I became a god through frontier slaughter, and I crushed the academy's prodigies!

Tianyun City.

The highest level of the Zhen Tian Pagoda, a secret chamber.

Three figures sat in three different directions.

Lu Changming sat in the center, his hands clasped on his knees, his face expressionless.

On the left is Gu He from Tiangongsi, and on the right is Yan Jinghan, the vice president of Longyuan Martial Arts University.

The three remained silent for a long time before Yan Jinghan finally spoke first.

He slammed his hand on the armrest.

"That old dog, Lin Hai!"

"Who gave them the audacity to bring the Purple Spirit Clan into the territory of Tianyun Prefecture?!"

Yan Jinghan's seventh-level qi and blood surged, and the air in the secret room trembled.

Guhe didn't reply; his cloudy old eyes were half-open, as if he were dozing off.

"Startled by cold."

Guhe spoke slowly, his voice hoarse.

Do you know who's behind Lin Hai?

Yan Jinghan remained silent for a moment.

Of course he knew.

Lin Hai is a seventh-rank weapon-making master.

This identity itself is frightening enough.

In the entire Dragon Kingdom, the number of weapon-forging masters who can reach the seventh rank can be counted on two hands.

But what truly made people wary was not his weapon-making skills.

It's not the network of relationships behind him, but the connections he has.

Two of the three major families in Longjing have very deep business ties with Lin Hai.

The spiritual weapons he forged circulated within the highest echelons of power in the Dragon Kingdom.

There are even rumors that the sword of a certain important figure in Longjing was made by Lin Hai.

"I know."

Yan Jinghan gritted his teeth.

"But I don't care."

"Those who are not of our kind will surely have different hearts."

"What was the Purple Spirit Clan doing when Tianyun Prefecture lost its entire garrison city?"

"Taking advantage of the chaos! They've mind-controlled two thousand of our brothers, forcing them to kill each other!"

"Now, you want to coexist peacefully?"

"Coexistence my ass!"

Yan Jinghan spoke slowly and deliberately, his voice filled with murderous intent.

Guhe put down his teacup and let out a long sigh.

"I know all of this better than you do."

"But the problem is that the peace faction is now too powerful."

Gu He raised his eyelids and looked at Lu Changming.

"Lord, you should know the political climate in Longjing better than we do."

Lu Changming remained silent.

Silence fell again in the secret room.

After a while.

Lu Changming finally made a move.

He stood up and walked to the huge sand table deep inside the secret room.

The sand table shows a map of the entire Dragon Kingdom.

The red areas represent areas controlled by the human race, while the gray areas represent areas that have fallen to the human race.

There is much more gray than red.

"Take a look at this picture."

Lu Changming's voice was calm.

"Twenty years ago, the gray area only accounted for 30%."

"Ten years ago, it was 40%."

"Now, it's nearly 60%."

He pointed to several areas on the edge of the map marked with the names of different races.

"In the south there is the Flame Demon Clan, in the west the Wind Falcon Clan, and in the north the Ice Giant Clan."

"Beneath the East Sea, there are abyssal sea creatures."

"The Purple Spirit Clan, on the other hand, is based in the southwestern wilderness, and its total population exceeds one million."

Lu Changming withdrew his finger.

"The enemies of the Dragon Kingdom have never been just strange beasts."

"These alien races are all waiting for us to reveal a weakness."

"The logic of the peace faction is very simple—there are too many enemies, so we can't make enemies on all sides; we can win over as many as we can."

"So they want to trade territory for peace."

"Use compromise to buy time."

Yan Jinghan sneered.

"Exchange time? You're giving the alien race time to grow stronger!"

"If the Purple Spirit Clan sends in 10,000, next time it will be 100,000, and the time after that, it will be a million!"

"Once they've established a firm foothold and gained control of the surrounding cities, they won't be able to be driven away even if you wanted to!"

"This isn't peaceful coexistence; this is inviting a wolf into the house!"

Guhe nodded slowly.

"Jinghan is right."

"The Purple Spirit Clan is naturally adept at mental erosion; their very existence is a sword hanging over our heads."

They greet you with a smile today, but turn their backs on you faster than anyone else tomorrow.

"Talking about peace with this kind of ethnic group?"

"It's like trying to get something from a tiger."

Furukawa's aged brows furrowed even deeper.

"But the people behind Lin Hai are people I dare not easily offend."

"That's the trickiest part."

The secret room fell silent once more.

All three of them were very clear about it.

The essence of this matter has never been just a question of the Purple Spirit Clan's territory.

This is a protracted struggle within the Dragon Kingdom between the pro-war and pro-peace factions.

Lin Hai was merely a pawn pushed to the forefront by the pro-peace faction.

The real chess players sit in Longjing.

Lu Changming turned around and sat back down in his chair.

"So I passed this on to Shen Tian."

