Lin Beifan was utterly devastated!
Upon waking, he found himself transported to another world, taking over the life of an emperor who shared his name, age, and appearance.
It sounded quite nice, but this was a world brimming with countless nations and teeming with martial arts experts.
There were too many countries, clashing swords and spears for the sake of their interests, constantly waging war against each other.
There were too many experts, with their lofty skills and peculiar temperaments, ready to behead you if they took a dislike to you.
In this world, dynastic changes occurred with alarming frequency.
Some statistics have shown that these countries tend to change their ruling class every 20 years.
As the head of state, the Emperor often dies without a place to be buried.
Being a newly enthroned Emperor of a small kingdom, he is already facing such a crisis.
Abroad, major nations watch and wait, ready to invade at any moment.
Domestically, influential noble families control the economy and people's livelihoods, plundering the wealth of the citizens.
In the martial world outside, outlaws of the forest claim mountains as their own, engaging in killing and looting.
On the court, there were treacherous and sycophantic officials who controlled the state affairs, outwardly obedient but inwardly defiant, looking down on him, the young Emperor.
This start was truly too difficult!
The only consolation was that his late, so-called father had left him some power; otherwise, he would have thought about fleeing!
Just then, a voice echoed in Lin Beifan's mind.
"Ding! Congratulations, player, your Empire Sandbox Game is now online!"
"What is this?" Lin Beifan's thoughts stirred, and a stream of information entered his mind.
Lin Beifan was pleasantly surprised: "This is actually the Empire Sandbox Game I played before I transmigrated, and it transmigrated with me, even mutating! My golden finger has arrived! Haha!" (TLN: Golden finger is cheat)
This is a sandbox game where players can grow and strengthen their nation by reasonably mobilizing and allocating national resources.
Following his transmigration, a mutation occurred, projecting into reality.
The functions remained largely the same, but one more feature was added: the stronger the nation, the more powerful he became.
"Ding! Player, your current identity is Emperor of the Xia Kingdom. Would you like to bind to the current nation, Xia Kingdom?"
"Yes!" Lin Beifan replied without hesitation.
"Ding! Binding successful. The player's strength will now synchronize with the national power of the Xia Kingdom. Reward: Innate Realm True Qi level strength!"
In an instant, a powerful force surged through Lin Beifan's body.
Lin Beifan's strength soared rapidly, expanding hundreds of times, breaking through the acquired barrier and becoming a strong practitioner of the Innate Realm.
Feeling the surging power within, Lin Beifan was extremely excited: "I am now an Innate master, haha!"
This world classifies cultivation levels into 4 major realms and 10 grades.
Acquired Realm: Third-rate, Second-rate, First-rate
Innate Realm: True Qi, Astral Qi, Imperial Qi
Celestial Realm: Grandmaster, Great Grandmaster, Supreme Grandmaster
Void Transcendence Realm: Earthly Immortal
Among them, martial artists of the Acquired Realm are the mainstream in this world, making up 99%.
Martial artists of the Innate Realm can already be considered powerful and capable of dominating a region. They are generally the sect leaders or elder-level figures of various factions.
If placed within the imperial court, they would be generals capable of leading tens of thousands of soldiers.
Martial artists of the Celestial Realm are the top powerhouses of this world. A single individual can take on an army of thousands, even an entire enemy nation.
As for the powerhouses of the Void Transcendence Realm, they are legends that are admired from afar but remain unattainable.
So it can be said that Lin Beifan is now considered a strong figure.
Although he doesn't possess any legendary martial arts skills and seems a bit inferior compared to other Innate powerhouses, he can easily take down martial artists of the Acquired Realm in a matter of seconds.
He is not without the means to fight back when faced with danger.
"Ding! The player's strength has now synchronized with national power! Even if the national power declines, the player's strength will never regress. Please continue to work hard!"
"This is very good!" Lin Beifan nodded in satisfaction.
What he feared most was that his own strength would diminish along with the decline of national power.
But now, with no worries to hold him back, he can enjoy himself to the fullest.
Then, a massive 3D model materialized in Lin Beifan's mind.
It was the sandbox of the country he resided in, where everything from the heavens and the earth to the human world was visible in crystal clear detail.
If necessary, he could zoom in for a closer look, with every facial feature of individuals rendered in exquisite detail.
Below the sandbox, there was a section of detailed information.
Empire Sandbox (Beginner Level)
Territorial Area: 320,000 square miles (Arable land: 80,000 square miles)
Domestic Resources: 30.5 million taels (1 iron mine, 1 coal mine, 1 copper mine…)
Population: 3.22 million (Wealthy people 1%, Common people 18%, Poor people 71%)
Military Strength: 300,000 (2 Innate-level experts, 200 martial artists…)
Comprehensive National Power: 345 (small kingdom level)
(Note: Since the player's country is at the small kingdom level, the Empire Sandbox is in Beginner Level form, and the player can only mobilize underground resources! As the country level increases, the capabilities of the Empire Sandbox will gradually be unlocked!)
...
Lin Beifan exclaimed in amazement, "This feature is amazing, it allows me to monitor the entire nation! Without leaving the imperial palace, I can know everything that's happening in the world!"
Lost in thought, he pondered how to utilize this cheat to rapidly increase his own power.
At that moment, an old eunuch, accompanied by a group of people, walked in and called out softly, "Your Majesty, it's time to prepare for the morning court session. It's time to rise!"
This old eunuch, surnamed Liu, was known as Liu Eunuch and was a master of Innate True Qi level. He was treated like a son and was the protective force left to him by his late, nominal father.
"Very well, I shall rise!" Lin Beifan got up, washed up, changed into his dragon robe, and then went to hold court.
"Greetings to Your Majesty, long live the Emperor, long live, long live forever and ever!"
"My loyal subjects, rise your heads!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Lin Beifan looked on with an indifferent expression as he observed the civil and military officials.
Each one harbored their own ulterior motives, aiming to undermine his authority as the young Emperor.
The only ones he could trust were two individuals: the current Prime Minister, Xiao Guoliang, and the Grand General, Chai Yulang. They were sworn brothers of his late father, as close as real siblings, left behind to assist him.
These two loyal ministers looked up at Lin Beifan, seated high on the dragon throne, with expressions of relief and satisfaction.
"If there are matters to report, speak now; if not, the court is dismissed!" Eunuch Liu announced.
"Your Majesty, this minister has a report. Envoys from the Mo Kingdom have come to seek an audience!" the Minister of Rites called out loudly.
The faces of the civil and military officials in the court changed, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense.
The Mo Kingdom is a country that borders the Xia Kingdom. Although it is also considered a small kingdom, its comprehensive strength is much stronger than that of the Xia Kingdom.
The two countries often experience friction and clashes, making the border extremely tense.
Lin Beifan had just ascended the throne, and the political situation was unstable. Their visit at this time was surely a sign of ill intent.
Lin Beifan said with a calm expression, "Announce his entry!"
....
TLN: I think the synopsis doesn't really explain his abilities properly? Here's a simple explanation of his system abilities.
Basically, as an Emperor, MC has a super overpowered ability that was perfect for a ruler to "mobilize all domestic resources and allocate them." For example, he can transfer resources like an iron mine from the south to the north using his system.
That's why it was mentioned "after the Mo Kingdom took over the iron mine, it collapsed, burying an army of 200,000 soldiers" and "the Grand General's food supply vanished into thin air. His army starved to death on their way to the Capital City, never making it to battle." (He was the one who moved the food supplies using his system)