39: Before leaving

At the same time, in a massive, luxurious palace in Xiang Province's Fu City, hundreds of singing girls danced gracefully to the rhythm, surrounded by civil and military officials clinking glasses, making for a lively scene.

At the head of the hall, on a gilded chair, a middle-aged man in luxurious robes leaned back lazily, his eyes slightly hazy as he enjoyed the singing and dancing below, while a young man dressed as a scholar beside him constantly monitored the middle-aged man's expressions.

The middle-aged man's eyes moved slightly, and the scholar immediately followed his gaze, beckoning a guard nearby and whispering, "Later, bring that woman to the Prince's bedchamber."

The guard nodded, "Yes."

Prince Rui's interest had waned, so he clapped his hands, and the singing and dancing immediately stopped, the performers retreating in an orderly fashion. All the guests also straightened up, turning to look at Prince Rui.

"Hehe, this Prince has three joyous announcements. Firstly, General Bai Wuxia, under this Prince's command, has achieved a Breakthrough to the Heavenly Human Realm and will return to Xiang City soon."

The faces of the people below immediately varied, but no matter what they were thinking, they had to stand up and congratulate him, "Congratulations, Prince, another great general has joined your ranks."

"Hahahahaha…"

Prince Rui was in a very good mood. He put down his wine cup and spoke again,

"Not one great general, but two. General Bai Wuxia found an uncut jade in a remote small city in the Northwest. This child is no older than twenty, yet he is already in the Heavenly Human Realm. For such great talent to fall into my hands, it shows that Heaven blesses our righteous army, hahahaha…"

The silence below was visibly instantaneous. A single thought arose in everyone's mind:

Heaven's Chosen One!

The civil officials were fine; they weren't too concerned about this. But many Martial Artists were not so happy. Prince Rui had hundreds of Martial Artists under his command, but only ten of them were in the Heavenly Human Realm. Now, with two more suddenly, the pressure on them increased.

However, at this moment, they certainly couldn't dampen Prince Rui's spirits, so they could only shout loudly, "Heaven bless the righteous army!"

The Young Master sitting in the first seat to Prince Rui's left had flickering eyes, wondering what he was pondering.

Many civil and military officials had varied expressions, constantly calculating in their minds.

Prince Rui's eyelids twitched, taking in the expressions of everyone below.

"The third matter: this Prince's third son, Yang Xin You, achieved a great victory against the bandit army yesterday in Qingniu Mountain, slaying ten thousand enemies, capturing forty thousand, and seizing countless weapons and armor. With three joys at the door, how can our great cause not succeed? Hahahahaha…"

"Congratulations, Prince, you have worthy successors!" a middle-aged civil official congratulated loudly.

Prince Rui's eyes darted; this person must be from the third son's faction.

He had already established his heir, who was the Eldest Young Master, Yang Xinyi. And for this person to say such words on this occasion undoubtedly had ulterior motives.

The young Young Master at the lower end paused his hand, silently turning to look at this person. He was Yang Xinyi, also the Crown Prince. If Prince Rui ascended to the throne, then he would be the Crown Prince!

Anyone who dared to covet that position would be his mortal enemy.

"Third Brother!"

Yang Xinyi's heart was cold, yet his face showed no trace of abnormality; he still wore a smile.

Behind Yang Xinyi sat a woman in a large red ornate robe, her face serene. She picked up the wine cup on the table and drank it in one gulp, coldly watching everything unfold in the hall.

Beneath the seemingly harmonious banquet, undercurrents surged, and everyone harbored their own little schemes.

…

Taian City,

Xu Sanyan sat cross-legged on the bed, having swallowed four precious medicinal herbs. These were what he had obtained from Zhu Yong a few days prior.

Now, for him, precious medicinal herbs only served to increase the 'Qi' on his panel; their effect on improving his cultivation was negligible.

With a thought, he opened his panel to check.

