159: secret talks

Zhou Yan followed Li Wenbo into the study. Just as he was about to speak, he saw the other party raise a finger in a gesture for silence.

Li Wenbo walked to the bookshelf and took down a book.

The book floated mid-air, and he immediately began writing unrecognizable characters in the air.

As the final stroke fell, the book burst into light, transforming into a wooden door amidst spatial distortion.

This scene reminded Zhou Yan of Boss Mei's painting scroll. Was this some common Magic Treasure? Or a Spell? Due to the earlier gesture, Zhou Yan suppressed his questions.

Then, Li Wenbo made a baffling move.

He suddenly stood on his hands, moving forward with his hands supporting him on the ground.

The door subsequently changed from a wooden door into a water curtain, and he "walked" right through it.

Seeing the other party disappear, Zhou Yan understood.

Although the action was embarrassing, fortunately, no one was around.

He followed suit and approached the water curtain.

It was initially very narrow, barely allowing a person through. After crawling dozens of steps, the space suddenly opened up.

After moving forward for a moment in the darkness, Zhou Yan saw a light source.

After quickening his movements, a magnificent scene unfolded before his eyes, resembling a seaside resort: sand, sunshine, and a small wooden cabin.

Li Wenbo stood in front of the cabin, looking awkwardly at Zhou Yan, who was still crawling.

"Well... I forgot to tell you," he explained, scratching his head. "That wooden door is my anti-theft mechanism. You must approach it while standing on your hands for the real entrance to appear."

"However, only one person needs to complete it. Once the door transforms, you don't need to keep doing that. So, Junior Brother, you can... get up now."

Zhou Yan calmly flipped over and stood up, completely unaffected, except for his face, which was red as a tomato.

"Senior Brother, why did you bring me here? And what place is this?" He appropriately changed the subject to ease the awkwardness.

Just now, Senior Brother suddenly asked him if he "wanted a Nascent Soul," and then hastily dragged him to the study.

He hadn't reacted immediately, but since they had come to such a special place, the other party must have some important secret to share.

"Ahem, this is an Independent Space I created back when I was in the Nascent Soul Stage."

Li Wenbo then explained further.

"Due to the unique properties of the Space Law, Cultivators can initially grasp Spatial Manipulation upon reaching the Nascent Soul Stage. Plus, I am a Disciple of the Teacher, and my Artifact Refining methods are decent, so creating a Small World isn't difficult."

"When Junior Brother's cultivation reaches that level, you can also try it. This will be greatly beneficial for the future Void Refining Realm."

"As for Void Refining, I wouldn't dare dream of it. If I can take one more step and reach Body Integration in this lifetime, I'll be eternally grateful." Saying this, he patted Zhou Yan's shoulder and laughed heartily.

The atmosphere eased slightly, but Li Wenbo suddenly became serious.

"Bringing you here is indeed related to what I just mentioned."

"Senior Brother, are you talking about a Nascent Soul? Can this thing be artificially created and gifted?" Zhou Yan seized the Opportunity to voice the doubt in his heart.

Li Wenbo gave him a meaningful look.

"The Major Thousand Worlds holds all manner of wonders. As your cultivation improves, you will witness more."

"There are indeed methods for creating Artificial Nascent Souls in the Eastern Domain, but such Unorthodox Methods should not be touched by Cultivators of the Righteous Path like us, lest they impede our cultivation."

"Our relationship with the Eastern Domain is not too bad, and Qingxu Grotto-Heaven is relatively tolerant toward the Demonic Sects, but you still need to be cautious, especially regarding your Joyous Union Sect friend."

"The people in their Sect aren't exactly clear-headed."

"Alright, let's stop with these digressions." Li Wenbo's tone softened. He waved his hand, moving two chairs over, and gestured for them to sit.

"Originally, I didn't plan on involving you in this matter, but you condensed a Golden Core at such a young age, and your Foundation is far more solid than anticipated, indicating that your talent surpasses my imagination. Naturally, an Unparalleled Prodigy must be treated in an Unparalleled Prodigy manner."

"I have a great Opportunity. Although there are some risks, if successful, Junior Brother might be able to condense a Nascent Soul early, or at least achieve it within the next few years. Is Junior Brother interested?"

Zhou Yan took the cup offered by the other party. Just as he was about to take a sip before answering, the strange taste on his tongue distorted his face.

"Senior Brother, what is this? Why does it taste rotten?"

The liquid in the cup looked ordinary, but the taste nearly made him vomit.

Zhou Yan, who possessed Level Five Cooking Skill, was extremely sensitive to ingredients, and this small sip almost made him throw up on the spot.

