Logging into the Game World Early and Starting with a Royal Marriage to the Empress

Deep within the Marquis of Zhen Dong’s mansion.

Inside an imposing, seven-story ancient tower that exudes a unique aura.

“The basic blade technique has truly been improved!”

Seven elderly men with extraordinary presence and white hair reacted in various ways. Some stood up directly from their seats, others accidentally pulled out their white beards, and some spilled the tea from their cups. None of them could remain calm inside.

The basic blade technique, as the name suggests, is used to lay the foundation for martial cultivation and is the fundamental method.

A person’s combat strength and future potential are closely related to their fundamental method. Therefore, the Marquis of Zhen Dong’s basic blade technique is a closely guarded secret, only accessible to the legitimate descendants of the marquisate and exceptionally talented, tested collateral branch members for cultivation.

This technique is the cornerstone of the Xia family’s prosperity for 600 years.

Every martial family has its own unique fundamental method, all of which are closely guarded secrets, monopolized to ensure their enduring success.

The Xia family’s fundamental method was created by their progenitor, Xia Xuanzhen, and has been refined by successive generations of family heads and elders.

They believed that this blade technique had long reached a state of perfection, not inferior to the royal basic blade technique.

However, now it has been improved again, and by a younger generation member, no less. How could they not be astonished?

But as they looked at the crack on the ground, which was filled with intense energy, they had already seen Xia Chen demonstrate it right in front of them. Although they questioned it verbally, they had already believed it in their hearts.

The reason for such a strong reaction was simply because it was too incredible.

“Good, good, good. Although your martial talent is not up to par, I didn’t expect your comprehension to be extraordinarily superior. In terms of contributions to the clan, you are even greater than your father, Xia Yuan!”

The leading elderly man, with his hair turning white, spoke directly and laughed heartily. At the same time, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret. How unfair was the heavens to give this child extraordinary comprehension but not martial talent? Otherwise, their Xia family would have another world-class genius!

His name is Xia Yu, the elder brother of Marquis of Zhen Dong Xia Chutian, and the paternal uncle of Xia Qian and Xia Yuan. In terms of seniority, he is Xia Chen’s great-uncle.

In Xia Chutian’s generation, there were eight brothers. Xia Chutian was the third eldest, but because of his exceptional talent and intelligence, he was elected as the head of the Xia family and inherited the title of Marquis of Zhen Dong. The other seven brothers also served in the military when they were young.

36 years ago, during the Huaiyang War between the Great Wu and the Great Faith, Xia Chutian became a god of war in one battle. He eventually voluntarily returned his military power and left the military. The other seven brothers also gradually handed over their military power, returned to the marquisate to serve as clan elders, and began to teach the younger generations to enhance the family’s foundation…

“No matter how much military merit one has, it is not comparable to your innovation of this method!”

Another elderly man followed, Xia Xuan, Xia Chen’s fifth great-uncle. The marquisate has been brilliant for 600 years, with a continuous emergence of military talents. More than 300 years ago, the ancestors were enfeoffed as Duke of An Wu again because of great contributions. 173 years ago, they received another marquis title, Duke of An Dong.

Since then, the Xia family has had three marquis titles.

Therefore, for them, the family is not short of military merits.

Xia Chen’s improvement of the basic method is of great significance to the family.

For future generations, it will make them more excellent and their cultivation speed more rapid.

…

Xia Chen left the Merit Tower. To be honest, this was the first time he had entered the Merit Tower, and the several great-uncles he had met were also the first time he had seen them in 17 years. But judging from their reactions, they should have heard of Xia Chen’s “waste body” reputation.

“This time, I brushed a wave of existence, which is very beneficial to my status in the marquisate. The seven clan elders all have a good impression of me. It is not a loss to exchange the Shouyang Demon-Slaying Blade for these!”

Xia Chen thought to himself. As for what the seven clan elders said about his name being written into the clan history and being moved into the ancestral temple after death to enjoy the descendants’ incense and fortune with many great talents in the clan history, Xia Chen did not care. He only seeks a reputation in his lifetime! Posthumous fame is not what he should consider now.

Xia Chen bypassed the winding backyard and passed through the training ground.

The training ground was bustling with activity.

There were children as young as five or six years old following martial instructors to practice boxing and lay a foundation, and there were also teenagers around eleven or twelve years old practicing spears, with a long spear flashing cold light and an extraordinary momentum.

