Chapter 275: Jade Capital

Hearing these words.

Jiang Jian’s expression remained calm, and he had not yet opened his mouth.

The girl suddenly turned her body, mist swirling within her pupils, and with her fingers formed into a point, she directly stabbed toward Jiang Jian!

A sharp, biting wind surged forth instantly!

From her slender white fingers erupted a crimson bloodlight, slicing through the air with a hiss, tearing toward him!

Bang!

Like a muffled bell tolling, it shook into their eardrums!

Jiang Jian’s face showed no expression; he extended his own finger and slashed forward before him!

Brilliant golden light of the Way blazed forth, exploding like thunder, forcibly blocking this strike!

At the point where their fingers met.

Countless shards of golden and crimson light shattered outward in all directions!

Lu Qingqing retracted her hand, stepping back three paces, barely landing at the edge of the boat; her palm stung numb from the impact, her slender fingers trembling faintly.

“I don’t know how you cultivated.”

The girl silently tucked her fingers into her sleeve, raising her eyes to Jiang Jian, her expression still composed, “But Shen Shu’s evaluation of you was certainly not exaggerated.”

On the surface, she remained utterly unruffled.

Yet deep within her spirit, a storm had already erupted!

Her innate technique, “Blood Flame,” bolstered by her profound foundation, had always been unstoppable.

Even against weaker Spirit Palace cultivators, she could hold her own for a time!

But right now.

Facing this white-robed youth, whom Shen Xi had said might become a peerless Spirit Palace cultivator,

Lu Qingqing clearly sensed an indescribable gap.

Her own cultivation in every aspect had already approached its limit.

Yet this gap left Lu Qingqing utterly baffled.

She could not find its source, yet she could feel it was undeniably real.

The next instant.

Lu Qingqing steadied her spirit, exhaled, and said: “I changed my mind solely because of the Jade Capital Lord’s command.”

“No one else besides him could ever sway my thoughts.”

“He personally said you rendered great service to the surface world, significantly easing the pressure of the surface’s unified war.”

“This Yinshan Wonder is your reward.”

As she spoke,

the girl in the silk robe returned to the bow of the boat, standing alone, elegant and poised.

Her black hair cascaded like a waterfall, dancing with the wind.

Jiang Jian said softly: “If you break through to the Spirit Palace, you truly would be a formidable rival to me.”

These words reached her ears.

Lu Qingqing did not turn around.

Yet her slender figure froze abruptly.

Jiang Jian’s words carried double meaning—he had pierced through her excuse.

But

her cultivation of composure was exceptional.

Within mere seconds,

Lu Qingqing relaxed again, gently brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, and said nothing at all.

Jiang Jian stood at the boat’s edge, gazing at the churning black sea around him, his expression grave.

The boat drifted with the wind, nearly skimming the ocean’s surface.

The surrounding waters were deep and dark, flowing silently, giving a suffocating sensation.

How intense is the resentment trapped within the waters of the Sea of Suffering?

Sensing the sea’s aura, Jiang Jian’s expression tightened slightly, his mind brimming with speculation.

The next moment,

he withdrew his gaze, stopped thinking further, sat down on the deck, and began cultivating as if no one else were present.

This time,

Lu Qingqing up front sensed it.

For the first time, she turned her head, staring fixedly at Jiang Jian.

“Do you really need to cultivate in such a short time?”

A sense of absurdity welled up in Lu Qingqing’s heart.

“I’ve always prided myself on diligence and focused cultivation.”

“But before him, I seem to amount to nothing.”

Thinking of this,

the girl in the silk robe gently smoothed her robe, confirmed Jiang Jian was truly cultivating, and unconsciously felt a flicker of admiration.

The misty haze in her eyes also shifted.

The wind grew stronger.

The boat crossed the sea, moving slowly yet swiftly.

Soon,

ahead in the black sea,

a towering hundred-zhang pavilion came into view.

“Did you bring it?”

Lu Qingqing suddenly spoke, asking a redundant question.

Jiang Jian opened his eyes, still not ceasing cultivation, and replied softly: “Of course I brought it.”

Lu Qingqing nodded and said: “The Jade Capital Lord specifically requested to meet you.”

Jiang Jian’s heart tightened, but he said nothing.

Lu Qingqing raised an eyebrow and said: “Your reaction is strange—not at all like someone about to meet a Spirit Platform True Lord.”

