"Minister of Works."

After Jiang Li left Ziwei Hall, he immediately saw Yang Yan, Zhu Huian's proud disciple, waiting outside and saluting Jiang Li.

Zhu Huian was not officially holding a position in the court, yet he was indeed Jiang Li's right-hand man in the court. Built upon personal connections and Jiang Li's authority, they formed Jiang Li's foundation in the court.

This foundation wasn't part of the Gongsun family's influence, nor was it the Princess's faction, but uniquely belonged to Jiang Li.

Yang Yan was a key component of this foundation, responsible for carrying out Zhu Huian's tasks in the court.

Upon seeing Yang Yan waiting outside, Jiang Li knew that Zhu Huian had discovered something.

"Minister of Works," Yang Yan spoke softly, "Yesterday, the Princess fetched a batch of treasure medicine from the Minor Mansion and also instructed the Southern Heavenly Bureau to gather medicinal materials. This morning, the Divine Travel Grand Protector from the Southern Heavenly Bureau contacted subordinate bureaus in various provinces, attempting to purchase treasure medicine from local families."

"I see." Jiang Li nodded.

The Minor Mansion handles finances, managing private assets for the Royal Family and also overseeing tax collection. The Princess likely entrusted some private assets to the Minor Mansion, as this was a standard practice for the royal clan.

This matter didn't sound particularly unusual, but the Princess typically invested assets collected by the Minor Mansion into the Southern Heavenly Bureau, seldom using them personally.

This person was undoubtedly wealthy, perhaps not as much as Tianxuan, but certainly sufficient for her cultivation expenses.

Suddenly fetching treasure medicine from the Minor Mansion seemed abrupt, which immediately caught Yang Yan's attention.

When mentioning treasure medicine, Jiang Li immediately thought of the Divine Farmer's Hundred Herbs saga handed to the Princess yesterday. At the time, he believed the Princess was simply persistent, but it seemed now that the Princess knew Qi Tomb could not be practiced.

However, the Princess still fetched treasure medicine, indicating she had successfully cultivated Innate Qi and was familiarizing herself with its medicinal properties for future use.

Why is that?

'It's still for the sake of her dear brother.' Jiang Li felt a slight toothache.

The Princess must have already realized she couldn't cultivate Innate Qi.

Furthermore, Jiang Li estimated she was able to confirm this because she sensed the truth of Tianxuan, Gongsun Qingyue, and Primordial Lord Rain Master cultivating Innate Qi.

Others might not know, but Feng Manlou surely knew.

Or rather, the Princess believed Feng Manlou could deduce the fundamental reason non-Jiang family members could cultivate Innate Qi.

In this scenario, the Princess pretended to cultivate Innate Qi...

'After all, being regarded as the Deputy and Chief of the Southern Heavenly Bureau, he would definitely leave no stone unturned. The Princess's actions couldn't be hidden from Feng Manlou; in fact, she wanted Feng Manlou to know she was studying the Divine Farmer's Hundred Herbs.' Jiang Li had already untangled the underlying relationships.

Having deduced this, it wasn't hard to guess why the Princess remained expressionless when he previously informed the Great Venerable of the news.

The Princess seemed to have a connection with the Minister of Works, yet the Long Prince Consort showed no reaction and left the Divine Capital. Under such circumstances, the Princess merely exhibited indifference, which was already remarkable.

"There's no need to mind this matter."

Jiang Li sighed lightly in his heart, but outwardly spoke in a deep voice, "The Princess is my sister-in-law, and I do not wish for you to secretly investigate her actions."

As Zhu Huian's student, Yang Yan was certainly part of the Iron-blooded Sikong Party, which was determined to promote Jiang Li to the throne, hence he paid extra attention to the royal clan's movements.

Although the Princess supported Jiang Li, she was the leader of the Ji family, thereby prompting Yang Yan's vigilance.

Yet such actions slightly violated Jiang Li's taboos.

