Chapter 48

Apricot Yellow Cottage.

When Su Yi returned from outside the city, he saw an unexpected person already waiting for him.

The city lord, Fu Shan!

"Mr. Su."

Fu Shan smiled as he approached and greeted, "I have come uninvited, I hope you will not be offended."

This time, he also addressed Su Yi as "Mr." just like Xiao Tianque and Zijin.

This was a form of respect.

It also meant that in Fu Shan's heart, he no longer treated Su Yi as a young man.

Su Yi, lost in thought, said, "Lord Fu, have you encountered something you can't resolve?"

"I knew I couldn't hide it from you."

Fu Shan sighed deeply, a trace of worry appearing on his face, "I have come with a request, hoping Mr. Su will help."

"Tell me about it."

Su Yi nodded.

Fu Shan organized his thoughts and then said, "In three days, the Longmen Banquet will begin. Originally, everything was under my control, but last night, I received a letter from the city lord of Luoyun City, Li Jianyu."

"Li Jianyu suggested in the letter that during this Longmen Banquet, the ownership of 'Lingzhu Island' for the next ten years should be decided."

"If the young people from Guangling City win the first place in the competition, Lingzhu Island will be incorporated into Guangling City's territory, controlled by the city lord's residence for ten years."

"Conversely, Lingzhu Island will be controlled by Luoyun City."

Su Yi vaguely understood and said, "Is this Lingzhu Island very special?"

"Exactly."

Fu Shan explained, "This island is located in the middle of the Dacang River, thirty miles away from Guangling City. It is a small island in the river."

"It is only thirty paces in size, but it is a blessed land where spiritual energy converges. On the island, there is a bamboo forest covering ten paces, known as 'Qingyu Lingzhu.'"

"This bamboo is as green and lustrous as jade, and every part of it is a treasure. Its roots, bamboo shoots, and leaves are like medicinal herbs, rich in green wood spiritual energy."

"The mature bamboo is an extremely precious spiritual material, comparable to divine weapons and sharp blades when used for forging."

"In the past, Lingzhu Island was alternately managed by Guangling City and Luoyun City, with a rotation every three years."

"However, since Li Jianyu became the city lord of Luoyun City two years ago, he has torn up the old rules and no longer recognizes them, intending to control Lingzhu Island completely."

"Over the past two years, I have had many conflicts with him over Lingzhu Island, and the tensions have escalated. If not resolved, a fierce and bloody battle is inevitable."

At this, Fu Shan smiled bitterly.

Su Yi said, "If that's the case, his suggestion to resolve this at the Longmen Banquet isn't exactly what you want?"

Fu Shan sighed, "If I had known about this suggestion a few days ago, I would have agreed without hesitation. But he only told me last night, which makes it difficult to handle."

"Why is that?" Su Yi raised an eyebrow.

"At the Longmen Banquet, any young martial artist under eighteen years old is eligible to participate. If I had known earlier, I would have prepared and found some capable people to join."

Fu Shan patiently explained, "But now, time is tight, and I don't have enough time to prepare. On the other hand, Li Jianyu, since he proposed this, must have been planning for a long time and is very confident."

At this point, Su Yi nodded and said, "Li Jianyu is indeed well-calculated."

Fu Shan said coldly, "That old fox is devious and ruthless, never taking on anything without a sure win. I have already learned that he has arranged for a young genius named 'Mo Tianling' to participate."

"This Mo Tianling comes from the first clan of Luoyun City, the Mo family. He is eighteen years old, has reached the Great Perfection stage of the Blood Circulation realm, and trained in the Qinghe Sword Mansion for two years."

"Later, he left Yunhe County and joined the Chilin Army under the command of 'Yun Guang Hou,' fighting on the battlefield for over a year, becoming accustomed to the blood and death of war, and achieving many military honors."

"Such a ruthless character is not comparable to the young scholars who have never seen blood."

At this, he was deeply worried, his brows tightly furrowed.

"Ah, it's him."

Su Yi vaguely felt familiar and quickly remembered.

During his third year of training at the Qinghe Sword Mansion, Mo Tianling was already an inner disciple.

This person had a cold and unpredictable temperament. In a martial competition, he cruelly severed a fellow disciple's right arm, causing the senior figures of the sect to be furious and expelling him from the Qinghe Sword Mansion.

Su Yi didn't expect to hear about this person after so long.

"Mr. Su, I know it's beneath your dignity to ask you to participate in the competition, but I have no other choice. If you don't agree, it's fine; I will think of other ways."

Seeing Su Yi silent, Fu Shan felt uneasy and anxious.

Initially, he didn't think of asking Su Yi for help.

Later, after being reminded by Nie Beihu, he suddenly remembered that the revered Mr. Su by Lingyao Princess is only seventeen years old!

At this age, he is eligible to participate in the Longmen Banquet.

After much hesitation, he finally gathered his courage and came to seek help.

Of course, he didn't expect Su Yi to agree easily. He was just trying his luck.

Su Yi suddenly said, "I heard that Elder Zhou Huaiqiu and Ni Hao from the Qinghe Sword Mansion are also here. Why didn't you ask Ni Hao to help?"

