Chapter 55: Xue Qinghe's Plan, Hearing of Su Yuntao - Please Subscribe
Calming his mind once more to Cultivate spirit power, Tang Shan only slowly stood up after confirming that his spirit power had returned to a stable state.
He picked up a new piece of raw material and tightened the bellows, preparing to continue his tempering.
There was no need to interrupt his cultivation plan over such a small matter, even if he encountered a cultivation Bottleneck.
Tang Shan simply felt it would be best if he could train his Hidden Force to a state where his force and body were completely integrated before condensing his millennium second spirit ring, but this did not mean that National Martial Arts could not continue to Breakthrough without reaching the second ring.
If the time spent joining Xue Qinghe or searching for a Spirit Beast was longer than expected, he could entirely proceed with the body cultivation of Transforming Force—Marrow Washing. By then, his physical fitness would improve further, and the age limit for the spirit ring he could absorb would increase even more.
This was a spacious room, quite simple overall, with a huge map hanging on the wall, covered in dense arrows and text.
Behind the large desk sat a burly man, looking to be about forty or fifty years old, with a few silver strands mixed into his jet-black hair. His face was majestic, exuding a steady and heavy Aura.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
The sound of knocking came from outside the door. The man put down the documents in his hand and said only one word: "Enter."
A soldier walked into the room and bowed to report: "Reporting to the General, the Eldest Prince has arrived."
The burly man's eyebrows twitched. He stood up and strode outside, saying in a deep voice: "Follow me to welcome the Eldest Prince."
"Troubling General Hong to welcome me personally. I have been entrusted by my Imperial Father to personally express our condolences to the hardworking and meritorious soldiers of our Heaven Dou Empire." Xue Qinghe said with a smile. Despite his young age, he already exuded a composed and unhurried temperament.
This forty-to-fifty-year-old man was named General, the commander-in-chief of the military stronghold Iron Wall City. His own strength was also very high, being a Rank 79 Peak Spirit Saint.
"Thank Your Majesty for his concern. We soldiers do not dare to slacken in the slightest and will certainly do our utmost to protect the safety of the Imperial Capital."
General took a step forward. Seeing there was still some distance to Xue Qinghe, he simply released the spirit power within his body, gently supporting Xue Qinghe who was about to salute.
Secretly, a terrifying Aura was about to erupt, but it was firmly suppressed by another Aura of the same level, unnoticed by anyone.
"Porcupinefish, calm down, that person has no ill intent."
"Hmph! If he dares to be disadvantageous to the Young Lord, I will level this Iron Wall City!"
A flash of chilliness passed in an instant. General, whose attention was entirely focused on Xue Qinghe, only took it as his own hallucination and didn't think more of it, turning instead to exchange pleasantries with Xue Qinghe.
The two entered the military camp and sat down as host and guest. After Xue Qinghe briefly inquired about the living conditions of the soldiers in Iron Wall City, he got straight to the point and stated the purpose of his trip: "General Hong, to tell you the truth, Imperial Father asked me and my two brothers to go to different cities to observe the people's conditions this time. It is actually a test for us. If the General has any needs, you can speak truthfully, and I will report them one by one to Imperial Father after I return."
General didn't pay much attention to Xue Qinghe's later words, but instead asked with a hint of curiosity: "May I ask the Eldest Prince, which prince has gained His Majesty's favor and been kept by his side?"
Xue Qinghe was somewhat puzzled, not understanding why General would ask such an irrelevant question, but still answered truthfully: "My younger brother Xue Beng has a lazy nature. While Imperial Father was still pondering where to send him, he took the initiative to refuse and wanted to stay in the Prince's Mansion. Sigh, in the final analysis, it is I, the elder brother, who is incompetent for failing to properly discipline my younger siblings."
As he spoke, a look of guilt appeared on his face.
General's eyes flickered as he thought about the situation in the court while also not neglecting Xue Qinghe. The two talked very congenially and later shared a lunch banquet together.
After the banquet ended, Xue Qinghe returned to the residence specially arranged by General.
"Boss, what do you think His Majesty means by sending the Eldest Prince to our Iron Wall City? Could it be that he wants to appoint the Eldest Prince as the Crown Prince? Then what should the Second Prince do?"
Several generals under General gathered in the room where he handled official business, discussing animatedly.
As soldiers and as subjects, they had no ill feelings toward Xue Qinghe, but in terms of overall feeling, they were still closer to the Second Prince, Xue Shan.
Because Xue Shan's behavior and mannerisms particularly suited their soldierly temperament. It was predictable that if the Second Prince ascended the throne in the future, they would certainly receive many benefits.
"Listen to me." General spoke in a deep voice, the simple words suppressing his subordinates' discussion.
"Remember, we are subjects of the Empire. No matter who ascends the throne in the future, we must submit to him. Don't have any thoughts you shouldn't have."
"General, rest assured, we were just—"
"Don't forget, His Majesty's brother, Prince Xue Xin, still knows that Titled Douluo! If His Majesty is truly angered and that Douluo arrives, how many people will be left in our entire army?"
General interrupted his subordinates again, and the subsequent reminder was like a basin of cold water poured over their heads, making the generals completely sober.
After all, that Titled Douluo, even if he might be the weakest among Titled Douluos, in terms of deterrent power, perhaps few Titled Douluos in the entire continent combined could compare to him. Especially since they had the honor of seeing that Douluo take action: what was originally just a small area of poison mist could actually continuously replicate and increase after poisoning the enemy, wiping out a well-equipped army of the Star Luo Empire in a short time. It was simply a walking natural disaster.
"Furthermore, His Majesty is also well-acquainted with School Master Ning, so we must clearly understand our position. Don't think that just because we are guarding Iron Wall City with great merit, we are qualified to influence the matters of the Crown Prince or even the imperial throne."
