The Heavens: A Qing, the Yue Girl at the beginning

So, Zhao Qing nodded slightly, put away the volume of Tai Sui Anecdotes, took the jade box containing the Yaohuo Sword beside him, followed Zhao Xiangfei out of the library, and then flew up, climbing to a height of thousands of feet like two meteors, and fell towards the distance.

On a corner tower used for guarding the outer perimeter of the Chu Imperial Palace, a middle-aged man dressed in cyan-gold armor and dressed as a general looked up at the scene, sighed softly, turned around and waved a token emitting green light towards a team of imperial guards who were aiming with their bows at the rear of the palace wall.

Knowing the identities of the two people leaving the palace, these guards naturally would not recklessly shoot arrows to block them. Instead, they stopped the infusion of true energy in unison without any hesitation or dragging their feet. The golden lightning spewing out of the dragon's head and the bowstring formed by it also disappeared.

"Put away your bows!" The commander of the imperial city garrison, whose surname was Jin, looked deeply at the two tracks that were moving farther and farther away in the sky. He knew that the situation in the capital of Chu might change because of this, and he couldn't help but think about many things, but his voice was still steady and powerful: "Continue patrolling, don't relax at all."

As the color of the token changed, the green light signal allowing passage disappeared, and the guards returned to alert status. They hung a double-headed dragon bow back on their backs, quickly dispersed, and returned to their respective garrison areas.

This special dragon-head bow has a special name "Jingtianpo" in the world of practitioners. Only a few weapon refiners in the Chu Imperial Palace know how to make it. A total of one thousand imperial guards are equipped with this talisman weapon that can draw on the thunder of heaven and earth, and its power is even not inferior to that of practitioners in the sixth realm.

Hundreds of attacks close to the sixth realm concentrated at one point can completely kill a grandmaster at the peak of the seventh realm. Of course, this is only possible if the target is hit and the guards still have sufficient true energy.

Talismans like "Jingtianpo" essentially release the true energy that the practitioner has spent a lot of time inputting all at once, and use it more efficiently to launch attacks. Therefore, they usually lose their combat capability temporarily after two or three rounds of volleys.

"The equipment and quality of these archers are quite good." Sensing the intimidation when they were targeted just now, Zhao Qing was also full of praise: "If they suddenly attack on the battlefield, a few rounds of volleys may be enough to decide the outcome of the fight between two armies of hundreds of thousands."

"It's just that I've lived in the palace for a long time and rarely encounter any enemies. It's a bit of a waste to deploy an elite force like this..." Concubine Zhao replied casually, with a deep meaning in her tone: "No matter how sharp a sword is, if it hasn't seen blood for more than ten years and is always hidden in the sheath, it will gradually become dull."

"After the Changling Incident, people like me who had infiltrated the Chu Dynasty from the Bashan Sword Field had been lurking and developing in secret for a long time, waiting for a long time... The Bashan Sword Field within Qin was completely wiped out, but no one could have imagined that in the Great Chu Dynasty, the Bashan Sword Field would be rebuilt."

"Wang Jingmeng and Lin Zhujiu's original plan was to have the Bashan disciples serve as high-level insiders in the enemy dynasty, so as to reduce the resistance of the Qin army when it continued to conquer the Chu, Yan, and Qi dynasties after destroying the Han, Zhao, and Wei dynasties, so as to unify the world faster and cause fewer casualties."

"However, the betrayal by Yuan Wu, Zheng Xiu and others that no one could have predicted happened. They killed the great contributors to their own country, causing the Bashan Sword Field and the name Wang Jingmeng to be almost completely wiped out from Qin territory. The remnants of the Bashan forces that had originally infiltrated the outer court naturally could no longer act as planned."

"Wang Jingmeng, Lin Zhujiu, Yan Xinlan, Li Guanlan, the soul figures of Bashan Sword Field, their ideal is to see the birth of an unprecedented dynasty, the unification of the world, no more wars, the people living and working in peace, and the world of practitioners becoming more prosperous..."

