Inside Mingde Hall.
There weren't many memorials today, so Ye Qinglian hadn't asked Chu Ning to come with her.
Once she'd finished dealing with them, she would have to face the matter of an alliance with the Great Zhou Dynasty.
The Great Zhou Dynasty's national strength was incredibly formidable.
Its million-strong iron cavalry was equipped with immortal artifacts. It was no exaggeration to say they could sweep across the four nations.
It had more than a dozen Void Shatter powerhouses. Its emperor was now over six hundred years old, and rumors said he reflected on his actions three times a day, with a Limitless powerhouse serving as his eunuch supervisor. If he did anything wrong, the eunuch would summon the Ancestral Temple's whip technique. He was a true madman!
And the eunuch wasn't the only one at the Limitless level. There were also many Former Emperors who had abdicated in favor of their successors so they could devote themselves to cultivation.
The dynasty also had ties to Lieyang Holy Land, one of the Three Great Holy Lands.
From every angle, the Great Zhou Dynasty had no need to ally with the Great Gan Dynasty.
What difference would having her as an ally make?
Could they have some other scheme in mind?
There was no need for one. If they really had something planned, they could simply send a Limitless cultivator to assassinate her. Why go to all this trouble?
Was it for the benefits, or something else?
But the price of the alliance was that the Great Zhou Dynasty would hand over half its treasury as a show of sincerity, along with a personal letter written by its emperor.
So, should she agree or not?
Ye Qinglian's lips twitched.
Just when she most wanted someone to discuss it with, he was gone!
Though, she had been the one to tell Chu Ning to go for a walk or get some rest.
Had that guy gone and climbed into her imperial bed?
If he dared, he'd be done for today!
But Chu Ning had been handling these memorials by himself lately. He really was exhausted.
Forget it. Even if he were here, he'd agree to the alliance.
As far as her dynasty and the realm were concerned,
this move offered benefits without drawbacks.
It would bring in cultivation resources to strengthen the cultivators throughout her dynasty, while also deterring the Luohen Dynasty, which had always had designs on the Great Gan Dynasty. They'd no longer dare to overstep or even entertain such thoughts.
Ye Qinglian made her decision soon enough.
If they were going to form an alliance, they might as well do so before the Grand Wedding.
Wouldn't it be wonderful to have Double Happiness Arrive?
Inside Qianqing Palace.
Chu Ning stood with his hands behind his back, putting on the airs of a hidden master. Xiao Bing stood ramrod straight not far away, holding the cultivation manual.
"Xiao Bing, I feel like you've got the wrong idea about me. I'm just too powerful and don't want to show off my cultivation in case I scare you all. But you can't think I'm useless just because I don't show it."
"I never thought that, Emperor Consort. I've always thought you were a hidden master..."
"Good! Since you're so sincere, I'll personally teach you this cultivation method."
"The Great Evolution Heavenly Dao Chapter teaches cultivators to attune themselves to Heavenly Dao Power and merge with the Heavenly Dao, deriving the cultivation method most suited to them. Of all things in the world, what suits you best is best for you. Once you cultivate it, you'll find a path that belongs to you alone."
Xiao Bing felt a pang of regret.
She should've just said she was cultivating it and didn't have any questions. She could've said she was doing great.
The Emperor Consort had actually taken her words seriously...
She truly didn't look down on Chu Ning. She was just a maid serving Ye Qinglian, with no high status to speak of. How could she look down on anyone? Even if he couldn't cultivate, he was still the Emperor Consort. And his cooking was so delicious; she found him quite approachable.
But as for teaching her cultivation methods, please, sir, let's not. Your cultivation isn't even that high. You don't have to teach me. I'll admit you're a hidden master, all right...
But Chu Ning had taken her seriously and was explaining the method with great care.
Forget it... She'd just humor him a little. What if the Emperor Consort got upset? They had a good relationship, after all.
"The first thirty pages of the introductory section teach you how to merge with the Heavenly Dao's power and find your own Great Dao."
"But Emperor Consort, you may not know this, but cultivators have to reach the Void Shatter level before they can merge with the Heavenly Dao and use Heavenly Dao Power. Xiao Bing is only at the Fourth Realm."
"That's because you haven't found the right method, and you don't have a good enough cultivation manual. Ordinary people naturally can't do it. But the one I gave you can!"
Xiao Bing nodded vigorously. "By the way, sir, if your cultivation manual is so good, why not show it to Your Majesty?"
Chu Ning looked up at the sky and smiled calmly.
"Qinglian should focus on taking care of the baby for now. She'll have plenty of time to cultivate after the child is born. There's no need to rush."
