Chapter 267: 200 Times Spiritual Energy Concentration, Three Flame Seeds, Flame Armor Minor Accomplishment! Group Stage Competitor Lili Zi The Strict Father
The button lit up, and the elevator was descending quite rarely from the floor where Nanjo Emi’s office was located.
Shangshan Che didn’t notice this minor detail.
Ding.
The elevator doors slowly opened to both sides, revealing a splendidly dressed old man and a young man in a suit standing inside, one in front and one behind.
Shangshan Che didn’t recognize these two and, just like before, turned his body sideways, waiting for the people inside to come out first before entering the elevator.
But without a doubt, both Tokugawa Motoyasu and Tokugawa Ryuji recognized Shangshan Che.
And it was a very deep understanding.
Tokugawa Motoyasu’s gaze swept over Shangshan Che, and he let out a hoarse laugh: “The little fellows nowadays are quite polite.”
Shangshan Che: ?
Even calling him “little fellow”? This old thing seemed to have an excess of self-consciousness.
He looked up in some confusion.
But adhering to basic courtesy and the principle of causing less trouble, Shangshan Che was too lazy to say much, pretending he neither heard nor saw it.
After laughing briefly, Tokugawa Motoyasu no longer paid attention to Shangshan Che and walked toward the doorway of the hall, leaning on his cane.
Tokugawa Ryuji followed behind him.
In the instant they brushed past each other, the latter heard an extremely faint voice transmitted into his ear through a Qi Barrier far thinner than a thread.
“—Shangshan Che, if you truly care about Lili Zi, you must take her away from Tokyo before the Seed Battle ends, and never make a fuss afterward.”
The voice, like an illusion, abruptly cut off with the next sound of leather shoes hitting the ground, then quickly faded away.
???
What thing?
In the sudden bewilderment, Shangshan Che halted his step toward the elevator.
He immediately pressed the door-open button again to prevent the elevator from closing.
But moments later, Shangshan Che still casually entered the elevator, turned around, and watched the old man and the youth’s backs gradually disappear into the blazing sunlight at the doorway.
—Since the other party had used such a sophisticated sound transmission method, he definitely didn’t want him to have any overreaction that would let unnecessary people know what he had said to him.
Shangshan Che’s reaction was quite well handled.
But Tokugawa Motoyasu hadn’t even heard the related commotion at all, yet as they walked out of the Special Affairs Office Building, he casually asked Tokugawa Ryuji,
“Ryuji, what did you just say to that kid?”
“I told him to get far away from Little Sister.” Tokugawa Ryuji replied with a cold snort, “Such mediocre status and bloodline will only harm Little Sister.”
“Hmm… Ryuji, actually, no need to be so direct.”
After waiting for the driver to open the car door and sitting inside, Tokugawa Motoyasu said with a smile: “If this Shangshan Che has enough potential, he might not be unable to marry into the Tokugawa family.”
Tokugawa Ryuji, who got into the car from the other side, nodded after a barely perceptible stiff moment: “Ryuji will keep Great-Grandfather’s teachings in mind.”
The old man couldn’t stop smiling,
“Good child, good child.”
……
After stepping into the elevator, as Shangshan Che recalled the youth who had walked past him and secretly transmitted the message, his right hand instinctively rested on the hilt.
This was an almost impossible-to-suppress instinctive reaction.
That youth might seem like a normal person at first glance, but as soon as Shangshan Che recalled and delved into it, he could clearly sense the suffocating pressure and qi emanating from the other party.
Just thinking about it made Shangshan Che somewhat breathless.
This was no longer about how powerful the other party was, but rather that he had no chance of winning at all, and it was unclear if he even had a chance to escape.
Because the feeling the youth gave him was much stronger than Kujo Shingo, whom he had seen once level a small hilltop with a single Onmyōdō technique.
It was even possibly stronger than Tokugawa Hoshi.
Among the myriad Ghost Gods, he should be in the top tier, virtually invincible.
