Choice

Chu Zhiyuan sighed inwardly.

It was no surprise that Chu Zhiting wanted to join the Town Martial Division. Aside from the military, the two easiest offices for earning merits were the Town Martial Division and the Supervisory Department.

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

Once in the military, he could take a mid-level officer post and stay by the commander's side—basically no danger, yet easy to accumulate merits.

The Town Martial Division, however, meant facing martial artists who broke the law. Even as a Deputy Hall Master, he would have to fight for his life. It was far too dangerous.

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

Chu Zhichuan spat out three words flatly: "Town Martial Division!"

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

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

"Hey, you, Tenth Son!" Chu Zhiting's eyes widened. "I had no choice. You don't have to wade into this mess."

"After we join the Town Martial Division, let's compete again," Chu Zhichuan said.

Chu Zhiyuan couldn't help but smile.

That was Chu Zhichuan—beneath that handsome exterior lay a fiercely competitive and combative nature.

"And 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 immediately stared wide-eyed.

"The Ministry of Rites?" Chu Mingxuan hurriedly said. "That's a dead-end office. Where would you find opportunities to earn merits? It would waste your talent."

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

"Eighteenth Uncle, my foundation isn't solid," Chu Zhiyuan shook his head. "I want to focus on studying, lay a solid groundwork, and then talk about earning merits."

This was his genuine feeling.

Earning merits to exchange for miraculous pills was indeed a shortcut in cultivation.

Once one reached Innate Perfection, the next step was to seek the Grandmaster Gate.

Unlike the Three Passes between the Postnatal and Innate Realms, the Grandmaster Gate was a mysterious, ethereal void gate.

Only by gaining a deep enough insight into one's core cultivation method could a flash of inspiration reveal the Grandmaster Gate. Then, by condensing True Qi to break through that gate, one could truly step into the Grandmaster Realm.

This gate was a massive barrier—harder to break than the Three Passes—but the real difficulty was finding it. Those stuck at Innate Perfection were all people who simply couldn't see the gate.

According to his previous life's ranking, Xiantian Masters were equivalent to Doctors, Grandmasters to Academicians, and Great Grandmasters to the level of Great Scientists like Qian Xuesen and Yuan Longping.

If one only trained blindly, they would be stuck at the Innate Realm for life, never becoming a Grandmaster.

How could one deepen their understanding and insight into their own martial arts?

The most important path was tempering.

Exchanging insights through sparring with different martial arts, or even life-and-death battles, would continuously deepen one's understanding and perception of the martial arts they practiced.

Another path was pure enlightenment.

Enlighten again and again, delving deeper layer by layer, until finally a flash of inspiration came and the Grandmaster Gate appeared.

The reason both Heirs Apparent and Princes took on official duties to earn merits wasn't just to obtain cultivation resources to speed up their progress—it was also to gain insights into martial arts.

Moreover, earning merits allowed them to exchange for Miraculous Pills and Elixirs and other cultivation resources, which not only helped their own training but also strengthened their princely estates.

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

But he was different.

He had Super Sensation. He could perceive every subtle change in his body with crystal clarity, and his understanding of his own martial arts far surpassed that of ordinary people.

So he didn't need to temper himself through combat. He could completely find the Grandmaster Gate through self-enlightenment by reading.

He had the inheritance of the Taiqing Yuan Sect. Even without Miraculous Pills and Elixirs to restore True Qi, it didn't matter.

He also had the inheritances of the Dragon Subduing Sect and the Void Controlling Sword Sect, along with the Jade Lock Golden Pass Technique. His cultivation speed would skyrocket, far surpassing ordinary people.

Most importantly, he didn't want to take risks.

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

At the same time, however, he still needed to earn merits and obtain cultivation resources.

He didn't need pills to restore True Qi, but Spiritual Medicine for marrow cleansing and tendon transformation would still be greatly beneficial. Moreover, his estate needed pills to strengthen the guards' strength.

Going to the Ministry of Rites meant no danger, opportunities to earn merits, and plenty of time to train and read.

Kill three birds with one stone—the Ministry of Rites was the perfect choice for him.

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

The Tongtian Pavilion housed rare books collected from all over the world, encompassing everything, vast as an ocean. It wasn't open to the public, but that couldn't stop him, the Heir Apparent.

Even more importantly, he could use his office hours to enter the Tongtian Pavilion and read.

With his photographic memory, he could quickly master the past and present, know the heavens and the earth, and this would be endlessly beneficial to his martial arts cultivation.

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

He was very puzzled by Chu Zhiyuan's decision.

Chu Zhiyuan smiled. "The Ministry of Rites might still have opportunities to earn merit. Let's see who breaks through to Grandmaster first."

"Grandmaster..." Chu Mingxuan grinned smugly. "I reckon I'll be the first to reach Grandmaster."

Once outside Bright Martial Hall, things were different.

Inside Bright Martial Hall, everyone could only train hard based on natural talent. Outside it, they could use spirit pills to accelerate their cultivation speed.

