Xiao Che choked on his own words, a dark line forming across his face.

“Uh… by the way, what exactly can this Hongmeng Celestial Book do?”

Sensing the awkwardness, he decided not to press further. Clearing his throat, he aimed to talk about something more serious.

“By blood contract,” the Empress said calmly.

Xiao Che froze.

That… flowery way of speaking. Luckily, he could just barely understand it, and he silently thanked nine years of compulsory education.

He bit his fingertip, letting a drop of blood fall onto the jade book.

The moment the blood touched the page, a purple light flared wildly!

He distinctly felt a mysterious connection forming between himself and the Celestial Book.

Then, an ancient voice echoed in his mind, like a great bell striking:

“The Dao has three thousand paths; take but a single ladle.”

“The Hongmeng Celestial Book can deduce, complete, and even create cultivation techniques for you. It reaches straight to the source.”

Xiao Che’s mind buzzed.

Deduce? Create?

This isn’t just a golden finger—it’s like having a “cultivation research cheat tool” built-in!

“So… does that mean it can deduce Heaven-grade or Divine-grade techniques?”

His eyes lit up, blurted out before thinking.

“In theory, yes, but it requires sufficient ‘Hongmeng Qi.’”

The Qing Lian Empress’s calm voice poured cold water over his excitement.

Xiao Che blinked in confusion.

“Hongmeng Qi? How do you get it?”

“It is drawn from the spiritual energy of all things—spirit stones, ley lines, heavenly materials, earthly treasures. It takes a thousand lower-grade spirit stones to refine a single thread.”

A thousand… to refine just one thread?

He quickly ran the numbers.

As the young clan lord, the original body only received twenty lower-grade spirit stones per month. To save a thousand, he’d need to go without eating or drinking for over four years.

The excitement on Xiao Che’s face froze instantly.

“There is one thread of Hongmeng Qi left in the book. It is useless to me, but it can complete a Yellow-grade cultivation technique for you.”

The Empress’s voice sounded again.

Only Yellow-grade?

A high-quality Yellow-grade technique would cost three or four hundred spirit stones! Completing one with a thousand? That’s nearly the price of an Xuan-level technique! The exchange rate here is worse than a loan shark!

Xiao Che twitched his mouth.

“Uh… you think it’s too little?”

The Qing Lian Empress seemed to see through his thoughts. “This is a deduction from the very source of the Celestial Book, fully compatible with your spirit root and Dao body. Far surpassing ordinary Xuan-level techniques.”

Custom-built, perfect compatibility?

Xiao Che immediately understood.

It’s like in a game—while others are stuck with generic skills, he got a skill tailor-made for his class right at the start!

“Sign me up!” he thought, already thrilled.

He immediately searched the original body’s memories.

Family techniques: High-quality Yellow-grade Fire Dragon Art.

Movement technique: Medium-quality Yellow-grade Wind-Chasing Step.

Sword technique: Medium-quality Yellow-grade Blazing Sword Technique.

“Decided?” the Qing Lian Empress urged.

With the Empress’s primordial yin stabilizing his cultivation, the techniques weren’t urgent—yet sword technique must keep pace; no matter how strong, it had to be effective in battle.

“Let’s do the sword technique!”

With a thought, the virtual image of the Blazing Sword Technique appeared, like an invisible book.

The Celestial Book’s purple light flowed, enveloping the sword technique completely.

Moments later, the purple light receded.

A completely new technique, as if it had always belonged to him, was imprinted deeply in his mind.

Pure Yang Golden Fire Sword Art.

Xiao Che studied the new sword art’s energy flow, ecstatic.

This completed sword art not only perfectly matched his pure yang Dao body and supreme fire spirit root, but also—crucially—could simultaneously drive eighteen meridians to channel spiritual power!

Remember, the maximum for Yellow-grade techniques is eighteen meridians.

Many so-called high-quality techniques don’t reach this limit, let alone being 100% compatible.

Xuan-level max: thirty-six.

Di-level max: seventy-two.

Tian-level max: one hundred and eight.

These were all basic knowledge in the original memories.

The completed Pure Yang Golden Fire Sword Art undoubtedly stood at the pinnacle of Yellow-grade techniques, tailor-made for him!

This deal was a steal.

The Qing Lian Empress stood in empty space, her moon-white robes flowing as if without wind.

“Remember, nothing about the Hongmeng Celestial Book must be revealed to anyone,” she said solemnly.

“Otherwise, you will have no place in the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands, and I will also be implicated.”

Xiao Che’s heart tightened. He nodded immediately.

“Understood!”

He suddenly remembered something and asked quickly, “Your Majesty, how much have you recovered?”

“Less than one percent. Your cultivation is still low; this double cultivation only stabilizes injuries.”

“I must enter a deep sleep. When your realm rises, I will seek you for double cultivation.”

Her words made the light around her dim briefly.

Xiao Che’s face drained of color.

“Still… again?”

He instinctively clutched his legs; his lower back ached slightly.

“Hmph! With my ten-thousand-year primordial yin, and you still act like this.”

Her tone was unreadable; her gaze lowered as if viewing dust.

“I have cultivated for ten thousand years. Those who covet my Dao partner’s position are as numerous as fish in a river. Among them, dozens have achieved the Empress rank.”

“Xiao Che, you… have gotten a tremendous advantage.”

Dozens… of… Emperors?

Xiao Che caught the slight displeasure in her words, but his brain was buzzing too much to care.

The hair on the back of his neck stood on end.

“Wait,” he croaked, “are you saying… among my romantic rivals, there are dozens of Emperors?”

The Qing Lian Empress shot him a glance.

“Not just that. The most troublesome is the Yao Guang Empress.”

Xiao Che’s jaw hung open. He could already imagine dozens of Emperors lining up to “have a talk” with him.

This isn’t an advantage… this is taking over dozens of live grenades, fuses sizzling!

“Scared?”

Xiao Che felt his forehead pulse.

Damn… I’m only Foundation Establishment, and you tell me there are dozens of Empress rivals? And ask if I’m scared?

“Guess,” she said.

He gritted his teeth and replied.

The Qing Lian Empress’s gaze sharpened slightly, still calm.

The hairs on Xiao Che’s back exploded in terror.

Done. Said too much.

He hunched his neck, shut his mouth tight, and stared at his nose, obedient as a quail.

“Heh. Bold, yet soft so quickly,” she said with the faintest curve of her lips.

“Enough. Go. Train diligently—the higher your realm, the more benefit double cultivation will bring you.”

As she finished, light and shadow shifted, and the next second Xiao Che was standing on a rocky outcrop.

Morning light stabbed his eyes; birds sang clearly.

The original memories flooded back.

He had been out for three days and nights. Time to return, or his parents and sister would be worried.

He activated Wind-Chasing Step, his figure becoming a blur as he flew toward the Xiao Family estate.

Just as he reached the outer mountain path, he saw a nimble young man tumbling down the slope.

It was the family’s book boy, Xiao An.

Xiao An saw him, eyes wide, and yelled at the top of his lungs:

“Young Master, it’s bad! It’s really bad! Something terrible happened!”

NOTE

Meridians: internal pathways that carry spiritual energy 

Covet: it is the bridge between his “cold, handsome” perfection and his “arduous” fall.