As his words fell, Yang Wudi stepped back half a pace and straightened his collar before clasping his fists.
Then the old man, who had stood tall for most of his life, slowly bowed to Dai Mobai.
"This old man, Yang Wudi, is willing to lead the Breaking Clan in submitting to Your Highness, the Crown Prince."
His voice was hoarse, but every word rang clear.
Standing beside Dai Mobai, Li Yue watched the scene unfold, her cool eyes already curving into crescents.
She lifted her chin slightly, the corners of her lips rising in an unconcealed smile. Her little thoughts were written all over her face—
No matter how proud you are, you still ended up yielding to His Highness, didn't you?
Dai Mobai, by contrast, remained calm throughout.
From the moment he had recited the words "Six Harmonies Great Spear" at the hotel, the Breaking Clan's allegiance had been a foregone conclusion.
He knew all too well what this Spear Manual meant to someone who wielded a spear.
So this bow before him was nothing more than what he had expected.
The moment Yang Wudi bent at the waist, he simply rose from his chair.
"With the Breaking Clan's help today, the Star Luo Empire will surely grow even stronger."
Dai Mobai smiled and reached out, supporting Yang Wudi by the arms with both hands as he helped him stand upright.
His movements were unhurried, his grip perfectly measured—not so familiar as to seem contrived, nor in the least bit distant.
"I will not fail Your Highness's expectations!"
Yang Wudi straightened as he spoke, his voice solemn, as though making a promise heavier than his own life.
His eyes were faintly red, but his expression had regained its composure. Only the hand gripping Dai Mobai's arm still trembled slightly—
Not from nerves, but because the excitement that had surged through him as he read the Spear Manual had yet to completely subside.
Dai Mobai let go, and the smile on his face slowly faded.
He looked at Yang Wudi again, his gaze earnest and intent, his voice turning grave.
"Next, you may pass the Six Harmonies Great Spear on to the clan's elite. I'll give you one month to find a trail that can cross the Border Mountains."
A trail through the Border Mountains?
Yang Wudi froze for a moment.
Instinctively, he spread out a map of the terrain around the Gilchrist Kingdom in his mind.
The Gilchrist Kingdom stood on the border, with the Border Mountains stretching behind it between Heaven Dou and the Star Luo Empire.
They spanned a thousand miles, their steep peaks like a forest.
Why did His Highness want a trail through the mountains?
A thought suddenly flashed through his mind.
Yang Wudi's pupils contracted slightly. His thoughts churned, but in less than a breath, he forcibly suppressed his shock.
At his age, he naturally knew which matters he should ask about and which he shouldn't.
Now that he had submitted, he had only to carry out the Crown Prince's orders.
"Rest assured, Your Highness. Leave this to me."
Yang Wudi nodded and agreed readily.
For one thing, he had only just pledged his allegiance and wanted to prove himself, to show His Highness that the Breaking Clan wasn't made up of idlers.
For another, this was hardly a difficult task for the Breaking Clan.
The Gilchrist Kingdom lay right at the foot of the Border Mountains, and the clan members had spent years venturing into the mountains to gather medicinal herbs. They knew the Border Mountains like the backs of their hands.
A month was more than enough time to find a trail.
"Then I'll be counting on you, Clan Chief Yang."
Dai Mobai nodded, a warm smile returning to his face.
He did not linger. Their business here was done, and it was time to return.
Yang Wudi personally escorted the two of them to the clan's gate. He watched the man and woman walk farther and farther away, and only when they had completely vanished from sight did he finally turn around and stride back into the clan grounds.
As soon as he returned, Yang Wudi ordered someone to ring the old bronze bell in the courtyard.
Its deep toll rang out again and again, shaking leaves from the old locust tree until they rustled to the ground.
In less than a quarter of an hour, every Soul Master of the Breaking Clan who was in the clan grounds had gathered in the square.
A hundred Soul Masters stood in two lines, one on each side, their backs straight and their eyes fixed intently on Yang Wudi atop the raised platform.
Their clothes were nothing fancy, but when they stood there, their razor-sharp presence rose like a forest of spears, daring anyone to look them in the eye.
"I've gathered you here today to announce two things."
Yang Wudi stood on the platform, his lean figure casting a sharp, clean-edged shadow beneath the midday sun.
He offered no unnecessary preamble, simply raising one finger.
"First. As of today, the Breaking Clan is joining the Star Luo Empire, becoming a spear in the hands of His Highness, the Crown Prince."
A few hushed gasps came from the crowd.
Several young clan members exchanged bewildered looks, their faces full of shock.
They had all heard that the Star Luo Emperor had sent people to recruit the clan. Some had even made private bets on whether Yang Wudi would agree.
In the end, the Empire's envoy had been driven away without even meeting Yang Wudi.
They had assumed that the Crown Prince's personal visit today would end the same way. Yet the Crown Prince had succeeded where the Star Luo Emperor had failed.
Yang Wudi ignored the commotion and raised a second finger.
"Second. Over the next month, you will train alongside me using this Spear Manual."
With a flick of his wrist, he unfurled the scroll of plain white paper in his hand.
Neat, delicate characters filled the page beneath the sunlight. The ink had long since dried, yet the fierce aura of a spear's edge seemed ready to pierce through the paper.
The square fell silent for a moment.
Then everyone's expression changed.
The shock from a moment ago gave way to an even stronger emotion—the instinctive reaction of a spear-wielder seeing an unparalleled spear technique.
Their pupils widened, their breathing quickened, and their fingers clenched unconsciously.
As fellow spear-wielders, how could they fail to recognize the brilliance of the Spear Manual in their clan chief's hands?
No wonder!
No wonder their clan chief had accepted the offer!
The allure of such a profound spear technique to the Breaking Clan was beyond words.
Meanwhile, Dai Mobai and Li Yue did not stop again.
Once they left the city, the two took to the skies and flew straight toward Star Luo Imperial City.
It was already late at night when they returned to the Star Luo Imperial Palace. The lights atop the palace walls swayed gently in the night breeze. When the night guards recognized them, they bowed in greeting. Dai Mobai merely nodded and did not slow his steps.
He did not even return to the East Palace to change his clothes, heading straight for the Imperial Study.
The lights in the Imperial Study were still on.
As he had expected, the Star Luo Emperor had not yet gone to bed.
When he pushed the door open, warm yellow light filled the entire study.
The Star Luo Emperor stood with his hands clasped behind his back before a huge map, his imposing figure utterly still.
Hearing footsteps, he did not turn around. He simply asked, "You're back?"
"I'm back."
Dai Mobai stopped three paces behind him.
The Star Luo Emperor slowly turned, his gaze settling on his son's face.
He did not ask what his son had accomplished on this trip, because he had already seen the answer in Dai Mobai's eyes.
There was no weariness or unease in them, only the composed certainty of someone with everything in place.
Dai Mobai met his father's gaze, the corner of his mouth lifting as he spoke the words he had carried in his heart all the way back.
"Father, we can make our move."