At this moment, Zhang Jian opened his eyes, and his gaze fell upon the seven-colored lake where countless talismans emerged. These talismans, true or false, were inherently carrying the innate divine techniques deep within the origin of the seven-colored golden lotus.
He had to seize the time to comprehend one of them and imprint it into the depths of his soul.
Time was short.
At this moment, the intense Vast Flame was burning deep within Zhang Jian's soul. He wanted to carefully select one or two divine techniques, but sensing the fleeting opportunity, he could only grab one randomly.
What he desired most was the marvelous power of the golden lotus to manipulate the void and sever space.
Besides that, the seven-colored divine light was also extremely potent.
His gaze locked onto a talisman radiating a seven-colored divine light, and he automatically absorbed it into the depths of his soul.
Moments later, on the Luo Bed, Zhang Jian's expression was peculiar. A mysterious path mark, emanating a seven-colored halo, fused with his soul, as if it had become an innate divine technique.
The seven-colored halo now revealed its true form.
It was a nearly transparent, colorless talisman.
"Golden Lotus Hidden Breath Technique!"
At this moment, Zhang Jian's eyes held a peculiar expression, mixed with a feeling of being at a loss whether to cry or laugh.
This was not the imagined seven-colored divine light capturing a true dragon, but a concealing divine technique.
It was the camouflage ability of the seven-colored golden lotus!
In an illusion realm, Zhang Jian had seen the seven-colored golden lotus freely disguise itself as various lotuses, even when ancient immortals appeared around it, they could not discern its true essence.
This was the spiritual object's most innate talent, closest to its origin.
"Forget it, it's still better than those chicken-rib divine techniques!"
Zhang Jian sighed inwardly.
On reflection, the Golden Lotus Hidden Breath Technique was actually quite good.
Its disguise could perfectly conceal its true form, even immortals of great power could be deceived, showing its potential.
At this moment, Zhang Jian also noticed that with the massive release of medicinal power from the Celestial Treasures, the magical power in his body was continuously expanding.
Simultaneously, streams of magical power were merging into the Qianyuan Golden Tripod, causing this high-tier lifebound dharma artifact to begin evolving. As the magical power infused it, penetrating the material, rune chains naturally born from the heavens and earth sprouted inside, etched into each meridian, causing its structure to transform.
The evolution of a dharma artifact is similar to that of a cultivator, requiring engravings of the laws of heaven and earth, a baptism of magical power, ultimately transforming into a more perfect state.
Now, with Zhang Jian solidifying his golden core and nourishing it with the profound light of the golden core, the Qianyuan Golden Tripod will naturally transform into a magical treasure.
A dharma artifact containing the golden nature of the golden core is indeed a magical treasure.
In fact, most magical treasures are born in association with golden core level cultivators.
And those Yin Spirit Treasures and Primordial Spirit Treasures above are mostly imbued with a cultivator's magic or the contamination of the laws of heaven and earth, hence their boundless divine profundity.
Of course, the power of a magical treasure is related to its material, the way it is refined, and all the experiences it undergoes during refining.
The Qianyuan Golden Tripod is now illuminated by Zhang Jian's golden core, immediately exuding a harmonious and full spiritual pressure.
Its material is extremely high, and during refining, it absorbed the deep essence of the Ancient Mountains and Rivers Map, making it relatively easy to become a magical treasure with minimal refining.
Golden light flowed, integrating a portion of the great medicine of the seven-colored golden lotus. In the golden light, the Qianyuan Golden Tripod appeared to resonate flawlessly with the spiritual mechanisms of the golden core.
This is a lifebound treasure.
The Dragon Roar Sword also refused to be outdone, emitting a suction force to absorb a portion of the great medicine of the seven-colored golden lotus, simultaneously wielding the power of the Holy Virtue Sword Cleansing Technique, purifying the sword body and melting away some impurities, also continuously refining itself.
The sword body manifested the vision of the Saint King governing the world!
Seeing this, Zhang Jian paid it no mind.
The medicinal power of the seven-colored golden lotus was astonishing; having a portion absorbed by these two magical treasures actually helped him share the pressure, preventing the medicine's properties from being wasted.
Moments later, a wave of intense magical power surged over Zhang Jian's body, and at this moment he appeared like an ordinary scholar, filled with the aura of books, all spiritual mechanisms and magical power seemingly merged fully into his flesh and blood.
In fact, at this moment, his magical power directly doubled in strength.
Zhang Jian could sense that with this seven-colored golden lotus, his cultivation at the golden core stage would likely proceed smoothly.
