Chapter 79: Rejecting the Marriage Alliance, Clues Emerge
Xue Han walked a few steps closer, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Yu Yuanchen. He gazed at the night sky, his tone casual yet pointed: "Young Friend Yuanchen is young and promising, with strength that surpasses his peers; his future is limitless. With you in the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect, it will surely reach new heights. Our Heaven Dou Empire and your honorable Sect have always been on good terms, and it is both His Majesty's and my own wish that this friendship continues for generations to come, growing ever stronger."
Yu Yuanchen felt a slight stir in his heart, knowing the real topic had arrived. He remained calm and composed, replying indifferently: "Your Highness is too kind. The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect and the Heaven Dou Empire are neighbors, and looking out for one another is only fitting. My grandfather and father have often taught me to be kind to our neighbors."
Xue Han turned his head, his gaze burning as he looked at Yu Yuanchen, his smile deepening slightly: "What you say is true, Young Friend. However, there is no bond in this world stronger than blood. Let me be blunt: His Majesty has a daughter, titled 'Mingzhu.' She is sixteen years old, possessing both talent and beauty of the highest order, and is gentle in nature, deeply beloved by His Majesty. His Majesty and I wish to strengthen our ties through marriage. If you have no objections, we are willing to have Mingzhu marry you. From then on, the Heaven Dou Imperial Family and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect will be one family, working together to create a prosperous era. As for Miss Ye..."
He paused, his tone remaining gentle but carrying an air of condescending arrangement: "Miss Ye is virtuous and skilled in medicine; she is also a good match. At that time, we can have Mingzhu take the position of primary wife, and Miss Ye can serve as a side wife to assist you together. Wouldn't that be wonderful? Of course, if you feel the need to consider the Ye family's feelings, they could temporarily be made equal wives, with no distinction between major and minor. Our Imperial Family would have no objections and would certainly treat the Ye family well."
This statement seemed to offer great respect and choice, but its core remained unchanged—it was an attempt to force an imperial princess onto Yu Yuanchen while implying that Ye Zhilan could be demoted to a concubine.
Upon hearing this, the polite, faint smile on Yu Yuanchen's face vanished instantly. His eyes remained calm and waveless, but a hint of coldness flashed deep within them. Almost without hesitation, he spoke, his tone gentle yet carrying an undeniable firmness:
"I appreciate the kindness of Your Highness and His Majesty, and I am deeply grateful. However, marriage is a major life event, not child's play. It requires the approval of one's parents and the arrangement of matchmakers. Although I am the Young Lord of the Sect, this matter still requires the consent of my grandfather and father, as well as the deliberations of the Sect Elders; it is certainly not something I can decide alone. Furthermore..."
He shifted his tone, looking directly at Xue Han. Although still polite, that politeness now carried a hint of distance and sharpness: "Zhilan and I are in love and have long since promised our lives to one another. To me, she is not only my future Dao Companion but also an indispensable confidante on my path of cultivation. Forcing her to be subordinate to another is absolutely out of the question. Though I am untalented, I know how to write the words 'do not betray.' I ask that Your Highness and His Majesty please do not mention this matter again."
His refusal was crisp and clean, without a hint of hesitation, and he directly placed Ye Zhilan's status at the highest level, leaving no room for negotiation.
The smile on Xue Han's face stiffened instantly. He had completely not expected Yu Yuanchen to refuse so thoroughly, not even leaving a sliver of room for pretense! In his view, it was perfectly normal for a man to have multiple wives and concubines, especially for a peerless Genius of Yu Yuanchen's status and position, for whom having a harem in the future was almost inevitable. Few Sect Masters in the history of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect had only one wife. Even Yu Yuanchen's father, Yu Mingfeng, had taken a second wife years after his first wife passed away, hadn't he? Why was it not working with Yu Yuanchen?
He couldn't help but narrow his eyes slightly. The smile remained on his face, but his tone carried a hint of probing and an imperceptible coldness: "Oh? Young Friend Yuanchen is so devoted to Miss Ye? That is rare. However... Young Friend, you are young and hot-blooded; perhaps you do not know that in this world, especially for Sects and noble families, matters of love must often give way to the bigger picture of interests. Besides, the nature of a Dragon is... hehe, as the possessor of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul, can you truly just stick to one person?"
His words were almost mocking and questioning, implying that Yu Yuanchen was just putting on an act.
Upon hearing this, Yu Yuanchen did not get angry; instead, the corner of his mouth hooked into a very faint, slightly mocking arc. He naturally understood the subtext of Xue Han's words.
"Your Highness is joking." Yu Yuanchen's tone remained steady, but his words were as sharp as a blade: "In my actions, I only seek to have a clear conscience. My father taking a second wife was after my mother had passed away for many years, and my stepmother is kind and treats me as her own; I respect her. This is a family matter and cannot be mentioned in the same breath as today's affairs."
