Chapter 100 - 99: Continuously Breaking Through Shackles
The explosives also started a massive fire. In an instant, the Gold and Silver Palace was engulfed in raging flames that lit up half the sky. Thick smoke billowed, looking as if it would swallow the entire Imperial Palace.
Even the Eastern Palace was shrouded in the thick smoke. A "terrified" Xia Wuyang fled back to his Practice Room and ordered all his Guards to secure Wenhua Hall, forbidding anyone from entering. He appeared to be trembling with fear.
But Xia Wuyang had already used the Spiritual Shackles to read Zhao Wuji’s thoughts, so he knew everything happening at the Gold and Silver Palace as if he were seeing it himself.
"Xia Wuchen, you’re courting death!"
The Fifth Prince, Xia Wushang, roared amidst the ruins of the Gold and Silver Palace, just as the Third Prince, Xia Wuchen, had roared in the Wude Palace before.
The Gold and Silver Palace, which he had managed for many years, was destroyed in an instant. Many precious woods and jade pillars were all lost to the sea of flames.
This retaliation could be called vicious. The Third Prince, Xia Wuchen, had essentially replicated the tragic scene at Wude Palace, but with even more extreme methods.
Inside Yangxin Hall, Emperor Xia was incandescent with rage as he watched the thick smoke billow across the Imperial Palace.
He had just settled the dispute between the two Princes, yet in the blink of an eye, they had caused an even bigger mess.
"Rebellion! This is rebellion!"
Emperor Xia slammed his palm down, shattering the Dragon Desk. "Using explosives within the Imperial Palace... Do they still have any respect for me, the Emperor?!"
The surrounding Palace Attendants trembled in fear. No one dared to make a sound. The vast Yangxin Hall was utterly silent.
"Relay my decree! The Third Prince and the Fifth Prince are to be confined for one year. Without my permission, no one is to visit them. If anything like this happens again, they will be exiled to the frontier immediately!"
This decree was even harsher than the last. A one-year confinement meant a significant reduction in the two Princes’ power and influence.
Furthermore, if there was a next time, they would be exiled to the frontier. That would almost certainly mean they could say goodbye to the Crown Prince’s throne. Even the two Princes would have to weigh the consequences and wouldn’t dare to fight so fiercely again.
Upon hearing the news, Xia Wuyang felt a twinge of regret. After all, this meant the Third Prince and the Fifth Prince probably wouldn’t dare to beat each other bloody anymore, and there would be much less drama to watch.
However, it also meant the two of them would likely have no time or energy to bother him. He could then focus on his Cultivation and improve in peace, which was a good thing for him.
It could be said that the conflict between the Third Prince and the Fifth Prince escalating to this point was all his doing. If he hadn’t been fanning the flames from the sidelines, they wouldn’t have fought to such an extent that they nearly burned down the Imperial Palace.
Reaching this stage was probably the limit. It was basically impossible to make them take each other down completely.
Neither Xia Wuchen nor Xia Wushang were fools; how could they do something like that? This was likely the most that could be achieved.
He wondered how Xia Wushang, who was turning into a eunuch, felt now. After such a long period of atrophy, he should be showing the characteristics of a eunuch. ’I wonder what he’s thinking right now.’
Amidst the ruins of the Gold and Silver Palace, in a still-intact Practice Room, Xia Wushang was beginning his confinement after receiving the decree. Besides dejection, his face showed an indescribable panic and unease.
The reason was simple. Just as Xia Wuyang had speculated, his Root of Right and Wrong had completely atrophied, to the point it was almost gone.
He almost had to squat to relieve himself, his beard was gradually disappearing, and his voice was becoming high and sharp. Terrified, he desperately practiced Disguise techniques to prevent any of this from being exposed.
Xia Wushang knew in his heart that once this matter was exposed, he would have no chance at the Crown Prince’s throne.
"What do I do? What in the world am I supposed to do!"
