Chapter 600: Prince Xin

Xinzhou City, within the Prince's mansion, Yaoxing Tower.

Li Yi now stood atop Yaoxing Tower, his body wreathed in faint incense energy—this incense energy had been gained during the day when he rescued those dozen women, and seemingly also from the government office runners, though only thirty or so people had offered their incense belief-power, this force was peculiar and unique, able to harmonize with any other power without resistance.

If fused with the physical body, the body would undergo a miraculous transformation, gaining the ability to actively absorb celestial spiritual energy; moreover, the body subtly developed a spiritual sensitivity, as if capable of perceiving the mysteries of heaven and earth, while gradually shedding the constraints of flesh and blood, evolving toward an unknown direction.

If fused with the soul, the soul would instantly grow powerful—even if the body were abandoned, it could endure eternally in heaven and earth, and could even reshape its form using incense energy.

Moreover, this incense belief-power could even merge with Dao artifacts, enhancing their potency.

He knew full well that incense power was false and temporary; once belief collapsed, everything would vanish—but such sudden enhancement was undeniably intoxicating; with sufficient incense, one could ascend to greatness in mere moments, becoming a being of immense power.

"This incense belief-power is so miraculous, seemingly omnipotent, requiring no arduous cultivation—just acquire it, and instantly transform it into formidable strength. Such temptation truly makes one want to fall into it, walking the path of becoming a god through incense."

Li Yi took a deep breath and formed a fist seal.

The fist intent erupted.

His soul transformed into a wrathful Vajra, forcibly suppressing all inner distractions.

"My goal is to borrow the false to cultivate the true, not to be bound by incense power. This force does not belong to me—it is easy to gain, easy to lose. I must remain ever vigilant." Li Yi opened his eyes, his gaze once again clear.

He then drew the incense energy into his body, guiding it through his blood and qi, directing it toward the lungs.

He had decided: he would use incense energy to open his body's acupoints.

Because incense energy arose from nothing, it was perfect for attempting to open acupoints; if successful, once blood and qi took residence and celestial metal energy gathered within, even if the incense vanished, the acupoint would remain, for blood and spiritual energy were real and would not disappear with the incense.

This was his method of borrowing the false to cultivate the true.

As he visualized the Divine Martial Diagram to confirm the acupoint's location, he directed a thread of incense energy to strike the acupoint, attempting to crack it open.

Though this thread of incense energy was weak, it could guide a trace of blood energy to converge there.

Once the correct position was confirmed and even a sliver of the acupoint was pried open, subsequent openings would proceed smoothly even without incense belief-power.

Soon.

The incense belief-power exploded within his body—the acupoint failed to open.

Yet Li Yi suffered no harm; instead, the scattered incense belief-power reassembled, and he redirected it once more, continuing his exploration of the body's acupoint mysteries.

"Indeed."

At that moment, Li Yi felt excitement—he had been right.

Incense power did not harm the body; failure caused no damage. Unlike before, when he used Divine Bloodline energy to strike acupoints, failure would instantly injure his body—severe cases even ruptured internal organs, forcing him to rest and heal; even though he minimized blood energy usage, injury was unavoidable.

Thus, his acupoint-opening pace was too slow, preventing his cultivation from advancing.

But incense energy arose from nothing—it harmed nothing. If it dispersed, simply gather it again.

As long as belief endured, incense power endured.

With this thought.

The incense energy exploded within his body a second time—Li Yi remained unharmed, though the acupoint still remained closed; no matter, he now had the means to attempt and explore repeatedly, needing no time for bodily recovery.

Third time, fourth time, fifth time.

In less than an hour, Li Yi attempted no fewer than a dozen times.

Finally, on the twenty-first attempt.

The incense energy plunged into an abyss so deep it vanished—as if a sealed door had cracked open, and the incense energy slipped through the fissure into a void.

"The fifteenth acupoint opened?" Li Yi's eyes snapped open, his face filled with disbelief.

Was it really that easy?

Li Yi attempted to guide his blood energy into the fifteenth acupoint.

His entire body's blood surged, and the door, previously only a sliver open, burst fully apart—a new acupoint formed.

He immediately retrieved a Spirit Blood Pill from his Five Elements Bracelet to replenish his lost blood energy.

Soon, Li Yi confirmed without doubt: he had truly opened the fifteenth major acupoint in such a short time.

"Huh!"

He slowly exhaled, and the incense energy lingering within the acupoint was expelled from his body, swirling around him, drawing in surrounding celestial spiritual energy.

"Borrowing the false to cultivate the true—truly remarkable." Li Yi stared at the incense energy, finding it absurd.

