549: Chapter 549 Confusion

Three years later.

Over the past three years, Liu Xuan's life had been both fulfilling and a bit of a daze.

After forming his Nascent Soul, the fourth-rank Alchemy, Artifact Refining, and Formation knowledge buried deep within his Sea of Consciousness continued to pour out. Even when he was doing nothing, he felt mentally exhausted every day.

However, every time this profound and mysterious knowledge formed a System in his mind and was completely understood and digested, the sense of achievement and enlightenment brought him ultimate pleasure.

In addition to slowly digesting the advanced Cultivation Techniques and knowledge, Liu Xuan also had to digest the insights into Cultivation Techniques brought about by his children's Breakthroughs.

He also had to master the ten thousand soul banner, the avici karmic fire mirror, the spirit treasure genealogy, the complete Star Array, the nine heavens thunder source bead, and the wither-thrive life-death cauldron...

These items were far too high-end. Even though they were directly bound to him upon being gifted by the System, it still took time to refine them to the point of effortless use.

There were too many areas requiring the expenditure of his Divine Soul. Even with Liu Xuan's current soul strength, he still felt as though he hadn't slept well every day, feeling very drowsy, which was why he appeared dazed.

The benefit was that his Divine Soul grew stronger and stronger through this high-intensity operation. As his soul strengthened, the feeling of fatigue gradually diminished, forming a virtuous cycle.

A normal Early Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator can only reach at most the Medium Grade of the fourth rank in cultivation arts. No matter how high their talent, their Divine Soul would not be sufficient to support them in comprehending higher levels.

But Liu Xuan had already surpassed this limit and begun to comprehend High Grade fourth-rank Alchemy, Artifact Refining, and Formation knowledge.

‘I expect that in another two years, I will be able to completely digest all the cultivation art legacies rewarded and become a top-tier fourth-rank Great Master of Alchemy, Artifact Refining, and Formations!’

‘By then, I will be able to exert the full power of the top-tier fourth-rank Circumference of Heaven Stars Grand Array. Combined with the Thunder Pool Array powered by the nine heavens thunder source bead, along with the top-tier fourth-rank ten thousand soul banner and the Low Grade fifth-rank avici karmic fire mirror, even if an Early Stage Soul Transformation Dao Monarch comes, they truly might not get the better of me.’

Liu Xuan's heart surged with emotion. After nearly sixty years of cultivation, he was finally barely able to count as a top-tier high-level Cultivator. It hadn't been easy!!

‘What a pity! I still can't refine the wither-thrive life-death cauldron and the Earth Immortal Spiritual Qi. Otherwise, I could directly call Peach Blossom back to make her Breakthrough!’

The wither-thrive life-death cauldron was a Low Grade sixth-rank Immortal Artifact. Liu Xuan's advancement to the Nascent Soul stage only meant he could use slightly more of the Qi of Life and Death each time; he still couldn't wield it freely.

‘I estimate I can strip a Nascent Soul Cultivator of ten to a hundred years of Lifespan at once, and a Soul Transformation Cultivator of one to ten years of Lifespan.’

It was an absolute killing move against a Nascent Soul True Lord. Most Nascent Soul True Lords only had a few hundred years of life remaining; if he could trap them for just a moment, he could kill them in a few strikes.

It was less effective against a Soul Transformation Dao Monarch. Firstly, it would be difficult for him to trap the opponent, and secondly, once the opponent was on guard, he wouldn't be able to hit a Dao Monarch at all.

‘Not enough for offense, but sufficient for defense!’

Liu Xuan was in no hurry. Once he became a top-tier fourth-rank Great Master of Artifact Refining and upgraded the Star Academy Formation, he would surely be able to help Peach Blossom achieve Soul Transformation with the power of the Formation and his various treasures.

Once Peach Blossom became a Hua Shen Demon Saint, with the high-level treasures in Liu Xuan's hands, while they might not be invincible in the Southern Border, at least very few would dare to provoke them lightly.

And as long as he could secure a few hundred years of development time, the Southern Border would be in the palm of the Liu Family's hand.

Then, pointing his sword at the Central Province to replace the Dao Court and even unify the entire Cangwu Cultivation World would only be a matter of time.

With a bright future ahead, Liu Xuan was full of drive and didn't feel tired at all.

If his Divine Soul truly became exhausted, he would just do some physical labor for entertainment.

