Kapitel 4: Chapter 4: Tian Wudi

The next morning, the sky was overcast with clouds, but there was no rain. The beautiful bright blue sky showered the lands around the courtyard. Tian Wudi exited his courtyard and began to make his way up the mountain. His courtyard was situated in the sacred land of the empire, where only those with the surname Tian and the main royal bloodline could stay. The other courtyards were barely visible when exiting his own, but as he made his way up the mountain, he began to see more on opposite ends of the mountain. Reaching the top of the mountain, one would realize that the area was a natural formation of terrain that was sheltering the sacred land mountain, being a sort of natural defense for the land around it. While climbing the steps, Wudi paused while looking ahead and smiled. He saw that Empress Dowager Xiaolan was approaching from the opposite direction. She was clearly heading to his courtyard. Seeing Wudi, she smiled lightly but then was stunned. "You broke through the Martial Insight Realm, and you're even at the small completion stage," Empress Dowager Xiaolan said in surprise. Smiling lightly, Wudi said, "It came rather naturally. I've been accumulating for a long time now." With an awkward smile, she thought to herself, "You were hit by lightning just recently, let alone breaking through. You shouldn't even be walking." But this actually put her in a good mood. Wudi's father would certainly be happy when he hears the news. Breaking back out into a smile, she continued, "It's nice hearing your voice." Continuing to walk up the mountain with his mother now following by his side, Wudi said, "I guess you were starting to think I didn't have one." Slightly shocked that Wudi joked and realized she didn't actually know her son. Laughing at her surprised look, Wudi said, "I bet you're surprised I can crack a joke. Tian Peng didn't find me very funny though." Smiling lightly, she responded, "I bet he wasn't too happy. After all, with your quietness, he believed you'd be a lot like him one day." Putting on a serious face, Wudi said, "I'll need to joke more often as to not allow that to happen." Imagining the face his brother would be making at those words, they both smiled lightly. "Tian'er, I originally planned to come and check out your wounds, but it seems unnecessary now. Perhaps you're even heading to the academy now that you've broken through," Empress Dowager Xiaolan said. Nodding lightly to his mother, Wudi said, "Yes, I can't continue to miss any more days." An approving look appeared on her face, and she continued, "It's good you have some responsibility. Only if Fuyun would show some." "Anyway, we have a quick meeting since you're available. You're to meet your future wife," she said, surprising Wudi. "I had thought you just came to see how I've recovered," he said, stunned. Nodding, she said, "That was originally the plan, but the Martial Phoenix Empire's Emperor has come with his daughter and wishes for the two of you to meet. He even has the intention of having his daughter join the academy with you." Thinking deeper into it, Wudi felt the timing was off. Perhaps the emperor was using his daughter and their arrival as a way to see if Wudi was still alive. Wudi may not have had the best reputation among his brothers, but he was also the most mysterious. Not many knew what Wudi's cultivation was like, and it was well-known that he was born with a dao bone, putting their enemies on edge, possibly knowing that Wudi might become a powerful cultivator. The Martial Phoenix Empire wasn't necessarily an enemy, but our empire's strategic location, just outside the Divine Demon Mountain with an abundance of resources, made us vulnerable to covetous eyes. Unlike other empires, our connecting area had only low level demon beasts and almost never had demon tides, making it a perfect spot for disciples to temper themselves. Other empires were connected to areas with much stronger demon beasts that were unsuitable for disciple tempering and required strong defenses for the frequent demon tides. Wudi had heard about the beauty of the Martial Phoenix Empire's emperor's daughter, but he didn't care much for her. Despite this, he agreed to attend the meeting without questioning his mother and let her guide him. Empress Dowager Xiaolan watched her son in deep contemplation and didn't say anything more. She, too, was doubtful of the Martial Phoenix Empire's intentions. The timing of the meeting seemed too coincidental. Initially, she had called off the meeting between the two empires due to her son's injury, but now that he was walking around and in good health, it wouldn't be appropriate to ignore the invitation. Especially if they found out that he was just wandering around. As they reached the top of the mountain, it looked like it had been split in half by a giant sword. There were caravans and merchants selling various goods and even a martial stage for people to show off their skills and practice their abilities. The section of the mountain from which Wudi and the Empress emerged was from the north. Looking to the east and west were the Ji clan and the Lui clan, respectively. Each pathway had its own experts and people ready to receive the more important members of their clans. When the Empress and Wudi arrived, they were greeted by a man with a powerful cultivation that he didn't bother to hide. He was the Empress's guard and a well-known death knight. He would only leave her side when she entered the sacred land. Jian Yu appeared surprised to see Wudi by the Empress's side but still bowed to them both and asked how the third prince was doing. Jian Yu was extremely dedicated to his job and would even ask questions just to fulfill his role as a good knight for the queen. In reality, he was a quiet man most of the time. After exchanging pleasantries with Jian Yu and talking to a few of the men stationed at the top of the north side of the mountain, Wudi walked to the side to gather his thoughts. He needed some time to think things over and didn't want to speak any longer. This didn't surprise anyone; in fact, it was more surprising that he was speaking at all. Regardless, they let him be. The Empress was talking to a few of the men when she requested Wudi's uncle to come and take Wudi to meet his fiancé. It seemed that the Emperor of the Martial Phoenix Empire had already left and only came to express his intentions but had left his daughter and brother behind for the meeting. Seeing as that was the case, the Empress didn't feel the need for herself or the Emperor to attend. It would also be inappropriate to do so and would lessen their status. Not long later, a man with a full beard and a tanned body arrived in a slightly tattered royal robe. Looking once at this man, one would think he was a weaponsmith, and you'd be right. He had a face that was stuck in a single position as if it was ore that needed to be hammered. Tian Shou approached and nodded at the Empress and looked at Wudi, slightly surprised. He was clearly surprised that he was up and moving and had even broken through, but despite his surprise, he didn't voice anything. Walking to the Empress's side, they began to chat about what she needed from him. Wudi was thinking about the upcoming meeting when he was abruptly pulled from his thoughts by a commotion in the martial ring. He looked over and saw a man who had been blown from the ring with a punch to the gut. The man who did it was Ji Xuanming, one of the grandchildren of the current leader of the Ji clan, and the same age as Wudi, just sixteen. Xuanming pulled back his fist and stood with a very arrogant expression on his face. He was one of the top people in his class at the academy. Wudi wasn't sure what had happened, but it appeared that Xuanming had gotten into some sort of fight with his cousin, which caused the current outcome. Ji Xuanhao, who had been punched, looked at Xuanming hatefully as he got to his feet. He had accepted the fight in the heat of the moment due to the insults Xuanming was throwing his way, but it looked like things went a little bit deeper than just insults. Looking at Xuanming hatefully, he realized that Xuanming's attention wasn't even on him, and looked back to see Wudi staring in their direction. Xuanming thought to himself, "Hmm, Martial Insight realm," while staring at Wudi and not even removing the arrogant expression from his face.