Dual Cultivation System: The Villainous Servant’s Rise

Chapter 263: Intelligence! Holy Shit, a Field Battle!

Qin Yusheng remembered their last meeting in the Great Qin imperial palace vividly. At that time, Han Lie had only just broken through to the Nascent Soul stage.

On the surface, Han Lie’s aura currently suggested he was still in the early stages of that realm. However, a low-tier technique like the Aura Concealment Art was a transparent veil to an Emperor of Qin Yusheng’s caliber. His eyes sharpened, cutting through the deception.

He could say with absolute certainty: Han Lie’s cultivation had already reached the Late Nascent Soul stage.

To leap from the early to the late stage in a matter of mere years—such a cultivation speed could only be described as monstrous. When Qin Lianyi had boasted that Han Lie reached the Golden Core from Qi Condensation in just two and a half years, Qin Yusheng had been impressed. Now, he realized he had still drastically underestimated the boy’s potential.

“Your Majesty has a keen eye; nothing escapes you,” Han Lie chuckled, making no effort to deny it. He knew his concealment was mediocre at best, certainly not enough to fool a man who stood at the apex of a dynasty.

“Young friend Han Lie, you are truly the most exceptional talent I have encountered in my life. You have no equal!” Qin Yusheng clicked his tongue in genuine admiration, his expectations for the youth reaching new heights. “With your talent and speed, becoming a world-shaking powerhouse is merely a matter of time.”

He leaned forward, his voice dropping into a tone of paternal pride. “For that girl Lianyi to find a husband like you—one in a hundred million—is a blessing she earned over ten lifetimes. It is a blessing for Great Qin itself! If you ever face a hurdle you cannot clear, come to me. As long as it is within my power, you will have the full weight of the Empire behind you.”

Han Lie felt a strange sense of déjà vu. Qin Yusheng had said nearly the exact same thing back in the palace. It was clear the Emperor saw him as a winning bet, a rare treasure to be polished and protected. In a world where the Pure Yang Sacred Body was a mythic prize even for core-tier sects, Qin Yusheng was doing everything he could to keep Han Lie tied to the Great Qin bloodline.

“I appreciate the sentiment, Your Majesty. If I find myself in a bind, I won’t hesitate,” Han Lie replied with a confident grin.

They spent the next few hours in deep conversation. Qin Yusheng provided a detailed breakdown of the Chen Family hierarchy. Han Lie learned that the nine branches of the family each governed a specific pillar of their society. Chen Gudao, the head of the First Branch, held ultimate authority over law and power. The Second Branch controlled the purse strings, the Third managed public order, and so on.

“It’s a rigid system, but effective,” Qin Yusheng explained. “However, the lower the branch’s number, the less resources they command. This has created a massive disparity in power between the Head Branch and the rest.”

By the time they ran out of topics, it was well into the night. Han Lie proactively stood to bid farewell, agreeing to meet the Emperor again in three days at the Chen Family auction.

Leaving the private room, Han Lie moved to settle his own bill, only for the waiter to inform him that the Emperor had already paid for his entire stay. It was a small gesture in terms of Spirit Stones, but it proved that Qin Yusheng was paying close attention to him.

As he stepped out of the private wing, Han Lie spotted Lin Jiaomei and the male cultivator she’d been whispering to earlier. They were settling their bill and heading for the exit. Han Lie considered following them to see what the succubus was up to, but then he shook his head.

Best not to bring extra trouble to Zi Zi…

Given the gap between his current strength and Lin Jiaomei’s unknown depth, he decided to play it safe.

Over the next two days, Han Lie scoured the city for intelligence regarding the Taiyin Profound Maiden Fruit. Despite being a newcomer, the hype surrounding the fruit was so immense that information was being sold on every street corner. After dropping nearly 10,000 Spirit Stones, he had a clear picture of the battlefield.

Forces from every corner of the continent had converged on the Ancient Desolate Heaven, but Han Lie noticed a pattern: almost all of them were “Semi-Peripheral” tier powers. The “Core” tier sects were conspicuously absent.

The reason wasn’t hard to deduce. To a middle-class merchant, a luxury carriage was the height of status. To a true tycoon, anything less than a private dragon-mount was trash. The Taiyin Profound Maiden Fruit was a legendary treasure, yes, but perhaps only a fading power like the Chen Family would bother hyping it up so aggressively for a profit. To the true titans of the world, it might just be an unappealing trinket.

As the second night deepened, the city felt electric. Tomorrow was the auction. Han Lie decided to head back to the inn to reunite with Ye Qingxuan.

The path took him through a remote, shadowed alleyway. Suddenly, the silence was shattered by a sound that made his ears burn—heavy, ragged gasps and lewd, indecent moans that echoed off the damp stone walls.

Han Lie had only heard dialogue that shameless when he was dual cultivating with Qin Lan.

He slowed his pace, glancing toward the end of the alley. In the gloom, he could see two figures pressed against the wall, intimately entangled in a frenzied, carnal embrace.

Holy shit, a field battle! Han Lie thought, his cynical side mildly impressed by the sheer audacity of it.

“Beauty… I can’t… I can’t take it anymore!”

Thud.

The man’s voice, which had been trembling with pleasure a moment ago, ended in a strangled gasp. His body went limp and hit the ground with a dull, hollow sound.

In the darkness, a pair of snake-like vertical pupils flared with a sickening pink light. They locked onto Han Lie with predatory precision.

“Lin Jiaomei?!”

Han Lie’s heart hammered against his ribs. A cold sweat broke out across his neck as every pore on his body flared with a sudden, instinctive alarm.

…………