Elderly Prince: My Spirit Increases by 1 Point Daily

As he continued his investigation, Yin Xinping found that the perpetrator’s Enchanting Heart Technique was indeed at the Great Success Realm. Though the methods differed, the execution was quite conventional, almost as if it were intentional.

It made every one of the few Elders in the True Yin Sect who had cultivated the Enchanting Heart Technique to Great Success or beyond a suspect, and even he couldn’t tell for sure.

’The culprit must have done this on purpose, deliberately hiding their personal style. But to delude even a First Grade Grandmaster—and while concealing their usual methods at that—what level must their Enchanting Heart Technique and Power have reached?’

After a thorough investigation, Yin Xinping’s face paled. At this point, even he couldn’t be sure if the person committing these serial crimes in the Imperial Palace was actually an Elder of the True Yin Sect.

The traces left behind were bizarre. The methods were varied, seeming to resemble those of every Elder skilled in the art, yet at the same time, they were unlike any of them.

To be capable of such a feat, Yin Xinping suspected the perpetrator’s mastery of the Enchanting Heart Technique was at least at the Great Success Realm. It was even possible that, like himself, they had reached the Realm of Perfection.

As for their Cultivation Realm, they had likely reached the Super Grade Realm, though the possibility of a First Grade Grandmaster using powerful artifacts couldn’t be ruled out.

"Elder Yin, have you found anything?"

Liu Yiqing couldn’t help but ask. A group of Imperial Experts surrounded them, their eyes fixed on Yin Xinping.

Yin Xinping gave a bitter smile. "I... I’m afraid I can’t determine anything. The culprit deliberately obscured the clues, making it impossible to confirm their identity from these traces. However, I will report this to the Sect Leader at once. I will inform him of the situation, and we will conduct a thorough investigation within the sect to give you all an answer as quickly as possible."

"That’s all?" Liu Yiqing’s brow furrowed.

Yin Xinping sighed. "Until the culprit is found, I will remain near the Imperial Palace. If anything happens, I will be here to help immediately."

He was effectively offering himself as a hostage by staying near the Imperial Palace, which finally made Liu Yiqing’s expression soften slightly.

At the same time, the culprit behind all this was giving her a massive headache.

It wasn’t that she hadn’t been investigating; on the contrary, she had used every skill at her disposal to track the culprit.

But the perpetrator was too formidable, leaving behind almost no clues. Under such circumstances, how could she possibly find anything?

She had plenty of suspects, of course. She’d previously suspected Xia Wuyang, as well as other Princes and Princesses: the Third Prince Xia Wuchen, the Fifth Prince Xia Wushang, the Seventh Prince Xia Wunian... and even some of the Harem concubines.

But despite a thorough investigation, she had yet to find a single shred of evidence.

After much difficulty, she finally got a lead from Princess Jinping about the Enchanting Heart Technique. She then used the Royal Family’s influence to pressure the True Yin Sect, forcing them to send over Elder Yin Xinping, their foremost expert in the art.

In the end, even this Grandmaster, who had achieved the Realm of Perfection in the Enchanting Heart Technique, couldn’t identify the culprit.

Although the True Yin Sect was still highly suspicious, the fact that they sent Yin Xinping over showed their sincerity and cleared them of some suspicion.

Now that he had offered to stay as a hostage and help with the investigation, she couldn’t press the matter further.

She subsequently reported the matter to Emperor Xia. He approved, ordering Yin Xinping to cooperate with her investigation, and once again urged her to find the culprit as quickly as possible.

Liu Yiqing could only look on helplessly. In all her years of investigating cases, she had never encountered one so difficult.

Even a Super Grade Celestial Human would struggle to leave no trace.

Yet this culprit, aside from the mark of the Enchanting Heart Technique, had left nothing else behind.

Moreover, with Yin Xinping’s arrival, Liu Yiqing had a nagging feeling that perhaps even the traces of the Enchanting Heart Technique had been left intentionally. The goal was to misdirect them, to keep them from looking in the right place.

Thinking of the tangled mess within the Imperial Palace, Liu Yiqing felt her head throb; she had the sudden urge to resign from the case.

But since she had been personally appointed by Emperor Xia, how could she possibly quit? No matter how hopeless she felt, she had to press on.

In such a short time, so many Princes and Princesses had been harmed in the Imperial Palace. Even those protected by First Grade Grandmasters hadn’t escaped, and this was a place guarded by a Super Grade Celestial Human.

What was even more terrifying was that when the culprit stole various resources and treasures, they did so without any restraint, completely clearing out entire locations. How could such a major disturbance go unnoticed?

The sheer thought of what level of Power they must possess was enough to make one’s blood run cold.

Yin Xinping suspected the perpetrator’s Cultivation Power had reached the Super Grade Celestial Human Realm, and Liu Yiqing shared that suspicion.

Even Emperor Xia himself likely suspected it; otherwise, he wouldn’t be in such a hurry.

A Super Grade Celestial Human who could come and go from the Imperial Palace at will, acting so ruthlessly and bizarrely—no one could remain calm in the face of such a threat.

’Who could it be? Someone who has cultivated the Enchanting Heart Technique to a level even Yin Xinping can’t trace, who can move through the Imperial Palace as if it were their own backyard, stealing treasures and harming so many Princes and Princesses.’

’And if they can deal with those Princes and Princesses so easily, what would happen if I actually found a clue? Dealing with me would be just as simple.’

At this thought, a chill ran down Liu Yiqing’s spine. The desire to leave the Imperial Palace grew stronger and stronger.

The internal strife within the Imperial Palace was already staggering enough. Now, with the addition of such a bizarre and unpredictable killer, the situation for the Great Xia Royal Family was looking dire.

With a bitter laugh, Liu Yiqing decided to ask for help. If she couldn’t handle it herself, she would have to find someone who could.

However, operating within the Imperial Palace was inconvenient; she would need a woman to help her. If that weren’t the case, Emperor Xia probably wouldn’t have allowed her to enter the palace to investigate in the first place.

Xia Wuyang received news of the True Yin Sect’s Elder Yin Xinping entering the Imperial Palace to investigate almost immediately, but he paid it no mind.

The Enchanting Heart Technique he used was a composite of different methods. He had drawn from the techniques of the True Yin Sect Elders stored in Xia Wunian’s memory, but his execution was deliberately conventional. It looked like something anyone who had reached a certain level with the art could perform.

Even though Yin Xinping had cultivated the Enchanting Heart Technique to Perfection, Xia Wuyang had not only reached Perfection himself but had also made slight improvements, placing him far above the Elder.

Under these circumstances, it would be a miracle if Yin Xinping could identify him.

’If I have time later,’ he mused, ’I could even give Yin Xinping a little surprise. Give him a "reasonable" suspect to further muddy the waters and, while I’m at it, let the True Yin Sect and the Great Xia Royal Family have a go at each other. It’s not like either of them are paragons of virtue.’

’Wait, that kind of puts me in the same boat,’ he thought. ’But on second thought, since becoming a member of the Great Xia Royal Family, some of the things I’ve done... well, from an outsider’s perspective, they probably wouldn’t be considered virtuous either.’