Chapter Twenty-One: The Trial Completed

Long Yu tugged at the sleeve of the official who still wanted to argue, signaling him to step back. The official sensibly fell silent, retreated, and yielded his place to Long Yu.

Long Yu walked forward a few steps, surveying the gentry who showed no fear of the authorities, then glanced at the servants behind him. Most of those servants wore mocking expressions, and when their eyes fell on the plainly dressed newcomer, confusion flickered across their faces.

As for the corpulent gentryman, he was brimming with pride at that moment. Still, when Long Yu stepped forward, a trace of wariness appeared in his eyes.

“What do you want?” the gentryman asked, retreating so his servants could shield him. Clearly, he assumed Long Yu was some expert brought in as reinforcement.

“Greetings. Allow me to introduce myself—I am the Crown Prince who issued the orders. I happened to pass by today.”

The gentryman glanced at the surrounding officials, each with a solemn expression. Instantly, he dropped to his knees, and his servants and attendants followed suit, kneeling one after another. Fear seized them all; those with weaker nerves had already soaked the fabric beneath their waists.

None of them doubted Long Yu’s identity. In the realm of the Song Empire, to impersonate the Crown Prince meant courting death, regardless of motive.

Not far off, the onlookers—common folk drawn by the commotion—also knelt upon hearing Long Yu’s claim.

Hope, anticipation, and fear mingled in their hearts.

Long Yu regarded the scene before him and sighed inwardly. Power, it seemed, was a marvelous thing, on par with strength.

“Your Highness…” The gentryman’s trousers were damp as well.

He attempted to defend himself, but Long Yu stopped him.

“You need not speak further. Just listen.”

Long Yu’s voice was not loud, yet it carried an inexplicable authority. Everyone nodded; the gentryman, too, closed his mouth obediently.

“You believe this grain, these estates and wealth, were earned through the toil of your ancestors. That every coin you possess is rightfully yours, and therefore you owe nothing to these people—am I right?”

The gentryman nodded immediately, then shook his head frantically.

“No, Your Highness, I never thought that, I—”

At this point, Long Yu had no interest in pointless debate and began to announce the gentryman’s crimes.

First: You are callous in your wealth, watching your compatriots starve without offering relief.

Second: You disregard the government, ignoring my commands.

…

As Long Yu recited each crime, the gentryman's face grew ever more ashen, until at last he fainted outright.

When the list was finished, Long Yu ordered that the gentryman and all his servants be imprisoned.

Suddenly, some servants leapt up and shouted, “Brothers, this damn Crown Prince clearly wants us dead! Are you really going to die without a fight?”

Some surged toward Long Yu in chaos, while others tried to escape.

Long Yu himself did not intervene; two of his guards swiftly subdued the disturbance before the astonished crowd.

The command was issued: “All gentry who resist are to be executed. Their estates confiscated. Grain is to be used for disaster relief.”

“Local officials found negligent will forfeit a year’s salary.”

With that, Long Yu turned and departed. His sleeves fluttered in the breeze, and amid the countless words of gratitude from the disaster victims, he left.

As the matter was resolved, news of Long Yu’s incognito visit spread throughout the southeastern provinces, stirring officials to action and making gentry and merchants wary of defying royal decrees.

Afterward, Long Yu toured several other places, finding no major issues, and then returned home.

Now it was time to deal with the remaining rebels.

Ten days later, Long Yu accepted the surrender of some insurgents and granted them leniency.

Twenty days later, the government troops captured the last stronghold of the rebels, and Long Yu’s campaign was complete. He returned to the capital.

A year later, Long Yu used his resources to enhance his physical prowess to a level of 200, becoming the strongest in the Song Empire.

Five years later, the old emperor passed away, and Long Yu ascended the throne.

Ten years later, Long Yu’s physical strength reached 500. He raised an army to attack enemy nations.

With his might, he routed the hostile forces and achieved victory in his mission.

As the mechanical voice of the secret realm echoed, Long Yu’s figure gradually faded, and the world he had inhabited for over a decade slowly blurred.

In the blink of an eye, Long Yu found himself within Secret Realm 252.

“Has more than ten years truly passed?” he asked urgently upon returning.

“Greetings, Challenger. Not so much time has passed. In reality, only half a year has gone by.”

Long Yu breathed a sigh of relief. If more than ten years had truly slipped away, he dared not imagine the consequences. In that span, his parents and sister might no longer be alive—but half a year was manageable.

“There aren’t more trials, are there?”

“Rest assured, Challenger. There are none.”

“Then hurry up and grant me my rewards! I need to get home!”

Though only half a year had passed in reality, Long Yu had experienced the passage of more than a decade. It was as if he had not seen his parents for that long.

The rewards swiftly appeared in his mind.

Psychic Ability Exclusive Skill: S-rank—Beast Command (Are you troubled by being outnumbered? With this, your enemies become your allies. It’s not just animals—we can control people too. But beware: do not use Beast Command for strange purposes.)

Spatial Ability Exclusive Skill: Gate of Space (By placing two gates anywhere, you can bring distant places together instantly. The farthest corner is now at your feet.)

Long Yu carefully inspected the two skills—both were exceptionally powerful.

Beast Command needed no explanation; he would no longer have to fight alone. Now he could pursue group combat.

Gate of Space allowed him to place two portals anywhere, thus negating the distance between them. With this, Long Yu could reach remote locations in an instant—or bring distant people to his side.

Moreover, the gates were invisible and undetectable.

Having collected his rewards, Secret Realm 252 offered no further obstacles, permitting Long Yu to leave directly.

In the blink of an eye, he found himself back in the cave where he had first arrived.