novelapdf Chapter 167 Shaking Off a Hand
Chapter 167 Shaking Off a Hand
Chapter 168 A Trick
This statement came out.
It was like a thunderclap from a clear sky.
What a powerful and moving opening.
The meaning of "under the two saints" is self-evident.
His status is even above that of the Grand Elder Jin Kui.
Regardless of what Zhuang Huayi was thinking at that moment, Yuan Yao's eyes sparkled.
If Senior Lu agrees, with the protection that comes with this identity, Yuan Yao will not need to use any illusions to conceal her face when she travels through the Chaotic Star Sea.
What can Qingyang Gate possibly do to her?
Hahaha.
Of course, this thought only flashed through my mind for a moment.
However, she once again deeply experienced the true superiority brought by her cultivation level.
Ultimately, the strong prevail.
If one's spiritual level is high enough, everything in the world seems to become kind and approachable, the road ahead is no longer fraught with difficulties and obstacles, every path is smooth, and everyone feels as if they are bathed in a spring breeze, growing towards the sun.
Zhuang Huayi's first reaction was to furrow her brows slightly.
How can a female cultivator in the mid-stage of Core Formation have such influence and even offer such conditions on behalf of the Star Palace?
This woman is either an arrogant lunatic, or there's only one other possibility.
The parents she mentioned were the two Holy Lords of the Star Palace, Ling Xiaofeng and Wen Qing.
Zhuang Huayi looked the woman up and down again, and given that her surname was Ling, the truth was obvious.
Lu Jianghe chuckled upon hearing this, "Do your parents know about such an exorbitant offer? If I agree but then can't keep my promise, does young friend Ling know what the consequences will be of offending a cultivator at the late Nascent Soul stage?"
A barrage of questions left Ling Yuling frozen in place.
The other party made no move whatsoever, yet with just one sentence, the surrounding air seemed to freeze.
She finally understood why her parents had given her such a task.
It turns out it was impossible to complete.
I never imagined he was a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator on par with my parents!
Ling Yuling gave a bitter smile and said frankly, "Senior is very perceptive. My words just now were indeed made on my own initiative. However, since it is an overstepping of my bounds, as long as you agree, my parents will definitely accept it without any objection."
Lu Jianghe seemed to have guessed the purpose of Ling Xiaofeng and Wen Qing sending their daughter.
"What guarantee do you have, young friend Ling? Just because they are your parents, does that mean they have to agree? What if they deny it, or delay and make excuses? What am I supposed to do? Wait half a month? A year? Or ten years?"
Lu Jianghe stood up, slowly walked to her, and then said in a joking tone.
"I waited and waited, but nothing came of it. In a fit of anger, I killed someone. I may not be able to beat your parents, but I'm confident I can destroy half of Tianxing City."
Upon hearing such outrageous words, Ling Yuling lost her previous confidence and certainty.
She subconsciously took a half step back, her little face turning slightly pale.
She opened her mouth, but found her throat dry and couldn't find any suitable words to make amends.
Should we just retract our statement and return empty-handed in defeat?
An unprecedented sense of powerlessness washed over me.
Lu Jianghe continued, "Don't think about making up for it with anything. At our level, what we truly seek is nothing more than to reach the next level. Although you are a great cultivator like your parents, becoming a powerful elder sounds pretty good."
He changed the subject abruptly, "Alright, I agree. Go back and tell them. But don't keep me waiting too long. If you can't deliver on your promise within three months, the consequences are obvious."
Fine beads of sweat instantly appeared on Ling Yuling's forehead.
I know my parents' temperaments all too well.
How could the two saints of the Star Palace be coerced by others?
If the other party uses this as leverage, they will never compromise.
At that time, an earth-shattering battle between great cultivators will be inevitable!
Ling Yuling became increasingly alarmed as she thought about it.
She seemed to see the earth-shattering battle that her unintentional words had triggered.
Tianxing City was crumbling and collapsing, and countless cultivators and mortals were reduced to dust.
The Xinggong Palace's millennia-old foundation was thus shattered.
Immediately afterwards, the righteous and demonic Reverse Star Alliance, which had been eyeing the area covetously, seized the opportunity to invade—
And she, Ling Yuling, is the source of all this calamity?
"No—it wasn't me—it shouldn't be like this—"
Ling Yuling's face turned pale, she uttered a silent gasp, her body trembled slightly, and she staggered back another step.
Her originally cool and agile aura became chaotic, with wisps of spiritual energy uncontrollably dissipating and forming disordered vortexes around her, fluttering her clothes and making her appear even more precarious.
Zhuang Huayi stood up, looked at Ling Yuling's chaotic spiritual energy and her swaying aura, walked over and gently tugged at Lu Jianghe's sleeve, and whispered.
"This... seems to be a sign that her Dao heart is dissipating?"
Lu Jianghe turned his gaze to her and Yuan Yao beside him, and said, "A cultivator's Dao heart is like a clear mirror. The more polished and spotless it is, the more it cannot withstand scrutiny and testing. If one's journey is too smooth and untouched by dust, once the mirror reflects one's own flaws, or is suddenly shaken by external forces, it will shatter more thoroughly and irreparably than an ordinary cultivator. A Dao heart is like a mirror; diligently polishing it to make it clear is certainly beneficial. However, occasionally struggling in muddy puddles is not necessarily all bad."
