Chapter 247

“Shangguan Linghua... Ninth Princess...”

Jiang Ye slowly rolled these two names over his tongue, a flicker of unusual light passing through his aged eyes.

He had heard the name Shangguan Linghua mentioned before by Zheng Feng.

She is the heir of the Shangguan family, a thousand-year aristocratic clan from the northern Fengzhou region.

According to Zheng Feng, this woman awakened the Shangguan family’s unique innate constitution: the True Thunder Spiritual Body.

Born with the ability to nurture the most ferocious thunder energy in heaven and earth, her every gesture carries the might of lightning.

Even the True Disciples of the Upper Sect pale in comparison before her.

She is destined to shine as a peerless figure across the entire Zhou Kingdom.

For such a person to be named one of the Three Wonders of Zhou is no surprise.

As for the other, the Ninth Princess, Jiang Ye had never heard of her before.

There’s no helping it—people from the county are like this...

Not just him, even Liu Qingyu’s exquisitely beautiful face bore a rare look of confusion.

Clearly, this Liu Peak Master had never heard the title of the Ninth Princess.

For Tianqing Sect, nestled in a single prefecture, the imperial court of Jingzhou remained a celestial presence beyond reach.

Lu Guizhou instantly saw through their confusion, smiling as he set down his teacup:

“The Jingzhou imperial court lies ten thousand miles away; it’s natural you’ve never heard of her.”

“This Ninth Princess is the brightest pearl the Zhou royal family has produced in the past century.”

“Legend says the night she was born, celestial omens descended—a great sun hung in the sky, turning Jingzhou’s night into daylight.”

Hearing this, Jiang Ye’s lips twitched faintly, finding it hard to keep a straight face.

Celestial omens now...

He knew imperial elites loved spreading such rumors to wrap their rule in the mystic aura of heavenly mandate.

So the common folk would believe they were born to sit upon that throne.

Liu Qingyu’s starlike eyes also flickered with disbelief and shock.

It sounded like a myth from a romance novel.

Seeing their expressions, Lu Guizhou guessed what they were thinking and smiled, shaking his head slightly:

“Whether the celestial omens are true or not...”

“But the Ninth Princess’s talent is unquestionably the most outstanding the Zhou royal family has seen in a century.”

“Many say she is the one most likely to quell the chaos and restore the Zhou Kingdom.”

Hearing this, Jiang Ye and Liu Qingyu exchanged glances, both visibly stirred.

The current Zhou Kingdom truly faces external threats and internal turmoil.

Overseas island nations harass its borders constantly.

Within, the Seven Kill Cult ravages the provinces, refugee uprisings flare one after another, and the imperial court’s control over regional sects steadily weakens.

A classic scene of a dynasty in its final days.

In such a chaotic age, for this Ninth Princess to possess such ambition and resolve is truly worthy of her title among the Three Wonders.

Lu Guizhou set down his teacup, shifted the topic, and began imparting to them his personal experience in absorbing primordial energy.

From guiding primordial energy to merge with the qi elixir using his own true gang, to the dangers and countermeasures during the breakthrough, he detailed everything without omission.

These were hard-won lessons he had earned with his life when he himself broke through to the Primordial Realm—only close juniors ever received them.

Jiang Ye and Liu Qingyu listened intently, occasionally pressing for finer details, and Lu Guizhou answered each question patiently.

These insights truly benefited them greatly, helping them avoid countless detours and the most perilous pitfalls.

About half an hour later.

Lu Guizhou glanced at Cheng Yuan, lying on the ground by the courtyard gate.

The old man’s fingers seemed to twitch slightly, hinting at signs of awakening.

He drained the last sip of tea from his cup, stood up, and smiled:

“I’ve had enough tea, and said all I needed to say. I’ll be off now.”

Jiang Ye and Liu Qingyu rose quickly to see him off.

They watched the slender white figure carry Cheng Yuan away, until he vanished at the winding mountain path’s end.

Liu Qingyu turned back, her starlike eyes settling on Jiang Ye, and smiled—a rare, sincere, grateful expression:

“Jiang Elder, I’ve benefited from your connection. Thank you!”

She could clearly see that Lu Guizhou, a senior of the Enforcement Hall, had taken such patience to impart these precious insights largely because of Jiang Ye’s standing.

Had she come alone, she’d have been shown the door before finishing even one cup of tea.

Jiang Ye smiled faintly, his expression calm:

“Liu Peak Master, no need to thank me—we’re partners.”

“Your early breakthrough to the Primordial Realm is vital to Tianqing Sect.”

He spoke these words with genuine sincerity.

Liu Qingyu had already perfected her true gang; she needed only primordial energy to cross the final threshold.

Once she succeeded, Tianqing Sect would no longer be the “soft target” without a single Primordial cultivator—it would finally have real standing on Tianyun Peak.

“Partners...”

Liu Qingyu’s heart trembled slightly; her starlike eyes fixed on Jiang Ye, a flicker of indescribable emotion glimmering in their depths.

This old man was usually silent and aloof, yet when he spoke unexpectedly, his words always struck the softest place in her heart.

She moistened her lips, her smile brightening, revealing a rare, girlish playfulness:

“That’s right—we’re partners, so I won’t thank you...”

“Hahahaha!!!”

Her laughter rang clear and sweet like a mountain stream.

Jiang Ye smiled faintly, placing the blue jade vial on the stone table; its surface tapped the stone with a crisp chime.

He raised his eyes to Liu Qingyu, his tone still calm, yet carrying solemn weight:

“Liu Peak Master, you heard what Elder Lu said.”

“The more primordial energy you absorb, the more solid your foundation in the Primordial Realm will be.”

“How many strands do you plan to take for your breakthrough?”

Liu Qingyu’s light laughter faded.

She gazed at the small blue jade vial on the stone table, her exquisitely beautiful face gradually growing serious.

At the same time, a warm current silently flowed through her heart.

This was primordial energy.

A celestial rarity so precious that major sects would tear each other apart to seize it—each strand could spark a bloody storm.

And Jiang Ye had simply placed the vial on the table, leaving it entirely to her discretion.

Recall: in the struggle for primordial energy, she had merely used mist to obscure the peak’s view.

Her contribution was minimal.

Yet Jiang Ye bore the full pressure of three Primordial cultivators alone, returned unscathed, and brought back six full strands.

This trust, this generosity...

Made this weathered Liu Peak Master feel, for the first time in years, an emotion she had long forgotten... gratitude.

After a moment of silence, she smiled gently: “Jiang Elder, I don’t want to follow Old Luo’s path. One strand of primordial energy is enough for me.”