In the late Han Dynasty, the imbecile Emperor trusted eunuchs to counsel him. The country was getting more corrupt by the day.

Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei took an oath and became sworn brothers. They fought to bring back peace to the general public.

Chapter 464 – Technology Race
December, 194 AD.
Guangling County
A hundred of burly master blacksmiths, who would soon become gunsmiths, surrounded their team leader, observing what he was doing.
On the blacksmith's leader hands, gun parts were being assembled into one long item. 
*Click*
Soon, a prototype musket of the Sun Clan was completed.
"Let's try to shoot it!" Asked an enthusiastic blacksmith.
The blacksmith leader did just that. He poured a pinch of gunpowder and used a long thin pipe to shove an iron ball inside the long chamber. Clumsily, he aimed at a mud wall, where all blacksmiths dispersed and gave this old man a room to shoot.
*BANG*
*PU*
The iron ball punctured into the mud wall, creating a small hole in it.
"Is it successful?" An apprentice blacksmith looked at the scene from afar.
"Obviously, yes! It's completed!"
Everyone celebrated that they achieved what Sun Fang had entrusted them to do.
.
Jiangdou Port, south of Guangling County
500 Shipbuilders of this port were observing a new ship, which was sliding on wooden logs to the Yangtze River.
The new ship did not have a square hull, which was an orthodox warship in this era. Instead, they had a narrow and curvy hull, sharp bow, and three tall masts on the front, center, and rear deck.
Not only could this vessel sail by paddles, but the sailcloths on the mast could also be used to take advantage of the wind and propel the ship forward without paddles.
This was the first galley that Sun Fang designed by using his modern world's knowledge. It took him and his men a decade through a difficult trial-and-error project. Yet, they completed it nonetheless.
Sun Fang gazed at the first galley of china with a proud look.
'I can't fight Zhang Tong and Sun Ce head-on, but I can at least advance my colony's technologies. With this ship and my shipbuilders, even if Sun Ce and Zhou Yu backstabbed me, I can migrate to either Japan or South Asia with this.'
Pu Jing was not the only one that planned to escape from China and start over in other countries. Sun Fang, too, had his sight on the Yamato Kingdom, the ancient Japan.
Sun Fang knew that the Yamato Kingdom valued shipbuilders and warships, so he could make it big there. Staying in China and fighting Tong with his current military strength was a foolish idea.
Unlike persistent antagonists in some novels, Sun Fang had a brain. He knew when to retreat when he could not win.
*ZAAAAA*
The galley entered the Yangtze River. As it floated and maintained on the water, all shipbuilders shouted and cheered, celebrating their success.
Sun Fang clenched his fists, 'Next, I'll cultivate to at least 6-wing tier ASAP. I can't trust anyone but myself now!'
.
.
Chang'An
A similar celebration took place in a workshop as Liu Bei's elite blacksmith group completed their research and forged a new musket, which was more advanced than the prototype arquebus that they obtained from Cao Cao and Pu Jing.
Moreover, Liu Bei, who had obtained a fraction of Ping's memory, came up with a new item for his Qiang Cavalry units.
The stirrup
A pair of leather and iron rings, attached to a saddle with a strap, was a tool for horsemen as an extra foothold during their ride, which made their balancing easier and more comfortable, increasing the rider's efficiency in horse combats.
The stirrup was invented during the Jin Dynasty Period, which did not exist during the Han Dynasty or the Three Kingdoms Era. However, the constraint dream of Ping's modern world reminded Liu Bei about many things that he could apply to his kingdom. 
At first, Guan Yu, Pang Tong, and everyone were skeptical about Liu Bei's new invention. But once the first stirrup completed, it changed their opinion about this ambitious lord's intelligence.
With stirrup foothold, their horse units could instantly become elites, rivaling Lu Bu's former Mountaineer Legion, as they could perform on horseback better.
This was something that even Tong overlooked. The latter had too many competent officers that his angst disappeared from his mind. Without the anxiety and the pressure from strong rivals, Tong lacked the motive to invest everything into his technology development.
But Liu Bei, who was pressured by Lu Bu's absurd cultivation strength and Tong's military power, kept struggling non-stop. He scrambled for anything that could increase the chance to win against Tong's elite legions, and it paid off.
On a training field, Guan Yu equipped a stirrup on his horse and tried it.
As soon as he placed his feet into the foothold rings, his riding experience changed.
"This is comfortable. I don't have to adjust my legs while I'm riding anymore."
Zhang Fei nodded in agreement since he had already tried it many times before, "First brother is surprisingly a genius! If we can mass-produce this, our cavalry units will be unstoppable!"
"Indeed, but we have to secure our counter-intelligence network. Zhang Tong's spies can just steal our items and copy this for themselves. By the way, Yide, how many lifespans do you have now?"
"Something 500,000 years? Why?"
"I've been talking to the goddess recently, and she said that our men can learn this cultivation method if we pay her 200,000 years of lifespan per person. I'm planning to give it to Pang Tong, Xu Shu, and Ma Chao."
"This will take a while. I can only cultivate like 400,000 to 500,000 lifespan a year."
"Try to awaken your 5th and 6th wing. Then, you can cultivate at least 600,000 lifespans a year."
"I'll try, second brother… There go my wine sessions."
"Don't drink too much. You're going to die pissing off your subordinate again."
"… I know."
.
.
.
February, 195 AD.
The news about the new development of neighbor countries reached the ears of Tong and his men.
Even though the threat of their new technologies and new toys could harm his men, Tong was not flustered or panic. Instead, he was delighted that his plan finally bore fruits.
So far, Tong had been pressuring all hostile forces with his military might and the overwhelming number of soldiers so that Liu Bei, Cao Cao, and Sun Ce could hasten their city development and technology.
And it worked.
Without doing anything but sitting and training his soldiers, Liu Bei and Sun Fang did the work for him by developing new war tools.
…
Throne Room, Ye Palace, Morning Assembly Meeting
As Dong Bai and Diaochan stopped harassing Tong at night, the pervert emperor's health got better. Tong's face regained color, which delighted his subordinates that this pillar of the Han Dynasty would not die any time soon.
Zhuge Liang took over Xun Yu's job and reported the finding of Liu Bei and Sun Fang's movements.
Finished listening to the report, Tong summoned Te Langpu, "Mr. President…" 
Te Langpu stepped forward, questioned Tong's motive, "Your Majesty?"
"I think stirrup is something that I overlooked after all these years. We should add this to our current development projects and mass produce this along with horse saddles, so it can become a set."
Te Langpu grumbled, "So, the designer task is on me again?"
"It's an easy job, much easier than developing muskets and smooth bore drills to make cannons or muskets."
"Fine. I'll add this to my projects this year."
Tong turned to Lu Zhi, "Master Lu."
Lu Zhi grinned as he predicted that Tong was up to no good again, "Will it be a sabotage job, assassination, or stealing someone's wife this time, disciple?"
Everyone in the throne room laughed. They were expecting that Tong might have plotted something nasty again, like how he took Wu Guotai or Cao Cao's daughters as his wives.
"I can't take in anymore concubine, or my empress and prime consort will kill me. For now, I just want to know how Gan Ning's navy fleet development is going."
"Oh, that's a disappointment. I was hoping that you can have more children."
All civil officers laughed again.
"That's not funny, master. Think of my children. They're going to start killing each other if I have too many successors."
Lu Zhi shrugged, "You can just make it clear who will your crown prince be. Write a mandate and publish it to your people. Then, no one can deny that order, or they will be charged as rebels."
Liu Xie's secret supporters were interested in this conversation. They wondered if Tong and Liu Xie were on good terms or not after the former had two more sons.
"I'll announce it after I tested all of my sons. Back to the main topic, how is Gan Ning's navy?"
"The frigate development? We have 10 hulls completed, but our shipbuilders are confused about the mast setting and your interior design. Also, Sir Li Feihong's lumber supply isn't enough for the research because of the last winter. Our soldiers turned them into firewood and distributed them to the Xiangping, Ji, Beiping, and Pyongyang. We have to wait for Sir Li to bring out more lumbers, or we'll have to start cutting forests."
Tong shook his head right away as he dreaded natural disasters. Cutting forests recklessly might cause landslides, floods, or irregular seasons.
"Don't cut the forests. Leave them be, so the gods won't curse us. We don't want to piss them off by destroying natural gifts."
It was just an excuse for not cutting trees or expanding their land reclamation. Since people in this period believed in supernatural phenomenon more than science facts, using an excuse relating to gods worked better than explaining physics and natural science.
Tong continued, "But, we won't leave Sun Fang alone. I want a special troop to infiltrate Sun Fang's city and buy the shipbuilders. Make them migrate to Beihei, so they can make ships for us."
"Why not kidnapping them?"
"We need their heart, not their bodies. I want them to work for us willingly. Bribe those shipbuilders and entice them with our salary standard. Promise them that no slave exists in our country."
"…Ah, an underhanded tactic, I see. I'll see to it."
"It's not underhanded if we do it in the open. Just make it public that we want their shipbuilders, and we're paying a lot for their services. I want more people to migrate to us, so we can get more household taxes, merchant taxes, income taxes, and VAT from the merchandise they buy from us!"
"… I take that back. You're an evil capitalist emperor, disciple."
"Their money is our salary, master."
"… I also take that back. We should bring more people to our territory and squeeze more taxes back from their wages. Money circulation never lies!"
Listening to the absurd conversation, all civil officers sweated. Somehow, Tong and Lu Zhi's noble image was slowly degrading into sly money-grubbing officials after their kingdom's financial power improved.
Still, Tong did not allow anyone to own property or land yet, which troubled all noble clans who were waiting to buy back territories that they used to own.
One of the officials in the throne room mustered his courage and asked Tong.
"Your Majesty, when will you allow us to own lands? Now that all of your enemies are no longer a threat, shouldn't you allow us to own some assets?"
The speaker was Zhuge Liang!


