Having many children brings many blessings; the struggle for power begins with marriage.

Chapter 349 Lu Chen's Trial to Become a Celestial

Lu Chen had a long talk with Zhuge Chongguang in the study. Zhuge Chongguang's words made Lu Chen realize that many things are not as simple as he wants them to be.

When he appeared in this world, he had already participated in the historical process of this world, and he would inevitably be forced to move forward by the wheels of history.

From the moment he took out firearms and began manufacturing various modern industrial products, even if he didn't want to start a war, he had to face it.

The world will force him to make a choice.

Lu Chen quickly figured it out; after all, he had the system.

Now that he has come to this world and obtained a system, it is determined that he cannot be ordinary and is destined to do something great.

If he wants a peaceful life, it's simple: once he has eliminated all his enemies and broken through to become a Celestial, he can pass the throne to his son, and then he can live a peaceful life every day.

Lu Chen stopped thinking about it and returned to his desk to continue handling military affairs.

He did not go to the front lines at all during this war. Although he was still a little worried, he was, after all, a prince and could not do everything personally as before. Not only this time, but he probably would not participate much in future wars.

Just then, Lu Chen suddenly discovered that his body was emitting a golden light. Before Lu Chen could react, a golden light burst out from his body and shot straight into the sky.

The next moment, thick dark clouds appeared in the sky. When the people of Yancheng saw this, they immediately thought of the strange phenomenon they had seen in the old city.

At first, they thought the strange phenomenon was because Zhuge Chongguang had broken through to the Celestial Realm. Of course, people now know that this is not a phenomenon caused by breaking through to the Celestial Realm. But no matter what, it means that the Northern Kingdom has another person who is even more powerful than a Grandmaster.

At this moment, the women in the inner courtyard of the Prince's mansion saw that the golden light was coming from the study, so they all went to the study to see who had broken through to the next level.

At this moment, Lu Chen entered a very mysterious state, feeling as if he had become one with the whole world.

After a moment, Lu Chen seemed to hear a voice that seemed to be telling him that if he unified the major dynasties, he would become a celestial being.

Lu Chen was taken aback. Was this the sudden enlightenment that Zhuge Chongguang had mentioned?

In other words, his test to become a celestial being was to unify several major dynasties.

Lu Chen pondered for a long time, then asked the system, "System, is it impossible for me to break through and become a Celestial Being through cultivation?"

[No, unifying the major dynasties is also a system task. The host must complete this task in order to continue improving their cultivation level.]

Lu Chen thought for a moment, then said, "So, my stagnation in cultivation is only temporary. Once I pass this stage, I'll be able to cultivate again using the original methods?"

【Yes. 】

Lu Chen thought to himself that he was indeed being pushed along by this world, and now he had no choice but to start a war even if he didn't want to.

A short while later, the golden light around Lu Chen disappeared, and the strange phenomenon in the sky above Yan City also quickly dissipated.

Just then, a maid's voice rang out from outside the door, "Your Highness, Commander Qin requests an audience."

Lu Chen said calmly, "Come in."

Qin Yushan then pushed open the door to the study and entered, "Greetings, Your Highness!"

After performing the salutations, Qin Yushan glanced at Lu Chen. He had also seen the golden light earlier. Qin Yushan then asked with concern, "Your Highness, are you alright?"

Lu Chen said calmly, "I'm fine. I just had a breakthrough and gained some insight."

At this point, Lu Chen looked at Qin Yushan and asked:

"What's been happening in Beijing lately?"

Qin Yushan is currently in charge of intelligence gathering in Great Xia. The fact that Qin Yushan came to see me means that something new has happened within Great Xia.

Qin Yushan immediately handed the envelope in his hand to Lu Chen. At the same time, Qin Yushan began to report, "Recently, several vassal kings of Great Xia have been assassinated. As soon as those vassal kings died, King Zhao immediately sent troops to occupy their fiefdoms, and they encountered almost no resistance."

Upon hearing this, Lu Chen said calmly, "It seems the Grand Scholar guessed correctly. This Prince Zhao is probably my father's pawn."

At this point, Lu Chen carefully examined the intelligence report in his hand.

