Chapter 171: Heavy Debt
Su Wen"s residence.
Su Wen was currently sitting in a quiet room specially built for cultivation.
In this mystic realm, there were two rewards he obtained: the Great Solar Supreme Policy and the Vermillion Bird"s blood essence.
Firstly, it was the Great Solar Supreme Policy. How should one put it? It did not just consist of one martial technique!
There were all kinds of techniques and secret arts within. It was all-encompa.s.sing.
To Su Wen, who was lacking in martial techniques, this was definitely a huge supplement.
But the problem was that it was too complicated.
As far as Su Wen was concerned, if he trained slowly, he did not know when he would be able to use it for an actual combat scenario.
However, this cultivation technique was extremely unique and difficult to separate into the varied techniques to learn.
Just the initial learning Emotional Value given by the system alone was 100,000 points!
In comparison, while Stellar Transposition was also a Heaven Rank cultivation technique, the Emotional Value he required at the start to learn it was only 5,000!
Although the amount of Saint Qi gathered in the Demon Martial Bead was indeed worth more than 20 Heaven Tier martial techniques, the difference in Emotional Value was too great.
Even with Su Wen"s remaining Emotional Value, he was still lacking by a little in using the system"s a.s.sistance.
This made Su Wen very unhappy!
Actually, it could be understood that this Great Solar Supreme Policy, from a certain point of view, was already extremely close to a Paragon Rank martial technique. It was naturally much stronger than ordinary Heaven Rank cultivation techniques!
Suddenly, Su Wen remembered that he still had a martial arts fragment.
After pondering for a moment, Su Wen steeled his heart and used the martial arts fragment!
Comprehending martial arts on his own!
In an instant, Su Wen fell into an extremely ethereal state. Within the Great Solar Supreme Policy, some things that he originally couldn"t understand suddenly became clear.
He cultivated for seven days in one go!
Seven days later, Su Wen"s Great Solar Supreme Policy had reached Level 1!
To Su Wen, this saved him almost 100,000 Emotional Value points!
At the same time, after mastering the Great Su Wen, Su Wen knew that his battle prowess had directly increased by leaps and bounds.
Although his most powerful technique was still the saber technique Nine Waves Return to Origin, in a normal battle, the power of the Great Solar Supreme Policy had already surpa.s.sed that of using the ordinary Layered Wave Saber.
And this was only the beginning!
Following that was the Vermillion Bird blood essence.
Su Wen directly swallowed it!
This time, he landed in big trouble!
Initially, Su Wen had consumed a lot of vicious beast blood essence.
But those were all processed by the system!
However, his Vermillion Bird blood essence had not been processed at all. Su Wen did not think too much about it, directly swallowing it, and that was where the problems began.
Violent energy and blood essence erupted within his body!
Su Wen"s entire body turned red and his skin began to crack. What was revealed was not flesh but golden flames.
The Sorcerer G.o.d"s Golden Gu had also absorbed a large amount of the blood essence and True Qi. At this moment, it turned into a golden coc.o.o.n and fell asleep in Su Wen"s body!
"Warning… warning… energy overload in the host…"
"Detected that the host is about to explode. Determined that the host has no ability to save himself…"
"Consuming Emotional Value to a.s.sist…"
Su Wen gritted his teeth.
He couldn"t care less at this point.
The Emotional Values he had acc.u.mulated in the system began to deplete rapidly.
However, Su Wen"s skin started to heal…
[Ding-dong, the host"s Emotional Value is insufficient… Do you wish to borrow from the system? There is a 50% interest…]
"Borrow!"
Su Wen had no other choice!
Whatever it was, he would save his life first!
Hence, Su Wen saw his own Emotional Value plummet and for the first time, enter the negatives!
-1, -2, -3, -10,086!
[Ding-dong. The host has acquired bloodline — Power of the Vermilion Bird!]
[Ding-dong. Congratulations to the host for condensing the Holy Vermilion Flame!]
[Ding-dong. Congratulations to the host for condensing the Pupils of the Vermillion Bird!]
[Ding-dong. The host owes 450,000 Emotional Value points. After factoring in the interest rate of 50%, the total amount owed is 675,000 Emotional Value points.]
[Host, please repay your debt as soon as possible!]
Su Wen: "..."
He did not expect that he could not swallow such a thing directly.
At this moment, Su Wen had completely recovered back to normal!
However, his body had undergone tremendous changes.
At that moment, what flowed in his meridians could no longer be considered True Qi nor Origin Qi.
Instead, it was a bona fide flame. Golden holy flames br.i.m.m.i.n.g with True Qi flowed, but did not harm him in the slightest.
Furthermore, his cultivation had directly broken through to 5th Grade Earth Rank!
"Pupils of the Vermillion Bird!"
