After lunch, he took a short nap.
Even with the Heavenly Origin Art allowing his spirit to remain vigorous, he still maintained the habit of napping to allow his body and internal organs to rest and recuperate.
Not to mention that he was only a Connate expert, even Grandmasters and Great Grandmasters were still made of flesh and blood and needed to follow the principles of health preservation.
The body's instinctive power was the power of heaven and earth, and its nourishing effect on the body was stronger than true energy, so it needed to be utilized well.
Among Grandmasters and Great Grandmasters, some had long lifespans and some had short lifespans; innate factors accounted for eighty percent, and acquired health preservation accounted for twenty percent.
After his nap, as he was preparing to go to the Tongtian Pavilion, Zou Fang brought him a card, which turned out to be an invitation from the Eighteenth Prince, Chu Mingxuan.
Chu Zhiyuan glanced at it and nodded.
Chu Zhiting was fierce and domineering, invading like fire, while Chu Zhichuan was suave and agile, advancing and retreating like the wind, making it difficult to determine a winner between the two for a time.
As soon as Chu Zhiyuan appeared, Chu Zhiting, while attacking fiercely, laughed and said, "Fourth Brother, let's have a match!"
Chu Mingxuan chuckled and said, "Yes, yes, we haven't seen your martial arts skills, Fourth Brother. You're not allowed to use true energy to bully people."
"Wouldn't that be bad?"
Chu Mingxuan smiled and said, "Those two aren't convinced!"
"Alright, be careful!"
Chu Zhiyuan laughed, flashed, and stepped between the two, gently striking their chests with his palms.
His movement was incredibly fast, and his palms were soft.
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
The two flew backward, landing three zhang away and crashing into a plum tree.
"Hiss..."
The two rubbed their chests, their faces flushed red, trying to inhale but only making "hissing" sounds, unable to breathe.
Chu Zhiyuan watched with a smile, not stepping forward to help.
Chu Mingxuan also watched the two curiously.
The faces of the two turned purple, and their throats made "hissing" sounds, but it seemed as if they couldn't catch their breath and were suffocating severely.
Chu Zhiyuan smiled and said, "Do a handstand."
The two quickly pushed off the ground with their feet, pointing towards the sky, and supported themselves with their hands.
"Huff--!"
The two collapsed, exhaled a mouthful of air, then flipped over and stood firm, looking at Chu Zhiyuan with lingering fear.
Their breathing had returned to normal.
"Fourth Brother, what palm technique was that?" Chu Zhiting touched his chest, feeling no pain, as if it had been an illusion.
It was obviously a clever technique, hitting the correct position to prevent them from breathing, and no amount of internal energy could help; it was very strange.
Chu Zhiyuan smiled and said, "Meridian Severing Hand."
"Meridian Severing Hand..."
The two pondered for a moment and nodded, remembering that there was indeed such a martial art on the martial arts manual shelf in the west side hall.
They hadn't practiced this Meridian Severing Hand; they hadn't taken a liking to it.
The Meridian Severing Hand had great limitations when used, requiring precise strikes on acupoints; if the acupoints weren't hit accurately, its power couldn't be unleashed.
Acupoints existed on everyone's body, but the location of acupoints on each person's body varied; almost no two locations were exactly the same.
This slight difference would cause the Meridian Severing Hand to fail to unleash its power.
Therefore, there were very few practitioners.
Chu Zhiyuan practiced this martial art because of the existence of his extrasensory perception, which allowed him to accurately find the other party's acupoints, thereby overcoming strength with skill.
Chu Mingxuan exclaimed, "Is the Meridian Severing Hand so powerful?"
Chu Zhiyuan said, "Eighteenth Uncle, any martial art in our Mingwu Hall's collection is top-notch. Some of those stored on the lower levels simply have flaws, but that doesn't mean their power isn't strong."
Chu Mingxuan shook his head and said, "We still focus on the Lesser Purple Sun Art; we can't delay its practice."
Chu Zhiyuan nodded.
For the other princes and heirs, the Lesser Purple Sun Art was the foundation; spending more energy practicing martial techniques would be putting the cart before the horse, especially since they had Grandmaster guards.
He had extrasensory perception, lacked a sense of security, and possessed extremely high talent, so he could spare the effort to practice some self-defense techniques.
The four entered the front hall, and soon the table was filled with delicacies, along with a jar of fine wine.
This time, the wine was also bone wine soaked with demon beast parts, but it was far inferior to the last time.
They drank and chatted.
The three asked about his situation in the Ministry of Rites, and after hearing Chu Zhiyuan's account, they shook their heads, feeling it was a waste of talent.
Chu Zhiyuan smiled and didn't refute, and then spoke of the matter of the Prince of Ying arriving in the capital.
"The entire Ministry of Rites is busy with this matter, to make Tenth Uncle's arrival glorious, both showing the court's impartiality and respect for reputation, and demonstrating that our Chu lineage has successors, to win over people's hearts."
