This Martial Saint’s Health Bar is Too Thick!
Chapter 490 490: 32 Chapter: Meeting the Holy One_2

An Eldest Prince, a Third Prince.

These two princes had been contending with the Crown Prince for years.

Early establishment in the Eastern Palace, whether it was for the purpose of balance or for sharpening the Crown Prince, a qualified Emperor would intentionally support one or two princes to compete with the Crown Prince in "contests."

Although this tactic was old-fashioned, it indeed was effective.

Li Fei naturally did not want to involve himself in this vortex of princes contending, but since the Crown Prince was personally recommending him to the Emperor, he could not refuse.

Now, he could only take things as they came, hoping that he could acquire "Vajra Eight Parts" as soon as possible and then return to Datong Prefecture.

In the small courtyard, Li Fei continued his training.

It was not until nightfall that Li Fei concluded his training and walked to the door of the courtyard, opening the gate.

The maid who had been standing outside before saw Li Fei open the door and immediately performed a courtesy:

"Has Young Master finished his training? Would you like a meal?"

"Yes."

"Please wait a moment, Young Master."

Subsequently, the maid left.

A few minutes later, she came over carrying a heavy food box.

Li Fei received the food box at the doorstep, thanked her, and then went back to his room to prepare for the meal.

The food box had several layers, containing exquisite snacks and meals, and a piece of paper...

Li Fei was startled, picked up the paper, and unfolded it. There was only one sentence:

"Tomorrow, during the royal audience, the Eldest Prince will make things difficult for you!"

Li Fei carefully examined the paper, finding no other clues, and he noticed that the handwriting on the paper was fading rapidly, until it completely disappeared.

"Is this...magic?"

Li Fei guessed this must be some kind of sophisticated magic that would activate when someone else's gaze fell upon it, causing the writing to vanish.

Who had sent this note?

This wasn't hard to guess, for if the Crown Prince wanted to warn Li Fei, there was no need to use such a method.

As the content of the note spoke of the Eldest Prince making life difficult for Li Fei, the person giving the secret warning was most likely the Third Prince.

"Facing a royal audience tomorrow? What kind of tactics will the Eldest Prince use against me?"

Li Fei contemplated for a moment and realized that worrying in advance was useless.

In such a level of struggle, it was very hard to prepare anything in advance.

"Fortunately, this reputation as the foremost in history still has its uses."

Li Fei gave a wry smile.

Then, he calmly had his meal and continued his training afterward.

No matter what, only greater strength could control one's own destiny!

...

October 3.

At 5:30 in the morning, Li Fei's courtyard door was knocked.

Li Fei quickly dressed and went to open the door, where an elderly Eunuch stood with a smile, telling Li Fei:

"His Highness the Crown Prince has sent me to tell you that today is the day for the royal audience, please follow me."

"Just a moment."

Li Fei went back inside to wash up briefly, grabbed his Ghost Slash Blade, and followed the old Eunuch.

The two quickly got into a car and arrived outside the palace walls.

Following which, the old Eunuch led Li Fei on foot into the Imperial Palace.

Li Fei had thought he would be taken to meet the Emperor in a grand hall, but instead, he was first taken to another courtyard.

There, someone changed his clothes and tidied up his appearance, then began teaching him various etiquettes.

This hassle took nearly two hours.

Now Li Fei understood why they brought him into the palace so early...

Then he was led by the old Eunuch through various palaces, entering a very broad plaza.

The first thing that caught his eye was the majestic and solemn grand hall straight ahead, its grandeur causing one to instinctively look up as if trying to reach the end of the sky!

The rooftop of the hall was covered with yellow glazed tiles, and under the sunlight, it sparkled with dazzling golden light, resembling a dragon's scales. The flying eaves and corners were carved with exquisite blue auspicious cloud patterns, bearing the marks of ages.

This was a place with a history of over five hundred years!

This was the Hall of Supreme Harmony, where Da Lan Dynasty's Emperor and hundreds of civil and military officials held court meetings.

The Purple Extreme Hall of the Cabinet and this Hall of Supreme Harmony, one could be regarded as the heart of the Da Lan Dynasty, the other as the brain.

"Please wait here, Young Master."

The old Eunuch said cheerfully to Li Fei.

