Chapter 98: Big Reveal
"The physique I unlocked doesn’t help much in cultivation," he admitted. "It just gave me a trash spiritual root."
Elder Huang’s expression fell at this news, her earlier excitement dimming visibly. Xiang Yu noted her reaction with satisfaction—while he’d resolved to reveal some of his abilities, he still had no intention of exposing his true power.
Being perceived as too strong might lead to unwanted responsibilities and attention, exactly what he sought to avoid.
"But I still got something else," he added, watching as Elder Huang’s interest immediately rekindled.
"Something else?" Her eyes brightened once more, the disappointment vanishing as quickly as it had appeared.
"That’s right," Xiang Yu confirmed. He reached into his spatial ring and extracted a sheet of paper. Closing his eyes, he channeled his concentration, focusing his spiritual energy.
For several moments, nothing appeared to happen. Then gradually, intricate patterns began forming on the paper’s surface, glowing softly as they etched themselves into the material.
"That is..." Elder Huang’s voice trailed off, her eyes widening in astonishment.
When the process completed, she snatched the paper from his hands, examining it with the intensity of a jeweler inspecting a rare gem. "A ninth-grade explosion talisman?" she exclaimed, disbelief coloring her voice.
"That’s right," Xiang Yu nodded. "The physique didn’t help much with cultivation, but it makes me a genius in secondary professions. That’s how I was able to improve my cooking so fast."
Elder Huang nodded slowly, as if pieces of a complex puzzle were finally falling into place. She quickly retrieved several papers from her own spatial ring, arranging them meticulously on the table. "It makes sense now," she murmured, her focus entirely on the documents before her. "No wonder... but how does this work..." Her voice trailed off as she became absorbed in her analysis, seemingly forgetting everyone else’s presence.
Elder Guo approached Xiang Yu, leaning in confidentially. "Your martial aunt is a researcher," he explained with a bemused smile. "She sometimes enters trances like this, so don’t mind her." Xiang Yu nodded.
Suddenly, Elder Guo’s expression shifted as realization dawned. "Wait—you can make talismans? Was it you that caused that huge explosion?"
Xiang Yu scratched his cheek awkwardly, "Yeah, it was probably me," he admitted sheepishly. "I’ll go bury the hole."
Elder Guo wrapped an arm around Xiang Yu’s shoulders, his laughter filling the room. "Hahaha, you can do that later!" His grip tightened affectionately as pride swelled within him. To think that his disciple had created the powerful explosion that had disrupted the demon authority, indirectly saving him in the process!
"Ahh, I’ve figured it out now!" Elder Huang suddenly exclaimed, emerging from her scholarly trance. "The scrolls say that the one who can unlock this physique will be ’at the top of the world,’" she announced, her voice charged with academic excitement. "But they don’t state how."
Everyone’s attention focused on her as she continued her explanation.
"To the untrained ear, this might sound like being the strongest. After all, in a cultivation world, being ’the top of the world’ typically means being the most powerful," she elaborated, pacing slightly as she laid out her theory. "But not in this instance."
A satisfied smile spread across her face as she reached her conclusion. "What this scroll means is being ’top of the world’ literally. In a cultivation world, being ’top of the world’ could also mean being above the cultivators themselves," she declared triumphantly. "And who’s above cultivators? Alchemists, weapon refiners, formation masters!"
She gestured excitedly toward Xiang Yu. "If you have mastery in all these professions, you can be considered above cultivators since they need these resources to grow stronger. Now it makes sense that the requirements are high comprehension—such is indeed needed to master so many professions!"
Everyone nodded in apparent understanding, seemingly satisfied with her explanation.
"Is what she’s saying true?" Li Yao asked the Empress privately.
[Probably. I haven’t researched that physique all that much. It was considered a myth where I came from,] the Empress replied.
Despite her response, the Empress harbored deeper suspicions. The explanation sounded logical, but something still felt missing. There was no way cultivators in the immortal realm would pursue this physique merely for secondary profession benefits.
While such skills might indeed place one "above" others in the mortal world, the dynamics were entirely different in the immortal realm, where natural treasures were typically valued over refined ones.
