The Xia Emperor had a total of nine children, and the Ninth Princess, Xiao Minghuang, was the youngest.
The eldest prince was born a mortal, and with an innately weak body, he had no chance of cultivating in this life.
Early on, the Xia Emperor sent him away to the provinces and never bothered with him again.
So many years had passed that no one even knew if he was still alive.
The Second Prince was different.
His mother was the daughter of Prince Wu’an.
Prince Wu’an was at the eighth level of the Divine Sea Realm in cultivation.
In all of Great Xia, aside from the Royal Family Elders, Prince Wu’an had the highest cultivation and a highly respected status.
Because of this, the Second Prince’s position was extremely high, and all the court officials tried to curry favor with him.
He already had the air of a leader among his peers and usually acted as if he were the Crown Prince.
The other princes, except for the Sixth Prince, all clung to the Second Prince, bowing and scraping before him.
Even without considering the power behind the Second Prince, just his peak Qi Refining Realm cultivation alone was not something Xiao Minghuang could contend with.
“There’s still time.
Right now, I have the protection of the Xia Emperor and the Old Ancestor.
Even the Second Prince wouldn’t dare do anything to me.”
But Xiao Minghuang knew that this protection wouldn’t last forever.
A flower raised in a greenhouse could never lead Great Xia to survive in the chaos of the Southern Territory.
Those with high cultivation realms behind the Second Prince might be intimidated by the Old Ancestor’s power and not dare to act openly, but in secret, there would be no shortage of cold spears and hidden arrows!
After thinking for a moment, Xiao Minghuang steadied herself and continued walking toward the main hall of the Imperial Palace.
She stopped at the doorway, and from inside the hall came a sharp voice—it was the same Great Eunuch, Wang Jin, who had come to the Cold Palace to deliver an imperial edict a few days ago.
“Summon the Ninth Princess, Xiao Minghuang, to appear before His Majesty!”
Xiao Minghuang entered the hall and saw, seated on the dais, a middle-aged man in dragon robes, dignified and solemn—the Xia Emperor himself.
Beside him, bowing with white hair and no beard, stood the Great Eunuch, Wang Jin.
Other than them, there was no one else in the hall.
A pair of scrutinizing eyes fell on her.
Sensing the faint spiritual energy fluctuations coming from Xiao Minghuang, a hint of surprise flashed in the Xia Emperor’s otherwise calm eyes.
“In just two days, she’s actually stepped into the Qi Refining Realm!”
Wang Jin was equally shocked.
Two days ago, during Xiao Minghuang’s fight with the Seventh Prince, he had watched from the shadows.
At that time, the Ninth Princess was only at the ninth level of Body Tempering, but in just two days, she had broken through to the Qi Refining Realm!
“The medicinal power of the Rising Essence Pill shouldn’t be enough to break through an entire major realm, should it?”
The Xia Emperor was puzzled but didn’t ask.
Inside the hall, Xiao Minghuang took a deep breath and said in a steady voice, “Your daughter, Xiao Minghuang, greets Father Emperor!”
The Xia Emperor said indifferently, “You can skip the formalities.
I summoned you here to tell you something.”
“Half a year from now, the Imperial Palace will hold a Grand Competition.
The final winner will be made Crown Prince.”
Hearing this, Xiao Minghuang’s pupils shrank slightly.
The Xia Emperor had summoned her just to tell her this.
What kind of signal did this send? Was he considering making her the heir?
Seeing her expression, the Xia Emperor nodded and said, “You’re right.
I am indeed considering making you the heir.”
“But you’re not the only one.”
A look of surprise flashed across Xiao Minghuang’s beautiful face.
“Great Xia has been in the Southern Territory for eight hundred years, but the various countries and sects of the Southern Territory have never truly accepted us as their own.”
“They don’t dare to act openly against Great Xia because the Royal Family has a Spirit Seed Realm Old Ancestor.
