The old man smiled wryly after hearing this and had to reveal his intention: âI do have a tiny request, Your Majesty. When you do take action, please go easy on us. Nine-linked Mountains is just a small place that canât handle your invincibility. If the mountains were to be destroyed in the process, our disciples will be forced to leave their homes and wander about.â
âThis place is small, huh?â Li Qiye gently shook his head: âVast is the right word, and it has taken the most fertile part of Nine Secrets too.â
âThatâs only for regular people.â The old man replied: âFor someone such as yourself, Your Majesty, this is a tiny, barren wasteland, not worth mentioning. It canât handle your full power. If you donât care about the disciples here, please think about the citizens of the system, just go a little easy and spare us. Otherwise, one punch of yours might penetrate the system completely, signaling its end.â
The old man wasnât exaggerating. An existence that was, at the very least, an immortal progenitor was a monster. Destroying a system was no problem, perhaps with a single strike.
âI suppose I canât refuse after you put it this way.â Li Qiye smiled: âDonât worry, your Nine-linked Mountains will be just fine, it wonât lose an arm or a leg or anything else. Iâm a merciful person who always cares for the people.â
âI thank you on behalf of everyone, Your Majesty.â The old man stood up and cupped his fist towards Li Qiye.
Meanwhile, Liu Chuqing sat next to Li Qiye without uttering a word.
âOh right, how about giving me the plaque at your sectâs entrance?â Li Qiye casually brought this up.
The old man didnât know how to answer. He awkwardly coughed before replying: âYour Majesty, itâs embarrassing but I canât make that decision since it was left behind by the great forefather.â
âIs that so?â Li Qiye continued with a smile: âI personally donât care for most items in the world since theyâre worthless, but I like this silly girl. If you wish to pay respects to me, I think itâs about time for a greeting present.â
The man smiled wryly: âWell, Iâm afraid that anything I can take out canât get into your sight. The regular items in this world arenât worthy as presents to a celestial like The Lady.â
Chuqing became embarrassed again and looked down on the ground, still not used to this particular address.
âThen hand over the nine secrets.â Li Qiye nonchalantly demanded.
She was stunned to hear this. The nine secrets were priceless and no one could gather all of them. Li Qiye spoke as if he was asking the old man to hand over some cabbages.
âYour Majesty, you are messing with me. Iâve only fixed a few things, itâs easier said than done to gather all nine, let alone reaching grand completion.â
âBut your Qian is at grand completion.â Li Qiye replied.
âNothing can hide from your eyes, Your Majesty.â The old man sighed and said: âThe truth is that this is the accomplishment after a lifetime of effort. I am slow and inept, probably wonât be able to finish all nine. As far as I know, True Emperor Jiu Ning is the only person who has done so.â
âShe has done so successfully, just like the rumors?â Chuqing became curious.
âYes, as far as I know, My Lady.â The woodcutter nodded: âShe studied both Jie and Lie in Calm Lotus, Dou and Zhe at War Saint, and the rest in Nine-linked Mountains, but thatâs just starting on all nine. She had a long way to go before reaching perfection for all nine. Who knows what comes of it since she left for Immortal Lineage.â He stared at a particular location in a daze after revealing this.
âI thought Emperor Zheng had also done it.â She asked.
The woodcutter replied: âThatâs not the case. The emperor didnât train in all of them but he definitely could have, given his amazing talents. Maybe it was because of his talents that he opened a new path, resulting in the supreme manual - Lucidity Scripture. This allowed him to jump out of the Nine Secrets Systemâs boundary.â
âI see. So True Emperor Jiu Ning is the only person after the progenitor.â She murmured to herself.
âThatâs true till now, but who knows about the future?â The old man nodded before glancing over at Li Qiye.
âJust the nine secrets, Iâm not that interested in them. However, the underground parts or the item beneath this lake, thatâs another story.â Li Qiye said.
âYouâre joking, Your Majesty!â The woodcutterâs expression changed after hearing this.
âI am not.â Li Qiye calmly said, clearly revealing his stance.
âYour Majesty, please, please leave behind a little bit for our sect.â The woodcutter had a pained expression, virtually begging.
Despite Li Qiyeâs nonchalant looks, he could see that the guy was serious. The consequence would be unimaginable and no one could say otherwise.
âIâm already leaving things behind for the sect. Otherwise, I would refine this place and take it as my own.â Li Qiye smiled.
The man knew that Li Qiye was telling the truth. If Li Qiye wanted to, he could refine the entire system, not just Nine-linked.
âYour Majesty, our sect is very barren already.â He kept on trying.
âHow about my silly girl right here?â Li Qiye ignored the crying old man and gently stroke Chuqingâs hair. One could see the clear adoration on his face.
âThe Lady is a priceless gem yet to be polished with the constitution of a heavenly being.â The old man praised.
Chuqing couldnât handle the flowery praises: âSenior, youâre too kind.â
âI am not exaggerating.â He explained: âThere are plenty of dragons and phoenixes in this world, but few can actually enter His Majestyâs sight yet you can. Thatâs a testament to you being special, My Lady.â
He wasnât just flattering the girl. He knew that to earn the grace of a character like Li Qiye was a great fortune, exceedingly rare as well.
Beautiful girls have been viewed as ants by him in the past, such as Qin Jianyao. Liu Chuqing, on the other hand, had a higher standing in his eyes.
Li Qiye said: âLife is a game of chess. Some people believe that theyâre the chess players, but in reality, Iâm the only one playing.â
âYour Majesty, you meanâ¦â Chuqing didnât understand this random comment. Of course, she was satisfied just being around him and didnât care for other matters.
âThatâs why all of these items will be returned to your sect in the future, with my permission.â Li Qiye said.
âYour Majesty, you have already made up your mind, itâs not like we have a choice.â The old man smiled wryly.
âIndeed.â Li Qiye said: âWork for me and gain great benefits, or I can be more direct and get straight to the result, what do you think?â
âPlease donât, Your majesty. Weâll just obey all your wishes.â The old man became startled and hastily said.
Li Qiye laughed and stroke her hair again: âThis world and its people need to thank my silly girl for bringing mercy here.â
âWhy?â She asked for clarification.
Li Qiye gently patted her head and said:â Alright, just keep on focus on comprehension.â
She obediently obeyed and sat down cross-legged to enter a state of meditation - becoming one with heaven and earth.
The old man understood what Li Qiye was trying to convey. The guy didnât care for Nine Secrets or its people.
The girl ahead was the reason for him to show mercy, leaving behind certain things for this system. Otherwise, it would only be another place along the way in his journey. He wouldnât care about its prosperity and existence.
âMy Lady, you are blessed to have earned His Majestyâs grace.â The woodcutter emotionally said.
âNo, one makes their own destiny by following the grand dao - treating promises like gold and possessing a peerless dao heart. Everything else is unnecessary.â