...
First, he successfully solidified his core, later he gained another advantage elsewhere, Zhang Jian was in a very good mood.
His cultivation was progressing increasingly smoothly.
Meanwhile, Yang Gonghu and others, who had returned from quelling the bandits, received a reward from Emperor Jingwu. Qi Yi, who was originally a third-class General Wei Yuan, was now promoted to a first-class Divine Power General. Moreover, Emperor Jingwu expressed his intent to reappoint Qi Yi, but Qi Yi declined, citing his advanced age and lack of strength. Consequently, Emperor Jingwu conferred another honor, elevating him one grade to County Marquis.
The title of County Marquis is a super-grade military merit title, though not as esteemed as a marquis, duke, or prince, it still carries its own honor!
The Daqian Court rarely grants such super-grade titles lightly.
The prestige of a County Marquis is very high!
Of course, many high-ranking ministers understood that Emperor Jingwu was giving face to Princess Qingfeng.
Indeed, shortly thereafter Emperor Jingwu found an opportunity to have the Empress Dowager appear, who personally mediated the proposal for Princess Qingfeng and Guard General Qi Yuanwu, officially betrothing Guard General Qi Yuanwu as the Prince Consort.
...
"Becoming a Prince Consort, though noble, comes with the loss of real power. For this eldest uncle, the gains might actually be less...!"
On the wedding day of the Eldest Princess and Guard General Qi Yuanwu at Princess Qingfeng's Mansion, Zhang Jian was also among the crowd.
Looking over, he could see Qi Yuanwu in a bright red wedding robe, brimming with happiness. He was handsome and robust, having been tempered by battlefield experiences, he lacked neither the masculine energy of a martial artist nor the valiant elegance of a general.
With such an appearance, he was indeed exceptional.
No wonder Princess Qingfeng was willing to go to any lengths for him.
From a distance, Zhang Jian saw Qi Yi mingling and chatting with several princes and imperial family members, accompanying numerous distinguished guests and high-ranking ministers while feasting.
The Qi Mansion seemed to have returned to its former glory in just one day.
Zhang Jian shook his head silently.
The Daqian court, like the previous dynasties, made the position of Prince Consort a noble yet powerless one, turning an outsider like Qi Yuanwu away from political proceedings, void of military command or involvement in the bureaucratic career.
Naturally, for this uncle, who harbored no great ambitions, this was perhaps the most desirable outcome.
At this moment, inside the Princess's Mansion, most of the Qi family's clan members had arrived, and Zhang Jian saw Qi Yuhua and Qi Yuzhu sisters conversing in low voices.
Noticing Zhang Jian's gaze, Qi Yuhua glanced at him with her clear eyes before straightening up and gazing straight ahead without a sideways glance.
Zhang Jian found this sight amusing.
Looking at Qi Yuhua, he noticed significant changes in her over this period.
Meanwhile, Qi Yuxian was stunningly dressed, standing among the young ladies of the Qi family. However, her radiant expression carried a trace of sickness, as if she had just recovered from a severe illness.
Zhang Jian could well understand.
With Madam Qi Zhou's passing less than two years ago, Qi Yuanwu seeking new love, especially with Princess Qingfeng, naturally stirred complex emotions within Qi Yuxian.
At this moment, Zhang Jian's expression suddenly shifted; his eyes flickered towards the depths of the Princess's Mansion, hearing a few peculiar sounds. Contemplating, he proceeded towards the direction of the sounds, accompanied by a few maids.
At the same time, Qi Yuxian noticed Zhang Jian in his blue casual clothing, initially intending to speak but fell silent seeing him turn away, her eyes showing a trace of forlornness.
Yet, her eyes faintly flickered, seemingly resolving a certain decision at that moment.
...
Zhang Jian, guided by two maids, headed towards an inner courtyard.
Zhang Jian did not conceal his presence, casually taking a few fresh fruits and a small jug of fine wine from the jade tray carried by the maids.
"Young Master Zhang, you are..."
At this moment, a sturdy guard from afar noticed Zhang Jian's actions and couldn't help walking over.
The guard was not unfamiliar with Zhang Jian.
The youngest Champion Scholar of the current dynasty and the Prince Consort's nephew, he frequently visited the Eldest Princess's Mansion recently, so they naturally did not find him unfamiliar nor overly guarded against him.
"Oh, it's Guard Yao. I was drawn in by the aroma. What's ahead?"
Zhang Jian casually pointed forward, having heard those strange sounds in the vicinity earlier.