Chapter 191 - Yuan Suiyun's Fighting Spirit, Rank 2, Li Shimin's Jealousy, Ying Zheng's Intentions

Qing Dynasty, Capital City.

A certain residence.

Yuan Suiyun, Lu Xiaofeng, Chu Liuxiang, and the others all stared blankly at the subordinate's report, their eyes filled with disbelief.

The speed was simply too fast.

The Qing Dynasty had already fallen into chaos?

Was this the true explosive power of the Azure Dragon Association?

And only one of the Dragon Heads had made a move.

They originally thought that the Qing Emperor Hongli would at least have to face off against Zhu Houzhao.

Unexpectedly, it didn't even reach the point where the Imperial Court had to act.

Just a single Dragon Head from the Azure Dragon Association was enough to throw him into turmoil.

Even if Hongli managed to survive this crisis, he would probably never again be an Emperor who could wield power at will.

Moreover, they had no doubt that the Azure Dragon Association would not let go of such a golden opportunity to destroy the Qing Dynasty so easily!

Now that internal chaos had broken out in the Qing Dynasty, the next step would likely be widespread rebellions throughout the dynasty!

"Reporting to the Branch Master, someone outside seeks an audience!"

"Let her in."

Soon, the veiled woman who had previously delivered a message appeared once more.

She directly handed them a small bamboo tube.

Inside was their next mission.

After delivering the message, she did not stay and left immediately.

Everyone was already familiar with her identity, so they were not surprised.

They glanced at the task information as before, then destroyed it after reading.

He already had a sense of what this operation was all about.

Unfortunately.

They weren't even considered to be at the Heavenly Human Realm yet.

They were unable to enter the true upper echelon.

They could only serve as a part of the plan.

Still, he looked forward to the day when he could single-handedly destroy an imperial dynasty.

Such an achievement would be something he deeply desired.

Just like that Dragon Head of the Azure Dragon Association.

Commanding everything with a wave of the hand!

Step by step, bringing down the Qing Dynasty.

Unfortunately, his current strength was still lacking, not yet qualified.

It seemed he needed to work even harder in the future.

Even though he had been called a genius since childhood, compared to the members of the Azure Dragon Association, there was still a gap.

However, he wasn't one to belittle himself.

They simply had better luck and joined earlier, that was all.

If he had joined three to five years earlier, he would already be a Heavenly Human Realm cultivator by now.

Becoming one of the Twelve Hall Masters of the Azure Dragon Association would be no problem at all.

"Sigh, Lu Xiaofeng, do you think this Qing Emperor Hongli really doesn't have Manchu imperial blood?"

"Interesting, Yongzheng must've been really bold back then."

Chu Liuxiang asked Lu Xiaofeng.

"Since the Azure Dragon Association is involved, they wouldn't go to such lengths without solid evidence."

"It seems likely to be true."

"That Chen Jialuo from the Red Flower Association really might be his brother."

"These righteous men of the Qing Dynasty truly are impressive, worthy of admiration!"

Lu Xiaofeng nodded, then shook his head and chuckled.

"Huh? The ranking has been updated."

"I wonder who took Rank 2 on the Dao Immortal Ranking this time?"

"There are countless cultivators in the world, who knows if there's a hidden Dao Master somewhere?"

"It's updated, look quickly!"

Soon, high in the sky, the updated ranking appeared.

Rank 2 on the Dao Immortal Ranking was revealed.

==========

[Dao Immortal Ranking – Rank 2]

[Zhang Yuchu]

[Force: Heavenly Master of Main One Sect, National Master of Ming Dynasty]

[Cultivation: Late God Demon Realm Land Immortal]

[Technique: Main One Dao Classic]

[Reward: 2x Top-Tier Enlightenment Card (Can be used for enlightenment, increasing comprehension five hundred times, duration ten days!)]

==========

"The Ming Dynasty's National Master Zhang Yuchu?"

"No way, another God Demon Realm cultivator!"

