Imperial Cultivation

Chapter 84: Chapter 82: Tenfold

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In the early morning, the first light of dawn appeared.

The Martial Arts Training Ground at Mingwu Hall was bustling with activity.

Everyone was eagerly discussing the scene from last night, first about the Heavenly Dragon Divine Horse, then about Chu Zhiyuan crushing Cheng Tianfeng.

People were talking excitedly, unable to contain their enthusiasm.

The crux of the matter was that Cheng Tianfeng was too arrogant before.

His arrogance was clear to everyone; he didn’t care about the princes and princely heirs in Fengtian Hall, nor did he care about Da Jing.

Everyone wanted nothing more than to personally teach him a lesson.

But his cultivation was high; at such a young age, he had already reached the Innate Ninth Layer, and no one could defeat him.

With Chu Zhiyuan being close with them at Mingwu Hall, seeing him crush and deal with Cheng Tianfeng gave them a strong sense of satisfaction, as if they had done it themselves.

"Why isn’t Fourth Brother here today?"

"He must have exhausted himself yesterday and needs to recuperate."

"We should hold a banquet to celebrate for Fourth Brother!"

"Uncle Eighteen..."

Chu Mingxuan laughed and said, "Fourth Brother is in seclusion; I ran into his personal eunuch on the way who came to deliver the message, so we won’t be seeing him for the next few days."

"Is Fourth Brother injured?"

"He didn’t mention injuries, just that he gained some insights from sparring with Da Zhen’s princely heir and wants to seize the opportunity to reflect," Chu Mingxuan said.

"Perhaps when Fourth Brother comes out of seclusion, he’ll advance another layer."

"Such progress, it’s truly astonishing!"

At this point, everyone fell silent and began setting up the Purple Sun Stance to practice earnestly.

Chu Mingxuan also put on a serious face.

He was just one step away from breaking through, yet he couldn’t manage to push through.

Chu Qingfeng stood aside, holding two sheets of plain paper written by Chu Zhiyuan.

Chu Zhiyuan wrote about two matters: one was sensing that Da Zhen’s grandmaster had murderous intent towards him and that he needed to avoid it.

The second was the matter of marrying the Da Zhen princess; he didn’t want to marry a woman from Da Zhen or go to the Da Zhen Divine Capital due to the danger.

He didn’t conceal his true thoughts from Chu Qingfeng.

Chu Qingfeng frowned and pondered.

The first matter was understandably concerning for Chu Zhiyuan.

Seeing such talent in a Da Jing princely heir, how could Da Zhen’s grandmaster not harbor murderous intent? Even though the two countries were to ally, alliances had their hierarchies.

Moreover, the world’s affairs fluctuate; long-standing divisions give way to unity, and vice versa. An alliance now doesn’t mean it will last forever.

In the end, it might lead to conflict again, so eliminating a threat would be beneficial.

But Chu Zhiyuan was overthinking it.

Even if Da Zhen’s grandmaster had murderous intent, he wouldn’t act on it.

If Da Zhen’s grandmaster killed Da Jing’s princely heir, Da Jing’s grandmaster would surely retaliate by killing Da Zhen’s princely heir, leading to a cycle of killing that would leave few grandmasters or princely heirs, practically ending the imperial families.

No one would dare start such precedence, or else the Da Jing Emperor wouldn’t need to act; the Da Zhen Emperor would eliminate them first, and everyone would condemn them.

The second matter was also an overreaction.

Since the elder brother agreed to the marriage between Duke An Mansion and Prince Qing Mansion, it suggested he didn’t want Chu Zhiyuan to marry the Da Zhen princess.

The Da Zhen princess could never become a concubine to a princely heir, nor would they forcibly break off the marriage between Duke An Mansion and Prince Qing Mansion for her.

The elder brother was a wise strategist, considering multiple outcomes before taking a step; agreeing to the marriage was likely to avoid Chu Zhiyuan marrying the Da Zhen princess and having to go to Da Zhen, thus avoiding potential mishaps there.

A better choice was for an unmarried prince to marry the Da Zhen princess.

A younger prince marrying a young Da Zhen princess, letting her come over first, and marrying when they grow up.

This wouldn’t hinder the alliance between the two countries.

He returned to the west side hall and wrote a letter to be sent to the Prince Qing Mansion.

——

The next morning, as dawn first appeared, Chu Zhiyuan showed up at Mingwu Hall.

Everyone gathered around, eagerly scrutinizing him, patting him on the shoulder, and asking about his experiences during the duel.

Chu Zhiyuan chatted and laughed with them.

After Chu Qingfeng arrived, he scrutinized him for a moment and blandly said, "The Tenth Layer now?"

Chu Zhiyuan nodded with a smile.

His duel with Cheng Tianfeng indeed brought him insights.

It wasn’t Cheng Tianfeng’s martial skills or moves but the state of tension induced by their match.

In such a state, his True Qi flow speed increased further.

With Super Sense, he found this state, easily breaking through the Ninth Layer of Jade Tower and entering the Tenth Layer realm.

