Demon Slaying, Gaining 60 Years of Cultivation From the Start

That night, under the lead of Eunuch Huang of the Eastern Palace, Gu Chen arrived at the Eastern Palace and met with Crown Prince Ji Yuan.

At that moment, Ji Yuan was hunched over his desk in the study, handling the official affairs of Da Xia.

The revival of Yan State was imminent, with many matters requiring the Crown Prince's approval before being implemented. Moreover, the battle against the barbarian tribes had left Yan State with severe losses, not just among the civilians but also amongst the local officials of Da Xia.

Therefore, the Crown Prince also needed to deliberate and select suitable candidates to send to Yan State.

After arriving at the Eastern Palace, Eunuch Huang said in a low voice, "Your Highness, the Marquis of Wuan has arrived."

"Gu Chen is here?" Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince looked up and saw Gu Chen, a look of joy appeared on his face as he said, "Someone, bring a seat."

"Thank you, Your Highness." Gu Chen clasped his fists and performed a salute.

Gu Chen had a good impression of the Crown Prince. Although the Crown Prince didn't wield much power in the royal court and his character was somewhat indecisive, Gu Chen was certain that, based on a series of actions taken by Ji Yuan, the Crown Prince regarded the well-being of the common people highly.

In a high martial world like the Nine Provinces, there was no shortage in history of emperors who regarded the lives of commoners as inconsequential, sustaining their rule through killing and warfare.

After all, it was exceedingly difficult for commoners to rebel against the empire, as the cultivation of martial arts required talent, opportunities, and money, and lacking any one of these made it nearly impossible.

Fortunately, whether it was the Emperor of Da Xia or the current Crown Prince Ji Yuan, neither were that kind of person.

The Eldest Prince who had previously extended an olive branch to Gu Chen, clearly, did not have the common people in mind.

Once Gu Chen was seated, the Crown Prince waved his hands and said, "You all may leave."

"Yes."

The guards and palace maids upon hearing this, all quietly left the area, with only Eunuch Huang of the Eastern Palace remaining. Stay updated via My Virtual Library Empire

This showed the weight Eunuch Huang held in the heart of the Crown Prince.

Gu Chen asked, "Your Highness, for what purpose have you summoned me here?"

The Crown Prince's smile was gentle as he said, "There's no serious matter. I just wanted to chat with you and hear about the battle in Yan State from an involved party. I wish to understand more through your account."

The Crown Prince, having never left Tiandu in his life, being established as the heir at a young age, was extremely curious about everything in the outside world.

Hearing this, Gu Chen went on to describe in detail the entire course of events he had experienced in the battle of Yan State.

The Crown Prince's emotions fluctuated continuously with Gu Chen's narrative, especially when he heard of the innumerable deaths and injuries among the civilians of Yan State and the bones scattered everywhere, his fists clenched suddenly, and a fierce aura emerged between his brows.

And when the Crown Prince heard about how Gu Chen, with a single sword, faced the barbarian army of 120,000 alone and beheaded enemy generals amidst the throngs of soldiers, causing the barbarians to flee in panic, he couldn't help but show a smile, loudly cheering, feeling extremely exhilarated.

At the end, when he learned of the battle at Yongxue City, the deaths of numerous soldiers including the Metropolitan Procurator of the Jing Tian Department, the assassination of Duke of the Liang State, and the rebellion of the Marquis of Pingxi, the Crown Prince's brows nearly stood on end.

"Cao Shuang, I really should flay you!" The Crown Prince was enraged, clenching his teeth in anger.

Bringing up the deaths of Duke of the Liang State and Wang Yan once more, Gu Chen's emotions were unavoidably a bit melancholic.

But fortunately, he avenged them personally.

"Your Highness, take care of your health," said Eunuch Huang of the Eastern Palace, seeing the Crown Prince's anger and quickly reminding him.

One who becomes an emperor should remain unfazed even if Mount Tai collapses before them. If one shows emotions too easily, it would reveal one's thoughts and allow others to grasp their weaknesses.

Clearly, the Crown Prince still had some naivety in this respect, but Gu Chen appreciated this aspect of him.

It was exactly this that proved the Crown Prince truly cared about these fallen warriors.

Gu Chen said, "Your Highness need not worry, the traitor Cao Shuang has already been put to death."

Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince looked at Gu Chen and said, "In the battle at Yongxue City, you also encountered that mysterious expert, did you not?"

Gu Chen was taken aback, but then realized that the mysterious expert the Crown Prince was referring to was none other than himself.

After the battle of Yan State ended, Gu Chen had been traveling continuously, and due to the deaths of the Duke of the Liang State and others, they obviously had no interest in gathering any news, hence Gu Chen was unaware of the current rumors about him in the Nine Provinces.

"I did see him, he truly is a peerless warrior," Gu Chen nodded. Praising himself felt somewhat strange to him.

However, for Gu Chen, this identity must never be revealed; otherwise, if this news were to spread, countless eyes across the world would fixate on him.

An instrument capable of eliciting the strength of a great master from a master was certainly something many would covet, and when the whole world's attention is on Gu Chen, even Da Xia might not be able to keep him safe.

And besides, for such a rare treasure, it's hard to guarantee that within Da Xia, there will not be those who harbor other intentions.

Until he possessed the corresponding strength, Gu Chen would keep the identity of this mysterious powerhouse closely guarded in his heart, and not reveal it to anyone.

Moreover, Gu Chen deeply understood that what he possessed was a malevolent weapon, and if it were to fall into the hands of someone who would act without restraint, it would certainly cause a bloodbath in the world.

At that moment, only to hear the Crown Prince lament, "Indeed, right now the entire world is spreading the tales of this mysterious powerhouse. Such formidable strength, it's very likely that he's a martial artist at the level of Martial Arts Transcendence. If we could convince him to join Da Xia, it would certainly solve the pressing troubles of our great nation."