Lu Xiaofeng cried out in disbelief.

Are all National Masters this powerful nowadays?

If not God Demon Realm, then Mythical Realm!

This was insane!

The National Master of the Song Dynasty, Lin Lingsu!

The National Master of the Yuan Dynasty, Phagpa!

Now the National Master of the Ming Dynasty, Zhang Yuchu!

What about the other dynasties?

From the looks of it, only the National Master of the Qin Dynasty was relatively weak.

Yue Shen of the Yin Yang School!

Not even at the Heavenly Human Realm, completely incomparable!

Not only were Lu Xiaofeng and the others stunned.

Even all the nations of the Nine Provinces were in disbelief.

Zhang Yuchu held a high status among all Dao School sects in the Nine Provinces.

But that was only in terms of Dao philosophy.

When it came to martial prowess and combat strength, no one really regarded him as much.

In fact, his reputation in the Martial World wasn't even that well known.

But now, with the ranking revealed, all attention shifted to him.

All of his past deeds were quickly dug up.

Everyone was stunned.

This Heavenly Master Zhang had been hiding his strength very well!

No!

More accurately, it was the Ming Emperor Zhu Houzhao who had hidden him too well.

They didn't believe for a second that Zhu Houzhao didn't know about Zhang Yuchu's true strength.

The National Master of the Ming Dynasty!

A terrifying existence without equal.

People had thought the Vast Sea Dynasty might be the strongest among the Nine Provinces.

But now, with a second look.

The Ming Dynasty was by no means weaker than the Vast Sea Dynasty.

In fact, in some areas, it even surpassed it.

In terms of heritage alone, the Vast Sea Dynasty couldn't compare to the Ming Dynasty.

==========

Tang Imperial Palace, Taiji Hall.

"The Ming Dynasty's National Master, Zhang Yuchu!"

"A God Demon Realm cultivator!"

"My Tang Dynasty must also choose a capable and powerful National Master."

"If not at the God Demon Realm, then at least among the top levels of the Mythical Realm."

Li Shimin thought to himself.

The Tang Dynasty was still in its early stages, and he was focusing all his energy on centralizing power and eliminating the influence of the vassal kings.

So he had been wavering on the choice of a National Master and hadn't made a decision.

But now, he had to act.

Although Yuan Tiangang was a Daoist as well, he was in charge of the Bad People, making him unsuitable for the position of National Master.

And since the Tang Dynasty claimed descent from Li Er of the Dao School tradition, it was even more impossible to appoint a Buddhist cultivator.

Otherwise, the legitimacy of the Tang Dynasty bloodline would be questioned.

Their claim to orthodoxy would be compromised.

But within the Dao School sects, how many were at the Mythical or God Demon Realm?

If Li Chunfeng hadn't left, he would've been an excellent candidate.

What a pity!

It seemed he would have to pay more attention to this matter from now on.

At the same time, he grew increasingly wary, envious, and resentful of Zhu Houzhao from the Ming Dynasty!

Why did that brat Zhu Houzhao attract countless cultivators without lifting a finger?

Wasn't that too unfair?

This Zhang Yuchu had served as the National Master for three generations of Ming Emperors.

But it wasn't because he was a God Demon Realm cultivator.

It was only because the Main One Sect was highly valued by the Ming Dynasty.

And Zhang Yuchu was the Heavenly Master of this generation.

Only a Heavenly Master qualified as the Ming Dynasty National Master.

Nothing more than that.

In the eyes of the previous Emperors, Zhang Yuchu had been treated more like a symbol of good fortune.

They maintained the proper respect and honor, but gave him no real power.

But once Zhu Houzhao came to power.

Zhang Yuchu's status changed drastically and he became a truly powerful National Master.

In fact, over the years.

Zhu Houzhao had deliberately elevated his status.

And Zhang Yuchu did not disappoint, accomplishing many great things for the Ming Dynasty.

Looking back now, it was obvious.

