"..."
As Wang Hao finished speaking, not only Zhu Yuanzhang, but also Emperor Mingde and Wheel-Turning King, who were standing to the side, fell silent, utterly speechless.
The three methods this kid mentioned seem plausible, or at least sound like they have a high success rate, but upon closer inspection, they're all utterly unreliable.
Putting aside whether the legendary Shattering Realm truly exists, even if it did, how could they possibly persuade someone to join them?
Faced with such a legendary existence, even Zhu Yuanzhang, who had lived for over two hundred years and reached the Peak Xiantian Grandmaster, found it difficult to say anything.
After all, he was only a Xiantian Grandmaster Realm, two major realms below the legendary Shattering Realm.
"So, does that mean you, my nephew, will inevitably become the furnace for that Great Heavenly Demon in the end?"
Emperor Mingde's expression was very unpleasant, after all, it was truly rare for the Old Zhu Household to produce a genius.
The situation in the world was bad enough before, but now there's an overseas martial arts world and the Heavenly Demon Sacred Cult, and even Celestial Person Realm and Shattering Realm cultivators stronger than Xiantian Grandmaster have emerged.
Compared to these terrifying forces, even the Confucian School that they had previously feared was nothing but trash, and there was simply no comparison.
Most importantly, it seems that the Heavenly Demon Sacred Cult is planning something terrifying in the Central Plains; if things go wrong, the entire world could be shattered.
This situation couldn't be worse!
"It's not entirely without a chance. It's impossible to make that old guy, the Great Heavenly Demon, give up or die on his own. I don't have the ability to invite a Shattering Realm expert to eliminate the Demon Seed. The only way now is to break through to the Shattering Realm myself and then refine the Demon Seed."
It must be said that although the old man, the Great Heavenly Demon, is Tyrannical Dao, he is also Nine Cauldrons. He has promised that as long as I break through to the Shattering Realm before his plan is finally executed and I refine the Demon Seed, he will no longer use me as a cultivation vessel.
Shrugging, Wang Hao became more and more engrossed in his story, truly immersing himself in the fictional identity of Zhu Yanzu.
"I'm afraid that the Great Heavenly Demon's real purpose is to make you cultivate with all your might and strengthen yourself, so that he can devour your power and gain even greater benefits in the future."
Emperor Mingde's expression remained grim. As an emperor, he had seen many such conspiracies and schemes, and he immediately saw through the key point.
This is probably the Great Heavenly Demon deliberately giving this kid hope, so that he would do his best to become stronger and ultimately reap the richest rewards.
"I know that old guy said it on purpose, but there's nothing I can do. It's a perfectly legitimate scheme of his. Even if the hope is slim, it's better than no hope at all."
Wang Hao gave the three people above him a helpless look, and then cooperatively expressed a sense of distress.
After that, everyone fell silent and turned their attention to Zhu Yuanzhang, who had been deep in thought, waiting for the ancestor to speak.
This matter involves too much interference; it's simply beyond their control to make a decision. One wrong move could plunge the entire Da Ming royal family into utter ruin. Only this ancestor has the right and the confidence to make a choice.
"Is there any way to help you break through to the Shattering Realm as soon as possible?"
After a long silence, Zhu Yuanzhang spoke calmly.
He is still unsure whether the overseas martial arts world and the Heavenly Demon Sacred Cult truly exist, so he needs to test them further. This is also the solution he has devised to break the deadlock.
If all the rumors are true, then we must do everything we can to help this Old Zhu Household break through to the Shattering Realm ahead of time, so that he can refine the Demon Seed in return.
" Shattering Realm isn't easy, but I do know a method to break through to the Celestial Person Realm. As long as I can cultivate to the Peak Innate and obtain the secret method of Fortune, I can use the National Fortune of my Great Ming Dynasty to quickly break through to the Celestial Person Realm!"
With a solemn shake of his head, Wang Hao then revealed a claim he had been spreading for a long time.
"Does this secret Fahai?"
A glint of light flashed in his old eyes, and Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but press for an answer.
After all, he had already reached the Peak Innate. If this kid could succeed, then he certainly could too.
If he can make another breakthrough, he can not only gain more lifespan, but also greater strength, at which point he will no longer be afraid of facing the Confucian School.
"Indeed, there are, but the secret methods of overseas martial arts can only gather the Fortune of a sect or school, and are not enough to affect the national National Fortune of a country. It is said that Master Kong, the founder of Confucian School, created Literary Qi Nourishing Method that can influence the National Fortune."
However, it is unknown why Master Kong hid this unique skill, or whether it was ever passed down.
Nodding, Wang Hao continued his charade, his manner completely belying his words.
" Literary Qi Nourishing Method? It seems the foundation of Confucian School is far deeper than I imagined!"
Slightly taken aback, Zhu Yuanzhang's expression immediately turned serious, and he became even more wary of the Confucian School.
Emperor Mingde and Wheel-Turning King also had grim expressions. After all, Confucian School was the greatest enemy of their Da Ming Dynasty. If the other side was hiding secret techniques that could affect the fate of the National Fortune, it would be a huge disaster for them.
Just as the three were deep in thought, they suddenly noticed that Wang Hao was forming a set of profound hand seals, and his fingertips revealed an incomparably powerful Innate Qi and a mysterious power.
" Divine Sense?!"
Sensing that mysterious energy, Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
You must know that he is a powerful expert in the Innate Realm, and at the peak of that level. Naturally, he has cultivated his Divine Sense and has reached the current peak, with no further advancement possible.
However, Divine Sense has always been the exclusive domain of experts at the Innate Realm. Those below the Innate Realm are neither qualified nor able to cultivate Divine Sense, not even those at the Half-step Innate level.
