Liu Ji cursed inwardly, "I have a close friend named Lu Wan, who was born on the same day, month, and year as me. I previously appointed him as the Prince of Yan. If I fail to change the crown prince, I will lure Lu Wan here and kill him. I think I will have a lot of luck in the end."
"Hahaha...Approved!"
Chapter 199 Lu Wan Protects Herself
After the court session, Liu Ji summoned his trusted confidants, including Chen Ping, Lu Jia, and Zhou Xie, to his side to discuss how to reverse the defeat at the banquet.
"I'm sure you all know my intentions. Now, tell me, how can we decide on the matter of changing the crown prince at the banquet? Chen Ping, first; Lu Jia, second; and Old Zhou, third." Liu Ji's head was throbbing. Forcibly deposing the crown prince wasn't impossible, but the problem was what would happen after he left.
Liu Ruyi was just ten years old. As Guo Meng said, she was probably not as good as Liu Ying in terms of controlling the situation. And then there was that wicked woman, Lü Zhi. How could Lady Qi be a match for her?
The only way is to get the majority of the court officials to support Liu Ruyi's succession, so that his most beloved son can secure his rule.
After a moment's thought, Chen Ping cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I believe this matter should not be rushed. It is better to proceed slowly. I will arrange for secret agents to go and collect evidence of Lü Shizhi's rebellion. By doing so, we can implicate the Crown Prince and openly change the Crown Prince."
"Old Chen and I have the same idea. To be honest, I have already sent people to collect evidence, but the Lü family may not make any moves. Framing them is probably not going to work, and Empress Lü will not sit idly by."
Therefore, this banquet opportunity must be carefully planned, employing a two-pronged approach to ensure success. Does this old minister have any other brilliant ideas? Liu Ji asked again.
"Well, let me think about it some more. Your Majesty, why don't you ask Lord Lu first?" Chen Ping really didn't want to make any more contributions; it was too dangerous.
"Okay, fine." Liu Ji said, then looked at Lu Jia.
Lu Jia sighed inwardly and cupped his hands, saying, "Your Majesty, the only way forward now is to let the Third Prince overpower the Crown Prince in public before we can have anything to say."
"How can you possibly overpower someone?" Liu Ji said this without even believing it himself. If a child were to compete against an adult, Liu Ying, no matter how bad she was, was unlikely to lose, right?
"Your Majesty can ask some questions, and then we can inform the Third Prince of the answers in advance, and then Your Majesty can ask the questions at the banquet," Lu Jia replied.
Liu Ji frowned. "I'm afraid that won't work. If I were to set the question, and Ruyi answered it fluently, how could they not suspect that they already knew the answer? What if they also set a question that stumped Ruyi? Where would I put my face then?"
Chen Ping stroked his beard. “Your Majesty’s concerns are not without merit. Moreover, the Crown Prince is destined to succeed to the throne, and the Emperor may not necessarily surpass his ministers in scholarship. Even if we ultimately win using this method, it may not be enough to win the hearts and minds of all the officials.”
"Then this humble subject has no other choice," Lu Jia said helplessly.
Zhou Xie scratched his head beside him and said, "Your Majesty might as well ask the Third Prince what he is good at and in which area he can beat the Crown Prince. Then you can compete with the Crown Prince in what way."
"Huh? Old Zhou's idea is good, but what if the Crown Prince is also good at what Ruyi is good at?" Liu Ji was a little unsure. Liu Ruyi was clever and quick-witted, but she was still too young.
Lu Jia's eyes lit up. "Then why don't we tell the Third Prince about the Crown Prince's weaknesses and let him choose a competition? With half a month of diligent practice and our partial assistance, he has a great chance of beating the Crown Prince."
“Excellent! Hahaha…” Liu Ji was overjoyed, but his expression immediately turned cold. “This matter must be kept secret. Do not let a word of it leak out.”
"Yes," the three replied in unison.
Several days later, in the capital of Yan.
Prince Lu Wan of Yan held an invitation and sighed, "What can I do..."
"Your Majesty, Lord Zhang Sheng has arrived," the guard announced loudly.
Lu Wan's eyes lit up. "Quickly, invite them in!"