There was also another familiar sensation…
Shangshan Che had felt it on Lili Zi before—yes, it was the Sword Domain belonging to a Sword Master.
This youth was not only one of the supreme powerhouses among Ghost Gods but also at least a Sword Master on the same level as Lili Zi in Sword Technique!
Shangshan Che silently took a deep breath.
Thinking this way, the scope of possibilities narrowed down far too much.
Among the younger generation, who else could achieve such an outrageous level, knew Lili Zi, and would say something like that to him?
It could only be Lili Zi’s second brother or Eldest Brother.
Shangshan Che rarely heard Lili Zi talk about her second brother, so the youth just now should be her Eldest Brother—
Tokugawa Ryuji.
And that old man walking ahead of Tokugawa Ryuji…
And what were they doing at the Special Affairs Office Building at this time?
Shangshan Che rubbed his fingers, suddenly feeling uneasy.
After the elevator dinged open, Shangshan Che headed straight to Nanjo Emi’s office.
Knock knock knock.
Creak.
From behind the thick soundproof wooden door, a small head poked out with a business-like smile.
The one who opened the door was Chisa.
But after looking up and clearly seeing who was knocking, the slight hesitation beneath Chisa’s original smile vanished completely.
“Eh? Shangshan bro?”
She blinked her big eyes and quickly pushed open the wooden door, gesturing for Shangshan Che to come in.
Shangshan Che, who hadn’t expected a child laborer to open the door, first glanced at Nanjo Emi and the documents on her desk, then smiled at Chisa,
“Chisa-chan, it’s only been a few days, but you’ve become very proficient at work.”
“Hehe, not really~”
The girl’s cheeks flushed slightly with embarrassment, then she trotted over with a chair: “Shangshan bro, please sit.”
Shangshan Che didn’t stand on ceremony, sat down, and heard Nanjo Emi speak to him,
“Little Chisa has very strong adaptability and has fully mastered this high-intensity clerk work.”
“That’s good.”
Shangshan Che nodded: “But more importantly…”
“Um, Shangshan bro and Nanjō Great Officer, you two talk first!”
The perceptive Chisa instantly read that the upcoming matter wasn’t suitable for her to hear, so she proactively left the office: “Sister Manatsu still needs my help!”
Bang, the door closed again.
Nanjo Emi spread her hands: “See, I told you, she’s fully mastered it.”
At such a young age, mastering the ultimate Secret Technique of this country that one must learn—reading the air—Chisa-chan… far beyond terrifying, simply terrifying!
Shangshan Che shook his head with a smile, then said seriously,
“Sister Nanjo, when I came upstairs just now, I ran into an old man and a young man. I suspect that youth is Tokugawa Ryuji from the Tokugawa family.”
“That’s Tokugawa Ryuji.” Nanjo Emi didn’t keep him guessing and directly confirmed Shangshan Che’s guess, “That old thing is also from the Tokugawa family, the current Head of the Clan, Tokugawa Motoyasu.”
“Tokugawa Motoyasu?”
Hearing this strange name, Shangshan Che was stunned.
Then he immediately realized that this decrepit old man who could barely walk was Lili Zi’s, and the “Great-Grandfather” mentioned by Tokugawa Haruhiko.
This old thing, at first glance, aside from his clothes, looked no different from a normal old man.
No wonder.
If he was the Head of the Tokugawa clan, it was only natural that he wasn’t simple.
After learning their identities, the office fell silent for a moment.
Shangshan Che was thinking.
Should he tell Lili Zi about these two from the Tokugawa family coming to Tokyo?
If he did, he worried he couldn’t hold back the impulsive Lili Zi… but she was an adult and should know about this.
After a brief hesitation, Shangshan Che decided to at least let Lili Zi know about it first.
Nanjo Emi saw through Shangshan Che’s thoughts, tapped the table with her finger to draw his attention, and then said,
“Before you came up, I already told Lili Zi about it. She has the right to know.”
