Emperor Shura felt very conflicted.

He hated Emperor Void’s advice because it was the painful truth. He swept a glance at the vassals and noticed that many seemed to agree with Emperor Void. Even the ones that supported him were keen for a comprehensive competition. 

If he insisted on taking the throne through a martial competition, he might really never gain the complete trust and adoration of the citizens. The perfect ruler should be able to silence all naysayers by being multifaceted and exhibit a dominating advantage in every discipline. Otherwise, there would always be room for contention.

Emperor Peafowl was a leader who possessed those exact qualities and Emperor Shura was confident he did as well. Young lord Zhen had requested a large scale competition merely to show off his dominance in pill dao. Other than pill dao, Emperor Shura was certain that he had complete advantage over the young lord.

Emperor Petalpluck looked at Emperor Shura with an inquisitive...