Su Wen muttered to himself and his right eye instantly lit up!
Similar golden holy flames burned in his eyes. Su Wen felt that his perception of the world had turned incomparably clear. He could see many things that he could not see before.
"And then? What"s the effect?"
Obviously, Su Wen still had to figure out how to use it.
However, after activating the Pupils of the Vermilion Bird, Su Wen could sense that his Qi was rapidly depleting!
At this moment, Su Wen"s system interface also underwent a huge change!
Host: Su Wen
Emotional Value: - 675,000 points
Level: 20
Cultivation: 5th Grade Earth Rank
Cultivation Technique: Heaven & Earth Great Solar Sutra
Battle Techniques: Jadebreak Fist (LV9), Layered Wave Saber (LV9), Stellar Transposition (LV3), Great Sun Supreme Policy (LV1)
Bloodline: Vermilion Bird
Looking at the huge amount of debt he owed, Su Wen was on the brink of tears.
He suddenly thought of a problem.
"System, can I still level up before I repay my debt?"
[Before the debt is repaid, you will be unable to level up!]
F**k! Even after using so much Emotional Value, he still had to forego his lottery chances.
However, Su Wen also knew that it was already good enough that the system was able to help him resolve this issue.
"System, look. If you hadn"t given me enough blood essence to swallow it directly, would I have swallowed it in one gulp? You"re responsible for this too, aren"t you? Are you going to cut me some slack?"
Seeing that he had recovered, Su Wen tried to s.h.i.+ft the blame.
Unfortunately, the system fell silent.
Although Su Wen still looked the same as before, there was an indescribable change in his temperament.
After coming out of the room, Su Wen took a shower.
After entering for so many days, although there wasn"t much dust on his body due to the holy flames, he still wanted to wash up.
In the bathroom, Cui Yumian and Xie Yiyi played with Su Wen for more than two hours.
Furthermore, Su Wen had discovered a new function of his body. It could serve as a heating device and he did not need to consider the temperature of the water at all. If he wanted to increase the temperature, he would need to activate his internal energy and it would instantly heat up.
Furthermore, he could control his body temperature. This time, there were more tricks he could use.
"Hubby, you"re so hot…"
"Watch my Great Sage Flame Rod!"
"Watch my Flaming Rippling Palms!"
"Ahhhhh!"
The next afternoon, Su Wen came out of Yan Luoying"s room.
Feeling the warm sunlight was very comfortable.
In truth, he wasn"t the only one in seclusion. Most of the people who had come out of the mystic realm had immediately chosen to enter seclusion to increase their cultivation bases.
After pondering for a while, Su Wen went to the Prime Minister"s mansion.
Upon seeing Su Changqing, Su Wen smiled and said, "Father, I"m back."
Su Changqing glanced at him and said, "How is it?"
"The problem with the Golden Gu should have been resolved by now. Currently, I"m at 5th Grade Earth Rank, and have even consumed the blood of a divine beast!"
Su Wen honestly told him about his gains!
Su Changqing narrowed his eyes.
He pondered and said, "If you solve this problem, will others be able to tell?"
Su Wen shook his head. "I don"t know!"
Su Changqing said, "In the half a year that you were in there, the incident in the Li Prefecture was exposed. The rebellion has started again. This time, it"s not the rioters anymore. The government officials of the Li Prefecture, the sects, the commoners, and the aristocratic families have all rebelled! They have completely escaped the control of the Great Zhou!"
Su Wen widened his eyes and looked at Su Changqing. He could not help but ask, "Are these people that ruthless?"
Su Changqing sneered, "You think? The Ma Family"s matter has been brought up. As the leader of the Ma Family, once something happens, everyone knows that once the carrot is pulled out, they will die. The Ma Family thus directly submitted to the Li Prefecture Governor Feng Yuanchun. This fellow will ascend to a higher position and become the King of the Li Prefecture. He established his own kingdom!"
"Xue Wanjun has been beheaded by His Majesty, and the Xue Clan has been implicated!"
Su Wen frowned. "Then what do we do now?"
Su Changqing smiled. "What should we do? If we can"t deploy Heaven Rank experts, we"ll be in deep trouble! His Majesty"s military strength is limited. Even if Xu Qiao in the Southern Wilderness were to fight the enemy, the outcome would still be uncertain!"
Su Wen was puzzled. "Why not Heaven Rank experts? Since they can"t be used on the outside, can they be used on the inside as well?"
Su Changqing sighed. "Do you think there aren"t any Heaven Rank experts among the aristocratic clans of the Li Prefecture? It"s a tacit agreement between the two sides that no one will utilize Heaven Rank experts. His Majesty doesn"t want to mobilize, and Feng Yuanchun doesn"t want to fight to the death with His Majesty either. It"s just the Ma Clan has dragged him into this, and that it"s impossible to get off at this moment. I"m afraid that it"ll just be a matter without end!"
