How can you rule the world if I'm just a substitute for you?

Before long, Emperor Qian spoke calmly, announcing the end of today's pre-show martial arts demonstration.

The crowd dispersed.

Officials, members of the imperial family, and soldiers from various units left the scene one after another, their voices barely audible, yet every word revolved around the dramatic changes that had taken place on the stage that day.

Everyone understood two things.

The crown prince is no longer the ignorant heir apparent; he possesses a hidden knack for killing.

The Prince Su's mansion has lost all face today. The legitimate son has been defeated by the abandoned son, and the prince has been defeated by the crown prince. Its reputation has plummeted.

The crowd dispersed, but Prince Su stood there for a long time.

Half of his face was red, swollen, and bruised, and the bloodstains at the corner of his mouth made his face look gloomy and terrifying, completely shattering his princely dignity.

He saw clearly that Emperor Qian had publicly favored Lin Xuan and deliberately suppressed all the blame.

His Majesty knew perfectly well that the Crown Prince was using the martial arts competition to vent his personal grievances and retaliate against him for forcing Li Wanhe to his death.

But His Majesty deliberately did not punish them; instead, he protected them at every turn.

this means.

In the emperor's heart, the Prince Su's mansion no longer held the same weight as the Crown Prince's.

Prince Su clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles turning white, his heart filled with boundless hatred.

Lin Xuan, Lin Mo...

He wrote down all the humiliations he had suffered that day.

Prince Su gave Lin Xuan a final, cold glance, then, carrying the wounded Lin Xian, stormed off in anger.

the other side.

Lin Mo stood quietly to the side, remaining silent throughout.

Today, he personally crushed Lin Xian and publicly shattered the pride of the Prince Su's mansion.

But he felt no joy, only a heavy, icy chill.

What good is winning a match?

Wanhe will not come back.

His eyes held a deeper hatred, and his restraint grew even stronger as he stood silently behind Lin Xuan.

Shen Hu, Meng Yuanbao, Zhang Shitou, and several others stood guard to the side, their expressions solemn.

Today's battle has solidified the Crown Prince's authority.

Lin Xuan stood in the empty hunting ground, watching the departing figure of Prince Su in the distance, and then looked up at Emperor Qian, who was slowly rising from the high platform.

Lin Xuan understood everything completely.

The emperor's favoritism is feigned; his true intention is to weigh the pros and cons.

Only authority can determine life and death.

Only strength can determine one's fate.

Ten days later, the six kingdoms held a hunt, and heroes from all the kingdoms gathered.

That was the first step he took on the path to seizing power and intimidating the world.

With only three days left until the grand hunt of the six kingdoms, delegations from Wei, Nanman, Beidi, Xishu, and Yan all arrived in the capital.

Emperor Qian issued an imperial edict that a banquet would be held in the palace tonight to entertain the envoys from the five countries.

At this moment, in the training ground on the outskirts of the city, Lin Xuan stood with his hands behind his back on a high platform, with ninety-two elites who had been selected and were going to participate in the hunt standing in neat rows in front of him.

The ratio was carefully determined by him: 30% were veterans of the battlefield, and the rest were strong and healthy young recruits.

The veterans have ample combat experience, but they are getting old and their physical strength can no longer keep up with long-distance mountain and forest raids.

New recruits are physically strong but lack combat experience. The best combination for hunting in the mountains is to have experienced soldiers teach them fighting skills while new recruits make up for their lack of physical strength.

In addition, Lin Xuan selected seven people to form an exclusive special forces team, appointing himself as the captain and Lin Mo as the vice-captain, making a total of eight people in the team, which was named the Shadow Hunters.

Three days earlier, Lin Mo had led six Shadow Hunters to the Qilian Mountains to scout the terrain and gain control of the hunting grounds.

The entire set of tactics for this squad was personally taught by Lin Xuan, drawing upon all the knowledge he had gained as a special forces soldier in his previous life.

Jungle concealment and camouflage, silent close-range ambushes, and stealthy decapitation assassinations—various techniques for tracking and counter-tracking.

Lin Xuan took a step forward, his gaze sweeping over the hundred soldiers below the platform, and spoke loudly, his voice echoing throughout the entire training ground:

"Three days from now, you will all follow me into the Royal Hunting Grounds to compete against the elite forces of five nations and face off against top experts from each country. Are you formidable?"

