Beginning with the Ubume Bird-Chapter 572 - 4: The Eight Treasures of the Zhou Rituals
"Thank you."
Li Yan nodded sincerely.
"You’re welcome."
Mo smiled and then left through the door, Li Yan didn’t see him out but instead sat alone deep in thought.
"I think, actually, this might not necessarily be a bad thing." Lady Dan pushed the fruit plate towards Li Yan, "Moreover... If I officially join the Yan Zhao Club, then in the future, I should be able to enter the Yan Fu world with you like before, right?"
Li Yan stretched lazily, "It’s not that simple... I’ve inquired about it, the Yan Zhao Club practices a representative voting system, where everyone can share to some extent in the power over Yan Fu, and the entire Yan Zhao Club’s Six Ministries Walkers total just a few dozen people. Rashly including you is like cutting flesh from others. Your cultivation has come too easily, you may not be a match for those people." 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚
After a pause, Li Yan added, "Anyway, I’ll accompany you to the Yan Zhao Club this time."
The words of Li Yan were not alarmist.
The cultivation that Yu Shu imparted to Lady Dan wasn’t some incomplete Yan Fu scroll but a complete Taishuai inheritance, and with the overbearing nature of Taishuai itself, it only needed sufficient cultivation to enter directly into the Six Ministries.
Lady Dan could have a cultivation of four thousand years, a third of which was luck, lining up with the cultivation of the Fiery Cauldron Couple. Seven parts of it was Yu Shu’s scheming. Initially, Yu Shu precisely predicted that Lady Dan wouldn’t give up this cultivation and the ability to move in and out of the three thousand worlds.
Yu Shu promised Lady Dan that using the methods from the Taiping Cave Ultimate Scripture could stabilize the Taishuai inheritance and solidify her foundation so that even he wouldn’t be able to easily strip it away from her in the future.
This made Lady Dan tempted enough to take the plunge, albeit somewhat reluctantly.
Since returning from Red Mountain, Li Yan hadn’t asked, but Lady Dan didn’t hide anything. After back and forth discussions, Li Yan was well aware of the situation.
Even today, Lady Dan, who claims to have four thousand years of cultivation, might still be weaker than those from the Six Ministries in the Yan Zhao Club by more than a little.
Not to mention, during that event at Red Mountain, Lady Dan had clashed with Si Wenji and got no advantage.
But Si Wenji isn’t someone who could hold her own among the Six Ministries; those humiliating tasks like ordering Cao Yuanchao’s direct subordinates were done for a reason.
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"Basically, that’s the situation."
It was past mealtime, the restaurant business had quieted down, and Li Yan came to find Cha Xiaodao to lay out the whole situation.
"I remember you planned on going through the Divine Court, right?"
Cha Xiaodao asked.
"Right."
"The Divine Court is known for being a late bloomer; I entered Yan Fu a bit earlier than you. Most of those who set up and performed at Lou Master’s funeral are old hands who experienced Sifan’s formidable presence two years ago. Many of them were even former Proxy Travelers who gave up due to various reasons later on. You should be mentally prepared. Actually, I do have some confidence in you joining the Yan Zhao Club. But even if you join the Yan Zhao Club, it’s like the saying goes, better to be a chicken’s head than a phoenix’s tail, and you might not get any good out of it."
Cha Xiaodao shook her head, not very optimistic about Li Yan’s intentions.
"Xiaodao, what if I wanted you to participate in the Yan Fu trial right now, how confident are you?"
Li Yan asked seriously.
The Taotie’s Yan Fu trial was known for its high difficulty but has always remained vacant.
"One of the requirements for Taotie’s Yan Fu trial is that it’s only open to those with Taotie lineage inheritance, not considering other people’s interference."
Xiaodao thought for a while, "Probably about sixty to seventy percent, I guess."
"That’s a bit low," Li Yan said solemnly.
"Sixty to seventy percent is not low," Cha Xiaodao was a bit startled, "Or, let me think of another way. If I can find a few more of the other Week Ritual Eight Delicacies, my chances might be even greater."
