Start with the fisherman

Qi Wang Mansion, Director's Hall,
"Your Highness, there have been frequent changes in the inheritance land recently. It may be opened soon. We should make preparations early."

The King of Qi raised his head from the voluminous official documents and muttered to himself, "Is it finally coming?"

A flash of reminiscence flashed in his eyes, and after a long while he retracted his gaze and looked at the person next to him, "How is Brother Cao doing recently?"

"Still in retreat!"

"Still in retreat?"

The King of Qi sighed, "It's been a year!"

"Since arriving in the capital, he has never even left the door of his mansion. Only a genius like him can achieve such success!"

He did feel a little sad. His talent was also monstrous back then, but unfortunately, he later spent a lot of time on power struggles, which delayed the best time for cultivation.

Otherwise, he might have had the opportunity to reach the highest level of martial artist.

Now thinking about it, he was wrong back then. If he was already a powerful Taoist now, what qualifications did King Cheng have to compete with him for the throne?
In this world, personal bravery can hardly play a decisive role, but if one's strength is raised to the limit and one becomes one of that small group of people, many things can be decided by a single word.

It was just a brief moment of absent-mindedness. The King of Qi quickly suppressed these thoughts and looked at the middle-aged man who had been standing behind him, holding a long sword and resting with his eyes closed. "Uncle, do you think that Brother Cao can break through to the Dao realm after a year of seclusion?"

He understood that the only person he could rely on when the land of inheritance was opened this time was Cao Ze. If Cao Ze soared to the sky, his throne would be as stable as Mount Tai.

If Cao Ze fails, he will never have a chance to become emperor again.

It is said that he is recruiting talents, but when it comes to the level of Tao, it is better to say that he is looking for a backer rather than recruiting others.

This is the change brought about by absolute powerful strength.

This is also the reason why he regrets now. If he had focused on martial arts back then, perhaps things would not be so difficult now.

The middle-aged man holding the sword standing behind King Qi opened his eyes and shook his head slightly, "It's not so easy to break through the Dao realm!"

"Even if he is a peerless evildoer, it won't work!"

He added another sentence.

He has forged an eighth-grade Dharmakaya and has broken through to the eighth level of Dharmakaya many years ago, but he has been trapped at this level for hundreds of years.

How is it possible to break through to the Dao realm in just one year?

"Yes!"

King Qi also sighed softly. He was also a martial artist at the seventh level of the Dharmakaya realm, so he certainly knew how difficult it was to break through to the Dao realm.

"It would be better if the inheritance land could be opened later!"

"If we can give him another ten years, with his talent, he will definitely be able to break through to the Dao realm, and then everything will be safe."

The middle-aged man holding the sword shook his head, "Your Highness, you worry too much!"

"Even with his current strength of the ninth level of the Dharmakaya, he is more than enough to sweep away his peers. King Cheng cannot find such a person under his command. This time, we will definitely win the battle for the inheritance land!"

After the seventh level of Dharmakaya, the strength will increase exponentially with each level increase. No matter how many seventh-level Dharmakayas there are, they will not be a match for the eighth-level Dharmakaya. Similarly, no matter how many eighth-level Dharmakayas there are, they will not be able to defeat a ninth-level Dharmakaya.

As a person at the eighth level of Dharmakaya, he has a deep understanding of this.

King Qi certainly understood this truth, but, "The place of inheritance is a place that Dao Realm experts will be attracted to. If he is unlucky and encounters a Dao Realm expert, it is not impossible that the journey will end before it even begins."

"In the land of inheritance, only the Dao realm can be considered somewhat secure."

"Your Highness, don't worry. My Li family also has ancestors in the Dao Realm, and there is more than one. If anyone wants to touch our Li family, they must be prepared to bear the wrath of the Li family!"

The middle-aged man holding the sword said proudly.

"I hope so!"

The King of Qi sighed deeply. It was useless to dwell on the facts that could not be changed.

……

Chengwang Mansion, Council Hall,
"Your Highness, we have contacted Lord Sky-Splitting Demon. When the time comes, we will provide the location of that kid and Lord Sky-Splitting Demon will take action!"

King Cheng raised his head from a pile of official documents. A rare look of relief appeared in his tired eyes, and even his frowning brows relaxed a lot. This was the only good news he had heard in all these days.

"Very good, you did a great job on this matter. There is a vacancy in the Supervision Department recently. I think your son is quite capable, so let him take the position!"

He has been suppressing the King of Qi for so many years, and his own strength and means are naturally unquestionable. He did not expect that his good situation would be ruined by a bad apple.

"Thank you, Your Highness!"

The middle-aged man was overjoyed, as the Construction Supervision Office was a lucrative position!

