Cultivation needed to be accumulated bit by bit. Even with the aid of a First Grade Spirit Pill, it still required some time.
The power of the medicine spread throughout the body, transforming into swirling Essence, continuously converting into Cultivation.
Lin Yue gradually fell deep into sleep.
...
Prince Cheng Mansion.
In the study, the Twelfth Prince sat behind the desk, reading a scripture, and said without looking up, "Qi Tianxing, do you know how much it cost me to have Feather Sword Saint advise you for half a year?"
Standing in front of the desk was a young man in a black robe.
It was Qi Tianxing, the Third Young Master of the Qi Family.
"Thanks to Prince Cheng’s Your Highness’ great favor, Tianxing is naturally aware and knows how rare the opportunity is to receive guidance from a Martial Saint like Feather Sword Saint."
Qi Tianxing said respectfully, "Your Highness can rest assured, Tianxing has made great progress in this half-year. Although I still do not have the confidence to surpass those two men, I am confident that I can secure the third spot in the Inner Hall assessment."
"That’s good."
The Twelfth Prince smiled warmly, "The poison in your body has been alleviated by me for three months, no need to worry."
"Yes," Qi Tianxing’s expression was calm.
"Tianxing, I have great expectations for you."
The Twelfth Prince looked at Qi Tianxing warmly and said softly, "If you can become a disciple of the Inner Hall, I will definitely help you to become the next Duke Heng, and when Duke Heng passes away, my seventeenth brother won’t affect anything."
"Thank you, Your Highness." Qi Tianxing immediately bowed.
"Mm, you may go now."
The Twelfth Prince nodded with a smile.
After Qi Tianxing left the study, a gaunt old man immediately stepped out and said softly, "Your Highness, is it really worth using Feather Sword Saint’s favor for this Qi Tianxing?"
"Of course it is."
The Twelfth Prince smiled faintly, "Although my seventeenth brother won’t enter the Ancestor Hall’s Inner Hall this year, he is only nineteen years old. Ten years later, as long as he is still at the Four Symbols Heaven Barrier level, he can easily enter the Inner Hall. By then, the legacy left by the Crown Prince in the Ancestor Hall will probably fall into his hands."
"Asking Feather Sword Saint to carefully instruct this Third Young Master of the Qi family for half a year, although it’s somewhat a waste of this favor, it’s not just for the Inner Hall matter."
"My seventeenth brother is marrying into the Duke Heng’s mansion and wants to gain control of it. However, as a prince with no substantial roots or connections, with low Cultivation, merely a disciple of the Outer Hall of the Ancestor Hall, Duke Heng’s mansion didn’t really respect him."
"At this time, by supporting Qi Tianxing to rise to power, as long as Qi Tianxing enters the Inner Hall of the Ancestor Hall, he would surely be valued by the Duke Heng’s mansion. At that point, he naturally could gain enough influence there. Also, becoming Duke Heng would be justified."
The Twelfth Prince said softly, "Moreover, Qi Tianxing is the son of Duke Heng’s second wife, not a direct descendant of the Qi family, not much valued, and not wholeheartedly loyal to the Qi family, instead he has closer ties with the guest elders."
The gaunt old man slightly frowned and said, "Your Highness is right, but it seems Duke Heng has decided to support the Seventeenth Prince. If he insists on passing the Duke Heng bloodline to someone else..."
"It doesn’t matter."
The Twelfth Prince stated, "Duke Heng is the duke of Duke Heng’s mansion, not the Qi family’s duke. If Qi Tianxing becomes an Inner Hall disciple and Duke Heng still does not wish to pass on his position to him, it would likely provoke outrage. Duke Heng is a wise man, he will know how to choose. If he really insists on going his own way, and if Duke Heng’s mansion is no longer united, I could also use other methods to divide them."
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"It’s good that the Seventeenth Prince has only trained for such a short time; otherwise, it would indeed be troublesome..." the gaunt old man sighed.
"Do not underestimate him; even my fifth brother is interested in him, he is certainly not an ordinary prince."
The Twelfth Prince said softly, "Even though he is not worth mentioning now, he is still a prince after all and we need to take measures against him early on for easier handling in the future."
He then asked, "Has my seventeenth brother been continually cultivating in seclusion at Duke Heng’s mansion this past month?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
The gaunt old man said, "He hasn’t come out for a whole month."
"He is quite diligent." the Twelfth Prince smiled, "Unfortunately, just one month, even with some improvement, with his little strength, among the dozens of people participating in the Inner Hall assessment, he is just in the lower middle at best, probably unable to even pass the first stage of the Inner Hall assessment."
