Imperial Cultivation

The Great Jing palace was ablaze with lights.

Inside the Fengtian Hall, the candles burned fiercely, as bright as day.

The floor was paved with golden bricks, gleaming like real gold, reflecting the carved beams and painted rafters above, creating an extremely luxurious scene.

Tables of sandalwood, carved with cloud patterns and flowers, were arranged neatly, in two rows stretching from north to south, all the way to the hall's entrance.

The sandalwood tables were laden with exquisite and luxurious bowls and plates, as white as jade, crystal clear and lustrous, painted with various floral patterns, landscapes, and symbols of fortune and longevity.

The bowls and plates were filled with all kinds of珍肴佳肴 (zhēn yáo jiā yáo, delicacies).

Venison, beef, and even some low-grade demonic beast meat, all sorts of aromas wafted about, mingling together to form a powerful impact.

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People were already seated behind the tables.

The Emperor sat at the head, facing north, with the dignified and beautiful Empress beside him, the two of them at a table alone.

To the left were the princes, the sons of the princes, followed by the princes of the commandery, dukes, earls, marquises, and then the female relatives.

To the right was the Great Zhen delegation, with Prince Ying at the head, followed by two Grand Masters, then Cheng Tianfeng, and then various officials, and so on.

In the center of the hall, a group of beautiful women were singing and dancing, their movements graceful, their voices like heavenly music, attracting everyone's attention.

However, the disadvantage of the neat arrangement of tables was that it was easy to see at a glance that there were empty seats, indicating that not everyone had arrived.

In particular, there was an empty seat at the head of the western row, and it was the most prominent seat.

Amidst the singing and dancing, Chu Minghou, Bai Ning霜 (Bai Ning霜), Chu Yi, and Chu Zhiyuan entered quietly as a family of four, and each went to their respective seats.

Chu Minghou, however, sat at the very front, in the empty seat at the head of the western row.

He glanced up at the Emperor at the head of the hall, saw the Emperor's thin face wearing a smile, and his clear gaze merely glanced at him before turning back to the singing and dancing, and he quickly sat down.

Since his release from confinement, he had already met the Emperor more than once or twice, and each time the Emperor's expression was always faint and distant.

He knew that the Emperor clearly disliked him, and now seeing that the Emperor showed nothing unusual, he breathed a long sigh of relief.

As soon as Chu Zhiyuan sat down, Chu Mingxuan craned his neck over from across the table, then quietly got up and came to his side: "Fourth brother, why are you so late?"

Chu Zhiyuan smiled and said, "I was just practicing my cultivation."

"Are you confident?" Chu Mingxuan looked at the opposite side, especially at Cheng Tianfeng at the second table.

Cheng Tianfeng's expression was calm, and his temperament was very similar to Chu Zhiyuan's, making it clear that he was not easy to deal with.

If he were defeated in front of so many people, he would lose a lot of face, not only losing his own face, but also the face of the entire Great Jing, and the face of the royal family!

This responsibility was really too heavy.

"I'll do my best," Chu Zhiyuan said with a smile.

As he spoke, he secretly held a Flying Dragon Bone in each of his sleeves.

The 化龙诀 (Huà Lóng Jué, Dragon Transformation Art) surged, constantly absorbing the aura of the Flying Dragon Bones, strengthening his own aura and thus strengthening his own bones.

Speaking did not delay his cultivation.

"Yes, there's no need to make it too difficult for yourself, just do your best," Chu Mingxuan patted him on the shoulder and retreated to his seat.

There were three other princes at his table, who came over to inquire, but Chu Mingxuan waved his hand.

Afterwards, Chu Zhit霆 (Chu Zhit霆) and Chu Zhichuan also came over to ask Chu Zhiyuan, and Chu Zhiyuan could only say it again.

The others looked over, feeling strange.

Since when had the son of the Prince of Qing's mansion become so popular, with everyone running over to greet him and talk to him.

The people who went back to their seats discussed it.

"Fourth brother is sure to win."

"Fourth brother is saying that, so he is obviously confident."

"Fourth brother's personality is to seek stability."

They were discussing, and others were also discussing.

Especially the table of female relatives, who were even more curious, and gathered around Bai Ning霜's table to ask the reason.

Xiao Ruoling was also there, and was being pulled by Bai Ning霜 to her table.

"Sister Bai, the fourth son is indeed extraordinary, a seed for cultivation."

"His aptitude is so good, he will have a great future, Ning霜 (Ning霜), you just wait to enjoy the good life."

