Although the tense atmosphere had eased somewhat, the struggle for the throne had never stopped. It had merely shifted from brothers turning against one another, with blades flashing almost openly, into an undercurrent that better suited the empire's dignity—and demanded greater patience and planning.
The eldest prince, Dai Weisi, was undoubtedly the one who placed his pieces most steadily in this new game, and the one who had seized the initiative.
A few years were enough to change many things.
For Dai Weisi, his most successful investment over those years had not been winning over another court official who wielded real power, or acquiring some important enterprise. It had been firmly binding to himself two uncut gems who had originally stood outside the empire's power structure, yet were destined to shine brilliantly in the future.
Everyone at Star Luo Royal Academy, and even throughout Star Luo City's upper circles, knew that the eldest prince, Dai Weisi, had gained two exceptionally unusual friends.
One was Levin, blond-haired and green-eyed, with a temperament as still as water, yet possessed of astonishing talent in Soul Master cultivation.
The other was Pinocchio, lively and unpredictable, occasionally startling people with his remarks, and quite unusual in both his Martial Soul and his fighting style.
They were commoners by birth, yet possessed innate full Soul Power that countless noble scions envied.
Their backgrounds were simple, but that only made them more precious, for it meant they had yet to bear the brand of any faction. They were a blank sheet of paper upon which any blueprint could be drawn.
Over several years, with extraordinary patience and just the right measure of sincerity, Dai Weisi had slowly suffused that blank sheet with his own colors.
He had neither subdued them through authority nor stunned them with wealth.