[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-ascending-to-the-jade-palace":3,"chapter-ascending-to-the-jade-palace-ascending-to-the-jade-palace-chapter-12":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Ascending to the Jade Palace",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2320474,4538,"Chapter 12","ascending-to-the-jade-palace-chapter-12",12,"\u003Cp>Wang Rong’s earth-digging technique looked crude, but every detail was deliberate—details even many sect disciples wouldn’t understand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first rule of the Wang family’s combat secrets—run first!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Running first seems cowardly, but it’s actually a sophisticated wisdom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If your opponent is stronger and you can’t win, running lets you seize speed advantage early, greatly increasing your chance of escape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a balanced fight, running first feigns weakness, then lets you suddenly turn and strike, seizing the initiative in reverse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you’re vastly superior, running first can also test whether hidden opponents lurk nearby.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If watchers waiting for an opening see you flee, they’re likely to reveal themselves to chase—doesn’t that avoid getting tripped up in the gutter?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If no watchers exist, running a few steps won't prevent you from turning back and catching your unlucky opponent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In short, running first always yields greater benefit than risk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hence, this strategy was elevated to the first rule of the Wang family’s combat secrets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if Yulou were to analyze it, with his modern mindset, he’d see deeper underlying logic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For instance, running first and feigning weakness is a form of specialized expectation management.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In modern workplaces and life, managing expectations of oneself and others is an extremely profound and complex discipline—even a biblical-level one in workplace struggles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But applying expectation management logic to the “run first” combat strategy is equally valid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Running first and feigning weakness is managing your enemy’s expectations!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Miaofeng Mountain disciple who shouted, “You’re mid-Qi Refining and still trying to run?” was successfully manipulated by Wang Rongyuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anticipating the enemy is hard, because in spontaneous encounters, you can’t predict their tactics or special techniques in advance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you know nothing, how can you anticipate the enemy?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But by actively guiding them, using controllable actions to provoke their behavior, you can predict their next move based on the expectations you’ve shaped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is the practical application of expectation management in combat—using proper expectation management to anticipate the enemy!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Half a step ahead is still ahead!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cultivators react and move quickly; half a step can mean the difference between life and death!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three outlaw cultivators, seeing Wang Rongyuan’s Qi Refining mid-level form vanish underground, swiftly surrounded him, each deploying techniques to locate him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Underground, Wang Rongyuan first swallowed a Soul-Opening Pill—three-on-one, and he hadn’t even started fighting yet, already taking his blue mana? That’s the difference between having a family lineage and not!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he activated the wooden puppets he’d already planted when he crashed down from the sky, making them appear in the direction opposite his own.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Run first, lure them in, then use the wooden puppet to expose a weakness!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There he is! Block him, don’t let him escape!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Miaofeng Mountain disciple at Qi Refining peak was the first to sense the wooden puppet, pointing toward it and warning his two companions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three swiftly flew toward the puppet’s location.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Due to differences in cultivation level and initial entry angles, their aerial formation naturally arranged itself: Miaofeng Mountain disciple in front, Qi Refining 10th-layer outlaw in the middle, Qi Refining 8th-layer outlaw at the rear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The perfect moment to strike had arrived—how could Wang Rongyuan possibly miss it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Watch out!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two thick wooden vines erupted from the ground, lashing toward the Qi Refining 8th-layer outlaw at the back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the Rapid Vine Technique, commonly used by Qi Refining-level Wood-element cultivators—fast, precise, brutal; if defense is weak or fire techniques aren’t applied quickly enough, one touch means death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Qi Refining 8th-layer cultivator instantly cast two Flying Fire Spells, blocking them before himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the Qi Refining 10th-layer outlaw ahead instinctively activated a circular defensive magic treasure, intending to help his younger brother.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This—was the real opportunity!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ground exploded with a “boom,” dust flying everywhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the sound reached the Qi Refining 10th-layer outlaw’s ears, a blue-and-red Medicine King Mace struck beneath him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Wang family’s combat secrets, seventh rule—if you absolutely must fight three at once, kill the one in the middle first!