Consort Jing

Not long after, Eunuch Fei trotted back and led the two into the palace.

Consort Jing was seated on a chair, dressed in magnificent robes, exuding grace and nobility, with two stunningly beautiful maids standing behind her.

"Greetings, Consort Jing."

Leng Ruyi and Ye Kang cupped their fists simultaneously.

Martial artists do not kneel before imperial power; a fist salute is the highest form of courtesy.

Consort Jing nodded, a gentle smile gracing her lips.

"This must be Ye Kang. I heard you helped Prefect Zhou retrieve the Luminous Pearl and capture the thief. You did very well."

"Your Highness is too kind. This was merely my duty."

Ye Kang was neither servile nor overbearing, showing humility without losing his composure.

Consort Jing didn't linger on pleasantries and simply gave a look to the maid behind her.

The maid immediately produced a document and handed it to Leng Ruyi.

"Lord Leng, I have obtained imperial approval. Lord Ye has performed a great service and possesses considerable strength, thus he deserves reward. Effective immediately, he is granted one hundred taels of gold and promoted to Warden of the Death Prison and Candidate Tongzhi Lang, a seventh-rank official."

"Thank you for His Majesty's grace!"

Ye Kang's heart fluttered with excitement at the news.

This was a real promotion, no longer just an ordinary officer of the Imperial City Department.

Before, he was at most a captain, but now he was directly appointed a seventh-rank Candidate Tongzhi Lang. From now on, he could legitimately refer to himself as 'this official'.

Consort Jing added, "Lord Ye, your qualifications are still somewhat shallow, and there's no need to rush promotions. However, I have a task here. If you are willing to undertake it, I will personally ensure the 'Candidate' title is removed for you."

Ye Kang's heart stirred upon hearing this.

Here it comes.

Promotions always came with a price; there was no such thing as kindness without reason.

The words that followed were the most important.

Ye Kang said, "I am eager to hear the details. Your subordinate will do everything within his power, even if it means going through fire and water."

"There's no need for such dramatics. This matter is relatively minor. Before the year's end, my daughter, the Ninth Princess of Great Jin, returned to Mengzhou to pay respects to her maternal grandfather. However, scouts recently reported signs of rebel activity in Mengzhou. I am concerned for her safety and have already dispatched imperial guards to escort her."

Ye Kang listened, feeling a bit lost. "Your Highness, what is it that you require of me?"

"To be honest, I am still uneasy. I need a trustworthy expert to secretly protect the Ninth Princess. Lord Ye handles matters reliably; this task is perfect for you."

Although Ye Kang felt Consort Jing was perhaps being a bit overly cautious, the offer had been made, and refusing now would be impolite.

He could only say, "I am willing to resolve Consort Jing's worries."

"Excellent! Lord Leng, you truly did not misjudge him. Later, you will take Lord Ye to the Guard Armory, where he may select any martial arts technique without restriction."

"Understood."

Lord Leng nodded. The two then took their leave and, led by Eunuch Fei, exited the imperial palace.

Only then did Lord Leng speak, "You performed admirably. I observe that your strength has improved further, Lord Ye."

"Lord Leng's eyes are indeed sharp; nothing escapes your notice," Ye Kang replied with a grin, then subtly released a wisp of his aura.

Instantly, Leng Ruyi's eyes widened in surprise.

"Incredible. In just a few days, you have actually reached the Half-step Innate realm."

"It's all thanks to my master's excellent teaching," Ye Kang didn't deny it, attributing everything to a master who didn't exist.

This, however, only solidified Leng Ruyi's suspicion.

Ye Kang's master must be one of those reclusive old figures in the Imperial City.

Those individuals hadn't appeared in decades, yet they suddenly produced such a monstrous disciple. What was their intention?

Leng Ruyi couldn't figure it out, but she was certain of one thing.

Ye Kang had powerful backing, and it was very powerful backing.

Soon.

The two arrived at the Imperial City Department's Guard Armory.