"Well, let's go down."

King Cheng remained calm and waved his hand.

After the middle-aged man left, he looked towards the shadow of the room and asked in a low voice, "How is that matter going?"

A figure emerged from the shadows and saluted King Cheng respectfully. His tone was much tougher than that of the middle-aged man just now, neither humble nor arrogant. "The target has been in seclusion and can't find a chance!"

"As expected of a demon who can achieve such an accomplishment!"

Even as an opponent, even if he was planning to kill the other, King Cheng had to give him some praise.

"Keep preparing. Once you have the chance, you must do it well!"

A fierce look flashed in King Cheng's eyes. He certainly knew that he had a strong man in the Dao realm, and it might not be enough for Lord Liekong to take action alone.

But if the powerful Dao Realm masters from within their own clan are unwilling to lend a hand, then Lord Liekong can take action, and then there will be no chance of failure.

"Ready at all the time!"

Shadow replied.

King Cheng nodded. He always trusted the shadow guards to do their work.

"By the way, how is that woman?"

When the shadow guard was about to merge into the shadows again, King Cheng suddenly asked.

"I will follow your highness' orders and will not die within thirty years!"

The shadow guard's voice was as steady as a machine, without any fluctuations.

"Ah."

King Cheng nodded.

He wants everyone to know the price of doing wrong!

I hope we can reverse the previous trend.

…On a spring afternoon, the sun shines gently on the bustling streets of the capital, coating the quaint stone roads with a faint golden glow.

Cao Ze and Su Xiaozhi walked side by side in the bustling crowd, their figures appearing particularly harmonious under the interweaving of light and shadow.

Cao Ze was wearing a well-tailored black robe with his lapels fluttering in the wind, making him look gentle and elegant yet heroic.

He occasionally turned his head and looked gently at Su Xiaozhi beside him with his deep eyes, his eyes full of pampering and care for her.

Su Xiaozhi was wearing a light pink silk dress, the hem of which swayed gently with her steps, like the most beautiful flower in spring. She was particularly eye-catching in the crowd, and her face was filled with a happy smile.

They walked through the bustling market, with a wide variety of stalls on both sides and the sounds of hawking one after another, making it very lively.

Cao Ze patiently accompanied Su Xiaozhi, stopping in front of every stall that caught her attention.

Sometimes Su Xiaozhi was attracted by the exquisite handicrafts, gently picking up each piece to examine them carefully; sometimes she was tempted by the sweet aroma of pastries, and pulled Cao Ze to taste the soft and delicious cakes. Their smiles were even brighter in the sun.

"Brother Ze, this hairpin is quite pretty. Can you give it to me?"

Next to a roadside stall, Su Xiaozhi took a hairpin and presented it to Cao Ze, full of joy.

Cao Ze raised his eyes slightly.

This hairpin is made entirely of unknown lavender crystal. The hairpin is slender and elegant, carved with delicate cloud and lotus patterns. Every line is smooth and natural, as if it contains the rhythm of heaven and earth. At the head of the hairpin, a half-opened lotus sways gently, which is very beautiful.

What surprised Cao Ze was that there was a deep hidden fluctuation of the original power on this hairpin. As it involved the original power, it was probably not an ordinary thing.

But this was not enough to make him raise an eyebrow. What puzzled him was that the owner of the stall next to him was actually a martial artist at the sixth level of the Dharmakaya!
Although the other party's method of concealing his cultivation was very clever, he had now entered the realm of Tao, and his understanding of the world was no longer the same as before. This method was completely invisible to him.

A warrior at the sixth level of Dharmakaya is still setting up a stall on the roadside?
There must be a demon in the abnormal situation!
However, this person had no ill will towards them. With his current strength, even a warrior at the sixth level of the Dharmakaya would not be able to hide.

In that case, he was too lazy to care.

"If you like it, just buy it!"

Cao Ze rubbed Su Xiaozhi's head lovingly. With his current strength, it didn't matter what kind of treasure the hairpin was, as long as Su Xiaozhi liked it.

"This lady has a good eye. This hairpin is made of top-quality wood and took months of hard work to carve. And it only costs ten taels of silver!"

The stall owner was also smiling happily, he might have made a lot of money from this!

Cao Ze smiled, he didn't believe him, this hairpin couldn't be made by this stall owner who was just at the skin polishing stage, but he still reached into his arms.

Before Cao Ze could take out the silver, Su Xiaozhi raised her hand to stop him. Then she looked at the stall owner and said, "This hairpin looks quite old. It doesn't look like it was newly made, right?"

"This...this..."

The stall owner hesitated.

Su Xiaozhi smiled happily, "Will you sell it for five taels of silver?"

