Chapter 99: Eating Soft Rice
After the feast, Elder Huang and Elder Guo departed together for a sect meeting at the Celestial Summit Hall. Xiang Yu understood why—following such a tumultuous event, they needed to discuss the sect’s future and select a new leader. None of this concerned him, though, he reflected as he placed the final support beam and stepped back to survey his handiwork.
The house hadn’t suffered extensive damage, making repairs relatively straightforward. Still, he made a mental note to study formations soon. He needed better protection for his home—having it blown apart every time a fight broke out was becoming tedious.
Fortunately, his martial aunt had promised to find him some secondary profession manuals, so that particular worry was resolved. She was truly considerate, caring not only for their master but for him as well. He sincerely hoped the old man wouldn’t fumble her.
"Senior brother, are you done?" Li Yao’s voice came suddenly from behind him.
Xiang Yu jumped slightly, startled by her silent approach. Li Yao giggled at his reaction, her eyes twinkling with amusement.
"This girl is nearly as skilled as me at concealment," he thought to himself. She moved without presence, materializing out of nowhere like a phantom. It was fortunate she was a nice girl—such abilities could be terrifying in the hands of someone with bad intentions.
Li Yao smiled warmly at Xiang Yu. She thought to herself that her senior brother looked really handsome when he worked. She had been observing him work for quite some time without his notice, admiring his focused expression and movements. Catching herself staring, she quickly brushed those thoughts aside.
"Senior brother, I got something for you," she announced, reaching for her spatial ring. So much had happened that she hadn’t found the opportunity to present him with her reward from clearing the tower.
Upon exiting the Heaven-Testing Pagoda, she had received multiple treasures, though few held significant value. The most precious items were drops of both dragon and phoenix bloodline essence.
Since the phoenix seemed more feminine in nature, she had initially planned to keep it for herself and give the dragon bloodline to her senior brother. Bloodlines were renowned as powerful cultivation assets—those with rare lineages advanced more rapidly and might even unlock ancient inheritances upon reaching certain thresholds.
[You want to take the phoenix bloodline?] the Empress suddenly inquired within her consciousness.
"Yes, should I not?" Li Yao responded mentally.
[Although the bloodline of mythical creatures like the phoenix is great, it’s harder to improve, and you might be treated as an outsider by both sides by being half,] the Empress cautioned. [I’ll help you unlock my Human Emperor bloodline instead. It’s not much weaker than the mythical bloodlines anyway.]
Li Yao considered this advice carefully. It made perfect sense—a Human Emperor bloodline would be more compatible, especially with the Empress herself providing guidance on enhancing it. The choice seemed obvious now.
"Can my brother learn it as well?" she asked hopefully.
[No,] came the Empress’s flat response.
"Why not?" Li Yao pressed.
[Everyone has their own destiny. This is yours,] the Empress stated with finality.
Li Yao suspected the Empress was merely being cryptic again. "Just you wait," she thought defiantly. "If I learn it, do you think you can prevent me from teaching him?"
The Empress, not having achieved her status without extraordinary perception, clearly sensed Li Yao’s thoughts but she didn’t think much of it, after all, there could only be one Human Emperor in a generation.
[Why don’t you give him both bloodlines instead? With his comprehension, he might be able to create something extraordinary,] she suggested, smoothly changing the subject.
"Something extraordinary?" Li Yao’s interest was immediately piqued. "Is it possible to have multiple bloodlines simultaneously?"
[Who knows?] the Empress responded before retreating into Li Yao’s spiritual sea.
Li Yao could only sigh at the Empress’s enigmatic behavior. She always maintained this air of mystery, revealing just enough to tantalize without providing complete answers. Still, Li Yao smiled knowingly. Luckily, she was smart and figured out what the empress was implying.
The Empress was suggesting that Xiang Yu might indeed be capable of absorbing both bloodlines. With that possibility in mind, she resolved to give him both precious essences.
...
She placed two small crystal vials into her senior brother’s open palms.
"These are drops of phoenix and dragon blood," Li Yao explained, her eyes bright with excitement. "If you refine them, you can obtain their bloodlines."
Reaching into her pouch, she withdrew a manual that caught Xiang Yu’s attention immediately. Unlike the typical cultivation texts—ancient, weathered scrolls with faded characters—this one appeared pristine, as if freshly created and never before opened.
"Here, take this," she said, carefully placing the manual atop the vials in his hands. "This is the [High-grade Ice Palm] technique." She tilted her head slightly in thought. "You said your spiritual root is the low five elements, right?"
Xiang Yu nodded, curious where this was leading.
"Although having multiple elements might seem like a disadvantage, it also has its own advantages," she continued, her voice taking on an instructional tone. "With your comprehension, it shouldn’t be hard for you to grasp an ice element technique from your water element."
He nodded again, keeping his thoughts hidden behind a grateful smile. This truly was the world of geniuses, he reflected silently. She casually mentioned it "shouldn’t be hard" when in reality, developing mutated elements from basic ones represented a significant challenge for most cultivators. What Li Yao dismissed as simple would be an insurmountable obstacle for many.
Of course, with his Transcendent Dao Physique, refining any type of energy came naturally to him. Still, he appreciated her thoughtfulness in providing this rare technique. He had been wondering how to acquire ice element techniques, and now she had solved that problem effortlessly. All that remained were the wind element and perhaps light and dark—though those last two seemed beyond reach for now.
Light element techniques were exceedingly rare due to the element’s scarcity. As for dark, while many demonic sect disciples utilized similar energies, they typically wielded corrupted demonic power that merely resembled true dark element rather than the pure form itself. Finding authentic dark element techniques would prove challenging, as most were likely classified as forbidden demonic arts. For the moment, he would set aside that pursuit.
As these thoughts circulated through his mind, Li Yao suddenly retrieved a glowing wooden plank from her pocket. The inscription upon it pulsed with a soft light.
"The master is calling me," she announced, already turning to leave. "Make sure to practice the technique well!" With those parting words, she activated her movement technique and soared away, her form blurring as she disappeared into the distance.
...
Author’s Note:
I don’t have a better Chapter title