Seeing that the intelligence report mentioned that the patriarchs of Sifang Mountain and Dingfeng Mountain had entered the palace multiple times, Lu Chen thought to himself that the murdered princes must have been the work of the two forces of Dingfeng Mountain and Sifang Mountain.

It's unclear what benefits his father offered to these two forces to secure their cooperation with the royal family. These two forces are incredibly stubborn; aren't they afraid his father might discard them after using them?

Lu Chen then said calmly to Qin Yushan, "Keep an eye on it."

This kind of intelligence wasn't very valuable to Lu Chen. He had already guessed what his father wanted to do based on Zhuge Chongguang's previous analysis: to eliminate all the vassal kings of the Great Xia and then achieve de facto unification.

As for whether his father will be able to break through to become a Celestial after the unification of the Great Xia Dynasty, only time will tell.

Seeing that Lu Chen didn't seem to care about the news, Qin Yushan said, "This subordinate takes his leave."

Qin Yushan then turned to leave the study. At this moment, Lu Chen suddenly thought of something. "Right, pay more attention to the movements of the two ancestors of Sifang Mountain and Dingfeng Mountain. It would be best to find out where they went and where they are going."

"Pay special attention to whether there are any suspicious Great Xia merchant caravans heading to Qi Kingdom and then entering the Northern Kingdom through Qi Kingdom recently."

Now that Dingfeng Mountain and Sifang Mountain have joined forces with Emperor Xia, they have begun to target and eliminate the vassal kings of Great Xia. Lu Chen suddenly realized that he was also a vassal king of Great Xia. Although he was Emperor Xia's son, he was currently the greatest threat among all the vassal kings.

Furthermore, the recent crushing defeat of Da Wu has highlighted the threat posed by the Northern Kingdom, leading Lu Chen to suspect that his father might send someone to assassinate him.

There was no affection between him and his father. Although the Xia Emperor had never sent anyone to assassinate him before, the Xia Emperor had always wished for others to kill him as soon as possible. Whether the Xia Emperor would send someone to assassinate him was entirely up to the Xia Emperor.

Qin Yushan instantly understood Lu Chen's meaning, and he immediately said, "Yes, I will definitely have the Embroidered Uniform Guard keep a close eye on the movements of those two."

Lu Chen said, "Don't keep too close an eye on them. After all, they are pseudo-celestial beings. If we keep too close an eye on them, it will be easy for others to discover that someone is monitoring them, and that would only alert them."

"Alright, you can go ahead and get back to work."

Qin Yushan bowed again and said, "This subordinate takes his leave!"

After Qin Yushan left the study, Lu Chen thought to himself, hoping that his father would not actually send someone to assassinate him. He was able to be born by borrowing the essence of the Xia Emperor.

Although he didn't want to admit it, Emperor Xia was, in a sense, his biological father in this world.

If the Xia Emperor really sent someone to assassinate him, then he would have no choice but to fight back.

Lu Chen didn't want to see a scene of father and son killing each other, as it could easily corrupt his child.

Lu Chen is now a father, and he has begun to pay attention to the upbringing of his child. He understands the importance of leading by example.

Just as Lu Chen was lost in thought, the maid's voice rang out again at the door, "Your Highness, the Princess and the others have arrived."

Lu Chen came to his senses. The commotion earlier had been quite loud, and his wives and concubines were probably very worried. He then got up and walked towards the door of the study.

As soon as Lu Chen came out, Chu Yuqin came up to him and asked with concern, "Chen'er, are you alright?"

Lu Chen glanced at his wives and concubines, and replied with a smile, "I'm fine. I just had a breakthrough and gained some insight."

Upon hearing this, the women were startled. They subconsciously thought that Lu Chen had broken through to the Celestial Realm, but they quickly realized that they remembered the strange phenomenon caused by Zhuge Chongguang last time.

At this moment, Xiao Wenyao asked tentatively in a low voice, "Your Highness, have you become a celestial being?"

Xiao Wenyao's thoughts were rather simple. She was thinking that Lu Chen had bullied her to the point of near death when he was still a Grandmaster. If he had become a Celestial, she wondered how terrifying Lu Chen's strength would have become.

Spending all her time in the Prince's mansion, Xiao Wenyao, this pure white horse from the grasslands, has been corrupted by Lu Chen, and her first thought is always about matters between men and women.