Tong, a sinner who was suffering endless torment in hell because of his mistake he had done in his previous life, was giving other chance to redeem himself by the devil. 

All he had to do was participating in the redemption program, organized by the gods and the devils. He would be reincarnated as a random citizen of China during the end of the era of the East Han, and the prelude of the era of the Three Kingdoms. He would also retain his memory and a cheat skill that he designed for himself. 

Tong later found himself reincarnated as Zhang Tong, the son of the Yellow Turbans leader, Zhang Jiao. 

The problem didn't end with just the dilemma of the Yellow Turbans Army. It appeared that other than him, there were 99 others from the modern world that reincarnated into this timeline with him as well. 

This redemption program by the gods and devils didn't seem to be simple. There was definitely something fishy going on. 

Then the hidden agenda revealed itself to the reincarnators. Zhang Tong had to utilize everything by any means necessary to survive this ordeal.
--------------------------------------------------
Warning: It's a story with deranged characters that MC and friends won't get a smooth sailing life forever like the other typical WN novels. 

Patience and high tolerance are required for this novel. Constant nerfs, plot twisted, and changes in the story are expected. 

All RoTK fans should also be warned. I don't follow the trends of historical events. All characters and their thought won't be like in the 14th-century novel RoTK or Dynasty Warrior.

Again, I don't sell 100% wet-dreams in this novel. I mixed nightmares in it.
--------------------------------------------------
This series has ended. 
--------------------------------------------------
Due to the copyrighted kinds of stuff, I changed my cover back to my first cover until I can get my hands on a better one.
--------------------------------------------------

Chapter 876 – Medical Saint Zhang Zhongjing

 Just as Wang Zhaojun was hesitating, Ouyang Shuo spoke once more.

 "Zhaojun, did you think about what you want to do in the future?"

 "Ah?" Wang Zhaojun was stunned, and her face turned red; the script was not right. Luckily, she had been through many situations in her last life, so she quickly calmed down and respectfully said, "I was a court lady. If the king does not mind, I'm willing to be a court lady in the palace."

 Wang Zhaojun had no relatives in Shanhai City. As such, apart from entering the palace, she did not know what she could do. In ancient times, a girl's beauty would often invite big trouble, especially girls that were as pretty as her.

 Apart from inviting tragedy, beauties often had short lives.

