Chapter 38: The Royal Court Acts, an Alliance of Eight Nations?

Lin Yin finally gathered his spirits and began to carefully analyze the offers from the various nations.

It is no exaggeration to say that for any other person, obtaining even one of these documents would be like ancestral graves emitting auspicious smoke.

After finishing his review, Lin Yin could not help but click his tongue in wonder, feeling somewhat awed by the sheer scale of the nations' generosity. To say nothing else, the annual funding provided for cultivation and living expenses was staggering; even the lowest offer, from the Dali Kingdom, stood at 50 million!

Of course, the most extravagant of them all were the Qingtian Academy of the Great Qi and the Fengtian Academy of the Great Yan.

In terms of liquid funds alone:
The Great Qi’s Qingtian Academy offered 330 million annually.
The Great Yan’s Fengtian Academy offered 520 million annually.

As for cultivation resources, the Great Yan’s Fengtian Academy even promised to dedicate an entire teaching building exclusively to Lin Yin, launch a specialized professor team, and utilize thirty percent of the entire academy’s cultivation resources for him every year. Upon graduating after two years, he would be directly appointed as the Left Military Governor of the Great Yan—a position second only to one, wielding power over tens of thousands.

Each of these terms essentially treated Lin Yin as the future of the Great Yan itself.

To be honest, even Elder Jiang felt his eyelids twitch when he saw the Great Yan’s conditions. The King of Yan was clearly betting everything on this, putting his own foundation on the line.

"Honestly, if you truly have to choose among the eight human nations, my recommendation is the Great Yan’s Fengtian," Elder Jiang said, analyzing the geography and social climate of the Great Yan for Lin Yin. "That place is far removed from all other human nations; there is even a massive no-man's-land between it and the nearest nation, the Great Han. Nominally, it follows the command of the Royal Court, but in reality, calling it a breakaway state would not be an overstatement. Moreover, you have seen the attitude and sincerity of the King of Yan—he is essentially using half of the Great Yan’s heritage to cultivate you."

"Next is the Qingtian Academy. It is the strongest academy outside of Jixia, but how should I put it? The people of Qingtian have always had a streak of pride and iron-willed stubbornness. Even if your martial talent is peerless, you would likely find no peace there. There would be people wanting to challenge you every single moment, which would be quite exhausting."

As he spoke, Elder Jiang’s phone suddenly rang. After answering, his expression gradually turned grim.

"Latest news: The Royal Court has made its move!" Xia Changsheng said gravely from the other end. "The Royal Court demands that Lin Yin report to Jixia immediately, or they will arrest him for the crime of treason against the race!"

Treason against the race!?

Elder Jiang glanced at Lin Yin, waved his hand to signal that everything was fine, and stepped outside. The night breeze was gentle, yet it sent a piercing chill through Elder Jiang’s heart. He had anticipated that the Royal Court would act, but he had not expected them to be so extreme.

"Do not tell Lin Yin the second half of this message."

"The three bells of the Royal Court have rung. The ancient clans have stepped forward, bringing the words of the Human King."

"Either Lin Yin enters Jixia and, upon graduation, enters the Royal Court to be directly under the command of the Royal Court and the Human King."

"Or, the Royal Court will take action to stifle this unstable powder keg."

"The reason they gave is that Lin Yin’s potential is too great, and he has the potential to disrupt the current status quo of humanity."

Xia Changsheng’s voice was profoundly heavy. Elder Jiang took a deep breath, forcing the cold rage down into his gut. He was exerting every ounce of his willpower to suppress the urge to curse the Royal Court.

"Who else knows about this?"

"The imperial families of the eight human nations and all the major royal-level academies have received the notice."

Elder Jiang looked at his phone notifications. Indeed, the King of the Great Han and others had already sent urgent messages, all anxiously asking how to handle the situation. It was clear that they, too, did not want Lin Yin to fall into the clutches of Jixia. On one hand, they were reluctant to let him go, wanting to keep him for themselves; on the other, they felt the Royal Court’s attitude was far too extreme and uncompromising. It left Lin Yin no second path, and it gave the royal families of the various nations no room to choose.

