It was still the same loft in the Pei Mansion among the clouds.
Pei Xuanjing stood with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing at the clouds rolling and unrolling in the sky above, indifferent to the rumors about himself circulating outside.
Mr. Pei Laozhu ascended the stairs to the loft, looking at the tranquil young man before him, unable to conceal his smile.
A Heavenly Rank powerhouse!
Even though he had once held great expectations for Pei Min, thinking that with Pei Min's talent, he could reach the Heavenly Rank Realm, he had thought it would take at least two more decades.
A fifteen-year-old Heavenly Rank powerhouse was practically unprecedented and might even remain unparalleled for generations to come.
How could he not feel proud?
"His Majesty has conferred upon you the title of Cloud Commander and appointed you as the Left Jinwu General," Mr. Pei Laozhu said with a smile.
The Cloud Commander is a martial official of third-grade, and the Left Jinwu General is also a third-grade position. Although neither are actual positions, they represent the highest honors.
Moreover, it was privately mentioned by the palace eunuch who read the decree, it seemed the Emperor intended to grant Pei Min a noble title, but due to temporary uncertainty about which title was appropriate, the matter was temporarily shelved.
Pei Xuanjing remained calm, not bothered by this.
What he did on the grassland, although narrowly causing a war between the two empires, was undoubtedly meritorious to the empire, and these rewards were naturally to be expected.
Seeing Pei Xuanjing unmoved, Mr. Pei Laozhu placed the divine sword on the table, "This is a gift from the crown prince."
"Oh?" Pei Xuanjing turned around, his eyes falling on the sword. He gripped the hilt, the divine sword resting in his hand.
Clang!
Unsheathing the sword, Pei Xuanjing examined the incredibly sharp divine weapon, his eyebrows slightly raised, in silent admiration.
It was a Ten Thousand-Forged Divine Weapon!
As expected of the Crown Prince, extravagant to an extreme, to send such a weapon as a gift.
Seeing Pei Xuanjing's reaction, Mr. Pei Laozhu casually stated, "The Crown Prince is hoping to invite you to the East Palace as a guest, and also the instructor of swordsmanship, to teach the Crown Prince the art of the sword."
Pei Xuanjing understood that teaching the Crown Prince swordsmanship was merely a cover, the core reason was that the Crown Prince wanted to win him over.
He looked up at Mr. Pei Laozhu, saying calmly, "It seems that you've decided to support the crown prince?"
Since ancient times, succession disputes have been the most terrifying. For Mr. Pei Laozhu, a veteran who has served three dynasties, as long as he decides not to get involved in the succession dispute, naturally, no one will pick a fight with him.
But if he willingly engages in it, should anything change in the future, he will inevitably be affected.
Moreover, the current Mr. Pei Laozhu has resigned from his official post, even if the Crown Prince ascends the throne in the future, it is impossible for him to return to court again.
Pei Xuanjing genuinely couldn't understand why he would involve himself in such matters.
Mr. Pei Laozhu had no cause or necessity to mask his motives from Pei Xuanjing.
Assuming earlier that Pei Xuanjing had not yet broken through to the Heavenly Rank, then perhaps due to their relationship as grandfather and grandson, he could hold the dominant position.
But when Pei Xuanjing ascended to the Heavenly Rank, having done such a thing, he had completely lost his dominance.
After all, even without the Pei Mansion, Pei Xuanjing remained independent, whereas, the Pei Mansion without him, though would still stand firm, would undoubtedly lose its light and luster.
Of course, this was merely Mr. Pei Laozhu's assumption—that he once held the initiative—when in Pei Xuanjing's view, the initiative has always been in his hands and has never changed.
"While I may not hold personal ambitions, I have to consider for the future generations," Mr. Pei Laozhu sighed, "Moreover, as a member of the Pei Family, even if I retire, how can I shake off my duties."
Coming from the influential Pei Family of Hedong, he had received the support of the family all along his way. If it weren't for the assistance of his family, he wouldn't have achieved his current status today, despite his numerous achievements.
To reach his current status, he owed it not only to his significant contributions but also to the protection of his family. Many have fought alongside him in the battlefield, but only a handful has reached such a status today.
Pei Xuanjing's expression remained calm, understanding the reasons.
