The Prince Can Do Divination-Chapter 107 - 101: The Vicious Turmoil of the Endless Pavilion, Bloodshed in Prince Jin’s Mansion

Chapter 107: Chapter 101: The Vicious Turmoil of the Endless Pavilion, Bloodshed in Prince Jin’s Mansion

Qingzhu Hall.

Lu Mingyuan sat at his desk, poring over a Cultivation Technique with immense concentration. He occasionally took a sip from a wine cup. Beside him was an unopened brocade box and another that was already open, revealing a small flask of wine.

The open one contained Bear Gallbladder Strength Wine.

The unopened one was called Tiger Bone Jade Marrow Ointment.

These two items were gifts from Huo Hongling. To thank him for carrying her, she had specifically requested them from the Imperial Physician and had the Champion Marquis’s Mansion deliver them. Both were excellent treasures for refining the body and of great benefit to Martial Artists.

Unfortunately, they were only considered Treasure Level Celestial and Earthly Treasures.

To break through to the Sea-Viewing Realm, he now needed 250,000 Energy Nutrients.

A single Hundred Treasures Level Celestial and Earthly Treasure could provide several thousand, and even if he absorbed both of these treasures completely, he would only gain around five or six thousand.

Still, it was better than nothing.

The Jade Liquid in the Heaven-Controlling Bottle continued to accumulate daily, and the Taotie Visualization Image in his Dantian was practiced every day as well. His Cultivation increased steadily, with his Acupoints rising from 761 to 798, which was considerable progress.

He was now focusing most of his energy on practicing Cultivation Techniques, all to grind his Martial Venerable Fate Grid.

"Grandmaster (Basic Level): As a Grandmaster, I can comprehend all techniques. I can master any Martial Arts without a teacher, and my progress in practicing Martial Arts Techniques is ten times faster than normal."

With the "Grandmaster" trait, he could master any Cultivation Technique without a teacher, and his practice progressed at an extremely fast rate.

Before the Grandmaster Realm, the priority for a Martial Artist was Body Refining. The focus was on mastering a few Cultivation Techniques rather than learning many, as learning too many would divide one’s energy.

That was why he hadn’t learned too many Cultivation Techniques at the start.

But things were different now. He had already become a Supreme Grandmaster, so this was the perfect time to learn more Cultivation Techniques. All he needed to do was slowly break through his Acupoints.

Over the past few days, he had already learned multiple Cultivation Techniques.

The Vacuum Hand Seal, the Floating Cloud Swordsmanship Thirty-Six Forms, the Life-taking Staff Skill, the Crane Form Flashing Pounce Diagram...

Every one of these Cultivation Techniques was a treasure from the Royal Family’s library, sourced from various Major Sects. They included techniques from the Buddhist Family, the Military Family, and the Confucian Dao—each from a different, unique school. As long as it was a Martial Arts Technique, he could learn it, no matter which type of Cultivator had developed it.

However, Lu Mingyuan’s goal wasn’t just to become a Grandmaster in name and deed. He had another, more important purpose for practicing these Cultivation Techniques.

He wanted to enable his Shadow Warriors to fulfill their individual roles.

He would split off a strand of his Divine Soul for each Shadow Warrior, giving each one a unique identity.

For example, he would command the first Shadow Warrior to use the Vacuum Hand Seal. It would then act according to this Buddhist Martial Arts Technique, playing the part of a bald-headed Martial Artist who studies Buddhism.

Similarly, he would teach the second Shadow Warrior the Floating Cloud Swordsmanship Thirty-Six Forms and assign it the corresponding identity of a Sword Cultivator from the Military Family.

His objective in doing this was also very simple.

He wanted them to infiltrate Prince Jin’s Mansion as Guest Scholars and become his Assassins.

He wanted to let him have a taste of what it felt like to be watched.

"Trait [Grandmaster] triggered. Mastered without a teacher. Mountain-Shattering Palm Technique has been learned."

After a good deal of study, Lu Mingyuan finally learned all the Cultivation Techniques he had on hand.

’Now things will be much easier,’ he thought.

At different times and in different places, he would dispatch his Shadow Warriors to pledge allegiance to Prince Jin’s Mansion, creating the illusion that the Prince had a wealth of talented individuals under his command.

In reality, these people were all his Puppets.

Even if their strength was low—only within the Grandmaster Realm—and they didn’t meet the requirements for the Middle Fifth Grade, Lu Mingyuan believed Lu Guangjing would still employ them.

This was because most of his Assassins had met an early demise in the Imperial Palace, and he was in dire need of people.

Besides, there was no hurry. They would lie low for a while.

When his own Martial Dao strength broke through to the Middle Fifth Grade, the power of his Puppets would naturally rise with it.

Once their strength was a bit higher and the time was right, that would be the day Lu Guangjing dies.

Lu Mingyuan felt his initial plan had no major flaws, though implementing it might lead to various changes. The biggest problem would be successfully entering Prince Jin’s Mansion and gaining the Second Prince’s trust.

’I’ll just take it one step at a time,’ he thought.

He stood up and stretched.

A line of text appeared before Lu Mingyuan’s eyes.

"Azure Destiny - Martial Venerable, Refinement Level increased to 15%."

After several days of intense grinding, it had finally increased by ten percent.

"When will I get the second trait?"

