Chapter 476: Grand Phenomenon (Requesting Monthly Votes)

Enter the palace?

Li Rui's heart stirred slightly.

This fourth prince, due to his mother's weak clan and his frequent public image of avoiding state affairs, was inconspicuous among the princes—a marginal prince.

Yet now His Majesty has ordered Zhu Ting to enter the palace.

Anyone with eyes can see: Zhu Ting has become one of the candidates for crown prince.

In other words,

this fourth prince's value has risen immeasurably—he is no longer a carefree prince.

He glanced silently at Xia Yun beside him, her smile gentle.

"Clever move."

Isn't it said that behind every successful man stands a woman?

Of course.

After the earlier casual chat, Li Rui understood: this fourth prince had been lying low until now, and was ready to reveal his sharpness.

Indeed.

Though his maternal clan is weak, Xia Yun's back is the entire Wu State—by that measure, she is even stronger than several princes within the palace.

Before, he couldn't compete.

Now that Wu State is unified, its young ruler has spent over a decade resting and recuperating—he is no longer the weakling he once was.

With such backing, the fourth prince's wings are now fully grown.

Yet Wu State remains a foreign power; complete reliance is impossible.

Yu State is at its zenith; His Majesty would never allow the future emperor to become a puppet of Wu State. Thus, Zhu Ting must build his own power.

This is why he treats others with such humility.

The fourth prince gazed earnestly at Li Rui.

He truly sought talent desperately.

True, his wife's Wu State support is real, but he knew well: to vie for the crown prince position, Xia Yun alone was insufficient.

The key lay in the court.

Though he had long been accumulating strength, compared to other princes within the palace, he remained too weak.

Li Rui had extensive connections, acted with caution, and crucially, might have already entered the Heavenly Phenomenon realm like Jiang Lin.

Such a talent—he naturally wanted to recruit him.

Under the fourth prince's slightly eager gaze, Li Rui slowly shook his head: "Your Highness Wu, this concerns the very foundation of the state. I shall pretend I heard nothing of today's matter."

Hearing Li Rui's refusal,

the fourth prince's face still smiled, but inwardly he felt a pang of disappointment.

Yet he recalled what his wife Xia Yun had said:

"Li Rui is cautious and steady—a great talent. He will not agree at once. You must show sincerity."

The fourth prince drew a deep breath: "You are right, Master Li. I was too abrupt."

Unexpectedly,

as soon as he finished speaking,

Li Rui spoke again: "Yet if Your Highness encounters difficulties after entering the palace, I am willing to offer advice."

The fourth prince's eyes lit up.

He immediately bowed deeply: "Thank you, Master Li."

Li Rui subtly sidestepped Zhu Ting's bow, feigning flustered humility: "Your Highness, no need for such courtesy."

Afterward,

their conversation grew warmer.

Even, the fourth prince Zhu Ting invited Li Rui to dinner.

The world said this fourth prince favored simplicity, eating only light fare—perhaps because Li Rui came, he added one spirit fish from the Eastern Sea, not extravagant among princes.

During the meal,

Zhu Ting suddenly asked: "Master Li, do you have any misunderstanding with my fifth brother? Perhaps I can mediate."

At Zhu Ting's words, Li Rui paused mid-bite.

Fifth Prince Zhu Gan?

His heart tightened slightly, then he replied calmly: "I once served with the fifth prince at the spirit mine; our policy views sometimes clashed."

Upon hearing this,

Zhu Ting frowned in confusion: "Strange—why has my fifth brother recently been sending people to inquire about your situation in Yunzhou?"

He added kindly: "Master Li, my fifth brother is impulsive, and recently broke through to the Heavenly Phenomenon. He may be growing arrogant—be careful, lest you attract unnecessary trouble."

Zhu Ting spoke tactfully.

Li Rui understood perfectly.

He pondered inwardly:

Why is Zhu Gan so interested in him?

Could it be that Zhu Gan learned of the Qingwei Sect matter?

He glanced again at the fourth prince beside him, famed for ignoring worldly affairs.

Even he didn't know—yet the fourth prince Zhu Ting knew. Clearly, this prince's maneuvering far exceeded public perception.

'The Zhu family breeds nothing but little monsters.'

The banquet ended.

Only then did Li Rui leave.

Stepping out of the Wu Prince's mansion, he saw a carriage parked on the street.

Looking at the driver,

it was Liu Liu Tiezhu and Yuan An.

Li Rui smiled: "What are you two doing here?"

Liu Liu Tiezhu said: "Little Hu insisted you were meeting a prince—he dragged me along to see the spectacle."

Li Rui fell silent.

He strode onto the carriage.

With a crack of the whip, the carriage began moving slowly.

He looked out at Yuan An beside him, then back at the Wu Prince's mansion, and chuckled.

What a grand display.

First, a prince personally played the qin for him, as if making three visits to a thatched cottage; now, the heir himself drives.

Such treatment—few in the world could enjoy it.

'Old Li is really coming into his own.'

At that moment,

Yuan An turned his head, peered through the curtain at Li Rui, and asked curiously: "Master, so you accepted?"

He was the son of the Annan Marquis.

