[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-heir-to-the-kingdom-of-1-4-billion-citizens":3,"chapter-heir-to-the-kingdom-of-1-4-billion-citizens-heir-to-the-kingdom-of-1-4-billion-citizens-chapter-40":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Heir to the Kingdom of 1.4 Billion Citizens",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2270915,4434,"Chapter 40: The Only Unique Genius in the Entire World!","heir-to-the-kingdom-of-1-4-billion-citizens-chapter-40",40,"\u003Cp>At the room’s door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I choose the Hunter’s path.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Forgive me, my lord, for my caprice.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he had made his desired choice, Boge’s face was filled with unease; he even bowed his head, unwilling to look at Xia Mingyu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because he knew that choosing the orthodox Knight’s path was the proper duty of a loyal squire—countless others dreamed of such an opportunity but never received it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet while fulfilling his father’s last wish was one thing, he still needed at least another year to become a knight—how could he possibly fulfill his duty to protect my lord during that time?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He no longer wished to be knocked senseless, his sword ripped from his grasp, before my lord’s eyes—he hoped that had been the last time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do what you wish to do; this is no caprice. I believe you will go farther on the Hunter’s path and bring me greater glory.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As we once agreed, you offer me your loyalty, and I shall guide you toward the path of strength—that is my duty.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Mingyu said calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At these words, the boy clenched his fists tightly, his brown eyes shimmering with tears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Highness, thank you for saving me from the wolf pack long ago, and for taking me as your squire and showing me the way.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I, Boge Chu, swear before the gods: even if one day I lose my human form and become a beast, I shall forever remember my lord’s grace—I shall gnaw the flesh of his enemies, forever and ever!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At midnight, a full moon hung high above the deep night sky, pouring down countless threads of silver light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the top of the bell tower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A petite girl with silver hair stood beside the massive bronze bell, gazing at the bright moon in the sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She wore a white dress, her silver locks flowing like a waterfall in the night wind, shimmering with ripples woven by moonlight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hem of her white dress fluttered slightly, revealing slender, jade-like ankles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her mismatched red and gray eyes reflected the full moon; her hand rested lightly on the slightly rusted bronze bell, her snow-white fingertips stained with faint verdigris.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tap-tap-tap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, footsteps echoed up the spiral staircase; hearing them, the girl turned from the moon and stood respectfully to one side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good evening, Your Highness.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the black-haired young man ascended to the loft, the girl gently lifted the hem of her white dress and bowed deeply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Elise, you are beautiful tonight.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Mingyu gazed at the girl glowing under the moonlight, his dark eyes flickering with awe; he extended his right hand, palm open, before her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, Elise’s cheeks flushed slightly, yet she slowly placed her hand upon his.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Xia Mingyu bent down and lightly kissed the back of her hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A kiss on the hand—he had read a book titled *Nobility Etiquette* today.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Highness, tonight is the full moon—the perfect time to practice the Moonlight Meditation. Please begin your visualization now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elise whispered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Following Elise’s instructions, Xia Mingyu sat cross-legged on the loft, facing the best position to view the full moon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Highness, this is a magical potion to aid your meditation. Please drink it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elise pulled out a pale blue potion and handed it to Xia Mingyu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had been purchased years ago by Viscount Hughes when she first began learning magic—he bought a whole crate, but she only used three or four bottles before successfully sensing magic, and the rest had sat untouched in the storage room ever since.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a moment’s hesitation, Xia Mingyu downed the potion in one gulp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, Elise had no reason to poison him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmph, it was surprisingly sweet—like drinking a little dessert wine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After drinking the potion, Xia Mingyu felt his mind suddenly grow empty, his emotions settling into calm stillness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Remember the appearance of the full moon in the night sky.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Close your eyes, relax your breath, listen to the whispers of the wind.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In your mind, imagine the full moon you just memorized.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl’s soft, kitten-like voice echoed in his ears; Xia Mingyu followed each instruction precisely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He struggled to imagine the full moon in the pitch-black void before him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With years of experience daydreaming during class, he found it surprisingly easy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Highness, imagine your soul leaving your body, standing alone atop the full moon, gazing across the dark continent, gazing at your own body.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elise’s guidance continued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Mingyu obeyed; his sensation was strange.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It felt as if his soul had truly detached from his body, floating with ethereal freedom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, his consciousness grew hazy, leaving only the memory of the bright moon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the bell tower, Elise watched Xia Mingyu, motionless, his breathing slowed to near stillness; her flawless ruby eyes flickered with astonishment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because this was the unmistakable sign of successful meditation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She herself had taken a full week to achieve it—and even then, her teacher had called her an unparalleled genius of the magical world!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He claimed that had she not been heterochromatic, he would have taken her to Star Tower, the sacred sanctuary of all mages, to study the deepest magic of the world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the prince had done it in just one hour. This could no longer be called genius—it was as if the world itself favored him!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So this is the power granted by the beliefs of 1.4 billion people…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elise gazed at the white text hovering above Xia Mingyu’s head: *Heir to the Kingdom of 1.4 Billion Citizens*; her beautiful eyes held a complex emotion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having read every book in the entire library, she knew well: the beliefs of sentient beings themselves were a form of power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A world where heterochromatic eyes are not omens of ill fortune—I truly wish to see it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl murmured to herself, staring at the spot on her hand where he had kissed her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the first time anyone had called her beautiful—and the first time a man had performed the kiss-on-the-hand ritual.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first rays of dawn pierced the night, the distant horizon gradually turning pale as fishbelly white.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hum!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Accompanied by a resonant chime from the bell, Xia Mingyu slowly opened his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt as if he had dreamed—walking alone on the moon for a long time, seeing no one, only gazing in solitude at the distant blue planet, like the opening screen of some social app.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Highness, congratulations. You mastered the Moonlight Meditation in a single night—I have never heard of anyone achieving it so quickly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elise stood before him, speaking softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So does that mean I have some talent in magic?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Mingyu asked, stretching his numb legs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Highness, please extend one finger and focus all your spirit on the fingertip.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elise did not answer, but continued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Mingyu obeyed; soon, a cool sensation gathered from his entire body and flowed into his fingertip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, a faint white glow—barely brighter than a firefly—appeared on his fingertip: blank magic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, Elise’s face showed a hint of satisfaction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Highness, a mage requires many talents; I cannot guarantee you are a magic prodigy. But—” the girl paused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“At least in meditation and accumulating magic, even the elves, the favored children of magic, could never match you.” Elise declared firmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In this regard, you are the one and only supreme genius in the entire world!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Please request moon tickets, thank you all for helping me enter the top ten, Thanks(ω)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1249,"2026-06-19T22:18:43.340Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","03e9906c52e241a6a87e1d4b1b8fe68752a378fa47bcc6f2908637eac683c2f3","heir-to-the-kingdom-of-1-4-billion-citizens-chapter-41","heir-to-the-kingdom-of-1-4-billion-citizens-chapter-39",186,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fheir-to-the-kingdom-of-1-4-billion-citizens-cover.jpg"]