"Since the Qin people, led by Yuan Wu and Zheng Xiu, have voluntarily given up the help of Bashan and have become the biggest enemy of the people of Bashan Sword Field, then why can't the Great Chu Dynasty, which is not much weaker than Qin, become our new starting point and use it as a foundation to promote the unification of all dynasties in the world?"

"So, the Emperor of Chu made you the most powerful person under the emperor and entrusted you with all the state affairs. With such trust, he also agreed with the ideas and plans of the remnants of Bashan?" Zhao Qing looked serious and asked, "Besides the Emperor of Chu, who else knew about this?"

Concubine Zhao Xiang shook her head gently, her hair swaying slightly as she moved. She said, "Initially, His Majesty was willing to accept us because of our strength and hatred for Qin. We could bring him intelligence about Qin and ways to deal with Qin."

"However, as time went by, affection grew. After your Majesty had a deep understanding of my background, not only did he not become hostile to me because of my ulterior motives, but he completely believed in my character and virtues, opened his heart to me, and touched my heart with his sincere emotions, and step by step made me the heir of a country."

"So-called lofty ideals are nothing but empty things, and can be easily coerced and swallowed up by the interests of reality. Otherwise, there wouldn't have been so many shameless traitors in Bashan Sword Field. Only human hearts and emotions can serve as a bridge connecting everything..."

"The reason why the Bashan Sword Field can grow stronger in our dynasty is that His Majesty believes that I will not do anything detrimental to Da Chu, and no one can give more to me than he does, so he truly regards me as a pillar of Da Chu and places the future of the country on me."

"Zheng Xiu betrayed Wang Jingmeng and destroyed the Bashan Sword Arena, becoming the empress of the Qin Dynasty. Her status, fame and power reached the pinnacle. But now I am the empress of the Great Chu Dynasty, and I even have the ability to usurp power and establish myself. Naturally, I will not do such a thing for the sake of profit."

What a shocking gamble! Hearing this, Zhao Qing was also slightly surprised, and sighed that the Chu Emperor's methods were indeed brilliant. He combined personal feelings with national interests so skillfully, and his mind and bearing were beyond the reach of ordinary people.

This was undoubtedly a gamble with people's hearts as bargaining chips, and the Emperor of Chu obviously won the heart of Concubine Zhao, turning her, who was originally the biggest hidden danger, into the most solid ally and pillar of the Great Chu. From then on, the two sides would prosper and suffer together.

Having reached a position that is almost like that of an acting emperor, if he wants to offer a bigger bargaining chip, the only option is to have the opportunity to break through to the Eight Realms and awaken the heavens. For a true practitioner of the Bashan Sword Field, this is probably much more important than the throne.

"As for those who know that I am actually a disciple of Bashan Sword Field... In addition to Emperor Chu, there are several of our fellow disciples, several important officials in the Chu Palace, such as the commander of the Imperial City Army just now, and the senior officials of the direct lineage that I have cultivated over the years. They are all trustworthy people."

A complicated look flashed across Concubine Zhao Xiang's eyes, and she continued, "Those new people who have joined this major plan have all been strictly screened by your majesty and me, and they are full of confidence in the future of Da Chu and Bashan Sword Field. At the critical moment, they will all be our strongest backing."

"Except for the core members, the influence of Bashan Sword Field in Chu Territory has been expanding and developing here, but they are unaware that they have the protection of me and Your Majesty. On the surface, they are still led by another Bashan disciple, Gongshu Zhi, and have many connections with the former powerful families in Changling."

"That's great." Zhao Qing heard this and his brows relaxed slightly. "It is very important to keep the plan secret. After all, there are also undercurrents in Chu. There are many spies from Qin and people with ill intentions. You, a person from the outer court, occupying such a high position, makes many princes resentful."

