Pang Shao realised everyone was looking at him and quickly composed himself. He had been far too excited. This news absolutely could not spread, or the entire imperial city would go mad. Everyone knew the General’s Tomb held great secrets.
Rumours said that obtaining the secrets of the General’s Tomb could make one invincible in the world. Though the legend was somewhat exaggerated, it still showed just how extraordinary the General’s Tomb truly was.
“What do you think?” Pang Shao asked, looking at Ye Chu.
“I want to go in and try again!” Ye Chu did not hide it and answered directly.
“The General’s Tomb is extremely dangerous. Though I do not know exactly what method you obtained, it is absolutely impossible for it to be completely safe.” Pang Shao said. “If you are truly determined to go in, perhaps it would be better to wait until your strength increases further.”
“I have considered that. I once thought of waiting until I reached the fifth level of the Innate realm before attempting it again. But you know what the Innate realm represents!” Ye Chu replied.
“You mean shaping the Primordial Spirit?” As the heir of a great clan, Pang Shao knew many secrets that ordinary cultivators did not.
Cultivation had three major stages. The first major stage focused on cultivating one’s own Primordial Spirit. The True Qi realm and Intent Transformation realm were merely the foundations. Reaching the Innate realm marked the core of this first major stage.
The Primordial Spirit realm was the final boundary of ‘cultivating one’s own Primordial Spirit’. The transition from the Innate realm to the Primordial Spirit realm involved a process of shaping the Primordial Spirit. The more solid and profound the shaped Primordial Spirit, the stronger one’s power. Among peers at the same level, whoever had the more solid and profound Primordial Spirit would possess overwhelming dominance.
Moreover, the quality of the shaped Primordial Spirit directly determined how far one could transform after breaking through to the Primordial Spirit realm. This was why cultivators who understood this were extremely cautious after reaching the Innate realm. They would only choose cultivation methods best suited for shaping the Primordial Spirit.
“Mm.” Ye Chu did not deny it.
“What does that have to do with entering the General’s Tomb?” Pang Shao asked in confusion.
Ye Chu smiled and did not explain. Back when he was in Qing Mi Mountain, the old madman had once spoken to him about shaping the Primordial Spirit and about methods for doing so. The old madman had said that although his own Primordial Spirit shaping method was rare in the world, he had once encountered someone whose method was undoubtedly superior.
The old madman had sighed that if he had possessed such a Primordial Spirit shaping method when he was at the Innate realm, his strength might have been even greater by a notch. He had even suspected that the other’s method might have been created by an invincible supreme being of the world.
Ye Chu had once been shocked by those words, yet he also found them laughable. What kind of existence was an invincible supreme being of the world? They were practically divine figures, unrivalled across the nine heavens and ten lands, standing alone at the pinnacle of cultivators, revered and feared even by heaven and earth. How could a cultivation method created by such a person possibly circulate so easily?
Of course, though Ye Chu did not fully believe what the old madman had said, he was still curious about who had obtained the Primordial Spirit shaping method that even the old madman praised so highly. The answer he received was the strongest person in the history of the empire: the Great General.
That was precisely why Ye Chu had once recklessly led the group into the General’s Tomb, wanting to see if he could find the Primordial Spirit shaping method that the old madman held in such high regard. Although Ye Chu was interested in the great secrets of the General’s Tomb, he was far more intrigued by that particular method.
“You don’t have a suitable Primordial Spirit shaping method, do you?” Pang Shao looked at Ye Chu suspiciously.
“Is that not allowed?” Ye Chu shrugged.
Pang Shao stared at Ye Chu as though he had seen a ghost. How could Ye Chu possibly lack a suitable Primordial Spirit shaping method? From the Intent realm he cultivated, it was clear Ye Chu came from an extraordinary background. If that was the case, how could he lack one?
Pang Shao could not help frowning. For ordinary cultivators, lacking a suitable method might be excusable, but for heirs of great clans like them, it was far too important. It determined their future achievements, how far they could walk on the path, and whether that path would be deep and solid enough.
“Why don’t you come to my house and see if we have something suitable?” Pang Shao suggested to Ye Chu.
Ye Chu shook his head. He did not truly lack a suitable Primordial Spirit shaping method. The old madman of Qing Mi Mountain had quite a collection, with many excellent items. Sneaking in to take a few would surely yield something appropriate.
But one casual remark from the old madman had lodged deeply in Ye Chu’s memory. After getting drunk one time, the old madman had sighed, “Ye Chu is a fine seedling! What a pity he lacks the absolute best Primordial Spirit shaping method. Otherwise, with his miraculous physique, his potential would be heaven-shaking.”
That drunken remark from the old madman had stayed with Ye Chu ever since. That was why he always kept the General’s Tomb’s method in mind. If he could obtain the best one, perfect. If not, he could always return to Qing Mi Mountain later and see if the old madman had any hidden treasures.
“No need.” Ye Chu shook his head. “I do not need it right now. If I do in the future, I will speak to your grandfather.”
“Shaping the Primordial Spirit is best started right after reaching the Innate realm. Otherwise, even if you find a suitable method later, it will not yield the best results.” Pang Shao reminded him.
“I know that naturally!” Ye Chu nodded with a smile. “But I want to finish with the General’s Tomb first before dealing with this matter.”
Pang Shao did not try to persuade him further. He knew that once Ye Chu had made up his mind, persuasion was useless.
“Take me with you?” Pang Shao grinned. “I also want to see the secrets of the General’s Tomb.”
“Are you not afraid of dying?” Ye Chu grinned back. “If you die in there, you will not be able to ruin women anymore.”
Pang Shao could not help shivering at the thought of the dangers from last time. Imagining his fat body left behind in there, he quickly said, “Um, let me think about it some more!”
Ye Chu gave Pang Shao a contemptuous look. He actually hoped Pang Shao would come along. If Pang Shao joined, with his experience from last time, he would surely bring several skilled experts from his family.
“Get lost!” Ye Chu kicked Pang Shao away and nodded towards Wang Yan, who had been watching them the whole time.
…
Just as Liu Shaoyang and the others were trying to coax Ye Chu into drinking, filling his teacup to the brim with wine, a voice came from the entrance. “You lot are really too unkind. Holding such a gathering and not inviting us!”
The voice drew everyone’s gaze to the door. Seeing the group walking in, Pang Shao and the others frowned. How had this bunch shown up? And how did they even know about the banquet here?
Ye Chu noticed Liu Shaoyang and the others looking unhappy. He pulled Huang Lin closer and asked, “Who are they?”
Huang Lin glared at the group with disgust, her eyes settling on the young man at the front. “The one at the very front is the third young master of the Ye family. The others are young masters and ladies from various marquis households. We have some bad blood with them!”
“Third young master of the Ye family?” Ye Chu’s heart skipped a beat. His gaze snapped towards the other party. A thought suddenly rose in his mind: Did Ye Jingyun know he had returned? And had she told the Ye family?