From the fake emperor to the concubine

"How long will it take to complete?"

"If we have enough materials, it will take about ten days," Zheng Hongzhi said.

“Alright, continue your research,” Zheng Yi said. “This formation is very important; if done well, it can be used to protect the residence.”

“Yes,” Zheng Hongzhi replied.

After explaining things to everyone, Zheng Yi went out and headed towards the Hundred Refinement Workshop.

The Hundred Refinement Workshop was as bustling as ever, with a constant stream of people coming and going. Zheng Yi went in, gave his name to the shop assistant, and was soon led to Tie Wushuang's weapon-refining room.

The weapon-refining room was located in the backyard of the Hundred Refining Workshop, and it was a spacious room. In the center of the room stood a huge weapon-refining furnace, with a roaring fire and billowing heat. The walls were covered with all kinds of weapon-refining tools, such as hammers, pliers, and files.

Tie Wushuang stood in front of the forging furnace, holding a hammer and intently hammering something. His forehead was covered in sweat, and his expression was focused, as if the whole world was irrelevant to him.

“Master Tie,” Zheng Yi called out.

Tie Wushuang looked up and saw that it was Zheng Yi, a smile appearing on his face.

“You’ve come.” He put down his hammer and walked away from the furnace. “You’ve come at the right time; your magical artifact is now complete.”

"So fast?" Zheng Yi was somewhat surprised. "Wasn't it supposed to take a month?"

“It was originally supposed to take a month,” Tie Wushuang said, “but the Xuan Tian Mo Yu you gave me was of such high quality that the refining went much more smoothly than I expected. So it was completed ahead of schedule.”

He walked to a cabinet by the wall, opened the cabinet door, and took out an exquisite box from inside.

"Take a look." He handed the box to Zheng Yi.

Zheng Yi took the box, opened it, and his eyes lit up immediately.

Inside the box was a black bracelet. The bracelet was entirely black, yet faint starlight seemed to flow within it, as if it contained a starry sky. Its surface was smooth as a mirror, radiating a faint fluctuation of spiritual energy; it was clearly no ordinary item.

"Is this a spatial artifact crafted from Xuan Tian Mo Yu?" Zheng Yi asked.

“That’s right.” Tie Wushuang nodded. “I named it the ‘Sumeru Bracelet.’ This bracelet has an internal space with a capacity roughly equivalent to a small mountain. You can put anything inside and take it out whenever you want.”

"The Sumeru Bracelet," Zheng Yi murmured the name as he put the bracelet on his wrist.

The moment he put on the bracelet, he felt a warm spiritual energy emanating from it, merging with his own. At the same time, he gained a spatial awareness—the storage space inside the bracelet.

He tried to probe that space with his divine sense and found that it was indeed very large, at least a hundred feet in diameter, many times larger than an ordinary storage bag.

“Excellent.” He nodded in satisfaction. “Master Tie’s craftsmanship is indeed superb.”

"This piece of Xuan Tian Mo Yu is of such high quality that I was just going with the flow," Tie Wushuang said. "By the way, this bracelet also has a special function."

"What functions?"

"It can conceal its presence," Tie Wushuang said. "As long as you put something inside the bracelet, no one outside can sense it. Even if someone uses their divine sense to probe, they can only see an ordinary bracelet, not the storage space inside."

Zheng Yi's eyes lit up. "This feature is very useful."

“Yes,” Tie Wushuang laughed, “If you have any treasures you don’t want others to know about, just put them in the bracelet. That will guarantee their safety.”

Zheng Yi thanked him, paid the remaining balance, and then took his leave.

After leaving the Hundred Refinement Workshop, he looked down at the Sumeru Bracelet on his wrist and felt very satisfied.

Although the bracelet cost him a lot of money, it was definitely worth it. With it, he could carry a lot of supplies and treasures with him, making his movements much more convenient.

"Next, it's time to go to the Vientiane Tower," he thought to himself.

The Myriad Manifestations Pavilion is located in the western district of Tianyuan City. It is a tall pavilion with seven floors, each with a different function. The first floor is for ordinary intelligence trading, the second floor is for high-level intelligence trading, the third floor is for talent introduction, and the floors above are VIP areas, accessible only to those with sufficient status.

Zheng Yi arrived at the entrance of Wanxiang Building, looked up at the gleaming golden plaque, and then stepped inside.

