Nine Realms of Dust

"They say the Tiger Father has begotten a Dog Son. They couldn't be more wrong." To the world, Xiao Shaojin is the twelve-year-old disappointment of the Northern Border. As the only Heir to the terrifying Prince of Dongqi—a Warlord who makes emperors tremble—Xiao Shaojin is famous for only one thing: being a useless, arrogant "Silk-pants." He bullies scholars, spends gold like water, and once pointed at a rabbit, forcing his subordinates to call it a crow. But it is all a lie. He awakened his "Literary Heart" at the age of three. He mastered the forbidden "Ghost Valley Arts of Strategy" at the age of nine. While the Imperial Court plots to strip his father's power, and the Barbarian Tribes gather under the storms of the North, Xiao Shaojin moves his pieces in the shadows. He commands armies with a toy tiger, outwits ancient Grand Preceptors with a smile, and treats the battlefield like his personal chessboard. In a world where martial might rules, he will prove that a single thought can slaughter thousands. "I don't need to draw a sword to kill you. I just need to count to one."