[On the Emperor's Birthday]
[The main streets of the capital were decorated with colorful archways adorned with auspicious plaques and couplets]
[As night fell, countless exquisitely crafted lanterns illuminated the lantern towers and streets of the capital]
[Transforming the night into bright daylight]
[Hu Zhongxuan also entered the palace to attend Li Anlong's birthday celebration]
[During the banquet, various imperial relatives and high-ranking officials presented their congratulatory gifts]
[Hu Zhongxuan stepped forward to present his gift as well]
[Seeing Hu Zhongxuan approach, Li Anlong publicly commended him before all officials for implementing the Taxation by Land Acreage policy]
[The expressions of the officials varied dramatically]
[When it was Li Yu's turn to present his gift, Li Anlong gave him a long, meaningful look]
[Then Li Anlong suddenly remarked: "So Prince Yongning knew all along. It seems We were the foolish ones."]
[Li Yu immediately knelt in terror, kowtowing violently: "Your Majesty, please calm your anger! This unworthy grandson is too dull to understand Your Majesty's meaning!"]
[Li Anlong chuckled: "As you wish."]
[A barely concealed smile flashed across Li Yu's face: "Many thanks, Your Majesty!"]
[That night, Hu Zhongxuan returned to his residence]
[He hurried to check on Deng Wanshu immediately upon returning]
[Seeing you safely cultivating in the secret chamber, he sighed in relief]
[You slowly opened your eyes and smiled: "Uncle-Master, back from the extravagant banquet?"]
["Those palace delicacies were just nibbles! Only we master-nephew pair can truly feast. Come, tonight we drink until we drop!"]
[You stood up: "Until we drop."]
[After a night of heavy drinking, you both retired separately]
[You returned to your cultivation]
[You balanced pill refining with cultivation]
[During this period, you also began preparations for the Guarding Gate Body Technique]
[You captured numerous fierce beasts - lions, tigers, bears of all sizes, wild boars - none escaped your grasp]
[Now wealthy beyond measure, you purchased a large plot on the capital's outskirts and built a manor to house these beasts]
[You gave this manor a lovely name: the Zoo]
[Hiring specialized caretakers, you visited daily to feed the animals body-enhancing pills]
[Initially giving them human-grade strengthening pills]
[Later innovating animal-specific pills: the second-grade Blood Beast Pills]
[As a proper seventh-grade pill refiner advancing toward eighth-grade, creating such pills came easily]
[The Blood Beast Pills proved remarkably effective - one pill equaled five previous doses, with all animals giving glowing reviews]
[Your zoo thrived - rhinos grew elephant-sized, elephants doubled in size, creating a spectacular sight]
[Were it not inconvenient, you'd have opened ticket booths to recoup costs]
[Your zoo currently housed over fifty animals of ten-plus species]
[You planned to raise them for a year before testing the Guarding Gate Body Technique with their blood]
[Your daily routine involved feeding Blood Beast Pills to animals and Rou Sheng Pills to Auntie]
[Alternating between them, you feared someday mixing them up and sending Auntie into beast-blood frenzy]
[Fortunately, you never made such elementary mistakes]
[A year passed quickly]
[Year 43]
[Under your meticulous care, the zoo animals grew plump and glossy]
[Frequent Blood Beast Pill feedings made them adore you - they'd come thundering over whenever you appeared]
[A thousand-pound striped tiger nuzzled like a golden tabby]
[A three-ton rhino demanded to be lifted]
[Helpless, you indulged them all]
[Today you returned to the zoo]
[The year had come - time for blood extraction]
[Taking one drop of essence blood from each species' strongest specimen left sixteen drops total]
[Though just one drop, the essence loss left the beasts listless, their affectionate gazes gone]
[You released them back to the wild]
[Beginning blood fusion]
[Sitting in meditation, you activated the Guarding Gate Body Technique, absorbing each blood drop]
[The fusion proceeded smoothly, each drop bringing slight physical enhancement]
[With all sixteen absorbed, crimson light flashed in your eyes as your lean muscles gained definition]
[Though outwardly unchanged, you felt definite physical improvement]
[Sixteen blood types proved insufficient for major combat boosts]
[But having tested the method, you planned continued beast-raising for future extractions]
[That year, Hu Zhongxuan brought startling news: Prince Yongning Li Yu had successfully fused with Earth Source, achieving Ultimate Grandmaster!]
[Soon after, Li Yu memorialized the throne with evidence of Duan Qian's corruption and oppression in Danzhou]
[Claiming he'd meant to report to the Censorate, but Duan Qian resisted violently, resulting in accidental cranial disintegration]
[Li Yu requested imperial punishment]
[Li Anlong cited Li Yu's merit in capturing the rebel crown prince, dismissing it as accidental - punishment: three ceremonial drinks]
["Li Yu an Ultimate Grandmaster now? Even more unkillable," you muttered]
[Redoubling cultivation efforts]
[Your enhanced talent - now rivaling top sect disciples - brought astonishing progress]
[Soon you broke through to peak Essence Refining!]
[Combined with ninefold true qi refinement, your combat power now crushed peak Grandmasters]
[Only Ultimate Grandmasters could threaten you now]
[In your courtyard, you laughed wildly: "Hahaha! Without Ultimate Grandmasters, who in this wide world dares oppose me? Who can oppose me?!"]
[At peak Essence Refining, you deemed yourself ready for Earth Source fusion]
[Only two remaining Earth Source sword qi insights stood in the way]
[But recent progress had slowed - those last two insights proved stubbornly elusive]
[Your pill refining also advanced]
[Your eighth-grade pill skill surpassed beginner level, reaching initial achievement!]
[You could now produce three or four successful eighth-grade pills per batch]
[Though far from mastery, this success rate already made you Danxia Sect's top pill refiner!]
[As the sect's new top refiner, you remained humble]
[You merely visited Hu Zhongxuan and "accidentally" dropped four steaming eighth-grade pills during conversation]
[The pills rolled to Hu Zhongxuan's feet, stunning him]
["He Yu, these are..."]
[Feigning surprise, you looked down: "Uncle-Master, I seem to have dropped my freshly refined eighth-grade pills by your feet. Could you pick them up? My back suddenly won't bend."]
[Hu Zhongxuan gasped, summoning the pills to his palm with a gesture]
[One glance made him leap up]
[Overjoyed: "You...you've achieved initial eighth-grade success?!"]
[You smiled faintly: "You bet."]
[Delighted, Hu Zhongxuan rushed over: "Hahaha! You never cease to amaze me!"]
["Haha, yes, yes..." You laughed guardedly, then extended a hand: "First return my four eighth-grade pills!"]