From Cold Palace Princess to Celestial Empress Ch. 13
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Looking at the stack of books that was almost as tall as the table, Ye Ruoshui’s beautiful eyes were filled with despair as she pitifully gazed at her mistress.
“Your Highness, how can I possibly finish reading all these books?”
Xiao Minghuang remained gentle, lightly stroking the little girl’s head as she said softly, “The pills and spirit stones I’ve given you will enhance your physique and improve your memory.”
“With all the spirit stones and pills combined, they should be enough to help you reach the sixth level of Body Tempering. Once you’ve achieved that level of cultivation, reading these books should be effortless.”
“When I emerge from my next seclusion, I’ll check your progress. If I find that you haven’t been studying diligently…”
As she spoke, Xiao Minghuang’s gaze wandered, taking in the little girl’s entire figure. Then, with a hint of amusement, she reached out and gently patted Ye Ruoshui’s perky little bottom.
So springy!
She leaned in slightly, bringing her lips close to Ye Ruoshui’s ear, her breath as gentle as an orchid:
“Disobedient children will be punished by their big sister, you know!”
Ye Ruoshui’s face flushed crimson, her voice barely a whisper:
“Will there be a reward if I do well?”
“Of course!”
Xiao Minghuang smiled. “If Ruoshui completes her studies diligently, big sister can grant you one wish.”
The principle of the carrot and the stick was something Xiao Minghuang understood well.
Moreover, Ye Ruoshui was still young. She wouldn’t push too hard; her words were merely to instill a sense of urgency, not to impose harsh punishments.
Hearing about the reward, Ye Ruoshui became visibly excited, her beautiful large eyes sparkling with a shy yet eager glimmer, like a butterfly ready to take flight.
“Can it be any wish?”
Without much thought, Xiao Minghuang immediately replied, “Absolutely.”
At these words, Ye Ruoshui seemed even more thrilled. Without a moment’s hesitation, she dove headfirst into the sea of knowledge.
Seeing this, Xiao Minghuang couldn’t help but smile with satisfaction.
“To make a child study hard, coercion alone isn’t enough. Enticement is still necessary!”
…
【Ding!】
【Gift of opportunity successful!】
【Congratulations, host, for triggering a thousandfold critical strike compensation, obtaining the Earth-tier upper-grade martial art 《Seven Stars Sword Technique》!】
Back in the training room, the system’s voice rang out.
Xiao Minghuang smiled smugly, and with a thought, a book appeared in her hand.
The book was a pale golden color, emitting a faint glow, like distant stars shining with brilliance, profound and mysterious, exuding an extraordinary aura.
“An Earth-tier high-grade martial art! I doubt there’s a second one in the entire Southern Region!”
Xiao Minghuang smiled.
While cultivation techniques and martial arts were different, they complemented each other.
The three great sects all possessed Earth-tier cultivation techniques, but none had Earth-tier martial arts, highlighting the rarity of martial arts compared to techniques.
After obtaining the Earth-tier martial art, Xiao Minghuang immediately began to comprehend it.
She pressed the golden book to her forehead.
In an instant, her mind sank into it, as if she had entered a mysterious and unfamiliar world.
Here, the sky was filled with endless, dazzling stars. Among these radiant celestial bodies, seven stars hung in the shape of a ladle in the northern sky.
These seven stars, of special significance, were known as the Big Dipper, representing the most formidable fate among the myriad stars.
The Lord of Death!
The distant and beautiful Big Dipper had stood in the depths of the starry sky since time immemorial, forever radiant, never extinguished.
But above the Big Dipper, a star even more dazzling and profound suddenly rose, brighter and more resplendent, as if eternal and indestructible!
Just as Xiao Minghuang was lost in the beauty of the scene, reluctant to leave.
The myriad stars suddenly vanished, and everything around her returned to normal.
In the training room, Xiao Minghuang stood in a daze, the memories of the stars flowing into her mind without omission.
