Chapter Ten: Prince Jingbei (Part V)

Three days later, under the cover of night, Jingri Guming once again arrived at the secluded temple.

After making the necessary arrangements, he departed immediately. He wished to avoid excessive contact with these individuals—firstly, because prolonged interaction risked exposing his true self, and secondly, to prevent himself from forming deep emotional attachments.

Though these people possessed fine innate bones and foundational talents, how many among them would actually survive to become supreme masters?

Time flowed on like a rushing river; suns rose and moons fell, and the winds and clouds of the Jianghu shifted unpredictably as a new generation replaced the old.

As the figures of the older generation withered away, a new crop of experts gradually stepped into the spotlight.

More than ten years passed. The former King of Mijiang had long since passed away, and the new ruler was none other than Haoqiong Guming.

The queen of Haoqiong Guming was none other than Xida—the former lover of Tianque Guming.

Xida had borne a son for Haoqiong Guming, who was named Cangyue Guming.

Much like the tragic fate that befell the women of the royal family before her, Xida lived a life of sorrow and depression, eventually passing away when young Canglang was merely four or five years old.

Every time Haoqiong Guming looked upon the young Canglang, it reminded him of Xida. Therefore, after the boy had grown a little older, Haoqiong sent a letter entrusting young Canglang to the care of Jingri Guming.

Jingri Guming could not help but sigh to himself:

"My Prince Beijing Manor is practically turning into a nursery. Not long ago, I sent away Qianxue, and now this little Canglang is about to arrive!"

Zhan Bingwei, lingering quietly in the shadows behind him, listened to Jingri Guming’s muttered words and fell into a momentary trance.

So many years had passed. Even his younger sister had died, his nephew was now over ten years old, and those who knew the true story of Prince Tianque were dwindling by the day.

Through the reigns of two successive Mijiang kings who desperately tried to bury the past, the families and officials who once knew the truth had all faded into obscurity.

"Don't you want to take a look at your good nephew?"

Jingri Guming rose to his feet, his elegant, silvery-white robes fluttering in the breeze.

In his early twenties, Jingri Guming possessed an extraordinary and striking bearing. His deep, unfathomable eyes instantly revealed a boundless well of wisdom.

Zhan Bingwei remained entirely motionless, as if he hadn't heard a thing. Yet, Jingri Guming was already well accustomed to the quiet dynamic between them.

"Hah, as you wish!"

"It seems Haoqiong Guming still doesn't trust me after all!"

Jingri Guming murmured softly to himself: "It is time to make a choice."

***

Jingri Guming returned to his study and began leafing through the Martial Codex.

Through years of continuous refinement and organization, the codex had grown increasingly comprehensive and perfect.

The art of divination and deduction, centered around the *Heavenly Scripts of the Nine Calculations* and fused with the esoteric numerology of this realm, retained its name: the *Heavenly Scripts of the Nine Calculations*.

As for the foundation of true qi, it naturally drew upon the *Three Points Returning to Origin* and the *Classic of the Hegemonic World's Meridian and Heavenly Treasures*, synthesized alongside countless martial arts from both worlds.

External techniques primarily focused on palms, fists, legs, and fingers, while weapons were mainly centered on the sword and spear, with all others serving as supplementary disciplines.

The mental cultivation method for healing was forged primarily from the *Heart of the Saint* technique, the *Heaven-Returning Ice Art*, and the *Water Imbibing All Things* technique. Jingri Guming named it the *Spring-Returning Art*, signifying the arrival of spring and the revitalization of the earth.

The technique for breaking and then establishing anew—built upon the foundation of the Sword Sect's *Myriad Swords Return to One* and half of the *Metamorphosis Great Art*—was roughly pioneered into the *Cocoon-Breaking Art*!

Naturally, the most ideal cultivation method for breaking and rebuilding was the *Nine-Turn Life and Death Profound Art* from post-ascension realms, where dying a single time increased one's strength tenfold with virtually no side effects.

Regarding esoteric arts and minor divine powers, there were plenty of minor spells and lesser techniques, though no grand divine powers were kept close at hand. As for karmic divine powers, they were naturally omitted from the Martial Codex.

For body-tempering techniques, Jingri Guming disdained conventional methods like the *Indestructible Golden Body*. Presently, his primary focus was the dragon clan’s body-tempering art—the *Nine Transformations of the Divine Dragon*!

As for the cultivation of the primordial spirit, Jingri Guming chose the traditional method of the dragon lineage—the Dragon Pearl.

