Imperial Cultivation

43: Chapter 41 Dragon Ball

43 -41 Dragon Ball

“Earth Dragon Pearl…” Chu Zhiyuan murmured.

He searched through his mind.

Soon, he found some records about the Dragon Pearl.

In the four secret lands, there are various strange beasts, exceptionally strong, far surpassing the beasts in Da Jing and other parts of the world.

A dragon exists among the four secret lands.

Earth Dragons, Crane Dragons, Azure Dragons, Turtle Dragons, Flying Dragons, etc., are all top predators, standing at the apex of the demon beast chain.

The Earth Dragon is one of the weakest dragons.

Only a Great Grandmaster has the power to resist.

Without a Great Grandmaster guarding, any dragon that escapes the secret land can wreak havoc across the world, claiming countless lives among commoners and martial artists.

Only the elite masters among the Great Grandmasters can kill dragons.

Only by killing a dragon and slaying it can one obtain the Dragon Pearl.

The Earth Dragon Pearl should be the Dragon Pearl of an Earth Dragon.

He recalled the treasure directory of the Heavenly Treasure Department, but there was no Dragon Pearl listed, only some other dragon-related items.

For example, the lowest-grade Dragon Blood Stone, only ninth grade.

The others rise steeply in grade.

Earth Dragon Armor, seventh grade.

Earth Dragon Blood, sixth grade.

Red Dragon Blood, fifth grade.

Dragon Sinew Bow, Dragon Tooth, Dragon Eye, each varying in grade, all above sixth grade, with Dragon Blood reaching third grade.

…

Lu Wan sighed and said, “This Earth Dragon Pearl was obtained by a disciple’s stroke of luck and is greatly beneficial for cultivation.

We didn’t expect the Thick Earth Sect to come forward, claiming it as theirs.”

“You refused to give it to them, and the Thick Earth Sect is dissatisfied?”

“Yes.”

“…

Do you know the background of the Thick Earth Sect?”

“I heard that the concubine of Prince Huai, the Thirteenth Prince, is the daughter of the Sect Hierarch of the Thick Earth Sect.”

“Do you think that the Thick Earth Sect wouldn’t dare to do anything to you, considering that there’s Grandmaster Song?”

“…

Indeed, we didn’t expect that.”

“Generally, they would not act too unruly out of respect for the Great Grandmaster…

It seems the Earth Dragon Pearl is very important to them.”

Even with Prince Huai Mansion as their backing, the Thick Earth Sect would not dare to casually provoke a Great Grandmaster.

If they dare to provoke, there must be a reason; one is that the Earth Dragon Pearl is too important to them, and the other is that they have the reason on their side.

In the Da Jing Dynasty, no matter how powerful a Great Grandmaster is, they still have to be reasonable and cannot act recklessly, especially in matters involving the Imperial Family.

Lu Wan remained silent.

Chu Zhiyuan said, “So, you have decided not to give them the Earth Dragon Pearl?”

Lu Wan shook her head, “If we give it, another sect might come claiming another treasure originally belonged to them, asking us to return it.”

“That’s unlikely; not every sect has someone like Prince Huai Mansion as their backer,” Chu Zhiyuan said, “…Of course, it won’t be just the Thick Earth Sect.”

As far as he knew, many sects in Yujing had connections with the Prince Mansion.

Lu Wan softly said, “Isn’t the Thick Earth Sect relying on the influence of Prince Huai Mansion to act this way?

Won’t Prince Huai Mansion restrain them?”

“As for my Thirteenth Uncle…” Chu Zhiyuan shook his head.

As he understood it, Prince Huai Mansion wouldn’t intervene.

From the standpoint of the Thick Earth Sect, there wasn’t much wrong; if their treasure ended up in someone else’s hands, it would be reasonable to find a way to get it back.

The standpoints differ; it’s hard to distinguish right from wrong.

Lu Wan lightly knitted her charming brows, revealing a disappointed expression, “I didn’t want to disturb Uncle Song with trivial matters.”

Chu Zhiyuan chuckled.

This was a clear threat.

You have your backer, and I will use mine; let’s see whose backer is more formidable.

This is truly the way martial artists conduct themselves, straightforward and unpretentious.

The conduct of the Thick Earth Sect was still considered tactful, but they immediately crippled a disciple from the Flying Flower Sword Sect, which was quite arrogant of them.

It can be seen that they really did not take the Flying Flower Sword Sect seriously; what if there was Song, the Great Grandmaster, they were sure Song the Great Grandmaster wouldn’t dare do anything to them.

At this point, Song Feiqiong actually had no choice but to deal with the Thick Earth Sect, otherwise protecting the Flying Flower Sword Sect would be difficult.

The Thick Earth Sect had never produced a Great Grandmaster, so they fundamentally didn’t understand them.

They were unaware of the changes in character and vision upon reaching the Grandmaster Realm.

Once someone becomes a Great Grandmaster, their character naturally changes; to them, worldly matters are like fleeting clouds, illusions, with their only pursuit being the utmost truth and faith in their hearts.

Therefore, they are not too bound by restrictions; if they want to fight, they will fight.

As long as they don’t directly attack the Emperor, deal with Princes, or cause disorder in the world, the Emperor will only turn a blind eye.

So, this time, the Thick Earth Sect will have to eat humble pie.

But if that truly happens, the face of Prince Huai Mansion and the Imperial Family won’t look good either.

“Elder Lu, tell me, what exactly is this Earth Dragon Pearl treasure?” Chu Zhiyuan asked, “Is there anything that can be used as a replacement?”

