First Meeting

After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, when he emerged from the Audit Department, there were already three ivory badges in his sleeve—two Ninth Grade Merits and one Eighth Grade Merit.

Reporting to the Town Martial Division that there were demonic humans from the Jade Cauldron Sect earned him one Ninth Grade Merit. Assisting the Town Martial Division in purging the Jade Cauldron Sect's demonic humans earned him one Ninth Grade Merit and one Eighth Grade Merit.

The Audit Department's assessments were extremely stringent. Helping purge the Jade Cauldron Sect's demonic humans had astonishingly earned only one Eighth Grade Merit and one Ninth Grade Merit.

The Town Martial Division's merit petition merely stated that he should receive the foremost credit for purging the Jade Cauldron Sect. It did not describe the course of events in detail.

Had it been described in detail, there was hope for a Seventh Grade Merit.

But there was no helping it. To keep his Super Sensation secret, he could not explain things too thoroughly.

He pinched the three ivory badges in his sleeve and shook his head regretfully.

What was regrettable was that earning merit through the Ministry of Rites' Department of Martial Affairs was far too difficult. Even after earning it, it would only be tallied during the year-end merit assessment and review.

It was counted only once a year.

Unless one rendered exceptional merit.

What counted as exceptional merit?

For example, if an unforeseen incident arose and was promptly quelled, or if one took on a difficult assignment and still completed it admirably.

All such cases went through the exceptional-merit channel, with each merit assessed individually. Once the review was complete, the merit badge would be issued.

Ordinary merit was too slow, while exceptional merit was hard to come by.

If he were in the military, there would be far too many opportunities to earn merit—especially in wartime, when such opportunities were countless.

This was also the root of Great Jing's army's fierce valor, much like the Qin Dynasty army from his previous life.

Yet all things in the world came with both gains and losses, and reward was proportional to risk.

Exceptional merit brought great rewards, but also great danger. If things went wrong, punishment would follow.

Many officials did not seek exceptional merit, only ordinary merit. By being honest, dutiful, and staying out of trouble, they could muddle through and earn ordinary merit, at the very least a Ninth Grade Merit.

The three ivory badges were exchanged at the Heavenly Treasure Department for two Minor Marrow Cleansing Pills and one Marrow Cleansing Pill.

A Marrow Cleansing Pill was several times more effective than a Minor Marrow Cleansing Pill. After taking a Minor Marrow Cleansing Pill, one could only take a Marrow Cleansing Pill if one wished to cleanse the marrow again.

He was using them to cultivate the Dragon Transformation Technique. There was also diminishing medicinal efficacy, but it came far more slowly than if he took them directly.

--

As the lanterns of Yujing City first lit up, it became a glittering world of paper-drunk gold.

Surrounded by Zou Fang, Guo Chi, and the other guards, Chu Zhiyuan arrived at Chu Mingxuan's Prince's Mansion.

The lanterns outside the Prince's Mansion had already been lit amid the dusk.

The manor's guards patrolled in intersecting routes, every one of them brimming with vigor and spirit, superior even to the current guards of Prince Qing's Estate.

The moment Chu Zhiyuan arrived, the gatekeeper of the Prince's Mansion opened the doors and invited him inside, while another hurried in at a run to announce his arrival.

Just as he rounded the spirit screen, Chu Mingxuan hurried out to greet him. Yet the round face that was usually so cheerful showed none of its customary mirth.

Suppressing his doubts, Chu Zhiyuan cupped his fists. "Eighteenth Uncle, has Third Brother arrived?"

"He got here not long ago," Chu Mingxuan said.

"Eighteenth Uncle, you look troubled. Did something happen?"

"Alas—!" Chu Mingxuan shook his head with a bitter smile.

Chu Zhiyuan grew even more curious.

Chu Mingxuan looked helpless. "That Third Brother of yours seems like a completely different person."

"What happened to Third Brother?"

"He was arrogant to begin with, but now he's even worse—stinking and hard as a stone!" Chu Mingxuan shook his head, wearing a deeply troubled expression that looked especially comical on his plump face. "Had I known he would become like this, I wouldn't have called you all here. If he says anything unpleasant later, don't take it to heart."

"What has Third Brother been saying?"

Chu Mingxuan said helplessly, "He says we're occupying posts without doing work, wallowing in drunken dreams and deathlike stupor, stuffing ourselves and lazing about without knowing to strive for improvement."

Chu Zhiyuan blinked.

Those words were truly sharp enough to sting.

Still, something about them felt strange. It was as though they should have been spoken by someone outside the imperial clan.

Chu Mingxuan snorted. "He says we ought to train ourselves to death from dawn till dusk, that we have no right to enjoy ourselves like this in Jade Capital. The border soldiers train desperately one and all, yet even so, people still die from time to time."

Chu Zhiyuan slowly nodded.

He had formed a rough impression: an angry youth.

As the two spoke, they arrived outside the main hall. Before they had even climbed the steps, they heard a reprimanding voice from within. "Look at the two of you! Your swordsmanship is no good, your fist techniques are mediocre. Have you spent the last two years eating, drinking, and playing?"

"..."

"You've disgraced the Chu family beyond measure!"

"..."

"Haha..." Chu Mingxuan laughed loudly as he lifted the door curtain. "Fourth Son is here!"

Chu Zhiyuan gave Zou Fang a look, making the rare decision to have Zou Fang remain outside the hall together with Guo Chi.

Chu Zhiyuan entered the room, facing the wave of heat that rushed at him.

