Chapter 38 - Collectively Making Breakthroughs
Edited by FluffyGoblyn
Xu Qi chuckled at Xu Pingfan's disbelief. It was daytime by the time they left the secret room. The former departed from Xu Clan and went to Mo Dingtian's place. He made clear his intentions to stay at the latter's place for a period, surprising Mo Dingtian a little. After which, Xu Qi quickly made his way to the suburbs.
In the secret room of Godsward Villa, Xu Qi, who hadn't had a wink of sleep for the night and had been on the move constantly, sat in the chair, his face showing signs of exhaustion, and instructed Chen Yong to gather everyone. He was about to arrange the orphans' training plans.
After a while, people streamed in, one after another, to the secret room. When everyone gathered, Xu Qi instructed the trainer of each profession, picked by Chen Yong, to take the twenty-five children to the hidden area in rear mountains and begin training separately. On the other hand, he wanted to speak to the remaining guards.
Xu Qi hadn't originally thought of raising the cultivation of the guardsmen. However, since he learned of Mo Dingtian's imminent crisis, he thought of forcefully increasing the cultivation of the guardsmen to better prepare for it. After all, having more aces up his subordinates' sleeves would mean he would be better prepared for unforeseen dangers. However, before he went about doing so, he had to test them.
"How long have you been working for our Xu Clan?" Xu Qi asked lazily.
"Young Master, we have been here since we were children. Among us, we have served for at least fifteen years each. Why does Young Master ask?" Standing beside him, Chen Yong immediately answered.
"Oh, Chen Yong, you lot have done the Xu Clan a favor. However, I would like to give you a fortune to start your own lives anew elsewhere; Xu Clan is facing an unprecedented crisis, and I don't want the lot of you to get swept up in it, losing your lives for nothing," Xu Qi lightly sighed.
The guards started softly discussing amongst themselves when they heard Xu Qi. Chen Yong watched on as they discussed. He furrowed his brows, saying, "Young Master, Xu Clan had provided for me all these years and raised me. The Chief Housekeeper and the Patriarch have showered me with a mountain of grace. Now that Xu Clan is in a predicament, how could I betray the clan? I, Chen Yong have nothing but a worthless life. My strength isn't much to speak of, but I'm willing to stand by Young Master and the Chief Housekeeper, contributing whatever I can. I will not leave, even in death."
Xu Qi was satisfied inwardly when he heard Chen Yong's speech. Then, he shouted to the others, "All right. The crisis Xu Clan is facing is rarely seen. You are likely to lose your lives if you stay. I am only telling you on the account that you have been with Xu Clan for many years. Please consider this carefully."
Xu Qi thought for a moment, then continued, "Alright, make your choices now. I, your Young Master, will be handing out ten thousand mid-grade gemstones to each of you as dismissal payment, ensuring your livelihood. Those willing to stay, stand with Chen Yong, and those leaving, come to me to get your money."
The Xu Clan guardsmen understood the significance of ten thousand mid-grade gemstones. Many people couldn't even earn a thousand mid-grade gemstones in their lifetime. The temptation Xu Qi threw out was enticing indeed.
However, to Xu Qi's surprise, an unexpected situation happened. All of the guards stood to Chen Yong's side without hesitation, not even a tiny trace of it.
This test was thought up by Xu Qi for security purposes. However, he had gravely underestimated their conviction. They had been in Xu Clan for many years and had taken Xu Clan as their home. In addition, they were elites, carefully nurtured by Xu Pingfan, injecting notions of loyalty into them since youth. That was why they would neither abandon Xu Clan in times of crisis nor for the sake of fortune.
Xu Qi was very pleased, looking on at the unwavering gazes in the guards' eyes. He had never truly expected them to not waver in the least in the face of danger and money.
"Good, very good! I, Xu Qi, have underestimated you after all! Since you are willing to stay, I shall grant you great fortune today! Let's face Xu Clan's crisis together," Xu Qi yelled excitedly.
