Imperial Cultivation Chapter 1556 - 1552: Onboarding

"Aren’t you afraid he’ll come over and catch you?" Ding Shaojun said coldly.

"Catch me for what?" the middle-aged man laughed. "I haven’t harmed anyone from Biyuan Heaven, nor provoked him."

"I am a disciple of the Heaven-Reaching Sect," Ding Shaojun said.

The middle-aged man laughed heartily, "Impossible."

Ding Shaojun replied, "If I’m not a disciple of the Heaven-Reaching Sect, then why can he see through your evil techniques?"

The middle-aged man’s smile froze slightly.

Ding Shaojun sneered, "Do you still dare to attack now?"

The middle-aged man furrowed his brow.

Ding Shaojun said, "If you dare to act, he will definitely hunt you down!"

"Hehe..."

"You can try if you don’t believe me!"

The middle-aged man’s brows furrowed tightly, his face turning sullen.

Ding Shaojun continued, "You’re welcome to try and see what happens after you seize my body!"

"You’re definitely not a disciple of Heaven-Reaching Sect!" The middle-aged man snorted, "Don’t try to fool me; Heaven-Reaching Sect disciples aren’t like you."

Ding Shaojun said, "I just need to destroy my cultivation, start anew, and I’m a disciple of the Heaven-Reaching Sect!"

"Destroy your cultivation, and they’d still want you?"

"Why wouldn’t they?"

"Destroying your cultivation damages the foundation."

"Heaven-Reaching Sect has spiritual medicine that can restore such injuries."

"...You’re lying!" The middle-aged man’s eyes suddenly brightened, shooting a cold light, "You’re definitely not a disciple of Heaven-Reaching Sect!"

Ding Shaojun smiled faintly, "Then try, if you dare."

The middle-aged man’s eyes flashed with cold light, glaring intensely at Ding Shaojun.

Ding Shaojun smiled coldly, sipping wine calmly without fear.

This made the middle-aged man hesitate.

Sound Transmission into Secret by Zhang Ji Yuan: "This kid is really..."

Ning Dongge shook his head, "Didn’t expect he could actually scare the Undying Evil Venerable."

"Little junior’s reputation is that big?" Zhang Ji Yuan laughed.

Ning Dongge replied, "It’s a reputation earned through killing, making this guy so fearful."

"This kid is quite cunning," Zhang Ji Yuan hummed, "He actually used the name to fool people!"

"Nothing wrong with that," Ning Dongge said. "We would do the same; he’s indeed smart, quickly identifying that guy’s weakness."

"Smart indeed," Zhang Ji Yuan agreed.

In the blink of an eye, Ding Shaojun identified the middle-aged man’s weakness, seeing through his fear of the little junior, thus using this fear to intimidate.

This really is extremely skillful.

One can only say, this cleverness is applied to deceptive paths.

"Will that guy dare?"

"Probably won’t be content."

"Will he strike?"

"Should likely still attack."

"Haha, then it seems little junior’s reputation isn’t enough yet."

"People usually need to see to believe; no tears until seeing the coffin."

While they were using Sound Transmission into Secret, the middle-aged man slowly stood up.

To their amazement, the middle-aged man strode away.

The two gazed at each other in disbelief.

Never expected, the Undying Evil Venerable actually didn’t dare to act.

Is he really that timid?

They were shocked, as was Ding Shaojun, with a look of astonishment.

He originally was using scare tactics as a last resort, not expecting to frighten him into inaction.

He merely wanted to create a flaw in the opponent’s psyche to exploit during the body-seizing.

Unexpectedly, despite the middle-aged man’s formidable cultivation, and with imposing momentum, he simply gave up.

He fled upon hearing danger.

Is Chu Zhiyuan’s reputation really that terrifying?

Why hadn’t he heard of it before?

Throughout You Meng Heaven, Chu Zhiyuan’s name was not well-known.

It was through Zhang Ji Yuan and Ning Dongge’s mouths that he learned of his existence.

...

