When the Sun Moon Emperor fell critically ill, everyone in the court knew that the power of the empire had effectively fallen into the hands of Crown Prince Xu Tianran.
Now, he is not only the Crown Prince, but has also been granted the title of "Regent" by the Emperor, acting as the head of state and growing in power.
Therefore, even though he harbored some reservations about this person, Kong Deming, as the head of the Worship Hall, had no choice but to personally greet this powerful "Regent Prince" for both public and private reasons.
As Xu Tianran was slowly pushed into the main hall by the Crown Princess Ju Zi, Kong Deming calmly stepped forward to greet him.
Xu Tianran immediately put on his usual gentle smile and spoke first, "It is truly an honor to have Lord Kong personally come to welcome me."
His words were humble, but the air of a "regent" was unintentionally revealed.
Upon hearing this, Kong Deming's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.
He knew all too well the cunning and ruthlessness of the young man before him; he was fully aware of the calculations hidden behind that smile.
He has never liked this kind of hypocritical politeness, and he's even less inclined to engage in such pretense.
However, with countless eyes watching him, he represented the reputation of the Worship Hall and could not afford to be too disrespectful.
So he simply replied in a flat voice, devoid of any enthusiasm, "Your Highness is too kind. Please follow me."
After saying that, he didn't exchange any more pleasantries, turned around, put his hands behind his back, and walked towards the inner hall.
Xu Tianran's perfect fake smile froze uncontrollably for a moment the instant Kong Deming turned around, a sinister glint flashing across the depths of his eyes.
He was used to the flattery and awe of others, and Kong Deming's undisguised indifference was undoubtedly a silent challenge to his authority.
But in the Douluo Continent, the strong ultimately reign supreme. Even if Xu Tianran, the crown prince, was angry with Kong Deming Super Douluo, he could only swallow his anger.
Ju Zi tightened her grip on the wheelchair slightly, gently pushing it to keep up with Kong Deming's pace.
In an almost frozen silence, the group walked through the long corridor of the Worship Hall and finally arrived at a reception room.
The Worship Hall is centered on the research and development of Soul Tool, and its architectural style reflects its purpose, embodying simplicity and pragmatism in every aspect.
The same applies to this top-class reception room; there are no frivolous decorations whatsoever. In the center of the room is a heavy metal table, flanked by a dozen or so simply designed chairs on each side.
Apart from that, the four walls were empty, and there was nothing else there.
Kong Deming walked straight to one side of the long table and sat down.
Ju Zi then gently and precisely pushed Xu Tianran's wheelchair to the other side of the long table, directly facing Kong Deming.
She then gracefully turned and left the room.
Click.
As the heavy metal door to the reception room closed, the room fell completely silent, with only the barely audible breathing of the two people remaining.
The air seemed to thicken, filled with a silent, heavy pressure.
In the end, it was Kong Deming who broke the suffocating silence.
"What brings Your Highness the Crown Prince to the Worship Hall?"
Upon hearing this, Xu Tianran did not answer the core question, but instead asked, "Palace Master Kong, I have always had a question in my mind. Why do I always feel that... Palace Master, you seem to harbor some kind of inexplicable hostility towards me?"
There were only two people in the room at this moment, and Kong Deming made no attempt to hide his true feelings. His voice was calm, directly tearing away the other party's mask of pretense. "It's not that I harbor hostility towards Your Highness, but rather that Your Highness's own actions displease me."
He leaned forward slightly, his worldly eyes seemingly able to see through people's hearts, and said, "For example, right now, Your Highness's heart is clearly churning with anger, yet you insist on putting on this flawless yet utterly false smile in front of me."
The smile on Xu Tianran's face froze instantly, then vanished as quickly as ice and snow melting, unable to be maintained for even a moment longer.
All pretense of gentleness and humility was utterly shattered, revealing the serious and sinister true face beneath.
Xu Tianran leaned back in his wheelchair, no longer bothering to conceal his true intentions. He stared at Kong Deming with his cold, unvarnished eyes and slowly said, "Palace Master Kong, you are indeed a man of few words."
At this moment, both sides seemed to have shed all pretense and revealed their most authentic selves.
Kong Deming made no attempt to hide his impatience and disgust for Crown Prince Xu Tianran's way of dealing with people.
