Imperial Hall of the Senluo Empire
In the grand hall, Sen Yan sat sternly and solemnly in the most esteemed seat, the atmosphere oppressive.
An elder gradually stepped forward from the group of worshippers below.
"Your Majesty," he began, "the Crown Prince's assault and incapacitation are a disgrace to the nation. This matter should be promptly and extensively investigated by the Xing Tian Division, not just within the Sen Kingdom."
The assembly bowed in agreement, but a discordant voice rang out, "Your Majesty, many of those assassins are either dead or fled. Even with a thorough investigation, it may be futile. With tensions rising between nations, we should not escalate matters. We must not let the country's affairs be disrupted over a deposed prince."
Sen Yan looked at the speaker with a blank expression. The National Advisor, Wei An, pointed at Prime Minister Liu and scolded, "The nation's foundations are shaken, and you wish to sweep it under the rug? Are you even an official of the Senluo Empire? Such weakness, how did you become Prime Minister?"
"You! I am considering the nation! Your harsh investigation will disturb the people!" Liu Yan retorted.
"Your uncle, as the head of the Xing Tian Division, how many times has he investigated since the incident? You know the truth!" Wei An countered.
"Enough!" Sen Yan struck his chair.
The hall fell silent again, everyone, including the National Advisor and Prime Minister, knelt, waiting for the Emperor's inquiry.
A long silence ensued, causing cold sweat to break out among the officials. They were anxious; shouldn't a swift and severe investigation follow the attack on the Crown Prince? Why is there no action? It's maddening!
"Sigh!" Sen Yan sighed.
"Your Majesty!" The assembly bowed again.
"Advisor, rise. Everyone, stand." Sen Yan waved.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Sen Yan touched his dragon throne, "I know who did it!" The hall fell silent again, everyone on edge, wiping sweat from their brows.
"Advisor," the Emperor continued, "do you know who it was?" The question hung in the air as screams sounded outside the hall.
"Your Majesty, I am innocent! Your Majesty, I did not participate!"
At that moment, a bloodied middle-aged man, barely recognizable, was dragged into the hall by two armored guards.
The assembly was shocked, "Liu Bu? Liu Zi!" Prime Minister Liu Yan was stunned. His arrogance stemmed from his brother being the head of the Xing Tian Division, giving him confidence to challenge the National Advisor.
Sen Yan coldly addressed the battered Liu Zi, "This is your last chance. Tell me, besides the Xing Tian Division, who else was involved!"
Liu Zi, raising his arm, pointed at several officials who avoided eye contact, "Him, him."
"You lie!"
"Your Majesty!"
"Injustice!"
Those identified by Liu Zi lost their earlier composure, and even Liu Yan, who was unaware of the situation, feared being falsely accused, relieved that he had not participated in treasonous acts.
Sen Yan looked at the kneeling officials, pained, "Have I not treated you well? Why betray me? You treacherous scoundrels!"
"Your Majesty, I am wronged!" The pleas came from long-standing officials in the Sen Kingdom.
Sen Yan was forced to question how many more traitors and parasites existed within his administration.
"Guards, investigate each one! If they are guilty, execute them all!" Sen Yan commanded, "Minister Liu, you handle this. If you fail, you join them!"
Minister Liu was terrified, "Yes, Your Majesty. I will handle it immediately!"
Sen Yan stood and approached the National Advisor, whispering, "Send some men to follow. Report any situation to me immediately. And have you found the healer?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. I will send him to the Crown Prince's palace right away."
Sen Yan nodded, "Good."
"Your Majesty, do you know who it was?" the National Advisor asked again.
Sen Yan's response shook Wei An, "Feng Jun! He will pay the price!"
#### Inside the Palace
Sen Lei faced a training dummy, exhaling slowly, "Soul Devourer!" Blood energy surged around him, his left hand glowing crimson. The dummy was pulled towards him and then exploded.
"Ha! Just as I expected!" Sen Lei was thrilled. Despite gaining skills in the dark space, practice was still necessary. Lacking a suitable weapon, he focused on practicing the Soul Devourer, a technique he often used in the early game as a berserker. The power was astonishing! "But I still need a proper giant sword," he thought.
Sen Lei sighed at his dwindling spiritual power, "With my spiritual roots gone, there's no point in further training in spiritual arts." The realization of his fall from a genius to a cripple was painful, especially on a continent where spiritual power was the mainstream cultivation method.
But then a voice echoed in his mind, "Master, blood energy can also be condensed within you, comparable to spiritual power. Even without spiritual roots, your blood energy is sufficient. No need to worry! You can cultivate both blood energy and spiritual power simultaneously, Master."
"Blood energy? I should be around level seventeen now," Sen Lei mused.
"Master, your current strength is roughly equivalent to the seventh level of the spiritual body realm, stronger than your previous spiritual power level," came the emotionless voice of the Imperial Blood.
At that moment, the palace door opened, and a palanquin, usually used by women, was carried in.
Sen Lei, puzzled by the late hour, wondered, "Is it the Crown Princess?" He grinned lecherously.
But then, a woman with a conspicuous red birthmark on her face stepped out of the palanquin. Her figure was graceful, but the birthmark was striking. As a modern Earth man, Sen Lei felt no prejudice; instead, he found her beautiful.
The woman took a deep breath and respectfully greeted, "Servant greets the Crown Prince. Is the Crown Prince well?"
"I am well!" Sen Lei hastily helped her up, accidentally touching her cold hand.
"Ah!" The woman blushed. No man had ever touched her hand before. She looked up at Sen Lei's handsome face, her curiosity turning into shyness.
"Your Highness, I am Sun Yixian's disciple, Wen Wan. I have come to examine your health," Wen Wan averted her gaze, avoiding showing her birthmark.
Sen Lei smiled warmly, "Follow me."
Wen Wan hesitated outside the room, thinking, "How can I diagnose him in his room? My teacher told me to investigate, not enter his room. What should I do?"
Sen Lei turned and saw her hesitating, "Come in, don't just stand there."
"Oh... okay," Wen Wan replied.
Her looks should not matter, Sen Lei thought. "Let's not dwell on appearances."
...
Wen Wan closed her eyes and gently took his pulse. She was a talented cultivator at the fifth level of the spiritual body realm.
She found Sen Lei's body extremely healthy, though his blood energy was unusually strong and his spiritual power was weak, which puzzled her.
"How is it?" Sen Lei asked.
Wen Wan bowed, "The Crown Prince is very healthy, but his blood energy is unusual, and his spiritual power is very thin. I will report this to my teacher. He will come tomorrow. He was refining a pill, so he sent me to check first. I apologize for any inconvenience."
Sen Lei, seeing her reluctance to look up, gently held her shoulders and smiled, "You are truly beautiful. Don't mind others' opinions."
"Look at me," he said softly.