"In fact, with Yuan Wu and Zheng Xiu's spy abilities, they must have already discovered that the remnants of the Bashan tribe were gradually growing in Chu territory, and they may have even sent people to infiltrate." Concubine Zhao talked as she flew, the scenery changing rapidly under her feet:
"But they can only investigate Gongshu Zhi at most, because we hide the real core information very deeply and never reveal it to the members of the subordinate forces. Only the top leaders know each other... Even if they find some clues, they will never think of the relationship between me and the Emperor of Chu."

"Then... does Emperor Chu also trust other people in Bashan Sword Field?" Zhao Qing pondered for a moment and asked again.

Concubine Zhao shook her head slightly, her eyes becoming deep. "Your Majesty, it is impossible for you to completely trust the other people in Bashan Sword Field as you do me. After all, they are not Chu people, and they have their own goals and plans. People's hearts are hidden, and no one can completely guarantee the loyalty of others."

"There are only a very small number of Bashan disciples like me who were born in the Zhao Dynasty and whose master is from the Chu people... However, Your Majesty knows how to control people's hearts and how to balance the forces of all parties, so that Bashan Sword Field can contribute to the Great Chu while also getting what it wants."

"So, the Chu Emperor is both using and cooperating with the Bashan Sword Field?" Zhao Qing said thoughtfully: "Your master is Hongli, right? As far as I know, she should be living in the Qin Palace now, as an ordinary old maid who washes clothes..."

"Master is still alive?" This time, Concubine Zhao was really shocked for a moment, and then a look of joy appeared on her face. She thought her master had died in the bloody storm a few years before Yuan Wu ascended the throne, and she never thought that she had been hiding in the palace of Changling. "She was originally placed in the palace by Bashan Sword Field to secretly protect Yuan Wu's safety. In order to prevent Yuan Wu, who was in charge of the reform, from being assassinated by other princes... Later, when the great change happened, she took the opportunity to spread the news of her death and lurked deep in the palace, waiting for an opportunity to act."

"So that's how it is." Concubine Zhao's doubts were suddenly cleared up: "Her cultivation level is not lower than mine. The reason why she has been hiding in the depths of the Qin Palace for so many years is naturally not because she can't escape from the dangerous place, but to get close to find out some secrets about Yuan Wu and Zheng Xiu."

"Perhaps, while lurking, she was also keeping an eye on my movements and developments within the Chu Dynasty, analyzing and interpreting changes in the outside world through bits and pieces of information that entered the palace... But unfortunately, most of the Bashan disciples who were originally responsible for contacting the master have died..."

Zhao Qing nodded. He could see the other party's nostalgic look as he recalled his master, so he reminded him, "However, since Hongli has been able to live safely in the Qin Palace for many years, it means that she has been hiding very well. Without the need to communicate with the contact person, she is safe and secure..."

"So if you want to get in touch with her again, you have to wait for the right time and not act rashly."

"I understand." Concubine Zhao Xiang took a deep breath and calmed down her excitement. "Master's safety is more important than anything else. We can't put her in danger because of our momentary anxiety."

The two of them flew quickly while talking, and in a short while, they arrived over a lake of thousands of hectares in the northern area of ​​Chudu.

The lake was sparkling, the water and the sky were one color, and on the shore stood one magic circle after another. Many of them looked like huge stone pillars left over from ancient times. They seemed to be placed randomly, but in fact they contained mysteries.

"This lake is the location of the 'Divine Craftsman Workshop', a royal workshop directly under the royal family. The craftsmen's skills are second to none in the Great Chu. And these checkpoints and tests by the lake were set up by your majesty to select young talents."

Concubine Zhao Xiang landed at the lakeside and pointed at the mysterious magic arrays: "Any young cultivator from my dynasty's sect or family, under the age of 25, who can successfully pass the thirteen magic arrays can enter the Neighboring Star Tower in the lake and obtain a newly refined top-grade sword 'Yuxiang'."

"During the process of breaking through the barriers, we at Bashan Sword Field have also examined the young people among them. If they have good character and intelligence, they can be absorbed into our forces and trained as fresh blood. This is also a way for us to expand our influence in Chu Territory."

