Chapter 123: Seeing the Son of Heaven

Inside the side hall, the decorations were not as luxurious as one might imagine; on the contrary, they were quite simple and elegant.

Rows of bookshelves were spread out, with various books, official documents, and case files neatly arranged one by one.

In front of the bookshelves was a rather wide yellow pear wood desk, carved with patterns of dragons and phoenixes bringing auspiciousness.

The desk was neither brand new nor old, and one could tell at a glance that it had weathered a long passage of time.

Most crucially, the entire desk showed no signs of being pieced together; it had been carved from a single piece.

This meant that the yellow pear tree used to carve this set of furniture must have had a diameter of at least one zhang.

Such material is extremely rare, and every piece used is one less in existence.

The hall was also lit with fine incense; taking a light sniff, one felt quite relaxed all over.

The current Son of Heaven, Anle Emperor Zhao Huaili, was sitting at the desk, a smile on his face, watching Sun Shouren and Chen Mo walk toward him.

There were not many people serving by his side, only two brush-wielding eunuchs.

"Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty." Sun Shouren bowed, and Chen Mo did the same.

"Rise, beloved subject," Anle Emperor Zhao Huaili said with a smile.

He looked quite young, appearing to be only twenty-seven or twenty-eight, and to appear more mature, he had deliberately grown a handlebar mustache.

His voice was full of vigor, his complexion was ruddy, and his eyes were bright and piercing; at least on the surface, he looked like he had not suffered any injuries at all.

Zhao Huaili waved his hand, and the two brush-wielding eunuchs silently withdrew.

"Beloved subject, how many soldiers did you bring with you this time when you mobilized troops to the Capital City?" Zhao Huaili asked, looking at Sun Shouren first.

"In reply to Your Majesty, your subject has led a total of one thousand two hundred and thirty-two soldiers here."

Sun Shouren reported the specific number accurately and without error.

Zhao Huaili nodded slightly, a look of contemplation appearing on his face.

The reason he had summoned garrison commanders from various regions to bring troops to the Capital City was that he had discovered many Forbidden Army generals were unusable.

Some were not loyal enough, while others simply lacked the ability; for this reason, they had to be replaced.

The Border Army could not be easily moved, so he naturally thought of those garrison commanders who still possessed decent ability.

And among these people, Sun Shouren was undoubtedly the best of the best.

Having spent years in and out of battle formations, he had sufficiently rich combat experience, and his ability was absolutely beyond reproach.

Although many of the elite soldiers under his command had been lost previously, after long periods of training, the results were now evident.

One could see from the encirclement and suppression of the Dutian Dao that the combat power of his soldiers was definitely not poor, and was far stronger than most of the Forbidden Army.

As for loyalty, that was not bad either, otherwise he would not have bestowed a title upon Sun Shouren.

Even a County Baron title is not something easily granted.

"What is your cultivation level now? Has there been any change? Your foster son is already in the Postnatal Realm; you wouldn't still be spinning your wheels in the Tongmai Realm, would you?"

Zhao Huaili teased with a smile, his tone quite intimate.

Sun Shouren's old face flushed, and he stammered, "Your humble subject is preparing to build a more solid foundation in the Tongmai Realm, to settle my cultivation a while longer before making a breakthrough."

"Haha, as far as I know, you've been building that foundation for nearly ten years now," Zhao Huaili laughed.

It was clear that even though Sun Shouren was not an official in the Capital City, Zhao Huaili was still perfectly clear about his situation.

"I intend to appoint you to the position of Commander of the Southern City Forbidden Army, but since you have not yet entered the Postnatal Realm, I fear it will be difficult to command respect."

Zhao Huaili picked up the teacup on the table, took a light sip, and spoke leisurely.

"Your humble subject is unworthy and dares not easily accept such a great responsibility. But if Your Majesty commands it, your subject will naturally give his all, and even if I must offer my life in return, I will repay Your Majesty's grace!"

Sun Shouren said with a passionate tone, bowing low.

"Beloved subject, please rise quickly." Zhao Huaili stood up on his own initiative, walked to Sun Shouren, and reached out to help him up.

