At dawn, Chu Zhiyuan arrived at the Mingwu Hall.
Chu Qingfeng was already standing in the morning light, with his hands clasped behind his back.
Chu Zhiyuan stepped forward, clasped his fist, and said with a smile, "Grand Uncle."
"The affairs of the Martial Arts Hall are becoming more and more lively, causing quite a stir in the imperial court," Chu Qingfeng sighed. "The Emperor has already agreed."
Chu Zhiyuan smiled and said, "This can be considered fair, at least adding another bargaining chip to meritorious service."
He initially set the rules: the Martial Arts Hall would have a term of ten days, with ten people each time. Regulations were also established for how to be admitted into the Martial Arts Hall.
Originally, the ten people were selected based on the order of registration, plus considering the balance between the four major sects within the Zhenwu Division and the experts in the army. But now, these rules have changed.
♦
The order of entry will be determined by meritorious service, no longer considering the balance between the four major sects and the experts in the army. Whoever has more meritorious service will enter the Martial Arts Hall first, and whoever has less will wait in the back.
Meritorious service is not only for exchanging cultivation resources and promotions from the Tianbao Division, but also includes the Martial Arts Hall now. In this way, another bargaining chip is added to meritorious service, making it even more valuable.
After Chu Zhiyuan proposed this rule, the Emperor's side was slow to agree. According to Chu Minghou, the Emperor brought this rule up for discussion in the imperial court. Chu Zhiyuan understood the key to this.
Involving meritorious service, acting arbitrarily is inappropriate. Discussing it in the imperial court, after multiple rounds of gaming, making a decision is the most stable approach. This process is both a game between each other and a process of promotion, allowing this rule to penetrate people's hearts and convince them.
"You need to be careful," Chu Qingfeng said. "Originally, I wanted to let you go out for a spin, on an errand to announce an imperial decree or something, but now I dare not."
Chu Zhiyuan smiled and said, "Afraid of the Great Zhen and Great Meng envoys playing dirty tricks?"
Chu Qingfeng said, "Just thinking about it, I know they definitely won't be willing to accept this, and will definitely try to deal with you."
With two Grandmasters, even if there is danger, he can escape, which can be called safe and worry-free.
Chu Zhiyuan showed his face at the Ministry of Rites, quickly flipped through a few dossiers, and then returned to the Qing Prince's mansion. On the way back, he saw the three women in the bustling crowd.
Huang Shirong was wearing an apricot-yellow silk dress, still beautiful and gentle.
Wen Qianqian and Xu Mengyu were still dressed in white like snow, surrounding Huang Shirong. Chu Zhiyuan stepped forward and said with a smile, "Are you done with the affairs of the White Cloud Sword Palace?"
Huang Shirong nodded lightly and said, "It's finally come to an end... Your Highness's Martial Arts Hall is very lively right now." The imperial court is like a big sieve, and the matter of the Martial Arts Hall rules being discussed is already spreading like wildfire.
Now the entire Yujing is abuzz with it, with discussions everywhere in restaurants and teahouses.
Some say it's exaggerated, some are skeptical, some are excited, and some are regretful. Even more are envious of the Zhenwu Division.
The Zhenwu Division was already enviable enough, but now it is even more so.
The Zhenwu Division has two sources of manpower: disciples of the four major sects and retired experts from the army.
The threshold for disciples of the four major sects is too high, and you can't just enter if you want to. Joining the army doesn't have such a high threshold. For a time, the number of people wanting to join the army has greatly increased.
Some people are still wondering if the Martial Arts Hall is really that magical, and if the Fourth Prince is really that powerful. Is it really possible to break through to Grandmaster from the Perfected Houtian realm in ten days?
This matter is a bit incredible. Could it be an exaggeration?
But two batches of Perfected Houtian cultivators have already become Grandmasters, which makes this kind of doubt quite weak.
The world has a common consensus: the Fourth Prince's comprehension is astonishing, and he has already grasped the key to stepping into the Grandmaster realm. This is a definite fact.
Chu Zhiyuan smiled and said, "It's all chaos and confusion. Does the White Cloud Sword Palace have any objections to these rules?"
"Since the imperial court has set the rules, we will naturally act according to the rules," Huang Shirong said.
Chu Zhiyuan smiled.
Huang Shirong had a somewhat reluctant expression, and you could tell what she wanted to do. Huang Shirong coughed lightly, "Elder Gu, he..."
"Stop," Chu Zhiyuan waved his hand and said, "Do you want to owe me another favor? Let's forget it. I already owe Elder Gu enough favors." Huang Shirong said, "Elder Gu's favor is still very valuable."
