Chapter 138 - 135: This Is Clearly True Love

"What?!"

In an instant, the Wind Shelter Inn erupted into an uproar.

"The Great Treasure Master is engaged to Xian Ling’Er? What’s going on?"

"Could it be that we were all wrong? Was the one the Great Treasure Master liked all along not Nangong Ling, but Xian Ling’Er?"

"I heard she was the first one to save him. She’s also the one who invited the Great Treasure Master to the Spirit Master Banquet."

"So that’s how it is. But why would Xian Ling’Er agree? Doesn’t she like Chu He?"

"This world is simply too crazy!"

A chorus of shocked exclamations rang out as the crowd openly discussed the matter, making no effort to hide their gossip.

"How could this be? Elder Asura, aren’t you interested in me? I... I’ve already divorced Mo Qianqian. Elder Asura, why are you marrying Xian Ling’Er?" Shi Muyao felt as though she had been struck by a bolt of lightning, her head buzzing with shock.

First, she had been betrayed by Mo Qianqian, and now, Elder Asura was marrying Xian Ling’Er. It was a reality she found impossible to accept.

"You’ll understand in the future," Mo Qianqian could only offer a brief explanation.

"Understand in the future, understand in the future—you say that every time! Why is this happening? If you don’t like me, why do you always help me? If you don’t like me, why do you always save me?" Shi Muyao’s voice was already laced with sobs.

Mo Qianqian felt a pang of discomfort in his heart. Unable to explain himself, he turned to Chu He and asked in displeasure, "Chu He, is there anything else you need?"

"No. The Third-Grade Upper-Level Spirit-Breaking Pill should be delivered by that person very soon. I hope you won’t let her down!" With that, Chu He walked away, looking rather dispirited.

"A Third-Grade Upper-Level Spirit-Breaking Pill! Master Chu Yiming found the main ingredient and had someone refine the Spirit-Breaking Pill?"

"So that’s it! A Third-Grade Upper-Level Spirit-Breaking Pill offers a massive chance to break through to the Third-Grade Spirit Master Realm. If he succeeds, he’ll be the youngest Third-Grade Spirit Master in the entire Great Xia Dynasty—a figure standing at the absolute pinnacle! If it were me, I’d agree to the marriage too."

"What are you saying? Is the Great Treasure Master that kind of person? This is clearly true love!" someone chided, smacking the previous speaker on the head.

Shi Muyao’s heart trembled violently. She wondered if that was truly the case. Was it because Master Chu Yiming was giving Elder Asura a Third-Grade Upper-Level Spirit-Breaking Pill? Was that why Elder Asura was marrying Xian Ling’Er?

But Elder Asura wasn’t that kind of person. How could he casually choose someone to marry just for a pill? And why would Xian Ling’Er be willing to marry him? Furthermore, why would Master Chu Yiming even offer a Third-Grade Upper-Level Spirit-Breaking Pill?

"Why?" Shi Muyao cried, her face bathed in tears, unable to accept the reality before her.

Mo Qianqian inhaled a helpless breath. He glanced at Shi Muyao before turning to Pei Hong. "Pei Hong, take good care of her."

With that, Mo Qianqian turned and retreated to his room to rest. After closing the door, he moved deep into the room and began his cultivation. As for Shi Muyao and the affairs outside, he decided to ignore them for the time being.

Meanwhile, on the streets of the Imperial City, a piece of news quickly spread.

"Extra, extra! Asura has returned to the Imperial City and entered into a marriage contract with Xian Ling’Er!"

"What? Xian Ling’Er is engaged to Asura? What’s going on?"

"I don’t know, but that’s how the news spread. I heard the marriage contract has already been issued. Chu He confirmed it himself, and everyone from the Asura Conglomerate witnessed it with their own eyes."

"Didn’t Asura like Nangong Ling? Why is he marrying Xian Ling’Er? Also, doesn’t Xian Ling’Er like Chu He? Why is she willing to marry Asura?"

"Who knows? However, rumor has it that because of their marriage, Master Chu Yiming is willing to give Asura a Third-Grade Upper-Level Spirit-Breaking Pill."

"A Third-Grade Upper-Level Spirit-Breaking Pill! So that’s it. Looking at it this way, it makes sense for Asura to agree to the marriage."

"Back at the Spirit Master Banquet, Master Chu Yiming offered a Spirit-Breaking Pill as a condition for taking a disciple, but we didn’t see Asura agree to that."

"Circumstances change. At the time, the medicinal ingredients weren’t complete. Besides, what Second-Grade Spirit Master doesn’t want to advance to a Third-Grade Spirit Master? Once you reach that level, you become one of the most elite existences in the entire Great Xia Dynasty. Who wouldn’t be tempted? Not to mention, I heard Asura already has a master. Marrying Xian Ling’Er is entirely different from taking someone as a master."

"I heard Asura once saved Xian Ling’Er’s life at the Black Demon Ridge. Chu He abandoned her, so perhaps that’s the reason Xian Ling’Er agreed to marry Asura."

