Biochemical Martial Arts: Supreme Heavenly Venerate

Wang Sen and others, including Lin Xi, could only follow Lin Rui to the entrance of Chengtian Gate in the imperial city before they could proceed no further.

Meng Weiyun arranged for his subordinates to lead them to a nearby mansion, which would be Lin Rui's residence in the capital henceforth.

This had been arranged by the Third Divine Envoy long ago; it was a confiscated residence of a guilty official, not only less than five miles from the imperial city but also incredibly spacious and luxurious.

It was said that the mansion used to belong to a prince consort, encompassing gardens and drill grounds of over fifty acres; in such a prime location within the capital, the sheer size of it bordered on inhumanity.

As extravagant as the mansion was, with its pavilions, terraces, carved galleries, and bridges all complete, it still adhered to the standard fitting for officials of the fifth to third rank, without any excess. Discover more stories at My Virtual Library Empire

Lin Xi and Wang Sen were there today mainly to help Lin Rui tidy up this estate.

The mansion had been vacant for almost three years; it couldn't be inhabited without a thorough cleaning, and they also had to help Lin Rui do an initial screening to ensure the 'safety' of the estate.

Lin Rui's intention was to have the core inner courtyard completely demolished and request a team of masons and carpenters from the Ministry of Works to rebuild it, which is why they needed to get busy now.

Building houses on Tianji Star was very fast; given enough materials, it could be done in just one day.

By evening, when Lin Rui returned, he should be able to move in.

Before long, Lin Rui, along with Ji Xueying, followed Meng Weiyun to the Divine Scenery Mountain behind the imperial palace.

There, clouds and mist wound around ancient trees that towered into the sky, everywhere lush and verdant with sprawling shade and a fragrance that wafted in the air, reminiscent of the mythical mountains of immortals, and the Divine Envoy's office of the Third Divine Envoy was located on the western foot of Divine Scenery Mountain.

The Divine Envoy's mansion, like a heavenly palace, surrounded the base of the mountain with splendid and majestic buildings, grand and spectacular; inside, carved balustrades and marble were elegant and stately, magnificent beyond compare.

However, Meng Weiyun remarked, "Actually, my master doesn't quite like it here, feeling that the Divine Envoy's office is too quiet and the decorations too garish without any human warmth, but as a Divine Envoy, she must preside over this place."

She led Lin Rui to a small farmhouse adjacent to the Divine Envoy's mansion.

Lin Rui saw a woman standing in the yard, with eyebrows like distant mountains exuding charm, eyes like rippling autumnal waters, exuding a cool and otherworldly air.

She was dressed in an elegant garment made of flowing cloud silk, her sleeves fluttering gently in the wind, both graceful and unspeakably pure.

Yet this Goddess, whose beauty seemed to overshadow all creation and who appeared devoid of any worldly taint, was feeding chickens—tossing grains of wheat and wild peas from her basket, tempting the 'Tianji Star chickens' to vie eagerly for the food.

With a serious expression, Meng Weiyun approached and said, "Disciple Meng Weiyun pays respect to Master!"

Lin Rui realized at once that the woman before him was none other than the current Third Divine Envoy, Luo Wangshu, whom he absolutely had to cling to on Tianji Star.

Lin Rui quickly followed suit, bowing with utmost respect, "Disciple Lin the Twelfth, pays respect to Master!"

"You have finally arrived," the Goddess turned to glance at them both, lingering particularly on the figures of Lin Rui and Ji Xueying before scattering the rest of the wheat and peas from her basket with a slight smile, "Xiao Yun, look at these chickens I raise, don't they remind you of the myriad beings that vie for food beneath the seats of the Divine?"

"Master!" Meng Weiyun's face turned pale as she exclaimed, "Master, this is Divine Scenery Mountain, under the seats of the Divine!"

Lin Rui, startled by these words, couldn't help but glance sideways at his fellow disciple.

Meng Weiyun's reaction was also strange; she only seemed concerned about the propriety of where they stood, rather than directly questioning her master's words.

"No matter, He can hear but will not care, the Divine are indifferent, treating all creatures as mere grass; the Divine prefer no kin and are ever with the good."

