Chapter 269: Chapter 269: Three Fleeting Months, The Affairs of White Jade City

After Yang Chan returned to the Cyan Yuan Sect, his days became very peaceful.

His daily life rarely changed, following a set routine. He spent part of his time on his duties as a Cyan Yuan Sect Pharmacist, while the rest was dedicated to Alchemy and practicing Martial Arts. This was precisely the kind of life Yang Chan enjoyed most.

Facing all sorts of dangers every day was not the life he wanted. Being constantly watched, or even pressured, by unknown experts was no way for anyone to live.

「Three months passed in a flash.」

Peaceful days always flew by, while difficult times felt like an eternity—just as it had been back in White Jade City.

Yang Chan’s Martial Arts Cultivation had not only broken through to the Second Lungs and Spleen but was also on the verge of breaking through to the Third Lungs and Spleen.

Just as he had predicted, he broke through to the Second Lungs and Spleen when his proficiency in the Flood Dragon Demon Breath Method reached 20% of Tier Three Mastery. Now, his proficiency had already increased to 38% of Tier Three Mastery. Progress was very fast; by his estimate, he would be able to break through again in just a few more days.

If he hadn’t frantically spent points on the Wind-Stepping Technique back in White Jade City, he would have already completed the tempering of his Third Lungs and Spleen and even begun advancing toward the Fourth Lungs and Spleen.

Of course, this rate of improvement was enough to shock the entire Cyan Yuan Sect, and even the whole Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty. After all, most Inner Masters spent nearly a decade to advance their Cultivation by tempering their lungs and spleen. If they encountered a bottleneck, it would take even longer.

For instance, not everyone in the Cyan Yuan Sect could temper their organs all the way to the Sixth Lungs and Spleen. Most Elders, like Elder Ji Feng, were only at the level of the Third or Fourth Lungs and Spleen.

Yang Chan, on the other hand, had only taken a few months—a fact sufficient to make others burn with envy.

Of course, Yang Chan adhered to the principle of keeping a low profile, so his Cultivation breakthroughs were made in secret. The only progress he allowed to show was a minor breakthrough in his External Cultivation.

In the eyes of others, Yang Chan was now at the Second Layer of External Refining Copper Skin, the Brass Level.

This progress was considered standard. With the support of Cultivation Resources, it was natural for his improvement to be slightly faster, which better matched his status. If his Cultivation hadn’t improved at all, it would have seemed more suspicious.

Naturally, Yang Chan wouldn’t let that happen.

His Sword Master profession was also steadily improving. It was now at 50% of Tier One Initial Glimpse, already past the halfway mark. At this rate, he should be able to advance to Tier Two in about half a year, which might trigger a qualitative change.

His Tai Chi Health Cultivation Skill had also improved significantly, reaching 37% of Tier Four Masterful. The next advancement would surely bring another qualitative leap in his Lifespan, which was what Yang Chan looked forward to the most.

His other Cultivation Techniques also showed obvious improvement through his daily arduous practice, but their progress wasn’t as great as these three. After all, he had spent most of his Potential Points on them. Even after he started refining Guiyuan Pills and Qi Replenishing Pills, his point allocation had barely changed.

The Potential Points provided daily by the Cyan Spirit Pills, Guiyuan Pills, and Qi Replenishing Pills did not disappoint Yang Chan. Each yielded 0.5 Potential Points, surpassing the amount provided by the First Revolution Nourishing Viscera Pill. This pushed Yang Chan’s Daily Potential Point Collection to 4.7. Having already surpassed four points per day, he was now closing in on five—a massive increase.

Even so, Yang Chan continued to invest almost all his Potential Points into these three skills, as he valued them the most.

While his Cultivation improved steadily, Yang Chan also paid some attention to various current events.

This included not only matters within the Cyan Yuan Sect but also events unfolding in White Jade City. Of course, he was merely an observer, watching how things developed.

For instance, Crown Prince Yang Qian and the other princes involved in the rebellion had all been sentenced to death. This extended to the Crown Prince Consort and many other female relatives within the Crown Prince’s Mansion. The same fate befell the other rebellious princes; not a single person was spared, not even their children.

This level of ruthlessness terrified many people.

As the saying goes, even a vicious tiger won’t eat its cubs. But this went beyond that; it was wiping out their entire bloodline, completely eradicating any possibility of future revenge.

Of course, with his vast number of children, the Old Emperor Yang Yu didn’t seem to care at all.

Many factions in White Jade City were purged. One moment they were high-ranking officials, the next they were prisoners in the Celestial Prison. Their female relatives were sent to the Imperial Music Bureau, while the men were exiled to the border with little chance of survival. Their fates were truly tragic.

What surprised Yang Chan the most was that Xu Chuan, the Vice Alliance Leader of the Pharmacist Alliance, had also been killed. A Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster and a Top Level Pharmacist, yet he had died right there in White Jade City.

It was said that Xu Chuan had also participated in the rebellion. The failure to refine the Earth Element Supreme Pill and the problems with the Pharmacist Alliance’s Earth Fire were apparently his handiwork.

He was also the scapegoat the Imperial Family offered to appease the various Sects. Having suffered heavy losses in White Jade City, the major Sects were not about to let the matter rest and had banded together to pressure the Imperial Court.

The Cyan Yuan Sect was among them, for there was still no news of Yan Jinfeng, Qi Yuansheng, and the others. Their chances of survival were slim—in fact, it was almost certain they were dead—so naturally, the Sect was also looking to make trouble.

To placate their anger, after executing the Crown Prince, several other princes, and many high-ranking officials, the Imperial Family made an example of the Pharmacist Alliance. As far as Yang Chan knew, in addition to Vice Alliance Leader Xu Chuan, many other Pharmacists who had been involved were also eliminated.

Only after seeing this did the anger of the major Sects subside somewhat.

The major Sects had no intention of overthrowing the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty. Seeing their objective achieved, they ceased their actions. There was a line that both sides understood could not be crossed.

The matter caused a huge uproar, but eventually, it passed.

On the other hand, the political marriage with the Jin Meng Empire was developing in a way Yang Chan hadn’t expected. Even after three months, the matter was still not settled. The long delay made many realize that something was amiss—it seemed both the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty and the Jin Meng Empire were intentionally dragging their feet, as if neither was genuinely committed to the alliance.

The Jin Meng Empire had proposed a marriage with Princess Qianyue, Yang Qianqian, also known as the Ninety-ninth Princess—Old Emperor Yang Yu’s ninety-ninth daughter.

The Great Zhou Imperial Family refused, offering Commandery Princess Lan Yue, Yang Xianglan, instead. She was the very same Intermediate Pharmacist, even younger than himself, whom Yang Chan had met before. Her master had been Xu Chuan, the late Vice Alliance Leader of the Pharmacist Alliance. Furthermore, her father, a prince, was also said to have been involved in the rebellion and had since been put to death.

Logically, Commandery Princess Lan Yue should have been sentenced to death as well. It was unexpected that she was still alive, and even more intriguing that she was now being offered for the political marriage.

Of course, Yang Chan merely listened to the gossip without paying it much mind. In his eyes, both Commandery Princess Lan Yue and Princess Qianyue were strangers; it made no difference to him who was sent for the marriage.

He just hoped this peaceful life would continue. After all, he thoroughly enjoyed this stability. Being able to stay in the Cyan Yuan Sect was ideal—it was safe and secure.