10: The Netherworld King's Nest, Bronze Sparrow Terrace

The next day.

Rumors about the Third Prince, Prince Chu, spread throughout the capital's markets.

Some said that Prince Chu staged an assassination to incriminate Xianle Tower and abduct Miss Wan'er.

Others claimed that Prince Chu was jealous and combative, unwilling to accept the Fourth Prince Savage Tiger's excellent Cultivation talent, and thus found an excuse to severely injure him.

Even more, some rumors suggested that several recent cases of innocent women losing their purity in the capital were connected to Prince Chu.

There were also some with ulterior motives who spread treasonous words, claiming that Prince Chu coveted the position of Crown Prince.

The rumors quickly fermented, becoming a topic of conversation after meals, spreading uncontrollably throughout the capital and flowing into the Wu Dynasty.

In short, Prince Chu's reputation worsened.

Previously, he was known as the number one profligate, but this was limited to the circles of officials and nobles.

Now, every citizen in the capital knew that Prince Chu was an unlearned, reckless, lustful Devil Head.

Regarding this, Xia Xuan, as the person involved, merely smiled.

He had long anticipated the consequences of acting so brazenly.

But what of it?

He chose the tyrant points route and didn't care about those superficial reputations.

If he had Transmigrated into an ancient Dynasty on Earth, he might have chosen to win over people's hearts and follow public opinion to achieve great things.

But this was another world, where great power could be concentrated in one person.

The strong were the key factor in determining everything.

History was also written by the strong.

If he could achieve his goals, and even pursue eternal life, what did it matter to sacrifice that most worthless reputation?

The imperial family was the most cruel and heartless.

How could one achieve great things by being hesitant, indecisive, kind, and benevolent?

Xia Xuan's thoughts were clear, his goal firm, and he found joy in it.

“Reporting to Your Highness, the Crown Prince sent ten beautiful maids and a hundred bolts of silk to comfort Your Highness. Your old servant has come to ask Your Highness how to deal with them?”

Xia Xuan had just finished his breakfast, served by a group of maids, when Madam Pei, the Prince's Mansion's head housekeeper, rushed in to report.

Madam Pei's appearance was not outstanding, and her body was slightly hunched, making her seem over fifty years old.

Previously, all matters in the Prince's Mansion were first reported to Wu Zhong, who would then decide if they were worth reporting before they reached Xia Xuan's ears.

But that was a rule set by the previous owner who feared trouble.

Xia Xuan had changed it; he needed to hear more voices.

Coincidentally, Wu Zhong was busy interrogating Black Owl and the five assassins from last night, so today, almost all major and minor incidents were reported by Madam Pei.

“Master, be careful. This person has concealed her true appearance and Cultivation. She is a Divine Martial Realm Cultivator.”

Lü Bu's reminder sounded in Xia Xuan's ear.

“Oh? I remember she used to be the housekeeper of Prince Who Guards the North's Mansion. So, it seems she's an Secret Guard (covert guard) planted in my mansion by Prince Who Guards the North?”

Xia Xuan subtly glanced at Madam Pei and instructed:

“Keep the silk, but send the maids back. Tell them this Prince's Prince Chu's Mansion does not lack beautiful maids.”

His Highness the Crown Prince wanted to plant his spies in Prince Chu's Mansion; how could he let him have his way?

“Rejecting beauty, maintaining self-restraint, tyrant points -1.”

“Wait!”

The System's prompt appeared, and Xia Xuan's face darkened. He immediately called back Madam Pei, who had just stepped out, and changed his mind: “Keep the beautiful maids. Temporarily settle them in the outer mansion. They are not to step into the inner mansion by half a step. Violators will be executed without mercy.”

Madam Pei's lips curved into a slight arc as she accepted the order and withdrew.

After this series of actions, the deducted tyrant points had returned.

Xia Xuan was speechless.

This System was truly too humane; it was even afraid he wasn't indulging enough in beauty, so it reminded him.

“The tyrant points I accumulated yesterday are enough for a lottery draw. Although I can't open the Intermediate lottery plate (plate), at least I can see what kind of things the Elementary lottery can yield.”