This was the norm for members of noble families—they received unparalleled support during their growth, but when the family needed help, they were also required to bear the necessary responsibilities.
As for whether this was good or bad, Pei Xuanjing did not comment, choosing to believe that there were gains and losses in all matters.
After Mr. Pei Laozhu explained his intentions, he turned and left without further discussion.
He too was a martial artist and, though he hadn't been fortunate enough to reach the Heavenly Rank, he knew full well how strong-willed these powerhouses were. They acted according to their hearts and were not easily influenced by others.
Once again, Pei Xuanjing sat cross-legged in the loft. But unlike before, a nondescript, humble divine weapon was placed across his knees.
His focus gradually fell onto the divine weapon, blending into it, and felt the spirit of the divine weapon.
Simultaneously, he was also contemplating his next steps.
Essence, Qi, and Spirit, he had reached the Spirit Realm in all three areas, also known in this world as the Heavenly Rank. Up next, if he advanced in all three areas, he would need to continue refining his Primordial Qi in the Path of Qi Refinement, striving for unlimited Inner Qi; the Way of Essence Refinement would refine the body's apertures and eventually open up all the body's apertures, integrating the body as a whole, allowing the body to decay with Heaven and Earth while remaining immortal; As for the Path of Spirit Refinement, it would mean continually tempering the Yin Spirit until it could withstand the fiercest sun rays and fire, eventually becoming separable from the body, thereby making the Yin Spirit immortal.
"To become immortal!" Pei Xuanjing sighed inwardly.
Immortality, to live forever in this world. What an alluring prospect it has been for so many outstanding talents throughout history!
The closer one got to it, the more distant it appeared.
As Pei Xuanjing's strength grew, he suddenly felt that the road to immortality was not an easy one.
"I need to reach the pinnacle of the Nine Realms of Spirit, step by step, ascending to heaven. Only by reaching the perfect state of Spirit Realm can I begin to uncover the mysteries of the Heavenly Dao, in pursuit of eternal life and immortality," Pei Xuanjing reflected.
The Nine Realms of Spirit was his description of the Spirit Realm cultivation path.
The Great Ming world no longer had specific books to verify the Spirit Realm
cultivation ranks. The information was drawn from Pei Xuanjing's findings from Dragon Tiger Mountain, Baiyun Temple, and royal archives.
Based on his cultivation, Pei Xuanjing tentatively established the ranks of the Spirit Realm in accordance with the three realms and nine grades of the Mortal Realm.
He saw immortality as ascending to Heaven, calling realms on the way to immortality as the steps to Heaven. He divided it into nine, creating the concept of the Nine Heavenly Ascension Steps as his targets.
When he reaches the pinnacle of the Nine Realms, also attaining perfection in the Spirit Realm, he could take a peek into the mysteries of the Heavenly Dao.
A true man should aim to feast from the Five Ding while living, and be cooked in the Five Ding when he dies!
Since he was here in this world, he got this opportunity, and even if he faced a million deaths, he would have no regrets, but would rather meet challenges head on.
One day, I will definitely reach the pinnacle of the Nine Realms, stepping into the Immortal Dao Realm!
[At sixteen: You accepted the prince's invitation, left Yunzhong County, and headed to the Capital.]
In the end, Pei Xuanjing agreed to Mr. Pei Laozhu's request, left Yunzhong County, and headed towards the Capital.
After all, the Heaven and Earth in Yunzhong was too limited for him, no longer suitable for his stays.
The main reason he projected himself into this world with the help of a simulator was to explore the path of cultivation, treading one step at a time on his own cultivation journey.
This world was somewhat stronger than the original Daming World, and the ultimate power it could hold was the Heavenly Rank.
In other words, reaching the Heavenly Rank already meant standing at the peak of this world. If one could take one step further, they would step into the legendary Realm of Heavenly People.
According to the records in this world, the so-called Realm of Heavenly People could break the lifespan limit, shatter the void, and ascend as a heavenly person.
"Breaking the lifespan limit, then shattering the void, and ascending as a heavenly person."
Pei Xuanjing murmured to himself.
However, he didn't know whether this so-called ascension meant entering a broader great world?
He recalled when he had entered this world and unintentionally caught a glimpse of the infinite worlds, which looked like grains of sand, through the simulator portal.
