Chapter 1 A Matter of Identity

A customized identity with one thousand points of Destiny can be anything within the world's limits.

This seemed like a bug in the Ark, but it had been described before. Without enough Destiny to suppress it, an overly high-profile identity might only last a moment.

For example, if you customized yourself as the ruler of a vast country, lacking sufficient Destiny would result in instant death upon arrival due to various reasons.

Or, if you customized yourself as the head or elder of a major sect, you would inevitably find yourself in a desperate situation, besieged by powerful enemies after suffering a qi deviation and losing all your cultivation.

So, instant success was out of the question.

Cultivators who were truly qualified to suppress these identities essentially no longer needed such enhancements. Therefore, experienced transmigrators should act according to their capabilities and know when to stop when customizing identities.

In short, don't bite off more than you can chew. Without strong enough cultivation, sufficient Destiny, or powerful treasures to suppress luck, don't easily challenge those high-difficulty identities.

A great identity was indeed extremely beneficial for the start, but because it distorted the perceptions of too many people, the backlash from that world was also particularly severe.

Theoretically, with Ye Chuxiao's current strength and confidence, he shouldn't have chosen such a challenging identity as an emperor.

However, because of Ye Chuqi, he had some confidence and a compelling reason to choose it.

The Wasteland Fight Realm was vast, and in terms of total area, it was not inferior to Daheng at all. However, unlike Daheng, the Wasteland Fight Realm was divided into five relatively powerful countries, as well as dozens of small countries that survived in the cracks between these five major powers.

The Northern Qin was a small peninsular country near the northernmost region. Its territory was not large, but it had more than its fair share of problems.

Ye Chuxiao sat quietly on a chair carved only with dragons, staring blankly at the clan nobles lined up on both sides below. He listened to the envoy from the suzerain state, the mighty Chu, read out the tribute list for the coming year.

The Northern Qin had no imperial examination system; civil and military officials were all recommended by officials in the court. Therefore, after nearly four hundred years of existence, the power of the clan nobles in the Northern Qin had become deeply entrenched inside and outside the court, clearly to an irrepressible extent.

With limited domestic resources and no ability to expand outwards, these clan nobles, who originally relied on clinging to the Northern Qin to suck its blood, had long entered a stage of mutual slaughter and annexation.

The infighting within the court had been ceaseless for more than a decade.

As for Ye Chuxiao, who was now incarnated as Li Zishan, the emperor of the Northern Qin, he was the seventeenth emperor to be placed on the throne this year.

That's right, this year, not in total.

"According to my younger brother Ye Chuqi, before its demise, the Northern Qin entered a period of extreme chaos and infighting for power. The two major factions, led by the Jiangyang Qu Clan and the Nanshan Ming Clan, continued to grow in the slaughter and annexation, gradually evolving into two opposing forces in the court. This led to the Northern Qin emperor, who was almost completely reduced to a puppet, always encountering unexpected events. In just one year, twenty-three emperors were replaced. Finally, in the second year, a split-country war broke out. The small Northern Qin was divided into two halves, north and south, and then in the following year, it was annexed by the Chu Kingdom. The Northern Qin completely became history."

"When my younger brother first came to the Wasteland Fight Realm, the Northern Qin had already become a thing of the past. However, the Northern Qin Li family's treasure, which was left behind upon the country's fall, caused a series of Jianghu disturbances, which drew his attention to this small, extinct country. A treasure that was overlooked or forgotten by the Northern Qin Li family was revealed in that turmoil, causing great slaughter and contention."

"The reason why I chose the identity of the Northern Qin emperor is to approach the Northern Qin treasure with the greatest convenience and in the identity that allows me to do so with the greatest advantage, and to retrieve that key treasure that will help me improve my cultivation." The recollection of the reasons for choosing the identity ended here.

Ye Chuxiao began to sort out the transmitted memories of being 'Li Zishan.'

In his memory, he was a collateral descendant of the Northern Qin royal family, the Li Clan. Because of the sixteen emperors replaced in one year, the few remaining direct descendants of the Northern Qin, who once yearned for that position, now feared it like a tiger.

Those with some ability had fled the country, abandoning their ancestral heritage long ago.

Therefore, 'Li Zishan,' a collateral descendant without the power to resist, was muddle-headedly pushed onto the throne.

He didn't even have a proper succession ceremony, but was simply declared the thirty-first emperor of the Northern Qin, and the seventeenth emperor to ascend the throne this year, after a simple announcement in the court by the Minister of General Affairs.

If there were no accidents, he would lose his life within a month due to a sudden illness or accidentally falling into the water.

"There are no clues about the secret treasury of the Northern Qin royal family... This is also normal."

"My throne was not obtained through normal succession. It is reasonable that the clues about the secret treasury of the Northern Qin royal family would be cut off with me."

