The top floor of the Grand Dragon Imperial Inn was not merely a set of rooms; it was an isolated spatial domain overlooking the glittering skyline of the Central Capital. Shaded by glowing spirit bamboos, furnished with rare crimson sandalwood, and equipped with a private hot spring fed by geothermal spiritual veins, it was luxury fit for an emperor.
Night had fallen over the metropolis, casting a purple glow across the sky.
Inside the spacious private courtyard of the suite, Lu Chen sat cross-legged on a plush velvet couch near the edge of the steaming hot spring pool. He had replaced his formal imperial robes with a loose, comfortable white silk robe tied loosely at the waist, exposing a portion of his sculpted chest. His vibrant crimson hair cascaded freely over his shoulders.
Standing near the edge of the pool was Ye Qingxian, her silver hair catching the gentle steam rising from the water. She had shed her heavy combat armor, wearing a soft, form-fitting dark silk gown that accentuated her sleek, graceful silhouette.
Meanwhile, Saintess Ji Xue was sitting rigidly on a stone bench across the courtyard, wearing her white silk robes. She held a cup of floral tea in her hand, her raven hair tied up, her cold eyes shifting nervously between Lu Chen and Ye Qingxian.
"Miss Ji Xue," Lu Chen murmured smoothly, breaking the quiet splash of the hot spring water. "You've been holding that same cup of tea for twenty minutes. If you stare any harder at my chest, people might think the proud Supreme Frost Saintess has developed a sudden interest in secular anatomy."
Ji Xue choked on her breath, her face instantly flushing a vivid, fiery red!
"W-Who is staring at your chest?!" Ji Xue squeaked, her voice cracking slightly as she slammed her teacup onto the stone table. "I am merely reflecting on the absolute absurdity of today! You publicly ruined Young Master Gu Feng, forced him to confess his childhood bed-wetting to fifty thousand people, and now you sit here drinking wine like an immortal angel!"
"An angel?" Lu Chen chuckled, his deep, magnetic voice dropping an octave as he looked at her with his glowing purple eyes. "I'll take that as a compliment."
"It was NOT a compliment, you ruffian!" Ji Xue huffed, crossing her arms tightly, though her heart pounded frantically against her ribs.
Why does he have to be so ridiculously attractive when he's just sitting there?! Ji Xue screamed internally, cursing her own traitorous thoughts. He's a menace! A chaotic, tea-spiking, leg-grabbing menace!
Ye Qingxian stepped closer to Lu Chen, holding a silver tray with a small porcelain jar.
"Young Master," Ye Qingxian murmured softly, her crisp voice carrying a gentle warmth. "I have prepared the spiritual lotus marrow to help soothe your meridians after today's alchemy demonstration."
"Thank you, Qingxian," Lu Chen smiled warmly, reaching out to take the jar. As he did, his fingers intentionally slid over her smooth wrist, pulling her slightly closer.
Ye Qingxian’s breath hitched. A faint, breathtaking blush bloomed across her pale, porcelain cheeks, but instead of pulling away, she lowered her head slightly, her silver eyelashes fluttering as she stayed by his side.
Ji Xue’s eyes widened as she watched the interaction. A strange, sharp twinge of envy flared up in her chest, making her bite her lower lip unconsciously.
"Shadow Guard Ye..." Ji Xue couldn't resist speaking up, her tone slightly defensive. "How can you be so docile around him? He treats the entire world like his personal playground!"
Ye Qingxian turned her ice-blue eyes toward Ji Xue, her posture cool and unyielding. "The Young Master protects those who are loyal to him and humbles those who are arrogant. There is no safer place in the Nine Heavens Great Desolation than by his side."
Ji Xue opened her mouth to argue, but the words caught in her throat. She looked at Lu Chen—at his calm, confident demeanor, his immense, non-lethal intelligence, and the effortless way he commanded respect without shedding a drop of blood. Deep down, she knew Ye Qingxian was right.
Lu Chen let out an amused smirk, casually waving his hand. "Now, now, ladies. No need to compete over who gets to serve me first. There is plenty of room in this suite."
"WHO IS COMPETING?!" Ji Xue shouted, her face burning hotter than a furnace as she stood up, stomping her foot, and marching off toward her guest room! This chapter is updated first at novelping . com.
