A heart that, once consumed, could awaken the power from all his responses, allowing him to break through the True Martial Realm and become a Qi Refining expert, was lying right before his eyes. It would be a lie to say Chu Lingguang wasn’t tempted.
Even though he was bolstered by Favor Points and his cultivation progressed faster than others, the cultivation skills required to break through the True Martial Realm were monopolized by Yuanchu Mountain and the Court. Succeeding on his own would be far from easy.
On Black Bear Island, he had performed meritorious service—restoring military discipline, wiping out pirates, and leading the soldiers in practicing their Spear Technique. He had handed out all sorts of Favors for no other reason than to gain Favor Points and acquire a cultivation skill to reach the Qi Refining Realm.
He had gained quite a few Favor Points, but unfortunately, the cultivation skill for advancing to the Qi Refining Realm had never appeared.
The Cultivation and Martial Arts he had obtained were all of a mundane level. As things stood, Chu Lingguang saw no hope of becoming a Qi Refining Realm expert on his own.
The fourth level of his Mental Realm’s power, the Unity of Heart and Will, contained three hundred and sixty-three responses, yet not a single one had been awakened.
Let alone awakening all of them and then fusing their powers together.
Liu Ziyun believed he might need to awaken all three hundred and sixty-three responses just to reach the peak of the True Martial Realm. Liu Ziyun hadn’t even suggested that this would be enough to break through to the Qi Refining Realm.
This just went to show that without the aid of a proper cultivation skill, trying to feel his way toward a breakthrough on his own was nothing short of a fantasy.
His only hope was that one day he could obtain the necessary cultivation skill through Favor Points.
"You just said this heart was obtained from the Blood Wolf Cave. Was it cut out of a blood wolf?"
Chu Lingguang asked, feigning calm.
"That’s right."
"Among every hundred thousand blood wolves, you might find only one with a heart that can help a person awaken all their responses. This one came from a she-wolf with the pure bloodline of the Blood Wolf King. My father and uncle tracked her for years. If the she-wolf hadn’t just given birth and been extremely weak, and if the Blood Wolf King hadn’t been distracted by people from the Celestial Fragrance Pavilion, they never could have obtained it, even if they’d risked their lives."
Yang Lijun explained.
Chu Lingguang’s mind raced. ’From what Yang Lijun said, it’s not hard to deduce what’s going on. Besides the blood wolves tracking them, people from the Celestial Fragrance Pavilion are following the wolves’ scent. There might even be other factions involved.’
’In short, everyone is determined to get this heart.’
’Maybe the Court has gotten wind of it too.’
’Taking this heart for myself will be anything but easy.’
’Unless I eat it right now, instantly gain the power of all my responses, and reach the Qi Refining Realm... otherwise, how could I possibly deal with all those people?’
He wasn’t particularly afraid of the Celestial Fragrance Pavilion’s members.
Outside Baiyang County and South City, members of the Celestial Fragrance Pavilion had colluded with the Turkic Royal Family and tried to kill him twice. Chu Lingguang had not forgotten this debt. Sooner or later, he would settle the score with them.
The ones he was truly wary of were the Court and Yuanchu Mountain.
’If they know about this heart, they’re surely on their way right now. Snatching it from their grasp would be impossible.’
’Besides, even if I managed to snatch something they’ve targeted, I’d have to give it back sooner or later.’
Chu Lingguang was desperate for a breakthrough, but not so desperate that it had to be right now, especially at the risk of his own life.
He hadn’t even dared to rashly cultivate the Mixed Element Skill.
Let alone take a heart that so many powerful people were after.
’The bottom line is, my current strength is nowhere near enough. Someone like Lian Yunhong is just an Outer Disciple of Yuanchu Mountain. Even if I ate this heart, successfully broke through the True Martial Realm, and became a Qi Refining Realm expert, I’m afraid I still wouldn’t be a match for Zhang Tao and Li Mao.’
During the final round of the Palace Examination, those two had each made a single move.
The memory was deeply etched in the minds of Chu Lingguang, Yan Zhen, and the others.
Back then, even Yan Zhen, Qin Yu, and Hu Yanlin—all of whom had reached the True Martial Realm—had felt a suffocating pressure. It was easy to imagine just how powerful those two were.
Chu Lingguang figured that even Mr. Du probably wouldn’t dare to Swallow the heart if he knew its effect. With that, he pushed the wooden box back toward Yang Lijun and shook his head. "I’m sorry, I can’t help you."
A flicker of disappointment crossed Yang Lijun’s eyes. She slung the wooden box onto her back again.
She stood up to leave, the refreshments untouched.
Suddenly, she seemed to think of something and smiled. "Thank you for your help along the way, Lord Chu. Could I trouble you with one more thing?"
"Go ahead."
’Considering Yang Lijun had been willing to trust him, Chu Lingguang figured he could help her one more time, as long as it wasn’t dangerous.’
"I’d like to ask you to retrieve the bodies of my father and the others. They’re at the bottom of the cliff behind the Blood Wolf Cave, in Dingyuan County of Chishui Prefecture. It’s a cliff that looks as steep as a blade."
Yang Lijun requested.
"Alright."
’Just retrieving some bodies isn’t a difficult task for me,’ Chu Lingguang thought. ’Worst case, I’ll get a fresh horse and use my Consciousness Manipulation Power to make a dedicated trip back.’
’The round trip will only take a few days. It won’t interfere with me taking up my post.’
"Thank you!"
"HYAH!"
And with that, Yang Lijun and Chu Lingguang parted ways.
They had originally planned to travel together to the next post-house and rendezvous with Mo Shan’s group of four. But after learning the importance of the heart in the wooden box, it was impossible for Chu Lingguang to continue on this risky journey with her.
He could help fend off the Celestial Fragrance Pavilion and the Wolf Demons, but he was no match for the people from the Court and Yuanchu Mountain.
He was certain that even someone like Mr. Du wouldn’t dare Swallow that heart without permission from the Court and Yuanchu Mountain.
Only those who were desperate, with no hope of a breakthrough, nothing to lose, and at the end of their rope, would dare to risk their lives by defying the Court and Yuanchu Mountain.
Their plan would be to consume the heart and then flee overseas, far from the Great Yuan Territory, to escape the inevitable pursuit.