Chu Zhiyuan shook his head and said, "Besides the White Cloud Sword Pavilion and the White Cloud Sword Stele, what else is useful to the White Cloud Sword Palace?"
"Elder Gu is a Grandmaster."
Chu Zhiyuan said, "He has to guard the White Cloud Sword Palace and can't leave the sect."
"..." Huang Shirong was silent.
These words hit the nail on the head.
"Elder Gu should also know that the rules cannot be broken, otherwise, there will be endless trouble."
"...There are a few disciples in the sect who haven't entered the Zhenwu Division."
"Then there's nothing I can do," Chu Zhiyuan shook his head. Huang Shirong smiled bitterly.
It's already too late for these disciples to enter the Zhenwu Division now. According to meritorious service, I don't know when they'll be ranked. Chu Zhiyuan said, "Let them enter the Zhenwu Division and make more contributions. There's no other way."
Within the four major sects, there are always some like himself who are unwilling to take risks in the Zhenwu Division. They want to reach a higher realm through cultivation, willing not to borrow external forces.
These people are divided into two types: those with extremely high qualifications and those with not-so-high qualifications. The former will receive support from the sect's resources and be secretly funded. Now this situation is a bit troublesome.
Chu Zhiyuan bid farewell to Huang Shirong. Just as he returned to the Prince's mansion, he heard Feng Xi report that the Ninth Princess of Great Meng had arrived. The two met in the front hall.
After not seeing her for a while, Li Hongzhao was even more radiant and charming, three points more beautiful than before. Her cultivation had actually also improved by one realm, reaching the fifth level.
This speed of improvement is also extremely amazing.
Chu Zhiyuan raised his sword-like eyebrows, clasped his fist, and said with a smile, "Congratulations, Your Highness, on improving another realm." No wonder there was no movement these past few days, she was in closed-door cultivation.
Li Hongzhao was wearing a peach-red palace dress, with fair skin and black, shiny hair. Her bright eyes looked up and down at Chu Zhiyuan.
Chu Zhiyuan sat down in the grandmaster's chair in the front hall, lightly sipped his tea, and remained steady. Li Hongzhao snorted, "I really didn't expect you to have such abilities!"
She was quite proud when she first came out of seclusion.
Benefiting from Chu Zhiyuan's stimulation and pressure, her cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds, and the Phoenix Cry Nine Heavens Technique improved even faster. The harder she was suppressed, the faster her cultivation grew.
She was triumphant, Chu Zhiyuan's strength had instead become her own help. What if this guy was strong, he would eventually be caught up by her. After hearing such outrageous news, her triumph instantly disappeared.
She only felt dark clouds pressing down on her head.
She knew what kind of huge impact this would have on Great Meng, even affecting the entire world's situation. But she also understood that she couldn't stop Chu Zhiyuan.
The only thing she could do was to figure out how exactly he could do this, what the secret was. If she could get this secret, Great Meng could also copy it.
She also knew that this was extremely difficult. But no matter how difficult, she still had to do it.
It was precisely this kind of tenacity and unyielding spirit that allowed her cultivation to advance by leaps and bounds.
Chu Zhiyuan looked at her with a smile, "Panicked, aren't you?"
"What's there to panic about!" Li Hongzhao snorted, "Martial arts experts are not very useful on the battlefield. No matter how many experts there are, they can't change the general trend."
Chu Zhiyuan chuckled.
Li Hongzhao snorted, "What's so funny! ...No matter how many martial arts experts there are, they are useless against the army. They are just a bunch of loose sand."
Chu Zhiyuan lightly sipped his tea, his expression leisurely.
"...How are you able to make them become Grandmasters?"
Li Hongzhao bit her red lips, feeling resentful in her heart, but wearing a charming smile on her face.
"..." Chu Zhiyuan smiled without saying a word, and leisurely sipped his tea again.
Li Hongzhao bit her red lips even tighter, her smile even more radiant, "What are the conditions? Speak."
"..." Chu Zhiyuan still smiled without saying a word.
Li Hongzhao snorted, "Really not going to say? If you don't say, I'll leave."
Chu Zhiyuan put down his teacup and chuckled, "Can Great Meng withdraw its troops?"
"It's not impossible."
"After getting the secret, Great Meng will tear up the agreement and send troops again."
"Impossible," Li Hongzhao said, "My Great Meng has always kept its promises and will never break them!"
Chu Zhiyuan pondered.