However, the requirements for cultivating the Dragon Pearl were exceedingly high. One had to at least step into the realm of an immortal, or achieve the reversal of the primordial spirit to yang so that one could perceive the essence of heaven and earth, before beginning practice.

Had this been during the primordial ancient era, it naturally would not have posed a problem. In those days, stepping onto the path meant starting as an immortal, and upon reaching adulthood, one was practically a Golden Immortal—truly an era where Great Luo Immortals were as common as stray dogs and Golden Immortals walked everywhere.

Regrettably, following the ancient primordial era, the world transitioned into the later prehistoric eras of the Wu and Demon conflict, followed by the rise of humanity and the severing of the connection between heaven and earth.

The universe gradually transformed from disorder into order, and successive wars led to severe imbalances in the cosmos. Despite repeated repairs by beings of supreme divine power...

Great Luo Immortals had long since vanished from sight, Golden Immortals could dominate entire regions, and ordinary immortals could claim mountains for themselves and establish sects.

Fortunately, Jingri Guming was now fully qualified to practice it.

Yet, as an ancient cultivation method, practicing it in this era—within the world of *Golden Light*—demanded an even heavier price.

Originally, Jingri Guming had harbored some hesitation, but with the arrival of young Canglang, he no longer had a choice.

With Canglang taking up residence in the Prince Beijing Manor, the number of guards and servants naturally increased. Jingri Guming had every reason to believe that this was Haoqiong Guming's deliberate arrangement to monitor him.

Over the past few years, while ordinary factions might remain unaware, Haoqiong Guming was undoubtedly cognizant of the fact that an unidentifiable force had emerged within Mijiang.

Though this faction was not large, it operated with extreme rigor. Haoqiong Guming lacked the time to deal with such minor troubles, but leaving them for Canglang to investigate served as a useful trial.

***

"Canglang, as a prince, your journey to your Grand Uncle's domain requires not only dedication to your studies, but also the task of investigating a certain mysterious faction!"

Under Haoqiong Guming's strict tutelage, the young Canglang already carried a distinct regal bearing. Yet, having inherited the kindness and benevolence of his mother Xida, he found it difficult to fully comprehend his father's underlying motives.

"What is the name of that faction? Why not send Uncle Qianxue or Grand Uncle to investigate them instead?"

Haoqiong Guming looked at Canglang and let out a soft sigh, praying in his heart that the matter had nothing to do with Jingri Guming:

"Your Uncle Qianxue is currently wandering the Jianghu and cannot be reached on short notice. As for your Grand Uncle, he is frail and in poor health—how could we possibly burden him with such matters?"

Haoqiong Guming turned around, hands clasped behind his back as he gazed out the window:

"That faction is called the World-Conquering Clan. They appeared within the past year or two, yet they rapidly spread across Mijiang, and their influence has even reached the Central Plains!"

"The intelligence gathered so far remains limited. We only know that the master of the World-Conquering Clan is as elusive as a divine dragon showing its head without its tail, and no one has ever seen his true face!"

"Beneath the clan master are a chief steward and a vice master, neither of whom has ever revealed their visage either!"

"Below them are the various hall masters: the Wind Hall governs intelligence and assassinations; the Cloud Hall manages tracking and surveillance; the Frost Hall oversees the clan rules and disciplinary systems; and the Lightning Hall is responsible for frontal combat and assault breakthroughs!"

"As for whether there are other branch halls, your father is unaware. But the person who founded this faction is absolutely not to be underestimated. If I were to establish such an organization, I would certainly have included a Medicine Hall dedicated to herbal healing and poison research, as well as a Fire Hall specializing in weapon forging!"

"You must exercise the utmost caution on this journey!"

"How many people in this world can compare to Royal Father? Canglang will be careful."

Canglang replied earnestly.

Haoqiong Guming nodded. Though he framed it as an investigative task for Canglang, he had actually already made arrangements behind the scenes; this was merely meant to temper and train the boy.

***

Jingri Guming stood upon the desolate mountain of the past, stepping openly into the domain of the World-Conquering Clan.

Concealed beneath a barrier lay a vast spatial domain: the Martial Arts Hall, the Intelligence Hall, the living quarters for the various hall masters, and the training grounds for all new recruits were all located here.

Aside from the initial batch, new recruits were brought in every three years. Over the span of a decade, there had been a total of four batches.

Each batch was small in number, consisting of just over a hundred people. Across all four batches, the total personnel amounted to barely four hundred.

The first three batches had already departed to carry out missions across various regions, leaving only the newest batch of youths behind in this sanctuary.