Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Chapter 233 – Key

On Qin Yu’s journey to the capital city, there was a small interlude.

A knock sounded outside his cabin door. The person outside was unexpected.

“Princess Lushy, it’s been a while.”

After a brief pause, Qin Yu spoke up, his voice warm and gentle.

The princess had a faint look. “I don’t need to come in; I only came to ask you a question. When father bestowed a royal marriage to you, why did you refuse?”

Qin Yu cupped his hands together. “My heart belongs to someone else. I could not destroy princess’ happiness just because I wished to live.”

Princess Lushy was stunned. She immediately furrowed her eyebrows together. “Are you speaking the truth?”

“I swear it.”

Her gaze relaxed. She turned and left, sighing inwardly.

Reality proved that her judgment had been excellent. The man she had chosen was brilliant, far more outstanding than any of her peers.

But why did she recognize this so late? Perhaps it would have been better if they never met.

The ship ventured deep through the sea, the waves rolling past it.

…

The great ship anchored at a wharf. Qin Yu stepped onto the deck. As he saw the giant city spread across the bottom of the sea like a miracle, his expression was tranquil.

After disembarking the ship, Turtle Origin simply flew away. A troop from the capital city’s war division guided Qin Yu to board a carriage and enter the royal palace from a side gate.

Following that, things occurred which were beyond Qin Yu’s expectations. Without him needing to go and make a request, Soupman personally came to deliver him many soul restoring treasures.

“Qin Yu, rest well and recover from your injuries. If there is anything you need, feel free to ask!”

Although they hadn’t crossed paths too often, Qin Yu was well aware of how greedy for wealth Soupman was. He was surprised by his actions.

It seemed like His Majesty had a request for him, and it was an extremely important one.

After thinking about it, Qin Yu pressed down these thoughts and decided to put forth his full effort in recovering from his injuries. He would find out what was happening sooner or later.

The things Soupman sent over were all extremely precious treasures in the sea region. Qin Yu was able to use the little blue lamp to help them grow, making them become even more potent.

Time slowly passed. Although the strength of these treasures was absorbed by his soul, the cracks on his soul’s surface didn’t disappear.

Shua –

Within a temple, Qin Yu opened his eyes. His face darkened and he grimaced.

Just as he thought, it wasn’t useful.

The soul was the most mysterious existence of a cultivator’s body. In order to reach it, one needed to touch upon the Divine Soul realm or have heaven-defying good fortune like Qin Yu. The soul was incomparably powerful and filled with infinite mysteries. But, once injured, wanting to restore it was difficult beyond imagination.

And what worried Qin Yu the most was that ever since that day when Spirity fell unconscious, she still hadn’t awoken. Through their resonance, he could sense her aura constantly weakening. If things continued like this, he feared she might never wake up.

Just how could he repair his soul and awaken Spirity?

As Qin Yu was mulling this over, His Majesty in that grand hall had finally completed his preparations. He had secretly cleaned up many uncertain factors so that even if he failed to cross tribulation, there would still be a smooth transition of royal authority in the capital city. There would be no widespread chaos.

“Bring Qin Yu in to see this Solitude.”

This man possessed the most power and influence in the world, and his cultivation also stood at the peak of all others. Not long after he spoke his command, Qin Yu was brought in. Where he now stood was in the grand hall at the center of the royal palace.

Qin Yu looked up. When he sensed that boundless aura which soared to the skies, he knew who it was that he was meeting.

He adjusted his black robes a little and then pushed open the doors to the grand hall, stepping in.

The first thing he saw was that figure sitting upon the dragon throne. That figure didn’t emit any formidable aura, but just by sitting there he seemed to be the center of the world, leaving everyone who witnessed his glory in awe.

“Qin Yu, greets Your Majesty.”

The Sea Sovereign opened his eyes. His eyes were steady and flat. He was a regal and majestic man. From the start, his appearance had never been described, because with his status there was simply no need to mention these things.

“Qin Yu, you should know that this Solitude has sat upon this chair for almost 300 years, not taking even a single step away.”

Qin Yu’s heart shook. His expression was solemn.

“This Solitude is the ruler of the sea, the one who possesses the highest authority in the world, the one who controls trillions of lives. To others, it might seem like an endlessly glorious existence, but does anyone know the difficulties behind it? The underground vine…you must have seen it already. That is this Solitude’s Companion Vine. If this Solitude didn’t shift strength into its body, then this Solitude would not have lived until today. But to draw out one’s own cultivation, such an action doesn’t taste good at all. Though my will is formidable, this Solitude no longer wishes to withstand it. So, this Solitude hopes that you can help this Solitude resolve this burden.” The Sea Sovereign had a faint expression. When he lowered his head and looked down, the disdainful bearing a transcendent ruler was finally revealed. “This Solitude must cross tribulation, break out of this cage, and obtain a new life! Qin Yu, are you willing to help this Solitude?”

Of course, this was not really a request. If you don’t believe it, how about you try refusing?

Qin Yu bowed. “I will put forth my utmost effort!” He continued to say, “But for this, I will need to make some preparations. Or if any accident was to occur, I would not be able to withstand the consequences.”

“Very well. This Solitude will give you three days’ time…”

“Your Majesty, I have one more thing to say.” He looked up, “Perhaps this is beyond the thinking of someone as lowly as me, but this world is too cruel and sinister, so I cannot help but make considerations early. I hope that Your Majesty can give me a promise, that once you smoothly cross tribulation, you will allow me to leave.”

The Sea Sovereign nodded. “Very well, this Solitude will agree. But, you must also agree to a condition. After leaving the sea region, never take another step in for the rest of your life.”

