Fang Yuan held the small jade slip in his hand, and an involuntary smile appeared on his face.
He knew that from this point onward, all the way up to becoming a Grandmaster, Lord Chong Wu had already paved the way for him.
He really had encountered a great benefactor this time...
Fate is indeed wondrous. Fang Yuan originally came to the Jianghai Palace to study, but who would have thought that, as he studied, he ended up becoming the principal!
He should really thank Ye Chuan. Without him, none of this would have happened.
Hmm, perhaps he should burn some extra paper money for Ye Chuan during the festivals.
Regaining his thoughts, Fang Yuan spoke again, "But Lord Chong Wu, you keep entrusting me with things and making it your only wish. Isn't that a bit ominous?"
"Why does it feel like once you leave, you won't be coming back?"
He thought to himself that he had jinxed it by setting up a flag for Lord Chong Wu, but it turned out that Lord Chong Wu himself was stacking buffs like crazy.
"Haha, the battlefield is merciless; any outcome is possible."
Lord Chong Wu smiled and said, "But it doesn't matter. Perhaps dying at the frontier will be a splendid way to conclude my life."
"This way, I won't have to be troubled by cultivation matters anymore."
It seemed that Lord Chong Wu had some thoughts of sacrificing himself for the country.
Fang Yuan thought for a moment, then spoke again, "Among the Chong Wu Guards you trained, one of them is from the Zhenfu Division."
He didn't like to be a whistleblower, but since Lord Chong Wu had given him so many valuable things, it wouldn't be very loyal if he kept this to himself.
"Oh?" Lord Chong Wu's face showed surprise, and he asked, "Who?"
"Yan Nan."
"It's him... How did you know?"
"I have the ability to read minds."
"Heh, you sure have many surprises up your sleeve." Lord Chong Wu gave a bitter smile and nodded lightly. "I see."
No wonder his secret search for the national luck host was discovered by the royal family—there was actually an insider.
Insider, traitor... What kind of people has he been surrounded by?
Then, Lord Chong Wu's voice rang out across the entire Jianghai Palace:
"All Chong Wu Guards, report to the Wei Wu Hall immediately!"
Soon, dozens of Chong Wu Guards gathered and knelt on one knee before Lord Chong Wu.
"Greetings, Lord Chong Wu." A unified voice sounded.
"Mm." Lord Chong Wu nodded. "Starting today, I will be leaving here and heading to the northern border."
The Chong Wu Guards looked at each other, and it was Yan Nan who spoke first:
"Please take us with you, Lord Chong Wu. We vow to follow you to the death!"
"Follow you to the death!" The rest of the Chong Wu Guards echoed.
"No need for that." Lord Chong Wu waved his hand. "Yan Nan will come with me to the northern border. The rest of you will remain here in Jianghai Province."
Only him? Yan Nan's gaze turned thoughtful.
Before he could ponder further, Lord Chong Wu spoke again:
"From now on, Fang Yuan will be the new master of Jianghai Palace and the supreme commander of Jianghai Province. You must follow his orders. Do you understand?"
At this, the Chong Wu Guards were all shocked. What a joke!
Lord Chong Wu actually appointed a young boy as the master of Jianghai Palace?!
Especially since this boy had only been at Jianghai Palace for less than a month!
Their first reaction was that this was utterly absurd, but the more they thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed!
After all, Fang Yuan had killed a five-stage monster while in the third stage. Even Ye Chuan, who they regarded as a genius, had been easily defeated by him.
If anyone in Jianghai Palace deserved to be the master, it had to be Fang Yuan.
The only concern was whether Fang Yuan would betray Lord Chong Wu's trust.
After all, Lord Chong Wu had trusted the wrong person once...
"What are you all standing there for?" Lord Chong Wu's reprimanding voice snapped the guards out of their stupor.
Immediately, they all responded in unison:
"Yes!"
Lord Chong Wu then looked at Fang Yuan. "If they don't listen to you, just kill them, no need to show mercy."
Fang Yuan nodded lightly. Lord Chong Wu didn't directly expose Yan Nan's identity but planned to take him to the northern border, which seemed to be part of his own strategy.
Afterward, Lord Chong Wu dismissed the guards and informed Fang Yuan of all the secret mechanisms, arrays, and other critical matters set up in Jianghai Palace.
They talked for about an hour before Lord Chong Wu solemnly cupped his hands and said to Fang Yuan:
"Alright, from now on, all affairs in Jianghai Province are entrusted to you."
Fang Yuan returned the salute, "I will do my best, and I hope you return victorious soon."
Lord Chong Wu smiled freely, "Good, I'll take your well wishes."
...
After the conversation, Lord Chong Wu no longer had any lingering thoughts.
He left without a second glance, not even bothering to say goodbye to anyone. An invisible force lifted Yan Nan, and the two of them soared into the sky, disappearing from Fang Yuan's sight.
"Impressive, truly a Grandmaster... Flying around like it's nothing," Fang Yuan marveled.
Ordinary martial artists could only fly after reaching the seventh stage, otherwise, they would need to rely on techniques or items to fly. This was something Lord Chong Wu had just shared with him.
Once Lord Chong Wu left, the vast Wei Wu Hall was left with only Fang Yuan.
Now that he had the methods for future cultivation and some merit points in his account, Fang Yuan couldn't wait to start.
Though still at the peak of the fourth stage, he wasn't yet strong enough, but once he drew in the spiritual energy of the heavens and earth and reached the fifth stage, he would certainly become a dominant figure.
The difference between these two stages was like a chasm, a consensus shared by almost every martial artist. Of course, the difficulty of cultivation would rise dramatically as well.
Take Old Qin, for example. He had lived over a hundred years but was stuck at this point, unable to break through.
Fang Yuan sat cross-legged and looked at the "Book of Goodness" in his mind. Current merit points: 10,400.
He wasn't sure if this would be enough, but he decided to give it a try.
According to the jade slip left by Lord Chong Wu, the fifth stage was called the "Spirit River Realm."
There wasn't a dedicated cultivation method for it; instead, martial artists had to absorb the spiritual energy of the heavens and earth through 362 major acupoints, and channel it into the spirit canal they had carved out.
Eventually, they would refine it into a spiritual power "grand canal" that circulates within their body, reaching the peak of the fifth stage.
It sounded simple, but it was incredibly difficult to do.
Most martial artists had a low affinity for spiritual energy. No matter how hard they tried, the energy just wouldn't enter their bodies, only lingering at the door.
Even for martial artists with a higher affinity, if the spiritual energy did enter, they couldn't force too much at once. Otherwise, the energy would overwhelm the spirit canal, causing internal injuries and even causing their cultivation to regress.
Either way, it took martial artists a long time to slowly train the spiritual energy.
Of course, Fang Yuan was an exception. His spirit canal was far stronger and wider than other martial artists.
"Come here!" Fang Yuan called out.
Soon, a Chong Wu Guard hurried into the hall—it was Yin Fifteen.
Seeing only Fang Yuan in the hall, Yin Fifteen looked stunned.
"Lord Chong Wu has already left," Fang Yuan said.
Yin Fifteen's expression quickly changed. He immediately half-knelt and cupped his hands to Fang Yuan. "What orders does the Palace Lord have?"
At this moment, Yin Fifteen felt an indescribable feeling in his heart. Just a month ago, he had been bathing and joking around with Fang Yuan, even commenting on his physique.
But now, in the blink of an eye, Fang Yuan had become his superior?!
From murderer to genius trainee to the ruler of the province, Fang Yuan's rise in status had been so rapid it felt like a dream!