My low-key cultivation of immortality was discovered by the emperor in my diary.

Chapter 82 Sword Light Dispels Evil, Shadows Over the Imperial Palace

The next day.

The emperor got up very early, walked hurriedly into the imperial study, and picked up "The Diary of Cultivating Immortality".

Black characters emerged one by one from the void, piecing together lines of text.

While waiting for the eleventh diary entry to solidify, the emperor flipped to the beginning and reread all the diaries to reinforce his memory, much like a student nervously preparing for an exam before entering the examination hall.

Chu Lengyu's diary is quite disjointed, but it contains a lot of information. There is also an eighth entry whose writing style is off, suggesting it may have been written by someone else, but the emperor reads it very carefully.

The thought of meeting her today made him extremely nervous, perhaps even more so than on the day he ascended the throne.

After all, his ascension to the throne was a foregone conclusion; he was merely going through the motions.

Chu Lengyu is a special character who exists outside the established framework, and no one can predict what she will do.

The emperor finished rereading, but a new diary had already been completed.

This diary entry is very short. Chu Lengyu explained that he has completed the Foundation Establishment stage and is about to form his core, which is consistent with the emperor's guess yesterday.

But what he didn't expect was that after reaching the Core Formation stage, he would have to undergo tribulations such as lightning tribulations and inner demon tribulations at each major realm.

The emperor was shocked by the terrifying power of the thunder, finding it hard to imagine what the tribulation would be like.

He was hearing about this for the first time and was very interested in it, observing it very closely.

It turns out that cultivation is going against the heavens. Cultivators need to undergo tribulations in order to break through their realm. If they fail to undergo tribulations, they will die and their cultivation will be returned to heaven and earth.

Chu Lengyu is not confident about passing the tribulation. The reason she wants to leave the capital and travel is because she wants to find materials for refining weapons.

If she finds it, does that mean she doesn't have to leave for the time being?

The emperor stroked his chin, pondering if there were any special items in the storeroom. There seemed to be several pieces of meteorite iron, which were very hard. He wondered if they were what she needed.

Although this kind of meteorite iron is rare, it's just taking up space in the warehouse. It would be best to make the most of it.

He silently made a mental note of this, intending to instruct Hongfu to fetch them later.

……

the other side.

Princess Jin'an got up early to wash and dress herself, taking it very seriously.

She looked at her makeup box, which contained exquisite gold and silver hairpins and jade necklaces. But when she thought that Chu Lengyu was stunningly beautiful even in plain clothes without these embellishments, Jin'an couldn't help but feel a sense of defeat.

If it weren't for her naturally aloof and ethereal aura, as if she were as bright as the moon, unattainable and unapproachable, she would probably be able to captivate people's souls and charm them with every smile and frown.

I've heard that people in the capital are now calling her Jade Fairy. Could she really be a fairy descended to earth? Otherwise, how could there be such a near-perfect person in the mortal world?

Jin'an thought with frustration.

"Your Highness, don't you like this hairstyle? Would you like to change it?" the maid asked cautiously.

Jin'an snapped out of her daze, looked at herself in the mirror, and said gently, "It's alright, no need to change, you can continue."

After she finished dressing, she stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the rising sun. Golden light shone on the palace walls, making everything shine.

This reminded her of the scene of sunlight pouring down yesterday, and when she thought of the slight comparison and resentment in her heart, it suddenly seemed insignificant.

People are jealous of those who are better than themselves, but when the gap is too large, they stop feeling jealous.

She is not that foolish and short-sighted Chu Wen'er.

"Today, I will greet her in the most perfect manner," Princess Jin'an vowed silently in her heart.

Before long, the palace gates slowly opened.

A gust of cold wind brushed my face, carrying the dry chill unique to winter.

Jin'an saw from afar a woman dressed in plain clothes, with only a white jade hairpin in her hair, walking gracefully towards him.

"Sister Chu, you've arrived." Jin'an greeted her.

Her face was beaming with a genuine smile, and the way she addressed him had become much more intimate, as if the two of them were close friends who had known each other for many years.

Chu Lengyu was slightly surprised by her enthusiastic attitude, but she did not show it on her face. She just smiled slightly and said politely, "Please wait for me here."