 With the protection of Mulan Yue in Zhen An Prefecture, she avoided a lot of problems. This was also the reason why she accepted Mulan Yue's suggestion and came over to Shanhai City.

 According to Mulan Yue, only the king could protect her.

 When Ouyang Shuo heard that, he shook his head. He did not dare accept her as a court lady. Even though Song Jia was magnanimous, she probably could not accept such a beauty by his side.

 "Do you like playing the pipa and singing?" Ouyang Shuo asked.

 Wang Zhaojun was shocked. She did not know why the king was asking about that.

 When Ouyang Shuo saw her reaction, he explained, "With your looks, it's a waste of your talent. I have a good place, just that I do not know whether you are willing or not."

 He continued to describe the modern day singer job to her.

 This time, not only Wang Zhaojun was stunned, but even Tsing Yi raised her head. Her eyes opened wide, and she looked at Ouyang Shuo like she was looking like at a monster.

 The outside world always had rumors that one of the reasons why the Great Xia Dynasty could walk till today was because of Ouyang Shuo. His thinking was special and out of the box.

 But this time, it was a little too far out of the box.

 "Develop Wang Zhaojun into a star? To think he actually thought of that." Tsing Yi tipped her hat to him for thinking of something like that.

 Although she did not dare to believe it, Tsing Yi could not help but imagine the scene of Wang Zhaojun singing on stage. After having such a thought, she was actually looking forward to it.

 "Then I'll try?"

 Wang Zhaojun did not know how to reject and could only give such an answer. 

 Ouyang Shuo knew that this matter could not be rushed, so he smiled as he said, "Great. As for the specifics, I'll get the queen to explain them to you."

 "Yes my king!"

 When Wang Zhaojun saw that, she took her leave. However, she did not know that from that moment on, her fate had taken an 180 degrees turn.

 A superstar was slowly rising up.

 Looking at Wang Zhaojun's back view, Ouyang Shuo thought about Mulan Yue, who had recommended her. She had been a Governor for a year and a half, and she had done really well.

 Along with her contribution of recommending Wang Zhaojun, Ouyang Shuo wanted to promote her to Provincial Governor of Morocco.

 Morocco was alone outside, so the Provincial Governor he chose had to be someone he trusted. If one talked about trust, Mulan Yue was one of the people he trusted the most.

 As for ability, they could follow the early Zhen An Prefecture and assign her some strong supporting staff. The truth proved that she was a really exceptional political talent.

 In this year and a half, Zhen An Prefecture had been run really well, exceeding Ouyang Shuo's expectations.

 However, Morocco was located overseas, so he needed to seek her opinion. Thinking of which, he turned around and said to Tsing Yi, "Summon Zhen An Prefecture Governor Mulan Yue, ask her to set off and come back to the imperial city." Zhen An Prefecture did not have a teleportation formation, so she could not reach Shanhai City immediately.

 "Yes my king!"

 A look of doubt appeared in Tsing Yi's eyes, but she still nodded. Logically speaking, it was still the 5th month, so it should not be the time for Governor debriefs. It seemed like the king had other reasons for calling her back.

 As the advisor of the Secret Documents Pavilion, Tsing Yi knew her place and knew what should be asked and what should not.
 ...
 After sending away Wang Zhaojun, the second person Ouyang Shuo met was a general. The famous Fubo General Ma Yuan. He was the descendent of Zhao She and the ancestor of the Xiliang Five Ma.

 Ma Yuan was a famous military person from the end of West Han to the starting years of East Han. He was one of the contributors to the establishment of East Han.

 During the ending years of West Han, the world was in chaos, and Ma Yuan was the subordinate of Kui Xiao, gaining his trust. After which he, followed Liu Xiu and helped him unify the country.

 After unifying the country, Ma Yuan was already really old but sought to continue, fighting the Qiang people in the west and stopping problems in the south. As a result of his merits, he was given the title of Xingxi Lord and was nicknamed by the people as Ma Fupo. 

 "I am General Ma Yuan, greetings to the king!"

 The Ma Yuan that entered the wilderness was close to 50. Considering Zhao She, Zhao Kuo, and the Xiliang Five horses, a total of eight people of the Ma family had joined the Great Xia Dynasty.

 The reason Ma Yuan came over was firstly because of Zhao She, Ma Chao, and others, who were working for the Great Xia Dynasty; they had kept in contact. Secondly, the Great Xia Dynasty had just established the country, so they naturally attracted many.

 "General please rise!"

 Ouyang Shuo was really respectful toward Ma Yuan, as he could be considered a crucial person in the Ma family. Moreover, Morocco was current reorganizing the military and needed such an experienced general.

 In history, although Ma Yuan could not be considered a legendary general, he was still a great one.

 Name: Ma Yuan (King Rank)
 Dynasty: West Han End, East Han start
 Identity: Great Xia Dynasty General
 Occupation: Advanced General
 Loyalty: 75
 Command: 75
 Force: 75
 Intelligence: 68
 Politics: 50
 Specialty: Good General (raises troops' attack strength by 15%, raises troops' movement speed by 25%)
 Cultivation method: Fubo Blade Technique
 Equipment: Machete
 Evaluation: Worked for the Imperial Court for 22 years, north to the desert, and south to the Riggers and oceans. Died because of military matters; he was worshipped by many.

 Before coming to meet the king, Ma Yuan had already stayed in Shanhai City for a period of time and had interacted with members of the family. As such, he knew a few things about the Great Xia Dynasty.

 After learning that the king personally went on an expedition and achieved a great victory, Ma Yuan knew that his chance to step up had arrived.

 As expected, after a short chat, Ouyang Shuo hinted that in the upcoming military reorganization, he would place Ma Yuan as a Legion General.

 At the end, Ouyang Shuo smiled, "I just do not know if general is willing to lead troops overseas?" Morocco was located alone overseas and was at a crucial location. As such, they definitely needed to station troops there to protect the land.

 Ma Yuan often fought at the borders, so he did not mind, "I am willing!"

 Ouyang Shuo nodded his head, "That's great, rest up in the imperial city. Ma Teng, Ma Chao, Ma Xiu, the others, and the Guards Legion Corps generals have already returned. Go have a reunion with them and wait for the official appointed from the Privy Court."

