Chapter 149: 117, Three Major Physiques Attached, Mystery of Human King Physique (7k Chapter, Asking for Monthly Tickets)_4
Only tangible benefits are real.
Ouyang Pan’an happened to meet her fellow townsman Xu Xing and saw that he had already reached the Late Innate Stage. So, she took the opportunity to start a conversation with him, trying to rely on Xu Xing to obtain the Morning Glow in Purple Magpie Valley.
However, it was also Ouyang Pan’an’s first time doing this, and her acting was too clumsy.
He saw through it at a glance.
In his previous two Fate Deductions, he had ended up on this Spirit Boat.
But he had never encountered Ouyang Pan’an before.
Or rather, he did not recognize Ouyang Pan’an. In both of his previous deductions, his Cultivation had been average, and his movement techniques had not yet reached perfection. Therefore, he lacked the qualifications for Ouyang Pan’an to attach herself to him.
"My father...once helped Senior Brother Xu..."
"I wonder if Senior Brother Xu could remember this favor?" Ouyang Pan’an ventured, summoning her courage to mention an old affair.
In the 21st year of Chongming, Xu Xing was imprisoned. While in prison, Xu Xing had once sought Scholar Su to put in a good word for him before Ouyang Shuda, to help him get paper and pen. Afterwards, Ouyang Shuda had helped Xu Xing in this matter.
Although Ouyang Pan’an did not know how important this favor was to Xu Xing.
But... come to think of it, Xu Xing needed paper and pen back then. She surmised there must have been some deeper meaning to it.
"As for the favor..."
"I will honor it. But only after I take the First-class Morning Glow will I have the leisure to help you once. When the time comes, if..." Xu Xing replied, his expression softening a little.
However, he didn’t make a firm promise, only saying that he was willing to help Ouyang Pan’an once. If the second and third-class Purple Magpie Morning Glow had already been collected by others after he took the first-class one, then he would be powerless to help.
Naturally, he would not give up his own First-class Morning Glow to Ouyang Pan’an.
"First-class Morning Glow?"
Ouyang Pan’an was secretly shocked when she heard these words.
Although her father, Ouyang Shuda, had become the Zaifu of Fengxi Country and was considered above the masses, his name was not influential in the Flying Feather Immortal Palace. She was a genuine Commoner Ascetic Monk, lacking information, and she did not know about some of the regulations between the Immortal Sect and the Mortal World.
As for the Human King physique, she was completely ignorant.
She only learned of Xu Xing’s Realm and name when Elder Shi of the Sect was calling the names of the Outer Sect Disciples before the Spirit Boat took off.
She had thought that Xu Xing could at most be confident about the Second-class Morning Glow, but she hadn’t expected him to directly target the First-class Morning Glow.
There is only one First-class Morning Glow each year.
There are only nine Second-class Morning Glows each year.
There are only fifteen Third-class Morning Glows each year.
These quotas did not represent the total production of Purple Magpie Valley; rather, the Sect only left these portions for the Commoner Ascetic Monks to compete for. The Sect directly took the larger share.
Before Ouyang Pan’an could guess what kind of physique Xu Xing possessed, or whether he was an Immortal Genius, the Flying Boat had already stopped at Purple Magpie Valley.
When the gusting winds outside the boat subsided, Xu Xing and the other Outer Sect Disciples disembarked from the cabin deck one by one, arriving at the entrance of Purple Magpie Valley.
A glance revealed fog blanketing the island, with mist rolling in waves. From time to time, Purple Magpies about ten feet in size flew out from the valley. Their beaks, seemingly forged from pure gold, glinted with a cold light; a light peck appeared lethal.
After the fog had dissipated a bit, they saw a towering mountain valley that rose abruptly, its peaks steep and adorned with grotesque rocks. The path for climbing was extremely precipitous, and in its narrowest sections, the mountain road was broken, with no ground visible below.
"You can only climb along the cliffs. If you attempt to fly or hover, the Purple Magpies will discover you. At best, you’ll be severely injured; at worst, you’ll perish," Elder Shi reminded the Outer Sect Disciples once more before they entered the valley.
With the chime of a stone bell, Xu Xing did not hesitate. He activated the Flying Swallow Step, his movements swift.
In just the blink of an eye, he ascended the cliff. The rugged mountain path beneath his feet felt like flat ground. Even where precarious plank roads hung high, a light leap was all it took for him to land effortlessly upon them.
Empowered by the two great Innate movement techniques, "Soaring Swan Steps" and "Crossing the River with a Single Reed," his mastery in this art far surpassed that of his peers.
