CHAPTER 1062: CHAPTER 587: PEACE NEGOTIATIONS

He squinted his eyes, mumbling, "Prince Jing, it’s finally your turn."

...

...

In the Capital, Zhao Douan emerged from the Stone Wall again, sinking into the puppet’s body.

Exiting the old building, with the vibration of wind chimes overhead, the Empress was nowhere to be seen.

Zhao Douan walked out of the Martial Arts Hall, only to see the bleak autumn wind and the ancient trees in the palace.

Compared to the south, the temperature in the Capital had dropped sharply in recent days; even as a puppet, he could clearly feel the chill.

Wearing a white mask, he arrived outside the Imperial Study Room, where the palace maids, clad in thick palace skirts, tacitly left.

Inside the study, Xu Zhenguan was seated beside the Imperial Desk, correcting documents, with a beast-shaped brazier on the floor, inside which the red-hot coals glowed brightly.

With the Empress’s cultivation, she was no longer afraid of the cold or heat, but the room remained warm.

"How are things?" Xu Zhenguan asked without lifting his head.

Zhao Douan walked over, pulled a chair to sit down, and recounted the situation and arrangements in Jingchuan City.

At the end, Xu Zhenguan raised his head, lowering the Empress’s fresh red pen, and looked at him with eyes like black lacquer, seeming to see through him: "How is your cultivation progressing recently?"

Zhao Douan was momentarily stunned, unsure of the Empress’s intentions, and honestly replied, "Not far from High Grade, but still lacking a bit."

In recent days, although busy with battles, he had not neglected meditation and cultivation.

In the "Big Dream Scroll," Zhao Douan followed Pei Niannu through the Martial World, experiencing the storms of six hundred years ago.

While the process had few novelties, his cultivation progress was astonishingly fast.

Xu Zhenguan stated lightly, "After stepping into the Worldly Realm, to advance, it’s not about daily hard work but about experiences. The richer your reading, the faster your Heart Realm improves. Since you’ve solved the Mystery of the Womb, you inherently have more experience than common people, and you roam the Martial World in the Big Dream Scroll, while also engaging in wars in reality... Reaching the threshold of the Heart Realm quickly is no surprise."

At this, Xu Zhenguan couldn’t help feeling a little envious and resentful.

For the average cultivator, cultivation after entering the Human World requires years of accumulated experience.

This is also why disciples of the Heavenly Master Mansion venture out to travel after entering the Worldly Realm.

Monks from the Divine Dragon Temple also go out to serve as abbots in branch temples for the same reason.

No other reason but to accumulate experience.

The Xu Royal Family took a clever approach at this stage, using the "Big Dream Scroll" to accumulate experience, inherently surpassing other heritage cultivators.

Coincidentally, Zhao Douan had the experience of a whole lifetime... Making cultivation within the Human World much simpler than the Mortal, Divine Chapter Realm.

"Since you’ve reached the threshold, I will lend you a hand," Xu Zhenguan got up and walked out, "Come with me, it’s been a while since we, monarch and minister, practiced together. Today is a good day to see if your martial arts have improved. Ha, it doesn’t matter if the puppet body’s cultivation is lacking, we can simply practice martial skills."

Zhao Douan was bewildered, thinking to himself that this was just an excuse to beat him, wasn’t it?

She must be holding a grudge for him deceiving her.

"Aren’t you coming?" Xu Zhenguan turned his head to look at him.

"Coming!" Zhao Douan forced a cheerful smile.

...

An hour later.

In the palace’s Martial Arts Arena.

"Clang." Zhao Douan dropped his sword to the ground, lying spread-eagle, sprawled out like a dead dog, his whole body aching.

In his heart, he cursed:

"Gongshu Tianyuan, you bastard, why did you make the puppet body so realistic? Can’t you lower the pain sensitivity a bit?"

The Empress had changed into a narrow-sleeved martial arts outfit and sheathed her sword slowly, feeling refreshed, she smiled and said, "In at most one more month, you may reach the Worldly High Grade. At this speed, by next year you might achieve Great Perfection, or even Half-step Celestial."

If this evaluation were spread, the entire Martial World would be shaken.

For an ordinary martial artist, a single realm was an insurmountable gap, even a minor realm required years of effort, sometimes a lifetime without progress.

Yet in the Empress’s words, it seemed Zhao Douan’s advancement to Half-step Celestial was effortless.

In fact, when Xu Zhenguan learned that Zhao Douan was part of the Grand Ancestor Emperor’s plan, he understood that Zhao Douan would surely reach the Heavenly Human Realm.

It was only a matter of time.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Zhao Douan slowly crawled up, simply sitting cross-legged on the ground, basking in the sun to "recharge."

He raised his head, looking at the Empress’s slender waist, feeling that the standing Empress seemed somewhat "towering."

Only those who had truly sparred with her would understand the terror of a martial artist in the Heavenly Human Realm.

If the Empress was like this, how strong must those old monsters like Zhang Yan Yi and Xuan Yin be?

You talk about Wu Xiankui? A guy who’s unsure even in duels, unworthy to be called the top martial artist of the Martial World, Zhao Douan scorned him.

"Winter is approaching." Xu Zhenguan watched the bleak sun, softly saying, "After winter sets in, major battles aren’t suitable to commence, and all sides will enter a period of peace for several months. The death of Xu Jingtang might change the situation."

Zhao Douan said, "Your Majesty speaks of Prince Hejian or Yanshan King?"

"Both," Xu Zhenguan explained: "Inside the court, there is speculation that the next move might be for these two rebels to negotiate peace with the court."

Negotiate peace? Zhao Douan raised an eyebrow, yet wasn’t surprised.

Prince Hejian in Xiping Road and Yanshan King in the northern Iron Pass Road both hadn’t seized those territories after several months.

Instead, they were locked in a stalemate with the court’s army.

Now the situation had changed, the two princes must reconsider whether they should continue fighting, ultimately risking being eliminated by the Empress.

Or sit back and watch the fight between the court and Prince Jing, hoping for mutual exhaustion, then picking up the pieces.

Or perhaps, while still facing the major threat of Prince Jing, attempt to sit at the negotiating table with the court, and through peace talks, seek benefits.

Considering that winter is approaching and the chill in Xiping and Iron Pass will halt warfare, the chance of peace talks is indeed considerable.