The main hall of Wanxiang Tower was vast and lavishly decorated, even more luxurious than Tianbao Pavilion. In the center of the hall stood a huge crystal ball, within which light and shadow subtly shifted, seemingly revealing some intelligence.

A young woman dressed in blue came forward with a professional smile on her face.

"Welcome to Wanxiang Restaurant, sir. How may I help you?"

“I’d like to learn more about our talent referral service,” Zheng Yi said.

"So you're here to see someone, young master," the woman said with a smile. "Please follow me; the talent introduction is on the third floor."

She led Zheng Yi up the stairs to the third floor.

The third floor is different from the first floor, being quieter and more private. Small rooms line both sides of the corridor, each with a guard standing at its door.

The woman led Zheng Yi to one of the rooms and invited him to sit down.

"Please wait a moment, sir. Someone will be here to serve you shortly." With that, she turned and left.

Zheng Yi sat in the room, looking around at his surroundings.

The room wasn't large, but it was tastefully decorated. Several landscape paintings hung on the walls, a few potted plants sat in the corner, and there was a comfortable chaise lounge and a tea table. Tea sets and snacks were laid out on the tea table, clearly prepared for the guests.

A moment later, the door was pushed open, and a middle-aged man dressed in a purple robe walked in.

The middle-aged man was about forty years old, with a goatee and shrewd eyes, looking like a seasoned businessman.

"Young master, I am Zhao Mingyuan, the manager of the third floor of Wanxiang Restaurant," the middle-aged man introduced himself. "I heard you are looking for someone?"

“Yes,” Zheng Yi nodded, “I want to recruit some experts.”

"What kind of expert does the young master want?" Zhao Mingyuan asked.

"Those at the Integration Realm or above, preferably in the late Integration Realm or the Great Ascension Realm," Zheng Yi said. "There's no limit to the number; the more, the better."

After listening, Zhao Mingyuan showed a troubled expression.

“Young master, please forgive my bluntness,” he said, “Experts at the late stage of the Integration Realm and the Great Ascension Realm are scarce resources in the Tianyuan Domain. They either already have affiliations or have established their own sects; very few are willing to serve as guards for others.”

“I know,” Zheng Yi said. “That’s why I came to Wanxiang Tower. I heard they have a lot of information on experts, which could help me find suitable candidates.” “That’s true,” Zhao Mingyuan said. “Wanxiang Tower has been in the intelligence business for so many years, and they do have information on many experts. But recruiting them requires paying a price.”

"What price?" Zheng Yi asked.

“First and foremost, it’s about money,” Zhao Mingyuan said. “Experts command high prices, and you need to be able to afford to recruit them. Generally speaking, an expert in the late-stage Integration Realm earns at least 500,000 spirit stones annually. An expert in the Great Ascension Realm earns at least one million spirit stones annually.”

“Secondly, there’s trust,” Zhao Mingyuan continued. “Experts are very proud and won’t easily become bodyguards. Even if they can afford the price, they will assess the employer’s character and capabilities. If they feel the employer is unreliable, they’d rather not take the job.”

"Finally, it's about opportunity," Zhao Mingyuan said. "Even with money and trust, you might not be able to recruit anyone. Because the number of truly skilled people is limited; often, even with money, you can't find the right people."

Zheng Yi nodded after listening.

He understood everything Zhao Mingyuan said. Experts are a scarce resource, and recruiting them is indeed not easy.

“I understand,” he said, “but I still want to give it a try. Do you have any suitable candidates here?”

Zhao Mingyuan hesitated for a moment, then said, "Please wait a moment, young master, while I go and retrieve some documents."

He turned and left, and returned shortly afterward with a stack of booklets.

"This is some information on experts that our Wanxiang Tower has." He placed the booklet on the coffee table. "Young master, you can take a look and see if there are any suitable candidates."

Zheng Yi picked up the booklet and began to read it.

The booklet contains information on many experts, including their names, cultivation levels, specialties, and characteristics. However, most of them are at the early or middle stages of the Integration Realm, with very few at the late stage and even fewer at the Mahayana Realm.

Zheng Yi looked through them and picked out a few people.

The first one was a burly man named "Iron Mountain," whose cultivation level was at the late stage of the Integration Realm. He was skilled in close combat and possessed immense strength. It was said that he had once been a captain in a mercenary group, but left in anger after a conflict with the leader. Now he was a freelancer, taking on jobs wherever he could.