"However, there are still some old clan members of the Li family in the Northern Qin. They may know the location and how to open the treasure."

"What I need to do is to temporarily secure the throne, and then, in the name of the emperor, make them hand over the location of the treasure. After that... the mountains are high and the water is long, who cares what happens to the Northern Qin? I only have six years; I don't have the energy to play the game of dynasty hegemony here." Ye Chuxiao's thoughts were very clear. He came for the Northern Qin treasure, or more precisely, for the key treasure within the Northern Qin treasure.

To save the Northern Qin?

That was really impossible!

There was no one available inside or outside the court, and the Northern Qin emperor had no real power at all.

It looked like a dead end no matter how you looked at it.

Looking at the arrogant envoy of the powerful Chu below the steps, Ye Chuxiao felt that this was a good medicine labeled 'drinking poison to quench thirst.'

Therefore, in the middle of this envoy reading out the 'tribute' list for the coming year, Ye Chuxiao violated the 'rules' set for him by the Minister of General Affairs and spoke, "Envoy! This little king has long yearned for the customs and culture of the mighty Chu, but unfortunately, this place is remote and barren. Even with the utmost imagination, it is difficult to fully realize and conceive the splendor of the Chu Kingdom's capital. If the envoy has time, why not enter the palace and talk with this little king in detail to relieve this little king's longing."

Before the Chu Kingdom envoy could speak, Minister of General Affairs Ming Da had already sternly rebuked, "Your Majesty! You must not interrupt when the envoy is reading out the decree of the superior country's emperor, otherwise you will incur the blame of the superior country. Can Your Majesty bear the responsibility?"

The tone of this speech was not like speaking to the emperor, but rather like scolding a servant.

The Nanshan Ming Clan and the Jiangyang Qu Clan had grown for many years, and had long hollowed out the true master of the Northern Qin, the Li royal family.

In their eyes, although the Li royal family was not truly like slaves, they were merely tools for them to rule and hollow out this country.

Few people deliberately maintain respect when dealing with tools.

Even in Ye Chuqi's description of some of the future of the Wasteland Fight Realm, it was not the descendants of the Li royal family who were initially fighting over the Li royal family's treasure, but the remnants of the Ming and Qu clans.

One formed an assassin organization, while the other pretended to be descendants of the Li royal family, weaving lies to compete for the whereabouts of the treasure.

In the end, because of their infighting, the matter was exposed and expanded, attracting the participation of many sects and experts from the Jianghu, which became a temporary hot topic and was recorded by Ye Chuqi.

"Minister Ming need not be so serious. It is only natural that your emperor yearns for my Great Chu's capital. This official also has several days to stay on this trip. It is not impossible to take the time to enter the palace and explain it to your emperor." The Chu Kingdom envoy said with reserve and arrogance.

He would not have agreed to Ye Chuxiao's 'request,' but Ming Da's rebuke and refutation of Ye Chuxiao had the opposite effect.

Ming Da was highly powerful in the Northern Qin, and obviously did not notice the Chu envoy's pride and conceit. His overbearing actions pushed the other party and helped Ye Chuxiao achieve his goal.

"Envoy need not be so accommodating. If he... If Your Majesty wants to understand the Great Chu's capital, there are merchants who have been to the capital who can explain the capital's prosperity to Your Majesty." Ming Da still wanted to stop him.

Although he had not yet realized why this Chu Kingdom envoy would agree to Ye Chuxiao's request, he knew that he could not let Ye Chuxiao approach this Chu Kingdom envoy, otherwise, it would be difficult to prevent him from controlling the monarch, manipulating the court, and undermining Qu Clan's plans.

Of course, if the Chu Kingdom envoy strongly demanded it, he would not resist too much.

Compared to offending the Chu Kingdom envoy, a mere 'emperor' was not taken seriously by him.

If he was disobedient, he could just replace him with another one.

Seeing Ming Da's tough attitude, the Chu Kingdom envoy hesitated somewhat.

He was, after all, only an envoy. Even with the pride of a great power's envoy, he still had to be cautious when he was in another country.

"Envoy, my late brother left behind some antiques from your country, but I don't understand them. I would like to ask the envoy to help me distinguish and identify them." Ye Chuxiao added.

What he could offer now were only some of the personal belongings left by the previous emperor.

He couldn't take these things out, let alone sell them on the market. It was better to use them to lure this Chu Kingdom envoy.

As for relying on force, let alone that Ye Chuxiao didn't have the martial strength, even if he did... that would go against his initial plan.

Although the Northern Qin was only a small country in the Wasteland Fight Realm, the special nature of the Wasteland Fight Realm meant that the people of the Northern Qin were not lacking in experts.