"Perhaps, only by meeting those few who are called half-step into the Realm of Heavenly People, can I understand." Pei Xuanjing thought to himself.
Originally, the Heavenly Rank warrior was just a vague boundary. Due to the disparity in strength of those at the Heavenly Rank, some minor divisions were created.
According to these divisions, the Taoist of Li Tiange whom he had killed should be at the early stages of the Heavenly Rank. While He Lian Qngtiän was also at
the early stages of the Heavenly Rank, if he were supported by military formation, he should be considered as a strong person in the Heavenly Rank.
And the peak warriors within the Heavenly Rank should be like the Grandmaster of Da Li and the superintendent of the Imperial Astronomical Observatory, who had half a foot into the Realm of Heavenly People.
If it were merely divided by realms, then Pei Xuanjing should be placed in the early stages of the Heavenly Rank.
However, the cultivators of this world walk on the singular path of Refining Qi, while Pei Xuanjing cultivates the three paths of Essence, Qi, and Spirit, making him much stronger than them.
Although he doesn't know how he compares with those peak warriors who have half a foot into the Realm of Heavenly People, someone like He Lian
Qngtiän, a strong person within the Heavenly Rank, is not a match for Pei Xuanjing at all.
Pei Xuanjing sat inside the carriage, the refined Primordial Qi circulating inside his body, continuously refining his physical body.
In Heavenly Rank cultivation, besides sensing and understanding the principles of Heaven and Earth, you constantly refine the Primordial Qi within your body, cycling back and forth, hoping to reach a state of infinite circulation. Primordial Qi is continuously dispersed and condensed in the body.
But Pei Xuanjing didn't need to do this. To him, this Primordial Qi didn't need to be dispersed to infuse it into his body, which was the way to refine the physical body.
The physical body refinement in the Spirit Realm is to refine the body's orifices. Pei Xuanjing had a fortuitous refining of the orifices in a life simulation of the original Daming World. However, due to his insufficient physical strength later, he could no longer refine them.
Now, his physical body has undergone a complete transformation and is already strong enough to support the refining of orifices. He no longer needs to worry about the possibility of his physical body collapsing.
With the experience of refining the orifices once, refining the orifices again was much easier for Pei Xuanjing. In just a short month, he had already refined one orifice.
Tong Pass, north of the Yellow River and south of the mountains. As it was located at a river crossing of the Yellow River, at the junction of three Daozhou, controlling the main road from the Capital to the divine city, it was a must-pass area and a strategic spot for eastward entry into the Central Plains and westward advancement into the Central region and Western Regions. It had always been a battleground contested by all.
The towering city wall seemed to rise out of the ground abruptly, blocking the path like a natural moat.
The tall city wall was built with black giant stones about ten meters long and wide, and black iron was poured between the gaps of the giant stones, reflecting the luster of the metal, making it indestructible.
Countless merchant teams and carriages were waiting here, preparing to queue up for entry. Suddenly, a group of cavalry rushed out. They wore black armor and had precious swords hanging around their waists. They looked valiant and magnificent, galloping all the way, causing a cloud of dust.
Someone frowned, about to speak, but was pulled by the sleeve by someone beside him. "These are the Jinwu Guards."
The person's complexion changed drastically, and he immediately closed his mouth, suppressing the anger in his heart.
A line of dozens of Jinwu Guard cavalry, led by a young and handsome lieutenant, rushed out, attracting many people's attention.
Clip-clop…
The troop of Jinwu Guard cavalry stopped in front of an ordinary-looking carriage. The young lieutenant dismounted and came up to the carriage, whispering respectfully. "This subordinate, Lieutenant Wei Tao of Left Jinwu Guard, pays his respects to the young master. This subordinate was commanded by Your Highness to come here and escort the young master to the Capital."
"It's my duty!" Wei Tao bowed deeply, then mounted his horse and said to the black-armored Jinwu knights behind him, "Open the road, escort the young master to the Capital."
Regarding the attitude of the person inside the carriage, Wei Tao felt that instead of being mocked, it was a reasonable treatment.
Because the person inside this carriage was the recently famous Mr. Min. He who was invited by the prince to the Capital, which delighted the prince.