The second is a woman named "Wind Chime," whose cultivation level is at the late stage of the Integration Realm. She is skilled in assassination and intelligence gathering. It is said that she was once a member of an assassination organization, but the organization was destroyed, and she escaped by chance. Since then, she has lived in anonymity, occasionally taking on jobs to make a living.

The third was an old man named "Qingsong," whose cultivation was at the early stage of the Mahayana realm. He was skilled in formations and alchemy. It was said that he was once an elder of a sect, but after the sect declined, he chose to leave and travel around. Now he was old and wanted to find a peaceful place to retire.

"What do you think of these three people, young master?" Zhao Mingyuan asked.

“Iron Mountain and Wind Chime are both good,” Zheng Yi said, “but since this Green Pine is a master of the Mahayana Realm, and skilled in formations and alchemy, why is he willing to be someone’s bodyguard?”

“Senior Qingsong’s situation is rather special,” Zhao Mingyuan explained. “After his sect was destroyed, he wandered from place to place without a fixed abode. He’s getting old and doesn’t want to wander anymore; he wants to find a stable place to retire. As long as his employer can provide a stable environment, he’s willing to serve.”

Zheng Yi nodded, thinking that Qingsong was a suitable candidate.

He is a master at the early stage of the Mahayana realm, and is also skilled in formations and alchemy. If he can be recruited, he will be of great help to Wang Tianhai.

“I’d like to meet all three of them,” he said. “I wonder if it could be arranged?”

“Of course,” Zhao Mingyuan said. “However, I must remind you, young master, that meeting them is only the first step. Whether you can recruit them depends on whether you can move them.”

“I understand,” Zheng Yi said.

“Very well, I’ll make the arrangements right away,” Zhao Mingyuan said. “Please come again at this time tomorrow, young master. I will invite them all here.”

“Okay.” Zheng Yi nodded.

He paid a referral fee and then took his leave.

By the time we left the Wanxiang Building, it was already dark.

As the sun set, the sky was bathed in a golden-red glow. The streets gradually thinned out, and shops began to close. The air was filled with the aroma of food; someone was preparing dinner.

Zheng Yi did not return to his residence, but instead found a secluded place in the city to begin his cultivation.

He'd been busy helping Wang Tianhai these past few days, leaving him with much less time for cultivation. Now that he finally had some free time, he decided to cultivate properly.

He found a quiet grove of trees and sat down cross-legged under a large tree.

A gentle night breeze blew by, bringing a touch of coolness. The leaves rustled softly, as if whispering secrets. Moonlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

Zheng Yi closed his eyes and began to circulate his internal energy.

He is currently at the mid-stage of the Mahayana Realm, still some distance from the late stage. However, his cultivation speed is rapid, and he makes progress every day. If he can find a suitable opportunity, he may be able to break through soon.

His spiritual energy flowed slowly through his body, circulating along his meridians before converging into his dantian. The spiritual energy in his dantian grew increasingly dense, like a vast ocean.

After cultivating for about an hour, Zheng Yi opened his eyes.

He felt that his cultivation had improved again. Although he had not yet broken through, he was not far from it.

"If only I could have some rare pills or materials to help me," he thought to himself.

Suddenly, he remembered something.

He took out a purple stone from the Sumeru Bracelet, which was the Purple Lightning Stone he had bought at the auction.

The purple lightning stone contains powerful lightning energy and can be used to set up lightning-based formations or to assist in the cultivation of lightning-based techniques.

Although Zheng Yi's cultivation technique is not purely lightning-based, it does contain elements related to lightning. If he could use the purple lightning stone to aid his cultivation, it might accelerate his breakthrough.

He held the purple lightning stone in his hand, closed his eyes, and began to try to absorb the lightning power within it.

The lightning power within the Purple Lightning Stone is extremely violent, beyond the control of ordinary people. However, Zheng Yi's cultivation is profound and his spiritual power is abundant, allowing him to barely control it.

He carefully guided the power of lightning into his body, allowing it to circulate along his meridians.

The power was like a raging electric dragon, rampaging through his meridians and causing waves of intense pain. But Zheng Yi gritted his teeth, forcibly suppressing the power and slowly integrating it into his own spiritual energy.

Time passed bit by bit.

After an unknown amount of time, Zheng Yi finally absorbed a portion of the lightning power within the Purple Lightning Stone.

He opened his eyes and saw lightning flashing all around him, with streaks of purple electricity leaping across his body before gradually dissipating.

"I succeeded." He was secretly delighted. (End of Chapter)