Jiang Jian stopped cultivating and stood up: “The Jade Capital Lord resides in the Heavenly Capital’s core, governs the Heavenly Capital’s center, and oversees seventy provinces of the surface—he is a legendary figure. I’m just a little nervous.”

He was not lying.

But

this nervousness did not stem from those reasons.

It stemmed from his identity and origins.

Spirit Platform cultivators undergo a leap in life’s hierarchy.

Their intuition is razor-sharp, their perception exquisitely fine—beyond ordinary comprehension.

Although Jiang Jian was certain he had, through the physician, completely stripped his original bloodline, so any test would reveal only Earthly bones,

the Jade Capital Lord was an elder Spirit Platform True Lord.

Who knew what strange methods he possessed?

“If I disregard the risk of soul shattering, the Pure World Divine Fire I can now wield should be enough to let me briefly enter a dimensional space.”

Jiang Jian silently willed his spirit.

He withdrew a faint glimmer of ice-blue light and placed it deep within his meridians.

His storage space, having been refined by negative energy, now held the embryonic form of a dimensional space—enough to briefly enter without soul collapse.

This was Jiang Jian’s final escape plan.

“Don’t be nervous.”

Somehow, Lu Qingqing’s voice softened: “The Jade Capital Lord is sealed within the Heavenly Capital’s core and cannot come out now. Even if he summons you, it will be through a virtual pod.”

Jiang Jian fell silent for a moment, then said: “Thank you.”

Lu Qingqing turned to face the Shouxin Pavilion and waved: “No need to thank me.”

As the two spoke,

the boat gradually neared shore and halted at the edge of the Shouxin Pavilion.

“Guests come first—you go ahead.”

Lu Qingqing stepped aside, one hand resting on her woven-star robe, clearing the path for Jiang Jian.

Jiang Jian made no formalities, only nodded slightly, strode forward, and stepped first onto the Shouxin Pavilion’s platform.

His feet touched solid ground—the platform unshakably firm.

The ungrounded sensation of drifting on the Sea of Suffering finally vanished.

Lu Qingqing followed closely behind, stepping off the boat and walking straight in one direction: “Follow me.”

Jiang Jian hesitated a moment, then walked beside her into the depths of the Shouxin Pavilion.

The Shouxin Pavilion seemed already under strict lockdown.

Cold and empty.

Along the way, not a single soul was seen.

“Usually, this place is very lively.”

Lu Qingqing stopped walking, gazing at the pavilion ahead: “In the Tianjing Central Hub, the constant stream of officials entering and exiting the World Gates could fill this entire Shouxin Pavilion.”

Jiang Jian followed her gaze.

The pavilion before him was located in a remote spot.

Above its entrance, a plaque bore two characters in bold, ancient seal script: “Guanxin.”

“Please.”

Lu Qingqing walked to the foot of the steps and gestured with an open hand.

Her movements were relaxed, her conduct courteous and flawless.

Jiang Jian glanced at her, walked past her side, and stepped onto the stone stairs.

Suddenly.

A deeply dangerous intuition surged within his spirit!

The “Guanxin” pavilion ahead.

Held a threat capable of killing him!

“Jiang Jian.”

Lu Qingqing raised an eyebrow and asked, “Why did you stop?”

Jiang Jian said nothing.

Instead, he steadied his mind, a suspicion forming quietly within him.

The Yinshan Wonder Realm, drawn from the “Sutra of the Ten Wheels of Ksitigarbha,” is a true great wonder realm.

Since it materialized from the ethereal into the physical, it has drawn intense attention from the Tianjing Central Hub.

Now, the higher-ups intend to award this wonder realm as a prize.

That means they will surely re-verify his identity!

But.

Jiang Jian knew.

This rule was not aimed at him specifically.

A complete wonder realm belongs to Earth’s core resources.

After the Jupiter Spirit Incident,

Every distribution of core resources required exhaustive verification—no room for luck!

Although his spiritual reserve had not yet reached the Divine Palace realm,

The struggle for the Yinshan Wonder Realm was already imminent.

Jiang Jian deduced:

This identity verification.

Was likely moving the Divine Palace revalidation ahead of schedule!

“Guanxin. What a fitting name.”

Jiang Jian glanced at Lu Qingqing, then stepped forward, walking straight ahead.

As he walked,

He confirmed once more:

His original bloodline had been completely and cleanly stripped away.

Though the physician’s intentions were obscure,

Her method of stripping was near-divine, perfected to the level of creation.

