Autumn Water Courtyard.
"Cheng'er, you have Innate Divine Strength too?"
Cheng Junyi picked Yang Cheng up and sat him on her lap.
She was a full-figured beauty in her prime. As soon as Yang Cheng landed on her, he was enveloped by a subtle, soft fragrance.
Yang Cheng was still way too young to feel any kind of desire. He simply thought the scent was really nice.
Before he could respond, Cheng Junyi said, "Wait no, if you have Innate Divine Strength, then what does that make Zhao Shouyi? In terms of raw strength, you and Tangtang are both freakishly strong—more like born with godlike power. But it seems like you're even more monstrous than Tangtang. Not only do you have that strength, you've also grasped Sword Intent at such a young age. Be honest with your teacher—how did you do it?"
Cheng Junyi really was curious.
Someone like Yang Cheng was rare even in the Great Yan Dao Palace, let alone anywhere else.
Yang Cheng looked confused. "Teacher, I don't really know. It all just sort of happened on its own."
Hearing that, Cheng Junyi rubbed her forehead. "Right, that's my fault for asking."
Yang Cheng was only just over one year old. He'd barely begun cultivating. There was no way he could explain how he'd done it. It had to be natural-born talent.
"You really are a little freak."
Cheng Junyi continued, "The Sixth Prince might have Sword Intent too, but I could feel it—his intent is rough and unstable. It probably came from some external force. But yours... yours is completely pure. Most people spend decades trying to understand Sword Intent, and even then, theirs isn't as refined as yours."
Yang Cheng just kept playing dumb and pretended to only half understand.
"Alright, go play with Tangtang," Cheng Junyi said with a shake of her head and a smile, then set him down.
Smart as Yang Cheng was, he was still too young to truly grasp most things.
[Host has earned Tang Xingyu's support. Please keep up the effort and become her friend.]
[Tang Xingyu's personality is cold and reserved. Becoming her friend is a hundred times harder than gaining her support.]
[Mission Deadline: three years. No penalty for failure.]
[Mission Reward: 1 Space Teleportation Talisman.]
Yang Cheng grinned. "Tangtang, you're seriously a little treasure box."
So far, the most system rewards he'd received came from tasks involving Tang Xingyu.
"Cheng'er, you're a little treasure too." Tang Xingyu giggled, dimples showing.
Her sweet babyish smile made Yang Cheng think of how the system had described her.
A cold personality?
No matter how cold she might become in the future, right now she was just an adorable little bun full of milk-scented cuteness.
Then Yang Cheng asked, "Tangtang, are we friends?"
"Of course we are!" she answered without hesitation. "Not just friends—we're best friends!"
A new message appeared from the system:
[Host has truly been recognized by Tang Xingyu as a friend. This would shock countless top-tier prodigies across the realms.]
[Congratulations to the host for successfully completing the mission.]
[Reward has been issued. Would you like to claim it now?]
"I'll claim it later," Yang Cheng said to himself.
Then, out of appreciation for all the rewards Tang Xingyu had brought him, he played house with her.
While Yang Cheng and Tang Xingyu played together, the news from Autumn Water Courtyard had already spread.
Since Cheng Junyi was just temporarily staying there, she had never bothered to manage the maids and servants. So it was impossible to keep anything secret inside the courtyard.
Very soon, the entire imperial capital knew that Li Wuzhen had brought her disciples to provoke Cheng Junyi and ended up completely humiliated.
But few people dared to laugh at someone like Li Wuzhen directly.
Instead, everyone focused on the disciples of both Li Wuzhen and Cheng Junyi.
Li Wuzhen's disciples were undeniably prodigies. Her eldest disciple, Zhao Shouyi, had Innate Divine Strength, while her second disciple had comprehended Sword Intent at one year old.
People originally thought there couldn't possibly be anyone more impressive within Great Zhou.
No one expected Cheng Junyi's disciples to be even more monstrous.
Her eldest disciple, Tang Xingyu, had Innate Divine Strength. Her second disciple, Yang Cheng, had both Innate Divine Strength and Sword Intent.
Naturally, it was Yang Cheng who drew the most attention.
After all, no matter how amazing Tang Xingyu was, she wasn't directly tied to them.
But Yang Cheng was the Crown Prince of Great Zhou.
A Crown Prince like this—monstrous, talented, and incredible—was a massive blessing to the people of Great Zhou.
In the blink of an eye, half the day had passed.
After eating lunch in Autumn Water Courtyard and cultivating for an hour, Yang Cheng returned to the palace.
"A tiger father doesn't raise weak cubs. The child of a True Dragon is bound to be extraordinary."
"Hahaha! The heavens are protecting our Great Zhou!"
"His Majesty was a genius, and Her Majesty the Empress was brilliant too. It makes perfect sense that their child turned out so exceptional."
On the way back, Yang Cheng heard these kinds of conversations coming from both sides of the street.
He stayed quiet, lost in thought about his past life.
His father and mother really were outstanding. Unfortunately, in his previous life, he'd failed all the people of Great Zhou.
Then a smile returned to his face.
"This life, I won't let anyone down again."
His eyes sparkled like polished pearls.
