Emperor Xu entered his daughter's room. He had a middle-aged face adorned with thin lips and large, enchanting eyes. His demeanor exuded confidence and warmth, but no one would dare think of him as easy to fool. For the past two hundred years, Emperor Xu had ruled over the Yun Han Empire.
"My precious daughter, congratulations on the results of your spiritual roots test. With your talent, you have a guaranteed place in the Dao Seeking Sect. I've already received a letter from them. A few disciples will personally come to escort you."
Xu Yan searched her new memories. A few days ago, she had undergone the spiritual roots test, and the results showed she possessed supreme-tier immortal spiritual roots. Apparently, she was a one-in-a-hundred-million genius in immortal cultivation.
But the possibility of cultivating immortality didn't excite her in the slightest. She had never truly valued her life; the allure of eternal life and power meant little to her.
"Thank you, Royal Father. I shall cultivate and bring honor to our family's name," Xu Yan said. She knew Emperor Xu had also cultivated at the Dao Seeking Sect. Though his talent wasn't as good as hers, he still possessed high-tier immortal spiritual roots.
The Dao Seeking Sect was the only Heaven-ranked sect in the Five Empires Region, making it the dream destination for the most gifted cultivators.
Emperor Xu's smile broadened. "I'm sure you will. But before you go, I need a favor from you. The State Lord of Wei Zhou asked me to send you to oversee the spiritual roots test there and showcase your own spiritual roots. He once did me a small favor, and I promised to return it. It won't take long; you only need to stay there for a day."
Though he framed it as a favor, it was clearly an imperial order. There was no room for refusal. Xu Yan cupped her hands and bowed slightly. "Since the emperor himself is asking for a favor, this loyal subject shall comply."
"The flying beasts are already waiting. You may take Qian Fan with you, along with a few mortal guards. One of the royal protectors will accompany you from the shadows."
The emperor left Xu Yan's room, leaving her alone with her servant again. "Your Highness, shall we go?"
Xu Yan looked at Qian Fan and nodded. According to her memories, a royal protector was a cultivator of at least Earth Realm strength. There were few of them in the Yun Han Empire, which showed how much her father valued her.
Rather than saying he values me, it would be more accurate to say he values my cultivation talent.
***
On top of a flying beast that resembled a hawk, but at least ten times larger, Xu Yan watched the ground rush by below her as if she were on an airplane. Just like airplanes on Earth, she couldn't feel any wind pressure on her body. With nothing else to do, her mind drifted back into her memories. She thought about the day she had met Fang Mo.
She had been in a desert somewhere in Africa, sent by her organization to eliminate a corrupt Chinese official who had escaped. She succeeded in killing the man, but due to her own incompetence, she was injured and lost her escape route. If Fang Mo hadn't found and saved her, she would have died fifteen years ago.
A bitter smile tugged at her lips. To think that even after he saved me, I almost killed him…
***
Together with Qian Fan and her guards, Xu Yan was received inside the Wei Zhou State Lord's mansion. The grand halls and the abundance of food laid out before her made it clear that, despite the famine plaguing his people due to the war, the lord's extravagant lifestyle hadn't diminished in the slightest.
At a dining table that could seat fifty, Xu Yan sat alone on one side, while the State Lord and his three wives occupied the opposite side.
"Sun Fengge, my father asked me to oversee the spiritual roots test. May I know why you specifically requested my presence for such an unimportant event?" Xu Yan was genuinely curious. While the original Xu Yan, due to her upbringing, would never have questioned him so directly, the current Xu Yan saw no reason to feign politeness in front of a mere state lord.
Sun Fengge replied with a smile. "Ah, Your Highness is as direct as His Majesty, your father. I can't say I dislike that. Regarding your question, Wei Zhou State is at war with Cheng Hou State over a piece of land. Even though immortals are forbidden from participating in mortal wars, your presence will boost morale. It will show the people that His Majesty stands with us. Hopefully, it will pressure Cheng Hou State into surrendering and reduce the bloodshed."
"My husband is truly magnanimous," his third wife, Fang Qing, said warmly, gazing at him, while her hand moved closer to his. "Even thinking of mortals' lives and deaths."
The first wife saw Fang Qing's action and frowned with displeasure. Fang Qing was the youngest of Sun Fengge's wives. They had been married for less than two years, and she was still in her early twenties.
