196: Chapter 196 What exactly is the Upper Realm?

It took a long while for her to snap out of it, looking at Su Rui in shock.

"Is this... a method passed down by Immortals?"

Her voice trembled slightly.

"To be precise, it is a method of Cultivating immortality."

Su Rui had long since stopped bothering to correct the misconceptions these Mortals had regarding 'Immortal Arts' and 'Cultivating Immortality'.

Among the things in his possession, only the Grass Character Sword Art and the Nine Secrets could truly be called Immortal Arts.

The others, such as the Mount Shu Ten Thousand Swords Art, the Heavenly Sword Art, and even the Talisman of Nine Surges of the Jiyin Epoch, were merely stepping stones toward the path of immortality.

However, in the eyes of the world, those who could fly, burrow into the earth, possessed an endless Lifespan, and roamed freely between heaven and earth were Immortals.

It was only natural that they could not distinguish the difference.

"This Cultivation Technique is a reward for your submission."

Su Rui stood with his hands behind his back, looking up at the drifting clouds in the firmament. He suddenly raised his arm as if trying to grasp something in the air.

"In the future, I will have a use for you all."

Ji Fuyao and Ji Feiyan followed his movement and looked up; the sky was calm as usual, with no strange phenomena.

Yet, that invisible pressure and aura made the two of them feel an involuntary sense of awe.

"Anything else?"

Su Rui turned around abruptly, the corners of his lips curving slightly as he asked with a smile.

The sudden gentle tone caught the two of them off guard instead.

"No... nothing more." Ji Fuyao shook her head.

"Then return quickly.

As for you—"

Su Rui's gaze fell upon Ji Feiyan.

"If you want to return to Great Qin, then go. If you don't want to leave, stay at the martial arts hall."

As his voice fell, he flicked his sleeve and departed without the slightest hesitation.

The two women faced each other in silence, exchanging glances.

"East Emperor..." Ji Feiyan started to speak but hesitated.

"Just call me Aunt."

Ji Fuyao waved her hand gently.

Aunt?

Ji Feiyan was momentarily stunned.

"I know what is on your mind," Ji Fuyao spoke indifferently.

"I am willing to stay.

Since Aunt has decided to follow the Hall Master, someone must be by her side to carry out orders."

"Is that truly why?"

Ji Fuyao stared at her, her eyes full of deep meaning.

How could she not have noticed the expressions on the faces of Su Rui's Disciples during the previous engagement ceremony?

Having lived for so many years, she naturally did not lack this bit of insight.

Ji Feiyan was startled. Meeting those eyes that seemed to see through everything, her face heated up slightly, and she appeared somewhat flustered.

"Fine, then stay.

What you said is also correct."

Seeing her expression, Ji Fuyao stopped questioning her and simply gave her indifferent consent.

"Yes."

...

At this time, Li Hanyi was standing inside a small building, surrounded by the women of the martial arts hall.

"Senior Sister, what does it feel like in your heart right now?"

Sikong Qianluo could not contain her curiosity and asked directly.

"Hmm?" Li Hanyi didn't react for a moment.

"I mean... how does it feel after establishing a formal status with Teacher?"

Li Hanyi opened her mouth, remained silent for a moment, and then said softly:

"I can't quite describe it, it's just... very happy."

"..."

Everyone fell silent upon hearing this.

Even Sikong Qianluo was speechless; this answer was far too vague.

Suddenly, Li Hanyi added: "I am still young, Teacher won't touch me for now.

As for the future, I'll have to rely on you all."

As soon as those words left her mouth, the room fell into a dead silence.

The faces of all the women changed simultaneously, and they were so embarrassed they could hardly sit still.

"Don't think I don't know about what's between Zhu Yuyan and Teacher, and you, Yin Luoxia!"

As Li Hanyi spoke, her gaze slowly shifted toward Yin Luoxia.

Being stared at made Yin Luoxia's skin crawl; she felt like there were needles in her back.

The gazes of the others also converged on her, so scorching that she just wanted to crawl into the ground.

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

Su Rui's voice suddenly came from outside the door.