Lu Mingyuan couldn’t help but look forward to the other special effect of the Martial Venerable Fate Grid.

’As an Azure Fate Grid, it definitely has to have more than one,’ he reasoned.

"I’ll go to bed early today. Tomorrow is the Endless Pavilion’s trial. Whether the plan succeeds will all depend on how smoothly things go for the first Shadow Warrior."

He didn’t know what Lu Guangjing thought of him, but he definitely wanted Lu Guangjing to die as soon as possible. None of the other Princes targeted him; it was just this guy, constantly stirring up trouble and pulling some new stunt every other day.

’If I don’t use some tricks of my own, he’ll really think I’m a pushover,’ he thought.

...

「Another bright day dawned.」

After waking up with Zi Yun and Hong Wan in his arms, Lu Mingyuan accepted a cup of tea from Qi Muxue and began to act.

His Divine Soul slipped into a pre-molded Shadow Warrior, which then dissolved into a stream of blood and escaped.

People bustled to and fro within the Imperial City.

The Imperial Capital had a population of several million, and countless strange and wonderful things happened every day.

As Lu Mingyuan passed by the Bright Lamp Bureau’s Government Office, he overheard a conversation between some low-ranking Brocade Guards above his head.

"The other day, a Daoist from the Thunder Pool Daoist Academy went to Pingchuan County to investigate the case of a missing woman..."

"The culprit’s husband found her too ugly, so she secretly learned an Evil Technique, a form of Witchcraft. Whenever she found a woman whose face she coveted, she would sneak into her home late at night, flay the skin from her face, and then merge it onto her own!"

"How wicked is that!"

Hearing this, he paused. He was slightly interested, as he himself had once been a victim of Witchcraft.

"The caster could change her appearance, but it couldn’t have been easy on her. Each time she changed her skin, she had to endure the agony of being flayed alive."

"What happened to her in the end?"

"Of course, the Daoist Academy’s Immortal Master shattered her soul completely."

The lead Imperial Capital Brocade Guard lowered his voice. "I heard that the woman’s husband enjoyed it every day. Tsk tsk. During the interrogation, he acted like he knew nothing about it. Truly chilling."

Lu Mingyuan listened for a moment before walking away. ’A nice little story,’ he thought.

「At the entrance of Prince Jin’s Mansion today.」

The main gates were wide open.

A dozen or so male and female Cultivators, all dressed differently, stood waiting in formation, ready for anything.

When a burly, bearded man with a face like the Thunder God emerged from the mansion, they all bowed their heads in salute.

The man’s name was Lei Meng, a Sea-Viewing Realm Martial Artist. His Sect was ranked in the top 500 on the Mountain and River List. While that might not be a big deal in the Imperial Capital City, it made him rather well-known outside the Capital City.

The Mountain and River List was a ranking of the Great Yan Sects. Anyone who could make the list was not to be underestimated.

Lu Mingyuan controlled the Blood Glutton Shadow Warrior. It was tall and burly, and as it slowly approached, its aura intensified, causing the faces of those nearby to feel a searing heat.

Everyone was secretly alarmed. ’This man’s vitality is as strong as a dragon’s!’

’He’s probably a Grandmaster, and not an ordinary one at that.’

Moreover, he wore a Bronze Tiger Mask, making him look incredibly mysterious and his strength seem unfathomable.

Only after everyone had entered Prince Jin’s Mansion did the burly man begin to speak.

"Welcome, everyone, to Prince Jin’s Mansion. Right now, you all need only pass a small selection test to enter the Second Prince’s service and enjoy a limitless supply of Incense Smoke!"

Lei Meng’s tiger-like eyes swept over the seated Cultivators as he used his Primordial Qi, his voice booming like thunder.

When Lu Mingyuan heard this, he narrowed his eyes slightly.

’The man is clearly just making empty promises,’ he thought. ’All the top Sects have already chosen their sides, and there are very few left unaligned. If there really was a limitless supply of Incense Smoke for the taking, would it really be our turn?’

’Easy for him to say.’

"Tributor Lei, may I ask what the test is?" a Female Cultivator holding a sword asked respectfully.

In the eyes of these Cultivators, this Lei Meng was simply a Tributor of the Prince Mansion, hired to act on orders.

Hearing this, the corner of Lei Meng’s mouth curved up, a smile appearing in his eyes. "It’s simple. Only three of you can live."

"Tributor Lei, you must be joking with us?!"

Upon hearing this, the expression of everyone present changed.

Lei Meng said flatly, "All of you here have a criminal record; your identities aren’t exactly clean. You’ve fled here to escape from those hunting you. If you came seeking a salary and stability, Prince Jin’s Mansion will provide it. However, my Prince’s Mansion does not support the mediocre. You are all vying for the role of Assassin, so you must display your capabilities and prove whether you are qualified."

"The time limit is three incense sticks. I wish you all the best."

"What kind of joke is this?! I give up! I’m not taking this test!"

A man with shifty eyes and a nervous expression turned to leave, but he discovered that a formation of Golden Talismans had appeared at some point, enveloping the courtyard of Prince Jin’s Mansion and preventing anyone from escaping. His face changed, and he shouted:

"Let me out of here!"

Seeing this, Lei Meng took a step back, retreating to the pavilion behind him. He looked down on them from above and chuckled.

"Shouting counts against your time, you know."

...