The Empress had just finished bathing, and at this moment, she was still the Second Princess...
In the fifty-third year of Dexuan, early March, at a secluded courtyard in Marquis Zhendong's Manor in the capital.
Early spring, the heavy snow that had blanketed the capital all winter had just melted not long ago, and the sky was still filled with a biting cold wind.
Xia Chen, dressed lightly, was sweating in the cold wind, practicing his saber without pause.
His handsome and refined face was flushed, the power of his blood and energy surging continuously, with a look of determination in his eyes.
Xia Chen held a long saber, its blade a crimson red, slicing through the air with ripples as if to cut through the cold wind.
With each swing, small lines of text appeared within his vision.
[Successfully swung once, basic saber technique proficiency +1]
[Successfully swung once, basic saber technique proficiency +1]
[Successfully swung once, basic saber technique proficiency +1]
***
[Basic saber technique perfected, you have comprehended an advanced saber technique from it—Shouyang Demon-Breaking Saber!]
[Your blood and energy value has reached the peak of the ninth grade, do you wish to break through immediately?]
As these lines of text appeared, a look of joy emerged on Xia Chen's handsome face. The crimson long saber in his hand also changed at this moment, and the blood and energy within him seemed to boil and surge violently, with wisps of it even penetrating through his body, condensing into a crimson sun behind him.
This sun resembled the primordial Shouyang at the beginning of heaven and earth, slicing through the chaotic darkness, full of vitality and brilliance.
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Under the blessing of this sun, Xia Chen's entire body trembled violently, as if he were molten lava, with his blood and energy reaching a peak, seemingly ready to burn rivers and boil seas!
This process did not last long. Xia Chen's gaze was sharp, and his still somewhat youthful face revealed seriousness. With a single slash, the entire courtyard seemed to transition from winter to early summer.
One slash, changing the heavens and earth!
At the same time, a cracking sound was heard, as if an invisible shackle within Xia Chen's body had broken. The surging power of his blood and energy seemed to find an outlet, rushing forth like the Yangtze River flowing east to the sea, and at this moment, Xia Chen's momentum reached its peak.
The eighth grade Essence Refining Realm was achieved!
Xia Chen slowly opened his eyes, a gleam flashing in his pupils, and vaguely, it seemed as if two pupils merged into one, resembling double pupils.
But this anomaly quickly vanished, and Xia Chen returned to calm, his momentum retracted, becoming an ordinary young man.
"I've been in this world for two months now, and I've finally broken through to the eighth grade!"
A smile appeared at the corner of Xia Chen's mouth.
***
Two months ago, he discovered that he had entered an early version of that mysterious game.
In his previous life, it suddenly appeared on Earth, and no one knew the origin of this game, only that some lucky ones were chosen to enter this seemingly real world.
At this moment, it was the period of Emperor Wen of Great Wu, a period Xia Chen was not very familiar with, because he had entered this game early, and by the time the game opened for beta testing, it was already the Empress's era.
"Now is the period of the two dragons vying for the throne during Emperor Wen's reign. Five years later, the Third Prince staged a coup, led troops into the capital, opened the White Tiger Gate, and stormed the palace. The Crown Prince died, and the Third Prince went mad, slaughtering all the imperial bloodline, but in the end, he was not the winner!"
Xia Chen was sorting out the timeline, recalling the events of this period, but unfortunately, in his previous life, Xia Chen only entered this world during the first public beta, by which time the Empress had already been on the throne for six years.
Therefore, Xia Chen did not delve deeply into this past, only knowing a rough outline.
This period seemed to be a struggle between two dragons for the throne, but in reality, there was a hidden dragon lurking in the shadows. Five years later, during the coup, the Second Princess descended like a divine soldier, wielding the Taizu Sword, leading cavalry into the White Tiger Gate.
That night, the entire imperial palace was filled with the sounds of battle cries, and the blood stained the vast white snow red. In the end, the Second Princess quelled all the rebels.
But Emperor Wen, the Crown Prince, the Third Prince, and all the direct male bloodlines of the imperial family were slaughtered in this coup, dying on the spot.
Ultimately, Great Wu welcomed its first Empress, and a glorious era began...
***
"Is it because of this jade seal that I was able to enter this world eleven years early?"
Xia Chen opened his palm, revealing a jade seal imprinted in his palm, like a totem, visible only to him.
