Phantom Image

None of the princes or heirs apparent were fools; every last one was shrewd as a fox.

Did they not know that the Jade Lock Golden Pass Technique could draw the Emperor's attention and was a shortcut to winning imperial favor?

Why had they abandoned this shortcut?

There was no shortage of martial arts prodigies among the princes and heirs apparent. Since none of them took this path, it proved that this was an impassable shortcut, leaving him no choice but to abandon it.

Still, there was no need to say any of this to Bai Ningshuang, who knew nothing of martial arts. He would agree for now and decide after reading the cultivation method.

Chu Zhiyuan said seriously, "Mother, no one coming to call is merely the situation for now. They're all watching and waiting. We need to keep our heads and hold steady; it's not wise to act rashly."

Bai Ningshuang snorted. "I'd like to hold steady, but I simply can't swallow this anger."

"Then visit Imperial Grandmother more often and learn from her."

"...All right." Bai Ningshuang nodded helplessly. "Your Imperial Grandmother's side is cold and deserted too. Pitiful, really. Now that our restrictions have been lifted, we can keep her company more often and give her someone to talk to."

Before dawn had broken, Prince Qing's Estate was already bustling from top to bottom.

Listening to Waves Courtyard was the Heir Apparent's residence. Thick candles blazed within, bright as day.

A Purple Sandalwood Dragon Pattern Round Table stood in the outer chamber of the bedroom. Eight dishes and four soups upon it gave off an enticing gleam and fragrance beneath the candlelight.

Chu Zhiyuan stood before the table with his arms held straight out, allowing two red-robed maidservants to dress him.

Two more white-robed maidservants attended him as he ate.

All four maidservants were beautiful as flowers, light and graceful. Seen outside, one might have taken them for young ladies of some noble household.

The two red-robed maidservants lowered their heads as they meticulously adjusted his bright yellow fitted outfit, their slender pale hands repeatedly fussing over the position of the Crane-shaped Waist Token.

There were no other ornaments anywhere on his person, save for this Silver Crane-shaped Waist Token.

Chu Zhiyuan said, "That's enough."

The two white-robed maidservants put away the silver chopsticks and spoon, waved their jade-like hands, and directed a group of maidservants outside to come in and clear away the food.

As Chu Zhiyuan lowered his arms, he casually stroked the pretty faces of the two red-robed maidservants, then left Listening to Waves Courtyard amid their coquettish glares.

Zou Fang, clad in blue robes with a White Jade Duster tucked at his waist, waited outside with a lantern in hand. Seeing him emerge, he quietly led the way ahead.

In the brightly lit front hall, Prince Qing, Chu Minghou, sat upright while Princess Consort Bai Ningshuang paced back and forth. A delicate, graceful young girl was also seated by the table.

Chu Minghou was thin and frail, with an unusual air about him, as though he might drift beyond the mortal world at any moment. Smiling, he said, "My lady, there is no need to worry so much. Yuan'er can handle it. Sit down and rest awhile."

Bai Ningshuang stopped and shot him a sidelong glare. "My lord, how could Yuan'er possibly have experience dealing with people like them?"

Yuan'er had remained in the estate for twenty years and never met outsiders, while those heirs apparent and princes gathered together every day, long since honing themselves into schemers full of tricks. Yuan'er's trip to Bright Martial Hall would be like a sheep entering a pack of wolves—how could she not worry?

"It doesn't matter if he lacks experience. Yuan'er's wisdom far exceeds that of ordinary people. He won't suffer any loss."

"Ah..." Bai Ningshuang sighed heavily with worry and sat gracefully beside him.

Chu Minghou smiled and shook his head.

Just then, Chu Zhiyuan lifted the curtain and entered. His bright yellow fitted outfit made the whole room seem brighter.

The graceful young girl rushed forward with a delighted laugh and took his arm. "Big Brother!"

Chu Zhiyuan smiled. "You finally decided to leave Ten Thousand Green Courtyard."

"Big Brother, you can finally enter Bright Martial Hall!" Chu Yi said with a giggle.

She was not worried in the slightest; she was only happy.

In her eyes, her big brother could do anything and knew everything. The people in Bright Martial Hall were merely a bunch of greenhorn lads, not worth mentioning.

"Yuan'er." Bai Ningshuang stepped forward to straighten his clothes. "Once you get there, don't be timid and shrinking. Don't provoke them, but there's no need to fear them either!"

Chu Zhiyuan smiled and agreed.

His feelings were the exact opposite of theirs—he was eager and filled with anticipation.

