Chapter 49: Chapter 45: Purple Opportunity, the Heaven-Controlling Bottle

The sky began to lighten. A ray of sunlight finally pierced the gloom of night, illuminating the ravaged Great Yan Imperial Palace.

Roosters crowed in the fields of the Outer City, heralding the arrival of morning.

Contingents of soldiers galloped into the city while commoners peeked from their windows to watch.

Morning light streamed into the Capital City. Along the path of the Nine Dragon Jade Carriage, countless sounds faded into the corners, and the many eyes watching from above the clouds vanished without a trace. Everything returned to a state of peace, as if the events of the previous night had been nothing but a dream.

But the sight of the Imperial Palace’s shattered walls and the devastating casualties among the Imperial Guard left an unshakeable shadow in people’s minds.

’Is it over?’

Standing before the window, Lu Mingyuan suddenly realized that the once-raucous Imperial Palace had fallen silent. The endless flashes of Magic and Divine Techniques, which had set the sky ablaze with light, had vanished in an instant, and all was calm once more.

However, the words “Gua Cheng” had not appeared before him. This meant things were still in motion and not completely over. A turning point had been reached; some power had simply restored the peace.

Just then, though the “Gua Cheng” text didn’t materialize, other words appeared instead.

「Dodged the calamity of partisan strife. Triggered trait: Dragon Raising Its Head (Middle Level). Obtained one purple Opportunity.」

「Emperor Orange Fate Grid – Trapped Dragon in the Abyss, Refinement Level reached 30%. Unlocked new Life Chart Trait: Hidden Qi.」

「Hidden Qi (Basic Level): A Flood Dragon walks on water, its qi hidden in the Dragon Abyss, unobservable. You can conceal your own qi signature.」

Surprise flickered in Lu Mingyuan’s eyes.

’The divination isn’t complete, yet I’ve already avoided disaster and gained a purple Opportunity.’

He pulled up his status panel and took a look.

「Life Master: Lu Mingyuan」

「Cultivation: Martial Dao Fourth Realm (Rebirth)」

「Cultivation Techniques: Blood Glutton Celestial Fall Scripture – Abnormal Eating Chapter (Fifth Floor: 100/8000), Mountain Shaking Fist (Great Success), Fiery Fire Saber Technique (Perfection), Desolate Dragon Elephant Force (Second Floor: 10/2000)」

「Fate Grids: Trapped Dragon in the Abyss (Refinement Level 30%), Reading the Room (Refinement Level 20%), Martial Fool (Refinement Level 10%), Fated to be Seductive (Refinement Level 20%)」

「Life Chart Traits: Dragon Raising Its Head (Middle Level), Hidden Dragon (Middle Level), Recognizing People (Middle Level), Peach Blossom Luck (Basic Level), Martial Spirit (Basic Level), Hidden Qi (Basic Level)」

「Opportunities: Purple Opportunity (Not Triggered)」

’I also gained another eight percent in Refinement Level. Before, I only got four percent for each disaster I avoided. Now it’s doubled. That just goes to show how dire the consequences of this disaster would have been.’

’”Hidden Qi”… does that mean I can hide my true strength?’

Lu Mingyuan thought, immediately grasping its function.

As his strength grew, he would inevitably attract suspicion and fear, especially with so many experts in the Imperial Palace. How could he explain such a rapid increase in his Cultivation in such a short period?

It took an ordinary Martial Artist at least three or four years to break through to the Rebirth Realm, and some took as long as seven or eight. Even a prodigy with sufficient resources would need a year or two.

If he kept breaking through at this rate, it would become impossible to explain his rapid advancement.

The Hidden Qi trait had come at the perfect time. It would prevent others from prying into his Cultivation level.

RUSTLE!

Just then, Qi Muxue received a golden paper crane by the window. As her fair hands unfolded the attached paper strip, a look of astonishment flashed in her eyes. She turned to Lu Mingyuan.

“The Holy Emperor has returned to the Capital City! All the rebels have been captured.”

Lu Mingyuan was stunned. His first reaction was disbelief. “Father is back already?”

’It hasn’t even been a month. He’s already wiped out the Eastern Yi Small Countries?’

According to Lu Yunqing, he was ambushed by the Demon Country’s army on his way back from the Eastern Yi Small Countries.

’Could he have already escaped?’

’If that’s the case, then it all makes sense. The timing is perfect!’

At the same time, Lu Mingyuan breathed a sigh of relief.

He was grateful he hadn’t listened to his maternal grandfather and left the Cold Palace, nor had he joined Lu Yunqing to confront the Eldest Prince.

The Six-Yao Turtle Shell’s prophecy was correct after all. Everything had come true, one by one.

If he had left right before his father returned, he would have been done for.

No one could have expected that just when everyone thought the Dragon Vein was in turmoil and the Holy Emperor was in peril, Emperor Yong’an returned unharmed.

And so quickly, at that.

This was an outcome none of the factions could have predicted. Even he hadn’t seen it coming. If not for the divination’s warning, he would have been caught up in it too.

Lu Mingyuan was already starting to pity the Eldest and Third Princes for what was to come.

’They smashed the Imperial Palace to bits. How much silver will it cost to repair all this?’

’But what about the “reaping the spoils” part of the divination? Where were his profits?’

So far, Lu Mingyuan couldn’t see how he had benefited from this coup. He hadn’t even caught a glimpse of the “Swordsman” Fate Grid.

“Your Highness, I will take my leave now. Since the Holy Emperor has returned, this farce should be over. I believe His Majesty will bring justice to everyone, and that naturally includes you, Your Highness.”

Qi Muxue pushed open the door, gave Lu Mingyuan a graceful curtsy, and spoke in a soft voice.

