From Cold Palace Princess to Celestial Empress Ch. 112
“I never expected there to be such an unknown secret place within the borders of Great Xia.”
Xiao Minghuang marveled. This small mountain was located in a remote and desolate area, rarely visited by people. If not for the system’s guidance, she might never have come to this place in her lifetime.
Not to mention, there was an illusionary array within the cave. Without the system’s prompt, even if she had entered the cave, she would not have discovered the hidden opportunity within.
She had just discovered the 《Stellar Qi Guidance Technique》 in the cave, a cultivation method that combined both body refinement and qi refinement, allowing one to cultivate all the way to the Nascent Soul stage.
“Gifting this technique to Wanqiu will at least earn me a Heaven-grade lower-tier technique!”
Xiao Minghuang’s lips curled slightly upward, and a hint of a smile appeared in the corners of her eyes.
After countless acts of gifting, she had gained a deeper understanding of how the system operated.
Gifting a unique treasure like a cultivation technique was different from gifting pills or spirit stones.
When gifting elixirs, there are two possibilities: qualitative transformation return and quantitative transformation return.
However, when gifting cultivation techniques, only qualitative transformation return is possible.
The only thing stronger than a top-tier Earth-grade cultivation technique is a Heaven-grade technique. Even if it’s just slightly stronger, the system will return a Heaven-grade technique instead of selecting one from the top-tier Earth-grade techniques.
Initially, Xiao Minghuang didn’t understand the principle behind this mechanism.
But after inquiring with the system and pondering, she finally grasped it.
For martial artists, different techniques can produce vastly different levels of power depending on who uses them.
But for the system, as long as techniques are judged to be of the same grade, their potential is considered equivalent.
“There’s only one last opportunity left. After obtaining it, it’s time to return to the capital.”
Tomorrow is the day of the grand competition.
Thinking of this, a slight curve formed at the corner of Xiao Minghuang’s lips.
After comprehending the Sword Intent, she was eager to find an opponent for a thrilling battle.
Xiao Minghuang took a deep breath, focused her mind, and summoned the treasure compass. Seeing the last flicker of cyan light on it, she soared into the sky, heading straight for the opportunity.
…
One hour later.
A young man in black robes descended from the sky and arrived at the entrance of a cave.
“Master, is this the entrance to the hidden realm you mentioned?”
The young man in black robes looked at the cave in front of him, his brows slightly furrowed.
The cave seemed utterly ordinary, completely unlike a hidden realm or blessed land.
At that moment, a phantom-like figure floated out.
“What do you know? Once a cultivator reaches the Nascent Soul stage, they can refine specific magical artifacts into hidden realms and place them in the outside world. Ordinary people would never detect the existence of such realms from the outside, completely unaware of the treasures within.”
Hearing this, the First Prince’s eyes lit up with joy. If that was the case, the opportunity here must have been left by at least a Nascent Soul stage expert!
After the old man’s explanation, he raised his hands, and a beam of white light shot into the cave.
The First Prince asked, “What are you doing?”
The old man ignored him.
“Strange? Why is there nothing in this hidden realm? I just deduced yesterday that there was an opportunity here. How could it suddenly disappear?”
The old man’s voice wasn’t loud, but it reached the First Prince’s ears. His expression changed slightly, and he urgently asked:
“The opportunity is gone?”
The old man still didn’t respond to him. Instead, the white light in his palm suddenly surged, almost flooding the entire cave, yet he still found nothing.
Seeing this, the First Prince hurriedly asked:
“Master, have you found anything?”
Hearing this, the old man took a deep look into the dark cave and sighed:
“Someone has been here just now and took the opportunity ahead of us!”
Hearing this, the First Prince was greatly shocked. Earlier, when they went to the Sword Dao Stone Tablet, someone had beaten them to it.
Now, when they came to seek this opportunity, someone had once again taken it first. Could it be that someone could foresee the future?
Thinking of this, the First Prince became as restless as an ant on a hot pan, pacing back and forth in place.
“Master, what should we do? Tomorrow is the grand competition. If I can’t significantly improve my strength, I definitely won’t be able to defeat that woman. When the time comes… if I can’t become the crown prince, the possibility of you regaining your physical body will likely be gone.”
As the First Prince spoke, his tone gradually softened, ending with a rather indifferent remark.
He had figured it out. The old man wanted to rebuild his physical body and needed his help, so there was no need for him to rush. The old man would naturally find a way.
Sure enough.