The Week Ritual Eight Delicacies: this is a trump card of Cha Xiaodao’s. One time when Cha Xiaodao said she would act alone, one of the rewards from that Yan Fu incident was the Su Luo Chan from the Week Ritual Eight Delicacies.
[Su Luo Chan]
Category: Consumable
Quality: Legendary
The least of the Week Ritual Eight Delicacies, made with exquisite ingredients, eating it allows one to gain inexhaustible energy for a period of time. The cost of activating any skill is reduced to zero without any side effects.
"Can’t this dish be learned?"
Li Yan frowned.
Cha Xiaodao half-jokingly and half-seriously said, "If one day I become one of the Ten Masters, I’ll wholesale it to you."
"How many Su Luo Chan do you have left in your hand?"
"Three."
"Give me one first."
Cha Xiaodao didn’t think much of it and pulled a fist-sized, translucent jade ball from his sleeve and handed it to Li Yan. Through the jade, one could see a bright yellow dairy product inside, shaped like a cicada’s belly.
Holding it in his hand, Li Yan weighed it: "Let’s consider this the rent."
"What rent?"
Li Yan took out a small porcelain bottle and passed it to Cha Xiaodao; Cha Xiaodao pulled the stopper out to look and saw that inside was a golden liquid, about seven or eight drops.
"What is this?"
"I’m lending you the Ascender; use it as you see fit. If anything goes wrong, use this to suppress it."
Li Yan shared the Ascender’s data with Cha Xiaodao.
After briefly reviewing the Ascender’s data, Cha Xiaodao’s mouth hung open in disbelief.
"This, this..."
The data for the Ascender was extravagantly impressive; even if it couldn’t unleash its full strength for various reasons, just the linked force of the thirteen Tri-Orb Devices alone was more than what a normal Eight Extremes Peak could withstand.
"I need to prepare. I’ll go to the Yan Fu trial tomorrow."
Cha Xiaodao’s spirit was lifted; being of the same Taotie lineage and not allowed to bring Proxys or Comrades, the Ascender was tantamount to a cheating device.
"How many days do you think you’ll be back in?"
"Hard to say. I should make it in time, though."
said Cha Xiaodao.
"May you meet with immediate success."
Upon saying this, Li Yan stood up to leave.
"Where are you going?"
asked Cha Xiaodao.
"Off to the South Seas."
The ocean was boundless, the relaxed white clouds changing into various shapes; Li Yan walked on the sea surface as deep black giant fish emerged from the sea and returned in a "n" shape, magnificent golden jellyfish swam in shallow waters, and the bloodthirsty R’lyeh Water Tigers roamed aimlessly.
Out of the four major frameworks of the Destiny Yak, Li Yan had obtained three, but in truth, his level of development was minimal, and most were in very preliminary stages. The Water Lord Palace had suddenly added dozens of species and needed time to adapt.
The intake of Soul-forgiving Water was still too low.
The Tentacle-Shaped Calamity Water was difficult to control, but if used often enough, one could eventually find some tricks.
Li Yan felt like a sponge, certain that if willing to squeeze, there was still plenty of water to be wrung out.
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Wushan dashed out of a shower, slipped on a black shirt, and—cell phone clamped between his neck—walked out of the gym.
This was a luxurious, privately-owned villa built halfway up the mountainside.
"I’ve delivered Mr. Zhan’s message; don’t push yourself too hard. If you don’t get a chance this time, in half a year, you’ll be securely in the Yan Zhao Club."
"I’m in Harbin, I’ll fly to Luoyang tomorrow." Wushan opened the window, "I can’t wait half a year."
"Heh, well, good luck to you."
A thin man with shoulder-length hair hung up the phone and sneered to his companion, "I still don’t quite like that drunkard. I don’t know what Mr. Zhan sees in him."
"Whatever, who gets into the Yan Zhao Club is a minor matter, there aren’t many seats to begin with. No impact; will Zheng be going this time?"
Beside him stood a bald man with a glass of chilled spirits.
"He’s been in Yunnan fighting drug trafficking for four or five years; by all accounts, Old Zhao should move him up a few rows."
The bald man grinned, downing the glass’s liquor and ice cubes in one go.
"Best if we run into him."