Xu Yan also frowned, but for a different reason. She didn't see the compassion Fang Qing spoke of in his words. "I understand. Thank you for the food. I'll do as requested." Not willing to entertain them any further, Xu Yan rose from her chair and left.
***
After Fang Mo's spiritual roots test.
Fang Mo made his way through the crowd quickly. He didn't want to linger and draw more attention. His uncle shouldn't have enough influence to easily pursue him here, in the state's capital, but that didn't mean he wanted to take the risk. Not to mention, offending a princess of the empire could make his situation even worse.
Since she didn't seem to mind his actions, he left as quickly as possible before she changed her mind. What Fang Mo didn't know, however, was that right after he left, Xu Yan gave orders to locate him. But because she had been in a state of shock for a few seconds, she was a step too late.
***
I need information about cultivation. Right now, I know nothing.
Fang Mo searched Fang Ye's memories, but there was nothing regarding cultivation. It seemed his father had been a cultivator, but with at best mediocre talent. In Baoxiang City, where he lived, there was hardly anything related to immortal cultivation.
Since there's a spiritual roots test here, there should be things related to cultivation being sold. I just need to find them.
Fang Mo continued to look around for a few minutes until he saw a grand building painted in black and gold. It resembled a pagoda from Earth, with three floors. The words 'Immortal Moon Merchant House' were written on a sign above the three-meter-tall door. Beside the door, two guards with an imposing presence stood watch, observing those who entered and left the pagoda.
With the grandeur displayed by the Immortal Moon Merchant House, Fang Mo believed there was a good chance they sold items related to cultivation. If they didn't, they wouldn't be living up to their name. With this thought in mind, he entered without hesitation.
On the first floor, Fang Mo looked around and saw three clerks standing patiently. When a customer approached to ask questions, they would respond and resolve any doubts. But if no one spoke to them, they remained quietly at their posts, waiting.
"Excuse me," Fang Mo approached one of the clerks, a petite girl with short blond hair. "Are there books about immortal cultivation here?"
The blond clerk looked at him with a strange expression. "Do you mean cultivation manuals, sir?"
Her words clicked something in Fang Mo's mind. They must be manuals used to cultivate immortality!
"That's right. Can you show them to me?"
A professional smile formed on the blonde girl's face. Cultivation manuals were expensive. If the person in front of her was looking to buy one, she would receive a good commission.
"Of course. We have many cultivation manuals in our merchant house. Please, follow me to the second floor."
Using the wooden stairs not far from them, the blond clerk led Fang Mo to the second floor. "We have many Mortal Realm cultivation manuals. For the right price, you can even find low-tier Earth Realm manuals."
Fang Mo felt like he had missed something. "What do you mean by Mortal and Earth tiers?" He knew nothing about cultivation, much less about any tiers associated with it.
The blond clerk's face stiffened. For him to ask such a question, it was obvious he was a complete beginner. Despite her disappointment, she maintained a polite smile and answered his question.
"Cultivation manuals follow the major cultivation realms: Mortal, Earth, and Heaven. Each manual is further divided into low, mid, and high tiers. Mortal manuals can be bought with gold, but anything beyond that can only be purchased with spiritual stones."
Fang Mo nodded. "Can you show me your cheapest cultivation manual, please?"
The blond clerk sighed inwardly. This customer really was a cheapskate!
Still, she did as he asked. They walked for a few meters and stopped in front of a book titled 'Basics of Cultivation'. While following her, Fang Mo had been taken aback by the prices displayed on the tags beneath the books.
The cheapest among them was a whopping ten thousand gold coins.
And that was only a low-tier Mortal Realm cultivation manual. He felt like turning around and leaving immediately, but decided to wait and see. Luckily, he made the right choice, because the 'Basics of Cultivation' was only fifty gold coins—something he could actually afford.
"This is the cheapest book we have. You can find this manual almost anywhere. It only explains the basics of cultivation, as the name suggests. No one actually uses it to cultivate, though. It requires too many resources, and its effects are underwhelming compared to other manuals. The only good thing is that it's easy to switch from this one to a better manual in the future without negative effects. There's no technique more foundational than this."
Fang Mo's eyes gleamed. This was exactly what I needed!