Chapter 291: Princess of the Qin Palace

Outside the bamboo grove.

Very quiet.

“I heard you’re from the Earth-Moon Academy, 28th cohort.”

Lu Chen turned his head toward Jiang Jian and asked suddenly.

Jiang Jian nodded and said, “First half of the 28th cohort.”

Lu Chen smiled and said, “I’m from the 26th cohort—two years ahead of you, so consider me your senior.”

“If there’s any lapse in hospitality during your first visit to the Lu family, please forgive us.”

His expression, though somewhat cold.

Yet his words remained properly courteous.

Jiang Jian returned a smile and replied politely, “The greeting gift from the Lu family surprised me greatly. But I arrived in haste—beyond bringing the Book of Life and Death, I had no time to prepare any other gift.”

Upon hearing this.

Lu Chen’s expression turned peculiar. “The Book of Life and Death is enough.”

Jiang Jian gave a slight nod and said no more.

He understood clearly.

As a core direct descendant of the vast Lu family, Lu Chen’s true intentions were far from as simple as they appeared.

“I’ve heard those who govern the Odd Realms bear honorific titles.”

Lu Chen shifted topic, “Jiang Jian, junior, have you submitted your title?”

Jiang Jian said, “Not yet.”

Lu Chen acknowledged with a sound, his expression thoughtful.

As they spoke.

Down the shaded path, the Commander of Guards strode forward.

“Young Master, Lord of Yinshan.”

He bowed to both Lu Chen and Jiang Jian, his tone solemn.

“Lord Ye’s command: summon both of you for an audience.”

As these words fell.

The other black-clad guards grew rigid, armor clinking as they parted to clear a path.

The other black-clad guards, their expressions cold and stern, clanked in unison as they stepped aside to clear a path.

Lu Chen relaxed his posture, gesturing with an open hand, fully assuming the host’s demeanor.

Lu Chen’s expression relaxed; he extended his hand in a graceful gesture, fully assuming the demeanor of a host.

Lu Qingqing watched this scene, her teeth biting her lip, lost in thought.

Lu Qingqing watched this scene, her teeth biting her lip, lost in thoughts she did not reveal.

Jiang Jian returned the bow and walked forward beside Lu Chen, side by side.

Following the forest path for a while.

Around the stone fence, the view opened widely.

The path brightened.

It was a villa in minimalist style.

An outdoor terrace, a café.

A man sat on a chair, fiddling with his identity device.

He wore pajamas, his gaze gentle, utterly ordinary—like any neighborly uncle.

“Lu Chen greets Lord Ye.”

Seeing the man, Lu Chen’s body trembled faintly; his earlier ease vanished entirely. He knelt and bowed with utmost reverence.

If counted by generational rank.

Lord Lu Yezhen was his great-grandfather.

“Greetings, True Lord.”

Jiang Jian’s expression turned solemn as he bowed respectfully.

Though not a Lu family descendant, he need not kneel.

But the proper courtesies were still indispensable.

But the proper courtesies must not be omitted.

Lord Lu Yezhen’s tone was warm, his gaze fixed on Lu Chen.

“Come, stand aside.”

At the order.

Lu Chen rose quickly, stepping to the True Lord’s side, slightly flustered.

Lu Chen quickly rose to his feet and stepped beside the True Lord, slightly flustered.

Lord Lu Yezhen murmured, “Compared to the Lord of Yinshan, though your cultivation is higher, your mental discipline is far behind.”

True Lord Lu Yezhen said softly, “Compared to the Lord of Yinshan, your cultivation is higher, but your heart cultivation is far behind.”

He merely lowered his head and listened silently.

Mental discipline mattered greatly, yet in early cultivation, its effects were subtle.

Only at the Divine Palace realm did its influence begin to show.

Only at the Divine Palace realm does its influence begin to show signs.

on the surface world, elite families prioritized building foundational cultivation in youth, treating mental discipline as secondary.

Only after age twenty did they begin emphasizing mental refinement.

Only after turning twenty will they begin to focus on cultivating the heart.

“Is the legendary dharma seat of the Earth Store Bodhisattva.”

Lord Lu Yezhen looked at Jiang Jian, “When I reached the Divine Palace realm, I entered the Odd Realm vision of the South Sea and met the Bodhisattva Guanyin once—gained profound insight.”

His voice was gentle, soothing as spring breeze.

Jiang Jian did not answer immediately, his mind racing, weighing the True Lord’s intent.

Every word spoken by a Spirit Platform cultivator carried hidden meaning.

After a moment’s thought.