With Leng Ruyi leading the way, Ye Kang encountered no obstacles and quickly reached the area where martial arts manuals were stored.

"This is the Myriad Books Tower. It has ten floors, housing all sorts of martial arts techniques. The topmost floors contain advanced martial arts."

"Then shall we go to the top floor?"

"No, we're going underground."

Leng Ruyi pressed a mechanism, revealing a hidden underground entrance.

As they walked in, Leng Ruyi continued, "Since you are already Half-step Innate, advanced martial arts hold little significance for you."

Leng Ruyi didn't explicitly state the reason.

In her opinion, with such an awesome master, Ye Kang could get any high-level martial arts technique, right?

Choosing a common martial arts technique for him felt like a bit of a deception. He had to show him something real.

Ye Kang didn't know how much Leng Ruyi had imagined. He tentatively asked, "Could it be that the martial arts techniques here are even higher level than high-level ones?"

"Naturally. The first underground level houses thirteen Innate Martial Arts, including the ultimate skills of various sects and lost martial arts. Lord Ye can choose any one."

The candlelight flickered on, illuminating a bookshelf ahead.

A row of secret manuals was displayed, each with a detailed description.

All of them were Innate Martial Arts!

What great stuff!

Ye Kang thought of his Hundred Flowers Sword Finger, his heart filled with excitement.

He quickly went over and examined them one by one.

"Thirteen Spear Strikes of Life-Taking, First Strike White Dragon... I've never practiced spear techniques, so forget it."

"Bone Shattering Soul Crying Record, a legacy martial art from the former dynasty's demonic Bai Gu Xie Tian Cult. The name sounds evil; it doesn't fit my righteous image."

"Purple Cloud Sword Codex..."

"Imperial Heaven-Reaching Skill..."

Ye Kang looked through all the secret manuals and got a general understanding.

Unfortunately, the manuals were sealed in crystal cases and couldn't be opened for viewing.

If he could open them, and the system could record them all directly, that would be truly satisfying.

Ye Kang hesitated for a long time before finally choosing the "Imperial Heaven-Reaching Skill."

It was an internal cultivation method, and an Innate-level internal cultivation method would definitely be more powerful than the Wood Heart Sutra, which was exactly what he lacked.

Leng Ruyi by his side looked at him with a strange expression.

"You certainly know how to choose. The Imperial Heaven-Reaching Skill was the former imperial family's heirloom martial art, an emperor's martial way. It's incredibly powerful, but no one has dared to choose it before."

Ye Kang looked innocently, "Can't I choose it?"

Leng Ruyi shook her head, "Of course you can. The Empress said you could choose freely. However, I must remind you that the emperor's martial way is closely related to the dragon脉 and national destiny. The former dynasty's dragon fortune has long since perished, making it doubly difficult to practice."

"It's fine, I'll take it."

Ye Kang said without hesitation.

The difficulty of cultivation was not an issue for the system.

Leng Ruyi didn't try to persuade him further and led Ye Kang out of the armory.

They parted ways, and Ye Kang returned home that night.

After greeting his parents and elder brother, he entered his room and began to comprehend.

"System! Quickly learn the Imperial Heaven-Reaching Skill!"

[Ding]

[Imperial Heaven-Reaching Skill recorded successfully]

[Martial Arts Restriction: Host must enter the Innate realm to learn. Entry requires 5000 Comprehension]

[Host cannot learn this martial art for now. It is recommended that the host upgrade the Wood Heart Sutra]

"This is outrageous! There are so many restrictions! And 5000 Comprehension is too expensive!"

Ye Kang hadn't expected this martial art to be so difficult to obtain.

It seemed Lord Leng was right; the destruction of the former dynasty's dragon fortune had made this martial art harder to learn.

"Since the system recommended it, I'll learn the Wood Heart Sutra first. Comprehend!"

[Ding]

[Host consumed 2000 Comprehension, comprehended Wood Heart Sutra to Great Perfection]

[Congratulations to the host for breaking through the bottleneck and advancing to Innate First Rank]

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