Chapter 140: A Sword Must Be Sharp for Reason to Be Heard

I have to admit, Guo Ming's sword-flying speed is indeed incredibly fast.

He arrived at the capital of Su Shen in just three hours, though this may also be due to Su Shen's relatively small territory.

Next, it became convenient to gather the Su Shen Emperor, the commander of the southern expeditionary army, and a host of civil and military officials together.

Chu Danqing immediately began reasoning with them.

Normally, trying to reason with politicians is an extremely foolish thing to do.

But unusually, Guo Ming had just sliced off half the palace roof with a single sword, and he possessed two such powerful flying swords.

Therefore, Chu Danqing's arguments carried tremendous weight.

Everyone readily admitted he was right and that their own ideological horizons were too narrow.

They then immediately withdrew their troops and went into rest.

Afterward, Chu Danqing directly declared: "Cease all warfare for three years—anyone who dares to violate this will face my personal visit, accompanied by Guo Ming."

He also ordered the Su Shen Emperor to spread this message far and wide.

Chu Danqing had wanted to demand eternal disarmament, but that was unrealistic.

After leaving this trial world, he would almost certainly never return.

Guo Ming's trial world has a higher tier and might allow another visit, but this world's maximum attribute cap is only 10.

It's essentially confirmed that only reserve-level Dimensional Apostles can undergo trials here.

Xiong Zhigang signed a blood pact, but whether he'll be cultivated or not remains uncertain.

After being reasoned with, the Su Shen Emperor immediately agreed without hesitation.

Next, they needed to find the true culprit behind the million-coin bounty.

Thanks to the prior intimidation, the real culprit was handed over as a sacrificial pawn to appease Chu Danqing's anger.

After resolving it, they successfully obtained an Excellent-tier treasure chest.

It had patterns, but no shimmer.

This meant it was neither outstanding nor poor—just average.

There's a very high chance it won't yield a basic skill.

After completing the task, Chu Danqing and his group headed back, taking along the Su Shen military commander they had brought and a civil official holding the Su Shen Emperor's imperial decree.

They couldn't afford to let them make another trip—speed and decisiveness were key.

After all, every minute and every second counted as Paradise Points.

Chu Danqing was certain he'd already lost Paradise Points on this A-rank mission.

Guo Ming had been nonstop—he finished all the tasks and then returned Chu Danqing to his destination, which took another nearly three hours.

【Mission Completed. You have received: 10, 00 Paradise Points, +4 Attribute Points】

——

【Detected: Not Notarized.】

【1. Notarize, cost: 13, 00 Paradise Points for Excellent-tier】

【2. Do not notarize—it will be returned with you upon repatriation】

——

【You returned your covenant partner. Repatriation cognitive rationalization completed. Current duration: 7 hours. Cost: 6, 97 Paradise Points】

"Just the summoning fee cost me 13, 00, and I only gained 4 attribute points," Chu Danqing thought bitterly—luckily, there was still a treasure chest.

Most apostles his age wouldn't earn this many Paradise Points in a single mission.

Most apostles need at least ten trials before they're even prepared for promotion evaluations.

Chu Danqing is one of the rare few—rapid growth, immense strength—but his cost is that he can't hold onto Paradise Points.

When he returned, Xiong Zhigang had already been waiting for a long time.

"Why didn't Little Guo come back with you? Did something happen?" Xiong Zhigang asked anxiously upon seeing Chu Danqing return alone.

"He had urgent business and returned ahead," Chu Danqing explained.

The urgency wasn't Guo Ming's—it was Chu Danqing's wallet. At 1, 00 Paradise Points per hour, he simply couldn't afford this spending.

"Su Shen has withdrawn its troops. Now, submit a memorial stating this was my directive," Chu Danqing reiterated the three-year ceasefire and the need to spread the message.

Otherwise, threatening only Su Shen would be grossly unfair.

After hearing this, Xiong Zhigang's anxious expression eased: "Master Chu, you undersold it—I'd estimate at least five years of stability."

"But it doesn't matter—it's enough for Taichang."

"Still, with you saying this, the Emperor's suspicion toward you will likely deepen," Xiong Zhigang added, his face showing concern.

"No problem—I have no intention of becoming an official anyway," Chu Danqing said bluntly. "Besides, you're underestimating the young Emperor."

"Upon hearing this news, he'll immediately beg me to return—even calling me 'Second Father.'"

"The young Emperor is patient, understands timing, and excels at seizing opportunities; he only lacks experience and worldly wisdom."

Once he matures, the fully developed young Emperor's abilities will far surpass those of the previous two Taichang Emperors.

Fear of him and inviting Chu Danqing back are not mutually exclusive.

Hearing this, Xiong Zhigang felt considerably reassured.

It was a good sign that the young Emperor had earned such high praise from Chu Danqing.

"Very well. As soon as we confirm Su Shen's withdrawal, I'll immediately report it to the capital," Xiong Zhigang said—he trusted Chu Danqing, but needed verifiable proof.

Otherwise, sending unverified reports could lead to accusations due to timing discrepancies.

Though Chu Danqing's involvement would protect him, it's always better to avoid unnecessary complications.

