My cultivation disguise has been exposed by Xiao Sizi.

"Why can't I be tested?!" Li Shimin roared, his neck stiff with rage. "You tested Lizhi, you tested Sizi, why can't I be tested? Are you afraid that my test will reveal more talent than yours and steal your thunder?!"

"I'll steal your thunder!"

Li Chen cursed irritably, crossed his arms, and began his charlatan-like deception.

"Old Deng, use your brain. Who are you? You are the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty! The ruler of all people under heaven!"

"Since ancient times, the laws of Heaven have had an ironclad rule: Human emperors cannot cultivate immortality!"

Li Chen raised his head, gazing intently at the sky, his voice becoming exceptionally ethereal and majestic, as if he were proclaiming some inviolable decree.

"You bear the destiny of the Tang Dynasty on your shoulders; the fate of all living beings rests entirely on your shoulders. If you forcibly embark on the path of immortality, pursuing eternal life, you will be violating the laws of the cycle of heaven!"

"At that time, you won't even need to be struck by heavenly lightning; the karmic backlash from all living beings will be enough to obliterate you on the spot! Even the entire Tang Dynasty will crumble and fall into an abyss of no return because of your selfishness!"

boom!

These words, a mix of threats and deception, were like a bucket of ice water poured directly from Li Shimin's head to his feet.

The fervor on Li Shimin's face froze instantly.

Although he longed for immortality, in his heart, the fate of the Tang Dynasty was more important than his own life! If cultivating immortality would destroy the foundation of the Tang Dynasty, he would rather be a mortal emperor who would experience birth, aging, sickness, and death.

Seeing that Li Shimin was stunned, Li Chen pressed his advantage and continued to relentlessly launch physical attacks.

"We'll see."

Li Chen looked Li Shimin up and down, his eyes filled with deep disdain.

"Look at your age now. Your beard is all white, and your bones and meridians have long since become completely stiff. You've missed the best age for cultivating immortality and establishing your foundation. Even if you have spiritual roots now, they're just a piece of rotten wood that can't absorb much spiritual energy at all."

"More importantly, cultivating immortality requires a pure and desireless mind, and long periods of seclusion and meditation. You are constantly overwhelmed by the memorials from the court, and you have to scheme against powerful families and think about how to fight wars."

Li Chen extended a finger and tapped Li Shimin's chest.

"With your mind filled with worldly distractions, if you force yourself to cultivate, you'll definitely suffer a qi deviation on the very first day of inducing qi into your body! Your meridians will be severed, and you'll bleed from all seven orifices. Even a god couldn't save you. Do you think you've lived too long?"

Every word pierces the heart! Every strike is fatal!

Li Shimin was completely overwhelmed by Li Chen's combination of punches. He was like a deflated balloon, taking two steps back before slumping down onto a stone bench.

"The Human Emperor cannot cultivate immortality... He will suffer a qi deviation..."

Li Shimin muttered to himself, the light in his eyes completely dimming.

He knew that although he was usually a bit of a rascal, he would never joke about something as important as this, a matter of life and death.

It seems that I am destined to be forever barred from the path to immortality.

"Sigh..." Li Shimin sighed deeply, as if he had aged considerably in an instant.

Seeing her husband's dejected appearance, Empress Zhangsun walked over with a pang of heartache and gently pressed his shoulder.

She turned her head, looked at Li Chen, and shook her head with a smile.

"The Empress Dowager doesn't need to be tested."

Empress Zhangsun's tone was exceptionally calm, revealing a composure and open-mindedness that came from a deep understanding of the world.

"Your mother is just an ordinary woman. I am content to grow old with your father in this mortal world and to see you, your brothers and sisters, all doing well. I cannot bear the lonely life of immortality."

Li Chen nodded silently, deeply admiring Empress Zhangsun's magnanimity.

At this moment, Crown Prince Li Chengqian, who had been standing by as a bystander, couldn't help but come closer and point to his own nose.

"Sixteenth brother, what about me? Father can't cultivate immortality, and Mother doesn't want to. My body is so strong now, does that mean I also have some kind of peerless spiritual root?"