He was highly sensitive to such matters—he had guessed Zhu Ting's intent to recruit Li Rui.

Li Rui shook his head: "No."

Yuan An chuckled: "No wonder you're my master."

He assumed Li Rui was wise, choosing self-preservation—after all, His Majesty was still in his prime; taking sides now was the height of foolishness. His master wouldn't make such a basic mistake.

Unbeknownst to him, Li Rui had refused—but not entirely.

This choice stemmed from his breakthrough.

Before, he would have unhesitatingly severed ties with Zhu Ting.

In a struggle over the succession, involvement meant certain death.

But now it was different—he had reached the Heavenly Phenomenon.

Li Rui never advocated blindly pushing forward, nor did he advocate blindly hiding.

When weak, grasping for too much was foolish; when strong, being overly cautious was equally foolish.

Do as much as your strength allows.

At the Heavenly Phenomenon, one's relationship with the court is no longer mere subservience; one's words carry great weight. Though called a minister, one should be seen as a co-ruler—the Heavenly Phenomenon warrior may sit in court, and state affairs are jointly discussed.

In other words,

he had finally become a player, not a pawn.

He now had the capital to bet.

Today, Li Rui neither accepted nor refused because he knew nothing of the fourth prince—he could not possibly bet blindly.

Yet he had no need to completely reject a prince.

Zhu Ting will enter the palace; they will inevitably interact. More connections never hurt. A Heavenly Phenomenon cultivator wouldn't suffer for being close to a prince.

With sufficient strength, one moves with ease.

It's when strength is lacking that one is torn between options.

The carriage passed through the wide street and soon arrived at the house beside Jishuitan.

Li Rui and his two disciples returned to the house.

Rest for now.

Entering the room, Li Rui resumed cultivation of the Ten Thousand Ages Evergreen Art and the True Martial Nurturing Soldiers Decree; he never dared to slacken in his cultivation.

He cultivated until the late hours of the night.

Only then did he fall into a deep sleep.

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in the Grand Void Training Ground.

"You brat is truly born with a Purple Palace—having this Dao Embryo saves you the trouble of nurturing the spiritual embryo, sparing you much effort."

Said the spirit artifact's old man.

He even showed a hint of envy.

"The Dao Lord himself, when he was in the Purple Palace realm, probably couldn't match this brat."

Of course.

He did not voice this thought aloud.

A Dao Lord—even if Lord Master Wanshou wasn't the type who surged forward with unmatched brilliance to attain Dao Lord status—could hardly be said to be inferior to this junior in the same realm.

The spirit artifact's old man cleared his throat.

"Don't let this make you slacken even a little. The Dao Embryo is nothing special."

His voice grew softer, sounding somewhat lacking in conviction.

The Dao Embryo did indeed have reason to be proud.

Li Rui paid it no mind and asked humbly: "Elder, you mentioned earlier that in the Purple Palace realm, one must nurture the spiritual embryo to open the dantian and Purple Palace to carry the Dao. What exactly is the Purple Palace?"

Hearing Li Rui's question,

the spirit artifact's old man resumed his air of lofty wisdom: "When ascending to the heavens, one first passes through the Purple Palace. The Purple Palace is the Immortal Palace—the vessel that holds the Dao. Cultivators have their own cultivation halls; the spiritual embryo is no different—it uses the spiritual embryo to resonate with the Great Dao's voice and open a cultivation hall."

Saying this,

the spirit artifact's old man deliberately put on a stern face:

"Why are you thinking about all this? Even if you already have a Dao Embryo, you still must nurture it properly. Don't rush forward recklessly and destabilize your foundation, ruining your future."

"Your words are most wise, Elder."

Li Rui was not annoyed.

Yet he pondered inwardly.

The spirit artifact's old man's words closely matched Jiang Lin's—so the Wu Gong Heavenly Phenomenon realm must also originate from the Immortal Cultivation world's Purple Palace realm.

If so, hadn't he already opened his Purple Palace?!

Li Rui turned his inner vision inward, gazing at the Dao Embryo's tiny figure seated in the Immortal Court.

Wasn't this exactly the spiritual embryo and Purple Palace the spirit artifact's old man described?

The spirit artifact's old man squinted at Li Rui.

"This brat needs to be brought down a notch."

He feigned profound mystery: "Boy, do you know the spiritual embryo has three grades, and the Purple Palaces differ vastly in scale?"

"Oh?"

Li Rui put on an appropriately astonished expression.

The spirit artifact's old man's lips curled slightly, his tone tinged with pride, like an old child: "Ordinary Purple Palace cultivators are lucky to open even a tiny dwelling. My Dao Lord was a genius of heaven—thus he formed a full cultivation hall. Legends say great beings can forge a magnificent eight-directional divine palace, capable of bearing boundless Dao power."

"If you chase rapid advancement, you'll end up with a Purple Palace no bigger than your palm—you won't be able to hold any grander Dao, and all will be in vain."

"Now do you understand the stakes?"

Li Rui nodded.

Yet inside, he was even more astonished.

Then what should he call his Purple Palace—a full Immortal Court?

(End of Chapter)