Starting as the heir of a marquis's mansion, I gained access to a summoning system.

The Imperial Study is located to the west of the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Passing through two palace gates, you will find a three-section courtyard.

Ancient cypress trees towered in the courtyard, covered in snow, creating a serene and solemn atmosphere. Two golden-armored guards stood at the entrance; upon seeing Dongfang Wudi arrive, they bowed and pushed open the vermilion gate.

The eunuch led Dongfang Wudi through the front hall to the study door, bowed, and said:

"My lord, His Majesty is waiting for you inside."

Having said that, he stepped aside and did not follow any further.

Dongfang Wudi pushed open the door and entered.

The Imperial Study wasn't very large, but its furnishings were elegant. To the north was a huge rosewood bookshelf, filled with ancient books and classics, layer upon layer, exuding a faint sandalwood fragrance.

A map hangs on the wall above the bookshelf, depicting the layout of the Eastern Continent of Tianxuan, but the most detailed depiction is of the Eastern Continent's mountains, rivers, cities, and passes. In front of the bookshelf is a wide rosewood desk, on which are placed writing brushes, ink, paper, and an untouched cup of tea.

Beneath the west-facing window was a low couch covered with a bright yellow cushion, and next to it stood a bronze incense burner, from which wisps of smoke rose, filling the air with the scent of ambergris.

Emperor Qin Muzhi was standing in front of the map, with his back to the door and his hands behind his back.

He had changed out of his bright yellow dragon robe and was now wearing a dark blue casual robe with a white jade belt around his waist. His hair was simply tied up with a jade hairpin and casually draped over his shoulders. Despite being over a hundred years old, he looked no more than forty. His face was as handsome as jade, and three long strands of beard hung down to his chest. His posture was as upright as a pine tree, and from behind, he looked like a man in his prime.

"Your Majesty," Dongfang Wudi bowed respectfully.

The emperor turned around, a genuine smile appearing on his gentle, jade-like face. He strode forward and patted Dongfang Wudi on the shoulder.

"Invincible, there's no need to be so polite when we're alone. Come, sit down."

He pointed to the brocade stool opposite the low couch, sat down on the low couch first, and picked up the small teapot next to him to pour two cups of tea.

Dongfang Wudi did not refuse, strode over and sat down, took the teacup and took a sip.

The tea is top-quality pre-rain Longjing, with a sweet and mellow taste and a long-lasting aftertaste.

He had known the emperor since childhood, and he married the emperor's sister, Qin Lanyin. The two were not only ruler and subject, but also related by marriage, and had an excellent personal relationship. In recent years, while he was stationed in the northern border, the emperor would summon him privately to reminisce whenever he returned to the capital to report on his duties.

"Your Majesty summoned me; is there some important matter?"

Dongfang Wudi put down his teacup and got straight to the point.

The emperor did not answer immediately. Instead, he picked up his teacup, gently blew on the tea foam, and slowly took a sip before saying, "Invincible, you have guarded the northern border for many years. Have there been any unusual movements from the barbarian tribes lately?"

Dongfang Wudi pondered for a moment and said, "Things have been relatively peaceful since the beginning of winter, but things may not be so peaceful after spring. The major barbarian tribes have been holding frequent alliances in the past six months, and it seems that someone is secretly colluding with them. My scouts have reported that several unfamiliar powerful figures have appeared among the barbarians, whose cultivation is no less than that of a Grandmaster, and whose origins are unknown."

The emperor nodded slightly, his gaze fixed on the teacup, his voice calm:

"It's not just the barbarians. The vassal kings in the west have also been making constant small moves these past few years. The people I sent to monitor them have already discovered several groups of messengers secretly contacting certain 'old guys'."

Dongfang Wudi frowned slightly: "Your Majesty means..."

"In recent years, some people have started to become restless."

The emperor raised his head, a cold glint flashing in his deep eyes. "Those bald monks at Wanfo Temple, those demons from the Heavenly Demon Sect, and those powerful families, the Four Extremes Sword Sect... they're all stirring up trouble."

He paused, then added, "And then there's the Zhenwu Dao Sect. According to the information I've received, the Zhenwu Dao Sect has been making frequent moves lately. Although they haven't explicitly stated their stance, given their resources and strength, if they were to have any ideas, it would be a huge problem."

Dongfang Wudi felt a chill run down his spine.

Wanfo Temple is the number one righteous sect in the Eastern Continent, with a history of hundreds of thousands of years and unfathomable depth. Tianmo Sect is a giant of the demonic path, known as one of the three major demonic sects along with Bailian Sect and Ming Palace. Although Bailian Sect and Ming Palace were severely damaged by Lu Moshen a hundred years ago, Tianmo Sect was unscathed and instead took the opportunity to absorb many small and medium-sized demonic forces, growing stronger in recent years.