The gaunt old man nodded slightly and said, "Yes, with the Seventeenth Prince’s low Cultivation, even if he practiced the Ultimate Killing Skill well, it’s just fast."
"Until he reaches the Four Symbols Peak and awakens his past life memories, there’s no need to pay too much attention."
The Twelfth Prince shook his head and smiled, "Expending a favor from Feather Sword Saint, at least it could exchange for the support of Duke Heng’s mansion in the future. If we can also find the Crown Prince’s legacy, it would be truly worthwhile."
...
Prince Xuan Mansion.
Reflecting on the shimmering lake, the Fifth Prince, a young man of delicate features, sat atop a rockery feeding fish in the pond.
Suddenly, a red carp leaped out of the water and spat a small bottle toward the Fifth Prince before diving back.
The Fifth Prince casually caught the bottle and took out a secret letter from it.
After a glance, he burst into laughter, "Oh, my twelfth brother, are you that wary of the seventeenth? Just because I’ve shown some concern for him, you start acting so soon?"
"Come, come, come."
The Fifth Prince looked at the lake and clapped his hands.
Quickly, the originally still surface of the water, now rippleless and unaided by wind, began to undulate slowly, and fish swam out from within, gathering speedily, swimming and flicking their tails on the surface.
Large groups of fish of various colors kept gathering, and soon, a vibrant swarm of fish occupied nearly half of the nearby lake.
In the center of the school of fish, a deliberate void was left on the surface, as if welcoming something.
Moments later, a fierce blood-red dragon head slowly emerged from the lake amidst the cluster of fish as waves surged and water splashed. The crimson scales shimmered faintly under the morning light.
The water flowed continuously past the dragon whose deep, haunting eyes fixed upon the Fifth Prince. The dragon head spoke in human tongue, "Your Highness, what are your commands?"
"It’s been a long time since you’ve nurtured your Dragon Essence," said the Fifth Prince with a beaming smile. "Give me the gentlest, most beneficial Dragon Essence for cultivating my talents."
The dragon head faltered, its voice deepening, "Your Highness, did you not say that if I served you, you would not harm my foundation?"
The Fifth Prince laughed casually, "True Dragons are indeed proud. Do you require me to retrieve it myself?"
After a moment of silence, the dragon head opened its mouth and spat out a gleaming blood-red spherical Dragon Essence, its eyes dimming slightly in the process.
The Fifth Prince carelessly stored the Dragon Essence in a jade bottle and summoned a veiled woman in black, instructing her, "Go, deliver this Dragon Essence to Miss Qi, the Fifth Young Mistress at Duke Heng’s mansion. Remember, deliver it publicly."
"Yes, Your Highness," the woman in black took the jade bottle and immediately left.
The blood dragon submerged itself back into the pond, disappearing from sight.
The Fifth Prince continued feeding the fish, his mood uplifted, chuckling, "Oh, dear twelfth brother. I mean no harm to you. If you support Lord Qi’s Third Son, I’ll support Miss Qi. Fair, isn’t it?"
...
The next day.
The ninth day of the twelfth lunar month.
Lin Yue slowly opened his eyes, feeling fully refreshed and involuntarily stretched.
After a year of battling in the Illusion World’s Myriad Beasts Valley, such rest was rare and comfortable.
"Today is the day of the Inner Hall examination."
Lin Yue rose from bed with a smile, his clothing transforming instantly into his usual azure robe.
It was already noon, and the time for the Inner Hall examination was drawing near.
Just as he stepped out of his room, he saw Baili Fengzhi, a tall figure, standing at the door. She said, "Your Highness, you’re awake, which is just as well, the lady has a message for you."
"What is it?" Lin Yue inquired.
Baili Fengzhi spoke, "This morning, an envoy in a black veil suddenly arrived from the Prince Mansion, delivering a Dragon Essence to the fifth mistress on behalf of Your Highness."
"Prince Mansion?"
Lin Yue was briefly taken aback, then asked, "The Fifth Prince gave a Dragon Essence to Yinmo? What is a Dragon Essence?"
Lord Qi described, "The Dragon Essence is the very foundation of a True Dragon, immensely precious."
Baili Fengzhi explained, "Dragons are naturally close to the heavens and earth. Consuming Dragon Essence allows the Human Clan clearer understanding of the universe, something highly coveted by Great Cultivators, and this was a Blood Dragon Essence, which also significantly enhances the physical body. The prospects of the fifth mistress becoming a Great Cultivator have increased greatly."
"What treasure to suddenly give to the fifth mistress without cause?" Lin Yue raised an eyebrow.
However, recalling the secret he obtained a few days ago about the secret of Lord Qi’s Third Son, he suddenly guessed why the Fifth Prince would do this.
"Neither aiding me nor harming me, huh?"