The Laws of Cultivation: Qi = MC^2
Chapter [B3] 45 — Royal Banquet

Murmurs and whispers audibly recontinued at the emperor's words. My mind raced, trying to figure out so many things all at once. How did he know? Did I have a “not from this world” written on my forehead or something?

No, now wasn’t the time to figure out how he figured it out, but instead to reply. I looked at the emperor, my smile strained. “I’m… not sure what you mean, your majesty.”

The emperor looked at me, and I felt my soul shivering under his gaze. For a moment, I felt really small against the man, like a lion looking down at a rabbit. Seriously, there was something extremely messed up with the whole wave of compulsion that this man was just oozing out here like it was nothing.

My gaze shifted, and I saw the faintest hint of… something. The shadow passed, but I knew what looked like that. I had one in my soul, living rent free.

Did the Azure Dragon figure it out then? What did he think? Was this it, goodbye life?

“Your abilities are otherworldly. A sage, at your age, and a five fold one as well. We hope you continue to serve us and this empire with your whole heart,” the emperor replied. I almost collapsed with relief.

“Thank you, your majesty. I will,” I replied, bowing my head, and already so tired that I wanted to lie down somewhere and fall asleep. I’m not sure how my legs carried me away but I walked back, moving around the court till I found my seat. Somewhere in the middle. Surprising, as I’d expected I would be seated at the very end for being an upstart or something, but I suppose they couldn’t put a Sage at the bottom.

The people around me glanced at me, but given my rank and everything no one seemed to be sure if they could talk to me or not. Officially I was merely a baron, and a tiny, insignificant one. I wouldn’t even be invited inside the jade court normally, but then I was also a sage and the elder of a sect, and that left my position about as understandable as 4 dimensional shapes were back when I tried to study them in high school.

My heart was still pounding and I tried to calm myself down. The seats were set on the ground, with cushions. Only the divinities had thrones to take, with the emperor at the highest position.

I distinctly noted that none of the Divinities were here yet, besides of course the emperor himself. Even the Shie matriarch was not present.

A servant woman passed by me, presenting a plate of sweets. One of which was the ice-cream recipe I had shared, cold enough to be creating vapors. They needed to figure out that ice-cream came at the end, during a special section but I suppose that would naturally develop.

I didn’t feel particularly hungry, but it was hard to say no to ice-cream. When I’d figured out how to make some, I had almost cried from joy. Taking a bite, I felt myself physically relaxing.

Alright, that was over now. I’d met the emperor, and no one had shouted ‘he is a demon!’ or ‘traitor!’ or whatever and I was still alive. That was more than what I could ask for.

“Lord Jie, this is your creation, is it not?” A man next to me asked, looking at me. I turned sideways to see a guy wearing a straw hat that hid part of his face. Weird attire, but no one seemed to be commenting on it, so I ignored it.

“Yeah, just one of the things I had made,” I replied, surprised that someone knew about this already. I had sold the recipe for a lot of money, but I hadn’t expected people to start taking note for a little while.

“What a fascinating dish. What made you come up with it?” The man asked.

“Oh, I had eaten something like that as a child. And it just came to me as an inspiration,” I replied, lying smoothly.

“Hmm, that must be quite the home. When the emperor’s words, I had just thought how much everything you made would make sense if you were actually from another world. Of course, that’s a silly idea,” the man said, laughing.

I laughed awkwardly with him, not having any good reply to that. Damn it, this better not stick.

I sat there, watching as people continued to arrive in the court, greeting the emperor one after another. After a few hours, I noticed the people at the end getting up, before the crier announced who had arrived.

“The Divinities arrive!”

People looked on as one by one, the Divinities began to walk in. I watched with curiosity. This was one of the very few occasions where someone could see more than one Divinity together.

At the lead was a man with a flowing beard wearing red robes marked with the symbol of fire and a proud look as he walked in. The crier announced his coming, though he really didn’t need to. Just looking at him, I could feel the heat contained in his spirit, like a volcano that could shake the earth with an explosion.