Li Chen glanced at him sideways and poured cold water on him without any mercy.

"You're overthinking it. I already tested your spiritual roots."

Li Chen curled his lip. "On your very first day in my side hall to treat your leg, I used my true essence to examine your meridians. You don't have even the slightest aptitude for sensing the five elements of spiritual energy. Utterly zero!"

Li Chengqian's expectation vanished instantly, leaving him on the verge of tears.

"However..."

Li Chen changed the subject, "Although you don't have the spiritual root for cultivating magic, your physical body and blood are exceptionally vigorous, and your bones are extraordinary. This shows that you are a good candidate for body cultivation."

"Otherwise, do you think that if I just gave you some run-of-the-mill body-forging manual, you could develop this invulnerability in half a month?"

Hearing that he couldn't use magic but was a "body-refining prodigy," Li Chengqian's mood instantly improved. He proudly waved his fist, which was as big as a sandbag, to show his satisfaction.

Looking at this noisy family, Li Chen felt his temples start to throb again.

"I'm saying, Old Deng, Mother, and the two of you."

Li Chen rubbed his temples and pointed helplessly at the people filling the courtyard.

"Can't you all stay in the palace? Why are you coming to my Prince Qin's residence every day?"

"It's one thing for Chang Le to come every day. But Crown Prince, you ignore the memorials from the Eastern Palace and come here every day to freeload meals and work out your muscles."

"Old Deng, you ignore the important affairs of the world and spend your days bringing your wife and kids to stroll around here."

Li Chen looked up at the sky and sighed.

"This is the Qin Prince's Mansion! A place for quiet cultivation! Not a free boarding school for your Tang Dynasty royal family! Should I still be in seclusion to cultivate?!"

Faced with Li Chen's incessant rant.

Li Shimin, however, picked up the cold tea on the table with a straight face, took a sip, and snorted coldly.

"What? Do I have to pay you for a simple meal at my own son's residence? This mansion was renovated by my decree using funds from the national treasury. My staying a few more days is an honor for you!"

Empress Zhangsun chuckled and teased, "Yes, Chen'er, it's because the air here is so fresh; it makes one feel completely comfortable. Please bear with it."

Li Chen was utterly speechless. Faced with such a shameless royal family, even as a Golden Core cultivator, he could only surrender.

……

Night falls.

After a noisy day, the Prince of Qin's residence finally quieted down. After dinner, Li Shimin and his family returned to the palace, completely satisfied.

Li Chen lay alone on the large, soft canopy bed in the main hall.

There were no lights on in the room, only the cool moonlight filtering through the window and dappling the floor tiles.

Li Chen put his hands behind his head and stared at the dark ceiling with his eyes open.

It was quiet all around.

The carefree, nonchalant mask he wore during the day was completely shed. Whenever he closed his eyes, the image of the icy blue beam of light shooting into the sky from the spirit-testing disc would involuntarily appear in his mind.

"A top-grade mutated ice spirit root..."

Li Chen muttered to himself, his voice revealing an undisguised bitterness and heartache.

He raised his right hand and, by the moonlight, looked at the faint streams of true energy in his palm.

"Actually, there's nothing wrong with having mixed spiritual roots."

Li Chen forced a smile and began desperately trying to reassure himself.

"What's the use of being talented? No matter how fast you cultivate, can you compare to my cheat-like speed?"

"I have a divine soul space that allows for automatic cultivation! I don't have to do anything all day; I just lie there and sleep, and the Heavenly Dao's fortune will continuously transform into cultivation power and flow back into my dantian!"

"That's right! Cheats are the real deal! Top-tier spiritual roots are nothing but fluff! I'm not jealous at all!"

"It's okay, it's okay, it's just a small problem... Waaah..."

Li Chen suddenly rolled over, covered his head tightly with the blanket, buried his face in the soft pillow, and let out a mournful sob.

"To hell with all that nonsense!"

"I want a top-tier mutated ice spirit root too! Why am I just some nobody with a mixed spirit root?! God, this is unfair!!!"