Choice

Chu Zhiyuan sighed inwardly.

It was no surprise that Chu Zhiting had entered the Town Martial Division. Aside from the military, the Town Martial Division and the Supervisory Department were the easiest places among all government offices to earn merit.

For the Heir Apparent, the military was the most suitable choice.

After entering the military, he could hold a mid-ranking officer's post and remain at the commander-in-chief's side. There would basically be little danger, yet it would be easy to earn merit.

The Town Martial Division, however, had to confront martial arts masters who committed all manner of crimes. Even serving as something like a Deputy Hall Master meant facing bloody combat. It truly was far too dangerous.

He looked at Chu Zhichuan. "Tenth Brother, where do you want to go?"

Chu Zhichuan calmly spat out three words. "The Town Martial Division!"

Chu Zhiting shook his head. "Why put yourself through this?"

Chu Zhichuan said coldly, "If Ninth Brother can go, why can't I?"

"Hey, you Tenth Brother!" Chu Zhiting immediately glared. "I had no choice. There's no need for you to wade into this muddy water with me."

"Once we enter the Town Martial Division, we'll compete again!" Chu Zhichuan said.

Chu Zhiyuan laughed.

This was the real Chu Zhichuan. Beneath that handsome exterior lay a fiercely competitive, combative nature.

"What about you, Fourth Brother?" Chu Zhiting asked.

Chu Zhiyuan said slowly, "I want to go to the Ministry of Rites."

The three of them widened their eyes at once.

"The Ministry of Rites?" Chu Mingxuan hurriedly said. "That's a clean-water office. Where would you find any chance to earn merit? What a waste of your talent."

Chu Zhiting and Chu Zhichuan nodded along, their faces full of disapproval.

"Eighteenth Uncle, my foundation isn't solid," Chu Zhiyuan said, shaking his head. "I should devote myself to studying and lay a firm foundation before talking about earning merit."

This was his genuine feeling.

Earning merit in exchange for spiritual pills truly was a shortcut in cultivation.

Once one reached Innate Perfection, one had to seek the Grandmaster Gate.

The Grandmaster Gate was unlike the Three Passes between the Postnatal Realm and the Xiantian Realm. It was a mysterious and profound aperture existing in the void.

Once one had sufficiently deep insight into one's fundamental cultivation method, the Grandmaster Gate would appear in a flash of inspiration. By gathering True Qi and breaking through that gate, one could truly step into the Grandmaster Realm.

This gate was an enormous hurdle, even harder to break than the Three Passes. Yet the true difficulty was finding it. Those stuck at Innate Perfection simply could not find the door in which to enter.

By the standards of his previous life, Xiantian Masters were equivalent to doctors, Grandmasters were equivalent to academicians, while Great Grandmasters were great scientists on the level of Qian Xuesen and Yuan Longping.

If one merely buried one's head in bitter cultivation, one could remain stuck in the Xiantian Realm for an entire lifetime and never become a Grandmaster.

How could one deepen one's understanding and insight into one's martial arts?

The most important path was tempering oneself.

Sparring and exchanging knowledge with different martial arts practitioners, even fighting life-and-death battles, would constantly deepen one's understanding and insight into the martial arts one cultivated.

There was another path: pure enlightenment.

One realization after another, constantly delving deeper, ascending layer by layer, until inspiration finally flashed forth and the Grandmaster Gate came into view.

The reason the Heir Apparent and the princes all needed to take assignments and earn merit was not merely to obtain cultivation resources and accelerate their progress. It was also to gain insight into martial arts.

Moreover, earning merit allowed them to exchange it for cultivation resources such as Miraculous Pills and Elixirs. This would not only aid their own cultivation, but also strengthen the forces of their own princely estates.

It could be said to kill three birds with one stone.

But he was different.

He possessed Super Sensation. He perceived the minute changes in his body as clearly as if viewing a candle, and his understanding of his own martial arts far surpassed that of ordinary people.

