Imperial Edict

Imperial Edict

Qin Mo set down the book in his hand, picked up a cup of clear tea from the small table beside his chair, and sipped it slowly. This leisurely life, one he had never enjoyed in either lifetime, left Qin Mo deeply at ease. Most of his days were now spent cultivating and reading.

He had been in this world for two months and had gradually adapted to his new identity. A few days ago, Black Flame had flared up again. Before he could even use Vital Essence to resist it, the mark on his chest had been like a glutton spotting a rare delicacy, swallowing the black flames in a single gulp. At last, Qin Mo could set his mind at ease.

Since childhood, Qin Lan had meticulously trained Qin Mo and guided his cultivation with utmost care. He had used who knew how many cultivation resources, all so Qin Mo could cultivate more Vital Essence to withstand Black Flame burning through his body.

Vital Essence was a mysterious substance cultivated through humanity's unique cultivation system. Rich with vitality, it could greatly strengthen the human body and increase combat power.

Yet all the Vital Essence Qin Mo cultivated had been used to battle and wear down Black Flame, while repairing the internal organs scorched by its fire.

Over the years, Qin Mo had continuously cultivated Vital Essence, only for it to be consumed again and again. Though the hidden danger of the Nirvana Flame Physique had never been resolved, the imperial secret Guixin Scripture had been cultivated to an exceptionally solid foundation, and his Vital Essence had been tempered to incomparable purity. At such a young age, he had entered the Mysterious Realm without the slightest concern of an unstable foundation.

Great Xia cultivators were divided into five realms according to their stages of cultivation: Earth, Mysterious, Yellow, and Human.

The Human Realm was the initial stage, where one cultivated a dantian, stored the Vital Essence between heaven and earth within it, and used it to temper the body and clear the meridians.

The Yellow Realm meant gathering Vital Essence into a vortex and commanding it as easily as one's own arms and fingers, allowing it to circulate throughout the body. The body would begin to differ noticeably from that of ordinary people, becoming incomparably powerful. Once Vital Essence had been polished into purity, one reached the Yellow Realm Peak, where it could even be projected outside the body to activate the miniature formations on weapons and armor, sending one's battle prowess soaring. Thus, the Yellow Realm Peak was a watershed for cultivators. A Yellow Realm Peak cultivator equipped with specialized weapons and armor could face a whole group of Human Realm and early Yellow Realm cultivators alone.

The Mysterious Realm, meanwhile, was where Vital Essence reached great completion and transformed from qi into liquid, stored within the dantian. Every inch of skin and every strand of hair would be nourished by Vital Essence. When one circulated it and exerted force, faint glimmers seemed to appear across the skin, mysterious beyond words. Once the Essence liquid became condensed and pure, one could release Vital Essence into the air, connect with the Vital Essence of heaven and earth around them, and kill enemies invisibly. In Great Xia, a Mysterious Realm cultivator was already someone capable of founding a sect and passing down a lineage.

As for Earth Realm cultivators, they could already draw upon the Vital Essence of heaven and earth around them to fight. For the past thousand years, Earth Realm cultivators had become exceedingly rare. The birth of every Earth Realm cultivator was accompanied by a reshuffling of powers; the rise and fall of a family were directly tied to them.

Qin Mo's dead old man had been one of Great Xia's five Saint-level cultivators, one of the so-called Saint-level powerhouses. He had stood at the very pinnacle of this world and was hailed as the person closest to a god. Qin Mo found his death baffling. If he could not win, could he not run? Who had ever heard of a Saint-level powerhouse failing to escape?

Moreover, Qin Lan had been summoned by the court to the Western Continent to assist in resisting the Orc Tribe. He had originally only been going there to make up the numbers, yet he had died for no apparent reason. This matter cast a faint shadow over Qin Mo's heart.

Qin Mo glanced at the General History of the Continent on the table and could not help feeling helpless. He had read through all the books in the Prince's residence, yet he was still utterly confused, unable to understand where the Elven Race, Blood Race, Sea Folk, Dwarf Race, and Orc Tribe had come from.

His arrival had not followed the proper road, so he had to understand everything about this world as quickly as possible and plan for his future. Yet it was inconvenient to ask others, so he could only seek answers among the books.

The General History of the Continent was an authoritative work introducing the continent's history, but it used only two brief sentences to describe the origins of the various races. "Eighteen hundred years ago, alien races appeared. Eight hundred years of chaotic war followed, until the Millennium Pact was forged." Only after Qin Mo had probed Allen and Lin Bo indirectly did he gain a rough understanding.

Eighteen hundred years ago, the various races appeared in this world. No one knew where they had come from; even Allen, an elf himself, did not know. After appearing, they fought humanity for eight hundred years over living space. During those eight centuries, civilization regressed, the people lived in misery, and no one knew where their future lay.

A thousand years ago, the leaders of all sides finally agreed to sit down and have a proper talk with humanity. After lengthy secret negotiations, every race except the Orc Tribe agreed to a truce and signed an armistice pact.

The pact stipulated that alien races such as elves, the Blood Race, Sea Folk, and dwarves were not to attack humans without cause. Any violator would be jointly punished by the other races. The pact would last a thousand years, and so it came to be called the Millennium Pact.

The Orcs, however, were dissatisfied that most of their territory lay in the bitterly cold northern lands. Refusing to sign the pact, they withdrew from the talks and swore to use their courage and blood to seize a place under the sun for themselves. But... beneath humanity's united efforts, the Orc Tribe was always suppressed in the north. Even when they occasionally marched south, they would swiftly be driven back.

