That was the princess consort.
The high and mighty princes rarely lowered their heads to look at ordinary cultivator won. Even as the Duke’s legitimate daughter, she would be seen as reaching too high. If it were any other prince, she might not even qualify as a concubine.
Even as a concubine, if she could bear offspring, they would be pure-blooded imperial grandsons, and the mother’s status would imdiately change.
"Cough, cough."
Lin Yue coughed lightly and said, "Lord Qi, let’s get to the point."
Duke Heng nodded slightly and imdiately looked at the people below. He said, "The reason I’ve gathered you here today is to relay two matters."
His gaze swept over the many young people and he said, "The first matter you can likely guess. The year is ending, and all the sects and holy lands stationed in Di Hong City are starting to select disciples. The Ancestor Hall is particularly important, and the decennial Inner Hall examination will comnce on the ninth day of the twelfth lunar month."
At these words, the young people from the Qi Family and the guest elders were all excited.
The Ancestor Hall held annual Outer Hall examinations, and other sects and holy lands mostly took in disciples once a year as well.
But unlike the others, just entering a sect doesn’t guarantee advancent to the Inner Sect and ultimately becoming a True Disciple, provided one has the talent.
The Ancestor Hall, however, made entry to the Inner Hall extrely difficult.
One must either beco a Martial Arts Grandmaster and bind oneself to the Ancestor Hall, or pass the Inner Hall examination, which happens once every ten years.
Disciples from the Inner Hall of the Ancestor Hall were few, but each one had astounding potential and could be considered treasures of the Ancestor Hall.
If one could beco an Inner Hall disciple of the Ancestor Hall, their status would instantly transform.
Even a prince would look up to an Inner Hall disciple.
"For the Outer Hall examination, like the Inner Hall examination, any cultivator under thirty years old who practices the Martial Arts of the Four Symbols Heaven Barrier can participate."
Duke Heng glanced at the crowd and said, "I won’t expect one of you to beco an Inner Hall disciple of the Ancestor Hall. Who dares try for the Outer Hall examination?"
After a mont of silence, a young man who seed to be a guest elder stepped forward and said, "Lord Qi, I have been practicing martial arts under Master Wu for over ten years now. Though lacking, I am sowhat confident in passing the Outer Hall examination."
"How old are you this year?" Duke Heng asked.
"I’m one year away from thirty," the guest elder answered.
Duke Heng nodded slightly and said, "This is your last chance to enter the Ancestor Hall. Make the most of it."
The Ancestor Hall, as an impartial and powerful entity, served as an external resource that all factions wished to send people to, not only to cultivate talent for themselves but also to share in the benefits of the Ancestor Hall.
"Anyone else?" Duke Heng looked at the others.
Imdiately, several young guest elders and juniors from the Qi Family stepped forward, expressing their intention to partake in the Outer Hall examination.
"My lord."
The second wife rose and said, "Tianxing is still out training. He’s just turned twenty-eight this year. A few days ago, he sent a ssage saying he had made progress in martial arts and plans to try for the Inner Hall examination at the Ancestor Hall."
Lin Yue knew this as well.
The second wife was a Martial Arts Grandmaster, and Tianxing, the Qi Family’s Third Young Master and her son, was a martial arts prodigy comparable to the Qi Family’s Fifth Miss.
He had reached the Four Symbols Heaven Barrier Peak at around fifteen or sixteen and passed the entrance test of the Tianxia Building by sixteen or seventeen.
His talent was evident.
"Oh?"
Duke Heng’s eyes lit up and asked, "What is Tianxing’s current martial arts realm like? How confident is he?"
The second wife replied, "I don’t know, but you know how careful that child is. He must feel sowhat confident, or he wouldn’t try."
"Indeed," Duke Heng nodded slightly. "I hope he surprises ."
He then looked at his young daughter, the Qi Family’s Fifth Miss, and said, "Yinmo, don’t bother joining in this excitent. You’re still far from passing the Inner Hall test that Wu Nu set for you. Wait ten years, and your chances should be quite high."
The Qi Family’s Fifth Miss responded with an "Oh" and glanced secretly at Lin Yue.
Lin Yue smiled as he looked at her, and she imdiately blushed and turned her head.
Lord Qi twitched his eyes slightly.
