The Zhou Empire didn't expect a response so quickly. In their mind, the Lu Empire would spend weeks debating in court, sending diplomatic letters, and trying to find a cure.

  They didn't expect the "Silent Sovereign" to move within the hour.

  In the Zhou capital, the markets suddenly crashed. Merchants from the Starfall Continent—all of them secretly on Lingshu’s payroll—simultaneously pulled their investments. The price of Spirit Grain tripled in minutes.

  In the shadows of the Zhou Palace, the Blackthorn Sect assassins found themselves being hunted by something they couldn't see. Chenyi’s hidden "Information Dao" experts had leaked their locations to the Qin Empire battle-maniacs, who were more than happy to "practice" on live targets.

  I sat in my nursery, but I wasn't playing with my rubber duck. I was sitting cross-legged, my consciousness expanded across the space of the continent.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  "Chenfeng," I said, my voice appearing directly in the Qin prince's mind.

  "Lu Xian?! How are you doing that?!" Chenfeng yelled, looking around his training cell.

  "You wanted to know the secret of my power?" I asked. "It’s simple. I don't like to work. And the Zhou are making me work very, very hard right now. Do you want to help me finish this early?"

  "Just tell me who to hit!" Chenfeng laughed, his wind-aura reaching new heights.

  "Go to the Northern border. There is a supply line of Zhou 'Tribute' moving toward the Tian Empire. Burn it. Make it look like a bandit attack. If the Zhou fail their tribute to the Tian... they’ll have more to worry about than us."

  I opened my eyes. My mother, Hu Wan, was watching me from the door. She didn't look scared. She looked at her son, the five-year-old who was currently dismantling an empire from his bedroom, and she smiled.

  "You look just like your father when he’s grumpy, Xian-er," she said, bringing me a fresh juice box.

  "I'm not grumpy, Mother," I said, taking a sip. "I'm just 'optimizing' the neighborhood."

  Far away, in the Tian Empire, the Crown Prince Tian Xuanye looked at a report of the Zhou economic collapse. He looked toward the Lu Empire and narrowed his eyes.

  "The shark has finally bitten," he whispered. "Let’s see if he can swallow the whole ocean."