As she spoke, she put the hairpin back on the stall, looking as if she would not buy anything for more than five taels of silver.

"Madam, I am a small business, and I cannot give any less. If I give any less, I will lose money. I see that you really like it, and a gentleman should help others to achieve their goals. I will take a step back and give you nine taels of silver. How about that?"

Su Xiaozhi then picked up the hairpin again and looked at Cao Ze with satisfaction. She just enjoyed the process of bargaining and didn't really want to save much money. They had long passed the stage of worrying about ten taels of silver.

"I'll give you fifty taels!"

Just then, a voice sounded behind Cao Ze and the others.

A young man in gorgeous clothes walked over and looked at the hairpin in Su Xiaozhi's hand, his eyes full of surprise and excitement.

Cao Ze looked at the middle-aged man behind the young master, and he turned out to be a martial artist at the sixth level of Dharmakaya!
As for the "young master", her disguise was indeed very similar, but he still recognized at first sight that the other person was a girl.

The gleam in the stall owner's eyes was even more enthusiastic than that of the young man. He carefully took the hairpin back from Su Xiaozhi's hand and said, "Madam, I'm sorry, someone offered a higher price. This..."

The transaction was not completed until Cao Ze paid the silver. The hairpin naturally belonged to the stall owner, and he did have the right not to sell it.

However, he did not say death. Instead, he intentionally or unintentionally let the two sides fight.

From the way Cao Ze and the other man were dressed, they knew they were not ordinary people, so they could certainly afford fifty taels of silver. If the two sides started fighting over this, this hairpin might be sold at a higher price!

"I'll give you one hundred..."

Before Cao Ze could finish his words, Su Xiaozhi stopped him and said, "Forget it, just give it to this young master!"

Su Xiaozhi pulled Cao Ze away, shook her head and muttered to Cao Ze, "Forget it, this kind of hairpin is everywhere, it's not worth more than ten taels of silver."

Cao Ze smiled. Su Xiaozhi obviously didn't realize the extraordinaryness of this hairpin.

But he didn't care. Since Su Xiaozhi didn't want it anymore, then just don't have it.

"Hey!"

The young man called out to Cao Ze and the other man, and threw something at them.

Cao Ze raised his hand to catch it. It was a small cloth bag. He weighed it and heard a rustling sound inside. It turned out to be fifty taels of silver.

"I still understand the first-come-first-served rule. This money can be regarded as compensation for you!"

Young Master Li Yuting said proudly, and at the same time gave another fifty taels of silver to the stall owner. After receiving the hairpin, she could feel the deeply hidden original power flowing in the hairpin.

Street stalls Taobao!

This kind of story in the book actually happened to me!
Li Yuting was ecstatic and felt that the outside world was indeed full of endless fun.

The hairpin is indeed precious, but what makes her even more delighted is the experience of obtaining the hairpin. It is interesting, really interesting!
Cao Ze held the fifty taels of silver, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. Finally, he raised his hand and put it into the storage magic weapon. He was too lazy to say anything more.

Suddenly, Cao Ze, who had just taken two steps, stopped and looked back.

At this time, the young man dressed as a man was walking happily towards the next stall with his guards, as if he wanted to find more treasures.

Just as she came to the next stall, a cold light flashed, and the stall owner suddenly jumped up, and a flash of knife slashed straight at Li Yuting. The terrifying power instantly rushed into the sky. He was actually a powerful man of the sixth level of Dharmakaya!
All this happened too suddenly. Although Li Yuting's guards were also at the sixth level of Dharmakaya, they were too late to rescue her.

However, the knife light that was originally slashing towards Li Yuting suddenly shifted one foot to the left, brushing past Li Yuting's body and slashing towards the back.

A slight difference can lead to completely different results.

Li Yuting's guards rushed forward and fought with the sixth-level Dharmakaya assassin, and instantly gained the upper hand.

The assassin was still immersed in the shock of his failed attack just now, as if he had seen a ghost. He had clearly locked onto Li Yuting just now, and it was impossible for him to strike in mid-air.

In the end what happened?
Even with his cultivation level of the sixth level of Dharmakaya, he had never seen such a strange thing. It was really as scary as if there were ghosts in this world!
There is no doubt that it was Cao Ze who took action. Under his domain, a warrior of the sixth level of Dharmakaya was no different from a toy.

But he did not show up, so this attack can be considered as a reward for the fifty taels of silver!

After scanning the surroundings with his divine sense and confirming that there were no other assassins, Cao Ze pulled Su Xiaozhi and continued to move forward.

Li Yuting turned around and looked in the direction of Cao Ze, a hint of doubt flashed in her eyes.

Everyone on this street was in a panic, but these two people remained calm! (End of this chapter)