Such a figure would one day become a pillar of the world—if provoked, it would spell disaster.
In the wilds of Qinlong Valley, at Tianqi Temple, the Central Domain Star Officer stood with hands clasped behind his back, gazing into the distance. Mo Yin, trailing behind, spoke softly:
"Star Officer, shall we send men to assassinate him?"
The stars above were in chaos. Not just shifting constellations—an entire collapse. Even the protective star formation over the isolated peak had crumbled. The "heretic" before them had disrupted the heavens themselves, a force so violent it left onlookers reeling.
"Let it be," the Central Domain Star Officer said, shaking his head with a bitter edge. "Two Qi Refining cultivators perished when he broke through to the third realm. Even my forbidden artifact was worn down. Sending more would be suicide."
"But if such a terror isn't nipped in the bud, what becomes of the Great Qin Dynasty?" Mo Yin frowned.
The Star Officer watched the stars slowly realign, his voice drifting. "If fate decrees it, then so be it. Heaven allowed this 'heretic' to emerge for a reason. We who serve the Way can but watch."
"The Fifty Great Dao, the Forty-Nine Hidden—there's always hope."
"...Understood."
Zhao Xunan sat cross-legged on a stone platform in the wild mountains, closing his eyes to cultivate his inner vision. His once-steady mind churned again, his face tight with disbelief.
Third realm to fourth—true qi strands doubling. They should be five. Why ten?
He checked again. Ten strands surged from his dantian, racing through his meridians.
Ten.
His eyes twitched. If this continued, he might rival the legendary geniuses of Kunlun's secret realms, who wielded ninety-nine qi strands at foundation-establishment.
"Heaven favors me… how generously!"
He drew a deep breath, leaping to his feet. With a single stride, he covered dozens of feet, racing back to the Martial Arts Academy.
Ten strands of true qi surged through his body, coursing through the eight extraordinary meridians. His total qi volume had multiplied, his speed of circulation skyrocketing. In terms of combat power… he'd likely tripled.
Confident now, he thought, If I fought my past self, I could take on ten of him at once!
The next morning, Zhao Ping'er rubbed her eyes and stumbled into the library. "Master… I've reached the fourth realm. Have you broken through too?"
"...Hmm."
Even with foreknowledge, Zhao Xunan felt a urge to curse. A random thought flitted through his mind: Is Heaven favoring her instead? Am I just a tool to help her slack off?
That day, Song Tuzi and Lü Qingcai visited unexpectedly. Instead of greetings, they lunged at each other.
"Damn you, Fat Lü—give back my money!"
Song Tuzi tackled Lü Qingcai, twisting his chubby cheeks. Zhao Xunan bit back a laugh—this was just like how he'd disciplined the little maid.
Though smaller, Song Tuzi was a second-grade Earthly Root cultivator with a martial background. He could easily take on eight Lü Qingcais, even if the latter was from a scholarly clan.
Lü Qingcai, battered and bruised, grunted: "No money, no life. Kill me, and see if your father lets you wear mourning for me!"
This inflamed Song Tuzi further. He punched Lü Qingcai's thick flesh, and Zhao Xunan quickly intervened, leading them into the library.
"Enough chaos. You're both from official families—you should know better than to cause a scene."
Song Tuzi glared at Lü Qingcai, serious now: "The mid-term exams are in July. You're the academy head, yet you have no students. Are you abandoning it?"
Zhao Xunan poured tea, chuckling: "Not abandoned. It's about fate."
"Scholars with literati or prodigy statuses aren't easy to find—they're all preparing for the autumn exams. Who'd choose an unknown academy like ours?"
"Prodigies too—they've got better options."
"I'm here to say the rules have changed."
Song Tuzi frowned. "The 'teach before student' exam was meant to stump you. It was rushed, full of flaws. Later, all scholars were exempt, but the four academies only have so many spots. Requiring three students per person was impossible—there weren't enough scholars to go around."
He continued: "So the ministries adjusted. Students don't need literati/prodigy statuses, but they must pass the mid-term exams and earn prodigy status in the final academy trials. Otherwise, even top scholars can't enter the second rank—they'll only get third-rank 'same as jinshi' titles."
"Third rank is fine. It's just a title," Zhao Xunan said, pouring tea for them. He raised his cup, drinking warmly, his expression serene. "At my age, I've seen enough. With a second-grade official rank, the rest is trivial. Go with the flow."
His leisurely tone made Song Tuzi and Lü Qingcai shiver. The vibrant young man before them now seemed like a weathered elder who'd seen the world.
"...Master Shanhe, what's gotten into you?" Lü Qingcai frowned.
Zhao Xunan said nothing, just smiling.
A month to go from third to fourth realm—too much joy, too little time.
"Xun'an, why the change?" Song Tuzi grabbed his arm, shaking him. Lü Qingcai chimed in: "I came because my father said all jinshi graduates this year will receive imperial rewards. Your parents were ostracized by the clan for being 'heretics'—their graves aren't even tended."
"If you get first rank, there'll be a posthumous title. The Zhao clan won't dare slight you then."
Zhao Xunan's face hardened. His parents' tragedy was a wound that never healed. He hadn't returned home to punish the clan head after his rebirth—for his parents' sake.