The dazzling stars, the infinitely beautiful yet deadly Big Dipper; the brilliant light of the North Star, as if eternal in an instant, all became part of her memory.
Though she had not left the room, it felt as if she had undergone a baptism of the starry sky, as if she had traversed the cosmos and witnessed the beauty filled with death.
Xiao Minghuang exhaled deeply, pondered for a moment, and then resolutely declared:
“The 《Seven Stars Sword Technique》 is definitely not just an Earth-tier martial art!”
In that brief moment of enlightenment, she was almost transported to another world, bestowed with a new memory, a power far beyond what an Earth-tier martial art could possess.
Even when she cultivated the Heaven-tier supreme technique 《Purple Star Imperial Path Scripture》, she had never experienced such a miraculous event.
After much contemplation, Xiao Minghuang speculated that there was an exceptional compatibility between the《Purple Star Imperial Path Scripture》 and the《Seven Stars Sword Technique》, creating some kind of resonance that pulled her into an illusion.
However, this was merely her conjecture, and whether it was true or not remained unknown.
No matter what, Xiao Minghuang’s current strength was already on a completely different level.
Xiao Minghuang steadied her mind, raised her hand, and extended her slender, fair index finger.
With a thought, a speck of golden starlight flickered into existence at her fingertip. Within the dazzling and radiant starlight, an endless killing intent flashed.
“After just one cultivation session, the《 Seven Stars Sword Technique》 has already reached perfection. If I were to tell anyone about this progress, they probably wouldn’t believe it!”
A speculation arose in Xiao Minghuang’s heart. There seemed to be a resonance between the 《Purple Star Imperial Path Scripture》 and the《 Seven Stars Sword Technique》, complementing each other. The power they unleashed would likely far exceed her expectations.
“If only there was an opportunity to test the might of these martial arts.”
Xiao Minghuang murmured to herself, then left the training chamber.
Glancing at the rising sun in the east, Xiao Minghuang whispered, “I wonder how long I’ve been in seclusion this time?”
“Your Highness has been in seclusion for a full month.”
A sharp, soft voice suddenly rang out.
Xiao Minghuang’s heart skipped a beat, and she turned to see an unexpected guest.
There, standing in the small pavilion within the courtyard, was the grand eunuch Wang Jin, who smiled and said, “Your Highness truly has remarkable perseverance. This humble servant has been waiting here for a month.”
Hearing this, Xiao Minghuang was slightly surprised. This time in seclusion had actually taken such a long time.
Seeing her expression, Wang Jin spoke up, “Your Highness need not be surprised. It is common for cultivators to go into seclusion for training. The higher the cultivation level, the longer the seclusion. For those in the Divine Sea Realm, it is normal to be in seclusion for thirty to fifty years at a time.”
Wang Jin was at the sixth level of the Divine Sea Realm, second only to the Emperor and Prince Wu’an among all the Divine Sea Realm experts in Great Xia. Xiao Minghuang held great respect for him.
“Thank you for waiting so long, Eunuch. Has my father issued any decrees?”
Wang Jin shook his head slightly:
“His Majesty has not issued any decrees. He only instructed this humble servant to ensure Your Highness’s safety before the grand competition, to guard against any unforeseen events.”
“Additionally, His Majesty entered seclusion a month ago, preparing to break through to the Spirit Seed Realm.”
Hearing this, Xiao Minghuang’s delicate brows furrowed slightly.
The Emperor’s order for Wang Jin to protect her safety was within expectations.
After all, if she were secretly eliminated before the grand competition, there would be no need for any contest. The Second Prince could simply be declared the Crown Prince.
However, the news of the Emperor’s seclusion was unexpected.
“Great Xia is currently in turmoil, surrounded by powerful enemies, yet my father chose to enter seclusion at this critical juncture…”
Xiao Minghuang murmured to herself, pondering for a moment before suddenly realizing something.
The so-called grand competition did not necessarily have to conclude in six months.
In fact, it had already begun the moment the order was issued a month ago.
Translator: Glariosa
Editor: Ruu
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