Everything started with a sneeze.
"Ah—choo!"
Inside the side hall of Fengyi Palace, a Noble Consort had just lifted her bowl of soup when the sneeze escaped—
BOOM!
The table cracked.
The soup bowl froze in midair.
Everyone stared.
"…?"
The Noble Consort herself went rigid. She lowered her head and stared at her hands.
"I—I didn't… move, did I?"
No one answered.
Because everyone was staring at the shattered rosewood table.
The news spread through the harem at an absurd speed.
"Did you hear? Noble Consort Liu sneezed and shattered a table!"
"No way! Isn't she the weakest one?"
"She knitted until midnight yesterday!"
When the report reached Su Wan, she was sipping milk tea and scrolling through her phone.
She raised an eyebrow.
"Oh."
"Overtraining."
Fengyi Palace Courtyard
"Come. Deep breaths."
Su Wan guided Noble Consort Liu onto a meditation cushion.
"Relax."
The woman's eyes were red.
"Your Majesty… am I going to be punished?"
"I just… felt my energy flowing so smoothly last night."
"So I jumped a few extra rounds of jump rope… and unraveled and re-knit my sweater three times."
Su Wan: "..."
That's not practice.
That's closed-door cultivation.
She glanced at her phone.
[Abnormal Spiritual Fluctuation Detected][Status: Early-Stage Burst-Type Awakening][Recommendation: Guided Release]
Su Wan looked up calmly.
"It's fine."
"You just worked too hard."
She clapped her hands.
"Someone clear the open area."
"Let's see if Noble Consort Liu can… try flying."
The entire harem froze.
"…???"
Open Courtyard — Moments Later
Su Wan stood to the side.
"Remember. Don't use too much force."
"Just think about your lightest step when jumping rope."
Noble Consort Liu nodded nervously.
The next second—
She left the ground.
Not flying.
Floating.
Her skirt swayed gently.
Three feet above the ground.
Dead silence.
Then—
"AAAAAHHHHH—!!!"
"SHE'S FLOATING!!!"
"I KNEW JUMP ROPE WASN'T NORMAL!"
Noble Consort Liu burst into tears midair.
"Your Majesty! I can't get down!"
Su Wan replied calmly,
"Relax."
"At your current height, even if you fall, you won't die."
Noble Consort Liu: "…???"
It took a while to guide her safely back down.
Su Wan made a decision on the spot.
"From today onward."
"The Cultivation & Entertainment Society will adopt tiered training."
"Daily limits."
"No late-night knitting."
The concubines nodded furiously.
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
"We'll sleep early!"
But the real problem—
Wasn't the harem.
It was that someone saw it.
Outside the Palace Walls
Hidden within drifting clouds, an Immortal Realm Inspector watched the entire scene.
When he saw Noble Consort Liu lift off the ground—
His jade tablet nearly slipped from his hands.
"A mortal… without induction rites…"
"Achieving levitation?"
His voice trembled.
The tablet lit up.
[Target Confirmed][Region: Imperial Inner Palace][Intervention Level: Medium]
The Inspector swallowed hard.
"This must be reported immediately."
That Night
Su Wan's phone vibrated.
[Immortal Surveillance Detected][Intervention Direction: Harem]
She smiled.
"Finally."
"They couldn't hold back anymore."
Sleeping Chambers
Xiao Xuanyin frowned.
"They're targeting the harem?"
"Yes." Su Wan nodded.
"But they'll make one mistake."
"What mistake?"
She looked up, eyes gleaming.
"They think the harem is my weakness."
Meanwhile, inside Fengyi Palace, the concubines whispered excitedly.
"Do you feel lighter today?"
"You too?"
"Her Majesty said she'll teach the advanced version tomorrow."
No one knew—
They had just been officially listed under Immortal Realm monitoring.
And Su Wan, holding her phone, thought calmly:
Good.
Now I know where they'll strike.