Gathering Fortune (Happy Year of the Snake, friends! May great fortune roll in throughout the New Year!)

Zhang Xuezhou's fortune-telling method incorporates too many factors.

Unlike emperors who used sacrificial rituals to shape their bodies into five-clawed golden dragons, he did not do so.

He was also unlike the dragons or dragon-like creatures worshipped by the feudal lords, and was clearly different from the King of Huainan and the King of Liang.

Huang Daoxian's bizarre flower-shaped movements also broadened Zhang Xuezhou's horizons, making him realize that body movement was not exclusive to the Dragon category.

However, Zhang Xuezhou found it difficult to determine what he would become, since he lacked the most fundamental foundation in movement techniques, and most of the conditions for his physical abilities stemmed from the byproducts of movement combat.

He didn't initially use body manipulation, and Zhang Xuezhou didn't particularly like the style of combat based on tactical maneuvers, but his body manipulation was developed through combat maneuvers.

This was a skill he shouldn't have possessed, but he repaired and developed it through various means until it was reshaped in the present day.

"If you can't make me invisible, then at least you should have a way to restrain the Weaver Girl, right? Am I going to be killed by the Weaver Girl the moment I return to the real world?"

Zhang Xuezhou felt he had figured out the pattern of body movement, which made him extremely anxious.

In the past, he could hide and stall for time, but once he lost his stealth ability and faced him head-on, Zhang Xuezhou felt he would die a terrible death.

"If you can't hide, then you can only be stronger?"

Yesterday, he was just checking his condition. After noticing the favorable conditions in the palace area, he only wanted to use the power of luck to recuperate and try to make his reconstruction go smoothly.

But after thinking things through, Zhang Xuezhou felt that his rebuilt body could be stronger, allowing him to withstand more blows and avoid being killed by Huang Daoxian in a single exchange.

"Don't let it be a showy but useless spear with a wax head!"

Zhang Xuezhou didn't care what shape his body took; he only wanted to be able to fight or be beaten.

Normal cultivation allows one to choose techniques to assist oneself, but he didn't choose any when constructing his physical body.

Once he entered the realm of manipulation techniques, he could no longer simply enter or leave at will; once he was caught up in it, he was no longer in control of his own destiny.

"Smoke!"

Previously, Zhang Xuezhou had been slowly nourishing his body, striving to ensure it was rebuilt without lack of nutrients. Now that he had thought things through, he no longer had any intention of making up for any deficiencies. He only wished that his body would quickly reach its full potential, making him unstoppable and killing Huang Daoxian.

The faint flow of energy that had been flowing in like water was transformed into a powerful extraction, like the force of a water pump, and a faint golden light gushed out after a short time.

Whether to prioritize long-term development or short-sighted gains, the choice when facing the threat from Huang Daoxian is not difficult.

If the current Great Han Dynasty were still a fruit tree bearing small, astringent, unripe fruit, Zhang Xuezhou would rather pick them now to fill his stomach.

Having reshaped his body, he likely no longer possessed the camouflage of darkness. His only thought was to become as strong as possible and overcome the current difficulties.

"It looks like it's about to take human form!"

Perhaps by constantly drawing upon his own energy, Zhang Xuezhou felt as if he had been transformed into a dot, and then began to grow like an embryo, as if some condition had been met.

This growth rate far exceeds that of humans; it doesn't require nine or ten months of gestation. Perhaps it's only three to five days, or maybe eight or ten days, before Zhang Xuezhou feels that the body should be successfully reshaped.

The golden light of the Great Han Dynasty's destiny appeared in this magical space, stirring everything, causing the nine-petaled flower to spread and the black dragon's remains to shatter.

The mixed colors were like a hodgepodge, filling the world of magic that Zhang Xuezhou could perceive with bizarre and colorful hues.

"Who?"

As he was engrossed in his training and unable to extricate himself, he heard a woman's shout.

A vague sense of being watched washed over Zhang Xuezhou, and he couldn't help but shudder.

While physical development is extremely important, physical safety is equally crucial.

Once the true source of the evil spirit is discovered, Zhang Xuezhou feels he will pass away peacefully.

His vision blurred, and he saw a red light constantly patrolling and probing in the distance.

Zhang Xuezhou was all too aware of the fortune represented by this red light, after all, his confrontation with the Empress Dowager hadn't lasted long.

"It should be the Empress Dowager. The pearl? Where is my pearl?"

The distance between the Weiyang Palace and Changxin Palace is too short, and Zhang Xuezhou's powerful extraction has clearly had an impact.

Perhaps it was a bit of a coincidence, but the Empress Dowager was also practicing her magic at the time, and thus ran right into Zhang Xuezhou.

Zhang Xuezhou was inevitably a bit flustered after the breakup.

His ability to use his skills in combat was average, and his physical body was still in its embryonic stage, making it extremely difficult for him to shake off the Empress Dowager's pursuit.