There was no need for him to temper himself through slaughter. He could fully seek the Grandmaster Gate through studying and self-enlightenment.

He possessed the inheritance of the Taiqing Yuan Sect, so it did not matter even if he had no Miraculous Pills and Elixirs that restored True Qi.

He possessed the inheritances of the Dragon Subduing Sect and the Void Controlling Sword Sect, as well as the Jade Lock Golden Pass Technique. His cultivation speed would advance by leaps and bounds, far beyond ordinary people.

Most importantly, he did not want to take risks.

This world was still too dangerous. The Innate Realm was too weak. Even if he truly wanted to enter the Town Martial Division, he would wait until he became a Grandmaster.

At the same time, though, he still needed to earn merit and required cultivation resources.

He did not need spiritual pills to restore True Qi, but pills and Spiritual Medicine that strengthened the tendons and cleansed the marrow would still be of great benefit. Furthermore, the princely estate also needed spiritual pills to enhance the guards' strength.

At the Ministry of Rites, there would be no danger, chances to earn merit, and time to practice martial arts and study.

Killing three birds with one stone, the Ministry of Rites was a perfect choice for him.

What was more, the Ministry of Rites oversaw the Great Jing Dynasty's largest library—Tongtian Pavilion.

Tongtian Pavilion contained rare editions and collected books from across the world. It encompassed everything, vast as the sea. It was not open to the public, but it could not bar him, the Heir Apparent.

More importantly, he could use office hours to read within Tongtian Pavilion.

With his ability to remember everything at a glance, he would soon become versed in both ancient and modern times, understand astronomy and geography, and gain boundless benefits for his martial arts cultivation.

"What a pity, Fourth Son." Chu Mingxuan shook his head repeatedly.

He could not understand Chu Zhiyuan's decision.

Chu Zhiyuan smiled. "The Ministry of Rites may not necessarily lack opportunities to earn merit. Let's see who enters the Grandmaster Realm first."

"A Grandmaster..." Chu Mingxuan said with a smug smile. "I'll probably be the first to become one."

Once they left the Bright Martial Hall, things would be different.

Within the Bright Martial Hall, everyone could only rely on talent to cultivate bitterly. Once they left, they could use spiritual pills to increase their cultivation speed.

He was a prince. The assignments he could obtain would be of a higher rank, making it easier to earn merit. The spiritual pills he exchanged for would be enough to make up for, or even surpass, any difference in talent.

For instance, if they both went to the Ministry of Rites, he could be responsible for diplomatic missions abroad, while the Heir Apparent could only serve as an assistant.

If they went to the military, he would directly start at the rank of battalion commander, while the Heir Apparent could only start as a company commander.

The higher one's status, the easier it was to gain merit.

Chu Zhiting nodded in agreement.

The Heir Apparent truly could not be mentioned in the same breath as a prince. Their generations differed, and their relationship with the Emperor was separated by a layer as well. One was a son, the other a grandson.

Chu Zhichuan merely snorted. "Eighteenth Uncle, that may not be so."

"Tenth Brother, then let's compete." Chu Mingxuan said smugly. "Who told me to be a prince while you are Heir Apparents?"

"Fourth Brother, think thrice!" Chu Zhiting said.

If Fourth Brother entered the military or the Town Martial Division, he might still have hope of maintaining his lead. If he entered the Ministry of Rites, he would probably fall behind very soon.

Chu Zhiyuan smiled and drank another bowl of wine.

A surge of heat rushed from his stomach into his periosteum, thickening it slightly once more.

A sudden inspiration came to him, and he secretly circulated the Dragon Transformation Technique.

The sixth level of the Dragon Transformation Technique tempered the membranes.

Of the Dragon Transformation Technique's nine levels, cultivating them in order made them easier to master. One could also disrupt the sequence, but the difficulty would greatly increase.

