Chapter 32: What the Qi-Observing Eye Art Beheld

As the banquet grew livelier, the princes began to mingle and chat, and some even grew bold enough to offer wine to their imperial father.

For those few daring princes, Jiang Zhaoming clearly noticed that the emperor did not show displeasure—instead, his face brimmed with smiles.

Thus, Jiang Zhaoming also mustered his courage and presented a cup of wine to his father.

The emperor looked at Jiang Zhaoming and sighed with emotion. “A-Ming? Just last year you were still a rash boy, and now you’ve grown much steadier.”

Jiang Zhaoming smiled. “Your son was only forced to mature by circumstance. If possible, your son would rather stay by Father’s knees forever, as in childhood.”

“Hahaha, good child.”

The emperor laughed heartily, unable to contain his joy.

After asking a few caring questions, he turned his attention to the other princes who came forward to toast.

Returning to his seat, Jiang Zhaoming looked at the bustling hall before him, and an idea suddenly surfaced in his mind.

A gathering of the royal family of Great Zhou—half of the great fortune holders of the empire were gathered here.

Could he perhaps take a look?

With that thought, Jiang Zhaoming circulated the Qi-Observing Eye Art, gathering his blood and spirit power into his eyes.

In an instant, the scene before him changed drastically.

Within the hall, violet qi surged and divine radiance flowed.

Ordinary princes were wreathed in purple fortune, while those ranked among the top hundred on the Dragon Ranking glowed crimson as blood.

The most shocking, however, were the few seated at the highest place.

Above Jiang Zhaoqian’s head coiled a dark-red flood dragon, its scales fierce, its claws sharp, emanating a murderous aura that pierced the heavens.

Across from him, though Jiang Zhaoding also bore a dragon-shaped fortune, his appeared more restrained.

The rest of the top princes were all surrounded by dragon-like fortune, each possessing immense and extraordinary presence.

“My fortune…”

Jiang Zhaoming tried to look upon his own, yet it was like gazing at a flower through fog—its true shape impossible to discern.

A bolder thought came to him—what kind of fortune would his father possess?

Cautiously, he lifted his gaze, following along the gilded boots and the five-clawed dragon robe… until he suddenly met a pair of eyes that seemed to be smiling yet not smiling!

“Not good!”

Jiang Zhaoming hurriedly lowered his head, cold sweat already breaking out across his back.

Though it was only a glance, he had seen clearly—his father’s fortune had taken the form of a golden dragon, coiling above the grand hall.

Compared to that, the fortunes of all other princes were as ants gazing up at the heavens.

Upon the dragon throne, the emperor sipped his jade wine leisurely, but his gaze never left Jiang Zhaoming.

After a brief moment, he shook his head and chuckled softly. “This child…”

Nearby princes showed puzzled looks, but only Jiang Zhaoding seemed to realize something.

He raised his cup, taking a light sip, and from the corner of his eye glanced toward Jiang Zhaoming.

The probing gaze he had felt earlier likely came from this currently high-flying younger brother.

Although Jiang Zhaoqian noticed nothing unusual, seeing his father and Jiang Zhaoding both looking in the same direction, he too turned to glance that way.

The three of them moving together was like a stone dropped into water—soon, all the other princes followed their line of sight.

Noticing the odd attention, Jiang Zhaoming quickly reacted and turned toward the person beside him—Jiang Zhaode.

The Prince of Huzhou was clutching a wine jug, drinking heartily, and before long, he had drained the entire jug.

But just as Jiang Zhaode set the jug down, he froze in place.

He suddenly realized that, somehow, all the princes seated on the dais were looking at him.

What—was drinking a few dozen more jugs of wine really that shocking?

After a long pause, one prince spoke up. “The Prince of Huzhou has quite the stomach for wine—truly like a man of the jianghu.”

Guessing they might be mocking his rough manners, the Prince of Huzhou hurriedly straightened his clothes and sat more properly.

Seeing this, the other princes all chuckled and looked away.

Jiang Zhaoming’s timely diversion shifted everyone’s attention and resolved the awkward situation, allowing him to breathe a sigh of relief.

Aside from the Emperor of Great Zhou and Jiang Zhaoding, no one else knew what Jiang Zhaoming had just done.

“Interesting.”

The emperor murmured, though his gaze was not on Jiang Zhaoming—it burned instead upon Jiang Zhaoding.

