Nobody told me this wasn't a game.

The battle for the championship title is effectively over; the victor is Zuo Chang.

only……

The gods seemed to want more and wanted to conduct a small test.

A soft cheer rose from behind.

The same prompt appeared before Mayumi and the others, and they understood that they had won, which inevitably made them happy.

Zuo Chang managed to salvage the situation. He smiled at His Highness and Luo Le and said, "Your Highness is right. Justice resides in the hearts of the people. Today, I, Zuo Chang, will act as the judge and see who is right! Who will speak first?"

The prince is the obvious choice!

He snorted coldly and said, "Then I'll speak first! Mr. Zuo Chang, Professor Basil and I were once allies, even confidants... We both believed that the method of 'Emblem' should be made public so that everyone would have the opportunity to cultivate it. Moreover, we fought side by side. I created opportunities for Professor Basil to expand his influence in the Golden Empire; while Professor Basil used his influence to help me become the next king."

Isn’t that great?

Zuo Chang turned his head and looked at Luo Le.

Basil scoffed, "Hypocritical."

The prince remained unfazed and continued, “After I became the ‘first in line to the throne,’ we had a disagreement. The disagreement quickly escalated into a conflict. Teacher Basil believed that I had no intention of promoting the emblem, while I thought he was too radical—Teacher Basil planned to announce the emblem directly; I believed that we must proceed step by step, starting with ten people, then a hundred, and finally a thousand or ten thousand.”

Upon hearing this, Basil could no longer contain herself!

He looked at Zuo Chang and said, "Mr. Zuo, listen to this—is this reasonable? According to His Highness's plan, the full implementation of the heraldry will take at least fifty years! In fifty years, a whole new generation will have passed!"

"I need to ensure the stability and security of the country. The brutal promotion of heraldry will only cause disaster. Unchecked and unrestrained forces will inevitably lead to riots, and many people will die as a result."

"Look at you, how hypocritical you are! Many people will die because of this..."

Basil's face revealed utter contempt and disdain.

He spread his arms wide and said, “Why don’t you open your eyes and see? People die every day under the rule of the powerful! If a poor man had a coat of arms, he would at least have the ability to resist, instead of being helplessly killed by the nobles’ clubs like this! If everyone possessed extraordinary skills, then those cruel executioners would no longer dare to oppress the citizens with impunity!”

As Zuo Chang listened, he began to understand.

Both the prince and Basil were progressive thinkers, and they both had a vision to promote the coat of arms.

However, due to their different backgrounds, they disagreed on the issue of "how to promote it".

If I remember correctly, Basil came from a poor family and had a disappointing youth.

This experience undoubtedly honed his skills.

He saw the evil on this land and believed that the lambs needed to be armed immediately.

That would cause a period of chaos, but it could break the shackles of the times.

If everyone practices, perpetrators will naturally dare not exploit and oppress with impunity, and the world will surely become a better place as a result.

And the prince—

prince……

Zuo Chang looked at the prince and asked, "Your Highness, why do you want to promote heraldry?"

The prince puffed out his chest: "Of course, it's for the prosperity of the nation! The territory of the Golden Empire is still too small. If the Gold Miner Knights were ten times larger, I would sweep across the continent; if the Gold Miner Knights were a hundred times larger, I could conquer the other side of the sea and rule the whole world! This is my original intention in promoting the emblem. I want the Golden Empire to be remembered in history!"

I see……

The choice should be quite obvious by now.

Without hesitation, Zuo Chang said, "Alright, I understand. I declare that I think Mr. Basil's idea is superior and the emblem must be promoted immediately! I don't want to smell this rotten air of the old era for another second."

"Foolish! Foolish!"

The prince shook his head repeatedly, seemingly extremely disdainful.

He looked at Zuo Chang and sneered, "I thought you were a wise man because of your extraordinary demeanor, but I didn't expect you to be a fool! Releasing caged beasts without taming them, do you know how many people will die because of this? You are too cruel!"

Zuo Chang shook his head vigorously: "Your Highness, would you allow anyone to be stronger than you?"

The prince frowned: "What?"

Zuo Chang then asked, "If a non-governmental organization becomes so powerful that it surpasses the world's best, threatens the status of the royal family, and could even lead to a change of dynasty... could you allow it to exist?"

The prince immediately said, "Mr. Zuo, there is no such organization."

"Yes, because of the existence of the royal family, there will be no such organization. Once a person or group shows any threat, even if they are progressive and righteous, you will definitely try your best to suppress, dismember, and eliminate them... That's the problem."

Zuo Chang became even more convinced of his idea.