Xu Qi went to the guardsmen. Like performing magic, he handed each of them a Green Mystique Fruit. When he came to Chen Yong, Xu Qi handed him a Celestial Core Pill along with a Green Mystique Fruit. He had an abundant supply of Green Mystique Fruits, but, when it came to Celestial Core Pills, he had only two left. As he thought of this, he felt like his heart was bleeding; it hurt too much.
"Chen Yong, follow me to the rear mountains with them later and ingest this fruit. It will increase your cultivation by a hundred years! I hope you will remain calm. Don't panic and slowly absorb the energy the fruit provides," Xu Qi slowly explained.
"A hundred years of cultivation!? Young Master, you aren't kidding us, are you?" Chen Yong asked, with his mouth agape. As for the other guards, none of them were able to close their jaws, either, when they heard what Xu Qi said.
"Just do as I say. How could I, your young master, bluff you? Didn't you see the cultivation I possess? It was all because of this fruit. If anybody doesn't want it, give it back to me quickly," Xu Qi said, feigning annoyed.
"No, Young Master. We'll eat it. We'd be idiots to return such grand gifts to you," Chen Yong said, smiling. The guards, too, laughed as Chen Yong spoke.
"Chen Yong, ingest this medicinal pill when you enter the rear mountains later. Leave the fruit for tomorrow. Do you understand?" Xu Qi instructed.
Although Chen Yong was a straightforward man, he was no idiot. When he saw Xu Qi giving only him the medicinal pill, he understood it was no common object. Thus, he hurriedly answered, "As you command, Young Master."
Xu Qi nodded, indicating for them to head to the rear mountains. Unexpectedly, all of them dashed over, causing Xu Qi to be unsure of whether to laugh or cry.
After entering the rear mountain, Xu Qi gave each of the four guardsmen, who entered previously to train the orphans, a Green Mystique Fruit. Then, he arranged for them to gather in a corner, consuming the fruit together. He was afraid of the commotion due to the large amount of people advancing in cultivation; thus, he operated his rainbow energy, forming two layers of barriers around the guards to be sure.
Xu Qi watched on as the guards entered meditation. He was tired from before, and his complexion turned even worse as he finished setting up the barrier. He felt like his body was being emptied.
Not far away, Qian Yin had been staring at Xu Qi since he entered the cavern. When she saw the poor complexion on Xu Qi's face, she walked to him and asked concernedly, "Are you alright, Young Master?"
Xu Qi raised his head and saw one of the twins wearing a purple dress. He looked up at her forehead, then smiled and said, "You're Qian Yin, right? I'm fine."
Qian Yin nodded lightly. She had focused her attention on Xu Qi's face all along, and when she saw the exhaustion in him, she felt uncomfortable in her heart.
Xu Qi turned his head around, looking at the other twin, Qian Yun, curiously. She wore a white dress today. Upon noticing Xu Qi was looking at her, she naughtily made a funny face at him, causing Xu Qi to shake his head with a smile.
Seeing as the twins heeded his opinion and started wearing different clothes, Xu Qi casually said to Qian Yin, "Qian Yin, you look good in this purple dress. This young master is fond of it."
Qian Yin blushed, then said softly, "If Young Master likes it, I will keep wearing purple from now on."
Cough, cough. "Fine, as long as you like it," Xu Qi shook it off with a laugh, then walked over to the orphans, with Qian Yin following silently behind him.
The orphans quickly stood and greeted, "Young Master."
"I said yesterday that I would be imparting cultivation methods and body techniques to you today. Are you confident in your path to cultivation?" Xu Qi asked.
Upon Xu Qi's questioning, the orphans resolutely nodded their heads. The former saw the faces of these children; the excitement of them incidentally gaining powers had already died down. Instead, all of them were calm. This made Xu Qi feel satisfied with them.
"Brothers and sisters, I also practice this cultivation method. The reason for letting you learn this with me is because, if we have the same cultivation methods between us, we will be able to sense each other better. Coordination between us will be smoother, as well. You will not only be brothers and sisters, but when the time comes for battle, you will also have each other's back as comrades who risk their lives together. I hope you will remember what I say to you today," Xu Qi said excitedly.