As a Prince, he could obtain higher-ranking assignments and earn merits more easily. The spirit pills he could trade for would be enough to close the gap in talent, or even surpass it.

For example, if both went to the Ministry of Rites, he could be put in charge of diplomatic missions abroad, while the Heir Apparent could only serve as a deputy.

If they joined the Military, he would directly enter at the battalion commander level, while the Heir Apparent would only be a company commander.

The higher one's status, the easier it was to earn merits.

Chu Zhiting nodded in agreement.

An Heir Apparent truly couldn't compare to a Prince. The generational gap was there, and the relationship with the Emperor was one step removed—one was a son, the other a grandson.

Chu Zhichuan, however, snorted. "Eighteenth Uncle, that's not necessarily true."

"Tenth Son, then let's have a contest." Chu Mingxuan said smugly. "After all, I'm a Prince, and you're all Heirs Apparent."

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

If Fourth Brother joined the Military or the Town Martial Division, he might still have a chance to stay ahead. But entering the Ministry of Rites would likely see him fall behind quickly.

Chu Zhiyuan smiled and drank another bowl of wine.

A surge of heat rushed from his stomach toward his periosteum, thickening it slightly.

Suddenly, inspiration struck, and he secretly activated the Dragon Transformation Technique.

The sixth layer of the Dragon Transformation Technique was about training the membrane.

The nine layers of the Dragon Transformation Technique were easier to master in order, but the order could be scrambled—it just made it much harder.

Training the meridians first, then the acupoints, allowed one to circulate thicker True Qi. Without training the meridians and acupoints first, and going straight to bones, marrow, and membrane, the True Qi wouldn't be thick enough, and the results would be poorer.

But at this moment, with the Six Yang Demonic Tiger Bone Wine, it was the perfect time to train the membrane.

As the sixth layer of the Dragon Transformation Technique circulated, the scattered medicinal power, like a lost child finally finding its destination, surged into the bones without a single bit wasted.

His periosteum thickened, and he could clearly feel his strength rapidly increasing, along with a slight boost in his movement speed.

Sometimes, that slight edge decided life or death in a fight.

A bright full moon hung in the sky.

Inside the brightly lit Listening to Waves Courtyard, Chu Zhiyuan stood beneath a plum tree, slowly practicing his fists, carefully sensing the changes in his body.

The medicinal power had fully dissolved and completed its effect.

His periosteum had stopped thickening.

He felt the changes in his body—strength had increased by about a tenth, speed by a twentieth.

With both strength and speed working together, the same sword technique now carried far greater power.

No wonder the disciples of the Four Great Sects fought desperately for merits, and martial artists from all schools were nearly mad with desire to enter the imperial court. The temptation of Heavenly Treasures was truly immense.

Of course, if he hadn't had the Dragon Transformation Technique, his gains this time wouldn't have been so great.

Chu Zhiting and Chu Zhichuan had probably absorbed less than a tenth of the medicinal power, wasting the rest.

Chu Mingxuan had indeed spared no expense this time, sharing such medicinal wine clearly to win over the three of them.

A Prince held greater authority. If both went to the Ministry of Rites, he could only start in a minor deputy role, while a Prince could take a substantive, leading position.

An Heir Apparent could only assist, while a Prince could take charge. A Prince needed support and assistance, and Heirs Apparent were the best candidates.

Chu Mingxuan wouldn't go to the Ministry of Rites. He would likely go to the Military, which was the best destination for Princes and Heirs Apparent.

But no matter what they chose, he still had to go to the Ministry of Rites. The Military wouldn't have Zou Fang following him or Guo Chi protecting him—it was still too dangerous.

In the leisurely Ministry of Rites, he could focus on training and studying, laying a solid foundation for the future.

Besides, once he stepped into the Xiantian realm, he could participate in the annual Autumn Hunt, hunting Demon Beasts at the Flying Swallow Hunting Ground to exchange for military merits.

With his Super Sensation, combined with the Within Reach, Yet Worlds Apart Step and the Great Avalanche Sword Art, hunting Demon Beasts wouldn't be difficult.

As he was deep in thought, a white-clad maidservant, Mo Yi, approached lightly, carrying a Sandalwood Box. She placed it on the stone table in the courtyard. "The Princess Consort personally made a three-fresh-ingredient soup. She insists that you drink it, Young Master."

Chu Zhiyuan shook his head.

Mo Yi suppressed a smile. "The Princess Consort spent two whole hours simmering it herself. She said it would benefit your cultivation, Young Master."

"And Little Sister?"

"The County Princess has some too."

"Alright." Chu Zhiyuan nodded.

Mo Yi opened the purple box and took out a bowl of soup from within.

At once, an exotic fragrance assailed the nostrils.

Mo Yi said softly, "As expected of a Demon Beast—its aroma is completely different from ordinary meat."

This unique scent was something that no other pig, cow, sheep, deer, bear, or bird possessed.

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

As soon as the soup entered his stomach, it swiftly transformed into a clear vapor, spreading through his internal organs. He activated the Tendon Training and Muscle Training phases of the Dragon Transformation Technique.