Chen Chuan was well aware that in the eyes of an orthodox imperial ruler, a so-called "Hidden Dragon" was nothing more than a rebel and traitor.
The Fulong Faction's method of searching for a "Hidden Dragon" came with a flexible stance. If they leaned toward the imperial family, it served to suppress rebel princes and eradicate mutineers.
Yet if they were dissatisfied with the imperial house, or if an empire had reached its twilight, it could well be used to prop up a new sovereign and forge a fresh dynasty.
This had always been the Fulong Faction's way: *I support the imperial throne, but I never promised to back a single family or surname. When the old body rots away, fresh blood should naturally take its place.*
Because of this, every founding dynasty had courted the Fulong Faction with open arms at its inception. Yet once they sat firmly on the dragon throne, they would always seek ways to suppress them. It was hardly surprising how the Fulong Faction had ended up in the end.
Still, finding a Hidden Dragon could not be an easy task. So he asked Mingchengzi, "Gaogong, does finding this person require any conditions?"
Mingchengzi answered, "This humble one requires certain esoteric ritual items and needs an altar erected. In the past, this had to be built in a separately prepared blessed land. Now that the old palace has an altar, it can be put straight to use. If no materials are lacking, success is eighty to ninety percent assured."
Chen Chuan asked, "How much time do you need, Gaogong?"
Mingchengzi replied, "If fast, one to two days will suffice. If slow, three to five days will do it."
Chen Chuan said, "Good. Then the old palace's altar is yours to use. As for everything else you need—including ritual materials and personnel—draw up a list. I will immediately have them allocated to you. There is no need to skimp on my account, but do your best to ensure the result is accurate."
With Youdu just having been eradicated, ritual supplies were piled high as mountains, and captives were plentiful. Since this was meant for the coming military operation, it was a simple matter of approving the requisition.
Mingchengzi's spirits lifted visibly. He bowed deeply. "Leave it to me, Xuanji. I will see it done for you."
Chen Chuan promptly transmitted orders through his boundary credential, directing the inventory team and the logistics department to cooperate. To ensure everything proceeded smoothly, he also dispatched a staff officer from the front-line headquarters to assist Mingchengzi.
No sooner had Mingchengzi left than an orderly delivered a telegram dispatched from headquarters.
Chen Chuan took it and read it over. The message stated that headquarters had reviewed the reports and deemed that the coming operations no longer required so much high-end combat strength. They hoped he would consider the matter and, if possible, redeploy part of the personnel originally transferred from the southern front back to their posts.
The primary reason was that the situation in Chiluojiaduo was currently looking bleak—so much so that it could potentially threaten Great Shun's southern borders.
He scanned the intelligence. The only reason they had been able to pull personnel from the southern line earlier was that massive anomalies had simultaneously erupted across both the north and south of the Chiluojiaduo Confederation, cutting off contact with local center cities for a time.
This was an exceedingly grave turn of events, drawing the attention of multiple nations. Yet the Confederation had refused international aid and the entry of foreign martial artists, permitting only a handful of observers from an international investigation panel.
At the same time, they claimed to have dispatched numerous martial artists to the affected center cities, promising that the situation would soon be brought under control. Yet far from being resolved, the crisis had only escalated.
The anomaly had begun shifting northward. Observing this, the Confederation had made no special effort to stop it, as it was moving away from their center cities. But if it continued farther north, there was a real chance it would cross into Great Shun's territory.
To anomalies, geographical barriers simply did not exist. What required even greater vigilance was whether the anomaly, once across the border, would affect the center cities within Great Shun. Having redeployed considerable forces away from the south, their deterrent posture against Chiluojiaduo had grown somewhat deficient, necessitating the replenishment of their military strength.
Chen Chuan pondered it. Dealing with Prince Yi indeed did not demand so much high-end power—unless the Chan Sect intervened.
Yet that possibility was exceedingly slim.
And even taking a step back, if the Chan Sect truly intervened, a few more or fewer people would make little difference. Whether Prince Yi was handled sooner or later hardly mattered, whereas securing the stability of the realm was the foremost priority.
After turning it over, he immediately had the telegraph operator reply that he would arrange for personnel to be sent back within two days.
Still, if Mingchengzi could locate Prince Yi within that window, both matters could be handled without conflict.
Having dealt with this, he poured a cup of hot drink, took a sip, and then retrieved the "divine embryo," setting it down on the desk.
The red ribbon wrapped around the Xuejun Saber fluttered. A flash of crimson light filled the room, and Hongfu manifested. A goose-feather saber hung at her waist, and her eyes above the veil were exceptionally lively.
She looked toward the "divine embryo" on the desk. In a flash of blade light, the pill-like object suddenly split down the middle, and a wisp of iridescent vapor drifted out from within.
Hongfu flicked and twirled her saber, wrapping the wisp of energy around the blade. Then, with a crisp *clink*, she sheathed the weapon. With a swirl of her red dress, she vanished on the spot.
Chen Chuan looked at the red ribbon fluttering around the hilt. He could see that instead of growing more substantial, it had become somewhat ethereal.
A layer of shimmering, sparkling mist drifted over the surface of the ribbon, looking identical to the iridescent vapor from a moment ago.
This object originated from the world beyond. In terms of foundation, it was far more formidable than Hongfu was at present; he could sense that the presence radiating from it had already overpowered Hongfu's own field.