Jiang Zhaoding then rose at the right moment, carrying his cup of wine before the emperor.

Seeing this, Jiang Zhaoqian’s gaze shifted repeatedly between Jiang Zhaoding and Jiang Zhaoming, as if trying to discern something.

The banquet lasted until the end of the year, when all princes and princesses together welcomed the passing of the year before it finally concluded.

Afterward, the princes were permitted to leave, either returning to their fiefs via teleportation or remaining in the capital to visit friends and kin.

Jiang Zhaoming did not rush back to Anxi Prefecture, but instead went to the Qin Residence.

At this time, the Qin Residence was bright with lanterns and decorations.

Carriages and horses crowded the front gate, as generals and high officials arrived with gifts, packing the entrance tight.

Avoiding the commotion, Jiang Zhaoming slipped quietly in through the back door.

“Grandfather, Mother, Aunt.”

In the simple side hall, Jiang Zhaoming bowed to his three closest relatives.

Compared to the royal banquet, the Qin family’s reunion feast was much simpler—only Qin Peng, Qin Guiyan, and Qin Lingyi were present.

Qin Peng, dressed in snowy white, his silver hair like frost, still bore a youthful and handsome face.

He casually poured a cup of wine for Jiang Zhaoming, then raised his own with a smile. “Our little Prince of Anxi has grown far more accomplished than he was as a child.”

After several rounds of wine, Qin Peng suddenly stood up. “Come, accompany your grandfather for some practice.”

Before Jiang Zhaoming could react, an invisible force had already pulled him toward the martial arena.

By dawn, inside the Qin family’s martial field, Jiang Zhaoming was lying flat on the ground, utterly exhausted, his clothes soaked through with sweat.

He swore that even the firefighter training from his past life was not one-tenth as torturous as this.

Panting heavily, he begged, “Grandfather, please spare me, I really can’t move anymore.”

Qin Peng completely ignored his pleas.

With a distant flick of his hand, Jiang Zhaoming was lifted into the air again, continuing his training.

“You’re lucky—your constitution is much better than before. We must make full use of that. When your mother was your age, she had already reached the Divine Power Realm.”

As he spoke, Qin Peng waved his hand, and several mechanical puppets surrounded Jiang Zhaoming from all sides.

The Thousand Mechanisms Gu within Jiang Zhaoming’s body was still sealed, so he could only grit his teeth and fight the puppets barehanded.

Soon, the martial field echoed with the sound of bones clashing against metal, sharp enough to make one’s teeth ache just hearing it.

After the brutal training session, Qin Peng fed Jiang Zhaoming a bowl of treasured tonic soup.

Barely hanging onto consciousness, Jiang Zhaoming instantly felt a surge of immense vitality explode in his abdomen.

He could feel his body greedily absorbing that power, constantly strengthening itself.

Half an hour later, most of that pure energy had been absorbed, leaving only a small amount lingering within.

After resting on the bed for another half hour, Jiang Zhaoming suddenly sprang up, landing heavily on the floor, leaving two small dents beneath his feet.

“This… I’ve reached the Fourth Layer of the Blood Refining Realm?”

Sensing the power coursing through his body, Jiang Zhaoming was stunned—his cultivation had broken through two entire layers overnight.

Just then, a maid entered with another bowl of tonic soup.

“Your Highness, the General said you are to drink this bowl and rest for four hours before seeking him again.”

Taking a deep breath, Jiang Zhaoming drank the soup in one go and lay back on the bed.

But before resting, he needed to enter the River of Fortune once more.

After these two banquets, he seemed to have gained quite a bit of fortune again.

【You piqued Jiang Xuanhao’s curiosity; his attention toward you has increased. You gained Blue Fortune ×3.】

【Your diligent attitude won Qin Peng’s appreciation; his feelings toward you have turned to fondness. You gained Blue Fortune ×3.】

……

【Remaining Fortune: Blue ×12, Green ×16, White ×39】

Looking at his remaining fortune, Jiang Zhaoming activated the Qi-Observing Eye Art again to gaze into the River of Fortune, where he saw four clusters of blue fortune swirling before his eyes.

【Fragment of Queshe Army Barracks】: A military summoning artifact from the Great Mong Plane, containing 4,000 Eighth-Layer Tempering Bones Realm Queshe Warriors and 5 Sixth-Layer Blood Refining Realm Queshe Captains.

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