Fu Shan smiled bitterly and shook his head, "First, I have no relationship with Zhou Huaiqiu. Second, Zhou Huaiqiu and Ni Hao have been staying at the Li family's residence."

"And as you know, during the Wen family's matriarch's birthday banquet, my attitude upset Li Tianhan, so..."

Su Yi nodded and said, "I understand. I will go to the Longmen Banquet when it starts."

No matter what, Fu Shan helped him a lot at the Juxian Tower. Even though Fu Shan was acting on orders, Su Yi couldn't ignore the favor.

Now that the other party has come to him, he can't stand by and do nothing.

Even if the opponent is not worth mentioning, it would be nice to see the river lights like a dragon.

Fu Shan was overjoyed and clasped his hands, smiling, "With Mr. Su here, the situation is under control! I have no more worries!"

Fu Shan soon left.

Su Yi returned to his room, took off his clothes, and soaked in the wooden tub filled with medicinal water that had been prepared.

For agreeing to participate in the Longmen Banquet, he was more concerned about his own cultivation.

In recent days, Huang Ganjun had been bringing a pot of bone soup made from spiritual herbs every morning.

With fifty spirit stones available for cultivation, Su Yi's progress was astonishing.

Last night, he had thoroughly cultivated the "Tendon Strengthening" stage to the Great Perfection level, his tendons and ligaments as strong and flexible as dragons.

If he were to face Wu Ruoqiu, who is at the "Qi Gathering" stage, he could easily defeat him.

"Indeed, as I start 'Bone Strengthening,' ordinary herbs are no longer effective..."

Soon, Su Yi frowned and got out of the tub. His lean and tall body was clearly defined with muscles, as white and smooth as jade.

His muscles and bones, though not bulky, contained a power that other martial artists could only dream of.

After drying off and putting on his robe, Su Yi sat cross-legged on the bed, holding a spirit stone in each hand.

Bone Strengthening is the last stage of the Blood Circulation realm.

Reaching this stage is much harder than Tendon Strengthening, as the goal is to refine the bones to the point where the bone marrow is as white as frost, which is extremely difficult.

Most martial artists in the Great Zhou Dynasty are trapped in this stage for their entire lives, unable to achieve higher breakthroughs.

In Guangling City, there are many Blood Circulation realm martial artists, but only a few are at the Qi Gathering stage.

The reason is that "Bone Strengthening" is too difficult, like an insurmountable barrier, preventing further advancement.

For Su Yi, the difficulty is not in Bone Strengthening, but in cultivation resources.

Previously, he could use ordinary herbs to aid his cultivation.

Now, ordinary herbs are no longer useful.

He can only use spiritual herbs, spirit stones, or cultivate in places where spiritual energy converges!

However, in the Great Zhou Dynasty, these are extremely rare.

"I still have over thirty first-grade spirit stones. Without the aid of spiritual herbs, I need to use five stones per day for cultivation..."

"This is not a sustainable solution. Perhaps, I should consider leaving Guangling City."

While cultivating, Su Yi pondered.

The Great Zhou Dynasty has vast territories, divided into "Six Provinces and Thirty-Six Counties."

One province covers six counties, and each county has several cities.

Yunhe County, for example, is one of the six counties of Rong Province, with nineteen cities.

Guangling City is just one of them.

On the map of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Guangling City is a remote and small city.

A few years ago, Su Yi chose to come to the Qinghe Sword Mansion in Yunhe County because of its remote location and distance from the capital, Yujing.

This allowed him to escape the influence of the Su family in Yujing.

However, he didn't expect that when he lost his cultivation, the Su family in Yujing found him so quickly!

Therefore, after regaining his past memories, Su Yi had already made a decision—

When his cultivation reaches the Great Perfection stage of the Blood Circulation realm, he will leave Guangling City.

This way, even if he encounters some difficult situations after leaving, he will have the ability to handle them.

But now, the situation is different.

Guangling City is a remote city with extremely limited cultivation resources.

To continue his cultivation, he must consider going to a more prosperous place.

For example, Yunhe City.

Otherwise, he will face a situation where he has no resources to continue.

"Leaving is not urgent. Before I leave, I must visit Yuncang Mountain."

Su Yi remembered that on Guimu Ridge, there is a Six Yin Absolute Corpse, Six Yin Grass, and Extreme Yang Flower.

There might even be a segment of a Yin Sha Spirit Vein buried there!

"Hmm, it is said that Guimu Ridge has been a place of ghostly activity since ancient times. I can take Qingwan with me when I go."

Su Yi thought of Qingwan in the Soul Nourishing Gourd, his eyebrows slightly raised.

This girl has a deep spiritual affinity!

Whether it's the Yin Sha Spirit Vein or the Six Yin Grass, he doesn't need them now.

But for her, a low-level ghost, they are great nourishment!

Three days later.

The highly anticipated "Longmen Banquet" will begin tonight.

Su Yi, bathed in the morning light, came to the Dacang River outside the city, heading towards a mulberry forest.

For him, today is no different from before.

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PS: A gentle question, I want to add an extra chapter today. Do you have any monthly votes?