With the faint, lingering sound of camel bells, Princess Xiang Yun quietly departed the Eastern Palace, returning to the Western Desert that had raised her.
In all the vast thirty million square kilometers of the Great Xia, only Xia Wuyang could so completely capture Princess Xiang Yun’s heart and mind.
Now, it seemed Xia Wuyang could age and pass away at any moment. The still peerlessly beautiful Princess Xiang Yun could not bear to witness such a thing.
Even as she left, Princess Xiang Yun did not reveal the truth. She claimed she was searching for a treasure to aid her Cultivation, a pretense to delay things for as long as possible.
Only when she could delay no further would she announce that she and the Crown Prince had separated.
This, of course, was all for Xia Wuyang’s sake. After all, if the news got out, he would be utterly disgraced once more. People might even suspect that Princess Xiang Yun had given him treasures to secure her freedom from the Eastern Palace.
Princess Xiang Yun had previously spent considerable time and effort to obtain treasures like the Five Hundred Year-Old Monkey Wine and the Celestial Snow Lotus, a fact that had not gone unnoticed by certain interested parties.
With their resources, it would be easy for them to investigate where those items ended up.
Amidst the fading sound of camel bells, Xia Wuyang’s Spiritual Power increased once more, breaking through a small bottleneck.
Ninety points!
A Spiritual Power ninety times that of an ordinary person. Along with it came a superior memory, intellect, and Comprehension—a comprehensive enhancement in every respect.
His physical constitution was also enhanced, his Cultivation Realm advanced further, and his Cultivation Foundation grew more solid. It wouldn’t be long before he could consume the Five Hundred Year-Old Monkey Wine and break into the Upper Three Grades.
However, he didn’t awaken a new Companion Talent. He had already awakened Danger Warning when his Spiritual Power reached eighty points, so it was normal not to gain another one now.
He would likely have to reach one hundred points before he could awaken a new Companion Talent.
Besides, one hundred was a major threshold and an even greater bottleneck. Xia Wuyang had a feeling that when his Spiritual Power reached one hundred points, he might awaken a truly incredible Companion Talent or experience other strange phenomena.
Although he hadn’t awakened a new Companion Talent, every breakthrough of these minor thresholds brought a surge of improvement akin to an epiphany, and this time was no exception.
All sorts of thoughts flooded his mind, and insights bloomed like a sky full of stars. They ultimately converged on the Nether Acupuncture Needle, causing the Top Level Secret Technique to improve at an astonishing speed.
As it improved, Xia Wuyang refined it further, adapting it to his own body to unleash even greater power.
He fell into a trance, completely immersed in the process. By the time Xia Wuyang came to his senses, he had not only cultivated the Nether Acupuncture Needle to Perfection but had also refined it further. Its power now far surpassed its previous form; it was truly tailor-made for him.
In his hands, the power this Top Level Secret Technique could unleash would far exceed its classification. Its stealth was also beyond imagination; it was uncertain if even a Super Grade Celestial Human could detect it.
Furthermore, after his modifications, the execution of the Nether Acupuncture Needle was different. Even if it were discovered, it was questionable whether anyone would recognize it.
It was sure to produce unexpected results when he eventually dealt with his enemies.
After taking some time to consolidate and adapt to the new Nether Acupuncture Needle, Xia Wuyang nodded in satisfaction and resumed his Cultivation.
As dawn approached, he sensed the Qiuci Dancers were beginning to stir. Outside, the Palace Attendants were already bustling about.
Xia Wuyang paused his Cultivation, returned to the brocade couch, and held the Qiuci Dancers as he went back to sleep. He didn’t stir until the sun was high in the sky, at which point he resumed his debauched revelry, continuing his absurd performance.
"Fifth Prince has a Bone Marrow Cleansing Fruit! Fifth Prince has a Bone Marrow Cleansing Fruit!"
"I wanna eat it! I wanna eat it! I wanna eat it!"
