Hearing Ji Zining's words, Li Changsheng's face lit up.
"Rest assured, young friend. When the time comes, as long as you show up, you'll be certain you made the right choice!"
With a wave of his hand, an exquisite storage ring appeared in the air.
"I came in a hurry and didn't bring much. Consider the things inside this storage ring my gift to you upon our first meeting."
With that, Li Changsheng smiled gently at Ji Zining. His body slowly faded away, leaving only a voice echoing through the hall.
"Remember, young friend, you must come! Three days from now..."
Ji Zining glanced around the empty hall, a little stunned.
He left just like that?
Shouldn't he have exchanged a few more pleasantries? Why did he just leave?
Shaking her head, Ji Zining looked at the storage ring floating in the air and couldn't help taking a deep breath.
A storage ring could hold anything except living things, making it indispensable for home and travel.
Ji Zining had originally planned to ask Ji Chenkong for one when he returned.
Now, it seemed she wouldn't even need to ask for a storage ring.
Let me see what's inside this storage ring.
As the white-haired young man was an ancestor of the Ziwei Holy Land, even if he hadn't prepared much, surely he wouldn't have given her a pile of junk?
She summoned the power of Qi and Blood within her body and squeezed a drop of blood rich with the breath of life from her finger.
The blood fell onto the storage ring and was absorbed in an instant.
As the blood was absorbed, Ji Zining could clearly sense faint threads of connection forming between her and the storage ring.
With a thought, her consciousness entered the storage ring.
Her vision abruptly darkened, and a vast black space appeared before her.
At the sight of the black space, Ji Zining's heart trembled.
This is a storage ring?
Why is it different from what she'd heard?
A typical storage ring had a space one zhang across. Anything larger was a treasure.
The largest storage ring Ji Chenkong possessed had a space only a hundred zhang across.
He had exchanged for it at the Ziwei Holy Land back when he was still one of its disciples.
Yet the space before her now stretched beyond the horizon. She had no idea how large this storage ring was!
She looked up, but she couldn't see how high it reached, either!
On top of that, this boundless storage ring was packed with Spirit Stones radiating pure Spiritual Qi!
Compared to the Spirit Stones Ji Chenkong had previously given Ji Zining for cultivation, these Spirit Stones were as far apart as heaven and earth.
Any Spirit Stone here contained Spiritual Qi more than a hundred times purer than those earlier stones!
Not only was the quality better, but the quantity was too!
Supreme-grade Spirit Stones!
Only supreme-grade Spirit Stones could feel like this!
An entire storage ring full of supreme-grade Spirit Stones?
Ji Zining was somewhat speechless.
Is this the foundation of the Ziwei Holy Land?
What he had casually taken out was worth more than a hundred Flowing Moon Dynasties put together.
Her consciousness returned, and Ji Zining went back to the bed and sat down cross-legged.
She had only just arrived in this world and already experienced so much. She needed to sort it all out.
The daily sign-in was a must, but afterward Ji Zining would have to ask the system whether sign-in opportunities could be saved.
Otherwise, if she missed a day and forgot to sign in, it would be a terrible loss. If they could be saved, she might even be able to build up enough for a ten-pull, a hundred-pull, or something like that.
As for cultivation, as long as she joined the Ziwei Holy Land, she wouldn't need to worry too much about it.
What troubled Ji Zining somewhat was how she should face Chen Qingqian and Ji Chenkong's feelings.
After all, she wasn't the original owner of this body. Only her soul had transmigrated here.
Their daughter was already dead, and that was something that couldn't be changed.
But she couldn't tell them that, either. After all, the original owner had given her soul a place to stay.
Shaking her head, Ji Zining cast the complicated emotions from her mind.
"Forget it. The boat will straighten itself when it reaches the bridge. This isn't something I can rush."
With a thought, a large number of supreme-grade Spirit Stones appeared beside her, and Ji Zining resumed cultivating.
The sun had completely set, and in roughly two more shichen, her sign-in opportunity would refresh.
Then she would be able to sign in again, and Ji Zining was looking forward to it.
As the Flowing Moon Heart Sutra circulated, Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi and the pure Spiritual Qi within the supreme-grade Spirit Stones were drawn toward Ji Zining, surging into her body.
