The Qin Kingdom truly placed great importance on this competition.
After the top three were decided, magnificent carriages arranged by the Royal Family slowly drove into the Artifact Arena.
These three carriages had clear distinctions in rank.
For example, Hong Yu's carriage was pulled by nine fine steeds. It was magnificent and imposing. He stood atop the open-air Golden Carriage, taking the lead far ahead of the others.
Tang Muxue, in second place, had a carriage pulled by six fine steeds. As for Qin Mutian, his was naturally pulled by three.
The three of them proceeded in a grand procession, heading toward King Qin's Palace under the watchful eyes of millions.
Standing on the foremost carriage, Hong Yu's expression was serene. He closed his eyes slightly, and with every breath, specks of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi pulsed around him. Faint, smooth wisps of energy condensed and rged into his body, conditioning his weary form.
The powerlessness he felt when facing Wang Ba had spurred him on once again.
It couldn't help but remind him of his ti in the Cyan Nether Sword Sect, when he learned that Yun ngyao's illness was incurable and that the only way to save her was to send her far away from him, to the distant Desert North Wilderness.
Hong Yu had been crushed by that profound sense of powerlessness.
He hated his own weakness.
So...
He never passed up any ti or opportunity to improve himself.
After all, opportunity favors the prepared!
Only by constantly keeping himself at his absolute peak could he face the bizarre and unpredictable setbacks and the various twists on the path of the strong.
The clatter of hooves echoed...
Wherever the three passed, millions of residents lined the streets to welco them. The fervor of the crowd was as if they were welcoming their faith and their heroes.
Once again, Hong Yu felt the power and deep heritage of the Qin Kingdom, the Refining City!
Only when a nation and its people share the sa faith and goals can that nation be considered truly powerful. Otherwise, if the people's hearts are scattered and they turn against the state, it will inevitably lose support and face ruin!
This was the principle behind the sayings, "He who wins the hearts of the people wins the world," and "A harmonious family prospers in all things..."
He traveled onward amidst the cheers, but aside from an initial tug on his heartstrings, the display failed to stir any further ripples within him.
His mind was still on that fleeting, blurry figure on the water screen—pensive, yet sohow familiar.
'Who was it?'
Hong Yu felt a flicker of recognition, but it was always as if separated by a thin veil of gauze, preventing him from confirming the person's identity.
'Was it an illusion? Or was it truly an old acquaintance?'
As Hong Yu pondered, the carriage arrived at King Qin's Palace.
...
Aunt Leng, dressed in a black formal robe, stood outside the magnificent gates, her face set in its usual intractable frostiness.
When she saw the trio approaching from a distance, the corners of her lips curled up slightly in an inscrutable expression. She instructed a Guard to the side, "In a mont, have Tang Muxue and the Crown Prince proceed to the treasury. As for Hong Yu, take him to the Princess's Bedchamber!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
The Guard nodded hastily.
Aunt Leng's status was clearly not simple; even the Kingdom Guards, who were typically arrogant, were respectful and deferential toward her.
Waiting for the three to arrive, the Guard singled out Hong Yu as per Aunt Leng's instructions. "You must be Sir Hong Yu? The Third Princess has requested your presence. Please follow !"
"My third sister is of noble birth! How can she et with a man alone? I think you don't want your job anymore, do you?" Crown Prince Qin Mutian snorted, clearly displeased.
The Guard was montarily at a loss, but he braced himself and said, "Your Highness, the Crown Prince, this was Commander Leng's order! This subordinate... this subordinate has no choice!"
"Commander Leng?"
Qin Mutian froze, his eyes flickering. He then took a deep breath, apparently very wary of Aunt Leng, and gritted his teeth. "Go! Just go!"
Tang Muxue and Qin Mutian were led toward the treasury by another guard.
anwhile, Hong Yu followed the Guard toward the Third Princess's bedchamber.