"What business does Your Majesty have summoned me for?" Zhang Sheng asked, bowing respectfully.
"Liu Ji is going to hold a state banquet and has specifically asked me to attend. What should I do?" Lu Wan asked, her face showing fear.
Zhang Sheng's expression changed slightly. "Your Majesty, you must not go! Han Xin and Peng Yue are walking into a trap and will never return. I never expected that His Majesty would turn his sword against Your Majesty so soon after Chen Xi's death."
"I know I can't go, but how can I reply in a way that Liu Ji won't suspect anything?" Lu Wan and Liu Ji grew up together and know Liu Ji's character all too well; he is truly cunning, ruthless, thick-skinned, and suspicious.
Zhang Sheng, with a hundred thighs, said, "Hey! Your Majesty, just give me any excuse. I'll say I'm sick and unable to travel long distances. Liu Ji won't believe me anyway."
Lu Wan's lips twitched violently. "Wouldn't Liu Ji send troops to attack Yan because of this?"
“Your Majesty, people eat grains and cereals, how can they not get sick? The Yan Kingdom is far from Guanzhong, how can we go there while we are sick just for a meal? Even if Liu Ji really sends troops, it will definitely not be because Your Majesty did not attend the banquet, but because he wants to attack the Yan Kingdom. Isn’t it easy to make up a reason? Or perhaps our affair with Chen Xi has been exposed.” Zhang Sheng sighed.
"Isn't Chen Xi dead? What else could be exposed?" Lu Wan asked in fear.
“It’s true that Chen Xi is dead, but some of his men were captured and surrendered. Perhaps Liu Ji has already heard that we didn’t do our best to help him attack Chen Xi.” Zhang Sheng was also frustrated, not expecting Chen Xi to be finished so quickly.
Lu Wan's face was ashen. "My dear minister, what should we do? If only we had known this would happen, we should have attacked Chen Xi with all our might back then. Perhaps His Majesty could have spared me out of consideration for our past relationship?"
“Your Majesty! Liu Ji’s intention to slaughter kings of different surnames and great meritorious officials is obvious. If Your Majesty had fought Chen Xi to a draw, the Yan Kingdom might have perished long ago! If the Yan Kingdom had not still had strength and had to resist the Xiongnu in the north, how could we have resisted Liu Ji’s northward advance while attacking the Zhao Kingdom? Your Majesty, you should know that Liu Ji has already repaid the favor of the past by granting you a kingship.” Zhang Sheng shrugged.
Lu Wan froze for a moment. "No, no, His Majesty and I grew up together and have a deep bond. He has always been very fond of me. Even before I was made a prince, I could freely enter and leave the palace. Even Lü Ze and those meritorious officials who made great contributions were not made princes. His Majesty made me the Prince of Yan first, which is enough to prove that I am different from others in His Majesty's eyes. His Majesty killed Peng Yue and others because he did not trust them, but His Majesty trusts me. It is not too late to turn back now, it is not too late!"
"Haha, Your Majesty! There are some things I couldn't say before, but I'll tell you now. There are probably three reasons why Liu Ji enfeoffed you as the King of Yan," Zhang Sheng said with a smile.
Lu Wan was taken aback. "Which three?"
"Firstly, after Liu Ji quelled Zang Tu, he needed to appease the other lords. The best way to do this was to establish another King of Yan, rather than annexing the State of Yan."
Secondly, Liu Ji truly trusts the king the most. He feels at ease entrusting the Yan kingdom to the king, knowing that at least until the other kings of different surnames are eliminated, the king will certainly not have any intention of rebelling.
Thirdly, why did Liu Ji enfeoff the king but not the great meritorious officials like Lü Ze and Zhou Bo? Because Liu Ji would eventually have to fight the Yan Kingdom, and he wouldn't want to leave himself with a powerful enemy. Zhang Sheng finished speaking and smiled slightly.
Lu Wan blushed. He understood. So Liu Ji had made him a king because he wasn't powerful enough, or because he was the worst among all the meritorious officials who could be made kings.
"My dear minister, what should I do?"
