Chapter 52: Chapter 48: New Fate Grid, “Swordsman

Prince Jin’s Mansion.

“Your Highness, the Secretary of the Secretariat, Longchuan Master, is dead.”

Gongyang Hu followed respectfully beside a handsome youth in a black Python Robe. Lu Guangjing, his hands tucked into his sleeves, gestured with his chin toward a piece of Confucian calligraphy that read, “Be Sincere, Trustworthy, and Righteous.”

“Father Emperor should have discovered it long ago. It would be strange if he didn’t grow suspicious. But he’s as ruthless as ever. To think he’d kill a Confucian Scholar of the Eighth Realm of the Literary Palace just like that.”

“Fortunately, he did not know Your Highness’s whereabouts. It’s just a pity that he was one of the Infinite Faction’s envoys. His strength was decent, and he was quite talented,” Gongyang Hu replied.

The Infinite Faction.

It was a Human World Influence established by the Second Prince. Its purpose was to sweep away the Three Religions, and most of its members were masters of the Dragon Slaying Skill. For various reasons, they had sought refuge under Lu Guangjing. It was full of talented individuals. The Guest Scholars and Staff Officers were merely a smokescreen for outsiders; the faction’s true core strength came from all walks of life, including the Confucian, Buddhist, and Taoist schools. There was no shortage of heretics and outcasts, lawless people who had been exiled and forsaken.

The successful establishment of the Infinite Faction was not only due to the Second Prince’s own formidable strength and terrifying leadership, but also because of a certain existence who silently supported him from the shadows.

Gongyang Hu had only heard His Highness mention that this existence was once the head disciple of the fourth Saint of the Confucian Temple.

This fourth Saint, unlike other Saints who advocated for ritual propriety and judged literature by its flowery prose, was the heir to the Supreme Sage Ren Sheng. He developed Ren Sheng’s teachings, championing “benevolent governance” and promoting the populist idea that “the people are the most important, the state is secondary, and the ruler is the least important.” The world called him the “Sub-Saint.” The prestige of his head disciple was so great that no one in the world could rival it.

The reason for using the word “once” was, naturally, because this head disciple had developed heretical ideas, which the Sub-Saint could not tolerate, and was thus expelled from the Confucian Temple.

He later established his own teachings, proclaiming himself a patriarch and advocating for the “Dragon Slaying Skill.” Now, he was a supreme existence at the Thirteenth Realm of the Confucian Dao.

One must understand that in the Confucian Dao, the Tenth Realm was a Great Sage, the Eleventh was a Great Scholar, the Twelfth was a Saint and Sage, and the Thirteenth, a Venerable Saint, was already at the apex of the Central Plains World. Although not officially canonized as a Saint by the world, he was an existence comparable to one.

This existence had seen the Second Prince’s potential early on, placing his bet ahead of time and choosing to support him.

In comparison, the Immortal Influences from the Great Teaching Cave Heavens backing the Eldest Prince were nothing but a bunch of short-sighted fools.

Everyone in the Infinite Faction had their own mission, yet they operated independently, unaware of each other’s names. Only the Second Prince and that existence behind him knew the full picture.

Lu Guangjing studied the calligraphy and said casually, “I’ve been pondering a question. The Confucian Family so confidently claims, ’Be sincere, trustworthy, and righteous; revere virtue and reward merit; and the world will be governed by folding one’s arms.’ Has that truly been achieved today?”

Gongyang Hu thought for a moment before replying, “I suppose not. ’The world is governed’ is an inherently vague statement. Even the most prosperous golden age cannot withstand internal strife and unforeseen events.”

“Hahaha!”

Lu Guangjing suddenly burst into laughter, his smile filled with scorn. “No wonder you’re still lingering in the Ten Realms of Confucianism, unable to break through and truly embody the ’Confucian’ ideal. You actually believe such bullshit? The most meaningless thing in this world is reasoning.”

“If you want to establish your own school and become a patriarch, you have to break the rules and create your own principles. The only value in that old saying is to tell us that for many things in this world, the true value lies not in the outcome, but in the process.”

