Changsheng: My qualifications improve a little every day

They shuttled through the remote corners of the palace, using the cover of night and the complex architectural layout to try to avoid the patrolling guards.

Fang Yue was not familiar with the terrain of the imperial palace.

But the eldest princess seemed to know the place well. She gently gave directions and led Fang Yue to avoid one possible danger point after another.

Although ordinary guards were nothing in Fang Yue's eyes, if he ignored them and exposed his whereabouts, he would inevitably attract endless pursuers.

By then, the eldest princess will inevitably be implicated.

The two of them are close friends and have been intimate with each other for a long time. How could Fang Yue just ignore the eldest princess?

Fang Yue followed closely behind the eldest princess, taking every step carefully. His eyes scanned the surroundings vigilantly and his ears caught every slightest sound.

Although he was confident that he could deal with any emergency, in this deep palace, every mistake could become a fatal trap.

The eldest princess' steps were light but firm. She seemed to be able to sense the secrets behind every wall and what was hidden at the end of every corridor.

Her fingers gently slid across the cold stone wall, occasionally pausing on an inconspicuous carving, which often concealed a secret door or passage leading to the next safe area.

"This way, quick!"

The eldest princess suddenly whispered and pulled Fang Yue into a narrow gap. It was an almost forgotten secret passage, and only very few people knew of its existence.

The secret passage is dark and damp, but compared to the risks one might encounter outside, it is undoubtedly a safe haven.

The two of them walked along the secret passage. The eldest princess looked back from time to time, using her eyes to confirm whether Fang Yue could keep up.

A quarter of an hour later,
They came to the end of the secret passage, and the eldest princess found a loose stone slab with ease. She pushed it gently, and the stone slab slowly moved away, revealing a staircase leading to the outside world.

The moonlight shone through the gaps, bringing a ray of light to the dark passage.

This is already outside the palace.

Looking at the mountains and rocks all around, we were actually in the middle of a mountain range.

After a brief thought, Fang Yue realized that he should be at Taihuang Mountain, thirty miles north of the capital of Da Chu.

According to legend, thousands of years ago, humans and demons lived together.

Demons are naturally powerful and enslave humans.

The human race has been constantly striving to become stronger. Generation after generation of sages and great men have created many martial arts and formations to resist the demons, which has enabled the human race to gradually gain the power to fight against the demons.

Later, Taihuang rose to power.

He led the human race and the demon race to a decisive battle, and ultimately the human race won over the demon race.

And the Emperor used supernatural means to strip the seal off the demon world.

Taihuang was therefore revered as the Human Emperor, and the place of the final decisive battle was called Taihuang Mountain. His deeds were recorded in history and passed down through the ages.

"So we have arrived at Taihuang Mountain."

Fang Yue said softly, a hint of relief flashing in his eyes.

Taihuang Mountain has complex terrain and dense forests, making it an ideal place to hide.

The princess nodded, a look of relief on her face: "Yes, it's relatively safe here. We can take a break for a while and make plans later."

The two walked out of the secret passage and came to a hidden cave.

The cave is hidden by dense trees and it is difficult to detect its existence without careful observation.

They entered the cave and found a clean place to sit down.

"Fang Yue, are you hungry? I have some dry food here."

The eldest princess took out some food wrapped in cloth from her arms and handed it to Fang Yue.

Fang Yue took the food and felt a warm feeling in his heart.

He took a bite of the dry food. Although it tasted simple, it tasted like a delicacy at this time and place.

"Thank you, Princess. I, Fang Yue, will always remember this kindness in my heart and will never let you down in this life." Fang Yue looked at the princess affectionately with a firm tone.

The princess smiled slightly, with a gentle light in her eyes: "Fang Yue, there is no need to be polite between you and me. As long as we can get through this disaster safely, the road ahead is still long, and we can walk slowly together."

The two of them sat quietly in the cave, enjoying this rare peaceful time. Fang Yue thought to himself that he must improve his strength as soon as possible in order to better protect the princess and prevent her from being hurt again.

At this moment, a slight sound suddenly came from outside the cave, breaking the silence. Fang Yue and the princess immediately became alert, and after looking at each other, Fang Yue tiptoed to the cave entrance and peeked out through the gaps between the dense leaves.