His gaze towards the prince slowly turned cold: "You represent oppression, backwardness, and decay. The world is important without you."

Chapter 238 features the typical villain's lackey.

There's nothing we can do if we're not understood.

His father had said many times, "Don't bow your head, or your crown will fall; a king is inherently lonely." What His Highness yearns for is not understanding, but rather—

obey.

Strands of gold thread fluttered like ribbons.

His Highness was imposing, his aura rose steadily, and his cultivation level increased accordingly, reaching around the ninth realm in just a few breaths!

This is……

"Enhancement magic?"

Zuo Chang frowned slightly, not understanding the details of this move.

Beside him, the rebellious Basil spoke up: "Is it 'royal aura'? Your Highness, it's been twenty years. Have you mastered the use of 'imperial destiny'?"

The prince's eyes were calm; he was confident of victory and therefore felt no emotional fluctuation.

He raised his hand, cupping a speck of golden "national fortune" in his palm: "I am the first in line to the throne. Receiving the blessing of national fortune is only natural, so what's surprising? What truly puzzles me is..."

He turned his head and looked at Zuo Chang and Luo Le.

"What more could you two lowly commoners possibly want? I value your talent, so I'll give you another chance. Submit to me now, and I guarantee you endless riches and glory!"

Zuo Chang chuckled upon hearing this.

He looked at the prince without saying a word, just with his hands tucked in.

The prince, angered by his gaze, scoffed, "What are you laughing at?"

“Your Highness, I’m not laughing at you. Your arrogance stems from your experience, and your vision is limited by the times. It’s just an old relic from a thousand years ago spouting nonsense, which inevitably makes me find it… ridiculous.”

Zuo Chang looked at the golden 'national fortune' surrounding the prince and felt the enhancement bestowed upon him by the strange power.

general.

He looked disdainful and said, "But it doesn't matter, I'll eradicate your sense of entitlement and teach you true 'equality'."

No matter what world you live in, there is one thing that is always equal for all living beings.

death.

The prince scoffed, "Fool! You have no idea of ​​my strength!"

Your Highness is not yet the emperor.

Although he could draw upon the nation's destiny, he could not unleash its full potential. At most, he could only elevate himself to the ninth realm, not the tenth realm, which was the limit of this era.

Zuo Chang appears to be at the seventh realm but is actually at the eighth realm; in terms of cultivation, he is only one realm below the prince.

The difference in skill level is a difference in hard power, which is particularly evident in numerical values.

In most cases, the difference between two realms is like heaven and earth; a ninth-realm cultivator can kill an eighth-realm cultivator effortlessly!

unless--

Beyond the numerical differences, there is another gap between the two sides.

With winds and clouds gathering around him, and dragons and tigers shining together.

Zuo Chang did not hesitate at all. He did not even draw his sword. He simply stepped forward and threw a solid punch at Zuo Chang's face.

The prince was slightly taken aback.

What he saw was vastly different from what he actually felt. He clearly felt an extremely sharp sword aura sweeping across him, like a mountain or a tidal wave, crashing down upon him.

But how is this possible?

The other party didn't draw their sword!

"Free and Unfettered Sword Heart?"

Basil has good taste, but not enough.

He had heard that on the other side of the sea, in a kingdom in the far east, there were swordsmen who had reached the profound realm of "using grass and wood as swords."

Those masters didn't need to wield weapons; even with their bare hands, they could cut through steel with a simple upward swing of their palm. That level of mastery seems to be called "Free and Unfettered Sword Mind."

Whether Zuo Chang's "innate swordsmanship" or "free swordsmanship" is superior remains to be verified.

The only thing that can be confirmed is—

His Highness could not stop it.

Startled, His Highness drew his sword with a backhand motion and slashed diagonally, hastily trying to block Zuo Chang's attack.

The gleaming blade did not frighten Zuo Chang; in fact, it surprised him.

"This reaction... feels inferior to... inferior to Yoshijiro or Ban-nii."

Zuo Chang thought about it carefully, and realized that he didn't have anyone under his command that weak.

After much thought, only Kijiro Asuka, a retainer of the Asuka clan, or Ban, a member of the Fukotsu troupe, could possess such a weak and powerless sword.

The unparalleled sword intent swept across, striking the weak point of the longsword.

His Highness flicked his wrist and felt a powerful force strike him, as if a boulder had rolled down and hit the sword. The sword, which he had hastily swung, slipped from his hand, flew through the air, and landed on the ground.

The next instant, my vision was filled with a dark shadow.

That was a fist aimed right in front of him!

"Ugh?!"

With a crisp snap, Zuo Chang easily broke the prince's nose.

His Highness is quite a tough guy.