As they walked, Hong Yu observed King Qin's Palace. With his current skill, which was no less than that of an ordinary Tier Three Spiritual Craftsman, he could vaguely discern that the entire Royal Palace was actually a massive Array.
The palace itself served as the Array Disc.
The construction and arrangent of every single palace revealed the mysteries of the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams.
Although he didn't know what secrets this Grand Array held, Hong Yu vaguely deduced that the expert who laid it out must have been at least a Tier Five Spiritual Craftsman!
A Spiritual Craftsman of that level was as rare as a phoenix feather throughout the entire history of the Southern Ten Nations.
He couldn't help but once again marvel at the Qin Kingdom's deep heritage and power.
"Sir, please wait here. Her Highness the Princess is inside the bedchamber and will summon you shortly," the Guard said respectfully.
Hong Yu nodded. "Thank you for your trouble."
The Guard smiled and departed.
He waited for a full ten minutes...
Hong Yu stood as still as a statue the entire ti, not even moving his feet an inch.
"Hong Yu, please co in."
A cool voice suddenly ca from within the bedchamber.
Hong Yu frowned slightly, thinking, 'What trick does this Third Princess have up her sleeve?'
Though he was suspicious, his feet didn't hesitate as he strode into the bedchamber.
He walked all the way inside, pushed open the door, and was t with a room filled with a crimson mist. Red clouds perated the air, as if a red gauze curtain obscured his vision.
Hong Yu was taken aback.
Within the red mist, several figures suddenly drifted past. Each one was exceptionally graceful, like fairies from a celestial palace who had descended to the mortal realm.
Hong Yu frowned as he abruptly felt two figures float past him.
Their every move revealed an endless, enchanting allure.
Hong Yu paused for a mont, then his expression turned cold and stern. "Scram!"
A cyan light swirled within his Cyan Eyes.
The fairies tumbling in the Red Dust all shrieked and were sent flying backward. They shot through the air before exploding with a BANG, turning into specks of pink peach blossoms and vanishing.
Hong Yu's gaze was cold as he swept it across the room. He said flatly, "Third Princess, if you have sothing to say, you should co out!"
CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!
A crisp round of applause rang out.
A graceful figure in red slowly erged from behind a screen.
She wore a fiery red cheongsam, exquisitely tailored to her figure.
Like a fiery red rose, she gave off a noble yet passionate feeling.
She was a burning fla, passionate as fire. She possessed a natural allure; even if her smiles and frowns were ordinary and she made no effort to entice anyone, wherever she went, she quickly beca the center of attention.
This was an enchantress who could bewitch anyone!
Her delicate features looked as though they had been carved by the most skilled sculptor pouring his heart and soul into his work.
With every smile and glance, her clear voice was like the song of a celestial phoenix. "Little brother, long ti no see. Have you forgotten your big sister?"
BZZZT!
Hong Yu's expression changed abruptly, as if a Heavy Hamr had struck his heart.
His mouth fell open as he stared blankly at the figure before him. "Sis... Sister Qin?"
"Hehe, little brother, we haven't seen each other in over a year. Did you already forget about your big sister?" Sister Qin said with a smile.
Hong Yu stared at her, stunned. "Sister Qin, is it really you? What are you doing here? Wait..." His expression shifted. "You're the Third Princess?"
"Hehe, congratulations, you got it right. Too bad there's no prize!"
A soft laugh echoed by his ear.
Sister Qin's finger traced across his cheek, bringing a ticklish, tingling sensation. A refined, elegant fragrance that refreshed the heart and soul wafted into his nostrils. The faint scent was incredibly pleasant and comforting, making it hard to suppress his wandering thoughts.
Gazing at the familiar figure before him, Hong Yu was filled with a thousand emotions.
Aside from Yun ngyao, Sister Qin was the woman he had interacted with the most. She was also the one who had helped him the most.
It was because of Sister Qin's constant care that he had been willing to cause a huge ruckus in the Underground Alliance for her sake.
It was because of Sister Qin that he had been able to receive all sorts of special treatnt while carrying out missions for the Underground Alliance...