Behind the man was a tall man with broad shoulders wearing fur covered clothes. His hair was silver and eyes a light shade of blue, but unlike the pale skin I had seen on most people from the Yue, his had a darker, more earthy tone, and a lot more muscles than I was used to seeing on cultivators. Our muscles really didn’t grow much even if you worked out a lot unless you pushed your body to its very limits. I wondered just how much training he had done to achieve something like that. The only thing I’d heard about him was that he often vanished for years on end, saying he was going fishing. Watching him with my own eyes, I definitely believed that reputation.

Just behind him was perhaps the oldest man I had ever seen. A really old man wearing orange monk-like clothes and a bald head walked inside. For a second it was hard to believe he was supposed to be who the crier said, I could not sense much of an aura on him. But after just a little closer of a look, I found my spirit shaking.

A vast pool of Qi rested within him, with the most perfect control of aura I had ever seen someone have in my life.

“And then at last, the newest Divinity, the matriarch of the Shie!”

I saw the Shie matriarch arrive, her aura icy and chill like poison that lurked around her body. She looked the most out of place, with her rather young appearance. As she walked across the court, instead of taking her seat on the five thrones, she stood in front of the emperor, bowing her head.

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“Raise your head Zhuihu,” the emperor said and the matriarch looked up. “We have looked forward to this day for nearly a century.”

“I am honored to have met your expectations,” the matriarch replied.

The emperor nodded. “Shie Zhuihu, do you and your clan swear on your immortal soul to serve us and this empire to the best of your ability?”

“I swear,” the matriarch replied.

I heard a roar somewhere in the distance as the Heavens shook above me, a powerful wave of energy passing through.

“Then come, and take your seat,” the emperor said. The matriarch walked up, before taking her seat on the throne made for her.

“Today is a day of celebration,” the emperor said, addressing the court. “A day, when another divinity has risen, and our empire is whole again, stronger than ever. A day that will be remembered throughout history!”

People cheered loudly, shouts rising from the court and all around.

“Long live the Emperor! Long live the Azure-Jade empire!”

I felt a palpable wave of energy pass over me, almost wanting me to join them. I nearly did, before I felt the third law humming in my soul, as the compulsion passed. I shook my head, stepping back.

Crackers exploded outside, the entire city- no, the entire empire celebrating the event.

I looked around myself and saw the man next to me standing with a smile on his face, but he seemed a little less affected by the palpable cheer around me than most.

Celebrations started as people began to mingle around. Food was brought out and served by servants, and people talked with each other. Delicious delicacies I had never seen were served out rapidly, and alcohol flowed freely as a merry environment filled the space. I noted even the Lord being pulled into it. I watched the events, occasionally eating a few things, feeling like an outsider. In many ways I was an outsider here, but such was the price of politics and what not. Couldn’t do much but be bored sometimes. I looked out, noticing the sun had set down. Lamps had lit up on their own, spirit crystals lighting the place alongside them well enough that I barely noticed. Somehow, time had flown by with everything occupying my mind.

As I walked around, weaving through groups of people I ran into the man with the straw hat again. He looked at me, seeming a little surprised.

“Ah, Lord Jie. You look quite sober. I must admit, you must have an impressive will. The emperor… his presence is strong, so any words he speaks compel people. Not many can resist that,” the man said, looking around the court. “The celebrations will continue for a while, but if I am right, you don’t seem too keen on these. Truth be told, I am not either. I’m not from this city, would you like to head outside to catch some fresh air?”

I thought over it for a moment, but he wasn’t wrong. I definitely didn’t like crowded spaces a lot.

“Sure,” I replied, shrugging as I stepped out, following behind the man as we made our way out into the courtyard.

I walked outside, looking at the sky with stars glimmering in the sky. Crackers continued to burst in the skies in the distance as well, launched from the walls of the castle. Just another thing my auction had contributed to.

