The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 413 - 344, The Great Scholar lectures, the Princely Heir enters the capital

To the east of Marine Road, adjacent to the East Sea, there towers the green mountain piercing the clouds.

Beneath the green mountain lies Martial Emperor City, which, over the past several hundred years, expanded from a small town.

Along the extended imperial road, Chai Keqiao, returning from a long journey, made his steps towards the city.

His hair disheveled, covered in dust and weariness.

Chai Keqiao stopped at the city gates, lifted his face—reddened and darkened by the sun—and suddenly broke into a wide grin, revealing his pearly white teeth:

"I'm back!"

There was no grand welcome, not even a glance.

It wasn't until Chai Keqiao stepped into the city, settled in a familiar inn, ate a meal, left a silver bar, and left with swagger,

that those martial artists from Jianghu, who came from all over to make pilgrimages at the foot of the green mountain, heard the news and came, only to find that the master's direct disciple had already left.

Chai Keqiao passed through the city to the foot of the green mountain and began to climb the rugged, steep mountain path.

Along the way, he could still see martial artists attempting the ascent.

However, as he climbed higher, the number of people he encountered decreased.

On the green mountain, every few hundred steps of the long mountain path, there was a man-made platform.

On these platforms, disciples of Martial Emperor City's lineage practiced their cultivation, undisturbed by the world.

There were youths practicing their horse stance and throwing punches, sweating profusely, on the verge of collapse.

Young adults sat cross-legged, deep in thought, occasionally leaping up to jab at the air with a stick several times, then sitting back down to continue their pondering.

Middle-aged men, shirtless, repeatedly slammed into large trees, with each collision yellow leaves fluttering down like a heavy snowfall.

With every layer ascended on the green mountain, there was a brand-new view, but Chai Keqiao did not stop, nor did anyone give him even a glance.

In Jianghu, the green mountain of Martial Emperor City, which existed only in legends, seemed completely unguarded.

Without realizing it, Chai Keqiao entered the clouds, and he keenly felt that there were eyes watching him through the clouds, then moving away.

He knew it was the senior brothers guarding the mountain, who stopped paying attention after confirming his identity.

"So cold and indifferent, not even coming out to greet me,"

Chai Keqiao sighed, and when he emerged from the clouds, he had reached the summit.

From this height, looking down, Martial Emperor City lay beneath a sea of clouds, and those mushroom-shaped pillars of cloud made one feel as tiny as an ant.

In sight, at the end, was a cliff extending from the mountain peak towards the sea.

"Whoosh whoosh—"

The sea breeze hit him head-on, sweeping away the fatigue of the journey.

Chai Keqiao approached the cliff with respect and looked towards the figure sitting cross-legged, facing away from him, gazing at the East Sea.

"Master, your disciple has returned."

The man sitting alone on the cliff was indeed tall and robust, also wearing rough hemp clothing, with disheveled hair, black and white intermingled, casually tied at the back of his head with a ribbon.

Wu Xiankui had the face of a middle-aged man around fifty, ordinary in appearance, except for a fire-red jujube-sized mark imprinted between his eyebrows.

This man, who was one of the four "Celestials" in the world and the only genuine martial arts grandmaster, opened his eyes without turning back and asked calmly,

"Why have you returned so late?"

Chai Keqiao scratched his head embarrassingly:

"Disciple could not fight the Tian Hai little monk on this trip, which was very regrettable. On the way back, I took a detour to spar with others, hence the delay."

Wu Xiankui spoke, "I heard from people below the mountain that this time it was a Tributor from Great Yu who stole the limelight, his surname..."

"Zhao, Zhao Douan," Chai Keqiao thought for a moment and said, "Disciple did not expect him to be the one to win. However, it is said that he relied on the Taia Sword."

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Wu Xiankui said indifferently,

"A win is a win, regardless of whether one relies on fists, feet, or weapons. It seems the Imperial Family's successors are promising. How is the Empress?"

Chai Keqiao thought for a bit and said,

"From what I have heard and seen, the Empress is extremely diligent in state affairs, seemingly aspiring to be a wise ruler."

Wu Xiankui expressed disappointment,

"Humans are mayflies in this world, living between heaven and earth, with their lifespan predetermined. I had thought that the Royal Family had produced another exceptional descendant, yet she squanders her time on worldly affairs. A pity."

Chai Keqiao blinked and said, "What about the century fight...?"

Wu Xiankui closed his eyes and said, "One must give it their all."

In the past, the Royal Family of Great Yu set up a competition known as "Martial God" against Martial Emperor City, mirroring the Buddhist Tao contests, and scheduled a battle every hundred years.

However, unlike the tradition in Buddhist Tao, where young disciples are sent to fight,

the contest actually involved each side's peak forces.

The last century, representing the Royal Family in the contest, was not the Emperor but the peak period's number one Tributor, Hai Chunlin.

In that battle, Hai Chunlin suffered internal injuries, his realm regressing instead of progressing, falling from the threshold of a Fake Celestial back to the Worldly Realm.

This century, Xu Zhenguan was the only one who could represent them in the contest.

Now, with the Buddhist Tao contest concluded, the battle between Martial Emperor City and the Royal Family of Great Yu was no longer far away.

Chai Keqiao laughed,

"That Empress has not yet reached the true realm of Celestial, so she can't be the opponent of Master."

Wu Xiankui said,

"Not necessarily so. If she can advance to Celestial before the contest, with the support of the imperial Dragon Qi, it would be another matter."

Chai Keqiao wondered, "Didn't Master say she is immersed in state affairs, neglecting her cultivation? How can she advance further?"

Wu Xiankui suddenly said,

"In the past, Great Yu Grand Ancestor was indeed astonishingly talented, not only powerful in martial arts, adjacent to a Human Immortal, but also I created a unique method for emperors to advance, gathering imperial Dragon Qi, using fortune as support, and only as the first step. If one could offer sacrifices at Luo Mountain, it's not impossible to take a further step."

Offer sacrifices at Luo Mountain?

Chai Keqiao was puzzled for a moment and wanted to ask more, but then he saw the solitary grandmaster of martial arts on the cliff wave his hand: