The Palace Side Hall

In the imperial study, Emperor Zhao Heng listened to his two daughters' report. He expressionlessly dismissed them. The two women exchanged surprised glances, not expecting their Father Emperor to show no reaction. However, they dared not say anything more. Having been married for so long, their occasional return to their father made them feel somewhat apprehensive. Once they stepped outside the palace walls, their return felt less like a father-daughter meeting and more like the wives of a subject meeting His Majesty the Emperor. The two women obediently bowed and withdrew.

Zhao Heng picked up the memorial on his desk, opened it, and began to read. Suddenly, he tilted his head slightly and asked, "Has Zhang Peng, the vanguard general under Shi Wenguang, really been executed?"

Beside him stood a white-haired chief eunuch, who replied sternly, "Those sent to gather intelligence rarely manage to break through Shi Wenguang's hidden sentries; few return alive. However, there is indeed a story that Zhang Peng violated military discipline and was beheaded. It's probably true; Shi Wenguang is extremely strict in managing his troops and cannot tolerate anyone who seriously violates military discipline."

Zhao Heng's expression was somewhat inscrutable. He both admired and resented Shi Wenguang. He admired him because he was a rare talent, but he resented him because such a general was not under his command, but rather his enemy.

The thought of that army of over two million men dominating western Huaxia Country, making it impossible for the six other nations to even cross Huaxia Country borders, is a recipe for disaster. Any attempt to cross would be met with a crushing defeat – a losing proposition indeed!

Despite years of constant warfare, including joint attacks by six states, they still suffered heavy losses at the hands of Shi Wenguang. In a fit of rage, he dispatched a million-strong army, dividing it into six separate forces that overwhelmed the six states, leaving them powerless to retaliate. Ultimately, all six states were forced to sue for peace with the Huaxia Country, their rulers utterly humiliated and understandably frustrated.

"The Emperor of Huaxia Country is incompetent, yet he has such generals under his command, making it impossible for us to cross the line. It's a matter of life and death for us!" Zhao Heng couldn't help but sigh.

"Your Majesty need not worry," the old eunuch said softly. "Didn't the higher-ups tell us to be patient for now? Once the great battle between the Cultivation World of various countries and the Huaxia Cultivation World has concluded, someone will naturally take care of Shi Wenguang in secret. From then on, western China will no longer have such a valiant and skilled general, and the various countries will jointly divide up the Huaxia Empire." The fact that this old eunuch knew about the Cultivation World showed that he was someone Emperor Zhao Heng trusted.

"It's a pity he's dead! Such a talented person! It's a pity he can't be of use to me. Never mind, let's not talk about this." Zhao Heng stared at the old eunuch and said, "Since San Yatou is determined to die, don't let her know about Zhang Peng's death. Let her continue choosing her husband."

"Understood." The old eunuch nodded slightly. Zhao Heng began to focus on the memorials, reviewing them as he spoke, "This girl is so stubborn, infatuated with a dead man for so many years. She begged me to hold a martial arts competition to find a husband for her, and I thought she had come to her senses. I never expected that she actually wanted to find a capable husband to avenge the dead Chu Xiong. It's utterly foolish. But it's fine, it's a good opportunity to recruit talented generals from all over the country and prepare for the future."

"Your Majesty is wise," the old eunuch said. Zhao Heng turned his head and glared at him. "Keep a close eye on those royal relatives and nobles from various countries. Most of them are people who are not successful in their respective countries. Otherwise, they would not have come to our country to become imperial consorts. Although they are not successful, the education they have received since childhood is incomparable to that of ordinary people. Among them, there are many who are well-versed in military strategy. I only have one daughter left, and I can only choose one consort. As long as the rest are talented, you must do your best to win them over and keep them to serve me. I am willing to give them high-ranking positions and generous salaries."

"Rest assured, Your Majesty, I will arrange everything properly," the old eunuch nodded. Afterwards, the imperial study fell silent...

Today is the auspicious day for the martial arts contest to select a consort. The entire Dayang City is bustling with activity. Since the common people cannot enter the palace to watch the contest, they have to flock to the streets to watch the participants pass by.

Logically, only those who participated in the martial arts competition could enter the palace, and the number of other attendants allowed inside was limited. However, because of Nong Zhu's influence, Wen Rui personally went to the palace to see the Mi brothers. Naturally, the latter wouldn't risk such a small favor and immediately obtained several palace entry tokens for Wen Rui.

Upon stepping outside, they found a large crowd. Nong Zhu, Yue Qianchou, Furong, and Zhang Peng squeezed into a carriage and joined the long queue of people from various countries. Soldiers cleared and cordoned off the streets. The journey was relatively smooth.

Nong Zhu looked outside with a beaming smile, as if she hadn't seen such liveliness in a long time. Furong was also full of curiosity, looking around. The most depressed one was probably Zhang Peng, after all, among them, he was the only one forced by his master to participate in the martial arts contest to find a husband. While others were watching the excitement, he was the one being watched, and he couldn't be happy even if he wanted to.

Yue Qianchou lifted the curtain and looked at both sides of the street, clicking his tongue and shaking his head as he looked. There were quite a few cultivators mixed in with the crowd. He couldn't tell which ones had higher cultivation levels, but there were quite a few whose cultivation levels were lower than his, probably all there to watch the show. Since things had already come to this, he simply faced it head-on, meeting the gazes of those cultivators with a defiant look.

What's meant to be will be. Today is my public debut in the Cultivation World of various countries. Who's afraid of who? Yue Qianchou smiled and stared outside, occasionally raising his middle finger at the cultivators in the crowd by the roadside. Anyway, the other party didn't know what it meant.