Was she overthinking? Probably not. Her gaze drifted toward Xiang Yu, sensing that the mystery likely centered on him specifically. However, seeing no immediate reason to voice her suspicions, she kept these thoughts to herself for now.
...
In the Wuming Cult,
The sect master sat alone, his face contorted with shock and disbelief. His fingers gripped the armrest of his throne so tightly that the black jade began to crack beneath his strength.
"How is this possible?" he whispered to the empty hall, his voice teetering between rage and bewilderment. "Mei Zhiyuan... my masterpiece... defeated?"
The notion seemed absurd, inconceivable. At full power, Mei Zhiyuan’s strength rivaled that of a late-stage Golden Core cultivator. With his regeneration abilities, not even peak Golden Core cultivators should have been able to harm him.
"How could a small-time sect like the Azure Cloud Sword Sect possess a Nascent Soul realm cultivator?"
His mind raced through possibilities, reconstructing his careful plans that had now crumbled to dust. He had discovered a hidden treasure trove of a demonic faction expert from the past—a fortuitous encounter that had changed the trajectory of his life. There, he had first learned about the Demon God and used the resources he’d found to establish himself as the cult leader.
For years—countless, painstaking years—he had traced the whereabouts of the Demon-Sealing Tower. He had sacrificed, schemed, and waited patiently. And when success was finally within his grasp, this unforeseen disaster struck.
His expression hardened as a thought came to mind. "The orthodox faction," he hissed, eyes narrowing with suspicion. "They must be scheming against me."
It made perfect sense. The orthodox faction must have secretly aided the Azure Cloud Sword Sect. How else could such an inconsequential sect have triumphed against his chosen disciple? This wasn’t a coincidence—it was a conspiracy.
Slowly, an evil grin spread across his features. "Since that’s how they want to play," he whispered, a dark chuckle rising from his throat, "they shouldn’t blame me for being ruthless."
His laughter echoed through the empty hall.
...
In the Immortal Realm,
A beautiful young woman strolled through an exquisite field where high-grade herbs that mortal cultivators would kill for grew as mere decorative plants.
She approached an open lake—though calling it merely a lake would be a grave understatement. This was a massive spirit spring being used casually as a lake. Its surface shimmered with multicolored energy, occasionally releasing wisps of pure spiritual essence into the air.
At the edge of this extraordinary body of water sat an elderly man, fishing rod in hand, his expression serene and detached from worldly concerns. Despite his apparent age, an unmistakable aura of immeasurable power emanated from him.
"Uncle, have you got it yet?" the young woman asked, her melodious voice carrying both respect and impatience.
The old man didn’t turn to look at her. "Not yet. The heavenly records seem to have disappeared," he replied, his voice calm.
"You know that I really need this flame, right?" She stepped closer, her perfectly composed face showing a hint of urgency. "It’s the only way I can increase my power to compete with the other geniuses from rival factions. Do you want our Heavenly Palace to be looked down upon?"
The elder man simply stroked his beard, internally sighing at youth’s eternal haste. "Kids these days," he thought to himself.
Without warning, he flicked his wrist, sending a small object arcing through the air toward her. "That’s the last known location of the flame. You can start from there," he stated, immediately returning his attention to his fishing as if she had already departed.
The young woman caught the object with perfect grace. After examining it carefully, she bowed respectfully and turned to leave.
"It’s hard to pry into matters related to the Heavenly Dao," the old man murmured to himself once she had gone. "Even someone like me, who should be able to investigate heavenly secrets, remains restricted."
His gaze drifted across the shimmering waters, concern briefly crossing his ancient features. "I hope the other party is just using a treasure to conceal their destiny. Otherwise..."
His musings were suddenly interrupted as his fishing rod bent sharply. "Oh, I caught something!" he exclaimed, his face lighting up with childlike delight as he reeled in his catch.
[VOLUME 1 END]
...
Author’s Corner:
Idk why I have to clarify this but...NO! It’s not a new female lead, just a random girl. There is only one FMC.
And there you have it guys, Volume 1 is finally over. It was a nice ride and I appreciate all of you who came along.
The name of the Volume will be: "Double or Nothing" what do you guys think?