When Ye Guan spoke, Sang Han looked over with a hint of curiosity. Just as Ye Guan was about to say something, Sang Han said, "Let's wait until we meet His Highness the Ninth Prince." She had brought Ye Guan here today to introduce him to the Ninth Prince. As for whether Ye Guan could pass the Ninth Prince's test and earn his favor, that depended entirely on Ye Guan's own abilities. Ye Guan nodded in understanding. Then, Sang Han suddenly asked, "You said you came here with someone for a Great Dao Contest?" Ye Guan nodded again. Sang Han frowned slightly. "And you chose to hold that contest inside the empire?" "Mm," Ye Guan replied. Sang Han gave him a long, thoughtful look but didn't say anything more. After a moment, Ye Guan asked, "Can you help me find someone?" "Is it your opponent?" Sang Han asked. Ye Guan nodded once more. He needed to find the Great Daoist Brush Master. He had to figure out what that guy was up to; otherwise, he'd be at a huge disadvantage. Sang Han replied, "Alright." "He goes by the title 'Great Daoist Brush Master,'" Ye Guan said, spreading his palm. A scroll appeared in his hand, and when it unfurled, it revealed a portrait of the man. Sang Han took the scroll and put it away. On the journey, Ye Guan asked Sang Han a lot about the empire, and he learned quite a bit about it. This empire had been existing for over ten billion years. Its political system was quite unique: each emperor could rule for only ten thousand years. At the end of that period, they were required by ancestral law to abdicate the throne. This system had been passed down for generations, meant to give the younger generation hope and opportunity. The current emperor had about a hundred years left in his reign, which meant the search for a successor was already underway. Ye Guan also learned that the empire was rife with internal tension, particularly between the Old Noble Clans and New Noble Clans. Any effort to reform would threaten the entrenched interests of the Old Noble Clans, but without reform, social conflict would only intensify. The Ninth Prince's opportunity to compete for the throne came precisely because the Emperor had openly supported the idea of internal reform. On the surface, the empire looked powerful and orderly. Underneath, it was plagued by both internal strife and external pressure. If it hadn't been for the Emperor's extraordinary competence, the situation would have collapsed long ago. History would always repeat itself. Ye Guan couldn't help but think of his own Guanxuan Universe. He knew it would face similar issues one day. It was still a while off, but he couldn't afford not to think about it. After an unknown amount of time, a white light appeared at the end of the spatial tunnel. When they emerged from the light, they found themselves in a starry region. The moment Ye Guan stepped out, he saw an elderly man standing not far away. Sang Han walked toward him and greeted, "Advisor Mu." The old man smiled gently. "Governor Sang, it's been a long time." "It certainly has been a while," Sang Han replied with a soft smile. Advisor Mu nodded. "His Highness originally intended to greet you personally, but His Majesty summoned him to the palace. He had to rush over." "Does His Highness have any instructions?" Sang Han asked. "Let's head to the residence first," Advisor Mu replied, gesturing politely. Sang Han chuckled. "No need to be so formal, Old Mu." "Etiquette is etiquette," Advisor Mu replied with a smile. "Alright, let's go." Sang Han grinned. With that, the group followed him to a luxurious estate. As they approached, Ye Guan immediately sensed several incredibly powerful auras. Ye Guan's expression grew solemn. The elite experts here were all Void Breakers. In the empire, it wasn't rare to find Transcendent Realm cultivators, but Void Breaking Realm experts were a different story. They were extremely rare and were considered the very peak of power within the empire. Under Advisor Mu's guidance, they entered a grand hall. Inside, sixty-two individuals were already gathered. Every single one of them radiated an aura of authority. From Sang Han's earlier conversation with Advisor Mu, Ye Guan inferred that these were provincial governors and key members of the Ninth Prince's inner circle. No doubt, everyone here had the power to stir up storms across the empire. When Sang Han stepped into the hall, most people stood up to greet her. Among the governors, Sang Han's status was notably high. The province she oversaw, Yongrong Province, ranked among the empire's top ten. Ye Guan swept his gaze around the hall. Two people hadn't stood up to greet Sang Han. One of them was an elderly man, Sang Han had mentioned him earlier. He was Huai Ce, the Chief Strategist of the inner circle. The other was a woman dressed in a black dress with her face veiled. Her aura was calm and restrained, and it was like she didn't exist at all. Her name was You Lian. The Ninth Prince regarded her as Grand Preceptor, and she was even his teacher. Within the prince's residence, her status was higher than even Huai Ce's. Sang Han made her rounds greeting everyone and eventually approached the two. She smiled gently and said, "Master Huai, Lady You, it's been a while." Huai Ce smiled back. "It must have been decades." "Sixty years," Sang Han replied. "You turned a backwater province into one of the top ten in just sixty years. How remarkable," Huai Ce praised. "I couldn't have done it without the support of His Highness and the inner circle," Sang Han replied. Huai Ce shook