 "Yes my king!"

 After getting the order, Ma Yuan left. He too wanted to see Ma Chao and the rest.
 ...
 After sending away Ma Yuan, Ouyang Shuo received the last historical person, who was also an old man. He was the famous Medical Saint, Zhang Zhongjing.

 Zhang Zhongjing; he was also known as Zhang Ji. He was born in the East Han south Prefecture.

 Zhang Zhongjing lived in the end of the East Han, which was a really chaotic time in Chinese history. Historical records had it that the East Han Huan Emperor had three major epidemics, while Emperor Ling had five. During Emperor Xian's time, the epidemic was worse, and tens of thousands of people died. 

 Zhang Zhongjing's family was originally a big one with 200 odd people.
Since the start of Jian An, in less than 10 years, 2/3rd of them died because of illness with 70% of them dying from typhoid.

 Facing the epidemics, Zhang Zhongjing was really sad and angry. Hence, he decided to research typhoid fever to try to cure it.

 During the Jian An period, Zhang Zhongjing went over various lands and personally witnessed the damage and effects that the various epidemics had on the people. He also used this chance to research typhoid fever and raise his experience and understanding of it.

 After 10 years of hard work, he finally wrote a book known as Treatise of Febrile and Miscellaneous Diseases. This was another influential medical book since the Yellow Emperor Internal Cultivation Technique.

 The reason why Zhang Zhongjing was willing to come over had something to do with the game of the Great Xia Dynasty. More importantly, they were pushing out basic healthcare reforms, which attracted his attention.

 Zhang Zhongjing was dedicated to medicine and did not care about being an official. Since he was from an aristocratic family, he inherited the family and was appointed as the Changsha Prefecture Governor during the Jian An period.

 Even so, he did not forget about medicine. During ancient times, officials could not randomly enter houses and come close to the people. However, if he did not get close to them, how could he cure them, and how could his skills improve?

 Hence, he thought of a way, which was to choose the 1st and 15th of each month to open the Yamen for sick people. He sat in the main hall and diagnosed all of them.

 Name: Zhang Zhongjing (Saint Rank)
 Title: Medical Saint
 Dynasty: East Han
 Identity: Great Xia Dynasty Doctor
 Occupation: Special Physician
 Loyalty: 70
 Bone structure:20
 Comprehension: 22
 Charm: 12
 Luck: 18
 Specialty: Medical Saint (raises body qualities by 15%, reduces chance of people getting sick by 15%, raises medical studies breakthrough by 15%, raises familiarity of skills of physicians by 25%.)
 Book: Treatise of Febrile and Miscellaneous Diseases
 Evaluation: Zhang Zhongjing, one of the most exceptional doctors in Chinese history. He wrote the famous book Treatise of Febrile and Miscellaneous Diseases. He created the rules and principles of judging illnesses, which formed the foundations of Chinese medicine and the soul of Chinese medicine.



Earth Online – a virtual MMORPG that takes place in the future year of 2190 – a game that everyone will bet their futures on. Set in a map that is ten times the size of real-world Earth, players battle for supremacy in the first game to feature personal adventure, territory construction, and grand warfare. For every death you experience in the game, your level would drop back to zero. Ouyang Shuo, an above average player, suffered the ultimate betrayal. For merely a piece of equipment, his sworn brother betrayed and backstabbed him. This time, after he reincarnated in the game, Ouyang Shuo swore to exact vengeance.

However, in an unexpected turn of events, Ouyang Shuo found himself back five years before the betrayal – right before the launch of Earth Online. This time, armed with the knowledge from his past life, Ouyang Shuo would venture upon a new path.

How to perfectly complete quests? What historical battle maps would appear? How should one build up their territory? Utilizing the experience from the predecessors of his last life, Ouyang Shuo makes his bid for the top against all odds. Follow his journey as he seeks to lord over the world!

A different kind of tale that blends historical characters and virtual reality gaming, with heavy emphasis on kingdom building and warfare.

