investigating the matter of Ding Shaojun.

He shook his head with a wry smile.

This Ding Shaojun was destined to find it hard to reach Becoming Spirit Venerable; to Chu Zhiyuan, he posed little threat, inferior to Song Wantao by an immeasurable margin, not worth mentioning.

The world held many prodigies, but those who could truly step into the realm of the Spirit Venerable were rare beyond rare.

This Ding Shaojun’s intentions were crooked and his conduct impure; his comprehension was shallow. No matter how fine his aptitude, it was useless.

With today’s level of aptitude, it was not enough to disregard Character altogether and stride straight into Spirit Venerable.

Zhang Ji Yuan and Ning Dongge suddenly appeared within the grand hall, their expressions so dark they seemed about to drip.

Chu Zhiyuan cupped his fists slightly. "Senior Brothers, any news?"

Zhang Ji Yuan said viciously, "We finally pried it out—this brat!"

Ning Dongge shook his head. "I never thought it would be like this. We completely misjudged him."

"Little Junior Brother, you already know, don’t you?" Zhang Ji Yuan ground his teeth. "That brat actually robbed and murdered, heedless of all law!"

Ning Dongge sighed. "If not for Shuiyue House’s secret technique, we truly would have had no way to confirm it was him. He’s definitely done this sort of thing more than once!"

Chu Zhiyuan said, "Greed is something few can avoid. But for him to indulge greed and then take lives—that’s another matter entirely. That is stepping onto the evil road."

Everyone, when they behold a Spiritual Treasure or Treasure Sword Secret Manual, will wish it were theirs.

Some merely wish, yet do not act recklessly, able to bind themselves with worldly morals and their own conscience.

Some have no scruples at all.

Some struggle inwardly, and in the end cannot control their greed and act upon it.

The first is the Righteous Path; the latter two are both evil roads. The last kind, though possessing conscience, can no longer suppress their greed.

This Ding Shaojun belonged to the latter kind.

In ordinary times, when he had not encountered something fatally tempting, no oddities showed.

At critical moments, his true face emerged.

Shuiyue House possessed a secret technique that, at the moment of death, could infuse a strand of unique aura into the killer’s body, which could not be erased for a short time.

By virtue of this secret technique, Shuiyue House learned that Ding Shaojun was the killer.

Shuiyue House had no sufficiently powerful experts and thus could do nothing against Ding Shaojun.

On the contrary, they had to tread on thin ice, terrified that Ding Shaojun would discover that his true nature had been seen through.

Ning Dongge shook his head with a sigh. "We were hiding to the side and happened to overhear it. If we had asked them outright, they would not even have dared speak."

Zhang Ji Yuan snorted. "Who told them to be so weak? In this world, the weak are doomed to such a fate."

Ning Dongge kept shaking his head, sighing without end. "Ah... this world!"

Chu Zhiyuan said, "Senior Brothers, what should be done next?"

Zhang Ji Yuan said, "We should wipe him out."

Ning Dongge frowned, falling silent in thought.

Chu Zhiyuan turned his gaze to Ning Dongge.

Zhang Ji Yuan said, "Senior Brother Ning, what is there to hesitate over? If this scourge lives, who knows how many innocent people will die."

"If we just kill him outright..." Ning Dongge said, "It would be too hasty. After all, it’s only Shuiyue House’s word."

"Then what more do you want?" Zhang Ji Yuan said.

Ning Dongge said, "We should first find him and observe him, see whether he truly harbors crooked intentions. If we have not wronged him, then indeed he must be killed; we must not leave such a scourge in the world."

Zhang Ji Yuan snorted. "Senior Brother Ning, you don’t trust Little Junior Brother, do you?"

Ning Dongge shook his head. "It is not that I don’t trust Little Junior Brother. But when lives are at stake, caution is best. What if Little Junior Brother has made a mistake and we kill the wrong man?"

Zhang Ji Yuan said, "The fact he’s hiding far away proves his guilty conscience. There’s no wronging him!"

Chu Zhiyuan said, "Senior Brother Ning speaks very well. Lives hang in the balance; we must not be too rash. Let’s first find him and then watch him closely."

"But the problem now is that we cannot find him!" Ning Dongge sighed.

Chu Zhiyuan smiled. "Then let us go over there ourselves."

The two immediately brightened.

A short while later, the three of them appeared beneath a tavern in a small city, all having changed their appearances.

As they stepped into the tavern, their gazes swept once around and they instantly saw Ding Shaojun sitting in a corner.

Though Ding Shaojun had already altered his looks, he could not deceive their eyes.

Zhang Ji Yuan sent a voice transmission with a snort. "Changing his face—is it to evade our pursuit?"

Ning Dongge said, "It should be exactly that."