Chapter 979: Flourishing

A divination ritual!

Liang Qu's nose was flattened against the transparent barrier. He pressed against the square box, staring at the specimen-like Eight-Clawed King, his mouth dry.

The tides of fortune turn.

Divination, the Eight-Clawed King's art of creation—one could only say it was truly used to its fullest extent.

There wasn't much use in devouring that last bit of the Eight-Clawed King anyway. Instead, using the status of a Demon King to create a ritual meant there was no need to spend extra effort on the divination itself. After a series of processes, it might even be stronger!

The Imperial Court had the Imperial Observatory, the Ghost Mother Cult had the Star Fate Plate, the Toad Tribe had Elder Toad, and the Eight-Clawed King itself could divine and calculate. Avoiding misfortune and seeking good fortune seemed to have become the standard for the strong—an alternative "strategist" or "military advisor" to decide whether to move or not.

The strong cherish their lives.

There is no logic in dying at the hands of others after all the hard work of cultivation; where there is struggle, there is risk. If the Wolf Smoke brat were to pull out a Martial Saint token, wouldn't that be the end? Therefore, the higher the realm, the fewer fights one picks. If one can outnumber the opponent, one should never risk a solo duel. If it's dangerous, forget it.

Since the King of Xu Yue enfeoffed Ningjiang Prefecture, they had only moved when threatening the Flood Dragon, and even then, they hadn't truly made a move.

Of course.

Whether it can succeed, and whether the omen is accurate, depends on whose "military advisor" is more skilled.

"Little Water, are you here representing the Imperial Court today, or are you here as yourself?" the Sea Workshop Master asked.

"As myself."

"Do you want me to repay a debt of gratitude? Or do you want me to weigh the pros and cons before deciding whether to help? If it is the former, I won't use this divination ritual and will agree with you directly. If it is the latter, if it is above 'Small Ominous,' I will agree; if it is 'Ominous' to 'Great Ominous,' I'm sorry, I will refuse."

"The latter."

Liang Qu jumped off the tentacle and cleared the space for operation.

The Sea Workshop Master's words sounded a bit cold, but in reality, she wanted Liang Qu to judge the urgency of the matter himself so she could decide whether to help or not.

Confirming there was no mistake, the Sea Workshop Master tapped her tentacle lightly. Spiritual light surged from the box, and the Eight-Clawed King spread its eight legs.

A ritual.

The remains of Martial Saints and Demon Kings, processed through special techniques into a "black box," inputting "conditions" and outputting "results."

Thinking carefully, wasn't a Divine Ability Token just a lower-level version of a ritual?

No.

It should be said that a Divine Ability Token is a weakened version of a ritual!

"Perfected Form Grandmasters can also make exquisite Divine Ability Tokens. Doesn't that mean the Great Shun's ritual level will also increase significantly?"

Liang Qu touched the "Universe Bag" at his waist, his thoughts wandering.

The Northern Court and Southern Border love to play little tricks, and the Great Shun is doing the same on a large scale. Living Perfected Forms and Martial Saints can't be produced in a short time, but dead ones can be "intercepted"!

*Puff! *

The "Eight-Clawed King" rotated its body and spat out a long slip.

The hexagram text: "The lawsuit will not be won; return to the mandate. Peace and constancy are auspicious; rash advancement is dangerous. Strength is easily broken; soft water flows long. Contention is not as good as non-contention; retreating to guard is the way to completion."

Liang Qu knew the meaning of this hexagram.

Winning by force is difficult. If one insists on confrontation, one might suffer the consequences. Although it is not "Great Ominous," it will consume mental energy,

lay hidden dangers, and requires more strategic thinking to find the right opportunity.

Small Ominous.

On the line!

His heart relaxed.

Different forces have different situations. The Toad King's strength is undoubtedly stronger than the Sea Workshop Master's, and its own business is not large—refined but not big. It is all selected and cultivated by Elder Toad. Not a single treasure fish is wasted. If they truly face the Flood Dragon's retaliation, they can just huddle together. They won't easily lose soldiers or generals, and they can coordinate with the West Turtle.

Sea merchants have many routes; being stolen from or robbed will also offend customers.

The difference between Great Auspiciousness and Small Ominous is normal.

The Sea Workshop Master grabbed the slip and touched Liang Qu's head: "Before Little Water reaches Heaven-Man, I will begin researching the reduction of trade routes."

"Rest assured, Workshop Master!"

The Toad Tribe and the Sea Workshop Master—one inside and one outside, two offensive and defensive alliances!

