Chapter 17

"Really tired!" Xun Yi walked out of the City God Temple.

He rubbed his chest and looked up at the sky, which was already approaching dusk.

Yesterday was the first time he entered the City God's residence, and after so many twists and turns, it had only been a day. For Xun Yi, the events of this day were more exciting than the entire past year.

Meeting the deities he had heard about since childhood, experiencing a fierce battle with an evil god that almost cost him his life, and finally helping a great deity to subdue a demon. That great deity had boundless powers and seemed more majestic than any mortal king.

The divine path has existed for thousands of years, while human dynasties change every hundred years. Xun Yi seemed to have some thoughts, pondering his path to becoming a deity.

Regarding cultivation, Xun Yi, due to his family's advantages, knew many cultivation methods. His sister's "Twelve Flower Laws" and his own Maolin Sword both originated from the same source, both being the best methods to enter the Dao.

"If I cultivate, should I take the path of spiritual cultivation to become a deity?"

"Definitely!" Bai Fu suddenly spoke up, "Before that prince left, he gave you a cup of wine, which clearly indicates that you should take the path of self-cultivation through spirituality. Otherwise, the nobility of divinity is not so easily achieved."

Bai Fu, transformed into a brush, followed Xun Yi, mentioning the wine bottle Xun Yi held when he returned to the City God's residence.

"This cup of Peach Fairy Wine is a product of the Heavenly Palace, sufficient to help you complete your initial foundation." Bai Fu said, admiring the extravagance of that Lingjun: "Truly worthy of being of the Heavenly Emperor's lineage, indeed with a rich background." Bai Fu also had a desire for the wine in Xun Yi's hand, but the prince had placed a taboo on the wine bottle, allowing only Xun Yi to drink from it. Anyone else who tried to drink would be killed by the taboo on the bottle.

Even the wine bottle could be considered a divine artifact!

Feeling the wine bottle in his sleeve, due to the taboo, the wine remained full without spilling.

"Who is that person?" Xun Yi was curious, "It seems they have no ill intentions toward me?"

"That is a high-ranking deity, possessing the blood of two Heavenly Emperors." Bai Fu did not want to talk about high-ranking deities. High-ranking deities inspired the three realms, and mentioning them now would likely draw their attention.

So, Bai Fu changed the subject: "The most precious in the divine path is to cultivate into a deity of the Ninth Heaven, but such deities are hard to grasp and have no fixed cultivation methods. Out of a hundred deities, only one becomes a deity of the Ninth Heaven, showing how rare they are. Therefore, what you can do is to cultivate your own spirituality and take the path of human cultivators. Cultivate the Dao of the spirit, absorb and incorporate, and finally touch the divine path."

"I heard that this Dao of the spirit is based on foreign deities?"

"That's correct. Initially, our world had no concept of cultivation; all divinity came from self-realization, bloodline awakening, or divine bestowal. It wasn't until the arrival of foreign deities, with their various spells and sword techniques, that the Yellow Emperor began to value the cultivation of the lower ranks. The Fifth Heaven is a threshold; crossing it makes one a true deity, a truly eternal god. The level of foreign deities is roughly the same. They have a specific set of methods for becoming a deity, calling those beyond the Fifth Heaven true deities, and dividing the levels before that according to different professions. Like knights, swordsmen, and so on. The old master mentioned it casually, and I didn't remember much. Anyway, they are not as powerful as our Heavenly Court deities."

After a pause, Bai Fu explained the realms of cultivators: "The Yellow Emperor studied the techniques of foreign deities and created the cultivation method for human cultivators. Cultivation has five major realms. Because it focuses on self-cultivation, when the practice is complete, one directly becomes a deity, reaching the Fifth Heaven, the realm of the Heavenly Deity. This is what is called achieving the Dao. When demons achieve the Dao, they become demon deities; when dragons achieve the Dao, they become dragon deities; and when humans achieve the Dao, they become human deities. Different divine systems have different scopes and domains. The Yellow Emperor's cultivation method has helped us bridge the gap between mortals and deities."

Listening to Bai Fu's explanation, Xun Yi gradually sketched out two distinctly different paths in his mind.

One was the path of refining divinity, as the ancient deities did. But the nobility of divinity is not something mortals can achieve in a single step. Even with the bloodline of a deity, without a special encounter, one cannot elevate the divinity in their blood. But those who can self-illuminate their divinity are definitely deity lords, the orthodox cultivation of the Ninth Heaven. The two Heavenly Emperors, Yan and Huang, both started from this path.

Yan Emperor as a deity of blessings, and Yellow Emperor as a deity of martial arts, they established the era of human dominance. From Yao, Shun, and Yu, to the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties, and later the Qin and Han, Sui and Tang, and the Song, Chu, and Zhao... the human race has passed down through generations, with a history of over twenty thousand years.