"A person... no, no, no, *I* don’t want to become a eunuch! I want to be a Prince! I want to become the Crown Prince!"
"So many master physicians have been helpless. Do I really have to find one of those legendary Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures?"
...
As he spoke, Xia Wushang, who hadn’t shed a tear in years, began to cry sorrowfully. His weeping and whimpering, his coy and fussy mannerisms, already held a hint of feminine charm...
While Xia Wushang shed tears of sorrow, Xia Wuyang was already preparing to break through to the next realm.
After this period of consolidation and adaptation, his Cultivation Foundation was as steady as a mountain. He could control every bit of Qi Blood in his body as easily as moving his own limbs.
His five viscera and six organs operated ceaselessly like a furnace, and the Qi Blood throughout his body surged like the tide.
His Spiritual Power, in particular, had increased significantly, approaching 160 points. It allowed him to finely control every ounce of Power within his body, which would be a tremendous help in breaking through the bottleneck.
His Super Grade Level Spiritual Power would, at the very least, increase his chances of a successful breakthrough several times over. Moreover, he also possessed the High Level Miracle Treasure, Dragon Saliva Grass.
"It’s time!"
Xia Wuyang took out the Dragon Saliva Grass he had obtained from the Third Prince, Xia Wuchen, from his Personal Space. The High Level Miracle Treasure was translucent and crystalline, with a jade-like luster flowing across its surface, and it emitted a mouth-watering aroma.
His Essence, Qi, and Spirit were already adjusted to a state of Perfection. He placed the Dragon Saliva Grass in his mouth. The Miracle Treasure melted instantly, forming a searing torrent that rushed through his body.
BOOM...
It was as if a clap of thunder exploded inside him, and a vast energy erupted in an instant.
But under the control of his Super Grade Level Spiritual Power, it couldn’t go even slightly astray. It could only obediently follow his Spiritual Power and permeate deeper into his bone marrow.
He pushed his Dragon Tiger Fist technique to its limits, continuously enhancing his Qi Blood and refining the deepest parts of his marrow to complete a life-changing transformation.
Soon, he reached the bottleneck. Faced with his tyrannical Spiritual Power, the immense medicinal power of the Dragon Saliva Grass, and the pure Dragon and Tiger Qi Blood... the bottleneck didn’t hold for long before it shattered with a crack.
A brilliant light radiated from his bones, and from the depths of his marrow, the sound of a Dragon’s Roar and Tiger’s Howl seemed to echo.
Marrow Refining Middle Stage!
Second Grade Middle Stage!
The first bottleneck had been broken, but much of the Dragon Saliva Grass’s medicinal power remained. After a brief period of consolidation and adaptation, Xia Wuyang continued to advance.
His Qi and Blood Power grew rapidly, and the refinement of his marrow deepened. After half an hour, he reached another bottleneck.
As if struck by inspiration, Xia Wuyang guided the immense medicinal power and the Dragon and Tiger Qi Blood to charge toward the Marrow Refining Late Stage.
CRACK...
It felt as if some barrier inside him had been completely shattered. The dam holding him back from the Marrow Refining Late Stage collapsed, and his Qi and Blood Power permeated even deeper.
The Qi Blood in his body grew ever more vigorous, and every cell in his body seemed to be cheering with joy.
By the time the medicinal power of the Dragon Saliva Grass was completely depleted, Xia Wuyang’s Cultivation had reached a level just shy of Marrow Refining Perfection. He hadn’t broken through yet, but he was close.
A single stalk of Dragon Saliva Grass had allowed him to advance two minor realms, saving him several years of bitter Cultivation. The results were nothing short of incredible.
Not only that, but he also used the final wave of medicinal power to preliminarily consolidate his Cultivation Realm. Although this wasted some of the power, it would save him a significant amount of consolidation time later.
This way, he could finish polishing his Cultivation Foundation sooner, take another High Level Miracle Treasure, and break through to an even higher Cultivation Realm.
First Grade Grandmaster was no longer far away.