“Thanks…”
Shangshan Che subconsciously wanted to thank her, but instantly realized what Nanjo Emi had said: “Ah? What did she say then?”
“Didn’t say much.” Nanjo Emi shrugged, “‘Got it,’ that was her exact words.”
“No need to worry about her doing something stupid.”
Nanjo Emi clicked the mouse a couple times and turned the screen around: “See, she’s currently in the group stage, punching and kicking, acting as someone’s stern father.”
In the live stream footage, Lili Zi, dressed in a white combat uniform, didn’t even draw the bamboo sword at her waist, simply relying on fists and body techniques to brutally beat her opponent who refused to admit defeat.
In the screen, Lili Zi’s opponent had been beaten until his face was black and blue, with nosebleed and teeth scattered all over the ground, even worse than a sandbag used for ten years.
Yet even so, he still shakily stood up with strong-willed consciousness, holding a tachi in a malformed stance.
Shangshan Che knew that facing such a respectable spirited opponent, Lili Zi would absolutely not show any mercy.
Thinking of this, Shangshan Che silently mourned for the boy on stage for half a second.
“Moreover, during the Seed Battle, Lili Zi is a competitor.” Nanjo Emi said flatly, “With the Special Affairs Office’s backing, at least during this period, the Tokugawa family can’t make any moves against her.”
After hearing this, Shangshan Che understood what Tokugawa Ryuji’s words meant earlier.
Take Lili Zi and flee…
“Not being impulsive is good.”
Shangshan Che breathed a sigh of relief: “I was just afraid that after knowing this news, she’d grab her sword without a word and come to kill that old man, and if she failed, it would really be trouble.”
“Thanks, Sister Nanjo.”
“Nah.”
Nanjo Emi waved her hand.
Shangshan Che then fell into contemplation—this “Great-Grandfather” had clearly set his sights on Lili Zi, even coming to Tokyo to probe Sister Nanjo’s attitude toward Lili Zi.
So the moment to draw his sword against this Tokugawa Head of the Clan might not be far off.
And before that, he first needed to clarify the friend-or-foe situation within the Tokugawa family.
First, Tokugawa Hoshi would definitely help Lili Zi, no need to say more; Tokugawa Haruhiko would definitely side with that old thing.
As for the Tokugawa Ryuji he just met… emotionally speaking, he was probably on Lili Zi’s side.
But there was a high chance he would be the next Head of the Tokugawa clan. Considering this, along with Tokugawa Ryuji’s and that old thing’s attitudes, it was hard to say.
The clan’s internal influence in the Tokugawa family went without saying—almost all would support the current Head of the Clan.
Shangshan Che’s expression darkened.
It seemed almost no one would stand behind Lili Zi, at most just a few from the younger generation who watched her grow up.
Strength.
What he needed now was an increase in strength.
Whether for the Seed Battle or for the dispute that might come in the near future.
Of course, Shangshan Che hadn’t forgotten the original purpose of coming to the Special Affairs Office.
He asked: “Sister Nanjo, I heard the Special Affairs Office newly built a high-concentration Spirit Energy Room for cultivation?”
“A few days ago, we had Astronomy Path Master who was passing by set it up. There’s one with a hundredfold Spiritual Energy Concentration, right next to the place you used before. Want it?”
Nanjo Emi wasn’t surprised at how well-informed he was.
“Yes!” Shangshan Che nodded immediately.
“After you go in, I’ll add a boost, pump the Spiritual Energy Concentration inside to two hundredfold to try. Lately, there’s so much spiritual energy we can’t use it all.”
Nanjo Emi snapped her fingers: “Your proficiency in Spirit Control Technique isn’t low, so you shouldn’t burst.”
“But… if you can’t absorb it, speak up. Don’t explode inside.”
Scary, was there really a chance of being burst by spiritual energy?
Shangshan Che imagined that scene and couldn’t help shivering.
He stood up, was about to lift his foot but put it down, as if remembering something, turned back and asked,
“By the way, Chisa’s decision…”
“For her, she’s probably still hesitating.”