A quarter of an hour later.
When Yang Cheng returned to the palace, he was welcomed like a hero.
Emperor Qian Yuan and the core royal clan members had all gathered at the Splendid Radiance Hall.
Every single gaze was burning with excitement as they looked at Yang Cheng—as if they were witnessing the future of Great Zhou, as if watching a rising sun.
Yun Liyue looked helpless.
She had told the people in the Splendid Radiance Hall to keep things quiet, but who would've guessed Yang Cheng went and exposed everything himself at Autumn Water Courtyard.
So when the emperor and the others asked, she could only tell the truth—that Yang Cheng had the strength of 1,000 jin.
"Cheng'er, your mother says you have the strength of 1,000 jin?" Prince Duan was the first to speak.
"Replying to Royal Grand-Uncle, it's true," Yang Cheng said.
Prince Duan brought out a stone lock and placed it in front of Yang Cheng. "Cheng'er, try lifting this."
It was a standard 1,000-jin stone lock.
Yang Cheng didn't hesitate. He grabbed it with both hands and lifted it right off the ground.
Clatter!
The entire hall erupted.
Seeing is believing—even if they trusted the Empress and the Crown Prince wouldn't lie, the claim was too unbelievable.
Now that they'd seen it for themselves, the uncertainty in their hearts vanished.
What followed was overwhelming excitement.
"Excellent!"
"Innate Divine Strength!"
"An unmatched dragon has risen in Great Zhou!"
The royal clan members were all visibly thrilled.
"Cheng'er, you've also grasped Sword Intent?" Emperor Qian Yuan asked. "Even your mother didn't seem to know about this."
Yang Cheng blinked his big, innocent eyes. "Father Emperor, I didn't know I had Sword Intent either. It was only when Sixth Brother used his that I realized I could do the same. That's when I found out it's called Sword Intent."
Clearly, no one was going to accuse him of hiding the truth.
Yang Cheng was just too young for people to believe he could lie about something like this.
More importantly, his terrifying talent overshadowed any minor flaws.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty!"
"Your Majesty has a worthy successor!"
"Hahaha! The Crown Prince might even surpass his father in the future!"
The royal clan members were practically celebrating like it was a festival.
They stayed in the Splendid Radiance Hall for another half an hour before dispersing.
Meanwhile…
In the Radiant Sunlight Hall—
Crash!
Noble Consort Zhuang was smashing things again.
The more lively things were over in Splendid Radiance Hall, the more furious she became.
"Why does heaven favor Yun Liyue so much?" Zhuang Wanrong looked nearly deranged.
In terms of knowledge and strength, Yang Xiu couldn't compare to Yang Cheng.
Before, the only reason she'd been able to stay calm was because Yang Xiu had the edge with his Sword Intent.
But now, that advantage had vanished too.
Yang Xiu was undeniably talented. In any other dynasty, a prince with such a martial gift would easily be crowned emperor.
Yet heaven just had to favor Yun Liyue so outrageously.
It was bad enough Yun Liyue was exceptional herself, but she even gave birth to a monster of a son.
No matter how talented Yang Xiu was, compared to Yang Cheng, he was instantly overshadowed.
How was she supposed to compete with Yun Liyue now?
"Your Grace, Princess Changle is here to see you," a palace maid reported.
Zhuang Wanrong froze, then tidied her clothes. "Let her in."
Soon, Princess Changle stepped into the hall.
Zhuang Wanrong said, "This is rare. You usually avoid me like the plague, afraid someone might catch you meeting me. What brings you here today?"
Princess Changle replied seriously, "Your Grace, I'm here because I have something very important to discuss with you. Something that must not reach a third person's ears."
Zhuang Wanrong was startled. Princess Changle never said anything without purpose.
"Everyone leave! Only the Princess stays!" she ordered immediately.
"Your Grace, how likely do you think the Sixth Prince is to win against the Crown Prince?" Princess Changle asked calmly.
Zhuang Wanrong's face turned dark. "Are you here to mock me, Changle?"
"I wouldn't dare," she said. "I'm here to tell you that even though the Sixth Prince's position looks bad now, I'm confident I can turn things around—and maybe even topple the Crown Prince entirely."
"Are you serious?" Zhuang Wanrong's breath quickened as she stared at her.
"Three days from now, the Sui River will flood," Princess Changle said. "Please quietly arrange for someone to place a stone stele in the section of the river running through Nanying City in Qingzhou."
"On the stele, write—'Unborn Venerable Mother, True Void Homeland; Divine Son descends, world at peace.'"
Zhuang Wanrong gasped.
"Unborn Venerable Mother, True Void Homeland"—these were the eight sacred words of the Truth Sect.
The Truth Sect was the most feared dark force in all of Great Zhou—and even the entire Eastern Wastes.
Wherever they appeared, chaos followed.
"Divine Son descends, world at peace"—and the word "Cheng" in the phrase was clearly a play on the Crown Prince's name, Yang Cheng.
Linking the Crown Prince to the Truth Sect was beyond ruthless.
A Divine Son of the Truth Sect was basically a "Demon Child."
If the Crown Prince was seen as their chosen one… what would the world think then?