his head. "The credit is mostly yours. Come, take a seat." Sang Han nodded and sat beside him. Ye Guan noticed that even the seating arrangement revealed status. Huai Ce sat at the first seat on the right, while You Lian sat at the first seat on the left. Clearly, You Lian outranked Huai Ce. Once everyone was seated, Ye Guan realized that there was no seat for him. Sang Han noticed it, too. Her brows knitted slightly. Just then, Advisor Mu brought over a chair and placed it at the back. "Young Master Ye, please sit here," he said with a smile. He hadn't expected Sang Han to bring Ye Guan into the main hall. Normally, only governors were allowed here. He assumed Ye Guan was just a subordinate who would wait outside. Advisor Mu bowed slightly. "My apologies, Young Master Ye." Ye Guan smiled. "It's no trouble." He understood that the oversight wasn't intentional. In fact, he was a bit surprised by Advisor Mu's sincerity. The man clearly held a high position in the household, yet he was still humble and courteous. As Ye Guan took his seat, several eyes turned to him with curiosity, but no one mocked or sneered at him. Everyone here was someone important. Without direct conflict of interest, who would bother making enemies over nothing? Just then, a voice echoed from outside the hall. "Lady Sang, you've returned." The moment the voice rang out, everyone stood up, even You Lian and Huai Ce. Ye Guan turned and saw a young man in his mid-twenties. He was wearing a golden robe with a black belt, and a white cloak was draped over his shoulders. His eyes were bright and clear; his presence was refined and elegant. He was none other than the Ninth Prince. The imperial family's surname was Ji. This Ninth Prince was Ji Wuchen. Ji Wuchen removed his cloak and handed it to Advisor Mu, who had already stepped forward to receive it. Then, Ji Wuchen walked straight over to Ye Guan and said with a warm smile, "Young Master Ye, welcome. Sang Han wrote to me about you. "I know her well, she has high standards, so anyone she praises must be extraordinary." Ye Guan smiled. "Lady Sang has given me too much credit, then. I just run a small academy." Ji Wuchen nodded and chuckled. "I heard. Don't worry about the academy, I've already sent over a hundred great scholars to Yongrong Province. They'll temporarily serve as instructors at Guanxuan Academy. "But how the school is run and how it teaches, that's all up to you..." Ye Guan was caught off guard and so were many others. Obviously, Ji Wuchen was trying to win Ye Guan over. Though he was known for appreciating talent, he never really treated everyone with such generosity. Now, the crowd was even more curious about Ye Guan's background. Ji Wuchen took his seat and said, "I was originally planning to host a welcome banquet, but as you all know, the situation on the Empyrean Star battlefield is critical. The banquet will have to wait." "The war there is worsening by the day. Within a month, the empire may need to declare a general mobilization." The room fell silent. Everyone's expression turned serious. Ji Wuchen added, "Following the Grand Preceptor's advice, my father has summoned all governors to the capital. Officially, it's to discuss national affairs, but in truth, he wants to dispatch troops to the front." A governor said, "The Grand Preceptor is using this chance to weaken our forces." Another governor also said, "Your Highness doesn't hold many key provinces at the moment. If you're deployed to the Empyrean Star battlefield, the Grand Preceptor's faction will surely seize the chance to undermine you. "Even if we win in the end, your power will be severely diminished, and your chance at succession will vanish completely..." Ji Wuchen nodded lightly. "The reason I've gathered everyone here today is to hear your thoughts. How should we overcome this crisis?" A governor said in a deep voice, "We absolutely can't play into their hands. It took us so much effort to nurture this many elites. if we lose our foundation on the Empyrean Star battlefield, we'll never be able to challenge the Crown Prince again. "My take is, if they try to pull anything, we flip the table. Have the censors expose their dirty laundry and throw the court into chaos." Another governor stood up, adding, "Only through chaos will we have the chance to strike back." A governor on the left analyzed, saying, "As long as chaos erupts, His Majesty will have to weigh the pros and cons to stabilize the court. In the end, he'll surely decide not to touch us..." The room quickly filled with agreement. If they went to the Empyrean Star battlefield now, their entire base of power would be wiped out. Once that happened, even as governors, they'd become nothing more than figureheads, useless without troops or resources. Only four people remained silent, Huai Ce, You Lian, Ye Guan, and Sang Han. Ji Wuchen suddenly turned to look at Sang Han, who in turn looked at Ye Guan. Ji Wuchen's gaze shifted accordingly and landed on Ye Guan. He smiled and said, "Young Master Ye, what are your thoughts?" Everyone turned to look at Ye Guan. Ye Guan asked, "Can I say whatever I want?" Ji Wuchen nodded. "Speak freely." Ye Guan said, "I believe not only should we avoid stirring trouble, we should actually take the initiative to submit a memorial. His Highness should lead the way, stating that we are all willing to go to the Empyrean Star Battlefield and serve the nation!" His words echoed throughout the room like a thunderclap. Everyone was stunned. Even the silent You Lian stared at Ye Guan.