[Great Ming] + [Emperor] + [Cultivation] + [System] + [Technology] + [Transmigration]
In the third year of Yongle, Zhu Di is pondering how to govern Great Ming well when a System suddenly appears in his mind.
The System lets him travel at will to a cultivation world to learn the arts of immortality, and to the modern world to bring back advanced technology. Zhu Di considers the deal and decides it's a bargain!
So he handles state affairs at court by day and travels to pursue side ventures at night. He brings back sweet potato seeds from the modern world to feed the people, and cultivation techniques from the other world so every soldier can fight like a champion. Glass, cement, firearms, cannons: Great Ming rises as if it had cheats enabled.
By the time neighboring countries realize what's happening, Great Ming's warships are already at their door. They're not there to bring gifts. They're there to annex them.
Later, the whole planet belongs to the Zhu family, and everyone cultivates and lives forever. Then the System displays a new notification: all Great Ming timelines throughout history have been unlocked.
Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhu Yunwen, Zhu Youjian... one emperor after another from Great Ming awaits him, ready for him to change their fates.
Zhu Di grins. “This is interesting. The System was well worth it.”
A good book, but when do we travel back to the Hongwu period?