Practice Ground, You Have Been Protected Too Well

The Emperor is only human, with limited energy—he can't possibly attend to everything. The realm is vast, and there will always be places beyond his reach. That's when he needs eyes...

Whether in the imperial court or the martial world, an emperor needs eyes everywhere. Only then can he truly see the world in all its complexity.

"Your father, the Emperor, has eyes all across the land—that's why he could find you so easily." Sean Xuan can see only the tip of the iceberg, but even that glimpse is enough to show him Prince Nolan's true power.

"Your adoptive father can vanish from sight because behind him stands the Wang Clan's centuries of accumulated resources. Without these people, neither your father nor your adoptive father could live so freely."

"So what Uncle Sean means is, I need to build my own power base?" Little Dumpling caught on immediately.

"That's right," William picked up where Sean left off. "In the royal family, children your age should already be cultivating their own faction. I thought you'd take action on your own, but it turns out you never even considered it."

William shook his head and continued, "You've been comfortable since childhood, with no siblings competing with you. Everything your father and mother have will one day be yours alone. That's a good thing, but it’s made you complacent. When your father was your age, he was already quietly building his own network."

When William was your age, he too began cultivating his own trusted followers.

"Father is really that impressive?" Little Dumpling was startled. He had an emperor for a father, and a world-famous adoptive father—already outstanding among his peers. Yet, his own father had no one to guide him growing up, and was even stronger than him.

"Your father had no choice. His situation back then was extremely difficult, with no parents to protect him. A child without protection has to learn to protect himself. You're much luckier than he was." Little Dumpling has been sheltered too well—Prince Nolan couldn't bear to let him go through what he did, and William felt the same.

But...

One day, they'll grow old. Little Dumpling has to grow up.

"So, Father, Uncle Sean, are you saying you won't care about me anymore?" Little Dumpling's eyes widened, terrified they'd nod and say yes.

"How could we bear that?" Sean Xuan ruffled Little Dumpling's hair. "But you still need proper training. Look at you—just a minor leg injury and you’ve been bedridden for over ten days. When I was your age, I got my stomach sliced open and was still trying to get up and practice the next day."

"But... it was you, Uncle Sean, who wouldn't let me get up!" Little Dumpling complained, thoroughly frustrated.

"Uh... that doesn't count. Starting now, things will be different."

"Uncle Sean, my injury is almost healed." Little Dumpling really wanted to say, with you two spoiling me like this, how am I supposed to toughen up?

"If it's healed, then that's good. If you weren't, I wouldn't have the heart to send you out for training."

Sean Xuan cleared his throat and said seriously, "Little Dumpling, now that you're at Skyvault Palace, you should start getting involved in martial world affairs. Your father controls nearly sixty percent of the jianghu—both the orthodox and underworld forces. If you want to cultivate your own trusted followers, you need a sect outside your father's control. Skyvault Palace fits perfectly. You can use it as your training ground."

Sean Xuan was extremely generous, but Little Dumpling felt the pressure. "Uncle Sean, aren't you worried I'll run Skyvault Palace into the ground?"

"Skyvault Palace is one of the Four Great Xuan-Sect Alliance in the martial world—do you think it's that easy to topple?" Sean Xuan shot Little Dumpling a look. "If you could run Skyvault Palace into the ground, even I’d be impressed."

Martial sects aren’t like the imperial court. When it comes to matters of survival, the elders won’t let the Palace Master act recklessly. Toppling Skyvault Palace is no simple task.

"Rory, your Uncle Sean is absolutely right. You need to start preparing for yourself. Your father has already provided you with plenty of resources. Feng Jin and Zed Bloom, for example, are both talents you can rely on." William reminded Little Dumpling to start building his own team: "The old ministers at court are fiercely loyal to your father and will surely be loyal to you in time. But loyalty doesn’t always mean usefulness. You need to cultivate a group of capable officials for yourself."

"I understand." Little Dumpling put away his playful attitude, his face growing serious. He knew his adoptive father and Uncle Sean were preparing him for the day he would ascend the throne.

"Since you understand, tell me—how do you plan to arrange Feng Jin and Zed Bloom?" William asked, then added, "Rory, remember your identity. You can't treat them as mere playmates. You have to think from the Emperor's perspective. You can favor those close to you, but everything has its limits. Too much trust is not a good thing."

Throughout history, many favored ministers have met untimely ends.

Little Dumpling nodded, thinking seriously for a moment before replying, "Adoptive Father, I understand. Zed Bloom and Feng Jin grew up with me. I can trust them and give them important roles, but I can't go too far—otherwise, I’d be putting their lives at risk."

William nodded approvingly. Little Dumpling continued, "Take Uncle Feng Jin for example. Though my mother recognizes him as her younger brother—my little uncle—he’s actually the son of the former Princess Royal of Lyndaria. Even if he has no ambition, surviving Lyndaria loyalists could use his identity for their own ends. I can use him, but I can't give him too much power—especially not military command."

"Exactly. You must never let Feng Jin touch military command. It’s not about trust—it’s about avoiding trouble." William liked Feng Jin, and precisely because he did, he didn’t want to put him in danger.

Feng Jin’s situation is a lot like Aaron Shore’s. Prince Nolan trusts Aaron and relies on him heavily, but would never let him near troop command.

Praised, Little Dumpling couldn’t help but smile as he continued, "As for Zed Bloom, his background is a problem. The court ministers won’t like him because of his martial ties, and his personality isn’t suited for officialdom."

Zed’s methods are ruthless and absolute. Even after so many years of learning, that hasn’t changed—at best, he won’t kill without reason anymore.

"So, you don’t plan to use Zed?" William asked with a smile, not the least bit worried.

Little Dumpling shook his head vigorously. "Zed is so capable—how could I not use him? Just look at what he’s done in Northlyn over the past two years. With no help at all, he managed to kill the powerful Ling Tian. That shows just how sharp and resourceful he is."

"Good, I’m glad you know. Zed may not be able to practice martial arts, but that doesn’t mean he’s weak." William hadn’t interacted much with Zed, but even a few meetings were enough for him to see that Zed’s intelligence and strategy rival Felix Fuller’s. With proper guidance, he’ll definitely become Little Dumpling’s right-hand man someday...