“I am the Crown Prince of the Immortal Dynasty, and I ask Daoist Lu for the honor of your presence. I will hold a banquet at the Crown Prince’s Palace to welcome you and rid you of the dust of travel.”
“I am the Third Prince of the Immortal Dynasty. Delicacies like dragon liver and phoenix marrow have been prepared in my residence. Please grant me the honor of your presence, Daoist Lu.”
“I am the Ninth Prince, having long heard of the renown of the Holy Son of Mount Taihua. I hope we can become friends.”
…
At this time, members of the Immortal Dynasty’s royal family such as the Crown Prince, the Third Prince, the Ninth Prince, and others, were also secretly sending messages to Lu Changsheng.
Goodness me, these princes and princesses of the Immortal Dynasty have a stronger sense of networking than the folks from the usual Holy Lands.
Lu Changsheng had already heard in the Immortal Imperial City that the Immortal Dragon Emperor had nine sons.
Since the Immortal Dynasty does not practice primogeniture but rather selects the prince with the strongest combination of cultivation level, social connections, and political tactics as heir to the throne.
There is no need to elaborate on personal cultivation; without sufficient strength, it is impossible to command the respect needed to govern the vast Immortal Realm.
No matter how outstanding one’s political tactics or how extensive one’s connections, all is in vain if one is killed by a Loose Immortal.
When cultivation levels are similar, connections become very important.
This is also why the Third and Ninth Princes both sought to woo Mo Huazhi, hoping to receive the support of Ziyang Academy.
With the full support of Ziyang Academy, securing the position of Crown Prince would be much easier.
Now that Lu Changsheng has appeared at the Confucian Sect’s gathering, these princes are all trying their best to form ties with him to gain a connection to the sacred site of Mount Taihua.
Although the princesses of the Immortal Dynasty have no right of inheritance, they, born of royalty and raised in its court, also value the importance of forging good relationships.
“No, thank you.”
Lu Changsheng declined all such overtures from the princes.
Forming a connection with just one member of the royal family of the Immortal Dynasty would be enough; there is no need to acquaint oneself with all the princes.
Mount Taihua Sacred Land has good relations with the Daoist Holy Lands like Yaochi, Changliu Mountain, and Guanghan Palace, and doesn’t interact much with the Immortal Dynasty.
Lu Changsheng personally only had a passing friendship with the Princess of the Immortal Dynasty, which might lead to future cooperation, but not much.
The expressions on the faces of several princes were not pleasant.
Without explaining that the Princess had already arranged an earlier meeting with him, these princes thought Lu Changsheng was not giving them face.
The Crown Prince was initially somewhat annoyed, but then it occurred to him that since Lu Changsheng had defeated Emperor Ku, who possessed the complete Supreme Imperial Physique Bloodline, why would Lu Changsheng necessarily give face to him, a prince of a collateral branch with an incomplete Supreme Imperial Physique Bloodline?
Thinking along these lines, the Crown Prince came to a resolution.
After all, as long as the Immortal Dynasty doesn’t interfere with the sacred sites of the Daoist Sect like Mount Taihua, and Lu Changsheng doesn’t get involved in the affairs of the Immortal Dynasty, all should be well.
“Playing hard to get? Throughout history, who knows how many geniuses have fallen prematurely; nothing is certain until one achieves longevity and immortality.”
The Third Prince held a grudge in his eyes after being rejected by Lu Changsheng twice in a row.
In the Immortal Dynasty, he held a high status, yet Lu Changsheng paid him no heed.
“Recent times have truly been abysmal…”
The Ninth Prince felt depressed.
It was bad enough that the Dragon Emperor would not allow him to continue pursuing Mo Huazhi; he had hoped to pave a new path by befriending the Holy Son of Mount Taihua as capital for the competition among the Emperor’s sons. However, Lu Changsheng ignored him completely.
While the princes of the Immortal Dynasty harbored their own thoughts, the disciples’ matches at the Confucian Sect’s meeting continued.
One by one, the Confucian Sect’s geniuses took the stage to compete, and finally, it was Mo Huazhi’s turn.
After all, being the Body of the Literary Sage and a direct disciple of the Master, Mo Huazhi easily defeated her opponent.
From thirty-two to sixteen.
Sixteen to eight.
Eight to four.
In the end, of the thirty-two Confucian genius disciples, only Song Ziming of Tianming Academy, Chen Zichu of Weilong Academy, Xie Wenyun of South Foot Academy, and Mo Huazhi of Ziyang Academy remained.
All four showed the potential of Saints, hailing from the Nine Great Confucian Sects and representing the strongest geniuses to emerge from the Confucian Sects in the past million years.
Before the semifinals began, there would be a one-day break, then the competition would continue to determine the champion.
After the disciples’ contest, the Masters of the Nine Great Confucian Sects, and possibly the Saints, might also expound on the classics and righteousness.
The disciples’ contest was just an entertaining part of the Confucian Sect’s meeting, a way for the Nine Great Confucian Sects to subtly compete against one another.
