Being one step ahead makes you a genius, but being two steps ahead makes you a madman. Ideas that are too far ahead of their time are destined to be rejected by the vast majority. This is the main reason why the Qin and Sui dynasties were so short-lived. From a modern perspective, the ideas of the Qin and Sui dynasties were undoubtedly advanced, but they did not align with the prevailing trends of their time.
Ying Zheng, the First Emperor of Qin, managed to suppress the world during his lifetime, and the chaos only erupted after his death. In contrast, Emperor Yang of Sui was less fortunate, as the empire fell into turmoil while he was still alive.
Of course, Daniel Davis had no such concerns. As the saying goes, all unfavorable situations arise from the lack of ability of those involved. Many people have expressed similar sentiments.
"Suppressing the world means that the Song Clan is also on the list of those to be suppressed."
"Exactly. Anyone who cannot accept my governance philosophy will be suppressed."
Looking at the serious expression on Song Que's face, Daniel Davis spoke slowly. Although having the Song Clan's support would make unifying the world much easier, even without them, no one in the world could stop him.
"Then I must experience this for myself."
"Please."
Whether it was to subdue the Song Clan or to understand the capabilities of a grandmaster, Daniel Davis had no reason to refuse a duel with Song Que. Although he had previously sparred with Kou Zhong, Wan Wan, and Dugu Feng to study the martial arts of this world, they were not grandmasters and lacked the unique characteristics of one.
"So this is how it is. Infusing spiritual energy into true qi, connecting with the external world, and forming a 'momentum.'"
In the training ground of the estate, Daniel Davis watched as Song Que, holding the Narcissus Saber, gathered his momentum. Nodding thoughtfully, Daniel Davis allowed his own momentum to rise in tandem with Song Que's, maintaining a balance between the two.
Out of respect for Song Que and to give the onlookers—Xu Ziling, Kou Zhong, Wan Wan, and others—a chance to witness the power of a grandmaster, Daniel Davis did not plan to overwhelm Song Que as he had done with Shi Zhixuan and Zhu Yuyan.
For the Twin Dragons and Wan Wan, seeing a grandmaster in action was an extremely rare opportunity.
"Be careful."
Once his momentum reached its peak, Song Que's eyes suddenly lit up. In the next moment, he crossed over ten meters in an instant, appearing right in front of Daniel Davis. The Narcissus Saber flashed through the air, tracing an arc of profound mystery as it slashed toward Daniel Davis.
"So this is what a grandmaster is like."
Feeling the surrounding air seemingly freeze, Daniel Davis immediately understood the difference between a grandmaster and those below that level. True qi infused with spiritual energy underwent a qualitative change compared to the true qi of those below the grandmaster level.
Ding.
As this thought crossed his mind, Daniel Davis's right hand moved almost casually, the Han Guang Sword piercing forward. With a crisp ding, the tip of the Han Guang Sword met the tip of the Narcissus Saber. A loud clang echoed, and an invisible shockwave radiated outward, causing the surrounding air to tremble slightly.
Seeing Daniel Davis effortlessly neutralize his attack, even Song Que's expression changed slightly. However, his eyes soon sparkled with excitement, and his entire demeanor seemed to invigorate. The Narcissus Saber rose again as Song Que unleashed the Eight Strikes of the Heavenly Saber.
Since becoming a grandmaster, Song Que's mind had been as calm as still water, for he had reached the pinnacle of this world. Even Ning Daoqi could no longer surprise him.
Although Song Que harbored great ambitions, he was, first and foremost, a martial artist seeking to advance further. Before Daniel Davis appeared, Song Que had reached a point where he could progress no further, even though he knew that the path of shattering the void lay ahead.
Unlike most people who considered shattering the void a mere legend, the Song Clan knew better. The clan's founding patriarch had witnessed the feats of figures like Yan Fei, the Sword Immortal, during the Edge of the Wilderness era. Although he had not seen Yan Fei or Sun En, the Heavenly Master, shatter the void, he knew it was real.
However, knowing and witnessing were two different things. Now, with Daniel Davis's appearance, Song Que finally saw the possibility of advancing further. Given time, he might even reach the level of shattering the void.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
As Song Que unleashed the Eight Strikes of the Heavenly Saber, the training ground was filled with endless saber lights and sword shadows. The collision of saber auras and sword energies left the marble floor pockmarked in an instant.