Zhu Houzhao had long recognized Zhang Yuchu's true abilities.

At the very least, in terms of discerning talent, none of the previous Ming Emperors could compare to him.

Just look at the current court officials, every single one was truly capable and knowledgeable.

Even though Zhu Houzhao rarely attended court and often lingered in the Imperial Harem, the Ming Imperial Court never descended into chaos.

On the contrary, it was well-organized.

This showed how skilled Zhu Houzhao was at appointing people.

Most importantly, he understood how to delegate power.

Authority was distributed layer by layer.

Everyone was used to their full potential.

But the ultimate power over life and death remained firmly in his grasp.

Even Li Shimin himself, compared to Zhu Houzhao in this area, still fell short.

At least in some aspects, he dared not be careless at all.

Every ounce of power had to be tightly held.

How could he dare to delegate freely like Zhu Houzhao?

Not just him, even Ying Zheng of the Qin Dynasty, whom he deeply feared, also tightly held onto every shred of authority.

And to maintain that power, he worked himself to the bone every day, without a moment of rest.

Personally handling everything.

There was no way he could be as carefree and unrestrained as Zhu Houzhao.

Zhu Houzhao's methods of appointing officials and governing the country were different from theirs.

At the very least, Zhu Houzhao always had the strength to crush all opposition.

A Great Perfection God Demon Realm existence, that was his confidence.

And they didn't have that.

That was the difference.

==========

Qin Imperial Palace.

Ying Zheng looked at the ranking, and his body trembled slightly.

The Ming Dynasty's lineup was starting to fill him with fear.

Perhaps in terms of military power, he could proudly say that no army in the Nine Provinces could match that of the Qin Dynasty.

But when it came to the strength of individuals, it was lacking.

Especially compared to the Ming Dynasty, the gap was widening.

Although he still had some hidden forces, they couldn't match the Ming Dynasty's strength.

Furthermore, as the Golden Ranking continued to be revealed, he gradually realized that while the Qin Dynasty had some unmatched advantages.

Its weaknesses were becoming increasingly obvious too.

To say nothing else.

The Qin Dynasty's National Master, Yue Shen, was still merely a Great Grandmaster Realm.

Before the appearance of the Golden Ranking, he thought she was quite good.

But now, compared to the others, she was simply a tier or two below.

Even the Song Dynasty, which he once looked down upon the most, had a Mythical Realm cultivator like Lin Lingsu.

He had once thought that this so-called Song Dynasty National Master was just a fraud.

And that Emperor Zhao Ji of Song Dynasty was foolish for trusting him so much.

But now it seemed, he had underestimated some people.

A proper Mythical Realm cultivator who had been misunderstood and insulted by many, yet never once tried to defend himself.

And remained mentally calm without the slightest ripple.

Were these Dao Masters really so terrifying?

Compared to these deeply hidden old foxes, Yue Shen, and even Eastern Sovereign Tai Yi, paled in comparison.

It seemed he needed to select a new National Master.

If he let Yue Shen continue in that position, he, Ying Zheng, would become a laughingstock throughout the Nine Provinces.

But then, who else was qualified to be the Qin Dynasty National Master?

Ying Zheng's standards had changed.

Anyone below the Mythical Realm was no longer worthy of his attention.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

List of Characters:

Legend of Lu Xiaofeng ( 陆小凤传奇 )

・Lu Xiaofeng ( 陆小凤 ) — Famous Detective of Ming Dynasty

Legend of Chu Liuxiang ( 楚留香传奇 )

・Chu Liuxiang ( 楚留香 ) — Famous Thief of Ming Dynasty

・Yuan Suiyun ( 原随云 ) — August 15th Branch Master of Azure Dragon Association

Great Tang Twin Dragons Legend ( 大唐双龙传 )

・Li Shimin ( 李世民 ) — Emperor of Tang Dynasty

Qin's Moon ( 秦时明月 )

・Ying Zheng ( 嬴政 ) — Emperor of Qin Dynasty