Having enough thoughts about what I would do with Chiyan, I exhaled a deep breath and saw the rising sunlight. I smiled.
Just then, I saw Clara preparing for training. "What brings you here so early?" she asked, her voice a little perplexed.
I smiled. "I've learned a few new techniques. Want to see them?" My voice was full of enthusiasm.
She nodded, curious.
I showed her the One Sweep technique. When I moved my sword, it felt like it teleported to the dummy's neck.
She was surprised. "Not bad," she nodded in satisfaction. "With this, you could catch some two-star or Foundation Establishment cultivators off guard."
"But you're still rushing your sword too much," she pointed out, "not giving it its full potential."
I nodded. "Well, this is my first time using this skill," I said. "I need to leave our training early today." She was curious why I always skipped training, but she nodded, though a little annoyed. We sparred a few times, and she gave me a good beating.
After the sparring, she seemed satisfied and gestured for me to leave.
I walked through the castle hallway and soon reached the Empress's chamber. I knocked on the door and waited.
A few minutes later, she opened the door. "My, isn't it my dear servant?" Her voice held a hint of teasing and curiosity.
I smiled wryly. "Can I come in?"
She nodded; her facial expression was amused, and there was a hint of annoyance.
She spoke first. "You've been staying here a lot longer, haven't you?" Her voice was cold and annoyed.
My facial expression stiffened. I coughed awkwardly. "Didn't I give you enough Mana Crystals?"
She nodded and didn't press the matter further. "Why did you come here?" she asked.
I smiled. "I want to tell you someone is planning to betray you—Elder Chiyan."
Her expression turned amused again. "And who might that be?" Her voice was sweet, but there was a hint of curiosity.
"It's Elder Chiyan," I replied. "He's served the kingdom for a long time and has a great reputation."
I smiled. "He planned to seize the kingdom by using the Five Great Lily poison on you. He was about to assign me to poison you as well."
Her expression darkened. "The Five Great Lily is very hard to obtain, and its poison is one of the deadliest. One bite or even a whiff is a death sentence."
She nodded, satisfied. "My, you really are quite trustworthy." She looked at me with satisfaction.
"And please don't kill him," I said. "Just seal his cultivation." There was a hint of excitement in my voice.
She nodded without asking why. "Can I cultivate here for a while?" My voice seemed to anger her a bit, and she gave me a cold glare.
I stammered, "On second thought, I'll just leave. I have something to do."
She couldn't help but chuckle silently as I left, a little trembling. "Should I just lock him in my chamber?" Her eyes flickered with coldness.
She dismissed the thought and planned to seal Elder Chiyan's cultivation.
I sat down in my room and sighed. I thought the Divine Fruit would get me to the Foundation Establishment stage, but it seems not. Cultivating perfectly is far more troublesome. I sighed and looked in the mirror.
I smiled. "Is it just me, or am I more handsome?" My long hair, cascading down to my shoulders, seemed to enhance my features, and my body was much stronger; not so thin anymore.
With my improved looks, I looked above average. I smiled in satisfaction.
For the rest of the day, I practiced the four techniques I'd learned, improving them bit by bit. Now I could manipulate twenty swords, and with several strikes, my Qi would decrease, but not by much.
If I imbued them with Mana, they would be much stronger, and with One Sweep, they'd be faster.
I smiled, satisfied with my progress, but I could only imbue ten swords due to my Mana. I'm only at the mid-layer of the First-Star Knight.
I sighed. I should focus on reaching peak First-Star Knight in the next few weeks.
The next day, a maid told me to come to the Empress's chamber. I nodded and walked through the hallways, knocking on her door.
When she opened it, I was surprised to see a battered old man with wrinkles and a beaten-up appearance.
I smiled excitedly. "Aren't you too merciful to him?" I teased a bit. She chuckled. "Didn't you say to keep him alive?" I smiled and nodded.
Elder Chiyan seemed to burst into fury when he saw me. "How dare you betray me!" His voice was filled with rage.
I smiled and punched him in the groin. With his cultivation sealed, he was no more than an ordinary man.
He was helpless and surprised as the Empress beat him up and sealed his cultivation. Being two realms higher than him, he was defenseless. Even though old and beaten, he still possessed some charm.
When I punched his groin, his expression darkened, and the pain was so intense that saliva seeped from his lips.
I smiled, satisfied. The Empress watched in amusement.
"Can I take him outside?" I asked. She nodded, not seeming to care. Once I left, she secretly followed.
After I went through the streets, dragging Elder Chiyan—his face angry but helpless—he stayed silent.
My smile, now scary, gathered everyone's attention. Once everyone in the street saw the Elder, renowned for his reputation, tied up, I spoke loudly and playfully:
"Everyone, this shameless guy tried to betray our Empress!"
"If anyone dares betray her again, you might end up like this living show!"
My smile darkened, and I grabbed a sword from someone nearby, controlling it to slice off each of the Elder's limbs.
Everyone was shocked. "This guy is crazy!" several people spoke, seemingly a bit scared.
Elder Chiyan's face contorted in pain, and his screams echoed through the kingdom.
I smiled and pierced his heart. It seemed like nothing.
I announced once more that they wouldn't need to worry about funds, that the Empress had found a solution to secure enough money.
Their eyes lit up, because even if their money was stable, the kingdom's growth would accelerate with enough funds. They were no longer wary of her, and their perspective on her changed to that of a profound Empress. Their wariness shifted to me; they looked at me as if I were crazy.
In the corner of the street, the Empress, following me, smiled in satisfaction and muttered, "I will definitely make him mine."
As she was about to leave, she overheard the people's rumors.
"That's Clara's boyfriend," they said. "It seems he's also the Empress's personal servant, and he's definitely crazy."
Hearing this, her face darkened as she concealed her appearance. With a cold tone, she asked,
"Can you repeat what you just said?" The man who spoke was surprised but not intimidated; he was a servant of the Empress, after all.
"Not that one before that—him being Clara's boyfriend?" she clarified.
The man smiled and spoke humorously, "It said that guy has been dating Clara at the training grounds; a lot of people saw him sleeping with Clara's thighs."
Her face darkened even more, and she left without another word.
Once the show was over, I left the body, letting them clean it up, and went to my room.
Good. It seems her reputation will soar in the kingdom.