"Greetings, Your Majesty!"
"Long live the Emperor, long live, long, long live!"
Everyone present fell to their knees.
Yun Liyue and Noble Consort Zhuang Wanrong bent forward in a respectful bow.
The man who had arrived was none other than Emperor Qian Yuan.
"Greetings, Father Emperor!"
A childish voice rang out.
The palace maid beside Noble Consort Zhuang set down the one-year-old baby in her arms. The child stood perfectly steady on his own.
This sight made the onlookers' eyes widen with surprise.
A one-year-old able to stand and speak wasn't rare.
But standing so steadily and speaking so clearly was exceedingly rare.
The last child to show such talent had been Crown Prince Yang Cheng.
No one expected Yang Xiu to be on par with the crown prince today.
Emperor Qian Yuan looked shocked too. "Xiu'er's speech is already so clear?"
Noble Consort Zhuang looked even more smug. "Your Majesty, just a few days ago, Xiu'er still stuttered when speaking, but starting yesterday he became completely fluent. I believe this is our Great Zhou's ancestors blessing him."
Hearing this, many people around them had strange glints in their eyes.
According to Noble Consort Zhuang's words, Yang Xiu was receiving ancestral blessings.
Then did that mean Yang Cheng, who was poisoned by Myriad Despair Divine Water and might become a cripple, had lost the ancestors' favor?
"Good, very good."
Emperor Qian Yuan's expression eased slightly.
Yang Cheng's incident had put him in a foul mood.
Seeing Yang Xiu perform so well now made him feel a bit more comforted.
He cared deeply for Yang Cheng.
But as the emperor, he had to think of the entire nation.
If Yang Cheng truly became a cripple, he had to plan for alternatives.
'At this time, Lin Xinglan should be awakening.'
Yang Cheng thought quietly.
In his previous life, he had tested it and confirmed Yang Xiu didn't have the soul of an adult.
But later, after becoming the Demon Lord, he learned that Yang Xiu's outstanding performance in childhood wasn't just because he was a genius.
It was also thanks to the soul of the Half-Ancestor Lin Xinglan.
In this world, martial cultivation levels were: Hou Tian, Xian Tian, Martial Master, Martial Lord, Martial King, Martial Emperor, Martial Saint, and Martial Emperor.
Above these, there were Martial True Gods who could shatter space.
In his encounters with other heavenly geniuses, Yang Cheng had even seen the phantom of a Martial Ancestor—beings beyond True Gods and above the heavens.
Lin Xinglan had been a fallen half-step Martial Ancestor.
When Yang Xiu was one year old, Lin Xinglan awoke and used his immense spiritual power to enlighten Yang Xiu.
So now, Yang Xiu's intelligence was already like a three- or four-year-old child.
After a while, Emperor Qian Yuan let everyone rise before turning to Yang Cheng. He spoke slowly: "How is Cheng'er?"
"Your Majesty," said Imperial Physician Chang, stepping forward and reporting the diagnosis on behalf of all the physicians.
Noble Consort Zhuang seized the moment to say, "Your Majesty, anyone poisoned by Myriad Despair Divine Water will never have a future in martial arts. If word gets out that the crown prince of Great Zhou cannot cultivate, then…"
She didn't finish her sentence, but everyone understood what she meant.
Emperor Qian Yuan's face turned cold and serious.
His gaze swept over Yang Cheng and Yang Xiu, giving no hint of what he was thinking.
After a moment, he finally said, "Cheng'er and Xiu'er are both already one year old, old enough for the bone aptitude test. I've decided the test will be held three days from now."
Noble Consort Zhuang's eyes lit up with joy, and she looked provocatively at Yun Liyue.
In three days, she would see how Yun Liyue could keep up her pride.
With Emperor Qian Yuan's decision made, everyone began to leave.
Emperor Qian Yuan stayed behind in Splendid Radiance Hall.
"Ah Yue," he said, looking at Yun Liyue with a sigh. "I believe Cheng'er is blessed and will pull through."
Yun Liyue bit her red lips, her voice filled with hatred. "Your Majesty, we must find out who harmed Cheng'er. I want to tear them apart myself!"
