In the blink of an eye.
Outside, the sun set and the moon rose—a day passed in an instant.
During this time, Ying Qingge remained by Su Chen’s side, not resting for a single moment.
At this moment.
Due to the changes brought by body tempering, impurities began to slough off Su Chen’s body, filling the room with a pungent odor.
Yet Ying Qingge didn’t mind at all; instead, she breathed a sigh of relief.
He had finally succeeded!
Cleansing the meridians and marrow signified the completion of the first stage of body tempering.
For ordinary martial artists, this was when they would awaken.
‘But why hadn’t her little junior brother woken up? Was it not over yet?’
***
At this moment, Su Chen was immersed in his mental consciousness world.
The card with Ying Qingge’s image spun wildly before him, shattering with a crack and merging into his body.
“Congratulations, Host, for successfully integrating the Imperial Extreme Body and Meridian Dragon Transformation, achieving an exceptional cultivation aptitude: the Imperial Dragon Physique!”
“Due to the host’s physique and technique being highly compatible with the Empress, the card grants an additional effect: cultivation speed increased by a hundredfold.”
“Please continue to strive and fully embrace the soft rice life!”
The system’s enthusiastic encouragement rang out.
Su Chen, still processing the words, felt the changes in his body.
Spiritual energy surged toward him from all directions, flooding into his body, flowing through his meridians, circulating throughout, and finally dispersing around him.
It spread across miles, tens of miles, and eventually a hundred miles!
Like a whale swallowing the sea, it was endlessly absorbed into Su Chen’s body.
With the Imperial Dragon Physique, his cultivation speed was already several times that of ordinary people, and with a hundredfold boost… it was simply unimaginable!
At this moment.
Su Chen was like a machine on overdrive, greedily absorbing the surrounding spiritual energy.
Body Tempering First Stage, Second Stage… all the way to the Sixth Stage!
All in just a few minutes.
***
‘Fast! Incredibly fast!’
Even Ying Qingge, watching from the side, was dumbfounded.
‘What was going on? What kind of cultivation speed was this?’
Even the most prodigious genius couldn’t break through multiple Body Tempering stages in such a short time, especially with no prior foundation.
Could her little junior brother’s transformation be due to something that happened during or after their transmigration?
Before Ying Qingge could ponder further, the spiritual energy surged wildly, forming a vortex storm that enveloped Su Chen.
Even she couldn’t get close.
It wasn’t that she couldn’t—it was that she didn’t dare.
Su Chen was at a critical moment of transformation, and interrupting him could have unpredictable consequences.
In that brief moment of hesitation.
Roar!!
A dragon’s roar reverberated, shaking the heavens and earth.
From within the storm, a faint golden dragon shadow flickered in and out of view.
“Nine Revolutions of Ascension, the ultimate dragon creation.”
“Could this be the legendary ultimate state of this body-tempering technique—the recognition of the Imperial True Dragon?”
Ying Qingge’s beautiful eyes sparkled, her red lips parted in awe, unable to close.
The Nine Revolutions of Ascension, with nine as the ultimate number, symbolized reaching the pinnacle.
But this was a realm only spoken of in legends.
Even Ying Qingge, the most prodigious Empress in Great Qin’s history, had only reached the ninth revolution, not the ultimate state.
Yet now, Su Chen had achieved it!
As the Imperial True Dragon’s shadow appeared, Su Chen’s aura soared to its peak.
In an instant, he reached the Ninth Stage of Body Tempering!
With Su Chen at the center, a majestic pressure spread outward like soundwaves, rippling in circles.
Dragon might soared across the skies, overwhelming the mortal realm, as if a true dragon had descended.
All cultivators could feel this terrifying aura.
It pressed on their hearts, instilling fear and awe.
***
In the resplendent palace, objects trembled, and ripples formed in bowls of soup.
Crack!
Ying Wuyan slammed her chopsticks on the table.
Sensing this familiar yet slightly foreign aura, her narrow, beautiful eyes squinted in displeasure.
“That damned Ying Qingge—her power has advanced again!”
The two were rivals in both court and harem, neither yielding to the other.
She could never mistake her nemesis’s aura.
Besides, in the entire harem, who else but Ying Qingge, that cultivation-obsessed maniac, could emit such a terrifying presence?
“No more eating! Clear it away. I can’t even have a meal in peace.”
Ying Wuyan waved her hand irritably, her appetite gone.
***
It wasn’t just her.
Due to Su Chen’s technique sharing the same origin as Ying Qingge’s, combined with the dramatic phenomenon he caused, everyone assumed it was the Empress advancing further.
No one would imagine that the terrifying, heart-shaking aura that made people instinctively want to submit came from the pretty boy by the Empress’s side.
This news quickly spread, reaching the ears of various factions.
For the royalists, it was joyous news—the Empress’s growing power meant Great Qin’s prosperity would flourish.
Those with ulterior motives, however, were less pleased, as it meant Ying Qingge would become even harder to deal with.
To verify the information, undercurrents stirred in the capital as many began to act, seeking definitive answers.
Meanwhile.
No one felt the phenomenon more clearly than Ying Qingge.
The moment Su Chen caused such a massive disturbance, she employed her techniques to conceal his traces, blocking all prying eyes.
But her phoenix-like eyes were filled with anticipation.
Su Chen’s talent was simply too astonishing.
It far exceeded her expectations.
“Little Junior Brother, what kind of surprises will you bring me next?”
Ying Qingge stared at the young man before her, her lips curving slightly as she murmured softly.
She never expected her junior brother to have such similar aptitude to hers, even cultivating the same technique.
It almost felt like they were destined to be a couple.
“Your Majesty?”
A tentative voice suddenly came from a few miles away.
Ying Qingge reluctantly tore her gaze from Su Chen, her gentle expression reverting to cold arrogance.
“What is it?”
Her faint voice made the speaker tremble, but they gritted their teeth and said,
“Your Majesty, many have been alarmed by the aura just now. I’m worried…”
“No matter.”
“It was merely my power advancing further.”
“Issue the order: within thirty miles of the palace, no outsiders are allowed. Violators will be executed without mercy!”
“Yes!” The person saluted and responded.
***
At the same time.
Su Chen, still cultivating, encountered a new issue.
The supply of spiritual energy… wasn’t enough!
Despite absorbing so much, it was still insufficient for his hundredfold cultivation speed!
“This is ridiculous?”
“Little Junior Brother is so greedy. If only he were this eager in romance.”
As she spoke.
Seeing this, Ying Qingge didn’t hesitate.
She raised her hand and drew out the spiritual energy from the spiritual vein hidden beneath this blessed land, channeling it into Su Chen without reservation.
This was the spiritual vein sustaining half the palace—tampering with it could have dire consequences.
But Ying Qingge didn’t care!
This was the epitome of extravagance.
But who could blame her for doting on her junior brother~!
Feeling the even richer spiritual energy, Su Chen’s body revved up again, absorbing it like a river swallowing the sea.
And yet.
As if worried it still wasn’t enough, Ying Qingge waved her hand, pulling out most of the precious spiritual herbs long stored in the imperial pharmacy.
She crushed them into their purest form and sent them into Su Chen’s surroundings.