Imperial Cultivation-Chapter 244 - 241: Insider Information

Xiao Ruoling was greatly shocked.

She learned from Chu Zhiyuan how to distinguish between a Grandmaster and a Great Grandmaster.

A Grandmaster’s presence is imposing.

But a Great Grandmaster’s presence is unfelt.

Being at Innate Perfection, Xiao Ruoling had sharp senses; if she couldn’t sense a presence, that person was either devoid of martial arts or a Great Grandmaster.

Anyone without martial arts could be identified at a glance; those who practiced martial arts but didn’t exude a powerful presence were Great Grandmasters.

Great Grandmasters are actually easy to recognize.

It’s just that very few people have seen a Great Grandmaster, so they don’t really know what one looks like.

A Great Grandmaster simply returns to simplicity, but they’re not ordinary people.

Upon careful examination, it can still be discerned.

The nine beautiful young women in front of her were all Great Grandmasters!

And such beautiful young Great Grandmasters, indeed!

Could they all be Holy Daughters? Those trained in the Taiyin Great Refining Form?

After Xiao Ruoling landed, she cupped her fists in salute, "Junior Xiao Ruoling greets the Elders."

"How is Yuanyuan in the Imperial Palace?" asked a beautiful woman softly.

Her features were gentle and attractive, her voice soft, indeed a woman as gentle as water.

Xiao Ruoling replied, "Master is fine, just misses this place terribly, often dreaming of returning to the sect at night."

"Alas... poor Yuanyuan," another beautiful woman sighed, "if she’s really yearning, let her come back for a visit."

Another beauty huffed, "Exactly, we can’t go, so she at least should come visit, right? Not coming back at all is too heartless."

"Indeed, poor Yuanyuan, we old folks enjoy leisure, letting her suffer, staying there constrained with a pile of rules—no different from being in prison!"

A cool beauty huffed, "Also with an annoying stinky man around, Yuanyuan surely wishes she could draw her sword and kill that stinky man."

"Junior Sister Yun," the gentle woman scolded, "the disciples are here!"

The cool beauty pouted her red lips, "They’re not outsiders, so what does it matter!"

She then asked, "Ruoling, does your master want to kill the Emperor?"

"No, no." Xiao Ruoling hurriedly replied, "Master is just very bored, feeling everything is dull, and increasingly wants to return to the sect."

"Alas... she wishes to come back but it’s not that easy, she must wait for a change of Emperor first."

The cool beauty said, "Ruoling, how’s your Princely Heir, can he become Emperor? It needs to happen quickly so your master doesn’t have to suffer long waiting."

Xiao Ruoling was stumped at the question.

"Junior Sister Yun!" the gentle woman said helplessly, "Don’t speak nonsense, making the Junior laugh at us."

"Ruoling, will you laugh at me?"

"Elder..." Xiao Ruoling showed a difficult expression.

"Hehehehe..." Yun Qiuhua laughed.

"You..." the gentle woman said, "Ruoling, don’t listen to her nonsense, what else did your master say?"

Xiao Ruoling shook her head lightly, "Master only said I am suited to be a Holy Daughter, so she sent me over."

"Whether you’re suitable or not, it all depends on destiny." Yun Qiuhua laughed, "If destiny won’t let you be, don’t force it."

"Destiny?" Xiao Ruoling was puzzled.

Yun Qiuhua said, "After entering the Secret Land, you’ll naturally understand. If you can find the place and receive the Taiyin Great Refining Form, then you are the Holy Daughter. If not, then you’re not."

"No need to compete in martial arts?"

"If you’ve all found the place, and a few people meet there, naturally there’ll be a comparison to see who wins and gets the inheritance."

"What kind of place is it?" Xiao Ruoling asked curiously.

Shen Hanyue also turned her ears to listen, blinking her big eyes with curiosity.

"The place of inheritance, is the Profound Yin Palace." Yun Qiuhua said, "When you get there, you’ll receive the Taiyin Great Refining Form. As for where the Profound Yin Palace is, you’ll have to find it yourself."

"Looking by ourselves... is there a map?"

"No."

"Then how to find it?"

"Just wander around." Yun Qiuhua laughed, "If the Profound Yin Palace chooses you, no matter how you stumble, you’ll end up in the Profound Yin Palace. If it doesn’t choose you, it’s useless no matter how you search."

