The Jiangnan Beauties, clad in sheer gauze skirts, danced gracefully to the musicians’ tune. Their slender arms and shapely legs were tantalizingly visible, their movements elegant and captivating.
Their dancing was enchanting and their gazes flirtatious. They were as beautiful as jade flowers. When one of them happened to meet the elder Crown Prince’s eyes, she would shyly lower her gaze, adding a provocative charm that stirred an almost unbearable impulse.
Xia Wuyang leaned back on the brocade couch, watching with a grin.
His white hair was casually held up with a Jade Hairpin. He wore only a loose, moon-white silk shirt, its collar open to reveal his gaunt chest, giving him an air of wild abandon.
His left arm was wrapped around a young woman in a pale pink dress. She had only entered the palace yesterday and was to be his new bride tonight. Xia Wuyang was sipping chilled plum wine from the White Jade Cup she held for him.
His right hand was not idle either; it was gently caressing the waist of another beauty in blue. It was a picture of pure decadence.
"Your Highness, was the dance to your liking?" The lead dancer, dressed in purple, gave a graceful curtsy after her performance. Her posture was exquisite, her voice as sweet as honey.
Xia Wuyang chuckled, his old eyes narrowing to slits. "Good. Very good. But I think it would be even better if you beauties danced with a bit more heat... and wore even less clothing."
The purple-clad beauty’s face flushed. "Your Highness," she pouted coquettishly, "all my sisters are watching. And the Palace Attendants might come in."
"So what if they watch? And as for those Palace Attendants, they’re just eunuchs and Maids. What’s there to be afraid of? All of you, come over here and drink with me!" Xia Wuyang declared with a grand wave of his hand.
Giggling, the beauties gathered around him. One fed him grapes while another peeled lychees. Two more stood on either side of him, rubbing his shoulders and kneading his legs. Their service was meticulous, a truly blissful experience.
The hall was filled with the melodious chatter of women, the scent of perfume mingling with the aroma of wine. It was a vibrant, sensual, and endlessly alluring scene. He seemed even more carefree than Emperor Xia himself.
Anyone witnessing this would assume the elder Crown Prince was a lost cause. He had not a shred of ambition left, spending his days drowning in sensual pleasures, likely having forgotten his own name.
Then again, considering he only had a few days left to live, such behavior seemed perfectly normal.
But no one knew that in this very moment, a breathtaking session of Cultivation was taking place within Xia Wuyang’s Sea of Consciousness, one that had not stopped for a single instant.
The Cultivation Technique Formulas for the Tiger Roar Golden Bell Shield flowed through his mind like a river as countless insights emerged. Every single line was being deconstructed, analyzed, and reassembled...
Simultaneously, the profound mysteries of the Dragon Tiger Fist also surfaced. He had long ago cultivated this Body Refining Technique to its absolute peak, improving upon it many times over.
Guided by his superlative Comprehension, the two techniques were already showing signs of fusing.
’The Tiger Roar Golden Bell Shield emphasizes form, using fierce and powerful Qi Blood to temper the physique and forge a Vajra Indestructible body. The Dragon Tiger Fist emphasizes intent, using Dragon and Tiger Imagery to guide Qi Blood and achieve fluid, versatile power... The two may seem to be polar opposites, but they actually balance hardness with softness, complementing each other like yin and yang. There are many points of compatibility, far more than I first imagined.’
’If I merge the Copper Skin and Iron Bones of the Golden Bell Shield with the Dragon Scale Tiger Armor of the Dragon Tiger Fist, the toughness of my skin and fascia will increase immensely. By combining the Tiger Roar Sound Wave with the Dragon Roar Intimidation, the power of my Sound Attacks will grow considerably. As for Strengthened Body, Skin Refining, Flesh Refining, Tendon Refining, Bone Refining, Viscera Refining, and Marrow Refining... they also share many similarities.’
His deductions flowed like a surging river, endless and unceasing. Even without the aid of a sudden epiphany, he had already improved numerous Spiritual Techniques and Spirit Arts; what were two mere Mortal Techniques in comparison?
