Chaos

Heavenly Dragon Empire throne room:

"How have they reacted to the assassination?" asked a burly man, who Li Zhu would recognize as his father.

"Divine Water clan has come out of hiding, and is now supporting the sixth prince. Not only that, but there have been reports indicating that they are forming an army, possibly to take control over the empire." replied a short, gray haired old man, who stood beside the emperor, voicing out his findings.

Hearing the grim news, the emperor, Jian Bao, simply frowned, before asking, "And the others?"

"They're all getting restless, and except for Myriad Soul Palace, the rest are supporting at least one candidate for the throne."

"mmmh, are there any prince or princesses that have no affiliation with other forces?" the emperor asked, in hopes of finding a suitable heir.

"We are not sure yet, but at the moment it is unlikely. Furthermore, if there was one it would be the ones without talent, since no force would think they have what it takes to gain the throne."

The emperor was faced with a challenging decision, since due to his carelessness, his sons and daughters had been exposed to other forces, who had roped them into their organizations.

Now he needed to decide if he preferred a talented heir, which would probably allow another force to take control of the heavenly dragon empire, or if he preferred a weak heir, which would keep the empire independent, but slowly weaken it until another force would eventually conquer it.

Neither option was ideal, and both would have a negative impact on the Heavenly Dragon Empire as it was now.

"Too bad they crippled Jian Long, otherwise he would have been the perfect candidate!" said the emperor, sighing.

Jian Long was Li Zhu's former identity, the crown prince of the Heavenly Dragon Empire. The emperor knew that Jian Long was still alive after the assassination attempt, but the reality was that if someone started cultivating at sixteen years old, there was no way they would become someone influential in this continent, since they would have wasted the years of their lives during which cultivation was the easiest.

Because of this way of thinking, the emperor had not even bothered to find Jian Long, assuming he would never again reach great heights.

The only issue was that since Jian Long had been crown prince, he was the only prince that Jian Bao had forced to stay in the empire, for fear of others controlling him.

There was no way Jian Bao could have expected the assassination, but it was already to late for regrets, and he now needed to decide the best course of action.

"Although it pains me to say this, but I fear some other forces may control the empire very soon if I choose an heir from my family. I can still hold on for a few more years, so in that time we need to find someone in the empire which has not been roped in by other organizations, yet has incredible talent. I Jian Bao, will not see this empire be destroyed from the inside!" as he said these words, the emperor seemed pained, unwilling to break tradition.

For hundreds of years, the king had been part of the Jian family, yet now he was forced to choose an outsider as his heir, all due to his negligence in raising his family.

Most of the princes only saw the emperor a few times a year, so it was only natural that they would have no affection towards him, and other forces could easily rope them in.

Turning towards his old adviser, Jian Bao commanded, "Jian Fan, make the public statement that the choosing of an heir will be postponed by three years. At that time, I will hold a competition to find a worthy candidate from the people in the empire."

"Yes, your highness" was the old man's only reply, before he began heading out of the throne room, to relay the message.

"Jian Fan, wait." hearing those words, the adviser stopped in his tracks, turning around, and asking, "What else do you need, your highness?"

"Is anything worth my attention happening in the continent? I like to keep myself informed in case I need to make plans." asked the emperor, trying to gain a better understanding of the changes that were happening due to the absence of an heir for the empire.

"Nothing in regards to choosing an heir, but there are multiple forces sending people to a small kingdom in the South, named Crouching Tiger. I believe something peculiar is happening there, but at the moment there is no more information. Do you wish to send some people there to investigate?" the adviser spoke frankly, admitting he knew very little about why people were gathering south.

"No need, there is probably some treasure that was found, and people are vying for it. At this moment of instability in the empire, we should not make unnecessary enemies." decided the emperor, realizing the title of strongest force in the continent meant little, if the empire was faced with many enemies at once.

With that, the meeting between the emperor and his adviser ended, and the public received the shocking news that an heir would only be chosen in three years time, and would not be from the Jian family, as it had been for the entirety of the empire's existence.

This information stopped the movements of the powerful forces of the continent, who now needed to change their plans, and find a way to gain control of the strongest empire in the continent.

_____

In a dark room, somewhere in the continent, an old woman sat on her wooden chair, which seemed close to breaking.

The woman seemed frail, yet her eyes told a different story, as they exuded a feeling of power which could be physically felt.

"Mmh!, old man Jian Bao chose wisely... an heir from the people... interesting."

Standing in front of the chair, a young woman faced her master, as she asked, "Should we get involved in the fight for the throne? Maybe we can find the most talented youth in the empire and turn them to our side!"

At this, the old woman frowned, "what are you talking about, Bo Ai? Our Myriad Soul Palace has never used such underhanded tricks! Also, you should worry more about what is happening in Crouching Tiger Kingdom, since it concerns the inheritance of that man..." as she finished her words, her expression changed to one of admiration.

Although she was one of the strongest figures in the continent, on par with the emperor of the Heavenly Dragon Empire, that man was someone she could only look up to, and his inheritance would without a doubt cause great turmoil.

"Seriously, master? I have to go to that rundown kingdom? Don't I already have your inheritance?" the young woman was clearly displeased, not caring about any inheritance.

"Bo Ai, Bo Ai... you will soon find out the importance of your visit there, and will not regret my decision to make you go through the inheritance trials. The only problem is the Divine Water clan, which could interfere with my plan for you." the old woman would not change her mind, and Bo Ai was bound to go to Crouching Tiger Kingdom.

_____

Many hundreds of miles away, Li Zhu was sitting cross-legged on his bed, cultivating. It would take a few days for Yu Hui to finish making the pills, so Li Zhu had a lot of time to spare.

He had no idea of the announcement from his father, or the increasing interest towards an inheritance in Crouching Tiger Kingdom.

Fortunately, news traveled fast, and only a day later, almost everyone in the continent knew about the Heavenly Dragon Empire holding a tournament three years later to find an heir.

'I never thought he would do it! I guess he had more guts than I thought' LI Zhu was shocked by this announcement, since he knew better than anyone how much his father cared for tradition.

For such a drastic decision to have taken place, the emperor must have had no choice. This also man that the emperor had never considered finding Li Zhu (Jian Long), and did not care for him anymore.

'Although I always knew you only cared for the empire, it still hurts to have a father who does not care for you' Li Zhu was in low spirits, after finally admitting to himself that his father only used o care for him due to his strength, and nothing else.

if Jian Bao had wanted to find his son, there was no way anyone could ave stopped him. Instead, no search party had even been sent out by him, signifying he had officially cut his ties with Li Zhu.

'Three years from now... by then I need to have the strength to take the continent by storm, and return to my rightful position as heir to the Heavenly Dragon Empire!" thought Li Zhu, with determination etched on his face.

Of course, in three years a lot could happen, and maybe on his path to greatness, becoming emperor was only one small step, which he could, or could not take.