Above the enormous dome hung an artificial "sun," radiating soft yet brilliant light that illuminated the entire underground space as brightly as day.
Countless thick pipelines crisscrossed like blood vessels, connecting one massive mechanical structure after another.
A hundred meters beneath her feet lay a magnificent city in operation.
No wood, no brick or stone.
As far as the eye could see, there was only metal.
A Giant Mechanical Bird with a wingspan exceeding thirty meters trailed a long streak of light as it weaved through the forest of steel. Blue exhaust flames spewed from its belly, carving dazzling trails through the air.
On the ground, Giant Humanoid Mechanical Puppets several zhang tall carried heavy ores. Their movements were somewhat stiff, but the power erupting from every gesture made Xue Qinghe's heart tremble.
That sense of power was absolutely no weaker than that of a power-attack Soul Sage!
And below, there were hundreds, even thousands, of such puppets packed densely together!
"This... this is..."
Xue Qinghe's voice was trembling.
The composure she had always taken pride in vanished without a trace at that moment.
What kind of power was this?
It was not a soul skill, not a Martial Soul, and certainly not any power system she recognized.
"Welcome to Jixia Mechanical City."
Lu Ming stood at the edge of the cliff with his hands behind his back. The night wind—or perhaps the airflow from the ventilation system—whipped his robes with a sharp rustle.
He pointed at the Steel Beast below, roaring as it operated.
"This is Mozi's creation, and one of Jixia's foundations."
"Your Highness just said you wanted to recruit me?"
Lu Ming turned around and looked at the pale-faced Xue Qinghe, a faint, inscrutable smile on his lips.
"Spirit Hall is indeed powerful. Once the Pope's decree is issued, none dare disobey. And those old fellows in the Worship Hall can certainly fight."
"But, Your Highness."
Lu Ming casually snapped his fingers.
Click—
Below the cliff, a Giant Siege Mech that had been dormant suddenly lit up its single crimson eye.
Its enormous cannon barrel slowly rose, aiming at a distant Sword Testing Stone.
Boom!
A dazzling blue beam erupted forth.
The Black Gold Rock, which could withstand a Soul Douluo's full-force strike, instantly vaporized within the beam, leaving not even a trace of slag behind.
Xue Qinghe's pupils abruptly contracted.
An attack from a Titled Douluo!
And this was merely an attack unleashed by an inanimate object!
If there were a hundred of these things... a thousand...
Heaven Dou City's walls would be like paper before them!
"Do you think someone who possesses this city needs to become anyone's subject?"
Lu Ming's voice was soft, but to Xue Qinghe's ears, it was like thunder crashing beside her.
She finally understood.
Why Lu Ming had remained unmoved by her offer.
Why he held no reverence for the so-called Crown Prince or the identity of a saintess.
Because what he held in his hands was power capable of overturning the entire continent's balance!
This was not a conversation on the same level at all.
She was talking about schemes and recruitment.
But Lu Ming held the hammer of a dimensional strike in his hands.
"Did you... make all of this?"
Xue Qinghe swallowed with difficulty, her gaze fixed on those intricate gear structures as though she wanted to see through their secrets.
"Me? I don't have that kind of spare time."
Lu Ming shrugged.
"I'm just a dean in charge of guarding the gate. The man who made these things is an old fellow called Mozi. He has quite the foul temper and mutters all day about 'Love All, Attack None.'"
Mozi.
Xue Qinghe engraved that name deeply in her heart.
"Dean Lu, you brought me here to see all this. Aren't you afraid I'll leak it?"
Xue Qinghe drew a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the raging turmoil in her heart as she tried to regain some bargaining leverage.
"Or are you demonstrating your strength to Spirit Hall?"
"A demonstration? There's no need."
Lu Ming turned around and started walking back the way they had come.
"I brought you here because of what you said earlier."
Xue Qinghe was taken aback. "Which words?"
"You said you wanted to become the ruler of this continent."
Lu Ming stopped and glanced back at her.
Under the lights, his eyes were calm and profound, as though they could see through the deepest ambitions in Qian Renxue's heart.
"If you want to be the ruler, conspiracies, tricks, murder, and arson won't be enough."
"Spirit Hall's methods are too outdated."
"Since you want to play big, I don't mind showing you what a truly... grand spectacle looks like."
Lu Ming pointed to the endlessly bustling mechanical city below.
"This is called productivity. This is called change."
"Your Highness, if one day you no longer want to be a Crown Prince who only hides behind a mask and schemes against others, if you want to truly change this world..."
"Then we can talk about cooperation."
Having said that, Lu Ming walked up the stairs without looking back.
He left Xue Qinghe standing alone at the edge of the cliff.
She looked at the steel city below, filled with a brutal kind of beauty, while Lu Ming's words echoed in her ears.
Productivity.
Change.
Those unfamiliar words fell into her heart like seeds.
Before this, her world had consisted only of Soul Power Levels, Spirit Ring ages, and political struggles.
But now, Lu Ming had brutally torn open that ceiling, allowing her to see a broader, more terrifying sky.
"Lu Ming..."
Qian Renxue removed the mask that belonged to Xue Qinghe from her face. Looking at the thin human-skin mask in her hand, a complicated glint flashed through her eyes.
She had thought she was playing a grand game of chess.
Yet someone had already flipped the chessboard and replaced it with a blueprint she could not understand at all.
This feeling...
It truly was infuriating.
Yet at the same time, it made her long-silent heart pound violently.
"Love All, Attack None..."
Qian Renxue murmured softly. She put the mask back on and strode toward the stairs.
Since the chessboard had changed.
Then she, Qian Renxue, would learn how to play this new game!
Back in the study.
The mechanism closed, and the floor returned to normal.
It was as if nothing had happened.
Lu Ming lay back down in his recliner and looked at Xue Qinghe, who showed no intention of leaving.
"You've seen everything. Why aren't you leaving, Your Highness? Are you really planning to stay for a late-night meal?"
Xue Qinghe had completely recovered her usual demeanor by then, though deep in her eyes was a reverence—and... fervor—that had not been there before.
"Dean Lu, Qinghe has one final question."
"Ask."
"Exactly how many of those metal lumps in that city can fire beams like the one just now?"
Lu Ming yawned and held up three fingers.
"Three hundred?"
Xue Qinghe sucked in a sharp breath.
Lu Ming shook his head.
"Three thousand?"
Xue Qinghe felt her scalp go numb.
Lu Ming still shook his head. Lowering his hand, he said lazily,
"Three."
Xue Qinghe had just breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that was fortunate—it was still within a controllable range.
Before you continue