Normally, once he exhaled this incense energy, the acupoint should have collapsed and vanished—after all, if the incense belief-power left the body, all it created should vanish—but the fifteenth acupoint within his body remained intact, his blood continuously filling it, celestial spiritual energy converging steadily.

Everything matched his original conception exactly.

If this progress continued, with sufficient incense power, Li Yi could open sixty acupoints within a month, then gather the Five Elements' qi, refine them over time, and smoothly complete the Five Qi Stage.

Once the Five Qi converged into the Origin, Li Yi's soul would transform into a Primordial Spirit—twelve times stronger than that of a Dao cultivator.

At that point, his power would be unimaginably vast.

He steadied himself.

No mistake—each detail was clear!

Li Yi calmed his mind and, using the potent blood energy of the Spirit Blood Pill, slowly filled the fifteenth acupoint; next, he would gather heart qi and refine metal qi with heart fire to complete the process.

Though he had taken a shortcut, subsequent cultivation must still be grounded—if the Five Elements became unbalanced, when the Five Qi converged, his soul would shatter instantly, his body and Dao destroyed.

While cultivating multiple paths grants great power, it also demands corresponding risks and costs.

Meanwhile,

The Yaoxing Tower beneath his feet was brightly lit.

For tonight, the mansion's master, Prince Xin, was hosting a banquet in Yaoxing Tower.

Within the spacious, luminous pavilion, guests filled every seat; beautiful young maidservants brought forth rare delicacies, fine wines, and sumptuous feasts; above, flocks of birds circled and sang sweetly; at the center, a white ape danced with a sword; on either side, white foxes offered treasures. Those invited were no ordinary guests.

There were spirits in human form, renowned wandering heroes, enlightened Daoists, and brilliant literati.

Such a banquet could only be hosted by a prince or king.

Seated upon the main dais, Prince Xin was a young man in his early twenties, elegant and noble, his body wreathed in dragon-qi—a jet-black jade dragon, fangs bared, claws outstretched, ferocious and awe-inspiring, invisible to mortal eyes, formed from the incense belief of the people.

This dragon-qi was also called princely qi; with this princely qi alone, Prince Xin need only sit, and he could terrify spirits and command ghosts and gods.

Yet despite his noble status, exalted position, numerous concubines, beautiful maids, and rare treasures, Prince Xin was not happy.

Two reasons.

First, at only twenty-one, he had already been granted a princedom, meaning he would never ascend the throne—he was doomed to be a leisurely prince.

Second, he wished to emulate the ancients, seek immortality and the Dao, and wander freely—but he had no clue how.

He could not compete for the throne, nor could he find the path to immortality. Prince Xin was deeply troubled; he felt this monotonous daily life was not what he wanted—he believed himself gifted, destined for a broader future, not to be trapped in this cage, slowly aging until death, leaving nothing behind.

"Tonight, I have invited you, talented and extraordinary guests, to this banquet for one purpose: I wish to know—whether spirit, ghost, or Daoist—can one achieve immortality?" Prince Xin spoke slowly, his gaze filled with anticipation toward those present.

"My mansion has sheltered many spirits—they are born of heaven and earth, endure wind and dew, absorb qi and take form—but even they eventually die, unable to attain immortality. I once thought perhaps they lacked the proper methods or innate talent to reach immortality. Yet heaven and earth are vast—I believe some rare beings must endure eternally. You have traveled the four seas, set foot in thirty provinces—have you ever encountered such beings?"

A wandering hero with a sword on his back replied: "Your Highness, during my travels, I encountered the longest-lived spirit—a tree spirit, a thousand years old. For centuries it was like dead wood; only in the last hundred years, after receiving incense offerings, did it awaken to sentience and take form. But as for true immortality, I doubt it. Yet with the right methods, extending lifespan should be possible."

A seductive, beautiful woman laughed behind her hand: "Your Highness enjoys all earthly riches—why seek immortality? Stones endure eternally, but how dull! Moreover, Your Highness bears the incense of millions—cultivation is exceedingly difficult. Seeking immortality is like a flower in the mirror, a moon in the water—it is ultimately empty."

"Still, one must try," Prince Xin said calmly. "If I find the method, I will abandon my princedom, sever this incense of millions."

"But without a princedom, without the incense of millions, how can one seek immortality?"

The seductive woman said, grinning as she propped her chin on her hand; behind her, a fluffy tail emerged, swaying gently.

Clearly, this beautiful woman was no human—she was a fox spirit, transformed into human form.

(End of Chapter)