Chapter 192: Chapter 155: The Fairy’s Probing, Acupoints Like Stars, Mu Xue Becomes a Gentleman

“So, it is Prince Huai’an. A pleasure to meet you.”

The White-robed Celestial Master smiled and offered Lu Mingyuan a salute.

Given his status, he had no need to be so courteous. Lu Mingyuan’s first thought was, ’He must want something.’

He gave a slight nod. “Celestial Master Xu. I am humbled.”

’I can’t get cocky in front of a powerhouse like him. That’s a surefire way to crash and burn.’

“There’s no need for formalities between us, Your Highness. Might we have a word in private?”

Lu Mingyuan stared at Xu Changqing’s smile, utterly baffled.

’One family?’

Lu Mingyuan found it incredibly strange. ’Since when am I family with the Celestial Master’s Mansion?’

Still, he wanted to hear what the man had to say.

“Very well.”

He took a step, but for a split second, he felt a sense of dislocation.

It seemed as if the very space within the Imperial Palace was rippling.

’Are my eyes playing tricks on me?’

’Don’t tell me I’ve walked into a Heaven and Earth Barrier?’

Lu Mingyuan followed Xu Changqing all the way to Bihu Garden in the Imperial Palace’s rear gardens. The once scenic lake was now frozen solid, leaving the entire Bihu Garden a vast expanse of white.

“Whatever you have to say, Celestial Master, feel free to say it here.”

With the fervent Martial Dao Primordial Qi protecting his body, Lu Mingyuan didn’t feel the cold.

“Although the matter is in the past, I must still thank Your Highness for your care and protection of Fairy Yun.”

Xu Changqing, his sword-bearing figure tall and straight, bent slightly and clasped his hands.

With a flick of his wrist, as if by magic, he produced a bottle of elixirs from his sleeve.

With a flick of his finger, the porcelain bottle drifted in front of Lu Mingyuan.

“This is the Golden Carp Dragon Pill, harvested from the Divine Carp raised in the Immortal Pool. It has a miraculous effect for a Martial Artist breaking through to the Dragon Gate Realm.”

The porcelain bottle suddenly felt heavy in Lu Mingyuan’s hand. He was filled with confusion, but he accepted it first, offering a salute of thanks. “Thank you, Celestial Master.”

’That one sentence, though it seemed ordinary, was laden with profound meaning.’

’First, it was a tacit admission of Yun Qinghe’s attempt to assassinate the Fifth Prince.’

’After all, the Celestial Master’s Mansion was publicly denying the incident. It was clear they now considered him one of their own.’

’Second, the incident had happened a long time ago. For Xu Changqing, the Vice Mountain Master of the Daoist Academy, to secretly meet him in the Imperial Palace, there absolutely had to be a reason.’

’It was obviously an attempt to win him over.’

’Finally, why was it Xu Changqing who came to see him, and not Yun Qinghe? It must be because Yun Qinghe lacked the authority to represent the Celestial Master’s Mansion.’

’Is the Taoist Sect trying to show me goodwill?’

’No, it’s the Celestial Master’s Mansion.’

Now Lu Mingyuan was truly and utterly astonished.

’Did the Celestial Master’s Mansion really hold him in such high regard?’

’Could it be that the Celestial Master’s Mansion was one of the Sects secretly backing him?’

Lu Mingyuan mulled it over. ’It must be thanks to Miss Yun,’ he thought. ’I can’t think of any other reason.’

’I haven’t blown my cover, have I? The Celestial Master’s Mansion can’t have seen my true strength, right?’

“I have a question, if the Celestial Master would be so kind as to enlighten me.”

“Please, speak freely, Your Highness.”

“Why did the Celestial Master’s Mansion choose me?”

Xu Changqing seemed to have expected the question and chuckled lightly.

“Your destiny is very strange.”

“Strange?”

Xu Changqing nodded. “Indeed. Your birth chart is the same as it has always been, with nothing special to note. However, what lies ahead of you is shrouded in a fog. In the past, this would have been utterly impossible.”

Hearing this, Lu Mingyuan breathed a sigh of relief.

’So even Xu Changqing can’t see the specifics of my situation. Just like Wei the Ninth, he can only vaguely sense something is off.’

“Thank you for telling me.”

As Lu Mingyuan clasped his hands in thanks, a woman with snow-white hair in a green Daoist Robe and an Immortal Lady in a Black and White Tai Chi Robe stood in the void not far away. The latter held a Duster, a vermilion dot accenting the space between her brows.

“Senior Sister, the Grand Array is in place. Can you see clearly enough now?”

Sui Yuqing shook her head. Her eyes, the black and white of them sharply defined, were bright and clear as she spoke in a voice rich with texture.

