Qin Dynasty, Xiangyang City, Imperial Palace.
Smack!
"Absurd! It's the Ming Dynasty again. Where are the people of the Qin Dynasty?"
Ying Zheng's fury erupted once more.
Even a Ming Princess had surpassed his subjects, who still had the audacity to boast in front of him.
What mattered most was.
If no one from the Qin Dynasty appeared on the ranking, and the Heaven Dao eventually rewarded something like the Elixir of Immortality, would he not miss out completely?
Still.
For the sake of immortality, he was not opposed to using extreme measures.
==========
Sui Imperial Palace.
Yang Guang looked at the name on the ranking and burst into hearty laughter.
"It's the Ming Dynasty. As long as it's not that dog Li Shimin from Tang Dynasty, I'm satisfied."
"To think a Ming Princess could be this outstanding. Only slightly inferior to my own daughter."
"What a pity she was taken by Li Shimin."
The moment he thought of his precious daughter falling into the hands of the man he hated most, his wine lost its taste, and music and dancing became meaningless.
"Yuwen Huaji, is there any news from the men we sent to rescue the Princess from Tang Dynasty?"
"Your Majesty, the Tang Dynasty palace is guarded by the Bad Marshal Yuan Tiangang. Our men can't even get close. The moment they approach, they are captured by the Tang Dynasty's Bad People."
"Only someone stronger than Yuan Tiangang might have a sliver of a chance."
"That cunning Li Shimin clearly anticipated this move."
"Never mind, continue to monitor the situation."
==========
Tang Dynasty, Taiji Hall.
At this moment, Li Shimin sat on the dragon throne, worry etched across his face.
"Master Yuan, why is it that no one from the Tang Dynasty has made it onto the Hidden Dragon Ranking?"
"Even a declining Sui Dynasty has multiple entries. I truly cannot accept this."
"If Heaven Dao rewards treasures that strengthen the nation, would we not miss out?"
Yuan Tiangang stepped forward with a respectful bow and said loudly.
"Your Majesty, our Tang Dynasty was only recently established. The prior wars cost us many cultivators. In terms of sheer numbers, we naturally lag behind other nations."
"But this does not mean we are weak. On the contrary, we are extremely strong."
"Far beyond the weak Song Dynasty or crumbling Sui Dynasty."
"As long as Your Majesty rules wisely and allows the people to recover, our Tang Dynasty will one day rise above all others and may even unify the Nine Provinces."
Yuan Tiangang's passionate words ignited Li Shimin's spirit.
Unify the Nine Provinces.
What an enticing goal.
Li Shimin's confidence surged, and his eyes lit up with burning determination.
Even without the Heaven Dao Reward, so what?
He alone would lead the Tang Dynasty to greatness.
Immediately, he looked up at the ranking in the sky. The eager gaze from before was gone, replaced with a calm detachment.
It mattered little now.
==========
Southern Song Imperial Palace.
"Qin Hui, send someone to summon Guo Jing to the palace. I must meet him."
"We can't afford to wait. If another country wins him over, it would be a huge loss for the Song Dynasty."
"Your Majesty, he is just a mere Innate cultivator, and the last name on the ranking at that. There is no need to pay him such attention, lest we become the laughingstock of other nations."
"There's no harm in waiting for Grandmasters or Great Grandmasters to appear on the ranking before acting."
Qin Hui looked reluctant, doing his best to persuade Emperor Zhao Gou to abandon the idea.
"Besides, I have just received news."
"This Guo Jing appears to have deep ties with the Yuan Dynasty."
"He grew up under the care of Temujin himself. He cannot be trusted."
"If he is a spy placed in our Song Dynasty by Temujin, what then?"
As a leading civil official, Qin Hui would never allow a single cultivator like Guo Jing to threaten their political standing.
"What? Does he have such a background? Then kill him immediately. If I cannot have him, no other country shall."
"Qin Hui, this matter is yours to handle."
Upon hearing Guo Jing's ties to Temujin, Zhao Gou was instantly enraged.
He was convinced the man had already defected to the Yuan Dynasty.
Now that Guo Jing has appeared in Song Dynasty, it must be for a secretive and sinister reason.
As this thought took hold, he looked at the ranking in the sky with increasing irritation.
"Your Majesty, please calm yourself. Guo Jing cannot be killed."
"If he truly is one of Temujin's men, killing him would give the Yuan Dynasty the perfect excuse to invade."
"If the neighboring Jin Kingdom joins in, our Song Dynasty would be in grave danger."
Qin Hui, a typical appeasement advocate, would never willingly provoke the Mongols.
Killing was out of the question, and releasing him was equally dangerous.
The best solution was to keep Guo Jing confined to the Martial World.
Only then could everyone rest easy.
"You speak wisely. Very well, from now on, Guo Jing is your responsibility."
"I do not want to hear any further reports about him."
Qin Hui's lips curled into a smug smile.
At the same time, his gaze toward Zhao Gou was filled with contempt.
As expected, a complete weakling, incapable of achieving anything.
But perhaps that was for the best.
If the Emperor were truly competent, what use would the ministers have?
==========
Northern Song Dynasty, Imperial Study.
Emperor Zhao Ji was already immersed in his calligraphy.
As for the outside world's Hidden Dragon Ranking, he had only glanced at it briefly before losing all interest.
Whether or not the Northern Song Dynasty had anyone on the ranking meant little to him.
Cultivators with their constant fighting were such a nuisance.
What could be more delightful than elegant calligraphy and paintings?
Elsewhere in the palace, in a quiet corner of the library pavilion.
A refined and gentle middle-aged man looked at the ranking, then cast a disappointed glance at Zhao Ji, still lost in his brushwork.
He shook his head and chose not to intervene further.
==========
Han Imperial Palace.
Emperor Liu Hong was completely consumed by indulgence and debauchery.
Each day passed in a drunken haze. His health had long since deteriorated.
He had no interest in the Hidden Dragon Ranking at all.
Internally, the Han Dynasty had already fallen into utter disarray.
Power had been carved up by noble families and feudal lords.
As for Emperor Liu Hong, he remained blissfully unaware.
Or perhaps.
Even if he knew, he pretended not to.
The court and the entire dynasty were in their final death throes.
In the Martial World, chaos reigned.
Countless lives were lost daily.
Territory was divided up by powerful forces.
Even the government had no say in these matters.
The Imperial Court and the Martial World were completely disconnected.
Neither had any control over the other.
In terms of instability, the Han Dynasty was the worst of all the nations.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
List of Characters:
Qin's Moon ( 秦时明月 )
・Ying Zheng ( 嬴政 ) — Emperor of Qin Dynasty
Great Tang Twin Dragons Legend ( 大唐双龙传 )
・Li Shimin ( 李世民 ) — Emperor of Tang Dynasty
・Yang Guang ( 杨广 ) — Emperor of Sui Dynasty
・Yuwen Huaji ( 宇文化及 ) — Commander of Sui Dynasty
Painting Jianghu ( 画江湖 )
・Yuan Tiangang ( 袁天罡 ) — Master of Bad People
Yue Fei Complete Legend ( 说岳全传 )
・Zhao Gou ( 赵构 ) — Emperor of Southern Song Dynasty
・Qin Hui ( 秦桧 ) — Prime Minister of Southern Song Dynasty
Water Margin ( 水浒传 )
・Zhao Ji ( 赵佶 ) — Emperor of Northern Song Dynasty
Romance of the Three Kingdoms ( 三国演义 )
・Liu Hong ( 刘宏 ) — Emperor of Eastern Han Dynasty