“Ding! Congratulations, Host. You have obtained the Emperor-grade cultivation technique, Tai Xuan Scripture.”
“Open the second one!”
“Ding! Congratulations, Host. You have obtained the Emperor-grade alchemy technique, Heart Scripture of the Pill Emperor.”
“Holy sh*t!”
When Gu Changqing saw what he had just drawn, he couldn’t help but curse out loud in amazement.
Two cultivation manuals—both Emperor-grade!
You couldn’t blame Gu Changqing for getting so worked up. The term Emperor-grade—what did that even mean?
In this world, techniques were ranked from low to high as follows:
Mortal, Earth, Heaven, King, Emperor, Venerable, and Sovereign.
Currently, the Gu family’s main cultivation method was a fragmented version of the Gu Clan Heart Method, a low-tier King-grade technique.
Even that was already considered quite good—it was a remnant passed down from their glorious ancestors. Although incomplete, it still reached the King grade.
You have to understand—even among many King-ranked forces, their main techniques are usually just King-grade. The Gu family didn’t even have a single King-realm cultivator left, yet they still held a King-grade technique.
And even in the Gu clan’s golden age tens of thousands of years ago, when they were at their peak, their complete version of the Gu Clan Heart Method was only King-grade.
Now, Gu Changqing had received two techniques that surpassed even what the clan once had at its most glorious peak!
Emperor-grade techniques—these were considered ultimate techniques that only Imperial Courts and Emperors could possibly access!
Originally, Gu Changqing still had some minor complaints about how late the system had awakened.
But now? All of that vanished instantly.
The rewards were just too insane!
Gu Changqing took a closer look at the two techniques that now lay dormant within his system’s inventory.
Tai Xuan Scripture – Created by the Mystic Emperor, consisting of four volumes. With each volume mastered, the speed at which one absorbed spiritual energy and cultivated would skyrocket.
Heart Scripture of the Pill Emperor – Created by Qingmu Pill Emperor, it contained all the alchemical knowledge he accumulated over a lifetime, including his unique pill-refining methods, and a comprehensive list of all pill recipes he had ever made.
As Gu Changqing flipped through it, he found an abundance of pill formulas—many of which had long been lost to the world.
“Open the third gift pack!”
He had no plans to hold onto the last one.
“Ding! Congratulations, Host. Luck explodes! You have drawn an Immortal-grade technique: Immortal Execution Sword Formation!”
“Immortal-grade? Immortal Execution Sword Formation?!”
After already pulling two Emperor-grade techniques, Gu Changqing figured, based on the Law of Balanced Luck, that the next item would probably be garbage.
But who would’ve thought—
Not only was the third item not worse than the first two…
It was even more ridiculous.
Immortal-grade?!
From what Gu Changqing knew, Emperor-grade was already the pinnacle of cultivation techniques. Was Immortal-grade actually a tier above Emperor?
“Above Emperor-grade is Saint-grade. Above Saint-grade is Immortal-grade,” the system’s voice replied, correcting his assumption.
“…”
My god.
No wonder the system gave a special prompt. This really was a full-blown luck explosion.
The technique he just drew—Immortal Execution Sword Formation—was on a completely different level.
An Immortal-grade sword formation!
According to the system, this technique was created by the Immortal King of Cangwu, who once used it to defeat an Immortal Emperor while still only in the Immortal King realm. The higher the quality of the swords used to form the array, the more terrifying its lethality.
Gu Changqing felt a little dizzy.
Immortal Kings? Immortal Emperors?
The strongest level he even knew about was Emperor Realm, and that was already godlike.
But now it was clear—the Immortal King and Immortal Emperor were far beyond that.
An Immortal-grade sword formation…
With this, what Heaven’s Proud Sons, what Innate Supreme Physiques, what blessed children of destiny—even those several realms higher than him—how many seconds could they last inside his sword formation?
“Young Master?”