He had naturally heard the private chatter in the pavilion just now.

Speaking up now served to relieve Yin Luoxia's embarrassment.

"Teacher!" The women all bowed in greeting.

"Teacher, Empress Wu is looking for you. She specifically asked about you just now."

Sikong Qianluo suddenly bounced out, raising her hand and shouting.

"Looking for me? For what?"

Su Rui was slightly surprised.

"She said she is preparing to perform a sacrifice to heaven at Mount Tai and wants to invite you to observe the ceremony!"

This answer was indeed beyond his expectations.

He turned his head to look at Li Hanyi and asked softly, "Do you want to go?"

Li Hanyi nodded slightly.

She didn't really care about going or not, but when she got married, Empress Wu had specifically come to offer congratulations. Now that she was being invited, it wouldn't be right to refuse.

"I want to go too!" Sikong Qianluo again rushed to raise her hand.

The other girls heard this and were also somewhat tempted.

"Then we shall all go together." Su Rui readily agreed. With a sweep of his Divine Sense, he locked onto Empress Wu's location. With a flash of his body, he had vanished without a trace.

At this moment, Empress Wu was conversing in low tones with Zhu Yuyan, and the topic was precisely Su Rui.

Before her words could finish, a person suddenly appeared before them. Both were startled. After focusing and seeing it was Su Rui, their expressions froze, and a hint of embarrassment surfaced on their faces.

"You are going to perform the Fengshan sacrifice to heaven at Mount Tai?"

"Eh? You already know?"

Empress Wu was stunned, then immediately understood who had leaked the news, so she nodded and said, "That's right.

The world always says I attained this position through schemes and military force; I don't pay any mind to that.

This time, it is a good Opportunity to make an announcement to the world."

For some reason, she actually took the initiative to explain.

Su Rui nodded gently: "When?"

"In seven days."

"I will be there," Su Rui promised.

A flash of joy immediately appeared in Empress Wu's eyes.

"Your Majesty," Shangguan Waner reminded softly from the side.

"Ah, right!" At this reminder, Empress Wu seemed to remember something and took out a small jade box from her bosom.

"I obtained this from an ancient ruin. It seems like something left behind by an Immortal, though it's hard to tell if it's real or fake.

But this jade talisman is extremely sturdy; even I am unable to damage it in the slightest.

Perhaps you can understand its origins. Consider it my wedding gift to you."

With Su Rui's status, ordinary treasures could not possibly catch his eye, and naturally, people were vying to offer him rare curiosities.

Empress Wu did not want to brush him off with mundane objects, so she simply gave this strange item to him.

Su Rui took it, his heart stirred slightly. Opening it to look, his fingertips touched the jade, which was warm and fragrant. He unconsciously sniffed with his nose.

Empress Wu's expression changed—she only then remembered that this jade box had been kept close to her body. Suddenly, her heart felt scorched, and a heat spread from her chest to her cheeks, even her ears turning crimson.

Fortunately, Su Rui's action was unintentional, and he didn't notice.

Upon seeing the contents of the box clearly, Su Rui was taken aback.

This jade was actually extremely similar to the piece he had obtained at the Sword Heart Tomb.

"Does the Hall Master recognize this object?" Seeing his unusual expression, Zhu Yuyan couldn't help but ask curiously.

"Yes, I've obtained a piece before." Su Rui nodded.

"Let's go back to the martial arts hall first." After sending a transmission to Li Hanyi, he was the first to depart.

Empress Wu and Zhu Yuyan followed closely behind.

Returning to the martial arts hall, Su Rui took out the old jade and placed the two pieces side by side.

Under the close inspection of the two women, they were indeed identical.

Suddenly, Su Rui's expression shifted slightly, and he loosened his palm.

The two jade pendants slowly rose into the air, drawing close to each other. They actually began a Fusion, eventually turning into a single thin piece of jade engraved with fine text.

Su Rui reached out to catch it. Probing it with his Divine Thought, his face suddenly showed a strange expression.

"What's wrong?" The scene of the jade pendants merging just now had also left Empress Wu and the other woman astonished.

