The Peerless Emperor (TPE)

As Lin Qian's understanding of the world deepened, he realized that as the Emperor of the Huaxia Empire, his will was the driving force behind the empire's future direction.

Regardless of why his game empire had manifested in such a form, the current issue he needed to address was the fact that both he and the Huaxia Empire were no longer confined to a virtual world but were now part of a living, breathing reality.

Within the Huaxia Empire, many entities had already gained true life. Naturally, these individuals longed to explore the world beyond the empire's borders. In time, the empire would undoubtedly expand its territory into this world of soul power.

The Huaxia Empire was transitioning into this soul-powered world. Its citizens were beginning to possess souls and cultivate martial spirits. They were also producing Yuan artifacts and soul artifacts, constantly upgrading their military equipment.

However, the Huaxia Empire had its unique advantages. The clash between different cultivation civilizations would inevitably lead to the question of which side would dominate.

Lin Qian believed in the principle of survival of the fittest.

However, Linhai Prefecture, where he currently resided, was merely a remote backwater. The cultivation civilization he had encountered here couldn't compare to the pinnacle of the Huaxia Empire and couldn't serve as a proper benchmark.

In Lin Qian's eyes, his master, Wei Wushuang, was a better reference point.

Wei Wushuang knew that outside of Linhai Prefecture, the top forces possessed cloud boats of similar size to Lin Qian's battleship. Wei Wushuang had seen such cloud boats before, which explained why he wasn't initially shocked by the battleship's appearance.

But as Lin Qian observed his master's reaction to the interior of the battleship, he realized that the construction of this battleship was far more advanced than the cloud boats Wei Wushuang had encountered. Moreover, given Wei Wushuang's nonchalant attitude toward the size of this massive battleship, Lin Qian suspected that there were even more advanced warships in this world.

Just as Lin Qian's current battleship was the lowest tier of the Huaxia Empire's fleet, there were higher-quality warships yet to be revealed.

This comparison between the world's cloud boats and his battleship made it clear: the Huaxia Empire was superior.

With this realization, Lin Qian decided that the empire's future development would be based on its original cultivation civilization while absorbing the strengths of this world's cultivation techniques.

"Impressive!" Ye Xin exclaimed as she wandered around the command room, her curiosity piqued by everything she saw.

The scholars in the command room, upon noticing Lin Qian's arrival, respectfully bowed before returning to their duties, carefully managing the battleship.

The command room was illuminated by luminescent stones embedded in the ceiling, with formations engraved to amplify the light, casting a bright glow throughout the spacious chamber.

Various images flickered on tactical mirrors of different sizes, displaying a continuous stream of data represented by runes that constantly shifted and flowed across the surfaces of the mirrors.

These tactical mirrors were interconnected by runic formations, with data flowing through the formation patterns, constantly updating.

Ye Xin noticed that on one rectangular tactical mirror, the third deck of the battleship was displayed, showing the massive cannons she had seen earlier from outside the ship. These soul cannons were now cold and silent, mounted on the third deck.

"How strange. Why are some of these peculiar mirrors round while others are rectangular?" Ye Xin asked, returning to Lin Qian's side, unable to conceal her curiosity.

"These aren't mirrors; they're tactical mirrors. The formations inscribed on the battleship constantly monitor its various systems, storing data in the central formation. The scholars here extract that data and display it on the tactical mirrors," Lin Qian explained. "The scholars then use this information to monitor the battleship's status and make adjustments as needed. Numerous variables can affect the ship's performance, so it must be kept in perfect balance to ensure its operational lifespan and combat effectiveness."

"As for why some mirrors are round and others are rectangular, the round ones are older models, while the rectangular ones are newly refined."

In his previous life, tactical mirrors were merely decorative elements in the game, used to create the illusion that the scholars were genuinely analyzing data and advancing the empire's technology. In reality, the data was processed by the game's central server.

As a player in his previous life, Lin Qian had no control over the design of the tactical mirrors. But now, things were different. The tactical mirrors had become actual screens, and Lin Qian, as the absolute ruler of the Huaxia Empire, had ordered their shape to be changed to rectangles for better efficiency.

The Fireworks Department, responsible for manufacturing and refining, had a heavy workload, so the transition from round to rectangular mirrors was still ongoing.

"What about those strange soul artifacts on the third deck, which you call soul cannons? How do they work?" Wei Wushuang asked, pointing to a tactical mirror that displayed the third deck.

Lin Qian was surprised by his master's question. "Are you saying that even cloud boats outside of Linhai Prefecture don't have long-range offensive soul artifacts like these?"

Wei Wushuang shook his head. "Even the largest cloud boats, comparable in size to your battleship, are primarily used for transporting personnel. In combat, it's the soul warriors on board who fight, and the only offensive capability the cloud boats have is ramming into enemies."

"That's why they're called cloud boats and not warships like the ones you're commanding," Wei Wushuang explained.

Lin Qian was taken aback. Soul cannons, known as power cannons in his previous life's game, functioned by concentrating energy into a beam for a devastating strike—a mystical version of a hot weapon. He hadn't expected this world to lack such technology entirely.

"Soul cannons are controlled from the command room. Each shot is equivalent to a full-power strike from a peak Void Shattering Realm soul warrior. However, each shot requires ten breaths to recharge, and there are a total of 2,600 soul cannons on this battleship," Lin Qian elaborated.

Hearing this, Wei Wushuang's pupils contracted, and after a moment of silence, he finally spoke. "No wonder this warship is a monster built for battle!"

For the first time since entering the command room, Wei Wushuang felt genuinely overwhelmed by the magnitude of what he was witnessing.

Wei Qingqing was equally astonished as she scanned her surroundings. Her gaze eventually locked onto Lin Qian, as if trying to discern what kind of being he truly was.

"Your Majesty, we have reached the closest safe distance," a scholar reported to Lin Qian.

"Display the current situation at the Wanxiang Sect," Lin Qian ordered.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" The scholar responded, using his soul power to activate a rectangular tactical mirror that hovered before Lin Qian and his companions.

Gradually, the mirror's surface cleared, revealing a detailed view of the Wanxiang Sect's current state.

As the image came into focus, Ye Xin suddenly pointed at the screen. "Xiao Qian, what's that?"

Following her gaze, Lin Qian's expression darkened. "Enlarge the image immediately!"