379: Chapter 379 Hardcore Breakthrough

The second day of the Tianwu Grand Tournament.

The courtyard on Wendao Peak.

Early in the morning, Lin Xiao felt a massive temperature difference outside.

He stepped out and saw Xiao Qingxuan, who had gone out in the middle of the night to practice her cultivation, sitting cross-legged on a stone table.

The stone table and nearby stone stools were covered in thick frost, looking like ice sculptures.

The woman's hair had a faint deep blue tint, and it seemed as if countless ice-blue spirits were dancing around her.

This sight made the already breathtakingly beautiful woman look as ethereal as an immortal.

Lin Xiao couldn't help but feel dazed. Was the fairy before him, who looked like she didn't belong to the mortal world, really the same person who had climbed to the peak with him three times last night?

What a sin, what a sin; it was practically desecrating a goddess!

Just then, Xiao Qingxuan slowly opened her eyes and exhaled a breath of white mist, freezing the path all the way to the courtyard gate.

"Husband, my cultivation technique... seems to have advanced!"

Xiao Qingxuan turned around and looked at the man with joy.

Lin Xiao scanned her with his Eye of God, and sure enough!

[Cultivation Technique: Xuanming Ice Soul (74 years of cultivation), a Daoist immortal grade technique, extremely Yin and cold, can only be practiced by those with a Pure Yin Constitution. Grade: immortal grade]

Unfortunately, her realm was still at "quasi-Grandmaster"; she likely didn't have enough cultivation power yet.

"My wife, your Comprehension Ability... is far higher than mine."

Lin Xiao mused that while he had a cheat system, Xiao Qingxuan was truly hardcore. She got up in the middle of the night and just had a breakthrough like that!

"You're just teasing me, husband. How could I possibly compare to you?"

Xiao Qingxuan naturally didn't take it seriously; her man was always too humble.

She felt that she had to work incredibly hard just to keep up with his shadow.

"Congratulations, Your Highness. Congratulations, Princess Consort."

At that moment, Old Celestial Master Xiao Dan's voice came from outside the courtyard.

Lin Xiao wasn't surprised that the old man had arrived and went over to open the door.

He saw Old Celestial Master Xiao Dan standing outside with a smile, not bringing a single disciple with him.

"Old man, you're here quite early, aren't you?"

"Haha, this place isn't far from Dinghu Peak. I sensed the Princess Consort was about to have a breakthrough, so I came over."

Old Celestial Master Xiao Dan said approvingly, "With such talent, there's a great chance. Once you've mastered the 'Purple Mansion Thunder Curse', you can come to Dinghu Peak anytime, and I will teach you the incantation as agreed."

"Then I thank the Ancestor," Xiao Qingxuan replied, having looked forward to this for a long time, and naturally agreed without hesitation.

As they spoke, Taoist Master Cangshuzi arrived in a hurry, leading several disciples.

"Oh, Master! Why did you come down here in person?"

Taoist Master Cangshuzi said gloomily, "I would have come to fetch the Prince and Princess Consort myself. Couldn't you have waited a little?"

A group of Daoist disciples in green robes bowed deeply, their faces filled with disbelief.

Many of them had been in the Daoist Sect for decades without seeing the Old Celestial Master more than twice.

Now that the Prince of Zhenbei had arrived, why was the Old Celestial Master so easy to see?

"What, I'm not allowed to come?" Old Celestial Master Xiao Dan asked with a smile.

"That's not what I meant," Taoist Master Cangshuzi frowned. "The Prince is certainly noble, but you are a man of great prestige after all. You shouldn't be so casual. If outsiders see this and word gets out, wouldn't it..."

"Idiot!"

Old Celestial Master Xiao Dan cursed and kicked Taoist Master Cangshuzi aside. Cangshuzi didn't dare dodge and tumbled to the ground!

"Is our Daoist Sect's thousands of years of heritage supported by such superficial things?!"

"A cultivator of the Dao should be indifferent to worldly desires, down-to-earth, and focused; only then can they achieve the Great Dao!"

"You've been the Sect Leader for decades, and while I haven't seen your martial arts improve much, you've certainly learned how to put on airs!"

"Have you even forgotten the most basic principles of conduct that I taught you when you first came up the mountain!?"

