Second Prince’s residence.
Inside a secluded chamber, the Seventh Prince lay on the bed, his breathing weak, life hanging by a thread, like a dying candle in the wind, ready to go out at any moment.
The Seventh Prince’s situation was different from Xiao Minghuang’s.
The former had his dantian forcibly shattered by an external force, his foundation destroyed, and all his Qi and Blood Power lost.
The latter only suffered from the aftereffects of a pill, resulting in broken meridians and an inability to circulate qi and blood effectively.
With his foundation completely ruined, the Seventh Prince’s injuries were even more severe than Xiao Minghuang’s.
After his cultivation was crippled, the Seventh Prince’s qi and blood rapidly declined.
In just half a day, he had become skin and bones, looking like an old man in his sixties or seventies, as if he didn’t have much time left.
“Second Brother, that little girl is Body Tempering Ninth Level… I’m no match for her… Second Brother, you have to avenge me!” The Seventh Prince spoke in broken sentences, barely able to breathe, as if he might die from his injuries at any moment.
Seeing this, the Second Prince’s handsome face flushed with anger, a flash of fury in his eyes.
To cripple his own brother in front of everyone—she clearly didn’t take him seriously at all!
“Don’t worry, Seventh Brother, I’ll definitely avenge you!”
As he spoke, he waved his hand, his face full of sorrow.
“Go find the best doctors, do whatever it takes to heal Seventh Brother’s injuries!”
But these words were just to comfort the Seventh Prince.
Once cultivation is crippled, unless there’s a legendary Heaven-Grade Pill, there’s no hope of recovery—everyone knows this.
When he returned to his own study, his expression immediately darkened.
“What a Ninth Princess, she really doesn’t take me seriously!”
Just then—
The door opened, and a dignified middle-aged man in black robes walked in, exuding the aura of the Divine Sea Realm.
This was Prince Wu’an, the second strongest in Great Xia.
“Second Prince, I heard the Seventh Prince challenged the Ninth Princess and got his cultivation crippled in public.
Was this your idea?”
The Second Prince cupped his hands.
“The Ninth Princess was suddenly rewarded by the Emperor.
I suspected something was off, so I sent Seventh Brother to test her.
I didn’t expect that little girl to be so bold!”
Prince Wu’an’s gaze was calm as he asked, “Is that really what you think? Just a Ninth Princess—would she really dare to do that?”
Hearing this, the Second Prince’s eyes focused.
After a moment’s thought, he suddenly realized, “Could it be Father…”
In an instant, many thoughts flashed through his mind.
Seven days ago, the Ninth Princess lost in the competition due to a violation and was sent to the Cold Palace, but then news came that her cultivation had recovered.
That’s why he sent the Seventh Prince to test her, but…
As for how the Ninth Princess’s cultivation was restored and even improved after being crippled, maybe she was never crippled at all—this was all a show directed by the Xia Emperor.
Understanding this, the Second Prince let out a breath, frowned, and hesitated, “If this really is Father’s intention, then things get tricky.”
No matter how powerful he and Prince Wu’an were, the Xia Emperor was still the strongest in Great Xia.
Not to mention there was still a Spirit Seed Realm Old Ancestor alive.
If the Xia Emperor was determined to support Xiao Minghuang, there was nothing he could do.
Seeing the Second Prince’s uncertainty, Prince Wu’an spoke calmly, reminding him, “What? You want to give up already?”
“No!” The Second Prince answered instinctively.
After a moment, a cold look appeared on his handsome face as he looked at Prince Wu’an.
“Grandfather, I ask you to take action and kill the Ninth Princess, paving the way for me to become emperor!”
With Prince Wu’an’s Divine Sea Eighth Level cultivation, killing the Body Tempering Ninth Level Xiao Minghuang would be as easy as crushing an ant.
As long as it was done in secret and cleanly, even the Xia Emperor wouldn’t be able to trace it.
By then, with the Ninth Princess dead, no matter how angry the Xia Emperor was, he’d have to swallow it and make him the heir.
Hearing this, a pleased smile appeared on Prince Wu’an’s stern face.
“Good, you’re teachable!”
“I came here to tell you that the Xia Emperor will soon go into seclusion to break through to the Spirit Seed Realm.
During this time, Great Xia will be in chaos.
We can take advantage of the disorder to eliminate the Ninth Princess and anyone else in our way!”
The Second Prince looked confused.
The Xia Emperor had been at the peak of the Divine Sea Realm for years, often going into seclusion to try to break through to the Spirit Seed Realm, but always failing.
This wasn’t public knowledge, but everyone in the royal family knew.
What really puzzled him was the second half of Prince Wu’an’s words.
“Right now the country is peaceful—how could there be chaos in Great Xia? What do you mean, Grandfather?”
Prince Wu’an said calmly, “That’s not your concern.
Get ready—in a few days, you’ll be heading to Donglin City for training.”
“As for the Ninth Princess, leave it to me!”
As he spoke, Prince Wu’an took out a storage bag and handed it to the Second Prince.
“Use these resources to break through to the Gushing Spring Realm as soon as possible.”
The Second Prince bowed respectfully.
“Thank you for your generosity, Grandfather.
When I ascend the throne, I’ll obey your every command!”
…
To the east of the city, on a wide street.
Xiao Minghuang and her companion left the Imperial Palace and headed straight for their new mansion.
Above the gate hung a brand-new plaque with four gold characters—Ninth Princess’s Residence.
Outside the gate stood a middle-aged man who looked like a steward, pale-faced and beardless, exuding the aura of the Qi Refining Realm.
When he saw Xiao Minghuang and her companion, he immediately came forward.
“I am Wang Er, sent by the Emperor to handle the affairs of Your Highness’s residence.
Welcome home, Your Highness!”
“No need for formalities.”
After entering, Wang Er introduced Xiao Minghuang to the residence, mostly trivial matters not worth mentioning.
“…There’s a medicine garden in the west wing, with many spirit herbs and spiritual medicines.
The quality isn’t high, but it can provide plenty of spiritual energy for the mansion.”
“…There’s a cultivation room in the east wing, inscribed with a Spirit Gathering Array.
Your Highness can cultivate there and absorb spiritual energy much faster!”
Xiao Minghuang’s eyes lit up with joy.
She knew nothing about alchemy, so the medicine garden wasn’t much use to her, but the Spirit Gathering Array was different.
The Dao of formations, like the Dao of pills, had different grades.
A Spirit Gathering Array that could speed up cultivation was simple to set up, but required precious spirit stones as materials—not something you could just make anywhere.
Xiao Minghuang made her way to the cultivation room.
After learning how to use the Spirit Gathering Array, she sent Wang Er away, leaving only her and Ye Ruoshui in the room.
“The Spirit Gathering Array consumes ten spirit stones every hour.
Right now, there are enough spirit stones in the array to run for three days straight.
Your Highness can activate the formation when you’re about to break through, as an aid.”
Wang Er left her with these words.
Being able to run the formation for three days meant there were three hundred and sixty spirit stones in the array—a huge number.
But since she had a hundred mid-grade spirit stones herself, she could use it as much as she wanted.
For now, though, she had no plans to activate the formation.
Her current Cultivation had already reached the peak of the ninth level of the Body Tempering Realm, just one step away from entering the Qi Refining Realm.
Guiding Qi into the Body required the guidance of a Cultivation Method.
The newly acquired “Dragon Soul Mind Method” might be an Earth Rank low-grade Cultivation Method, but if she gave it away and received System compensation in return, she would definitely get an even better Cultivation Method.
With this plan in mind, Xiao Minghuang quietly waited for tomorrow to come.
