As a second-rank Dragon Tiger General, Nurhaci could already faintly sense the might of the Great Ming.
After all, these bestowed honorary titles were essentially conferred through national prestige!
Nurhaci's waist sword was a sheathed blade. This sword had a bronze, petal-shaped pommel, inlaid with auspicious patterns such as the Heavenly Official, divine deer, and immortal cranes, symbolizing "Heavenly Official Bestows Blessings," "Promotion and Prosperity," and "Jade Rabbit Presents Auspiciousness."
The sword guard was made of bronze, with twin dragons facing each other. The scabbard was wooden, covered in sharkskin, bordered with brass, and reinforced with several copper bands inlaid with dragon and tiger patterns!
This was the "Dragon Tiger General's Sword," of which only nine existed in the world!
In the two hundred years of the Great Ming, only nine individuals had been conferred the title of Dragon Tiger General throughout the dynasties!
These nine individuals were either descendants of the founding marshals of the Great Ming or the sons and grandsons of the Mongolian Shunyi King. For Nurhaci, a mere leader of the Jianzhou Jurchens, to become the ninth Dragon Tiger General was truly a great favor from the Great Ming!
At this moment, two giant dragons and one fierce tiger faintly appeared as phantoms on Nurhaci's person!
Shurhaci could also see these three phantoms. Dragon Tiger Generals possessed three guardian divine beasts, radiating formidable divine might, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of envy.
Even some jealousy.
The official positions he received from the Great Ming were far inferior to his elder brother's, yet the supreme ruler of the Jianzhou Jurchens could enjoy the Great Ming's favor.
To be a dog of the Great Ming was the greatest honor.
What he received was inferior, while what his brother received was superior. Even so, his brother remained unsatisfied, even harboring ambitions of acquiring Great Ming territory....
If he didn't make some changes, he would forever be suppressed by his brother. This tribute mission also held his own intentions.
His brother harbored his own secrets, secrets belonging to Lishanhe, but who didn't have secrets?
At this moment, Nurhaci was unaware of his brother's intention to defect to the Great Ming in exchange for political status.
However, the state of the twin dragons and one tiger made Nurhaci feel something unusual.
"The national destiny of the Ming court, in the past, with each tribute, it was weaker than the last. As the national destiny declined, the national prestige gradually weakened, unable to suppress the chaos of gods and ghosts. But now, the Ming court's national prestige has strengthened."
"There is a resurgence, and even these divine beasts derived from national prestige have become spirited. Why is this...."
"So be it. The stronger the Great Ming's national prestige, the greater the power I can borrow. As long as I infuse my own national prestige into the source of the Great Ming's national prestige, I can become stronger, stealing the power of the Ming court for my own use."
Nurhaci activated the Dragon Tiger phantoms, using national prestige to spy on national prestige. Instantly, everything about the Great Ming was revealed to him. The sky of Shuntian was filled with a vast and intangible, immense power!
Several divine positions floated in the national prestige of Shuntian!
The Forbidden City was protected by Doumu.
In the Five Military Commissions, when he had visited last time, he had seen eight divine positions, but now there were only four. According to intelligence previously obtained, the divine positions in the Five Military Commissions were likely sent to the Korean battlefield.
The remaining four were the Divine General of Fire Cannons, the Divine General of Military Banners, the God who Governed Warships, and the Heavenly General of the Jade Pivot Fire Mansion.
Afterward, he even attempted to probe the imperial palace, but of course, he did not succeed.
Nurhaci also realized that his power was very limited. After all, the national prestige divine beasts on the Dragon Tiger General were subordinate, derivative entities of the true national prestige of the Great Ming. A subordinate could not spy on a superior; this was overstepping one's authority.
Nurhaci saw the damaged parts of the national prestige, though they were very small. He then began to circulate a spell, a technique of mending the heavens taught to him by someone from Lishanhe.
"I see it, that's the flaw? Let me try."
Of course, his technique of mending the heavens was to merge his own national prestige into the Great Ming's national prestige, thereby stealing heavenly might!
As long as the sage does not die, the great thief will not cease!
Do the so-called wise people in the secular world not gather wealth for the great thief!
Do the so-called sages not guard the wealth for the great thief!
The fusion began, and it was relatively smooth.
Mending the heavens, stealing, absorbing, devouring, refining!