Xiao Ruoling’s curiosity became intense.

She turned to look at Shen Hanyue.

Shen Hanyue also had a bewildered expression.

"Hehehehe..." Yun Qiuhua saw their expressions and laughed again.

The gentle woman shook her head.

Yun Qiuhua said, "Forget all the paths your master told you. They’re useless. There’s never a repeated path to the Profound Yin Palace; instead, they could become your hindrance."

Xiao Ruoling asked, "Elder, can we gather some Sky-reaching Grass?"

"Suit yourself, just don’t eat that thing."

"How much can we take?"

"As much as your abilities allow. If you can truly find them, take as much as you can!"

"Thank you, Elder."

"Your master should have told you about the risks of the Sky-reaching Grass, right? You still want it? ...Oh, I see, it’s for your Princely Heir, isn’t it?"

Xiao Ruoling instantly felt embarrassed.

She also realized that her master frequently communicated with the Yao Yue Palace, and her affairs were no secret.

"Ruoling, you’re the first in the history of our Yao Yue Palace to be engaged yet still compete for the Holy Daughter position." Yun Qiuhua laughed.

Xiao Ruoling showed an embarrassed expression.

Yun Qiuhua giggled, "We don’t mind, as your master is Junior Sister Zeng Yuan. As long as the Profound Yin Palace selects you as the Holy Daughter, none of us will oppose."

"Is marriage forbidden in our Yao Yue Palace, Elder?"

"Initially, male disciples were expelled from the palace, so everyone assumed Yao Yue Palace disciples couldn’t marry."

"So Yao Yue Palace disciples never married?"

"Hmm... it seems apart from your master, there’s no one else."

Xiao Ruoling was puzzled.

"If you mastered a martial art to a profound level but marrying a man would ruin your cultivation, leaving you an ordinary woman without strong powers and rapidly aging, what would you choose?"

"This..."

Xiao Ruoling pondered briefly, knowing the choice most would make.

How does one know the man they’re marrying is worth dedicating a lifetime to?

Without powerful martial arts, one can only be bullied; without beauty, will a man still like her as before?

The choice is actually easy: don’t marry.

"If you can’t become a Holy Daughter, you might as well return to be an Heir’s Wife, don’t keep cultivating in the sect, or you’ll increasingly not want to marry, leaving the Princely Heir alone, hehehe..."

Yun Qiuhua said, laughing.

Xiao Ruoling already had a vague understanding of Yun Qiuhua’s personality, and laughed, "Elder, if I marry, won’t my cultivation also be ruined?"

"You practice the Nine Heavens Mysterious Woman Technique, and your Princely Heir has also mastered the Qionghua Nine Chapters. Not only will your cultivation not be ruined, but it will actually grow stronger and stronger, quite infuriating!"

Xiao Ruoling blushed and smiled.

"But if you stay in the sect too long, I’m afraid you won’t want to get married anymore," Yun Qiuhua laughed, "because you’ll find staying in our sect is so enjoyable."

The gentle woman interjected, "Junior Sister Yun, let’s focus on the main matter."

"Oh, right, the main matter. This time, four of you will enter the Secret Land, to see whose luck is best," Yun Qiuhua said, "during martial competition, don’t be too harsh. Taiyin Great Refining Form can grant eternal youth, but our Yao Yue Palace martial arts, when practiced to the Great Grandmaster level, can also restore youth,... among us nine, only three have practiced Taiyin Great Refining Form, the other six haven’t, yet we’re all equally young?"

"Yes."

"Especially you, Shen Hanyue, the girl has reached Innate Perfection at a young age, proud and ambitious, who can’t tolerate failure and is prone to being too harsh."

"No, no." Shen Hanyue quickly shook her head, "Rest assured Elder, I won’t be harsh."

"I’ll go greet those two girls; you all should head in now, the sooner you’re chosen, the sooner it’s over."

After saying this, she vanished without a trace.

A moment later, two girls in white followed her floating over, curiously observing Xiao Ruoling and Shen Hanyue.

Xiao Ruoling remained in a state of confusion, feeling that Yao Yue Palace was completely different from what she had imagined.

The difference was vast.