[Xu Sanyan]

[Age - 18 / 160]

[Realm - Heavenly Human Realm Initial Stage]

[Cultivation Technique - The Supreme Truth and Serenity Scripture of Eliminating Illusion and Attaining Reality (Perfection)]

[Spell - Blood Demon Corpse Refining Method (Not getting Started)]

[Skills - Perfect Stance (Perfection). Three Tigers Subduing Dragon Saber (Perfection). Horse Appraisal Technique (Perfection). Excavator Repair and Maintenance (Initial Stage)…]

[Qi - 10]

The biggest change for him after achieving a Breakthrough to the Heavenly Human Realm was his lifespan, which nearly doubled, reaching one hundred and sixty years!

Also, Three Tigers Subduing Dragon Saber and Horse Appraisal Technique naturally achieved Perfection.

Xu Sanyan decided to temporarily keep the remaining ten points of 'Qi' to use later for improving his cultivation. As his cultivation became higher and higher, the 'Qi' required also increased.

He had already used more than twenty points when he achieved a Breakthrough to the Heavenly Human Realm, and he expected to use even more for a Breakthrough to Foundation Establishment.

Xu Sanyan turned to look out the window. Unbeknownst to him, it was already dark. The Chieftain's Wife arrived punctually.

"Fourth Master, I'm here."

As the door opened, the Chieftain's Wife swayed her waist as she walked in, then turned to close the door, saying with a hint of melancholy, "Fourth Master, are you going to leave here?"

Xu Sanyan smiled and nodded, not hiding anything, "Don't worry, even if I leave, you will be fine."

The Chieftain's Wife still seemed a bit worried.

Xu Sanyan's eyes were filled with indifference, "Because I have lived here, as long as I am alive, you will be fine."

The Chieftain's Wife relaxed slightly, then tilted her head slightly, her eyes filled with adoration as she stared at him. She had watched Xu Sanyan grow up.

From a young, naive boy who was constantly bullied in the village, to later being adopted by Wu Jue, beginning to show his talent, and becoming the fourth boss of the village.

Finally, after Wu Jue's death, Xu Sanyan came to Taian City, and in just about a month, he achieved his current status. Even the most powerful county magistrate in the city had to act according to his wishes.

In Taian City, Xu Sanyan could be said to be one of the people at the very peak, with only the White Horse Gang's leader being able to stand on equal footing with him.

The Chieftain's Wife was not a Martial Artist and did not understand the significance of the Heavenly Human Realm. She only knew that she had found a very powerful backer, enough to protect her and her son safely.

Thinking of this, the Chieftain's Wife's eyes seemed to well up with moisture, "Fourth Master, you must take care of yourself. Nothing is as important as your safety."

Xu Sanyan pulled at the corner of his mouth, "Don't worry."

Two days later.

General Bai Wuxia arrived alone.

The two sat facing each other, and General Bai Wuxia spoke first, "Brother Xu, I came this time entrusted by someone to bring you a letter."

Xu Sanyan raised his eyebrows, "Entrusted by someone? Who?"

"The Eldest Young Master," General Bai Wuxia said with a smile.

"I don't seem to have any connection with the Eldest Young Master…" Xu Sanyan said with a slight hesitation.

General Bai Wuxia slowly shook his head, "Hehe, you'll understand when you read this letter. Brother Xu might not yet realize his own importance. You are now a dazzling pearl; even the Prince praised you publicly."

Among the millions of Martial Artists in Great Qi, there were nearly a hundred thousand Inner Qi Realm Martial Artists, but among so many Martial Artists, there were only a few hundred in the Heavenly Human Realm. And among these few hundred, at most ten could achieve a Breakthrough before the age of twenty.

A Heavenly Human Realm Martial Artist at twenty, and a grassroots Martial Artist with no background or master—his talent was astonishing.

Many people intended to draw him into their own factions, and the Eldest Young Master behind General Bai Wuxia naturally had the same intention.