In ancient times, demons and monsters ran rampant and brought calamity to all directions, humans were reduced to blood food for these fiends, treated like livestock and suffering beyond words… later, sages of the martial path passed down the method of Qi Refining, the martial way rose and after the eras of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, it was not until Great Xia’s Ancestor Jiang swept across the land and suppressed the demons of the Eight Desolations that humanity gradually emerged from the shadow of the demons, civilization flourished and the people lived in peace and contentment…

Putting down the Demon and Monster Record in her hands.

Jiang Zirou reached up and gently kneaded her temples, gazing at the sunlight shining in through the lattice window and falling into deep thought.

‘Why have I been feeling so uneasy lately, is it because something major is about to happen?’

It had been more than half a month since she last met with Emperor Heng.

After stepping into the Great Grandmaster realm, Jiang Zirou’s cultivation inevitably slowed, but it was still advancing at a fierce pace and reaching the peak of the Great Grandmaster realm was only a matter of time…

As for the name of the realm beyond that.

Previously, Jiang Zirou had no idea at all.

But in the past few days, as she flipped through ancient classics, especially this very old Demon and Monster Record, Jiang Zirou had formed a guess about the next peak of the martial path.

‘The name of that realm should be Martial Saint. When a sage acts, their conduct becomes the Way for the world, when they walk, their deeds become the law for the world, when they speak, their words become the standard for the world… so, to reach this realm, it is not enough to accumulate Qi, you also have to enter the world, spread the Dao and accumulate merit, is that it? Looks like… I have to go out for a while.’

* * *

The back mountain, the imperial mausoleum, a forbidden ground.

Jiang Zirou wore snow-white clothes, her long hair tied into a ponytail and sat cross-legged on a huge boulder.

She released her senses and simultaneously activated the True Martial Body.

Very soon, over the imperial mausoleum around her, countless strands of golden Qi rose up and gathered in the air into a familiar, enormous dragon of national destiny.

Compared to three years ago.

The dragon of national destiny was much weaker; the black miasma on its body had grown thicker and many of its scales had been corroded and fallen off, exposing mottled flesh beneath that was shocking to behold.

‘How did it end up like this?’

Seeing this, Jiang Zirou was truly astonished.

She saw the azure dragon extend a single sharp claw and lightly tap toward the south, then suddenly disperse and vanish.

‘The south, demons and monsters are causing trouble…’

* * *

Jiang Zirou had always been decisive in her actions and once she had a concrete target, she immediately intended to move.

However, before that, there were still some things she needed to do.

True Martial Body was the supreme martial art of the Great Xia imperial clan.

For Jiang Zirou, it was both the help of the system and the manifestation of the blessings of Great Xia’s forebears, so both emotionally and logically, she ought to pass this technique down.

And as it happened.

She had already met the most suitable successor half a month ago.

That night.

Inside a remote and quiet palace hall within the imperial palace, Jiang Longxiang was snoring soundly in his sleep when a cool breeze swept by and the young prince opened his eyes to see, in the moonlight, a figure wearing a blue-faced, fanged demon mask standing before him.

Jiang Longxiang’s eyes flew wide open and faint excitement actually flashed within them, a low “heh heh” sound rolling from his throat like a beast on the hunt.

Under the mask.

Jiang Zirou shook her head with a smile; her younger brother’s temperament really did have its own peculiar charm.

She flicked her fingers and golden light blossomed.

It shot straight into the space between Jiang Longxiang’s brows and disappeared.

“Cultivate well. When you reach the Grandmaster realm, I’ll teach you the true version of True Martial Body.”

She turned and vanished.

Only then did Jiang Longxiang react, his somewhat dull face full of shock.

Once Jiang Zirou had gone far away and disappeared.

Jiang Longxiang jumped to the very spot where Jiang Zirou had just stood and sniffed hard, then blinked forcefully a few times, as if trying to firmly etch that person’s scent and appearance into his memory.

* * *

The next day.

Jiang Zirou was packing her luggage in the Sutra Repository Pavilion.

A girl travelling outside should treat herself a bit better… dry rations, snacks, silver notes and spare changes of clothing, Jiang Zirou stuffed them all into the system’s built-in storage space, then symbolically slung a small white travel bag over her back.

At this moment, Jiang Cheng pushed open the door of the Sutra Repository Pavilion, broom in hand, walking in from outside.

“Your Highness… are you going on an outing?”

Seeing Jiang Zirou in a white close-fitting outfit with a dainty pack on her back, Jiang Cheng couldn’t help asking.

“Something like that… it might be a while before I come back.”

“Is that so?”

For some reason, when he thought of not seeing this girl as beautiful as a lily for some time, Jiang Cheng felt a faint sense of loss.

Shouldering her pack, Jiang Zirou did not set out immediately.

Instead, she fixed those bright eyes on Jiang Cheng, making the little eunuch’s heart feel a bit flustered.

“I don’t know what orders Your Highness has, but as long as it is something this servant can do, I will surely do it well for Your Highness!”

“Jiang Cheng… do you want to learn martial arts?”

“This servant is lis—huh!?”

Jiang Cheng was just about to agree when he suddenly realized what Jiang Zirou had just said.

“Your Highness must not do this!”

His knees went weak and he was about to kneel.

Others might not know who Jiang Zirou really was, but by a twist of fate, Jiang Cheng did.

The seemingly gentle and harmless girl before him was the genuine Eldest Princess of the Great Xia Dynasty and very likely the mysterious Martial Great Grandmaster who had appeared on the rebel battlefield back then… whereas he was just a lowly little eunuch without backing, how could he possibly be worthy of the favor of such a divine being?

“I’m asking whether you want to, or not!”

A strand of Qi followed her will and propped up Jiang Cheng’s knees before they could touch the ground.

In the Great Xia Dynasty, the martial path flourished and for the vast majority of people, practising martial arts was the best way to rise above their station, bar none.

“I do! Of course I do!”

Jiang Cheng’s eyes reddened as he roared in a low voice.

She gave a light nod. Jiang Cheng had been by her side for about a year and a half and this little eunuch was upright and had quite a bit of backbone.

Today, seeing that his natural aptitude was rather good as well, Jiang Zirou finally had the thought of passing on the martial path to him.

“Alright, good.”

Jiang Zirou’s smile bloomed.

She pointed with a single finger.

Countless profound pieces of information appeared in Jiang Cheng’s mind.

This was a simplified version of the Primordial Ancient Sutra. Although its power was much weaker than the original version Jiang Zirou cultivated, it had the advantage of a low entry threshold so even ordinary people who had never come into contact with the martial path could understand how to cultivate.

“All things in the world, the Dao cannot be fully spoken; what people put their faith in is called god, what they revere is called saint; what they make use of is called object, what they cultivate is called law! Today I teach you this technique not only for your sake but also for my own cultivation. I hope that once you achieve something in the future, you will not forget your original heart and will not make me lose face!”