But this path is not easy. It is no longer the era of coexistence between humans and deities. Although humans still have the divine blood of their ancestors, it is no longer enough to awaken their divinity.

The Xun family's wood-controlling talent is a legacy of divine blood, but Xun Yi has shown no signs of awakening his divinity. What he didn't know was that he was supposed to inherit the divine blood of Xuanyuan at the age of eight. But due to his heart defect, this shortcut to greatness collapsed.

"Does the young master know why the family's Maolin Sword can only be used to its full potential when combined with the bloodline talent?"

"Because of the wood-controlling bloodline."

"No. The Maolin Sword was created by Maode Gong when he studied plants and combined it with his own bloodline. Because it is specifically designed for the bloodline, the sword technique has the effect of unlocking the potential of the bloodline. Also, because the Xun family does not mind outsiders learning the sword technique, even the hidden three techniques are not kept secret."

Hearing the complaint in his words, Xun Yi coughed lightly, "Liu Zhenying learned the hidden sword technique 'Hengzhu Cuwei' from my grandfather." When Liu Zhenying played with Xun Yi, he happened to see Xun Yu teaching this technique and followed along.

Xun Yu knew that outsiders couldn't learn the essence, so he didn't mind. Instead, he saw it as a favor, helping to maintain a good relationship between Liu Zhenying and the Xun family. In school, Liu Zhenying could take care of Xun Yi.

For a large family like the Xun family, even someone from a small household like Liu Zhenying would not be too discriminated against. Every investment may not have a return, but any return is a significant gain for them. Perhaps a talent they cultivate today will become an official in the future.

Connections are one of the foundations of the Xun family's prosperity. Even with the current young head of the family, the Xun family still has relatives deeply rooted in the court.

"You might as well think more about your family's sword technique. If you can reach the third realm of Maolin Shaohua, you can enter the Dao."

Xun Yi felt a surge of excitement. "If I can become a deity and achieve immortality, it would indeed be a good path."

Of course, the premise is to treat his heart condition. With life, there is a future.

So, Xun Yi identified the direction and walked toward Yan Bao's house. He didn't think the matter of the evil god's pen was over and wanted to learn more from Yan Bao.

He had just left the City God Temple when a graceful figure walked out of the Dao Temple nearby: "Thank you, Deity. I will come to pay my respects again."

The green-clad girl, who bore a slight resemblance to Xun Yi, ran from the Dao Temple to the Xun family's small building.

After the girl left, a divine consciousness slowly returned to the Dao Temple. "I didn't expect Maode Gong to have such descendants. At this age, to reach the Third Heaven, even as a human cultivator, the Xun family will surely produce another Heavenly Deity in the future."

The Dao Temple deity, the god of roads and directions, is an ancient and venerable deity. The Sounan deity, his subordinate, helps the Heavenly Court's army in battles against evil deities.

Xun Tan used the power of the Sounan deity to teleport directly from the sea to the Dao Temple in Qinglong City. The Dao Temple deity felt a pure wood spirit energy and deliberately descended a divine consciousness to observe, silently divining. He saw a lush green landscape, with endless flower seas and forests blocking his view, unable to see Xun Tan's future clearly.

He was stunned for a moment and silently withdrew his divine power.

Xun Tan headed in the opposite direction of Xun Yi, and the two missed each other. However, as if sensing their blood connection, both subconsciously turned back after walking for a while.

The crowd separated them, and they both turned away.

Yan Bao was a student in Class B, and Xun Yi had only visited his house twice with Liu Zhenying.

As a self-aware directionally challenged person, Xun Yi entrusted the task of leading the way to Bai Fu. He deliberately asked Bai Fu to find Yan Bao's house when leaving the City God's residence.

With Bai Fu leading the way and asking passersby, they smoothly arrived at Yan Bao's house, just as Liu Zhenying and Li Junde were knocking on the door.

"What are you doing?"

"Delivering notes to Yan Bao." Liu Zhenying pointed to the notebook in his hand. As the class president, he had the duty to take care of his classmates, and Li Junde, being bored, followed along: "Where did you go this afternoon? You didn't go to class."

"Nowhere." Xun Yi vaguely replied, "I was just looking for a place to buy Luoru pens, but couldn't find one, so I came to ask Yan Bao."

The three of them entered together, and Yan Bao was walking in the courtyard.

He felt much better in the afternoon and was slowly moving with the help of his family. But his face was still pale, lacking vitality.

Xun Yi saw the hidden Ke Zhuangyuan in the courtyard. It was Ke Zhuangyuan who secretly used his magic to replenish Yan Bao's stolen vitality. Xun Yi nodded in acknowledgment and then approached to ask Yan Bao about the Luoru pen.

"Oh, that pen. I bought it from a scar-faced man outside the Wenchang Temple. Since the blessing pens were sold out that day, I bought two Luoru pens at the entrance. They felt pretty good."

