70: Chapter 70 The Fifth Life, The Blazing Sun Illuminates the Martial Path (18)

He frowned imperceptibly, his inner doubts bubbling up uncontrollably.

All things considered, it had only been a short seven days since the betting duel ended.

He really could not fathom how Yun Mengyao had managed to become so familiar with this princess.

Furthermore, the way they acted—putting arms around waists, feeding each other, stroking hair—seemed far too intimate; it did not look like a princess and a maid at all, but rather like...

A thought flashed through his mind, but Chu Shi quickly shook his head nonchalantly, suppressing the inappropriate speculation and stopping himself from thinking further.

After all, this was not the modern world before he transmigrated...

"Brother Chu, what are you spacing out for?"

Seventh Prince Xiao Yuan's voice interrupted his train of thought, and he smiled while pointing to the menu on the side.

"Order whatever you want to eat; I am treating today, so do not be polite with me."

As he spoke, he specifically explained to Chu Shi:

"The food in the ordinary area outside looks like there is a wide variety and plenty of it. But at the end of the day, it is all mundane ingredients and can only fill your stomach. Even the unlimited meat can only replenish some daily blood and Qi loss; for our Body Tempering cultivation, it is ultimately better than nothing.

"It is not as good as the medicinal food in this premium area. Although it costs a bit of silver, it is mixed with nourishing medicinal herbs and spirit rice. Eating it is beneficial for nourishing blood and Qi and tempering the skin membranes; it is as good as the Body Tempering Paste we usually use."

"Then I thank you, Brother Xiao; I have made you spend extra."

Chu Shi thanked him again, then waved his hand, "I am not picky; I can eat anything, so Brother Xiao, feel free to order whatever you like."

Seeing that Chu Shi really had no intention of ordering, Seventh Prince Xiao Yuan did not force him. He immediately raised his hand to call over a Utility Disciple from the cafeteria and started ordering familiarly with the menu.

In just a moment, he had ordered a table full of dishes.

Fragrant spirit rice, beast soldier essence meat simmered with ten-year-old astragalus, and nourishing bone soup stewed with twenty-year-old angelica. There were also several exquisite snacks seasoned with medicinal herbs, all of which were signature dishes in the premium area most beneficial for Body Tempering.

This one table alone cost a full thousand taels of silver. Even in Canglan City, this would be enough for a wealthy merchant family to live comfortably for a whole year, but Seventh Prince Xiao Yuan did not change his expression, not even blinking an eye.

The kitchen staff moved extremely quickly; in less time than it takes to drink half a cup of tea, a table of steaming hot dishes was served one after another.

The aroma spread instantly, carrying a faint, nourishing medicinal power; just the smell alone was enough to whet one's appetite.

They picked up their chopsticks and began to chat casually while eating.

The disciples at the surrounding tables were also discussing loudly, the topics revolving around nothing other than the upcoming entrance trial and the genius disciples from the other two provinces who had already arrived or were about to arrive.

"Have you heard? The disciples from Qingyan Province arrived two days ago and are all staying in the Qingyan Courtyard next door!"

"Qingyan Province? I heard that several geniuses came from Qingyan Province this time, all with Top-grade Root Bone, and some even have Earth-grade Root Bone!"

"Exactly! When I came in just now, I saw the disciples from Qingyan Province; they were all so arrogant, not looking at us at all!"

"And there are the disciples from Diming Province; I heard they will arrive in three days. They are also full of hidden talents, with quite a few formidable characters!"

Listening to the discussion around them, Seventh Prince Xiao Yuan put down his chopsticks and said to Chu Shi, "Brother Chu, they are not wrong. The disciples from Qingyan Province did indeed arrive two days earlier than us. The seedlings that came from Qingyan Province this time are very strong."

Chu Shi looked up at Seventh Prince Xiao Yuan, revealing a hint of curiosity: "Oh? Does the Seventh Prince know about them?"

"I know a thing or two." Seventh Prince Xiao Yuan smiled and explained to Chu Shi, "This recruitment in Qingyan Province is being handled by Elder Li of the Holy Land. Elder Li has a sharp eye, and the seedlings he selects are none of them simple.

"The most formidable among them is called Ling Chen, the legitimate son of a top-tier noble family in Qingyan Province, with Earth-grade Root Bone. Even though he only arrived two days earlier than us, he has already reached the Stone Skin Realm. It is said that he has awakened a special constitution, the Qingyan Body, which has an extremely high compatibility with our Great Sun Holy Land's cultivation techniques, and he is highly regarded by Elder Li. He is one of the most popular geniuses in this recruitment.

