Zhu Yuanzhang: My second son is invincible!

Three days after the banquet, envoys from Goryeo and Japan arrived in Yingtianfu almost simultaneously.

This is no coincidence.

The news of the fall of the Northern Yuan, the disintegration of the demon race, and the submission of the four major sects had already spread throughout the surrounding countries two months ago.

The King of Goryeo and the General of Japan convened their senior officials overnight to discuss the matter, and ultimately reached the same conclusion.

I must see for myself just how terrifying the King of Wu, who is rumored to have scared Xiang Liu into fleeing, really is.

So the two groups set off one after the other, met up in Shandong, and decided to travel together.

The chief envoy of the Goryeo delegation was Kim Seong-hwan, who was in his fifties and a distant relative of the Goryeo royal family. He held the official position of Minister of Rites.

He brought twelve attendants, among whom was an old man in a gray Taoist robe, with white hair and beard, and half-open eyes. This was Lee Hyun-myung, the national teacher of Goryeo. It was said that he practiced a heterodox method that combined Goryeo shamanism with Chinese Taoism, and had reached the peak of the third realm, the Golden Core realm.

The chief envoy of the Japanese delegation was Fujiwara Kiyomasa, who was in his early forties, a direct descendant of the Fujiwara family, and held the official position of councilor.

He brought eight followers, the most eye-catching of whom was a one-eyed man dressed in black, with two swords at his waist, one long and one short. He exuded a cold aura. This was Yamamoto Kazuo, the number one ninja under the General's Mansion. He was skilled in assassination and illusion techniques, and his strength was roughly equivalent to the middle stage of the third realm of the Golden Core in the Central Plains.

The two groups stayed at the Ministry of Rites' guesthouse and that afternoon presented their credentials, requesting an audience with the Ming Emperor.

Zhu Yuanzhang met them in the Fengtian Hall.

"Kim Seong-hwan, the envoy of Goryeo, and Fujiwara Kiyomasa, the envoy of Japan, pay their respects to His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty. Long live the Emperor!"

The two knelt properly and spoke fluent Mandarin.

"Rise... What brings you two from so far?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked slowly, sitting on the dragon throne and glancing at the envoys below.

Kim Seong-hwan respectfully said, "Our King heard that the Ming Dynasty had defeated the Northern Yuan and quelled the evil scourge, and specially ordered me to come and offer my congratulations, along with ten pairs of century-old ginseng, one hundred sable furs, and one bushel of pearls, all special products of Goryeo."

Fujiwara Kiyomasa then said, "Our shogun has also sent me to offer my congratulations, presenting ten Japanese swords, one hundred folding fans, and a set of lacquerware."

The gift list is here.

Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at it casually, nodded, and said, "Thank you for your kindness. Please thank your king and general for us."

They didn't think they were being stingy...

"Your Majesty, we have another matter to discuss... We have long heard of His Highness Prince Wu of the Great Ming Dynasty's unparalleled bravery, capable of lifting mountains and filling seas. Our country's Imperial Preceptor, Li Xuanming, has always admired the Taoist practices of the Central Plains. I wonder... if we could have the honor of seeking guidance from His Highness Prince Wu?"

Kim Sung-hwan paused for a moment before speaking.

Fujiwara Kiyomasa also said, "Yamamoto also wishes to witness the divine might of the King of Wu."

This is the real reason for our visit.

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled.

He turned to Zhu Hui, who was standing at the head of the military officers' line, and said, "Second brother, someone wants to play with you."

Zhu Li was yawning when he heard this, and scratched his head, saying, "What are you playing? A martial arts contest? Dad, this place is too small, you might break something..."

"If we don't want to break it, let's... have a little sparring," Kim Sung-hwan quickly said.

"How do we spar?" Zhu Hui asked.

Li Xuanming stepped forward, performed a Taoist bow, and said, "This humble Taoist, Li Xuanming, has shallow cultivation and only a rudimentary understanding of the Five Elements. I would like to ask His Highness Prince Wu for some guidance."

As he spoke, his fingers twitched slightly inside his sleeve.

A gentle breeze suddenly swept through the hall, carrying a faint floral fragrance that soothed the mind and spirit.