Lu Chen smiled and glanced at the women again, who were looking at him expectantly.

Lu Chen then said, "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I haven't become a Celestial yet. Becoming a Celestial is not easy; one needs to pass the trials of this world to become one. Right now, I can only be considered a pseudo-Celestial."

Hearing Lu Chen's answer, the women felt a little regretful, as they had thought Lu Chen was already a celestial being.

At this moment, Wang Qingci asked with a smile, "Your Highness, what's the difference between a pseudo-Celestial Being and a Grandmaster?"

Lu Chen replied seriously, "Aside from a slight increase in strength, there doesn't seem to be much difference."

Chu Yuqin said in confusion, "It's at least an advancement of one realm, how can there be no difference? Although I haven't officially entered the Celestial Realm, I should still possess some abilities that only Celestials have, right?"

At this moment, Wang Qingci said charmingly, "Why don't you come to my room tonight, Your Highness? I'll help you see what the difference is between a pseudo-celestial being and a grandmaster."

Upon hearing this, Chu Yuqin snorted coldly, "Vixen!"

They were talking about serious business, but this vixen was thinking about doing *that* with Lu Chen. What a shameless woman.

Hearing Wang Qingci's words, Lu Chen smiled and then said, "Okay, I'll go to your room tonight and check how much my physical fitness has improved."

Chu Yuqin rolled her eyes at Lu Chen, then said, "Since you're alright, Chen'er, we won't disturb you while you're handling your official duties."

At this point, Chu Yuqin turned around and said to Mu Zixuan and the others, "Zixuan, let's go back."

Mu Zixuan glanced at Lu Chen, then said, "Your Highness, since you are alright, we will return to the inner courtyard first."

Lu Chen nodded and said, "Okay."

The women then turned and returned to the inner courtyard. Before leaving, Wang Qingci gave Lu Chen a flirtatious wink. Looking at Wang Qingci's swaying waist, Lu Chen chuckled, "She's still so alluring even after having a child."

However, since Wang Qingci wanted to test her strength after becoming a pseudo-celestial being, he would grant her wish. He would go to Wang Qingci's room tonight and let her test her abilities.

After Chu Yuqin and the others left, Lu Chen returned to his room and sat down to continue handling military affairs.

About half an hour later, the maid's voice came from the doorway again.

"Your Highness, Miss Murong requests an audience!"

Hearing this, Lu Chen was not surprised. Just now, such a large golden light appeared in the Northern King's Mansion. As an undercover agent sent by the Emperor Yue to the Northern Kingdom, Murong Xue'er naturally had to come and find out the situation and see who had broken through again.

Lu Chen then said, "Come in."

The next moment, Murong Xue'er, dressed in a plain white outfit, entered the room. Her hair was tied with a black and white ribbon, and her clothes were also black and white. The monotonous colors only highlighted the coldness of Murong Xue'er's temperament.

Lu Chen glanced at Murong Xue'er and then continued to bury himself in handling government affairs. Because of the golden light earlier, a large hole appeared in the ceiling of the study, and the sunlight was shining through the hole onto the desk.

Upon seeing the large hole, Murong Xue'er thought to herself, "It seems that the golden light just now shone from the study."

Without looking up, Lu Chen asked, "What brings Miss Murong here?"

Seeing Lu Chen's cold tone, Murong Xue'er was taken aback. Lu Chen wasn't like this a while ago. Every time she came, Lu Chen would act as if he hadn't seen a woman in a long time and would touch her inappropriately. Why did Lu Chen suddenly become so serious today?

Could it be...

Is he already tired of it?

This immediately gave Murong Xue'er a huge sense of crisis. She could not go back now. She had not controlled Lu Chen, and the Empress might not trust her again in the future. If she wanted to regain the Emperor's trust, she would need the cooperation of the Northern King.

However, if the Northern King has grown tired of her body, he certainly won't help her. In the end, she will be abandoned by both sides, not only by Dayue, but also by the Northern Kingdom.

Just as Murong Xue'er was feeling anxious, Lu Chen noticed that she remained silent. He looked up at her, then asked with a smile, "Why aren't you saying anything?"