When there's too much mental activity, moderate physical labor becomes a source of enjoyment and relaxation. Liu Xuan was very experienced in this regard.

After both his body and soul were exhausted, he could sleep soundly for a night and wake up full of energy again.

Cultivation is about working hard to go against the heavens. As a Nascent Soul True Lord, to be so hardworking that he needed sleep to recover his energy, he was truly a model of diligence.

...

The Liu Residence backyard.

Liu Xuan had just finished relaxing with a new Junior Sister from the Gentlemans Academy when he sensed a disturbance in the underground Yin Sha Hall.

Extending his Divine Sense down to look, he saw yin fiend energy churning and gathering, while the aura of the ghost Cultivator You Ruo was steadily climbing.

“Has she finally broken through to the Late Nascent Soul Stage?”

As the novelty wore off and You Ruo showed no signs of pregnancy, Liu Xuan hadn't treated her with as much favor. Over the past year, he had only let her absorb his Yang Qi four times, averaging once per quarter.

He had thought she would need another two years of accumulation to break through to the Late Nascent Soul Stage, but he hadn't expected this girl to be so determined.

Over the three years, Liu Xuan had obtained a lot of information about the Black Death Marsh and the Lianyue Immortal Palace through You Ruo.

He had also contacted the Lianyue Immortal Palace through her and conducted many mutually beneficial transactions.

The largest transaction involved an 'Amber Yang Pill' that Liu Xuan had specially developed and sold to the ghost Cultivators of the Lianyue Immortal Palace.

The Materials for the Amber Yang Pill weren't too precious. There were only two main ingredients: the zhengyang flower and Cinnabar Essence. The key lay in how to make the scorching pure Yang power gentle enough to achieve the effect of nourishing the soul.

This was no problem for Liu Xuan, who was already a High Grade fourth-rank Great Master of Alchemy and possessed both the Solar True Fire and the Avici Karmic Fire. He only needed to introduce a trace of the Karmic Fire Origin into the fire-gathering Formation of the Pill Refining Tower to easily achieve mass production.

Liu Xuan didn't want Spirit Stones for this transaction, as there weren't many in the Black Death Marsh. What he wanted was a large number of ghost Cultivators—the higher the cultivation, the better—to fill his ten thousand soul banner.

By now, the number of ghosts in the ten thousand soul banner had long surpassed ten thousand, reaching a total of one hundred thousand.

Furthermore, among them were over a thousand fierce ghosts equivalent to Foundation Establishment Cultivators and dozens of ghost generals in the Golden Core Realm, all sold to him by the Lianyue Immortal Palace.

With so many ghost Cultivators, Liu Xuan didn't just buy them at a high price; he also gave them Amber Yang Pills to Cultivate. He wasn't keeping them for fun; at a critical moment, he could use them to forcibly drive the avici karmic fire mirror, which would surely be a strike comparable to a Dao Monarch level.

“Husband~”

The Breakthrough of a minor Realm was quick. After You Ruo successfully broke through, she immediately flew to Liu Xuan's side.

Over the past two years, Liu Xuan had gradually become less attentive to her, but that didn't affect her determination to stay by his side in the slightest.

The less her husband favored her, the more loyal she became. She even felt increasingly insecure, fearing that her husband might not want her in the future.

“Husband, you said that once I successfully broke through, you would give me a reward...”

Liu Xuan reached out and pinched her delicate, fair chin, looking her up and down, and asked, “Who taught you to speak like that?”

A trace of panic appeared in You Ruo's eyes, and she said hesitantly, “Yun... Yun Yao told me. Does Husband not like it?”

Having lived in the Liu Residence for over three years, You Ruo's identity was unknown to many women with low cultivation, but the two Nascent Soul Demon Lords, Yun Yao and Bai Jie, had discovered it long ago.

The crane Yun Yao was young and had a simple personality. You Ruo had very easily become good friends with her, and she had learned many of Liu Xuan's preferences from Yun Yao.

Thinking of this, a surge of anger rose in You Ruo's heart, thinking she had been deceived by Yun Yao's simple facade.

To her surprise, Liu Xuan changed the subject and chuckled, “It's not that I don't like it, but Yao Yao's style doesn't suit you. You are suited for a cold, resentful, and slightly plaintive temperament.”

“Cold, resentful, plaintive?”

You Ruo frowned slightly, not quite understanding.