Her voice rang out with firm conviction, and she already seemed to possess the bearing of an Empress.
[Ding! Ning Hongye's Affection +10, for a total of 20.]
Xiao Yang heard the system notification.
He hadn't expected that his actions would earn him 10 Affection points right away.
Was winning over the Female God of Slaughter—and even the future Empress—not just a matter of time?
Forget the future. Even right now, with Ning Hongye by his side, he could run wild throughout the mansion...
Just then, Ning Hongye spoke again. "Xiao Yang, your strength is far too weak right now. You're only a First Grade Martial Artist. If you want to achieve great things, you need to increase your strength as soon as possible!"
"This is my Ning Family's ancestral Thunderclap Saber Technique, a Spirit Grade Mid Rank technique. Take it back and study it. If you have any questions, you can come to me anytime!"
With that, she pulled a book from her robes and tossed it to Xiao Yang. It seemed to carry a faint warmth and fragrance.
A woman's words were as unreliable as a devil's!
One moment, she was talking about sharing the world with him. The next, she was "dissatisfied" with how weak he was?
But Xiao Yang didn't mind. With the system, wouldn't getting stronger be a matter of minutes?
"Then, thank you."
Xiao Yang put away the Thunderclap Saber Technique manual and turned to leave.
Ning Hongye watched him go, an unusual light flickering in her beautiful eyes.
"Who says a woman can't become Empress?"
"How interesting! I didn't expect him to say something like that!"
"Xiao Yang, could you be the person Master spoke of?"
When she was young, a Female Immortal Emperor who had reincarnated to cultivate anew had taken up residence within her.
The Female Immortal Emperor was usually asleep, but she had once made a prophecy: Ning Hongye would meet a Fated Noble.
When golden wind and jade dew brought two souls together, they would soar ninety thousand miles!
Meanwhile, Xiao Yang soon returned to his residence.
"System, I want to claim the Yin Yang Creation Pill!"
In the next instant, light flashed, and a spirit pill the size of a longan appeared in his hand.
Its fragrance filled the room.
Nine Pill Veins marked its surface, a sign of an Emperor Grade Spirit Pill.
[Yin Yang Creation Pill, Emperor Grade High Rank. After taking it, it can reverse yin and yang and transform one's constitution, saving a hundred years of arduous cultivation!]
Xiao Yang was thrilled. Emperor-grade spirit pills were exceedingly rare throughout the entire Great Xia Dynasty.
Apart from the few kept in the imperial collection, the last Emperor-grade spirit pill had appeared at the Pill Alliance eighty years ago. Several Eighth Grade Martial Marquises had fought over it, setting off a bloody storm.
If he offered this pill to the imperial family, he could at least secure himself a Third Rank Great Official's post!
Of course, Xiao Yang wasn't foolish enough to do that.
"Gulp!"
The next moment, he swallowed the Yin Yang Creation Pill. Its fierce medicinal power surged instantly through his organs and every limb and bone.
How overbearing!
Xiao Yang immediately calmed his mind and focused all his attention on absorbing the pill's power.
His cultivation rose steadily.
Body Tempering Sixth Level, Body Tempering Seventh Level, Body Tempering Eighth Level, Body Tempering Ninth Level!
Meridian Opening First Level, Meridian Opening Second Level... Meridian Opening Ninth Level!
Qi Sea First Level!
"I'm a Third-grade Martial Artist now!"
Xiao Yang was overcome with excitement.
The Mortal Martial Path was divided into nine realms.
First Grade Body Tempering, Second Grade Meridian Opening, Third Grade Qi Sea, Fourth Grade Spirit Refining, Fifth Grade Vajra, Sixth Grade Mountain Moving, Seventh Grade Dharma Aspect (Grandmaster), Eighth Grade Martial Marquis, and Ninth Grade Martial Saint.
Each minor realm was further divided into nine levels.
The original owner's aptitude had been mediocre, and he had neglected his cultivation, so he had only reached Body Tempering Realm Fifth Level.
Now, with a single Emperor-grade spirit pill, Xiao Yang had advanced two major realms and more than ten minor levels...
A Third-grade Martial Artist!
In the military, that would make him a Centurion, capable of holding his own and commanding considerable strength.
"Whew..."
Xiao Yang exhaled a mouthful of stale air. His body had been cleansed and refined, and he felt refreshed.
He threw a casual punch, and the air cracked.
At Third Grade Qi Sea Realm, his basic strength alone had reached a terrifying ten thousand jin.
His entire bearing had changed as well.
Before, he had been a handsome young man. Now, his presence was restrained, like a saber honed for ten years.
Though sheathed, the moment it emerged, it would slice through the sky.