Gu He and Yan Jinghan looked up at the same time.

"I'm very curious."

There was a hint of barely perceptible anticipation in Lu Changming's tone.

"What will he do?"

Yan Jinghan frowned.

"Lord, isn't this too much of a burden for a seventeen-year-old?"

"Lin Hai is a seventh-rank weapon forger, and behind him stands a behemoth from Longjing."

"The Purple Spirit Clan is a hot potato. You can't hit them or scold them. If you drive them away, you'll be accused of disrupting peace."

"Even if I were to handle this situation, I would have to think it over carefully."

Lu Changming did not answer Yan Jinghan's question; he simply stared quietly at the shocking gray area on the sand table.

a long time.

The ancient river slowly opened its mouth.

"Jinghan, calm down."

"We both know that the safest course of action right now is not to fight."

Yan Jinghan suddenly turned her head.

"What did you say?"

There was no anger in Guhe's murky old eyes, only the weariness and clarity of an old man who had lived most of his life.

"Please take them back."

"I lost face."

"But at least we won't break ties with the people behind Lin Hai."

"We won't give the Purple Spirit Clan an excuse to attack the Heavenly Fortune Palace."

Yan Jinghan clenched his fists so tightly they cracked, and he wanted to retort.

He opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing.

Because he knew that what Guhe said was true.

Standing behind Lin Hai was Longjing.

They are those who sit in the highest power center of the Dragon Kingdom.

No matter how powerful Tianyun Prefecture is, it is merely a piece of the puzzle on the map of the Dragon Kingdom.

You can't fight city hall.

Guhe stood up, his hunched back casting an aged shadow under the light of the secret room.

"My biggest worry is that kid, Shen Tian."

Lu Changming looked up.

Guhe's voice faded away.

"He's too young."

"Young people are full of vigor and can't tolerate any nonsense."

"What if he gets angry and kills someone from the Purple Spirit Clan..."

Guhe did not continue.

But all three people in the locked room understood the consequences.

The peace faction will launch a fierce counterattack.

Those people in Longjing will use this as leverage to accuse Shen Tian of "disrupting the overall peace between humans and other races."

At best, they will be stripped of all their positions and never be hired again.

In severe cases...

"His talent is too dazzling."

Guhe's tone was filled with heartache.

"At seventeen, with combat strength approaching the seventh rank, he can forge top-grade spiritual weapons with ease."

"Such a genius is one in a hundred years in China."

"If we're exposed to those people too early because of this..."

"If the peacemakers perceive him as not one of their own, not on the same side..."

Gu He turned around and looked at Lu Changming.

"Lord of the Manor, this may not be a good thing for Shen Tian."

The room remained quiet for a long time.

Yan Jinghan lowered his head, his fists pressed tightly against his knees.

He hates.

He hated himself for not being able to kill that old dog Lin Hai with a single blow.

I hate those parasites in Longjing.

But what's even more infuriating is that—Furukawa was absolutely right.

Guhe, leaning on his cane, walked towards the door.

"I have to remind the child not to act impulsively."

"Lin Hai and the people of the Purple Spirit Clan, please go back."

"A moment of patience will lead to a brighter future."

Lu Changming finally spoke, nodding.

"Can."

But Lu Changming changed the subject.

"Whatever choice he makes."

"I, Lu Changming, will always be there to protect him."

A hint of surprise flashed in Guhe's murky old eyes.

Yan Jinghan also suddenly raised his head.

"Lord of the Manor?"

Lu Changming stood up, walked to the sand table with his hands behind his back, and pointed to the location of Tianyun Mansion.

"The Purple Spirit Clan is indeed enormous."

"A million-strong clan, their spiritual power surpasses all other races; even I am wary of them."

"but--"

His fingers slowly slid from Tianyun Prefecture to the center of the entire map.

"Tianyun Prefecture is the Tianyun Prefecture of the Dragon Kingdom."

"The Dragon Kingdom has eight border defense prefectures, dozens of garrison cities, and a population of hundreds of millions."

"If the sky falls, there are tall people to hold it up."

Lu Changming withdrew his hand, his tone unchanged.

"The Purple Spirit Clan dares to engage in underhanded tactics, infiltrate, and turn others into rebels."

"But they dare not openly attack Tianyun Prefecture."

"Because that wasn't a declaration of war against Tianyun Prefecture."

"That's a declaration of war against the entire Dragon Kingdom."

The secret room was deathly silent, and Yan Jinghan's breathing became heavy.

Guhe's hands trembled slightly.

Lu Changming sat back down in his chair.

"Bring what needs to be said."

"But also tell that child."

He doesn't need to be afraid of anyone.

"I'm the one who calls the shots on Tianyun Prefecture's territory."

Guhe was silent for three seconds, then he smiled.

A relieved smile spread across his wrinkled old face.

"Understood."