Let the Nine Provinces Realm Fall for Her

Serena herself didn’t know—at that moment, what commander could possibly stay calm and direct the battle? The chaos was overwhelming!

"We can begin now. Serena, you’ll command Skyvault Palace." Sean Xuan handed Serena the red flag, keeping the blue one for himself.

A military exercise—red team, blue team. It was just a passing comment Serena had made, but Sean Xuan remembered and decided to use it.

"Me?" She was going to sit in command of Skyvault Palace—what did that even mean?

Serena pointed at herself, then at the mechanism elders of Skyvault Palace. Those elders snorted arrogantly, just as they always did—was that agreement, or disagreement...?

These people had always rejected her, looked down on her—even after she upgraded their mechanisms, they still refused to accept her. Why would they let her command this battle now?

Was this just Sean Xuan’s wishful thinking?

"Yes, you. You hold the red flag, I hold the blue. Serena, this is our first battle together." Sean Xuan’s eyes shone as he spoke.

Every man dreams of fighting on the battlefield—Sean Xuan was no different. But his position always held him back. Today was his chance.

"This is Skyvault Palace’s battle. Your people should command. Even if you wanted to compete against me, I’d take the blue flag." The blue team was meant to lose—was Sean Xuan trying to spare her from defeat? Was he afraid she couldn’t handle losing?

Serena herself didn’t know—at that moment, what commander could possibly stay calm and direct the battle? The chaos was overwhelming!

“We can begin now. Serena, you’ll command Skyvault Palace.” Sean Xuan handed Serena the red flag, keeping the blue one for himself.

A military exercise—red team, blue team. It was just a passing comment Serena had made, but Sean Xuan remembered and decided to use it.

“Me?” She was going to sit in command of Skyvault Palace—what did that even mean?

Serena pointed at herself, then at the mechanism elders of Skyvault Palace. Those elders snorted arrogantly, just as they always did—was that agreement, or disagreement...?

These people had always rejected her, looked down on her—even after she upgraded their mechanisms, they still refused to accept her. Why would they let her command this battle now?

Was this just Sean Xuan’s wishful thinking?

“Yes, you. You hold the red flag, I hold the blue. Serena, this is our first battle together.” Sean Xuan’s eyes shone as he spoke.

Every man dreams of fighting on the battlefield—Sean Xuan was no different. But his position always held him back. Today was his chance.

“This is Skyvault Palace’s battle. Your people should command. Even if you wanted to compete against me, I’d take the blue flag.” The blue team was meant to lose—was Sean Xuan trying to spare her from defeat? Was he afraid she couldn’t handle losing?

Sean Xuan shook his head. “No, you know those mechanisms best. If you took the blue flag, you’d know how to avoid them, disable them early—I believe you could get through the Road of Death with minimal losses. But that’s not what I want.” He didn’t want Prince Nolan and William Wang Jinling to see how to minimize casualties; for Skyvault Palace, today’s exercise was too important.

“Fine, but…” Serena understood the logic—if she commanded the blue team, she could get through with minimal losses, and… she’d never tell anyone how, but in battle, she’d use every trick she knew.

To her, an exercise was still a kind of war. And any war had to be taken seriously—you had to be responsible for the people behind you.

Serena looked at the mechanism elders, but they ignored her. She had to say it straight: “I’m still young—the elders know these mechanisms better. Why not let them command?”

Serena respectfully offered up the red flag.

Whether it was closeness or seniority, she was still an outsider—she had no right to give orders in Skyvault Palace.

This time, Sean Xuan said nothing. If Serena wanted the mechanism elders’ approval, she’d have to earn it herself. Even if he backed her up, they’d only give her face, not true respect.

Prince Nolan and William Wang Jinling watched quietly. They believed Serena could win command of Skyvault Palace—and they were eager to see what kind of killing power her mechanisms would unleash.

At first, the mechanism elders didn’t agree with Sean Xuan’s decision—handing command of Skyvault Palace to an outsider? What sense did that make?

But seeing Serena’s attitude, they had to admit Sean Xuan was right: “Serena is serious—if she takes command, she’ll be responsible to Skyvault Palace, and to this battle.”

Even if they didn’t fully agree, the mechanism elders had to admit—after Serena’s upgrades, the killing power of the traps had increased by more than twenty percent. She really hadn’t held anything back, so…

“If the Palace Master says you command, then you command. What, you want us old folks to work for you too? Haven’t you learned to respect your elders? If you let us do all the hard work, you’ll wear us out!” The white-bearded elder, oldest of the mechanism masters, glared at Serena, but beneath his harsh words was a willingness to let her lead.

His words were sharp, but Serena was used to it. She smiled, grabbed the red flag, snapped to attention, and gave the elders a crisp salute. “I won’t let you down.”

It was simple, powerful, respectful but not servile. The salute stunned everyone present, and once they recovered, they realized Serena’s salute was genuinely impressive.

Yes, impressive—nothing girlish or coy about it. She was as bold and dashing as any soldier on the field.

Prince Nolan’s lips curled in a smile, his eyes full of laughter.

It was true—palace intrigue and scheming hadn’t shown Serena at her best, nor had they let her talent fully shine.

“This Serena is truly dazzling. I wish I could hide her away, keep her brilliance from outsiders.” Even the mechanism elders of Skyvault Palace were awed by her talent, and William Wang Jinling felt the pressure.

The Wang family had their own mechanism masters, and William Wang Jinling knew how proud these men could be. Most of them didn’t care about status—if you didn’t have real skill, even the Emperor wouldn’t get their respect.

Serena had won their respect not because Sean Xuan supported her, but because of her own skill—she’d earned a place in Skyvault Palace that no one else could touch.

“You couldn’t hide her if you tried—she’s the sun. Once the clouds part, nothing can block her light.” That was Prince Nolan’s heartfelt truth; he’d never wanted to hide Serena’s brilliance. He hoped she would shine.

He wanted all of the Nine Provinces to be dazzled by her…