Imperial Cultivation Chapter 1557 - 1553: The Choice

This so-called small courtyard is just a place for him to stop by in the Imperial Palace.

He usually doesn’t really live here.

As a Spirit Venerable, how could he possibly stay still in one place all the time?

He chose this place because the flowers and grass here are more lush than in other courtyards.

The life force in this courtyard is more vigorous, the fundamental reason being that the entire Imperial Palace is enveloped in an array.

Indeed, it truly deserves the name of the Imperial Palace; only after entering can one feel the power of the array.

Huang Zhengyang laughed, "My lord, can I go with you to take a look at the Imperial Treasury?"

Zhou Muyin glanced at him.

Huang Zhengyang chuckled, "Just out of curiosity."

"Let’s go." Zhou Muyin said, "Remember, don’t touch anything, you can only look."

"Understood, understood." Huang Zhengyang nodded quickly.

Chu Zhiyuan said, "Then let’s go have a look, can I pick something?"

"Mr. Chu, you can freely pick one piece, or... two pieces would be fine too."

"Alright."

...

The three of them soon arrived at an underground palace.

This is where the Imperial Treasury is located.

The Imperial Treasury is a complex of underground palaces, composed of four palaces, forming an array.

Several Luminous Pearls were hanging on the dome of the great hall, and a few were also embedded in the stone walls.

The light was gentle, like the first light of dawn, not too bright or too dim, just right.

The hall was as cool as early autumn, with a breeze blowing, without any sense of stuffiness, as if standing on a mountain peak.

Standing inside this hall, Chu Zhiyuan couldn’t help but sigh.

It truly deserves the name of the Royal Family, with profound heritage, exuding restrained luxury everywhere.

Just these four underground palaces required an astonishing amount of manpower and resources.

Neither the Heavenly Sword Sect nor the Heaven-Reaching Sect had such grandeur.

Huang Zhengyang couldn’t see through the reality of this great hall, so he didn’t feel it as deeply.

Seeing Chu Zhiyuan full of emotions, he laughed, "Brother Chu, what’s up?"

Chu Zhiyuan shook his head, "I’ve opened my eyes."

"Isn’t it nothing much?" Huang Zhengyang laughed, "Shall we start looking at the wonders?"

Chu Zhiyuan nodded.

Zhou Muyin was in the front, two purple-robed eunuchs by the side, with Chu Zhiyuan and Huang Zhengyang following behind, beginning to observe the items displayed on the shelves in the hall.

Each great hall had shelves placed against the walls, with three rows each - upper, middle, and lower, all displaying various ancient artifacts.

There were books, calligraphy, stone carvings, knives and swords, and oddly-shaped implements.

Chu Zhiyuan scanned quickly, mostly glancing over without much pause.

Huang Zhengyang behind him, however, watched with great interest, stopping before each wonder to take a closer look.

After quickly walking through the four great halls, Chu Zhiyuan finally stopped in front of a copper ring.

Only palm-sized, the copper ring was heavily rusted, with green patina and even a missing segment, leaving only half of it.

At first glance, it seemed like a half circle, but upon closer inspection, it was clear it had been sliced, with a segment chopped off.

Zhou Muyin curiously asked, "Mr. Chu, do you want to choose this?"

"This is alright, and that one as well."

Chu Zhiyuan pointed to a broken sword: "This sword is also not bad."

Huang Zhengyang curiously examined the two items, his gaze falling on the broken sword, "Could this sword be a Spiritual Treasure?"

Chu Zhiyuan laughed, "More or less."

Huang Zhengyang said, "But a broken Spiritual Treasure is of no value anymore, right?"

"It has lost its spiritual nature, but the material should be remarkable," Chu Zhiyuan said, "It is among the most valuable of these items."

Huang Zhengyang gestured with his fingers, "What about those?"

Chu Zhiyuan shook his head, "They’re of no use."

Zhou Muyin chuckled and hurriedly said, "It can’t be that bad, right?"

"At least they’re of no use to me," Chu Zhiyuan laughed, "They might be good for a Venerable."

Huang Zhengyang laughed, "Brother Chu, you have high standards; these are rare treasures for others."

Chu Zhiyuan shook his head, "Regardless of my standards, among these items, those worthy of being called treasures and kept are probably only five."

"This..." Huang Zhengyang thought it should not be the case.

