"Especially since we have a common enemy, the Da Tang's [Dao Ask Sect], and the Wu Zhou's [Compassion Heart Zen Temple]."
After receiving Yang Jian's thanks, Wanwan smiled and revealed the other purpose of her visit.
"This~ this~ hehe~"
Yang Jian did not want to engage with that topic.
This was the helplessness of dynasties.
The helplessness of all five dynasties.
On the surface, the vast territories of the five dynasties were managed by five dynasties. However, in reality, the imperial families of all five dynasties knew that the actual administrators were numerous martial arts sects.
The Great Sui belonged to the Yin Gui Sect, the Da Tang to the Dao Ask Sect, Wu Zhou to the Compassion Heart Zen Temple, the Da Song to the Zhen Wu Temple, and the Da Ming to the Five Peaks Sword Sect.
Take the Great Sui, for example. The Great Sui imperial family, along with all the Grandmasters in the court, numbered only over forty. However, the Yin Gui Sect alone had more than a hundred Grandmasters in plain sight.
This was an absolute crushing advantage in strength!
It was just that for certain reasons, the sects could not attack the imperial families of various countries at will.
However, no imperial family dared to underestimate these martial arts sects.
Let alone engaging in enmity with other sects across dynasties.
"Hehehe~ Your Majesty, there's no need to worry. I was just joking."
Seeing Yang Jian's difficulty, Wanwan suddenly smiled radiantly, bringing a feeling of spring blooming.
Yang Jian was momentarily stunned.
"Your Majesty, the gift I brought merely represents the friendship between the Yin Gui Sect and the Yang family. It holds no other meaning."
"Haha~ Then thank you, Yin Gui Sect."
Yang Jian reciprocated with a smile.
After a few more uneventful exchanges, Wanwan took her leave.
Watching Wanwan skip away like a fairy, Yang Jian's smile lingered, but the coldness in his eyes was impossible to conceal.
"Your Majesty, shall this old servant..."
Zhou Neng, who had been attending Yang Jian, stepped forward and whispered.
"No, it's useless."
Yang Jian's voice was devoid of emotion, but the chilling tone could not hide his melancholy.
He, an emperor who held the lives and deaths of tens of thousands in his hands, was treated like mere grass by these sects, not taken seriously.
"Your Majesty, that little girl is only a Grandmaster of Innate Realm, and she only has two Grandmasters by her side. This old servant is confident he can do it without anyone noticing..."
"Alas~ You are thoughtful, but truly, it's not necessary.
Go to the [Tai Xiao Hall] and deliver these rewards to Father Emperor. Urge him to intensify the training of the princes and princesses, so that we can achieve good results again in next year's Five Dynasties Grand Tournament."
"Yes, this old servant will go now."
Zhou Neng no longer persuaded, bowed, and accepted the order, taking all the gifts previously presented by the three great sects to the Retired Emperor Yang Zhong.
Yang Jian, meanwhile, stared blankly at the distant sky, lost in thought, and after a long while, he sighed and murmured.
"Every Five Dynasties Grand Tournament, those Supreme Sects send people. I hope this time, someone from our Great Sui, our Yang family, can be accepted into a Supreme Sect."
As the emperor, Yang Jian knew more secrets, but this also made him feel more helpless,
and more aware of his own insignificance.
...
"Imperial Brother~ Imperial Brother~"
The next day at noon, Yang Zixuan, having received her rewards, came to share her joy with Yang Hong.
"Zixuan, you are a young lady now. You must learn to be elegant."
Looking at Yang Zixuan, who was running around the courtyard and still shouting for him even upon seeing him,
Yang Hong was not angry, but rather, somewhat doting.
A girl who smiles often is never disliked, and besides, this girl was his sister.
"Heehee~ I don't need to learn elegance. Imperial Grandfather said I only need to focus on martial arts. The rest doesn't matter."
"Hehe~ You are free now, but you cannot be lazy. You must cultivate diligently."
Yang Hong was not surprised by Yang Zixuan's preferential treatment.
From Old Man Yang Zhong's shameless declaration of "several women serving one husband," Yang Hong knew how desperate the Great Sui imperial family was for experts.
For a talented direct descendant granddaughter like Yang Zixuan, he would naturally invest heavily in her training.
Granting her more freedom was therefore a necessity.
"Imperial Brother, I received so many, many rewards! There are elixirs, martial arts manuals, inner armor, and even divine weapons!"
Yang Zixuan beamed with pride, listing several of her rewards and eloquently explaining to Yang Hong the benefits and power of elixirs and divine weapons.
Yang Hong listened with a smile.
He had seen descriptions of elixirs in agricultural texts and was not unfamiliar with them.
Moreover, as a transmigrator with a system, knowing this was a martial arts world, he was not at all surprised by the potency of elixirs.
No matter how powerful the elixirs were, could they be as strong as his cultivation return system?
However, seeing Yang Zixuan so happy, Yang Hong was also happy for her.
"Imperial Brother, I came to bid you farewell today."
"Oh~ Where are you going? The Yin Gui Sect?"
Yang Zixuan's voice suddenly became a little dejected, and Yang Hong couldn't help but become serious.
"No, not to the Yin Gui Sect. Hmph~ they didn't fancy me.
I am going into seclusion. Imperial Grandfather told me to consume the Profound Yin Elixir now, striving to break through to the first-rate realm as soon as possible."
Yang Zixuan became proud again. She was the only prince or princess under nineteen to be bestowed an elixir,
and it was the Profound Yin Elixir, a top-grade elixir that could increase internal energy by twenty years.
"Then go into seclusion properly. Why are you here to bid farewell?"
Yang Hong was speechless. This was showing off. He playfully ruffled Yang Zixuan's hair as a form of gentle punishment.
"Ah~ my hair is messy again! Imperial Brother, you're annoying."
Yang Zixuan said "annoying" but her face was full of a happy smile.
"I haven't finished yet.
Imperial Grandfather has instructed us, the top ten contestants of the Great Sui Grand Tournament, to gather in ten days at the imperial farm outside the city for new training.
This time, besides the imperial family, people from the three great sects will also be here to teach us."
"Hmm~ Such good news? Are the three great sects that kind?"
Yang Hong was curious upon hearing this.
"Hmph hmph~ they aren't doing it for our sake. Half of the top ten in the three groups of the Great Sui Grand Tournament are disciples of the three great sects.
They are using the imperial family's resources to train their own disciples."
"I see. But why are they willing to teach everyone together?"
Yang Hong was still puzzled.
"It's for next year's May Five Dynasties Grand Tournament."
"Five Dynasties Grand Tournament?"
This was the first time Yang Hong had heard this term, and he had no memory of this event.
"Yes~ it's the Five Dynasties Grand Tournament.
I heard Imperial Grandfather say that for some reason, the five dynasties cannot attack each other at will. However, there are various conflicts between the dynasties,
so some issues can only be resolved through competitions."
"The Five Dynasties Grand Tournament is held every five years. During the competition, the five dynasties and numerous sects will offer various resources, which will be distributed through the competition."
"And factions with grudges will directly resolve some disputes through life-and-death duels."
"Ah~ anyway, it's a very, very grand competition!"
Yang Zixuan explained seriously for a few sentences, then became impatient.
She hadn't remembered it clearly herself.
However, Yang Hong understood.
This was a redistribution of resources through competition.
Even those so-called life-and-death duels were still caused by resource issues.
"This is not bad. It can prevent large-scale wars and reduce bloodshed."
At this moment, Yang Hong finally understood why several feudal dynasties with low productivity had populations exceeding one hundred million.
Without too many wars, the people could naturally recuperate.