Ren Suo was right.
In the winter of the year 265, even though Ren Suo had not sent any of the Ren family members on expeditions, the Evil Souls of Shu Han found their way to the Ren family house.
Ren Han was now the head of the sixth generation of the Ren family. He was the grandchild of the extraordinarily-skilled "Ren Ying" (Ren Ying and the extraordinarily-skilled Ren Ying were considered two generations).
In a short span of 76 years, the Eastern Han dynasty was left behind in history. 76 years was merely the lifetime of ordinary, long-living humans, and yet the Three Kingdoms, which only emerged in the final years of the Han dynasty, was also about to be unified as one. Most of the war heroes during those final years of the Han dynasty were now merely memories of the past.
It started with the fall of Shu Han, followed by Cao Huan's abdication of the throne in the summer of the year 265. Cao Wei was killed in the same year, leaving behind Sun Wu to guard the eastern region of the Yangtze River. However, Sun Hao, the eldest son of Sun Wu, was weak and powerless, and it was only a matter of time before the large army of the Western Jin empire would cross the natural barrier of the Yangtze River and take over the land.
The establishment of the Western Jin dynasty would mark the cessation of war between the Three Kingdoms in the final years of the Eastern Han dynasty, which was the end of the era of the Three Kingdoms.
Finally, that also marked the completion of the first chapter of [Over My Dead Body].
In the short span of 76 years, the number of Ren family Practitioners grew from the initial three to a total of over 50, across six generations. Each generation of Practitioners of the Ren family fought and killed countless numbers of monsters in endless battles, putting their lives at risk to protect and continue their bloodline.
All of them enjoyed the fleeting years of glory during the peak of their lives. Not once could they afford to think about love or hope for an impossible future. They could only focus on their solemn responsibilities.
There was currently a total of 14 Practitioners in the Ren family, eight of which could engage in battle. The extraordinary Ren Ying had done wonders in the population of the Ren family.
However, during the winter of the year 265, even though Ren Suo was unwilling, he still had to fight against the monsters.
Just outside of the prosperous village of the Ren family were structured agricultural terraces which should be bare except for roaming hares in the winter. However, on the screen, there were countless troops clad in black-colored armor standing on the terraces, surrounding the entire Ren village.
Dark, gloomy clouds descended over the village, threatening to overwhelm it.
In front of the troops clad in black-colored armor stood a Silver General clad in white-colored armor, people with warrior masks, peaceful-looking warriors, as well as ministers from Shu Han.
An amiable old man with long arms that extended beyond his knees and wore ancient Chinese clothing was standing right at the front.
The old man said, "I am Liu Bei, the Prince of the Han dynasty, Provincial Governor of Zhang Wu Province."
Ren Han, the sixth generation head of the Ren family, said, "I have met you before, Emperor Zhao Lie. Your Majesty, you are already dead, what do you seek in returning to the human world and seeking bloodshed again?"
Liu Bei turned his head and looked at the tall mountains in the distance, almost joining seamlessly with the vast blue skies above. He said, "It's just that...it's out of my reach, but I can't let go so easily either."
"Over the last 800 years and more, the majestic Han dynasty prospered, but now it has crumbled into nothing..."
"Perhaps this is what we call history, and what we call fate. We are just ancient people left behind in the forgotten world of history, lifeless souls which live on longing to be alive again."
"If only the world was pure and simple, then perhaps we could still live on in the memories of the living, but slowly forgotten as memories fade..."
Ren Han, the sixth generation head of the Ren family, said, "Your Majesty, that will not be the case. The people of the future will definitely remember your contributions as well as that of the other heroes. They will continue to remember your legacies and as time passes, they will honor your glorious achievements even more. Historical records will gladly contain your honorable conquests and the people will sing praises of your achievements. All of you will live on in people's hearts and minds longer than any other Emperors of the other dynasties."
Ren Suo felt as if every generation of Ren family Practitioners seemed to have read the novel The Romance of the Three Kingdoms before...
Liu Bei sighed and said, "So what if that is so? In any case, we have fallen and nothing can change that."
Ren Han coaxed, "Since nothing can be changed, would it not be better to just let it go and rest peacefully?"
Liu Bei said, "No, even though we have been turned into ashes, but there is still hope for ashes to be reignited. Indeed, the Han dynasty has fallen, and I have been defeated...but that is only true in the world of the living."
Ren Han was stunned momentarily. He turned to look at the person behind Liu Bei and said, "Prime Minister, could it be..."
Zhuge Liang nodded and said, "Head of the Ren family, as you would imagine, before my death, I found a way to ensure that the souls of the dead remained sane and reasoned. I had set up the Light of the Seven Stars in the Zhangyuan Plains, in hopes of setting the souls free so that they can continue to fight for the prosperity of the Han dynasty, but unfortunately..."
Zhuge Liang continued, "Nonetheless, Jiang Wei has already learned the magical method I utilized and set up the necessary in Jiange and Chengdu City. All that is left is his death, which would complete the entire set up."
Liu Bei said, "While I was still alive, I did not manage to emerge victorious as the champion, but becoming the hero in the realm of the ghosts is an acceptable compromise."
A stunned Ren Han replied, "So... you intend to conquer the world as members of the dead?"
Liu Bei said, "Why can't we do so? Unlike the inheritance of the throne over generations of the living, the dead never die. The loss of intellect as one becomes a member of the dead is no longer a problem, so we can conquer and control the world for thousands and millions of years to come."
"The people are afraid of fatuous emperors ascending to the throne, afraid of powerful yet tyrannical ministers, and afraid of unlawful armies. But these are all no longer problems in the realm of the dead," he continued.
Zhuge Liang added, "We have no descendants, no desires, and no weaknesses."
"We have nothing left, except...to cleanse the world and restore the Han dynasty according to our ideals!"
"We will establish a prosperous world that lives on forever!" exclaimed Zhuge Liang.
Liu Bei said, "However, in this world, there is still you, the Ren family."
He continued, "The Ren family that exterminates all monsters, that tames all ghosts, that protects the world...You are not influenced by any political forces, but quietly protects and maintains the peace in the world by killing all demons and monsters possible."
"You possess limitless possibilities of heavenly abilities and are extremely well-versed in them. None of the Practitioners from all the different empires stand a chance against you. Highly-skilled Practitioner Cao Zhen from the Wei empire was once defeated completely right here, and the Practitioner Lu Xun from the Wu empire did not dare to come any closer as he watched from afar. My ministers have also crossed paths with you before, and all of them bow down to you in respect."
"However, it was only as I was reawakened as a ghost that I saw clearly how great the Ren family was."
Liu Bei looked at the Ren family village and continued, "Where the Ren family lives is the root of all Reiki sources. Over many generations, the Ren family Practitioners protected this place, and countless numbers of Practitioners died here in their prime. Their will and determination of 'killing and subduing all monsters' became infused within the source of Reiki."
"It was precisely due to your sacrifice that more monsters do not appear in the world."
Ren Suo blinked as he pondered over what Liu Bei had said. He was slightly shocked as he muttered to himself, "Could it be that the game would decrease slightly in difficulty if more Practitioners of the Ren family died?"