The old man’s expression suddenly changed. He turned and stared at the First Prince, saying in a deep voice:
“Are you doubting my abilities?”
“I wouldn’t dare!”
The First Prince quickly clasped his hands in respect. With the memories of the original host in his mind, he naturally knew that the old man’s true strength was immense, and his background was extraordinary.
“Hmph!”
The old man snorted lightly and said indifferently:
“If things become impossible, I will personally intervene and help you win the competition.”
Hearing this, the First Prince’s face lit up with joy, and he secretly let out a sigh of relief. In his memories, there were scenes of the old man taking action.
Once, when they were searching for a key ingredient to enhance his talent, the old man had borrowed his body to unleash a divine technique of overwhelming power, flattening a thousand-foot mountain with a single strike!
With such strength, there was no doubt that he could easily defeat Princess Ziwei.
The old man slightly raised his eyelids, glanced at the First Prince a few times, and then added:
“Although I can help you win the competition, you must improve your strength as soon as possible.”
“Four hundred miles from here, there is another opportunity—a token granting access to a secret realm. Once you obtain the token and enter the realm, with my help, the rare treasures and divine artifacts inside will be within your grasp!”
“Wonderful!”
The First Prince’s face beamed with excitement.
The old man reminded him:
“Don’t celebrate too soon. The competition is tomorrow, and there’s no time to go to the secret realm now. Let’s secure the token first, and after the competition, we can go treasure hunting.”
The First Prince had no objections to this and nodded, saying:
“Then let’s go get the token now!”
“Hmm…”
The old man responded faintly, his figure gradually becoming illusory. Just as he was about to disappear, he seemed to casually ask:
“Oh, by the way, I noticed that the heart-protecting lock you always wore is gone. It looked quite nice—was it some kind of magical artifact?”
Hearing this, the First Prince didn’t think much and replied:
“It wasn’t a magical artifact. It was just too ugly, though the materials were quite valuable.”
At this, the old man’s pupils slightly contracted, but he remained expressionless and returned to the ring.
The First Prince didn’t pay any attention to these words and turned to leave, heading toward the new opportunity.
Inside the ring.
The old man’s expression turned extremely grim.
“Right under my nose, Xiao Yan has been possessed by someone else!”
“No wonder I’ve been feeling that his behavior has been so strange lately, completely different from before. It turns out someone has secretly replaced his core!”
The old man sighed deeply. Trapped in the ring for many years, he had gradually recovered thanks to Xiao Yan’s spiritual energy.
Initially, he had indeed harbored the intention to possess Xiao Yan once he grew stronger, but after a long period of interaction, he came to recognize Xiao Yan as a person of deep loyalty and righteousness.
Thus, he abandoned that thought.
He truly began to regard Xiao Yan as his disciple.
But now,
Xiao Yan was no longer the original Xiao Yan.
“Xiao Yan, I will avenge you.”
“Your body will be my reward.”
“Ke ke ke ke…”
The old man let out a strange laugh, and the dark space within the ring returned to silence.
…
Four hundred miles away, in a small town.
Xiao Minghuang descended from the sky from afar, concealed her aura, slightly altered her appearance, and entered the town’s market disguised as an ordinary person.
Even so, her stunning beauty still attracted the attention of countless people.
Xiao Minghuang paid no mind to this. Following the guidance of her compass, she soon arrived at an unremarkable stall.
She glanced down at the assortment of jars and bottles on the tattered gray cloth, eventually focusing her attention on a lump of iron covered in red rust.
According to the compass, hidden within this lump of iron was a token granting access to a secret realm.
In the market, everyone was surprised to see this ethereally beautiful and noble young lady approach a stall that was rarely visited.
“When did our town have such a beautiful woman?”
“Ha! Are you stupid? This girl couldn’t possibly be from our town. She’s clearly a noble passing through!”
“Isn’t that Old Li’s stall? Where has that guy gone?”
Xiao Minghuang glanced at the unattended stall and looked around.
“Does anyone know where the owner of this stall has gone?”
At her words, countless voices chimed in simultaneously.
“Old Li went to take a dump! Miss, why don’t you come take a look at my stall? I’ve got pots, pans, and everything else!”
“Are you an idiot? A lady like her wouldn’t care about your pots and pans! Miss, come take a look at my stall. I’ve got the finest rouge, and you can try it for free!”
“How old are you, miss? Are you married? I—”
At that moment, a young scholar stepped forward, bowing respectfully.
But before he could finish, a burly woman kicked him aside.
“Little Li, go fetch your grandpa! This girl is clearly an important noble. Don’t get any ideas!”
