"So, how far are you from that mountain?" the old eunuch in the Python Robe asked.
Zhao Douan hesitated for a moment and said,
"Approximately within a few miles, I can't be sure."
The actual situation was quite astonishing, and to be cautious, he decided to play it safe.
"Within a few miles..." Eunuch Hai seemed slightly surprised, praising,
"That's quite impressive, already considered above average."
Even this could be above average... Zhao Douan thought he might have been too cautious.
"Alright, get up. After this first visualization, the 'Martial God Map' is imprinted in your mind. You may access it again by recalling it, progressing step by step. When you reach the Divine Chapter Realm, you can go to the second floor to observe the second mural," Eunuch Hai said.
Zhao Douan got up, perhaps because he had just made a breakthrough, feeling endless energy coursing through his veins; surprised, he asked,
"So, the five floors, the five murals, each corresponds to the five major realms of cultivation?"
Eunuch Hai nodded, then smiled and said,
"I know what you're thinking. In the late years of the Grand Ancestor Emperor's life, he was nearly a 'Human Immortal.' The five murals depict his insights in pursuing the Human Immortal Realm...
However, this is far too remote for you. Do not think about looking at them; just a glimpse could seriously injure you. Even His Majesty is currently still trying to comprehend the fourth level."
As he finished speaking, the old eunuch pulled out a porcelain bottle from his sleeve and tossed it to him,
"Here are some remaining Nourishing God Pills, around five or six, which can aid you in visualizing the scroll."
Zhao Douan took them, knowing that these pills produced by the Heavenly Master Mansion were quite expensive.
As expected of the Royal Family, generous indeed.
After that, the old eunuch led him back to the front yard for registration, following the standard procedure.
Finally, the eunuch handed him a small silver plaque inscribed with the words "Royal Tributor," and solemnly said,
"This is your identity token, keep it well. Remember, you are absolutely forbidden to speak of the process behind today's mural revelation to outsiders. If discovered, you will bear the consequences."
Zhao Douan's heart tightened, and he received the token with both hands, tucking it into his inner pocket, assuring compliance.
With that, all the procedures were complete.
Before leaving, Zhao Douan curiously asked,
"Eunuch, may I ask what those houses we passed by along the way were?"
Eunuch Hai calmly replied,
"This place is the inner court's Weapon Vault, naturally housing various Magic Artifacts, armor, talismans, pills, and precious cultivation items. Heh, your accomplishments are still too shallow. Once you accumulate enough merit, you can apply to select weapons from here."
Magic Artifacts? Like those Flying Swords?
A sword to take a head a thousand miles away... Zhao Douan began to fantasize.
Watching Zhao Douan leave, Eunuch Hai was about to depart.
Suddenly, the Female Emperor Xu Zhenguan silently appeared.
"Your servant greets Your Majesty!"
"No need for formalities," Xu Zhenguan, dressed in white, her figure graceful, her long hair fluttering, radiated brilliance,
"How was Zhao Douan?"
Eunuch Hai reported truthfully.
Above average talent? Xu Zhenguan also looked slightly surprised.
After being stuck at the lower Mortal realm for years, she assumed this young guard had mediocre talent.
It seemed resource scarcity was the issue.
Moreover, for Royal Tributors, the foremost quality was "loyalty," followed by talent. Zhao Douan receiving an "above average evaluation" was commendable.
"Very well, you may leave. I will go inside and study for a moment." Xu Zhenguan glided deeper inside.
Even His Majesty came to inquire... Little did they know, this also surprised Eunuch Hai.
A Tributor was a royal bodyguard, and Zhao Douan was selected by the Female Emperor herself, evidently nurtured as a direct subordinate.
"The rumored gigolo consort has now become a direct heir, how strange, how strange."
Curiosity piqued, Eunuch Hai thought he would pay more attention to him.
The fourth floor of the pavilion.
Xu Zhenguan moved gracefully to the door.
Her ten slender fingers, white as jade, slipped from her sleeves, and with a push, the six-century-old door creaked open.
Inside, the arrangement was similar to the first floor, with only a stone wall, a futon placed in front, and an incense burner.
Xu Zhenguan sat on the futon, her hands enveloping the incense burner, wisps of smoke curling upwards, while a jade seal mark flickered at her brow.
She began, for the countless time, to attempt visualizing the mural.
As the old Tributor said, although Xu Zhenguan possessed the strength of the "Heavenly Human Realm," it was bolstered by Dragon Qi. Her true realm was still one step short of "Heavenly Person."
It was this step that tormented her as if between life and death.
Therefore, Xu Zhenguan often came to ponder the Grand Ancestor's murals, attempting to truly advance that step, but repeatedly failing.
It wasn't that Xu Zhenguan lacked talent.
In fact, since the passing of the Grand Ancestor Emperor, countless Imperial bloodlines and exceptionally gifted Tributors over six hundred years of the Great Yu dynasty had failed to comprehend the Fourth Mural.
Historically, in sheer desperation, an emperor once boldly invited the head of the Heavenly Master Mansion, a genuine "Heavenly Human Realm" magician, into the palace to observe, but even they could not comprehend it.
The Fourth Mural was already so obscure; as for the mural on the fifth floor, since the Grand Ancestor, in six hundred years, no one had successfully "visualized" it.
Even entering it was impossible!
"Grand Ancestor Emperor, where exactly is the 'Human World' you depicted, and how should it be explained?" Xu Zhenguan smiled bitterly.
The mural before her was both exceedingly familiar and utterly foreign.
Familiar, because she had seen it countless times.
Extraneous, in that the scene depicted in this scroll was bizarre, rendering her completely unable to understand or appreciate it fully, and thus unable to completely grasp its meanings—a "strange world."
In a daze, she attempted visualization once more.
Her beautiful eyes gradually reflected the wall painting's scene:
In the night, a dense, steel jungle-like modern city was aglow with vibrant lights, skyscrapers stood tall, traffic flowed endlessly on the flyover, and the inner ring appeared like a flowing ribbon.
The Female Emperor's beautiful eyes were filled with extreme bewilderment:
"What are these, exactly?"
"Finally, it's over!"
Outside the palace, as Zhao Douan walked out of the deep passageway, he felt warmed by the afternoon sun.
The experiences of the past half-day had been truly thrilling.
First debating and turning the tables, then dining with the Female Emperor and explaining his change in character, followed by being appointed as a Tributor, receiving the Royal Family's unique cultivation inheritance, and even breaking through a minor realm.
"Hmm, now I should be considered a direct heir of the Female Emperor, right?" Zhao Douan pondered.
The Female Emperor had been on the throne for only two years. Though she had inherited the influences of the late Emperor and the Crown Prince, "direct heirs" were still few, and capable talents within them even fewer.
Zhao Douan's maneuvering showcased his abilities and loyalty.
Though the guillotine of catching Zhuang Xiaocheng still loomed overhead, the immediate survival crisis was temporarily averted...
Hmm, only temporarily... One should not get complacent, as boasting leads to downfall—a crucial lesson from his past life.
Standing alone at the palace gate, Zhao Douan felt a bit lost.
Perhaps, it was time to check on this identity's "home."
For three days, Zhao Douan hadn't gone home, and by excavating memories, well...
Let's just say Zhao Douan's family situation was quite complex too.
At this moment, suddenly, a carriage rushed toward him, driven by Zhu Kui.
Old Zhu's eyes lit up upon spotting Zhao Douan, urgently reining in the horses, and rushing down gripping the whip, he shouted,
"Lord! Something terrible has happened at home!"