Even without an epiphany, he was still capable of deducing and enhancing them.
On the surface, Xia Wuyang, with his drunken, hazy eyes, was merely caressing a beauty’s small hand, occasionally leaning in for a kiss or to whisper a few vulgar words. It was no different from any other day.
In reality, however, his Qi Blood was continuously circulating as he alternated his cultivation between the Tiger Roar Golden Bell Shield and the Dragon Tiger Fist. His skin, bones, and internal organs were all undergoing tremendous changes.
A faint golden sheen began to glow beneath his skin, the first sign of the Golden Bell Shield’s Copper Skin forming. With the synergy of the Dragon Tiger Fist, the effect was even more profound.
Faint CRACKLING sounds emanated from his bones, as if they were being tempered like Tiger Bone.
As his internal organs pulsed, they faintly emitted the sound of a Dragon’s Roar and Tiger’s Howl. It was a strange phenomenon; though extremely weak, it was a sign of extraordinary things to come.
What was even more marvelous was that his Body Refining Cultivation was creating a wondrous resonance with his Qi Refining Cultivation—the River Scripture—mutually enhancing one another.
His Water Attribute True Qi nourished his physical body, making the Body Refining process gentler and smoother. It reduced many of the obstacles, and the resulting improvements were even greater.
In turn, his strengthened physique could now hold more True Qi, which also nourished the True Qi itself, creating a virtuous cycle.
Xia Wuyang could feel himself drawing closer and closer to the realm of a true Body Refining True Monarch.
’A few dozen days at most...’ he mused. It wouldn’t be much longer.
Just then, a messenger bird appeared, informing him that a report had been left at their prearranged drop point.
Xia Wuyang took the hint. After taking his pleasure with a few of the beauties, he yawned and lazily announced to them, "I am tired. Help me to the Practice Room to rest. Come back tonight to keep me company... I intend to wage a battle of three hundred rounds."
The beauties giggled in acknowledgment and helped him to the Practice Room to get some rest.
They were long used to this routine. After a bout of revelry, the elder Crown Prince would go to recuperate his strength, only to return a few hours later, full of life and ready to continue his merrymaking. It was a familiar pattern.
The stone door slowly slid shut. In an instant, the drunken haze vanished from Xia Wuyang’s face, replaced by a sharp, clear gaze. After putting on a Disguise, he left, retrieved some intelligence reports and documents, and returned to the Practice Room.
He began to carefully read through the documents, all of which contained important recent developments.
The first reports concerned the Northern Desert Royal Court and the Southern Barbarian Hundred Races. Both had issued statements denying they were the culprits, declaring that if the Great Xia insisted on deploying troops, they would surely retaliate and would not allow themselves to be humiliated.
Two hundred thousand Imperial Guards had already passed Black Water Pass and were drawing ever closer to the Northern Desert’s border. The Southern King had also mobilized an army of two hundred thousand, which was currently mustering on the Southern Border. The war had not yet begun.
Emperor Xia, however, remained utterly convinced that the Northern Desert Royal Court and the Southern Barbarian Hundred Races were behind it all, their goal being to make a move against the Great Xia.
Aside from this news, another report brought a smile to Xia Wuyang’s face.
It was news from Kunning Palace: the Empress was being shunned by the Palace Attendants. Many were unwilling to serve her, and those who did were crude and neglectful, causing Murong Wan a great deal of suffering.
Some Palace Attendants were even secretly sabotaging her. The once peerlessly beautiful woman was now in a truly miserable state.
As for her son, the Twelfth Prince Xia Wujie, he had essentially lost all qualifications to contend for the position of Crown Prince.
His abilities had never been impressive, and if not for Empress Murong Wan keeping him in check, there was no telling how many wicked things he might have done. Now that the Empress was deposed, with no one to watch over or support him, the Courtiers, Gangs, and Sects that had once flocked to his banner were all seeking other patrons. Many had already abandoned the Twelfth Prince’s Faction.

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