This jade seal was carved with Nine Dragons, exhaling Chaos Qi, surrounded by Primordial Violet Qi, and vaguely, Xia Chen could see the sun, moon, and stars orbiting this jade seal, with the sun, moon, and Ziwei Star at the center!
Xia Chen wanted to continue observing, but the jade seal dimmed completely, seemingly impenetrable.
Xia Chen withdrew his gaze, exhaling a breath of turbid air, calming his heart. Regardless of the jade seal's mysteries, for now, enhancing his strength and influence was most important.
Currently, during Emperor Wen's reign, the court was in chaos, banditry was rampant, and although it was generally stable, the country was already divided into four factions.
This was his opportunity; times of chaos create heroes, and only in such times can one rise to power.
"I must seize the time. Once the Empress ascends the throne, resolves the Rebellion of the Eight Princes, and consolidates the power of Great Wu, it will enter the Era of Great Unification."
Xia Chen felt he must plan ahead!
Because although the Era of Great Unification had a high safety factor, with economic prosperity and cultural flourishing, it also offered fewer opportunities.
By then, the Great Wu Dynasty would be the sole hegemon, dominating the four seas, ruling the Eight Wastelands, and whether it was the Buddhists, Daoists, or so-called players, they would all have to submit to the Empress.
Only later, when the Spiritual Energy Revival version began, and the Fusion of the Myriad Heavens occurred, would this world become truly real.
The martial power ceiling would rise, the Empress would disappear, the Great Wu Dynasty would collapse, and the Xianxia Royal Dynasty Contention version would begin, ushering in new opportunities...
As Xia Chen thought, he fetched water and began wiping his sweat-soaked body with a towel.
In this life, his starting situation was quite favorable, being born in Marquis Zhendong's Manor.
Eight hundred years since the founding of Great Wu, 637 years ago, Emperor Ling favored eunuchs and heavily used imperial relatives, leading to the Rebellion of the Lords, and the capital fell.
The eighth son of Emperor Ling, Emperor Wuzong, reorganized the country, launched a northern expedition, and restored the old capital, reestablishing the realm, thus renewing the Great Wu's fortune for 600 years.
The first Marquis Zhendong, Xia Xuanzhen, followed Emperor Wuzong from the border, rising from a mere soldier to become a godly general renowned throughout the world.
During Emperor Wuzong's northern expedition, the army was divided into three routes, with Xia Xuanzhen as the commander of the eastern route. When the other two routes were blocked, and the northern expedition seemed fruitless,
Xia Xuanzhen led five thousand cavalry on a thousand-mile raid, reaching the capital like a sharp sword piercing the enemy's belly, capturing the capital, taking the enemy's head, and completely reversing the war situation, overturning heaven and earth, helping Emperor Wuzong secure the realm.
At the conferment ceremony, Emperor Wu jokingly said in front of the ministers: "Externally strong and internally wise, the sharpest in the world!"
Thus, Xia Xuanzhen's achievements were the highest among the ministers, and he was conferred the title of Marquis Zhendong.
There were also rumors that based on Xia Xuanzhen's achievements, he was worthy of being made a prince, but due to the ancestral rule of not conferring princely titles to those of different surnames, he was only made a marquis, otherwise, he would have been Prince Zhendong.
Now, Marquis Zhendong was in its 17th generation, always prosperous, never declining, and although still called Marquis Zhendong's Manor, it had long achieved the status of a household with three marquises.
"Although I'm not highly regarded in the manor, compared to some, it's an excellent start."
Xia Chen was quite satisfied with this start, knowing that in his previous life, some players who entered during the beta test were mere nobodies, some even starting as beggars on the roadside, a hellish start.
According to the game's balance rules, the earlier one entered the game, the worse their starting identity, but now Xia Chen had broken this rule, being born into a family of nobility and generals.
"Third Young Master, there's a letter from the Second Master!"
At this moment, a hurried figure rushed in, a young servant in green, panting heavily, his cheeks flushed, whether from the cold wind or from running all the way.
***
["The Emperor, in his youth, possessed an indomitable spirit, diligently practicing and tirelessly honing his skills, swinging his saber ten thousand times a day in the courtyard, refining his martial path, and ultimately achieving success. The Emperor's comprehension was extraordinary, and one day, he created a technique in the courtyard, naming it the Shouyang Demon-Breaking Saber."
— "The Xia Chronicles," Volume One, Annals of the Taizu Emperor]
Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan