Eternal Life: My Lifespan Increases Daily

He thought Emperor Yun loved white, so the Imperial Palace should also be white.

But it turned out to be a sea of gold, without a trace of white.

However, the steps outside the Imperial Palace were still made of white jade, resembling the Heaven Ascending stone steps in the Spiritual Mist.

It’s said that these steps exceed five thousand, and it is precisely because of this Heaven Ascending level that the palace looks like it’s in the clouds from afar, hence the name Cloud Palace.

The carriage passed the Heaven Ascending level without stopping.

The Imperial Banquet had not yet begun; even if Prince Cui wanted to enter the palace, he would need a personal summons from Emperor Yun.

The carriage took them to a district not far from the Cloud Palace.

The district was full of residences, somewhat similar to the Core District of Cui Bai Main City.

This place was also the residence of many royals and nobles.

Kings who traveled from afar all settled here, quietly waiting for the day to come.

It has always been like this.

The carriage soon stopped in front of a mansion with the words "Prince Cui’s Mansion" engraved above the door.

"In a flash, more than twenty years have passed..."

Getting off the carriage, Prince Cui looked at the mansion in front of him and sighed.

Ever since being titled a king, the visits back to this mansion become fewer, and he basically returns only during the days of the Imperial Banquet for a short stay.

When he comes again next time, another twenty-five years will have passed.

"Welcome, Great King!"

The house servants greeted at the door, kneeling and bowing to Prince Cui.

"Rise. Is everything well at the mansion?" Prince Cui asked.

"Reporting to the Great King, everything is well." The old servant replied respectfully.

"Hmm." Prince Cui nodded, leading Song Changming into the mansion.

The mansion only had a few servants handling daily affairs; there was no master living here regularly.

As for the Hu Family behind Prince Cui, they had long moved with him to Cui Bai Dao.

This was also a rule decreed by Emperor Yun.

After being titled a king, the imperial family members must not stay in the Imperial City, and their clans cannot hold official positions in the city.

The royal family could only be active in the fiefdom, which was one of the main reasons why Prince Cui visited less frequently, partly to avoid suspicion.

After being titled a king, theoretically, he and the Hu Family had reached the pinnacle of power, making it difficult to advance further.

Privately, he could not extend his influence beyond the fiefdom, especially in the Imperial City, or trouble would follow.

That evening, Prince Cui invited Song Changming to drink in the courtyard.

"This is Yunqiu Wine, very popular among the imperial family, perfect for drinking in the crisp autumn season."

Prince Cui introduced it, pouring wine for Song Changming, which made Song Changming somewhat flattered.

After all, the other party was a Great King; no matter how much he lowered himself, pouring wine for him was a bit over-the-top.

Song Changming took a sip from his cup; the wine was rich and pure, slightly sweet, with a warm and dense taste, indeed a rare fine wine.

The key was the spiritual energy in the wine, which, as it entered his stomach, continuously nourished his body.

Just one cup made Song Changming feel somewhat replenished.

Given the strength of his body now, for it to have such an effect, it was something ordinary medicinal wines could not achieve.

It’s clear that the wine’s ingredients definitely came from this Spiritual Energy Sea.

At the wine table, Prince Cui was in a very talkative mood today, casually sharing many anecdotes from his early years in the Imperial City.

Song Changming listened quietly, occasionally responding with a few words.

Until after three rounds of drinks, Prince Cui finally steered the conversation towards the Imperial Banquet.

"Did Hu Tomb mention the Cloud Fighting to you beforehand?" Prince Cui asked.

"Cloud Fighting?" Song Changming shook his head.

"Oh, that’s my oversight," Prince Cui lightly murmured.

He thought Hu Tomb had already informed Song Changming.

"What is called Cloud Fighting is also a part of the Imperial Banquet, and it’s been held annually for as long as anyone can remember.

In simple terms, each place selects one person to represent their titled king for a martial exchange, showcasing their martial prowess. Naturally, you are the sole candidate to represent me in battle," Prince Cui explained to Song Changming.

"I knew it..." Song Changming realized that accompanying him must have other tasks.

The opportunity for all the titled kings to gather only came during the Imperial Banquet.