Yu Yuanchen paused, then said: "As for the nature of a Dragon... I believe that a Martial Soul is power, not a shackle to constrain one's heart. If one cannot even follow one's own heart and blindly submits to so-called 'common sense' or 'interests,' even with the strongest power, how is that different from a Puppet?"
He paused again, his gaze becoming profound and calm, but that firmness became increasingly clear: "Furthermore, the Imperial Princess is a golden branch and jade leaf. I am merely a martial artist, lazy by nature and disliking constraints; I fear I am unworthy, and I am even less willing to be drawn into unnecessary turmoil. This matter is truly not a good match. I hope Your Highness will understand."
This final sentence pointed out another major reason for his refusal—he did not want to be too deeply involved with the Imperial Family, especially by being drawn into the complex struggles that might exist within it.
He had seen that 'Princess Mingzhu' a few times at the banquet; she appeared docile, but the arrogance and calculation hidden deep in her eyes had not escaped his Spiritual Power, which far exceeded that of ordinary people. He had absolutely no interest in such hypocritical, spoiled noblewomen.
To put it bluntly, the most important reason was—he did not like her.
Xue Han stared at Yu Yuanchen for a long time, and the smile on his face finally faded completely, replaced by a deep scrutiny. He realized that the young man before him was far more difficult and opinionated than he had imagined. Using ordinary lures of profit or the pressure of power was completely ineffective against him. He had his own principles and bottom line that could not be shaken.
"Hehe, since Young Friend has made up his mind, I will not force it." Xue Han finally gave two dry laughs, his tone returning to calm, but the enthusiasm had cooled significantly. "It is just a pity regarding His Majesty's good intentions. Never mind, let this matter end here; just consider it as if I had never mentioned it. The banquet has not yet ended; Young Friend, you should return with me."
"After you, Your Highness." Yu Yuanchen turned slightly, making a gesture of invitation, his etiquette flawless, but there was no longer the sense of closeness from before.
This political marriage, with its obvious intentions, had died before it even began.
Returning to the banquet hall, the atmosphere seemed unchanged, but Yu Yuanchen could feel that the gazes cast upon him by Prince Xue Han and the high-seated Emperor Xue Yu were less eager and more deeply calculating.
Yu Yuanchen did not care; he continued to respond calmly, eating and drinking as appropriate. When he spoke to Ye Zhilan in a low voice, his expression was natural and gentle, as if that unpleasant episode had never happened.
Although Ye Zhilan did not know exactly what had happened, she keenly sensed that Yu Yuanchen's aura had become a bit colder after returning, as well as the subtle changes in the attitudes of the royal family members. She asked nothing, only gently squeezing his hand and offering a look of concern. Yu Yuanchen returned a smile, signaling that everything was fine.
The banquet finally ended in an atmosphere that seemed harmonious but was actually filled with hidden agendas.
As night fell, the courtyard arranged by the Heaven Dou Royal Academy for Yu Yuanchen and Ye Zhilan was brightly lit. Heavy maps and ancient books piled up on the desk, the scent of paper and ink mingling with the fresh fragrance of the plants in the courtyard, settling into a quiet and focused atmosphere.
For three consecutive days, Yu Yuanchen and Ye Zhilan stayed indoors, immersing themselves entirely in the ocean of information constructed from ancient records.
The Heaven Dou Royal Academy's exploration records of the Sunset Forest for hundreds of years were vast. Most of them were accurate but superficial terrain surveys, resource statistics, and the 'mimicry cultivation grounds' designated for academy students that had only emerged in the last hundred years.
Although these materials were detailed and could be considered a treasure trove for ordinary Soul Masters, for Yu Yuanchen's goal, they were like scratching an itch through a boot.
Yu Yuanchen's Spiritual Power was highly concentrated, his gaze like lightning, quickly scanning through yellowed maps and dense annotations. He was not searching aimlessly but was consciously filtering for fragments that recorded 'anomalies,' 'dangerous places,' 'ancient legends,' and descriptions involving the energy of the earth's veins. Ye Zhilan assisted from the side; she was meticulous and better at discovering details that might have been overlooked in the margins of seemingly absurd travelogues and herbal compendiums.
The process was slow and tedious. It was not until the afternoon of the third day that Ye Zhilan made a discovery from an Incomplete Manual with brittle pages titled "Records of Northern Travels". The author of this travelogue claimed to be a Soul Douluo who loved exploring strange places; the writing was whimsical, and most of the records read like myths. However, one page mentioned a 'Land of Profound Yin' deep in the far north of the Sunset Forest.
