Joy of Life: Me, the Second Prince? Summon Yuan Tiangang!

On the silk was the most crucial intelligence that Yuan Tiangang had gathered in this unknown world over the course of a month.

"...The spiritual energy of this world far surpasses that of our dynasty, martial arts are flourishing, and powerful individuals abound. Its martial arts system is vastly different from our dynasty's, not only possessing internal energy and true qi, but also numerous incredible esoteric arts, mechanical secrets, and even what appear to be witchcraft and sorcery..."

"...The world was originally dominated by seven warring states, which were in constant conflict. However, in recent years, a powerful state called 'Qin' has emerged. Its ruler is a man of great talent and ambition, and he commands a million iron cavalry. It is poised to sweep across the world and conquer all under heaven..."

"...In the martial world, the forces are intricate and complex, known as the 'Hundred Schools of Thought.' Among them, the 'Mohist School' is unparalleled in its mechanical arts, its mechanical city hidden deep in the mountains, indestructible; there is also the 'Yin-Yang School,' acting mysteriously, proficient in astrology, divination, and the arts of the Five Elements and Yin-Yang, unfathomable; that world also has the assassination organization 'The Net,' which recruits swordsmen from all over the world, each named after a famous sword, its strength extremely terrifying,"

"...This world is renowned for its many famous swords, and a sword manual has been passed down through generations..."

Looking at these familiar words—Qin State, Hundred Schools of Thought, Mohist Mechanisms, Yin-Yang School, Quicksand, Net, Abyss Rainbow Sword…

Li Chengze slammed the silk in his hand heavily onto the imperial desk, tilted his head back, and let out a low, hearty laugh.

"I see... I see!"

"The Seven Kingdoms, the Hundred Schools of Thought, the Net... the world behind this portal is actually the world of Qin's Moon!"

A burning ambition blazed in Li Chengze's eyes.

Qin's Moon! It's a world of high martial arts with extremely high power levels and full of fantasy! Swordsmen there can cut through rivers with a single sword, mechanical beasts there can rival thousands of troops, and Yin-Yang spells there are impossible to defend against.

In comparison, the Grandmasters in the Joy of Life world are at most at the level of sect leader, and may not even be among the top.

"Interesting, very interesting!" Li Chengze paced back and forth in the imperial study, his mind racing.

He knew this was a tremendous challenge, but also an unprecedented opportunity. If he could conquer that world and acquire all the martial arts of the Hundred Schools of Thought, the mechanical arts of the Mohist and Gongshu families, and the secret techniques of the Yin-Yang School, his Great Qing Empire would undoubtedly experience a qualitative leap forward!

"However..." Li Chengze stopped and looked at the intelligence report again, raising his eyebrows slightly.

"The timeline is the most crucial issue. The world of Qin's Moon spans a vast area, and the situation and the strength of various forces are completely different at different points in time. Although Yuan Tiangang has learned about the general trend, he is, after all, a newcomer and cannot delve into the most core secrets."

Li Chengze turned his head, his gaze fixed intently on the interdimensional portal that was still slowly rotating.

"It seems that relying solely on the Bad Guys is not enough to truly understand the ins and outs of that world and formulate a perfect conquest plan."

"I must personally experience the world of Qin's Moon!"

Inside the imperial study, wisps of ambergris smoke rose.

Li Chengze sat upright on the large dragon throne, looking down at Zhuge Liang who was writing and reviewing memorials with great effort, a look of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.

These 100,000 reputation points were absolutely worth it. Zhuge Liang not only maxed out his domestic affairs skills, but he was also truly "devoted to the utmost," like a tireless government machine, managing the originally incredibly complex affairs of the Daqing Kingdom in an orderly manner.

"Kongming," Li Chengze called softly.

Zhuge Liang immediately put down his cinnabar-inked imperial brush, respectfully rose, and bowed deeply to the ground: "Your Majesty, what are your orders?"

Li Chengze stood up, slowly walked down the imperial steps, and came to Zhuge Liang. He said solemnly, "I have made up my mind. I will set off immediately to personally explore the world behind that door."

