Chapter 20: The Rise of the Tianxia Sect (Part Two)

"Is the Heaven's Legacy Sect connected to the Prince of Bei Jing?"

A brilliant light flickered in Feng Yue'huang's eyes, and deep down, he still hoped for a chance to cross swords with the Prince of Bei Jing!

Pity he knew the time was not right. With the suppression of the King of Mians, no matter how formidable Jing Ri Gu Ming might be, it was difficult to unleash his full might—such was the weight of righteousness.

"So the master of the tower believes that the Heaven's Legacy Sect was founded by the Prince of Bei Jing!"

Little Fengdie was also consumed by curiosity.

"Wait! Now that the Heaven's Legacy Sect has broken the surface, everything will naturally come to light in due course!"

"Order the Returning Wave Tower not to initiate any conflicts with the Heaven's Legacy Sect!"

Feng Yue'huang held his feathered fan behind his back, his narrow eyes gleaming with anticipation.

...

Within the Royal Palace of Mian, the King of Mians received the intelligence and fell into a prolonged silence.

"The Heaven's Legacy Sect, the Heaven's Legacy Sect, the heavens themselves!"

"Royal Uncle, is this truly related to you?"

The hand gripping the intelligence report grew so tense that his knuckles turned ghostly pale, creaking audibly.

"Cang Lang, do not blame your royal father for being ruthless!"

"Someone come, summon Luo Bi, the Tyrannical Queeness, and He Meng Tianye!"

A moment later, the three arrived.

"Greetings to the King of Mians!"

"Mm."

Hao Qiong Gu Ming furrowed his brow, asking tentatively,

"Luo Bi, if you were tasked with dealing with Jing Ri Gu Ming, would you be willing?"

Thinking of the relationship between Luo Bi and Qian Xue, Hao Qiong Gu Ming felt a slight headache. What if Luo Bi and Jing Ri Gu Ming were too closely acquainted? Could he still be trusted?

"Hahaha... With a single command from the King of Mians, the Mirror-Hiding Man will instantly eradicate the Prince of Bei Jing's estate!"

Even in the presence of the King of Mians, the Mirror-Hiding Man remained as arrogant as ever.

What Hao Qiong Gu Ming needed was precisely the attitude of the Mirror-Hiding Man. Now that the Mirror-Hiding Man had made his stance clear, matters would be much easier to handle.

"The three of you shall lead a great army forward, concealing yourselves within the Wushan Mountains to investigate the affairs of the Heaven's Legacy Sect! I do not wish for a single soul outside to know of this!"

Hao Qiong Gu Ming's gaze was cold and cruel.

"If the opportunity presents itself, I hope never to hear the name of the Heaven's Legacy Sect again!"

The Heaven's Legacy Sect stuck in his throat like a fishbone. If it had nothing to do with Jing Ri Gu Ming, so be it; otherwise...

...

As the news was delivered into the hands of Ce Tianfeng (Mo Cangli), he scanned the intelligence report.

"The Prince of Bei Jing has made his move!!"

"This is clearly intelligence concerning the Heaven's Legacy Sect. Just where on earth do you see that the Prince of Bei Jing has made a move?"

The Medical Physician speechlessly shook his head.

"Tianfeng, do you suffer from persecution paranoia? I have personally examined the Prince of Bei Jing's illness; he is indeed physically frail and weak of breath!"

"Do you consider me intelligent?"

Ce Tianfeng laid aside the intelligence report, picked up a mirror, and began to polish it.

"Of course!"

The Medical Physician answered without a moment's hesitation.

"And what of the Prince of Bei Jing?"

Ce Tianfeng asked casually.

"Naturally, he is also a person of peerless wisdom. He is the very first person I have ever witnessed play Go against you to such an extent!"

The Medical Physician sighed with heartfelt admiration, thankful that he himself disliked playing Go; otherwise, he feared he would never dare touch the game for the rest of his life.

"Are you praising the Prince of Bei Jing, or are you praising me?"

Ce Tianfeng cast a sidelong glance at the Medical Physician.

"Then do you believe the Prince of Bei Jing would be unaware of the consequences of forcibly practicing the three supreme classics of the Imperial Sutra?"

"Hmm?"

The Medical Physician frowned, struggling to keep pace with the rhythm of the conversation.

"Perhaps he is simply too clever, to the point where he believes others cannot do it, but he can!"

"When have you ever seen me gamble on such uncertain outcomes?"

Ce Tianfeng explained,

"Therefore, the Prince of Bei Jing is no different. Since he chose to practice the fusion of the three supreme classics, he must have succeeded!"

"Yet his illness cannot be feigned!"

Though the Medical Physician acknowledged Ce Tianfeng's reasoning, he still offered a defense.