Although the Crown Prince's martial arts talent was average, he was also acutely aware of what a martial artist at the level of Martial Arts Transcendence truly meant.

"Transcendence Realm?" Upon hearing this, Gu Chen was suddenly dumbstruck, not expecting that the world's rumors about him had become so incredibly mystical.

However, taking advantage of the opportunity, Gu Chen also voiced his own doubt, "Your Highness, may I ask you to explain the realms that come after Grandmaster for me?"

Back when he returned to the Jing Tian Department to report to Qin Wu for duty, Gu Chen was in a hurry to go into seclusion, so he hadn't had the chance to ask in detail.

Now that he saw the Crown Prince and given the Crown Prince's status, he would surely know about the martial realms of the Nine Provinces and some of its secrets.

The Crown Prince said, "Indeed, you are now a Grandmaster, and it is natural to want to understand the realms that follow. Although the Jing Tian Department has records on this, with the speed of your breakthroughs, you probably haven't had the time to read them, right?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Chen nodded. His breakthroughs were too fast and with various affairs engulfing him, he only had a partial understanding of the realm that followed Grandmaster, known as the Innate Realm, and regarding the realms above Innate, he had no understanding at all.

The Crown Prince smiled slightly and said, "Good, I do have some clear awareness of martial arts. Today, I will explain it to you."

Saying this, the Crown Prince's expression became serious, "In ancient times, there was a saying in the martial world, 'Not reaching the Innate, all are but ants.'

"Hmm?" Gu Chen's expression froze.

The Crown Prince smiled, "It's normal that you don't know, this is passed down from ancient times. Back then, there were no titles like Grandmaster or Great Grandmaster; all these titles were added by later generations of martial artists in the Nine Provinces."

"In ancient times, martial arts were only categorized into Acquired and Innate. Acquired is the realm you are in now, with the Hundred Orifices Stage being the culmination of Acquired. Innate, which is now known as Great Grandmaster, was common during ancient times. The world was different then, and there were many Innate martial artists. Breaking through to Innate was not as difficult as it is now."

Gu Chen frowned and asked, "Your Highness, 'Not reaching the Innate, all are but ants,' what does it mean? Does it have any deeper implications?"

The Crown Prince laughed helplessly and said, "There's no deeper meaning, it's just the literal sense. In ancient times, the Innate Realm was considered the start of cultivation. Acquired, in ancient times, was just a small fry and insignificant."

"Innate is just the beginning?!"

Gu Chen was shocked upon hearing this. It was said that martial arts prospered in ancient times, but just how prosperous it was, Gu Chen only now began to comprehend.

"As common as dogs in the Acquired, and Innate roaming everywhere," for some reason, such a thought suddenly appeared in Gu Chen's mind.

In the current Nine Provinces, an Innate Realm martial artist was honored as a Great Grandmaster, exalted above billions of living beings, how extraordinary. And yet, in ancient times, Innate was just the beginning?

If this assertion were to be spread, surely many people would find it hard to accept, and it would stir up a great tumult.

The Crown Prince said, "You shouldn't feel discouraged. After all, the ancient world is not the same as the more recent past. With your talent, had you been born in ancient times, by now, you might have already achieved Innate, or even Martial Arts Transcendence."

Gu Chen didn't respond; he was well aware of his own talent. Although not bad, it wasn't strong either. Everything he had achieved to date was through the panel and his own efforts.

Seeing that Gu Chen remained silent, the Crown Prince silently nodded. Gu Chen's talent was exceptional, arguably suppressing the whole of the Nine Provinces and being the first in hundreds of years. Yet, he still maintained such a humble attitude, which was indeed very rare.

This made him appreciate Gu Chen even more.

Seizing the opportunity, Gu Chen asked again, "Then Your Highness, what lies above the Innate, the Transcendence Realm?"

The Crown Prince replied, "The Transcendence Realm is now called the pinnacle of Great Grandmasters.

In ancient times, it was also referred to as the 'Awakening Realm.' You should be fairly clear about the Innate Realm; reaching this realm allows one's constitution to revert from Acquired back to Innate, while life expectancy greatly increases, and one begins to mobilize the power of heaven and earth to some extent."

Gu Chen nodded slightly, listening as the Crown Prince continued, "Whereas, the Transcendence Realm is a stage where, based on the Innate Realm, the martial artist's spirit communes with heaven and earth, further refining the martial artist's spirit, and then transforming into a 'Divine Sense.' Once the Divine Sense is formed, the martial artist's spirit transcends the mundane, and even a Great Grandmaster of the Innate Realm, with a single thought, can be slain."

"Could it be that powerful?!" Gu Chen was astounded.

He felt that the deeper he went into martial arts, the more mysterious it became. Divine Sense? It sounded like a spiritual attack.

"Of course, this is the transcendental aspect of the Transcendence Realm martial artists. Divine Sense is extremely difficult to cultivate, and even in the current Nine Provinces, Transcendence Realm martial artists, prior to the emergence of the Six Union God Sect, among billions of martial artists, there were only a dozen or so, an extremely rare number, truly ranking at the apex of the world."

"Now you should understand just how strong that mysterious powerhouse who appeared in the battle of Yan State was, and how extraordinary his status. No matter where he appears, he would be revered as a distinguished guest, adored by countless people across the world, indeed, a pinnacle Great Grandmaster. In front of him, the Innate Realm is as insignificant as ants."

For some reason, as the Crown Prince praised him to his face, Gu Chen felt an odd sensation in his heart, an indescribable feeling. Nevertheless, he maintained an appearance of surprise and didn't reveal a sliver of flaw.

Gu Chen took the opportunity to continue asking, "Your Highness, what lies above Transcendence?"