After their brief time together, she couldn’t help but feel a deep curiosity toward the Sixth Prince, who lived in solitude in the Cold Palace. She even felt that Lu Mingyuan was completely different from the rumors about him. Perhaps there was more to the case of the Demoness of the Demon Kingdom than met the eye.

“Yes, go on. I won’t see you out. Not that I could go very far anyway.”

Lu Mingyuan stood at the doorway and gave a casual wave.

After another slight curtsy, Qi Muxue left Qingzhu Hall.

「Azure Fate Grid – Fated to be Seductive, Refinement Level increased to 25%.」

’Hm?’

Lu Mingyuan was momentarily baffled. He didn’t understand why that Fate Grid’s Refinement Level had risen by another five percent.

As he was closing the door, he unexpectedly spotted a dazzling glint of light from the bushes in the main courtyard. It would have been invisible at night, but with the rising sun, the reflection was growing increasingly intense.

He walked over and found a small, green, jade-like porcelain bottle half-buried in the dirt, creating a small hollow. It was this bottle that was reflecting the sunlight.

「Purple Opportunity triggered. Obtained Hundred Treasures Spiritual Artifact—Heaven-Controlling Bottle (Flawed).」

Seeing this, Lu Mingyuan immediately picked up the small green bottle.

’This thing is the purple Opportunity?’

’And it’s a Hundred Treasures Spiritual Artifact?’

He picked up the green bottle and examined it carefully against the sun but couldn’t see anything special about it.

In this world, the classification of Treasure ranks was extremely strict.

It was divided into four grades: Heavy Artifacts, Spiritual Artifacts, Innate Treasures, and Ancient Relics.

Heavy Artifacts, also known as Human World’s Heavy Artifacts, were what secular experts considered Divine Weapons—blades that could “cleave iron like mud” or “split a hair blown against the edge.” Examples included Purple Thunder, Cyan Frost, and the legendary Gan Jiang and Mo Ye.

They were typically made of superior materials and meticulously forged by master craftsmen. Most Cultivators, especially unaffiliated Wild Cultivators, Independent Martial Artists, Qi Cultivation Outsiders, Jianghu Knights, and those in the Lower Seven Realms, could only hope to possess items of this caliber.

Spiritual Artifacts, however, were different. They were all favored by heaven and earth, having gestated internal patterns of Spiritual Qi that allowed a Cultivator to control them with far greater ease. At critical moments, they could even empower their master at the cost of damaging their own foundation. They were generally divided into four sub-ranks: ordinary Spiritual Artifacts, Hundred Treasures Spiritual Artifacts, Thousand Treasures Spiritual Artifacts, and Ten Thousand Treasures Spiritual Artifacts.

Previously, the Blessed Vermilion Bird Brush that Yun Qinghe gave him was an ordinary Spiritual Artifact. The Spiritual Qi patterns gestated inside were limited but were just enough to bear and store a cultivator’s power. This Heaven-Controlling Bottle was a Hundred Treasures Spiritual Artifact, which meant the patterns formed inside were over a hundred years old.

The third rank was Innate Treasures. These contained the Dao Laws that governed the world, such as those of Wind, Thunder, and Fire Mountain, or the Yin-Yang Five Elements. They were nurtured within Blessed Land Cave Heavens, possessed their own consciousness, could choose a master, and could even give birth to an Artifact Spirit.

The final rank consisted of Ancient Relics. These were often items like a nation’s foundational cauldron or the Sacred Object of a great religion, possessed only by Ancient Sects. Examples included the Immortal Artifacts of the Taoist Sect, the Ancestral Artifacts of Buddhism, and the ancient relics of the Confucian Temple. They were all incomparably precious. Whether one could possess such an item depended entirely on one’s strength, because its appearance in the Mortal World would inevitably trigger a bloodbath.

Lu Mingyuan uncorked the Heaven-Controlling Bottle and took a sniff. A rich, incredibly fresh fragrance wafted out, seeping into his very Heart Spirit.

It was the scent of nature itself.

Just from that single sniff, Lu Mingyuan discovered his Flesh Body had devoured the scent, and the progress of his Blood Glutton Celestial Fall Scripture changed.

「Cultivation Technique: Blood Glutton Celestial Fall Scripture – Abnormal Eating Chapter (Fifth Floor: 107/8000)」

’It actually increased by seven points.’

’This thing is really that incredible?’

Lu Mingyuan was overjoyed.

He covered his eyes with Martial Dao Primordial Qi and saw that nature’s spiritual energy was converging at the mouth of the small green bottle.

’Could this thing absorb the Essence of Heaven and Earth and transform it into Jade Liquid?’

Lu Mingyuan instantly figured out the Heaven-Controlling Bottle’s basic function.

’Such a powerful Treasure, how did it end up in my courtyard?’

Puzzled, he glanced at a small hole in the vermilion palace wall and had a sudden realization.

’So it fell in here by accident.’

The battle last night was fierce. It was inevitable that some Cultivators would perish and their Treasures would be scattered.

’Speaking of last night’s battle… Father returned this morning, so he must be cleaning up the mess right now.’

With a thought, Lu Mingyuan immediately took control of his Blood Glutton Paperman and sent it to scout beyond the Cold Palace.

He wanted to see what was happening outside.

…

I only realized after reading the previous comments that everyone got it wrong.

The Martial Cultivator at the Celestial Human Realm is not Emperor Yong’an, but the old eunuch by his side. Maybe I didn’t write it clearly at the time; it has been modified.

Also, this old eunuch and Wei the Ninth who sweeps the backyard of the Cold Palace are not the same person.

There’s one more Chapter coming, but it will be half an hour late because there are too many things to explain.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep