Ding!
[Congratulations! Your skill 'Divine Mansion Hidden Truth Technique' has been upgraded from beginner to master, increasing your maximum mental strength by 500 points.]
At dawn, a dialog box suddenly popped up, and Chen Ke slowly opened his eyes.
The Secrets of the Divine Palace?
That was unexpected.
"The Secret of the Divine Palace" is a method that Senior Mirror Serpent taught him when he was in the Plum Grove Secret Realm of Haotian Academy.
The Divine Palace Conceals the Truth, as the name suggests, means to store magical treasures within one's body and nourish them with one's own essence and blood.
Considering the time elapsed, Chen Keyun had been nurturing the Soaring Divine Leaf for some time now, so it was only natural that his proficiency with the "Divine Mansion Hidden True Technique" had improved.
"From now on, the efficiency of nurturing magical treasures will be even higher." Chen Ke felt pleased with himself and gracefully got out of bed.
After two days of rest, his stats were almost back to normal, and the fatigue from the previous series of battles had lessened considerably.
According to Chen Ke's own estimate, he has now recovered to at least 80% of his peak condition.
We're still 20% away from our peak.
But it doesn't matter, since he wasn't planning on fighting anyone else anyway; he was going to the Divine Dragon Pavilion today.
After washing up and having a long breakfast, Chen Ke boarded a carriage and left the manor, heading towards Great Capital City.
Chen Ke was satisfied with the eight armed guards protecting the carriage.
Imperial law stipulates that a viscount may be accompanied by only four guards, while an earl may be accompanied by eight guards.
He is now an earl, and a third-class earl with a fiefdom, the "Earl of Chengyi".
The campus of Daxia Academy was deserted and quiet, which Chen Ke quite liked.
It was already July, a time when everything was in full bloom and the trees were lush and green.
The campus is filled with a delicate fragrance, and the pavilions, waterside terraces, and shimmering lake exude a tranquil beauty.
Some ancient buildings, dignified and beautiful, always catch your eye unexpectedly.
Man-made paths and lush, grassy artificial lake shores transform into graceful, gentle lines, blending into this tranquil world.
Chen Ke was in a good mood, so he slowed down and took in the scenery around him.
Ironically, since enrolling in the university, Chen Ke has spent most of his time within the high walls of the engineering college. To avoid getting into trouble, he has hardly ever explored the campus.
Everything seemed so unfamiliar, so how could there be a sense of belonging?
That's right, it's a sense of belonging.
Chen Ke seemed to understand why he enjoyed studying world maps so much.
Perhaps for him, looking at those maps and sailing on the Shenzhou spacecraft to overlook the mountains and rivers was a way to find a sense of belonging.
"Hey, isn't this the Divine Pig? Why did you finally decide to come out from behind the wall today? Aren't you afraid of getting beaten up?" In front of an artificial lake, a few teenagers saw Chen Ke and couldn't help but laugh mockingly.
call!
Before the boy's laughter had even stopped, he was horrified to find Chen Ke already standing in front of him.
Before he could react, he lost his balance and fell to the ground in a sorry state.
Chen Ke straddled the boy and slapped him repeatedly across the face.
The boy lying on the ground was beaten until he saw stars, his teeth and blood spurting from his mouth, making muffled cries or shouts.
The other teenagers reacted, roaring as they charged towards Chen Ke.
Bang bang bang bang,
Before the four teenagers could even catch a glimpse of Chen Ke, they were kicked in the chest and sent flying with screams.
Large splashes of water leaped up on the artificial lake, and four boys tumbled and rolled in the water, yelling and screaming.
Bang!
With a flick of his toe, Chen Ke sent the boy, whose head had been swollen like a pig's, flying into the air and falling into the lake.
"Chen Ke, we won't let you get away with this!" The five boys, soaked to the bone, thrashed about in the water, shouting angrily at Chen Ke.
Chen Ke chuckled, took out a handkerchief to wipe his hands, and left feeling refreshed.
Beating up those bastards doesn't really give you a sense of accomplishment, but it's good for your mental and physical well-being and can also improve your blood circulation.
After wandering around for a while, Chen Ke arrived at the entrance to the underground city.
He was greeted by Instructor Ma again. Chen Ke already knew that Instructor Ma was an old friend of his father, so he respectfully performed the junior's etiquette.
Instructor Ma smiled slightly: "Chen Ke, are you ready?"
Chen Ke smiled sheepishly: "Uncle Ma, it's not really a matter of preparation. Don't we just have tokens and can enter the Divine Dragon Pavilion at any time?"
As he spoke, Chen Ke handed the Divine Dragon Token in his hand to Instructor Ma.
This dark gold token was a keepsake given to him by the headmaster, Lu Changfeng, after he passed the fifth level of the "Dragon Gate".
Although Chen Ke was nameless and not selected as a Shenlong student, he had the privilege of browsing the classics of the Shenlong Pavilion thanks to his token.
Instructor Ma accepted the token, smiled and nodded: "The Divine Dragon Pavilion has countless classic books, but one cannot read them aimlessly and hastily. Since you are prepared, I am relieved."
The two walked one after the other, meandering around, towards the underground city.
"By the way, Chen Ke, where has your dad been hiding lately?"
"The students don't know either. Those drunkards are all people who fought alongside the Emperor Emeritus. My Chen family can't afford to offend any of them."
Instructor Ma shook his head with a smile: "Your father must have had a hard time too. I would have avoided it as well. Yesterday, Headmaster Lu even came to me specifically to ask me to get some wine."
Chen Ke hurriedly replied, "Of course we have good wine. I have specially collected a batch of high-proof liquor. After these days of storage, the quality of the liquor has become more mellow and the taste is better. Moreover, it won't give you a headache. I will send some over to you when I am done with my work."
Instructor Ma smiled and nodded, gladly accepting the favor.
He knew about the batch of wine Chen Ke was talking about; it was exclusively supplied to the royal family, and any bottle of it could be sold for an astronomical price.
Even so, they are available but not for sale.
It is said that even the retired emperor was reluctant to drink this batch of wine, and specially ordered it to be buried underground and stored, only to be dug up and drunk on festive occasions.
The two chatted casually along the way and soon entered the underground city, standing on the tall city wall.
This was Chen Ke's second time overlooking the entire underground city, but he was still incredibly shocked.
Especially when he looked at those three dilapidated towers, he always felt a sense of tragic grandeur.
Having witnessed the powerful radiance of the sun god of the demon race and the terrifying combat power of the beast race, it is truly remarkable that the human race has been able to continue to this day and stand strong.
At least Chen Ke couldn't imagine how the human race, hiding underground for tens of millions of years, managed to survive.
As he descended the city wall and walked through the dilapidated and silent city, even the sound of his own footsteps became heavy and weathered.
Entering a relatively intact city gate, the view suddenly opened up, and a pure spiritual energy rushed towards him, invigorating Chen Ke.
Instructor Ma pointed ahead and said, "This is the core of the underground city, which is what we often call the Divine Dragon Palace!"