'Eldest Senior Brother has experienced many lives and reincarnated many times. He's mysterious and unfathomable.'
'Second Senior Sister must have something extraordinary about her to receive the love of the Flame Phoenix.'
'Third Senior Brother… is related to the Ghost Emperor. He might be from the holy land.'
'Then, what's so special about me?'
Xu Qing fell silent. He didn't feel that he was any different from others, other than… his relationship with Crow.
Also, during the battle with the Crimson Goddess back then, he didn't know if the scene he saw in the purple crystal was real or fake.
In the scene he saw, he had died. This was different from what he had experienced.
"Have I really died once?"
Under the moonlight, Xu Qing mumbled softly. His voice blended into the night and seemed to draw ripples in the night sky.
It was unknown if the clouds sensed it or not, but they moved with the wind and permeated the night sky, gradually becoming denser. Thunder rolled in late, giving birth to silent flashes of lightning that flickered faintly within.
Soon, the late thunder arrived.
A rumbling sound exploded in the entire Imperial Capital. The heavy rain poured down the entire night. Even when dawn broke, the sky remained gloomy, casting a haze that seemed to induce a sense of lethargy in people.
In the afternoon, the rain fell again.
On this day, Xu Qing didn't go to the Imperial Academy. He had visited almost all the schools there. What he had to do now was to make a choice.
In addition, there was another reason. He had an appointment today.
The person who invited him was the third princess.
If it was someone else, Xu Qing could refuse. However, the kindness the third princess had expressed on the way made it difficult for Xu Qing to reject her. His personality was like this.
Hence, even with the heavy rain today, at dusk, Xu Qing stepped out of the mansion with an oil-paper umbrella in hand.
While cultivators could use their cultivation to create a barrier to block the falling raindrops, since he was among the mortals, there was no need to stand out unnecessarily.
This was a part of mental cultivation and was also the comprehension Xu Qing had obtained in the Mental State School in Imperial Academy.
At this moment, he was walking on the streets of the Imperial Capital at a leisurely pace, looking at the people moving around. As he pondered over the schools of thought, he made his way to the agreed meeting place.
Raindrops fell on the oil-paper umbrella, making a pitter-patter sound, then forming rain lines along the edge of the umbrella, flowing towards the ground. The wind caused it to tilt intermittently.
In the end, they turned into raindrops, falling to the earth together with their companions.
"The raindrop is a raindrop, the raindrop is not a raindrop, yet the raindrop remains a raindrop."
Xu Qing looked at the sky. The waves in his heart caused by his master's background and his eldest senior brother's words gradually calmed down.
"The beauty of this world lies in its unknown."
"As for whether I really died once, that's not important. What's important is that I'm still alive."
"It would be even better if I could live a little better."
Xu Qing muttered softly. This was his dream when he was in the slums when he was young and it hadn't changed.
Survive.
Only by surviving could he lift the curtain that covered his eyes and see the truth. Only then could he… travel with his master, his eldest senior brother, and his fellow disciples… in this world.
Xu Qing took a deep breath and gradually walked away. When the sky grew darker, he arrived at the southwestern part of the Imperial City.
There was a phoenix palace there.
The similar building caught Xu Qing's attention for a while.
This was the third princess' residence outside the palace.
He wasn't the only one invited today. There were also some outstanding people from the Grand Imperial Capital Region, including her close friends and some talented people.
Xu Qing knew that this was the third princess' way of expressing her goodwill. She wanted to introduce more people to him.
Although he wasn't good at socializing, Xu Qing chose to accept kindness. The moment he stepped into the third princess' residence, a loud thunder suddenly rang out from the sky.
The sound of thunder was so loud that it shook the world. It was as though a giant god was roaring in the sky, causing countless raindrops to explode and turn into fog.
The thoughts of all living beings fluctuated in this sudden huge thunder.
Xu Qing frowned and stopped in his tracks. He then lifted his head and looked at the pitch-black sky.
The lightning naturally couldn't shock him. However, the uneasiness in his heart was very intense the moment the thunder rang out.
That was the Heavenly Dao's warning.
One had to know that even during the assassination attempt, there was no warning from the Heavenly Dao. However, now, this warning formed waves in his heart.
"What major thing is going to happen…"
Xu Qing had some thoughts in his mind as he walked into the third princess' residence.
At the same time, in the north of the Imperial Capital, there was a mysterious cluster of black towers arranged in a crisscross formation.
The outer towers were the tallest, while those in the center were the shortest. It was surrounded by strict defenses, with patrols constantly active. There were also astonishing array formations here, making it the most closely watched location in the Imperial Capital.
This place was the Creation Palace of the Upper Mystic Five Palaces that specialized in studying immortal arts and gods. It was also the place where the Sun of Dawn was developed.
To the human race, this palace was of great importance. Hence, other than the higher-ups of the Creation Palace, the Human Emperor also appointed his ninth son to take up a post in the Creation Manor.
When the Ninth Prince took his post in the Creation Palace, he had sworn that he wouldn't participate in the battle for the throne. He also wouldn't side with anyone.
Hence, he didn't participate in the comprehension on the Ancient Sovereign Planet.
To him, studying immortal arts and gods was his greatest pursuit. He also didn't let the Human Emperor down and contributed to the development of the Sun of Dawn.
Usually, unless summoned by the Human Emperor, he would not go out. However, today… when the thunder rumbled in the sky and the heavy rain fell, he staggered out of the inner tower.
His expression was filled with panic and horror. His body trembled as he allowed the rain to drench his entire body. He then let out a heart-rending cry in all directions.