Zhuang Huayi seemed to understand something, and said softly, "So, you're saying that you're deliberately trying to temper her mind?"
Lu Jianghe shook his head slightly. "It can't be considered a tempering or refinement. Her situation is purely due to her luck being too smooth. Suddenly encountering an unexpected reversal of fortune, she couldn't accept it for a while, causing her Dao heart to waver and show signs of dissipation. This doesn't even qualify as a cultivation deviation. If it were that simple, how could the inner demon tribulation, which cultivators consider a great enemy, be so terrifying?"
"They just want to use me to temper their daughter's character and make her more resilient. Do you believe that this girl will soon be able to see through things and re-establish her Dao heart? To be honest, her cultivation aptitude should be slightly higher than Yan Ruyan's."
After all, he was a Nascent Soul cultivator who had lived in the human realm for three thousand years.
Yuan Yao listened intently from the side.
Whether or not she can fully comprehend it at this moment, she intends to keep it firmly in mind, thinking that she can retrieve it for future reference.
Zhuang Huayi asked, "Then how can she get out of this situation?"
Lu Jianghe thought for a moment, then said, "Either she has rejected herself and thus faced reality. Or, she firmly believes that what she said still counts and is willing to pay any price to make up for this promise, but on the condition that I agree to this compensation."
After careful consideration, Zhuang Huayi gently shook her head and said, "I'm afraid the second possibility is extremely slim. What would be the consequences if she chose the first option and denied herself?"
Lu Jianghe stated directly, "There are only two possible outcomes: one is a more fulfilling state of mind, and the other is to let this matter become a knot in your heart—something you can't do now, but you must do in the future."
Yuan Yao was completely bewildered by the second outcome, utterly baffled. "What's done is done, like spilled water; it can't be gathered up again. How can it be resolved? Can we turn back time?"
Lu Jianghe explained, "The compensation—'finding another form of value, even surpassing that nominal position,' will be personally offered at an appropriate time in the future to settle today's karma. Of course, this possibility is extremely slim, and given her talent, she can most likely choose this path herself."
Regardless of the type, experiencing this at a lower level is actually a good thing.
It can make your future spiritual practice smoother and reduce the chances of encountering inner demons.
With Ling Yuling's intelligence, she should understand that "acknowledging and correcting mistakes" is the most reasonable and effortless choice at present.
The voice just fell.
Her chaotic, windswept aura suddenly subsided.
The paleness on his face quickly faded, replaced by a clear and calm expression.
Those eyes, which had been slightly unfocused due to the wavering of their Dao heart, were now as clear as the purest spring in a mountain stream, transparent and without any trace of confusion or fear.
Clearly, she had seen through the illusion and emerged from that brief period of scattered Daoist thoughts.
Its speed and the thoroughness of the recovery were even faster than Lu Jianghe had anticipated.
This level of understanding truly deserves his previous assessment that he was "a little better than Yan Ruyan".
Ling Yuling took a deep breath, her breath long and smooth without any hesitation.
"Thank you, Mr. Lu."
"Why should I thank you? It's your own fate, nothing to do with me. Let's just leave it at that. Go back and tell your parents that you don't need to mention it again."
As Lu Jianghe spoke, he walked out of the hall and into the central courtyard.
These words were tantamount to asking the guest to leave, and the intention was all too clear.
But Ling Yuling was clearly unwilling to give up. She moved her feet lightly and followed behind Lu Jianghe.
Zhuang Huayi and Yuan Yao, the master and apprentice, exchanged a glance and followed them out.
"I would like to ask Mr. Lu to demonstrate his supernatural powers so that I may witness what the aura of a great cultivator is like. It is not that I doubt you, but Yu Ling has never seen such a level of magnificence before."
Upon hearing this, Lu Jianghe turned around and asked, "Do you think this is like paying to watch a play? Besides, aren't your parents from this region?"
Ling Yuling shook her head and said, "To be honest, senior, I really don't have any."
Yuan Yao nodded vigorously, her foxy eyes filled with anticipation.
She had never actually seen Senior Lu display his skills.
Lu Jianghe didn't make any stance; he simply raised his foot and stomped it casually.
Centered around the entire cave, surrounded by a "回"-shaped pool, four "walls" suddenly rise high, with water surging into the sky, a breathtaking sight.
The water rose, and the entire process was completely silent.
There were no surging rapids, no splashing water.
A few breaths later, the water walls that blocked out the sunlight on all four sides receded silently back into the pool, leaving not a drop.
The whole process was smooth and seamless.
Raise it high, then lower it gently.
His effortless mastery of weights is truly breathtaking.
Calm returned, with gentle ripples on the water, as if the scene just now was merely a silent dream.
In the courtyard, only slightly damp air and silence remained.
(Zhouchi: Water flows from a waterfall cascading down from the mountaintop, circling the cave and converging into a pool.)