"According to rumors, the Prince of Bei Jing's meridians of the heart were damaged as a result of attempting to fuse the three supreme classics. Thus, the world believes that his fusion failed, leaving him with a damaged heart and rendering him incapable of practicing martial arts for the rest of his life."

Ce Tianfeng brought up the origin of Jing Ri Gu Ming's heart injury.

"Is there a problem with that?"

The Medical Physician was puzzled.

"The highest realm of deception is speaking the absolute truth!"

Ce Tianfeng gazed into the mirror, where the reflected silhouette seemed to be that of the distant Prince of Bei Jing in the Mian territory.

"So, it is true that he practiced the fusion of the three classics, and it is also true that his heart meridians were damaged!"

The Medical Physician seemed to understand.

"You mean the Prince of Bei Jing successfully fused the three supreme classics, and the price he paid was a damaged heart?"

"A price? Perhaps. The way of heaven subtracts from the excessive to replenish the deficient! Who is to say this isn't the profound secret of fusing the three classics?"

...

Within the Prince of Bei Jing's estate, young Cang Lang finished his daily lessons and approached the Prince of Bei Jing.

"Respected Ancestral Uncle, I heard that the Heaven's Legacy Sect has appeared. The master of the sect is called something like the Wind and Cloud Dragon Emperor. Has Ancestral Uncle ever heard of this person?"

"There are countless high-level adepts in this world. Since your Ancestral Uncle rarely even steps out of the estate, how could I possibly know the leader of the Heaven's Legacy Sect?"

Jing Ri Gu Ming turned the pages of his book, his eyes fixed upon the text as he casually took a sip of tea, not even sparing young Cang Lang a glance.

"Then does Royal Uncle have any strategies to teach me?"

Cang Lang's enthusiasm remained unabated. As this was his first time handling matters independently, he was exceptionally excited and wished to execute it brilliantly to produce a magnificent result.

"Ah, little Cang Lang! When Xiao Wang was your age, he had already been independently managing the Prince of Bei Jing's estate for several years!"

Jing Ri Gu Ming set down his book and looked up at young Cang Lang.

"I have heard since childhood from my royal father that Ancestral Uncle is extraordinarily wise!"

Young Cang Lang offered a flattering compliment without fully grasping the implication.

"Sigh!"

Jing Ri Gu Ming let out a sigh, thinking to himself: *This foolish child, what has he actually learned over the past three years? To let Xiao Wang fight against himself?*

"Cang Lang! I imagine your royal father would not wish for you to come to me with every single trivial matter!"

"You have come to the Prince of Bei Jing's estate and studied under me for three years, yet the one thing you have failed to learn is independence!"

"This time, consider it a trial given to you by your Ancestral Uncle. I daresay the King of Mians must have arranged quite a number of personnel for you!"

"Ah, Cang Lang will definitely reduce the Heaven's Legacy Sect to..."

Cang Lang pumped his fist in the air.

Jing Ri Gu Ming interrupted the young man's soaring ambitions:

"The Heaven's Legacy Sect chose to go into dormancy three years ago, and now they have resurfaced. Do you understand the significance behind this?"

Young Cang Lang finally calmed down.

"It means that the Heaven's Legacy Sect possesses the strength to contend against any faction whatsoever!"

"Mm. Therefore, to survive is victory!"

Jing Ri Gu Ming had no desire to say much more. A flower in a greenhouse, if not tempered by the storms and gales, how could it ever truly mature?

"Ancestral Uncle, you are overestimating them!"

Young Cang Lang found it hard to believe. If any random faction that emerged possessed such terrifying strength, the Mian territory would have fallen into chaos long ago.

"What was the very first lesson Xiao Wang taught you? Do you still remember?"

Jing Ri Gu Ming set aside the book in his hand and beckoned toward the doorway. A servant named Xialan delivered two ice-cream cones.

Jing Ri Gu Ming handed one to Cang Lang and kept the other for himself.

"When two factions engage in warfare, supreme importance must be attached to intelligence and information!"

Cang Lang thought for a moment and replied.

"Mm!"

Jing Ri Gu Ming nodded, relieved that young Cang Lang at least remembered that much.

"Thank you for your guidance, Ancestral Uncle! I shall immediately dispatch more men to gather intelligence!"

Young Cang Lang instantly prepared to summon people to investigate.

Holding him back, Jing Ri Gu Ming sighed with mental exhaustion:

"The Heaven's Legacy Sect went into dormancy three years ago precisely because of a betrayal by one of their own. Do you honestly believe you can still dig up any intelligence on them now?"

"And you—you have been in the Prince of Bei Jing's estate for three years. The number of people you brought with you, the number of people entering and leaving the estate, the daily fluctuations in the household expenses—I daresay all of that has already been laid out neatly upon their desks!"

"Now, do you truly believe you still have a shred of a chance of winning?"