"You're... Tianfeng?"
Dai Mian looked at Dai Tianfeng again, unusually excited.
Of his several sons, Dai Mian had only paid attention to Dai Weisi and Dai Mubai.
The one he valued most was his third son, Dai Mubai.
There was no other reason: Dai Mubai had the greatest talent, only one level short of Innate Full Soul Power.
As for Dai Tianfeng...
In Dai Mian's eyes, he was merely the product of a fleeting affair.
His mother was nothing more than an ordinary person with only a few levels of Soul Power.
As the saying went, dragons beget dragons, phoenixes beget phoenixes, and the son of a rat knows how to dig holes.
Even with such superior blood from Dai Mian, how good could Dai Tianfeng's talent possibly be?
As a result, Dai Mian had not even attended Dai Tianfeng's Martial Soul Awakening ceremony.
He had planned to make Dai Tianfeng a carefree prince once he came of age, letting him live out his life in peace.
He had never imagined that Dai Tianfeng, the son he cared about least, would bring him such an enormous surprise!
"Tianfeng! I... your father have been busy with affairs of state these past few years. You've suffered!"
Dai Mian immediately began playing the family card.
There was no doubt that Dai Tianfeng had awakened the White Tiger and Hell Spirit Cat as Twin Martial Souls. The clan head had no reason to lie to him.
The White Tiger and the Hell Spirit Cat, those two Martial Souls, had appeared in the same person.
What did that mean?
It went without saying!
He was the ultimate monster born from ten thousand years of intermarriage between the Dai and Zhu families!
So it was still necessary to strengthen the bond between father and son.
"..."
Dai Tianfeng rolled his eyes without saying anything.
He wasn't really a six-year-old child, so naturally he wouldn't be taken in.
No matter how fucking busy you were with affairs of state, surely you could've found time to come see me once in all these years?
Did he really take me for Huo Yuhao?
Dai Hao talked him around in a few sentences, and in the end even brought him to the Divine Realm.
How could anything in the world be so wonderful!
"All right, let me make this clear now: only Tianfeng can inherit the throne."
Seeing this, Dai Xiu spoke up at once.
"Naturally!" Dai Mian said with a broad smile.
The facts proved that the Star Luo Imperial Family's method of competing for the throne, passed down for thousands of years, was quite effective.
This ruthless competition kept imperial power highly concentrated.
And the emperors who ultimately inherited the throne were almost never mediocre rulers; their methods were ruthlessness of the highest order.
This also meant there was no fertile ground for sects to grow and flourish within the Star Luo Empire.
Whether Soul Master families or sect factions, they could only choose to submit obediently.
Otherwise, the three strongest sects on the entire continent wouldn't all be within the Heaven Dou Empire.
By rights, these rules for competing for the throne, handed down from ancient times, should never have changed.
But then Dai Tianfeng had appeared!
As long as your talent was great enough, you could break every existing rule!
"Tianfeng, your father has neglected you all these years. Whatever you want, just ask!"
Dai Mian wanted to do what he could to mend his relationship with Dai Tianfeng.
Hearing this, Dai Tianfeng's eyes immediately lit up.
He hadn't forgotten his golden finger; it could only take effect by conquering the heroines.
And his first target was obviously Zhu Zhuqing!
But for a moment, Dai Tianfeng didn't know how to bring it up.
He couldn't just say outright that he wanted Zhu Zhuqing, could he?
After all, Dai Tianfeng was only a six-year-old brat who hadn't even grown all his hair yet.
He didn't want people to take him for a sex-starved demon!
Besides, the system required a heroine's affection for Dai Tianfeng to reach at least ninety percent before he could get a chance to draw a prize.
If this made Zhu Zhuqing dislike him, the loss would outweigh the gain!
Of course, that wasn't very likely.
Judging by Zhu Zhuqing's behavior in the original work, although she was cold and aloof, she was a very traditional sort of woman.
"Everything is fine with me. I don't need anything."
In the end, Dai Tianfeng shook his head.