For most Great Confucians and disciples, the greatest significance of attending the Confucian Sect’s meeting was to listen to the teachings of the Saints.
Apart from the direct disciples of the Saints, these Great Confucians and disciples had no other opportunity to attend the lectures of Saints.
“Daoist Lu?”
The Crown Princess wore a smile at the corners of her lips, gesturing for Lu Changsheng to visit her residence.
“Qingzhi, keep a close watch on your fellow junior brothers and sisters, and avoid any troubles. Your master is going to the Crown Princess’s residence to observe an Ancient Scroll.”
Lu Changsheng assigned his eldest disciple, Lin Qingzhi, to lead the team, and then followed the Crown Princess to the Imperial City.
The Ancient Scroll collected by the Crown Princess was something Lu Changsheng absolutely had to see.
Lu Changsheng and the Crown Princess vanished simultaneously.
Upon seeing both the Crown Princess and the Holy Son of Mount Taihua disappear from their spots, the Crown Prince, the Third Prince, the Sixth Prince, the Ninth Prince, and others of the Immortal Dynasty were all too clear about what had happened.
“So it turns out my elder sister seized the opportunity first, inviting Daoist Lu. No wonder Daoist Lu declined my invitation.”
The Crown Prince was completely relieved.
According to the rules of the Immortal Dynasty, the princesses have no right to the throne. The Crown Princess seizing the opportunity first posed no threat to him as the Crown Prince; it was even a good thing for the Immortal Dynasty.
“This guy, he must be coveting my elder sister’s beauty. It’s just so unexpected that this man, who appears so noble and virtuous, is actually a hypocrite.”
The Third Prince could not help but sneer, believing that Lu Changsheng was interested in the Crown Princess and thus agreed to her invitation while refusing his.
Other Confucian Sects took the opportunity to send people to visit the Holy Son of Mount Taihua.
However, with Lu Changsheng gone, Lin Qingzhi could only reluctantly deal with these people on behalf of his master.
Aside from wanting to see the Ancient Scroll of the Crown Princess, Lu Changsheng’s departure was also aimed at avoiding these idle crowds.
In a magnificent golden palace of the Immortal Dynasty, the Crown Princess brought Lu Changsheng to her Scripture Pavilion.
The Scripture Pavilion of the Crown Princess was comprehensive, collecting various Cultivation Techniques and volumes.
“Your Highness is indeed the most valued princess of the Immortal Dynasty, just the Cultivation Techniques collected by yourself resemble the vast ocean.”
“The Holy Son jests. Mount Taihua is one of the Ancient Holy Lands, with a profound legacy and countless scriptures. My personal collection is merely laughable.”
The Crown Princess twirled a lock of her hair, her beautiful eyes lingering on Lu Changsheng, the number one talent of the Immortal Realm, whose exceptional talent was one thing, but his appearance was also stunningly handsome.
“The Ancient Scroll you mentioned…”
Lu Changsheng couldn’t wait any longer.
The Crown Princess’s bright eyes showed a hint of disappointment.
It seemed that Lu Changsheng’s interest in the Ancient Scroll was even greater than in her.
In the Immortal Dynasty, the Crown Princess was known as the number one beauty and the beloved pearl of the Immortal Dragon Emperor. Numerous talented men from various Sects came to propose marriage, hoping to obtain this pearl of the Immortal Dynasty, but the Immortal Dragon Emperor did not agree to any.
Yet, Lu Changsheng showed little interest in her.
With a tap of her jade finger, a wooden box above the bookshelf opened, and a damaged bamboo scroll fell into her hands.
“This is Xiangshui Bamboo, able to last for a billion years without decay. However, due to scorch marks, it is damaged and incomplete, which is a pity.”
Lu Changsheng recognized the quality of the bamboo scroll at a glance.
The Crown Princess wasn’t lying to make his acquaintance; she really did have an Ancient Scroll.
“That’s right, it’s precisely because it’s so seriously incomplete that I have been unable to comprehend much from it.”
The Crown Princess knew that studying the scroll together would further their relationship, and she willingly took out this precious scroll in order to get to know Lu Changsheng.
She unfolded the damaged bamboo scroll which, being incomplete, contained only a little over a hundred ancient characters that were exceptionally difficult to decipher.
“Only a little over a hundred characters, that’s too few.”
Lu Changsheng looked and shook his head.
From the remaining hundred-plus ancient characters, it seemed this should be an Ancient Cultivation Technique, just extremely severely damaged.
These hundred-plus characters could possibly only be the preface.
Trying to deduce the complete Cultivation Technique based solely on these few characters was undoubtedly a fanciful dream.
The difficulty was not to be underestimated.
Wait a minute.
Lu Changsheng thought of the Disciple Apprenticeship Simulator.
If the damaged Ancient Scroll was bestowed upon a disciple, perhaps the system might return a complete scroll.
With this thought, Lu Changsheng suddenly stepped forward.
The Crown Princess was startled. What was he about to do?
Could it be that he had finally taken an interest in her?