Ren Suo recalled that indeed, there were slight differences in the number of monsters that spawned in the fixed scenarios in the later years of the game, such as at the Red Cliff and Xiaoyao Ford. However, he was unsure if that was due to a random setting of the game or truly influenced by the number of Ren family Practitioners that died.
Liu Bei said, "Nonetheless, to us, ghosts, the Ren family remains a hindrance that is stopping us from what we set out to achieve. As long as you exist, even if we, the Shu Han ghost souls, regain control over the world, the determination that flows with the Reiki can still suppress us, and the heavens and the earth will continue to restrict us!"
"Furthermore, the Ren family Practitioners will never allow us to regain control over the world so easily!"
That would be hard to say, Ren Suo thought. All he wanted was to survive two more years in the game and was neutral in the war between the Han Empire and the Western Jin Empire. Furthermore, Ren Suo had no interest in the Western Jin Empire. The young of the Sima family who took over the throne looked down on widows and that did not bode well with Ren Suo from the beginning. The subsequent progress of the Western Jin dynasty, as well as its judicial system and culture, did not give Ren Suo much to like either.
But of course, based on the game rules, the Ren family of Practitioners had to eliminate all monsters.
All of Ren Suo's thoughts seemed to be reflected in the head of the Ren family character in the game.
Ren Han remained speechless, "..."
Liu Bei said, "I know that we, ghost souls, will never be able to defeat the Ren family Practitioners in skill and ability, so we have no choice but to...win in numbers."
Zhuge Liang said, "Please allow us to fulfill our dreams, or perhaps, allow us to continue living our dreams..."
"The Ren family...is a mountain that we must conquer!"
Entering battle!
All eight Practitioners of the Ren family have entered the battlefield!
[Enemies: "Emperor Zhao Lie of Han", "Zhuge Liang, Marquis Zhongwu of Han", "Zhao Yun, Marquis Shunping of Han", "Zhang Fei, Marquis of Xi District of Han", "Fa Zheng, Marquis Yi of Han", "General Jiang Wei of Han", "Huang Zhong, Marquis Gang of Han", "Ma Chao, Marquis Wei of Han", "Chen Dao, Village Marquis of Han"..."Elite Bai Er Troops"...]
Ren Suo looked at the list of enemies and their details. He was speechless.
[Elite Bai Er Troops]
[Attack 20, Defense 20, Movement 10]
[Bai Er: 15% chance of dealing 2x damage during an attack; 15% chance of gaining a 20 point Defense buff when being attacked (buff applies only for one turn).]
[Elite: They had been a part of the Elite Forces when they were alive. After their death, they retain their military might as an elite. When there are more than 5 allies within a 5 tile radius, they gain an Attack boost +5 and Defense boost +5.]
[Mentality: They have a strong sense of self-will and are not affected by ordinary revenge mechanisms.]
Small pawns like the Elite Bai Er Troops were already so powerful, and the legendaries whose names were carved in history had even more outrageous statistics.
[Emperor Zhao Lie of Han]
[Attack 25, Defense 300, Movement 10]
[The Emperor of the Han Dynasty: He controls all ghost souls who have pledged allegiance to Han.]
[Zhao Lie: Liu Bei spent all his life trying to restore the Han Dynasty. After his death, he obtained approval from all the previous 29 generations of emperors of the Han Dynasty. Every round, 29 Defense points will be restored (but not exceeding the initial maximum Defense of 300).]
[Benevolence: Liu Bei is famous for his benevolence towards others. He can donate his Defense points to any of the Shu Han allies, limited to two characters each round. Each character can receive up to a maximum of 50 Defense points (which only lasts for one round).]
[Rally Cheer: All Han warriors respond with his one command. Liu Bei can select any enemy unit to which any attacks by any Shu Han unit will result in the selected enemy unit receiving 2 times critical damage in the same round (for example, if the original critical damage is 4 times, the critical damage will become 8 times).]
[Gender Double Sword: A single target melee attack; enables the character to attack twice each round.]
The other enemies like Zhuge Liang and Zhao Yun had slightly less powerful statistics and abilities than Liu Bei although they were still very strong.
To be honest, even though those legendary heroes were powerful Practitioners while they were still alive, and they were strengthened and rejuvenated by Reiki after their death, they still could not compare, individually, to the Practitioners of the Ren family. To say the least, Ren Han, the sixth generation head of the family was able to suppress Liu Bei without much difficulty—
[Ren Han]
[Age: 15]
[Maximum Age: 23]
[Attack 50, Defense 200, Scout 20, Movement 24, Recovery 7, Management 17]
[Inherited Ability - Heat-Shivering Cross-Elemental Abundant Fury of the Holy Force: In combat, Attack +50%, Defense +50%, and enemies within an 8 tile radius can be forced to attack oneself. All attacks with Attack lower than one's own Defense cause no effect. A single-target attack that deals 2x water damage and 2x fire damage (if the enemy is not one of the weaker elemental types, 4x Attack damage will be dealt on the single target).]
[Inheritance: The Holy Force (Ren Woxing), Fury of the Holy Force (Ren Nu), Abundant Fury of the Holy Force (Ren Ying), Cross-Elemental Abundant Fury of the Holy Force (Ren Pingsheng).]
It seemed that the Ren family would be able to win, as long as the Shu Han enemies did not have any abilities that would weaken their Defense armor.
But the problem still remained—the Shu Han army was huge.
With so many characters, they were bound to have many different types of abilities.
The moment the battle started, Ren Suo could not use the word "many" to describe the Shu Han army—"complete" was no exaggeration to describe their perfect combination!
The Shu Han leader gave the Elite Bai Er Troops limitless buffs, and the court officials changed the playing ground completely! There were so many rows in the list of abilities that Ren Suo could barely finish looking through them—
[Fiery Rattan Armor: Deals 2 damage to nearby enemies.]
[Borrowing the East Wind: Increases the range of ranged attacks of Shu Han units and decreases the range of ranged attacks of Ren family units.]
[Eight Trigram Formation: Reduces Movement of enemies by 5 and increases Movement of Shu Han ally units by 10.]
[Fog of War: Covers and protects the important Shu Han units at the last row.]
[Form of the White Horse: Increases Movement and Attack of Shu Han cavalry units by 30% each.]
...
The makeup of the Shu Han army was simply perfect!
They had abilities to weaken all short-ranged, intermediate-ranged, or long-ranged attacks!
This was a battle of overall ability. Ren Suo could already predict that once the sixth generation head of the family was weakened to his death by the Fiery Rattan Armor, the remaining Practitioners of the Ren family would also quickly succumb to the enemies' attacks.
And this was indeed what happened. In the beginning, the sixth generation head of the Ren family managed to use his ability to badly mock and paralyze the enemy, and kill a good amount of enemies with the rest of the Practitioners of the Ren family. However, just as they were about to reach the heart of the Shu Han army, Liu Bei and the other important legendary characters retreated!
What a disgrace! How could they escape!
Ren Suo now fully understood where the Ren family stood.
You see, they had to gather the strength of all of their people, and attempt to win in numbers, doesn't that mean that the Ren family was the BOSS instead?
Liu Bei and his army were fighting against the Ren family as if they were the BOSS instead!
The Ren family attacked as the Shu Han army ran each time until finally, the Defense of the sixth-generation head of the Ren family had depleted to a critical level. The next moment, Huang Zhong launched on a long-ranged attack on him and he fell right onto the verge of death immediately!
Then, the rest of the Shu Han army charged forward towards them, and killed the sixth generation head of the Ren family!
Ren Suo clutched his forehead and sighed, "This must be where I fall...Looks like this is where I have to start again..."
However, on the screen, an option appeared over the body of the dead Ren Han:
[Do you wish to be revived by using the Dead Souls of the Ancestors? Yes/No]


