The next morning, a crisp, cold wind blew.
Lu Mingyuan rose at the crack of dawn. After washing up, he began to practice his Fist Technique in the main courtyard of Qingzhu Hall.
After officially stepping into the First Realm of Martial Arts, he felt increasingly light as a swallow and his five senses grew sharper. When he practiced his fists, he could feel faint wisps of Martial Arts Qi flowing slowly in his Dantian.
The wind from his fists whistled. As Powerful Qi flowed into his arms, this set of Mountain Shaking Fist techniques gradually began to show formidable power.
Lu Mingyuan's expression was solemn. He threw punch after punch, smashing them against a large rock in the courtyard.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
Loud bangs echoed out. The large rock in the courtyard was now covered in pitted Fist Seals, the force behind them perfectly controlled.
After finishing his Fist Technique practice, Lu Mingyuan took another bath.
Just then, Zi Yun walked into the main hall carrying breakfast. She saw Lu Mingyuan emerging from his bath, his upper body bare. He was strong and sturdy, and his profile was growing more defined. Zi Yun's cheeks flushed slightly, and she couldn't help but look away, thinking to herself.
'I can't believe it. The Sixth Prince's comprehension is so high. He mastered a Fist Technique in a single night.'
Lu Mingyuan didn't notice her gaze. He took a bite of a meat bun from the plate and checked the panel in front of him.
「Life Master: Lu Mingyuan」
「Cultivation: First Realm of Martial Arts (External Force)」
「Cultivation Technique: Blood Glutton Celestial Fall Scripture - Abnormal Eating Chapter (Second Floor: 121/1000), Mountain Shaking Fist (Second Form: 50/200), Fiery Fire Saber Technique (First Slash (50/100))」
「Fate Grid: Trapped Dragon in the Abyss (Refinement Level 8%), Reading the Room (20%)」
「Life Chart Traits: Dragon Raising Its Head (Basic Level), Hidden Dragon (Basic Level), Recognizing People (Middle Level)」
「Opportunity: Blue Opportunity (Triggering)」
'This Blue Opportunity... when on earth is it going to trigger?'
Lu Mingyuan wondered.
'Opportunities are things you stumble upon, not things you can seek out. Of course, the more, the better.'
'Every time I overcome a calamity, the Refinement progress for my [Trapped Dragon in the Abyss] Fate Grid increases a little. How much longer will it take to fully Refine it?'
"Kneel..."
Suddenly, his ears twitched. He heard a commotion outside the hall.
He pushed open the window and saw rows of Imperial Guards kneeling before the main hall.
"Incompetence will be met with military justice! You will all kneel at the gate where the incident occurred for seven days and seven nights! No food!"
A Commander-in-Chief from the Bright Lamp Bureau was whipping the disarmed Imperial Guards as he shouted the reprimand.
The Imperial Guards all had bloody welts from the whip on their bodies, and their clothes were filthy.
Lu Mingyuan noticed the figure of Zhou Pingfu among the many Imperial Guards.
It was the twelfth month, yet the offending Imperial Guards were all dressed in thin clothes. If they weren't physically robust, they would have likely been shivering uncontrollably by now.
"Your Highness, is something wrong? Are you still going to eat your breakfast?"
Zi Yun came to his side and asked respectfully.
"It's nothing."
Lu Mingyuan looked away from the window and resumed eating. He asked casually,
"What's going on with those Imperial Guards outside?"
Zi Yun was always coming and going within the palace; she was bound to hear rumors and whispers.
"This servant heard from others that it seems to be a punishment ordered by the Holy Emperor." Zi Yun did, in fact, know something. She thought for a moment before replying.
Lu Mingyuan chewed his food thoughtfully.
'It must be a chain reaction from the Eldest Prince's anger. He must have complained to Father Emperor, and thankfully, I wasn't dragged into it.'
"Your Highness, it's snowing."
Zi Yun reminded him in a soft voice.
Lu Mingyuan was momentarily stunned. He looked outside the window. From the once vast, blue sky, snowflakes were now falling, drifting down to the ground like goose feathers.
After a short while, fine pellets of snow began to drift down outside the window. The first snow of the season in the Imperial Capital, which had been brewing for a long time, had finally arrived.
The first snow of the Sixty-Seventh Year of Yong'an.
Beautiful and tragic.
A dazed look flickered in Lu Mingyuan's eyes. He gave an order to Zi Yun:
"Find me an Iron Saber."
...
Three days passed. The main gate of Qingzhu Hall remained shut tight, but the eaves were already covered in a thick blanket of snow, with icicles hanging from the edges.
The whistle of a saber cut through the air in the courtyard.
Lu Mingyuan finished his saber training, wiped the sweat from his brow, and drank a cup of hot tea.
A Swordsman's blade is a weapon of slaughter.
He chose the saber for a simple reason: it was relatively easy to learn.
When executed, the Fiery Fire Saber Technique produced a fierce gale. Its slashes were like a crescent moon and falling stars, using explosive power to cut a person in half at the waist, their blood spilling like fire, still scalding hot.
His initial awkwardness gave way to proficiency after days and nights of practice. Lu Mingyuan's Saber Technique was becoming increasingly skilled.