There were also teenagers lifting a thousand-pound boulders, sweating like rain, but their eyes revealed perseverance and persistence.

“Brother Chen!”

At this moment, a teenager around thirteen or fourteen years old threw down the boulder in his hand.

His body moved like a monkey, and in a few steps, he quickly came to Xia Chen’s side.

“Brother Chen, did you come to see me?”

The boy, with a tiger-like head and a naive smile, scratched his head and spoke in a childish manner. His name is Xia Wen, the son of Xia Chen’s third uncle, Xia Han.

Although Xia Han was born into a military family, he preferred literature to martial arts and chose the path of reading and officialdom. He named his son Xia Wen, with high expectations, thinking he would be a scholar.

However, Xia Wen preferred martial arts to literature from a young age and had an exceptional talent in the martial path. As for reading, that was another story.

Because Xia Chen had no talent in martial arts and had no hope in martial cultivation from a young age, Xia Han took Xia Chen with him to teach him to read and cultivate a righteous spirit, following the Confucian practice of cultivating energy and establishing words.

Therefore, before the age of ten, Xia Chen often went to his third uncle’s courtyard for meals and naturally became familiar and friendly with the children of his third uncle’s family.

“I’m going to the Merit Building to choose a merit method. I just passed by here to see you,” Xia Chen said with a smile.

In the marquisate, regardless of gender, children must go to the training ground at the age of five and persist every day, regardless of wind or sunshine.

However, because Xia Chen had no talent in martial arts, his eldest uncle Xia Qian, in order to take care of his self-esteem, specially allowed him not to go to the training ground every day. When he was young, Xia Chen was reluctant and gritted his teeth to persist in coming to the training ground. But as the people of his age made rapid progress every day, and he still couldn’t even get started, he gradually stopped coming to the training ground.

Xia Chen looked around and found that the training ground was full of young faces. Most of the people who were the same age as him or even a year or two younger were no longer there. Xia Chen knew that most of them had already broken through to the eighth rank of refining essence and had begun to enter the army to temper themselves.

This was a tradition in the marquisate, regardless of age, only looking at the cultivation realm. Once they broke through to the eighth rank of refining essence, they could leave and show their ambitions.

“Brother Chen!”

Another voice came, and Xia Chen looked in the direction of the sound. A little girl, looking like a delicate doll and wearing a small dress, who seemed to be only about ten years old, walked over timidly.

Her cheeks were red from just finishing a set of boxing.

This was Xia Qian and Cui Mengrou’s youngest daughter, named Xia Yuxi.

“Brother Chen!”

“Brother Chen!”

…

Several more people walked over. They were the descendants of the seven clan elders and a few exceptionally talented young people from the collateral branches.

Seeing everyone coming to greet Xia Chen, they hesitated for a moment and then followed. Hearing the whispers around them, they knew that Xia Chen was a legitimate descendant.       Although Xia Chen had been somewhat inconspicuous in the marquisate over the years, his reputation was not small.

After all, the marquisate was established on martial arts, and it was the first time in so many years that a waste without martial talent had appeared.

Some people greeted Xia Chen with a smile, while others remained calm, just nodding, neither being friendly nor offending.

No one made fun of him. Everyone was still young, but most were precocious, with high intelligence and emotional intelligence. No one would easily offend a legitimate descendant, even if this person had no martial talent.

Moreover, everyone already knew that Xia Chen had become a son-in-law of the emperor, so there was even less reason to mock or suppress him just because he had no martial talent. Moreover, in terms of seniority, Xia Chen was the elder brother of everyone present. The marquisate, which had continued for 600 years, placed great emphasis on brotherly love and respect.

Xia Chen greeted everyone with a smile, his tone gentle, making people feel like they were basking in the spring breeze. His gaze fell on several young people present, and his expression became serious. These few would shine brightly in the future!

…

【“Xia Wen, styled Xuanba, is the younger brother of the Heavenly Emperor. The Heavenly Emperor has taught him since childhood, so Xia Wen is close to and respects the Heavenly Emperor. When the Emperor was young, he was like a hidden dragon in the abyss, hiding his light and waiting for the right moment, and thus did not show his exceptional talent among his peers. Within the imperial clan, only Wen did not change his feelings because of the outside world, and he was close to the Heavenly Emperor with a very close and friendly relationship.” ——《History of Xia》, Volume One, The Third of the Hereditary Houses】