From street beggar to high-ranking official

The servants in the palace always imitated what they were taught: the foolish learned from the clever, the young learned from the old, the neglected learned from the favored, the old learned from the new, and the low-ranking officials learned from the high-ranking officials.

From top to bottom, from high to low, from good to new, layer by layer, innovation is brought forth.

Lu Li naturally followed suit. He learned from Xiao Fengzi and Xiao Yuzi, as well as from his godfather and Eunuch Zhao. Now he has memorized the sliding kneeling technique of his godson Xiao Chuanzi.

Living in the palace for a long time can lead to similar methods, personalities, and mindsets, which may be one of the reasons.

Lu Li inquired about the martial arts skills of the eunuchs from Xiao Chuanzi. He had only been in the palace for a year and could not accurately determine the strength levels of the other eunuchs.

The imperial palace is not some martial arts world from a storybook. Perhaps some inconspicuous sweeping eunuch is actually a peerless master. At the very least, Lu Li needs to confirm the specific situation of the eunuchs under his command.

The strength of the eunuchs in the Imperial Stables could be used as a reference. Even if he could use the Listening Ear Technique to confirm the physical strength of the eunuchs, who knew if they had practiced some kind of unorthodox or evil technique? He couldn't estimate their strength.

This possibility might be one in a hundred, but Lu Li has not forgotten the matter of Chengdu Prefecture.

If your target is a beggar who is paralyzed on one side, would you step forward and kill him with a knife, or would you secretly poison him?

If it were Lu Li, he would of course choose the latter. The same applies to the eunuchs in the palace. Lu Li had killed people several times before by taking advantage of their unpreparedness and using underhanded tricks. Even when he fought with Xiao Fengzi and Xiao Shunzi, he used words to stall for time.

After a moment's thought, Ogawa gave a general range.

For lower-ranking eunuchs to become stronger, the only way is through slow and steady progress. While it's true that martial arts techniques are not restricted within the palace, as long as you stay long enough, you can choose whatever techniques you want to learn, even rare first-grade techniques.

But that's all there is to it. Cultivating true qi sometimes requires a specific environment, elixirs, and supplements. Moreover, as a lowly eunuch without rank or grade, unless it's a sinecure, he might not have enough time to cultivate true qi. Therefore, most eunuchs eventually end up learning the "Sunflower Manual." Although it belongs to the same category of true qi cultivation as the "Netherworld Inner Landscape Manual," it is the most suitable method for eunuchs. Its grade is as high as the second rank. If it weren't for the restriction that one must castrate oneself before practicing this skill, it might even be ranked as the first rank.

If a eunuch diligently practices the "Sunflower Manual" for ten or twenty years, even if he has low aptitude and only has six of his seven orifices open, he still has a chance to become a first-class master as long as he perseveres.

In the martial arts world, top-tier masters are those who establish their own sects and become leaders. Their strength may still vary, but they can easily roam the martial arts world.

After careful consideration, Lu Li concluded that, according to Xiao Chuanzi, it was almost certain that more than half of the eunuchs in the palace knew the "Sunflower Manual" as long as they had a few years of experience. Some were unwilling to improve themselves, while others practiced techniques similar to acupressure and detoxification to serve the nobles.

Being strong in the palace is useless; it's better to learn other skills to serve the nobles and hope to rise to prominence one day. The Martial Arts Pavilion is full of old eunuchs who have been cultivating for many years. Their true energy is profound and their strength is unfathomable. Even if you are a peerless genius, you will still die if you encounter an old eunuch who has been cultivating for decades. Rather than fighting to the death, it is more useful to kneel down on the spot.

Kneeling and kowtowing is the first skill of a eunuch!

"If we judge them by the distance they travel when hitting the water, what level are these eunuchs?" Lu asked.

Only after asking this did I learn that most eunuchs would need several years of cultivation to reach the three-zhang level of water wave, because the cultivation of true qi always tends to slow down or even stagnate. So if there really was someone like Lu Li, who took the initiative to ask to go to the Hidden Martial Pavilion, he might have had a real chance.

Only then did Lu Li realize how valuable his first place in the martial arts examination among the newly promoted eunuchs of the Inner Palace in the twenty-third year of Yongxi was. Perhaps there really were cultivation geniuses like him in the Martial Arts Pavilion.