Bai Ning霜's face lit up with a smile upon hearing these words.

"Ling'er, you are also a blessed person."

Xiao Ruoling smiled shyly.

Chu Yi leaned close to Xiao Ruoling and lowered her voice: "Sister-in-law, why did the imperial grandfather insist that elder brother participate, and even have Huang Cheng come to greet us? It's very strange."

She sensed something was wrong.

Huang Cheng was no ordinary eunuch, and it was suspicious that he specifically came to invite their family.

Xiao Ruoling blushed a little at her address of "sister-in-law."

Chu Yi continued, "And elder brother's expression is also unusual, as if something big is about to happen."

Although she was innocent and carefree, she was actually extremely sensitive, and sensed Chu Zhiyuan's solemnity.

Originally, coming to this palace banquet was just for fun, so why was elder brother so serious, as if something big was about to happen.

Xiao Ruoling's deep eyes flickered, becoming even more bewitching and moving.

Chu Yi couldn't help but be stunned as she watched.

Xiao Ruoling gently tugged at her silk sleeve and whispered, "Let's wait and see, maybe there will be a major announcement at this banquet, maybe it's information we don't know."

"I hope so," Chu Yi woke up, grasped Xiao Ruoling's jade hand, and sighed, "Elder brother is really lucky."

Xiao Ruoling pursed her lips and smiled slightly.

This little sister-in-law was innocent and kind, gentle in temperament, and also lively and intelligent, which was really rare.

Whichever family she marries into in the future will be that family's blessing.

At this time, the singing and dancing stopped, and the beauties in gauze dresses retreated lightly.

Cheng Tianfeng stood up, cupped his fists and saluted: "Your Majesty, we are here on the orders of the Great Zhen Emperor to forge a lasting friendship,

and we specially present a gift personally selected by the Emperor."

"Oh, what is it?" The Emperor Chu Qingquan, sitting at the head of the hall, smiled faintly: "Please present it."

Cheng Tianfeng clapped his hands twice forcefully.

A young man sitting at the end of the Great Zhen delegation stood up, left the hall, and soon a huge iron cage appeared in the hall.

Twenty burly men carried the huge iron cage into the hall.

Inside the iron cage, two golden steeds stood quietly, their four eyes lively surveying their surroundings, their scales resembling golden armor.

"These are Heavenly Dragon Divine Horses, one male and one female, which can produce foals. They are the treasures of our Great Zhen, and are specially presented to Your Majesty."

"Heavenly Dragon Divine Horses..." Chu Qingquan nodded slightly: "Brother Cheng is very thoughtful."

These Heavenly Dragon Divine Horses were indeed treasures, those demonic beasts could not be released outside, they were inherently violent and ate people.

Even the demonic beasts with thin bloodlines in Little Crimson Cloud Mountain could not be released outside, they were still not something ordinary martial arts experts could deal with.

The mixture of demonic beasts and ordinary beasts was extremely difficult, because the demonic beast bloodline was overbearing, and ordinary beasts could not withstand it and could not produce offspring.

Therefore, such a dragon-horse hybrid like the Heavenly Dragon Divine Horse was a rare sight.

It possessed both the power of a demonic beast and the gentleness of a normal steed, making it a treasure.

Cheng Tianfeng smiled and said, "However, there is one difficulty, these two Heavenly Dragon Divine Horses have not been驯服 (xùn fú, tamed), and are extremely difficult to tame. Even Grand Masters can only restrain them but cannot tame them."

Chu Qingquan said, "Does Great Zhen not have anyone who can tame them?"

"So far, no one has been found to tame them, and even my teacher is helpless," Cheng Tianfeng shook his head and sighed: "If they cannot be tamed, and are imprisoned, they will commit suicide within a month."

He turned to look at the people opposite him and smiled: "Everyone here is a Great Jing talent, I wonder if anyone can tame these two Heavenly Dragon Divine Horses?"

Chu Qingquan smiled and shook his head: "Son, what Great Zhen cannot do, Great Jing is probably not able to do either, it is better to let them leave directly, they are also divine beings of heaven and earth, don't waste them like this."

"How to dispose of them is of course up to Your Majesty," Cheng Tianfeng said with a smile: "It's just a pity for Your Majesty."

Chu Qingquan smiled.

The faces of the princes and sons of the princes opposite him were not good.

They all saw Cheng Tianfeng's挑畔 (tiǎo pàn, provocation).