SWNOVELXO Chapter 345: On the Verge of Becoming a Sage?
Chapter 345: On the Verge of Becoming a Sage?
It’s simple. Find someone capable of replacing you, and your destiny will change – just like Qin Feng, Xu Lian said calmly. “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”
The First Prince grew impatient. “I know, I know! For those who strive with all their heart, heaven will not forsake them. But what exactly should I do? Just tell me directly!”
Xu Lian replied, “Endure, cultivate diligently, and break through to the Sage Realm. Once you achieve that, your predicament will naturally resolve itself.”
The First Prince asked, “Are you saying that if I ascend to the Sage Realm, Father will reconsider his decision?”
Xu Lian replied, “Perhaps.
His Majesty chose the Fifth Prince as Crown Prince because he believes the Fifth Prince is adaptable, unconventional, and not bound by rigid rules, making him more suitable to rule the dynasty.
However, you must understand that for any top-tier faction, these qualities are secondary.
What really matters?
It’s cultivation and strength!
If your cultivation and strength far surpass those of the Fifth Prince, His Majesty will have no choice but to reconsider you.”
The First Prince pondered for a moment. “What if I reach the Sage Realm, but Father still doesn’t change his mind?
Or worse, what if Father… passes away before I reach the Sage Realm and my fifth brother ascends the throne? What then?”
Xu Lian smiled enigmatically. Maintaining that expression, he remained silent, letting the implications hang in the air.
The First Prince locked eyes with him for a moment, his expression shifting as realization dawned.
“Seize the throne?”
The First Prince’s voice turned icy. “As a subject, harboring such thoughts is treason. Do you understand that?”
Xu Lian shrugged. “I didn’t say anything. That was your own conclusion.”
The First Prince snapped coldly, “That’s exactly what you meant. Don’t think that I don’t see through you!”
Xu Lian countered, “If you didn’t have such thoughts yourself, how could you think that’s what I meant?”
The First Prince was speechless.
The human heart…
The most terrifying thing was when it was forced to confront its own desires.
Indeed, the thought had crossed his mind, which was why he had been able to guess Xu Lian’s intention.
The First Prince closed his eyes, calming his turbulent emotions. Slowly, he reopened them. “According to the rules of the Qian Dynasty, attempting to usurp the throne is a capital offense. Even if I succeeded, the Supreme Experts above wouldn’t stand idly by. It would all be in vain.”
Xu Lian shook his head. “I’m not so sure about that.
When the Fifth Prince used a Sage-level weapon to defeat you and seize the position of Crown Prince, did His Majesty punish him? No. Instead, he was named Crown Prince, and you were criticized for being inflexible and bound by rules.
That’s what you lost-your inability to step outside the boundaries even a little bit.
But if you ascend to the Sage Realm and seize the throne from the Fifth Prince, His Majesty will only praise you.
The Supreme Experts above might not punish you either. After all, you’ll be a Sage by then, with the potential to become a Supreme Expert in the future. Your prospects will be unlimited.
Why would they punish a legitimate prince with the potential to become a Supreme Expert for something as trivial as a throne?
For example, take the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands’ Holy Son, Xu Lian. If Xu Lian were to overthrow the Heavenly Mystic Holy Lord, do you think the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands would punish him?
No, they wouldn’t!”
Using himself as an example, Xu Lian couldn’t help but find it amusing.
The First Prince listened in silence, sinking into even deeper contemplation.
After a long time…
The First Prince seemed to come to a realization. A glimmer of determination returned to his eyes as he looked at Xu Lian strangely. “Why are you encouraging me like this? What’s your motive? Isn’t it better for you and Marquis Qin’s household if the Fifth Prince becomes emperor?”
Xu Lian replied, “As I said before, leaving you the Spirit Stone was merely a casual gesture of consolation. I had no ulterior motive.
However, since you invited me here, and since we’ve discussed so much…
If you insist on asking for a reason, it’s simply this: adding flowers to brocade pales in comparison to giving charcoal in the snow.
The Fifth Prince has already secured the position of Crown Prince and is basking in success, full of confidence and ambition. At this point, aligning myself with him would only be an embellishment-a minor addition to his already flourishing status.”
“And as for you, First Prince, after failing in the competition for the position of Crown Prince, all your supporters-the nobles and ministers who once supported you-have abandoned you. You’re at your lowest point right now. If I offer you some encouragement and help now, and if you manage to rise again in the future and reclaim the throne, you won’t forget my help, will you?”
The First Prince looked at him gratefully. “Thank you for your words today – they moved me deeply. If I truly succeed in the future and reclaim the throne, I’ll never forget the guidance you gave me.”
In truth, Xu Lian was merely planting a casual seed-a small investment with a potentially massive return. It cost him nothing but a few words of encouragement and insight for the First Prince. If the First Prince succeeded, Xu Lian would reap significant benefits. If he failed, then Xu Lian would lose nothing. A risk-free opportunity like this was too good to pass up – it was as simple as that.
The First Prince continued, “All my former supporters have distanced themselves from me for fear of retribution from my Fifth Brother. Apart from a few scattered hidden agents, I have no one left to rely on. Keep an eye on my fifth brother’s movements for me. If there’s any action taken against me, please let me know. I plan to focus entirely on my cultivation and strive to break through to the Sage Realm as soon as possible,”
Hmm… So he’s trying to turn me into a pawn in reverse, Xu Lian thought amusedly. Aloud, he simply said, “Alright.”
The First Prince retrieved a communication token and handed it to him. “If there’s any move against me from my fifth brother’s side, use this to contact me.”
Xu Lian accepted the token and then remarked almost jokingly, “At the Fifth Prince’s banquet last night, he rewarded me with ten strands of Origin Tracing Light. Do you happen to have any extra Origin Tracing Light to spare… perhaps as a gift?”
The First Prince sighed and reluctantly handed over the ten strands of Origin Tracing Light. “Things aren’t what they used to be. After my fifth brother was named Crown Prince, Father took away the exclusive cultivation resource zones that we legitimate princes once controlled and placed them under his management. I don’t have many cultivation resources left.”
Feeling satisfied, Xu Lian accepted the ten strands of Origin Tracing Light. He had already received rewards from both the Fifth Prince and the First Prince, what a haul!
However, it was clear that the First Prince was now in a much more precarious position compared to the Fifth Prince, who still held significant resources. Moving forward, Xu Lian would need to focus on gaining the Fifth Prince’s favor, aiming to take charge of an exclusive cultivation resource zone himself to secure even greater benefits.
After exchanging a few more casual words with the First Prince, they parted ways at Thunderbolt Slope. Xu Lian couldn’t linger too long—being discovered here would cause unnecessary trouble.
Crossing through space, he returned to Ning Meixue’s estate in the outskirts of the imperial capital, resuming his life as her Dao companion.
Recently, the Fifth Prince’s exclusive cultivation resource zone had successfully refined a batch of Metamorphosis Elixir. Master Chi Sui had given everyone a short rest, leaving Xu Lian with little to do.
“Now, adding everything up, I’ve accumulated a total of 171 strands of Origin Tracing Light. I only need 80 more to reach my goal. If I trade 50 Luminous Treasures with the Shui family for 70 strands of Origin Tracing Light, that would leave me just 10 strands short.
Maybe I can negotiate with the Shui family to give me another 10 strands.
That way, I’ll have enough to ascend directly to the Origin Tracing Realm 9th Stage.
Then, I can apply to the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands for a portion of Metamorphosis Elixir—even a small amount would suffice—to break through to the Sage Realm!”
The more Xu Lian thought about it, the more feasible his plan seemed. The long-desired Sage Realm was finally within his grasp.