Martial Grandmaster

Li Zhi raised his head toward the shadow, narrowed his eyes, and said:

"Which of my master's seven Shadow Guards might you be?"

The black shadow swayed slightly beneath the torchlight, like a wisp of smoke curling upward:

"Your Highness has keen eyes. I rank sixth among the Shadow Guards. Your Highness may call me Lu Ying."

Li Zhi nodded lightly, studying the other party with a deep, composed gaze for a moment before asking:

"What did my master send you to find me for?"

At those words, a somewhat ethereal voice drifted from the black shadow:

"The Director said that His Majesty has agreed to let Your Highness leave the Heavenly Prison within one month, but there is one condition."

"What condition?"

The black shadow fell silent for a moment before saying:

"His Majesty said that Your Highness must destroy any one of the four great sects in Great Li's martial world within a year. If you can do so, he will return all the rights that belong to you."

Li Zhi immediately fell silent. He remained silent even longer than the other party had, yet no expression could be seen on his face as he merely asked:

"What if I cannot do it?"

The shadow beneath the torchlight swayed slightly.

"His Majesty did not say."

"However, the Director asked me to tell you that, for the sake of your bond as master and disciple, if you can push yourself and advance to Martial Grandmaster within a month, he may permit us Seven Shadow Guards to assist you."

Li Zhi pondered briefly, then smiled lightly.

"My master truly understands me."

With that, he slowly raised his hand. In an instant, his entire aura underwent a sudden transformation.

Powerful, dense true qi surged from his meridians and condensed before him into the phantom of an ancient, unadorned longsaber.

An invisible blade intent emerged from the phantom—sharp and awe-inspiring. Even the air inside the cell hummed and trembled, giving off waves of stifled, sonorous saber cries.

The next moment, vast and distant killing intent bore down directly upon the shadow outside the cell. The saber phantom tore through the void, crossing the distance between the inside and outside of the cell in an instant as it slashed toward the shadow.

"Heavenly Slaughter Blade Intent."

The shadow beneath the torchlight gave a soft cry. Countless shadowy tentacles extended from behind it, wrapping around the saber phantom layer upon layer.

A dull sound like fabric tearing rang out. Several wisps of dazzling saber light faintly escaped, striking the brick wall and carving saber marks over an inch deep into it.

The black shadow swayed along with the impact, only gradually settling down after some time.

Then the shadow outside the cell exclaimed:

"So Your Highness had already advanced into the realm of a Martial Grandmaster. It truly comes as a surprise. If the Director learns of this, he will surely be most delighted."

Li Zhi slowly withdrew the cloudlike, dense true qi surrounding him and shook his head.

"You flatter me. I merely gained some insight in this Heavenly Prison and broke through by luck."

At this moment, the black shadow beneath the torchlight outside the cell bowed slightly.

"Lu Ying and the other Shadow Guards shall heed Your Highness's orders from this day forth."

"No need for such ceremony."

Li Zhi raised his hand lightly. Then his gaze shifted, and he let out a deep sigh.

"I wonder what Father Emperor is thinking. He actually wants me to deal with one of the four great sects. This is nearly impossible to accomplish. Even now, I do not know what I should do."

Upon hearing this, the black shadow outside the cell remained silent. Whether it concerned His Majesty or the Director, neither was someone people like them could discuss.

"Your Highness, all things are accomplished by human effort. There is no need to worry too much."

The black shadow swayed slightly.

"Lu Ying must return to report to the Director. I shall not disturb Your Highness further."

With that, the black shadow slowly retreated from beneath the torchlight into the darkness. The area where it had stood gradually returned to normal.

Once the Hidden Spy Bureau's Shadow Guard had left, the worry on Li Zhi's face vanished in an instant.

He frowned tightly as he stared at the lamplight on the table, his expression flickering between light and dark.

"Suddenly ordering me to destroy one of the four great sects—this is practically an impossible condition. Could it be... they discovered my secret?"

Yet the prison cell was silent and still. No one could answer his question.

Aurora Pavilion.

The previous main hall on the first floor had already been destroyed. In a slightly smaller hall next door, a group of young men had gathered in frantic haste.

"I heard the real Seventh Prince has already been identified. All of us are fakes."

"What? Then what should we do? When I left my hometown, the city lord personally escorted me for a hundred li and promised to marry his eldest daughter to me. If I am not a prince, can I still marry the eldest miss?"

"I don't believe it. Wasn't there still five days before we were to be selected? Why have they identified the real Seventh Prince so quickly?"

"There is no use refusing to believe it. That man looks extremely similar to Consort Jing. A eunuch from the Heavenly Brocade Guard at Aurora Pavilion recognized him at a glance. The matter has already been reported to the palace. News will probably spread very soon."

"Couldn't someone have learned Consort Jing's appearance in advance and deliberately disguised himself?"

"Foolish. This is the grave crime of deceiving the sovereign, one that exterminates entire clans. No disguise can escape the inspection of the palace's experts, and no one would dare take such an almost certain risk of death."

"Then what should we do now?"

"We can only hope that the man merely happens to resemble Consort Jing, and that he ultimately fails the inspection. Then we will still have a chance."

When the young men in the hall first heard this news, they were both disappointed and anxious, yet they still clung to a faint sliver of hope.

At that moment, three young men quietly slipped away from the crowd and headed upstairs in Aurora Pavilion.

One of them wore a scholar's robe, but his face was filled with viciousness. He turned back toward the other two young men in embroidered brocade robes and said:

"If we want that man to fail the final inspection, the safest method is to kill him and destroy the corpse before anyone arrives from the palace."

At those words, one of them narrowed his eyes.

"Today, the three of us shall join hands and swear an oath here. No matter which of us becomes the real Seventh Prince in the future, he must not forget to promote the other two."

"Exactly. If one rises to wealth and honor, he must not forget the others!"

The last young man clenched his fists, his eyes brimming with malice.

"I know who that man is. Later, I will pretend to speak with him. You two will ambush him while he is unprepared. This will surely succeed."

The three exchanged glances. They immediately stopped talking and quietly headed toward the corridor on the upper floor.

Very soon, one of them spotted Li Musheng standing blankly in the corridor.

He immediately put on a warm smile and slowly walked toward Li Musheng.

However, he had only made it halfway when Li Musheng suddenly turned to look at him.

"If I were you, I would not take another step forward."

The young man froze, then quickly cupped his hands and said:

"What do you mean, brother? I merely saw you standing here alone and looking too lonely, so I came over to chat with you."

Li Musheng tilted his head toward the darkness by the stairwell, raised a brow, and said:

"With killing intent this heavy, are you afraid others will not know where you are hiding?"