Zhang Sheng sighed, “Your Majesty, do not worry. The best course of action now is to feign illness and not go. If Liu Ji still remembers the friendship between Your Majesty and him from back then, he will not send troops to attack.”
"Your Majesty, I will immediately travel to the Xiongnu to devise a plan for our escape. If we cannot withstand Liu Ji's offensive, we will flee to the Xiongnu, and preserving the throne and our families will not be a problem."
"Then I will trouble you, my dear minister," Lu Wan said, cupping his hands in greeting.
...
Soon, Lu Wan sent a message to the envoy saying that he was ill and unable to travel long distances, thanked His Majesty for his kindness, and would not attend the state banquet.
Not long after, Shen Shiqi and Zhao Yao conveyed Liu Ji's decree to summon Lu Wan to Guanzhong, and took the opportunity to investigate Lu Wan's servants. Lu Wan became increasingly fearful and shut himself away from visitors.
Meanwhile, King Liu Jiao of Chu, King Liu Fei of Qi, King Liu Ruyi of Zhao, King Liu Heng of Dai, King Liu Chang of Huainan, King Liu Hui of Liang, King Liu You of Huaiyang, and King Wu Chen of Changsha were all on their way to Guanzhong.
The state banquet is about to begin. Hao Jiu is ready to enjoy the show, while Xiang Yu begins his arduous training.
Are you kidding me? Wouldn't it be a waste to waste seventeen times the time flow rate?
Hao Jiu used this time to finally determine Xiang Yu's cultivation system!
Chapter 200 Domineering
Planning and guiding the host's life is a glorious mission and responsibility of the system.
Hao Jiu would naturally not ignore Xiang Yu. The stronger Xiang Yu became, the safer he would be. Moreover, Xiang Yu was a top-tier host that was hard to find in all realms, making him a very worthwhile investment.
Of course, it's impossible for Xiang Yu to cultivate immortality in a lower plane. Without spiritual energy, any cultivation method would be useless. He could only slowly endure it using methods like An Qisheng's, which focused on self-cultivation.
However, not being able to cultivate immortality does not mean that one cannot cultivate. Hao Jiu still found several systems suitable for cultivation in lower-level planes in the God's Shop.
For example, martial arts originating from classical martial arts worlds, as well as vampires, zombies, Taoist magic, Buddhist magic, etc., are not as lofty as cultivating immortality, but the hard requirements are also lower.
In Jin Yong's martial arts world, even the most skilled martial artist is afraid of a kitchen knife. The martial arts world is dangerous, and even a master can be ambushed, seriously injured, or killed by an ordinary person.
Vampires have powerful regenerative abilities, but they cannot survive if their heads are cut off, and they are also afraid of silver. Most zombies can also be killed. Taoist talismans are only effective against zombies and ghosts, and are not so effective against humans.
Even a master like Qiao Feng, who knew the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, could only fight and run when facing a large army.
In short, these powerful beings who can exist in lower planes cannot easily rule over mortals, not even zombies and vampires who have cultivated for thousands of years.
Therefore, Hao Jiu would not let Xiang Yu learn this kind of cultivation system that only allows him to dominate weaker opponents in lower planes, and it's definitely not to save energy points!
Of course, a single vampire gene potion in the God's Shop costs 100,000 points, and it can only transform the host into a novice vampire, so it's a bit expensive.
The items that turn you into a newbie zombie are cheap, but their combat power is far inferior to that of a newbie vampire. They are slow-moving and not very durable. The key is that they are neither human nor ghost. If Xiang Yu were to be turned into a zombie, Hao Jiu would probably be killed by blades.
As for various peerless martial arts, the cultivation formula only requires 1,000 points, while 50 years of internal energy can be used to instantly transform one into a master like Hong Qigong.
Hao Jiu can afford to have 50,000 points right now, but it's clearly not cost-effective. He'll be blasted into dust when he reaches a mid-level plane, and there's not much room for further improvement.
Coincidentally, Hao Jiu found a cultivation system among the vast number of cultivation systems that was very suitable for Xiang Yu and had an extremely high cost-performance ratio. It could be used without any problems even in advanced planes.
Its advantages are very prominent. It is not picky about the environment, unlike cultivating immortality which requires a lot of spiritual energy and rare treasures. After reaching the ultimate level of cultivation, one can also have endless lifespan and live forever.
