Chapter 287: The Method of Awakening

On the sixth day after Yang Tai’s death, Yang Qianyuan arrived at the capital with his troops, weary from travel.

But he came too late—the rebellion had already been quelled.

Then, Yang Zheng intended to entrust Yang Qianyuan with great responsibility, but Yang Qianyuan refused.

To Yang Qianyuan, these matters were merely incidental; he never intended to wade through the treacherous waters of court politics.

After returning military authority to Yang Zheng, he went to find Chu Danqing.

Yang Zheng, for his part, felt helpless—if he had encountered these people earlier, he would never have made one misstep that led to total defeat.

“So the matter isn’t over yet?” Chu Danqing’s expression turned complex after hearing Yang Qianyuan’s account of the court’s power structure.

Though all the senior ministers were dead, the officials Yang Zheng had promoted were mostly from aristocratic families.

Those from the lower classes had no path to advancement.

Yang Zheng wanted to find non-aristocratic talent, but he had no means to reach them.

“Yes, though the ministers are dead, they were merely false vessels—not born of womb, egg, or moisture, but transformed.” Yang Qianyuan sighed.

That was precisely why he refused to linger in court.

“Then what does he plan to do next?” Chu Danqing asked.

“Use them for now. The realm is exhausted—it cannot endure another upheaval.” Yang Qianyuan replied.

True. Each in their place, fulfilling their duty. Chu Danqing agreed with Yang Zheng’s approach; he did not understand the broader picture of the realm and would not interfere unnecessarily.

Mostly, he had no solution—he could kill violently, but then what?

The An Yong Dynasty was not invincible; surrounding tribes watched with hungry eyes. One misstep, and peril lurked everywhere.

Yang Zheng had become a patchwork mender.

“What about the rebellions? How are things going?” Chu Danqing still cared most about uprisings across the land.

“They’re being handled. Most are common folk—pacification, not violent suppression.” Yang Qianyuan said: “This seems meant as leverage against the aristocratic families.”

“The core issue is land consolidation—if it’s not resolved, there will be another uprising.” Chu Danqing cut straight to the point.

The people asked for little: enough to eat, enough to wear.

Logically, with spirit beasts as labor in this trial world, it shouldn’t be hard to achieve.

But sadly, An Yong’s rulers always believed the people were rich and living too well, and insisted on squeezing them to death.

The outcome, as expected, was inevitable.

“That’s not our concern.” Yang Qianyuan was no emperor—he didn’t need to worry about such things.

Chu Danqing found this remark naively idealistic.

“Earlier, the Emperor asked me who could inherit the throne. I recommended you.” Chu Danqing spoke plainly: “Unless something unexpected happens, you’re going to have an unexpected fate.”

Yang Qianyuan’s eye twitched—was this something you could even recommend? Wasn’t this asking for death?

“It’s fine. The Emperor is calculating—he may not choose me.” Yang Qianyuan spoke these words without much conviction.

He immediately changed the subject: “Brother Chu, on the way here, I used the Heavenly Mechanism to find the Awakening Method you need for the Twin Lotus Seed. Take a look.”

Chu Danqing dropped the topic of the Emperor and immediately took the Awakening Method—the plant- and life-based Awakening skill.

Though Yang Qianyuan spoke politely, this was in fact a skill he had carefully selected.

It was perfectly suited to the Twin Lotus Seed.

That was likely why he arrived six days late—otherwise, he would have reached in five, as Yang Zheng had predicted.

“Perfect—perfect. This is exactly what I needed.” Chu Danqing examined the Exalted-tier skill, his face lighting up with joy.

He immediately taught it to the Twin Lotus Seed and used Moonflow Essence to raise its level to maximum.

【Wood Dao Wisdom Mind (Passive) LV.MAX: Awakening Triggered—each evolution unleashes 100% growth potential】

After learning it, Chu Danqing sensed a faint consciousness ripple within the Twin Lotus Seed, forming a connection with him.

But the consciousness was too weak—like a newly formed embryo, incapable of meaningful communication.

Even though the skill was learned and maxed, the Twin Lotus Seed’s consciousness wouldn’t mature instantly—it still needed time.

Chu Danqing had no sense of the timeline; he had little experience in this area.

He had encountered plant-type summons before, but never cultivated one.

“What’s next? What do you plan to do?” Chu Danqing asked again.

“What are your plans, Brother Chu?” Yang Qianyuan tossed the question back.

“No plans. I’ll stay in the palace awhile, then travel the world.” Chu Danqing would simply complete his trial time and return—what else was there to do?

“Then come to Jiaoying Prefecture. Let me fulfill my duty as host.” Yang Qianyuan proposed.

Meaning: come back with me.

“Fine. But what about the Emperor? I’m taking Da Bao with me—he’ll be vulnerable without protection.” Chu Danqing stroked his chin.

