As night fell, a faint moonlight bathed the entire bamboo garden, draping it in a delicate veil. The surroundings were incredibly quiet, resembling a fairyland on Earth.
Chu Xuan sat cross-legged in the room, enveloped by a layer of barrier that isolated all sounds and movements from the outside world.
On his body, golden and black lights seemed to swirl consciously around each other, merging and dispersing at intervals. It was as if he embodied both celestial and demonic qualities, displaying a myriad of transformations.
In the blink of an eye, more than two hours had passed.
Chu Xuan slowly opened his eyes, and the golden-black lights gradually faded away. He stood up slowly, a hint of joy flashing in his eyes.
"This 'Xuanyuan Sword Compendium' is indeed remarkable. In less than ten years, I have already reached the later stage of Heart Movement, with only a step away from condensing the Golden Core!"
"But the 'Chi You Demon Technique' seems to have stagnated. It's indeed difficult for Dao and Demon Cultivation to progress together since ancient times. It's time to think of a solution and see if I can break through it as soon as possible! If I can't bring the 'Chi You Demon Technique' to the same level as the 'Xuanyuan Sword Compendium,' it will surely bring trouble in the future!"
"Fortunately, this is not Earth in the late Dharma Era, and fortunately, I was able to cross here when I was on the verge of death, otherwise..."
With these thoughts, Chu Xuan couldn't help but sigh softly, a sigh mixed with some relief but also some helplessness and bitterness.
Indeed, Chu Xuan, the Crown Prince of Chu, was no longer himself, but a soul that crossed over from Earth.
Back then on Earth, Chu Xuan was a real assassin, a cold-blooded one.
During a mission, he inadvertently obtained a jade pendant, and as soon as the pendant touched him, it entered his body directly.
At that time, Chu Xuan was startled, but on that very night, he had a strange dream.
In the dream, there were two figures, the Yellow Emperor and Chi You, characters from Chinese mythology.
The 'Xuanyuan Sword Compendium' and the 'Chi You Demon Technique' were obtained at that time. From then on, Chu Xuan underwent almost magical changes, embarking on his cultivation journey.
However, Earth, where China was located, had entered the end of the Dharma Era, and the 'Cailuo Method Land' needed for cultivation was extremely difficult to find. In order to seek the ultimate immortality, Chu Xuan worked hard to cultivate while undertaking various missions, spending countless money to purchase various aged medicinal materials.
But ultimately, this was like searching for a needle in a haystack for cultivation.
Reading through ancient texts, returning from abroad to China, Chu Xuan traveled among famous mountains and rivers, secretly visited various sect ruins, and so on. After spending more than a decade, he finally achieved some success, stepping into the Foundation Building stage and reaching the Opening Light stage among the twelve stages of cultivation.
During this time, Chu Xuan perused countless martial arts secrets from various sects, relying on his powerful memory after cultivation to memorize all the contents of these secrets. But as the saying goes, 'walk too much at night and you'll eventually meet ghosts.' During a relic exploration after reaching the Opening Light stage, he traversed, his soul forcibly crossing over to this Chu Xuan on the Martial Continent...
And this was when Chu Xuan was eight years old.
On the Martial Continent, rich in aura, but only with the existence of warriors and mages.
The Bielian Mountain chosen by Chu Xuan could almost be said to be the place with the richest aura. In commemoration of his crossing, he established the Xuanyuan Villa.
Ten years had passed, and his cultivation speed here was countless times faster than on Earth. Until today, he had reached the later stage of Heart Movement.
If he could further advance to the Golden Core stage, Chu Xuan's lifespan would be greatly extended. Of course, even if it was only the later stage of Heart Movement, it wouldn't be difficult for Chu Xuan to live for two or three hundred years.
...
"Young Master, you're up! I've prepared breakfast. Shall we eat now?"
Early the next morning, Chu Xuan walked out of the room refreshed. In the courtyard outside, Xiaoyu was already waiting, and there were some simple breakfast items arranged on the stone table, looking exquisite.
"Alright!"
Chu Xuan didn't say much, he just sat down and started eating.
Xiaoyu also sat directly beside Chu Xuan, eating delicately like a young lady. Shortly after, Zhou Hu also arrived.
There weren't many formalities. This was how they ate at Xuanyuan Villa. It was just that this time, Xiao Yue, the mischievous girl, was absent.
Breakfast was quickly finished, and Xiao Yue brewed a pot of Yunhai Yuye first before cleaning up the remnants.
Chu Xuan continued to sit in his chair, enjoying the wonderful post-meal tea. He squinted his eyes and looked towards the east, where the rising sun gradually appeared, a faint smile on his face.
As for Zhou Hu, he also looked relaxed, as this time of day was the most relaxing for him.
"Xiaoyu..."
Chu Xuan suddenly called out.
"Young Master, what's the matter?" Xiaoyu stuck her head out from the kitchen window.
"Accompany me to the palace later. Remember to bring the things we prepared!" Chu Xuan said.
"Should I go too?"
Xiaoyu was surprised, "Young Master, isn't this inappropriate?"
"What's inappropriate about it?"
Chu Xuan smirked, "Isn't it just a palace? Is our stewardess from Xuanyuan Villa scared?"
"Young Master, I'm a stewardess, not a stewardess!" Xiaoyu blushed and retorted.
"Hehe... close enough! Close enough!"
Chu Xuan grinned. He was most used to seeing Xiaoyu's rosy cheeks, making him want to take a bite.
"Alright, it's settled! We'll leave later!"
Chu Xuan didn't give Xiaoyu a chance to refuse, and said decisively.
Xiaoyu pouted, but in the end, the gentle girl didn't say much.
"Young Master, what do I need to do?" Zhou Hu asked on the side.
"Go to the south city and find a suitable place. Don't forget, after my coming-of-age ceremony, we need to open a shop!" Chu Xuan said.
"Understood!" Zhou Hu responded without hesitation.
Anyway, he would do whatever the young master said. Without the young master, how could he, Zhou Hu, have lived until now?
It didn't matter whether it was appropriate for the young master of the royal family to become a merchant. In Zhou Hu's view, anyone who dared to gossip about the young master would be killed.
"Everyone's up!"
At that moment, Chu Xiaotian walked in, followed by several servants carrying trays.
"Father, why are you here? Aren't you attending the morning court today?" Chu Xuan stood up and smiled.
"Your father