Once the Old Ancestor passes away, those countries and sects will have no more scruples.
So, you don’t have much time.”
“Half a year from now, whoever wins will be the next Xia Emperor!”
After saying this, the Xia Emperor waved his sleeve, and Xiao Minghuang was swept out of the Great Hall.
After regaining her footing, Xiao Minghuang frowned slightly, pondering the Xia Emperor’s words.
Although the Xia Emperor hadn’t said it outright, there was an unspoken sense of crisis in his words, as if something bad was about to happen.
“The only thing that could make the Xia Emperor afraid is a threat to Great Xia’s rule.
With a Spirit Seed Realm Old Ancestor, what could he possibly be worried about?”
But then, Xiao Minghuang suddenly thought of the Old Man she had seen in the Scripture Repository Hall two days ago.
Her pupils shrank again, and combining this with what the Xia Emperor had just said, a terrifying thought suddenly occurred to her.
“The Old Ancestor’s lifespan is almost up!”
If not, the Old Ancestor wouldn’t have suddenly appeared and passed on an Earth Rank cultivation method that had been hidden for years, and the Xia Emperor wouldn’t be choosing the best successor in such a harsh way.
With these heavy thoughts in her heart, Xiao Minghuang returned home.
Earlier that afternoon, there had been an awkward misunderstanding between Xiao Minghuang and Ye Ruoshui.
Normally, they should have taken a few days to cool off, waited until they’d both forgotten about it, and then started fresh as if nothing had happened.
But—
“I have to get stronger as soon as possible.
The Second Prince won’t show me any mercy!”
Xiao Minghuang clenched her fists and walked toward Ye Ruoshui’s room.
When she reached the door, she knocked, but there was no response.
Xiao Minghuang extended her spiritual awareness, but didn’t sense Ye Ruoshui’s presence in the room.
She spread her spiritual awareness further, covering the entire residence, and found traces of Ye Ruoshui in the cultivation room.
Xiao Minghuang went to the cultivation room, quietly opened a crack in the door, and saw Ye Ruoshui’s small figure sitting cross-legged in the center of the room, her little face full of determination.
“The little girl really has grown up.
She knows to work hard at cultivation now.”
Xiao Minghuang sighed softly, didn’t leave, and stood at the door waiting, taking the opportunity to practice her own cultivation method.
After about half an hour, there was a rustling sound from inside the cultivation room, and Ye Ruoshui came out.
Ye Ruoshui pushed open the door and saw her Highness standing in the courtyard, graceful as jade, eyes half-closed, her whole body exuding a mysterious aura.
But that feeling only lasted a moment before it disappeared.
Xiao Minghuang opened her eyes and smiled.
“Ruo Shui, did you run into any problems with your cultivation?”
Like a child caught stealing candy, Ye Ruoshui’s face was full of embarrassment as she stammered, “Your Highness, I want to improve my cultivation too, so I can help you.
I didn’t activate the formation in the cultivation room, so I won’t waste your spirit stones!”
Hearing this, Xiao Minghuang said helplessly, “You haven’t used a single one of the spirit stones I gave you, have you?”
Ye Ruoshui nodded obediently.
“I’m saving them for you.
If you need them, just ask me for them.”
Xiao Minghuang walked over, patted Ye Ruoshui’s soft hair, and sighed, “Silly girl, those spirit stones were for you to use.
You can use the cultivation room whenever you want.”
“I’ve said it before, you’re like a little sister to me.
Isn’t it only natural for a Sister to share her things with her little sister?”
Hearing this, Ye Ruoshui looked up with teary eyes and threw herself into Xiao Minghuang’s arms, bawling her eyes out.
“Your Highness, you’re so good to me!”
Xiao Minghuang wrapped her arms around Ye Ruoshui’s soft waist, gently stroking her as she spoke tenderly, “I’m good to you because I like you!”
“Be good! Sister has another precious Pill to give you, so you mustn’t refuse, okay?”