"I don't need you making choices for me." He glanced at Yang Yan indifferently, releasing a hint of Qi mechanism.

In an instant, Yang Yan felt as if he had fallen into hell, overwhelmed by boundless fear welling up within him, rendering his entire body trembling.

Jiang Li relied heavily on his capable subordinates, but no matter how capable they were, they couldn't presume to make decisions for those above.

Yang Yan's covert investigation of the Princess was somewhat presumptuous.

After speaking, Jiang Li departed, leaving Yang Yan standing there, struggling to quell his trembling for a long while.

······

······

After leaving Ziwei Hall, Jiang Li did not immediately exit the palace but first went to Suhua Palace, assuming the posture of visiting Tianxuan.

Naturally, he didn't meet Tianxuan at Suhua Palace, only encountering Elder Tianquan and Elder Yuheng guarding outside the palace.

Jiang Li conversed with the two elders for a while, attempting to persuade them against performing such laborious duties, to which they firmly refused.

Only afterward did Jiang Li leave the Imperial City and return to the Jiang family territory.

In the past, Jiang Li didn't need to worry about these matters; Tianxuan handled connections while the Princess managed political affairs. But now, the situation was different, and Jiang Li couldn't be as carefree.

It can only be said that, as a man bearing the Great Zhou on his shoulders and harboring the myriad worlds of Nine Provinces in his heart, Minister Jiang has too many matters requiring his attention.

When he returned to the family territory and arrived at his own residence, Tianxuan and Gongsun Qingyue had already risen and were in the courtyard receiving the Power of the Sun.

The Star Domain quietly integrated into the surrounding space, preventing outsiders from entering and from seeing the scene within. Meanwhile, Tianxuan and Gongsun Qingyue, master and disciple, practiced in the courtyard with Tianxuan's assistance, channeling the Power of the Sun from the Divine Farmer's Cauldron into Gongsun Qingyue's body.

When Jiang Li approached, the master and disciple both gave him a synchronized white-eye, remaining silent while continuing to draw in the power of the sun.

Yesterday, Jiang Li seized the opportunity and launched a massive offensive while his master and senior sister were unable to defend themselves effectively, leading millions of soldiers in a sweeping victory, leaving the two fairies utterly defeated. That morning, Jiang Li went to court brimming with energy, while the two were still brooding over how he took advantage of their weakness.

However, Jiang Li had his own ingenious plan.

"In a couple of days, once the court affairs stabilize, I will secretly head to the Buddha Country. Before that, I will first summon the Golden Crow Dao Fruit to assist Senior Sister with the Three-Phases Transformation Skill," Jiang Li said solemnly.

With matters turning to serious business, the master and disciple had to put their petty treatment of Jiang Li aside. Besides, having recently gotten married, even a temporary separation was enough to soften their attitude.

It hadn't really been a cold war, and it was even less appropriate for it to turn into one now.

"Is the situation in the Buddha Country changing that quickly?" Tianxuan asked with a frown.

"It's actually been slow. The Awakened has likely been suppressing it deliberately until I finished my affairs here before he let loose," Jiang Li replied. "Moreover, the Great Venerable has also left the Divine Capital today, and the Daoist Lord has set off to the west."

Once these two arrive, the Buddha Country is bound to descend into chaos, even if it wasn't already.

Upon hearing this, Tianxuan sighed softly and said, "Too bad, I thought we could use Ling Guang to restrain the Great Venerable."

Don't bother restraining the Great Venerable; just don't drag me into it.

Jiang Li recalled his earlier discovery and couldn't help but feel a bit resentful in his heart.

Unbeknownst to him, he had inadvertently offended a great brother in the void and was still fretting about it.

Yet, he couldn't discuss this troubling matter with Tianxuan or Gongsun Qingyue, as it also concerned the Primordial Lord Rain Master.

"Since the Great Venerable has left, the Princess can concentrate on her promotion, achieving the third grade," Jiang Li deftly shifted the topic.

