Heaven-Reaching

Chapter 21: Tongtian Pavilion

Chu Zhiyuan stood before a massive white jade palace.

The palace was built entirely of white jade, spotless, blending seamlessly with the surrounding white jade plaza to form a sacred realm.

The three golden characters "Tongtian Pavilion" seemed as if they might at any moment burst from the plaque and soar into the sky, keeping pace with the white cranes dancing overhead.

The hundred-meter-tall white jade palace stood towering and majestic, as if it led straight to the celestial gates.

He understood the origin of the name "Tongtian Pavilion"—it truly gave a sense of reaching the heavens, as though it connected to the heavenly palace.

He walked slowly to the front of the great hall, took out a waist token, and handed it to an old man reclining in a wicker chair at the foot of the steps outside.

The short, thin old man was dozing off.

Chu Zhiyuan helplessly cleared his throat twice.

The old man slowly opened his eyes, first stretching lazily and then yawning. He took the waist token and handed it back to Chu Zhiyuan. "New here?"

"Chu Zhiyuan, Assistant Director of the Department of Martial Affairs." Chu Zhiyuan clasped his fists and smiled. "I'd trouble Elder Xu to open the hall doors."

Before coming, he had heard his colleagues' warnings: Xu Weibian, the guardian of Tongtian Pavilion, was an old Grandmaster.

In his youth, he had been an expert of the Supervisory Department. After retiring from service, he came to the Ministry of Rites as a minor steward and had guarded Tongtian Pavilion for over fifty years.

Four other Grandmasters also guarded Tongtian Pavilion. It neighbored the Heavenly Treasure Department, where a Grandmaster was stationed. If anything happened here, the Grandmaster could arrive in an instant.

Xu Weibian smiled knowingly. "So you're a nobleman. Please, go ahead."

In the Great Jing Dynasty, there was no other family surnamed Chu—only the imperial bloodline.

Chu Zhiyuan smiled. "Much obliged."

Xu Weibian climbed the nine steps, took out a key, inserted it, and slowly pushed open the white jade doors.

Chu Zhiyuan stepped inside. Xu Weibian said only that nothing could be damaged or taken out, and that he could only read within the pavilion, then withdrew.

Chu Zhiyuan stood in the center of the great hall and closed his eyes.

The entire hall appeared fully in his mind, and the names and locations of all the books were also completely imprinted in his memory.

He could go back later to slowly review and carefully select.

First, he searched through his mind and went directly to a bookshelf on the third floor.

This entire shelf was filled with books on various scripts.

From ancient to modern times, all kinds of strange characters and records.

Chu Zhiyuan couldn't understand most of them, so he pulled out one book after another, searching for characters similar to the two small ones hidden in the scabbard at his waist.

After flipping through half the shelf, he broke into a smile—he had finally found those two small characters.

He continued searching until he had gone through the entire shelf.

The two small characters were "Qingying."

He pressed his hand on the longsword at his waist and slowly drew it.

A thread of True Qi traveled along the Laogong point in his palm into the hilt. When it passed through the Sword Guard into the blade, it split in two, each strand burrowing into a rose-like strange pattern.

Suddenly, a peculiar sensation surged into his heart.

His heart seemed to sink to the bottom of a lake, becoming a fish swimming within—tranquil yet agile.

The longsword felt as if it had vanished, light as nothing, an extension of his own hand.

He wondered: Is this the true unity of man and sword?

He tried channeling True Qi to activate the Great Avalanche Sword Art. The blade vanished from its spot in an instant, reappearing midair the next moment.

Chu Zhiyuan nodded in satisfaction.

Before, it was merely fast. Now, it was twice as fast.

One strike after another, silent and swift as lightning.

At the same time, his mind entered a strange state of calm.

After reaching the Innate Realm, he had been practicing the Greater Violet Sun Technique.

The difference between the Greater Violet Sun Technique's energy and the Lesser Violet Sun Technique's was like the difference between warm water and hot water. The True Qi moving through his Meridians gave a burning sensation.

This feeling subtly affected his mood and thoughts. In normal times it was fine, but once he fought someone, it made him impatient and irritable.

This Qingying Sword perfectly countered the influence of the Greater Violet Sun Technique, keeping his mind constantly calm—truly marvelous.

After twenty-one strikes, his Dantian was empty, and the Earthly Yuan Art began to circulate.

The Yongquan points on the soles of his feet drew in surging energy like a whale drinking water. The fierce breath traveled up his legs, circled once at his waist, and finally returned to his Dantian, already transformed into True Qi. In an instant, it filled his Dantian.

