CHAPTER 522: CHAPTER 204: RETURN

Two days later.

Arriving at the Imperial City.

Zhang Feng and the State Preceptor completely ignored the prohibition against flying in the airspace over the Imperial City.

"Greetings, Senior Qingshan... State Preceptor..."

Including the few patrolling Golden Core cultivators in the sky at that moment, when they saw Zhang Feng and the State Preceptor, perhaps because they had received some secret order, they only offered their salutations, with no intention of barring their path.

"Senior..."

Moreover, one of them, after saluting, hinted subtly in the direction of the royal palace.

Following his guidance, Zhang Feng looked over and saw that the royal palace had perhaps been expanded.

It was far larger than the historical royal palace.

Spanning twenty miles long and seventeen miles wide.

Including this Imperial City, it stretched a hundred miles in both length and width.

The city walls were ten meters thick, over fifty meters high, entirely built with huge stones, and embedded with magic and spirit stones.

Foundation Establishment cultivators occasionally patrolled the walls, responsible for repairs and related tasks.

Such a majestic city left Zhang Feng deeply shaken.

Even though he himself was a Golden Core, such thoughts should not have arisen, but he had truly never seen or imagined that the world would develop defensive structures in this way.

However, upon careful consideration, although this defense could not withstand Golden Core cultivators, it could indeed prevent a normal military siege.

In the event of a large battle, if all high-level cultivators perished and the walls remained intact, with Foundation Establishment cultivators able to repair the city walls, and without the use of strategies like ’catapulting corpses’ or ’spreading plague’, it seemed few could conquer such a city.

Because inside the city were vast farmlands and livestock, it was a city within a city structure, ensuring self-sufficiency.

Such a grand city and large population even made Zhang Feng wish to become the City Lord and engage in an ’Age of Empires’-like farming war.

The emperor had truly planned it well.

Zhang Feng greatly desired to claim it for himself.

...

A moment later, they arrived at the royal palace.

Zhang Feng, having lived in the palace twice before, found nothing new to see inside.

Even though this palace was larger and concealed many Golden Core experts in hiding.

It was truly not as impressive as the city outside.

Reflecting on this while walking alongside the State Preceptor, they arrived in the vicinity of the imperial study.

"Heavenly Master!"

An excited voice called out from afar.

Zhang Feng saw a middle-aged man in dragon robes striding quickly towards them.

He was the emperor of the Shang Dynasty.

Having just heard a transmission indicating that ’Heavenly Master Zhang’ had arrived at the palace, he hurried over to greet him.

The term "Heavenly Master" was a short form for ’Teacher of the World.’

At the same time.

Not only had the emperor arrived, but within three to four seconds.

He was joined by several elders in prince’s attire, and a middle-aged man in crown prince’s attire.

This middle-aged man’s temples were already white, appearing older than the emperor.

And this Crown Prince was actually the emperor’s grandson.

Zhang Feng had heard slight mention from the State Preceptor on the way.

"This old man is outliving all the princes and grandchildren."

Seeing the crowd coming to greet him, Zhang Feng found it amusing and thought that this is what a long-lived emperor is like.

He could very well be seated on the dragon throne for several centuries.

If his descendants did not reach a significant level, they were destined to be outlived.

Yet this indirectly filtered those princes and grandsons with high aptitude as the next successor.

Otherwise, in a world where martial strength prevails, if the emperor were an ordinary person.

Cultivators might not submit to him.

This created a unique cultural product in this world.

An emperor could be not-so-smart or somewhat muddle-headed, but the prerequisite was that he must be a cultivator.

As long as he was a cultivator, even if not bright, with the assistance of ministers, under the influence of long life, at least he wouldn’t be too foolish.

This world indirectly emphasized the importance and correlation of longevity and learning.

Zhang Feng’s visit today aimed to see the world’s secrets and to observe the power structure in a martial world, subsequently summarizing experiences to see if there was any significant inconsistency with his arrangements in reality.

If there were, he would correct them; if not, he would continue as is.

Upon viewing today, the Shang Dynasty’s stability under this model, and his own structure for longevity and learning appeared correct.

...

The imperial study.

The emperor and others had invited Zhang Feng to this place.

Shortly after, the best spiritual tea from the National Treasury was served.

The emperor and others stood around, smiling.

Yet Zhang Feng sat at the main seat, becoming the master of the place.

This was due to the State Preceptor quietly transmitting to the emperor that he might reach the Nascent Soul stage.

These whispers were overheard by Zhang Feng.

Thus, normal conversation turned into an exchange with a clear hierarchy of ’master and subordinates.’

Looking at those princes and Crown Prince eagerly seeking favor from him.

Zhang Feng knew that if he spoke a few words to them, they would feel they had connected themselves to him.

Then the stage would be set for a political drama.

He had become everyone’s ’core.’

Sixty years of cultivation in secrecy sought precisely such leverage.

Moreover, Zhang Feng realized that perhaps only in a growing world could such a scenario unfold.

As the text hinted of a ’seventh-level world, possessing extraordinary traits and catastrophes.’

This left Zhang Feng with the impression that the upcoming world might not remain so comfortable.

"The manuals and insights from the cultivator sects." Zhang Feng thought to himself, not delaying, directly asking the emperor and others: "Please have someone retrieve them."