From Cold Palace Princess to Heavenly Empress

As her words fell,

a compass-like phantom appeared in her mind. Its needle spun continuously before finally stopping in the northeast.

"This direction... seems to be the Scripture Depository?"

Xiao Minghuang's delicate brows furrowed slightly. The royal Scripture Depository was the foundation of Great Xia. Though it had been relocated many times and its profound scriptures had been lost, there might still be a pearl left behind in the vast sea.

With that thought, Xiao Minghuang immediately set off for the Scripture Depository.

With Emperor Xia's decree, she could enter and leave the Scripture Depository at will, saving her much trouble.

Before long, Xiao Minghuang arrived in an area.

The compass's guidance ceased spinning. This was its destination.

Her gaze swept up and down, but all she saw were some mediocre martial arts manuals.

"Could there really be a worthwhile opportunity hidden here?"

Xiao Minghuang spread out her spiritual sense and swiftly searched the area. As it passed over a secluded corner, her eyes suddenly lit up.

It was a small booklet covered in dust, tattered and worn, reeking of decay.

"Mysterious Tier High-grade Martial Art, Flying Star Sword Technique!"

A flicker of delight passed through Xiao Minghuang's eyes. Among Great Xia's inheritances, there was only one Mysterious Tier High-grade Cultivation Method—the Dragon Origin Scripture.

As for the other martial arts, the highest grade was merely Mysterious-grade Low-rank.

Though they differed by only two minor grades, their power was worlds apart. They were not on the same level at all.

Xiao Minghuang tucked the manual into her sleeve. Rather than returning to her residence immediately, she headed toward another section of the Scripture Depository.

This place stored a great number of books on basic cultivation knowledge and Heretical Paths.

Ye Ruoshui knew nothing whatsoever about cultivation, while Xiao Minghuang had no time to teach her personally. Finding some books for her was the easiest and quickest solution.

After gathering several concise manuals, Xiao Minghuang turned and left the Scripture Depository, ordering attendants to come and carry them.

None of these books were cultivation methods, so they could be taken out of the Scripture Depository.

After leaving the Scripture Depository, Xiao Minghuang wandered around the Imperial Palace for a while, hoping to find more opportunities, but came up empty-handed.

"No matter how glorious Great Xia once was, it is now merely a weak nation without even a Primal Embryo Realm expert."

Xiao Minghuang sighed softly and returned to her residence.

The day had not yet passed, and the system's compensation attempts had not refreshed. Xiao Minghuang was in no hurry to give away the sword technique.

She returned to the training chamber and began refining a hundred Ascension Yuan Pills.

"A hundred Ascension Yuan Pills may seem like a lot, but my foundation is too deep. I fear they will not raise my realm by much."

As her words fell,

Xiao Minghuang closed her eyes, gathered her thoughts, circulated her cultivation method, and refined the pills.

In the blink of an eye, a day passed.

Inside the training chamber, Xiao Minghuang exhaled a breath of turbid air and slowly opened her eyes. A speck of golden light flashed through her pupils, vanishing in an instant.

"So I was right. I used ninety Ascension Yuan Pills, yet only broke through to the Third Level Qi Refining Realm. Is my foundation truly that deep?"

As far as she knew, when a Qi Refining Realm martial artist consumed one Ascension Yuan Pill, their bottleneck would loosen.

Even a martial artist with poor spiritual roots could break through one minor realm after taking five Ascension Yuan Pills.

Yet she had used nearly forty Ascension Yuan Pills just to break through to the Second Level Qi Refining Realm.

Breaking through to the Third Level Qi Refining Realm had required more than fifty Ascension Yuan Pills!

That was nearly ten times what an ordinary martial artist needed.

Cultivation in the Qi Refining Realm relied on immense amounts of spiritual qi to forcibly open one's acupoints, making aptitude and resources the most important factors.

The former determined the speed at which one absorbed spiritual qi, while the latter determined how much spiritual qi one could absorb.

Xiao Minghuang lacked neither.

Then the only explanation was that her foundation was too profound. Though Xiao Minghuang had expected it, she still felt somewhat vexed.

"With such terrifying resource consumption, how could I possibly afford it?"

"Ah!"

But that thought lasted only an instant before vanishing.

Even if she needed vast resources, so what?

She had the system!

With a fortune at home, she could do as her heart pleased.

Xiao Minghuang lowered her head and glanced at the ten remaining Ascension Yuan Pills in her hand.

"These ten pills shall go to Ruoshui."

Even if she refined all ten herself, they would not greatly benefit her cultivation. But if they were used on Ye Ruoshui, they would likely be enough for her to break through several minor realms.

With that thought, Xiao Minghuang pushed open the door. A few breaths later, she arrived outside Ye Ruoshui's room and knocked lightly.

Knock, knock!

After only two knocks, the door pivoted open, and Ye Ruoshui appeared before her.

She still had that innocent, adorable, slightly silly air about her, but her pure little face now carried a touch more unyielding resolve.

Xiao Minghuang habitually raised a hand and stroked the little girl's soft hair, saying gently, "Big Sister found something good again. I'm giving it to you."

As she spoke, she stuffed the sword technique, along with the ten Ascension Yuan Pills, into Ye Ruoshui's arms.

This time, Ye Ruoshui did not tear up with gratitude as she had before. She merely smiled and said,

"Thank you, Your Highness!"

It was not that Ye Ruoshui was less grateful to her than before. It was simply that being given treasures every day would make anyone grow accustomed to it, even numb to it.

Rather than being disappointed by Ye Ruoshui's reaction, Xiao Minghuang was extremely satisfied.

In the days to come, she would be giving Ye Ruoshui gifts every day. If she had to coax her into accepting them each time, would that not be a tremendous waste of time?