Qin Yu bowed. “As Your Majesty wills.”

The one who controlled the method of crossing tribulation could create a massive number of Nascent Souls in a short period of time. If used by someone with the correct aspirations, Qin Yu had the ability to stir up a dreadful storm in the sea region. At that time, the rule of the capital city would come under tremendous threat.

After coming to an agreement, Qin Yu bowed and turned, leaving the grand hall.

On the journey to the capital city, he had already correctly guessed that the Sea Sovereign would try and cross tribulation. He spoke to the little blue lamp, and although he didn’t obtain a response, he knew that the little blue lamp must have heard him. Since it didn’t refuse, it was clear that it had no problem dealing with the heavenly tribulation.

But now a difficult conundrum was placed in front of him. If he were to help the Sea Sovereign cross tribulation, he couldn’t do the same as he did at Moon Praying Shrine and have the Sea Sovereign fall asleep with medicines and then stimulate his cultivation to summon down heavenly tribulation.

If so, then how could he proceed without exposing the existence of the little blue lamp?

This was the reason why Qin Yu said he needed to make some preparations.

Returning to his dwelling, Qin Yu’s thoughts moved. The array formation in the hall began to revolve, isolating him from the outside. Light flashed in his hand and the little blue lamp appeared. He looked out for several breaths of time and said, “I need to help the Sea Sovereign cross tribulation. I believe this should be beneficial to you. But, your existence cannot be exposed, so, I want to ask you, just what plan do you have to prevent that?”

The little blue lamp had its own will; he had already received proof of this.

Hum –

The little blue lamp gently shivered. The corals within the hall were still red, indicating that it was still daytime. But, there were still faint traces of dark blue on their surface.

Then, like a bubble, it suddenly exploded and vanished from sight.

Qin Yu was shocked. He immediately closed his eyes. Within his soul space, he could sense a thumb-sized lantern.

Blue light shot out, falling between the eyebrows of Qin Yu’s soul and turning into a flowing mark. It fluctuated constantly, its shape unclear.

After a long time, he opened his eyes. His expression was a bit complex. He finally sighed and revealed a faint smile.

So it was only today that he was approved by the little blue lamp, truly becoming its master.

Perhaps this test had already started when he inadvertently obtained the little blue lamp at the Eastern Mountain Sect.

It really, really hadn’t been easy!

In the past, Qin Yu had once tried to drip several drops of blood on the little blue lamp, thinking he could bring it under his control like that. He had been far too na?ve.

But no matter how it happened, this was an extremely good thing, right?

He thought that the following three days would pass in peace, but soon, a visitor came to see Qin Yu.

“Greetings, Lord Qin Yu.” The one speaking was a member of the capital city’s war division. Qin Yu had once seen him on the great ship he rode here.

Qin Yu furrowed his eyebrows together. He asked, “What matter is there?”

The war division member respectfully said, “I am under orders to deliver this box to you. My time is limited so I cannot stay for long, but this box has something that can help you dispel your doubts.”

The soldier bowed and left.

The box wasn’t large; it was around twice the size of an adult’s palm. It seemed to be crafted from wood, with a thick layer of glaze around it. It was clearly an old object that was often played around with by others. Qin Yu probed it, and after sensing that there was nothing wrong, he opened it. There were no traps, poison gasses, or anything else like that. It seemed he had been a bit too wary.

Within the wood box, there was a long object wrapped in gray leather. A jade slip lay beside it. This thing didn’t seem as if it came from the sea races, but instead seemed as if it came from humans.

Qin Yu took out the jade slip. Light flashed on its surface, and then it immediately shattered into motes of light that rapidly condensed into a screen. Figures appeared on the screen. From looks alone, it appeared that they had filmed this from an ancient and dilapidated building. But, he could sense a deep background in the surroundings.

“Lord Qin Yu, by the time you see this, you should have received the gift we sent to you. This key concerns the world’s secret. We have always kept watch over it, believing that it is an item necessary to awaken the sea spirit. You are the sea spirit’s wanderer in the world, so we will give this key to you, in hope that you will obtain a harvest.”

The final image on the screen was everyone lowering their heads, bowing in reverence.

Pa –

The screen shattered.

Qin Yu frowned. He recognized the person speaking. He had been one of the four priests responsible for managing the sea spirit baptism. But today, he and the three people beside him were clearly much older than before.

Looking at their attire, the ones appearing on the screen should all have been priests of the capital city. But, why did they say he was the sea spirit’s world wanderer?

He looked down at the long object trapped in gray leather. Qin Yu reached out and untied it to reveal a piece of jade.

That’s right, this was a rectangular jade, shaped like a square column. There were countless dents that marred its surface and even traces of it being burnt, as if it had undergone some calamity. But, the item itself wasn’t truly damaged. In particular, a key sealed within the jade was in perfect shape.

Qin Yu had a dignified expression. He lifted up the jade and carefully examined it in the light. The jade itself had no signs of being refined, so how had the key been placed within? Or, could it be that this key grew within the jade?

But no matter what the reason was, there was one thing for certain. This jade was definitely an extraordinary object, and the key that the priests gave him must have some vital use.

Thinking about it, it had been mentioned that this involved the secrets of the world as well as the awakening of the sea spirit…Qin Yu had no idea what this world was, but he did know of the sea spirit’s strength. He had already touched upon it. It was something that absolutely surpassed the boundaries of his imagination!

He grabbed hold of the key and his eyes flashed. Perhaps he needed to find a chance to clearly question the priests.

But, that time wasn’t now.