"That explains a lot!"

Various speculations and discussions continuously rippled through the streets and alleys of the Imperial City. The members of the major factions were all astounded. This news had come far too suddenly. So many factions had wanted to recruit Asura as their son-in-law, yet no one could have predicted that he would end up with Xian Ling’Er.

Back at the Wind Shelter Inn.

It wasn’t long before Xian Ling’Er returned. The moment she entered the inn, the members of the Asura Conglomerate bombarded her with questions, and she openly admitted to the engagement. Hearing the noisy commotion outside, Mo Qianqian stepped out of his room and went downstairs to meet her.

Xian Ling’Er directly took out a small jade bottle and handed it to Mo Qianqian. "This is the Third-Grade Upper-Level Spirit-Breaking Pill."

"Thank you!" Mo Qianqian couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement. He hurriedly accepted the pill, opened the jade bottle, pulled out the contents, and swallowed it whole.

He did it immediately to prevent anyone from coveting it. For a pill of such caliber, even in the Imperial City, someone might try to snatch it. Xian Ling’Er had likely come with hidden protectors; otherwise, it would have been impossible for her to arrive so safely.

"I’ll wait for your news," Xian Ling’Er said before turning to leave.

"Take care," Mo Qianqian replied.

Mo Qianqian glanced at Pei Hong and the others, his gaze lingering on the old man at the Third Level of Tongyou Realm. "Everyone, I need to go into secluded cultivation with my full focus. No one is to disturb me."

"Yes, sir!" the old man nodded immediately, and the others voiced their agreement in unison.

Mo Qianqian then returned to his room. He shut the door, walked further inside, and sat cross-legged on the floor. Initiating the Nine Nether Spirit Master Technique, he began refining the Third-Grade Upper-Level Spirit-Breaking Pill.

A vast yet soothing medicinal efficacy surged wildly within his body. Mo Qianqian’s entire Spirit was reinvigorated, and its capacity continued to swell and overflow.

This process lasted for over twenty days before the pill’s efficacy was entirely consumed. Throughout this period, Mo Qianqian remained in a state of brimming Spiritual energy.

At this moment, Mo Qianqian could feel that his Spiritual Power had reached the absolute limit of the Second-Grade. He was just a hair’s breadth away from breaking through. Rousing his Spirit, Mo Qianqian fiercely refined the final traces of the medicinal power. His Spiritual Power was on the verge of crossing that critical threshold.

However, at the very last second before his advancement, the medicinal efficacy completely vanished. His Spiritual Power immediately weakened. Eventually, it dwindled and stabilized. His Spirit Master Realm remained stubbornly stuck at the peak of the Second-Grade limit.

"I failed!" Mo Qianqian clenched his fists, thoroughly unwilling to accept the result.

He was just a sliver away from crossing over. Had he succeeded, he could have unlocked the Nether Realm Ninth Layer and roamed unhindered throughout the Great Xia Dynasty. Yet, in the end, he had failed.

Only now did he truly comprehend the immense difficulty of a Spirit Master’s breakthrough. The last time he refined the Bone-Eroding Spiritual Source, he had broken through from the First-Grade to the Second-Grade, even reaching the peak of the Second-Grade. But this time, despite refining a Third-Grade Upper-Level Spirit-Breaking Pill, he still couldn’t successfully advance. It was easy to imagine just how arduous it was to break through from the Second-Grade to the Third-Grade.

It was no wonder that in the entirety of the Great Xia Dynasty, only Master Chu Yiming and Qiu Fengliang had managed to become Third-Grade Spirit Masters.

Of course, theoretically speaking, advancing in the Spirit Master Realm was equivalent to breaking through directly from the Ninth Level of Spirit Profound Realm to the Ninth Level of Tongyou Realm. Crossing an entire major cultivation realm was certainly not something that could be achieved in a short amount of time.

Facing his failure head-on, Mo Qianqian stepped out of his room.

As soon as he opened the door, Mo Qianqian saw Xian Ling’Er already sitting in the courtyard of the Wind Shelter Inn. Seeing him emerge, she stood up and asked with a face full of anticipation, "How did it go? Did you succeed?"

Several people in the courtyard, along with others who had just stepped outside, were also looking at him with hopeful expressions.

Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Mo Qianqian shook his head. "I failed."

A trace of disappointment flickered across Xian Ling’Er’s face. The others were momentarily stunned as well. Even with a Third-Grade Upper-Level Spirit-Breaking Pill, he hadn’t succeeded in advancing? Didn’t that mean their Great Treasure Master’s marriage to Xian Ling’Er was essentially a wasted effort?

Naturally, they had all been hoping for Mo Qianqian’s success. If their Great Treasure Master became a Third-Grade Spirit Master, the benefits they stood to gain would also increase drastically.

"However, I will never go back on my promise to you!" Mo Qianqian added solemnly.

"I will wait for you," Xian Ling’Er said, turning to leave.

What the two of them were actually referring to was the assassination of Ling Qingxue, but everyone else present assumed they were talking about their upcoming marriage.