Six years later, Xiao Zhan stood on a balcony carved into a cliff.
The building behind him had no name. The Empire's maps called this stretch of the Tian Mountains "uninhabited." The Empire's maps were wrong.
Below him, The Veil moved. No uniforms. No banners. But he could see them. The poison master testing new compounds in the greenhouse. The twin sisters who could kill a man with a zither string, practicing. The squad Ghost Blade trained, all Rank 30+, all loyal without Marks.
And the Marked.
*Slot 4: Commander Yue, Rank 52.* Former general of the Western Army. Court politics forced her to take the blame for a lost battle. She was to be executed. The Veil took her the night before. She now ran The Veil's military arm.
*Slot 5: Scholar Bai, Rank 44.* Martial soul: "Memory Palace." He remembered everything he'd ever read. The Empire's Grand Library had banned him for "asking wrong questions." He now managed The Veil's information network.
Li Gou was Rank 39 now, running all street operations. Su Yin, Rank 37, had a spiderweb of Whispering Paper in every major city. Ghost Blade, Rank 48, hadn't gotten new legs. He said he didn't need them. He had a reputation instead.
Xiao Zhan was Rank 61. Spirit Emperor. His Monarch's Crown had evolved again at Rank 60, gaining a third ring and a passive: [King's Domain]. Within 100 meters, all enemies felt weaker, slower. Allies felt stronger. His soul rings: 400-year Shadow Wolf, 3000-year Dark Terrorhawk, 9000-year Crown Serpent, 15,000-year Void Panther, 25,000-year Nightmare Dragon.
He could walk into the imperial palace today and kill the Emperor. He wouldn't. Not yet. Kings didn't move first. Kings made others move.
*[System Status]*
*[Host: Xiao Zhan, Age 23]*
*[Martial Soul: Monarch's Crown - Third Evolution]*
*[Soul Power: Rank 61 - Spirit Emperor]*
*[Marks: 5/5 - All Slots Filled]*
*[The Veil: Estimated Members 3,400. Embedded in 6 Kingdoms, 14 Sects]*
*[Personal Strength Evaluation: No known rivals below Rank 70]*
*[Hidden Directive Unlocked: A true King needs a Throne]*
Xiao Zhan closed the screen. A new report had come in. Scholar Bai's handwriting, ciphered:
_The Star Luo Empire's Crown Prince will be at Heaven Dou City in one month. Secret trip. Negotiating with the Spirit Hall. He's Rank 58. Prodigy. Also… not an orphan._
On the last line, Bai had added a note, not ciphered: _Pity._
Xiao Zhan smiled. It wasn't a nice smile.
"Su Yin," he said to the empty air.
She was there three seconds later. She always was. "Young King."
"Ready the Veil. We're going to Heaven Dou."
"Target?"
"Not yet," Xiao Zhan said, looking out at his mountain, his people, his kingdom without a crown. "First, we listen. Then we decide who gets to kneel."