He only knew the origin of the Dragon Pearl, but not its magical uses, and was eager to find out.

Moreover, with the Thick Earth Sect and the Earth Dragon Pearl, he had some associations from the name alone.

Perhaps other Dragon Pearls are not as important to the Thick Earth Sect, but the Earth Dragon Pearl likely aligns with the Emperor Earth Scripture of the Thick Earth Sect or has connections with the Earth Venerate.

It should involve secret manuals of cultivation.

Lu Wan’s bright eyes flickered, staring at Chu Zhiyuan.

She finally bit her red lips lightly, made up her mind, and slowly said, “The Earth Dragon Pearl contains power, an extremely peculiar power.

It can replenish the deficiencies of inner Qi and true Qi, akin to an additional Dantian.”

“Does it assist in cultivation?” Chu Zhiyuan asked.

It seemed similar to his Earth Origin Technique.

The Earth Origin Technique required mental energy to activate, but the Earth Dragon Pearl could directly replenish; thus, it was indeed highly beneficial for cultivation.

Especially for practicing martial skills.

To master a martial art, typically, there are two dimensions: one is understanding, to grasp its essence and truly master it; the other is proficiency, to practice it to a level of great familiarity and spontaneity, leading to mastery.

For instance, his Great Snow Avalanche Sword Technique was quickly mastered due to his superior understanding, but improving its potency further was difficult.

The Great Snow Avalanche Sword Technique, when executed once, drains all true Qi.

Without the Earth Origin Technique and Heavenly Yuan Technique, it could only be practiced once a day, thirty times a month, three hundred and sixty times a year.

With the Earth Origin Technique, one could practice more than three hundred and sixty times a day.

Furthermore, training once a day, three hundred and sixty times a year, is entirely different from training three hundred and sixty times a day.

Without the Earth Origin Technique and Heavenly Yuan Technique, the current power of the Great Snow Avalanche Sword Technique would be less than half.

Clearly, the Earth Origin Technique and Heavenly Yuan Technique provide significant benefits to cultivation.

The Earth Dragon Pearl had similar effects.

This kind of treasure is indeed tempting; no wonder the Thick Earth Sect couldn’t give it up even for the Great Grandmaster.

However, the Earth Dragon Pearl is still different from his Earth Origin Technique.

The Earth Dragon Pearl is akin to a Spirit Pill that replenishes inner Qi and true Qi; although it does not directly enhance cultivation, it still involves external forces, which could affect the path to becoming a Great Grandmaster.

The Earth Origin Technique, however, draws from heaven and earth’s power and won’t affect the Great Grandmaster path.

…

Lu Wan nodded, “Yes, it greatly aids cultivation.

I’ve never heard of anything that can replace it.”

Chu Zhiyuan sighed and searched his mind for any treasures with such effects.

The Heavenly Treasure Department has countless treasures, certainly including those of this type, but he only knew their names and wasn’t entirely clear about each one’s magical effects.

The Heavenly Treasure Department has many Spirit Pills that restore inner Qi and true Qi.

These Spirit Pills can save lives in critical moments, making them precious, and nobody would be willing to use them casually for practice.

“Elder Lu, could you inquire about how your sect’s disciple obtained it by chance?”

Lu Wan said, “It was pure luck; he unintentionally stumbled into an ancestor’s cave mansion, where the Earth Dragon Pearl was, left for a fateful encounter.”

“Was this ancestor from the Thick Earth Sect?”

“An elder.”

“They believe it should be returned, but you definitely are reluctant, thinking how could everything be as they say without reason.”

“Even if the person in the cave mansion was truly an elder from the Thick Earth Sect,” Lu Wan said, “it was a gift from that elder, without instructions to return it to the Thick Earth Sect.”

“Nobody would be willing to give away such a treasure once it’s in their possession,” Chu Zhiyuan nodded, understanding the Flying Flower Sword Sect’s perspective.

Giving away a treasure after obtaining it, losing it right after gaining it, is unacceptable to anyone.

Moreover, the Flying Flower Sword Sect also has a layer of concern; yielding it would appear as a sign of weakness, suggesting that they are easy targets for anyone to bully.

If that happens, it would indeed be laughable.

It would bring shame to Song Feiqiong, and they couldn’t hope to attract talented young people to join the Flying Flower Sword Sect.

Chu Zhiyuan pondered thoughtfully.

Does the Thick Earth Sect have shadows besides Prince Huai Mansion behind them?

He suddenly called out loudly, “Lord Gao!”

“My lord,” Gao Lingfeng entered after opening the door.

Chu Zhiyuan said, “Bring the dossier of the Thick Earth Sect over again, as detailed as possible…

Also, have the Inspection Department bring over the dossier on the Thick Earth Sect.”

Now is a special time, giving him the authority to review the dossiers of the Inspection Department, but once this period is over, he might not have it anymore.

“…Yes.” Gao Lingfeng hesitated but finally gritted his teeth and agreed.

The Inspection Department is the head of all departments, standing above all others; it has always been them requesting to view the records of the Six Ministries, not the other way around with the Six Ministries requesting to view the Inspection Department’s records.

The Prince Heir is indeed different from ordinary officials.

After Gao Lingfeng left, Chu Zhiyuan looked at Lu Wan, “Elder Lu, you can return for now, I’ll investigate this matter thoroughly.”

Lu Wan clasped her hands, “Thank you, my lord.”

She rose gracefully and exited the room, leaving the Ministry of Rites.

Chu Zhiyuan paced within the room with his hands behind his back.