Liang Qu was invigorated.

Once the legacy is snatched, the Flood Dragon will truly be a fish on the chopping block!

"Tatta Kai!"

Bai Awei sucked the fresh blood dry.

Tatta Kai hugged the comb rod and slid down, hugging three lively large treasure fish, skillfully gutting them and putting them into the oil pan. The Sea Workshop Master was enthusiastic; every time he visited, there was never a lack of fish.

*Sizzle. *

The hot oil sparked white smoke, and water beasts circled the boat, swallowing the innards and fish bones.

The Little Mirage Dragon hugged a golden fried fish bone, flicking its tail, *crunch crunch* swallowing it.

【Water Marsh Essence +】

【Water Marsh Essence: 158,700】

【Water Marsh Essence +24.5】

【Water Marsh Essence +24.2】

White porcelain plate, green lotus seeds, jade-white hands.

The treasure boat faced the wind. Liang Qu crossed his legs on the edge of the boat, opened his mouth, and chewed on the fresh lotus seeds Long Long Eying had peeled to cleanse his palate.

"Wonderful! Too wonderful! Three bridges transform into three dragons. A-Shui, is this really a method you thought of?" Xu Xu Zishuai's eyes were shining as he held the previously written booklet and rushed out the door.

"If I didn't think of it, who did?" Liang Qu exhaled through his nostrils. "Have you seen it before?"

"No, that's not what I mean. I feel like you are 'reversing the cause and effect.' Because of some strange encounter, by chance, you turned the three bridges into three dragons and muddled through the cultivation. Coming back to look at Meng Meng Bai Huo, it finally makes sense. You deduced the process from the result, rather than having an idea first and then practicing to get the result."

"Ahem." Liang Qu choked on a lotus seed.

Long Long Eying patted his back, finding it funny.

"Ha! I said it! I guessed it, didn't I!" Xu Xu Zishuai sat to the side and also picked up lotus seeds to eat. "Tell me,

what kind of strange encounter? Is it the Dragon Blood Fruit of the Dragon People?"

The more he looked at the Dragon Court Method, the more exquisite he felt it was. Yet Liang Qu was not a "productive" type of talent; suddenly changing a cultivation system was very strange.

"If you think so, then so be it." Liang Qu was noncommittal.

"Heh." Xu Xu Zishuai didn't dwell on it and patted the booklet. "A-Shui, our Martial Academy is flourishing! I heard from Master that the Imperial Court is already discussing preparing to hang a plaque for our Huaiyin Martial Academy! Starting from Pingyang Prefecture!"

"A pilot project?"

"Right, that's it! A good word, very fitting!"

Hanging a plaque for the Martial Academy and issuing certificates to students.

It was a suggestion Liang Qu made last year. Yang Yang Dongxiong hadn't ignored it and had achieved such a scale. Who wouldn't want to go a step further?

He hadn't expected results in less than a year. It was faster than he imagined. After all, for new things that hadn't been tried, the benefits didn't look great, so it would be normal to shelve them for two or three years.

"Once the Imperial Court's plaque is truly hung, and your 'Dragon Court Method' comes out, the Huaiyin Martial Academy will be the number one Martial Academy in the world!

Never mind the wealthy children of Pingyang Prefecture and the surrounding areas; I'm afraid the noble children of Southern Zhili will also be sucked in by our Martial Academy. By then, you will truly be a Grandmaster of a generation! Your name will be on all the introductory books, Master A-Shui."

Xu Xu Zishuai was extremely excited, seeing another round of vigorous vitality in Pingyang Prefecture.

His hometown was naturally good. If he could build his hometown to be rich, that would be even more wonderful!

Master A-Shui.

What a lousy title.

Liang Qu slandered him in his heart.

It was just that watching Pingyang Prefecture develop bit by bit, he was definitely happy in his heart.

In the past, there were more than ten miles between Yixing Town and Pingyang Town. Now, each had expanded, and the distance had shrunk to ten miles.

The road was paved smooth again, not bumpy in the slightest.

It was prosperous. Not to mention anything else, in the past, there wasn't a single shop open at night in Yixing Town. Now, at midnight, one could still find foot-shops open. Two hundred meters to the right of the Liang residence, there was a mutton barbecue place. He often saw Fan Xinglai pack some for Chen Xiu, the daughter of Zhang Da Niang, after practicing martial arts.

He picked up a lotus seed and threw it into his mouth.

"Our Pingyang Prefecture is flourishing!"

"Right! Flourishing!" ===== CHAPTER 980 =====