"Yes, Young Master!" the group responded in kind.
Xu Qi had committed Void Dao to his memory, including the Soul Displacement technique. Thus, he did not need to retrieve the book. He walked to each of them, injecting the cultivation method into their minds.
Those who received the cultivation method all began their attempt at comprehending it. As for Xu Qi, he felt dizzy when he finished imparting the cultivation method to them. However, he held on and continued looking towards the guardsmen not far from him.
Now, the Xu Clan guardsmen were all slowly absorbing the energy from the Green Mystique Fruits. They were veterans in cultivation, after all. They were initially shocked, sensing the emergence of the mass of energy within them, but quickly calmed themselves, steadily and effectively absorbing the energy. None of them were hasty for success.
After some time, Xu Qi felt the rainbow barrier gradually weakening. He muttered, "Done."
On the other hand, the guards in the barrier let out powerful auras as they advanced in their cultivation, smashing onto the rainbow barrier. As they opened their eyes, excitement shone in their gazes.
Chen Yong was the last to reopen his eyes. When the guards looked at him, they felt as if Chen Yong was an entirely different person. However, they discovered he didn't gain much advancement in his cultivation.
Chen Yong ignored their gazes and beckoned for the guards, quickly making their way to Xu Qi. Chen Yong stood before the latter and knelt down, saying respectfully, "Young Master, Chen Yong thanks you for your kindness of giving a new lease on life!"
The rest of the guards, too, knelt down, one after another, and expressed their gratitude to Xu Qi.
However, they hadn't heard any reply from Xu Qi. Instead, the orphans' screams found their way to their ears.
Chen Yong and the guards hurriedly raised their heads and saw Xu Qi's small stature falling to the ground, much to their surprise. The nearest, Chen Yong, flew to his side and caught Xu Qi.
"Young Master? Young Master, what happened?" Chen Yong held Xu Qi in his arms, yelling anxiously.
Xu Qi slowly opened his tired eyes and squeezed out a smile, saying, "This young master wants to sleep."
He fainted right after squeezing his words out.
Chapter 38 - Collectively Making Breakthroughs
Edited by FluffyGoblyn
Xu Qi chuckled at Xu Pingfan's disbelief. It was daytime by the time they left the secret room. The former departed from Xu Clan and went to Mo Dingtian's place. He made clear his intentions to stay at the latter's place for a period, surprising Mo Dingtian a little. After which, Xu Qi quickly made his way to the suburbs.
In the secret room of Godsward Villa, Xu Qi, who hadn't had a wink of sleep for the night and had been on the move constantly, sat in the chair, his face showing signs of exhaustion, and instructed Chen Yong to gather everyone. He was about to arrange the orphans' training plans.
After a while, people streamed in, one after another, to the secret room. When everyone gathered, Xu Qi instructed the trainer of each profession, picked by Chen Yong, to take the twenty-five children to the hidden area in rear mountains and begin training separately. On the other hand, he wanted to speak to the remaining guards.
Xu Qi hadn't originally thought of raising the cultivation of the guardsmen. However, since he learned of Mo Dingtian's imminent crisis, he thought of forcefully increasing the cultivation of the guardsmen to better prepare for it. After all, having more aces up his subordinates' sleeves would mean he would be better prepared for unforeseen dangers. However, before he went about doing so, he had to test them.
"How long have you been working for our Xu Clan?" Xu Qi asked lazily.
"Young Master, we have been here since we were children. Among us, we have served for at least fifteen years each. Why does Young Master ask?" Standing beside him, Chen Yong immediately answered.
"Oh, Chen Yong, you lot have done the Xu Clan a favor. However, I would like to give you a fortune to start your own lives anew elsewhere; Xu Clan is facing an unprecedented crisis, and I don't want the lot of you to get swept up in it, losing your lives for nothing," Xu Qi lightly sighed.