Lu Guangjing’s gaze sharpened. “The process of achieving a golden age, and the methods used to bring it about—that is what’s truly worth savoring. Take the Eldest Prince, for example. Even though this Prince has already won, I don’t feel much joy. On the contrary, the time I was most excited was when I was sitting idly in my cell. Thinking back on it now, it all seems so dull. Does it matter whether the Eldest Prince actually rebelled? It doesn’t. All that matters is that the common people believe he did.”

Hearing this, Gongyang Hu couldn’t help but feel a bead of cold sweat form on his forehead.

“Your Highness, do you feel the Eldest Prince was too easy to defeat?”

Lu Guangjing shook his head gently. “I just feel that it lacked a certain entertainment.”

“Lu Changfeng has fallen, but the many factions behind him have yet to be dealt with. This Prince guesses that the officials of the Imperial Court, led by Chief Minister Yuan Xuangang, will most likely flock to the Eighth Prince, while most of the Military Ministerial Families will side with the Third Prince.”

Gongyang Hu pondered for a moment. “Your Highness means to say that although the Eldest Prince has fallen, his power base remains and might choose a new master?”

Lu Guangjing nodded. “Correct. It’s the same with Lu Mingyuan, and with Lu Mingkong.”

“That’s why my teacher often says that destroying the heart is as important as killing the body. Killing someone is simple, but destroying their spirit is difficult. And destroying the spirit is the only way to completely eradicate a lineage. The Eldest Prince is like a centipede—dead, but not yet stiff. Cultivation isn’t just about the strength in your hands; you must also cultivate your mind. Otherwise, why do most of the world’s Martial Artists stop at the Ninth Realm Dragon Gate? It’s because most Martial Artists are simple-minded and don’t understand the principle of Refining the Heart.”

“But hasn’t the Third Prince, Lu Guangyao, already been stripped of his military authority? How can there still be people who haven’t given up hope on him?”

Lu Guangjing curled his lip and snorted. “That was just Father Emperor’s stalling tactic. Lu Guangyao is one of the few princes with a chance of reaching the Middle Fifth Grade as a Martial Artist. How could he possibly be left idle? I’m afraid he’ll be reinstated and given an important position again very soon.”

“So, Your Highness’s next target is him?”

Lu Guangjing said flatly, “My eighth brother, Lu Yunqing, has the Vice Sect Leader of the Confucian Temple behind him. He’s not an easy target. Right now, Lu Guangyao is the best one to go after.”

He stretched, leaning lazily back in his large chair. “Then again, while this Prince values utility over scholarship, it doesn’t mean that scholarship is worthless and doesn’t need to be taken seriously. After all, if a commoner puts in enough painstaking effort and brute force to do one thing, they can even pull an Emperor, General, or Minister from their horse.”

“Therefore, the other princes still cannot be underestimated. After the expedition against the Eastern Barbarians, although Father Emperor was victorious, his Dragon Fortune still weakened considerably after being surrounded by the Demon Country. This shows that he paid a heavy price to return, and his lifespan has likely fallen again. With this thirty-year-term reshuffling, I’m afraid many more people are watching closely now.”

“But don’t worry. In this great test, the final winner must be me.”

…

「Over the next few days.」

Lu Mingyuan focused wholeheartedly on his martial arts training in Qingzhu Hall, honing his Saber Technique and cultivating the Desolate Dragon Elephant Force.

Along with the good news of his maternal grandfather entering the Cabinet, his divination finally concluded, and he obtained the “Swordsman” Fate Grid.

[Gua Cheng. Minor fortune.]

[Acquired Fluorescent Green Fate Grid – Swordsman. Refinement Level: 10%]

[Fluorescent Green Life Chart (Swordsman): A cup of wine in the Jianghu resolves all gratitude and grievances. The countless events of past and present all end in laughter and conversation. One saber strike to shatter ten thousand techniques, one sweep of sword intent to clear a thousand armies.]

[Unlocked Life Chart Trait – Saber Momentum (Basic Level)]

[Saber Momentum (Basic Level): Wind, Thunder, and Fire Mountain all possess momentum. Layered upon each other, the power of your saber attacks is tripled.]

Lu Mingyuan comprehended Saber Momentum every day, and the results were quite effective.

Now, even without a saber in hand, as long as he swung his palm, infused it with Saber Momentum, and channeled his Martial Dao Primordial Qi, he could form Saber Qi that would leave a three-to-four-meter-long gash in the ground.

’A hand-chop counts as a saber. That’s actually pretty reasonable.’