If one first tempered the meridians and then the acupoints, one could circulate more abundant True Qi. If one directly tempered the bones, marrow, and membranes without first tempering the meridians and acupoints, one's True Qi would not be abundant enough, and the results would naturally be poorer.

But at this moment, with bone wine brewed from the Six Yang Demonic Tiger, it was the best time to temper his membranes.

As the sixth level of the Dragon Transformation Technique circulated, the medicinal power that had originally drifted about like scattered petals became like lost children who had finally found their destination, all of it boring into his bones without a single thread going to waste.

As his periosteum thickened, he could clearly feel his strength rapidly increasing, while the speed of his movements also grew slightly faster.

Sometimes, that tiny sliver was enough to determine life and death in battle.

A bright moon hung high in the sky.

Within the brightly lit Listening to Waves Courtyard, Chu Zhiyuan stood beneath a plum tree and slowly practiced his punches, carefully sensing the changes in his body.

The medicinal power had fully dispersed and completely taken effect.

The growth of his periosteum had ended.

As he sensed the changes in his body, he found that his strength had increased by around one-tenth, while his speed had increased by one-twentieth.

With strength and speed working together, the power of the same sword move increased tremendously.

No wonder disciples of the Four Great Sects fought desperately to earn merit, and martial sects across the land were nearly driven mad trying to enter the Imperial Court. The temptation of Heavenly Treasures was simply too great.

Of course, if he had not possessed the Dragon Transformation Technique, his gains this time would not have been so great.

Chu Zhiting and Chu Zhichuan might not even have absorbed one-tenth of the medicinal power. All the rest had gone to waste.

Chu Mingxuan had truly spent lavishly this time. By bringing out such medicinal wine to share, he was clearly trying to win over the three of them.

Princes held greater authority. Even if they both went to the Ministry of Rites, he could only begin in an idle or deputy post, while a prince could hold a substantive position or serve as the principal official.

The Heir Apparent could only assist, while a prince could make the decisions. Princes needed supporters and assistants, and the Heir Apparent was the best candidate.

Chu Mingxuan would not go to the Ministry of Rites. He might go to the military, which was the best destination for princes and Heir Apparents.

But no matter what they chose, he would still go to the Ministry of Rites. There would be no Zou Fang following him and no Guo Chi protecting him in the military. It was still too dangerous.

He could concentrate on practicing martial arts and studying in the Ministry of Rites, that leisurely department, thereby laying a solid foundation for the future.

What was more, once he stepped into the Innate Realm, he could participate in the annual Autumn Hunt and hunt Demon Beasts at the Flying Swallow Hunting Ground in exchange for military merit.

With his Super Sensation, coupled with the Within Reach, Yet Worlds Apart Step and the Great Avalanche Sword Art, hunting Demon Beasts would not be difficult.

As he pondered, Mo Yi, a maid dressed in white, drifted lightly over. She carried a Sandalwood Box in her hand and set it on the stone table in the courtyard. "The Princess Consort personally made three-delicacy soup and instructed that Young Master must drink it."

Chu Zhiyuan shook his head.

Mo Yi covered her mouth with a smile. "The Princess Consort spent two hours personally simmering it. She said it would benefit Young Master's cultivation."

"What about Little Sister?"

"The County Princess has some as well."

"All right." Chu Zhiyuan nodded.

Mo Yi opened the sandalwood box and took out the bowl of soup inside.

A strange fragrance immediately filled the air.

Mo Yi said softly, "As expected of a Demon Beast. Its fragrance is completely different from ordinary meat."

This distinctive aroma was absent from all kinds of pork, beef, mutton, venison, bear meat, and poultry.

Chu Zhiyuan smiled, accepted the bowl, and took a light sip.

The moment the soup entered his stomach, it swiftly transformed into clear qi and spread through his five viscera and six bowels. He circulated the tendon-tempering and flesh-tempering portions of the Dragon Transformation Technique.