Great Ming Kingdom
When Xu Nian'an heard that Spirit Hall Pope Qian Xunji had died and that Spirit Hall and the Clear Sky Sect had begun an all-out war, he was stunned.
"Wait, how could the plot be moving this fast?"
Xu Nian'an was dumbfounded. He had originally thought he was six years older than Tang San, meaning Tang San wouldn't be born until six years later.
He hadn't expected that he'd gotten the timing wrong. The story had already begun, and Tang San had already been born.
And he had crossed over even earlier than Xu Nian'an.
In the original story, Tang San was born in January. So that meant it really was as he'd thought.
Tang Hao had fought the previous Spirit Hall pope. Afterward, Qian Xunji had been gravely wounded and returned to Spirit Hall to recuperate, only for Bibi Dong to finish him off.
But Qian Renxue had already been lying low beside Xue Qinghe for ages.
Then there was only one explanation: Qian Xunji had died long ago, but Spirit Hall had kept the news under wraps.
And only now had it come to light.
It seemed he'd forgotten a lot of things.
A faint sense of urgency began to grow in Xu Nian'an's heart.
[ Ding! Congratulations, host. In the battle against the Galloping Wolf Kingdom, you have proven the strength of the Great Ming Kingdom to the continent. Would you like to declare yourself emperor immediately? ]
[ Detection: This option carries the risk of being jointly attacked and destroyed by the two great empires. You may choose this option later. ]
Looking at the options that had appeared on the system, Xu Nian'an fell silent.
With his kingdom backed by the Heaven Dou Empire, the Star Luo Empire wouldn't dare wage an all-out war against him.
Because if it did, it wouldn't just be fighting Xu Nian'an's kingdom.
It would also be taking on the colossal power backing the Heaven Dou Empire.
The Star Luo Empire couldn't simply avoid fighting Xu Nian'an, either—not unless it was willing to give up such a vast territory.
Its best option was to secretly support a subordinate state, then reclaim the Galloping Wolf Kingdom's territory.
But the Great Ming Kingdom's military might was now so formidable that an ordinary kingdom would be marching to its own slaughter.
Clatter, clatter!
As Xu Nian'an pondered, a flurry of hurried footsteps rang out.
"Your Majesty, two letters!"
Xu Nian'an raised an eyebrow at the letters in the Imperial Guard's hands.
He took them.
At a glance, he recognized the emblems of the Star Luo Empire and the Heaven Dou Empire.
He opened the Star Luo Empire's letter first.
[With disputes between our two countries growing increasingly frequent, we invite the Heaven Dou Empire to mediate peace talks as a third party.]
So the Star Luo Empire was ready to back down and negotiate?
Xu Nian'an considered it. The Great Ming Kingdom was like a sharp sword driven deep into the heart of the Star Luo Empire.
The Heaven Dou Empire's western theater was also watching like a tiger ready to pounce. And, on top of that, the Clear Sky Sect had announced its withdrawal from the world.
What a mess—completely isolated, with no one to turn to.
Now Xu Nian'an understood why the Clear Sky Sect, which had supported the Star Luo Empire in the original story, had later gone over to the Heaven Dou Empire.
When the Clear Sky Sect was in danger, the Star Luo Empire had stood by and done nothing, unwilling to provoke Spirit Hall.
Spirit Hall was a neutral force on the continent. It awakened Martial Souls for free and gathered children with strong Soul Power talent, earning the people's deep support.
If the Star Luo Empire offended Spirit Hall, and Spirit Hall joined forces with the Heaven Dou Empire, the Star Luo Empire would suffer even greater losses.
No wonder the Clear Sky Sect, which had once supported the Star Luo Empire, ended up supporting the Heaven Dou Empire by the end of the story.
He opened the second letter.
[The Heaven Dou Empire's annual Royal Hunting Meet.]
The invitation came from Emperor Xue Ye. It seemed he was eager to play the part of this so-called third-party mediator.
