From street beggar to high-ranking official

Again targeting

The Empress Dowager's birthday celebration was held as scheduled, but these events had little to do with the eunuchs of the Palace Attendants; at most, they could only catch a glimpse of the Empress Dowager at the entrance of the Cining Palace.

Lu Li didn't expect to be able to do anything. In recent days, apart from handling his official duties as the Palace Attendant, he had been cultivating.

The requirements for advancing from rank 7 to rank 6 are different from before.

At the seventh rank, one can use true qi to nourish the internal organs, eventually making one's hearing and eyesight sharp, and even recalling things from childhood that were originally forgotten. From this rank onwards, martial artists live longer than ordinary people. However, eunuchs who have been castrated have damaged genitals, making it several times more difficult for them to break through to the seventh rank than ordinary people.

Lu Li, confident in his innate talent and skills, had surpassed this level; as for advancing to the sixth rank...

The most obvious characteristic is that true qi can be attached to weapons, and its circulation is no longer limited to the body surface. After advancing to the sixth rank, martial artists can use external objects to increase their strength.

Whether it's elixirs or cultivation techniques, they are ultimately internal methods. Using external objects is a way of external application. For example, cultivation treasures that are extremely rare in the world are useless to ordinary people, or even low-ranking martial artists. Only those who start at the sixth rank can use them freely in conjunction with their own cultivation.

A sixth-rank martial artist's palm strikes and fist strikes can injure people several feet away from their body. Their true energy, when combined with ordinary swords and weapons, can cut through iron and wood, and they can even use rotten wood and tree branches to fight.

After being promoted to the sixth rank, one's cultivation techniques gradually no longer need to be limited to meditation or other breathing postures; one can circulate true qi independently, whether standing or standing.

Switch to practicing martial arts.

Moreover, when the true qi nourishes the internal organs properly, one's lifespan is more than ten years longer than that of an ordinary person. This is the true foundation, ensuring that even as a martial artist ages, they still possess immense strength to threaten their enemies, truly making them stronger with age.

Once you reach the sixth rank, you can be called a master in the martial arts world, form gangs in the bandit world, serve as a martial arts instructor, or serve as a commander of a thousand in the army.

As for the palace eunuchs, the number of sixth-rank martial artists is gradually decreasing. This is what Xiao Chuanzi told Lu Li. However, according to Lu Li's thinking, there should be quite a few who are hiding their strength.

After all, every eunuch who enters the palace will choose the "Sunflower Manual". As long as they are willing to endure the time, there is no reason for them to stagnate at the sixth rank.

As for the specific requirements for promotion...

It requires the true qi to fill the whole body, and all the internal organs to be nourished by the true qi. The true qi of the internal organs circulates spontaneously without deliberate guidance. When the capacity of the dantian reaches its current limit, it can no longer store even a wisp of true qi.

Finally, mobilize all the body's vital energy to open the meridians and acupoints, widen the meridians, and flush out stagnation, ensuring that the vital energy can circulate freely within the meridians.

Many martial artists in the martial arts world go too far in the last step, ultimately harming themselves. Therefore, even those with exceptional talent need the guidance of their teachers, otherwise, taking another step will lead them into an abyss from which they can never recover.

Lu Li naturally wouldn't reveal his true strength or realm. Fortunately, considering his own talent, Lu Li had specifically spent time...

With the promotion confirmed, and having learned from the experiences of his predecessors, he was confident that he wouldn't make a mistake in this step.

"Our family's cultivation progress is several times that of ordinary people, only slow in nourishing the internal organs. It would probably take others several years of hard work to advance and specialize in this path."

Others need time to accumulate experience before being promoted to the first rank, but Lu Li has been in the palace for nearly two years and is expected to reach the sixth rank, which shows the difference in talent.

After completing his daily cultivation practice, Lu Li summoned Xiao Xizi to confirm the news from the palace.

The palace has already begun to target him. Although the Directorate of Palace Attendants is a low-ranking department, as a seventh-rank eunuch, he cannot allow his office to be deserted. This neglect itself is a form of attitude.

