Chapter 133: The Prince

The moonlight was hazy, stars drifted like fireflies.

Cloudwater Abode.

The Great Soft-Shelled Turtle hovered high, mist and mirages intertwined. Li Yi sat, his body as steady as a mountain amidst clouds, unmoving.

“Wonderful…”

His expression was serene, a faint trace of pleasure flickering at the corner of his mouth.

In his Sea of Consciousness, the many ravaged trenches were being filled and gradually healed by streaks of azure, leaving no trace behind.

The Great Soft-Shelled Turtle Aura, drop by drop, merged into his soul.

And his soul gained an extra strand of ethereality and detachment, seeming to sprout and grow.

The Great Soft-Shelled Turtle suppressed the crown of his head. Drops of azure Mana, like sand in an hourglass, fell drip by drip, astonishingly fast.

“Tonight’s meditation effect is three times better than last night’s, perhaps even more!”

“Indeed, when it’s time to act, one must act!”

“Good, very good!”

Perhaps the most important thing in meditation was the unobstructed flow of thoughts.

The so-called unobstructed flow of thoughts, simply put, meant a clear and pleasant state of mind.

Li Yi had suppressed his feelings for a full twelve days, then let them erupt all at once, venting a great deal of pent-up frustration. This feeling was utterly satisfying and indescribably wonderful!

Along with it came a sharp rise in his meditation effectiveness.

“Hmm?”

Eyes tightly shut, Li Yi’s gaze shifted slightly, his face showing suspicion.

The Great Soft-Shelled Turtle floated, and the scene outside its body suddenly changed.

It was as if he had fallen into the starry sky. Brilliant nebulae drifted around him, billions of stars swirled, the scene dazzling and magnificent, beyond description.

“A Meditation Phenomenon?”

The corners of Li Yi’s mouth lifted, both pleased and mentally stirred.

When he practiced the Turtle Hibernation Art, he once had the phenomenon of the “Divine Turtle Carrying the Luo River Chart.” When practicing the Alligator-Resting Art, he also experienced the phenomenon of the “Ancient Alligator Perching on Stone.” But since practicing the Softshell Turtle Dream Art, perhaps because this art was too mysterious, he had never experienced any phenomenon before.

This time, riding on the momentum of three battles, he pushed forward in one go and gave birth to a Meditation Phenomenon!

“It seems I should send a commendation banner to the Mages of the Divine Capital Secret Hall… What should I write? ‘Magical Hands Restoring Spring’ or ‘Resolving Worries for the People’?”

Mentally teasing a few sentences, Li Yi’s expression grew even more composed.

The Great Soft-Shelled Turtle coiled, transforming into the center of the universe. Billions of stars rotated around it, billions of starlight threads formed a net, shooting into its body.

After a long time, a droplet of light purple liquid slowly dripped down.

“Hmm? What is this?”

Li Yi was stunned again.

Previous Meditation Phenomena all strengthened the meditation effect and sped up the refining of Mana. But this time, it actually produced something different!

“Is it Mana?”

After condensing that purple liquid, the Meditation Phenomenon dissipated like smoke.

Li Yi’s expression changed slightly. He did not continue meditating but opened his eyes.

“This thing is unusual…”

Not yet understanding what it was, he dared not recklessly integrate it into his soul. He slowly moved it to his abdomen, planning to observe it for a while.

Unexpectedly, as soon as it landed in his abdomen, a sudden shock occurred!

Two roars erupted simultaneously, one after the other!

The Black Dragon chanted from the Nine Netherworlds, the Dragon Turtle roared at the mountains!

His body trembled, Li Yi’s breathing became ragged.

“My heavens, these two, why…”

Deep within his body, two dormant Bloodline Runes—”Bearing the Stele” and “Lurking Abyss”—appeared. The runes shaped like a Dragon Turtle and a Black Dragon eagerly surged toward that strand of purple aura.

Before he could react, the two Bloodline Runes directly engaged in battle!

Hum!

The two runes collided heavily, erupting in bizarre light like fireworks!

This light contained an indescribably violent force. Li Yi grunted and spat out a mouthful of blood fiercely.

“What on earth is going on?”

He hesitated no longer. Streams of Great Soft-Shelled Turtle Aura turned into a dense, tight net, simultaneously entangling the two Bloodline Runes.

“What is this thing? It could actually make two Bloodline Abilities go berserk at the same time!”

Holding this doubt, he was about to carefully investigate when that purple aura, also out of control, slipped through the net like a swimming fish and merged with the Bloodline Rune shaped like a Dragon Turtle—”Bearing the Stele.”

In that instant, Li Yi could hear the Dragon Turtle’s smug light roar and the Black Dragon’s furious roar.

But he himself was completely confused.

“Oh?”

Immediately after, that majestic rune resembling a Dragon Turtle exhibited a phenomenon similar to the Heavenly Prophecy Ring, spitting silk and forming a cocoon, wrapping itself layer by layer.

