Chapter 428 - 235: Promotion
Chapter 428: Chapter 235: Promotion
"You think he can achieve a Secondary Dragon Ascension?" Zhou Yong looked at Tao Hujin.
"I don’t." Tao Hujin shook his head.
Zhou Yong’s eyes widened. "Then why did you recruit him?"
He had thought that Tao Hujin genuinely saw potential in Xu Yang, and that’s why he wanted to invest in him early to help him achieve a Secondary Dragon Ascension.
Tao Hujin said, "I want to go back to Yun Province, but in this godforsaken place, he’s the only one I can recruit. The Young Master Marquis and Li Chuyang have better prospects, but I can’t get to them.
It’s a gamble. If I lose, the worst that can happen is I’ll be fined a few years’ salary. If I win, I can return to Yun Province. If I stay in this place any longer, I’ll waste away."
If we’re talking about prospects, he naturally favored people like Li Chuyang, Jiang Fan, and Yan Guiyun. But not just anyone could be recruited by the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, and he wasn’t interested in just anyone, either.
He wasn’t sure if Xu Yang could achieve a Secondary Dragon Ascension, but if Xu Yang obtained the Dragon Ascension Resources from the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, his chances would be much higher.
If he missed this chance with Xu Yang, he’d have to wait another seven or eight years in this place before getting a chance to leave. He didn’t want to wait any longer. Even a gamble was better than that.
"If you don’t even think he’ll succeed, can you still call that a gamble? You’re basically attempting the impossible," Zhou Yong said, shaking his head.
He also didn’t think Xu Yang could achieve a Secondary Dragon Ascension. His foundation and time spent cultivating were still a bit lacking.
In two and a half years, Xu Yang might not even break through to the Celestial Essence realm. And even if he did, it didn’t guarantee a successful Secondary Dragon Ascension.
A Celestial Essence Cultivation was merely the threshold for a Secondary Dragon Ascension; breaking through to Celestial Essence didn’t mean you would automatically succeed.
Tao Hujin smiled. "On the surface, Xu Yang’s chances for Dragon Ascension aren’t great. But don’t forget, his growth potential is astonishing. When you first met him, could you have imagined he would become a Ten Heroes Genius, place in the top three of the Outer Disciple tournament, reach Marrow Cleansing Minor Achievement at his age, and become the fifth of the Purple Sun Sect’s Ten Prodigies?"
What he was betting on was Xu Yang’s terrifying growth potential. It was as if his talent itself was still growing.
Just when everyone thought Xu Yang had hit his peak, he would become even more of a genius.
"That’s true."
Zhou Yong thought for a moment and was left speechless.
When they first met, he never would have imagined Xu Yang could reach his current level. Xu Yang seemed different from most Martial Artists, always full of surprises.
He, who had been optimistic about Xu Yang from the start, hadn’t noticed these things, yet Tao Hujin had. He felt like he’d missed another opportunity.
According to Tao Hujin’s analysis, it really was worth betting on Xu Yang. Of course, the consequences of losing the bet would also be severe. Tao Hujin was so desperate to return to Yun Province that he was betting everything on a single throw.
Tao Hujin left with a smile. He went to the back room of the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, found a brush and ink, and began to write. Piece by piece, information about Xu Yang was written down on paper. When he was finished, he folded the note and attached it to a carrier pigeon.
"Go on. Whether or not I can return to Yun Province is all up to you."
The pigeon beat its wings and took flight from his hand, soaring into the clouds. It quickly vanished above Cyan Yang City, becoming a black dot that disappeared over the horizon.
...
In the Underground Pill Room, the furnace fire was blazing. One by one, Xu Yang tossed medicinal herbs into the Pill Furnace.
He had begun the process of Alchemy.
As for his agreement to become an Honored Guest Elder of the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, he didn’t dwell on it. He would know after midnight whether it was beneficial to him or not.
If the panel showed no reaction, it would prove the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion affair was a trap, and he would find a way to back out of it then.
Soon, all the medicinal ingredients were in the Pill Furnace. He closed the lid and began to control the intensity of the fire.
This was a long process that would not be finished until the next day.
Late at night, a faint light flickered before his eyes.
[Agreed to the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion’s recruitment. Points +20]
[Martial Arts Longevity Points: 798]
A smile touched the corner of Xu Yang’s lips. The panel had given him points, which meant this wasn’t a bad thing.
Although it wasn’t many points, the fact that he received a reward at all confirmed that this was a beneficial matter for him.
He soon put the matter out of his mind and continued with his Alchemy. The night passed without him noticing. The following afternoon, with a tremor from the Pill Furnace, the refinement of the Dragon Tiger Great Golden Pill was complete.
’Ten pills formed!’
He extinguished the furnace fire and opened the lid. Ten golden Dragon Tiger Great Golden Pills lay inside the Pill Furnace. Xu Yang quickly fetched a Jade Box to store them.
After storing all ten Dragon Tiger Great Golden Pills, he left his courtyard, found a nearby restaurant, and ordered some food.
...
「Hongchuan County, Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion Branch.」
Steward Fang Xinghai was dressed in loose training clothes, his legs rooted to the ground like a great tree. A white mist steamed from the top of his head, shrouding him in a hazy vapor.
The invisible Power of Heaven and Earth surged toward him, swarming into his body. Following a strange breathing rhythm, a rumbling echoed from within him as brilliant light flowed over his body, emitting a vast aura.
TAP, TAP...
The sound of footsteps suddenly reached his ears. Fang Xinghai stopped his Stinging Dragon Breathing Technique and opened his eyes to see his disciple, Meng Xiangdong, walking quickly toward him.
"What is it?" His voice was calm, showing no displeasure at being interrupted.
He was the Steward of the Yun Province’s northern branch of the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, with a mountain of daily affairs. Being interrupted during practice was all too normal. Sometimes, even intimate moments with his wife and concubines could be cut short by urgent matters.
"Master, Shopkeeper Tao Hujin from Cyan Yang City sent an urgent letter." Meng Xiangdong presented the letter he had taken from the carrier pigeon.
Fang Xinghai walked over to a nearby pavilion, sat down, and poured a cup of tea. "Tao Hujin? What is he reporting?"
Meng Xiangdong replied, "He recruited a Purple Sun Sect disciple named Xu Yang. He claims this person has a chance at a Secondary Dragon Ascension. He’s reporting the information and also applying for Dragon Ascension Resources for this Xu Yang."