Chu Zhiting couldn't help but curl his lips, unable to suppress his pride.
Chu Zhichuan and Chu Mingxuan also couldn't help but feel longing and anticipation.
Chu Zhiyuan smiled and said, "Eighteenth Uncle, with Tenth Uncle's brilliance ahead, no one who goes can shine."
"...Alas, that's true." Chu Mingxuan said helplessly, "Who can compare to Tenth Brother's divine martial prowess and extraordinary courage?"
As a prince, unlike the heirs, he was closer to the throne, even, one might say, just a step away, within reach.
Therefore, he couldn't devote himself to earning merit like the heirs; in addition to earning merit, he also had to think about cultivating prestige and fostering a reputation in the army.
Although the prerequisite for succession was being a Grandmaster, if everyone was a Grandmaster, then it would depend on their respective reputations; of course, the most important thing was the emperor's choice.
"Eighteenth Uncle, then come to the Town Military Bureau," Chu Zhichuan said, "The three of us together, controlling the Town Military Bureau!"
Chu Mingxuan showed a hesitant expression.
If he really joined the Town Military Bureau, it would almost mean giving up on the throne.
Although he was young and far from the throne, what if? Things were unpredictable; perhaps he could really step into the Grandmaster realm.
As long as he stepped into the Grandmaster realm, then he would have a chance to succeed to the throne.
If none of his imperial brothers could become Grandmasters, then he could succeed to the throne.
Chu Zhiting nodded quickly and said, "Eighteenth Uncle, you can be our direct superior; we'll work together to build a career!"
"...Let me think about it some more." Chu Mingxuan was ultimately hesitant, unable to make a decision.
Chu Zhiyuan changed the subject, talking about the Great Zhen envoy who had returned with the Prince of Ying this time.
Chu Zhichuan, with a tense face, snorted, "Are we really going to have a marriage alliance with Great Zhen?"
Chu Zhiting frowned.
Chu Mingxuan sighed, not saying a word.
Chu Zhiyuan said, "It's too early to talk about a marriage alliance now; it's just an intention, and there will be many more consultations."
Too many things were involved, and interests were at stake, so there would inevitably be many games played out; it was impossible to achieve it overnight.
He exchanged pleasantries and chatted with his colleagues from the Ministry of Rites, and from their meaning, it might even take a year or two to reach a final result.
Chu Zhichuan frowned, "If there's a marriage alliance, will we be marrying someone off or taking someone in?"
Chu Zhiyuan said, "It's hard to say; it depends on how things change. If we fight with Great Meng and don't have a chance of winning, I'm afraid we'll have to marry a princess over."
"Humiliating!" Chu Zhichuan gritted his teeth.
Chu Zhiting nodded vigorously.
Chu Zhiyuan said, "If we can defeat Great Meng, then we'll be taking a princess in... In short, everything depends on strength."
In this world where martial arts flourished, strength was paramount, and the weak were prey to the strong. Individuals still valued morality, but the relationship between countries was purely about interests and strength.
Blame Great Jing for not having the strength to fight two enemies alone and sweep across all directions, which was almost impossible.
Unless there was reform, it was impossible to change the country's strength in a short time.
Currently, neither Great Jing nor Great Zhen could do it; on the contrary, Great Meng's new emperor had ascended the throne and was full of vigor, and it was hard to say whether he would reform to quickly improve national strength.
He belonged to the Zongwu Bureau and couldn't access information and news of that level; the information and news he saw were all from the various sects of the Great Jing martial world.
Chu Mingxuan waved his hand and said, "Forget it, forget it; such national affairs are beyond our concern. We should just focus on practicing our skills."
"That's right, it's beyond our concern," Chu Zhiyuan smiled and said, "Eighteenth Uncle, are there any other things in that sword's cave?"
He patted the long sword at his waist.
"...It seems like there was also a piece of broken jade, which shattered when touched. Have you discovered the mysteries of this sword?"
"I want to refer to it, to see if I can find any clues."
"Alright."
Chu Mingxuan turned to retrieve a delicate small ebony box and handed it to Chu Zhiyuan. It was only the size of a palm, carved with dragon patterns, exquisite and lovely.
Chu Zhiyuan took it and opened it, revealing a pile of broken jade pieces lying on the cotton wool inside.
They were emerald green and already stained with blood.
"Thank you, Eighteenth Uncle," Chu Zhiyuan closed the ebony box and patted the scabbard at his waist, "This sword is indeed good; I want to find out which great figure it belonged to."
"Fourth Brother, don't waste your time on it; after all, it's just a sword. Practice hard and don't let us catch up!"
Chu Zhiyuan nodded with a smile, put away the ebony box, and said, "This is not just about a sword; if it goes well, it's a special power system. Even if I can't use it, it will greatly promote my understanding of the mysteries of heaven and earth and the essence of martial arts, which will be conducive to understanding and seeing the door to the Grandmaster realm."
