Chapter 200: Reincarnation and Re-cultivation with the Ritual Vessel Set

Xiang Ziyu, still clad in snow-white robes, withdrew from Fangcun Mountain.

As the second-place finisher, she naturally was not directly expelled from Fangcun Mountain, but instead received the reward of the Light of the Heart.

Although in quantity it was only half of the first place, it still greatly benefited cultivation.

When breaking through to the Second Reincarnation next, it could be used to strengthen the foundation of the Light of the Heart.

'Really, I haven't even said goodbye to Fang Can yet.' The maiden felt somewhat disappointed, then immediately saw all eyes in the hall converge on him, her expression becoming somewhat complex.

In the past, even without winning first place, obtaining second place was still worth congratulating.

But Xiang Ziyu's title of "Second Among All Nations" was entirely carried by Fang Can, the Great Expansion's Enemy; in short, she was a "dog that won by lying down," with absolutely no merit.

"Is everyone staring at me?" Xiang Ziyu smiled and asked, "Could it be that you still hold a grudge over me reciting poetry for Fang Can?"

"Dare we?" A contestant who learned the truth afterward shook his head and sighed, "If not for the Imperial Princess's delay, Fang Can would have already entered the First Reincarnation, and we would likely have been defeated even more miserably."

"I wonder where my Imperial... brother is?" Xiang Ziyu asked hesitantly, momentarily unable to determine the gender of her own blood relative.

"Your Majesty has already taken the Imperial Prince away, presumably to prepare to help him restore his True Self," someone present speculated.

Meanwhile, within the inner courtyard of the Great Chu Imperial Palace, Xiang Longtao spoke with solemn expression:

"Father Emperor, I will definitely re-cultivate an invincible state of mind, cure my Heart-Loss Madness, and return to my original self once again."

Looking at the cold, cute, and charming maiden before him, and comparing her to the bald-headed figure with a pointed head from before, Xiang Hongtu instinctively shook his head and said, "My child, you must absolutely not do this."

"Why?" Xiang Longtao asked in confusion.

"It is precisely because you took a wrong step that you became this way, but this incident can be considered a blessing in disguise," Xiang Hongtu said slowly, "Try using your inherited legacy again."

'Use the legacy?' With confusion, the maiden seriously turned her gaze inward, preparing to activate the 【Nine Dragons Uniting the Body】.

However, she discovered that her legacy and true qi had completely vanished.

"What is going on?" Seeing this, Xiang Longtao was greatly alarmed. Could it be that the shattering of the Dao Heart not only changed the physical body but also caused the inherited legacy and the generated energy to disappear?

"Do not panic. All legacies and energy have regressed into the primordial Light of the Heart," Xiang Hongtu said calmly.

'Primordial Light of the Heart?' Xiang Longtao turned her gaze inward and indeed felt that the Light of the Heart, which had been exhausted deep within her soul, still existed.

"Father Emperor, why is this?"

"Compared to shedding the mortal body, ascending the Heavenly Path requires even greater focus on the cultivation of the heart. The physical body is the manifestation of the heart; whether legacy or energy, both are born from nothingness through the Light of the Heart."

Xiang Hongtu gazed at the maiden before him and said:

"You have changed from male to female; both your heart and body have completely transformed. This is equivalent to reincarnating and re-cultivating from scratch, so the original legacy naturally cannot be maintained."

"If you leave it unattended, your Light of the Heart will settle again, forming a brand new legacy and energy that best matches your thoughts."

"But if you actively intervene, you can re-concentrate the Light of the Heart to form a legacy of 【Accumulating Riches to Break Through】, discarding the original 【Nine Dragons Uniting the Body】."

"It can actually be done this way?" After hearing Xiang Hongtu's explanation, Xiang Longtao was filled with shock; she had never heard of such a thing before.

After all, Heart-Loss Madness was not a good thing, especially since after ascending the Heavenly Path, spirit and body become one. This represents the fusion of spirit and body; Heart-Loss Madness is equivalent to killing the old body to grow a new one, which is why few ancient texts on the subject have survived.

