The black-robed woman's gaze turned towards the direction of the capital city of Jing. Excitent flickered in her eyes. If things were as she suspected, she couldn't let Gu Lan go. She needed to heal her injuries first.
"Once my divine soul recovers a bit, you'll understand that there's more than one Emperor Realm expert in this mortal realm..." The woman's eyes turned cold, and her lips trembled.
A wave of black mist surged, enveloping the area where the black-robed woman was.
At the sa ti, Gu Lan returned to the palace after breaking free from the group of examiners. Mu Yuyan hurried over.
As soon as Gu Lan left the examination room, Mu Yuyan received news of Wu Fan disguised as a Imperial Guards soldier killing people in the examination room. She was extrely angry! When she learned that Gu Lan had easily killed him with a single palm, without any other experts appearing, Mu Yuyan's heart finally cald down, and she rushed over.
Although she knew that the Royal Seer had long been invincible, the Empress couldn't help but worry, especially during this ti, as she approached childbirth...
Gu Lan briefly explained the appearance of the mysterious woman. Many officials and examinees were present at the ti, so the matter couldn't be concealed.
Mu Yuyan nodded, instructing Gu Lan to rest well and imdiately dispatching agents from the Imperial Announcents Bureau to investigate.
However, Gu Lan stopped her. The black-robed woman's background was not simple, and her appearances were always fleeting. Gu Lan couldn't quite figure out her strength...
Having the Jing Nation's intelligence agents investigate wouldn't likely yield results. Even if Li Xiong went, it would probably be futile. Besides, Gu Lan knew that the woman's target was him, so he would wait for her to co. When she did, everything would be revealed!
At the Empress's gentle urging, Gu Lan agreed. For the next few days, he stayed in the palace, keeping Mu Yuyan company and refraining from going out.
...
With the Spring Exam over, the results couldn't be announced imdiately. The examiners needed ti to review and verify the papers, which would then be selected by the chief examiner. Following these procedures, it would take at least ten days to half a month to complete.
The Empress was busy with state affairs. With Jing Nation's current prosperity, everything was thriving. With the help of Gu Lan's magic rice seeds, there was an abundance of food, and there were no worries about supplies for decades to co.
Mu Yuyan was dedicated to governing and aid to accelerate national construction while Jing Nation was flourishing.
With nothing to do these days and seeing that the mysterious woman hadn't appeared, Gu Lan found it boring to stay in the palace. So he decided to go and find Zhongren, Zhe Liang, and Xiaoqi.
The three of them were placed in the Prince Jingyang's Mansion. Due to the Empress's favor, the Prince Jingyang's Mansion occupied a large area, with nurous pavilions and towers.
Since no one was watching over here while Gu Lan stayed in the palace, he let Zhongren and the others stay there.
When he arrived, he didn't inform them in advance. The servants in the mansion all greeted Gu Lan respectfully.
Gu Lan enjoyed this feudalistic atmosphere for a while, but he wasn't truly an evil noble. After instructing the servants to attend to their duties, he walked towards the back courtyard.
In the distance, a fla soared into the sky like a skyrocket. Then, a talisman flew out, turning into a giant axe and chopping down, extinguishing the fla in an instant.
"Haha!"
"Xiaoqi, your fla is no good!"
"It can't even withstand the Steel Axe Talisman!"
"Why don't you call Brother Ren? I'll kindly refine so real fire talismans for you."
"I guarantee they'll be stronger than the flas you conjure yourself."
Zhongren's laughter rang out, followed by Xiaoqi's voice: "I'm just holding back a bit. Don't be too proud! Watch burn your butt!"
Xiaoqi shouted again, and flas appeared on the courtyard wall once more. On the other side, Zhongren exclaid, "Gu Xiaoqi, you're really burning !"
"Wait until I tell Big Brother. I'll make sure he spanks you hard!" Zhongren threatened.
"Zhe Liang, be my witness!"
"No need to testify. Xiaoqi's fire is impressive," Zhe Liang replied calmly.
Gu Lan walked slowly to the back of the courtyard and saw Zhongren extending his hand forward, maintaining a running posture, while Gu Xiaoqi threw flas towards his back.
The ground was already covered with black marks from the intense heat.
Gu Lan couldn't believe that Zhongren, who seed shy, could act so freely in front of Gu Xiaoqi.
"Master, you're here!" Gu Xiaoqi ran happily towards Gu Lan, her face full of joy.
Zhongren narrowly escaped disaster and felt a little embarrassed as he walked over with his head bowed.
Zhe Liang, being more reserved, walked up to Gu Lan and bowed, saying, "Master."
Gu Lan nodded slightly and looked at Zhongren, saying, "Your talisman skills are good. You can already manipulate spiritual energy and reach a superior level. However, you were floating just now and didn't et the standard. Next, focus on regulating your breathing to achieve instantaneous activation."