When extracting his bloodline, not a single trace remained.

Even so,

Jiang Jian secretly activated the Ice-Blue Radiance.

He could trigger it at any moment, slipping into the embryonic dimensional space.

“Solar System lifeform, bloodline test.”

The pavilion door closed. A cold voice echoed.

Jiang Jian was not surprised—he had expected as much.

Inside the Guanxin Pavilion,

Lights burned continuously, bright as daylight.

Threads of light curled around him, engulfing him completely, leaving no trace.

Jiang Jian stood still, motionless.

As the dense beams of light wove past him,

A strange, cool sensation spread through his entire body.

After an indeterminate time,

The light finally faded entirely.

The cold voice spoke again.

“Test complete.”

“Test result: Earth-surface human of the Solar System.”

“Bloodline purity: 100% blood source.”

As the voice ended,

The pavilion door behind him reopened.

Jiang Jian’s expression remained unchanged. He turned and walked out of the Guanxin Pavilion.

He knew.

From this moment on,

One more worry could be set aside—for now.

“Two hours remain until the Jade Capital Lord’s audience.”

Lu Qingqing lowered her gaze, glancing at her identity device: “The Lord is handling surface affairs—he’s busy. I’ll take you there first.”

Regarding Jiang Jian’s entry into the Guanxin Pavilion for the bloodline test,

She paid it no mind whatsoever.

To her, it was merely routine procedure.

Although after the Jupiter Spirit Incident,

Bloodline verification across the Earth-Moon Four Realms had become extraordinarily strict,

Over the past several centuries,

No extraterrestrial lifeform had ever appeared in any bloodline test.

Jiang Jian followed Lu Qingqing to the southern side of the Shouxin Pavilion, stopping before a grand hall.

“Wait here.”

The robed girl spoke, then fell silent, sitting on the bench outside the hall just as Jiang Jian had, beginning her cultivation.

Seeing this,

Jiang Jian’s expression grew peculiar, but he said nothing, sitting down as well and entering cultivation.

His two realms of spiritual reserve were already perfected.

What Jiang Jian now did was activate the “Weiming” technique woven into his robe, accelerating the healing of his soul fractures.

Previously,

He had already noticed:

When channeling spiritual energy into the robe, the technique’s origin would activate at a far faster rate.

Clearly,

Shen Qingchanyi had put considerable thought into crafting the garment for various contingencies.

Under the effect of the “Weiming” technique,

Jiang Jian’s soul fractures began to heal visibly!

One of the jagged wounds was slowly closing.

It had shrunk many times over compared to before!

His soul base had increased.

All his cultivation metrics were recalculated and stacked anew.

As a result, the spiritual aura around Jiang Jian surged violently once more!

Nearby,

Lu Qingqing opened her eyes and suddenly turned her head toward Jiang Jian.

Her eyes betrayed unmistakable shock!

“Even after refining your spiritual reserve to this level, you can still ascend further!”

“How is this possible!”

The robed girl stared at Jiang Jian without blinking.

What she saw before her

Violated all logic.

In some ways, it even exceeded her understanding!

In that instant.

Lu Qingqing thought of her own cultivation.

After pushing the cultivation of the two realms to their absolute limit.

No matter how hard she trained, her spiritual essence remained extremely difficult to improve!

To advance even a fraction further was harder than hard!

Only the rarest of miraculous treasures held even a sliver of hope to help her further raise her spiritual essence.

Though her spiritual mechanism’s essence was nearing the limit of living beings.

Yet Lu Qingqing still felt no satisfaction.

She remained at the Surge Spring Realm, training day and night, refining her foundation.

All to ensure that when breaking into the Divine Palace, she could soar beyond all bounds and preserve the hope of glimpsing the Spirit Platform!

After all,

Only by achieving an unparalleled Divine Palace

did one gain even the slightest qualification to move toward glimpsing the Spirit Platform.

And on that foundation,

The deeper one’s foundation,

the closer one would come, bit by bit, to glimpsing the Spirit Platform.

Two hours passed quickly.

On the girl’s wrist,

the identity device’s alert sounded urgently.

“Jiang Jian.”

She paused her cultivation and looked toward the nearby bench.

“The Tianjing Central Authority has issued an imperial decree.”

“You are permitted to proceed to the Shouxin Palace and pay homage to the Jade Capital Supreme Lord.”

(End of Chapter)