Luo Wangshu laughed ironically and then turned to Lin Rui with a smile, "So, you are Twelfth? You are indeed as Ming Yue and Weiyun described, incredibly handsome and talented. Do you understand what I mean by that saying?"

"I understand a little!" Lin Rui answered respectfully with hands clasped, "It seems to say that the Divine do not show partiality or favoritism towards anything in the world, treating all equally. The Divine also do not make distinctions of kin, only favoring those who comply well with the Divine way."

Pleased with his response, Luo Wangshu nodded, "Correct, that's exactly what it means! Ming Yue mentioned that when she first saw you, not only were you illiterate, but you couldn't even understand Luo Jing's official language. Now, not only do you speak it quite aptly, but you also have some literary understanding, which shows that you have not neglected your studies recently."

"This is also the first lesson I want to teach you. As you cultivate in the world and serve as an official in the court, as long as you hold onto this principle, your future will be bright and promising."

Lin Rui listened to the other party's tone as if imparting earnest instruction, but a hint of sarcastic amusement was clearly present in her eyes.

After pondering briefly, Lin Rui replied with a solemn expression, "Disciple understands and will certainly be cautious in words and actions."

Luo Wangshu's eyes lit up upon hearing this, thinking to herself that this child was truly interesting.

It turned out that Lin Rui didn't simply reply with 'Disciple will heed the lesson,' but instead chose 'will be cautious in words and actions.'

In the past, she had only learned about Lin Rui's various deeds through letters from Meng Weiyun and Zhuang Mingyue, but now Lin Rui's image in her mind suddenly came to life.

Luo Wangshu felt that this child was far more intelligent and attuned to her intentions than her previous disciples.

"You're very good. It's not convenient to talk here, let's go inside."

Luo Wangshu casually tossed the vegetable basket she was holding aside, then clapped her hands and walked into the mud-brick house ahead.

Inside was another world altogether. Although it was indeed a mud-brick house, it was very clean and the simple decorations gave off an exceedingly elegant feel.

Luo Wangshu settled herself on a cushion inside and looked at Lin Rui intently, "You've reached the fifth realm? How's the Dragon Armor? Show it to me, and you too, Blood Blade Ji."

Without hesitation, Lin Rui revealed his bone armor in front of Luo Wangshu.

After the Dragon Armor took shape, it formed small crystalline bones on the surface of Lin Rui's skin, with roughly half a finger's distance between each crystal.

The Dragon Armor was usually retracted within these crystalline bones, and when Lin Rui willed it, it would expand to cover his entire body.

However, when both the human and demon revealed their Dragon Armor, Luo Wangshu and Meng Weiyun were both slightly caught off guard.

The case of Blood Blade Ji was still acceptable; although she had reached emperor-level bloodline talent with the aid of implanted armor, the gathered Dragon Armor was still just beyond king-level standard.

But the purple-gold patterns covering all parts of Lin Rui's Dragon Armor shocked Meng Weiyun into disbelief.

"Is this, beyond emperor-level?"

She knew that the Dragon Armor Lin Rui had cultivated must be strong, but she had never imagined that Lin Rui's Dragon Armor would be to such an extent.

Luo Wangshu's pupils dilated slightly, "Interesting. Come here, Rui, let me have a closer look."

She beckoned with her hand, drawing Lin Rui closer to her, and grasped his wrist to carefully sense his pulse.

Luo Wangshu then felt the pulse was not very clear, so she leaned her cheek against Lin Rui's chest to listen closely.

Meng Weiyun, seeing this scene, couldn't help but frown slightly.

Watching Luo Wangshu bury her delicate body in Lin Rui's embrace, her long hair cascading over and covering half of Lin Rui's body, she felt inexplicably uncomfortable.

Yet where the discomfort lay, Meng Weiyun couldn't quite pinpoint.

Lin Rui himself also felt quite awkward, especially since his master's subtle fragrance was overwhelming and their breaths intermingled.

After a moment, Luo Wangshu finally sat up straight, and an almost neurotic smile appeared on her serene and otherworldly face, "Fascinating, truly fascinating. Your Golden Core is also beyond emperor-level, and not only that, it has—"

She seemed to mouth four words without making a sound.

Lin Rui, watching from the side, clearly discerned from Luo Wangshu's lips the words 'Abyssal Source Material.'