"That's right, Big Brother, don't be polite with them. When it's time to act, act—beat them all flat until they cry for their fathers and mothers!" Chu Yi clapped her hands in agreement.

Chu Zhiyuan laughed. "Little Sister, don't spend all your time tending those flowers and plants. Go out more, see the world beyond, and breathe in some human life."

His little sister had a lively nature, yet she was a homebody. Used to being confined within Prince Qing's Estate, she had never stepped outside it even after receiving her own residence. She did not enjoy looking at people, preferring to admire and tend flowers and plants.

"I can't be bothered to go out. It's dreadfully boring and terribly filthy." Chu Yi curled her lip.

Chu Minghou stroked his three wisps of beard with his left hand and said slowly, "Yuan'er, you are also Father Emperor's grandson. You are no lower than they are. Just act freely!"

"Father, I understand." Chu Zhiyuan nodded.

He held his father, Chu Minghou, in great respect.

Though frail and unable to practice martial arts, after being confined to the estate, Chu Minghou had not given himself over to despair. Instead, he devoted himself to calligraphy and painting, attaining an exceptionally high level—worthy of being called a master of calligraphy and a Master of Painting.

Bai Ningshuang hurriedly added, "Yuan'er, there's no need to be polite to the heirs apparent, but you must still be somewhat respectful toward your Thirteenth Imperial Uncle..."

"Mother, I understand. It's getting late. I'm off."

As Chu Zhiyuan stepped through the gates of Prince Qing's Estate, the first light of dawn was just beginning to show.

Prince Qing Street lay shrouded in thin mist and Cold Qi. Lanterns along both sides of the avenue swayed in the frigid wind, casting mottled shadows.

Dark-robed Guards moved through those shifting shadows in groups of five, their presence grim and chilling.

Guo Chi and eight Xiantian Masters escorted him to the South Palace Gate a hundred meters away.

The South Palace Gate was the first restricted gate of the imperial palace.

A group of officials in crimson robes, broad belts, and official hats stood in two lines stretching ten meters long—one line bore bird rank badges, the other beast rank badges.

Twelve Imperial Palace Guards wore solemn expressions as they inspected every waist token without a trace of courtesy.

Chu Zhiyuan did not queue at the back. He went straight to the front of the two lines and, relying on his Crane-shaped Waist Token and Zou Fang, passed through the palace gate unimpeded.

Guo Chi and the eight guards could not enter and could only remain outside the gate.

Beyond the South Palace Gate lay a vast open square. High-ranking Imperial Court officials in crimson robes and official hats had already gathered, waiting to attend court. They formed a dense black mass, silent, solemn, and majestic.

Chu Zhiyuan wore a fitted bright-yellow outfit. One look was enough to identify him as royalty, and the court officials all made way for him while watching him closely.

With no one in his eyes, Chu Zhiyuan walked inward with a calm expression.

His mind replayed the two people who had followed him.

Their Breath Concealment and Qi Hiding had dimmed the radiance around their bodies. It was an exceedingly sophisticated Breath Concealment Technique, one that had still deceived Guo Chi and Zou Fang.

He just did not know whether Feng Xi, lurking in the shadows, could detect them or uncover their origins.

As the Inner Manager of the prince's residence, Feng Xi cultivated the finest mental technique of the Imperial Palace Eunuchs. Yin and supple, soundless and swift as a ghost, he was in the Grandmaster Realm.

Two Grandmasters were hidden among the Imperial Guards at the South Palace Gate.

Above each of their heads, three feet in the air, hovered a phantom.

One was a Flying Crane, two feet long, standing on one leg in the void, its curved neck tucked beneath its wing.

The other was a White Tiger, three feet long, lying prone in the void, likewise resting.

There were nine heavens in the Grandmaster Realm. Guo Chi and Zou Fang were both at the Third Heaven, while Feng Xi was at the Fifth Heaven.

Only his Super Sensation could see the phantoms above their heads. After discerning the pattern, he found that each foot of phantom represented one heaven.

He crossed the square and passed through another palace gate. After walking another hundred-plus meters, he passed through yet another gate. Every gate was guarded by Grandmaster Realm experts.

At last, he arrived at a broad and spacious Training Ground.

He waved to Zou Fang.

Zou Fang bowed. "Young Master, this servant will wait outside, then."

"Mm."

Zou Fang withdrew through the gate and waited outside.

To the north of the Training Ground stood a magnificent great hall. The three golden characters "Bright Martial Hall" on its plaque glimmered faintly with golden light in the morning dawn.