The soldiers raised their heads in unison, their roars causing the surrounding banners to flutter loudly.

"We swear to follow His Highness the Crown Prince to the death; we have no fear!"

Everyone had already completely won over Lin Xuan. As the crown prince, he never had the slightest air of superiority. He ate and lived with the soldiers on a daily basis, and his meals included meat. His military pay far exceeded that of all the armies in the capital.

Such a considerate and generous leader is hard to find anywhere else in the world.

A cold, sharp glint flashed in Lin Xuan's eyes as he spoke again in a loud voice:

"Alright! In three days, I'll show everyone how we'll make a name for ourselves!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the morale of the soldiers below the stage soared, and everyone gripped their weapons tightly, their hearts filled with fighting spirit.

Lin Xuan turned his head to look at Su Ling Shuang standing beside him and gave the order:

"Tonight, the palace is hosting a banquet, and all the military leaders from various countries are present. As the commander of this elite force, you will accompany me to the banquet."

Su Ling Shuang hesitated for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

She had her own plans. Tonight's banquet was the best opportunity to gather information, observe the words, actions, personalities, and temperaments of the generals leading the five nations up close, and know herself and her enemy so that she could calmly deal with her opponents at the hunting grounds three days later.

As night falls, the Hall of Supreme Harmony is ablaze with lights, and the sounds of traditional string and wind instruments fill the air, along with the aroma of wine.

The leaders of the five nations took their seats, each with their own thoughts.

Emperor Qian made a few simple welcoming remarks before departing, leaving the rest entirely to the young nobles from various states and the imperial family of the Great Qian Dynasty.

Everyone's eyes instinctively turned to the Third Prince, Lin Fu.

In this six-nation encirclement and hunt, the Great Qian Dynasty divided into two teams to participate in the battle. Lin Fu personally led three hundred elite main forces, which were recognized by the court and the public as the main force to compete for the top spot.

In the previous hunting competition, Wei State dominated the competition, and Lin Fu has been holding his breath for a long time. This time, playing on home turf, he is determined to overwhelm Wei State and take back first place.

In contrast, Lin Xuan...

Sitting quietly in the corner, his small team of only a hundred men seemed insignificant compared to the three hundred elite troops from various countries.

The leaders of the five countries didn't really consider him a competitor.

Lin Fu was in high spirits and headed straight for the seat of Wei Heng, the second prince of Wei, with his wine cup in hand.

"Second Prince, your country reached the top in the last competition, and your strength is beyond doubt."

Wei Heng, with an arrogant expression, casually raised his cup: "Just a fluke."

Lin Fu's gaze sharpened slightly, his tone calm yet laced with tension:

"Last time, your brother led the troops; this time, it's your turn. However, times have changed. This is our Great Qian's home ground."

Within the Qilian Mountains, I long to have a fair and square contest with the State of Wei.

Who is strong and who is weak? This hunt will be decided by each side's own abilities.

They spoke politely, but it was clear they wanted to seize the top spot from Wei.

Wei Heng, instead of being angry, laughed, his spirits high:

"Very well, I, the prince, also want to see if the elite troops of the Great Qian Kingdom can truly outmaneuver my Wei Kingdom."

After the two lines of dialogue, the entire room tacitly agreed:

The battle for first place in this competition is a duel between Lin Fu and Wei Heng.

No one paid any attention to Lin Xuan, who was silently sitting in the corner.

Only Su Ling Shuang behind Lin Xuan had a calm and icy gaze as she silently surveyed the entire scene, taking in everyone's thoughts.

A moment later, Murong Jin took the initiative to bring over the cup, his demeanor gentle and modest.

Brother Lin.

"Your Highness is too kind." Lin Xuan stood up and returned the greeting.

The two clinked glasses lightly, the atmosphere peaceful.

Lin Xuan took the initiative to speak, subtly probing the situation:

"Brother Murong, your insight is remarkable. With all six kingdoms gathered at Qilian Mountain, what are your thoughts on this hunting situation?"

Murong Jin chuckled lightly upon hearing this, displaying a very humble and submissive attitude:

"Brother Lin, you're joking."

Our Yan Kingdom only seeks stability this time, proceeding step by step with caution. If we can avoid being at the bottom, we will be content.

These words were insightful and clear-headed, and even somewhat understated.