We walked around the garden, before the man took a seat on a rock that was just about the perfect height. “This place always had the best view in this garden,” he said, as I took a seat as well.

I could see the full moon, glowing in the sky brightly, lighting a koi pond with trees and flowers gently swaying in the year. That was quite beautiful.

“You seem quite familiar with the place,” I asked the man.

“I’ve been here often enough,” he replied, looking out to the sky. “The eternal garden, it’s a beautiful place no matter which season you come here. Hard to believe it’s the winter solstice,” the man said.

“Oh, right,” I replied, having completely forgotten about that. The spring-like weather had made me entirely lose track of the month and time. “Labby’s trial is supposed to be today…” I whispered under my breath, wondering where she might be right now.

I thought about going to find her, but decided not to for the moment. Ash was with her, so she should be fine. Perhaps the trial thing was not as fixed to any day as I’d thought.

“Is something wrong?” The man next to me asked.

“Oh, no, nothing. Just thinking about my spirit. She’s young so I can’t help but worry,” I said.

“Ah, children. Of course. Spirits or otherwise, children always cause worries for their elders,” the man said with a laugh.

“That’s true, they definitely do. But the upsides make up for it,” I replied.

The man hummed at my words.

For a moment, we sat in silence, simply taking in the scene. I breathed in the air, feeling the Qi filling everything around me, and felt myself feeling a lot better.

“Do you mind if I ask a strange question, Lord Jie?” The man next to me asked.

“Oh? Sure, go ahead, what is it?” I asked. sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ ɴovᴇlꜰirᴇ.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

“What do you think of the empire?” The man asked.

“That is a strange question,” I said, before giving the question some thought. “I… find it interesting, I suppose. Full of potential, chance to grow and change. I want to see where it goes over time,” I replied.

“I see. Change is certainly an interesting way to look at it,” the man said, turning to look at the sky. “I think I agree. The empire definitely is in need of change. Of people like you to guide it,” the man said.

“I’m not that special,” I replied, laughing awkwardly.

“You jest. A five fold sage and an elder and lord at your age with almost no support or background? It’s insane. If half the people could see the potential I saw, they would never think of trying to antagonize you, and would be trying to become allies to the best of their abilities,” the man said.

“You think too highly of me, but thank you,” I replied.

“Merely a drunk man’s talk,” the man said, getting up. “If the empire changes, I would like to have you there to guide it.”

I looked at the man, not entirely sure what he meant.

“Ah, the alcohol must be getting to me. I will be taking my leave now Lord Jie. I hope you have a good night,” the man said, turning around as he left. I watched him leave, realizing a moment later that I didn’t even know his name. That was an interesting conversation.

I sat there in silence by myself, watching the stars twinkle in the skies, feeling the cool night air brush past me. Clouds continued to move through the skies, but a moment later, I saw a shadow appearing in the skies.

I squinted as the moon peered back from behind the clouds, and slowly I saw a shadow moving over it, covering it completely as the word was plunged into darkness. The crackers continued to burst in the skies, but a sudden cold gust made me get up.

An eclipse? Something about that gave me a bad feeling.

I looked around myself, deciding to look for Labby. As I walked, trying to make my way around, something shivered in the shadows, moving towards me rapidly. It was only instinct that made me move, as a blade shivered past my face. No… not a blade… a claw.

Chi blasted from my fist as I smashed the creature, slamming it away. It was only then that I noticed the morphed and distorted body of the monster… a grotesque appearance like someone had mutated a human to be that abomination, covered in potent Miasma. I felt my heart sinking.

Before I could even think, a loud explosion occurred at the castle wall, and I noticed shadows moving all over the castle. Screams and shouts came from all around the castle as people began to catch on, and I broke into a run, cursing internally at myself for relaxing.

Why can’t things ever go smoothly for once?!

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