Chapter Eleven: The Great Song Dynasty

"Where... where am I?" After a long time, Long Yu finally regained consciousness. His head still throbbed faintly, but it no longer hindered his movements.

Glancing at his surroundings, Long Yu recalled that he had just been undergoing a trial in the secret realm, and that damn Guardian of Secret Realm No. 252 had abused her power for personal vendetta.

But in the end, he hadn’t killed the tiger—so how was it that he survived while the tiger disappeared? Could it be that his spiritual energy invading the tiger’s mind had destroyed it? Long Yu wasn’t convinced, but reality left him victorious; it could only mean he had slain the beast.

“You are awake. Since you possess rare spatial and spiritual abilities, this secret realm has decided to grant you access to additional resources from other realms.” The emotionless voice of the secret realm sounded again.

It was difficult to imagine that the Guardian of No. 252, a little girl, could speak in such a mechanical tone.

Did this mean he was about to prosper? The promise of more resources thrilled Long Yu.

Another flash of white light, and two rock crystals appeared in his hand; simultaneously, a martial technique entered his mind.

The technique was called Mountain-Splitting Palm, and every move and form of it was instantly etched into Long Yu’s memory.

“What about the other rewards?” Long Yu looked up and asked. Hadn’t the secret realm just told him there were more?

“You haven’t completed the trials for those rewards yet! How could I give them to you? Familiarize yourself with your current rewards, then proceed to the next trial.”

Long Yu collapsed to the ground in exasperation. Was the realm intent on tormenting him to death?

“Can I refuse?”

“No. The rewards are mandatory; you must complete the tasks.”

“Are you just trying to kill me? Just end it now—give me a quick death!” Long Yu pleaded.

Despair was written all over his face...

He no longer trusted the secret realm. It claimed not to want him dead, yet after finishing one deadly trial, another awaited.

Having barely survived, now came the next round.

“No. 252 will not harm the participants. Please proceed with confidence. This truly is the final trial.”

“Really?”

“Really!”

Well then! I’ll trust you one more time. Long Yu replied helplessly, forcing a bitter smile that was almost a sob. There was no escape for him; what difference did it make if he believed or not?

“Can you tell me what the next trial will entail?”

“Sorry, insufficient authority. I don’t know either.”

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Observing Long Yu’s state, the Guardian of Secret Realm No. 252, the young girl, suddenly felt she might have been a little harsh.

She had glimpsed despair in Long Yu’s eyes—a despair in the face of unknown powers, a lifeless hopelessness that made her heart ache.

It was understandable; if she faced such circumstances herself, she would be equally despondent. Completing trial after trial, only to learn there were more ahead, and being powerless to resist.

But it wasn’t her fault! The adults had ordered more rewards for him, but rewards had to be earned through trials. Besides, it was he who disrespected her first, she pouted, trying to convince herself.

Meanwhile, Long Yu had begun absorbing the rock crystals. Several hours later, he had finished absorbing them, and his spiritual energy was restored.

While his mental strength recovered, Long Yu practiced the martial art he had just learned, Mountain-Splitting Palm.

Mountain-Splitting Palm, being an A-grade technique, allowed Long Yu to feel his combat ability surge to two hundred percent. If he encountered the tiger again, he could surely defeat it.

However, his first practice felt awkward. Though he had memorized the entire technique, his mind and body were not yet in sync; his limbs were slow to obey.

He needed more practice—cultivation could never be rushed.

“Participant, please rest. The trial will begin in one hour,” the No. 252 guardian reminded him.

One hour left. Hearing this, Long Yu wiped the sweat from his brow, stretched his waist, and took a deep breath. He told himself he’d practice a few more times, hoping to gain proficiency and strengthen his chances of survival in the upcoming trial.

An hour later, a white light enveloped him, and Long Yu left Secret Realm No. 252, arriving somewhere new.

Before him appeared a hall of dazzling gold and jade.

“Greetings, participant. Welcome to the secret realm trial.

This trial is scenario-based. Please defeat the enemy nation and achieve final victory.”

Another wave of dizziness swept over him. When Long Yu opened his eyes again, he found himself in another world.

“Your Highness, you’re awake.”

An elderly man, looking very much like a palace eunuch, hurried to greet him. His fine clothes showed his high status.

“Your Highness, you’re finally awake. You gave this old servant quite a scare,” the eunuch continued.

He was quite shaken by the prince’s recent fainting spell; as the one responsible for His Highness’s care, any mishap would mean a thousand deaths could not atone for his failure.

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Long Yu said nothing, busy sorting through the memories in his mind about this new world.

The world was called the Continent of Drew—a vast land with many human kingdoms and wild frontiers.

He was now in the Song Kingdom, a nation at the southeastern edge of Drew, and he himself was Prince Song Zhang of Song.

Drew was a world where science and martial arts coexisted, though its technology lagged behind, stuck in the steam age.

Its system resembled the feudal structure of his own country, but with differences. An effective official impeachment mechanism granted the people considerable political rights. In theory, except for the royal family, no official was irreplaceable by the people, and even the royal family could not act wantonly.

Of course, theory was theory—reality was another matter. At least, under Song law, all were equal before the law except royalty.

Long Yu’s mission was to lead Song to defeat its long-standing rival, the Kingdom of Wusu.

But what was he to do? For a moment, Long Yu’s head spun.

His royal identity certainly made things easier, but his own situation was far from secure.

Court intrigue was always merciless. To eliminate his enemies and succeed in his mission, he first had to become King of Song; otherwise, it was all wishful thinking.

Yet he still had four brothers competing with him.

The selection of the heir was a brutal affair, and according to the trial’s setup, he had already entered the contest for succession.

If he failed to become king, his brothers would never let him live.

There were less than two months before the crown prince’s selection exam began.

Long Yu would first have to survive the heir selection and become crown prince before he could even think about the mission.

The secret realm had offered him no help, aside from his fifty points of attributes and the martial art Mountain-Splitting Palm. His only resources were those of his current identity and the influence it brought.

But while his faction was sizable, it ranked only third or fourth among his siblings; winning the succession would be difficult.

Moreover, among his brothers, the eldest and fifth princes were formidable martial artists, each said to possess the strength to lift a thousand pounds and to have mastered powerful martial techniques.

Speaking of martial arts, here they were graded as Legendary, S, A, B, C, D, E, and F, just as on Earth. Abilities learned by gifted individuals were ranked similarly, although in this world, there were no gifted ones—only martial artists.

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