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

Yutian was overjoyed and immediately knelt down to kowtow in gratitude, accepting the reward and filled with enthusiasm for diligent cultivation.

A moment later, Xiao Anran returned from the second floor and reported softly, "Your Majesty, I heard that Senior doesn't seem to have a good appetite and doesn't like our usual food. He hasn't touched a single bite."

"It's alright."

Su Mu waved his hand casually and said indifferently, "She comes from beyond the realm, so it's perfectly normal for her to be unaccustomed to the local climate and food. There's no need to make an effort to accommodate her. She'll naturally adapt over time."

The meals at the library were already of the highest standard in the palace, with excellent ingredients and superb culinary skills. Su Mu didn't have the extra energy or resources to specially prepare exotic delicacies for her, so he could only let things take their course.

After finishing her breakfast, Xiao Anran went upstairs again to clean up the dishes, taking care of everything properly so as not to cause any trouble.

Before you knew it, it was noon, and the sun was blazing overhead.

Emperor Xiao Anxun of the Great Qian Dynasty personally visited the library. His expression was solemn, his steps hurried, and his brows were full of worry.

"Your Majesty, urgent report from the border: the situation across the four borders of the Great Qian Empire has deteriorated rapidly and is becoming increasingly dangerous, reaching a point where the situation is far from optimistic!"

"Monsters in both the eastern and western borders are making frequent unusual movements, and the frequency of large-scale attacks has surged. The defending troops are exhausted and the defensive line is on the verge of collapse!"

"Without heavy garrison along the eastern coast, hordes of sea monsters and deep-sea beasts are surging upstream along the great rivers, wreaking havoc and invading the heart of the empire, plundering villages and towns, and harming the people!"

"Although heavy troops are stationed along the western border to defend it, they can only remain within the city walls, barely able to protect themselves, and are powerless to venture out to protect the surrounding wilderness or appease the displaced people!"

"The northern border defenses have completely fallen. The Japanese, in alliance with the barbarian tribes, have formed a coalition army, forcefully breached the passes, and advanced deep into the heart of Longbei Prefecture, burning, killing, and looting!"

"Chaos has broken out in the southern borderlands. The Wu tribe, which had been lying in wait deep within the Wanjiang Yusu region, has launched a massive military offensive, attacking the two vassal kingdoms of Dongze and Xize. War has raged across the land!"

"The two great kingdoms are suffering repeated defeats and are on the verge of collapse. They have sent urgent messages to the imperial city from eight hundred li away, pleading for help. Countless people within their borders have been displaced, fleeing north with their families in search of refuge and survival!"

Xiao Anxun bowed and reported the military situation, his tone anxious and urgent, his eyes filled with worry, fearing that the empire would be plunged into a crisis of destruction in an instant.

Su Mu focused his mind and sensed the imperial dragon aura swirling above the imperial city from afar. He found that the aura was robust and stable, showing no signs of decay or collapse, and immediately felt relieved.

"With the nation's fortunes stable and its prosperity undiminished, I have a comprehensive plan in mind. The emperor need not be overly anxious or worried; he can simply maintain order in the court."

"May Heaven bless the Great Qian Dynasty, and we will surely overcome this calamity."

Xiao Anxun bowed respectfully, feeling somewhat relieved, and then hurriedly left to return to the court to coordinate defenses.

The retired emperor looked resolute and confident, and Xiao Anxun was unwilling to waste time and energy on unnecessary internal strife. Now, with no one else to rely on, he could only trust Su Mu wholeheartedly and unconditionally, entrusting him with the fate of the nation.

For Xiao Anxun, dealing with the border chaos can wait. His top priority is to focus on arduous cultivation, break through his current limitations, and strive to reach the late stage of the Grandmaster realm.

He is only a hair's breadth away from this breakthrough, and the opportunity is already in place.

Xiao Anran had access to a vast amount of cultivation resources stored within his Void Ring, providing him with ample resources. In addition, Su Mu had previously bestowed upon him several Soul-Nourishing Pills to strengthen his spirit and aid in the condensation of his primordial spirit. Before long, he would be able to successfully condense his primordial spirit, steadily advancing to the late-stage Grandmaster realm and solidifying his imperial power.

The afternoon was calm and the sky was clear, offering a wide view over the imperial city.

The golden bird spreads its wings and soars high in the sky, enjoying the freedom and ease of flying through the air.