He turned to look at Zhou Muyin.

Zhou Muyin frowned.

Chu Zhiyuan said, "Some are ancient artifacts, others are imitations; more than half are imitations."

Zhou Muyin’s face turned ugly.

Huang Zhengyang also sensed something wrong, looking at Zhou Muyin.

Chu Zhiyuan laughed, "Lord Zhou, it’s best to pretend you know nothing."

Zhou Muyin said slowly, "This is my responsibility, how can I pretend not to know? Besides, if it gets exposed in the future, I would still be held accountable!"

He already understood, the Imperial Treasury before them had been tampered with.

Chu Zhiyuan said, "In that case, it’s better for Lord Zhou to figure things out first, don’t get it wrong."

Zhou Muyin was taken aback.

Huang Zhengyang asked, "How could it be wrong?"

"What if no one tampered with it?" Chu Zhiyuan smiled, with a deeper implication.

Zhou Muyin seemed thoughtful.

Huang Zhengyang realized, "There are two Imperial Treasuries?"

Chu Zhiyuan laughed, "Perhaps someone tampered with it, or perhaps not, it could be the former, but it might also be the latter."

"Mr. Chu is considerate in thought." Zhou Muyin cupped his fists.

Chu Zhiyuan said, "Moreover, this is just my side of the story and can’t be taken as fact."

"Mr. Chu, there’s no need for you to lie," Huang Zhengyang said.

He believed Chu Zhiyuan’s words, thinking Chu Zhiyuan wouldn’t speak recklessly, and trusted that Chu Zhiyuan’s observation would not be mistaken.

Chu Zhiyuan turned his head with a smile, "Lord Zhou, can I take two pieces?"

"Yes!" Zhou Muyin said solemnly.

He looked at the two purple-robed old eunuchs.

They remained expressionless, as if they had heard nothing, and upon meeting Zhou Muyin’s gaze, they slightly bowed.

One old eunuch took out the incomplete copper ring, while the other took out the broken sword; both the copper ring and the broken sword accompanied a stone plate, together presented to Zhou Muyin.

Zhou Muyin received the stone plate and handed it to Chu Zhiyuan, "Just write down your own name, Mr. Chu."

Chu Zhiyuan took it, carefully examining the stone plate, smooth as jade, tougher than jade itself.

The copper ring and broken sword were already illustrated on it, a few strokes, vivid as life.

Based on the carving traces, it was at least centuries old.

Meaning these two ancient items had been here for hundreds of years, yet no other names had been left behind.

Clearly, no one esteemed them.

Chu Zhiyuan placed his right index finger on the stone plate and, with a flourish, wrote his own name.

He handed the stone plate to Zhou Muyin, who then gave him the broken sword and copper ring.

Huang Zhengyang, eager to try, rubbed his hands.

Chu Zhiyuan handed over the copper ring.

Huang Zhengyang took the copper ring, operated his power to explore, but there was no reaction.

He then took the broken sword, operated his power to explore, still no reaction.

He looked at Chu Zhiyuan in puzzlement.

Chu Zhiyuan laughed, "They need a sufficiently pure power to work."

"Spirit Venerable?" Huang Zhengyang asked.

Chu Zhiyuan nodded slowly.

Huang Zhengyang sighed and handed it back to Chu Zhiyuan, curiously asking, "What exactly is their use?"

Chu Zhiyuan took the broken sword, gave it a gentle shake, and the sword aura immediately surged from the broken section, quickly transforming into a golden sword.

The sword aura was golden, pure and bright.

"Good sword." Huang Zhengyang marveled.

Chu Zhiyuan smiled as he operated the power to activate the copper ring, only to see it suddenly glow, then the green rust faded away, turning into a purple-golden color, rapidly shrinking.

Huang Zhengyang’s eyes widened, not expecting it to shrink.

Chu Zhiyuan laughed, "This has an inner storage, able to store items."

Just like his own Silver Ring, except compared to the Silver Ring, this copper ring has a larger space.

About the size of a room.

For himself right now, it’s not very useful, after all, he has Jade Sea and Sky.

But for Xiao Ruoling, it’s greatly useful.

This copper ring is meant for Xiao Ruoling.

"It has such a wonderful use?" Huang Zhengyang praised it, regretting that he couldn’t use it himself.