Volume One, Chapter Fifty-Five: A Collective Advancement

Chapter Fifty-Five: Collective Advancement

Tu Zhe’s plan immediately sent shockwaves through the entire Lesser Heavenly King Palace, so much so that all defense forces of Jin Si's Lesser Heavenly King Palace were quietly transferred here. Tu Zhe used Brahmanic energy to set up a grand boundary around the palace, preventing any aura from leaking out as everyone inside advanced in strength, for fear of attracting unwanted attention.

The excitement in the Lesser Heavenly King Palace was inevitable.

Who could have imagined that a great supply of high-grade Brahmanic Crystals would be available for free absorption? Naturally, a strict order was issued: under no circumstances was this news to be leaked, upon pain of death.

First came the cheers from Chief Shudra and his hundred-member security squad, as well as the Yaksas of Jin Si’s palace security. Tu Zhe not only demanded that his father surrender his highest-level Saint-grade cultivation technique for the security squads to practice, but also gave each squad member a Saint-grade, lower-tier Brahmanic Crystal, instructing them to seclude themselves for three days and absorb the crystal entirely, so that every one of them would at least reach the level of “Approaching Saint”—the equivalent of the Daoist Core Formation stage.

Just imagine—a Saint-grade, lower-tier Brahmanic Crystal, containing the power of an entire minor world, being given for the security squad’s cultivation? They were determined: if forming a core wasn’t enough, they would break through to the Nascent Soul stage of the Srotāpanna; otherwise, they would have let down the young prince’s expectations.

Next came the cheers of Chief Shudra and the captain of Jin Si’s palace security team.

Not only were they given a Great Saint’s cultivation technique, but also one Emperor-grade, lower-tier Brahmanic Crystal each. Tu Zhe’s requirement for them was to seclude themselves for three days and at least reach the Anāgāmin stage—the equivalent of the Daoist Tribulation Crossing stage.

Chief Shudra and the palace captain looked at Tu Zhe with teary eyes, thinking, “The young prince didn’t even blink as he handed us Emperor-grade Brahmanic Crystals, each containing the power of ten minor worlds. What immense favor and trust is this?!”

At present, the Jin brothers were only at the Anāgāmin level. Tu Zhe gave each a top-tier Emperor-grade Brahmanic Crystal, expressing his hope that his father and uncle, after three days in seclusion, would at least reach the Arhat’s exalted realm.

The Jin brothers replied that it wasn’t their techniques that were lacking, nor their accumulation or foundation, but simply that they’d never had access to such pure energy before. With these Emperor-grade Crystals, they could at least reach the pinnacle of Great Saint.

Rightly so—a single top-tier Emperor-grade Brahmanic Crystal contains the power of thirty minor worlds. With a bit of luck, it was more than enough to reach the peak of Divine King; reaching Great Saint was easy, with plenty of energy left unused.

The three demonesses watched, filled with envy.

Especially the Demoness of Desire, Roga. Each time Tu Zhe handed out a crystal, she wailed, and by the end, she was rolling on the floor, unable to contain herself as she clamored at Tu Zhe:

“What about us? Don’t we get a share? We want to advance too! We want Emperor-grade Crystals, at least top-tier ones—raising our strength to mid-stage Emperor is no problem at all!”

Tu Zhe was hardly stingy and replied, “Don’t worry, you three will not be left out…”

The three demonesses surged forward, chattering and squabbling to be first, each as anxious as a maiden desperate to be wed.

“Give me a top-tier Emperor-grade—I’m ready to devote myself at any time…”

“Give me a top-tier Emperor-grade, and I’ll sing and dance with you every day…”

“Give me a top-tier Emperor-grade, and you’ll be the only one for me…”

Doggy stood aside, hands on hips, pointing, stamping, and scolding, “You three shameless things, is this a brawl or what? You want to play the weird aunties—well, Scoundrel Brother won’t play the weird uncle. Scoundrel Brother has no interest in weird aunties, got it? Pretend you didn’t hear me, did you? I’ll poke eyes, punch noses, tear mouths, pull ears, and spank bottoms, ah ah ah ah ah—”

It was utter chaos.

