Starting with being handed over to the Imperial Concubine, building a family with a thousand-year hi

Su Mu was generous, squeezing out a few drops of his own blood essence from his fingertip and offering them to Jinzi's mouth to "quench its thirst." Nourished by Su Mu's blood essence, Jinzi's mental state recovered even faster.

Before long, Jinzi had eaten and drunk her fill, and curled up in Su Mu's arms again, falling into a deep sleep.

Su Mu carefully placed it on the bed, then got up, walked out of the library, and came to the courtyard to adapt to the changes and improvements in his body. Although his physique was still within the scope of a spiritual body and had not achieved a leap in level, his resilience and explosive power were more than twice as strong as before. His already powerful spiritual body had become even more terrifying.

……

The next morning, the first rays of sunlight streamed into the palace, illuminating the courtyard of the library. As usual, Xiao Anran arrived early in the courtyard, drew a longsword, and began practicing swordsmanship.

It is not hard to see that since receiving the "Complete Explanation of the Fundamentals of Kendo" from Su Mu, her kendo skills have been steadily improving, her moves have become more and more skillful, and her sword intent has become more and more refined.

After breakfast, the old eunuch Cao You hurried to the library and bowed to report: "Grand Preceptor, Your Highness, His Majesty requests your presence in the Qianming Hall. He has important matters to discuss."

Xiao Anran was puzzled, but she didn't ask any more questions. She followed Cao You and hurriedly walked towards Qianming Hall.

To her surprise, Emperor Xiao Anxun was not in the Qianming Hall, but in a study next door. In the study stood a young man she didn't recognize. He looked to be about her age, with an exceptionally handsome face and a tall, slender figure. He wore a silver robe and had an otherworldly air about him. Even deep within the palace, he appeared calm and composed, exuding the confidence of a powerful figure.

"Your Majesty, who is this?" Xiao Anran asked Xiao Anxun with a puzzled look on her face.

Although he had already heard the stranger introduce himself, Xiao Anxun still had doubts and dared not make a hasty conclusion. Therefore, he did not answer his sister's question immediately, but simply told her to be patient.

Upon seeing this, the stranger spoke up, his voice clear and melodious, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable air of authority: "My name is Xiao Chengjun, and I come from the Xiao family ten thousand years ago."

No one knew that his real name was Situ Chengjun, and his surname was not Xiao at all!

He arrived in the Great Qian Imperial City last night, intending to go directly into the palace to find the descendants of the Situ family. However, just before entering the palace, he sensed a violent energy fluctuation coming from a corner of the palace. So he watched from afar outside the palace and happened to see a golden sword light kill a barbarian powerhouse.

The power of that golden sword light was far beyond his imagination. He had a feeling that even he might not be able to withstand or block it.

So he changed his plan on the spot—after all, he was indeed from ten thousand years ago, and no one except himself and Duanmu Rong knew his true identity. By impersonating an ancient powerhouse of the Xiao royal family, he could not only hide his true purpose, but also better understand the current situation, and even use the power of the Xiao royal family to find the descendants of the Situ family.

"The Xiao family ten thousand years ago..." Upon hearing this, Xiao Anran was shocked, her eyes widening involuntarily, unable to believe her ears for a moment.

Just as she was still in shock, Li Lianqing invited Xiao Changshan into the study. As soon as Xiao Changshan entered, he saw the unfamiliar young man and immediately felt a sense of vigilance.

"That's right, it was exactly ten thousand years ago." Situ Chengjun explained in a serious tone, "Ten thousand years ago, I left the Xiao family when I was young and joined the Xuan Gang Sect to cultivate. When I was in my twenties, due to a change in the sect, I was sealed by the sect's powerful members. It wasn't until ten thousand years later that I was able to be unsealed."

"Ten thousand years ago, once a martial artist joined a sect, they were considered a member of that sect. They had to downplay their connection to their family of origin. It would be normal if there were no record of my existence in the Xiao family's historical records."

"Moreover, when I was sealed, the Great Qian Empire had not yet been established, and the Xiao family was just an ordinary martial arts family. It is not surprising that you did not know of my existence."

Xiao Changshan pondered for a moment, quickly sorting out his thoughts. He then cautiously stepped forward, bowed, and asked, "May I ask, venerable ancestor, what is your current cultivation level?"

"Above Grandmaster is the True Martial Realm." Situ Chengjun spoke calmly, his tone even, yet carrying a powerful confidence. "That is what you modern people often call the Martial God Realm. However, what you do not know is that the True Martial Realm and the true Martial God Realm are several major realms apart and cannot be compared."

To prove his cultivation level and convince Xiao Anxun and the others, Situ Chengjun slowly released a powerful aura as he spoke—an aura that was vast and boundless, with a pressure as strong as a mountain, instantly sweeping across the entire study. This made Xiao Anxun, Xiao Anran, Xiao Changshan, and the others feel suffocated, their bodies stiff, and they didn't even have the strength to lift their heads.

Although they had never seen a True Martial Realm expert, they could clearly tell that a Grandmaster could never possess such a powerful aura!

"The return of our ancestor is a great fortune for our Xiao royal family and for the Great Qian Empire!" Xiao Changshan was the first to react, his face full of excitement. He bowed deeply, his tone filled with awe and joy.

In his view, this True Martial Realm expert was not lying—with his cultivation level, he could have killed them all in the blink of an eye, so there was no need for him to lie and impersonate the ancestor of the Xiao royal family.

"He is not only my clan's ancestor, but also possesses the extraordinary cultivation of the True Martial Realm. This throne..." Xiao Anxun raised his head, a hint of hesitation on his face. He stopped halfway through his sentence, but the meaning behind it was already obvious—he was testing whether this ancestor would seize his throne.

"You are indeed no longer fit to sit on this throne." Situ Chengjun showed no mercy, his tone stern as he directly reprimanded her, "Your Empress actually recognized a eunuch as her adoptive father! No matter what merits that eunuch may have had, he is ultimately a castrated man, a servant of my Xiao imperial family. As Empress, with your noble status, how can you recognize a slave as your father? This is utterly disgraceful to my Xiao imperial family!"

Xiao Anxun, Xiao Anran, and Xiao Changshan all fell silent upon hearing this and lowered their heads.

They originally thought that this ancestor from ten thousand years ago would consider their kinship and politely decline the throne, and would not compete with his descendants from ten thousand years later. However, the reality far exceeded their expectations—not only did he not decline, but he also directly reprimanded Xiao Anxun, his tone full of dissatisfaction.

"Now that I've returned, it's my duty to restore the Xiao imperial family, rectify the court, and reclaim the glory of my Xiao family." Situ Chengjun's gaze swept over the three men, and he said solemnly, "I hope you will all do your utmost to assist me without the slightest slackening, otherwise, don't blame me for disregarding our kinship!"

Having said that, his gaze fell upon Xiao Anxun again, and he said in a deep voice, "Of course, if you behave well and loyally assist me, this throne will be yours sooner or later. Now, immediately draft the abdication edict and abdicate in my favor!"

Although Xiao Anxun was unwilling, he dared not disobey and could only obediently follow orders—the difference in strength between the two sides was too great. The other party was a True Martial Realm expert, and killing him would be a matter of a snap of the fingers.