Lu Mingyuan wiped the sweat from his brow and looked at his palm, lost in thought.

Martial Dao Primordial Qi was inherently formless. It was almost impossible for it to leave the body without a medium.

It was just like a fart; once released, the gas would dissipate.

The purpose of “Momentum” was to keep the qi from scattering, like a soft current of water forming a sharp “Water Saber,” undergoing a qualitative change.

If even a Martial Artist’s Flesh Body could be guided by “Momentum,” they could unearth even greater potential.

[Cultivation Technique: Blood Glutton Celestial Fall Scripture – Abnormal Eating Chapter (Fifth Floor: 3200/8000), Mountain Shaking Fist (Great Success), Fiery Fire Saber Technique (Perfection), Desolate Dragon Elephant Force (Third Floor: 500/3000)]

Lu Mingyuan glanced at his status panel, feeling highly motivated.

He discovered that drinking the single drop of Cyan Jade Liquid, condensed from the Essence of Heaven and Earth by the Heaven-Controlling Bottle each day, increased his progress in the Blood Glutton Celestial Fall Scripture by five hundred points. The more he consumed with his Flesh Body, the better. Before long, he would be able to break through to the Fifth Realm Furnace Building.

His Desolate Dragon Elephant Force had also smoothly advanced to the Second Floor. Each floor added a hundred thousand catties of strength, so one punch now carried two hundred thousand catties of force.

Upon reaching the Tenth Floor, it would undergo a qualitative change. According to the Cultivation Technique’s description, it seemed he would need to fuse with many Heavenly and Earthly Treasures to continue cultivating it.

[Luminous Green Fate Grid – Martial Fool, Refinement Level increased to 20%]

Correspondingly, as he trained in martial arts every day, the Refinement Level of his “Martial Fool” Fate Grid was constantly increasing.

“Zi Yun, bring me a basin of hot water to wash my face!”

Lu Mingyuan shouted.

“Coming, Your Highness!”

Zi Yun quickly walked into the courtyard with a basin of hot water. She had a voluptuous waist and a full chest that rippled as she walked. With a serious expression, she came over to help Lu Mingyuan wash his face.

Their bodies were very close, and Lu Mingyuan could smell the faint fragrance of her hair.

Suddenly, Zi Yun’s hand, which was wiping away his sweat, trembled. She realized a large hand had suddenly appeared on her body. Her face flushed red as she said:

“Your Highness, wait… It’s still daytime!”

“So what if it’s daytime? There’s no one else here.”

“—Mmph!”

…

A long time later, the courtyard finally fell silent.

Zi Yun had bits of grass in her hair and a smear of mud on her arm. She looked at Lu Mingyuan’s firm muscles, then touched her own face, her eyes revealing a hint of sadness. “In a few days, Your Highness will have new Palace Maids to serve you. You won’t need this servant anymore, will you?”

Lu Mingyuan paused in the middle of getting dressed. He looked at her and raised an eyebrow. “What’s this? From your tone, it sounds like you’re not very willing to serve this Prince.”

“N-no.”

Zi Yun quickly explained, her voice full of self-deprecation, “This servant just doesn’t want Your Highness to have to look at this servant’s face again and have your mood ruined.”

Lu Mingyuan snorted. “This Prince likes you just the way you are. It’s just a disfigurement, what’s the big deal? The Taoist Sect is especially skilled at refining Elixirs. As long as we can find a Ten Thousand Springs Beauty Pill, you’ll be restored to your original appearance in no time.”

Hearing this, Zi Yun was slightly taken aback.

For some reason, a secret joy, a small flicker of happiness, bloomed in her heart.

“Does Your Highness truly like this servant as I am? A Ten Thousand Springs Beauty Pill is worth a thousand gold. Only an imperial concubine could hope to find one after exhausting years of savings. It has a price but no market. This servant cannot dare to hope for it.”

“Would this Prince lie to you?”

Lu Mingyuan waved his hand dismissively.

“KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!”

Just then, someone knocked on the main gate of Qingzhu Hall.

Lu Mingyuan frowned. Not knowing who was outside, he called out in a loud voice:

“Who is it?”

A voice like a great flood, like rolling thunder, resounded throughout the courtyard.

“By order of the Holy Emperor, I have come to teach you martial arts.”

…

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