Looking around, Zhao Qing noticed that this series of magic arrays were progressive, and while they contained hidden difficulties, they also took into account the practitioners' innovations in the changes of the five elements, yin and yang, rune circuits, and sword skills. He also praised:
"It seems that Emperor Chu has also put a lot of effort into the training of practitioners."

According to the information she had collected recently, this trial site along the lake was equivalent to the long-term continuous version of the Minshan Sword Meeting in the Qin Dynasty. Every time one passed a level, one could obtain the corresponding reward at the Linxing Tower according to the difference in age and cultivation.

What's more, it's fairer than the Minshan Sword Competition. No background or recommendation is required, and there's no need to worry about missing the time. As long as you can find this place and have the real talent, you'll have a chance to pass. It can be said to be the best place for Chu Zhijun to become famous.

In fact, at this moment, although a military talisman bidding conference that shocked Yingdu had been held not long ago and attracted everyone's attention, there were still several young people in the third and fourth realms who continued to venture into the stone formation, trying to crack the mystery of the changing formations.

As they were talking, they had already arrived in front of a stone pillar by the lake.

Concubine Zhao Xiang took out a crystal jade token from her bosom, injected her true energy into it, and then aimed it at a certain spot between the stone pillars. She gently rotated it, and the five-colored glow flashing on the token immediately refracted out, echoing with the runes on the stone pillars, forming a complex light path.

As the light paths refracted and converged, ripples appeared on the originally calm lake surface, as if an invisible force was gently stirring the water. Then, the glowing runes finally converged into a dazzling light gate, revealing a corner of the hidden magic circle.

When the two of them passed through the light gate, the scenery before them suddenly changed dramatically.

There are exquisite pavilions and towers scattered in an orderly manner on the many islands in the lake, connected to each other by covered bridges spanning hundreds of meters. Each one exudes a unique charm, just like an extremely magnificent palace.

The most eye-catching of them is the towering tower standing in the middle of the lake. It has 33 floors and is a hundred feet high. The majestic Linxing Tower seems to be the center of this area, shrouding all buildings in its majesty.

Led by Zhao Xiangfei, Zhao Qing walked along the winding corridor bridge and the double-decked walkway built in mid-air. From time to time, people dressed in craftsmen's clothes hurried past. Some of them held drawings, some carried tools on their shoulders, and some pushed carts loaded with materials. Everyone seemed busy and focused.

Finally, the two arrived at the top floor of the Linxing Tower. It was a spacious hall with various precious objects and ornaments placed around it. The layout was simple yet elegant. Several carved window lattices were half-closed, and one could overlook the lake and mountains in the distance, which was refreshing.

At this time, several people were already sitting in the hall, some standing and some sitting, and the atmosphere was quite solemn. In the middle was a middle-aged man with graying temples who looked like a military advisor. He was the leader of the Bashan Sword Field in Chu, Gongshu Zhi.

This man came from an old powerful family in Changling. He and Changsun Qianxue once had a common master, but in the end he became very close to Bashan Sword Field and became an important promoter of Qin's reforms.

If Bashan Sword Field had not been betrayed, one of the two prime ministers of the Qin Dynasty should have been his. It was not because of his background or accomplishments, but because of his honesty, because he always spoke the truth and never lied.

Next to Gongshu Zhi, there sat a man in a green shirt who looked no more than thirty years old, with a look of gentle white clouds between his brows, and a middle-aged man in a green robe with gold patterns, exuding a pure and spotless aura.

The cultivation of both of them has reached a level that is unfathomable and difficult to sense and confirm. Their realm is even higher than Gongshu Zhi. Seeing Zhao Xiangfei push the door and come in with a new partner, they all stood up to greet her and introduced themselves one after another:

"The Dao Volume Sect, the True Spirit Son; the Wu Gou Palace, Fan Wu Gou."

"What's the situation?" Concubine Zhao Xiang didn't exchange pleasantries and went straight to the point: "The descendant of the Nine-Death Silkworm is suspected to have appeared in Changling and killed a traitor from Bashan. Have you found more details later?"

...(End of chapter)