"Lishanhe's [Three Thieves Profound Method] is indeed profound! Stealing from heaven, yet without calamity!"
But he soon encountered resistance.
And following this invisible force... Nurhaci saw a new, magnificent position. The name written on this position was too dazzling for him to see clearly.
And after this force, there was an even more grand and unparalleled, majestic force. Although he could only glimpse a tiny bit, Nurhaci truly felt it!
National prestige originates from the offerings of the common people, from the prosperity of the dynasty, and even more from this... Great Dao!
But at this moment, that divine position also discovered Nurhaci's intrusion and struck down a vast and powerful force!
Bang!
Nurhaci's vision went black, blood spurted from his nose and ears, dripping onto the ground. He felt dizzy and disoriented, as if his head had been smashed by a hammer, making it unbearable for him!
Even the two giant dragons and the fierce tiger were directly repelled by the power of that divine position. The two giant dragons both showed expressions of fear in their eyes, and the fierce tiger even lay on the ground, whimpering, and vanished in an instant.
Nurhaci was utterly horrified!
"Is this one of those two immortals who transcend the mortal realm?"
Struck on the head, he trembled all over, his muscles no longer obeying his control, unable to get up from the ground on all fours. But after trembling for a while, his expression gradually turned to joy.
This power was exactly the same as what the Dharma Realm cultivators from Lishanhe had told him!
However, their intelligence seemed to be outdated. Now, the Great Ming's national prestige had been replenished by this transcendent immortal through extraordinary means.
Was heaven not favoring him?
No, not necessarily!
True strong individuals are adept at finding the path forward from details.
"I see it, the end of the flow of national prestige!"
The birth of national prestige requires adherence to the laws of the Great Dao's operation. One of the strongest Great Daos in the surface world, the easiest to manifest, and the one that allows ascendant experts to supplement their own deficiencies, is this Great Dao possessed by the dynasty.
Experts from Lishanhe had said that the origin of this Great Dao was unknown, but it had always been offered to the dynasty. This was the Great Dao of the Divine Land, and as long as a great dynasty recognized by all the people was established, the power of the Great Dao would strengthen until it was complete. Some believed that the origin of this Great Dao might be related to Qin Shi Huang.
And there had been instances where this Great Dao had split, being used by several dynasties.
Southern and Northern Dynasties, Liao, Jin, Song, Western Xia.
And now, Nurhaci felt the operation of that Great Dao, which made him ecstatic.
However, this matter could not be put aside just like that; true, pure national prestige...
Having come to Shuntian and glimpsed a trace of supreme power, the desires in his heart were ignited, and he would not stop until they were completely consumed.
And Nurhaci soon inquired about the Temple of Fire God and the Temple of the Eastern Peak...
Pure national prestige, its origin, could even be "the Righteous Gods of the Nation!"
"It's a pity, if I had come earlier, I might have been able to replace that Fire Lord!"
.....
Nurhaci's attempt to spy on national prestige was discovered by Old Zhang in the altar.
Therefore, he was slightly punished using the Jade Emperor's divine position.
What should be seen, what should not be seen, what should be touched, what should not be touched!
Did a second-rank Dragon Tiger General not understand this!
From this action, if Nurhaci were a regular military leader of the Great Ming, he would have been arrested and considered disloyal!
However, Nurhaci was a border general of a foreign race. To the people within the Great Ming, a border general from the uncivilized lands who did not understand the etiquette of the Ming court was understandable.
Old Zhang observed Nurhaci through the national prestige and found that after being shaken, Nurhaci showed no further movement and stopped looking at the sky.
"It's hard to say what this person's intentions are. Judging by his actions just now, he seemed to want to mend the gap in national prestige... but this is not something a second-rank military official can mend."
"This is also a warning to this person. However, as long as it doesn't involve gods and ghosts, there is no reason to take further action."
Ascendant experts could not possibly act against a mortal; it would be too demeaning. Moreover, he also possessed national prestige, being a second-rank official. Acting rashly without the emperor's permission would also be unsuccessful.
The existence and meaning of national prestige were precisely to prevent cultivators and supernatural beings from killing indiscriminately. The significance of the court deifying gods also lay in this.
"Hmph, a wish attached to the heavens, whether intentional or unintentional."
Old Zhang discovered that wisp of wishful thinking within the national prestige and shattered it with a flick of his finger.
.....