Her words were met with laughter, filling the market with a lively atmosphere.
The scholar, having been kicked, wasn’t angry. Blushing, he looked at Xiao Minghuang, clasped his hands, and said in a refined manner:
“Miss, please wait a moment. I’ll be right back.”
Xiao Minghuang gave a slight nod but said nothing.
She could tell that the people in the market harbored no ill will toward her, and the scholar’s admiration was purely innocent.
After a while, the scholar returned, supporting an elderly man with graying hair.
“Noble lady, which of my things caught your eye? These are all treasures passed down from my ancestors. Please don’t take advantage of an old man’s failing eyesight.”
The old man trembled as he sat down on a bamboo mat, while the scholar stood beside him, occasionally casting shy, admiring glances at Xiao Minghuang, like a young girl with a crush.
Xiao Minghuang’s expression remained unchanged as she pointed to the lump of iron and asked calmly:
“How much for this piece of iron?”
At her words, the old man’s cloudy eyes seemed to clear slightly. Though aged, he wasn’t blind. He could see the noble bearing of the woman before him, unmistakably a young lady from a great family, her demeanor elegant and dignified, not the kind of woman raised in just any small household.
Yet, she had no guards or attendants with her, as if she were a young lady who had sneaked out to play.
After a moment of thought, the old man spoke in a hoarse voice:
“This piece of iron isn’t just any ordinary lump. It’s been passed down from my great-grandfather. Speaking of my great-grandfather, he was no ordinary man. He was once a martial artist who joined a sect…”
As the old man began to recount his family’s glorious history, the scholar felt somewhat embarrassed. He could tell that although the woman appeared to be politely listening with an “I’m very courteous and paying attention” demeanor, no one actually wanted to hear these self-aggrandizing tales reeking of decay.
“Grandpa, stop boasting. They might not want it anymore if you keep this up.”
Hearing this, the old man glared at his grandson.
“What do you know!”
He then turned to Xiao Minghuang, his wrinkled face breaking into a smile:
“This piece of iron has an extraordinary origin and is related to martial artists. No matter what method I use, I can’t break it. It might even contain treasures of martial artists. So… ten taels of gold!”
Upon hearing this number, before Xiao Minghuang could react, the scholar was the first to get anxious.
“Grandpa! This is just a rusty piece of iron. How dare you sell it for ten taels of gold?!”
Before he could finish speaking, the old man kicked the scholar hard on the leg.
The scholar winced in pain, his face showing a look of endurance. He glanced deeply at Xiao Minghuang and limped away.
Xiao Minghuang could see that as the scholar left, he mouthed a phrase to her.
“Don’t buy it.”
Xiao Minghuang paid no heed to this. She wasn’t someone who would balk at a mere ten taels of gold.
However, as the dignified Princess Ziwei, she indeed didn’t carry ten taels of gold with her.
Thinking this, she decided to head to the nearest county town to borrow some gold from the magistrate.
She then turned to the old man and said, “Alright, but I don’t have that much gold on me. You’ll have to wait for me for a quarter of an hour.”
Hearing this, the old man quickly agreed, saying repeatedly, “Sure, sure, even if it’s a whole day, it’s fine. Noble lady, please go and fetch the money!”
After confirming, Xiao Minghuang turned and headed towards the nearest county town.
After Xiao Minghuang left, the crowd began to chatter.
“She’s indeed a young lady from a great family, giving away ten taels of gold just like that.”
“Old Li is going to strike it rich this time!”
“Old Li… no, Uncle Li! Now that you’re rich, don’t forget your nephew!”
“Yes, yes, Third Uncle, I want to propose to Miss Wang from the neighboring village. Her family wants two taels of silver as a betrothal gift. You must help your grandson!”
With ten taels of gold falling from the sky, Old Li was beaming with joy, unable to close his mouth from smiling. He agreed to every request from the villagers.
Many people left their stalls and rushed home to share the good news.
In no time, the market was left with only Old Li.
“These guys, they sure ran fast.”
Looking at the empty market, Old Li shook his head and sighed. Then, he turned to look at a big tree not far away.
“Grandson, stop hiding. I know you didn’t leave.”
The scholar emerged from behind the tree.
“Grandpa, that rusty piece of iron isn’t worth ten taels of gold. You’re deceiving people!”
Hearing this, Old Li scoffed, “Do you think a noble lady would fancy a country bumpkin like you? Don’t dream!”
Translator: Glariosa
Editor: Ruu
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