Jiang Jian asked, “True Lord, do Earth’s Odd Realms have some connection among themselves?”

In the Yinshan vision, he had also heard of the “South Sea Tide Sound Ravine.”

Lord Lu Yezhen smiled faintly, affirming, “Of course they are connected.”

“When you break through to the Divine Palace realm and truly master Yinshan, you’ll learn part of its secrets.”

Here, he stopped speaking further.

Beside him.

Lu Chen seemed to have realized something, his face thoughtful.

Jiang Jian came back to himself, withdrew the Book of Life and Death from his sleeve, and said, “True Lord.”

Lord Lu Yezhen nodded slightly, flicked his finger—the Book vanished instantly and reappeared in his hand.

He held it, examined it briefly.

“Altering lifespan, evading death, extending life—truly a marvelous treasure.”

The True Lord praised.

Then,

he put away the Book, flipped his palm, and produced a small crystal shard: “Do you know what this is?”

Jiang Jian studied it a moment, said, “It resembles Star Ring Essence, but its purity is lower.”

A Star Ring Essence was included in the Level 5 Resource Pack.

Jiang Jian had used it to elevate his “Close as a Step” talent tier.

The True Lord shook his head, “This isn’t Star Ring Essence—it’s the outer material surrounding it.”

“Even so, it counts as one of Earth’s core resources.”

“Through special arrays, refined and ingested, it can extend life by decades to a century.”

“Through a special array, it is processed and ingested, extending one’s lifespan by decades to a century or more.”

Jiang Jian’s gaze sharpened—he suddenly understood many things.

Government officials worked day and night, desperate for achievements, just to obtain this!

“But the first ingestion yields the greatest benefit; subsequent uses grow progressively weaker.”

The True Lord continued, “Its true function isn’t actual lifespan extension.”

“It clears minor internal injuries, nourishes the body, and recovers a portion of the life force naturally belonging to the cultivator.”

“Extending life this way has its limits.”

“But the Book of Life and Death differs fundamentally.”

As he spoke, the True Lord’s expression turned enigmatic, “The lifespan added by the Book of Life and Death is genuine—every extra day counts, with no hidden cost.”

As he spoke, the True Lord’s expression grew unreadable, “The lifespan gained from the Book of Life and Death is genuine—every extra day counts, with no hidden cost.”

“It uses the breath of a deity.”

This is how you use the deity's aura.

Shuodaozheli 。

Lutiankafeitingxianruduanzandeanjing 。

“ Zhenjun ， Shengsibuchucunbenyuanyouxian ， Ruoshiyonglaigeirenyanshou ， Zhipazhichengbuliaotaijiu 。”

Jiangjiandao 。

Zhenjunraoyouxingzhidiwangzhejiangjian ， Dao ：“ Zheshengsibu ， Suishiwolujiayisirenfangshijiaoyierlai ， Danzuizhongbidinghuiyongdaogongshishang 。”

Jiangjianyingleyisheng ， Buzaiduoshuo 。

Taziranzhidao 。

Zhizhangtianjingdeyujingshangjun ， Jiushilujiazhiren 。

Zheyeshitaqianxieshihou ， Tongyigenluqingqingjiaoyishengsibudeyuanyin 。

Lujiabeihou ， Shijishangjiushibangegongjia 。

Jinguanruci 。

Jiangjianhaishixiangyaokankan 。

Shengsibu ， Daodihuibeiyongzainali 。

Zhehuilveweiyingxiangdao ， Qiyihouyiduanshijiandexiulianjihua 。

Diyuedongdang ， Waididangqian 。

Zhezhongweixianqingkuangxia ， Ruoshitianjingzhongshubugudaju ， Jiangshengsibuzhongyouxiandebenyuanqixi ， Yonglaigeiyixierenyanshou 。

Namekeyiyujiandeshi 。

Diyuesijie ， Jueduidabuyingzhechangyuxingzhan 。

Ruciyilai 。

Diqiuduizijieryan ， Bianbuzaishijiuliuzhidi 。

“ Zhenjun 。”

Jiangjiandingxiaxinsi ， Chaoluyezhenjundao ，“ Naduizhirenhenzhengui ， Duiwoyongchuhenda ， Jiangjianzaicixieguo 。”

Qicifandaoxie ， Henshichengken 。

Suizheliaojieyueshen 。

Jiangjiancaigengjiaqingchu 。

Zheduishengongjingdezhiren ， Daodiyouduomezhengui 。

Zhenjunmuguangwenhe ， Baishoudao ：“ Nimenduiwolaishuo ， Doushizhidepeiyangdexiaobei ， Xiexudongxi ， Buzhiyishen 。”