Upon opening twenty apertures, his difficulty in breaking realms significantly reduced, and his progress sped up by a third.

"The Tenth Layer..."

Hearing this, those around couldn’t help but admire him, feeling somewhat helpless as well.

Chu Mingxuan lowered his head with a sigh.

Chu Zhiyuan looked at him with a smile.

Chu Mingxuan sighed, "I’m just afraid that by the time I reach Innate, you’ll have become a grandmaster already."

"That’s unlikely," Chu Zhiyuan laughed. "The path to becoming a grandmaster takes time; it’s not that easy."

"That’s others, not you!" Chu Mingxuan retorted, "I shouldn’t have heard that; it’s a distraction to my cultivation!"

"Uncle Eighteen, you just haven’t been ruthless enough with yourself. Closeting yourself off could lead you through," Chu Zhiyuan suggested with a smile.

"...Fine, I’ll seclude myself when I return!" Chu Mingxuan gritted his teeth, finally making up his mind.

Chu Qingfeng smiled without stopping him.

Chu Mingxuan indeed just needed that final push; once determined, he could overcome the Third Gate and reach Innate.

Chu Qingfeng waved his hand when he saw they were all gathering to talk, "Go practice; the morning period is precious!"

"Yes..."

"Yes!"

...

The crowd responded, returning to their original spots, setting up the Purple Sun Stance and starting to practice the Little Purple Sun Technique.

Chu Zhiyuan stood in the Purple Sun Stance, practicing the Great Purple Sun Technique.

He understood that the three great sects’ legacies were boundlessly profound, but his foundation was the Great Purple Sun Technique, not others.

Once the sun was fully risen, on his way to sign in at the Ministry of Rites, he asked Chu Qingfeng’s advice on choosing a Fifth Grade Merit option.

Chu Qingfeng suggested choosing the Miao Wu Pill.

Most people who attained the Fifth Grade Merit before becoming a grandmaster would choose the Miao Wu Pill, saving them considerable time.

To advance to Great Grandmaster, one must reach grandmaster early and hone their perfection to allow time for reflection.

Sixty years is the last age limit for a grandmaster, and eighty years for a Great Grandmaster.

Failing to become a Great Grandmaster by eighty means losing hope for life.

...

When he reached the Ministry of Rites, he distinctly felt different.

The officials coming and going greeted him increasingly warmly, more enthusiastic than usual by threefold, more respectful by threefold.

Chu Zhiyuan knew that the palace night banquet sparring had spread.

Indeed, cultivation was deeply ingrained in hearts; people revered martial arts the most.

They originally showed respect, but compared to now, it felt more perfunctory, lacking the sincerity and reverence they showed now.

Despite maintaining his composure, even Chu Zhiyuan felt slightly heady.

The feeling of receiving genuine respect was indeed pleasant.

Upon entering his office, he found Gao Lingfeng already waiting. Upon seeing him, Gao Lingfeng hurried over, "Sir!"

Chu Zhiyuan waved his hand to indicate no formalities were needed: "If it’s nothing urgent, I’m heading to the Heavenly Treasure Department; let’s discuss tomorrow what isn’t pressing."

Eager to visit the Heavenly Treasure Department to see what the Fifth Grade merits could exchange for, then return to Mingwu Hall to scavenge the west side roof for records on the Heart Inquiry Blade.

Fortunately, he had Chu Yi’s assistance today.

Chu Yi planned to visit Duke An Mansion to inform Xiao Ruoling not to leave the city for a while, to guard against Cheng Tianfeng’s potential unruliness.

"Sir, an important matter!" Gao Lingfeng’s demeanor was solemn.

Chu Zhiyuan gestured for him to sit and speak.

However, Gao Lingfeng was impatient to report, "The elder from the True One Sect has died!"

"...The one who stole from the Flying Flower Sword Sect?" Chu Zhiyuan’s brows knitted.

"Yes." Gao Lingfeng’s expression was grave as he slowly explained, "He died calmly, his heart shattered; he was a grandmaster!"

"...Given it’s a grandmaster, suspicion falls on a Great Grandmaster?" Chu Zhiyuan’s expression tensed as he slowly asked, "Song Feiqiong, the Great Grandmaster?"

Gao Lingfeng said, "The True One Sect surely harbors such suspicions!"

Breaking into the Flying Flower Sword Sect to steal the Earth Dragon Pearl and leaving unscathed, the Military Suppression Department released him without consequence.

How could Great Grandmaster Song swallow such humiliation?

Chu Zhiyuan nodded thoughtfully, "Investigating Song Feiqiong might be impossible; has the True One Sect caused a stir?"

Gao Lingfeng solemnly replied, "An elder is waiting outside, requesting to see the junior minister."

Chu Zhiyuan leaned back into the Taishi Chair, scratching his brow with a finger.

This matter was tricky.

Investigating Song Feiqiong was next to impossible.

Song Feiqiong might reside in the Grandmaster Mansion or the royal palace’s interior; the Military Suppression Department possibly cannot even approach, let alone meet Song Feiqiong. How would they investigate?

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