Xu Tianran no longer plays the role of the courteous and gentle crown prince, but has completely adopted the cold and oppressive demeanor of a powerful and ruthless ruler.
Then, Xu Tianran's deep voice echoed in the empty conference room, "Palace Master Kong, my father is seriously ill, and to be frank, I'm afraid he won't make it through the year."
He spoke frankly about the emperor's life and death, his gaze fixed on Kong Deming, trying to catch a ripple of emotion on that calm, expressionless face.
Kong Deming's expression remained unchanged as he countered, "What does Your Highness mean by that?"
Xu Tianran raised his head slightly and slowly said, "As the Crown Prince and Regent of the Empire, I am legally, legally, and in terms of succession and ability, the only and rightfully succeeding Emperor of the Sun Moon Empire after my father's passing!"
These words, spoken with force and conviction, emphasized the absolute legitimacy and inevitability of his succession, leaving no room for doubt.
As he spoke, his sharp eyes were fixed on the most subtle changes in Kong Deming's expression.
Unfortunately, he didn't see anything.
Kong Deming's face was as if sculpted by a glacier over millennia, showing no emotion whatsoever.
Xu Tianran would never know that although Kong Deming extremely disliked his character and some of his methods, he had never considered, nor cared to, interfere in the succession to the throne.
Of course, all of this is contingent on Xu Tianran not courting disaster!
Seeing that Kong Deming remained silent, only scrutinizing him with that gaze that seemed to see through people's hearts.
He stopped beating around the bush, his voice deep and filled with an almost fanatical certainty as he continued, "To be frank, Lord Kong, once I formally ascend the throne and stabilize the court, my primary task will be to gather the strength of the empire and prepare for a war of unification against the former Douluo Three Kingdoms!"
He made no attempt to conceal his long-planned scheme.
Of course, this wasn't exactly a top secret even among the upper echelons of the Sun Moon Empire.
In order to win over the hawkish generals and pro-war aristocrats who held military power in the country, he had already made his governing philosophy and ambitions known to everyone.
War was the fastest and most direct way for him to consolidate his power and establish his prestige.
Then, he changed the subject, his gaze fixed intently on Kong Deming: " The Sun Moon Worship Hall controls the empire's most advanced and powerful soul guidance forces. I hope to receive the full support of the Worship Hall!"
His voice rose slightly, carrying the passion of someone describing a grand blueprint. "With the full assistance of the Worship Hall, I have absolute confidence that I can sweep away the Star Luo Empire, Heavenly Soul, and Dou Ling kingdoms, completely defeat the original Douluo Three Kingdoms, and achieve an unprecedented unification of the continent!"
Finally, he offered what he considered his most tempting offer. "Lord Kong, if we join hands and accomplish this unprecedented feat, you will surely be remembered in the annals of the continent, your achievements lasting for ten thousand years!"
With Kong Deming successfully breaking through to the Level 10 Soul Engineer realm and displaying terrifying combat power comparable to Limit Douluo, the status of the Worship Hall in the Sun Moon Empire has transcended the mundane world and climbed to an unprecedented height.
The current Sun Moon Imperial Family no longer has the authority to command the Worship Hall to do anything.
The Worship Hall already controlled the vast majority of the Empire's high-level Soul Engineer. Now, with the addition of the epoch-making power of " Battle Armor," its actual combat strength has become the true Sea-Calming Divine Needle of the Empire and its ultimate force.
Therefore, Xu Tianran's statement that "with the support of the Worship Hall, we can defeat the Three Kingdoms" was indeed a genuine thought from the bottom of his heart.
However, no matter how passionately Xu Tianran described the scene, Kong Deming, sitting opposite him, remained calm and composed throughout.
It was as if that grand blueprint for a powerful empire, which could ignite anyone's passion, was no different in essence from an ordinary sketch of Soul Tool design in his eyes.
Just as the echoes of Xu Tianran's words were still reverberating in the room, Kong Deming slowly spoke.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince"
He calmly stated a fact. "As the first Level 10 Soul Engineer of the Sun Moon Empire, my name is inextricably linked to the leap forward of Soul Guidance Civilization."
He slightly raised his eyelids, his gaze as deep as a pool, looking directly into Xu Tianran's ambitious eyes.
"Regardless of whether the continent is unified or not, regardless of who rules the empire, my name, Kong Deming, is destined to be etched in history and passed down for ten thousand years!"