"We will," Emperor Qian Yuan said, pulling back the curtains and walking to the crib.
Yang Cheng rubbed his eyes, pretending he had just woken up. "Father, Mother, what was all that noise outside just now?"
The supreme couple exchanged a look, then answered in perfect unison, "It was nothing."
Just then.
The air rippled, and words began to appear again on the translucent panel.
[Although the Supreme Emperor Yang Yuan has already been imprisoned by Yang Xiu, he is still a Martial Emperor. His martial foundation is extremely valuable for you.]
[Host, secretly meet with the Supreme Emperor Yang Yuan and spar with him. Do everything you can to remain undefeated during the match.]
[Note: Because this mission is extremely difficult, the host is given a two-year extension. If the mission fails, you will be punished by heavenly lightning.]
[Mission reward: Innate Sword Intent.]
Supreme Emperor?
Yang Cheng's lips twitched slightly.
Yang Yuan.
That was Emperor Qian Yuan's name.
The vigorous, awe-inspiring Emperor Qian Yuan was already labeled a Supreme Emperor by the system.
Of course, that didn't matter.
What mattered was the system had issued another mission.
The task made Yang Cheng's eyes flicker.
If it were him at 500 years old in his previous life, staying undefeated against Yang Yuan would've been almost impossible.
Even as the Asura Demon Lord, his cultivation was only at the Martial Saint level.
A whole realm lower than Martial Emperor.
And 500 years later, Yang Yuan wasn't just an ordinary Martial Emperor—he was one of the strongest.
But now…
Yang Cheng's heart burned with excitement again.
Innate Sword Intent?
Even sword intent understood later in life was incredibly rare.
But Innate Sword Intent was something no acquired sword intent could compare to.
It was the closest thing to the true essence of the sword.
But how could he complete this mission?
As he pondered, Emperor Qian Yuan asked curiously, "Cheng'er, what are you thinking about?"
Right now, he was clearly very fond of Yang Cheng.
Even in the past life, Qian Yuan hadn't immediately lost patience with Yang Cheng after he became crippled.
It was only after Yang Xiu secretly worked behind the scenes, sowing discord, that father and son were completely torn apart.
So in Yang Cheng's heart, while Qian Yuan couldn't compare to Yun Liyue, he didn't truly hate him either.
"Father, I had a dream. I dreamed of a sword," Yang Cheng said with a naive look.
These words were part of his plan for the future.
"A sword in your dream?"
Emperor Qian Yuan's face showed interest.
"As expected of the crown prince."
"Perhaps the crown prince has the potential for swordsmanship."
"His Majesty himself is a sword genius. Maybe the crown prince will grasp sword intent before he turns ten."
The nearby palace staff quickly chimed in with flattery.
"Father, may I see your sword?"
Yang Cheng asked innocently.
"Hahaha, Father's sword is too heavy and sharp. It's not suitable for you to play with," Emperor Qian Yuan said with a big laugh.
Then he ordered a eunuch to fetch a wooden sword from his palace.
"Cheng'er, this sword was what Father used when he was your age to begin learning. Now I give it to you."
"Thank you, Father."
Yang Cheng took the wooden sword and couldn't wait to crawl out of bed.
He held back some of his strength to appear a bit clumsy.
Even so, in everyone else's eyes, he looked lively and full of energy.
Emperor Qian Yuan's face lit up with a big, satisfied smile.
Yun Liyue's eyes curved with joy too.
Yang Cheng was only one year old, his round, chubby face already adorable.
Now that he was moving around with so much life, it made him even cuter.
It also eased Yun Liyue's worries. At least it showed Yang Cheng's body had no major problems.
"Your Majesties' bloodline is truly extraordinary," said Chief Eunuch Su Jin. "A normal baby poisoned like that would take at least ten days or half a month to recover. But the crown prince is already bursting with energy the very next day. Truly, like father like son."
Emperor Qian Yuan grinned so wide his face nearly split.
"Father, please teach me," Yang Cheng said seriously, holding the sword and looking at Qian Yuan with a focused expression.