Dunleyidun 。

Zhenjunzaicikaikou ，“ Jiangjian ， Niduiluqingqingguanganruhe ？”

Jiangjianshenseyilin 。

Zheshiluyezhenjun ， Diyicijiaochuzijidemingzi 。

“ Luqingqingxinqijigao ， Xinggejianren ， Xiuxingkeku 。”

Jiangjiansisuopianke ， Huidadao ，“ Zaiwokanlai ， Qiyouzhebuxiaokeneng ， Chengjiujueshishengong 。”

Nanzichuanzheshuiyi ， Zoudaobolihulanqian ， Xiaodao ：“ Woshuodebushizhexie ， Shuodeshitadeguxiangmuyang ， Nishifouxihuan 。”

Jiangjianyizheng 。

Qixinsizhuandong ， Qingkejiuzhixiaolezhenjundeyisi 。

Zijishiyinshanzhizhu ， Zhangkongyizuowanzhengdedaqijing 。

Erluqingqing ， Zeshilujiadisidaizhong ， Zuiweichusedenvzi 。

Lujiafujiatianxia ， Shichanganfudiershijia ， Duzhanqizhongjiejing ， Zhangkongyibanchanganjingjimingmai ， Shuoshizuoyongjinshanyinshandoubuweiguo 。

Luyezhenjun ， Xianranshixiangzhaozijiweixu 。

Daolexianzai 。

Jiangjiancaixiangmingbai 。

Guaibude 。

Zicongzijiqianqujiuchongjiejing 。

Jiuyizhishiluqingqingyigeren ， Jiedaiziji 。

Lujia ， Yuanlaizaojiuyoucidasuan 。

“ Luqingqingshengdehenmei ， Xiuhuabiyue ， Zirongqingliwushuang 。”

Jiangjiandao ，“ Zhishiwozhuanyuxiuxing ， Duitabingmeiyouqiyuxiangfa 。”

Zhenjunshenpang 。

Luchenquebiaoxiandeyouxiejiqie ， Tazhalezhayan ， Butinggeijiangjiandichuyanshen ， Xiangyaorangtadayingxialai 。

Luqingqing ， Yutatongweidixi ， Gengshitadezujie 。

Qimuqinshenfengaogui ， Lailibufan 。

Luchenzongshishenweixiaodianxia ， Yeyaozailuqingqingnalichibie 。

Tadexiangfahenjiandan ， Babudeluqingqinggankuailikailujia 。

Fouzemeiciyudao ， Luqingqingduhuiyinweishiqu “ Xiaodianxia ” Weizhi ， Eryinyangguaiqizijiyifan 。

“ Wochadao ， Nihaimeiyoujiehun 。”

Zhenjundao ，“ Ruoniyuluqingqingjieqin ， Wobianzhenzhengjiangnishizuolujiaxiaobei ， Quanlipeiyang 。”

Zhehuafenlianghenzhong 。

Zongshishiyipangdeluchen ， Doushitongkongyisuo ， Luchubuganzhixin 。

Lingtaijingzhenjun ， Jinkouyuyan 。

Qijiranshuochuzhehua ， Dingrannenggouzuodao 。

Haifengfuguo ， Yangqizhuanlunwangpaodeyijiao 。

Jiangjianshenzhexuanheijinxianyipao ， Chenmopianke ， Zhongyukaikoudao 。

“ Xieguozhenjunchuiai 。”

“ Zhishiwoyouhunyuezaishen ， Ruoshixianzaiyingyunzhenjun ， Biansuanweifanleqiyue ， Queshibuhao 。”

Tingdaozhehua 。

Zhenjunmeitouyitiao ， Wen ：“ Shinageshijia ， Zhemekuaizhaoshangleni ？”

Jiangjianyaotoudao ：“ Wobuzhidaoshinageshijia 。”

Zhenjunyayidao ：“ Nanidaodigenshuiyoulehunyue ？”

Jiangjiandao ：“ Tajiaoniezheng 。”

Haifengjianqi 。

Luyezhenjunbuzaikaikou 。

Fanerzhouqimeitou ， Sihutingdaoleshenmenanyizhixindeshi 。

“ Niezheng ， Qingonggongzhu 。”

“ Tazenhuijiaren ？”

Luyezhenjunhuiguoshenlai 。

Yuanbenhexishenqingjian 。

Diyici ， Youleningzhong 。

( Benzhangwan )