"As the ninth son of the Human Emperor and the department head of the Creation Palace, I order the immediate closure of the entire Creation Palace. No one is allowed to leave. Violators will be executed without exception!"
His voice echoed. Accompanied by thunder, the Imperial City's array formation transformed into a seal and descended here. This sudden scene also aroused the suspicion of the cultivators in the Creation Palace.
However, the Ninth Prince didn't pay attention to these. He took out a jade slip and immediately transmitted his voice. After that, his eyes turned red as he guarded this place, waiting for… the Human Emperor to arrive.
At the same time, the higher-ups of the Creation Palace also appeared one after another. All of them had ashen expressions and their expressions were extremely ugly. They remained silent in the rain.
At the same time, in the third princess' residence, in the phoenix palace, singing and dancing continued. The third royalty sat at the head of the table and invited Xu Qing to sit beside her. As for the others, they sat in two rows.
There were tens of people, men and women. They were either descendants of influential people or heaven's chosen elites. Meng Yunbai was among them and was chatting happily with others.
Because each of them was invited by the third princess after careful consideration, it was basically impossible for anything unpleasant to happen at the banquet. They were mostly kind and respectful to Xu Qing.
After all, although Xu Qing was a cultivator of this generation like them, his identity was special, especially since he had obtained the Emperor Sword. Hence, even though Xu Qing was not adept at socializing, getting along with them was still very easy.
After three rounds of drinking, as the atmosphere became lively, the topic slowly shifted to Imperial Academy under the guidance of the third princess.
"Everyone has heard, right? The Imperial Academy's Divine Fusion School has sent out a notice that the core disciple trial will begin in half a month. This time, they will choose 100 people to become core disciples."
"Speaking of the Divine Fusion School, we cannot overlook its leader, but unfortunately, this person's identity is mysterious and never revealed… However, it is spoken that almost eighty percent of his body has completed the divine fusion, and he usually relies on magic treasures to conceal it."
"As for his combat strength, it's also astonishing. I heard that he used only one hand to suppress a first stage Nihility divine creature."
"Such a heaven's chosen and so low-key. He might be even more extraordinary in the future."
Everyone sighed with emotion. During this time, they also mentioned other schools, such as the Spirit Forging School, the Myriad Arts School, the Mental State School, and the Treasure School. Every time they talked about the heads of these schools, everyone would praise them with envy.
At the same time, they also discussed their guesses about the true identities of these school heads. There were all kinds of guesses. There was even a guess that a certain school head was a prince.
Clearly, the influence of the large schools of thought in Imperial Academy was no longer limited to Imperial Academy itself. It could already influence the external world and the degree of attention they received was extremely high.
"It's a pity that divine fusion has become the main doctrine in the Imperial Academy now. The other schools are all left behind, so it's difficult for there to be intense competition between the schools. I've read about it in the books of Imperial Academy. Ever since Imperial Academy was established, there have been four major competitions between schools. Every time, it attracted the attention of the entire Imperial City."
Some people sighed and the others nodded. The topic also spread more. There were even people who talked about the Variant Immortal School.
"Compared to these schools, I'm actually more interested in the Variant Immortal School. However, it's a pity that this institution is now deserted and has declined."
"At the end of the day, it's because the cultivation method of this institution is difficult and the requirement for aptitude is too high. That's not even the main issue. The most important thing is that they haven't produced anyone who has truly reached mastery of the cultivation idea."
'The person who mentioned the Variant Immortal School was a youth named Mu Nan.
His expression was elegant and his smile was gentle. Previously, when Xu Qing arrived, the third royalty had introduced him as someone from the main sect of the Litu in the human race. At this moment, his tone was filled with emotion as he continued to speak.
"There were only two ancestors who made some accomplishments in the cultivation method. One was beaten to death and the other couldn't return after transforming. He seems to be worshiped but he is no different from a specimen. Due to the passage of time, very few people have seen him, so there are no anecdotes."
"However, there is a recording in our sect that has the scene of the soul weaving state of Chen Daoze."
After saying that, he glanced at Xu Qing unintentionally.
Xu Qing looked at him. His expression was as calm as ever as he calmly spoke.
"Fellow Daoist Mu Nan, can I take a look at this recording?"
When Mu Nan heard this, he smiled happily.
"This is a secret of our sect. If it were others, I wouldn't share it, but since Lord Xu wants to see it, I am happy to show it."
As he spoke, Mu Nan took out a jade slip and gently sent it to Xu Qing.
Xu Qing grabbed it and focused his attention. A scene instantly appeared in his mind. In that scene, there was a middle-aged cultivator in a Daoist robe. With a wave of his hand, a large amount of anomalous substances spread out from his back and fused into his body. His body instantly changed, transforming from a human form to a malevolent divine creature.
Upon seeing this scene, Xu Qing's expression was normal but there were waves in his heart.
This was because this was very similar to his divine form!
Just as Xu Qing's heart was fluctuating, waves of bell chimes suddenly echoed in the entire Imperial City. The sound was heavy and surpassed thunder. Moreover, the bell rang nine times.
Everyone at the feast was first stunned before their expressions changed in unison. Some even stood up.
"Nine rings of the emperor bell, what happened?!"
Xu Qing's expression was also solemn. The uneasiness from the Heavenly Dao's warning earlier was becoming increasingly intense at this moment. At the same time, outside the third princess' hall, an astonishing whistling sound rang out.
At the next instant, a team of golden-armored castle guards rushed over and appeared at the banquet.
A murderous intent filled the banquet. While everyone was bewildered, the cold gaze of the golden-armored cultivator at the front landed on Xu Qing. He bowed and straightened his body as he coldly spoke.
"The emperor has summoned Lord Xu to enter the castle immediately!"
