[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-heir-to-the-kingdom-of-1-4-billion-citizens":3,"chapter-heir-to-the-kingdom-of-1-4-billion-citizens-heir-to-the-kingdom-of-1-4-billion-citizens-chapter-164":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Heir to the Kingdom of 1.4 Billion Citizens",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2271039,4434,"Chapter 164: The Magic Ancestor","heir-to-the-kingdom-of-1-4-billion-citizens-chapter-164",164,"\u003Cp>Red Fox Castle, Library.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sunlight streamed through stained-glass windows, casting dappled shadows on the floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ice magic at the very top?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After reading the definition of the Ice Hell spell by the Magic Ancestor Baise, Xia Mingyu’s heart surged with excitement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Swish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without hesitation, he turned the page and continued reading Baise’s notes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As for ice magic, I believe it has two core characteristics.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“One is coldness; the other is transformation.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ice must be as untouchable as a raging wildfire, yet as fluid and ever-changing as water.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Ice Hell I awakened embodies both these core traits perfectly—that’s why I say it will always remain the supreme ice magic.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Once released, Ice Hell creates an extremely low-temperature zone around the user, spreading frost to cover every object in the area.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But the most important—and most terrifying—aspect is this—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Every extension of frost behaves like your arm, no, like the tentacles of a tentacle monster, capable of endless transformation: spikes, swords, shields...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll tell you a secret—I personally love to summon ice spikes to stab an enemy in the soles of his feet, his rear, or his balls. It never fails. Hahahahahaha!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hiss!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At these words, Xia Mingyu sucked in a sharp breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a man, he could vividly imagine the horrifying scene.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This guy, the recognized Patriarch of the Demon Dao, actually uses such underhanded tricks? That’s amazing!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Mingyu’s lips curled into a sly smile, his handsome face twisted with mischief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike his usual warm, sunlit demeanor, this smile was chilling—and unsettling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Swish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned to the next page of the magic book.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Baise:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Descendant, don’t get too excited yet—because Ice Hell combines both traits, its magic diagram is vastly more complex than ordinary spells.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even a genius like me, if it weren’t my innate magic, would likely need months to master it perfectly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“For you, learning it within three years would make you a genius.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sigh, I envy you—you get to experience the joy of learning such a complex magic. I could only release it instinctively.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thud!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Mingyu slammed the magic book shut, his brow furrowed tightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This long-dead bastard was definitely mocking him across time, wasn’t he!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn it, don’t let me find your grave—or I’ll put a bouquet of chrysanthemums on it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So it’s not that I’m weak—Ice Hell’s learning difficulty really is far beyond other spells.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Mingyu opened the magic diagram again, staring at its intricate patterns. The crushing pressure he’d felt before was gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, happiness comes from comparison—no one wants to admit they’re worse than others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mind Travel (Flow State) activated!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He took a deep breath, pressed his finger against the diagram’s lines, and memorized every detail while sensing the flow of magical energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time slipped away as he buried himself in reading.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dusk fell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Faded twilight slanted through the stained glass, gilding the dusty bookshelves amber. Dust motes drifted slowly in the sunbeams.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Mingyu sprawled on the floor, limbs splayed like a salted fish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s really hard to learn...” he muttered weakly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt the same way he had in high school, grinding through math problems day after day—no matter how many times he saw them, they still refused to make sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ice Hell’s diagram consisted of hundreds of lines; every time he memorized part of them, he forgot another part, and when he tried to redraw it, it became a mess.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After countless repetitions, Xia Mingyu felt his brain was about to burn out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, Flow State only boosts focus—it doesn’t raise IQ. Like how a person in a rage still can’t solve math problems.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why... why did he have to use his brain this hard even after being reincarnated?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Knock knock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he lay there in a stupor, the library door was gently knocked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Come in,” Xia Mingyu said, eyes closed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t need to look—he knew who it was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A golden-haired girl in a white dress carefully pushed open the oak door, carrying a silver tray.