Chapter 58: I’ll Be Waiting for You in the Capital City
In the living room, Gu Zhan took out the secret manual and began to browse it.
Fierce Sun Skill—Gu Zhan had long heard of this cultivation technique. It was the Tower Guard Martial Arts of the Inheritance Pavilion in Linjiang City’s Embroidered Uniform Guard, an Innate level cultivation technique, divided into upper and lower volumes.
The upper volume was a Postnatal Technique, which could be cultivated to the First Grade Realm. The lower volume was at the Innate level, able to be cultivated to the Innate Ninth Layer. However, in Linjiang City’s Embroidered Uniform Guard, only cultivation up to the Innate Fourth Layer existed; the rest of the technique could only be found at Yunzhou Garrison.
Very quickly, Gu Zhan finished browsing the cultivation technique,
and at the same time, the system successfully recorded both volumes of the Fierce Sun Skill.
In that instant,
the system prompt sounded in his mind:
[Would you like to switch to cultivating Fierce Sun Skill?]
Note: Switching cultivation technique within the same realm will consume one tenth of the Experience Points required for the next realm.
Gu Zhan didn’t hesitate and immediately chose to switch.
[Consumes 1,000 Experience Points]
[Successfully switched to Fierce Sun Skill]
[Current realm: First Grade]
In a flash,
Gu Zhan could feel his inner strength begin to change. The inner strength from the Profound Yuan Skill was violent, but not excessively so,
but with the switch,
his inner strength suddenly seemed to awaken with wildness, like floodwaters bursting through dams, surging through his meridians, as if an inferno had ignited within.
Gu Zhan was sweating profusely from the heat.
However, this process didn’t last long. Soon, his inner strength stabilized, and Gu Zhan mastered this transformed inner strength perfectly, as if he had transitioned step by step on his own.
As expected,
Cheating is exhilarating for a moment,
but keep cheating and it’s exhilarating forever!
Gu Zhan checked his Experience Points, then chose to cultivate the lower volume of Fierce Sun Skill.
[Consumes 10,000 Experience Points]
[Innate Fierce Sun Skill upgraded to First Layer]
[Current realm elevated to Innate First Layer]
...
In that instant, Gu Zhan’s essence, energy, and spirit all reached their peak.
The air rippled,
Gu Zhan seemed enveloped in red flames, flashing by like a blazing sun.
Gu Zhan slowly opened his hand. In his palm, a cluster of flame appeared, radiating a shocking temperature, though the flame wasn’t truly fire, but a transparent substance.
"True Qi!"
Gu Zhan whispered, then casually struck out with his palm.
He hadn’t cultivated Palm Technique before, it was just a casual release of True Qi.
A loud "boom" sounded,
A pillar in the hall more than a meter away from Gu Zhan instantly burst open with a gap.
This was the distinctive sign of the Innate Realm: True Qi released externally.
It’s said one’s clothes remain unstained by dust, rain falls without touching the body.
Once reaching the Innate Realm, one can condense Innate Gang Qi to shield the whole body.
At Gu Zhan’s entry level into the Innate Realm, the defensive effect wasn’t much, but his Perception Power increased dozens of times. For powerful Innate Experts, Innate Gang Qi alone could make one impervious to blades and arrows.
After experiencing Innate True Qi for a moment, Gu Zhan stopped his cultivation and checked the system interface:
Player: Gu Zhan
Realm: Innate First Layer
Cultivation Technique: Fierce Sun Skill (Layer 1 0/15,000)
Skill: Wind-Breaking Saber Technique (Great Success)
Big Goose Skill (Great Success)
Mountain-Opening Saber Technique (Great Success)
Jinghong Saber Technique (Great Success)
Cloud Platform Three Falls (Great Success)
Golden Bell Shield (Great Success)
Meteor Arrow Technique (Great Success)
Experience Points: 4,123
...
After looking over the system interface, Gu Zhan put it away.
The cultivation technique was sufficient for now, but after advancing to Innate, his Martial Arts now felt a bit limited.
He knew quite a few Martial Arts, but after reaching the Innate Realm, only Jinghong Saber Technique and Meteor Arrow Technique could barely suffice; even Cloud Platform Three Falls seemed inadequate for Qinggong.
After all, upon reaching the Innate Realm,
the body’s abilities underwent a qualitative leap. Even just performing Big Goose Skill, he could leap dozens of zhang, and his Saber Techniques needed no explanation.
The strongest aspect of Jinghong Saber Technique was the ability to project Saber Qi with Postnatal cultivation, but in the Innate Realm, this was basically a standard skill.
"After taking office, I need to pay a visit to the Hundred Households Office!"
According to Embroidered Uniform Guard regulations, entering the Inheritance Pavilion to select Martial Arts requires corresponding merit, but generally after promotion to Hundred Households, there’s a chance to visit the Hundred Households Office’s Inheritance Pavilion and select one Martial Arts skill—except for a few Tower Guard Cultivation Techniques like Fierce Sun Skill, the rest can be freely chosen.
This has always been an unspoken rule.
Just like the Inheritance Pavilion in the Hundred Households Office, there is a register describing the various Martial Arts, and once chosen, you can receive a Rubbing of the skill manual.
...
After entering the warm spring, Linjiang City gradually became lively, and this period was especially bustling in the Government Office.
As one of the major powers in Linjiang Government Office, the Embroidered Uniform Guard underwent a shakeup, naturally attracting all kinds of attention. Although only offices like Hundred Households and Thousand Households require appointments via Garrison Commandant’s Office and can’t be controlled by Noble Families in Linjiang, the remaining vacancies allowed plenty of room for maneuvering.
For a time, in the rush to compete for these positions,
all factions displayed their abilities, fighting fiercely.
However, these matters had nothing to do with Gu Zhan,
Now, he was taking over the South City Hundred Households Office, with the foundation left by Gu Chuan. It wasn’t exactly ironclad, but others would have to weigh carefully before intervening, and Gu Chuan hadn’t left yet,
South City, though the epicenter of trouble, was instead calm and peaceful.
During this time,
Gu Chuan took Gu Zhan around visiting doors, attending banquets, and handed over all his connections and industries in Linjiang City, including more than one money-spinning business like Baihua Building.
...
The winter in Linjiang City departed slowly, but the sense of spring arrived swiftly. In just a few days, peach blossoms appeared on the walls of the alleys.
The handover at South City Hundred Households Office went smoothly. Time flew by, and soon it was Gu Chuan’s day to leave.
On the last morning before departure, it was no different from every previous day—mist surrounded them, and a red sun flickered in the haze.
Gu Zhan held the reins, walking alongside Gu Chuan,
The two exited the Hundred Households Office, walking through streets and alleys to come outside the city.
On the country road, amidst picturesque cottages and village scenes by the roadside, the crowing of roosters and barking of dogs sounded occasionally, everything bathed in gentle light.
A group awaited ahead.
Gu Chuan stopped, saying, "Brother Gu, a thousand miles of farewells must end—let us part here!"
Gu Zhan stopped as well, tossed the reins onto his horse, and cupped his hands: "Brother Gu, safe travels."
Gu Chuan smiled slightly and said, "Both of us have our journey ahead. May you not forget our agreement as you travel onward. This farewell is for our future reunion."
"I will definitely come," said Gu Zhan.
Gu Chuan gripped both of Gu Zhan’s hands sincerely:
"I’ll be waiting for you at the Capital City!"
Hooves sounded, green garments fluttered.
Some rode ahead, others lingered in farewell.
Outside Linjiang City in the morning, a red sun,
rose slowly from the distant horizon, breaking through the thick mist.