"Someone wants to... advance?"
"Is the Ninth Prince going to advance?"
"Him? But isn't he supposed to have the lowest-grade spiritual root, something the royal family has never had before, which means his cultivation speed is very slow?"
"This is... a harbinger of advancement to Rank A!"
"The Ninth Prince? That good-for-nothing with the lowest spiritual root? Advanced to Grade A? Are you kidding me?!"
...
Countless different voices were discussing and observing.
The distinction between cultivation levels in this world is very simple: A, B, C, D, W, F, G... the lower the level, the lower the level.
Grade A is the highest level that ordinary people can achieve.
Only geniuses with at least a Grade B spiritual root have the possibility of advancing further.
But where should we go next?
What kind of realm they will reach is something that geniuses will have to explore on their own.
Even so, the number of top-tier cultivators in the Chu Kingdom is extremely limited.
Including Gu Tang's siblings, among the princes and princesses who were born into royalty and had the best resources, only two achieved the highest rank.
But now, it's their ninth brother, whom they've always looked down upon.
He's about to be promoted to Rank A after only three months of seclusion.
Among the people standing in the air were Gu Tang's brothers.
The third prince, who had once injured him and rendered him bedridden for a month, was one of the princes and princesses who had been promoted to the first rank.
That's why he dared to use the excuse of disapproving of Gu Tang's obsession with Qin Junche to seriously injure him without receiving any blame.
Even if they are both princes in the same country.
The difference in treatment between cultivation geniuses and good-for-nothings is like heaven and earth.
How could the Third Prince possibly tolerate that the good-for-nothing he used to trample underfoot had surpassed him like this?
He squinted and looked in the direction of the Imperial Preceptor's residence.
The sky over there was completely empty, without a single person in sight.
The Third Prince's face was extremely grim.
He watched coldly as the snowflakes above Prince Gu Tang's residence swirled and gathered together, growing ever more imposing.
As more and more people gathered in the capital, their attention began to focus on him, the ninth brother who had never been valued before.
He suddenly let out a cold laugh.
The Third Prince turned to the middle-aged man standing beside him and asked, "What exactly happened at the Imperial Preceptor's residence that day?"
He actually knew that the Imperial Advisor Qin Junche had helped Gu Tang out of a predicament.
But he considered this quite ordinary.
The Imperial Advisor has always been kind and magnanimous, and he treats everyone in a similar way.
The Third Prince hadn't taken the matter to heart.
But things are different now.
After his ninth brother returned from the Imperial Preceptor's residence, it was as if he had suddenly become enlightened.
He secluded himself for training and then advanced in three months.
One promotion, and it's still Class A!
—This is a level that many princes with first or second-grade spiritual roots cannot reach even after years of hard work.
"It is said that the Ninth Prince was the last to leave the Imperial Preceptor's residence that day, and it was already past midnight when he left," the middle-aged man said respectfully. "I also heard that the Ninth Prince climbed over the wall that day, and seemed somewhat flustered."
"Hmph!" The Third Prince snorted coldly.
He flicked his sleeves, concealing the coldness on his face: "It is a joyous occasion for Ninth Brother to advance. Come with me to take a look."
"Yes," the middle-aged man quickly replied.
"Advancing to Rank A is inherently a dangerous thing. Cultivation is, after all, going against the heavens. The higher the rank, the more powerful the resistance and danger one needs to overcome. It's like going against the current. The higher you go, the more likely you are to lose all your previous efforts due to a small mistake, or even lose your ship and your life."
The Third Prince spoke slowly as he flew toward Gu Tang.
He didn't know whether he was speaking to himself or to his subordinates.
Finally, the Third Prince slowly raised the corners of his lips and said, "For someone like Ninth Brother, whose spiritual root level is too low, forcibly cultivating to this level and wanting to advance further is fraught with danger."
He paused, then said, "As his older brother, it's only natural that I should be by his side to protect him at this time. In case anything goes wrong, at least I can save my younger brother's life."
The Third Prince's tone concealed a hint of sinister ferocity.
He asked his subordinate, "Don't you think so?"
"Yes." The subordinate broke out in a cold sweat, but still replied respectfully.
"Then tell me, what is the most likely danger that Ninth Brother will encounter during his advancement? Hmm?"
The third prince's last "hmm?" was not directed at his subordinates.
He was almost at Gu Tang's Ninth Prince's residence when he suddenly stopped.
The Imperial Preceptor's residence was indeed empty, but there was a corner of the Ninth Prince's residence.
Qin Junche, dressed in a green robe, stood tall.
He closed his eyes and put his hands behind his back.
Fine snowflakes fluttered past him, then were drawn by the vast spiritual energy generated when Gu Tang advanced, gradually forming an ever-growing vortex.
The vortex formed by the snowflakes had completely enveloped Gu Tang's figure.
The third prince could not see his younger brother's appearance, but he could sense that the spiritual energy around him seemed to be almost completely drained by the other party.
—If he waits any longer, his ninth brother, the cowardly younger brother whom he had bullied growing up, will soon rise to a level where he can stand on equal footing with him.
But Qin Junche stood guard to the side.
Although he never opened his eyes to look at the Third Prince once, the Third Prince knew that the other party must already know that he had arrived.
Perhaps, they even sensed the malice hidden within him.
The Third Prince's breath hitched.
He froze in mid-air for a moment, then stiffly cupped his hands in greeting to Qin Junche: "Imperial Preceptor."
"Get out!" Qin Junche said coldly without even opening his eyes.
Third Prince: "!!!"
Middle-aged man: ???
They had never been treated like this by Qin Junche before.
In their memory, Qin Junche was always gentle and kind, and he never lost his temper, even when his ninth brother was pestering him.
The third prince was stunned.
His subordinates were also stunned.
They did not leave the Ninth Prince's residence as instructed, but instead stood there, stunned, in the air.
Qin Junche took three breaths.
He opened his eyes, his sharp, cold gaze fixed directly on the Third Prince.
"Anyone who trespasses into the Ninth Prince's residence shall die!"
A cold, bloodthirsty glint flashed in Qin Junche's eyes.
He squinted, his left hand already raised.
"Your Excellency, have mercy!" The middle-aged man instantly realized what was happening.
He quickly grabbed his master's sleeve and scrambled away from the Ninth Prince's residence.
Although I don't know why the Imperial Advisor suddenly seemed like a different person.
But he knew that in the entire Chu Kingdom, no one could withstand a single move from the Grand Preceptor.
Although the Imperial Advisor has not made a move for many years.
But everyone knows that his realm has long surpassed Grade A and entered a higher realm that they can only look up to!
Chapter 48 The Imperial Preceptor's Unparalleled Brilliance (4)
Countless eyes were already watching from above the capital as the changes at the Ninth Prince's residence took place.
Many people are eager to try it.
Some people wanted to come and find out more.
Some, like the Third Prince, harbored ill intentions towards Gu Tang.
But now that they saw the Third Prince being driven away in such a sorry state, those who had been quietly approaching the area all stopped in their tracks.
In the darkness, everyone could only keep a distance from each other.
As more and more snowflakes drifted into the Ninth Prince's residence.
He drained all the spiritual energy from the surrounding world, and large swaths of snow enveloped him completely.
The Imperial Preceptor, dressed in a blue robe, stood quietly on the courtyard wall of the Ninth Prince's residence.
Anyone who trespasses into the Ninth Prince's residence shall be executed!
This sentence seemed to have grown wings and spread throughout the entire capital.
No one knows why the Imperial Advisor is guarding this place.
Just like they couldn't understand why the Ninth Prince, who was clearly a good-for-nothing, was suddenly about to be promoted to Rank A.