Since the troops have already withdrawn, the victory report isn't critical.

What matters more is Chu Danqing's statement, but it requires Su Shen's cooperation.

"Then, Master Chu, where will you go next?" Xiong Zhigang asked. "Why not stay here? At least you'll have someone watching over you."

With Chu Danqing present, the place would be as secure as a fortress.

But Chu Danqing shook his head: "No, I have other matters to attend to."

He planned to find a quiet place to train until the trial time ended.

Paradise Points were spent, but the skills and consumables must be converted into real power.

Especially refining the Dao Foundation requires ample time.

If time permits afterward, he could wander around to see if any missions trigger to earn more Paradise Points.

Also, the Snake Soul's offering contract is nearly complete—he needs sufficient time to cultivate and synchronize with it.

Completing the contract doesn't automatically make it a competent auxiliary summon.

Without guidance, his cultivation and synchronization efficiency would be inadequate.

If he only chased Paradise Points and missed the golden window for cultivation, he'd suffer a major loss.

"Then, if I need to find you, Master Chu, where should I look?" Xiong Zhigang asked.

Chu Danqing spread his hands: "I don't know."

The blood pact is one-way—he can't be contacted unless he initiates the summon.

After all, it's only an Excellent-tier skill; even if he wanted to pay to create a two-way link, he couldn't.

If he could make it work, he'd be making a fortune through cross-dimensional platforms.

"What a pity," Xiong Zhigang sighed.

He then added: "You arrived in such a hurry yesterday that I didn't even host a welcome feast for you."

"Why not stay until tomorrow morning? I'll prepare a banquet in your honor."

Xiong Zhigang felt embarrassed—Chu Danqing had traveled far to help him, yet he hadn't even offered proper hospitality before leaving again.

How would people view him afterward?

"Alright, then I'll leave tomorrow," Chu Danqing said—he'd already completed his daily routine.

Now he was just reading and pondering the Five Elements Spirit Summoning Dao Foundation; it didn't matter where he did it.

His real reason for leaving was concern that he might drag Xiong Zhigang into trouble.

Chu Danqing did hope Xiong Zhigang would be dismissed from office so he could focus entirely on helping him.

But one can't be so selfish—Xiong Zhigang is an independent person with his own aspirations and thoughts.

Do not impose on others what you yourself would not want.

Chu Danqing himself dislikes others manipulating his future or interfering with his path—he wouldn't maliciously force Xiong Zhigang to leave.

"Very well, I'll arrange it immediately," Xiong Zhigang said, his face lighting up.

Although it was still early for the evening banquet, hosting Chu Danqing couldn't be done with ordinary home-cooked meals.

After all, Xiong Zhigang was a powerful regional governor.

After Xiong Zhigang left, Chu Danqing finally opened the Excellent-tier treasure chest he had obtained today.

【You opened: Excellent-tier Chest. Received: Baihua Pill (Excellent), 2, 00 Paradise Points, 2, 00 Paradise Points】

【Baihua Pill】

【Type: Consumable】

【Quality: Excellent】

【Effect 1: Restores 1% HP over 10 minutes】

【Effect 2: Accumulates 100 points of medicinal power; when metabolized, increases progress on lineage-based skills】

Seeing the two 2, 00 Paradise Point rewards appear in succession, Chu Danqing's expression turned to stunned disbelief.

"Is that it???"

He was a Lackland Point, but he never said he didn't want high-value Excellent-tier items.

"It must be because my involvement was too low, yet I still indirectly completed it," Chu Danqing muttered.

The mastermind had been found, and the resolution of the million-coin bounty was indirectly tied to him.

He was given only two Lackland Points and one inferior Excellent-tier item.

"This isn't even a low-quality chest—it's a crippled chest," Chu Danqing grumbled.

"But Kuiyuan's chest seems to be judged differently."

"If one holds a high position and leverages one's own influence to handle matters, involvement is discounted but won't be as low as when Jin Feng Tower resolved it for me."

Chu Danqing couldn't help recalling Kuiyuan's shimmering-pattern chest.

His actual involvement wasn't high; most of the time he was commanding and managing from behind.

As for Xianghua Village, if he became village chief, killing Bai Longyu Si might still earn him an Excellent-tier chest of fine quality.

Thinking this way, he seemed to have found a way to raise Xianghua Village to an A-rank evaluation.

Originally, he had merely borrowed the chief's influence; becoming chief himself meant holding power, and the assistance he received would be entirely different.

But thinking about it was enough—becoming village chief wasn't that easy.

With Chu Danqing's original attributes, it was impossible.

It was said that an A-rank evaluation in the Reserve-Class assessment was unattainable by ordinary Apostles.

Only certain special individuals within the Paradise could obtain it.

Unfortunately, Chu Danqing didn't know the exact details.

This information seemed deliberately concealed, though some had investigated it.

Later, they fell into strict silence—no one knew whether they'd failed to uncover anything and were pretending to be profound, or had uncovered something and been bound by a secrecy pact with the Paradise.

Chu Danqing leaned toward the latter; after all, there's no smoke without fire.

He had no desire to explore further—first, he'd take care of himself.

(End of Chapter)