"This time you suffered a demonic deviation; do not think of becoming your old self, but instead forge a new path."

As Xiang Hongtu spoke, he gently placed his large hand on the maiden's shoulder, his tone strangely saying:

"You, you are becoming more and more like your mother."

On the other side, Fang Can followed Prince Qing through the Imperial Palace.

After quickly passing through one jade tower after another, they stopped in front of a pavilion.

"Fang Shaoxia Fang, please enter. Appropriate clothing has already been prepared for you inside."

Seeing Prince Qing's mysterious smile, Fang Can did not understand what the trick was, but he casually pushed open the pavilion door and stepped inside.

As soon as he entered, the array of clothing displayed inside dazzled his eyes, and he instinctively stepped back out, saying, "Your Highness, are you sure this is for me?"

"There is no falsehood. Fine armor still needs a fine person to match it. Fang Shaoxia, your name has now shaken all nations, enhancing the honor of Great Expansion. Our royal family naturally needs to show some appreciation."

Prince Qing smiled slightly, "Although the treasury of Great Expansion is empty, gathering a full set of gear for you is no problem."

"Therefore, this is simply the prize that Fang Shaoxia deserves."

Hearing Prince Qing's words, Fang Can bowed deeply in sincere gratitude and truly accepted this favor.

Turning and stepping back into the pavilion, before his eyes lay a complete set of ritual vessels with various effects, all gleaming with golden light.

From the crown, armor, arm guards, boots, belt, inner lining, to the cape, each possessed different effects; merely looking at them made Fang Can's heart race.

After spending some time changing into the set of clothing before him, and under Prince Qing's continuous praise, Fang Can re-entered the banquet hall.

The moment he stepped in, everyone present, regardless of gender, found themselves unable to look away for a moment.

There stood Fang Can:

Inner lining of cold silk transformed into a cloud robe, head adorned with a thousand feathers grasping the moon's plume.

Wearing the Thousand Calamities Flowing Cloud Armor, draped in the Grand Void Scorching Heaven Cape.

Hands wearing the Dragon-Binding and Star-Plucking Rope, feet treading the Flowing Firefly Wind-Riding Shoes.

Even around his waist was wrapped a belt made of ten-thousand-year-old dark jade, the Star-Containing Belt of the Minor Universe, complementing his impeccable and handsome appearance, creating a figure of an immortal descending to the world, with boundless divine might.

Just by his appearance, he aroused envy among immortals, captivated celestial maidens, made jade maidens stop in their tracks, and stirred the hearts of fierce women.

And during the subsequent banquet, Fang Can became the focus of the entire hall, receiving continuous flattery.

Even the sect masters of the other three great sects subtly inquired whether Fang Can intended to join a sect, but all were brushed aside by Fang Can.

Staying at the banquet until evening, Fang Can, feeling somewhat bored, quietly slipped away.

Seeing Fang Can disappear from the banquet, Jiang Ningan instinctively wanted to take his leave as well, but was stopped by the sound of Liu Qingmeng lightly tapping the table.

On the other side, after leaving the banquet, Fang Can appeared above a deserted lakeshore.

At this moment, he wore plain white robes; those incredibly handsome and explosive armors had been stored by the Star-Containing Belt of the Minor Universe at his waist into a ten-cubic-meter space.

Feeling the noise of the past three days, and knowing his residence must be incredibly festive by now, Fang Can prepared to find some quiet solitude here alone.

After all, if he returned, he would once again be dragged by the 101 beautiful women in his residence to engage in vigorous activity for three days and three nights.

'The phased main quest of the Great Competition among the various nations is complete; I can finally rest a bit.'

As Fang Can was sighing with emotion, he noticed lightning swirling beside him, and a woman with skin like ice and bones like jade had already appeared at his side.

'I almost forgot that; there is still a Sixth-Stage Mystical Realm coming up next,' Fang Can thought.

(End of this chapter)