A servant’s voice snapped Gu Changqing back to reality.
He coughed awkwardly, realizing this wasn’t the time to be obsessing over three powerful techniques. The Jiang family had sent people—likely to discuss the marriage. He needed to head there first.
Following the servant, he soon arrived at the reception hall.
But even before entering, Gu Changqing could sense something was off.
His father, Gu Yuan, sat in the head seat, his face clearly displeased.
“We agreed on Jiang Baiwei. Now you’re saying it’s Jiang Lianxin instead? That doesn’t seem right.”
“Where is Patriarch Jiang? He and I decided on this together. How could it be changed just like that? I’ll go find him myself!”
One of the Jiang clan elders shook his head and said:
“Patriarch Gu, I suggest you don’t stir things up. This decision comes directly from our clan leader.”
“Then why didn’t he come to say it to my face? He sends you instead?”
Gu Yuan sneered coldly.
The current patriarch of the Jiang family had two daughters: the eldest, Jiang Baiwei, and the younger, Jiang Lianxin.
If it had been the Jiang Lianxin of the past, Gu Yuan would have been more than happy to agree to the marriage. But the current Jiang Lianxin? She was nothing more than a cripple who needed servants just to help her lie down or get dressed.
Jiang Lianxin had once been the most monstrous genius the Jiang family had seen in countless generations. Born with innate spiritual bones, she was expected to one day break through to the Emperor realm—as long as she didn’t die prematurely.
From the moment she was born, she was given the best cultivation resources the Jiang family could offer.
And she didn’t disappoint.
She began body tempering at age six, awakened her true spirit at ten, and by sixteen had already stepped into the Tribulation Realm—a realm that many people couldn’t reach even in an entire lifetime.
That kind of talent was truly monstrous.
For context, the strongest person in the Gu family—Gu Yuan, head of the family and father of Gu Changqing—was only at the sixth level of the Tribulation Realm.
But not long after Jiang Lianxin reached that level, something happened—something that changed her life forever.
While training outside, she encountered a Saintess from the Canglan Sacred Land, a power from beyond the empire’s borders.
The Saintess challenged Jiang Lianxin on her own initiative—but was thoroughly crushed by Jiang Lianxin in the duel.
The Saintess said nothing. But her guardian claimed Jiang Lianxin had been too heavy-handed—and attacked her directly.
No matter how monstrously talented Jiang Lianxin was, she was still only in the Tribulation Realm. How could she possibly stand against someone who had reached the Heaven King Realm?
With just one strike, Jiang Lianxin was gravely wounded.
Her spiritual bones were shattered, and her body was left severely damaged.
Naturally, as someone the Jiang family placed all their hopes on, Jiang Lianxin had her own guardian. But how could her guardian compare to someone from the Canglan Sacred Land?
Her guardian was also at the King Realm—but only at the early stage of the Profound King Realm.
In the King Realm, the gap between stages was immense. The difference between a Profound King and a Heaven King was like night and day—let alone the chasm between a Heaven King and a Divine King.
In front of a Heaven King-level opponent, Jiang Lianxin’s guardian was utterly powerless.
And throughout all of this, the Saintess of Canglan Sacred Land just stood by, watching it happen—without lifting a finger to stop it. She let her guardian ruin Jiang Lianxin.
Since that day, Jiang Lianxin, once the brightest and most dazzling genius of the Jiang family, became a cripple. Her fall evoked endless sighs of pity across the cultivation world.
As for the Jiang family, even though they were filled with resentment and anger, they didn’t dare voice even the slightest complaint—not against a behemoth like Canglan Sacred Land.
Canglan Sacred Land was too powerful.
They had multiple Emperor-level cultivators.
Forget the Jiang family—even the entire Han Qin Empire was like an ant before Canglan Sacred Land. Totally insignificant.
The Jiang family had tried everything they could to restore Jiang Lianxin after her spiritual bones shattered. Jiang Tianwang himself had even left the empire to seek help from renowned alchemists and healers—some of whom were Tier-4 Pill Kings.