"This is something from the Upper Realm.

Oh, you don't know about the Upper Realm yet—this is a tool used by Upper Realm Cultivators to record Cultivation Techniques. You can read the contents by probing it with your mind."

Having said that, he handed the Jade Slip to Empress Wu.

Empress Wu followed his instructions and tried. Indeed, she sensed a complete Cultivation Technique.

To an ordinary person, being able to obtain a cultivation method from the Upper Realm was simply a massive Opportunity.

But Su Rui thought nothing of it.

In his view, this kind of cultivation method was far too crude.

He held countless profound Cultivation Techniques of various types; this sort of thing really didn't count for much.

However, after Empress Wu and Zhu Yuyan gained some insight, their faces showed pleasant surprise.

"That there should be such a cultivation method!" Empress Wu's tone was excited.

This method of directly absorbing the Origin Qi of heaven and earth was a path she had never considered.

In the past, she knew that if one forcibly drew external Origin Qi into the body, it was very easy to lose control and go berserk.

But now with this set of methods, the problem was easily solved.

Given her current cultivation, she still felt this method was of great help.

As for Zhu Yuyan, although she had been by Su Rui's side for quite some time and was well-traveled, she couldn't help but feel a sense of yearning at this moment.

As the person closest to Su Rui, Zhu Yuyan naturally knew that he possessed many mysterious techniques.

Seeing his indifferent expression, she knew he didn't care much for the item before them.

"What kind of place exactly is the Upper Realm?"

She asked softly.

Su Rui pondered for a moment, then began to recount what he knew.

"God Race? Mighty beings? And Divine Power?"

Upon hearing this, the pupils of both women shrank, and they looked at each other in disbelief.

"You can understand them as a group of existences that have mastered extraordinary power," Su Rui explained, "But among them, there is also the Dragon Clan residing within the God Race, and the Upper Realm also has demons and the Ghost Clan coexisting."

Even with such an understatement, these words exploded in their hearts like a thunderclap.

"Then we and them... are we in opposition?"

Empress Wu's expression was grave, her voice low.

"Exactly," Su Rui nodded, "In the eyes of the God Race, Mortals are nothing more than ants, born to be used by them."

This was not a simple conflict of interest, but an opposition rooted in the very nature of both sides—the Human Race would never be seen as equal existences.

"But for now, there's no need to be too worried." Su Rui changed the subject, "The passage between the two realms is very special; it's difficult for powerful beings to pass through. As for those who can come over, we are more than capable of dealing with them."

"Why is that?"

Zhu Yuyan couldn't help but press for an answer.

"There are restrictions on crossing boundaries. If one's cultivation is too high, they will instead be suppressed by the Law. The strength of those who truly descend is limited, so we still have the power to contend with them."

Empress Wu's brow furrowed, her expression shifting: "Even so, we should prepare for a rainy day."

"Therefore, only by exchanging information and sharing intelligence can we prepare for the future," Su Rui said slowly.

"Do you want to form an alliance?"

Empress Wu's eyes flashed, instantly grasping his meaning.

"Great Zhou is willing to join," she said without hesitation.

"Currently, it is still in the conceptual stage; everything needs to be advanced cautiously." Su Rui smiled slightly.

"For now, let's talk about your affairs. There's no need to rush to deal with the Upper Realm crisis."

"There's nothing secret about my affairs; it's nothing more than performing a play for the world to see," Empress Wu said frankly, "But I must return quickly to arrange the subsequent matters."

"Go then, I will naturally appear when the time is right." Su Rui nodded, then took out a Jade Slip engraved with the Method of Refining Qi and handed it to her.

"This object is no longer of much use to me; take it and study it as you wish."

Empress Wu was momentarily stunned. Taking the Jade Slip, her fingertips trembled slightly, and she only gave a soft reply: "Okay."

After seeing off Empress Wu, Zhu Yuyan turned and sat in Su Rui's lap, her arms wrapping around his neck as she whispered close to his ear:

"I don't seek a formal title, nor do I desire any status. I only wish that you don't push me away..."