Six hundred years ago, the Orc Tribe suddenly turned its spearhead and charged straight into Elven Race territory... the northwestern region of the Western Continent. Though the Elven Race had many powerful experts, the Orc Tribe had mobilized its entire race and held an overwhelming advantage in numbers. Stockholm, a major Elven city, fell, and the flames of war burned all the way to Oslo, the Elven holy land.

Throughout this period, the other races strangely made no move at all. The proud Elven Race, poor at dealing with others, also sought help from no race. In the end... beneath Oslo's walls, Achilles, Emperor of the Elven Race, rode alone against a thousand, beheaded Ner'zhul, the Orc Tribe's Grand Shaman, amid ten thousand troops, and caused the Orc army to collapse. Corpses lay strewn everywhere as the defeated army fled home.

Just as the various races were racking their brains for excuses to explain themselves to the Elven Race, the Elven Court led most of the High Elves away from the Northern Continent of the Western Continent. After sailing out to sea, they vanished without a trace. From then on, there were no more pure-blooded High Elves in the world. Only a few elven branches, low elves, and mixed-blood elves remained.

Although over the past several centuries, pure-blooded High Elves had not been absent from the world, appearing from time to time to travel and train, Qin Mo's bargain-bin mother, Luna, was one such example. She had met his father, Qin Lan, while traveling through Great Xia, and that was how Qin Mo came to be.

Yet no one knew where the Elven Court had gone. Qin Mo had also asked Allen, but when Allen had left home with his teacher, Luna, he had still been very young. He only remembered that their homeland was... at the end of the world.

Qin Mo rubbed his eyes. For two months, he had turned over every book concerning the Elven Race, yet he had found no useful clue whatsoever. Where had his bargain-bin mother come from? The African rainforest? Or the Amazon rainforest? After leaving... was she still alive?

A string of questions surged through his heart, leaving Qin Mo with an indescribable feeling. It seemed that blood ties truly possessed their own strange magic. Though this body had changed souls, the attachment in his heart could not be erased no matter what.

Qin Mo simply rose and walked to the windowsill, allowing the salty, damp sea wind to blow across his body and scatter the inexplicable irritation and sorrow clinging to him.

A ship was docking at the distant harbor, and judging by its design, it was clearly not a ship from Dayuan.

Many people disembarked from the newly docked ship. Qin Mo also saw several strange banners, which seemed to be... ceremonial standards. Soon, a knight at the docks galloped swiftly into the city, heading straight for the castle where the Prince's residence stood.

Qin Mo descended from the castle tower and entered the main hall, just in time to see Lin Bo coming in. Unconcealed delight filled his face. Upon seeing Qin Mo, he exclaimed excitedly, "Young Master, someone from the court has arrived to proclaim an edict. It seems our worries were unnecessary."

"Mm. Go call the others over. Also, make preparations. Do not neglect the envoy delivering the edict."

A few days earlier, seeing that Qin Mo's health had greatly improved, Lin Bo had discussed something with him. Qin Mo's bargain-bin father, Qin Lan, had been invested as Prince Heng, with his title hereditary and irrevocable. Qin Mo had been the Heir of Prince Heng since childhood, and this was clearly recorded in the imperial clan genealogy. Yet after Qin Lan's death, the court had never issued an edict granting Qin Mo succession to the princely title.

By convention, after an old prince passed away, the imperial family would issue an edict naming the heir as successor to the princely title. Though Qin Mo was Qin Lan's only son and no one could take the title of Prince Heng from him, without the emperor's confirmation, it still felt somewhat improper and lacking in legitimacy.

Very soon, the man proclaiming the edict arrived. He was not a eunuch, but a proper-looking middle-aged man whose face carried a stern air that made many people shrink back at the sight of him.

Qin Mo, however, did not fear him. First, he had come from a later age and naturally felt a certain sense of superiority when looking at these country bumpkins. Second, his cultivation had long since reached the Mysterious Realm, already no low level among Great Xia's cultivators. In the past, he had seemed like a useless wreck only because he constantly had to resist Black Flame. Now that Black Flame had been resolved, his vitality, energy, and spirit had improved tremendously, and an aura naturally arose around him. How could an ordinary man possibly intimidate him?

"Imperial envoy, you have traveled a long way. Please rest briefly and have some tea and refreshments. This heir is preparing the incense table. Please wait a moment, Imperial Envoy." In truth, Qin Mo calling him an imperial envoy was merely a little flattery. If the man was only delivering an edict and had no other assignment, he was merely a messenger, entirely different from an imperial commissioner.

"Why has the incense table not yet been prepared? I bear the emperor's command and cannot be delayed. Heir, you should urge them along." Who would have thought that this fellow was so fond of putting on airs? One sentence left Qin Mo choking on his words.

Qin Mo could not be bothered to lower himself to his level. He urged the servants to hurry their preparations, then received the edict together with the retainers his father had left him. These retainers all held official posts and noble ranks, so naturally they had to come serve as witnesses. Perhaps if the emperor was pleased, he might even grant them a reward along the way!

"By mandate of the Emperor, who bears Heaven's fortune, the edict declares: Heir of Prince Heng... you are to lead your retainers to the Imperial Capital by autumn... and leave the frontier next year to campaign against the Orc bandits... Do not err in this. Respect this!"

Once the imperial edict had been read, Qin Mo did not understand it for a moment and reached out to receive it. Behind him, Lin Bo and the soldiers, all kneeling together, erupted into loud uproar.