"It seems to be the movement of a wild beast, but we still have to be careful." Fang Yue said in a low voice and returned to the eldest princess. The two continued to remain vigilant, but the atmosphere gradually relaxed.

The eldest princess gently stroked the stone wall beside her, as if she was thinking about something.

"Fang Yue, do you know? Taihuang Mountain is not only our place of refuge, but also contains a secret treasure of our Great Chu royal family."

Fang Yue raised his eyebrows when he heard this, and asked curiously: "Secret treasure? What is that?"

The princess looked deep in her eyes and said slowly, "That is a secret that only the core members of the royal family know. Deep in Taihuang Mountain, there are martial arts secrets, rare medicinal materials, and some ancient magic tools accumulated by our Great Chu royal family over the generations. These treasures are all for the purpose of training powerful warriors to defend the royal family and the country in times of crisis."

After hearing this, Fang Yue's heart moved. He understood that such a secret treasure would undoubtedly be a huge help in improving his strength.

"Princess, do you think we should go look for that secret treasure now?" Fang Yue asked in a low voice, his eyes flashing with anticipation.

The princess hesitated for a moment, then nodded:

"Our situation is not safe right now. The forces in the palace are complicated. We don't know when we will encounter danger again. If we can find the secret treasure, it will not only enhance our strength, but also provide more guarantees for our future actions."

So, the two decided to go and look for the secret treasure of the Chu royal family.

Following the clues in the eldest princess's memory, they traveled through the dense forests of Taihuang Mountain, searching for the secret place hidden in the mountains and forests.

After half a day's trek, they finally arrived at a hidden valley, which was filled with clouds and mist, like a fairyland.

Deep in the valley, they found a stone gate surrounded by ancient runes. The stone gate was closed and looked mysterious.

"This is the entrance to the secret treasure."

The princess spoke softly, her fingers lightly running across the runes on the stone door, as if communicating with an ancient power.

Fang Yue looked at the stone gate intently. He could feel the powerful force contained within it.

He knew that a specific method was needed to open the door.

The eldest princess took out an ancient jade pendant from her bosom. The jade pendant was engraved with complex patterns, which echoed the runes on the stone gate.

She inserted the jade pendant into a groove on the stone door and then whispered an ancient spell.

As the spell sounded, the runes on the stone door began to glow, as if activated. Then, with a loud bang, the stone door slowly opened, revealing a passage leading underground.

Fang Yue and the eldest princess looked at each other, then resolutely stepped into the passage.

They knew that this passage would lead them to an unknown world, a world full of opportunities and challenges.

At the end of the passage, they came to a huge underground palace.

There are countless bookshelves and treasure chests in the palace. The bookshelves are filled with martial arts secrets and ancient books, while the treasure chests contain rare medicinal herbs and magical instruments.

Stepping into the underground palace, Fang Yue and the eldest princess seemed to have stepped into another world.

The air here is dull and ancient, yet filled with the scent of endless knowledge and treasures.

They looked around and saw that the walls of the palace were inlaid with luminous pearls, emitting a soft and mysterious light, illuminating the entire space.

There are a wide variety of martial arts secrets on the bookshelf, covering various martial arts schools and skills.

Fang Yue walked to a bookshelf and casually opened a secret book. It recorded a profound method of cultivating vital energy, with pictures and texts and detailed explanations.

He had an idea in his mind, knowing that these secrets would be of immeasurable value in improving his own strength.

Fang Yue flipped through the martial arts secrets on the bookshelf eagerly. Each book seemed like a whole new world, showing him the mysteries and profundities of martial arts.

As he read, he silently wrote down the key contents, intending to slowly study and practice them in the future.

The eldest princess walked towards the treasure chests. She gently opened the lids one by one, and saw all kinds of rare treasures hidden inside.

Some of the herbs exude a faint fragrance, obviously they are very old and have extraordinary medicinal effects;
Some magical instruments emit a faint light, as if they contain some mysterious power.

She knew that these treasures could not only enhance their strength, but also provide more guarantees for their future actions.

While selecting the treasure, they suddenly discovered a strange phenomenon:

The bookshelves and treasure chests in the palace seemed to be arranged in a certain pattern, as if forming a huge formation.

They were startled, knowing that this formation might be hiding some secret or danger.