As fellow fiefdom lords of Yun Province, there would naturally be some comparisons when they gathered.

The fiefdom’s development was measured by reported achievements, while reputation was determined by the public’s approval, and only the Great Kings’ cultivation strength was difficult to compare formally.

It was impossible for kings to engage in combat publicly on such occasions.

If you won, it was fine, but if you lost, before Emperor Yun, you’d be too embarrassed to continue sitting there.

Thus emerged Cloud Fighting, where subordinates represent their respective kings in duels, so that win or lose, it is not too humiliating.

It also indirectly proves the abundance of talent in each fiefdom.

"So, the Prince Rui we’ve seen before, the one representing him in battle is that swordsman." Song Changming recalled the Martial Arts Grandmaster he had exchanged a move with.

"Indeed, it is Gao Qiu’s Ruler. I have an impression of him as well. Twenty-five years ago, he defeated Donghuo, whom I sent out.

At the time, he was only a martial artist at the Innate Perfection Realm. Now, after more than twenty years, he has indeed stepped into the Grandmaster Realm." Prince Cui nodded.

"In that case, why didn’t the Great King choose Marshal Hu again, as he is also a Martial Arts Grandmaster whose victory is uncertain?" Song Changming couldn’t help but ask.

If everyone could send out Martial Arts Grandmasters, it would no doubt be safer for Prince Cui to bring Hu Donghuo.

Even though Hu Donghuo had lost once, that was twenty-five years ago, during his Innate Realm days.

After such a long time, the outcome of another match would be hard to predict.

Although his strength was sufficient, he had ultimately not entered the Grandmaster Realm, and appearing would mostly cause him to be underestimated.

Regarding the choice of bringing Song Changming, Prince Cui had his considerations and explanations.

The Cloud Fighting was not without rules, allowing anyone to compete.

Otherwise, regarding pure cultivation strength, Prince Cui would have certainly brought Grand Marshal Hu Tomb or even negotiated with the Su Family to bring an Elder Grandmaster from the Changsheng Family to showcase.

In fact, Emperor Yun had already clarified the rules of Cloud Fighting during an Imperial Banquet.

Only younger generation participants trained under each Great King could compete.

If those who had achieved fame and success were sent to compete, it would lose the original purpose of Cloud Fighting.

Emperor Yun did not wish to see old folks wielding weapons under his nose.

No one dared to defy the will of Emperor Yun.

Due to these established rules, the choice for Prince Cui was quite limited, leaving really only Song Changming and Hu Donghuo.

Furthermore, there was an unwritten rule within Cloud Fighting.

For relative fairness and to avoid tedious mismatches before Emperor Yun, most opponents were arranged to match each other’s cultivation realm.

This meant martial artists of the Innate Realm fought those of the Innate Realm, and Martial Arts Grandmasters faced other Martial Arts Grandmasters.

If anyone wished to challenge an opponent of a different cultivation realm, it needed mutual consent from both parties.

Considering this unwritten rule, Prince Cui chose Song Changming to fully exploit his strength beyond his cultivation realm.

Compared to having the newly-promoted Grandmaster Hu Donghuo face off against other Martial Arts Grandmasters from Yun Province, it was better to have Song Changming’s superiority at the Innate Realm.

This time, Prince Cui did not desire Song Changming to challenge Martial Arts Grandmasters for victory but aimed for him to dominate the Innate Realm, which would also bring him glory and possibly earn Emperor Yun’s praise.

Listening to Prince Cui, Song Changming understood his intentions.

According to this strategy, it made more ’cost-effectiveness’ for him to fight, and likely, this opportunity would only come once.

By the next Imperial Banquet, Song Changming would most likely have broken through to the Martial Arts Grandmaster Realm, losing the confidence to sweep the Innate Realm with no rivals.

"Haha, honestly, I am really looking forward to your performance this time. Those guys must know that Cui Bai Dao is also abundant with talents!"

Prince Cui mentioned this, shaking his cup of wine, and suddenly burst into laughter.

Compared to the past, this time he was not here just to accompany others but to prove his worth; naturally, his mood was entirely different!

...