The Empress's No.1 Lackey

As the Taia Sword sliced through the sky, breaking the barrier and falling into Zhao Douan's hands,

Deep within the Heavenly Master Mansion, in a small courtyard where a large banyan tree was planted.

"Taia Sword!"

Xu Zhenguan rose nearly out of control, her white robe moving without wind, her black hair fluttering.

She was staring intently at the water screen in front of her, more precisely, at the reflection of Zhao Douan standing with the sword.

Her phoenix eyes widened in disbelief, wild thoughts growing uncontrollably.

Her breathing became slightly rapid, her delicate fists clenched inside her sleeves as she struggled to control herself not to lose her composure.

However, inside her heart, a massive turmoil had already begun!

Taia Sword!

The sword of the ancestral Emperor, the treasure of the Xu's Imperial Family, and a divine artifact displayed on the offering table of the Grand Temple in the Imperial Palace.

Three years ago, during the Xuan Sect rebellion, she, then the Third Imperial Princess, had entered the Grand Temple alone, taken this divine weapon, and forged a victory that swept through the armies and suppressed the rebels.

Because, Xu Zhenguan was the only one from the recent generations of the Royal Family to be recognized by the spirit of the Taia Sword as the "bearer of the sword."

To wield the Taia Sword, one doesn't necessarily need "bloodline," but one must have "Martial God" inheritance.

Therefore, theoretically, Zhao Douan, being a Tributor, indeed had a chance of success.

But...

That was only "theoretically!"

The Taia Sword's acceptance was extremely strict; even Mr. Hai, could only hold the sword briefly in special circumstances.

And he had to be completely respectful, treating it like a servant.

Not to mention "summoning it on demand"...

But now, what did she see?

Zhao Douan, who had just entered the Divine Chapter Realm and had never even touched the Taia Sword before, was now summoning it from afar at this moment.

Making the ancient divine weapon actively break through the Imperial Palace's seal to come to him, and it obediently allowed him to wield it.

"How is this possible?!"

For a moment, the Empress even doubted that she had seen incorrectly or that it wasn't the divine artifact, Taia.

Beside her, Old Heavenly Master's surprise was no less significant.

Although he had calculated that Zhao Douan had a great chance of winning, he had not foreseen this development.

He looked at the Empress subconsciously, although Xu Zhenguan hid it well.

But the surprise briefly revealed in that hurried moment was all caught by Zhang Yan Yi, making him look even more puzzled.

"Hehe, Your Majesty is indeed skillful,"

However, after a brief silence, the Old Heavenly Master, who had been ruling the world for three cycles, suddenly laughed out loud, breaking the tense atmosphere:

"Now I realize, Your Majesty had planned this all along. This Tributor Zhao's talent is indeed astonishing, being able to wield the Taia Sword, no wonder he is so favored.

Now, this act of summoning the sword through the air, if I am not mistaken, must also be Your Majesty's doing... With this divine artifact, he can offset the difference in cultivation; perhaps this year's magical competition will relive the glory of the Xu's Imperial Dynasty?"

Xu Zhenguan suddenly recovered her senses and regained her composure.

Hearing this statement, she felt a bit guilty... her gaze flickered briefly...

Then, she became suspicious, somewhat unsure if Zhang Yan was really thinking this way or deliberately giving her a way out.

But either way, this indeed was the best explanation for the outside world—

For a mere Tributor to be able to summon the Taia Sword, it's truly astonishing.

Without a reasonable explanation, it would be troublesome.

If explained that all of today's events were secretly orchestrated by the Empress and intended as such.

Then it all makes sense...

As for the real situation, why, she would have to wait until after the challenge, bring Zhao Douan back to the palace, and inquire privately...

"Heavenly Master jests, Zhao just advanced recently. Even with a divine artifact, it's hard to bridge the gap, to fight and win," Xu Zhenguan said, arms folded inside her sleeves, her demeanor composed and indifferent.

Neatly avoiding the crux of the matter.

Only to say, Zhengbao was also adept in the art of language.

In any case, she neither confirmed nor denied...

After speaking, she could not wait to concentrate on the images in the water screen.

After the shock, expectations actually began to rise—if Zhao Douan could represent the Royal Family and defeat Tianhai.

That would greatly support the legitimacy of her imperial position.

...

...

The wind howled!

With the arena's protective barrier shattered, the collapse of the air emitted a mournful roar, startling the crowd.

Tian Hai, the little monk, jerked his knees backward, forcefully pulling back several meters.

His hands on the Six Paths Stick, now held with both hands across his chest.

No longer the arrogance and laxity of before, replaced by a grave look, he stared uncertainly at Zhao Douan with the sword, exclaiming,

"Is this the Taia Sword?!"

Zhao Douan held the treasure sword horizontally, fingers together, slowly brushing over the black and red patterns on the blade, his gaze falling on the "Taia" inscription on the hilt.

With a complex tone, "Yes."

Then, he smiled, "This doesn't break any rules, right?"

At this moment, people were rushing over from both sides of the arena.

"Brother Zhao, are you alright..."

Gongshu Tianyuan asked cautiously, his green eyes moving over the Taia Sword, seeming to recognize it, his expression changing:

"Could this be the one from... the Xu's Royal Family?"

On the other side, Bian Ji's expression wasn't good as he stepped forward, "This sword..."

Zhao Douan interrupted the two, calmly stating:

"If it doesn't break any rules, then the challenge must continue, sorry for unintentionally shattering the protective array, please calm the people."

Although Gongshu Tianyuan was filled with doubts, he was beaming, immediately thumping his chest and said with a laugh:

"No problem, I'll have the priest come and repair it."

From the standpoint of the Heavenly Master Mansion, he'd rather let the Royal Family take the spotlight than lose to Divine Dragon Temple.

Seeing an opportunity, he cooperated well.

Seeing this, Bian Ji could no longer speak, silently retreating, but worry filled his eyes.

Immediately, several priests from the Heavenly Master Mansion came out to repair the array and calm the frightened people.

And as the disturbance subsided, the agitated crowd gradually settled down, conversing among themselves.