If you die, I will be able to inherit your cultivation.

The palace is very different from what it was six months ago.

After Emperor Yongchang was killed by that group of Blood Refining Realm warriors, the entire palace was reduced to ruins.

After driving away those martial artists, Su Mingyue ordered the palace to be rebuilt.

This newly built palace was constructed according to the specifications of the Anzhou Imperial City.

Today, this palace complex is more than ten times larger than the previous imperial palace.

With its red walls and golden tiles, flying eaves and bracket sets, the glazed tiles of the main hall shimmered in the sunlight. A brand-new crimson brocade carpet covered the steps in front of the hall, and the white marble railings on both sides were carved with coiled dragon patterns. It should be called the Imperial Palace now.

The palace was guarded by a group of burly adult men, each with a long sword at his waist and eyes fixed straight ahead.

The guards inside the palace were all replaced by burly women, dressed in light armor, with short swords hanging at their waists, their eyes sharp as if they were ready to snap the necks of any intruders at any moment.

Zhou Ming walked through the palace gates without looking to the side, and the imperial guards along the way all lowered their heads and gave way when they saw him.

He went straight to the outside of the Qianyuan Hall, where he was stopped by a female guard.

When the female guard went in to report, Su Mingyue was discussing matters with several ministers in the hall.

On her first day on the throne, a mountain of official business piled up.

The appointment and removal of officials in various counties of Youzhou, the allocation of troops for the defense of the northern border, and the disposal of the land properties of the powerful families that Dongmei had dealt with—every matter required her personal decision.

Upon hearing the guard report that Zhou Ming had returned, she was not surprised at all, but simply nodded slightly, revealing an expression of "I knew it."

"Bring him in."

As Zhou Ming stepped into the palace, the eyes of several ministers inside all fell on him.

Zhou Ming was still wearing that old dark blue robe, which was covered in dust from his walk down from the West Mountain and hadn't had time to brush it off. He looked out of place among the group of officials in court attire.

He walked into the hall, neither kneeling nor kowtowing, but simply cupped his hands and called out "Young Miss".

A middle-aged man standing in the front row on the left immediately frowned.

This man looked somewhat familiar to Zhou Ming. He was an old advisor under Su Yongning, who had been teaching Su Mingli at the Marquis's residence. His surname was Feng, but Zhou Ming couldn't remember his given name.

Before Su Yongning returned, he often appeared at the Marquis's residence, hovering around Su Mingli, but at that time he was not valued by Su Mingyue.

After Su Yongning returned, he was given a new role again.

After Su Mingyue ascended the throne, he was recommended to Su Mingyue by Su Yongming.

Seeing that Zhou Ming didn't even bend his knees, he immediately shouted angrily, "How dare you! You don't kneel before the new emperor? Are you plotting rebellion?!"

Zhou Ming glanced at him indifferently without saying a word, but he had already secretly made a mental note of this debt.

How could you expect me, a Nascent Soul stage cultivator, to kneel before a mortal emperor?

But now is not the time to settle scores with him. Let's wait until later. I'll let you experience Zhou's ultimate move later.

Su Mingyue waved her hand at the man surnamed Feng, then addressed the crowd:

"Please go back first, everyone. We can discuss the rest later."

The group of ministers looked at each other, then at the figure standing ramrod straight in the hall.

After bowing, they filed out of the Qianyuan Hall.

The one surnamed Feng was the last to leave, and before leaving, he turned back and glared fiercely at Zhou Ming.

Only Su Mingyue, Chunlan, and a few personal female officials remained in the hall.

Su Mingyue sat upright behind the dragon table, her gaze fixed on Zhou Ming.

He looked him up and down, then spoke, his tone as certain as if stating a confirmed fact:

"It really is you again."

Zhou Ming didn't offer any further explanation, but gave her a slight smile.

There was a hint of helplessness in that smile, but also a tacit understanding that "you know, I know, we all know."

The cave in Xishan was where he had arranged the auspicious phoenix, something Su Mingyue had already guessed.

Last time, it was Zhou Ming who orchestrated the descent of the Divine Phoenix, which also appeared from the Western Mountain. And now it's happening again. What a coincidence!

"Sit down and let's talk," Su Mingyue gestured, her tone returning to its usual calm.

"How is your investigation into the immortals going?"

Zhou Ming sat down on the chair Chunlan had brought, took a cup of hot tea, and sighed.

He recounted his experiences in the Endless Forest, omitting the bloody details of the Blood Pool Valley, and only mentioning that deep within the Endless Forest he discovered a massive, all-encompassing gale array that enveloped the entire area, making it impenetrable and unbreakable.

He didn't mention Liu Jun's matter; Su Mingyue already knew from Su Yongning that Liu Jun was dead.

"However, I did gain something from this trip."

Zhou Ming took out two jade slips from his sleeve, stood up and handed them to Su Mingyue.

These two jade slips were taken from Liu Jun's storage ring.

A complete sword control manual is recorded, from the sword control technique in the Qi Refining stage all the way to the Splitting Light and Transforming Shadow Sword Technique in the Golden Core stage, with detailed annotations of each step of the cultivation method.

The other one contains a complete encyclopedia of spells, including spells of the five elements, wind, thunder, and ice variations, defensive spells, and auxiliary spells. These are all standard inheritances for inner disciples of the Qingyun Sect.

Su Mingyue took the jade slip, turned it over and over in her hand, and looked up with some doubt.

She clearly didn't know how to use this small jade piece.

"Place the jade slip between your eyebrows, hold your breath and concentrate, and you will be able to sense its contents."

Su Mingyue followed the instructions, placed the jade slip between her eyebrows, and closed her eyes.

A moment later, her hand holding the jade slip began to tremble slightly.

Then she opened her eyes, staring straight at Zhou Ming, and remained silent for a long time.

Her expression remained calm, but Zhou Ming knew her all too well.

There are very few things in this world that can make her fingers tremble when she holds something.

After a long while, Su Mingyue finally let out a long breath, her voice filled with barely suppressed emotion:

"With this secret technique, the world is within easy reach."

She composed herself, placed the jade slip on the dragon table, and looked up at Zhou Ming solemnly.

"Zhou Ming, besides the throne, what else do you want?"

This question was extremely direct, and its meaning was very clear: apart from the position of the supreme ruler, she could satisfy whatever Zhou Ming wanted.

Zhou Ming didn't stand on ceremony with her; he had already thought of his answer.

He stood up, clasped his hands in a fist and palm salute, and said in a resolute tone, "I want to be the Minister of Justice. What does Miss think?"

Su Mingyue didn't make things difficult for him at all. Instead, she tilted her head slightly and asked him curiously:

"Why did you choose to become the Minister of Justice?"

Zhou Ming put down his teacup and said seriously, "Since the young lady has already declared herself empress, her goal must be to unify the entire Nine Provinces, and even the entire Three Kingdoms."

"However, to repel external threats, one must first secure internal stability. Without a stable internal environment, how can one contend for supremacy?"

"I am willing to provide stability for the young lady and ensure that she can freely pursue her dreams in the world."