"Kid, what does it mean to give the middle finger?" Nong Zhu couldn't help but ask, seeing him always doing that. Yue Qianchou said "Oh" and said nonchalantly, "It's nothing, it's a custom of the Great Yang Kingdom. I'm greeting people on the roadside, it's a way of saying hello."

"Huh! I've been here before, how come I've never heard of it?" Nong Zhu muttered to himself. Turning around, without a word, he deftly pointed his middle finger out the window, shaking it with great force. His fingers were already long and slender, and that middle finger was indeed raised with a dashing and elegant air, worthy of Mr. Nongzhu. Yue Qianchou's expression twitched, and he lowered his hand. He couldn't be complicit with that guy.

Upon entering the imperial city, everyone, regardless of who they were, had to dismount from their horses or carriages. The city gates were heavily guarded by soldiers, making it impossible for ordinary people to approach. Even miscellaneous cultivators were not allowed to trespass; without an entry token, no one was permitted entry. Some rules were inviolable, even for cultivators. The Mi brothers had already transferred a large number of their fellow disciples from Guangzhao Peak to guard the area around the palace, precisely to prevent any unauthorized entry by cultivators.

Guests from various countries filed into the palace through the main gates, their first task being to pay homage to His Majesty the Emperor of Dayang Country. Nong Zhu, Wen Rui, and the others, naturally, could not possibly pay respects to a secular emperor. Mi Rushan personally waited inside the palace, and upon seeing them, quickly came forward to pay his respects and escorted Nong Zhu and the others out for further arrangements. Only Zhang Peng was sent back by Yue Qianchou to go through the formalities with the Wen family.

Mi Rushan carefully examined Yue Qianchou for a few moments. He then led the group to a rather large side hall. Inside, several hundred chairs were arranged in a circular pattern. A dozen or so people had already arrived and were sitting comfortably, chatting amongst themselves. They were presumably cultivators sent by various countries to protect the royal family and nobility. As soon as Mi Rushan entered, he cupped his hands and said, "Gentlemen, Mr. Nongzhu Wen Rui have arrived."

A group of people quickly stood up and Nong Zhu raised a middle finger at them, circling around and saying, "Please, don't be shy. I'm just here to watch the show." The group then returned to their places, puzzled, not knowing what Nong Zhu meant by raising the middle finger, but judging from his expression, it was probably a greeting. All eyes then fell on Yue Qianchou, scrutinizing him.

Yue Qianchou felt somewhat uncomfortable under their gaze. He noticed several Nascent Soul Early Stage, several at the Nascent Soul Middle Stage, and a few whose cultivation levels were impossible to discern. More people entered, their first act being to greet Nong Zhu Wen Rui. Nong Zhu casually flicked her middle finger, startling the visitors. Their second action was to scrutinize Yue Qianchou beside Nong Zhu.

After being stared at for a while, Yue Qianchou became somewhat numb and simply entertained Furong, pretending not to see anything. After waiting for a while, presumably most of the people had arrived, the hundreds of chairs were almost full. Between every two chairs was a small tea table with tea and snacks on it. A dozen or so Foundation Establishment Realm disciples were constantly moving about, pouring tea and water. They were probably all brought from Guangzhao Peak.

The atmosphere inside the hall was somewhat silent, as everyone was a little reserved with Nong Zhu Wen Rui, both at the Spirit Transformation stage, present. However, some bolder individuals couldn't bear the silence any longer. One coughed, stood up, bowed to Nong Zhu, and said loudly, "May I ask, Mr. Nongzhu, is the gentleman sitting next to you Yue Qianchou?"

Hundreds of bright eyes were fixed on them. Nong Zhu smiled and looked at Yue Qianchou, nodding and saying, "That's right, he is indeed Yue Qianchou. Do you have something to say?" Her tone seemed to be reminding him of something, and also seemed to want to see some excitement.

Yue Qianchou immediately looked at the person. He was square-shaped, tall and strong, and indeed had the talent to be the first to stand out.

"Ding Wei, a late- Nascent Soul cultivator. I have heard that Yue Qianchou claims to be the strongest Spirit Transformation stage. Is this true?" Ding Wei asked respectfully.

"That's right, that's right, I heard it with my own ears." Nong Zhu pointed at Yue Qianchou and laughed, "I can testify that he did say such a thing."

Not only was Yue Qianchou annoyed by these words, but even Wen Rui glanced at Nong Zhu with some surprise. Back at the Biyuan Kingdom embassy, he had risked everything to protect Yue Qianchou, so why was he now suspected of betraying him?

Nong Zhu continued her banter with Ding Wei, her tone playful and increasingly sensitive. Only their cheerful voices could be heard inside the hall.

Yue Qianchou squinted and Nong Zhu around. Everyone was staring at him menacingly, and with that old bastard Nongzhu's ambiguous attitude, he figured things wouldn't end well today. He sat down to Wen Rui's left, rubbed his nose with his palm, tilted his head, covered his mouth, and asked softly, "Senior Wen Rui, besides the two of you, are there any other Spirit Transformation stage experts here? What are their cultivation levels?"

Wen Rui was taken aback upon hearing this. He glanced at him, then scanned the people present several times before replying telepathically, "Besides Mr. Nongzhu and me, who are not at the Spirit Transformation stage, there are nine at the early Tribulation stage. The cultivation levels of everyone else are below the Tribulation Transcendence stage. What do you want to do?"

"That puts my mind at ease!" Yue Qianchou muttered softly, then coughed and stood up amidst Wen Rui's surprised gaze...

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