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Liang frowned slightly, a hint of worry flashing in his eyes: "Your Majesty, a son of a noble family should not sit under a dangerous roof. The situation in that world is still unclear. Although the Commander of the Bad Guys has gone ahead to scout, Your Majesty, as the Emperor, personally taking such a risk is, in my opinion... somewhat inappropriate. Perhaps we should wait for the Commander of the Bad Guys to send back more detailed intelligence, or send a large army to clear the way first?"

Li Chengze waved his hand, interrupting Zhuge Liang, a confident smile playing on his lips: "Kongming, you are reliable in your work, and I trust you completely. But there are some things I must see for myself. The waters of that world are very deep, and relying solely on Yuan Tiangang and the others, I'm afraid it will be difficult to see the whole picture. Besides, I'm getting a bit stifled staying in this deep palace, so I'll consider this a private visit to clear my head."

He patted Zhuge Liang on the shoulder and said earnestly, "During my absence, the affairs of the Great Qing dynasty are entirely entrusted to you. If there are any unresolved matters in the court, you may make the decision with your word. If any fools dare to take advantage of the situation to cause trouble, whether they are imperial relatives or high-ranking officials, you may execute them first and report later!"

As he spoke, Li Chengze took a purple-gold dragon plaque, representing the highest imperial power in Daqing, from his waist and handed it to Zhuge Liang.

Zhuge Liang accepted the dragon plaque with both hands, feeling its heavy weight. Knowing that His Majesty's mind was made up, he did not try to dissuade him further. He bowed deeply again, his voice firm as iron: "Your subject will certainly do everything in his power to protect this great Qing land for Your Majesty. As long as Your Majesty lives, the country lives! We await Your Majesty's triumphant return!"

Zhuge Liang accepted the dragon plaque with both hands, feeling its heavy weight. Knowing that His Majesty's mind was made up, he did not try to dissuade him further. He bowed deeply again, his voice firm as iron: "Your subject will certainly do everything in his power to protect this great Qing land for Your Majesty. As long as Your Majesty lives, the country lives! We await Your Majesty's triumphant return!"

"good!"

Li Chengze laughed loudly, turned around and strode towards the interdimensional portal in the center of the imperial study that emitted a dark blue light.

He brought no attendants, but changed into a seemingly ordinary moon-white brocade robe woven from silkworm silk mixed with gold thread, with a seemingly inconspicuous longsword hanging at his waist.

Standing before the vortex of stars, Li Chengze took a deep breath and stepped into it without hesitation.

"Buzz—"

With a slight spatial tremor, Li Chengze's figure was instantly swallowed up by the portal.

……

After a strong feeling of weightlessness, the scene before Li Chengze suddenly became clear.

There was no dizzying sensation as he had imagined, nor did he encounter any spatial turbulence. When he stepped back onto solid ground, he found himself in a dense and ancient forest.

The towering trees blocked out the sun, and sunlight could only filter through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the moss-covered ground.

The air was filled with the fragrance of soil and the fresh scent of grass and trees. Taking a deep breath, Li Chengze could clearly feel that the energy contained in the air of this world, perhaps the so-called "spiritual energy of heaven and earth," was much richer than that in the world of Joy of Life.

"Is this the world of Qin's Moon?"

Li Chengze looked around. Apart from the rustling of leaves in the wind and the occasional bird chirping, the surroundings were completely silent.

He didn't see any marks left by Yuan Tiangang; clearly, the portal had randomly teleported him to some corner of this world.

"Since we're here, let's make the best of it."

Li Chengze remained calm. With his strength, he was more than capable of protecting himself, unless he encountered the absolute elite of the world.

He determined the direction and followed a faintly visible dirt path through the woods, walking slowly forward.

After walking for about an hour, the woods ahead gradually thinned out, and the sounds of voices and horses could be faintly heard.

Li Chengze quickened his pace, walked out of the woods, and found a wide official road ahead.

Beside the official road, there was a simple thatched tavern in the wild. A few merchants and wandering travelers were sitting around a few dilapidated wooden tables, taking a break.

Li Chengze was about to go over to ask for a bowl of water and inquire about the area when he heard a quarrel coming from in front of the tavern.