"Besides, I'm working on deriving something even more suitable for her. You wouldn't understand."
Xiao Bing sniffed.
He was afraid Your Majesty would see through him, wasn't he? He just thought Xiao Bing was an easy target and wouldn't call him out...
"Then how should Xiao Bing get started?"
"You couldn't find it by searching the book title? Try searching the author instead. Maybe it just got renamed!"
"First, open the book."
"Second, start reading."
"Third, start cultivating."
"Emperor Consort, you're joking, right?"
"Obviously! I gave you the cultivation manual. How can you get started without opening it and reading? Take a look through it first!"
Xiao Bing awkwardly scratched her head. "All right, sir..."
"Sigh. You may not be the sharpest, but at least your heart is earnest in seeking the Dao. And you're one of the people closest to my wife, so I don't mind sharing something good with you."
Xiao Bing smiled as she opened the book and replied, "Xiao Bing isn't one of the people closest to Your Majesty. I'm only her personal maid."
"That's not how it works. A maid is a person too. It's just a difference in status. Besides, if you've managed to reach your current position, Your Majesty must have acknowledged you long ago. Don't put yourself down too much. Qinglian's just a little tsundere, but she's not the sort to look down on people."
Xiao Bing paused, then nodded with a smile, feeling a little happy. "All right, sir. Xiao Bing understands."
"Mm. If there's anything you don't understand, just ask me."
The Emperor Consort really was a nice person. He didn't let his high position go to his head or get arrogant. He was still much the same as when she'd first entered the palace.
In that case, she couldn't let the Emperor Consort's enthusiasm go to waste. The cultivation manual looked pretty far-fetched, but she'd play along. When the time was right, she'd find an excuse and say she was too slow-witted to understand it. That should settle things.
[The Heavenly Dao is formless, while all things have form. Heaven and earth unite to create all things, and all things in turn derive the Heavenly Dao...]
As expected, its contents were as bizarre as its title...
Wasn't it a little too grandiose? All things deriving the Heavenly Dao in reverse... What kind of claim was that?
Xiao Bing paused.
All things in heaven and earth were derived from the Heavenly Dao's power. That didn't seem wrong, did it?
Xiao Bing hesitated for a moment, finding the idea somewhat reasonable.
So she continued reading.
[Break free of attachments, sever worldly desires, quiet the heart and find contentment, and let the spirit unite with the Heavenly Dao...]
Did that mean she should calm her mind and sense things as the Heavenly Dao did?
It felt pretty mysterious, but maybe it could work?
And so Xiao Bing quickly finished reading the first chapter's cultivation method. She sat cross-legged on the floor and began to seek insight.
Not far away, Chu Ning had brought over a reclining chair and was lying back, basking in the sun.
The world was quiet. Every so often, an insect chirped in the distance, while the spiritual energy around Xiao Bing began to circulate naturally.
Xiao Bing had decent talent. She'd entered the first stage so quickly.
The spiritual energy grew increasingly powerful, seeming to follow the patterns of the world's circulation described in the book as it began to transform on its own.
Her spirit merged with heaven and earth, circulating the spiritual energy through her body, then merging with heaven and earth...
Her very being had been created from Heavenly Dao Power, and now she began to derive that power in reverse...
A strange force appeared around Xiao Bing, replacing the spiritual energy that had been there before.
Xiao Bing's mind jolted.
It's working?
What was that power?
She continued following the cultivation method. At that moment, inside her Spirit Mansion, the Longevity Tower was completely enveloped by that colorless, formless power. Her entire body began undergoing a wondrous transformation.
Her spirit, too, seemed to enter the world itself, roaming across mountains, rivers, and seas.
The power she'd accumulated within for so long seemed to find an outlet at last. A vast, boundless ocean suddenly appeared inside her Spirit Mansion. Her strength surged, and a powerful aura burst out around her!
Xiao Bing abruptly came to her senses and stared at the manual in her hands in disbelief.
She...
She'd broken through!
She looked up sharply at Chu Ning. He'd already fallen asleep.
No way!
The Emperor Consort hadn't been joking!
This cultivation manual was real, and it really could merge with Heavenly Dao Power!
But that was a method only cultivators at the Void Shatter level could use!
Fifth Realm!
In half a month, she'd gone from the peak of the Third Realm to the Fifth Realm!
That cultivation speed was downright absurd!
"Emperor Consort!"
Stunned and thrilled, she shook Chu Ning's arm until he woke up. For a moment, she was so excited she couldn't find the words.
"Could you really be a hidden master? This cultivation method works!"
Before you continue