"Where is it?" Su Yueli asked, her expression shifting slightly.
Zhao Yan leaned back against his chair and slowly uttered a few words, "The Cangyun Ancient Kingdom ruins."
Hearing this, Su Yueli raised an eyebrow. She had some impression of this place.
It was not within the vicinity of the Imperial City, but deep in the mountains hundreds of miles away.
Rumor had it that a thousand years ago, Cangyun was merely a tiny, insignificant nation. It had been crushed and destroyed by the iron cavalry of the Great Li Dynasty, and had remained abandoned ever since.
Due to its unique terrain, some ancient formations were preserved there, resulting in an incredibly dense concentration of worldly blood qi, making it highly suitable for martial artists to cultivate in seclusion.
Furthermore, as the ruins of an ancient kingdom, there might still be some undiscovered opportunities hidden inside.
Zhao Yan then shifted the topic, his tone turning a bit grave. "However, opportunities are often accompanied by danger. That place has been abandoned for too long, and many low-level demon beasts have bred in the deep, ancient forests.
"The Great Li imperial family has sealed it off and set up a restriction. Without the specific key, even cultivators cannot enter."
After hearing this, Su Yueli did not hesitate for long and immediately nodded in agreement.
Since it was a fallen kingdom, entering it to train might truly lead to a great opportunity.
As for danger and demon beasts, the martial path was originally forged on the brink of life and death; she had never feared such things.
A place with danger was what made it a proper training ground.
"Are you sure you want to go?"
Seeing her agree so readily, Zhao Yan was actually somewhat surprised.
"Right now, there is absolutely no one inside. If you go in alone and encounter some formidable demon beast or if something goes wrong, no one can go in to save you. If you die in there, there won't even be anyone to bury your corpse."
"I'm sure," Su Yueli nodded.
Zhao Yan gave her a deep look and stopped trying to persuade her. "Very well. Since your mind is made up, this prince will grant your request. Once you've selected your weapon from the armory, someone will hand the key to the ruins over to you."
"Thank you, Your Highness."
Su Yueli turned, preparing to leave with the guard.
Just as she reached the entrance of the grand hall, she suddenly stopped, turned around, and cupped her fists toward Zhao Yan, who sat in the host's seat.
"The Rejuvenation Pill Your Highness bestowed on the stage earlier saved my friend's life. I, Su Yueli, will remember this favor."
With that, she didn't linger any longer and walked straight out of the hall.
Watching her departing figure, Zhao Yan picked up his teacup, took a sip, and chuckled. "This woman distinguishes clearly between gratitude and grudges. Her personality is fierce and decisive enough."
Gu Chen waved his folding fan, a hint of an amused smile playing at the corner of his lips.
"To reject the imperial family's protection and instead insist on risking her life in a godforsaken ruin...
"If she truly manages to come out of the Cangyun Ancient Kingdom alive, the mortal martial arts world will likely see the birth of an extraordinary monster. Unfortunately, she lacks an immortal Bone Talent after all."
A mortal, no matter how stunningly talented, has but a century of life.
Zhao Yan waved his hand. "Have someone keep an eye on the Pang family. At least make sure nothing happens before she enters the ruins."
"Yes, Fourth Prince."
...
The imperial palace armory.
Su Yueli followed the guiding guard through the corridors and arrived before an underground palace.
Pushing open the bronze doors, a blast of metallic, cold air rushed over her.
Inside the spacious armory, rows upon rows of weapon racks stretched out as far as the eye could see.
Sabers, spears, swords, halberds, axes, battleaxes, hooks, and forks—every kind of weapon was present. Their surfaces gleamed with a cold light, making it obvious at a glance that they were all extraordinary items.
"Miss Su, this is the martial path armory of our Great Li Dynasty."
The guard respectfully introduced from the side, "Weapons are divided into four grades: Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow. Aside from the Heaven-grade weapons, which are kept separately, the weapons of the other three grades for martial artists are all here. As for the cultivators' immortal treasury, it is not located here."
Su Yueli nodded secretly to herself, unable to help but marvel at the profound foundation of a dynasty.
Graded weapons, which were rarely seen in the outside world, were piled on the racks here like common cabbages.
She scanned along the weapon racks, beginning her search for a suitable weapon.
First, she picked up an Earth-grade low-rank longsword and swung it a couple of times.
The blade was light and agile, but for her, who was used to explosive fist techniques, it was too light. There was no sense of feedback or weight at all.
Next, she tried a broadsword, a heavy halberd, and even a pair of floral dual hammers weighing hundreds of catties.
None of them were suitable.
Su Yueli's brow furrowed slightly. She trained in the ultimate short-range force, and her greatest strengths lay in close-quarters combat and extreme, instantaneous bursts of power.
