Infinite Mask Game.

Chapter 381 Best Match

Five days later, at the Imperial Palace.

Snow had been falling heavily for days, and a layer of frost covered the glazed tiles of the Xuanji Palace.

Just past noon, the sky was a gloomy gray-blue.

Inside the quiet room of the Imperial Garden, only Wei Miao and Lu Shaoqing were present.

The little black dragon lazily perched on Wei Miao's shoulder.

Two statues of gods were placed on the ground in front of them.

One of them was a faceless deity, wearing a brocade robe and a floral handkerchief, with a round belly and carrying two crossed battle flags on his back, the inscriptions of which were unreadable.

This is the faceless god cultivated by Lu Shaoqing.

The other statue resembles a female fairy, sitting cross-legged on a blooming nine-petaled lotus, dressed in light gauze, with eight arms each holding a magical implement. According to legend, these implements are the Heavenly Mirror, Earth-Binding Seal, Pure Water Bottle, Fire Banner, Heavenly Thunder, Mountain-Panning Lock, Wind-Turning Wheel, and Azure Auspicious Fungus, corresponding to the Eight Trigrams.

The statue has two faces: the front is kind and peaceful, while the back face is blue-faced and fanged, resembling a demon.

Although its appearance is strange, it gives people the feeling of an ordinary statue, without that dazzling charm.

These are useless statues that Lu Shaoqing has had collected over the past few days, with the honorific title "True Immortal of the Eight Extremes Pivot".

The term "useless idol" is what martial artists call certain ineffective idols. There are some strange idols in the world that, although they were previously available for martial artists to contemplate, after a certain point, they can no longer distribute heart seeds, regardless of whether the aptitude recipient has completed the worship ritual.

Some speculate that the gods may have exhausted their power and could no longer provide material for people to contemplate.

But the truth is quite the opposite. This is because the thoughts within have accumulated enough power to transcend this plane and step into the void.

A few days ago, Wei Miao met with Lu Shaoqing and selectively told him some of the secrets about the statue.

She intends to fulfill Lu Shaoqing's long-cherished wish and make him the first martial artist to transcend the Seven Sects.

The selection of Lu Shaoqing was based on a variety of considerations.

She had limited resources to support multiple experiments, so she needed to find the person most likely to succeed. This person had to have a strong enough will, trust her, and have the courage to undertake an unprecedented attempt, even at the risk of annihilation if they failed.

Lu Shaoqing endured many years of hardship during his time as a prince, and even after becoming one of the Seven Lords, he still harbored ambitions, but he lacked the means to achieve them.

When Wei Miao told him that he might fail, he laughed and said, "I have already obtained everything that everyone in the world envies: the throne, power, wealth... All I want in my life is strength. To tell you the truth, when I started the rebellion, I thought that with the power and status of a vassal king, it would be difficult to seek a path above the Seven Sects. Only the throne of the emperor, with all the resources in the world at my disposal, could I obtain new opportunities."

He looked intently at Wei Miao: "But I later discovered that even emperors have things they can't do... but you can. I don't know why you're afraid to take the risk, but since you're willing to give me this opportunity, how can I let it go?"

Wei Miao's reasoning at the time was that a healer cannot heal himself. Unless someone could inherit her skills, she had no hope of rising above the Seven Sects.

Lu Shaoqing possesses exceptional overall qualities and is willing to cooperate with her. Moreover, her current position is inseparable from Lu Shaoqing's support.

The Secret Service is a powerful and important force, a perfect ally during the main storyline, allowing her to fully control the situation while leaving the dirty work to her subordinates.

If it were during a major epidemic, and the emperor were to interfere and act as if he were a micromanagement master, she would find it very difficult to get things done.

But Lu Shaoqing's hands-off approach to raising the animals perfectly suited her taste.

After deciding to give it a try, Lu Shaoqing made many arrangements in the following days that puzzled his ministers. First, he told the Crown Prince that he intended to pursue a higher realm and that the prince should prepare himself. The Crown Prince was terrified but dared not say much, for he knew Lu Shaoqing's unwavering dedication to cultivation.

Secondly, he summoned several important ministers and asked them to take good care of the crown prince, which had the implication of entrusting the young prince to someone else. The ministers had some idea of ​​what was going on and naturally agreed.

In the past few days, he has been so diligent that he changed emperors and made arrangements for all matters under heaven, especially the transfer of power.

Thirdly, he drafted his will. Just before entering the meditation room, he clearly handed over the will to the crown prince and several important ministers to witness it together.

Because regardless of success or failure, he could not live on as Lu Shaoqing. Therefore, he made arrangements for his affairs after his death.

As for what the crown prince and his ministers thought, that was none of his concern. He had already decided to relinquish the throne, solely to seize the opportunity to ascend to a higher position.

Lu Shaoqing is willing to bet as long as there is a definite possibility. He knows exactly what he wants.

At this moment, the soft light of the luminous pearl shone on the two of them. When they lowered their heads, half of their faces were hidden in the shadows, making them even more eerie than the statues.

Lu Shaoqing, dressed in casual clothes, sat cross-legged and said, "I'm ready."

He has adjusted himself to his best condition.

Wei Miao responded and looked at the little black dragon.

It stood up and exhaled a golden-black halo from its mouth.

It is one of Dantalian's legacies. After testing it out, because the enhancement effect could not be retained permanently, Wei Miao entrusted it to the little black dragon, consciously preparing for a side quest.

Lu Shaoqing had already learned all the steps from Wei Miao, so he stepped forward without hesitation and touched the halo.

A golden-black light, imbued with rich spiritual power, seeped into his body from his palm and eventually flowed into his soul.

Martial artists, under the influence of the "Heart Seed," possess a soul, making them easy targets for exploitation. However, without the corresponding methods, martial artists may not even sense the existence of a soul, nor understand the concept of a soul.

In fact, since all their power comes from their inner demons, martial artists' souls are extremely weak, only at the level of mortals.

Among the statues that have been unveiled, none of them have released their soul techniques, as no one wants any accidents to happen during the harvest.

After the soul power entered his body, Lu Shaoqing felt that his mind had never been so clear, and he felt relieved.

He had long been under mental pressure from his inner demons and had no choice but to use opera to numb his personality and release stress.

The deity he visualized was the "Seven Demons," a deity of extremely high level. The inner demons possessed multiple characteristics, the key being "emotions." The Seven Demons correspond to the seven emotions: joy, anger, worry, thought, grief, fear, and shock.

Because the power of his inner demons was too strong, he teetered on the edge of losing control every day, maintaining a delicate balance through acting and strong self-control.

When performing for all beings on stage, he releases all kinds of emotions, which is his way of fighting against the erosion of his inner demons.

Now, he feels that the corrosive power of his inner demons has decreased to an acceptable level, and he can now abandon the aid of opera and suppress his inner demons solely through willpower.

Wei Miao communicated with the cross-shaped double pupils in her mind and nodded secretly. The little black dragon was composed of ten thousand souls and had a strong perception of souls, which made it easy for it to confirm Lu Shaoqing's condition.

After initially strengthening Lu Shaoqing's soul, the next step is to suppress his inner demons, allowing Lu Shaoqing to devour the fragment of the God of Freedom and become even stronger.

Now the little black dragon has made its appearance.