"Me too! Me too!"
...
But as he lolled about with a dancer on each arm, he overheard something incredible from the birds outside. His eyes lit up, and he nearly jumped to his feet.
What was a Bone Marrow Cleansing Fruit? It was a fruit that could achieve Purifying the Marrow, allowing one to be completely reborn.
This was a Special Miracle Treasure, far superior to an Ordinary Miracle Treasure like the Celestial Water Essence Xia Wuyang had previously consumed, or the Five Hundred Year-Old Monkey Wine Princess Xiang Yun had given him.
The Celestial Water Essence and the Five Hundred Year-Old Monkey Wine were merely Ordinary Miracle Treasures, yet they were already exceedingly precious. Even he had to expend great effort to obtain them. Taking even a single portion from the Inner Treasury required the personal approval of Emperor Xia.
He had even been ridiculed by the public as "the Crown Prince who sold his concubines" just for three portions of Celestial Water Essence. The price he’d paid was immense.
If Ordinary Miracle Treasures were already so difficult to acquire, how much more so a Special Miracle Treasure? Its value far exceeded that of its ordinary counterparts, for it could enhance one’s Talent and Qualification, fundamentally changing a Martial Artist’s destiny.
Despite being the Crown Prince for so many years, Xia Wuyang had never obtained a single Special Miracle Treasure. His Talent and Qualification were merely upper-mid tier, leaving a gap between him and the most gifted Princes and Princesses.
If not for decades of relentless practice and the Empress Mother’s staunch support, he never would have become one of the strongest cultivators among the Princes and Princesses.
’I can’t believe the Fifth Prince’s luck is this good, actually managing to obtain a Special Miracle Treasure like the Bone Marrow Cleansing Fruit. If I could snatch it, I could greatly compensate for my own deficiencies in Talent and Qualification.’
Xia Wuyang’s heart pounded with temptation. He calmed his mind and focused, continuing to listen in for more details and to see if an opportunity would present itself.
"Can’t get it! We can’t get the Bone Marrow Cleansing Fruit!"
"Fifth Prince hid the Bone Marrow Cleansing Fruit in the Practice Room! No one can get it!"
"Eat dirt! Eat dirt! Eat dirt!"
...
’So it’s hidden in his Practice Room.’ Xia Wuyang smiled faintly, but then he thought of his current strength and couldn’t help but sigh.
The Fifth Prince was one of the most powerful among all the Princes and Princesses in terms of strength, influence, and authority. He was an Upper Third Grade Martial Artist himself and was said to be protected by several other experts of the same rank.
The place where he kept such a precious treasure would definitely be guarded by Upper Third Grade Martial Artists as well. With his current strength, Xia Wuyang had no hope of stealing it.
’Looks like I’ll have to wait until I ascend to the Upper Three Grades before I can even think about stealing the Bone Marrow Cleansing Fruit.’
’I can only hope the Fifth Prince doesn’t consume it before then, leaving me an opportunity.’
From what he’d overheard from the birds, Xia Wuyang knew the Fifth Prince had recently had a breakthrough and was still consolidating his Cultivation Realm. That would take at least several tens of days.
He would have to wait until his Cultivation Realm was consolidated before consuming the fruit to ensure its effects were maximized.
If not for that, the Fifth Prince would have likely consumed the Bone Marrow Cleansing Fruit already instead of hiding it away.
’I have to speed up,’ he resolved. ’I must try to break into the Upper Three Grades before he does, so I can get that Bone Marrow Cleansing Fruit. It will be immensely helpful for my future Cultivation.’
With this thought, Xia Wuyang maintained his facade of romantic indulgence, but in secret, he worked even harder, preparing himself for the next dose of Monkey Wine.
As soon as his Foundation was perfectly polished and showed no signs of instability, he would consume the Five Hundred Year-Old Monkey Wine and make his push for the Upper Three Grades.