"Yes, Big Brother!" Zhongren hastily replied, bowing.
Gu Lan then turned his gaze to Gu Xiaoqi and tapped her forehead lightly.
"You, relying on your talent for fire, run around recklessly. If you spend this ti practicing, you could improve yourself. Timing is crucial in attacks. Chaotic pursuits only waste energy. You need to wait for the right mont to strike, and you should have so strength left. Constrain your flas a bit, and they may be more powerful."
Gu Xiaoqi pouted and covered her forehead. "I understand, Master."
By now, Zhe Liang was no longer as unfamiliar as he was at first. Smiling, he looked at the two companions and said, "With soone to discipline them, maybe they'll stop causing trouble all the ti."
"I suggest you stay here a few more days, Master, or they might end up setting the house on fire!" he joked.
Gu Xiaoqi imdiately pouted and glanced at him, saying, "You, Zhe Liang, don't talk; no one thinks you're mute! You're happy even after we've been scolded?"
Zhongren joined in, saying, "Yeah, say a few words less, okay?"
The two who had just been making a ruckus were now united on the sa front. Zhe Liang felt a little embarrassed. He wasn't good at arguing, and being criticized by the two of them left him unsure of how to respond.
Watching their interaction, Gu Lan couldn't help but smile. It seed that the relationship between the three was very harmonious. And they had made considerable progress during this ti. Not to ntion Gu Xiaoqi and Zhongren, even Zhe Liang's aura had greatly improved.
With Gu Lan's support and their innate talents, the achievents of the three would definitely be extraordinary. Breaking the limits of this world shouldn't be too difficult...
"Go pour tea for Master and bring so chairs!" Gu Xiaoqi ordered Zhongren with her sparkling eyes, poking him.
He dared not say anything and imdiately went to do as he was told.
Zhe Liang invited Gu Lan to sit down.
As soon as they settled down, soone hurriedly arrived.
Gu Lan looked up and saw that it was Li Xiong.
"Master, it's great that you're here!" Li Xiong's eyes lit up as he approached Gu Lan eagerly.
Gu Lan looked at him with curiosity. "What's wrong?"
"Master, the Night Walkers have received so news."
"On the Northern Frontier lted Plains, an ancient cave is about to open!"
"Many sects and forces have already learned of it."
"I've obtained three tokens that allow us to enter along with mbers of other sects."
"So, I've co to present them to you."
Three white jade tokens appeared in Li Xiong's hand, shimring with intricate runes as if they were breathing. He handed them to Gu Lan.
"An ancient cave!" "I heard there are many treasures inside!" Gu Xiaoqi exclaid excitedly. Zhe Liang and Zhongren standing beside her also showed eager anticipation. At their age, they were very interested in the so-called cave heavens. Although their last trip to the secret realm in Shu Province was dangerous, it left Gu Xiaoqi with a lingering sense of excitent.
Gu Lan held the three tokens, equivalent to tickets to enter the cave, and after a mont's thought, he said, "Alright, you three can stay here in the mansion to cultivate. Going to the cave heaven will help you improve faster."
"Take these, but be careful when the ti cos," he cautioned. "It's also an opportunity to gain experience and broaden your horizons."
"Big Brother, are we going on our own?" Zhe Liang, Gu Xiaoqi, and Zhongren looked at Gu Lan in surprise.
After receiving confirmation, they looked at each other with excitent and each took one token.
Since this cave heaven didn't hold much value for Gu Lan anymore, sending the three of them to experience it was a good idea.
Lin Tan'er wouldn't be going. Gu Lan noticed she had been acting strangely lately, often frowning and lost in thought while reading Lin Lu's letters. It seed like a sign that her mory was starting to return, so it was better for her to stay in the capital.
The three were taken away by Li Xiong, leaving Gu Lan alone in the mansion.
Suddenly, a thunderous sound flashed, echoing from the direction of the palace.
Gu Lan couldn't help but look up and saw purple qi erging from the palace, swirling and ethereal. Within the purple qi, the cry of a phoenix resonated, turning into golden light hovering above the palace for a long ti, forming a halo that spread out.
Gu Lan's eyes widened slightly, a smile appearing on his face. This was the sign of a breakthrough into the Saint realm!
In the palace, the only person who could be breaking through into the Saint realm at this mont was Mu Yuyan!
He hadn't expected her to break through at this ti!
Through his ability to observe qi, he could see the constant rotation of fortune above the capital. The national fortune of Jing Nation was returning! The dragon veins were about to condense!
The rich aura of fortune almost filled the sky above the capital, and everyone's body emitted light as their fortune surged!
The national fortune benefitted all the citizens of Jing Nation!
Looking at the capital, it was almost as if the scene resembled the one from when the dynasty was first established!
For a mont, the world was shaken!
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