Clearly, facing the Emperor did not mean that Li Fei could immediately go in to see the Emperor.

Even though he was now hailed as the foremost in history, he still did not hold that much weight.

"Alright."

Li Fei looked at the vast square in front of him and the majestic great hall beyond, and a phrase inexplicably popped into his mind:

"That year, at eighteen, I stood like a mere henchman."

He smiled, not really feeling any particular way about it.

Before long, dressed in a white monk's robe and appearing as immaculate and transparent as glaze, Ming Qi, led by another eunuch, also approached.

Li Fei and Ming Qi looked at each other, nodding to acknowledge one another.

Then, the two waited quietly in the shadow of a palace wall.

This wait lasted for over an hour.

Until a certain moment:

"Announce, Ming Qi of Pudu Temple, Li Fei of Wu'an University, an audience—"

A somewhat sharp, yet very resonant voice emanated from the great hall ahead, clearly heard across the entire square.

Li Fei, who had been meditating on the Mixed Element Vajra Force with his eyes closed, slowly opened his eyes and calmed the force within his body.

"Both of you, please."

Two old eunuchs gestured to them.

Naturally, the Ghost Slash Blade that Li Fei carried could not be taken inside; it was left outside.

Afterward, the two crossed the vast square, ascended several hundred steps, and finally entered the Purple Extreme Hall.

Upon entering the hall, tall columns supported the entire space, with dragons and phoenixes painted in lively colors dancing between the beams.

On both the left and right sides stood civil and military ministers.

To participate in a court meeting in this great hall, one must at least be a Fourth Rank Sitting Official.

Even assigned officials did not qualify to enter!

Li Fei, feeling calm, walked up the central pathway, stopping together with Ming Qi more than twenty meters away from the dais at the front.

"Commoner Li Fei."

"Monk Ming Qi."

"Greetings, Your Majesty."

Li Fei clasped his hands while Ming Qi brought his hands together, both bowing in a salutation.

The Da Lan Dynasty was founded on martial prowess and held martial artists in high esteem.

Since the founding Emperor's time, it was decreed:

Martial Artists above the Tao Foundation Stage need not kneel before the sovereign!

Thus, neither Li Fei nor Ming Qi performed the kneeling bow but simply bowed deeply.

"Dispense with the formalities, both of you lift your heads so I can have a good look."

A somewhat elderly voice came from atop the dais.

Upon hearing this, Li Fei raised his head and was able to properly appraise the supreme ruler before him.

Seated on the throne was an evidently aged man.

He was clad in a yellow silk dragon robe, the embroidery vivid and lifelike, with nine five-clawed golden dragons appearing as if they might leap out of the fabric at any moment.

This man was none other than the Emperor of the entire Da Lan Dynasty—the most revered and powerful individual across all lands!

Li Fei could distinctly feel an aura of 'majesty' emanating from the man.

Unlike the mind power of martial artists or the magical illusions created by magic,

This was an almost tangible presence, like that of the sun, moon, and stars—imperceptible, but so commanding that even a mere glance could overwhelm one!

Li Fei had even met an Inspector before, but he had never perceived such an imposing aura from any Governor.

It seemed the Emperor of this world wasn't as simple as he had imagined!

"Very well, truly a peerless genius."

The Emperor said with a smile.

It was unclear how he had come to that conclusion.

"Father."

The Crown Prince stepped forward from the front rows of people. "In this second Martial Arts exchange competition, after consulting various opinions, I invited Pudu Temple to participate, and they achieved the best results in this competition! Master Ming Qi even achieved an On-Site Breakthrough and became the youngest Martial Arts Master in history!"

His voice echoed through the great hall, and he clasped his hands in salute to the Emperor:

"Father, the thirteen universities and the Taoist Three Sects are all serving the country; why not give Pudu Temple, a more outstanding sect, an opportunity?"

"Hmm, Crown Prince, what are your thoughts?"

The Emperor asked.

The Crown Prince promptly voiced his suggestion:

"I believe we could extensively construct Buddhist halls, allowing Pudu Temple and various temples across the land to contribute and help cultivate more talents for our Da Lan Dynasty!"

....

PS: Today I'm going to a friend's wedding in another city, so I can only post once today.