Then he remembered the Illusory Fish Swarm Vessel in his possession.

“Give this Illusory Fish Swarm Vessel to the Emperor. Then we leave.” Chu Danqing explained its function and condition.

After all, he’d taken plenty of resources from the imperial treasury—leaving him something for protection was only fair.

Otherwise, if Yang Zheng died, Yang Qianyuan—powerless—would face many obstacles ahead.

He’d considered leaving the Group of Flowers Token, but its restrictions were too high; Yang Zheng couldn’t use it.

Yang Qianyuan immediately delivered the item and informed the Emperor they were departing.

Yang Zheng fell silent for several seconds, then accepted it, saying he could always come to him for help.

He truly wished to keep Chu Danqing and Yang Qianyuan—having their aid would make his rule far smoother.

But he reconsidered—the timing wasn’t right.

If they stayed, Yang Qianyuan might never inherit his position.

As for siring an heir in the remaining time—it was impossible.

Even if he didn’t die by “accident,” his lifespan was so short he might not live to see his child born, let alone its first full moon.

His injuries had already stretched his life beyond all medical expectation—full recovery was sheer greed.

After Yang Qianyuan delivered the gift, Chu Danqing finished packing and left the palace, boarding the Eight Steeds Ascending Dragon Chariot bound for Jiaoying Prefecture.

No troubles arose—they arrived at Jiaoying Prefecture without incident.

As Prince of Jiaoying, Yang Qianyuan held no real power, yet his treatment far surpassed ordinary nobles.

In recent days, Yang Zheng had issued multiple edicts praising him and granted Jiaoying Prefecture generous rewards.

Everyone now knew the Prince of Jiaoying was in imperial favor—his status had already been high; now it soared further.

Chu Danqing also enjoyed many conveniences, yet he rarely left the palace grounds.

Most of his time was spent training and cultivating within the Jiaoying Prince’s mansion.

Because this was his first time training a body-refinement technique, progress was slow—by the end of the trial, he had only raised Five Elements Spirit Forging to LV.3.

Fortunately, his pills hadn’t been heavily consumed; he could still advance, as their potency was strong.

As for progress, Da Bao advanced fastest—his bloodline concentration reached 10%, hitting the Level 1 limit.

This triggered a qualitative leap in his power, concentrated in his talents and skills.

Though his bloodline gained no new effects, his five core stats rose from +3 to +10.

The five effects of the Deep Cavern Blood Beast talent increased from 13% to 20%.

Of course, the greatest changes were in the skills Tearing Claws and Bloodthirsty Pursuit.

【Tearing Claws (Active) LV.30: Upon activation, attacks inflict 30% additional rending damage and apply Bleeding status. Consumes 30 Blood Fury per minute.】

【Bloodthirsty Pursuit (Passive) LV.30: When damaging a Bleeding target, gain lifesteal and add an extra 30% bleeding damage.】

The skill levels hadn’t increased, but their mechanics shifted from fixed damage to percentage-based damage due to bloodline enhancement.

This meant they were finally freed from their useless status.

Then there was Da Bai—his mental and perception stats reached the Level 1 limit of 30, and the Nine-Head Spirit Form Scripture broke past Level 20.

As a result, he grew another head, making Chu Danqing’s mind even noisier each day.

Of course, Multi-Casting also increased by one level.

【Multi-Casting (Passive) LV.3: When casting a skill, release it three additional times, consuming half the skill’s Spirit Power.】

Da Gu, by contrast, grew slowest—after so long, his five core stats had only reached the Level 1 limit of 30, and his inherited skill, Nine Chapters Asking Heaven’s Song, remained at Level 9.

The Twin Lotus Seed? Forget it—its five stats had only reached 10, its growth negligible.

When time was nearly up, Chu Danqing left a letter urging him to respond actively.

Then he returned to the Paradise.

——

“Brother Chu, I—” Yang Qianyuan came to find Chu Danqing, the gate wide open, but found no one—only the letter.

He opened it, frowning—what did “respond actively” mean?

As he pondered, the star-clouds within the Omen Spider on his back spun rapidly.

His vision darkened; a heavy medicinal scent filled his nostrils.

“We meet again.” Yang Qianyuan’s gaze settled, practiced and calm, on the golden throne in the Dragon Hall.

An ancient, withered old man, clad in imperial robes, radiated a powerful stench of decay.

“How did you do it?” The old man’s eyes burned with madness.

“I merely seized an opportunity.” Yang Qianyuan’s voice was calm: “I will not become you. I will not walk this path.”

“I’ve found you.” The old man’s voice dripped with malice. Behind him, a colossal black demonic spider rose.

But the next instant, the scene shattered—everything as if it had never happened.

“Heh. I’ll wait for you.” Yang Qianyuan sneered.

(End of chapter)