I, a prison guard in the Heavenly Prison, secretly became invincible thanks to the system.

Before long, Eunuch Fei trotted back and led the two into the palace.

Consort Jing sat in a chair, dressed in magnificent robes, exuding elegance and nobility, with two stunningly beautiful maids standing behind her.

"Greetings, Consort Jing."

Leng Ruyi and Ye Kang simultaneously cupped their hands in greeting.

Warriors do not kneel before the emperor; bowing with hands clasped is the highest form of etiquette.

Consort Jing nodded, revealing a gentle smile.

"This must be Ye Kang. I heard you helped Prefect Zhou find the luminous pearl and caught the thief. You did a great job."

"Your Majesty is too kind. These are all my duties."

Ye Kang was neither arrogant nor humble, but also possessed a refined demeanor.

Without saying much, Consort Jing gave a wink to the maid behind her.

The maid immediately took out a document and handed it to Leng Ruyi.

“Lord Leng, I have obtained the imperial decree from His Majesty. Lord Ye has rendered great service and possesses exceptional strength. He deserves to be rewarded. Effective immediately, he shall be awarded one hundred taels of gold, promoted to Warden of the Death Penitentiary and concurrently appointed as a candidate for Tongzhilang, and appointed as a seventh-rank official.”

"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty!"

Upon hearing this, Ye Kang's heart immediately stirred with excitement.

This time he's really been promoted; he's no longer just an ordinary clerk in the Imperial City Guard.

Previously, he was at most a captain, but now he has been directly appointed as a seventh-rank candidate Tongzhilang, and can now rightfully refer to himself as "this official".

Consort Jing added, "Lord Ye, you are still relatively inexperienced, so there's no need to rush for promotion. However, I have a task for you. If you are willing to go, I will remove the word 'candidate' from your resume."

Upon hearing this, Ye Kang's heart stirred.

coming.

Promotions always come at a price; there is no such thing as unearned kindness.

What follows is the important part.

Ye Kang said, "I would like to hear the details. I will do my best to help."

"There's no need to make such a big deal out of it. This matter is quite minor. Before the Lunar New Year, my daughter, the Ninth Princess of the Great Jin Dynasty, returned to Mengzhou to pay respects to her maternal grandfather. However, recently, spies reported that there were signs of rebellious activities in Mengzhou. I am worried that she may be in danger, so I have dispatched imperial guards to meet her."

Ye Kang was completely confused: "Your Majesty, what do you need me to do?"

"To be honest, I am still not at ease. I need a trustworthy expert to secretly protect the Ninth Princess. Lord Ye is reliable, and you are the only one who can do this job."

Although Ye Kang felt that Consort Jing was overthinking things, it would be impolite to refuse her now that the matter had been discussed.

He could only say, "I am willing to relieve Consort Jing's worries."

"Good! Lord Leng, you were right about him. Later, you will take Lord Ye to the guard warehouse, where he can choose any martial art without any restrictions."

"understood."

Lord Leng nodded, and then the two took their leave, leaving the palace under the guidance of Eunuch Fei.

Lord Leng then said, "Your performance was good. I observe that Lord Ye's strength has improved again."

"Lord Leng has sharp eyes; nothing can be hidden from you."

Ye Kang answered with a grin, then subtly released a trace of his aura.

Instantly, Leng Ruyi's eyes widened in surprise.

"Incredible! In just a few days, you have reached the half-step innate realm."

"It's all thanks to my master's excellent teaching." Ye Kang didn't deny it, simply attributing all the blame to that non-existent master.

This only strengthened Leng Ruyi's suspicions.

Ye Kang's master was definitely one of those old guys in the imperial city.

Those people haven't been around for decades, so why did they suddenly produce such an extraordinary disciple? What are they trying to achieve?

Leng Ruyi couldn't understand it, but she was at least certain of one thing.

Ye Kang has connections, and very strong connections at that.

soon.

The two arrived at the Imperial City Guard Depot.

With Leng Ruyi leading the way, Ye Kang traveled smoothly and soon arrived at the place where martial arts manuals were stored.