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The strongest will be hardest to kill; killing him wastes opportunity. In combat, every opportunity matters immensely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a one-against-three scenario, the meaning of “don’t miss your chance” becomes terrifyingly concrete.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Any mistake could mean disaster—death and dissolution of the Dao!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The weakest one knows he’s weakest, so he’s naturally most alert—he fears being picked off like a soft melon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under constant vigilance, with no major power gap, attacking the weakest might yield nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, killing the middle one becomes the relatively higher-success option.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Rongyuan’s choice was clever: he first used the Rapid Vine Technique to attack the weakest, Qi Refining 8th-layer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the Qi Refining 10th-layer outlaw try to save his comrade, he decisively went all-in!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Going all-in is wisdom—and courage!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uncle Rongyuan had no lack of wisdom, nor of courage!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damn! Qi Refining 10th-layer!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the second-in-command realized Wang Rongyuan shared his cultivation level, it was already too late!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More accurately—it was far too late.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The top-grade magic treasure, the Medicine King Mace, was forged primarily from eighth-rank blue-and-white agate, with a ninth-rank bloodwood handle, inscribed with a full twenty-one layers of sealing arrays, designed to shatter defenses with raw force—unbreakable among peers!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Qi Refining 10th-layer outlaw, juggling two magic treasures, had no time to block Wang Rongyuan’s mace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the eyes of the two other outlaws, the blue-and-red Medicine King Mace pierced through their companion’s chest, emerging drenched in crimson.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Qi Refining 10th-layer outlaw looked down at his hollowed chest and cursed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Liar!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, his flight treasure and defensive treasure, now uncontrolled, fell to the ground alongside his still-warm corpse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother, we were just joking with you—who are you really?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Miaofeng Mountain disciple at Qi Refining peak was both shocked and furious—he simply couldn’t believe his three brothers had been tricked today!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Rapid Vine Technique was a decoy, the wooden puppet was fake, even the Qi Refining 5th-layer pretense was fake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All those Red Lamp Sect, Drop of Water Cave rumors—everything was a lie!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wooden puppet that had emerged from the earth, having completed its task, had no expression on its wooden face—but the Miaofeng Mountain disciple swore he saw it smiling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Smiling at his three brothers, calling them three big fools!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Wang Rongyuan had so much as responded to the Miaofeng Mountain disciple’s nonsense, he’d be a fool too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t answer the Miaofeng Mountain disciple’s words—not even the slightest intention to emerge from the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was playing earth-digging tactics—dare you land and fight a soil-and-wood-element cultivator?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Either don’t fight at all—or kill them all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Retracting the Medicine King Mace, Wang Rongyuan immediately activated two special low-grade magic treasures—the Donkey-Hair Incense Pouches.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Wang family excelled in raising donkeys, sustaining their lineage for a thousand years through Wood-element spiritual donkeys.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Naturally, they’d exploited every spiritual material from these donkeys to the extreme.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the Donkey-Hair Incense Pouches were only fifth-layer sealed low-grade magic treasures, with no attack or defense capability—even decent iron could destroy them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But once filled with different substances, their effects became significant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the two pouches skimmed swiftly along the ground, pale yellow Desire-Inducing Incense began to spread across the battlefield.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In game terms, this was soft control—seemingly minor, but if stacked enough, it would cripple the enemy!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fine! If you want to fight to the end, don’t blame me for going all out!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Miaofeng Mountain disciple at the Qi Refining peak had insight—he saw through Wang Rongyuan’s moves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He activated a mid-grade magic treasure: a white cloud-silk handkerchief, which floated in the air, raining down countless droplets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You use incense to control me? I’ll use water techniques to break your Desire-Inducing Incense!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother Three, combine your Fire Thunder Spells! If he won’t come out, we’ll blast this earth rat to dust!”\u003C\u002Fp>",1297,"2026-06-20T15:48:26.995Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","d04e91ae62259eedb125447b44b6c0951c33450c70f2bad37c0af713ba89a304","ascending-to-the-jade-palace-chapter-13","ascending-to-the-jade-palace-chapter-11",243,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fascending-to-the-jade-palace-cover.jpg"]