Sheathing his saber and heading inside, Lu Mingyuan peered through the paper window. He saw that the Imperial Guards were still kneeling in front of the main hall, each one covered in so much snow they looked like ice sculptures.
A few of the Imperial Guards had already collapsed, but some were still holding on.
Yet it had only been three days.
Martial Artists were still human. Without enough energy to maintain their stamina, their bodies would also give out.
He saw the frozen corpses of those who had collapsed. His gaze then fell on Zhou Pingfu's back. The man seemed resilient, as if he had a reason he could not fall. A thoughtful look crossed Lu Mingyuan's face, and he ordered Zi Yun, who was beside him,
"Tonight, secretly send them some food."
"Yes."
Zi Yun nodded.
He soon shook his head and looked away.
'This disaster was ultimately caused by me. Many innocent people have been implicated.'
'Since I was able to protect myself, I can't be too heartless.'
Lu Mingyuan put on a cotton-padded coat and went out, wandering aimlessly in the garden. With his hands clasped behind his back, he looked up at the gloomy sky. The tops of the mud-brick walls were dotted with clumps of wild grass, their tips frosted with snow, swaying endlessly in the cold wind.
An old eunuch was sweeping the snow, withered branches, and dead leaves from the front of the garden at the gate.
His expression was very calm, as if he wasn't bothered at all by his confinement in the Cold Palace.
Venturing into a part of the Cold Palace he had never entered before, he crossed an inner wall and saw a desolate rockery and bamboo forest. In the distance, there was a pavilion and a small stream—it was a completely desolate back-mountain area, with a conspicuous, crooked-necked tree.
He could tell that this place had once been scenic and pleasant.
Lu Mingyuan had looked through the Great Yan Atlas and learned that this place had once been the site of house arrest for two Emperors.
More than a hundred years after the founding of Great Yan, a crisis had erupted. The Emperor of Great Yan personally led a northern expedition against the Demon Country but was captured by the Demon Country's grand marshal. The court officials and the Empress Dowager discussed the matter and decided to have the Emperor's younger brother ascend the throne to maintain stability.
This new Emperor was ambitious and capable. Wise and divinely martial, he appointed many new ministers to important positions, organized the defense of the Imperial Capital, and repelled the Demon Country's repeated attacks.
But later, the Demon Country released the former Emperor. The new Emperor did not want to accept him back, but the officials reacted so enthusiastically that he had no choice. After bringing him back, however, he placed his older brother under house arrest in the Cold Palace. He even had the surrounding bamboo forest cut down to prevent anyone from passing messages.
Unfortunately, a few years later, the new Emperor fell gravely ill. The old court officials, in league with the former Emperor's supporters, staged a palace coup and welcomed the former Emperor back to the throne. Ironically, the new Emperor, now suffering from his illness, was imprisoned in the very Cold Palace he had prepared for his brother, where he eventually died of his sickness.
After that, this place gradually fell into ruin, becoming a true Cold Palace in every sense of the word.
As Lu Mingyuan wandered, he discovered an Incense Fire Daoist Temple hidden within the bamboo forest.
He walked inside. There were only a few wisps of lingering incense. The idol was so dilapidated that he couldn't tell which Immortal it was supposed to depict.
Just then, in a crevice in the corner of the Daoist Temple's wall, he noticed a faint, flickering light that took the ethereal shape of a flower.
It immediately caught his full attention.
'Could this be my Opportunity?'
Lu Mingyuan went behind the Daoist Temple and saw the dazzling, crimson flower's image.
Sparks of starlight drifted brilliantly in the air around a fiery red pistil at the center, from which eight petals stood tall against the wind.
The entire flower was half a person tall.
'Is this a Celestial and Earthly Treasure?'
Flame Bone Sunflower.
Gazing at the glowing flower phantom before him, Lu Mingyuan immediately grew excited, his eyes burning with fervor. He remembered seeing this name when he was leafing through geographical atlases.
This item was an essential ingredient for refining the Blood Spirit Pill. It was of great benefit to Martial Artists and also had significant effects for Qi Cultivators.
Consuming it directly could also reshape one's meridians, reform the body, bestow the essence of the Supreme Yang, and solidify one's foundation.
'But why would it be blooming in the Cold Palace?'
In the biting cold of winter, the entire Flame Bone Sunflower was radiating an intimidating wave of heat.
Heaven and Earth Spiritual Treasures were extremely precious. They were innately formed, and their growth conditions were incredibly demanding. If one could consume it, it would bring about a massive change in their constitution.
Even a Mortal could become a Cultivator, gaining a powerful constitution and strength.
'It's truly bizarre. Things like this can't just appear out of thin air. Why would it be in the depths of the Cold Palace?'
His gaze shifted downward.
At the base of the Flame Bone Sunflower, in the soil around its roots, he discovered a white bone.
He immediately began to inspect it closely, quickly clearing away the slushy snow on top.
A partial skeleton lay there, dressed in tattered clothes. He could vaguely make out that this was the place where someone had passed away while in a meditative posture. Moreover, the clothes were Daoist Robes. This was the tomb of a Daoist.
Lu Mingyuan guessed that this Daoist had passed away here in meditation, and his remains had somehow nurtured a Celestial and Earthly Treasure.
That meant his Dao Practice in life must have been profound.
...