The investigation in the Imperial Palace was still ongoing, but all suspicion had long been cleared from Xia Wuyang.
He became an even bigger laughingstock after everyone learned that, out of curiosity, he had secretly made the courtesans perform for him. Afterward, stunned by their heavenly beauty, he began to dote on them.
"It seems the elder Crown Prince has developed a taste for it. The Seventeenth Prince certainly brought him some real beauties."
"I heard that after trying it a few times, the elder Crown Prince ended up loving it. He no longer feels like the Seventeenth Prince was trying to humiliate him. In fact, he’s quite grateful for the gesture."
"Too bad the Seventeenth Prince is already dead, otherwise the elder Crown Prince would probably pay him a visit to thank him in person."
"To think that the dignified Crown Prince of a nation would fall for brothel courtesans. It’s truly unbelievable."
...
Compared to the people of this world, Xia Wuyang didn’t have so many moral hangups. ’So what if they’re courtesans? As long as they’re beautiful, that’s enough. Besides, their skills are truly excellent; they’re experts at pleasing a man.’
Compared to these courtesans, many of the Palace Maids in the Eastern Palace were like wooden dolls.
Besides, he had already killed Xia Chenhua, the one who sent these courtesans, and even sent his brother Xia Chenguang along with him. ’What is there to be unsettled about?’
’These courtesans are the perfect way to express my... fond remembrance of Xia Chenhua.’
Every time he held these courtesans, it reminded him of Xia Chenhua’s miserable end and the humiliation he himself had once suffered.
It was a testament to the old saying: Heaven never fails a determined heart. He had endured humiliation, biding his time, all for this eventual revenge.
’He wasn’t there yet, but at least he had already killed Xia Chenhua, the man who had humiliated him. The others wouldn’t be far behind.’
Spiritual Power +1!
Not even seven days had passed since Xia Chenhua’s death, yet Xia Wuyang’s Spiritual Power had already reached eighty points.
A sound like something shattering echoed in his Sea of Consciousness. A coolness touched the crown of his head as a profound, mysterious sensation washed over him.
The moment his Spiritual Power reached eighty points, everything before his eyes seemed to change slightly.
The flickering of the candlelight broke down into various points of light in his eyes...
The path of an ant crawling outside was so clear he could see the dust on its body...
He could even clearly see the contempt in the eyes of a eunuch eighty meters away...
...
His physical constitution improved in tandem. After all, eighty points of Spiritual Power—the equivalent of eighty times that of a normal person—affected every aspect of his being. Under normal circumstances, such power would place an extremely high demand on one’s physical body.
Even his Body Refining Cultivation at the Fourth Grade Initial Stage was insufficient to support such astonishing Spiritual Power. He had to rely on his Seven-Aperture Exquisite to forcefully elevate his other attributes to match.
A peculiar power swept through him, shoring up his deficiencies. This allowed his body to support the eighty points of Spiritual Power and let it exert its full effect.
Once his physical constitution had been reinforced, his Cultivation broke through silently, advancing by a small realm.
Fourth Grade Middle Stage!
His Qi Blood surged, flowing without end. His stamina was immense, like that of a dragon or a horse!
This was the realm described as "sprinting like a galloping horse, leaping like a flying bird."
He could sprint like a galloping horse for a whole day and night without feeling tired. With the boost from Combat Techniques and Secret Techniques, his speed could easily exceed two hundred kilometers per hour.
Most cars in his previous life couldn’t even go this fast, yet Xia Wuyang now could.
Paired with the Dragon and Phoenix Body Technique and the Cyan Cloud Boots, his speed could even exceed three hundred kilometers per hour. In a single two-hour period, he could travel six hundred kilometers.
If he ever faced an unstoppable crisis, he could flee over seven thousand kilometers in a single day. He could advance to attack or retreat to defend; his position was rock-solid.
’But for now, I still need to use the Imperial Palace’s resources and treasures to rapidly raise my Cultivation Realm. It’s not time to leave yet. Especially with so many of my enemies right here—how could I just walk away?’
’The Great Xia Dynasty’s vast territory of thirty million square kilometers, its countless resources and treasures... I want to hold it all in my hands, to help me raise my Cultivation Realm and break through to even greater heights.’
Smiling slightly, he suddenly felt a strange sensation from the spot between his eyebrows. A new Companion Talent emerged within his body.
Danger Warning!
As the name suggested, if danger approached him, a warning would be issued, allowing Xia Wuyang to react in advance.
The greater the danger, the stronger the warning. It could help him gauge an enemy’s strength or the severity of a threat.
It was another support-type talent, but a god-tier one when it came to saving his life.
He nodded in satisfaction. ’I wonder if I’ll awaken another Companion Talent at ninety points, or if I’ll have to wait until I reach one hundred.’
Every one of the four Companion Talents he’d awakened so far had been a huge help, so Xia Wuyang was filled with anticipation.
The afterglow of the breakthrough hadn’t ended yet. Various inspirations flooded his mind, and he entered a state of epiphany once again.
It seemed that every time his Spiritual Power broke through a minor realm, he would gain a similar epiphany. This time, the focus of the epiphany was, surprisingly, the Dragon and Phoenix Body Technique.
A point on the sole of his foot began to burn. Xia Wuyang unconsciously took a step, his body drifting like a soft breeze, leaving a trail of afterimages throughout the Practice Room.
Some of the afterimages threw punches, others formed claws, some flicked their sleeves, and others kicked... It looked as if several versions of Xia Wuyang were practicing Martial Arts simultaneously.
Illusory dragons and phoenixes swirled around him, creating a wondrously strange sight.
’So, this is the Realm of Perfection!’
Without even realizing it, he had mastered the Dragon and Phoenix Body Technique, bringing it to the level of Perfection in just over two months. And this was a Top Level Combat Technique.
Many Princes and Princesses had cultivated it for decades and had currently only reached the Minor Achievement Realm; few had even reached Great Success.
Yet Xia Wuyang had reached Perfection in just over two months.
With his Cyan Cloud Boots on and the Dragon and Phoenix Body Technique at Perfection, even many Martial Artists of the Upper Three Grades wouldn’t be able to touch the hem of his robes, let alone see him clearly.
After practicing for over an hour, Xia Wuyang finally grew accustomed to his new speed and explosive power.
To his pleasant surprise, since the breakthrough had been driven by his Spiritual Power, it felt completely natural. There were no signs of an unstable Foundation; in fact, the process had even helped to solidify it.
This meant he could immediately consume his final portion of Celestial Water Essence to drastically raise his Cultivation Realm.
「A day later.」
Late at night, the investigation in the Imperial Palace was still ongoing. The bodies of Princess Yun Shu, Xia Chenhua, and Xia Chenguang had not yet grown cold, yet Xia Wuyang was already consuming the Celestial Water Essence, continuing his meteoric rise.
He gazed at the azure liquid in his hand. His eighty points of Spiritual Power probed it with ease, clearly perceiving the vast medicinal energy contained within, which swirled like a Star River.
’Just from its appearance, I can tell this Celestial Water Essence is extraordinary. It’s certainly worthy of being called a Middle Level Miracle Treasure. I wonder what the High Level Miracle Treasures above this one taste like...’