Chapter Fourteen: The Prince's Assessment
At the First Prince's residence, the Prince listened attentively to his subordinate’s report. When the man finished, the Prince took a sip of tea before speaking.
“So, you’re saying my fourth brother has been training hard in martial arts lately, and has also purchased a large quantity of medicinal herbs?”
The subordinate, dressed in coarse linen, hurried to reply, “I’ve been keeping a close watch on the Fourth Prince’s residence. He has indeed been training diligently, and has bought many herbs for cultivation.”
“Very well. Keep monitoring him. I will handle this matter myself.”
“Yes, Your Highness.” With that, the subordinate withdrew.
As soon as the man left, the Prince turned his body toward a scholar-like figure sitting nearby.
“You heard it too, sir. Should we do something about this?”
“There’s no need to worry about the Fourth Prince’s last-minute efforts,” the scholar replied in a low voice. “Our previous attack on him has already put others on alert. We must now focus all our energy on the main plan—there can be no more mistakes.”
The Prince let out a cold, sinister laugh. “Sir, your wisdom matches my own thoughts exactly.”
More than a month later, Long Yu had made significant progress in the Nine-Star Shifting Step, and had also grasped the essence of the Battle Fist technique.
“Fourth Prince, we have taught you all we can. The rest will depend on your own practice,” the two masters said, formally taking their leave.
Over this past month, Long Yu’s rapid improvement had astonished them. It was unheard of for someone in the entire history of Great Song to master two B-level martial techniques in just over a month.
“Thank you both for your tireless guidance,” Long Yu said respectfully, bowing to the two instructors.
He was deeply grateful for all that they had taught him. Yet, the two masters had truly imparted everything they could. In just one month, Long Yu had laid a solid foundation in martial arts. The remaining progress would depend on his own diligence, so he did not try to persuade the masters to stay.
“By the way, teachers, I will never forget the great reward I promised you.”
Long Yu spoke again, and then instructed a guard to bring out ten thousand taels of gold for each master.
Hearing Long Yu’s promise, and seeing the gold, the two masters were deeply moved. For the Fourth Prince to value their bond so highly made all the risks of teaching him worthwhile.
“Your Highness, your talent is extraordinary. In all the years of the Great Song, there has never been someone as gifted as you. We believe you will achieve greatness in the future.”
“Thank you both for your kind words.”
Over this month, Long Yu trained hard by day and soaked in medicinal brews at night to cultivate his strength. The progress had been tremendous: he had mastered two B-level techniques, in addition to his previous Mountain-Splitting Palm.
His physical strength had also risen from fifty to eighty points.
Yet all this came at a great cost. In just over a month, he had spent nearly all the wealth the princely residence had accumulated over more than ten years.
All this effort was for the upcoming Princes’ Trial.
As the name implied, the trial was a selection among all the princes, with the winner to be named Crown Prince.
In this competition, each prince would command five hundred soldiers of equal strength—all ordinary men, armed only with wooden staffs.
Alliances among princes were forbidden; only direct combat was allowed.
Eliminating a soldier would earn one point; a centurion, ten points; a prince, one thousand points.
At the end, the team with the highest score would be declared the winner.
There was still more than a week to go before the trial began. Long Yu glanced at the calendar, determined to push himself for a few more days.
He summoned the guard who always accompanied him and gave the order: “Notify the steward to use all the silver in the residence, save what’s needed for food and drink, to buy cultivation elixirs.”
“Yes, Your Highness.” The guard obeyed and left immediately.
“Your Highness, if you do this, how will we live in the future?” the old eunuch who had always served Long Yu reminded him.
“Do you think that if I fail to become Crown Prince, we would even survive?” Long Yu retorted.
The old eunuch was at a loss for words. “It is my failing, that I cannot share Your Highness’s burdens,” he said, bowing his head in acceptance.
In every struggle for the throne, had any emperor ever spared the brothers who competed against him? Truly, there was no turning back for them. It was win or die.
Long Yu did not hesitate to swallow any kind of elixir he could obtain.
The huge expenditure of silver brought great returns. By the eve of the trial, he had raised his physical strength to one hundred.
On the day of the trial, the Emperor of Great Song, clad in regal attire, stood atop the lofty Sky-Gazing Terrace, while the ministers and several princes assembled below.
The Emperor spoke slowly, but with an undeniable authority: “For this nation to know lasting peace, a stable heir must be chosen. In accordance with the ancestors’ instructions, I have nurtured my sons carefully for years. Today is the day for them to show their true abilities. The victor of today’s trial shall be named Crown Prince!”
As soon as the Emperor finished, six squads of soldiers marched in perfect step onto the stage.
“These soldiers have been chosen for your trial. They are all ordinary men, untrained in martial arts. You must use them, and your own wisdom, strategy, and strength, to defeat your rivals and claim victory.”
“May fortune favor you,” the Emperor concluded, sitting down on his throne.
Each prince’s soldiers were randomly assigned by the Emperor, one team per prince, to prevent any underhanded dealings.
After a lengthy string of empty words from the presiding official, the competition finally began.
The battleground lay several dozen meters below the Sky-Gazing Terrace, within view of the Emperor and his ministers. Of course, the field was vast, impossible to see in its entirety with the naked eye. But that was no concern, as the whole area was covered by a special artifact that projected the entire scene onto the terrace above.
This competition ground, refined over generations of rulers, was now fully perfected. It contained hills, lakes, forests, and desert—almost every terrain found in the Great Song, all within a relatively small space.
With the start of the trial, the six princes entered from six separate gates.
Long Yu’s team went in through the western gate.
Upon entering, the first thing Long Yu saw was a vast desert.
He was instantly dumbfounded, cursing his luck in his heart. “Why a desert? This is so unlucky! With such flat terrain, there’s nowhere to hide—if anyone targets us, we’ll be sitting ducks.”
But there was no changing fate. Long Yu could only lead his men away from the open sand as quickly as possible.
He turned to his five hundred soldiers. “Everyone, let’s move out of here quickly,” he commanded, pointing to a nearby forest.
“We’ll hide in that forest and bide our time, then look for opportunities as they arise.”
He didn’t want to be the first to stick his neck out; it was better to let others fight, then reap the rewards.
“Your Highness, why are we heading for the forest?” a few centurions asked.
“To rest,” Long Yu replied.
“Aren’t we going to eliminate other teams and earn points?” they pressed.
Other teams were probably already out hunting for points, yet their prince remained so calm.
They all knew that in this contest, every eliminated opponent meant more points. The points could not be transferred; whichever team made the elimination, kept the points. Even if eliminated, the points remained with the team.