After returning to his room, Hao Meng began examining the rewards from this round of investment.
[Nine Revolutions Heavenly Art: High-Grade Heaven-tier body-refining technique. With each revolution cultivated, physical strength doubles. Upon completion of all nine revolutions, only cultivators of the Heaven-Ascent Realm can break it!]
[Heaven-Piercing Sword Art: High-Grade Heaven-tier sword technique with terrifying might. During cultivation, strands of sword qi must be refined within the body's acupoints. When all one hundred and eight acupoints have been tempered into Heaven-Piercing Sword Radiance, the technique reaches completion.]
After reading the descriptions of the technique and sword art, Hao Meng was both shocked and filled with emotion.
Heaven-tier techniques and martial skills—how precious were they to the Hao Prince's Manor?
Even in the entirety of Beiyuan County, such high-level techniques did not exist.
One had to know that the highest-grade techniques within the Hao Prince's Manor were merely the Peak-Grade Earth-tier Pure Yang Limitless Art and Heavenly Seal Art.
Yet now, through a single Gold-tier investment, he had directly obtained a High-Grade Heaven-tier technique and martial skill.
The gap was enormous.
After sighing with emotion, Hao Meng continued inspecting the remaining rewards.
[Seven-Colored Profound Light Wings: Mid-Grade Heaven-tier artifact. A special movement-type auxiliary treasure. It can be activated either through the user's own spiritual power or through pre-stored spiritual energy. Once deployed, even Ninth Star Realm cultivators will find it extremely difficult to give chase!]
[Cold Soul Silver Moon Sword: Mid-Grade Heaven-tier artifact. Forged from precious Silver Moon Stone, Profound Cold Crystals, and over a dozen rare materials. Possesses immense power.]
Artifacts of the Heaven tier were considered extremely rare even within Beiyuan County—at the very least, the Hao Prince's Manor possessed none of this level.
"These two treasures will serve me well for now," Hao Meng said with satisfaction as he put away the Seven-Colored Profound Light Wings and the Cold Soul Silver Moon Sword.
[Violet Extreme Pills: Mid-Grade Earth-tier pill. Two flasks, one hundred pills per flask. The finest pill for enhancing the cultivation of Sixth Star Realm cultivators, with no pill toxicity whatsoever!]
[Profound Communication Golden Pills: Mid-Grade Earth-tier pill. Two bottles, ten pills per bottle. Pills specially used by peak Sixth Star Realm cultivators. They increase the chance of breaking through to the Seventh Star Realm by sixty percent!]
Seeing these high-grade pills, Hao Meng nodded in satisfaction.
Especially the Profound Communication Golden Pills—a sixty-percent chance to break through to the Seventh Star Realm was invaluable. The Hao Prince's Manor did not possess pills of such quality at all.
In Beiyuan County, Seventh Star Realm cultivators were considered top-tier experts.
Within the Hao Prince's Manor itself, only his father, the Old Ancestor, the Great Elder, and the Third Elder had once reached this realm.
However, the Great Elder had fallen while accompanying Hao Meng's elder brother to seize an opportunity, while his father, the Third Elder, and the Old Ancestor had all perished resisting the beast tide.
As a result, the Hao Prince's Manor currently had no Seventh Star Realm experts remaining.
This directly caused the manor to fall from a Sixth-Rank power to a Seventh-Rank power.
But now, with these two bottles of Profound Communication Golden Pills, Hao Meng was confident that several Seventh Star Realm experts would soon emerge within the family.
Lastly, when he saw the Profound Communication Golden Pill Formula Scroll, Hao Meng decided to hand it over to the clan's alchemist.
With this formula, such pills would no longer be in short supply, and the manor would surely produce even more Seventh Star Realm cultivators in the future.
After reviewing all the rewards, Hao Meng took out the Violet Extreme Pills and began cultivating.
However, just after nightfall, he did not expect his mother, Jiang Li, to suddenly come calling.
