On a bright, sunny morning in May of the eighty-fourth year of Great Han, Liu Changxu slowly stepped out of the Seclusion Chamber in the Ruyi Lotus Palace.
After countless days and nights of devoted cultivation, he had finally consolidated his late Tribulation Transcendence stage cultivation. His bearing had grown ever deeper and more restrained, like a towering mountain hidden among clouds and mist, radiating an awe-inspiring presence.
Li Zhenxin and Lian'er were busy not far from the Seclusion Chamber. When they saw that their husband had finally emerged, surprise and delight instantly lit up their eyes, and both glided toward him.
They came before Liu Changxu, their faces glowing with heartfelt joy, and said in unison:
"Husband, you've finally come out of seclusion."
Their voices brimmed with the joy and affection of a long-awaited reunion.
"Yes, I've just finished thoroughly consolidating my cultivation. Has everything at court been well during these two years of seclusion?"
Smiling, his eyes full of concern, Liu Changxu stepped forward and gently took his two wives' hands. His voice was tender yet steady.
Li Zhenxin nodded lightly and said happily:
"Over these two years, both court affairs and matters great and small within the lineage have progressed quite smoothly. Sister Wu and the others have taken over the Great Yan Immortal Dynasty's entire sphere of influence without any unexpected incidents. But we now face a rather thorny problem: we simply have too few people at our disposal. To keep everything moving smoothly, we've had to yield a great deal of our benefits to others. It's been a regrettable necessity."
Liu Changxu frowned slightly at this, then said:
"Ah, the shortage of manpower is indeed a serious problem. But there's little we can do about it. We haven't been on Sea God Star long, and