Crossing the Cultivation Realm: Two Souls Coexist

In a dark interrogation room in the palace, Prince Zhu was brought before the emperor.

There was no outside noise here, only the emperor's stern gaze and Prince Zhu's nervous breathing.

The emperor sat in the main seat in the interrogation room, looking at Prince Zhu with a sharp gaze.

His voice was deep and powerful: "Prince Zhu, you must give me an explanation for what happened today."

Prince Zhu stood in front of the emperor. Although he was frightened in his heart, he tried his best to remain calm on the surface.

He knew he had to defend himself, otherwise his entire life would be ruined, not to mention his life plans.

"Your Majesty, the contents of those letters are pure slander. I have been loyal to the court and Your Majesty my entire life and would never do such a thing."

There was a slight tremor in Prince Zhu's voice as he tried to make himself sound more convincing.

The emperor did not respond to Prince Zhu immediately. His eyes became sharper, as if he wanted to see through Prince Zhu's heart.

He knew that this matter concerned the prestige of the court and the justice of the country, and he had to handle it with caution.

"Prince Zhu, I will carefully consider your words. But I hope you can understand that I value facts and evidence more. You are a founding hero of our Donghai Kingdom, and I don't want to see you do anything foolish."

There was an unquestionable majesty in the emperor's voice.

Facing the emperor's scrutiny, Prince Zhu felt unprecedented panic.

He knew that if the emperor did not believe his explanation, everything he had would be in vain.

"Your Majesty, I am willing to accept any form of investigation. I only ask Your Majesty to clear my name." Prince Zhu's voice was full of anxiety and pleading.

The emperor was silent for a moment, then nodded slowly.

A hint of determination flashed in his eyes. "Prince Zhu, I will give you a chance. I will thoroughly investigate this matter and give you a fair trial. But you must also be mentally prepared. If the facts are indeed as stated in the letter, I will definitely not show any mercy."

When Prince Zhu heard the emperor's words, he was filled with helplessness and despair.

He knew that he had fallen into a dilemma from which he could not easily escape, and that his future and fate lay in the hands of the emperor.

"Your Majesty...your Majesty obeys your command."

There was a hint of weakness in Prince Zhu's voice; he knew he had no way out.

The emperor stood up and prepared to leave the interrogation room.

He knew that the handling of this matter would be related to the stability of the court and the justice of the country, and he had to find out the truth as soon as possible.

"Come here, temporarily detain King Zhu pending further investigation."

The emperor ordered, his voice full of decision and authority.

After the emperor finished his conversation with Prince Zhu in the interrogation room, he came to the square for the imperial examination with a heavy heart.

He stood on the high platform, continuing to perform his duties as an invigilator, while thinking in his heart how to maintain the prestige and fairness of the court.

The emperor's eyes swept over the candidates in the square. Some of them were in deep thought, while others were writing furiously. Everyone was working hard for his or her future.

However, the emperor was not in a relaxed mood.

He knew that the imperial examination was an important way for the country to select talents, and any interference could affect the country's future.

The emperor ordered his men to start counting the number of candidates. He needed an exact number to understand the situation.

After a busy period, the guards reported a disturbing news: the number of imperial examination candidates this year was nearly a quarter less than last year.

"What? A quarter is missing?" The emperor's voice was filled with obvious shock and anger, and his expression became cold.

The emperor's anger echoed above the podium. He couldn't understand why so many candidates were absent.

This is a huge loss for the country and a serious warning.

"What's going on? Can't even the talent selection exams in our country be carried out normally?"

The emperor's voice was filled with anger and disappointment, and his eyes revealed a hint of confusion.

The emperor decided to summon the heads of the county government and the ritual office to the palace for questioning immediately after the imperial examination.

"I want you to come to the palace immediately after the imperial examination. I have something to ask you."

The emperor ordered, his voice carrying a hint of unquestionable authority.

The county magistrate and the ritual officials in the examination hall felt unprecedented pressure. They knew that the emperor's summons meant they had to give a reasonable explanation.

The emperor stood on the high platform, looking at the candidates in the examination room with a cold gaze.

He knew that the handling of this matter would be related to the prestige of the court and the stability of the country.

He was determined to find out the truth and take measures to ensure the fairness and justice of the imperial examination.

Following the emperor's order, the officials in the examination hall began to get busy, preparing to take action immediately after the examination.

The emperor's intervention made the whole incident more complicated, but also made it more possible for the truth to be revealed.

At this time, in the secret room of the palace, Hu Qing was immersed in the state of cultivation, feeling the rich spiritual energy around him.

He found that the spiritual energy here was much more abundant than that in the outside world, which provided excellent conditions for his cultivation.

Hu Qing adjusted his breathing, circulated his spiritual power according to the Changqing Gong, and guided the spiritual power to flow in his body.

He could clearly feel the spiritual power flowing through his meridians, nourishing his body and soul.

As his practice deepened, his spiritual power gradually increased, and the spiritual power in his dantian continued to accumulate.

With Hu Qing's unremitting efforts and the nourishment of spiritual energy, Gu Yang's soul was significantly strengthened without his knowledge.

During the practice, Hu Qing was pleasantly surprised to find that Gu Yang's soul had broken through to the early stage of Qi Gathering.

This is an important node, which means that Gu Yang's soul is more stable and his consciousness is clearer.

While helping Gu Yang break through, Hu Qing did not neglect his own cultivation.

He found that his spiritual power was also constantly increasing, and finally reached the late stage of the body tempering period.

This was a huge improvement, meaning that both his physical fitness and spiritual power had been significantly improved.

"It seems that the spiritual energy here is really helpful to me."

Hu Qing thought to himself, "I must seize the time and strive to reach a higher level as soon as possible."

Hu Qing was practicing in the secret room, immersed in the nourishment of spiritual energy. Suddenly, the door of the secret room was opened.

He was awakened from his cultivation and sensed a hint of unusual aura.

A guard came in and without saying anything, blindfolded Hu Qing and took him out of the secret room.

Hu Qing was led by the guards through the corridors of the palace. He could feel the changes in the surrounding environment, but could not see anything.

After walking for a while, they arrived at the main hall of the palace.

The guards took him to a location and untied the mask from his eyes.

Hu Qing's eyes gradually adjusted to the light, and he saw the emperor sitting on the high dragon throne, examining him with sharp eyes.

Below the emperor, there were three people kneeling, including the county magistrate and the etiquette official whom he had met before.

Their expressions varied, some were nervous, some were confused, and some were frightened.