Chapter 181 - 177: Jiang Cheng Refuses Dual Cultivation
Although she appeared to be in her twenties, in the Cultivation World, appearance and age had no necessary correlation. She was undoubtedly one of Jiang Cheng’s elders; the exact extent of her “elderliness” was unknown.
Faced with Elder Li’s request, Jiang Cheng, who always respected his elders and cared for the young, naturally had no reason to refuse.
“If Elder Li needs something, Jiang Cheng will certainly do his best to assist. However, as for the matters of the palace and the selection of the heir, I’ve heard nothing about it.”
Li Qingge chuckled lightly and said, “It’s normal that you haven’t heard of it. Simply put, the current Emperor of Liang’s life span is coming to an end, and an heir urgently needs to be established to ensure the imperial power continues. The current Emperor of Liang has nine children in total, five sons and four daughters. In theory, all nine have the right to succeed the throne. However, in reality, some are too young and some have married into other families, so not all of them are truly contenders for the throne.”
Listening to Li Qingge, Jiang Cheng felt something was off. For a cultivator from an Immortal Sect, she knew just a bit too much about the Liang royal family.
Jiang Cheng frowned and said, “Elder Li, if I remember correctly, it is a well-known rule of the Immortal Sect that disciples are forbidden to intervene in secular power struggles.”
Li Qingge spread her clean, pale hands with a smile, “As you can see, the hands of Taixu Sect are clean; we haven’t done anything.”
“Then why did Elder Li mention this to me? What is the implication?”
“The second princess of Emperor Liang, who is your age, is now a freshman at Qinghe Xuanran University.”
Jiang Cheng bluntly asked, “Elder Li, I don’t see what this has to do with me.”
Li Qingge pointed at the ceiling and said, “Do you know why I had to call you to my house? Because here, I’ve set up a Formation that prevents Divine Sense from intruding. Advanced cultivators can’t inspect this place, so we can speak plainly.”
The Snake, eavesdropping from not far away: Uninspectable? What does that mean?
Li Qingge continued, “In theory, Immortal Sect is indeed unable to interfere with the imperial succession, but you should know that as a student of Qingxuan University, which educates the second princess, it has the obligation to teach her. Moreover, a student like you, with strong abilities, affiliated with an Immortal Sect but not governed by its rules, will have much more flexibility in actions.”
At this point, Jiang Cheng finally understood Li Qingge’s intention.
Although Taixu Sect could not directly intercede in selecting an heir, they could help the second princess by recruiting staff and enhancing her faction’s strength, indirectly influencing the outcome of the succession.
If the second princess ascended the throne, the benefits for Taixu Sect were obviously immense.
Being a female cultivator herself, the second princess was also a student at Qingxuan University; it was inevitable that she would become a Taixu Sect sympathizer, laying the foundation for Taixu Sect’s development in Liang for hundreds of years.
The plans of Taixu Sect were indeed commendable, but all these efforts would be in vain in the end.
Because no matter how hard the second princess tried, she couldn’t match the third princess, who would ascend the throne through her father’s influence.
Jiang Cheng, who roughly knew the plot, had already seen through everything.
“Elder Li, I have no interest in the princes’ struggle for power and don’t intend to join the second princess’s camp to help her ascend to the throne. Moreover, I am under the protection of Tongtian Sect, so assisting Taixu Sect at this time seems rather inappropriate.”
Li Qingge smiled and said, “No, Jiang Cheng, you misunderstand. We do indeed plan to ask for your help, but not for you to betray Tongtian Sect.”
“What then, does Elder Li mean?”
“The Emperor of Liang has five sons. Two of them graduated from Lotus Cloud University and are your seniors. Naturally, you are in the same camp. In the face of the struggle for the succession, Tongtian Sect will not sit idly by either. Therefore, we hope you will join the opposing side and become an adviser to the princes.”
Jiang Cheng: ???
Li Qingge looked at Jiang Cheng with approving eyes and said, “Jiang Cheng, I’ve inquired about your situation with Wuyue. Did you know that you have a particular talent for offending a lot of people and coming out unscathed in the end? If you join your seniors’ faction, they will surely stand no chance of becoming the Emperor of Liang.”
Jiang Cheng: …
Jiang Cheng said embarrassingly, “Elder Li, I will take it as a compliment.”
Li Qingge, giggling, said, “Of course it’s a compliment. Rest assured and become an adviser to the princes. If trouble arises, Taixu Sect will stand up for you. Remember the Plant Autonomy Talisman incident? We were the first from Taixu Sect to support you.”
“Immortal Sect backing you up” carried significant weight.