But in Hong Yu's heart, he mostly saw Sister Qin as an older sister—one who cared for him deeply, and nothing more.
Therefore, after discovering she had disappeared, he had been anxious and lost, but not hysterical.
Because there was soone in his heart he needed to cherish even more—Yun ngyao!
Now, seeing Sister Qin again, the weight in Hong Yu's heart was finally lifted. He took a deep breath and gave a sincere smile. "Sister Qin, I'm so happy to see you again!"
"Heh, you're still as sweet-tongued as ever, little one!"
Sister Qin pulled Hong Yu to sit down beside her.
She snapped her fingers lightly, and soone imdiately brought them fragrant tea.
Sister Qin smiled as she sized up Hong Yu. "The little fellow from back then has now grown into an artifact refining genius who has shaken the entire Qin Kingdom. Little brother Hong Yu, you really surprise !"
Hong Yu gave a wry smile. "Sister Qin, back then I wore a mask and went by the identity of Luoo. Not many people knew my real na. If I'm not mistaken, you must have been one of the first to find out, right?"
"Hehe, is that important?"
Sister Qin said playfully.
Hong Yu paused, then shook his head with a wry smile.
For so reason, seeing Sister Qin again now, especially after learning of her identity as the Third Princess, he felt that she had undergone so subtle changes.
He hesitated for a mont before asking, "Sister Qin, after that day, I went to the Underground Alliance to look for you..."
"That's enough!"
Sister Qin cut him off with a sharp cry. Then, seeming to realize her loss of composure, she smiled and said, "Alright, let's not bring up the past. After that day, I returned to the Qin Kingdom with Aunt Leng. As for why I traveled so far to the Fengyue Kingdom, that's another story. But it doesn't matter. At least we've t again, haven't we?"
"Yes!"
Hong Yu thought for a mont but didn't press the matter.
Seeming to notice Hong Yu's impatience, Sister Qin took a delicate sip of her hot tea and said, "Little brother Hong Yu, congratulations on winning the youth Spiritual Craftsman competition. I imagine you're eager to claim your prize?"
Before Hong Yu could respond, she continued, "Your big sister will take you there right now!"
「A short while later...」
Hong Yu arrived at the entrance to the Royal Palace's treasury. Sister Qin smiled. "This is the entrance to the Royal Palace's treasury. Go on in! Rember, you can only pick three items!"
"I understand!"
Hong Yu took a deep breath and stepped into the treasury.
After cultivating the *Nine Refinents of the Primordial Spirit*, Hong Yu's body instinctively had a faint, almost imperceptible connection to the *Celestial Soul Nine Refinents*. Relying on this subtle link within the treasury, Hong Yu quickly found the *Celestial Soul Nine Refinents*.
Holding the ancient Secret Manual in his hand, Hong Yu was incredibly excited, his eyes turning bloodshot. 'This is great! I've finally found you. HAHAHA! *Celestial Soul Nine Refinents*, with you, it won't be long before I can break through to the Celestial Soul Realm. Once I reach the Celestial Soul Realm, with my strength, I should be able to fight for a spot in the top five of the Southern Ten Nations Alliance.'
'At the Southern Ten Nations Alliance martial gathering one year from now, I will definitely shine!'
A look of excitent flashed in Hong Yu's eyes.
Hadn't everyone traveled thousands of miles from the Fengyue Kingdom to participate in the youth Spiritual Craftsman competition for this very *Celestial Soul Nine Refinents*?
Now that he finally had it, Hong Yu was beside himself with excitent.
It took him a long ti to calm down.
After putting away the *Celestial Soul Nine Refinents*, just as he was about to casually pick two more Treasures and leave, Hong Yu suddenly froze. The Profound Celestial Tower in his mind trembled violently. A look of horror filled his eyes as he stared at a certain corner of the treasury, his expression an unexplainable mix of shock and ecstasy...
"Wh-what is this?"
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