“I don’t know which venerable Ancestor Master is capable of masking Lu Mingyuan’s celestial aura. His destiny and birth chart are impossible to divine, even with this Array in place.”

“However, thanks to the Celestial Master’s Mansion’s unique Purple Star Qi Observation Technique, I can get a glimpse of the truth.”

“The Purple Star Qi Observation Technique.” Hearing those words, Yun Qinghe’s expression turned solemn.

The Purple Star Qi Observation Technique was a unique Qi Observation Skill within the Taoist Sect. It was created in antiquity by one of the sect’s supreme figures, Celestial Venerable Ziwei, and has been passed down to the present day.

It was the most powerful and advanced Qi Observation Skill in the Taoist Sect. Cultivated to the highest Realm, one could know ten thousand years of the past and foresee a thousand years into the future.

Not many people could successfully cultivate it. Only her Senior Sister had managed to obtain this Technique and master it. By relying on this Skill, she had recruited many geniuses for the Celestial Master’s Mansion’s Yuqing Peak, becoming its Peak Master.

If even she couldn’t see through him, then only the three Ancestor Masters of the Taoist Sect could possibly succeed by intervening personally.

Her Senior Sister was not only the number one beauty in the Dao Alliance; her blessed fate and Destiny were also unparalleled in the entire continent. At her birth, purple clouds stretched for a thousand miles and a white deer acknowledged her as its master. When she condensed her Nine Revolutions Golden Core at the Ninth Realm, three phoenixes hung in the sky and her Dharma Aspect greeted the rising sun.

At the same time, she was a rare prodigy who cultivated both Daoist and Buddhist techniques. Her attainments in the Buddhist Sect were considerable, and her Buddhist Technique was so profound that even High Monks from the Buddhist Sect would praise her Scripture Technique. This was how she had earned the title Fairy Ci Hang.

Ci Hang was a Buddhist term, referring to how Buddhas and Bodhisattvas guide people with compassion, like a vessel ferrying the masses away from the bitter sea of life and death.

It was for this reason that the Lion Frost Country had revered her as their National Preceptor.

In short, with the Purple Star Qi Observation Technique, the internal phenomena of any person could be seen with perfect clarity.

Each person’s body could be viewed as a unique topographical map, with its own distinct landscape.

In Sui Yuqing’s vision, Lu Mingyuan’s Flesh Body and meridians presented a mystical and unconventional landscape. Peering past his flesh, she could see the scene of his Acupoints and the circulation of his qi and blood. A faint purple vapor seemed to rise from within. The “mountains” were majestic and solid, the “rivers” turbulent yet stable. Ultimately, all rivers converged into a single Acupoint, like a hundred streams flowing into one, with vapor rising as if from a great marsh.

Observing from a distance, each Acupoint was as bright and brilliant as a star. From afar, all of his Acupoints together resembled a star chart of the Big Dipper. He was truly someone not to be underestimated.

Sui Yuqing was utterly astonished and marveled to herself. A faint smile touched her lips. “I didn’t expect a Prince that Xu Changqing chose at random to be so extraordinary. His Qi and Blood Acupoints are astonishing. Among all the prodigies I’ve ever seen, this person’s talent in the Martial Dao could rank in the top three.”

“He’s that incredible?”

Yun Qinghe, who had been coddled and praised since childhood and was famous in the Taoist Sect as a budding Sword Immortal, was stunned by her Senior Sister’s high evaluation.

“How does he compare to me?”

Sui Yuqing glanced at her junior sister’s hopeful gaze. A rare spark of slyness appeared deep in the eyes of the normally dignified and beautiful Immortal Lady.

“You’re very concerned about this? I remember you never liked to compete with others, you weren’t even interested in the Taoist Sect’s aptitude tournament.”

Yun Qinghe pouted. “That’s because I knew none of them were worth my time. This guy is different. I thought his talent was mediocre before, so how did he become so powerful now? Was he hiding things from me back then? No wonder he wasn’t interested in anything I said. His breakthrough speed is absurdly fast. So it turns out he was hiding his Cultivation.”

“Most likely.”

Sui Yuqing also thought he had probably been hiding his abilities from Yun Qinghe.

What she saw before was a front; what she was seeing now was the truth.

“His Celestial Secret is being concealed by an expert, and he’s hiding his own strength… It seems there are other major players behind him, not just the Celestial Master’s Mansion.”

Sui Yuqing had already pictured an entire powerful faction helping Lu Mingyuan build his Momentum from behind the scenes.

“This man’s aptitude is on par with yours. He is a pure Martial Artist with an impressive aura. His master is an expert with the saber, so his own Saber Technique can’t be bad. And you are a pure Sword Cultivator, a natural-born Sword Immortal in the making, born with a Sword Embryo and protected by an Immortal Sword. Speaking of which, you two are quite a good match.”

