Chu Yun Empire!

Inside a plaza within the Imperial Palace, nearly fifty children stood in neat rows. A burly middle-aged man in armor addressed them from the front, his voice booming like a great bell and turning quite a few children pale.

"Do you know where this is?"

Silence filled the area. No one dared to answer.

Some were genuinely confused, some were frightened, and some pretended not to know.

"Let me tell you—this is the Imperial Palace of the Jia Ma Empire!"

"Now you understand how fortunate you are, don't you? Being able to stand here is a favor from His Majesty the Emperor. You must remember this: His Majesty is the one who gave you hope!"

"Of course, the Imperial Palace is not a charity hall. It does not feed useless people. If you want to fill your stomach every day, if you want to defy fate and change your destiny, if you no longer want to be bullied, then you must show your value and become useful."

"Now, an unprecedented opportunity lies before you. By His Majesty's grace, you have half a year to prepare. During the next half year, you need only do one thing: cultivate! Cultivate diligently!"

"Over the next three days, I will teach you a cultivation method and give you time to memorize it. Remember, do not cultivate it yet. Your Meridians and physical strength cannot withstand it. I will also teach you the trick to sensing Dou Qi Energy. After that, your fate will be in your own hands. In half a year, there will be a unified assessment, and its results will determine your future."

After rambling on for ages, the man had brainwashed the crowd while also revealing the most important matter.

Chen Guan, who knew the Imperial Family's purpose, understood that the man was telling the truth. There would be an assessment in half a year. Those who performed well would certainly receive better training; otherwise, they would likely have no path left but to be brainwashed into deathsworn warriors.

After more than Half an Hour of tedious talk, the cultivation method the man had mentioned was finally distributed. Everyone received a copy, like a textbook.

To Chen Guan's surprise, its grade was actually not low.

A Yellow Tier High Grade, attribute-less cultivation method—the Spirit Crossing Art!

Yellow Tier High Grade!

In Wutan City, it would have been enough to draw the attention of the Three Great Clans, yet here, everyone received a copy.

One could only say that the Imperial Family truly lived up to its reputation.

However, Chen Guan also understood very well that the Jia Ma Imperial Family was so generous because all the people present would become utterly loyal to the Imperial Family in the future. Naturally, they would not be stingy.

Having come here, the possibility of leaving the Imperial Family was practically nonexistent.

Unless one could display sufficient talent! But if someone truly was an unparalleled genius, the Imperial Family would not care about a mere Yellow Tier High Grade cultivation method. At the very least, they could gain the favor of a future powerhouse.

No matter how one looked at it, the Imperial Family would never lose out.

"Put the cultivation methods down for now and sit cross-legged. I will teach you the trick to sensing Dou Qi Energy. Being able to sense Dou Qi Energy is the prerequisite for cultivation."

"The trick is not complicated. Focus your mind and empty your thoughts."

Chen Guan moved quickly, becoming the first to sit down. Following the man's instructions, he began to learn, concentrating his Spiritual Power between his brows and slowly emptying himself as he sensed his surroundings.

All sounds around him vanished completely. Chen Guan felt as though he had fallen into a strange world where he was all alone. Gradually, after an unknown amount of time, a thread of crimson appeared in his 'vision.' More and more gathered, until it gradually submerged him. This should be Dou Qi Energy!

Fire Attribute.

Chen Guan was not surprised by that. It had already been mentioned in the testament.

Opening his eyes, Chen Guan suppressed the joy in his heart and glanced around. Quite a few people had already ended their first attempt, but the confusion on their faces showed that they had all likely failed.

He was the only one who had successfully sensed Dou Qi Energy on his first try!

Although he had known that his talent was quite good, this result still delighted Chen Guan.

Only a few minutes later, everyone had finished their first attempt.

"Do not be discouraged. Sensing Dou Qi Energy for the first time is not easy. In the entire Jia Ma Empire, there are only a few who can succeed in one attempt. That is talent with at least the potential to become a Dou Emperor. Rest for a moment, then continue sensing it."

The man's expression did not change, as though he had expected this outcome all along, and he spoke casually.

By his estimation, if two or three people succeeded today, that would already be tremendous luck.

Chen Guan, seated among the group, hesitated slightly. Telling the man about his talent would surely draw attention and earn him more and better resources.

But accordingly, it would also bring certain risks.

The tallest tree in the forest was always the first to be felled by the wind. That principle applied everywhere.

There were advantages and disadvantages, making the choice difficult.

In the end, Chen Guan still chose the former. The strength of the Jia Ma Imperial Family was still trustworthy within the Jia Ma Empire. So long as no Dou Zong appeared, there was basically no need to worry. By the time Yun Shan broke through to Dou Zong, he should have gained some ability to protect himself as well.

To grow stronger more quickly, some risks could not be avoided.

However, just as he was about to raise his hand and tell the man, something suddenly appeared in his mind.

Recognizing the familiar feeling, Chen Guan had already guessed what it was.

After examining it carefully, there was no surprise—it was another testament.

Compared with the previous one, however, this testament was extremely brief and lacked many, many details.

"I never expected Jia Xingtian to consider taking me as his disciple after learning of my talent. I knew that he wanted to bind me completely to the Jia Ma Imperial Family's ship, but I still agreed. I truly needed someone to guide me, as well as the resources the Imperial Family could provide."

"My talent was slightly better than imagined. In two years, I actually reached the Sixth Stage of Dou Qi Power, but it was precisely then that an accident occurred."

"That day, as usual, I went to ask my teacher about cultivation. Along the way, I encountered a group of Guards, but I did not pay them any attention."

"Then tragedy struck. I was stabbed through the back by the Guard Captain and could not be saved. My teacher rushed over in fury, and only in my final moments did I learn that news of him taking me as his disciple had long since spread. Thinking about it, that made sense. Given my teacher's status, it was no small matter."

"I heard the assassin laugh as he revealed that he was from the Chu Yun Empire. After spending two years infiltrating the Imperial Palace, they had finally waited for this opportunity. It turned out they had been watching me all along."

After reading the testament, Chen Guan pressed his left hand over his restless right hand.

So the wind really would fell the tallest tree.

He had considered threats within the Jia Ma Empire, yet overlooked the dangers beyond it.

The Chu Yun Empire truly was despicable!

Chen Guan silently added them to his list. As a certain hypocritical God King would say, the Chu Yun Empire had committed a crime deserving death!

Still, this matter truly served as a reminder to Chen Guan. It would be better not to stand out too much. Steadiness was the proper path.

After a few minutes of simple rest, everyone continued trying to sense Dou Qi Energy.

Chen Guan, meanwhile, pondered other matters.

The arrival of the second testament gave him a deeper understanding of this 'golden finger.'

Though it could not grant him some heaven-defying opportunity, its use was far from insignificant. It could help him avoid fatal traps. That alone was enough.