The Bloodline Rune—”Lurking Abyss”—seemed full of resentment as it retreated deep into his bloodline.

Thump!

From within that small rune cocoon, faint sounds of a heart beating could be heard, full of vitality.

Li Yi suddenly understood.

The Bloodline Ability—”Bearing the Stele”—was about to evolve into “Bearing the Mountain”!

“That purple aura can actually elevate a Bloodline Ability?” Li Yi was both shocked and delighted. “This Softshell Turtle Dream Art is too miraculous!”

Steadying his mind, he continued meditating, hoping the phenomenon would appear again.

However, the entire night passed with no gains.

“Could it be that I need to wait for the next wave of trouble?”

Li Yi shook his head and said self-mockingly.

…

Daybreak.

The wounds on his soul had recovered by sixty percent. The taut strings of Li Yi’s heart could finally relax a little.

After washing his face, he thought for a moment and decided to go take a look at Butian Pavilion.

After all, he hadn’t been there in a long time.

Also, he didn’t know if Master Wu Yi had returned. If he had, Li Yi could formally become his disciple and secure a powerful backing.

The morning light was bright. On the mountain path, the forest sea surged like waves, putting one in a pleasant mood.

Approaching Butian Pavilion, however, things were not so harmonious. The angry shouts of Yan He rang out continuously.

“Huh? Even a Bodhisattva got angry?” Li Yi felt surprised.

Yan He’s personality was reserved and even a bit timid. Sometimes when people argued with him, he would just swallow his anger, very much like a Bodhisattva.

Walking into the room with confusion, Li Yi took a glance and was shocked again.

Inside the room, Yan He was grabbing Qin Yun by the collar, his expression fierce, shouting something.

And Su Xuan’er, who hadn’t been seen for a long time, was also there, her expression complicated, silent.

The chaotic scene left Li Yi puzzled.

“Senior Brother Yan He, what’s going on?” he asked.

“Look at that!”

Yan He pointed at the tabletop, his voice cold.

Looking up, Li Yi’s surprise grew even stronger.

Two resignation letters!

“I want to follow my brother and switch to beast taming and demon forging arts,” Qin Yun said calmly, his tone light. “Dao Transformation Armament is no longer my goal.”

“I also wish to resign,” Su Xuan’er said immediately. “I want to focus on studying astrology. I don’t have time for other things.”

Li Yi was stunned.

It wasn’t hard to understand Su Xuan’er’s resignation.

But Qin Yun? Even Li Yi knew how much time and effort he had spent on Dao Transformation Armament.

Moreover, for both of them to resign at the same time was too much of a coincidence!

Li Yi could understand Yan He’s anger. Wu Yi had four formal disciples. The second disciple, Luo Liang, had already switched to Zhang Baichi’s tutelage. Now the third disciple, Qin Yun, and the fourth disciple, Su Xuan’er, were both resigning at once, leaving only Yan He alone.

As for Li Yi, he was still a “reserve” and hadn’t become a formal disciple yet.

Full of suspicion, he couldn’t understand…

“You two, be careful…” As he was about to leave, Qin Yun seemed to hesitate, thinking for a moment before just saying “be careful.”

“Li Yi,” Su Xuan’er said with a worried look, speaking softly, “you’re not a formal disciple. If things seem bad, you can just leave…”

“Leave?”

These seemingly inexplicable words made Li Yi frown.

…

Night.

Even after returning to the Meditation Chamber, Li Yi’s frown remained, hard to smooth away.

His expression shifted as he noticed a letter lying on the floor, slipped in through the door crack.

“This is…”

After reading the letter, Li Yi’s expression grew even worse.

This letter was the result of the handling of Yu Qian.

“Compensation of fifty thousand White Crystals? Only fifty thousand?”

Li Yi shook the envelope. A Sumeru Ring fell into his palm.

He knew the fifty thousand White Crystals were inside.

“Hmph!”

Li Yi gave a light snort, his eyes cold. This was not the outcome he wanted.

Fifty thousand White Crystals was not a large sum for the Yu Clan.

This punishment was too light.

“Someone interfered…”

For no particular reason, a thought arose in Li Yi’s mind.

He and Zhangsun Shenji had also applied pressure in various ways. The punishment was raised high but landed softly, indicating a larger hand was involved.

Li Yi clenched his fist.

Oppression!

He felt an all-pervasive pressure, as if he was in the deep sea, struggling to breathe.

“Just who is it?”

At that moment, his Identity Token lit up. It was a token message.

The sender was Zhangsun Shenji.

“In one month, there will be a grand gathering. Be fully prepared!”

“Grand gathering?” Li Yi was taken aback.

“To welcome someone,” Zhangsun Shenji said.

“Someone? Does it have anything to do with me?” Li Yi asked.

“It has a lot to do with you!”

“Who is it?” Li Yi’s eyes showed confusion.

“Empire’s Third Prince—Xiao Yu.”

“An Empire Prince?” Li Yi remembered something and asked, “Are all those recent things related to him?”

“I don’t know what things you mean, but… yes!”