Together with the side halls to the east and west, the three great halls were like three enormous beasts crouching amid the dawn, exuding an inexplicable pressure.

The ground of the Training Ground was made of a dark green soil. It was soft yet resilient beneath his feet, similar to the rubber running tracks of his previous life.

Twelve young men in bright-yellow fitted outfits held strange poses without moving beneath the dawn. At a glance, he knew they were practicing the Lesser Violet Sun Technique.

Hearing his footsteps, the twelve turned to look at him.

He could clearly sense everyone's emotion: curiosity.

He sensed it twice more and confirmed that they truly were curious.

He found it strange.

He had originally thought he would be met with indifference or even disdain—perhaps even mockery. Yet there was not the slightest malice, only curiosity.

Could the children of princes and the emperor possibly be pure-hearted by nature?

That was impossible.

Their friendliness toward him was likely influenced by their respective parents. It seemed his royal father had quite a good reputation among the princes.

It made sense upon reflection. Unable to practice martial arts, gentle and open-minded in temperament, valuing affection and loyalty—what brother would not like such a brother?

He came before the thin, short old man at the edge of the grounds and clasped his fists in salute. "This junior, Chu Zhiyuan, pays respects to Thirteenth Grand Uncle."

Every hair on his back stood on end, warning him to stay away.

The old man before him had white hair and a youthful face. He was thin and short, as though a single punch could send him flying.

The moment his Super Sensation spread out, his vision abruptly blurred.

In that haze, he seemed to be standing atop a mountain peak amid vast, sprawling ranges.

Beneath layer upon layer of dark clouds, the towering mountains split apart, with a broad Great River winding into the distance between them.

At the river's end, a rising sun had just emerged, bursting with boundless golden rays, though half of it was obscured by the layers of dark cloud.

The boundless golden radiance from that half-risen sun dyed the dark clouds violet, turned the Great River into a golden dragon, and transformed the layered peaks on both sides into golden mountains.

He suddenly snapped awake and withdrew his Super Sensation. Everything immediately returned to normal.

It was as though everything had been an illusion.

Before him still stood that gaunt, diminutive old man, so frail a gust of wind seemed enough to blow him away.

This was a Grandmaster!

At the Xiantian Realm, there was a layer of radiance; a master's cultivation art manifested outwardly. But what was a Grandmaster?

"Third Son Minghou's son, Chu Zhiyuan?"

There was not the slightest trace of age in the gaunt old man's eyes. They were bright and gleaming.

"Yes, Thirteenth Grand Uncle," Chu Zhiyuan said, his face pale as he desperately suppressed the faint trembling of his body and forced a smile. "Father King asked me to bring his greetings to Thirteenth Grand Uncle."

"Where is Minghou?"

"Father King said he did not wish to cause trouble for others, nor bring trouble upon the manor. It would be best for him to remain in the manor and not come out. That way, everyone would be well."

"...That child—"

Chu Qingfeng fell silent for a moment, then shook his head with a sigh.

Then he reached out and seized Chu Zhiyuan's wrist. A thread of minute aura instantly swept through every Meridian in his body.

Before Chu Zhiyuan could react, he had already been gripped and rendered unable to move.

Chu Qingfeng released his wrist and nodded in satisfaction. "Not bad... not bad!"

The imperial heirs and princes grew even more curious, almost wishing they could crowd closer.

As the master of these princes and imperial heirs, Chu Qingfeng had always been severe, quick to reprimand and quicker still to sneer coldly. He rarely had a kind word to spare.

Was this loving the house along with its crow?

A burly young man with a round face called out, "Thirteenth Uncle, what realm is Fourth Son at?"

Among this generation of imperial heirs, Chu Zhiyuan ranked fourth.

"Practice your cultivation!... He's already at Perfected Houtian, far stronger than your Eighteenth Uncle!"

The burly, round-faced young man grinned. "Perfected Houtian is nothing special. Ninth Son and Tenth Son have reached Perfected Houtian too."

"Eighteenth Son, you're an uncle, yet your cultivation is inferior to your nephew's, and you still have the nerve to speak?" Chu Qingfeng shot him a sidelong glance. "Shut your mouth!"

Eighteenth Prince Chu Mingxuan gave a disgruntled snort, shut his mouth, and simply closed his eyes as well, putting on the appearance of concentrating on his cultivation.

Otherwise, even harsher words would follow.

"Come over and talk."

"Yes."

The two left the Training Ground and entered the main hall.