Su Wen frowned. "Can His Majesty tolerate something like rebellion?"
Su Changqing looked at Su Wen and asked, "Then what do you think we should do now? Send troops to kill them? Send Heaven Rank experts to wage a war in Li Prefecture? If that happens, the rebellion will definitely be quelled, but the citizens of Li Prefecture will probably suffer another wave of casualties.
These citizens and soldiers are all obeying orders. Aren"t they innocent? Furthermore, all those that will die are in the end citizens of Great Zhou! His Majesty"s methods must be to pacify them first! Then, he will split them up and destroy them one by one! All of them will die. With His Majesty"s personality, he will definitely not let them off, but for now, even His Majesty will have to endure!"
Su Wen was also helpless. He did not expect this to happen.
Su Changqing looked at him and said, "There"s one more thing."
Su Wen frowned. "What is it?"
"Your mother-in-law… Xie Bingrui!"
At the mention of this woman, Su Wen"s eyes widened. He almost forgot about her.
He asked in a low voice, "What happened to her?"
"I"ve received news that she was captured by those ox-nosed Daoists of the Taihao Palace. I reckon that news will spread in the martial world in the next few days. The Taihao Palace is going to execute her publicly!"
"F*ck!" Su Wen cursed and couldn"t help but say, "This bunch of bulls are looking for trouble."
Su Changqing smiled and said, "Of course they"re looking for trouble. They want to use Xie Bingrui to lure the Demonic Music Sect Master into their trap and capture the entire Demonic Music Sect in one fell swoop. Even if the Demonic Music Sect Master doesn"t turn up, killing her will raise the prestige of their sect, and will also strike at the enemy"s morale! Why not?"
Su Wen said with a bitter smile, "But if Xie Yiyi finds out, then I can"t ignore them."
Su Changqing said in a deep voice, "Of course I have to. No matter what, she"s one of us. If she dies, you"ll lose face. I just want to say that you should figure out how to handle this matter yourself. I won"t bother about you anymore. You"re old now, so don"t just rely on me to clean up your mess."
Su Wen looked at Su Changqing bitterly and said, "I thought you liked to do this."
"Bullsh*t! I don"t have so much free time! Hurry up and get lost! Oh right, go and see your big brother. He didn"t go to the mystic realm, but you did. He"s been a little dispirited recently. It"s not good for me to go. Go and see him. Think of a way to make him have some fighting spirit!"
Su Changqing instructed Su Wen.
Su Wen sneered. "Hehe, you don"t even clean up my mess and you want me to coax your child? What a good plan!"
Seeing that Su Changqing was about to make a move, Su Wen ran off after he finished speaking.
At this moment, Su Cheng was currently drinking at home.
He had really suffered a blow recently.
His useless brother, whom he had originally looked down on, had suddenly entered the Star Martial Mystic Realm and even came out with the first place result.
It had to be said that this was all the Zhou Emperor"s fault!
When this fellow saw Su Wen coming out, he immediately promoted this matter in order to boost the morale of the Great Zhou citizens!
After all, the Great Zhou"s cultivators had been completely wiped out ten years ago. It was not a pretty sight.
This time, he could finally hold his head high.
How could he not brag about it!
Hence, Su Wen"s reputation in the capital had started to change recently.
People were so forgetful. The original label of country b.u.mpkins, playboys, nouveau riche, arrogant, and despotic that Su Wen was tagged to had all changed.
Now that Su Wen was mentioned, everyone gave him a thumbs up. The matter of Su Wen killing an enemy country"s expert in the mystic realm was even more talked about.
This caused Su Wen"s debt to slowly decrease!
However, to Su Cheng, this was a huge blow.
His cultivation level was not high enough, so he could not enter the Star Martial Mystic Realm. He was already feeling very uncomfortable, but when he heard that Su Wen had entered, he almost died from anger. Then, he saw Su Wen unleash his might and increase his fame, making him even more sullen!
These days, he had been neglecting military affairs and drinking to drown his sorrows.
At this moment, Su Wen had already arrived in front of Su Cheng"s mansion. Compared to Su Wen"s luxurious mansion, Su Cheng was much more low-key. It was also Su Changqing"s doing according to the personalities of his sons. He knew very well that Su Cheng would blame him if his was too extravagant.
Being a father was difficult enough.
Su Wen walked forward boldly while Zhao Jin followed closely behind and knocked on the door.
"Open the door!"
Zhao Jin shouted.
He opened the door and was shocked to see Su Wen. He knew Su Wen, but Su Wen rarely came.
"Where"s the Eldest?" Su Wen asked with a sideways glance.
The gatekeeper said in a low voice, "The Master is drinking inside. Third Master, why don"t you wait for a while? I"ll go tell him."