But once an opportunity is missed, it is missed. Even if Lu Li offered to work as a lowly ninth-rank eunuch at the Hidden Martial Pavilion, his godfather would not agree.

Lu Li continued to ask, taking the opportunity to steer the conversation toward the eunuchs of the Hidden Martial Pavilion. He inquired about the talent level of these ninth-rank eunuchs who were all on duty at the Hidden Martial Pavilion, and how they compared to ordinary eunuchs.

Xiao Chuanzi didn't explain this in detail, but compared it to himself, and said that he hadn't yet broken through the threshold of entering the seventh rank.

Once true qi enters the body and circulates successfully, one can be called a ninth-rank individual, regardless of strength. The eighth-rank individual is one in which true qi protects the entire body, while the seventh-rank individual can use true qi to nourish and temper the internal organs. For ordinary people, it is much more difficult to reach the sixth-rank individual, but the difficulty for eunuchs lies in the threshold of reaching the seventh-rank individual.

Therefore, many eunuchs who had been in the palace for several years were only at the eighth rank in terms of power.

Xiao Chuanzi didn't say it explicitly, but Lu Li understood what Qian'er meant.

Once a person reaches the eighth rank and achieves perfection, they can use their true qi to protect all parts of their body. This is also the most basic requirement for true qi to temper the internal organs. After entering the seventh rank, one can work more and sleep less, and will not wake up from nightmares while sleeping. However, eunuchs lack a vital point after birth, so entering the seventh rank is more difficult than entering the sixth rank from the seventh rank.

......

He told Xiao Chuanzi to go back to patrol the night. Lu Li sat cross-legged on the futon and used his true energy. Strands of true energy circulated through his meridians throughout his body. The true energy protected his whole body as if he were wearing an invisible armor, but he lowered his eyes slightly.

That's the real flaw!

Lu Li pondered carefully. The *You Ting Nei Jing Jue* and the *Sunflower Manual* were both cultivation methods for disabled people. However, the latter was more suitable for eunuchs. If he continued to cultivate, perhaps he could still overcome this barrier with his own talent.

Our family is different from ordinary people. While others' cultivation slows down, our family's cultivation is getting faster and faster. Even though the threshold still exists, as long as we are given time to realize this talent, we will surely be able to stand out among the twelve directorates of the Inner Palace one day.

Without hesitation, Lu Li, recognizing that the quiet of the night was the perfect time for cultivation, focused his mind and continued circulating his energy to accelerate his progress.

......

After a few more days, Lu Li had become familiar with his daily duties and responsibilities.

Aside from important matters, Director Xie of the Palace Guard rarely gave his adopted sons any special orders. They were just expected to do their jobs diligently. However, more and more hands were reaching out to the Palace Guard.

On the first day, Lu Li encountered Xiao Shanzi from the Imperial Kitchen. He had met this young eunuch once before. Xiao Shanzi took the initiative to approach Lu Li with silver, saying that he wanted to know about Consort Wu's daily life.

The next day, he ran into the eunuch from the Imperial Household Department who had once delivered tea to him. The eunuch was very frank and handed Lu a box of new tea, saying that if Eunuch Lu had time, he should come and visit the Imperial Household Department more often.

This was still considered good; at least Lu Li had met the eunuchs, and he even encountered people from the Imperial Household Department looking for him.

The eunuch oversaw the repairs of the palaces and the construction of the gardens, and subtly inquired with Lu Li about whether Consort Wu found her stay at Jingyang Palace comfortable recently.

"They're really grasping at straws when they're desperate!" Lu Li cursed inwardly, still using inappropriate language.

Consort Wu is already pregnant, and her mind is easily agitated, so she cannot tolerate any construction work. She didn't bother with anything before, but now she's come here asking if we need to repair the palace. I'm afraid that if she brings stones and timber into the palace and starts hammering and banging, she'll be arrested and flogged as soon as she arrives.

Of course, even if you curse in your heart, you still have to take the money.

Even though Lu Li had not yet won the favor of Consort Wu, he had already amassed a considerable fortune simply by relying on Jingyang Palace.

The saying goes, "No one gets rich without unexpected wealth."