Chapter 339: Soul Transformation Human Sentiment

In the not particularly spacious hall, an elderly man sat in the seat of honor.

The old man emitted no aura whatsoever, appearing utterly ordinary.

Yet everyone treated him with great respect.

He Pingsheng stood before the elder, clasping his fists: "Disciple Xu Kunlun, pays his respects to the elder!"

"Not bad…" The old man seated on the chair smiled and said: "Xu Kunlun?"

"Or He Pingsheng?"

He Pingsheng's heart jolted: So these people have already dug up every last secret about me.

"Don't be afraid!" The old man waved his hand. "I am no fool from the Qi Kingdom—I hold no ill will toward you!"

"I merely heard rumors of a dazzling young talent in the cultivation world and grew curious enough to come see for myself!"

"I myself am a Soul Transformation cultivator—your disguise robe is useless before me!"

He Pingsheng was utterly stunned.

This old man had already reached Soul Transformation.

Good heavens!

Today's escape is going to be impossible.

"Yes…" He clasped his fists. "I am indeed He Pingsheng from Dingxiang County, Qi Kingdom!"

As he spoke and bowed, He Pingsheng still held the fourth-rank jade token in his palm.

He knew the Soul Transformation cultivator opposite him could see it—but he still had to present it.

At a critical moment, it might still buy him a chance.

The royal ancestral elder did not expose He Pingsheng's ruse; he merely smiled faintly. "Good, good… That girl from the Xuanyao Immortal Sect in Hongshi County—is she your cultivation partner?"

"Eight or nine heavenly tribulations—truly extraordinary!"

"If you grow further, the balance of power in the cultivation world will shift again!"

The elder seemed to be speaking to He Pingsheng—or perhaps to himself.

He Pingsheng dared not interrupt.

After a while, the ancestral elder spoke again: "So the Black-and-White Lotus Root ultimately came into your possession?"

He Pingsheng hurriedly replied: "No—it was the Ninth Imperial Prince who harvested it. When he was ambushed by the Thirteenth Imperial Prince's men, he threw it to me for safekeeping. I held it for several days and have now returned it intact!"

At this, the Ninth Imperial Prince smiled smugly.

But the Thirteenth Imperial Prince's face turned dark.

He Pingsheng's words once again confirmed his earlier lie.

To lie before the ancestral elder—truly a death wish.

"Hmm." The royal ancestral elder nodded. "In any case, you brought this item out of the secret realm—it is your fortune."

I heard you distributed the supreme Sancha Holy Fruit to others, but it doesn't matter—it's all trivial details.

"When you reach the Nascent Soul realm and need to comprehend the Dao, such things will lose their value."

As for the supreme 【Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Marrow】 and 【Crimson Fire Crystal】, they are equally insignificant!

"But the 【Phoenix Egg】 of the Yixue Phoenix is of great consequence—you cannot take it away!"

"Young friend, I hope you will return it to the royal house."

As he spoke, his withered hand reached out.

He Pingsheng had long known he could not keep the Phoenix Egg; he pulled it from his storage bag—a gray-white shell streaked with red veins—and respectfully presented it to the elder.

The elder took the egg and said: "It is not out of greed—the royal house. This is the immortal pet of our ancestors—you cannot take it."

"Very well—I, this old man, owe you a favor."

"Should you one day reach the Nascent Soul realm, come to the Great Liang royal house—I shall repay you then."

He Pingsheng clasped his fists: "I dare not…"

He stepped back several paces.

"Eleventh layer of Foundation Establishment—you've hit a bottleneck, haven't you?" As the royal elder spoke, he waved his hand, and a red light shot from his palm straight toward He Pingsheng.

He Pingsheng tensed.

Fortunately, the light halted before him.

It hovered in midair.

It was a jujube.

The jujube emitted red-purple radiance, exuding a faint, sweet fruit aroma—clearly no ordinary item.

"This is the Blood Jade Purple-Skin Jujube," said the royal ancestral elder. "Swallow it, and you will break through your current bottleneck."

"And you!" The royal elder turned to the Ninth Imperial Prince. "You emerged victorious and claimed the Black-and-White Lotus Root—this is your reward!"

Whoosh…

Another beam of light shot toward the Ninth Imperial Prince.

Before him, another Blood Jade Purple-Skin Jujube hovered.

"Thank you, Ancestral Elder!" The Ninth Imperial Prince took the jujube and said: "To show my gratitude, I give this jujube to Brother Xu… no—Brother He!"

He respectfully handed the jujube to He Pingsheng.

Now, looking at He Pingsheng, the Ninth Imperial Prince's eyes brimmed with awe and respect.

Who could have imagined this man was the one who turned the Qi Kingdom upside down—and stole the Qi Kingdom's Heaven-Defect Divine Spear?

"Thank you!" He Pingsheng did not refuse.

This kind of thing—more was always better.

"My royal house has a Princess, titled 【Qinghe Princess】. Her beauty is quite admirable, and she is already at the Golden Core realm."

"If you truly are a man of great fortune, I shall arrange for Qinghe Princess to become your concubine."

He Pingsheng's heart thundered: Holy shit… make me a concubine?

Are you joking?

This is the royal house!

"Heh…" The elder above coldly smiled. "Of course, provided you are a man of great fortune."

"Very well—I have some pills here. You shall close your door and undergo tribulation here."

"I want to see just how many ranks of heavenly tribulation you can summon!"

He Pingsheng's face twisted in bitterness: "This… could I refuse?"

The royal elder shook his head: "If you are a man of great fortune, I will grant any request you make. But now—you are not."

"Don't think of leaving. I am merely curious—I harbor no ill intent."

"Prepare yourself."

"And you two—your secret realm exploration is over. It is time for you to undergo tribulation."

With that, the elder waved his hand and expelled He Pingsheng, the Ninth Imperial Prince, and the Thirteenth Imperial Prince from the hall one by one.

"Brother He—I apologize for my earlier disrespect!" The Thirteenth Imperial Prince's first words upon exiting were an apology.

He was arrogant!

Even the Ninth Imperial Prince was trash in his eyes.

But compared to the noble 【Qinghe Long Princess】, his status plummeted instantly.

And the ancestral elder had said—if He Pingsheng was a man of great fortune, Qinghe Long Princess would become his concubine.

One could imagine the weight of those four words: "man of great fortune."

"No problem," He Pingsheng nodded indifferently.

The Ninth Imperial Prince chuckled: "Brother He, I'm preparing to form my Golden Core. Find a place to close your door too—swallow that Blood Jade Purple-Skin Jujube first, break through one layer, then we'll undergo tribulation together!"

He Pingsheng nodded. "Alright—see you later."

The large ship had rooms.

He Pingsheng picked a random room and began his seclusion.

There was no secret here—wasn't it just swallowing the Blood Jade Purple-Skin Jujube?

So there was no need to hide anything.