My Swordsmanship Has No Upper Limit

Chapter 341: Chapter 12: Opening the Great Dream of Thousand Years: I See All Beings, All Beings See Me

This was something Zhong Ming had to tell Prince Qinghe.

The formation of the New Army was too momentous, involving far too much power and authority. As someone who had just reached Foundation Establishment, he would be torn to shreds if he got involved rashly, no matter how exceptional his Talent was.

That was why he had to push Prince Qinghe, this Prince of the Royal Family, out in front to act as a figurehead.

On the other end, upon hearing Zhong Ming’s inquiry, Prince Qinghe answered with barely a moment’s hesitation. "Of course, we continue recruiting! Even if the Silver Moon Royal Mansion or the Celestial Sea Royal Mansion comes knocking, don’t you back down. In these chaotic times, status isn’t something you beg for; it’s something you earn with your own two fists!"

Zhong Ming agreed. Without sufficient combat strength, who would take you seriously? Conversely, as long as you were strong enough to prove your strategic worth, even your enemies would be forced to see you in a different light.

And Zhong Ming, knowing this full well, had asked anyway. The entire point was to have Prince Qinghe bear the brunt of it all.

...

While Zhong Ming and Prince Qinghe had come to a decision, Ji Qingyue, who stood to the side, frowned and voiced the worries in her heart.

"Father, is it really wise for us to fight the other two great Royal Mansions to the bitter end?"

"It matters not." Prince Qinghe waved his hand, a shrewd, calculating glint flashing in his eyes. "This is the beauty of having you all go to Immortal Martial City ahead of me. As long as I do not show my face, everything you do is merely a squabble between juniors of the Royal Family. It’s of no great consequence, and everything leaves room for mediation."

This was an unwritten rule of engagement among Major Sects and other great powers. When they intended to either form ties or compete, they would first dispatch disciples and younger clan members to test the waters. They would spar, feeling out each other’s depths and hidden cards. Only after both sides had reached a preliminary understanding, or a clear hierarchy had been established, would the major figures—the Sect Leaders and Patriarchs—personally appear to finalize the terms of an alliance.

This approach preserved everyone’s dignity and left both sides an out, preventing a simple disagreement from escalating into a fight to the death.

For this very reason, neither the Celestial Sea King nor the Silver Moon King had personally gone to Immortal Martial City. They had only dispatched juniors like Ji Hao and Shen Wanshang to oversee matters.

Lacking absolute confidence in the outcome, the two of them planned to have their subordinates clash first to test each other’s strength. Only when everything was clear would they themselves step onto the stage.

"I understand, Prince. I will recruit more people, bolster the reputation of our Prince Qinghe’s Mansion, and build up enough strategic worth!"

"Excellent! I will entrust this matter entirely to you." Prince Qinghe’s eyes were filled with gratification as he made a solemn promise. "Once I sit in the Vice Military Commander’s seat, I will devote the full power of the Royal Mansion to find high-quality Wind Fiend Qi for you!"

...

After their detailed discussion, Zhong Ming formed a hand seal and deactivated the Communication Spiritual Artifact.

Afterward, everyone gathered in the estate’s meeting hall to discuss the next step of their plan: how to recruit more people in a short time, expand the influence of Prince Qinghe’s Mansion, and thus secure a slice of the pie—and more Cultivation Resources—once the New Army’s formation was complete.

However, after discussing the matter with Luo Zhiwei, Chu Hanzhen, and the others, Zhong Ming was frustrated to realize that this was a difficult problem. And the root of the problem, it turned out, was him.

To conceal his heaven-defying Talent, Zhong Ming had followed a piece of advice and attributed the Thunder Tribulation to Luo Zhiwei. He had also spread the word that the reason people like Xiyue and Luo Zhiwei supported him was because they had all "fallen in love at first sight."

The ploy had indeed worked. Not a single person in the outside world suspected that Zhong Ming had been the one to attract the Thunder Tribulation. But another problem immediately cropped up: in the eyes of Immortal Martial City’s various powers, Zhong Ming—and by extension, Prince Qinghe’s faction—wasn’t particularly strong, merely devastatingly handsome.

Because of this, the younger generation in Immortal Martial City regarded Zhong Ming with a mixture of envy, jealousy, and spite, not the awe and admiration reserved for a powerful prodigy.

A man with such a reputation had little power to rally others to his cause. Instead, the major aristocratic families had all become extremely wary of him.

To make matters worse, many of these families repeatedly warned their female relatives, strictly forbidding them from any contact with Zhong Ming. They were terrified that their own precious daughters would be bewitched by this "womanizer."

"..."

Zhong Ming was left speechless after Chu Hanzhen told him what people outside were saying about him.

’So after all that maneuvering... I’ve become a pervert?’

Shaking his head, speechless, Zhong Ming quickly decided not to dwell on it. In fact, he had already thought of a solution to their recruitment problem.

"We can use the array that drew the Thunder Tribulation as a lure to attract others to join."

As soon as he said this, Luo Zhiwei’s brow furrowed deeply. A moment later, she stated bluntly, "You should be well aware that *you* were the one who actually attracted that Thunder Tribulation. While I am an expert in arrays, I have not mastered some heaven-defying array that would make Cultivators flock to us and feel they had no choice but to pledge their allegiance."

"Mm, I know." Zhong Ming nodded and said calmly, "I have an ability called Great Dream of Thousand Years. This art can construct a vast, illusory dreamscape. Once others enter this dreamscape, they can engage in Dao Discussions, test out Magic Techniques, and I can even temporarily elevate their cultivation rank, turning them into ’false’ experts."

Looking up at the others, Zhong Ming smiled faintly. "That ability should be enough to attract people, wouldn’t you say?"

"Attractive? It’s far more than that!" After hearing Zhong Ming’s description of Great Dream of Thousand Years, a brilliant light erupted in Luo Zhiwei’s eyes. "Even I want to experience an ability like that for myself."

This was no empty boast or simple flattery. As an Array Master, she knew that creating an array was a tedious process that consumed a vast amount of resources every single time.