The guards started softly discussing amongst themselves when they heard Xu Qi. Chen Yong watched on as they discussed. He furrowed his brows, saying, "Young Master, Xu Clan had provided for me all these years and raised me. The Chief Housekeeper and the Patriarch have showered me with a mountain of grace. Now that Xu Clan is in a predicament, how could I betray the clan? I, Chen Yong have nothing but a worthless life. My strength isn't much to speak of, but I'm willing to stand by Young Master and the Chief Housekeeper, contributing whatever I can. I will not leave, even in death."
Xu Qi was satisfied inwardly when he heard Chen Yong's speech. Then, he shouted to the others, "All right. The crisis Xu Clan is facing is rarely seen. You are likely to lose your lives if you stay. I am only telling you on the account that you have been with Xu Clan for many years. Please consider this carefully."
Xu Qi thought for a moment, then continued, "Alright, make your choices now. I, your Young Master, will be handing out ten thousand mid-grade gemstones to each of you as dismissal payment, ensuring your livelihood. Those willing to stay, stand with Chen Yong, and those leaving, come to me to get your money."
The Xu Clan guardsmen understood the significance of ten thousand mid-grade gemstones. Many people couldn't even earn a thousand mid-grade gemstones in their lifetime. The temptation Xu Qi threw out was enticing indeed.
However, to Xu Qi's surprise, an unexpected situation happened. All of the guards stood to Chen Yong's side without hesitation, not even a tiny trace of it.
This test was thought up by Xu Qi for security purposes. However, he had gravely underestimated their conviction. They had been in Xu Clan for many years and had taken Xu Clan as their home. In addition, they were elites, carefully nurtured by Xu Pingfan, injecting notions of loyalty into them since youth. That was why they would neither abandon Xu Clan in times of crisis nor for the sake of fortune.
Xu Qi was very pleased, looking on at the unwavering gazes in the guards' eyes. He had never truly expected them to not waver in the least in the face of danger and money.
"Good, very good! I, Xu Qi, have underestimated you after all! Since you are willing to stay, I shall grant you great fortune today! Let's face Xu Clan's crisis together," Xu Qi yelled excitedly.
Xu Qi went to the guardsmen. Like performing magic, he handed each of them a Green Mystique Fruit. When he came to Chen Yong, Xu Qi handed him a Celestial Core Pill along with a Green Mystique Fruit. He had an abundant supply of Green Mystique Fruits, but, when it came to Celestial Core Pills, he had only two left. As he thought of this, he felt like his heart was bleeding; it hurt too much.
"Chen Yong, follow me to the rear mountains with them later and ingest this fruit. It will increase your cultivation by a hundred years! I hope you will remain calm. Don't panic and slowly absorb the energy the fruit provides," Xu Qi slowly explained.
"A hundred years of cultivation!? Young Master, you aren't kidding us, are you?" Chen Yong asked, with his mouth agape. As for the other guards, none of them were able to close their jaws, either, when they heard what Xu Qi said.
"Just do as I say. How could I, your young master, bluff you? Didn't you see the cultivation I possess? It was all because of this fruit. If anybody doesn't want it, give it back to me quickly," Xu Qi said, feigning annoyed.
"No, Young Master. We'll eat it. We'd be idiots to return such grand gifts to you," Chen Yong said, smiling. The guards, too, laughed as Chen Yong spoke.
"Chen Yong, ingest this medicinal pill when you enter the rear mountains later. Leave the fruit for tomorrow. Do you understand?" Xu Qi instructed.
Although Chen Yong was a straightforward man, he was no idiot. When he saw Xu Qi giving only him the medicinal pill, he understood it was no common object. Thus, he hurriedly answered, "As you command, Young Master."
Xu Qi nodded, indicating for them to head to the rear mountains. Unexpectedly, all of them dashed over, causing Xu Qi to be unsure of whether to laugh or cry.
After entering the rear mountain, Xu Qi gave each of the four guardsmen, who entered previously to train the orphans, a Green Mystique Fruit. Then, he arranged for them to gather in a corner, consuming the fruit together. He was afraid of the commotion due to the large amount of people advancing in cultivation; thus, he operated his rainbow energy, forming two layers of barriers around the guards to be sure.