"Cough." He cleared his throat and looked at Lin Yue. "My son-in-law, I’ve heard from Wu Nu that you’re close to breaking through the Four Symbols Heaven Barrier. Will you be going for the Ancestor Hall’s Outer Hall examination?"
Lin Yue nodded slightly and said, "If all goes well, it should be within these next couple of days."
Lord Qi smiled and said, "Very good, very good."
Having awakened his bloodline just over a year ago, breaking through the Four Symbols Heaven Barrier was already astonishing.
The princes generally took at least a year or two to accomplish this.
Behind Lord Qi, Wu Nu opened his mouth as if he wanted to say sothing but then stopped.
"The first matter is the Ancestor Hall examination."
Duke Heng said, "The second matter concerns internal affairs of my Qi Family. This old body hasn’t much ti left, and it’s ti to choose the next family head."
Upon hearing this, the crowd imdiately stirred slightly.
The next head of the Qi Family would be the next Duke Heng!
"However, I still need to think about how to choose specifically," Duke Heng glanced over the crowd and said, "All I can say is that you should all do your best."
"You’re all dismissed."
After everyone left, only Duke Heng and the Wu Nu behind him remained in the main hall.
"Wu Nu, if I announce the next family head, do you think they will accept it?" Duke Heng asked gently.
"I fear not," Wu Nu said deeply. "The guest elders might not accept it either. While you’re alive, you can suppress these voices, but once you’re gone, I’m afraid..."
"This is the only way."
Duke Heng shook his head slightly and said, "We’re counting on His Highness. Do you think His Highness can enter the Ancestor Hall this year?"
Wu Nu nodded and said, "His Highness is indeed a genius. Over the past year, his martial arts realm has progressed by leaps and bounds. His talent is extraordinary. Given his current realm, he’ll assuredly pass the Outer Hall examination of the Ancestor Hall once he breaks through the Four Symbols Heaven Barrier, but..."
"But what?" Duke Heng looked at him.
Wu Nu shook his head slightly and sighed, "It’s just that His Highness originally set his sights on the Inner Hall. I didn’t want to dampen his enthusiasm, so I haven’t told him how difficult the Inner Hall examination truly is."
"What are the chances of His Highness entering the Inner Hall now?" Duke Heng frowned.
"None at all," Wu Nu said helplessly. "Based solely on His Highness’s current martial arts realm, the gap is far too wide for the Inner Hall examination, and I’m afraid he won’t even pass the first round."
"Is that so?" Duke Heng sighed, "The cultivation ti is still insufficient. All I can do is hold on for a bit longer and win more ti for our prince."
Wu Nu was silent for a mont after hearing this, then said with so reluctance, "Those princes are truly hateful, nearly scouring the life-extending treasures to force important ministers into alliance. Otherwise, if there were still life-extending treasures, they could grant you more ti..."
...
"My aide."
Lin Yue walked through the corridor of Duke Heng’s residence, observing the snowy scenery outside, and spoke softly, "You’re good at sensing life force. Is Duke Heng struggling to hold on?"
"Yes," Baili Fengzhi nodded slowly and said, "Duke Heng’s vitality has reached its limit. If not for his high realm and steadfast heart, he might have already fallen."
"Once Lord Qi passes, there will surely be many more disturbances," Lin Yue shook his head slightly.
Baili Fengzhi followed behind him and said, "The arrival of His Highness’s child will take another year or two. I’m afraid Duke Heng may not hold on till then."
"Once Lord Qi is gone, my situation is likely to beco far more difficult."
Lin Yue sighed, "Though I’ve prepared over the past year, no matter how much I plan ahead, if the other princes want to suppress , it’ll be troubleso without Lord Qi to shield ."
As soone with no power or influence, who hasn’t even claid his prince status from the Sect’s Records Office, it would be all too easy for other princes to suppress him.
Only because Lord Qi sheltered him could he cultivate peacefully and comfortably.
"It’s a pity that even with the might of Duke Heng’s residence, they couldn’t find life-extending treasures useful to Lord Qi," Baili Fengzhi shook her head.
"Di Hong City definitely has life-extending treasures, and probably more than a few," Lin Yue said softly. "But they are probably under control; I suspect the princes are behind this."
In his mind, he thought of the treasure list left within the Silent Bone by Wu Dao.
Among those hidden treasures in Di Hong City, there were life-extending treasures!
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