A journey through immortal realms begins with a phantom tale.

In truth, Tongfu Inn is ultimately just a mortal force, and even though there are some cultivators among them, their cultivation levels are not particularly high.

Therefore, Luo Cheng could not obtain more accurate information from here.

Since they couldn't obtain more detailed information, they had no choice but to proceed as planned. This also gave him a chance to explore Hongwu Star.

"How do we play this game?"

After a moment's thought, Luo Cheng said to the waiter beside him, "I'd like to ask you to help me spread some news. Name your price."

"That depends on what message you want to spread, sir."

There's a fine way to spread information; Tongfu Inn wouldn't dare take on news that might offend people.

Luo Cheng said, "Just tell everyone that I am Lin Mengdie's brother."

"Sir, we dare not do that!"

Who would dare claim to be Lin Mengdie's brother? Who is Lin Mengdie? She is a forbidden being, capable of slaying Mahayana cultivators and even demons from the upper realms. They dare not offend such a person.

"I really am Lin Mengdie's brother."

The waiter looked bitter. "Sir, please don't make things difficult for us. I'm just trying to make a living."

"Didn't you claim that there's no information you can't find out, and no thing you wouldn't dare to do?"

"Sir, that...that was just a 'GG' word."

"Boring!"

Judging from the situation, Tongfu Inn really didn't dare to spread the news that he was Lin Mengdie's brother.

So Luo Cheng changed the subject: "By the way, I heard that the old emperor of the Ming Dynasty is dying, and his dozen or so sons are vying for the throne, a contest known as the 'Nine Princes' Succession Struggle.' I'd like to get involved too. Can you give me the information on each prince, and I'll see which one I should support?"

"Hmm!"

The host felt a pang of bitterness; the person in front of him was asking some truly deadly questions.

However, compared to taboo figures like Lin Mengdie, matters concerning the royal family are worth discussing.

The highest cultivation level among this generation of royalty is only at the Nascent Soul stage, far from the strength they possessed in their prime. Of course, whether the royal family is hiding their strength or not, Tongfu Inn cannot find out. Besides, the person in front of them only wants information about the prince, which isn't too difficult to obtain.

"Please wait a moment, guest!"

Just now, Luo Cheng had already taken out a top-grade spiritual artifact, which demonstrated both his wealth and his ability—being able to hold a top-grade spiritual artifact without being robbed showed that Luo Cheng was powerful enough. Therefore, the host did not ask Luo Cheng to pay first.

Soon, the host brought out a jade slip and said, "This contains information on all those capable of vying for the throne, including the current emperor's sons and the emperor's uncles who are also capable of participating."

Luo Cheng was somewhat surprised: "I didn't expect even the Imperial Uncle to get involved?"

"According to ancestral rules, only princes have the right to compete; imperial uncles are not allowed to participate. However, there are always exceptions."

Luo Cheng expressed his understanding. As far as he knew, several of his imperial uncles were not only powerful, but also governed their fiefdoms very well.

Luo Cheng took out a bag of spirit stones and placed it on the table, asking, "Do you think this is enough?"

The waiter checked the items and smiled, "That's enough!"

With Luo Cheng's spiritual strength, he could easily calculate a suitable price, ensuring that he wouldn't lose out while allowing Tongfu Inn to make a small profit.

Luo Cheng picked up the jade slip and left Tongfu Inn.

A middle-aged woman walked up to the waiter, who wiped the sweat from his brow and sighed, "Finally, they're gone!"

"Based on your assessment, what is his approximate cultivation level?"

"At least it's a distraction phase."

"How credible is it that he claims to be Senior Lin's older brother?"

"Judging from his appearance, he must be from another planet, so there might be some truth to that."

"You did the right thing. Senior Lin has a rather eccentric temper, so it's best not to offend her."

Luo Cheng paid no attention to the matter of Tongfu Inn, nor did he care to.

He held the jade slip and used his divine sense to read its contents. It must be said that the information inside was extremely comprehensive, covering the personality traits, power distribution, and financial situation of each competitor, among other things.

"King Qi?"

Luo Cheng's attention fell on one person. This Prince Qi was extremely low-key, usually assisting the emperor in handling state affairs within the cabinet, and on the surface, he seemed to be indifferent to worldly affairs.

Luo Cheng thought to himself, "Isn't this template just like Guo Jingming's?"

In that classic struggle for the throne among the nine princes, the fourth prince was the most low-key, never vying for power, yet he ultimately succeeded in ascending to the top. According to information provided by Tongfu Inn, this Prince Qi was a steady and capable individual.

Luo Cheng decided to go and meet this King Qi first.

When Luo Cheng arrived at the gate of the Qi King's mansion, the Qi King happened to be returning home.

King Qi was accompanied by only one guard, but Luo Cheng could tell that this guard was quite strong, actually possessing the cultivation level of the Nascent Soul stage.

On Hongwu Star, those in the Nascent Soul stage are considered top experts, those in the Out-of-Body stage are called grandmasters, while those in the Divine Division and Body Integration stages are usually sect elders who generally do not take action and are even less likely to serve in mortal dynasties.

"King Qi!" Luo Cheng called out.

King Qi had already noticed Luo Cheng, but Luo Cheng looked unremarkable and had no true energy fluctuations.

The King of Qi asked calmly, "What business do you have with me?"

As it stands, King Qi treats everyone equally, even ordinary people. Because of this, he enjoys a good reputation among the people. This magnanimity has left a positive impression on Luo Cheng.

Luo Cheng said, "I'm a guest too, won't you invite me in for a seat?"