Even though Wei Tao was the prince's brother-in-law and a member of the Wei Family, he knew clearly that he was incomparable to the person inside the carriage.
Plus, the person inside the carriage remotely leads the position of the General of the Left Jinwu Guard, which even technically makes him Wei Tao's superior.
Looking at the carriage escorted by the Jinwu Guards themselves, everyone was extremely surprised, curious about who was inside the carriage.
"Who is this person who can even have the Jinwu Guards escort him personally?"
They originally thought the Jinwu Guard were mobilized because something big had happened.
But they instead found out it was merely to escort a single person into the Capital.
The Capital, the Imperial Astronomical Observatory.
The superintendent of the Imperial Astronomical Observatory, recognized as the strongest person in the empire today, sat facing a Daoist with crane hair and a youthful complexion. A game of Go was laid out in front of the two.
"I heard that Mr. Min is coming to the Capital." The Daoist with crane hair and a youthful complexion placed a black piece without paying much attention.
Superintendent Ye Daoyuan put down the white piece, capturing several of the Daoist's pieces, and said, "He has already reached the Tong Pass. The prince has already sent someone to meet him."
The Daoist frowned as he looked at the captured pieces and said, "Going to the
Capital at this time isn't great timing!"
Superintendent Ye Daoyuan laughed lightly: "This is the person the prince invited. Unless the emperor himself says otherwise, who'd dare to stop it?"
Having said that, he dropped another piece, cutting off the Daoist's large dragon, gaining the upper hand.
The Daoist, upset, messed up the chessboard and snickered, "Well, it has nothing to do with me anyway. All I need to do is to concentrate on refining pills for the emperor. I'll leave the rest to you distinguished people." With that, the Daoist stood up and left.
Watching the Daoist's departing figure, Superintendent Ye Daoyuan quietly laughed without a word..
Kyoto, Everlasting Observance.
The Everlasting Observance is located on a mountain waist in the West City, originally called the Taixuan Temple, and it is said to be the place where an emperor of the previous dynasty offered rituals for a certain real person to refine pills.
However, with the change of dynasties, the once bustling Taixuan Temple has declined and become desolate.
Nowadays, it's just an ordinary Taoist temple with a dozen rooms before and after, inhabited by a mere dozen people, making it quite lonely.
But everyone in the Tiandu with some identity knows that the current residents of the temple are not ordinary. He is the current Prince's instructor, the youngest Heavenly Rank powerhouse, Pei Min, who hails from the Hedong Pei family.
After Pei Xuanjing entered Kyoto, he had a few meetings with the prince. As rumored, His Highness the Prince was mild-mannered and friendly, and the two got along pretty well.
In Kyoto, both the Prince and Mr. Pei Laozhu had arranged residences for Pei Min, but he refused them all and chose to live in this desolate Taoist temple instead.
The Divine Weapon called Ten Thousand-Forged, bestowed by the Prince, was named Longevity by Pei Xuanjing, hence the Taoist temple was renamed to Everlasting Observance, corresponding to the original Everlasting Observance in the Daming World.
During this time, Pei Xuanjing led a leisurely life. Apart from teaching the prince swordsmanship every ten days, he spent the rest of his time at his own disposal, almost returning to his initial solitary cultivation time at the Everlasting Observance.
Of course, the remarkable figure of Pei Xuanjing entering Kyoto naturally aroused the curiosity of many people. In fact, countless people have sent salutations, only to be rejected by him one after another.
If it were an ordinary genius, rejecting these high-ranking officials in Kyoto, even while refusing, would cause a lot of dissatisfaction.
However, Pei Xuanjing is completely different. As a strongman, he has his own privileges. Even if he refuses these invitations, many people still eagerly want to visit.
"This Superintendent of the Imperial Astronomical Observatory can really keep his composure!" Pei Xuanjing thought to himself.
After all, news of his intervention in the Prairie incident initially was quickly learned by the Superintendent. If it weren't for the other party spread the news, perhaps the message Pei Xuanjing got from the Prairie wouldn't have spread so quickly.
Moreover, Guo Yi, the captain of the Black Cloud Knights who supported him then, had said that the other party had invited him to Kyoto and wanted to see him.
But now, he had already arrived in Kyoto, and the other party remained silent, with no trace of movement, which puzzled Pei Xuanjing.