This is the "Spring Breeze Technique" of a Goryeo shaman. It seems gentle, but it can actually detect the spiritual energy fluctuations within the other person's body. If the other person's cultivation level is lower than his, he will be bewitched by the fragrance of flowers; if it is higher than his, he will feel a sense of oppression.

The wind rustled through the red laurel trees.

Zhu Hui sniffed and said, "This smell...it's a bit fragrant, like osmanthus?"

Li Xuanming's expression changed.

His Spring Breeze Technique had no effect on the opponent.

There was no confusion, no oppression; it was as if the wind had blown over a stone—no, even the stone would be moved by the wind, but the King of Wu's robes didn't flutter at all.

"Your Highness... is indeed unfathomable." Li Xuanming chuckled dryly.

"It's alright! The breeze here is quite refreshing. Is there any more?" Zhu Li asked honestly.

Li Xuanming's lips twitched.

Yamamoto Kazuo stepped forward, his one eye fixed on Zhu Hui, and said, "Your Highness, I am Yamamoto Kazuo. I would like to ask Your Highness... how many of my strikes you can withstand?"

That's a bit provocative.

Zhu Biao, standing at the head of the civil officials, smiled slightly upon hearing this and said, "Mr. Yamamoto, isn't it impolite to resort to force in front of the palace?"

"It's just a friendly spar, we'll stop here when we've made our point," Fujiwara Kiyomasa quickly said.

Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand and said, "It's alright, Second Brother. Just play along with him. Don't use the axe and scare the guest."

"Oh, then what should we use?" Zhu Hui stepped out of the queue and stood in the center of the hall.

"Let me catch his knife a few times with my bare hands and show the guests what I'm capable of," Zhu Yuanzhang said with a casual smile.

A flash of anger appeared in Yamamoto Kazuo's single eye as he caught the sword with his bare hands.

This Ming emperor is so disrespectful!

He slowly drew the long sword from his waist.

With its long, narrow blade and graceful curve, and its edge gleaming with a cold, eerie blue light, this is the "Muramasa" demon sword, crafted by a renowned Japanese artisan, which has drunk countless lives.

"Your Highness, please forgive me."

Before he could finish speaking, Yamamoto Kazuo's figure suddenly blurred.

The next moment, he appeared to Zhu Hui's left, and his long sword silently slashed towards Zhu Hui's left shoulder. He didn't really intend to cut him, but rather to force Zhu Hui to dodge.

Zhu Li did not dodge.

He didn't even turn his head; he simply raised his left hand and grabbed something casually.

"clang!"

The crisp sound of metal clashing.

Hattori Hanzo's sword stopped in mid-air.

Zhu Li held the blade between two fingers.

It's like holding a chopstick.

The entire room fell silent.

Yamamoto Kazuo's one eye widened as he tried to draw his sword, but it wouldn't budge.

He reached for the short sword at his waist with his other hand, but Zhu Li had already let go.

"Your knife... is quite light," Zhu Li commented.

Yamamoto Kazuo took three steps back, his expression changing. Suddenly, he let out a low shout, and his figure split into three, then into nine. Nine Yamamoto Kazuos rushed at him from different directions, their blades flashing like a net!

This is a ninjutsu clone illusion. Only one of the nine figures is the real body, while the rest are illusions, but each illusion has a certain amount of attack power.

Zhu Hui looked at the nine figures rushing towards him, scratched his head, and said, "So many?"

Too lazy to argue, he simply lifted his right foot and lightly stomped it on the ground.

"Thump!"

A dull tremor.

An invisible wave of energy spread out from him.

Nine figures of Yamamoto Kazuo were sent flying backward as if they had crashed into a wall. Eight of them turned into green smoke and dissipated in mid-air, leaving only his real body to fall heavily to the ground, his long sword slipping from his hand.

The whole process took less than three breaths.

Zhu Li walked over, picked up the Muramasa demon sword, looked at it, and said, "This sword has a nice design. It should be quite useful for my wife to cut fruit."

Yamamoto Kazuo lay on the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood, not from injury, but from anger.

Fujiwara Kiyomasa's face turned pale.

Kim Sung-hwan and Lee Hyun-myung exchanged a glance, both seeing the horror in each other's eyes.

He defeated Japan's number one ninja with his bare hands and a single kick.

This is no longer a matter of cultivation level; this is... utter crushing defeat.

Although this number one ninja is publicly known.