[Acquired fate's gift: Cultivation increased!]
[Acquired fate's gift: Cultivation increased!]
[Acquired fate's gift: Cultivation increased!]
Boom!
[Acquired fate's gift: Cultivation increased!]
[Acquired fate's gift: Cultivation increased!]
…
"This guy sure is diligent with his cultivation… how terrifying!"
Mingyuan murmured while reclining on a comfortable chair.
Sunbathing while your cultivation increased automatically was a wonderful experience.
Three years later, Lu Xuan was now twelve years old. This was the minimum age requirement to enter a sect.
Having reforged a set of high-grade Dao Bone and Spiritual Roots, he began cultivating earnestly.
Meanwhile, Mingyuan started his life as a salted fish while enjoying the fruits of Lu Xuan's labor.
With the system's concealment, his surface cultivation base was whatever he chose to put on display.
As for Lu Xuan? As the target for his Intertwined Fate, he couldn't conceal his cultivation even if he wanted to.
His surface cultivation was late-stage Qi Gathering, but his actual cultivation was Perfected Qi Refinement.
Mingyuan knew that without the materials to build a flawless foundation, Lu Xuan would never breakthrough.
This is why he decided it was time to leave the Qin Dynasty and join the Three Mysteries Sect.
The protector, carriage, guards, supplies, and examination token were prepared.
Tomorrow morning, they would join the convoy headed to the Three Mysteries Sect's territory.
Luckily, they had enough money to afford the successive teleportation jumps to cross the twenty-three provinces in between.
Otherwise, just reaching the sect's gate would have qualified as a standalone side story, perhaps a watered-down version of Journey to the West.
Mingyuan shuddered at the thought, mumbled, "How terrifying…"
Boom!
Ah, his cultivation level had increased again.
Truly satisfying.
…
The next morning.
"Aren't you going to rethink your decision, Your Highness? How about you wait until you've achieved Perfected Qi Refinement before we set out? With your cultivation, we will get bullied as Outer Sect Disciples…"
Mingyuan shivered while following Lu Xuan, carrying his recliner over his shoulder. "Sect geniuses are terrifying…"
Lu Xuan didn't even bother to respond.
In the last three years, he realized that Mingyuan was sarcastic, lazy, and downright annoying.
He always had the feeling that Mingyuan had guessed his secret of reincarnation, but the guy was simply going with the flow.
He tested Mingyuan's loyalty many times over the past three years, and he was 90% certain that he knew something.
Regardless, he decided to follow him despite the fact.
Lu Xuan looked over sideways and said, "Just call me Lu Xuan… I'm not the Thirteenth Prince anymore."
Mingyuan raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? How scray… Lu Xuan, mhm, doesn't sound half-bad. Since I'm older, I'll just call you Little Lu."
Lu Xuan's lips twitched.
Mingyuan hurriedly said, "Just kidding, Boss Lu, you can call me Yuan!"
"Sigh, don't look at me like that, it's really scary…" Mingyuan murmured internally.
Lu Xuan chuckled and shook his head, quickening his steps.
Mingyuan looked at his back, smiling.
The halo around Lu Xuan reappeared, flashed red, and disappeared.
"As expected, that guy tested my stance before we left. Since I didn't hesitate to discard the noble honorifics, it was a blatant admission that I knew of his reincarnation.
Hm, though he doesn't know that I know of his true identity as a Dao Lord. This is gonna be fun." Mingyuan mused to himself as he followed.
As a qualified subordinate, he must always place his leader's comfort and state of mind as a priority.
Now, Lu Xuan doesn't need to bother with excuses when it comes to some things, especially when he starts dabbling in alchemy later.
Oh, and when the Intertwined Fate upgraded to Red, a new entry opened and another target slot was unlocked.
Mingyuan conveniently selected the Realm Comprehension Feedback entry and didn't touch the second target slot.
Once Lu Xuan established his flawless foundation, he would start learning mystical techniques, movement techniques, and various other spells.
According to the plot, Lu Xuan's reincarnation only brought the supreme cultivation technique and his knowledge of alchemy during his reincarnation.
First, because laws from that bygone era weren't compatible with this era, hence he needed to start comprehension from zero.
Second, because he wanted to build on the previous foundation to reach a higher level in this life.
Already, it was a miracle to reincarnate across different Dao Eras, as without the protection of the Chaos Treasure, the restart of each Dao Era would have washed away all the associated karma involved.
Mingyuan could only say as expected of a protagonist template…
Three months of consecutive cross-provincial teleportations, and they finally entered the territory of the Three Mysteries Sect.
Just for reference, a province in the context of the Ashveil Continent is equivalent to a landmass three to four times the size of a continent on Earth.
The said province is an area of charted and explored land, occupied by various forces, and the borders of each province are tacitly divided based on strategic strength.
Hence, not all provinces are equal in territory and strength, let alone influence.
Some are peaceful, while others are in constant conflict and war.
Hence, if you couldn't afford cross-provincial teleportation, better not travel at all unless you've reached a certain level of strength.
Lu Xuan, Mingyuan, and the Imperial Protector alighted from the carriages and left the teleportation hall.
The city was large, but it might have been a town when compared to the Imperial Capital of the Qin Dynasty.
"According to the schedule, the Deacon responsible for recruiting disciples should arrive in five days, Your Highness!"
The protector, in luxurious battle armor, stepped behind Lu Xuan and reminded softly.
Everyone knew the Qin Emperor had a soft spot for this Thirteenth Prince after the incident that year, especially since the latter didn't make a scandal out of it.
Hence, even as he left, a protector equal in strength to the one looking after the Crown Prince was dispatched.
Judging from the voice, this protector was a female too. Mingyuan clicked his tongue.
However, a honey trap was useless against an old ancestor who lived for god knows how many years.
Then again, does one's state of mind correlate with their realm of comprehension?
Since this guy wanted to start over, his comprehension of heaven and earth can't be imperfect, which means experiencing the mundane mortal life, together with the joys and sorrows, is also a must.
Mingyuan's thoughts wandered aimlessly until they reached their destination, a renowned immortal abode.
Just as they were about to enter the immortal abode for lodging, someone bumped into Lu Xuan.
"Hey! Are you fucking blind?!" That person shouted for the whole realm to hear.
Mingyuan imagined some suffering spirits from the underworld looking up to take a look, just curious.
That's how impossibly loud that shout was.
Luckily, Mingyuan was fast enough and managed to… bring out the recliner from his storage ring and lie down.
Sunflower seeds somehow appeared in his hands, and he was munching away with an interested look.
Feeling something, he looked up, only to find the female protector looking at him through the visor of her helmet.
"Eh?" Mingyuan was silent for a moment before extending the bag over. "Want some to eat? It does wonders to quell the nerves."
The protector shook her head, and as her lips twitched, she moved to stand beside Lu Xuan.
Lu Xuan frowned, looked at the arrogant "Young Master" before him, at the rowdy crowd of lackeys hyping him up, and then back at his own subordinate.
His fists clenched, hard.