Although puzzled, Pei Xuanjing was not in a hurry.
Since he has come to Tiandu, he will naturally have the opportunity to see the other party. It would just take a little longer to wait.
Moreover, during his time in Kyoto, Pei Xuanjing had learned a lot about Kyoto's situation.
The two strongest people in Kyoto today are, apart from that Superintendent of the Imperial Astronomical Observatory, another master from the Taoist School.
This Taoist School master not only possesses high cultivation, but he is also an alchemy expert and is favored by the emperor, always serving as his exclusive Master Dan.
There's also some news being passed around privately, that the Emperor, who is currently as wise as his predecessor, seems to have encountered some problems in his cultivation and constantly needs elixir for adjustment.
This is precisely why many of the empire's political affairs are not questioned by the Emperor, most of the matters are dealt with and investigated by the Empress.
This Empress is of extraordinary means, and the Emperor's ill health has led to a significant increase in the Empress's power in the court with many supporters, leading to the dissatisfaction of many royal families.
Some have even suggested that the Emperor should go to a certain holy place to heal his injuries, leave the Prince in Kyoto to oversee the country and handle the political affairs.
One can say that while Kyoto seems peaceful at this moment, it is actually secretly turbulent, with many hidden threats.
"The big competition is approaching, I wonder who will Da Li send this time?" A smile appeared at the corner of Pei Xuanjing's mouth.
As the time for the Kyoto Grand Competition gradually approached, according to the news Pei Xuanjing received, Da Li still sent people to come.
Though Pei Xuanjing himself was no longer fit to compete in this Kyoto Grand Competition, he undoubtedly will attend as a guest of honor.
He was somewhat curious, who will Da Li send this time?
Moreover, in his opinion, this Seoul Grand Competition was a good opportunity, and some people may want to take this opportunity to probe a bit.
"But, what does this have to do with me?" Pei Xuanjing chuckled disdainfully. He now had the privilege of just being an observer of the competition and as long as he didn't want to play, no one would dare to just pull him, a Heavenly Rank powerhouse, into the game.
Just watching would be fine, but if someone really targeted him, they couldn't blame him for overturning the table when the time came.
That's what Pei Xuanjing thought.
Time passed quickly, and there was a month left in the blink of an eye.
One evening, after teaching the prince swordsmanship, Pei Xuanjing arranged to attend the Kyoto Grand Competition ceremony, then took a car back to the Everlasting Observance.
However, just before arriving, someone suddenly appeared and stopped his carriage.
A middle-aged man in a black robe stood with his back to them in the middle of the street, blocking their way.
"Who dares to block the Prince's carriage?"
The coachman shouted sternly when he saw that the carriage was stopped.
Known as a seventh-grade official in front of the prime minister, the coachman of the Prince also had a considerable status. And being able to serve as the Prince's coachman also meant that he was a trusted confidant of the Prince.
Moreover, he was also a strong man who had cultivated to the three-stage Gang Qi Realm of martial arts. Whether in the army or in the world, he could be considered a figure.
He was originally a master in the martial world, but because of his low birth, he did not have the method of breaking through to the Heavenly Rank, so he had taken shelter under the Prince.
"Humph!" The middle-aged man let out a cold snort, and a domineering aura spread out.
Heavenly Rank powerhouse!
The coachman, who was just sternly berating, was taken aback, his face ashen.
Even though the man had not yet made a move, the terrifying aura emanating from him made it difficult for the coachman to even breathe.
"Hehe…"
A light laugh, quietly eliminated this intimidating aura, like a spring breeze, leaving the coachman without any oppressive feeling.
"Thank you, Young Master!" He quickly thanked Pei Xuanjing in the carriage.
He knew that if it were not for Pei Xuanjing's intervention, he would be completely defenseless against this Heavenly Rank powerhouse. Pei Xuanjing said indifferently: "Not at all, this person is after me!"
Without a doubt, the man was after him, and the coachman was just an innocent bystander.
"Young Master Min!" The middle-aged man who was blocking the road suddenly shouted and took action.
His aura exploded fiercely, shaking heaven and earth!
His loud voice, like a thunderclap, loudly echoed on the long street, attracting numerous gales, even turning the cool night winds into piercing cold winds..