"Some time ago, the Xuan Dan Pavilion presented a Tongxuan Pill as tribute; with the help of this pill, you should have over a seventy percent chance of entering the Postnatal Realm."

As Zhao Huaili's voice fell, Sun Shouren felt a sudden surge of intuition in the dark.

The so-called "words of the Son of Heaven" are not just empty talk.

As the ruler of a nation, regardless of his personal strength, Zhao Huaili had the Heavenly Luck of the entire nation gathered upon him.

As long as he was willing, the words he spoke could be bolstered by the Dragon Qi of the national destiny, giving them a much higher probability of becoming reality.

Of course, achieving such a boost is not without cost; once the national destiny's Dragon Qi is consumed, it must be slowly recovered over time.

The stronger the effect of the boost, the more national destiny Dragon Qi is consumed.

If he were to declare that Sun Shouren would definitely make a breakthrough, the amount of Dragon Qi required would be extremely vast.

Furthermore, the closer one is to him, the better the effect of this boost.

Especially since the Capital City is the location of the dragon vein and the place where the Heavenly Luck of all the people gathers, the effect is even better by three parts.

But once one leaves the Capital City, it is hard to say how much of the effect would remain.

After all, this is only the gathering of one nation's Heavenly Luck, not the Heavenly Luck of the entire world.

"Your subject thanks Your Majesty for the reward!" Sun Shouren said with an excited tone, bowing again.

He had, of course, heard of the fame of the Tongxuan Pill; this pill could help a Martial Artist at Tongmai Perfection push open the Heaven and Earth Gate and enter directly into the Postnatal Realm.

And the preciousness of such a pill goes without saying.

That Zhao Huaili would give him this pill was enough to show how much he valued him.

"Rise, beloved subject." Zhao Huaili smiled slightly and turned his gaze toward Chen Mo.

"To have Postnatal cultivation at such a young age—a young prodigy, truly extraordinary!"

He looked Chen Mo up and down, and the more he saw, the more satisfied he became.

He was, of course, also aware that with Chen Mo's talent, his future cultivation to the Innate Realm was almost a certainty.

Most crucially, Chen Mo was not born into a noble family or a sect; the only person he had any connection with in official circles was Sun Shouren.

And Sun Shouren was undoubtedly his own man, and did not himself come from any noble family or sect.

This is extremely important.

While some officials from noble families or sects are indeed loyal to him, most only care about their own interests.

Only officials from humble backgrounds will be truly loyal to him, the Son of Heaven.

Because they can only rely on themselves, and the things they want can only be provided by him.

He does not care how Chen Mo cultivates, nor does he care why Chen Mo possesses his current strength; he only cares about one point.

That is whether Chen Mo can be of use to him; since he can, he should be heavily rewarded and then carefully cultivated.

"Thank you for the praise, Your Majesty." Chen Mo smiled, not being overly modest about it.

"You saved my imperial child and have rendered great service; I should reward you." Zhao Huaili sat back down at his desk.

"Tell me if there is anything you want, and I can grant it to you directly."

His words were both an inquiry and a test.

Only people with desires are easy to drive; no matter what Chen Mo wants, wanting something is always better than being without desire or pursuit.

"In reply to Your Majesty, your subject's cultivation has reached the Acquired Realm, but my cultivation technique cannot sustain further progress; I wish to request a few techniques to study and practice."

Chen Mo pondered for a moment, stating what he needed most at the moment.

Other things, whether it be power, wealth, or cultivation resources, were relatively not that difficult to obtain.

Only cultivation techniques were hard for him to acquire through other channels.

Truly profound techniques are not traded, and even with money, one might not be able to buy them.

To obtain techniques to continue satisfying his own cultivation, given his status, taking the path of the Imperial Court was the most appropriate.

"Oh!" Zhao Huaili was slightly surprised, but upon reflection, it made sense.

Chen Mo came from a poor background and certainly could not have obtained any profound martial arts; the techniques Sun Shouren gave him could at most allow him to cultivate to the Postnatal Realm.

To continue cultivating, he would either have to figure out techniques himself or find other cultivation methods.