The princess stared at the formation layout and suddenly remembered something. She said to the other party:

"This formation is the 'Dragon Vein Formation' that has been passed down through the generations of the royal family. It is said to be able to gather the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and provide endless vitality for practitioners.

However, if you do not understand its secrets and enter without permission, you may get lost or even trapped.”

Fang Yue frowned slightly when he heard this. He stared at the layout of the formation, trying to find the pattern in it.

The eldest princess walked to the center of the formation, closed her eyes, and felt the flow of vital energy around her.

After a moment, she opened her eyes, and the other party said, "Come with me, I know how to get out of this formation."

Under the leadership of the eldest princess, they successfully passed through the "Dragon Vein Formation" and came to the depths of the palace.

There was a huge altar with complicated runes and patterns engraved on it, which seemed to contain some mysterious power.

The eldest princess walked to the altar, stared at the runes on the altar, and then whispered an ancient spell.

As the spell sounded, the runes on the altar began to glow, as if they were activated.

Then, there was a loud "bang" and a portal with flashing light appeared in front of the altar.

Fang Yue and the princess looked at each other, their hearts filled with surprise and expectation. They knew that this portal might lead to a more mysterious world full of opportunities.

At the same time, Yuan Tianding, the national teacher of the Great Chu State, also led his people to Taihuang Mountain. Yuan Tianding, dressed in a gorgeous robe, had a stern face and an unquestionable majesty in his eyes. He was followed by a group of guards in black, all of whom were agile and aggressive.

"The princess and Fang Yue must be hiding in Taihuang Mountain." Yuan Tianding said coldly, his eyes sweeping across the surrounding mountains and forests, as if he could penetrate all obstacles and look directly at the target.

"Master, the terrain of Taihuang Mountain is complex and the forests are dense. How are we going to find them?" asked a guard, revealing a hint of uneasiness in his tone.

"Humph, do they think they can escape my pursuit by hiding in this forest? How naive." Yuan Tianding snorted coldly and took out a compass that was shining with strange light from his arms. "This is a tracking compass. As long as they are still in Taihuang Mountain, they can't escape my pursuit."

As he spoke, Yuan Tianding threw the compass lightly, and the compass floated in the air. The needle began to rotate rapidly and finally pointed in one direction.

"Go!" Yuan Tianding gave an order and led the guards to chase in the direction indicated by the compass.

They shuttled through the dense forest at an extremely fast speed, like black lightning.

The wild animals along the way sensed their presence and hid themselves, not daring to make any sound.

Soon after, they arrived at the entrance to the valley that Fang Yue and the princess had discovered earlier.

Yuan Tianding stared at the valley, a sneer appeared on his lips: "They are hiding here indeed."

As he said this, he walked into the valley with his guards.

However, the moment they stepped into the valley, the surrounding scenery suddenly changed.

The valley that was originally shrouded in clouds and mist now became shrouded in fog, as if one had walked into a maze.

"Master Imperial Master, what's going on?" a guard asked, his tone revealing a bit of panic.

Yuan Tianding frowned, staring around, feeling a little surprised.

However, he quickly calmed down and said in a deep voice: "This is a formation. They want to use it to confuse us. But, a mere formation can't defeat me."

As he spoke, Yuan Tianding took out a jade slip from his arms. The slip was engraved with complex runes and emitted a faint light. He threw it lightly, and the jade slip floated in the air, releasing rays of light, gradually dispersing the surrounding fog.

"Follow me closely and don't get separated." Yuan Tianding ordered and continued forward with the guards.

Guided by the jade slip, they passed through the fog and arrived in front of the stone gate.

Yuan Tianding stared at the runes on the stone door and thought to himself. He knew that behind this stone door was most likely the hiding place of the princess and Fang Yue.

"Open it." Yuan Tianding gave the order coldly.

The guards immediately stepped forward and tried to push open the stone door.

However, the stone gate did not move at all, as if blocked by an invisible force.

"Humph, a mere stone gate thinks you can stop me?"

Yuan Tianding snorted coldly, took out a talisman from his arms and stuck it on the stone door.

As the talisman burned, the runes on the stone door began to glow, as if activated.

Then, with a loud bang, the stone door slowly opened, revealing a passage leading underground. (End of this chapter)