The extraordinaire has disrupted the silence of the world and ever since then, technology has taken a different path. 
When humans find a path for evolution in the dark, I’ll remove my ribs, burn my heart and burn the midnight oil to become their pioneer. 
This is the process of a gamer manipulating the world.
Mini world of endless fun awaits.

Lee Cheng Wen was a government official from Country Z. Before the Earth’s catastrophe, his rank had already reached prefecture-city level customs bureau’s head personnel. His age was only 46, a veritable youth among his peers.
Cheng Wen didn’t come from an aristocratic family or married someone influential. He reached his stage by slowly climbing the administrative ladder. Those that didn’t know him thought it was because of his ridiculously good luck, but some knew it was because he was a hero who could rule the world. Of course, this was an exaggeration, but they would all agree that he was definitely a character!
Cheng Wen’s favorite pastime was to read ancient literature, especially books by Lao Zi. He always told his twin that life is like reading a book, cause the books would always teach us how to act, as history tends to repeat itself. However, Cheng Wen was sort of a prude, because he was ethnocentric even in his reading materials. Only ancient Chinese texts had wisdom in them, and those written by other barbaric races didn’t.
Cheng Wen’s son, Li Jing, had always argued with him about this point, especially bringing up the Han Dynasty’s downfall around the seventeenth century. Other people’s cultures weren’t as bad as Cheng Wen made it out to be.
Cheng Wen would go silent every time he was faced with this argument; therefore, Li Jing stopped bringing it up, thinking it might have offended his father somehow.
Deep within Cheng Wen’s heart was a seed of sorrow. He was brought up by his grandfather, who was a famous private school teacher during the period prior to the Red Revolution. Therefore, he was taught a lot of classical thoughts. Cheng Wen was a natural learner; he had always managed to thwart his grandfather in class. His grandfather used to say that if he was born 500 years earlier, he would be someone like Zhu Ge Liang, or at least a learned man like Xun Yu [1].
Cheng Wen had mastered the Han’s antiquated thoughts before he reached age thirty, and very often, the question of why the Han Dynasty had gone into downfall would come up in his mind.
This was a big question pondered upon by many men from Country Z, the Qing Dynasty, and New Country Z. Why was it? Why would such a glorious dynasty face downfall when mankind was entering the modern era?
Cheng Wen thought that the Han Dynasty didn’t start to face its own downfall near the modern era but rather during the Tang Dynasty.
The fall of the Han Dynasty was definitely not because, as many charlatans had said, of Confucianism. While it was true that there was no cultural explosion after the unification of Confucianism like there was during the Warring Kingdoms era, Confucianism too had been changing ever since its conceptualization.
What is Confucianism?
Human need is Confucianism!
Confucianism changes according to human needs. This was a philosophy most suitable for human society's development because it was the most inclusive and deep philosophy there was. As long as the society needed it, it could change to fit the agenda of the day. Therefore, it wasn’t Confucianism itself that killed Han Dynasty, the real killer had used Confucianism as a prop to achieve its own goal.
Then who was the real killer?
Cheng Wen thought it was conceitedness from assuming oneself was the best.
Ever since the Tang Dynasty and the Song, Ming, and Guang Dynasties following it, Han culture had been unbeatable. Other than the actual Han Dynasty, there was no civilization equal to the level of Han culture. The barbarians couldn’t do it, and the Europeans couldn’t do it either. There was no civilization on Earth that could rival the glory of the Han culture. No matter from which perspective, the best civilization on Earth was definitely the culture of the Hans.
In conclusion, the Han’s pride was not something that could be put into words. Calling itself the Kingdom of Gods was a good try though. Of course, when one was at the top, there were no others to compare to and learn from. This was when the Han Dynasty started to fall, when it started to focus only on itself. Its growth had gone stagnant and the Confucianism holding that was society together stopped changing.
Unlike European countries, which had never been united under the same banner, the internal communication and external communication with the Arabic countries had never stopped…
This self-seclusion could only lead to self-exhaustion. Confucianism couldn’t grow tall but instead had no choice but to grow wide like Li Xue [2] during the Song Dynasty and Xin Xue [3] during the Ming Dynasty. In actuality, this did nothing for Confucianism. Wide growth meant more students, but the philosophy itself remained unchanged. This carried on until the end of the Ming Dynasty.
Following the European Renaissance, the other civilizations started to catch up to the Han culture. With the advent of long-distance sailing, the communication between the Hans and the rest of the world began. This communication reached its peak during the end of the Ming Dynasty. At that time, many scholars saw the catalyst needed for improvement in Han culture. This was observable from the beginning of capitalism and scholars of Confucianism realizing the new changes in their studied philosophy.
However, at that time, the biggest threat to the Hans appeared on the scene, the Mans, the Qing Dynasty… had arrived!
In the 300 year period when the European countries were undergoing a metamorphosis, the Hans started to collapse…
The Han culture was completely destroyed during that 300 year period. What remained? Foot-binding? Qipao? What else? Were these the things that defined the glory of Han Dynasty that lasted for thousands of years? How laughable!
After losing the essence of the Han people, in recent years, the people started to turn outwards to look for new cultural inspirations by turning to the west. In reality, ever since the Qing Dynasty, Han culture had completely been unrooted. For example, was the new Z Country really a Han product? No, it was nothing more than an imported good…
Therefore, Cheng Wen realized that the real killer of the Han people was self-reclusion, and this started during the Tang Dynasty…
He fully believed that if given the same resources, the Hans packaged with the thoughts and learning of ancient China would definitely crush the white-skinned people like bugs!
Ever since the beginning of the Hope's government, Cheng Wen was a small level Hope government official worker. He worked tirelessly without complaint. He was a man of few words, but his every word was loaded and to the point. Slowly but surely, his rank started to rise. Thus far, other than people like Yao Yuan, he was the highest ranking Han in the Hope’s government, and also one of the few Hans actually working in the government.
Many Han public officials like himself always complained to him about Yao Yuan’s policies, especially the one about all Chinese people having to start from the bottom rung of the administrative ladder, during meals. How was it that the government, which was in Country Z people’s hands, had all the higher officials be westerners? It was the same thing with the House of Representatives. The speaker was white, 70 percent of the representatives were white, and the rest were Asians from other countries and Africans, only 1 percent was pure-bred Han. Why was that?
These complaints entered Cheng Wen’s ears after he had a small fever. It was a fever that lasted only for several hours. Even though it was during the period when the Homo Evolutis awakening was happening, Cheng Wen’s wife and kids didn’t think it had anything to do with Cheng Wen’s fever, because Cheng Wen’s fever was too short and he was wide awake through the whole process. Only Cheng Wen himself knew that he had become a Homo Evolutis… a Thinker.
This was how Cheng Wen answered those complaining officials.
"…As Lao Zi once said, give in order to take."
The officials were not familiar with antiquated literature, but the phrase itself wasn’t that complicated, so they seemed to have understood a thing or two…
One had to give before one could take… But what exactly was the meaning?
Cheng Wen, who was asked to elaborate, only smiled because he didn’t consider it necessary to do so. Certain things had to be left unsaid. However, according to his recent observations and his understanding of Yao Yuan, the caution the white skins had against Guang Zhen and the small actions taken behind Yao Yuan’s back to undermine his place, from all this he could see…
The plan that had been formed ever since the Hope’s government was created.
Give in order to take…
A few months after the Hope stopped in space, the first batch of corrupted officials, including westerners, Africans, and Asians, were captured. The government asked Cheng Wen to come in to have a talk. They discussed his years of hard work and their wish to commend him. At that point, Cheng Wen knew the plan that had been in planning for 10 years had been initiated!
Give in order to take!
Cheng Wen felt especially kindred to Yao Yuan then, like finding an old friend. He had no clue whether Yao Yuan was familiar Ancient Chinese thinking, but he realized that he was using it to clean up the trash that was plaguing the Hope.
In some way, there was communication without actually communicating…
That night, Cheng Wen got himself blind drunk. The next day, the first ever label of the most honest government worker in the 11 years of the Hope’s government induction was bequeathed onto Cheng Wen. At the same time, he was named the vice minister for the Hope’s ministry of labor and personnel. He was going to take the position of minister until the actual minister returned from being investigated….