But the Divine Sense that this kid is displaying now is quite powerful. Even if it's far inferior to mine, it's still quite remarkable.
Back then, it was forty years after he broke through to the Innate Realm that he finally cultivated his Divine Sense to the level of that kid.
Emperor Mingde and Wheel-Turning King, who were standing nearby, were startled. Although Zhu Yuanzhang's exclamation was very soft, they still heard it.
Upon learning that the young man before them had actually cultivated Divine Sense with the cultivation level of the Grandmaster Realm, the two men's trust in that information increased dramatically.
"It seems that the overseas martial arts world and the Heavenly Demon Sacred Cult are real!"
The three, each with their own worries, watched Wang Hao quietly. Although they didn't know what he was doing, they were not afraid.
Moreover, they believed that the young man wouldn't do anything excessive, after all, their Da Ming Dynasty royal ancestor, a Peak Innate expert in the Innate Realm, was right in front of them.
"Huh! There are actually eighty-seven Half-step Innate experts in the capital."
Finally, as if he had confirmed something, Wang Hao looked surprised.
He had just had Xiao Mengmeng activate the system's Treasure-Seeking Function, searching for Half-step Innate innate experts within a hundred miles of him, but the data they obtained surprised them quite a bit.
He originally thought that there would be at least forty or fifty Half-step Innate Xiantian experts in the capital, but he didn't expect there to be almost twice as many as he had anticipated.
Moreover, most of them were gathered in the Da Ming Imperial Palace, and they should be hidden Half-step Innate experts in the Da Ming Dynasty royal family.
While this number may seem exaggerated, it's not actually that much when you think about it.
After all, even a Dugu Family family like the Dugu family possessed thirteen Half-step Innate experts. The Da Ming Dynasty's imperial family had ruled the world for two hundred years, possessing all the resources of the world. How could they only have one publicly known Wheel-Turning King?
Even though the Dugu Family had an advantage because of the Sword Demon's sword, the Da Ming imperial family still had Zhu Yuanzhang, Peak Xiantian Grandmaster!
Therefore, it is understandable that there are so many Half-step Innate experts. This is the greatest foundation of the Da Ming Dynasty royal family and the fundamental reason why Confucian School is wary of them.
Otherwise, having only Zhu Yuanzhang would not have been enough to make Confucian School take him seriously.
"Eighty-seven Half-step Innate?"
Emperor Mingde was greatly alarmed, clearly unaware of this matter, while Wheel-Turning King Zhuanlun's expression darkened, looking rather displeased.
He knew the exact number of Half-step Innate experts in their Da Ming Dynasty royal family, but there were only forty-three, not eighty-seven.
It's easy to imagine who those forty-four Half-step Innate experts were.
"You just used a homing-type arcane technique?"
Zhu Yuanzhang didn't care about the number of those Half-step Innate experts, but instead looked at Wang Hao with great interest.
Although possessing Divine Sense would greatly enhance one's perception, and he could even use his Divine Sense to cover a radius of a hundred feet around him and control everything, this junior directly searched the entire capital.
Furthermore, the search target was a deliberately concealed Half-step Innate expert. Such an existence, if deliberately hidden, would be impossible to sense even with his cultivation level unless he appeared before him or engaged in a fierce battle.
This search capability is absolutely terrifying!
"Although that old fellow, the Great Heavenly Demon's Demon Seed, poses a considerable threat, its effects are still quite good. As long as it is activated using a secret technique, no one within a hundred miles can escape my detection."
Wang Hao spoke very modestly, but his expression subtly revealed a sense of self-satisfaction.
Although he had only found those Half-step Innate experts by relying entirely on the system's Treasure-Seeking Function, others didn't know that!
This is a perfect opportunity to show off and accelerate the deception, making the three people even more convinced of everything he's telling them.
As for the previous set of hand seals, it was purely for deceiving people and had no special meaning. It was just that his Innate Qi and Divine Sense were added to increase its prestige and credibility.
Everything he did was just to fool people!
"Ancestor, there are quite a few Nezumi hiding in the capital. Should we take advantage of this opportunity...?"
Shocked, Wang Hao Wheel-Turning King's expression turned fierce, a chilling killing intent brewing within him.
Half-step Innate expert hiding in the capital must have ill intentions. There might be spies from the Confucian School or other forces among them. It's best to eliminate such a person with ulterior motives as soon as possible.
Otherwise, if they were to cause trouble at some crucial moment, it could be extremely fatal for them.
After all, the only place the Da Ming royal family could fully control was the capital, and they absolutely could not afford to lose this base!
"Alright! Go and do it! I'll step in when the time is right!"
With a slight, cold nod, Zhu Yuanzhang agreed to Wheel-Turning King's proposal.
He was no saint; many died under his orders during the reign of Emperor Hongwu, and those Nezumi went too far.
They actually hid right under his nose; this was a blatant slap in his face!
"Yes, grandson obeys!"
With a murderous glint in his eyes, Wheel-Turning King prepared to use the Half-step Innate experts in his palace to wipe out those people.
Although the other side had one more person than them, they came from various factions and were unaware of each other's existence; they were essentially a disorganized mess.
However, the Half-step Innate experts of the Da Ming Dynasty royal family are united and have even practiced a combined attack formation, which allows them to contend with twice as many experts of the same level.
It may be difficult to completely exterminate those people, but at least they can be driven out of the capital and at least half of them can be killed.
"Etc!"
Just as Wheel-Turning King was about to accept his orders and leave, Wang Hao suddenly spoke up.