"This is the Ten Thousand Books Pavilion, which has ten floors and houses all kinds of martial arts. The top floor contains the best martial arts."

"Shall we go to the top floor?"

"No, we're going underground."

Leng Ruyi reached out and pressed a mechanism, revealing an underground entrance.

The two went inside, and Leng Ruyi continued, "Since you are already at the half-step Xiantian level, then superior martial arts are of little significance to you."

Leng Ruyi did not say it explicitly.

In her opinion, with such an awesome master, what kind of superior martial arts couldn't Ye Kang learn?

If you choose ordinary martial arts for him, it would be a bit of a rip-off; you have to show him something real.

Ye Kang was unaware that Leng Ruyi had already imagined so much. He tentatively asked, "Could it be that the martial arts here are even more advanced than the superior ones?"

"That's natural. The underground floor contains thirteen innate martial arts techniques, including the unique skills of various sects and lost martial arts. Lord Ye can choose one."

The candle is lit, and a bookshelf appears in front of you.

A circle of secret manuals was displayed on top, each with a detailed description.

They are all innate martial arts!

What a good thing!

Ye Kang thought of his Hundred Flowers Sword Finger and felt extremely excited.

He hurried over and checked each door one by one.

"Thirteen Deadly Shots, the first one is White Dragon... I haven't practiced spear techniques, never mind."

"The Broken Bones and Weeping Souls Record is a martial art passed down from the White Bone Evil Heaven Sect of the previous dynasty. The name sounds sinister and doesn't fit my righteous image."

"Purple Cloud Sword Manual..."

"The Supreme Heaven-Piercing Technique..."

Ye Kang had read all the manuals and had a general understanding of them.

Unfortunately, the manuals were all sealed in crystal boxes and could not be opened to view them.

If it could be opened, the system could record everything directly; that would be awesome.

After hesitating for a long time, Ye Kang finally chose the "Imperial Supreme Heaven-Piercing Technique".

Because this is an internal energy cultivation method, an innate level internal energy cultivation method, it is definitely more powerful than the Yi Mu Heart Sutra, which is exactly what he lacks most.

Leng Ruyi, standing to the side, gave him a strange look.

"You certainly know how to choose. The Imperial Supreme Heaven-Piercing Skill is a family martial art passed down from the previous dynasty's royal family. It is the martial art of emperors and is extremely powerful, but no one has dared to choose it yet."

Ye Kang asked innocently, "Can't I choose?"

Leng Ruyi shook her head: "Of course you can. Her Majesty said that you can choose any path. However, I must remind you that the Imperial Martial Arts are closely related to the Dragon Vein and the nation's fortune. The Dragon Vein of the previous dynasty has long since been destroyed, making it much more difficult to practice."

"It's okay, this is fine."

Ye Kang did not hesitate.

The difficulty of cultivation is not a problem for the system at all.

Leng Ruyi didn't try to persuade him further and led Ye Kang out of the guardhouse.

The two parted ways, and Ye Kang returned home that very night.

After greeting his parents and older brother, he went into his room to begin his comprehension.

"System! Quickly learn the Imperial Supreme Heaven-Piercing Technique!"

【Ding】

[Successfully recorded the Imperial Supreme Heaven-Piercing Technique]

[Martial Arts Restriction: The host must reach the Innate Realm to learn this skill; it requires 5000 Comprehension Points to even begin.]

[The host is temporarily unable to learn this martial art. It is recommended that the host upgrade the Yi Wood Heart Sutra.]

"Outrageous! There are so many restrictions! And 5000 comprehension points is way too expensive!"

Ye Kang hadn't expected this martial art to be so difficult to master.

It seems Lord Leng was right; the previous dynasty's imperial fortune was abolished, making this martial art more difficult.

"Since the system has already recommended it, I'll study the Heart Sutra of Yi Wood first and comprehend it!"

【Ding】

[The host has consumed 2000 points of comprehension to comprehend the Great Perfection of the Yi Wood Heart Sutra.]

[Congratulations, host, on breaking through your limitations and advancing to the first rank of the Innate Realm!]