*Beep! Beep! Beep!*

The King of the Great Han initiated a video conference, inviting the royal families of all nations, the royal-level academies, and Elder Jiang. Soon, the monarchs who had not appeared before all surfaced on the screen.

King Ying Zhen of the Great Qin looked gloomy. "Everyone, this is the Royal Court pressuring all human nations."

The King of the Great Zhou nodded. "In fact, although the Royal Court has been continuously absorbing the elite blood of humanity over the past few decades, the combined strength of the eight nations has been steadily increasing. Perhaps the Royal Court has already begun to grow suspicious of the eight nations."

The King of the Great Zhou was indeed a master of politics; in an instant, he had guessed the true intent of the Royal Court. Ultimately, it wasn't so much about the fear of Lin Yin disrupting the status quo; it was a lack of trust in the eight human nations. They feared that the eight nations, holding such immense power, would succumb to the law of the jungle and eventually threaten the Royal Court itself.

"If that is the case, should we yield?" The King of the Great Yan pondered for a moment, then slowly looked up, his eyes resolute. "No. My thirteen provinces of the Great Yan refuse."

The Great Yan had already prepared itself to exhaust half its national resources; how could they be willing to retreat just because of a single word from the Royal Court?

The King of the Great Wu sighed helplessly. "My Great Wu only has one King-level expert, the Northern-Defending King, Xiao Chen. But the Royal Court—who knows how many King-level experts they possess? If we don't yield, what happens when you wake up in the middle of the night to find a group of King-level experts standing by your bed?"

At this, the eight monarchs fell into a heavy, resentful silence. Yet, could they truly stand against the Royal Court? Putting aside the fact that the eight nations originated from the Royal Court’s enfeoffment and their ancestors were buried within the Royal Court’s territory, in terms of pure strength, no matter how strong the eight nations became, the Royal Court could suppress them in a single day.

Ultimately, the eight nations were but the sons appointed by the Royal Court. An arm cannot twist a thigh. A son cannot defy his father. The eight monarchs understood this principle well.

But deep down, this belief was being shaken. The root of this tremor was the memory of that youth yesterday who, before the eyes of the world, cut his flesh to repay his father and his bones to repay his mother—a scene that remained vivid in their minds.

The King of the Great Yan’s eyes glazed over for a moment before he suddenly regained his clarity. As if making a momentous decision, he stood up, slammed the table, and said in a deep voice, "If you are all afraid, then hide! The Kirin of humanity cannot remain in a nation without spirit. This blade from the Royal Court—I, Zhang Haihan, will take the blow! In any case, the Great Yan has always been treated like a stepchild. The fact that we have reached this point has nothing to do with that Royal Court—just like Lin Yin and the Lin family!!"

With that, the King of the Great Yan exited the video conference.

The remaining seven monarchs looked at one another, each lost in thought.

"Then... let us wait and see."

"Yes, very well. I only hope the King of Yan survives this."

"For the first time in eighty years, the King of Yan has shown true grit."

"Everyone, the meeting of us eight today must never reach the ears of the Royal Court!!"

"Rest assured. I have long found the Royal Court an eyesore; they send anyone they please to point fingers in my Great Han!!"

"Then, we wait and see!!"

The monarchs exited the video conference one after another. In the end, before Xia Changsheng logged off, he gave a regretful smile toward Elder Jiang, who had remained silent the entire time.

"Elder Jiang, don't worry too much. The sun always shines after the storm. Watch us."

With that, Xia Changsheng exited the conference.

That final sentence, "Watch us," sounded more like a vow before charging into battle.

Elder Jiang silently put away his phone and gazed toward the direction of the Royal Court. The night wind was cold, and he remained motionless for a long time, but his eyes were as deep and dark as two black holes.