Hongfu was now wrestling with it bit by bit, slowly absorbing its essence.
Fortunately, the thing possessed only instinct. It could only protect itself and did not know how to actively attack, so she had no need to defend—she only needed to attack with all her might.
The sole concern was that because this divine energy came from the world beyond, the field it radiated carried strong erosive properties. It all depended on whether Hongfu could preserve her sense of self and resist that corrupting force. Otherwise, the worst-case scenario would see her consciousness warped, turning her into something else entirely.
Of course, he would not simply stand by and watch Hongfu undergo such a degradation; he would cut the process short before it became irreversible.
However, if he intervened, interrupting the process might also cause Hongfu to lose her potential for growth. It was best avoided if possible.
He observed it for a short while. Judging by the current trend, deciding the outcome would take at least ten days or so. Setting the matter aside for now, he took the various rare food ingredients previously stowed in the chest and set them out on the table, simultaneously sending out a spiritual transmission to call Chaoming inside.
Many of the ingredients obtained this time were beneficial to Chaoming's growth. However, their grade was quite high, originally intended for martial artists at the levels of the Longevity View and the Dongxuan View. Even with Chaoming's exceptional constitution, the bird could only consume them in modest amounts.
He then set out the rhinoceros flask separately and tapped the civet stone tablet on his pocket with a finger.
The civet strange talk sprang out impatiently, thrusting its head straight into the flask, chewing and gulping greedily.
Ever since it had gorged itself back in Kawatua, it had not enjoyed a proper feast. There was no telling when the next chance would come, so it was determined to eat its fill while it could.
Chaoming and the civet ate for more than an hour, but in truth they did not consume all that much. The energy contained within the ingredients was simply too concentrated; thanks to the relics used for preservation, the nutritional potency had barely diminished.
Chaoming finally stopped and chirped twice at Chen Chuan, indicating that it was full.
Chen Chuan glanced over. In just that short time, the civet strange talk had rounded out noticeably, yet it was still desperately stuffing its face. Reaching out, he caught it by the scruff of its neck and stuffed it back inside.
These provisions were of no use to him anyway. In the days ahead, Chaoming and the civet could enjoy them daily, so there was no need to rush.
***
Meanwhile, within the Convergence faction's headquarters in Zhongjing City, several council members had gathered.
Tomorrow was the twenty-fifth—the final day for submitting nominations for the advisory group's candidate recommendations.
The only remaining variable was the Nature faction.
Just today, word had arrived of the bountiful harvest from the front lines, prompting the Nature faction to convene another meeting. Its main purpose was to bridge the issues raised by internal members during the earlier phase, but someone had seized the opportunity to propose reopening discussion on the recommendation quotas.
This proposal had not been rejected out of hand. Nothing could be certain until the very last moment, which was why they were all waiting here for the outcome.
Time swiftly approached midnight.
The council member handling the matter received a message. After a moment, he looked up and said, "The results of the meeting are in. Because the previous agenda item had not yet concluded and midnight has passed, the deadline for determining the recommendation rights has expired. The original outcome stands unchanged."
Hearing this, several council members of the Convergence faction finally let out a sigh of relief. One of them said, "Then what follows is waiting for the decision from the advisory group."
At that very moment, within the Purist Faction's headquarters.
Vice Chairman Zhu was speaking with Zhan Jiyue.
"Old Zhan, the Convergence faction and the Refined Practice School make two factions this time, but with the Implantation faction backing us, we are two factions as well. We are by no means certain to lose. Besides, Councilor Chen has racked up so many merits on the front lines. I trust the advisory group will take that into account. Do not worry excessively."
Zhan Jiyue said, "Vice Chairman Zhu, if that were all, I would at most feel slightly uneasy. But circumstances are different this year. I've heard the advisory group might solicit opinions from some of the smaller sects as well.
"While they have no right of recommendation—only the right to offer suggestions—I suspect certain figures up top are merely using that pretext to pursue their own interests."
Vice Chairman Zhu replied, "Yes, we have noted this matter and made some efforts regarding it. But the ultimate allocation of the recommendation quota still comes down to the advisers' discretion."
His expression grew somewhat stern. "This touches upon our Purist Faction's interests as well. We will spare no effort to fight for it."
Since midnight had already passed and the authority now rested entirely with the advisory group, Zhan Jiyue knew there was nothing more he could do. He stood and said, "In that case, Vice Chairman Zhu, I will take my leave."
Vice Chairman Zhu nodded.
After Zhan Jiyue departed, he sank into deep contemplation for a long time. Pulling over a sheet of paper, he drafted an open letter of recommendation intended for the faction's senior leadership.
In his view, Chen Chuan's present performance perfectly matched the requirements for a successor to the faction's next generation. Why cling so stubbornly to the so-called secret diagram bloodline...?
Yet having written this far, he hesitated. He drew a line through the sentence, and after a moment, crumpled the paper into a ball and reduced it to ashes with the fire of spirituality.
Personally, he looked upon Chen Chuan with great favor. The trouble was that far too many within the faction still harbored illusions regarding the secret diagram bloodline. That was a consensus forged long ago; it could not be overturned so easily, nor could he simply do as he pleased.
After some thought, he pulled over a fresh sheet of paper and resumed writing. The core meaning remained the same, but the phrasing was chosen with considerably more tact.
Chapter 1454