Dressed in an elegant palace gown, Jiang Li slowly entered from outside the door.
"Mother? Why have you come?" Hao Meng immediately stood up and bowed, asking in confusion.
At the same time, a system prompt sounded in his mind.
[Ding! Detected a White-tier investment clan member. The host may initiate an investment!]
[Invest one Sacred Beauty Preservation Pill → Obtain one bottle of Purple Clear Spirit Origin Pills and three hundred Peak-Grade Mysterious-tier spiritual herbs.]
[Invest one Cold Abyss Ice Spirit Pearl → Obtain three Sword Dao Crystals and five thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones.]
Hao Meng's eyes brightened. He had not expected that even his own mother could be an investment target.
Just as surprise flickered through his mind, Jiang Li looked at her son with visible concern.
"Meng, I know you've only just inherited the princely throne, and there are many matters requiring your attention. That is why I waited until now to come to you."
"I came to discuss your lifelong matter."
Upon hearing the words lifelong matter, Hao Meng's brows knit slightly as he continued listening.
"These past few days, I had planned to select several talented young women for you, to first take them as concubines and produce new bloodlines for the Hao Prince's Manor."
"But yesterday, the Lingyun Emperor suddenly issued an imperial decree. As a reward for our manor's meritorious defense against the beast tide, he intends to bestow a royal marriage upon you. You are to marry a princess in seven days."
"For this matter, I hope you can prepare yourself mentally and take it seriously."
"Now that your father and elder brother are gone, the entire burden of the manor rests solely on your shoulders."
"If you do not produce heirs as soon as possible, and should anything happen to you, how could I face your father and the ancestors of the Hao family?"
By the end, Jiang Li's expression had grown solemn.
It was clear that she was deeply concerned about the continuation of the Hao bloodline.
Hearing this, Hao Meng was momentarily stunned.
A bestowed marriage… to him?
And personally decreed by the Lingyun Emperor?
He truly had not expected such a thing to happen.
Being forced to marry a woman he had never even met—there was inevitably some unease.
What if the bestowed princess turned out to be… unsightly? How could he accept that?
Seeing his hesitation, Jiang Li explained:
"Meng, the Lingyun Emperor intends to bestow the Fifth Princess upon you."
"You should have heard of her. Though she has faded from public attention in recent years, her aptitude, comprehension, and beauty are all exceptional. She was once a peerless genius renowned throughout the Lingyun Dynasty."
"If you marry her, the children you produce together will likely not be lacking in talent."
Hao Meng had never met the Fifth Princess, but he had indeed heard of her deeds.
Tian Yue, Fifth Princess of the Lingyun Dynasty.
From a young age, she displayed astonishing cultivation talent.
Within half a year of beginning cultivation, she crossed both the First and Second Star realms, stepping directly into the Fourth Star Realm.
At fourteen, she broke through to the Fifth Star Realm and entered the Sixth Star Realm, officially stepping into the Divine Ability Realm.
Then, on her seventeenth birthday, she advanced to the Seventh Star Realm, and by twenty, she had reached the peak of the Ninth Star Realm.
Just as everyone anticipated her breakthrough to the Tenth Star Realm, heaven seemed to play a cruel joke.
Tian Yue failed her breakthrough—and overnight, her cultivation fell back to the Sixth Star Realm.
The Lingyun Dynasty did not abandon her, continuing to supply vast resources for her cultivation.
Yet from that moment on, her cultivation never advanced again. To this day, she remained stuck at the Sixth Star Realm.
Numerous experts had examined her condition, but none could determine the cause.
Recalling Tian Yue's experiences, Hao Meng could not help but sigh inwardly.
A once-celebrated genius reduced to someone unable to progress further—no one would find that easy to endure.
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, a thought stirred in Hao Meng's mind, reminding him of certain novels from his previous world.
Could this Tian Yue be… a protagonist template?
His expression turned subtle. If that were truly the case, then marrying her would hardly be a loss.
