Duke of Deer Cauldron: From Noble to Emperor

When modern-day corporate drone Lin Yue opened his eyes, he had somehow become Wei Xiaobao, the slick, quick-witted boy from the Lichun Courtesan House in Yangzhou. Even stranger, a ring called the Fated Bonds Cosmos Ring had appeared on his finger. It could store items, but it also contained a wondrous System: by forging bonds with martial heroes, powerful court officials, confidantes, and even the emperor himself, he could exchange those bonds for martial arts, strategic brilliance, rare treasures, and even the power to sway hearts.

From stumbling into the imperial palace and becoming “brothers” with the young Kangxi, to being forcibly taken on as Chen Jinnan's disciple and joining the Heaven and Earth Society; from making a name for himself by outwitting Ao Bai, to maneuvering against the Divine Dragon Cult, putting down the Three Feudatories, and settling matters with Russia, Wei Xiaobao used his streetwise cunning, along with the System, to weave a web of “fated bonds” spanning both the martial world and the imperial court. To Kangxi, he was a devoted yet calculating favorite. To Chen Jinnan, he was a wisecracking disciple who never forgot the bond between master and student. To confidantes like Su Quan and Shuang'er, he was someone they could trust with their lives.

As Kangxi grew more suspicious in his later years and the bloody struggle among his nine sons swept across the land, the ring of fated bonds kept Wei Xiaobao from being a mere fence-sitter. With bonds as his blade and human nature as his armor, Lord Wei advanced one careful step at a time, until at last he opened the doors of the Golden Throne Hall and placed upon his own head the dragon crown that symbolized power over all under heaven.

This is the legendary rise of a slick young scoundrel who used the power of “fated bonds” to climb from the pleasure quarters to the imperial throne. After all, the martial world is vast and the court is treacherous, but Wei Xiaobao is the best there is at “making friends.”