Volume 1, Chapter 25 – Imperial Court

Scenes like those in Nine Skies City were playing out almost simultaneously in many cities near the border throughout the Chengtian Domain.

A few days later, every martial artist of sufficient strength within a hundred thousand li of the Chengtian Domain’s border had received a “Martial Summons Decree” from the Imperial Court.

Faced with the Imperial Court’s Martial Summons Decree, the various clans and powers all reacted differently.

……

Shi Tianlu sat in a chair, expressionless, lightly stroking a jade pendant in his hand.

The pendant was square, the jade extremely clear and translucent. Exquisite patterns were carved all along its edges, and at the very center of the pendant was a single engraved character—“Martial.”

This jade pendant was precisely the Imperial Court’s Martial Summons Token. The fact that someone was qualified to receive this token meant their cultivation on the Martial Dao was at least above the Earth Fiend Realm.

Shi Feng stood to the side, looking at the pendant, a hint of puzzlement in his expression. “Family Head, why have I never heard of this Imperial Court?”

“Forget you—even I haven’t heard the name ‘Imperial Court’ in a very long time. After all, the Imperial Court is far too distant from us.”

“Isn’t the Imperial Court a power within the Chengtian Domain?”

Shi Tianlu gave a slight shake of his head. “No. It would be more accurate to say the Chengtian Domain is subordinate to the Imperial Court—or rather, the entire vast land of Shenzhou belongs to the Imperial Court.”

A trace of shock flashed through Shi Feng’s eyes. In his view, the Chengtian Domain, spanning several million li, was already unimaginably vast. The Sacred Martial Immortal Sect, the greatest power in the Chengtian Domain, truly controlled only a few hundred thousand li around its sect.

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Yet there were nine great heavenly domains in the vast land of Shenzhou. That territory of tens of millions of li was actually all under this so-called Imperial Court. Just how immense was the Imperial Court’s power?

“Shi Feng, I’ve told you before—this world is very big, and Tenglong City is much, much too small.” Shi Tianlu tightened his grip on the jade pendant, rose, and walked to the window.

“Family Head, since you’ve received this Martial Summons Decree, must you go to the border?” Shi Feng came back to his senses and asked.

“Since the Martial Summons Decree has been issued, it concerns the very foundation of the human race. Any who disobey are killed without mercy. From the moment I accepted the Martial Summons, my aura was entered into the Imperial Court’s registry.” Hands clasped behind his back, Shi Tianlu gazed up at the sky, a trace of worry in his eyes.

He felt no resistance toward going to the border. As a member of the human race, it was only right and proper to do his part in such a time of crisis. What he was worried about now was whether something had gone wrong with the Imperial Court.

A Demon Emperor of the demon race, identity unknown, had violated the border, yet the Imperial Court had not immediately dispatched top powerhouses to quell the situation. Instead, it was borrowing these scattered Demon-Suppressing Army units that had been broken apart to issue Martial Summons, calling upon martial artists like him for aid.

The implications hidden within this made Shi Tianlu almost afraid to think further.

“I’ll set out for Nine Skies City shortly to join up with the other martial artists there. As for the Innate Realm and above martial artists in the residence, I’ll be taking more than half of them with me. You’ll stay behind to watch over Shi Lan. Things outside are unsettled right now—don’t let her run around.”

“I understand.”

……

After training, Shi Lan was a bit tired and was sitting in the courtyard catching her breath when she saw more than a dozen streaks of rainbow light shoot into the sky and head straight west.

“I wonder what it actually feels like to fly on an artifact……”

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Shi Lan collected herself and slipped back into her room.

With a mission issued by the system driving her from behind, she didn’t dare relax in the slightest.

Because the Vajra Divine Fist put too much strain on the body, at her current level Shi Lan could only go through the form four times a day at most; any more and she would damage her body. So she poured most of her energy into the Jade Tempering Art.

As one herb after another disappeared, Shi Lan’s cultivation also rose by the day.

In the blink of an eye, nearly another ten days passed, and Shi Lan finally brushed up against the barrier to the third stage of the Body Tempering Realm.

It took her another three days of steady grinding before she finally broke through that screen and stepped into the third stage. The Vajra Divine Fist also advanced to minor completion. By then, there were fewer than ten days left before the system’s deadline.

Shi Lan was anxious, but cultivation still had to proceed one step at a time. She had no choice but to cut down a bit on her sleep and devote almost all of her time to the Jade Tempering Art.

After swallowing the last herb and digesting it, Shi Lan finally felt the barrier to the fourth stage of the Body Tempering Realm.

There were now less than two days left until the one-month deadline. If she continued inching forward like before, there was no way the time would be enough.

After finishing her medicinal dinner, Shi Lan frowned in thought for a long while. Suddenly, her eyes lit up. She ran to the wardrobe and dug out an embroidered box.

Opening the box, she took out a dark green pill.

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This Body Tempering Pill was still a reward from the beginner mission, and the minimum cultivation required to take it was the third stage of the Body Tempering Realm. Shi Lan happened to meet that requirement now.

Without further hesitation, she picked up the pill and swallowed it.

As soon as it entered her mouth, the pill’s outer coating dissolved instantly. A complex taste spread from her tongue—bitter, astringent, sour, sweet, and even spicy—all five flavors at once.

Blended together, those flavors turned into a strange fragrance that burst across her taste buds.

Before she could savor it any further, a heat far more intense than that from any herb she’d swallowed before—several times stronger at least—rose up inside her.

Shi Lan sat down cross-legged and circulated the Jade Tempering Art. This time, the current of qi it produced was thicker than ever before, to the point that her physical body actually ached faintly with swelling.

That current slammed hard into the barrier to the fourth stage of the Body Tempering Realm. The barrier shuddered slightly, then went still.

Shi Lan had only just reached the peak of the third stage. The barrier had not yet endured any wear at all and was naturally extremely tough.

After circulating once through her body, that white current of qi rammed the barrier again, but once more, the barrier only trembled faintly.

Shi Lan focused all her attention on running the Jade Tempering Art, relentlessly battering at the bottleneck.

The qi current cycled again and again, crashing into the barrier without end. With each impact, every inch of her bones and muscles quivered once, growing a bit stronger.

Ten times……

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Twenty times……

No one knew how long had passed before the barrier to the fourth stage of the Body Tempering Realm shook more and more violently. At last, under the ceaseless pounding of the qi, it finally crumbled.

In the instant of her breakthrough, Shi Lan felt a surging power pour into her body.

【Main quest completed. Issuing quest rewards.】

【Congratulations to the host on obtaining two chances at a basic lottery draw, and Cleansing Pill x1.】

Hearing the system prompts, Shi Lan didn’t even open her eyes to check her rewards. The Body Tempering Pill’s medicinal power had not yet been fully digested and was still continuously tempering her body.

After breaking through to the fourth stage of the Body Tempering Realm, the circulation speed of the Jade Tempering Art jumped up a whole level, stepping into the second layer.

Under the operation of the second-layer Jade Tempering Art, the remaining medicinal power of the Body Tempering Pill was quickly refined and settled down.

Once she had calmed the qi within her body, Shi Lan slowly opened her eyes.

Outside, the sky was already bright. Judging by the time, it was nearly noon.