After consuming and refining the remnant body of Liang Song, a Martial King, its foundation surged, its body grew even larger, its wings became fuller and stronger, its feathers shone with golden light, its spirituality surpassed that of before, and its cultivation steadily solidified.

Su Mu returned alone to the quiet room on the second floor of the library, took out the brand-new mid-grade Earth-rank meteorite puppet, and ordered it to guard the door and be on alert around the clock, forbidding anyone from approaching or disturbing it.

Next, he will go into seclusion to refine the Azure Phoenix's essence blood, a crucial breakthrough in his cultivation that cannot tolerate any external interference. He has a meteorite puppet guarding him outside, and a brand-new clone talisman in his hand as a backup. With double protection, his safety is absolutely guaranteed.

After arranging all the security measures, Su Mu sat cross-legged on the bed, closed his eyes to regulate his breathing and concentrate his mind, clearing away distracting thoughts, and slowly circulated the qi and blood and spiritual power around his body to cultivate to the peak and perfect state of the physical body, true fire and primordial spirit.

With his status in place, he raised his hand and took out three treasures from the system warehouse: a level six Azure Phoenix Essence Blood Jade Bottle, a grade five Dragon Essence Pill, and a section of warm and pure Earth Marrow Spirit Lotus.

Su Mu was the first to open his mouth and swallow a Grade 5 Dragon Essence Pill. As soon as the pill entered his stomach, it transformed into a torrent of warm medicinal power, flowing through his limbs, bones, meridians, and dantian, comprehensively purifying the quality of his cultivation, tempering the strength of his innate true fire, and simultaneously strengthening his physical body, bones, and skin. All three benefits were maximized at the same time.

The Grade 5 Dragon Essence Pill is a top-tier rare pill used for battlefield survival and enhancing abilities in dire situations. It is extremely precious, and ordinary cultivators would treasure it for survival, reluctant to use it lightly. However, Su Mu had a large stockpile and did not hesitate to use it to pave the way for his cultivation and assist in refining his essence blood, all for the sake of a safe breakthrough.

Once the effects of the Dragon Essence Pill had fully dissipated and his body was filled with heat and energy, Su Mu did not hesitate. He raised his hand, pulled out the stopper of the jade bottle, tilted his head back, and drank the entire bottle of sixth-level Azure Phoenix essence blood into his stomach.

The blood essence of a sixth-level Azure Phoenix, and at the top quality of the late sixth-level stage, is pure and robust. The primordial energy it contains is violent and domineering. As soon as it enters the stomach, it transforms into countless fine wind blades, which rapidly wash and cut through the meridians and flesh, and wantonly collide with the muscles of the whole body.

An excruciating pain instantly swept over my entire body, piercing to the bone and unbearable.

This is far beyond what an ordinary level six Azure Phoenix can compare to. Its bloodline is pure and flawless, and its divine power is violent and unruly. The difficulty of refining it far exceeds expectations, which is why the pain is so intense.

It took Su Mu two full hours to perfectly integrate the entire high-grade Earth-rank sword embryo into the Imperial Dao Yuanling.

In an instant, the Yuanling's size exploded, growing to the size of a watermelon.

Looking back, the newly formed Imperial Primordial Spirit was only the size of a grape; before fusing with the sword embryo, it was no more than the size of a fist.

In terms of sheer size, the Imperial Primordial Spirit has now reached the late stage of the Grandmaster realm.

After fusing with the sword embryo, Su Mu's cultivation level experienced a surge.

However, the increase in power is not the biggest gain this time.

The real qualitative change lies in the ultimate ascent of skill level.

The foundation of his sword spirit had already laid a solid foundation for Su Mu's swordsmanship. Now, with the fusion of the Earth-rank high-grade sword embryo with his primordial spirit, his swordsmanship foundation was no longer just solid, but had reached a terrifying level.

The sword embryo is formed from the condensed sword intent and sword momentum of countless powerful sword cultivators. After being integrated with the primordial spirit, it not only makes it easier for him to wield high-level swords and greatly increases the power of his sword techniques, but also accelerates his comprehension of the sword path and expands the upper limit of his cultivation.

All primordial spirits possess spirituality, and the sword intent and sword momentum within the sword embryo are completely integrated into the spirituality of the primordial spirits, forming a unified whole.

"Formerly the Imperial Spirit, now in this form... should it be called the Imperial Sword Spirit?"