Xia Xuan's thoughts stirred, and the System information appeared.

“Host: Xia Xuan.”

“Cultivation: Innate First Layer.”

“Heroic Spirit: Lü Bu.”

“Divine Item: None for now.”

“tyrant points: 586.”

“Elementary lottery function has been activated. When 1000 points are reached, the Intermediate lottery plate (plate) will be activated.”

“I'm accumulating them really fast,” Xia Xuan mused slightly.

He was too kind; otherwise, it would have been even faster.

“Do you want to spend 100 tyrant points for one Elementary lottery draw?”

Xia Xuan confirmed in his mind.

His consciousness seemed to arrive in a Chaos space.

In the sky, stars twinkled, and a dreamlike starry river flowed.

Looking closely, many stars emitted different brilliant glows.

The brilliance level was roughly divided from low to high: white, blue, cyan, purple, gold, red, and Chaos rainbow.

At this moment, a blue star was rapidly falling.

Intense precious light emanated, hovering before Xia Xuan.

“Successfully drawn: Talisman Basic Method.”

What was in the precious light was not a physical object, but a mass of memories and knowledge.

In an instant, Xia Xuan felt his brain swelling, rapidly digesting and understanding various basic knowledge of Talisman.

“Legend has it that in the Four Seas and Five Regions, true Grand Talisman Masters only appeared in ancient times. Now, their traces are even harder to find, rarer than Dharma Aspect Realm powerhouses.

This Talisman Basic Method actually covers over ten thousand basic engraving methods, even more profound and valuable than the Talisman Three Thousand Explanations that have been passed down to this day.”

Talisman was a very special skill. Ordinary bright Talisman, when engraved on jade, could create a light source as bright as day.

And various basic Talisman, when combined and matched, could even exert effects similar to Talisman and Formation.

In short, the knowledge imparted by the Talisman Basic Method was immeasurable in value and endless in its uses.

“Something like this, which could stir up a storm in the Four Seas and Five Regions if thrown out, is only blue precious light. Then wouldn't stars of other colors be even more Heaven-Defying?”

Xia Xuan had a faint expectation.

Continue drawing.

Another blue precious light.

“Successfully drawn: talisman jade mountain.”

“Description: Refined from a mountain containing top-grade spirit jade, it can automatically absorb Heaven and Earth Origin Qi and convert it into talisman jade.”

“Hmm? This is good!”

The talisman jade mountain perfectly complemented the Talisman Basic Method, solving his problem of finding talisman jade Materials.

Moreover, the talisman jade mountain belonged to the category of Divine Items, could be large or small, and could even be integrated into the body, making it very convenient to use.

With over three hundred tyrant points remaining, Xia Xuan decisively performed three consecutive draws.

The results were unexpected.

Two purple and one gold!

“Successfully drawn: nether ghost king's nest.”

“Description: A nest for raising ghosts in an alternate dimension, already housing two thousand Ghost Soldiers and three Ghost General. It can convert powerful beings by killing them and consuming their flesh and blood to produce Ghost Soldiers.

The troop limit depends on the number of Ghost General; one ordinary Ghost General can command at most one thousand Ghost Soldiers.

Ghost Soldiers can advance by devouring souls.

Ten human souls correspond to a minor ghost, Acquired Realm;

One hundred human souls correspond to a Ghost Soldier, Innate Realm;

One thousand human souls correspond to a Ghost General, True Martial First to Third Layer;

Ten thousand human souls correspond to an Evil Ghost General, True Martial Fourth to Sixth Layer;

One hundred thousand human souls correspond to an Evil Ghost Commander, True Martial Seventh to Ninth Layer...”

“Successfully drawn: Bronze Sparrow Terrace.”

“Description: An architectural Divine Item that needs to be placed. Collecting beautiful concubines can increase its foundation and enhance its power.

Women living in the Bronze Sparrow Terrace will subtly develop affection for the owner of the Bronze Sparrow Terrace, remaining steadfast.

Dual Cultivation in the Bronze Sparrow Terrace can increase the Cultivation of both parties at ten times the speed.”