Chu Zhiyuan appeared alongside Huang Zhengyang outside Biyuan Heaven Imperial Palace, showing their token to the Imperial Guard.

Upon seeing the token, the Imperial Guard became serious and requested them to wait.

He turned and reported inside; soon a purple-clothed old eunuch appeared to lead Chu Zhiyuan and Huang Zhengyang to the east side of the Imperial Palace.

Through two courtyards, they arrived before a grand hall.

In front of the hall stood Zhou Muyin with white hair and a youthful face.

Huang Zhengyang stepped forward with fists clasped, "Lord."

Zhou Muyin nodded, looking at Chu Zhiyuan, and smiled, "Mr. Chu, I have long admired your name."

Chu Zhiyuan smiled and clasped his fists, "I should be the one admiring Lord Zhou; I appreciate you waiting."

He had previously arranged his visit to the Imperial Palace, not suddenly appearing.

Zhou Muyin smiled, "I’m here to give Mr. Chu a tour of the Imperial Palace to decide on your residence."

"Much appreciated," Chu Zhiyuan said.

Zhou Muyin led the way into the hall, "This outer world hall is our main hall, handling various chores and tasks, big or small—the place for getting help."

Inside the hall, a group of green-clothed eunuchs were busy, either organizing or reading documents.

Their entry did not affect their activities.

Chu Zhiyuan glanced around, understanding the contents of the documents.

They recorded the habits and needs of the tributes, along with their whereabouts.

Many tributes were not in the hall, roaming outside and hard to track.

Chu Zhiyuan nodded privately.

The status of tributes seemed indeed exalted, free from constraints.

After leaving the hall, Zhou Muyin led Chu Zhiyuan to a martial arts training ground on the east side.

This circular martial arts training ground was about 200 meters in diameter, surrounded by rows of small courtyards.

Zhou Muyin smilingly said, "Mr. Chu can choose any courtyard, those with open doors are available."

Chu Zhiyuan glanced around.

Surrounding the training ground, there were five layers of courtyards; the innermost layer had nine courtyards, the Second Layer had sixteen, and the Third Layer had thirty.

Three layers totaled fifty-five courtyards.

Forty courtyards had their gates open.

This meant there were fifteen tributes.

He found it strange.

Could the Imperial Palace really have only fifteen tributes?

He wondered and asked directly, "Lord Zhou, does the Court have only fifteen tributes?"

"Well..."

"Or are there less than fifteen?"

"Actually, it does," Zhou Muyin hurriedly said, "but some tributes haven’t been seen for decades or even centuries."

Chu Zhiyuan asked, "Tributes need to return annually?"

Zhou Muyin replied, "In principle, they report annually, but Spirit Venerables perceive time differently, they only need to report once every ten years."

Chu Zhiyuan laughed, "That is quite free."

Zhou Muyin said, "There’s no choice, considering they are Spirit Venerables; the Court cannot easily bind them."

Chu Zhiyuan smiled, "There are no mandatory annual missions?"

"Naturally not," Zhou Muyin smiled. "Unless it’s a matter of life and death, the Court will not trouble Spirit Venerables to offer tribute."

Chu Zhiyuan nodded with satisfaction.

Being a tribute indeed was a prestigious position, free and prosperous, not coercive but enticing.

The Court invites Spirit Venerables not for protection or to assign tasks.

But to attract Spirit Venerables.

By fostering goodwill, it strengthens relations with Spirit Venerables, preventing chaos, and their power can be useful.

Zhou Muyin asked, "Which courtyard does Mr. Chu choose?"

Chu Zhiyuan seemingly casually pointed at one, in the northeast direction, the second row.

Zhou Muyin led him to the courtyard through the open gate.

Flowers burst into view.

The entire courtyard seemed covered in flowers, with nowhere to step, a fragrant aroma wafted.

Chu Zhiyuan smiled.

Huang Zhengyang remarked, "What a great spot, Brother Chu, you truly have an eye!"

Chu Zhiyuan was also pleased with the courtyard, smiling, "I’ll take this one."