Taoist Master Cangshuzi's eyes instantly cleared as a wave of shame washed over him. He hurriedly knelt and kowtowed, "This disciple was wrong! Master's lecture is correct! I will never do it again!!"

The group of Daoists in green robes behind him all looked shocked and deeply moved, shouting in unison, "We shall follow the Old Celestial Master's teachings!"

Lin Xiao and Xiao Qingxuan looked at each other, both seeing a hint of admiration in the other's eyes.

It was no accident that the Old Celestial Master could train dozens of Martial Arts Grandmasters and hold his current position in the martial world.

Lin Xiao asked himself: if he were at the peak for nearly two hundred years, it would be truly difficult to maintain a state of mind like Old Celestial Master Xiao Dan's.

For instance, since becoming the Prince of Zhenbei, he occasionally felt a bit light-headed and smug... these were things he needed to be wary of!

"Oh! Isn't that the famous Taoist Master Cangshuzi of the Daoist Sect!?"

Just then, three women approached from afar. The leader was dressed in a green Daoist robe and looked quite elegant; it was none other than Princess Li Xinglan in a new outfit!

Behind Princess Li Xinglan followed a helpless-looking Taoist Xinyizi and a curious Xiao Yangliu.

"Taoist Master Cangshuzi, why are you kneeling? You didn't do something wrong and get scolded by the Old Celestial Master, did you?"

Taoist Master Cangshuzi's face turned red; having been embarrassed, he looked extremely awkward.

Just because he hadn't been willing to immediately accept Princess Li Xinglan as a disciple yesterday, the girl had held a grudge. Now that she'd caught him, she was naturally kicking him while he was down.

Old Celestial Master Xiao Dan, on the other hand, seemed to quite like this female grand-disciple and greeted her with a chuckle.

"Princess Xinglan, did you rest well last night?"

"Quite well, thank you for asking, Old Celestial Master. Taoist Xinyizi's medicinal incense helped me sleep soundly."

Since Princess Li Xinglan was a woman, Old Celestial Master Xiao Dan had arranged for Taoist Xinyizi to look after her yesterday.

"Master, as soon as this girl arrived at my herb garden, she stole over a dozen kinds of precious pills and refuses to return them," Taoist Xinyizi said with a cold face.

"They're just some pills. She's your senior brother's disciple, which makes her your niece in the sect. Just consider them a welcoming gift," Old Celestial Master Xiao Dan said.

Since the Old Celestial Master had spoken, Taoist Xinyizi could only grit her teeth. Still unsatisfied, she glared fiercely at Taoist Master Cangshuzi. "You don't teach her anything good, but you had to teach her those Sleight-of-Hand Techniques."

Princess Li Xinglan ran up to Lin Xiao and said excitedly, "Your Highness, have you thought about yesterday's question? Am I getting married or not?"

Lin Xiao was speechless. "You came all this way early in the morning just to ask that?"

"Of course! You said yesterday not to let personal matters delay the Tianwu Grand Tournament, so I listened to you and waited all night."

Princess Li Xinglan said pitifully, "Just give me a straight answer!"

Lin Xiao chuckled. "Stop acting pitiful. With your temper, could a single Imperial Decree really control you?"

"If you really took this arranged marriage seriously, would you dare come all the way to the Daoist Sect and ask for my opinion in front of so many people?"

Given Princess Li Xinglan's wild nature, she would have defied the decree even if Lin Xiao said nothing.

The imperial court lacked the strength to forcibly reclaim the Three Prefectures of Yan, so why would she submit and obediently marry the Crown Prince?

The reason she came to the Daoist Sect and used the marriage decree to press him was simply to use it as leverage to seek greater benefits.

Besides wanting to attach herself to him, she also wanted the Zhenbei Army to officially protect the Three Prefectures of Yan.

But Lin Xiao wasn't running a charity. With such a large territory as the Six Prefectures of the Northern Territory and Mobei, he was still in the stage of growing his strength and keeping a low profile.

Why court unnecessary trouble for the sake of an Imperial Decree for a marriage that was doomed to fail?

The Three Prefectures of Yan are right next to the Capital Region. If you, Emperor Hong, have the ability, go take them yourself!

"You..."

Seeing that Lin Xiao still ignored her, Princess Li Xinglan stomped her foot in anger. "You've already taken in one princess; what's one more!?"