At a glance, he saw a sturdy young man glaring fixedly at Chu Zhiting and Chu Zhichuan. His eyes were like an eagle's, his face dark as still water.

Hearing the movement, the young man shifted his cold gaze away from Chu Zhiting and Chu Zhichuan, who were cowering in their Grand Master's Chairs. He swept his eyes over Chu Zhiyuan, sizing him up and scrutinizing him as though he were examining a criminal.

"Third Brother, look at you!" Chu Mingxuan shook his head helplessly. "We gathered here to have a little fun. If you want to lecture people, go lecture them in Bright Martial Hall. Don't lecture them in my place!"

The sturdy young man was handsome and carried an incisive, capable air. He said coldly, "I don't want to lecture people here either, but Eighteenth Uncle, I simply cannot tolerate a grain of sand in my eye!"

"You..." Chu Mingxuan waved a hand. "Come, come. This is Fourth Son. You've heard of his reputation, haven't you?"

"I heard of it as soon as I returned yesterday." Chu Zhiyao said flatly, "A rare prodigy among our Chu lineage."

Chu Zhiyuan cupped his fists. "Third Brother overpraises me."

"Whether it's praise or not, we'll only know after testing it!" Chu Zhiyao said in a deep voice. "Hearing is empty, seeing is truth. I don't believe what others say; I only believe what I see for myself. Take one of my punches!"

He abruptly stepped forward, closing the distance. His right fist suddenly swelled by a full circle, faint Misty Purple Qi curling around it as it arrived before Chu Zhiyuan's chest in an instant.

Chu Zhiyuan recognized it at once as the Great Heavenly Thunder Hammer.

Thunder of the heavens was fierce, overbearing, and swift. When those two qualities condensed into one, its power was naturally extraordinary, only slightly inferior to the Great Avalanche Sword Art.

Chu Zhiyuan had actually practiced this fist technique as well, but he rarely used it. It did not suit his temperament, and he found the Pulse Severing Hand more natural to wield.

The existence of Super Sensation made him prefer the Pulse Severing Hand's path of overcoming strength with skill.

He turned sideways and struck out with his palm, barely evading the punch. His right palm accurately hit Chu Zhiyao's left Shoulder Well Acupoint, numbing half his body and halting his movement.

His second palm then struck Chu Zhiyao's right Shoulder Well Acupoint, numbing the right half of his body as well. His entire body stiffened, leaving him unable to evade the third palm at his Tanzhong Acupoint.

Chu Zhiyuan took a step back, cupped his fists, and smiled. "Third Brother, thank you for yielding."

Chu Zhiyao stared at him blankly, his face rapidly flushing purple as he desperately circulated his cultivation, unable to dissolve the True Qi within his acupoints. Only after Chu Zhiyuan struck out with another palm did his True Qi begin flowing again.

"Huff..." He let out a long breath, and his complexion gradually settled.

Chu Mingxuan chuckled. "Well? Is Fourth Son's reputation undeserved?"

Chu Zhiting and Chu Zhichuan also stared at him excitedly, feeling thoroughly vindicated.

He had scolded them like grandsons just now, and yet they had been unable to refute him. It had been unbearably stifling.

Chu Zhiyao gave a cold snort and looked Chu Zhiyuan up and down. "Fourth Son, what layer are you at?"

"Five," Chu Zhiyuan said.

Chu Mingxuan, Chu Zhiting, and Chu Zhichuan abruptly turned their heads and glared at him.

Chu Zhiyuan said, "Imperial Grandfather truly deserves his heaven-bestowed genius. The Jade Lock Golden Pass Technique is indeed a wondrous art."

He had reached the Innate Fifth Layer Jade Tower in less than a month. Such swift progress was simply too inconceivable. Even a genius like Emperor Chu Qingquan seemingly had not advanced this quickly.

They also knew that the Jade Lock Golden Pass Technique had miraculous effects in breaking through barriers. Chu Zhiyuan had cultivated the Jade Lock Golden Pass Technique that no one else had managed to cultivate, so they were able to accept this fact.

Chu Zhiyao frowned. "Is the Jade Lock Golden Pass Technique truly that miraculous?"

"If I can also cultivate the Taiqing Yuan Sect's Earthly Yuan Art, the Jade Lock Golden Pass Technique will be even more miraculous than everyone imagines," Chu Zhiyuan said.

"...Taiqing Yuan Sect." Chu Zhiyao fell silent for a moment, then shook his head.

There was something strange in the way he looked at Chu Zhiyuan.

It was less as though he were looking at a person and more as though he were looking at a monster.

The Jade Lock Golden Pass Technique was nearly impossible to cultivate, and the inheritances of those ancient sects were the same. At the very least, he had never heard of anyone cultivating those ancient inheritances successfully.

Yet if Chu Zhiyuan could cultivate the Jade Lock Golden Pass Technique, then cultivating the Taiqing Yuan Sect's inheritance was no longer quite so unbelievable.

Chu Zhiyao said, "Fourth Son, with abilities like yours, why don't you go to the military?"

"The military is too dangerous. Father and Imperial Concubine would both worry." Chu Zhiyuan sighed. "Our Prince's Estate has too few descendants. We cannot take such a risk."

"...You really are a filial son." Chu Zhiyao snorted and curled his lip.

In his eyes, this was having no great ambition and dragging out an ignoble existence.

With such peerless talent, he ought to go earn merit in the military, shake the entire borderlands with his might, bolster the prestige of the Chu imperial clan, and raise the soldiers' morale.

The borderlands were too bitter; military morale needed bolstering.