Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension Chapter 1366: 735: Competing for Favor and Xuan Jing’s Recent Situation

Sixty years slipped away in the blink of an eye, for time holds little meaning during the long journey of Cultivation.

To the southwest of the Wolong Mountain Range, in the vicinity of Baizi Peak, an expansive array of towers and pavilions clung to the rugged slopes. The architecture was both sophisticated and grand, creating a scene reminiscent of a terrestrial Immortal Realm. Like ribbons of jade, winding streams circled the peaks and vanished into the mountain's hidden depths.

On the mountainside of the primary peak of Baizi Peak, a cluster of palaces with a distinct, exotic aesthetic stood tall.

Inside the central bedchamber of this complex, the air felt suffocatingly heavy today. Maids stood beside the Jade Couch with their heads tucked low, barely daring to breathe for fear of waking their mistress from her slumber.

Over the last few decades, the master had spent less and less time at Yumin Palace. Consequently, the mistress’s character had turned increasingly volatile and cruel, her temper sharpening with every passing year.

A minor slip by a maid could result in a harsh beating or a verbal lashing. In the most severe cases, they were banished from the palace and sent to the servant yard to endure a life of hard labor like common slaves.

Eventually, the heavy silence was punctured by the sound of light footsteps. A young woman dressed in a white skirt hurried into the room, clutching a delicate jade box.

Approaching the Jade Couch, the girl in white looked upon the elegant woman resting there. With clear eyes, she leaned down and whispered softly, “Madam, the Qin family has delivered a gift for you!”

“Hmm!”

Kang Min jolted awake as if emerging from a trance. She opened her eyes sluggishly, sat up slowly from the couch, and remarked with indifference, “The Qin family is quite perceptive; this is the second time they have sent offerings this year. Peng Jian, open the box and show me. If the contents please me, I shall overlook the offense caused by that little brat from their family.”

“As you wish, madam!”

The girl in white, Peng Jian, replied as she reached out to lift the lid, revealing the treasure within the jade box to Kang Min.

Inside lay a Five-Colored Ganoderma. Its cap was smooth like jade and as wide as a person's palm. A cloud of five-colored mist hovered above it, within which a tiny figure, barely three inches tall, seemed to be manifesting.

“A ten-thousand-year-old Five-Colored Ganoderma!” Kang Min’s curiosity was instantly piqued, and her eyes flashed with a mixture of shock and joy.

The Five-Colored Ganoderma is a natural marvel of the world, brimming with spiritual essence and regarded as a supreme medicinal treasure.

Furthermore, this specific specimen had existed for over ten millennia. Its ganoderma spirit was already beginning to take shape, standing on the threshold of developing true spiritual wisdom and becoming a sentient spirit of heaven and earth.

Most vital to her, however, was that the Five-Colored Ganoderma is known to nourish yin and restore vitality, possessing legendary properties regarding conception.

This was the attribute Kang Min prized above all others.

Nearly a century had passed since she had followed her husband to the Wolong Mountains.

During these hundred years, she had exhausted every possible method, yet she still could not conceive a child for her husband.

Although she had achieved the stage of Foundation Establishment Success, which granted her a youthful appearance, she felt the weight of time. She feared she was "old and fading" as she watched her husband’s affection slowly drift away.

Her envy and dread only grew as the Zhao Family and their Vassal Forces competed to present "beauties" every year, causing the number of concubines in the "harem" to exceed a hundred.

The "wenches" who arrived later were always younger and more radiant. Many possessed unique constitutions or were experts in various Dual Cultivation Secret Techniques.

Kang Min was acutely aware that she could never win a beauty contest against those stunning young women. Her only leverage was her "status as the First Concubine" and her husband's lingering respect.

To those on the outside, Kang Min was a formidable "important figure" who commanded respect.

As the "First Concubine" of the Returning to Void Ancestor, she held a prestigious rank within the Zhao Family and was someone the Vassal Forces went to great lengths to please.

Throughout history, in any world, the influence of a woman’s "pillow talk" was something no one dared to ignore!

Thus, for the past century, Kang Min had truly been "below one person and above ten thousand." Hardly anyone dared to cross her, and she was constantly surrounded by people eager to flatter her.

Even as she felt her beauty waning, she maintained perfect order within the harem, earning significant praise from Zhao Sheng.

This solidified her standing, placing her far above the other concubines and giving her the aura of the "Main Palace Master."

Yet, Kang Min could not find peace because she had failed to provide the master with an heir.

With each passing year, her anxiety deepened. A recent major incident had pushed her fear and resentment to a breaking point.

“Take it away and place it in the Treasure Pavilion,” Kang Min snapped irritably, suddenly slamming the jade box shut.

Peng Jian’s heart hammered in her chest. She snatched up the box, bowed low, and hurried out of the hall.

As she reached the entrance, a disturbance broke out. A group of people seemed to be approaching rapidly, and muffled voices could be heard from outside: “Madam is resting… entry is forbidden…”

Peng Jian frowned with anger, but before she could speak, a sharp voice rang out from the doorway: “Move! Who thinks they can stop our madam?!”

The voice was high and clear, sounding as if the speaker was already upon them!

Peng Jian looked up just as a pair of girls in red clothes shoved the guards aside and marched into the room, followed by a line of maids in blue.

Behind them, a large entourage escorted two women in formal palace attire. One appeared ethereal and dignified, while the other was radiantly innocent and possessed a beauty that was truly peerless.

Peng Jian’s face paled. She tried to move out of the way, but before she could, the two girls in red intentionally lunged forward and shoved her with great force, sending her sprawling to the floor.

Smack!

The jade box hit the ground and burst open. The ten-thousand-year-old Five-Colored Ganoderma tumbled out, rolling to a stop right in the center of the entrance.