"Excellent!"
Seeing that his attacks had no effect on Daniel Davis, Song Que suddenly retreated, letting out an excited shout. At the same time, the myriad saber lights and sword shadows vanished without a trace. Song Que's eyes burned with intense fighting spirit. This was the first time since mastering the Eight Strikes of the Heavenly Saber that he could use it without restraint, and his opponent remained unscathed.
"My Eight Strikes of the Heavenly Saber are technically eight strikes, but there is a ninth. Please, Your Highness, evaluate it." Strictly speaking, the Eight Strikes of the Heavenly Saber should be called the Nine Strikes, but only Song Que knew why he had named it otherwise.
As he spoke, the Narcissus Saber in Song Que's hand began to tremble. This time, he concentrated his immense true qi into the saber. The aura emanating from his body and the cracking marble floor around him indicated that this ninth strike would be extraordinary. No wonder he had not used it in his duel with Ning Daoqi in the original story.
"Clan Leader Song, please." Daniel Davis waved the Han Guang Sword in his right hand, calmly signaling Song Que to proceed. Even though Song Que's strike had manifested the unity of man and saber, to Daniel Davis, it was nothing special.
No matter the technique, it ultimately relied on true qi to execute. A grandmaster was not just someone who had infused spiritual energy into their true qi; their true qi was also vast and had undergone a qualitative change. It was akin to the difference between ordinary chakra and sage chakra.
No matter how high one's realm was, without sufficient true qi to support it, it was meaningless. Just like the Twin Dragons, when Fu Junchuo first taught them the Nine Mysteries Technique, they immediately displayed remarkable comprehension and quickly grasped the basics. However, during their first battle, Xu Ziling couldn't even defeat a few thugs.
Boom!
Once Song Que's momentum reached its peak, a massive saber aura, over ten meters long, descended from the Narcissus Saber toward Daniel Davis. Facing this thunderous strike, Daniel Davis smiled faintly and raised his left hand. A deafening explosion followed, and a cloud of dust rose, obscuring Daniel Davis from view.
"You don't seem worried at all." Seeing this, Song Yuzhi's delicate face tensed with concern, fearing that her father's strike had killed the Tang King. However, upon noticing the calm expressions of Kou Zhong and the others, she couldn't help but ask in confusion.
"Don't worry, Brother Daniel is fine." Kou Zhong immediately reassured Song Yuzhi with a smile. While Song Yuzhi was unaware of Daniel Davis's true strength, everyone else present knew it well.
"Look, he's perfectly fine."
Just as Song Yuzhi was about to speak, Kou Zhong gestured for her to look ahead. The dust around Daniel Davis had already settled, revealing a massive crater over ten meters long and several meters deep in the center of the training ground. However, in the middle of the crater stood an intact cylindrical platform.
Daniel Davis stood unharmed on it, his left hand raised to catch the blade of the massive saber aura.
"Let's end this here, Clan Leader Song." With these words, Daniel Davis's left hand moved slightly, and with a crack, the saber aura began to shatter, dissipating into the air.
Throughout the entire exchange, Daniel Davis remained calm and composed, his clothes untouched and not a speck of dust on him.
The scene on the training ground left Song Yuzhi's mouth agape for a long time. As the daughter of the Song Clan, she was well aware of her father's strength, which made the situation all the more unbelievable. She almost thought she was dreaming.
Her invincible father, at the peak of his power, had failed to harm Daniel Davis in the slightest. If this news spread, no one would believe it.
"Is this the realm of shattering the void?"
Even Song Que was stunned for a long time. After taking several deep breaths to calm the fluctuations in his true qi, he finally regained his composure.
"No, I'm probably just a bit stronger than someone who has shattered the void." Daniel Davis put away the Han Guang Sword and used his thumb and forefinger to indicate the small difference. As for what lay beyond the shattered void, Daniel Davis had no idea, nor did he know what kind of power existed there.
However, based on the Great Tang Dual Dragons world, which was already a mid-tier martial world, the realm beyond would undoubtedly be even more powerful.
For example, Song Que's current strength, if placed in the Storm Riders world, would be roughly on par with Xiong Ba. In terms of realm, Song Que was superior, but in terms of raw power, Xiong Ba had the edge. Of course, if Song Que trained there for a while, he could easily defeat Xiong Ba.
"Clan Leader Song, please."