Putting the letters away, Xu Nian'an began to think about how to maximize his own interests.
The Star Luo Empire wanted peace simply because it didn't want to keep fighting. After all, the current situation wasn't favorable to it.
The Heaven Dou Empire was all too happy to mediate, naturally because it stood to gain something.
Xu Nian'an realized that until he completed the system's mission to become emperor, he had no way to accelerate his development.
So he would have to give up some things, in moderation, to gain others.
"Elder Long."
As soon as Xu Nian'an spoke, the air shuddered. Moments later, an old man in a black robe appeared beside him.
"We're going to the Heaven Dou Empire."
Xu Nian'an had been in the Douluo Continent for a month. He'd spent most of that time either cultivating or dealing with the Great Ming Kingdom's petty affairs.
He really hadn't had time to explore this world.
Now he had the chance to visit the Heaven Dou Empire and see more of it for himself.
Hearing Xu Nian'an's words, Long Xiaoyao smiled.
"It's good to get out for a change. Constant cultivation isn't necessarily a good thing."
Cultivation.
At that, Xu Nian'an narrowed his eyes.
To be honest, he'd recently felt that his cultivation was progressing a little slowly.
He was considering whether he should cultivate both Martial Souls at once.
Thinking of their trip to the Heaven Dou Empire—and how Sunset Forest was not far away—Xu Nian'an's lips slowly curled upward.
He was going to snatch those Immortal Herbs more than a decade ahead of time.
Once Xu Nian'an had made up his mind, Eunuch Xu Fu had the royal crown prepared by noon, along with three thousand Imperial Guard soldiers and three hundred palace maids to attend him.
The entire party set off toward the Heaven Dou Empire in a grand procession.
"Your Majesty, on this journey, we'll have to pass through Gulei City and travel more than a hundred li through the Heavenly Spirit Mountain Range before we reach the Heaven Dou Empire's capital, Heaven Dou City."
Inside the enormous Great Ming carriage, Xu Nian'an listened as Xu Fu explained with great seriousness.
"So, old eunuch, you've been there many times?"
At Xu Nian'an's words, Xu Fu proudly lifted his head.
"Of course. When I was little, I served the Great Ancestor—Your Majesty's great-grandfather—and went there with him."
"I was still young then. I saw all sorts of magnificent buildings."
Xu Nian'an smiled at that.
Since nothing else came up along the way, he simply listened to the old eunuch's stories.
"Later, before the Warring States Era began, I went out once more with the royal ancestor—your grandfather—and your father."
"After that, the continent entered the Warring States Era. The kingdoms fell into turmoil, but the late king governed diligently and closed the borders... keeping our Tianxing peaceful."
"This trip with you makes three times I've been there."
By that count, Xu Fu was pretty old.
Could cutting that thing off really make you live forever?
Holy crap, dangerous. Xu Nian'an quickly shook his head, chasing the dangerous thought from his mind.
For the next five days, Xu Nian'an ate and slept, slept and cultivated, and took in the scenery after he finished cultivating.
On the fifth day, they arrived at the magnificent Heaven Dou City.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
"Welcome, King Ming!"
Boom! Boom!
The moment they arrived in Heaven Dou City, a grand welcoming procession burst into view!
"King Ming, His Majesty has already arranged accommodations for you. Please, this way!"
A troop of soldiers wearing splendid Bright Light Armor escorted Xu Nian'an's party to a luxurious hotel.
The whole hotel had been reserved, including accommodations for the three thousand Imperial Guard soldiers and the palace maids.
Luxury and bustle... those were the Heaven Dou Empire's hallmarks.
There was no denying it: compared to the Heaven Dou Empire, the Great Ming Kingdom still had a lot of room to improve.
The journey had been tiring, and by the time they reached the Heaven Dou Empire, it was already afternoon. Xu Nian'an made no other plans. After giving a few instructions, he got a good night's rest.