That Chen Mo could cultivate to the Postnatal Realm showed his talent was indeed excellent, but it did not mean he had the ability to create his own techniques at this age.

Even if he truly had this ability, who knew how much time it would waste; for his talent, that would be a waste.

"Good, it is rare for a young person to have such talent, and even rarer to pursue self-improvement."

Zhao Huaili seemed quite pleased with this request from Chen Mo.

He had originally thought Chen Mo would ask for high office and a generous salary; after all, he was young, and it would be normal for him to be dazzled by such things.

He had not expected Chen Mo to only want cultivation techniques; this showed he was a smart person who knew that his own strength was the most important thing, and that he had a heart for self-improvement.

It is good to pursue self-improvement; such people will work harder to get things done.

Unlike some officials in the imperial court, who are like lazy donkeys that must be whipped before they will move.

"Someone, bring me my Wanfa Token." He called out toward the outside of the hall in a deep voice.

In just three or five breaths of time, an old eunuch came hurrying over, holding a token.

This token was made of Purple Jade, with dragon and phoenix patterns carved all over it, and the character 'Zhao' in the middle.

Zhao Huaili took the token with a smile and handed it to Chen Mo, "This is my token; holding it, you may freely enter and exit the Wanfa Tower. You may choose and use any technique within the tower as you wish."

"Your subject thanks Your Majesty!" Chen Mo bowed and took the token with both hands.

This was the most important thing for him right now.

Sun Shouren had a look of astonishment on his face; he naturally knew of the Wanfa Tower.

It was built by the Imperial Court and was the place where all the techniques of the world were collected.

All kinds of cultivation techniques, regardless of their level or rarity, were collected, organized, and preserved by the Imperial Court.

Some Martial Artists from humble backgrounds had the opportunity to enter and choose techniques after rendering service to the Imperial Court.

However, the vast majority of people only had the opportunity to enter and choose one or two techniques to cultivate.

But the token in Chen Mo's hand was different; it allowed him to enter and exit at will and even take the original copies of the techniques away.

This meant he could take as many techniques as he wanted, and use them as he pleased, without restriction.

Such an honor was possessed by few in the world, showing how much the current Son of Heaven valued Chen Mo.

"Besides this token, is there anything else you want?" Zhao Huaili asked with a smile again.

Chen Mo had rendered great service, and it was impossible for him to only reward Chen Mo with a few techniques.

Granting the Wanfa Tower token could only be considered a sign that he valued Chen Mo, not a true reward.

"In reply to Your Majesty, your subject also wants some cultivation resources to supply my own cultivation." Chen Mo did not hide his thoughts and said it straight out.

At his age, it was not yet his turn to play word games; saying what he wanted directly made him appear more simple and sincere as a young man.

Zhao Huaili nodded with a smile and waved his hand to signal that the two of them could leave.

The further rewards for Chen Mo could certainly not be granted now.

He had to wait for the Great Morning Assembly in a few days to announce Chen Mo's deeds to all the officials before he could reward him.

"Your subject takes his leave." Sun Shouren and Chen Mo bowed and slowly backed out of the palace.

Led by the Palace Attendant from before, they left the Palace City.

"Although the token in your hand allows you to freely enter and exit the Wanfa Tower, you must remember not to overstep your bounds; do not take too many techniques at will.

And don't even think about taking the techniques from there to resell, or finding techniques there to help others cultivate."

As soon as they walked out of the Palace City, Sun Shouren lowered his voice and warned him very seriously.

The Son of Heaven gave Chen Mo the token because he valued his talent and hoped he would cultivate well, increase his strength, and contribute to the Imperial Court.

But this by no means meant that Chen Mo could use this token to act arbitrarily and do things that were presumptuous.

That would only lead to the displeasure, or even resentment, of the current Son of Heaven.

Even though Sun Shouren knew that with Chen Mo's character, he would certainly be able to understand this point and would not do such things, he still gave the instruction very solemnly.

"This child understands, but I do not know where the Wanfa Tower is; I want to go and see it now." Chen Mo gripped the token tightly, his tone eager to try.

He currently needs a new cultivation technique too much to integrate his own strength and open the path to the next step of cultivation.

(End of this chapter)