Chapter 929: Stabilizing the Interior

The reason Dian Wei dared to speak so confidently was because he had a deep understanding of internal energy masters outside the Central Plains.

Although they were all internal energy masters, those outside the Central Plains had very little actual combat experience. Most of their battles took place before they reached the level of internal energy masters. Once they ascended to this level, they were already at the top of their regions, and rarely fought each other to the death.

In contrast, within the Central Plains, every internal energy master had likely encountered someone at the peak of their level. Even clashes between peak masters, something unthinkable outside the Central Plains, had occurred multiple times here. As a result, those internal energy masters who still survived in the Central Plains were either at the perfected stage of their realm or monsters that had surpassed their level.

Essentially, any internal energy master still active in the Central Plains could defeat those from other regions with ease. Only in the Central Plains could internal energy masters push themselves to their limits in deadly battles.

"So, you're confident you could handle three of them?" Cao Cao stroked his chin, suddenly tempted to have Dian Wei participate in such a fight. With Dian Wei’s rough appearance, no one would suspect he wasn’t one of the Qiang or Hu tribesmen.

"My lord, don’t get your hopes up. Their high priests can easily tell who is Qiang and who is Han," Zhong Yao said, exasperated. "What I meant was that Ma Chao might be able to participate in their tribal gathering."

"Even if he joins, he won’t win," Cao Cao scoffed. Ma Chao hadn’t yet reached the perfected stage of internal energy mastery. Though his youthful explosiveness and natural strength allowed him to face someone like Hua Xiong without fear, his endurance was severely lacking.

"Without reaching the extreme peak of internal energy mastery, it’s impossible to defeat three perfected internal energy masters, even if they are weak," Dian Wei said earnestly. "That kid’s endurance is just too poor. After dozens of consecutive battles, his stamina and energy would be severely challenged, not to mention fighting three internal energy masters at the end..." Dian Wei scratched his head.

"Does he really stand no chance?" Zhong Yao asked. His greatest fear was that Ma Chao would steamroll through the Qiang tribes, which would complicate things—after all, a king must be obeyed.

"If he doesn’t reach my level, there’s no way he can do it," Dian Wei replied, scratching his head again. "I’ve already crossed that threshold, and I’m not suppressed much by the cloud energy. As for him, he’ll probably be heavily suppressed."

Of course, there were pros and cons to everything. Since Dian Wei wasn’t suppressed by the cloud energy, he couldn’t draw on its power. After all, legion-level attacks required cloud energy to be effective, and Dian Wei clearly couldn’t utilize that.

"Well, then there’s no issue," Cao Cao nodded. If Ma Chao were twenty-nine, he might have a fighting chance, but at his current age? He should forget about it and get some rest.

"Uh..." Dian Wei opened his mouth, wanting to explain.

"E Lai, do you have something to say?" Cao Cao turned and asked.

"I just think we shouldn’t underestimate him," Dian Wei said awkwardly, scratching his head again. He had no proof—just a gut feeling.

"Don’t worry. You should trust yourself; he definitely can’t beat you," Cao Cao said with a smile, unconcerned. Dian Wei’s strength was something Cao Cao had complete confidence in. Even if Dian Wei encountered Lu Bu, Cao Cao wouldn’t worry about his safety—Dian Wei had a body of steel.

Dian Wei didn’t say anything more, but he was still mumbling to himself. That Ma Chao kid had great potential. What if, by chance, he had a breakthrough? Sometimes, a person’s spirit could suddenly ignite, and if Ma Chao could unleash triple the power in one strike, like Lu Bu, he might be able to do it.

Speaking of spirit, internal energy, and physical strength, these three cultivation methods varied in difficulty. Cultivating spirit was the hardest but could sometimes leap to a new level through sudden realization. Internal energy could be cultivated continuously until one hit a barrier. As for the body, there was no shortcut—only continuous effort.

Dian Wei’s intuition was spot on. Ma Chao would indeed achieve something that only five or six people in the world could do, but the way he broke through would be beyond Dian Wei’s imagination.

After this discussion, Cao Cao and his advisors talked about various matters in the court. With Yang Biao, Cao Cao, and Han Sui all checking each other, Emperor Liu Xie finally understood what it meant to be an emperor. His previous life had been worse than that of a pig or dog.

"After leaving Yanzhou, many of the Yanzhou aristocratic families did not follow us. Now, our foundation in Yong and Liang provinces is not strong, and we lack sufficient lower-level officials. We need to start recruiting more talent," Xun Yu suggested quietly.

The fact that the Yanzhou aristocrats had chosen not to follow Cao Cao was expected by everyone. While there was dissatisfaction, there wasn’t much to say about it. If Liu Bei hadn’t cracked down on the Yanzhou aristocrats, even fewer would have migrated to Chenliu. This was why Cao Cao valued Li Dian so much—he was loyal to the core.

"Liu Xuande had the courage to issue a recruitment order, and Yuan Gonglu also had the guts to do so. What reason do I have to hesitate?" Cao Cao shook his head. "Tomorrow, I will submit a memorial to the emperor, requesting that we recruit talent for the Han dynasty."

Zhong Yao frowned but remained silent. He knew there would be disputes tomorrow. After clawing his way back to power, Yang Biao would never allow such a thing to happen. It would severely delay the Yang family’s recovery.

Cheng Yu and Xun You exchanged glances, and Xun You noticed the cold gleam in Cheng Yu’s eyes. It seemed he had reached the end of his patience with Yang Biao’s constant interference.

"I heard that Yang Gong recently added Yang Feng to his family records, officially recognizing him as a member of the Yang clan," Cheng Yu said slowly.

Cao Cao frowned slightly. He understood the implication behind Cheng Yu’s words. Yang Biao had overstepped, becoming too impatient. Perhaps the Yang family had endured enough of their previous oppression and was now preparing to seize military power.

"My lord, rest assured. Since entering Chang’an, General Xu has been training troops in the northern camp. Aside from answering your summons, he rarely leaves the barracks," Sima Lang said calmly, offering Cao Cao a sense of reassurance.

"Yang Gong is too hasty. At this time, we should unite all forces to support the Han dynasty," Xun Yu said with a sigh. "Leave this matter to me. The Yang family will give us a satisfactory answer."

In times of prosperity, wealth and power were the currency of competition. But in times of chaos, it was talent that mattered. This was why Xun Yu spoke with such confidence. Although the Yang family had regained some strength, their performance showed they lacked individuals who matched their family’s status.

In times of chaos, this was a sign of impending doom for a clan. Xun Yu had no qualms about shattering the Yang family’s dreams—they would understand his reasons in time.

"Wenruo, I’ll leave this matter to you. Please also handle the other issues. We need to maintain communication with Hanzhong as well," Cao Cao said with a sigh. Compared to Liu Bei’s now world-shaking power, Cao Cao still had a long way to go.

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