The Radiant Sun Imperial Palace, Qingning Pavilion in the Forbidden Ground.
Warm golden light filtered through the carved window lattice, filling the elegant pavilion.
Across the sandalwood table lay delicacies from mountain and sea. Spirit fruits and nectar, rich with spiritual energy, gave off a fragrant mist. All were treasures the Radiant Sun Empire's imperial family had spared no expense to procure, rarities most nobles would never glimpse in a lifetime.
Qian Xunzong sat down without the slightest reserve of a guest. Days spent crossing ten thousand miles of open sea had left him ravenous.
He cared nothing for elaborate etiquette. Bowl and chopsticks flew as he ate his fill, relishing every bite without a trace of an aristocratic prodigy's affectation.
Standing nearby, Xu Yanqiu watched the young man in silence. The sharp edge with which she had once ruled the realm had vanished, leaving only tenderness in her eyes.
She had stood at the pinnacle of the Radiant Sun Empire's power for decades and met countless mighty figures, princes, and ministers. Never once had her heart felt so soft.
She remained silent throughout, unwilling to interrupt him. She simply traced his features with her gaze as emotion quietly surged within her.
At last, Qian Xunzong finished eating and drinking. He picked up a brocade cloth and casually wiped the oil from his lips.
He looked up at the veiled woman before him, gentle in bearing yet unfathomable in strength, and waited for her to speak.
Xu Yanqiu stepped forward. Her soft voice broke the quiet, full of genuine curiosity:
"You look no older than fourteen or fifteen, yet you possess the astonishing cultivation of a Level-9 Soul Engineer. I've spent decades in the Imperial Palace of the Sun-Moon Empire and seen Soul Engineer prodigies from across the land. Not