“You are a distinguished guest of the Emperor today, and I am here on behalf of the Emperor to welcome you. There is no need to be so polite with me,” Jin’an said with a smile. “A regular banquet has been held at the Star Gazing Tower today, with the same banquet etiquette, ceremonial guards, songs and dances as before. It’s over there, let’s go over there.”

The two walked side by side through the palace corridors.

The poem reads: "Snow fills the courtyards of the Forbidden City, jade pavilions and crystal palaces reflect the bright sky. Pine and cypress stand proudly against the wind, plum blossoms with fragrance circle the palace. The imperial road is paved with silver and connects the vast universe, the long corridor hangs with jade and encircles the palace. The cold wind blows and the eaves bells ring, the sound of heavenly music surrounds the capital."

This clearly demonstrates the beauty of the scenery.

Jin An turned his head to look at Chu Lengyu, and saw that her expression was calm and composed. He couldn't help but admire her. People who entered the palace for the first time were often overwhelmed by the magnificence of the palace, but Chu Lengyu was very calm and composed.

But Jin'an thought again that the fairyland of Yaochi was far superior to this place, and probably in her heart, the imperial palace really didn't count for anything.

What she didn't know was that Chu Lengyu possessed divine sense, which was virtually 360 degrees without any blind spots in the mortal world. To avoid any accidents today, her divine sense had been extended outwards, and the Dudu Sword could respond at any time.

"The Imperial Garden is just ahead," Jin'an introduced to her.

As the two strolled through the area, Chu Lengyu suddenly sensed something amiss in the surrounding atmosphere, as if a chilling aura was quietly lurking within.

The Unparalleled Sword moved automatically without command; with a flash of light, it disappeared into the Imperial Lake.

With a "whoosh" sound, a faint black mist dissipated and vanished into nothingness.

"What is that?" Chu Lengyu asked in confusion.

The system detected a small amount of residual "yin energy."

"Oh?" Intrigued, she casually pointed and used her water manipulation technique to separate the water in the Imperial Lake, revealing the muddy bottom.

The lakebed was covered with tangled aquatic plants, koi carp were thrashing about, and some miscellaneous items were half-hidden among them, but there was nothing else special about it.

A sword mark was left on the bottom of the lake, and a strange aura lingered, appearing and disappearing.

This unexpected turn of events startled Princess Jin'an. Looking at the bottom of the lake, she felt nauseous, turned her head away, and asked, "Is there something wrong with this Imperial Lake?"

Chu Lengyu quickly replied, "There's something hidden down there, and it's now trying to survive by cutting off its tail. I'll go look for it."

Before he finished speaking, he had vanished without a trace.

Jin'an had barely uttered the words "find..." when he froze, mouth agape.

The palace servants around him were startled and panicked, thinking: How could a living person suddenly disappear!

Chu Lengyu had already grabbed the tail of that dark aura and crossed half of the palace in the blink of an eye.

She realized that this thing seemed to be hiding in the underground water system. Because the land isolated most of her divine sense, she did not notice anything amiss until she reached the edge of the Imperial Lake.

Its lack of common sense in concealing its presence immediately exposed its tracks.

Chu Lengyu was much faster than it, seizing the opportunity to strike with her sword, which struck like thunder from the heavens and pierced the earth.

The evil spirit emerged from the ground, revealing its true form. It appeared as a distorted black mist, emitting piercing shrieks, its body shrouded in black energy, attempting to overwhelm people with its power.

But in front of Chu Lengyu, it was nothing but a bluff.

If she hadn't been so eager to hunt and hadn't refrained from contributing, this little thing would have been reduced to ashes long ago.

Chu Lengyu reached out and tossed out several jade pendants she had carved in her spare time. They landed in the Bagua positions, forming a simple trapping formation.

The system notification sounded promptly.

The system analysis is complete.

This object is likely an aggregate of vengeful spirits.

The souls of humans in this world are fragile; this evil entity was formed over many years.

Threat level: Extremely low.

"So, the world isn't as simple as it seems on the surface?"

Chu Lengyu was very interested in this.