Now that Lu Li has lost his position as chief steward, even though he can still serve the noble lady closely, Lu Li is not foolish enough to enter Consort Ning's field of vision and annoy her. Even in Jingyang Palace, Lu Li spends most of his time waiting in the side room or side hall.

At this time, keeping a low profile is the most important thing.

With nothing much to do, he had only three things to do each day: cultivate himself, read books, and handle official business.

The eighth day of the eleventh lunar month.

There was neither wind nor rain, neither sunshine nor gloom, only heavy snow.

With only half a month left until the end of the year, Lu Li, wearing a cotton robe, had just returned from his godfather's place in the Inner Academy.

The plaque for the Inner Study Hall has been hung up, and Lu Li made a special trip to congratulate them. This time, not only Lu Li went, but also the eunuchs of the Directorate of Ceremonial and the other godsons of Eunuch Chen.

Nodding to each other is considered a way of acquaintance and a greeting.

After examining them one by one, Lu Li realized that none of the officials under his godfather's name held high positions. No wonder Eunuch Lu of the Imperial Household Department chose to betray his godfather to seek a fifth-rank official position.

On the way back to the office, Lu Li was not accompanied by his adopted son. Instead, he walked discreetly along the palace wall path like an ordinary eunuch.

They bumped into a young eunuch from the Imperial Horse Administration who was on duty at Jingyang Palace.

"Greetings, Eunuch Lu. Eunuch Hu requests your presence in the side room of Jingyang Palace for a talk." The little eunuch neither knelt nor bowed, but simply gave a polite greeting.

"What did you call me?"

"Eunuch Lu... Ah!" The little eunuch screamed in agony as both his knees snapped, and he collapsed to his knees with a groan.

"Heh heh heh, everyone knows we're officials, yet you're so disrespectful?" Lu Li's words were laced with murderous intent: "If you're sensible with your mouth, I won't slap you, but you won't kowtow or kneel..."

The little eunuch immediately realized something, and his originally miserable expression instantly turned fierce. Although his legs were broken, he still had his hands. His hands turned pale and hard as iron, and he reached straight for Lu Li's legs.

"How dare you!" Lu Li shouted, dodging the attack and transforming into a ghostly figure behind the other party. A pair of seemingly illusory ghostly arms grabbed the little eunuch's head.

With a gentle pluck, the head flew into an unused water vat on the palace wall.

Only a headless corpse remained, twitching for a moment, the blood splattering from its severed neck staining a large patch of accumulated snow on the ground.

"Someone come out and clean the floor!"

Lu Li shouted, and several eunuchs from the Palace Guard immediately arrived from a short distance away. They carried the corpse away and then swept away the blood and snow, destroying all traces of the scene.

Seeing that the eunuchs in the Imperial Palace were working quite hard, the bloodlust in Lu Li's eyes gradually faded. He resumed his previous low-key demeanor and left, as if everything that had just happened had nothing to do with him.

Inside the side room of Jingyang Palace.

The pear wood charcoal in the stove was burning warmly, emitting a faint fruity aroma, making the side room very comfortable. Lu Li arrived a little late, and as soon as he entered, he saw Eunuch Hu sitting comfortably in the spot where he used to sit, enjoying tea.

Lu cursed inwardly for this uncouth man pretending to be refined, but still bowed to Eunuch Hu.

Since Jinlian's failed attempt to assassinate him, Lu Li knew that Jingyang Palace was no longer a safe place for him, and he greatly reduced the time he spent there.

"What are your instructions, Eunuch Hu?" Lu asked directly.

"Eunuch Lu, you haven't been spending much time in Jingyang Palace these days." The man with the small mustache said smugly, "Since Eunuch Lu is still in a leisurely position, why not take it easy and leave Jingyang Palace?"

Lu Li didn't say much, only making a sarcastic remark: "Why did Eunuch Hu have to call me here if he's targeting us like this? Just have Xiao Chuanzi do it, and have someone else keep us out."