The Four Extremes Sword Sect is not a single sect, but an alliance of the four most powerful sword sects in the Eastern Continent—the Eastern Extremes Sword Sect, the Western Extremes Sword Sect, the Southern Extremes Sword Sect, and the Northern Extremes Sword Sect, collectively known as the Four Extremes. Each sect has tens of thousands of years of heritage, and their swordsmanship is divine. When the four sects join forces, their strength is in no way inferior to that of the Ten Thousand Buddha Temple.

As for the Zhenwu Daoist Sect, it is a sacred Daoist site on par with the Wanfo Temple, enshrining the Zhenwu Emperor, and its lineage has also spanned hundreds of thousands of years. Daoists are detached from worldly affairs, focusing solely on cultivation, but if the world descends into chaos, the Zhenwu Daoist Sect will certainly not remain uninvolved. Their current inaction does not mean they will not act in the future.

"These forces were already..." Dongfang Wudi stopped midway through his sentence.

The emperor smiled, a smile tinged with bitterness:

"Are you saying that he was suppressed by the Demon God Lü a hundred years ago? Yes, one man with a halberd suppressed the entire martial world. Wanfo Temple was closed for ten years, the White Lotus Sect's headquarters was destroyed, and the Underworld Palace became a ruin... But a hundred years have passed, and those people have forgotten the pain."

He stood up, walked to the map, and slowly traced the mountains and rivers of the Eastern Continent with his finger: "Moreover, the situation is different now than it was a hundred years ago. News has come from the clan's territory—the world is about to undergo a great change, entering an unprecedented 'golden age'."

Dongfang Wudi suddenly stood up: "The Golden Age?"

He had naturally heard of this legend.

In ancient times, every tens of thousands of years, a spiritual energy tide would occur on the Tianxuan Continent. At that time, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth would be several times richer, the bottlenecks in martial arts would loosen, rare and precious materials would bloom everywhere, and countless geniuses would emerge like bamboo shoots after a spring rain. It was an era of great strife, and also a bloody and chaotic one.

"That's right." The emperor turned around, his gaze solemn. "The elders of the clan have confirmed that the spiritual energy tide will fully erupt within three years. At that time, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth will be three to five times more concentrated than it is now. The bottleneck for the Innate Realm to break through to the Grandmaster Realm will be greatly weakened, and the difficulty for the Grandmaster Realm to break through to the Great Grandmaster Realm will also be reduced. Even... the opportunity to break through to the level above the Great Grandmaster Realm may also appear."

Dongfang Wudi remained silent.

Breaking through to the level of Grandmaster—what kind of realm is that? Since the great war of the immortals millions of years ago, no one above the Grandmaster level has ever appeared on the Tianxuan Continent. The peak of the Grandmaster realm is the limit of humanity. If someone could truly break through that barrier, the entire continent's格局 (geju, a concept encompassing the overall structure, overall landscape, and overall situation) would be rewritten.

"So those people couldn't sit still anymore."

The emperor continued, his voice tinged with coldness, "What does the Golden Age mean? It means a reshuffling. The existing power structure will be broken, new strongmen will rise, and old overlords may fall. The Ten Thousand Buddha Temple, the Heavenly Demon Sect, the Four Extremes Sword Sect, the major families... they all want a share of the pie in the coming chaos."

"But aren't they afraid that Demon God Lü will strike again?"

Dongfang Wudi asked the question that had been on his mind the most.

That man, a hundred years ago, single-handedly suppressed the entire martial world with his halberd. The White Lotus Sect's headquarters was reduced to ruins, the Underworld Palace became a desolate tomb, and the Ten Thousand Buddha Temple was closed for ten years... After that battle, no one in the entire Eastern Continent dared to say "no" to the Xuan Tian Dynasty.

The emperor was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "He hasn't come out for a hundred years."

He walked to the window, pushed it open, and a cold wind carrying snowflakes drifted in. He gazed in the direction of the imperial tombs in the distance, his eyes deep and unfathomable.

"After my father passed away, he sat guarding the imperial mausoleum for a full hundred years without ever stepping out. No one knows what he is doing, and no one dares to disturb him."

Dongfang Wudi took a deep breath.

Although he did not personally experience that earth-shattering battle a hundred years ago, he had heard his elders in the family mention it countless times.

The Dongfang family is one of the oldest aristocratic families in the Xuantian Dynasty, with a history spanning ten thousand years and profound heritage.

With an ancestor presiding over the family, and the library preserving the manuscripts and oral histories of ancestors from past generations, he was familiar with these stories from a young age.