"Besides Ling Chen, Qingyan Province also has three geniuses with Top-grade Root Bone, all of whom have cultivation levels above the Ox-Skin Realm; their strength cannot be underestimated."

Upon hearing this, Chu Shi silently noted it in his mind. Knowing oneself and the enemy is the key to winning every battle. Although he had absolute confidence in his own strength, he would not underestimate the enemy.

Seventh Prince Xiao Yuan paused, then continued, "And there is the Diming Province arriving in three days; they also have a formidable character named Mo Chen. It is said that he is the son of the Governor of Diming Province, has Top-grade Root Bone, and is also a ruthless character."

As he spoke, he picked up the wine pot and poured a cup of spirit wine for Chu Shi, then changed the subject, saying to Chu Shi, "Brother Chu, you just came from Canglan City; I am afraid you are not very familiar with the landscape of the entire Tianwu Dynasty, right? I happen to be able to tell you about it, so you will not be completely in the dark when you arrive at the Holy Land."

Chu Shi raised his wine glass, gestured to Seventh Prince Xiao Yuan, took a sip of the spirit wine, and smiled, "Then I will listen with full attention."

Of course, he had some understanding of the landscape of the Tianwu Dynasty. In his third life, because of his genius big brother, Chen Xuan, although the Chen family was ultimately just a mere commandery-level noble family, he still had a general understanding of the dynasty's structure. However, he did not point it out; he took this opportunity to listen to Seventh Prince Xiao Yuan's explanation to see if there were any details he did not know.

Seventh Prince Xiao Yuan put down the wine pot, cleared his throat, and explained to Chu Shi, "Our Tianwu Dynasty is divided into nine provinces. The central one is Zhongzhou, which is the absolute territory of the imperial family. The imperial capital is in Zhongzhou, the center of power for the entire dynasty, where experts are as numerous as clouds and the depths are unfathomable.

"Apart from Zhongzhou, the remaining eight provinces are divided among several major forces. Among them, the most powerful are the Three Great Holy Lands.

"The Three Great Holy Lands are the Great Sun Holy Land, where we are currently located, spanning the three provinces of Qingyan Province, Diming Province, and Canglan State. The Four Seasons Holy Land, located in the two provinces of Huangyan Prefecture and Yunzhou. And the Ice and Snow Holy Land, located in Lindong Province."

Seventh Prince Xiao Yuan's tone was filled with thick pride, "Among these Three Great Holy Lands, our Great Sun Holy Land occupies three provinces alone. Our foundation is the deepest, our strength is the strongest, and we are the head of the Three Great Holy Lands. The Four Seasons Holy Land occupies two provinces, ranking second. Although the Ice and Snow Holy Land only occupies one province, its land is vast, and a single province is even larger than two provinces of land, making it no weaker than the Four Seasons Holy Land."

Chu Shi's hand holding the wine glass paused slightly. Huangyan Prefecture, Four Seasons Holy Land. Lindong Province, Ice and Snow Holy Land. These two places carried the memories of his many lives, his regrets and unwillingness. A ripple rose in his heart, but it was quickly suppressed by him. On the surface, he remained nonchalant, continuing to listen to Seventh Prince Xiao Yuan's explanation.

"Besides the Three Great Holy Lands, there are two top-tier noble families that have been passed down for thousands of years," Seventh Prince Xiao Yuan continued. "They are the Song clan located in Leizhou and the Liu clan located in Shuzhou. These two families are martial arts families that have been passed down for thousands of years; they have deep foundations and produce many experts, each occupying a province as their ancestral land. In the imperial capital of Zhongzhou, they also have their mansions and forces, maintaining a close relationship with the imperial family, and their strength cannot be underestimated."

Thus, Zhongzhou belongs to the imperial family, the Three Great Holy Lands occupy six provinces, and the two millennium-old families occupy two provinces; the nine provinces of the entire Tianwu Dynasty are all divided up.

Seventh Prince Xiao Yuan looked at Chu Shi and summarized, "The top-tier forces of the entire Tianwu Dynasty consist of one royal family, two noble families, and the Three Great Holy Lands. The imperial family, the Holy Lands, and the noble families rule the world together. These major forces check and balance each other, while also cooperating, maintaining the balance of the entire dynasty."