This made him quickly think of the product of his struggle with the Empress Dowager, namely the fire pearl.

As long as the fire bead can attract the Empress Dowager's attention, or even cause her to avoid being targeted, Zhang Xuezhou can withdraw his magic in a short moment and return to normal.

He was extremely anxious and quickly searched for the Empress Dowager's Flame Pearl.

"Sizzle!"

Perhaps sensing the need, Zhang Xuezhou felt a tiny flame emerge from his embryonic self, then shakily flew out of the light of destiny, and plunged into the darkness, heading towards the seemingly extremely distant red light of destiny.

"Is this all that's left?"

Looking at the tiny flame, barely brighter than a candle, Zhang Xuezhou realized that the Empress Dowager's fire pill had also been swallowed during the body's reconstruction, and might even have been used as a component in the initial body's construction, which was why Zhang Xuezhou hadn't noticed it when he inspected himself.

This tiny flame was just a remnant of the fire pill; Zhang Xuezhou felt he could extinguish it with a spit.

How could this method possibly work? He felt that today was another time for him to play hide-and-seek and escape. Whether he could avoid the Empress Dowager depended on his looks, the speed at which his body matured, or he could only endure the beating until the Empress Dowager exhausted all her methods and was forced to return to reality, or Zhang Xuezhou was beaten to death.

None of the possible outcomes were what he wanted to accept.

Just as Zhang Xuezhou was trying to calm himself down and find a safe place, he saw the small flame that had been sent out expand and grow in an instant.

In the blink of an eye, endless flames rose from the darkness, and a giant firebird breathed out of the flames, the light of the flames illuminating all directions.

"Mother?"

The Empress Dowager gasped in shock, staring at the raging fire, too stunned to approach.

Zhang Xuezhou felt the lock loosen, and the possibility of being traced back to his true identity was now close to zero.

He circulated his energy, and the strange phenomenon before him quickly disappeared.

"How come you..."

Faintly, the Empress Dowager's voice still carried a hint of fear.

Zhang Xuezhou focused his energy and realized that he had completely escaped the Empress Dowager's pursuit and would not be able to detect his true identity.

This sudden, magnified display of flames could even mislead the Empress Dowager.

"I wonder what I'll conjure up?"

Zhang Xuezhou felt somewhat saddened by the likely loss of the ichthyosaur form's stealth ability.

When faced with the possibility of Huang Daoxian engaging in battle again, he was not optimistic about the state of his physical body.

But this flame clearly gave him considerable confidence.

Even before it had fully manifested its true form, it already possessed such fiery power. Zhang Xuezhou felt that once it fully manifested its form, it would definitely be amazing.

Who's there?

He was about to leave when he heard a familiar, aged, and hoarse voice scolding him from behind.

When Zhang Xuezhou glanced back, he saw the elderly Xu Chang staring at him.

Xu Chang arrived at the morning court very late and left very late as well, possibly even after visiting Anle Palace.

Although Zhang Xuezhou had the honorary title of "Gymnast", Xu Chang and others were clearly qualified to enter and leave the palace, and might even have had more convenience than him.

It's not surprising that the other party is here right now.

"Lord Dongfang, what are you doing here?"

When Zhang Xuezhou glanced to the side, Zhang Xuezhou Xu Chang clearly recognized him as well, and then exclaimed again.

"Prime Minister Xu, I couldn't find a latrine after the palace banquet, and now I urgently need to urinate!"

Thinking of the Empress Dowager's fortune-telling abilities, and recalling the other party's exclamation that he hadn't fully heard, Zhang Xuezhou was now extremely cautious, not wanting to be labeled as an anomaly.

He touched his crotch and then rolled up his sleeves.

Like a small fire simmering water, Zhang Xuezhou was also using filth to conceal the traces of using the Qi to move the dragon's lair.

"Is Lord Xu also here to pee? Let's pee together!"

Zhang Xuezhou turned his head and asked a question, which made Xu Chang's face show surprise and then blush.

"You're a Grand Master of the Palace, in charge of etiquette... and you actually urinated in the Imperial Library! You've utterly disgraced humanity! Don't you have even the slightest bit of basic manners and etiquette?"

Xu Chang shouted loudly.

He looked somewhat angry, clearly unable to tolerate Zhang Xuezhou's behavior.

Xu Chang patted his chest, trying his best not to look at Zhang Xuezhou, and even less to hear the sound of the other urinating.

Glancing away from Zhang Xuezhou's filthy urination, Xu Chang looked around, especially towards Anle Palace. In a daze, he felt as if he understood something, and he realized why Zhang Xuezhou repeatedly courted death in hopes of being impeached.

Perhaps at that moment, the other party was hoping that he would get angry and thus remove the official hat of Grand Master of the Palace from his head.