The realm division is not complicated. There are only six major realms: King, Emperor, Profound, Earth, Heaven, and God, plus an entry-level realm of no realm.
However, it also has many drawbacks. For example, cultivation starts from the Emperor Realm, and it becomes increasingly difficult to break through as one progresses. Most people get stuck at the Emperor Realm and cannot make any progress. Their combat power is not even as good as that of a martial arts master like Qiao Feng.
Although it's not too difficult to get started, and the King Realm is relatively easy to cultivate, the combat power of a King Realm cultivator varies from person to person. The stronger a person's soul and physical qualities, the stronger their combat power and the more suitable they are for cultivating this method.
Furthermore, those with insufficient willpower are quite likely to become demons by practicing this method; otherwise, it wouldn't only cost 10,000 energy points.
Hao Jiu had great confidence in Xiang Yu's talent, and this cultivation system also had some connection with Xiang Yu, called the Overbearing Aura Cultivation Method!
When Hao Jiu first saw this name, he felt that it was Xiang Yu's type. Moreover, the name "Baqi" sounded familiar. In the anime One Piece, powerful characters usually have one to three types of Haki abilities.
It is divided into Armament Haki, which can harden the body and increase offense and defense; Observation Haki, which can predict the opponent's attack route and thus avoid attacks or even briefly see the future; and Conqueror's Haki, which is possessed by only a few people and can intimidate opponents or make weaker opponents faint.
Of course, while the domineering cultivation method and the one in the anime have some similarities, they are fundamentally different, and the one that is cultivated to a high level is much more powerful than the one in the anime.
Wasn't it a perfect match for Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King, to cultivate domineering aura?
Whether in terms of physical strength or spirit, Xiang Yu was powerful enough. If Xiang Yu couldn't cultivate domineering aura, then probably no one else in the world could.
Even if Xiang Yu were stuck at the Emperor Realm and couldn't progress further, he would only lose 10,000 energy points. He could switch to cultivation in the cultivation world later without much trouble.
As it turned out, Hao Jiu's judgment was correct. After Hao Jiu told Xiang Yu about this domineering cultivation method, Xiang Yu mastered it on his first attempt without any obstacles.
Simply put, the cultivation of domineering aura is a method of transforming the killing intent energy surrounding a cultivator into domineering aura energy through acupoints, which is then used to improve physical fitness and combat abilities.
It has a similar meaning to entering the Dao through killing, but it is different. It is not just about killing. The killing energy here is the killing in combat. The stronger the opponent, the more beneficial it is for cultivation.
Of course, having a large number of opponents of ordinary strength can also be effective. As long as they can pose a threat to the cultivator, they will have some effect.
The standard for mastering domineering aura is being able to transform killing intent into domineering aura and store it within the body, thereby nourishing and improving physical fitness.
The standard for breaking through from the beginner level to the King level is to be able to use domineering energy to stimulate and strengthen parts of the body, gaining instantaneous double burst power, also known as a critical strike effect.
The mark of reaching the pinnacle of the King Realm is the complete mastery of the technique of transforming domineering aura into explosive power, which can be applied to any part of the body, or even the entire body, in a coordinated manner to create a synergistic effect.
For example, when you throw a punch with all your might, your legs, waist, arms, and other parts of your body must all explode in sequence. The last part that hits is the real critical hit, which may be much higher than double damage.
During this process, various bodily functions will be greatly improved due to the nourishment of the domineering aura. Even without using explosive power, strength, reaction ability, and other aspects will be improved significantly.
After reaching the peak of the King Realm, cultivators can attempt to break through and enter the Emperor Realm. This requires a more proficient control of domineering aura, not just a momentary burst, but maintaining a certain state.
Just like the effect of Armament Haki in anime, it uses Haki to maintain a hardened layer on the skin. While increasing attack power is secondary, the most important thing is to greatly enhance defense, also known as Haki Body Protection.
Xiang Yu had fought on the battlefield for many years, so he had no shortage of killing intent for cultivation. His physical strength and soul were also very powerful, which is why he made rapid progress in cultivation.