Xu Qi watched on as the guards entered meditation. He was tired from before, and his complexion turned even worse as he finished setting up the barrier. He felt like his body was being emptied.
Not far away, Qian Yin had been staring at Xu Qi since he entered the cavern. When she saw the poor complexion on Xu Qi's face, she walked to him and asked concernedly, "Are you alright, Young Master?"
Xu Qi raised his head and saw one of the twins wearing a purple dress. He looked up at her forehead, then smiled and said, "You're Qian Yin, right? I'm fine."
Qian Yin nodded lightly. She had focused her attention on Xu Qi's face all along, and when she saw the exhaustion in him, she felt uncomfortable in her heart.
Xu Qi turned his head around, looking at the other twin, Qian Yun, curiously. She wore a white dress today. Upon noticing Xu Qi was looking at her, she naughtily made a funny face at him, causing Xu Qi to shake his head with a smile.
Seeing as the twins heeded his opinion and started wearing different clothes, Xu Qi casually said to Qian Yin, "Qian Yin, you look good in this purple dress. This young master is fond of it."
Qian Yin blushed, then said softly, "If Young Master likes it, I will keep wearing purple from now on."
Cough, cough. "Fine, as long as you like it," Xu Qi shook it off with a laugh, then walked over to the orphans, with Qian Yin following silently behind him.
The orphans quickly stood and greeted, "Young Master."
"I said yesterday that I would be imparting cultivation methods and body techniques to you today. Are you confident in your path to cultivation?" Xu Qi asked.
Upon Xu Qi's questioning, the orphans resolutely nodded their heads. The former saw the faces of these children; the excitement of them incidentally gaining powers had already died down. Instead, all of them were calm. This made Xu Qi feel satisfied with them.
"Brothers and sisters, I also practice this cultivation method. The reason for letting you learn this with me is because, if we have the same cultivation methods between us, we will be able to sense each other better. Coordination between us will be smoother, as well. You will not only be brothers and sisters, but when the time comes for battle, you will also have each other's back as comrades who risk their lives together. I hope you will remember what I say to you today," Xu Qi said excitedly.
"Yes, Young Master!" the group responded in kind.
Xu Qi had committed Void Dao to his memory, including the Soul Displacement technique. Thus, he did not need to retrieve the book. He walked to each of them, injecting the cultivation method into their minds.
Those who received the cultivation method all began their attempt at comprehending it. As for Xu Qi, he felt dizzy when he finished imparting the cultivation method to them. However, he held on and continued looking towards the guardsmen not far from him.
Now, the Xu Clan guardsmen were all slowly absorbing the energy from the Green Mystique Fruits. They were veterans in cultivation, after all. They were initially shocked, sensing the emergence of the mass of energy within them, but quickly calmed themselves, steadily and effectively absorbing the energy. None of them were hasty for success.
After some time, Xu Qi felt the rainbow barrier gradually weakening. He muttered, "Done."
On the other hand, the guards in the barrier let out powerful auras as they advanced in their cultivation, smashing onto the rainbow barrier. As they opened their eyes, excitement shone in their gazes.
Chen Yong was the last to reopen his eyes. When the guards looked at him, they felt as if Chen Yong was an entirely different person. However, they discovered he didn't gain much advancement in his cultivation.
Chen Yong ignored their gazes and beckoned for the guards, quickly making their way to Xu Qi. Chen Yong stood before the latter and knelt down, saying respectfully, "Young Master, Chen Yong thanks you for your kindness of giving a new lease on life!"
The rest of the guards, too, knelt down, one after another, and expressed their gratitude to Xu Qi.
However, they hadn't heard any reply from Xu Qi. Instead, the orphans' screams found their way to their ears.
Chen Yong and the guards hurriedly raised their heads and saw Xu Qi's small stature falling to the ground, much to their surprise. The nearest, Chen Yong, flew to his side and caught Xu Qi.
"Young Master? Young Master, what happened?" Chen Yong held Xu Qi in his arms, yelling anxiously.
Xu Qi slowly opened his tired eyes and squeezed out a smile, saying, "This young master wants to sleep."
He fainted right after squeezing his words out.