"Who is this person?"
"How is he so far ahead of Zhou Mingcang, by such a large margin?"
The Outer Sect Disciples following far behind watched this scene in amazement. They didn’t dare covet the First-class Purple Magpie Morning Glow, assuming it would fall into the hands of Zhou Mingcang, possessor of the Sea Moon Body.
Unexpectedly, in less than a breath’s time, Zhou Mingcang was already showing signs of being outmatched.
Was Xu Xing telling the truth?
Is he really determined to get the First-class Morning Glow?
Emperor Tiande...
Ouyang Pan’an, who had an agreement with Xu Xing, was dumbfounded by this scene.
Impossible! He’s clearly just an ordinary mortal body...
Seeing Xu Xing moving faster and faster, making it impossible for him to catch up despite his best efforts, Zhou Mingcang abandoned his pursuit of the First-class Morning Glow and veered towards the location of the Second-class Morning Glow.
He couldn’t beat Xu Xing, but he was more than a match for the other disciples.
At this moment, Zhou Mingcang also recalled that Xu Xing was the ordinary-looking disciple who had followed him into the Lu Shi Pavilion that day. Xu Xing’s appearance had been so plain that he, Zhou Mingcang, hadn’t even deigned to give him a second glance, feeling him beneath notice.
Thinking back on it now, his face burned with embarrassment.
This person must have chosen the first option, Zhou Mingcang sighed inwardly.
Xu Xing had no time to concern himself with the feelings of the other Outer Sect Disciples.
When a lion fights a rabbit, it still uses its full strength.
The First-class Purple Magpie Morning Glow was crucial to his Immortal Base Cultivation, and he would not give it up easily.
Within a mere hour, he reached the nest of the Purple Magpie King. He placed the already woven nest, resembling a five-colored cloud brocade, into his Storage Bag and quickly exited the cave. Then, he turned and dashed to the location of the Second-class Purple Magpie Morning Glow, retrieved one for Ouyang Pan’an, and handed it to her.
After that, he descended the cliff and waited beside Elder Shi.
"Purple Magpie Morning Glows are exceedingly valuable within the Sect. Even a third-class one can be exchanged for seven thousand Spirit Shells, and a Second-class Morning Glow is even more expensive, worth thirty thousand Spirit Shells."
"Why didn’t you take more?" Elder Shi asked curiously, looking at the youth in a green robe beside him.
The Sect hadn’t stipulated that Outer Sect Disciples entering Purple Magpie Valley could only take one Morning Glow. Many disciples, after securing the Morning Glows needed for their own Cultivation, would also snatch others to sell.
The Sect did not stop this kind of cruel competition.
The strong would always grow stronger, and the weak would always remain weak; this was the fundamental principle of heaven and earth.
"If this were anywhere else, I would certainly try my best to seize more. However, Purple Magpie Valley is Sect territory. Since the Sect is benevolent enough to allocate Purple Magpie Morning Glows to us Commoner Disciples, I believe I should emulate that spirit," Xu Xing cupped his hands and replied calmly.
His words were certainly crafted to be striking. He had already obtained enough for his Cultivation. Additional wealth wasn’t particularly useful to him at the moment, so why be grasping and invite the jealousy of others, simultaneously lowering the Sect’s estimation of him? At this moment, his actions might lead others to see him as overly principled or pedantic... Yet, historical records showed that those who accomplished great deeds were always unconventional. Besides, would the Sect view someone with a Human King physique, a figure like the Founding Emperor, as merely pedantic? Whether it was a calculated move for reputation or genuine sincerity... If one lacked even the magnanimity to make such a gesture, how could one ever speak of achieving great things?!
"People like you are rarely seen nowadays."
"Two hundred and thirty years ago, I remember True Lord Song did the same thing," Elder Shi said, patting Xu Xing’s shoulder with an appreciative look in his eyes.
"True Lord Song?"
"Song Knife?"
Hearing this long-unheard title, Xu Xing was momentarily stunned.
Indeed, only those with the Human King physique, like himself and Song Knife, would possess such a profound understanding of worldly affairs. Every Grand Ancestor Emperor tempered by the world was a figure of immense talent and fox-like cunning.
This person is just like me...
He absolutely cannot be allowed to live; he must be eliminated as soon as possible!
Xu Xing once again harbored a murderous intent towards Song Knife.
No... All Human King physiques are like this... The Sect...
A peculiar feeling suddenly arose within him.