Dragon and Phoenix of the Imperial Palace

In the Great Xia Dynasty, martial arts flourish, and immortals and mortals coexist. The imperial family cultivates the True Dragon Art, while sects stand throughout the land. To the north, the Beili Kingdom watches like a tiger poised to pounce, and the two nations have been at war for decades.

Deep in the imperial palace lives Li Xuance, the least favored of the Ninth Prince's siblings. His mother, Consort Jing, was born a palace maid and died suddenly after giving birth to a prince. Raised by a wet nurse, he has spent fifteen years learning to conceal his abilities and keep a low profile, barely surviving like an ant amid the Crown Prince's faction's bullying and the Empress's faction's indifference.

In the winter of the seventeenth year of Chengping, Beili seeks peace and names one prince to marry into its royal family. It is a national humiliation. In the end, the eyes of the court fall on the discarded prince deemed “most suitable.”