What the three demonesses didn’t expect was that each of them received a Divine-grade Brahmanic Crystal. Though not the King of Divine Crystals, it was still Divine-grade—a single one containing the power of sixty minor worlds.

The three demonesses now gazed at Tu Zhe with a different look—not one of calculated seduction, but genuine affection, dreamy and misty-eyed. They truly felt Tu Zhe treated them as his own. Wasn’t it so? His father and uncle only got Emperor-grade, but he gave them Divine-grade! Giggles all around.

The demonesses reveled in their good fortune, but Doggy was less than pleased, stomping and complaining, “Why, why? They’re not even pure! Scoundrel Brother, you prodigal, I’ll tear your mouth, ah ah ah…”

Tu Zhe caught Doggy’s little paw in his hand, smiling, “Dear Doggy, aren’t you going to spend a few days in seclusion to cultivate? Tell me, what grade of Brahmanic Crystal do you want? How many? Your brother will give you anything you want.”

Pure Doggy had never coveted Tu Zhe’s Brahmanic Crystals—after all, Scoundrel Brother’s things were as good as her own. Did she need to worry?

Hmph!

Pure Doggy watched as everyone else divided up the loot, feeling only a pang of regret, never considering she should upgrade herself as well.

In her mind, whatever belonged to Scoundrel Brother was hers too. If Scoundrel Brother gave something away, it was as though she had. So, why should she care? A bunch of greedy wolves, treating her family’s treasures as if they’d been picked up off the street. Such greedy rascals and wanton hussies.

So Doggy pouted and kept complaining, “Why, why? I haven’t even used a single crystal myself, and now so many have been handed out…”

So when Tu Zhe asked her what grade and how many crystals she wanted, Doggy was momentarily stunned.

True, she hadn’t thought about advancing, but now so many had already been given away.

But what did Scoundrel Brother mean by this question?

Pure Doggy stood up on her hind legs, hands on her hips, squinting at Scoundrel Brother, “What do you mean? You think all these treasures are yours? You’re treating me like the others? Is that what you mean?”

Tu Zhe smacked himself, “Damn it, who would dare mean that? Dear Doggy, my very life is yours—what are Brahmanic Crystals and treasures? Aren’t they all yours?”

Satisfied now, Doggy threw her arms around him and planted a kiss on his cheek, “See, I knew Scoundrel Brother wouldn’t be like those outsiders, right?”

Tu Zhe asked again, “Don’t you want to level up?”

Doggy thought for a moment, “Well, are you going to level up?”

Tu Zhe replied, “I just advanced two days ago—how could I go again so soon?”

Doggy declared firmly, “Then I won’t, either. Last time, when you spent three days in seclusion cultivating, I suffered! If I level up this time, we’ll be apart again for three days—three whole days! No way, I don’t want to be separated from you. I won’t seclude myself!”

Tu Zhe bumped his forehead gently against Doggy’s, feeling a pang in his heart.

In Doggy’s heart, was there anything more important than being with Scoundrel Brother?

What was cultivation compared to that? To separate for the sake of cultivation—how could that be?

Tu Zhe swore in his heart that he would never let Doggy suffer the slightest harm.

Doggy was more important to him than anything.

Once everyone had gone into seclusion to cultivate, Doggy was coaxed into staying behind to watch over the place, while Tu Zhe slipped out of the boundary and went to a secluded spot.

Ensuring no one was around, Tu Zhe took out the Pundarika Flower spatial artifact given to him by the Heavenly Princess of Delight, and tossed it into a cluster of lotus flowers in the water, vanishing into the artifact’s space himself. The Pundarika Flower artifact then transformed into a swaying lotus, as large as a chariot wheel, inconspicuously standing on the water’s surface.

There was simply no help for it. In the Celestial Realm, there was no shortage of flowers—especially lotuses, which grew everywhere, on land and water alike, in hundreds or thousands of varieties. If one wanted to hide, the best way was to become a lotus—no one would ever notice.