"Sold out? Doesn't the Wenchang Temple bless dozens of pens every day? Even with many students in the city, they shouldn't be sold out at this time. And they have new ones every day. They can't all be sold out, right?" Xun Yi questioned, subtly squeezing the brush in his sleeve.

Bai Fu sensed something and appeared from Xun Yi's shoulder, asking Ke Zhuangyuan.

Ke Zhuangyuan, curious about Bai Fu's presence on Xun Yi, answered honestly: "The blessing pens at the Wenchang Temple have been in short supply these past few days, all taken by someone. If I'm not mistaken, it's the same group of people."

"The same group of people?" Xun Yi remained calm, realizing the matter of the evil god's pen was not over. The Ma Jingyi he caught didn't have a scar, so the person who sold the evil god's pen to Yan Bao must be someone else. And they seemed to have deliberately bought out all the pens at the Wenchang Temple to sell the evil god's pen.

"This must be a well-planned organization," Xun Yi thought, feeling heavy. After Liu Zhenying lent his notes to Yan Bao, the three of them left the Yan family.

"Do you want to make a bet?" Xun Yi suddenly said. To dispel the gloom in his heart, he could only find amusement elsewhere. For example, watching others lose everything?

Xun Yi always believed that others' suffering was the source of his happiness.

"Bet? What kind of bet?" Li Junde asked casually.

"No bet!" Liu Zhenying immediately replied. Who would bet with Xun Yi! Xun Yi's good luck had never let him lose since childhood.

"Let's guess the coin. The loser buys the winner food." Xun Yi said, "I don't have high demands. Roast fish from Qingdezhai, pear honey from Jingyuan, plum dried fruit, honeyed melon, five-flavored duck feet from the century-old shop in the East City, braised pig stomach from the southern suburbs, and candied hawthorn from the Wenchang Temple..." Xun Yi listed over a dozen snacks.

Li Junde's face turned black: "That's my allowance for half a month!"

Li Junde's father was the governor of Longchuan County, with a wealthy family, but his family restricted his monthly allowance to prevent extravagance. Even every expense had to be reported to his mother.

"Forget it, I know how much you have in your piggy bank," Xun Yi said disdainfully.

There are always ways around rules. Li Junde's mother was strict, but Li Junde had his tricks.

Xun Yi's luck was good, so he deliberately took Xun Yi to the casino, and it would double his piggy bank.

Of course, neither of them was short of money. They only made small profits each time, not overdoing it. The casino owner also tacitly approved of their actions, considering it a way to make friends.

This idea aligned with the Xun family's consistent family education. Occasionally, Xun Yi would even invite the owner of Qiulan's gambling house to eat, building the Xun family's network of connections.

Connections are sometimes a resource! The City God's favor toward the Xun family was also due to the old ancestor's connections.

"Old Liu, how much does Junde have in his piggy bank now?" He turned to ask his companion.

Liu Zhenying calculated: "At the beginning of the month, you went to the casino with him and made over ten taels of silver. He spent a lot during the Dragon Boat Festival when he invited classmates to a gathering. He should have at least five taels left."

"Clap!" Xun Yi clapped his hands, "It's settled, let's bet! Junde, get the coin. I didn't bring money today anyway."

"You only want to spend my money because you didn't bring any!" Li Junde complained while taking out the coin.

"Stop complaining! If you win, I'll treat you double! This is a rare chance for you to win me in over ten years! I'm not feeling well today, so this is a good opportunity. How about I serve you tea and massage your shoulders for a day?"

Thinking about Xun Yi, who had always oppressed him, serving him tea and massaging his shoulders, Li Junde subconsciously wanted to agree.

But his reason told him that he had never won a bet against Xun Yi.

"But everything has a first time, right? What if he loses this time?"

"Bet!" Li Junde gritted his teeth and took the bait. Liu Zhenying shook his head, holding the book boxes, and quietly watched the show. "It would be strange if he won this bet!"

Sure enough, the usual coin toss, even letting Li Junde toss and guess first, still ended in a loss.

Five rounds, five losses. From a single round to best of three, best of five, and best of nine, all ended in defeat.

Pinching his nose, Li Junde obediently bought the food for Xun Yi, carrying two food boxes. Some items were not available and needed to be delivered to the school early the next morning.

"Gambling is not a good habit; it relies too much on luck." Liu Zhenying looked at Li Junde with a sympathetic expression. Because of Xun Yi's good luck and the many painful lessons around him, from Li Junde, Zhang Yuqi, to Gu Yang and Yan Bao, the tragic examples of his classmates, Liu Zhenying had never dared to touch the vice of gambling since childhood.

"Eating others' food is always more delicious than spending your own money!" Xun Yi squinted his eyes and slowly walked home.

However, he didn't expect that there was a demon waiting for him at home. Mobile users, please visit http://m.piaotia.net

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