Nanjo Emi leaned back in the soft chair, yawned,
“Hesitating between becoming a top-tier, safe clerk who can still make plenty of contributions, and a Supernatural who might gain nothing even after great effort.
Anyway, give the child some more time.”
At that moment, there was a knock on the door. After Nanjo Emi said come in, Chisa opened the door carrying a paper bag.
She looked at Shangshan Che, who was turning back to meet Nanjo Emi’s gaze, and asked softly,
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, thanks for the hard work, Little Chisa.”
Nanjo Emi pointed to her leg area, indicating to put the stuff there, then suggested to the girl: “Little Chisa, hasn’t your sister come to Tokyo too?”
Her superior, who worked nearly twenty-four hours a day, thirty days a month, twelve months a year, raised a finger,
“Actually, you can take some vacation time to go play with her.”
“Eh?”
Chisa’s face lit up with joy at first, but then she pursed her lips and shook her head,
“How can that be, there’s so much work right now…”
“This doesn’t need you to worry about, Chisa.” Nanjo Emi interrupted her, “And don’t you have an agreement with Shangshan Jun?
Don’t keep him waiting too long.”
“This is a good chance for you to go onsite and watch the Seed Battle, to witness more of what power is.”
Nanjo Emi interlaced her fingers, propping her chin, proactively giving the girl a perfectly reasonable excuse: “I think no matter the outcome, it’s a great opportunity to broaden your horizons.”
This combo punch made the irrefutable Chisa feel it made more and more sense the more she thought about it.
A dozen seconds later, she clenched her little fist and deeply bowed to Nanjo Emi: “Then… thank you, Nanjō Great Officer!”
Shangshan Che withdrew his gaze: “I’ll head to the Spirit Energy Room first.”
The girl waved to him with a smile: “Bye, Shangshan bro!”
“Yeah, see you in a couple days.”
……
Familiarly arriving next to the original quiet room, Shangshan Che turned his head and saw the hundredfold Spiritual Energy Concentration cultivation room marked with a red warning sign.
For a normal Onmyoji, going in for a few minutes would probably cause spiritual intoxication and fainting, and more than ten minutes would pose a life-threatening danger.
So the conspicuous warning sign to prevent accidental entry was necessary.
Shangshan Che pushed the door open and crossed the thin barrier like water.
Almost simultaneously, Shangshan Che felt the viscous spiritual energy, thick as water, surging madly into his body through his pores.
In an instant, even Shangshan Che felt a bit breathless.
The Flame Seed in his brow automatically surfaced, emitting a shining black-red glow under the nourishment of the dense spiritual energy.
“This is hundredfold Spiritual Energy Concentration…”
Circulating the Spirit Control Technique, Shangshan Che immediately felt the pressure from the spiritual energy disappear.
The hundredfold concentration spiritual energy was swallowed like a whale.
In its place, continuous “+1, +1” proficiency numbers jumped before his eyes.
After just tens of seconds, the growth speed of the numbers before him stabilized.
—Though the speedup wasn’t really a hundredfold terrifying, it was at least several times, even dozens of times faster.
“How is it, can you adapt?”
Nanjo Emi’s voice echoed in the cultivation room like a broadcast speaker.
“No pressure at all!”
“Good! That’s what I was waiting for!”
The voice quickly faded.
Immediately after, the already viscous spiritual energy concentration in the room surged again, explosively increased, vigorously boosted!
Now, even Shangshan Che, who was running the Spirit Control Technique at full speed, felt a drowning-like sensation within it.
Of course, this was a good thing.
—Hoshi! Soul Incense Candle! Soul Incense Ash!
Shangshan Che set out the auxiliary cultivation methods one by one, and the Flame Seed condensation method immediately flowed through his heart.
In an instant, he determined the positions for the second and third Flame Seeds.
Respectively, the heart and the right chest.
This way, the three Flame Seeds could form a stable triangular structure, also allowing Flame Armor to reach the Minor Accomplishment stage!