“Senior Sister, what are you talking about!”

Dissatisfaction appeared on Yun Qinghe’s face. She crossed her arms, causing her loose, green Daoist Robe to puff out, and said indignantly, “No matter what you say, I was born with a naturally enlightened Sword Heart. I can see through every sword manual under the heavens. How could his Saber Technique possibly be a match for me?”

Sui Yuqing smiled like a wise elder and patiently lectured, “It’s never surprising how many geniuses this world produces. Beyond the Central Plains World, there are entirely different vistas. The one who can prove their Dao and achieve Integration is the strongest; simply having great talent isn’t enough.”

Yun Qinghe took her words to heart. “Don’t worry, Senior Sister. I will become the strongest Sword Immortal under heaven.”

Sui Yuqing’s slender, jade-like hand emerged from her Daoist Robe. She gently waved the Duster as her eyes curved into crescents. A light smile played on her lips, revealing pearly teeth. “Your Senior Sister is getting old. Cultivating two paths has muddled things, and my attempts at Integration have borne no fruit. I’m afraid there’s no hope for me to reach the Upper Three Grades. In the future, I’ll have to rely on you young ones.”

…

A carriage drove into the Imperial City and stopped at the gates of the Qi Mansion. The driver jumped down, placed a wooden stool by the carriage, and helped an old man in a blue Confucian Shirt to disembark.

Qi Muxue, dressed in a painted jacket and skirt, her tall figure complemented by her hair coiled in a high bun, was already waiting at the entrance.

“Father, you’re finally back.”

“What was the verdict?”

Facing his daughter’s hopeful gaze, Qi Xingyan sighed. “The officials at the Drumming Institute rejected it.”

“Rejected? So there’s no hope for His Highness to leave the palace.”

The hope in Qi Muxue’s heart was extinguished.

Qi Xingyan’s gaze was profound. “I had already guessed some of the Holy Emperor’s intentions, but I never expected him to go this far.”

Qi Muxue asked cautiously, “Father, are you saying the Holy Emperor is backing a certain Prince?”

“Could it be Prince Chongwen, Lu Yunqing? His journey has been far too smooth, completely unimpeded. Aside from the element of Destiny, I am more inclined to believe this is by the Holy Emperor’s decree.”

Qi Xingyan paced over to his Chessboard, which held an unfinished game. He picked up a white stone and said lightly, “The fact that Li Sheng was willing to accept the Eighth Prince as his disciple was the first clue. In the last sixty years, how many peerless talents—including many top scholars—have failed to gain Li Sheng’s approval?”

“Li Sheng’s scholarship is unquestionably profound, but his doctrine has not spread widely. Promoting it in the Great Yan has been fraught with difficulties.”

“Why is that?”

Qi Muxue was puzzled. The doctrines of past Saints had always been promoted smoothly, yet Li Sheng alone had encountered such resistance.

Qi Xingyan explained, “Besides its Confucian foundations, Li Xue also incorporates viewpoints from the Taoist and Buddhist Families, so its purity is highly controversial. It emphasizes Ruling by Virtue, establishing the ’pinnacle of man,’ advocating for righteous qi, championing integrity, and stressing official ethics. At the same time, it proposes that people should revere heavenly principles and follow the Three Obediences and Four Virtues. This has offended many and is considered a deviation from the original teachings of the Supreme Ancestor Master.”

“Many scholars are unwilling to study it.”

“I see,” Qi Muxue said, suddenly understanding.

“If the Holy Emperor intends to support Li Xue, isn’t he being a bit too heartless toward the other Princes?” Qi Muxue said, unable to bear the thought.

If he would disregard the lives of the other Princes and even reject an appeal to the Drumming Institute just to support the Eighth Prince, she grew even more worried for Lu Mingyuan’s safety.

She felt utterly useless.

’As Princess Consort Huai’an, she could do nothing for her husband.’

Qi Xingyan saw through her thoughts and smiled. “You should have entered the Gentleman Realm by now, haven’t you?”

“After our wedding day, the knot in my heart was resolved, and I entered the Seventh Realm.”

Qi Muxue nodded lightly. She should have broken through to the Seventh Realm sooner but had been held back by that emotional block.

Qi Xingyan smiled faintly. “Reach the Middle Fifth Grade as soon as you can. When that time comes, no matter how the world changes, your own Cultivation will be your greatest asset. Now that the knot in your heart is untied, the Realms that follow shouldn’t be a challenge for you.”

Qi Muxue took a quiet breath. “Father, I will do my best. I want to at least ensure that His Highness can live out his life sheltered from the storms to come.”

…

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