To avoid Tianxuan dwelling further on the subject, Jiang Li decisively raised both hands, channeling Innate Qi into the Divine Farmer's Cauldron. A sudden Flame Flow emerged, and a Great Sun began to rise from the Divine Farmer's Cauldron.

At the same time, a red glow flowed from Gongsun Qingyue's body, gradually turning golden.

[Fourth Grade Dao Fruit: Sun-controlling Ascension·Xi He]

[Category: Divine]

[Fitting Conditions: Fifth Grade Divine Attribute Dao Fruit, possessing Yang attribute body, female]

[Promotion Ceremony: Sun-controlling Ascension]

[Divine Skills: Xi He's Sun Control, Six Dragon Chariot, Sun God Body, Time Calendar God, Mother of the Sun]

The Promotion Ceremony requires the promoter to ascend with the Great Sun and traverse the heavens.

As for this Great Sun, it could be a Sun Dharma Form or a Sun Magical Artifact; if possible, capturing a Golden Crow or reaching for the Sun Star in the sky is also feasible.

Having a sun to control is all that's needed for Sun-controlling Ascension.

The degree of difficulty for the Promotion Ceremony depends on the promoter, and the growth in strength upon promotion is proportional to the difficulty.

[Xi He's Sun Control: Traverse the heavens with the sun as an artifact. The stronger the sun controlled during promotion, the greater the power received, allowing one to cultivate simultaneously with the sun and travel with it.]

[Sun God Body: Forge one's body with the sun's soul, achieving the Sun God Body.]

Like the Sword Immortal Dao Fruit's [Man and Sword Integration], where the strength of one's Lifebound Sword correlates directly with personal power, so too does the Great Sun controlled during Sun-controlling Ascension become one's lifebound artifact.

Furthermore, the strength of the [Sun God Body] also depends on the controlled Great Sun, marking a significant gap in this divine skill's potential.

There's also the future-oriented divine skill [Mother of the Sun].

[Mother of the Sun: Should one regain ten suns within oneself, one can return from Sun-controlling to become the Mother of the Sun.]

This Dao Fruit Divine Power does not aid immediate power enhancement but allows the Dao Fruit to evolve, transitioning from Sun-controlling to becoming the Mother of the Sun.

From this Dao Fruit Divine Power, it appears that the decline of Xi He Realm may relate to her bearing ten suns.

Considering both the present and the future, Gongsun Qingyue's foundation for promotion is crucial, prompting Jiang Li to directly utilize the Golden Crow Dao Fruit and even employ the Three-Phases Transformation Skill to facilitate Gongsun Qingyue's promotion.

At this moment, Jiang Li invoked the Golden Crow Dao Fruit, extracting the purest True Sun Fire from the Golden Crow's remains in the Divine Farmer's Cauldron, forming a Great Sun that rose steadily.

"I will use Innate Qi as a medium, employing the Qi Weapon Technique from the Yuxu Temple to refine this sun, incorporating the Golden Crow Dao Fruit. Such a creation will allow your promotion to be perfect, but as a result, your future lifebound Great Sun will be under my control," Jiang Li said, delivering a surge of Vigorous Primordial Qi.

Xi He's Sun Control involves controlling the Golden Crow, integrating the Golden Crow Dao Fruit into the promotion ceremony perfectly harmonizes with Xi He's causal factors, making it the most consummate promotion ceremony imaginable.

However, since Jiang Li forged the Great Sun, utilizing the Three-Phases Transformation to connect with the Golden Crow Dao Fruit, it ultimately became Gongsun Qingyue's lifebound artifact.

Thus, while achieving Gongsun Qingyue's elevation also tied her fate to Jiang Li's. This Great Sun would be shared between Jiang Li and Gongsun Qingyue, effectively granting Jiang Li an additional divine skill.

"Is there anything that better embodies the bond between husband and wife than this?"

Gongsun Qingyue looked at the rising sun and smiled slightly, "Come on."

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