There was no rush anyway.
At worst, he could wait until he met Zhu Zhuqing and get closer to her.
Then he could say he had fallen in love with her at first sight.
Using that as an opening, he could propose transferring the marriage arrangement.
Dai Mian looked disappointed.
If possible, he really wished Dai Tianfeng would make some requests.
Even if he wanted to sit on the emperor's throne for a while, that wouldn't be out of the question.
"Tianfeng, have a good rest here today!"
Dai Xiu smiled gently as he spoke.
"Mm." Dai Tianfeng nodded.
Star Luo Imperial Palace.
Dai Mian sat in the imperial study, looking at the intelligence in his hand, and quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, although Zhu Wan'er had never cared for Dai Tianfeng, she had never treated him harshly either.
Otherwise, both to distance himself from her and for the sake of the Star Luo Empire, he could only have cast aside his empress.
"Someone, summon the empress," Dai Mian said in a deep voice.
A guard outside the imperial study bowed and accepted the order.
In less than half an incense stick's time, a beautiful woman dressed in black palace robes walked in.
She had inherited the tall figure typical of Zhu family women, with exaggerated curves.
She was Dai Mubai and Dai Weisi's birth mother, Empress Zhu Wan'er.
Zhu Wan'er bent her knees in greeting, her voice gentle. "Your Majesty."
"You may dispense with the formalities."
Dai Mian raised his eyes, his expression indifferent, with none of his usual warmth. "I have something to tell you. A candidate for crown prince has been chosen!"
Hearing this, Zhu Wan'er's expression changed slightly.
The Star Luo Imperial Family had maintained its place on the continent for thousands of years by relying on its ruthless system of succession: survival of the fittest, selecting the strongest heir.
As a mother, she naturally did not want her sons to kill one another.
But how could a matter as important as a nation's crown prince be settled so easily?
Even she, the empress, was only learning of it now.
There had to be something wrong!
"Your Majesty, who is the crown prince?"
At that thought, a bad premonition rose in Zhu Wan'er's heart.
"My fourth son, Dai Tianfeng!" Dai Mian said, enunciating each word.
Boom!
"What!!!"
Zhu Wan'er's whole body shook. The composure and poise on her face shattered in an instant, leaving her utterly incredulous.
Unlike Dai Mian, Zhu Wan'er did have some impression of Dai Tianfeng.
However, she had never regarded him as a threat to her two sons.
She had never expected him to snatch the prize right out from under her.
"This matter has been settled. No one can change it!"
Dai Mian gave Zhu Wan'er a long look. "Tianfeng is not only the Star Luo Empire's sole crown prince, but also the sole heir to the White Tiger bloodline."
"Your Majesty, just what talent did that child Tianfeng awaken for you all to favor him even at the cost of breaking the rules laid down by our ancestors?"
By now, how could Zhu Wan'er not understand what was going on?
Without a doubt, Dai Tianfeng's talent was simply too great.
No matter how outstanding Dai Tianfeng was...
Her two sons were hardly lacking either!
Dai Mubai had level-nine Innate Soul Power!
Dai Weisi had level-eight Innate Soul Power and excelled in both scholarship and martial arts!
So what if Dai Tianfeng had Innate Full Soul Power?
It wasn't as though there had never been geniuses with Innate Full Soul Power in the Dai Family's history.
Hadn't they still had to compete fairly with the other princes?
How had everything changed when it came to Dai Mian?
Wasn't this taking bullying too far?
"Wan'er, I'll tell you the truth. One of Tianfeng's Martial Souls is your Zhu Family's Hell Spirit Cat!"
Dai Mian fell silent for a moment before speaking slowly.
He and Zhu Wan'er had been together for so long that it was impossible for him to feel nothing for her.
They were husband and wife, after all, so he should at least give her a warning.
If Zhu Wan'er had any ill intentions, she could not blame him for killing her without mercy.
The Star Luo Empire's future depended on Dai Tianfeng; nothing could be allowed to happen to him.