He shook his head.

The Earthly Yuan Art was so effective, but in the end, his cultivation was too weak, and the True Qi in his Dantian was not deep enough.

Still, ever since he had broken through the first barrier, his True Qi had gained the ability to expand his Dantian, and it was slowly growing larger.

At noon, when he returned to Prince Qing's Estate for lunch, he noticed Bai Ningshuang and Chu Yi wearing strange, amused smiles.

Chu Zhiyuan touched his own face.

Chu Yi laughed. "Eldest Brother, someone else has come to propose marriage."

Chu Zhiyuan raised an eyebrow.

"Hehe, Eldest Brother, you've become quite the hot commodity." Chu Yi beamed. "Besides Duke An's Estate, now there's also Marquis Ningyuan. This Marquis Ningyuan is a big shot right now, with immense power and influence."

Chu Zhiyuan frowned. "A big shot?"

Chu Yi nodded emphatically. "This Marquis Ningyuan is currently the Deputy Commander of the Northern Territory, and he's expected to become the Commander."

Bai Ningshuang stood by with a smiling silence, joy seeping from the corners of her brows.

Chu Zhiyuan shook his head. "Forget about Marquis Ningyuan."

"Why, Eldest Brother?" Chu Yi asked curiously.

Chu Zhiyuan said, "When a man is in the spotlight, trouble follows. Better to steer clear."

When a person is at the peak of their popularity, their mindset inevitably swells—it's human nature, and too easy to make mistakes.

As a marquis and Deputy Commander, his future looks promising, but his foundation is also weak. Marrying into Prince Qing's Estate is clearly an attempt to shore up that weakness and deepen his ties to the imperial clan. It's far less stable than the hereditary Duke An's Estate.

"Eldest Brother, do you want to marry that great beauty from Duke An's Estate?" Chu Yi tilted her head, grinning. "Hehe, after all, she's the number one beauty of Jade Capital—what man wouldn't be tempted?"

Chu Zhiyuan smiled and shook his head.

Zou Fang had already made inquiries about Duke An's Estate.

The current Duke An was mediocre in talent, diligent in attitude but lacking in ability, serving as the Left Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Rites—technically his superior.

The Emperor was always lenient toward such nobles.

He would neither entrust them with heavy responsibilities nor treat them harshly. The Left Assistant Minister was a Subordinate Second Rank position, enough to secure a place in the court.

The young lady of Duke An's Estate, Xiao Ruoling, was hailed as the number one beauty of Jade Capital.

When he first heard that title, he assumed she was fond of socializing and showing off. In truth, this young lady of Duke An's Estate usually kept to herself, rarely appearing in public, and few had seen her.

Yet she still earned the title of number one beauty of Jade Capital—clearly, her appearance was extraordinarily stunning.

Bai Ningshuang said, "I've made inquiries. The Duchess of An passed away from illness ten years ago, so she lost her mother before she was ten. That Miss Xiao is a pitiable soul."

"Losing a mother is truly sad." Chu Yi nodded firmly.

Though Prince Qing's Estate had been sealed off, both parents were still alive, and the family was whole, harmonious, and close—they didn't feel miserable at all.

If they had lost their mother, she couldn't imagine how desolate it would be.

Bai Ningshuang said, "This Duke An is also a devoted man. He hasn't remarried or found a new mistress for the household. The Young Duke is still young, only twelve, so Miss Xiao manages the entire estate."

"That's quite impressive!" Chu Yi exclaimed. "If Eldest Brother marries her, Mother, you can relax, hehe. You won't be reluctant to let go, will you?"

Bai Ningshuang snorted. "I'd be glad to have someone take over for me. I worry myself to death every day—it's too exhausting."

"Then let it be her, Eldest Brother?"

"Not so fast." Chu Zhiyuan shook his head with a smile and changed the subject.

In these times, most marriages were blind—the two parties had never even met, and their parents made the decision.

As the Heir Apparent, he certainly didn't want to be so hasty.

A man of stature inevitably fears an unworthy wife and unfilial sons, but if he wanted to become a Grandmaster, he couldn't afford to be distracted by too many matters. He needed a peaceful rear courtyard, a capable helpmate.

Beauty was actually less important.

When taking a wife, one should take a virtuous one. As the Heir Apparent, he would never lack for beauties. Mo Yi and the other three were already rare beauties, and they would all eventually be taken into his chambers.

So before he understood this Xiao Ruoling, he didn't want to make a decision.

He would find an opportunity to observe this Xiao Ruoling, and then decide whether to marry her or not.