Murong Xue'er came to her senses at this moment, and said expressionlessly, "I just saw a golden light appear in the Prince's mansion, so I came to see what happened there."

Lu Chen said, "You came to the Prince's residence to see who has broken through to a higher level this time, right?"

Although Lu Chen had guessed her purpose, Murong Xue'er didn't take it to heart. Lu Chen knew everything about her, and she couldn't hide any secrets from this man.

At this moment, Murong Xue'er looked up at the large hole in the roof and said, "It seems that your Northern Kingdom has gained another powerful expert whose strength is close to that of a celestial being."

Lu Chen smiled and said, "Your words are a bit too formal. What do you mean by 'your Northern Kingdom'? You are my woman now, you should say 'our Northern Kingdom'."

Murong Xue'er said coldly, "Our relationship is just a transaction. I will never become your woman."

Although she said that, the feeling of tightness in Murong Xue'er's heart disappeared instantly after hearing what Lu Chen had just said.

She thought Lu Chen had already gotten tired of it, but it seems she was overthinking it. It must be because the Northern Kingdom and the Great Wu are currently at war, so Lu Chen has no interest in matters of love, which is why he is somewhat cold towards her.

Lu Chen ignored Murong Xue'er's words and asked with a smile, "Do you want to know who just broke through?"

Hearing this, Murong Xue'er's heart tightened. She stared at Lu Chen's handsome face. Of course, she wanted to know who had broken through, since she had come to gather information.

However, Murong Xue'er then said, "You probably won't tell me."

A powerful expert whose strength is close to that of a celestial being must be the Northern Kingdom's trump card. As the King of the North, how could he possibly expose his trump card so easily?

But just as Murong Xue'er was thinking this, Lu Chen got up from the stool and walked directly towards Murong Xue'er.

As Murong Xue'er drew closer, her body trembled slightly involuntarily.

She now has all sorts of complicated feelings for the man in front of her. If it weren't for this man, she would probably still be serving Emperor Yue in Dayue, and wouldn't be here, much less in this predicament.

At the same time, she was also very scared. On the one hand, she was afraid that this man would mess around with her, and on the other hand, she was afraid that he had already gotten tired of her and would abandon her in the future.

Murong Xue'er's body trembled slightly, and Lu Chen did not notice anything unusual about her. After walking up to her, Lu Chen said, "The one who broke through was me."

"This intelligence should satisfy His Majesty, shouldn't it?"

Upon hearing this, Murong Xue'er's mind went blank for a moment.

Lu Chen has broken through again?

He was already a Grandmaster, and with this breakthrough, he now possesses strength approaching that of a Celestial. Doesn't that mean he's become even stronger?

For some reason, the scene of Lu Chen bullying her suddenly appeared in Murong Xue'er's mind.

Murong Xue'er quickly stopped herself from letting her mind wander.

She then congratulated him in a completely emotionless tone, saying, "Congratulations on your breakthrough, Your Highness."

Seeing Murong Xue'er's icy tone, Lu Chen raised his hand and stroked her frosty face, saying, "Miss Murong, I've given you such important information. What do you intend to offer in return?"

Murong Xue'er did not answer, but she had basically guessed what Lu Chen wanted to do.

Lu Chen continued, "By the way, Emperor Yue must have asked you to find a way to procure firearms during this time, right?"

Upon hearing this question, Murong Xue'er was taken aback. Sure enough, nothing could be hidden from Lu Chen.

Emperor Yue did indeed give her an order, instructing her to find a way to obtain firearms from the Northern Kingdom, and preferably to find a method for their manufacture.

However, Murong Xue'er didn't believe that Lu Chen would entrust her with something so important. Therefore, she didn't think the task could be completed from the beginning.

And indeed, it was just as Murong Xue'er thought; Lu Chen would never have given Murong Xue'er the firearms and the methods for making them.

Murong Xue'er then said, "If Your Highness is not practicing calligraphy today, then I will go back."

Although Lu Chen had already guessed her recent mission, Murong Xue'er did not intend to admit it. Firearms were a core secret of the Northern Kingdom, and if she were to actively inquire about them from Lu Chen, it might cause Lu Chen to dislike her. So she simply brushed off Lu Chen's question.

(End of this chapter)