The guard stepped forward and said, "King Qi is extremely busy and has no time to entertain you."

"Hmm?" King Qi stepped forward and said politely, "Sir, please!"

The King of Qi was wary, thinking to himself, "The more ordinary something is, the more extraordinary it seems."

You must understand that as the King of Qi, when ordinary people saw him, even if they appeared calm on the surface, they would still feel a special kind of emotional fluctuation in their hearts—that was awe of power.

But the young man before him was truly calm. For a moment, the King of Qi felt a sense of déjà vu, as if facing his own father—no, even his father, the Emperor, wouldn't have this feeling of looking down upon him from such a high place.

This feeling is quite mysterious.

Luo Cheng is a cultivator of gods, yet he possesses an ordinary heart, and he tries his best to maintain this ordinary heart, which is beneficial to his cultivation.

However, he was, after all, a cultivator of divine power, possessing extraordinary cultivation, and the lord of the original realm. All these advantages naturally fostered in him a superior mentality, a mentality that emanated from within.

Since the King of Qi had spoken, the guards said no more.

Led by the King of Qi, Luo Cheng entered the palace. The palace was simply furnished, with only two trees, a few stone stools, and a stone table in the courtyard.

Luo Cheng and King Qi entered the living room, where a woman came to greet them.

"Your Highness!"

The King of Qi introduced her, saying, "This is my wife."

The principal wife was of average appearance, neither beautiful nor ugly.

Princess Qi bowed to Luo Cheng, personally poured him tea, and then brought him fruit.

"Please have a seat, sir!"

Luo Cheng sat down casually, while King Qi sat opposite him, the two facing each other like friends.

Seeing the King of Qi's attitude, the guard glanced at Luo Cheng again, but still couldn't see anything special about him.

Luo Cheng neither drank the tea nor touched the fruit, but simply said, "Your Highness, I have seen what I needed to see. However, there are still some things missing."

King Qi felt as if he had lost something very important, but he remained calm.

"What Father Emperor is obligated to give, he will naturally give; what Father Emperor is unwilling to give, he cannot forcibly take away."

"Then, from now on you can settle down and be a prince, managing your fiefdom well."

As Luo Cheng stood up, the King of Qi called out to him, "Sir, could you give me a chance?"

"You have ability and shrewdness, but you lack some insight."

If anyone else had said he was ignorant, he would have been furious long ago. At this moment, Princess Qi and her guards were barely suppressing their anger—in their eyes, the prince was the most outstanding and the most likely to reach the top, and this person dared to be so bold as to say the prince was ignorant!

The King of Qi lowered his head and said sincerely, "Sir, could you please enlighten me and help me broaden my horizons?"

"Your character is still lacking."

Princess Qi was somewhat angry, but remained silent. She thought to herself, "Who doesn't know that my prince has an exceptionally kind heart and treats ordinary people equally?"

After Luo Cheng finished speaking, he turned and left.

As Luo Cheng walked out of the palace, Princess Qi finally couldn't help but say, "Your Highness, this person... has gone too far."

"Your Highness, you must not be rude."

"Does this person have some kind of background?"

"Hmm!" King Qi nodded slightly and said, "If my judgment is correct, he is at least at the Nascent Soul stage."

"Distraction period?"

The princess and her guards were both taken aback. On Hongwu Star, a cultivator at the Nascent Soul stage was qualified to become an elder of a major cultivation sect.

The princess said, "There are also Nascent Soul stage cultivators in the royal family. There's no need to be so humble towards him."

"Alright, let's not talk about him anymore."

At this moment, King Qi still felt somewhat disappointed. He firmly believed he hadn't misjudged the man—the man's aura had been even stronger than his father's. King Qi secretly regretted his actions, yet also felt a pang of curiosity: 'Whom will this man ultimately support?'

After leaving the palace, Luo Cheng received a message from Lin Chen. He used his divine sense to locate Lin Chen and then teleported there.

"Chenchen!"

"Brother Cheng, you're here." Lin Chen was very happy. "Let me introduce you, this is Princess Seventeen."

"Little Seventeen greets the Immortal."

"No need for such formalities."

Luo Cheng sized up the seventeenth princess. She was about sixteen years old, with delicate features, large, bright eyes, and a curious expression about everything.

"Brother Cheng, I ran into Princess Seventeen while I was shopping, and we became good friends."

"Um!"

Seeing Lin Chen's gaze, Luo Cheng understood and said, "What? You want to support the Seventeenth Princess to ascend the throne?"

"Is that not allowed?"

"No, no." The seventeenth princess hurriedly waved her hands, feeling flustered. She had never thought about that position, nor dared to think about it.

Lin Chen laughed and said, "Little Seventeen, you really don't want to sit in that seat?"

"I don't want to!" The seventeenth princess knew her own situation well. She knew she didn't have that ability and just wanted to be a happy little princess.

"All right!"

Since they are unwilling, we cannot force them.

Lin Chen then asked, "Little Seventeen, which prince do you think is most suitable for that position?"

"I don't know."

"Which prince are you closest to?"

"Ninth Brother is usually the best to me."

"The Ninth Prince?" Luo Cheng relayed the Ninth Prince's information to Lin Chen. After understanding it, Lin Chen's heart sank—she hadn't expected the Ninth Prince to be two-faced.

Lin Chen transmitted his thoughts telepathically, saying, "Brother Cheng, this Ninth Prince is the same kind of person as Yang Guang."

"Not bad." Luo Cheng replied with his divine sense as well. "Such a person may have some talent, but that's all."

Lin Chen asked, "Brother Cheng, do you have someone in mind?"