"Yes, General!"
Seeing that his subordinates had finally corrected their mindset, General breathed a sigh of relief. Ever since he discovered that the prince coming to Iron Wall City was the Eldest Prince, he had noticed that his subordinates' mindsets had clearly gone wrong.
Even if the Second Prince had left an excellent first impression before, they shouldn't have these improper little thoughts. Fortunately, he discovered it early and nipped the evil sprouts in their hearts in advance; otherwise, he really didn't know what serious consequences would arise in the future.
The Eldest Prince came to Iron Wall City, the Second Prince went to Bafang City... Does His Majesty want them to compete fairly for the position of Crown Prince? As for the Third Prince, he should have been abandoned by His Majesty by default, unless he can make some outstanding contribution in Vast Sea City. And the Fourth Prince, Xue Beng, seems truly worthless; otherwise, he wouldn't have taken the initiative to apply to stay in the Prince's Mansion.
The throne is never decided by age. Xue Beng can also participate in the struggle for that position even if he is young; age is never a boundary.
Thoughts surged in General's mind as he carefully pondered the deep meaning of His Majesty. As the saying goes, accompanying a ruler is like accompanying a tiger. Even though he was a Spirit Saint and his strength seemed stronger than Emperor Xue Ye's, he had no ability to resist in the face of the true foundation of the Heaven Dou Empire.
It was hard to say if he could break through to Titled Douluo in this lifetime. His remaining wish was to hope that these old brothers and nephews he had worked hard to Cultivate could have a good outcome.
In the future, no matter who is the Crown Prince, I will obey their orders.
After making this decision, General felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted. He thought no more and threw himself back into the official business at hand.
In the residence General arranged for Xue Qinghe, the current "Heaven Dou Eldest Prince" had long lost the elegance on his face, replaced by a frost-covered expression.
"What a General, giving me a show of force as soon as we met." Recalling General's seemingly hearty smile, as well as his subordinates' strange atmosphere and the undisguisable resentment, Xue Qinghe felt a surge of anger about to explode.
Especially the resentment of those generals gave her a sense of déjà vu, just like the undisguised disgust in that woman's eyes when she looked at her.
—
She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. Only by maintaining clear thinking could she make more advantageous decisions.
Obviously, I am not welcome by the generals of Iron Wall City. I remember Xue Shan also came to Iron Wall City last year. Combined with his personality, the answer is clear: these generals support the Second Prince more.
Now that the Second Prince has gone to Bafang City again, as long as he can get the support of the rulers there, I will have already fallen behind in the struggle for the position of heir.
Since the Righteous Path won't work, I might as well try the Evil Path. If in the end only one person is qualified for the position of Crown Prince, will Emperor Xue Ye have any other choice?
Even if he suspects that I did it, he will probably understand that a capable Crown Prince is much better than a waste like Xue Beng.
A plan quietly took shape in Xue Qinghe's heart. No one noticed that in her eyes, which were flickering with golden flames due to anger, a hint of eerie black Qi had vaguely appeared.
"Young Lord, a subordinate from the Prince's Mansion sent news saying they discovered a Spirit Master who can verify the Grandmaster's theory. He has a millennium second spirit ring."
Snake Lance Douluo gently knocked on the door, his voice coming from outside.
"A verifier of the Grandmaster's theory?" Qian Renxue frowned.
Over the years, she had searched in this direction as well, but in the end, she either found nothing or only found direct descendants and geniuses cultivated by major forces.
She originally thought that if someone could achieve a millennium second spirit ring, they might be the Grandmaster's Disciple. But she didn't expect the Grandmaster's theory to be so brilliant, and major forces also had many methods to improve physical fitness, which ultimately led to her being disappointed every time she found a result.
"The man also said that the Spirit Master has a Self-Created Soul Skill of quite extraordinary power." Snake Lance Douluo continued to report.
"Self-Created Soul Skill?" Xue Qinghe suddenly became somewhat interested and asked: "What is that person's Spirit?"
"It's a Wolf Beast Spirit. Judging by his age, he's already about eighteen years old this year."
"Already eighteen years old—" A hint of disappointment appeared on Xue Qinghe's face. She didn't believe that a powerhouse like the Grandmaster, who had at least the strength of a Super Douluo, would take a Spirit Master with mediocre talent as a Disciple.
She was about to say not to worry about this matter, as it might just be that the other party accidentally obtained some Opportunity to improve his physical fitness and thus could absorb a thousand-year spirit ring. But thinking of the series of unfortunate encounters today, Xue Qinghe sighed helplessly.
"I'll go take a look. Where is that person now?"
Regardless of whether this matter had anything to do with the Grandmaster, going out would be a way to clear her head.
"That person has been staying at the Great Spirit Arena, basically participating in Spirit Fights all the time. After his spirit power is exhausted, he rests for a while and then returns to the stage. He feels like an out-and-out battle maniac."
PS: Let me explain here, the Angel isn't splitting, there's no mastermind, it's purely a sign of darkening. Also, these chapters aren't filler; this author wants to tell a more realistic Douluo Continent, including why Xue Qinghe would resort to assassination despite being the Eldest Prince, and part of the reason the Heaven Dou Empire stands tall. Rest assured, the so-called foundation won't appear in the end; it will be cleared out by two Titled Douluos. This author also doesn't want to push the progress too fast; otherwise, according to typical power fantasies, several months could pass in an instant, followed by cultivation Bottlenecks, hunting Spirit Beasts, and Breakthroughs, interspersed with the protagonist brainlessly collecting women and flirting. This author's goal for this book is to be as reasonable as possible: reasonable cultivation, reasonable romance, and finally, asking for everything."}],
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