These long or heavy weapons would only restrict her speed and the trajectory of her fist techniques.
Just as she was about to give up and pick a random saber to make do, her gaze suddenly landed on a dusty wooden box in the corner.
Opening the wooden box, she found a pair of pitch-black, uniquely shaped weapons lying quietly inside.
These were... fist blades.
The main body was a steel knuckle duster that protected the back of the hand and knuckles, with three-inch-long, paper-thin barbed blades protruding from the front.
Su Yueli's eyes lit up, and she reached out to slip them onto her hands.
The size was perfect, and the weight was moderate, as if they had been custom-made for her hands.
As she channeled a sliver of blood qi, a faint, dark glow flickered at the tips of the fist blades.
With this weapon, the lethality of her short-range force would undoubtedly multiply several times over in the future!
When hitting someone, it would no longer be as simple as just breaking bones.
"Miss Su has an excellent eye."
The guard walked over, took a look, and expressed great surprise. "This pair of Shadow Fist Blades was forged from subterranean profound iron blended with a trace of a demon beast's knuckle bones.
"Its grade has reached Earth-grade high-rank, only a hair's breadth away from Heaven-grade. However, because this weapon is too short, the margin for error is extremely low, making it incredibly difficult to master. It has been gathering dust in the armory for many years."
"I'll take this." Su Yueli did not waste words and directly put the fist blades away.
After she selected her weapon, the guard took out an ancient-looking bronze key and a parchment map, solemnly handing them to Su Yueli while informing her of the exact location of the Cangyun Ancient Kingdom ruins.
Taking the items, Su Yueli left the imperial palace swiftly and decisively.
She returned to the inn.
In the private courtyard, Lin Ye was sitting on a stone stool, packing his things.
After a day and night of recuperation, combined with the powerful medicinal efficacy of the Rejuvenation Pill, his internal injuries had mostly healed, though his face remained somewhat pale.
Seeing Su Yueli return, Lin Ye quickly stood up and eagerly welcomed her.
"Miss Su, did you get the imperial rewards?"
Su Yueli nodded and briefly explained how she had given up the imperial family's protection to cultivate in seclusion at the Cangyun Ancient Kingdom ruins instead.
Hearing this, Lin Ye was stunned for a moment, then sincerely cupped his hands in congratulation. "This is a wonderful thing! To have an absolutely quiet place to cultivate... with Miss Su's talent, once you emerge from seclusion, you will definitely be able to string up those old fogies from the Pang family and give them a thorough beating!"
"What about you? Preparing to head back?" Su Yueli glanced at the bundle on the table.
Lin Ye scratched his head and let out a bitter laugh. "Yeah. Getting beaten like a dog in the Martial Arts Tournament this time really made me face reality.
"The waters in the Imperial City are too deep; it's simply not a place where an outer-city rogue cultivator like me can survive. I plan to leave the city today and head back to Lingshui City to lay low and practice my saber skills. I won't come out to make a fool of myself again until I reach the peak of the Fourth Realm."
Su Yueli looked at him, her eyes completely calm, and offered a quiet warning. "The Pang family acts ruthlessly. Be extra careful on your journey."
"Don't worry, Miss Su, my life is tough," Lin Ye patted his chest. "You take care as well."
Su Yueli hummed in response, saying nothing more.
Turning around, she went back to her room, quickly packed her bags, stuffed a few changes of clothes and dry rations into her pack, and then walked straight out of the inn with it on her back.
Standing on the long street outside the inn, Su Yueli cast a backward glance.
She was well aware of the harsh reality before her.
This entire matter had indeed started because Lin Ye had stuck his nose where it didn't belong in Lingshui City and provoked Pang Hu.
She had stepped in out of a sense of justice, beating Pang Hu to death and drawing all of the Pang family's hatred onto herself.
On the stage, she could also be considered to have avenged Lin Ye.
What she should do, and what she could do, she had already done to the absolute limit.
They had only met by chance; she could not act like a nanny, fighting to the death against an influential Imperial City family for the sake of a single Lin Ye.
Especially since there was a faint shadow of cultivator forces behind this Pang family.
With her current strength, facing the Eighth Realm Pang Jinbiao was already a desperate situation, let alone those cultivators with heaven-defying abilities.
If Lin Ye were intercepted and killed by assassins sent by the Pang family on his way back, that would simply be his fate.
She had no way to help, nor could she control it.
On this long path of martial longevity where human life was as cheap as grass, only staying alive and constantly growing stronger was the sole, unchanging truth.
Su Yueli withdrew her gaze, leaving behind no trace of reluctance.
Following the guidance of the parchment map, she blended into the bustling crowd of the city, walking briskly toward the gates of the Imperial City.
"Cangyun Ancient Kingdom, ruins trial... here I come!"
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