[Ding! Detected within the Lingyun Dynasty a Heaven-Chosen Woman with Prosper-Husband Fate and Gold-tier fortune: Tian Yue. She is the reincarnation of a Destiny Empress. Her memories have not yet awakened. Recommendation: marry her.]
At the system's prompt, a strange gleam flashed deep within Hao Meng's eyes.
Prosper-husband fate.
Gold-tier fortune.
Reincarnation of a Destiny Empress.
And her past-life memories had not yet awakened!
Then what was there to hesitate over?
She had to be taken—no question about it.
He was exploiting the time gap. If she had already awakened her former memories, he might actually have felt some apprehension.
But now?
Hao Meng had already made up his mind.
"A Destiny Empress, is she? Then be good and give me a child first."
Seeing the change in her son's expression, Jiang Li mistakenly thought he was unwilling to marry the Fifth Princess and spoke again.
"Meng, this imperial marriage is actually beneficial to our manor."
"If you marry the Fifth Princess, not only will the Hao Prince's Manor gain ties to the imperial family, but it will also deter those forces that are eyeing our assets."
Though the Hao Prince's Manor was located in Beiyuan County, it did not dominate the entire region.
There were four other major forces comparable to the Hao Prince's Manor: the Zhou Clan, Fang Clan, Han Clan, and the Prefectural Governor's Office.
With the manor's strength severely diminished, its many holdings were bound to attract covetous attention.
Hao Meng did not deny his mother's words. Combined with the system's recommendation, marrying the Fifth Princess was inevitable—both for himself and for the manor.
He nodded. "Very well. The Hao Prince's Manor will welcome the Fifth Princess with the highest possible ceremony."
Hearing her son finally agree, Jiang Li's face lit up with joy.
"Then I will give the orders at once and begin preparations for the wedding banquet."
As she turned to leave, Hao Meng called out to her.
"Mother, when I was at the Qingyun Dao Sect, I brought back two items for you."
Jiang Li paused in surprise.
Hao Meng took out a pill suffused with rosy霞-like radiance and a white pearl wreathed in mist, handing them to her.
"Mother, this is a Sacred Beauty Preservation Pill, which maintains youth and enhances appearance. This is a Cold Abyss Ice Spirit Pearl, which may help you comprehend a trace of true cold-ice intent. I hope you like them."
These items were rare treasures Hao Meng had gathered during his time at the Qingyun Dao Sect. Though not exceedingly precious, they were comparable to Peak-Grade Mysterious-tier treasures.
Jiang Li was genuinely surprised. Her son had never brought her gifts before, and warmth spread through her heart.
Her expression softened. "Mm. I like both of them very much. Then Mother will accept them."
As a mother, she was pleased by anything her son gave her—especially treasures she truly appreciated.
With a radiant smile, Jiang Li left Hao Meng's room.
[Ding! Investment successful. Congratulations to the host for obtaining one bottle of Purple Clear Spirit Origin Pills, three hundred Peak-Grade Mysterious-tier spiritual herbs, three Sword Dao Crystals, and five thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones!]
[Purple Clear Spirit Origin Pills: Low-Grade Earth-tier pill. One bottle, ten pills. Fifth Star Realm peak cultivators who consume it have a sixty-percent chance to break through to the Sixth Star Realm!]
Although the Hao Prince's Manor possessed pills that aided breakthroughs to the Sixth Star Realm, their quality could not compare to the Purple Clear Spirit Origin Pills.
System-produced goods truly lived up to their reputation—every single one was top-tier.
Shifting his gaze, Hao Meng looked at the Sword Dao Crystals.
These were rare treasures capable of assisting cultivators in comprehending Sword Dao true intent—exceptionally valuable items.
After storing all the rewards, Hao Meng resumed cultivation, awaiting the day seven days later when he would marry the Fifth Princess.
However, before that day arrived—
Only three days later, trouble from the three major clans of Beiyuan County finally descended upon the Hao Prince's Manor.