[Ding! The host has taken a spirit pill. Constitution transformed into "Innate Yin-Yang Sacred Body (Yang)."] [Attraction to the opposite sex +100. Romantic fortune will come one after another. The more beautiful a woman is, the more easily she will be drawn to the host. If they join together, their cultivation can advance by leaps and bounds in a single day.]
Xiao Yang stared blankly at the notification.
Wait!
I took just one spirit pill. How did I turn into a Male Succubus?
Wouldn't all the beautiful women who saw him treat him like a monster eyeing Tang Sanzang's flesh?
They might as well rename it from Yin-Yang Sacred Body to "Innate Dual Cultivation Sacred Body."
Xiao Yang could only shake his head helplessly at this "side effect."
"Now that my strength has improved, it's time to cultivate a technique!"
He took out the Thunderclap Saber Technique Ning Hongye had given him and began reading.
Buzz, buzz, buzz...
Suddenly, his Double Pupils in his left eye activated the Divine Ability of Enlightenment on their own.
[Automatically deducing the technique for the host and correcting its flaws.] [Deduction successful! Spirit Grade High Rank Thunderclap Saber Technique has been advanced to King Grade High Rank Thunder Prison World Destroying Saber.]
A King-level Technique!
Xiao Yang was startled again.
Techniques were divided into Yellow Grade, Mysterious Grade, Earth Grade, Heaven Grade, Spirit Treasure, King Grade, Emperor Grade, and Saint Grade.
The Divine Ability of Enlightenment wasn't as outrageous as the system's hundredfold return, but it was still extremely powerful.
After all, only the imperial family and the very top aristocratic families and sects possessed King-level Techniques.
Even as a prince of King Zhenbei's Mansion, Xiao Yang wasn't qualified to study one.
Next, he began cultivating the Thunder Prison World Destroying Saber. Countless secrets of the technique flooded into his mind.
It consisted of nine forms. At the highest level, it could summon the Nine Heavens Thunder Tribulation.
But Xiao Yang's strength was limited for now, so he could only learn the first form, "Heavenly Thunder Flash."
Heavenly Thunder Flash wasn't just an offensive martial technique; it was also a movement technique!
It could cover a hundred zhang in an instant, and a single slash carried immense power.
With the aid of Enlightenment, Xiao Yang quickly mastered Heavenly Thunder Flash and cultivated it to perfection.
He left his bedroom and went to the backyard, where he found an ordinary war saber to test its power.
"Whoosh!"
In an instant, Xiao Yang's body left afterimages in midair, and faint arcs of lightning flickered along the saber's tip.
"Rumble!"
The next second, a rockery several people tall, a hundred zhang away, shattered completely and collapsed with a crash.
"What terrifying power!"
Xiao Yang was deeply shaken.
This was only the first form, yet it already possessed such might.
He was confident that the next time he faced Eldest Prince Xiao Junlin, he would be able to fight him even if the other man didn't suppress his cultivation.
"System, if I give the Thunder Prison World Destroying Saber to Ning Hongye, will that trigger another return?" Xiao Yang asked silently.
[Ding! Treasures given to the host by the system cannot trigger a return!]
Hearing the answer, Xiao Yang realized the system had probably blocked every possible exploit. Otherwise, he could farm experience from Ning Hongye and directly produce an Immortal Emperor-level technique.
After breaking through repeatedly and deducing and cultivating a technique, Xiao Yang had used up a lot of energy. His stomach was growling.
He returned to the residence with his saber and called out, "Huangli, I'm hungry. Bring me something to eat!"
"Yes, Young Master!"
Soon, the maid Huangli entered the room carrying an elegant food tray.
But she kept her head bowed, timid and trembling all over.
"Huangli, what's wrong? ... Lift your head!" Xiao Yang ordered.
Huangli hesitated for a few seconds, then obeyed.
Her delicate, pretty face was swollen and red, covered in handprints.
"What happened? Who did this?"
Xiao Yang flew into a rage.
Huangli was his maid. She had treated him very well these past few days, caring for him in every way.
And he was fiercely protective of his own. Anyone who bullied Huangli was picking a fight with him...
"I... I fell by accident!"
Huangli came up with a flimsy excuse.
"If you won't tell me, I'll go out and ask! Did Eldest Brother hold a grudge and deliberately send someone to cause trouble for you?"
Xiao Yang stood up, gripped his war saber, and made as if to leave.
"Young Master, wait!"
Huangli hurriedly grabbed his arm and had no choice but to explain. "It was Fourth Prince's Concubine. She deliberately picked a fight, saying she'd lost a golden hairpin and suspected I stole it. She wanted to search me!"
"Of course I refused, so she had her servants use force! Luckily, Guard Zhao Changkong stood up for me at the last moment!"
"I got off lightly. I only took a few slaps, but Guard Zhao's arm was broken. He's recovering in the backyard right now!"
Before you continue