Su Wen pushed the door open and walked in as he said, "Wait? Wait for what? Just go and inform the Eldest to come and see me!"
This fellow was full of arrogance!
How could the gatekeeper dare to stop him? They quickly went to inform Su Cheng!
When Su Cheng heard that Su Wen had come and even acted like this, he was instantly enraged. "Is this brat crazy?! Where is he? I"ll go see him!"
"The Third Master went to the living room!"
"Hmph!"
Su Cheng quickly walked to the living room and saw Su Wen sitting on a chair with a big grin on his face. One of his feet was even propped up on the chair, and he looked like a second-rate person full of vigor!
"What are you doing here! What do you think you look like, behaving like this?" Su Cheng reprimanded sternly.
Su Wen glanced at Su Cheng and said with a smile, "I came here just because I wanted to take a look at my Martial Scholar Elder Brother! How is it? Have you broken through to 9th Grade Star Rank? Oh my, you"re still lacking!"
In reality, Su Cheng"s cultivation level was not very low, but it was this difference of one grade that made him unable to enter the mystic realm!
Of course, he might have escaped a calamity as well. It was hard to say.
However, Su Wen"s words were full of mockery.
Su Cheng said with a black face, "I don"t need you to care! Do you have anything for me? If you"re not, then hurry up and leave!"
Su Wen smiled and said, "How can I not have anything? I already said that your martial arts champion t.i.tle was given to you because of your father, but you still refuse to admit it. Did you see through it this time? Those who have some ability have already entered the Star Martial Mystic Realm, but you are nothing! As a younger brother, I can"t stand it either. Come, I"ll give you a secret manual. Practice it well and don"t embarra.s.s me!"
As Su Wen spoke, he threw a manual on the table!
Heaven & Earth Great Solar Sutra!
Su Wen"s personal cultivation technique was casually tossed onto the table.
Su Wen stood up and said with a smile, "Look carefully, this is a Heaven Rank cultivation technique. Let me tell you, even if Father is not afraid of losing face, I am! If word gets out that my Big Brother is nothing, how can I face others?"
Su Cheng tightly clenched his fist!
He glared fiercely at Su Wen!
He wanted to attack, but he knew very well that he was no match for Su Wen!
After Su Wen said that, he walked out and said, "You don"t have to thank me. After all, I"m not like you, who can"t do anything without our father. I"m more willing to fight for my own success through my own efforts. If not, how would I be like this today?"
"I don"t want your cultivation technique!" Su Cheng gritted his teeth and said.
Su Wen turned back to look at him with a smile that was not a smile. "Let me tell you something. If you don"t cultivate a Heaven Rank cultivation technique, there"s no hope for you to become a Heaven Rank cultivator… If you think you have the ability, then tear this cultivation technique apart."
With that, Su Wen turned around and left!
Su Wen had considered imparting the cultivation technique to Su Cheng before.
No matter what, Su Cheng was his own brother. Moreover, although this cultivation technique could be considered as one of the best in the world, there were still many who could contend with it.
Even in the capital, among the princes and generals, there were many who cultivated Heaven Ranked techniques.
There was no need for him to be selfish.
At the end of the day, how far one could progress in cultivation still depended on the person itself.
Even if Su Cheng had two more Heaven Rank techniques, Su Wen believed that he would not be able to surpa.s.s him.
Su Cheng looked at the cultivation technique on the table and fell silent for a long period of time.
"D*mmit! This little b.a.s.t.a.r.d helped me! I"m really angry!"
He smashed the table with his fist!
But he picked up the cultivation technique!
He also knew that although Su Wen was arrogant, he was actually thinking on his behalf.
Otherwise, how would someone casually throw a Heaven Rank cultivation technique in front of him!
"Next time! I absolutely cannot let him look down on me again!" Su Cheng secretly gritted his teeth!
After Su Wen left, he immediately sent people to inquire about the Taihao Palace. Although he had long heard of its great name, it was still outside of the Royal Court, so he did not know much about the situation of these sects.
If he didn"t check, he wouldn"t know. But once he checked, he got a shock!
Taihao Palace was one of the most powerful sects in Great Zhou!
It was said that the Prime Elder was a Heaven Rank expert!
Furthermore, there were countless experts in the sect. It was just that no one had broken through to the Heaven Rank in the past hundred years.
However, there were quite a lot of 9th Grade Earth Ranks!
Su Wen recalled that one of the fellows who had escaped alive this time seemed to be from the Taihao Palace! What was that kid"s name again?
He even said that he could send a letter to him if there was anything, right?
Just as he was thinking, the door was pushed open.
Xie Yiyi frantically ran in and looked at Su Wen. She wailed, "Husband! Something happened! You… you must save my mother!"