Staying Alive Cautiously in the Celestial Realm and Becoming the Strongest-Chapter 975: An Audience with the Emperor (Part 2)

For Wang Chen, this audience with the emperor was quite interesting.

Emperor Shaowu was not the majestic ruler people commonly imagined. There was little about him that seemed supremely imperial; he was more like a Confucian teacher from a private school, educating his students.

To tell the truth, Wang Chen even doubted if the person before him was an impostor emperor!

Emperor Shaowu was quite talkative, and it was clear he took a liking to Wang Chen, chatting with him for a long time.

Interestingly, the conversation didn’t touch on any matters of state or anything related to the Blood Cloak Guard.

The emperor inquired into Wang Chen’s background, sighed with emotion upon learning about his past and listened with great interest to his demon-slaying tales. He even took the time to learn about the local customs and cultures.

After listening, he appeared thoroughly satisfied.

"If there’s an opportunity," lamented the emperor, "I really would like to travel the lands and see the grand rivers and mountains of Great Liang and the common people."

Emperor Shaowu said this with a sigh, "It’s a pity..."

What was a pity he didn’t say, just shook his head wistfully, seemingly preoccupied with some thoughts.

But this emperor’s mood shifted quickly, and soon he was smiling again, "Wang Chen, at such a young age you have achieved so much, which is no small feat. What reward would you like?"

Wang Chen was immediately invigorated.

It was customary to receive favors during an audience with the emperor, and he had been waiting for this moment after chatting with Emperor Shaowu for so long!

"Reporting to Your Majesty, your humble servant is very interested in the Taoist teachings. I wonder if I could be granted access to the Taoist Canons and Law Books within the Imperial Palace?"

Having received the millennia-old ginseng bursting with Spiritual Energy the day before, Wang Chen developed a strong interest in the Taoist Veins of this world and intended to explore the path of dual cultivation of Taoism and martial skills.

Under normal circumstances, had he such a desire, entering a Taoist Palace for study would be the best option.

But since The Law Must Not Be Transmitted Lightly, it was unlikely that a Taoist Palace would just hand over their secret teachings to Wang Chen.

And Wang Chen did not have the time to waste on this.

Hence, he chose the most direct approach: to self-study and enlighten himself by reading a vast array of Taoist texts.

As a Golden Core True Person from the Upper Realm, even if the rules of the two worlds were different, Wang Chen believed in his Comprehension and was sure he could find the most suitable way to strengthen his abilities.

And when it came to the sheer volume of books, none surpassed the Imperial Palace!

Requesting to peruse the imperial collection was the result of Wang Chen’s careful consideration.

His request visibly surprised the emperor of Great Liang, who first showed astonishment and then laughed, "Since you love the Taoist Canons and Law Books, I grant you three days to peruse them in the Scripture Pavilion of the Imperial Palace."

Wang Chen was overjoyed and immediately expressed his thanks, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

"Arise."

Emperor Shaowu helped Wang Chen to his feet, looking into his eyes with a newfound appreciation, "To be young and eager to learn is like the sun at dawn; to be in one’s prime and still studying is like the sun at noon; to be old and still pursuing knowledge is like a bright candle in the night."

"It’s good that you like to read. Our vast Great Liang welcomes all streams; be it martial, Taoist, military, Confucian, legal, or Mohist, there is endless knowledge to be had. Having knowledge of one more discipline is all to the good and does no harm."

With that, the emperor of Great Liang took a Dragon-shaped Jade Pendant from the table, "This is for you, wear it always."

Wang Chen respectfully received it with both hands, "Thank you for your generous reward, Your Majesty!"

The Dragon-shaped Jade Pendant wasn’t a treasure, but while it was made of fine material and worth quite a bit as an accessory,

Coming as a gift from Emperor Shaowu, it held a completely different meaning.

It symbolized the emperor’s recognition and favor towards Wang Chen, as if marking him with a seal.

[Fate +99]

A conspicuous notification flashed through Wang Chen’s vision instantaneously.

His fate suddenly skyrocketed by a large margin.

But Wang Chen was also very clear that this meant his karmic ties with Great Liang deepened, the stronger the fortune now, the greater the backlash would be once he severed and cut it off!

Heaven won’t let pies rain down, and there are no free lunches in this world either.

He unobtrusively tied the dragon-shaped jade pendant, which brought strong fortune, to his waistband.

Emperor Shaowu, seeing this, was even more satisfied and suddenly asked, "Wang Chen, you’re seventeen this year, aren’t you?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Wang Chen replied, "If we count by the traditional age, I am already eighteen."

Emperor Shaowu nodded, "Not bad."

What exactly was ’not bad’, the Emperor of Great Liang did not say, simply rubbing his brow.

Wang Chen understood that this audience with the emperor had ended.

He requested permission to depart from Emperor Shaowu and, upon receiving approval, left the Imperial Study Room under the guidance of Eunuch Yu.

Just as he stepped out and hadn’t walked far, he heard Eunuch Yu say in a deep voice, "Lord Wang, the Emperor really favors you, I have never seen His Majesty talk so long with a newcomer from the later Jin."

The guy’s tone was sour, Wang Chen chuckled and said, "The Emperor’s favor makes Wang deeply apprehensive and fearful."

Eunuch Yu gave him a meaningful glance, his gaze quite complex.

The eunuch led Wang Chen through corridors and across bridges, walking a long way inside the massive Imperial Palace, eventually arriving at the Scripture Pavilion.

The Scripture Pavilion in the Imperial Palace is a complex composed of numerous buildings, systematically storing various kinds of classical texts and books, akin to Great Liang’s national library, with countless treasures inside.

However, this vast library was not open to the public; only those with special permission and imperial grace could enter to peruse the books.

And even then, their time was very limited.

When Eunuch Yu said Emperor Shaowu was very good to Wang Chen, it was no exaggeration or flattery.

Because Wang Chen was allowed to read inside for three days!

The Taoist Canons and Law Books of the Scripture Pavilion were all housed within the Taoist Skill Hall, where hundreds of bookshelves stood in row upon row, containing tens of thousands of volumes collectively called the "Ten Directions Taoist Collection."

It was clearly impossible to read all the books in three days.

"This eunuch."

Wang Chen quietly slipped a silver note to the little eunuch in charge of the Taoist Skill Hall and asked in a low voice, "Do you have an index for the Ten Directions Taoist Collection?"

With so many Taoist Canons, it would be difficult just to find the specific books he needed in three days, let alone read them all.

That little eunuch quickly glanced at the denomination of the silver note in his hand, and his face immediately brightened with a smile, "One moment, my lord."

A short time later, Wang Chen had a thick index of the Taoist Collection in his hand.

This self-compiled index listed all the titles of the books in the Ten Directions Taoist Collection and their locations on the shelves.

Under normal circumstances, it should have been placed in the most conspicuous spot for those perusing the books to see.

But when are things in this world ever so simple and straightforward!

For Wang Chen, spending a hundred taels of silver for this Taoist Collection index was more than worth it.

For the next three days, he immersed himself in the Taoist Skill Hall, not eating, drinking, sleeping, or resting, reading through the selected Taoist Canons and Law Books with complete dedication.

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