As the Spiritual Qi poured in, Ji Zining's presence slowly grew stronger, and her foundation was continuously refined, becoming ever deeper.
Li Changsheng had told her not to rush her breakthrough to the Golden Core Realm, so she would refine her foundation before breaking through.
While Ji Zining cultivated, in the palace's main hall...
Clad in imperial robes, Ji Chenkong sat solemnly on the dragon throne atop the raised platform, looking down at the many experts below.
Beside him, Chen Qingqian sat on a phoenix throne, her expression as unruffled as an ancient well and her bearing thoroughly regal.
The white mourning cloth that had draped the palace hall had all been removed, and the hall once again exuded a majestic air.
Ji Chenkong parted his lips, and his voice rang throughout the hall.
"I know why you came here together, but remember this: this is the Flowing Moon Dynasty, and this is the imperial palace!"
"As long as you are within the Flowing Moon Dynasty's borders, you are all my subjects. If you show disrespect, don't blame me for showing no mercy!"
Ji Chenkong had not referred to himself by the imperial "we," because, in his view, such things were hollow. Only strength could inspire true awe!
Before his words had even faded, a powerful pressure erupted within the hall.
The expressions of the assembled experts changed as they felt it.
This presence was at the Peak Nascent Soul Realm!
The ruler had grown stronger again!
The expert standing at the front gritted his teeth and summoned all his strength. He managed to step forward, then knelt on one knee and spoke respectfully.
"Your Majesty, we came merely out of curiosity. Please quell your anger!"
The other experts came to their senses and hurriedly knelt, speaking respectfully.
"Please quell your anger, Your Majesty!"
Ji Chenkong's expression eased slightly, and he reined in some of his pressure.
"Curiosity? Didn't you come because of the pillar of immortal spirit Qi that descended upon the imperial palace earlier?"
"But do you know what day today was supposed to be?"
"South-Subduing King, you tell them."
The expert who had spoken first was none other than the South-Subduing King, and he couldn't help grimacing.
"I do. Today is the eldest princess's sixteenth birthday, and... also the day the eldest princess's... the eldest princess's severed meridians were to flare up..."
With that, the South-Subduing King hurriedly lowered himself from one knee to both.
"Please forgive us, Your Majesty. We won't dare do it again!"
He was beginning to regret it. Why had he been so curious?
He had known full well that the eldest princess was to perish like a withering flower today, yet he had come to court trouble at a time like this.
If Ji Chenkong lost his temper, all of them put together would be no match for him.
Everyone in the Flowing Moon Dynasty knew that the eldest princess, Ji Zining, had been born with severed meridians and that her sixteenth birthday would also be the day of her death.
As the South-Subduing King, he naturally knew it even better.
Hearing this, the other experts lowered their heads even further.
Ji Chenkong rose and swept his gaze over them.
"That was how it should have been, but fortune smiled upon my daughter. Her severed meridians disappeared, and she survived."
"The earlier phenomenon appeared because Zining awakened her physique. This has made me very happy."
"So, while I'm happy, get out. If there's a next time, slit your own throats."
Her severed meridians disappeared?
The earlier phenomenon was caused by the awakening of a physique?
The South-Subduing King and the other experts jolted, disbelief filling their eyes.
Ji Zining's severed meridians actually disappeared, and she even awakened a physique?!
That kind of phenomenon was actually caused by the awakening of a physique?
Just how powerful must that physique be?
But when they thought of their own lives, the experts dared not say more. After offering their congratulations, they all hurried away.
Though there had been a few twists and turns, they had nevertheless learned what had caused the phenomenon.
They had also learned one thing: the Flowing Moon Dynasty's imperial family was going to rise!
With such a heaven's chosen born among them, if they didn't rise, who would?
Ji Chenkong watched the experts leave, his expression calm.
He knew those fellows probably wouldn't have a peaceful night.
The events of today would also spread rapidly throughout the Flowing Moon Dynasty.
Late at night.
Inside the hall where Ji Zining was staying.
"The sign-in cooldown has refreshed. One sign-in opportunity is available. Host, would you like to sign in?"
Ji Zining opened her eyes and smiled gently.
"Sign in!"