Ye Qingxian looked at her retreating figure, a subtle, rare smirk touching her own soft lips. "She is easily flustered, Young Master."
"That is what makes her fun, my sweet Qingxian," Lu Chen chuckled softly, pulling Ye Qingxian down to sit beside him on the couch, resting his arm casually behind her back as she leaned lightly against his shoulder.
Later that midnight, inside Lu Chen’s private inner chamber.
Lu Chen sat cross-legged, calling up his golden System interface.
[Host: Lu Chen]
[Current System Points: 95,000]
[Equipped Artifacts: Primordial Pure Bone, Heavenly Fortune Stealing Mirror, Imperial Grade Phantom Displacement Boots, Imperial Nine-Dragon Cauldron]
Lu Chen tapped his fingers on his knee. "System, spend 40,000 Points to upgrade my cultivation foundation to the Peak Core Formation Realm, and spend 15,000 Points to analyze the Heavenly Fortune Stealing Mirror."
[Ding!]
[40,000 System Points Consumed! Cultivation Foundation upgraded to: Peak Core Formation Realm!]
[15,000 System Points Consumed! Heavenly Fortune Stealing Mirror Deciphered!]
BOOM!
A surge of warm, golden spiritual energy erupted inside Lu Chen’s dantian. His meridians expanded, his revolving golden core solidified into an immaculate, flawless purple-gold orb, and his sensory perception multiplied tenfold!
Simultaneously, the ancient bronzed mirror floated out from his spatial ring, projecting a holographic map into the air above his desk.
The map depicted a massive, swirling spatial tear located in the Southern Border Mountains—the Forgotten Celestial Abyss, a ancient Forbidden Zone that only opened once every fifty years!
[System Alert!]
[Opening Time: In 3 Days!]
[Key Target: Ancient Primordial Dao Tree (Contains fruits that can bypass Nascent Soul bottlenecks)!]
[Fate Hero Candidate Movement Detected: Multiple arrogant young masters and covert assassins are gathering at the entrance!]
Lu Chen’s purple eyes gleamed with intense interest. "An ancient forbidden zone opening in three days? Excellent."
Meanwhile, in a darkened pavilion on the outer edge of the Central Capital.
Patriarch Gu—the cold, calculating father of the disgraced Gu Feng and a Mid Nascent Soul grandmaster—sat behind a dark oak desk. His face was shadow-draped, his eyes glowing with ruthless, lethal intent.
Standing before him was a figure wrapped in pitch-black robes, carrying a serrated dagger that dripped with purple shadow poison. This was the Lead Commander of the Blood-Moon Pavilion, the premier assassin guild of the Southern Domain.
"Patriarch Gu," the assassin’s raspy voice echoed. "Our spies report that Lu Chen has acquired the map to the Forgotten Celestial Abyss. He will undoubtedly head there in three days."
Patriarch Gu smashed his teacup into powder with his bare hand, his voice cold as liquid nitrogen.
"My son, Gu Feng, was turned into the laughingstock of the entire continent because of that brat's bizarre powders," Patriarch Gu hissed through clenched teeth. "The Lu Imperial Family is too strong to fight head-on in the open city... but inside a Forbidden Zone where spatial communications are blocked? It is a graveyard."
"You want him dead?" the assassin asked.
"No," Patriarch Gu smirked villainously. "Killing him cleanly is too merciful. I want you to deploy twelve Core Formation shadow assassins and two Nascent Soul Elders. Trap him inside the spatial array of the Abyss, strip him of his spatial rings, destroy his cultivation, and bring him to me in chains!"
The assassin bowed deeply. "Consider it done, Patriarch Gu. No matter how many strange powders he possesses, inside our Nine-Hell Blood Sealing Array, he will not even have the chance to breathe!"
Back in his luxurious room, Lu Chen looked out the window at the distant, starlit mountains.
With his newly enhanced Peak Core Formation senses, he felt a faint ripple of murderous intent far across the city.
A slow, devastatingly handsome smirk touched his lips.
"Assassins? Sealing arrays?" Lu Chen chuckled softly, pulling out a fresh silver vial from his sleeve and swirling a new, vibrant glowing purple powder inside it.
"It seems my new 'Soul-Reversing Flatulence & Cha-Cha Danc
ing Toxin' will have its first test subjects very soon.”