In the imperial court.
Xi Yang no longer possessed his former high spirits. Instead, his face had grown haggard and weary, and gray had begun to streak his black temples.
These past few months had shown him the dizzying highs and crushing lows of life.
The confidence he had felt at the beginning had long since vanished.
On the imperial throne.
Xi Yang rubbed his brow, then looked down at Shan Hao and asked calmly, "General Shan, how did things go?"
"Your Majesty, when we arrived, Du Chengwu and Qin Shujian were fighting. Du Chengwu escaped in the end, but I severely wounded him with a spear thrust.
"Judging by his injuries, if he fights within the next ten to fifteen days, his strength will be reduced by half."
Shan Hao cupped his hands as he answered.
Upon hearing this.
A smile finally appeared on Xi Yang's face. He nodded in praise. "General Shan, your strength is exceptional. You truly are a pillar of our Imperial Court. With Du Chengwu wounded, the rebels' strength will surely suffer."
At this point, he paused before changing the subject.
"I hear Qin Shujian has broken through to the Heavenly Being realm. Is that true?"
"It is," Shan Hao answered truthfully. "However, in my opinion, his breakthrough to Heavenly Being was likely due to the legacy of his previous life. If a top-tier Great Power truly left some means behind, it would not be impossible to produce a Heavenly Being."
"Still, even the resources of a Great Power could do little more than produce a Heavenly Being."
"Breaking beyond Transcendence, advancing to Sainthood, and ultimately reaching the level of a Great Power is no easy matter."
"Mm, that is reasonable."
Xi Yang nodded slightly, and some of the strange light in his eyes faded.