But none of them could help her.
Shattered spiritual bones could only be repaired by a Heavenly Venerable Emperor or an alchemist of Pill Sovereign level.
But those kinds of existences were completely beyond the Jiang family’s reach—not to mention convincing one to help. They couldn’t even get an audience, let alone ask for assistance.
So in the end, they had no choice but to accept fate.
Jiang Lianxin, once considered the hope of the Jiang family’s future, had been ruined.
The incident was a massive blow to Jiang Tianwang. Not long after, he announced that he would enter seclusion—and from then on, no longer involve himself in clan affairs.
Gu Yuan let out a sigh. While he did feel sympathy for Jiang Lianxin’s fate, that didn’t mean he was willing to let her marry into his family.
Gu Yuan wanted a daughter-in-law who could help the Gu family continue its legacy. But Jiang Lianxin—her spiritual bones were shattered, and her talent now didn’t even match that of an average person. If she gave birth to a child, how gifted could that child possibly be?
Jiang Baiwei, on the other hand, was different. While her talent was nowhere near what Jiang Lianxin had once possessed, she was still leagues above what Jiang Lianxin had now become.
In the current generation of the Jiang family’s younger members, Jiang Baiwei was undeniably the most talented.
The Jiang family’s sudden change of decision… surely something must be behind it.
Gu Yuan fell silent for a moment and finally asked,
“Can you tell me the reason? Why did the Jiang family suddenly go back on their word?”
The Jiang elder shook his head.
“You’ll know in time.”
With that, he got up and walked out. In no time, he had vanished from the Gu family’s reception hall.
Inside the hall, the higher-ups of the Gu family were all filled with anger and frustration.
Gu Yuan was the same.
But there was nothing they could do.
Right now, the Gu family doesn’t have the qualifications to negotiate with the Jiang family.
Even taking ten thousand steps back, even if the Jiang family refused to acknowledge the favor from back then—what could the Gu family do about it?
Times had changed.
The Jiang family now was nothing more than a small clan without even a single Profound King.
Gu Yuan leaned back in his chair, and at that moment, he looked as though he had suddenly aged several years.
“Forget it… Just forget it.”
At that moment, Gu Changqing happened to walk in.
Seeing his son, Gu Yuan gave a bitter smile.
“Qing’er, you’ve seen it too. I fear the Jiang family won’t let Jiang Baiwei marry into our family. They’re only willing to offer Jiang Lianxin.”
“It’s your father’s failure.”
“If you’re unwilling, we’ll just cancel the engagement. I’ll find another wife for you. That Jiang Lianxin…”
Jiang Lianxin—who in the younger generation of the Han Qin Empire doesn’t know her name? Once the dream girl of countless young talents and noble heirs. Her looks were peerless, like a celestial maiden stepping out from a painting. Her talent was unmatched in the empire.
But now… she was just a cripple.
His son, the Gu family’s eldest young master, even if not the most gifted, surely didn’t deserve to marry a cripple, right?
But at this moment, Gu Changqing’s attention wasn’t on his father, but on the floating virtual interface in front of him—
Potential Spouse List:
Jiang Baiwei – Earth Element Spirit Body (Purple Grade Tier-2), eldest daughter of the Jiang family patriarch
Jiang Meng – Martial Arts Prodigy (Green Grade Tier-9), daughter of the Jiang family’s second elder
Jiang Qingqing – Average Talent (White Grade Tier-6), branch family member
…
Jiang Lianxin – Mystic Ice Sacred Bone (Gold Grade Tier-1), currently damaged, but repairable. Recommended pills: Taixuan Bone-Refining Pill, Nine-Rebirth Bone Pill, Soulblood Fusion Pill…
“Gold-grade talent!?”
Gu Changqing’s heart shook violently.