As an Zhao descendant, he'd be buried with his ancestors. Now on the cultivation path, he'd see them even less. For them, he couldn't be ruthless.
"Not a word of lies. Tomorrow, the Ministry of Personnel and Rites will post the notice—you'll see."
Lü Qingcai spoke earnestly. Before Zhao Xunan could reply, Zhao Ping'er burst in from outside, her eyes red.
"Master—you must get first rank!"
"Only then will our ancestors rest easy in the afterlife!"
Zhao Xunan nodded, gritting his teeth.
The two second-generation scions bickered their way out. Zhao Xunan and the little maid stared at each other, sighing.
Easy to promise, hard to fulfill. As an outsider, he had no clue where to find students.
Calming down, the little maid revisited an old idea: "Master, maybe go back to civil exams? We can't stay here forever—we need to provide for the ancestors during festivals."
Zhao Xunan nodded. But deep down, he knew: Civil exams would be harder.
In his past life, the delayed civil spring exams had been held in late autumn. Top scholars competed in classics and history, and the champion had been a talent from the Western Frontier's Sixteen Prefectures.
That exam had shocked the literary world—over a hundred scholars from the Sixteen Prefectures had ranked high, nearly half the palace exam spots.
Rumors swirled: The Sixteen Prefectures, once seen as barbaric, had exceptional education. But some doubted—scholarship couldn't be rushed. Their success felt… off.
No one dared question it, though—especially not with the Sixth Prince involved. Cross him, and you'd end up dead in a ditch.
At the palace exam, those Sixteen Prefecture scholars had turned violent, using hidden blood talismans to assassinate the emperor and ministers. Only the Imperial Preceptor Phoenix's intervention had saved the day.
But Phoenix alone couldn't protect everyone. Over forty fourth-rank officials and millions of commoners died. The Sixteen Prefecture scholars perished too.
In the aftermath, the exam results were invalidated. It wasn't until the next spring that new exams were held.
Too many variables. Zhao Xunan wouldn't gamble. For now, martial exams were safer.
In his past life, martial exams hadn't been affected. If he could rank first this time, he'd gain martial essence and posthumous honors for his parents—safer than civil exams.
He slammed the table. "Ping'er, let's go to the streets!"
"What? We're about to eat!"
"Street food. We're looking for students!"
Zhao Xunan stood, tugging the grumbling girl along. Time was short—the mid-term exams were a month away.
"Wow—what a bustling place, the Yellow Court Avenue of Jade Capital!"
"Master, so many people—where are your students? Your opportunity?"
Zhao Ping'er munched on a flaky pastry, yelling over the noise. Zhao Xunan's brow furrowed—he'd made a mistake.
This was no time for leisure. Top scholars were buried in books, not strolling the streets.
Anyone here was either a fool or a wastrel—none worth recruiting.
"Ah, well. We're here now."
"If we can't find any, we'll hire three. Pass the mid-term exams first, worry later."
The little maid smirked. "Master, you've changed—you're so worldly now!"
"Tch. If I weren't worldly, how'd I afford all those hairpins for you?"
Zhao Xunan glared at her, pointing at the seventeen hairpins in her hair. "Proper ladies wear two at most. You look like a walking jewelry box!"
"And you're the most worldly person in the world!"
Zhao Xunan huffed, storming off. The little maid grinned, munching her pastry—delicious, as always.
They wandered for hours, no students in sight. Zhao Xunan's temper flared; the little maid, meanwhile, enjoyed the snacks and sights.
"Master, look—at the acrobats!"
Zhao Xunan followed her gaze. A crowd had gathered around performers. The loud gongs and clapping told him it was a show.
"Typical. No students, just fools."
But as they pushed through the crowd, he froze.
Performing acrobatics were twin brothers—Li Qingfeng and Li Qinglin, the Yaozu-blooded pair he'd met at Zhi Ge Academy.
He remembered: During the Wuge Academy exams, they'd been the only ones without proper enrollment.
"Let's go watch," Zhao Xunan said, leading the little maid to a roof for a better view.
The twins' performance wowed the crowd, but when they passed the gong for tips, only a handful of coins clinked in.
The brothers looked dejected, digging out dry flatbreads. Then—a silver ingot clattered into the gong.
"Thank you, kind sir!"
They leapt up, bowing deeply. Zhao Xunan waved them over.
"I remember you—you have martial prodigy statuses. Even if Jade Capital academies won't take you, you could return home, earn a martial literati title. Better than begging."
The brothers stared, confused. Zhao Xunan explained their situation at Zhi Ge Academy.
The older brother, Li Qingfeng, sighed: "Our travel funds were from the whole village. If we can't enroll, we've no face to return."
The younger, Li Qinglin, grumbled: "The Great Qin military has many Yaozu generals. Our ancestors fought for the empire—why exclude us?"
Zhao Xunan looked at the quiet elder, then the angry younger. "There's a reason. The Sea-Mountain Circuit is a remnant of the ancient Outer Three Mountains, annexed by Great Qin a century ago. Your customs and bloodline still differ."
"Without the Flower Demon incident, maybe… but after the Old Emperor's death, who'd vouch for you?"