A simple expression of thanks like this was already enough.

After giving away the sword technique, Xiao Minghuang did not leave immediately. Instead, she ordered the attendants to bring over a huge stack of books and place them in Ye Ruoshui's room.

At the sight of this, Ye Ruoshui's wide eyes filled with confusion.

"Your Highness, what are all these books for?"

The corners of Xiao Minghuang's lips rose slightly as she smiled softly. "These are naturally gifts for Ruoshui too!"

Seven Stars Sword Technique, Emperor Xia Enters Seclusion

Looking at the towering stack of books, nearly taller than the table, Ye Ruoshui's beautiful eyes were filled with despair as she gazed pitifully at her princess.

"Your Highness, how can this servant possibly finish so many books?"

Xiao Minghuang remained gentle. Stroking the little girl's head, she said warmly, "The pills and spirit stones Big Sister gave you can strengthen your body and improve your memory."

"With all the spirit stones and pills combined, they will be enough to bring you into the Body Tempering Sixth Level. Once you have cultivation, reading through these books should be effortless."

"When I emerge from seclusion next time, I will inspect your learning progress. If I find that you have not studied properly..."

As she spoke, Xiao Minghuang's gaze drifted over the little girl from head to toe. Then the corner of her lips curled into a pleased smile, and she gently patted Ye Ruoshui's perky little backside.

Wonderfully springy!

She bent down slightly, leaned close to Ye Ruoshui's ear, and breathed out like an orchid:

"Disobedient children must be punished by Big Sister!"

Ye Ruoshui's little face flushed crimson, her voice as faint as a thread.

"Then... will there be a reward if I finish?"

"Of course!"

Xiao Minghuang smiled. "If Ruoshui completes her learning tasks properly, Big Sister can grant you one request."

Xiao Minghuang understood the principle of using both the stick and the carrot very well.

Moreover, Ye Ruoshui was still young. Xiao Minghuang would not push her too hard. She said this only to give her a sense of urgency, not because she truly intended to punish her harshly.

Hearing that there would be a reward, Ye Ruoshui became extremely excited. Her beautiful eyes fluttered, bashful yet timid, like a butterfly about to take flight.

"Any request at all?"

Without giving it much thought, Xiao Minghuang immediately replied, "Of course."

Upon hearing that, Ye Ruoshui seemed even more excited. Without the slightest hesitation, she immediately plunged into the sea of knowledge.

Seeing this, Xiao Minghuang could not help but reveal a gratified smile.

"If you want a child to study diligently, coercion alone truly won't work. You still need to tempt them with benefits!"

[ Ding! ]

[ Opportunity successfully bestowed! ]

[ Congratulations, Host! A thousandfold critical compensation has been triggered. You have obtained the Earth-tier High-grade Martial Art Big Dipper Seven Stars Sword Technique! ]

Upon returning to the training chamber, the system's voice rang out.

Xiao Minghuang smiled smugly. With a thought, a book appeared in her palm.

The book was pale gold throughout, giving off a faint glow, like distant stars shining with radiance. It was ancient and profound, mysterious and extraordinary.

"An Earth-tier High-grade Martial Art. I'm afraid there isn't a second one anywhere in the Southern Border!"

Xiao Minghuang smiled.

Cultivation methods and martial arts differed, but they complemented one another.

All Three Great Sects possessed Earth-tier Cultivation Methods, yet none possessed Earth-tier martial arts. This showed that martial arts were rarer than cultivation methods.

After obtaining the Earth-tier martial art, Xiao Minghuang immediately began to comprehend it.

She pressed the golden book against her forehead.

In an instant, her mind sank into it, as though she had arrived in an unfamiliar world beyond all understanding.

Here, the stars filled the heavens in endless splendor. Among the dazzling host of stars, seven hung in the northernmost sky in the shape of a ladle.

These seven stars, bearing special significance, were called the Big Dipper. They represented the most terrifying Destiny/Fate among all the stars in the sky.

They governed death!

The distant and beautiful Big Dipper had stood deep within the starry sky since time immemorial, forever brilliant, never extinguished.

Yet above the Big Dipper, an even more dazzling, ancient, and profound star suddenly rose. It shone brighter and more brilliantly, as though eternal and indestructible!

Just as Xiao Minghuang was intoxicated by the beautiful sight and reluctant to leave,

the stars filling the sky suddenly vanished, and everything around her returned to normal.

Inside the training chamber, Xiao Minghuang stood dazed. Every fragment of memory belonging to those stars flooded into her mind without omission.

The dazzling stars filling the heavens, the Big Dipper radiating boundless killing intent amidst infinite beauty, and the North Star whose brilliant radiance seemed eternal in a single instant—all became part of her memories.

Though she had not taken a single step outside this room, it was as though she had been baptized by that sea of stars. It seemed she had personally crossed the cosmic heavens and witnessed beauty steeped in death.

Xiao Minghuang took a deep breath. After pondering for a moment, she declared decisively,

"The Big Dipper Seven Stars Sword Technique is definitely not as simple as an Earth-tier martial art!"

That instant of enlightenment had nearly brought her into another world and granted her a new set of memories. Such power was far beyond what an Earth-tier martial art could possess.

Even when she cultivated the Heaven-tier Top-grade Cultivation Method Ziwei Imperial Dao Scripture, she had never experienced anything so miraculous.

After thinking it over repeatedly, Xiao Minghuang guessed that the Ziwei Imperial Dao Scripture and the Big Dipper Seven Stars Sword Technique were highly compatible and had produced some kind of resonance, pulling her into that illusion.

But that was only her conjecture. Whether it was true remained unknown.