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the tray was a glass filled with red liquid, emitting a faint, enticing fruity aroma.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anliya knelt beside the sprawled Xia Mingyu, placed the tray on the floor, then skillfully moved his head onto her folded legs and gently massaged his temples with cool fingers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feeling the softness at the back of his skull and the gentle pressure on his temples, Xia Mingyu was so comfortable he nearly groaned aloud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He quietly opened his eyes and saw the girl gazing tenderly at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dusk light streamed through the window, bathing Anliya’s white dress in a pearly glow along its hem, wrapping her entire form in a misty radiance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her golden hair flowed to her waist, slipping over her shoulder as she tilted her head, cascading like melted honey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“She looks like an angel,” Xia Mingyu whispered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice was soft, but the girl, whose hearing had always been far sharper than normal since childhood, heard it clearly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The gods say angels must save the world—but I only want to save you, my prince,” Anliya murmured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, it’s not even salvation—if you can be happy for even one more second because of me, then even if I fall into hell—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the angelic girl could finish, Xia Mingyu covered her mouth with his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t say such terrible things.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Because if you truly fall into hell, I’ll follow you there,” Xia Mingyu said calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He slightly sat up and pulled her long hair downward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl bent forward obediently, kissing the black-haired youth—sweet and docile as a cat, though cats only let those they love touch them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sssss~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a long while, Xia Mingyu released Anliya, her face flushed crimson, and took the handkerchief she offered to wipe the drool from his lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her handkerchief, apparently carried casually, carried a faint, lingering fragrance—so after wiping, Xia Mingyu couldn’t resist sniffing it a few more times before returning it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My prince, I know reading tires you—I made you some red fruit juice. Would you like to try it?” Anliya asked softly, her voice trembling slightly, still not fully recovered from the intense kiss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Feed me,” Xia Mingyu said simply, opening his mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The golden-haired girl lifted the glass, gently swirled the deep red liquid, then slowly poured it into the black-haired youth’s mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cool, refreshing liquid slid over his tongue and burst into vibrant sweetness and tartness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rich aroma of ripe fruit spread through his mouth, carrying the warmth of sun-baked orchards, like the juice bursting from a freshly picked crisp apple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he’d finished drinking without realizing it, a cool, refreshing sensation flooded his mind—the exhaustion from hours of studying the diagram vanished instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only that—Xia Mingyu shot upright from Anliya’s lap, snatched up the magic book, and resumed studying its diagram.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if blessed by divine aid, the once impossibly complex patterns and hard-to-remember nodes suddenly became crystal clear in his vision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the magical pathways he’d forgotten came back to him effortlessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shhhshh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Mingyu’s head darted back and forth like double speed, intensely fixing his gaze on the diagram before him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An entire hour passed before he reluctantly emerged from that state of learning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, seeing the empty glass on the silver tray, he suddenly realized something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could the “Mother’s Hearth” ability have infused the red juice with a temporary boost to intelligence?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Anliya, how many of these red juices can you make in a day?” he asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If I put my heart into it, about three to five a day.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anliya had meant to say three, but the words changed to five before leaving her lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suffering a little herself was worth it if it made the prince happy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you, Anliya—I truly need you,” Xia Mingyu said solemnly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl softly murmured, pressing her head against the black-haired youth’s chest, feeling his warmth and heartbeat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was wonderful—she could finally help her prince.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But how long could this beauty last?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, someday, a noble prince like him would surely marry a beautiful princess whose dowry included an entire nation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And she? Merely a humble maid. At that time, if the princess allowed her to remain as his maid, it would already be a miracle—she could never again be this intimate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sigh—birth is so important. Two people holding each other tightly are, in truth, like the midnight sun and the polar night: sharing the same sky, yet forever unable to meet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anliya silently lamented the cruelty of fate, yet her lovely face still wore a radiant, heart-warming smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1422,"2026-06-19T22:18:43.340Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","9d6415a65e4f56e59c7a61be285126d6d35e5b6205f02a3eb5dd5838723bfac8","heir-to-the-kingdom-of-1-4-billion-citizens-chapter-165","heir-to-the-kingdom-of-1-4-billion-citizens-chapter-163",186,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fheir-to-the-kingdom-of-1-4-billion-citizens-cover.jpg"]