"Brother Yuanchen, look here," Ye Zhilan lightly tapped the almost blurred handwriting, her voice carrying a trace of imperceptible excitement. "The book says: '...traveling north, entering a secluded valley, the cold air was bone-piercing, and Soul Power stagnated. There was a pool in the valley, the water black as ink; touching it resulted in freezing, suspected to be connected to the Nine Netherworlds. The surrounding plants were all stained with frost...' Does this description not sound extremely like the gathering of earth veins with yin attributes?"
Yu Yuanchen took the Incomplete Manual and read it carefully. The 'bone-piercing cold air' and'stagnation of Soul Power' mentioned in the text, as well as the unique ecological environment described, could not be explained by ordinary low temperatures. A sharp light flashed in his eyes: "A Land of Profound Yin... only by gathering yin-attributed energy could such a strange phenomenon be formed. This clue is valuable."
Almost at the same time, Yu Yuanchen also found a record in another, older and more rigorous book left by the Imperial Mining Department, titled "Outline of Mountain and River Earth Qi", which had been glossed over in a few words. When discussing the geology of the central-eastern part of the Sunset Forest, the book mentioned: "...there are hot springs surging in the land, mist steaming, the smell of sulfur permeating. The surrounding soil is crimson, plants struggle to grow, and rocks are scorched; this is caused by the residual veins of earth fire near the surface..."
"Residual veins of earth fire... scorching and masculine..." Yu Yuanchen mused, "This is clearly a manifestation of yang-attributed earth veins."
Placing the two books side-by-side on the desk, Yu Yuanchen's gaze swept back and forth between the 'Land of Profound Yin in the Northern Valley' and the 'Residual Veins of Earth Fire in the Central-East.' These two locations, one north and one east, one yin and one yang, one cold and one hot, were separated by a vast distance in the Sunset Forest. In all previous records, they were considered independent, extreme, and dangerous places.
No one had ever thought to connect these two places, and no one dared to imagine that these two diametrically opposed, mutually conflicting, and repelling forces of heaven and earth could possibly converge and fuse.
But Yu Yuanchen was different. He possessed memories from his past life and, from the knowledge of the Lightning God's Legacy, knew that certain incredible places of creation in the world were born precisely from such extreme opposition and unity. The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was exactly such an existence!
"Yin veins and yang veins... they seem to be worlds apart, unrelated." Yu Yuanchen's fingers unconsciously traced across the map, connecting the two blurred areas. "But the wonder of heaven and earth's creation, how can it be measured by common sense? Since they can separately give birth to such extreme yin and yang earth veins, then somewhere in this forest, in the deeper flow of the earth's veins, it is not impossible for them to converge. It is just that where they converge, the energy must be violently chaotic, forming a natural barrier that ordinary people cannot perceive, let alone approach."
His line of thought became increasingly clear. Ordinary Soul Masters and even geographers, limited by their cognition, would stop at discovering an extreme environment and recording its characteristics. Who would be crazy enough to hypothesize that ice and fire could coexist in one cave?
But what he was looking for was precisely this 'impossibility.' The existing materials were like scattered puzzle pieces; no one could see the full picture, but he held the key outline for the final pattern.
"What we need to find might not be a location directly marked 'Ice and Fire Source'," Yu Yuanchen analyzed for Ye Zhilan, his tone filled with certainty. "Instead, we must infer their underground veins based on the orientation and terrain flow of these two known yin and yang earth veins, and then deduce their most likely convergence area. That area might appear unremarkable on the surface, or even seem peaceful because the energy is restrained, or perhaps... it is obscured by a more powerful energy field."
Ye Zhilan suddenly realized, her beautiful eyes shining with brilliance: "Brother Yuanchen means that the clues we have are enough to point the way? The subsequent search will rely on our perception of the earth's veins and our analysis of the terrain?"
"Correct." Yu Yuanchen nodded. "Although the academy's collection is vast, the records regarding such core mysteries of heaven and earth are ultimately limited. It is already fortunate to have accidentally obtained these two key clues. The remaining path requires us to personally verify it in the forest."
Since the clues were clear, there was little point in remaining in Heaven Dou City. Yu Yuanchen politely declined the invitation for another banquet from Prince Xue Han and stated directly that the time for his training had arrived, and he needed to enter the Sunset Forest as soon as possible.
Seeing that Yu Yuanchen was determined to leave and firm in his attitude, Prince Xue Han knew that such a Genius acted according to his own rules and that forcing him to stay would be useless, so he did not insist further. He gifted Yu Yuanchen a token representing the Imperial Family's friendship and provided two well-trained Horned Scale Horses for transport to show his goodwill.
Want To Read More Chapters? Check Out 80+Advanced Chapters At PA Treon
patreon.com/SloppyGuy