Seeing Zhou Yan's distorted expression, Li Wenbo was puzzled.

"Is it that strange? I think it tastes quite good." He said, picking up his own cup and sipping from the rim.

"Slurp~ Mmm! Still the familiar old taste."

Seeing that the other party's expression of enjoyment did not seem feigned, Zhou Yan put down the cup, suppressed his discomfort, and continued the conversation.

"Although I have tried to follow the Path of Caution all this time, the result, as Senior Brother has seen, is often contrary to expectations, bringing me quite a bit of trouble instead."

"Since trouble is already upon me, caution is useless, and I have nothing left to fear."

"Since I dared to come to the capital, I naturally have my own plans. So, Senior Brother, please speak freely."

"Good! That takes guts! This is the Prodigy of my Qingxu Grotto-Heaven!" Li Wenbo praised. "Then I'll speak plainly. First, tell me how much you know about the current political landscape?"

"I know a little."

"I heard that Duke Zhenguo controls major power, the Prime Minister harbors ill intentions, and the current Emperor is young and can only watch as the two act recklessly." Zhou Yan stated the information he knew.

"Not bad." Seeing that Zhou Yan knew quite a bit, Li Wenbo felt relieved to delve deeper. "The Great Yu today can be described as a complete mess."

"Duke Zhenguo is an elder official spanning three generations. When I first met him, he was heroic and spirited, but now he has become a rotten corpse, only wanting to suck the blood of the Great Yu. His actions are increasingly dictatorial, leading the Dynasty toward ruin."

"As for Prime Minister Zhang, Zhang Feng, we were old acquaintances. Back then, he was ambitious and cared deeply for the nation and its people. Now, he's like an old vulture, completely lacking his former demeanor, waiting all day for the aging Great Yu to fall so he can feast on the corpse."

Speaking excitedly, Li Wenbo's eyes reddened slightly. He picked up the bowl of liquid again and took a sip from the rim.

"Slurp~" Perhaps due to his emotional fluctuation, his movement was too large, and a lot of the liquid spilled onto his trousers.

"Oops, I spilled it all over my pants!"

"Senior Brother, stop sipping from the rim at a time like this!"

Watching the suddenly goofy Li Wenbo, Zhou Yan suddenly remembered that this person was also a soldier brought out from that Divine Being Sect.

Looking at it this way, Duke Zhenguo harbors ill intentions in court, the Prime Minister is no good either, and his own Senior Brother enjoys being eccentric. Only Prince Kang seems like a normal person.

The Great Yu is definitely doomed.

The two then discussed the political landscape in depth.

The more they talked, the happier Li Wenbo became. He hadn't expected his Junior Brother to understand the current situation so well, which would greatly benefit the subsequent plan.

Finally, Li Wenbo revealed his true intention.

"Recently, Duke Zhenguo will be making a major move, likely gathering The Emperor, Prime Minister Zhang, and Prince Kang in one place."

"He often does this in recent years. Although it has been discussed this year, the specific pretext is still unknown."

"At that time, they will certainly be far away from the Kaifeng of Kaifeng. If I seize the Opportunity to act, I might have a chance to eliminate him and allow the Great Yu to regain vitality."

"The merit gained from participating in this plan will also be enough to advance Junior Brother's official position further."

"Court official positions receive the blessing of the national destiny. You can tell this by looking at the national destiny on your body, and you should have a deep understanding of it."

Zhou Yan nodded in agreement.

The power of that single word that negated the Golem's skill was indeed impressive.

"Perhaps you don't know, but the national destiny can also be used to enhance cultivation." Li Wenbo smiled meaningfully. "Since Junior Brother doesn't truly intend to be an official, refining the national destiny and then resigning won't harm you. Instead, by borrowing this Luck, you might accelerate the process of forming a Nascent Soul."

"So, Junior Brother, are you in?"

Zhou Yan hadn't expected this trip to allow him both to Uphold Justice and accelerate the condensation of his Nascent Soul.

Ever since the System's experience mechanism changed, he had been worried about his slow cultivation progress. This was truly a godsend.

"Alright, I'm in!"

Li Wenbo happily extended his hand.

"Wonderful! You and I, Senior and Junior Brothers, shall join forces to eliminate Prince Kang and establish an Unparalleled Achievement!"

Zhou Yan clapped his hand in a handshake.

"Great! We shall work together to eliminate Duke Zhenguo and establish an Unparalleled Achievement!"

Just as the two were excited, they suddenly froze simultaneously, recalling what the other had just said.

"Eliminate Prince Kang?"

"Eliminate Duke Zhenguo?"