Although the Crown Prince's personal guards in the Heaven Dou Army camp outwardly agreed to Mu Qing serving as their instructor, they privately complained quite a bit.
" Mu Qing? What kind of kid popped out of nowhere? I heard he's not even twenty years old yet," someone whispered, spitting. "And he's not even a Soul Master, yet he's here to teach us? Outrageous!"
"I heard that His Highness the Crown Prince personally recommended him." The old soldier beside him nudged the grumbling new recruit with the hilt of his sword. "His men are under Prince Xue Qinghe's command; they have to swallow their anger."
"Hmph, I'd like to see what he's capable of. If he's just a useless piece of trash, then don't blame us for being disrespectful," another soldier said.
Meanwhile, Yu Tianheng, Xue Qinghe, Mu Qing, and others returned to the palace.
After returning to the pavilion, Xue Qinghe looked at Mu Qing: " Mu Qing, since you are Tian Heng's disciple, you are one of us. I entrust the task of teaching martial Martial Dao to the Imperial Guards to you. Don't let me down!"
Upon hearing this, Mu Qing quickly bowed and said, "Yes, sir!"
Xue Qinghe nodded, wanting to say something more, when suddenly a palace eunuch rushed over, whispered a few words in Xue Qinghe's ear, and Xue Qinghe waved to indicate that he understood and told him to leave.
He then stood up and looked at Yu Tianheng apologetically. " Tian Heng, I have learned a lot from our conversation today. I had hoped to talk with you all night long, but unfortunately my father has summoned me and I am afraid I will not be able to return in time. Please excuse me."
Upon hearing this, Yu Tianheng smiled faintly and said, "It's alright, there's plenty of time in the future. Besides, it's getting late today, and it's about time for me to leave. I'll find time to go to the palace and speak with His Highness later."
He was about to leave when he said that.
"Wait!" Xue Qinghe called out to Yu Tianheng in time. At the same time, his fingertips brushed against the hidden pouch in his bosom, and the golden token engraved with a coiled dragon and cloud pattern was gently pulled out, reflecting a dazzling light in the sunlight.
Xue Qinghe handed the golden token to Yu Tianheng, her gentle voice carrying an undeniable authority, "This is the Crown Prince's Token. Seeing this token is equivalent to seeing me. From now on, you do not need to announce your presence when entering or leaving the palace. Tian Heng, please keep it safe."
Yu Tianheng reached out and took the token, holding it in his hand while bowing respectfully, saying, "Thank you, Your Highness."
Seeing that Yu Tianheng accepted the token, Xue Qinghe was in a good mood and then left the pavilion.
Yu Tianheng then took Mu Qing and left the palace.
On the way back, Yu Tianheng and Mu Qing did not take a carriage, but walked.
After walking for a while, Mu Qing finally couldn't help but ask Yu Tianheng, "Master, did you bring me to the palace to meet the Crown Prince because you already planned to have me enter the army camp to teach soldiers Martial Dao?"
Yu Tianheng nodded. "Indeed, to spread Martial Dao and expand Martial Dao influence, we must rely on the power of the royal family. Secretly pursuing it will never lead to great achievements. Xue Qinghe is ambitious, wanting to unify the continent, but he is limited by his own power and can only plot in secret. Now that he has witnessed the power of Martial Dao, he will surely be tempted and fully support teaching Martial Dao to soldiers in the army, thereby improving the army's combat power and laying the foundation for future unification of the continent." As he spoke, Yu Tianheng looked at Mu Qing: "And this is precisely our opportunity. If we can seize it well, we might change the future landscape of the continent!"
Upon hearing this, Mu Qing's expression turned serious. "Then, Master, how should I seize this opportunity?"
Yu Tianheng said, "First, we need to achieve results so that Xue Qinghe can see the potential of Martial Dao. This time, you are serving as an instructor for the Crown Prince's Personal Guard, so teach them well and don't hold back. But they are ultimately Xue Qinghe's people, not disciples of the martial arts school, so it's impossible to teach them everything. Just teach them the lowest level of ' Body Tempering Skill,' and anyone who doesn't reach the Skin Refining Realm First Stage within a month will be eliminated. At the same time, let Xue Qinghe find a way to provide all the resources needed for Martial Dao cultivation. We serve under him, so he should give us some benefits!"
"After the Crown Prince's Personal Guard complete their training, Xue Qinghe will definitely have you teach Martial Dao to the soldiers of the rest of the imperial army. At that time, you can plant people among them and gradually take control of the army."
"Yes." Mu Qing nodded in agreement.
The master and disciple then talked about this matter for a long time until they parted ways. Mu Qing returned to the Blue Lightning Martial Arts Hall located in the outer city of Heaven Dou, gathered the disciples in the school whose Martial Dao cultivation had reached the Flesh Refining Realm, and sent them to the army to serve as instructors.
After all, the Crown Prince's Personal Guard consisted of three thousand men. If Mu Qing were to teach them all by himself, wouldn't he be exhausted to death? After much thought, Mu Qing decided to let the martial arts school disciples join the army and let them be responsible for teaching the soldiers Martial Dao.
Meanwhile, inside the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace, Xue Qinghe, dressed in a white brocade robe, walked across the corridor on the bluestone slabs and entered the Hall of Diligent Governance. The scent of sandalwood mixed with the fragrance of ink wafted towards him. Xue Ye was leaning on the dragon throne, reviewing memorials. The gilded crane lantern on the desk illuminated the gold threads on the dragon robe with flickering light.
"Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty." Xue Qinghe knelt on one knee, his voice clear and resonant.
Get up!
"Thank you, Father Emperor." Xue Qinghe stood up.
" Qinghe, do you know why I have summoned you here today?" Xue Ye asked.
"Your Majesty, I am unaware. Please enlighten me!"
The Xue Ye chuckled softly, "This time, I've found you a teacher, and I've brought you here to formally become his disciple."
Xue Qinghe was surprised, but before he could say anything, Xue Ye waved to his guards to bring the person over.
A moment later, a middle-aged man with a refined appearance stepped into the inner hall.
Ning Fengzhi greets Your Majesty!
Xue Ye waved his hand. " Sect Master Ning, there's no need for such formalities. Please rise."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Ning Fengzhi rose, looked at Xue Qinghe, and bowed slightly. "Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince."
Xue Qinghe smiled and said, "So you are Sect Master Ning of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. I have long admired your name."
"Your Highness is too kind. That's merely a minor reputation, nothing to be praised."
Xue Ye looked at Xue Qinghe, pointed at Ning Fengzhi and said, " Sect Master Ning is a senior in the Soul Master World with an extremely high status. Qinghe, from today onwards, you will become Sect Master Ning's disciple and cultivate your Martial Soul under his tutelage."
Ning Fengzhi is a big shot in the Martial Soul world, but he is only Auxiliary System Soul Master and has no combat power. The Swan Martial Soul of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family is Power Attack System Beast Martial Soul. In theory, Ning Fengzhi cannot teach Xue Qinghe anything.
However, Xue Ye still made Xue Qinghe become his disciple, mainly to win over Ning Fengzhi and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect behind him.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is one of the Upper Three Sects, with two Titled Douluo in charge. It is incredibly wealthy and has a profound foundation, wielding immense influence in the Soul Master World. Maintaining good relations with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect would bring numerous benefits to the Heaven Dou Empire. Xue Ye hoped to solidify this relationship by having his crown prince Xue Qinghe, become Ning Fengzhi Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's disciple, thereby leveraging the school's power to fight against the Spirit Hall.