The heads of the Ming and Qu families were both intent realm cultivators on the surface.

The intent realm cultivators of the Northern Qin royal family had long since died, and the lack of top-tier cultivators to support them for many years was one of the reasons for the decline of the Li royal family.

"Since that's the case, then this envoy will accept your kind offer!" said the Chu Kingdom envoy.

He couldn't resist the temptation.

In the Chu Kingdom, he was only a fifth-rank official in the Ministry of Rites. If he could make a fortune in the Northern Qin, it would be very useful for him to smooth things over when he returned to the Chu Kingdom.

Staring at Ye Chuxiao fiercely, Ming Da wished he could immediately come forward and twist Ye Chuxiao's neck.

However, looking at the envoy from the Chu Kingdom, Ming Da eventually restrained his malice for the time being.

But when he looked at Ye Chuxiao again, he was clearly looking at a dead man.

Once the act of killing a ruler and emperor began, it would break the psychological barrier, and doing it again would be effortless.

After the Chu Kingdom envoy finished reading the tribute list, Ye Chuxiao led him back to the Northern Qin Palace.

The Northern Qin Palace was not luxurious. In Ye Chuxiao's opinion, it was several grades worse than the Daheng Royal Estate.

The palace maids were also some ordinary-looking women over the age of thirty, and as for eunuchs, there were none!

Learning from the 'lessons and experiences' of neighboring countries, the noble clans of the Northern Qin did not allow special groups, such as eunuchs who naturally maintained the imperial power more, to continue appearing in the palace to help the Northern Qin royal family get out of its predicament.

Therefore, many years ago, the eunuchs in the palace were all released, and after that, no new eunuchs were added.

As for some of the rough work in the palace, it was all left to strong women to handle.

Without riding in a soft sedan, Ye Chuxiao led the Chu Kingdom envoy and trotted all the way to the harem bedroom.

In the bedroom, antiques, calligraphy, paintings, and martial arts equipment from various countries were all brought out by Ye Chuxiao without any stinginess and piled up in front of this Chu Kingdom envoy.

Seeing Ye Chuxiao's 'generous' behavior, this Chu Kingdom envoy was also surprised.

With a turn of his mind, he knew that Ye Chuxiao was probably trying to use him.

Therefore, while the Chu Kingdom envoy unceremoniously stuffed these antiques, calligraphy, and paintings into his storage bag, he said, "The Chu Kingdom's laws stipulate that without the emperor's decree, envoys to other countries must not arbitrarily interfere in the internal affairs of other countries. King Qin... I understand your current situation very well, but I am afraid I am powerless to help."

Ye Chuxiao calmly asked in return, "May I ask, what kind of achievements does your country use to assess the opening up of new territories?"

The Chu Kingdom envoy said, "Opening up five thousand *li* can confer the title of Duke, three thousand *li* can confer the title of Marquis, and one thousand *li* can confer the title of Supreme General."

Ye Chuxiao said, "Then I wonder, can my Qin's territory help your envoy obtain the position of Duke?"

The Chu Kingdom envoy was shocked. What was this young King Qin trying to do?

"If your envoy is willing to help me control the real power of the Qin Kingdom, I am willing to personally draw a national map and present it to the Supreme Emperor. From then on, I will no longer call myself Emperor, but voluntarily become a subject and guard the Northern Sea for the Chu Kingdom for generations," said Ye Chuxiao.

In fact, Ye Chuxiao didn't even want the Qin Kingdom; he only wanted to obtain the location and opening method of the treasure.

However, when negotiating conditions, of course, one should first talk at a high level, and then slowly pull back.

If the conditions were set too low from the beginning, then the other party might not even want to pay a single price and only want to exploit him for free.

The Chu Kingdom envoy showed an extremely surprised expression and looked at Ye Chuxiao seriously, "Does King Qin know what you are saying at this moment?"

"Of course, the Li clan has lost Qin, which is not my fault. The Ming and Qu clans have betrayed their master for many years, and their ambitions have long been revealed."

"Seventeen Qin Kings have been replaced within a year. How can there be such an absurd thing in this world? If I don't sink or swim, perhaps tomorrow, perhaps today... it will already be my death date," Ye Chuxiao said solemnly.

The Chu Kingdom envoy heard this and began to carefully consider it.

The more he thought about it, the more tempted he became.

Although it would not be effortless for Chu to destroy the Northern Qin, it would not be difficult either.

What was restraining Chu from moving forward was not the mere Northern Qin, but the many small border countries that were attached to Chu.

If the Chu Kingdom could obtain the official submission letter from the Qin Kingdom's Emperor, then it would have a justified reason.

If he could operate well in this, the position of Duke was, of course, a luxury, but obtaining a Marquis... perhaps it wouldn't be difficult?