After Song Que had fully calmed his true qi, Daniel Davis invited him to the study to discuss future plans.
"First, I must clarify something. I am not from the world beyond the shattered void, so I am not entirely sure how to achieve it. I can only offer a suggestion: reach the limits of this world's power."
Daniel Davis was not surprised that Song Que's first question was about shattering the void. After all, Song Que was first and foremost a grandmaster. Unfortunately, Daniel Davis couldn't provide much help in this regard, only offering some conjectures based on figures like Yan Fei, Ling Donglai, Chuan Xi, Lang Fanyun, and Pang Ban.
Daniel Davis could have used other words to deceive Song Que, but after some thought, he decided to tell him the truth. With his current strength, revealing certain things didn't matter.
The saying "a common man's only crime is possessing a treasure" only applies when the possessor is weak. If one is strong enough, it's not a crime but destiny. Just like the story of the He Shi Bi jade between the Zhao and Qin states. Even though Lin Xiangru bravely completed the mission of returning the jade to Zhao, in the end, the jade was still sent to Qin by Zhao.
"Clan Leader Song, although it's somewhat embarrassing, I must clarify something in advance. The Song Clan can retain the title of Duke of the South, but that's all."
"Agreed."
Song Que had no objections and immediately nodded in agreement. Daniel Davis didn't make any further demands. His earlier statement was merely a clarification. In reality, even after unifying the world, the governance of Lingnan would still rely on the Song Clan for a long time.
After all, Lingnan was a multi-ethnic region, and gaining the trust of its people would take time. The Song Clan had spent over a century establishing its current position in Lingnan.
"Li Mi and the Buddhist sects have made their move. How do you plan to deal with them?"
"Don't worry, I already have a solution. If Clan Leader Song doesn't mind, I can show you tomorrow."
"Agreed."
Having just fought Daniel Davis, Song Que understood that with Daniel Davis's strength, he could easily kill Li Mi and others, thus resolving the siege of Luoyang. However, Song Que still asked the question, and Daniel Davis soon understood why.
Conquering the world and governing it were two entirely different matters. Li Shimin was exceptional at conquering, but his governance was mediocre. If not for inheriting the Sui Dynasty's legacy, his reign would not have been so prosperous.
For Song Que, unifying the Central Plains was important, but restoring peace as quickly as possible was equally crucial. Otherwise, he wouldn't have given up so easily in the original story. If he had insisted, he could have recreated the North-South division, even if Kou Zhong had given up.
The reason was simple: if Kou Zhong gave up, the Shao Shuai Army would immediately pledge allegiance to the Song Clan.
"Extra! Extra! Clan Leader Song Que of the Song Clan personally visits Luoyang to meet with the Tang King. The Song Clan officially pledges allegiance to the Great Tang!"
Three days later, as newsboys shouted the headlines throughout Luoyang and beyond, the entire Central Plains was thrown into an uproar. At a time when the Ci Hang Jing Zhai was preparing to select the emperor on behalf of Heaven, the Song Clan's decision left those with ambitions for the throne, especially the southern factions, with grim expressions.
The reputation of Song Que and the Song Clan was too formidable. If the Song Clan marched north from Lingnan, the entire south would essentially fall into the hands of the Great Tang.
"This Tang King is truly remarkable."
Li Xiuning, who had quietly arrived in Luoyang, sighed softly as she read the news. After arriving in Luoyang, Li Xiuning had gathered a great deal of information about Daniel Davis. She was well aware of every policy he had implemented and the core members of his faction.
Aside from Xu Zhixing, the core of Daniel Davis's administration was composed of women: Daniel Davis, Shi Qingxuan, and Bai Qing'er.
After some consideration, Daniel Davis had put Bai Qing'er in charge of commerce. In time, she might become the first Minister of Commerce. While this was considered outrageous by many, it was highly appealing to certain talented women. Li Xiuning was undoubtedly one of them. If she weren't a member of the Li Clan, she might have joined the Great Tang upon hearing such news.
"Has Li Mi gone mad? He's preparing to attack so quickly." With the news of the Song Clan's allegiance spreading across the land, Li Mi inexplicably accelerated his plans, seemingly eager to attack Luoyang.
In contrast, Dou Jiande and Zhu Jie's movements were much slower.
"Gentlemen, the next steps are up to you."
(End of Chapter)
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