This meant that as long as Jiang Cheng didn’t go too far, to the extent that heaven and people were enraged, he would generally be safe.
Similarly, the promise of “Immortal Sect backing you up” revealed that within Taixu Sect, the second princess was deemed very important. They likely assessed her as having the potential for Core Formation.
If Princess Liang Lu could cultivate to the Core Formation stage and possess a lifespan of five to six hundred years, she would ensure the healthy development of Taixu Sect in Liang Kingdom for half a millennium!
Once Princess Liang Lu reached the Nascent Soul stage, she could even provide various conveniences to Taixu Sect for the following thousand years.
With such an extensive span of time, Taixu Sect would have ample opportunity to completely erode the influence of Tongtian Sect and Linlan Sect within Liang Kingdom.
After considering the pros and cons, Jiang Cheng understood Taixu Sect’s behavior.
Who wouldn’t want their own sect to flourish?
However, Jiang Cheng still decisively refused, “Senior Li, I currently have no intention of getting involved in the struggle for heirship, not even to help the elder from Lotus University.”
Li Qingge still wore a smile, confidently saying, “Jiang Cheng, don’t be too hasty to refuse. Take a look at this before you make your decision.”
Li Qingge took out a secret tome from her storage bag.
The tome’s binding was rustic and grand, exuding an extraordinary presence in every aspect.
It was titled with eight bold characters “Dual Cultivation Secret Method: Meridian Coordination”.
Upon seeing the book, Jiang Cheng was instantly rattled.
“This isn’t the book I wanted to see,” he immediately clarified.
Li Qingge was completely befuddled, not clear on who Jiang Cheng’s statement was meant for.
Seeing Jiang Cheng’s hesitation, Li Qingge took the initiative to explain, “Don’t misunderstand; this is a legitimate cultivation technique, not the indecent kind from Hehuan Sect.”
“According to what we know, you have a great talent for talismans, but only average talent for cultivation. This Meridian Coordination can achieve the effect of sharing your partner’s meridians. With your achievements in talismans, finding a female cultivator with a good cultivation talent should not be difficult. As long as you diligently cultivate using this method, your cultivation speed could potentially match some prodigies.”
In the end, Li Qingge teased with twinkling eyes, “Jiang Cheng, you don’t want to spend your lifetime only able to draw first-order talismans, do you?”
Although there are countless cultivation techniques in the world, Li Qingge believed that there wouldn’t be another technique simpler, more joyful, and easier to grasp than “Meridian Coordination”. Could there be a more relaxed way to cultivate than cuddling and hugging your beautiful partner and thereby increasing your cultivation level?
If Jiang Cheng wished to improve his cultivation speed, accepting Taixu Sect’s “Meridian Coordination” was the simplest method.
This was the basis for Taixu Sect’s confidence in seeking Jiang Cheng’s “help”.
In Li Qingge’s view, Jiang Cheng actually needed to do nothing but openly join the Prince’s faction and perform normally to receive Taixu Sect’s advanced secret method “Meridian Coordination”.
Basically, it was like getting a freebie from Taixu Sect; only a fool would refuse.
Jiang Cheng stood up and said, “Sorry, Senior Li, I still don’t want to get involved in the struggle for heirship. If you have no other matters, I’ll take my leave now.”
“Wait, are you truly not considering it? ‘Meridian Coordination’ is also considered a rare cultivation technique in Taixu Sect.”
Jiang Cheng explained, “Sorry, Senior Li, I’m not someone who takes such matters lightly. When looking for a partner, I don’t place much importance on talent, and ‘Meridian Coordination’ would be difficult for me to utilize even if you gave it to me.”
Li Qingge frowned and said, “It doesn’t have to be your partner, with your qualifications, finding a female cultivator to cultivate together and make mutual progress shouldn’t be difficult, right?”
Jiang Cheng’s attitude was very firm, with a sense of resoluteness as if any wrong word might cause instant death on the spot.
“I’m sorry, Senior, but I can’t accept this technique. Farewell.”
Li Qingge watched Jiang Cheng’s retreating figure, deep in thought.
In today’s times, male cultivators like Jiang Cheng, who valued their reputations and prized moral integrity, were indeed very rare.
It was a pity that Taixu Sect did not accept male disciples.
Otherwise, letting Jiang Cheng enter Taixu Sect and mix within a bevy of beauties, that would have been an interesting sight.
Li Qingge suddenly smiled, as if she could already picture Jiang Cheng in Taixu Sect, dodging left and right among the crowd of women, continually avoiding their advances.
With an expression of panic, Jiang Cheng exclaimed, “Absolutely not, absolutely not, it’s not permissible, Lady benefactor!”