The system had once introduced the talent rating scale, from lowest to highest:
Black → White → Green → Blue → Purple → Orange → Gold → Red
Each color had nine subgrades, from Tier-1 to Tier-9.
Generally, purple-grade talent had the potential to reach the Emperor realm.
Orange-grade talent could potentially reach the Venerable realm.
And gold-grade…
That was Imperial-tier potential!
“Good heavens,” Gu Changqing muttered internally, “The Jiang family totally underestimated Jiang Lianxin’s gift. They thought she had a ‘spiritual bone’… not realizing that what she actually possesses is a sacred bone, a level higher!”
The Sacred Bone!
As long as it wasn’t destroyed permanently, it held the potential to break through to the Great Emperor realm!
A spiritual bone might lead to an Emperor.
But a sacred bone… had the potential to become a Great Emperor!
“Father!!”
Gu Changqing excitedly interrupted his father.
He could hardly believe it—he might actually marry a future Empress!
The Jiang family’s last-minute switch was brilliant! What a move!
They replaced the bride and accidentally handed him a fated Empress with gold-grade sacred bones.
Let’s make one thing clear—nobody’s backing out now! Whoever tries to cancel this marriage later is the real loser!
Although Jiang Lianxin’s Mystic Ice Sacred Bone was currently shattered, that wasn’t a problem at all for someone like Gu Changqing—who had the Alchemical Emperor’s Heart Sutra.
In fact, the system had kindly listed a whole range of sacred pills that could repair the Mystic Ice Sacred Bone. Most of them were rare or lost to history—but no worries!
The Alchemical Emperor’s Heart Sutra included those ancient recipes!
As long as he could gather the ingredients, he could refine the pills himself!
Gu Yuan was startled by his son’s sudden outburst—was he that upset over the Jiang family’s betrayal?
He was just about to offer some comforting words when Gu Changqing couldn’t wait any longer and spoke first:
“Agree to the marriage. I want Jiang Lianxin. I don’t care about anyone else.”
Gu Yuan frowned.
“Qing’er, but Jiang Lianxin is a cripp—”
“Father!” Gu Changqing locked eyes with him, eyes firm with resolve.
He obviously couldn’t tell his father about the system, so he could only do everything in his power to make sure Jiang Lianxin married into the Gu family.
“Very well, then. Jiang Lianxin it is.”
At this moment, Gu Changqing also understood why the Jiang family suddenly went back on their word.
The Earth Element Spirit Body.
The Earth Element Spirit Body (Wu Earth Type) was purple-grade and had Emperor-level potential. It was an innate body type that could awaken later in life, depending on chance. Some never awakened it at all.
Jiang Baiwei likely awakened hers recently.
No wonder the Jiang family changed their mind so abruptly.
Before awakening, Jiang Baiwei’s talent might have capped at King-level at best. But after awakening…
She had the potential to become an Emperor.
From the Jiang family’s point of view, she now wasn’t much inferior to the former Jiang Lianxin. How could they be willing to let her go?
“Jiang family… I really have to thank you,” Gu Changqing thought, his heart swelling with gratitude. “You didn’t send Jiang Baiwei, but gave me Jiang Lianxin, someone with gold-grade talent!”
Such kindness!
They were so worried he might marry someone with poor talent that they personally delivered a Heaven-chosen future Empress to him!
That said, had Jiang Lianxin remained in the Jiang family, her Mystic Ice Sacred Body likely never would have been repaired.
So for Jiang Lianxin, this marriage was a great opportunity, too.
From the moment Gu Changqing saw her talent rating, he had already started thinking up baby names for their future children.
He couldn’t imagine how ridiculously gifted their kids would be!
Sure, his own talent was average, but with a wife like that?
Gold-grade Sacred Body!
Plus, with the system helping him, his own abilities would definitely rise over time.
And when the time came… their kids would probably be born destined for greatness—perhaps even as future Emperors or Venerables!
“Tsk tsk…”
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