Endless sky and infinite space, the cosmos isn’t some paradise waiting to be found, it is full of darkness and danger, death and terror of the great unknown. However, for that glittering swath of blue, we have no fear! For the longevity of men, we have no regrets! Nothing shall stand in our way because it is finally our time, our age! The age of cosmos exploration! 


"Test subject number 24. The subject lasted for two minutes and forty-five seconds after the administration of Valkyrie. Time of death: 4.22 AM."
I should be the only one at home. Who's talking?
Han Xiao opened his eyes, only to be blinded by light. The familiar hatch of his VR-capsule was no longer there—instead, he was facing a white ceiling. The walls that surrounded him were also white and reminiscent of cold, hard metal. They felt like something straight out of science fiction. The room resembled an intensive care unit, and Han Xiao lay atop a cold metal table, bare-chested and wired to all sorts of machines. His back was freezing.
Han Xiao noticed that there was a group of people in white coats surrounding him, and they were looking at him as though they had just seen a ghost.
I thought I just accepted a leveling request? Where am I?
Suddenly, Han Xiao felt as though a large amount of data was being transmitted into his mind, causing his head to throb painfully. The last thing he could remember was accepting a leveling assignment. He was in the midst of creating a new character in 'Galaxy' when he seemingly started to smell burnt eggs…
"Quickly, let Ms. Hila know! The test subject has come back to life!"
"Call the guards!"
As the researchers started a commotion, Han Xiao realized that he could understand them, even though they were speaking in a language he had never heard before. 'Test subject', 'back to life', and 'guards'—these terms unnerved him. Soon, he could hear the sound of rushing footsteps coming from outside.
Should I make a run for it or just lie still? Han Xiao decided on the former in a split second; he was not the kind of person to just lie around waiting. He abruptly sprang up, ripping the wires off him, and made a clumsy beeline for the door. The researchers did not attempt to stop him, instead, they backed off hastily to avoid being knocked into.
Crash!
He pushed his way out into a white corridor, only to be greeted by a dozen or so guards suited in black and armed with electric batons advancing upon him from both sides.
Han Xiao gasped at the sight of the crest on their uniforms. It depicted half a plant.
The Germinal Organization from Planet Aquamarine back in version one? Weren't they eliminated‽
Suddenly, a guard swung his electric baton at Han Xiao and Han Xiao unconsciously raised a hand to block it. The ensuing current caused his whole body to spasm in pain. It felt like his bones were about to split and his entire body turned numb.
Is the pain calibration at 100%‽
Galaxy's pain calibration was restricted to a maximum of 40% because any higher setting could potentially cause nerve damage to players. The VR-capsule was also supposed to monitor the player's vitals to prevent this, but it was currently malfunctioning.
It's only been seven years and the capsule is having problems? Damn it! The repairman I paid $300 to a few days ago told me that it would still be good for another six months! I want a refund!
The guards yanked him up and took him to a small room where they locked him up alone in pitch black darkness.
Han Xiao grimaced in pain as he massaged his wrist. His head continued to throb as more information poured in.
It took Han Xiao a moment to reconcile the facts and make sense of what had happened to him.
I've… transmigrated into Galaxy?
His eyes widened with amazement.
Galaxy was a fully immersive virtual reality game that ran servers worldwide and boasted a peak concurrent player count of almost 60 million.
The game was set in a vast universe with a world map and landscapes that were procedurally generated using the latest generation of quantum computers. The scale of its world was massive, and it was said to be able to run smoothly even with a billion concurrent players. There existed many organizations and companies that specialized in farming gold and running dungeons, and the best pieces of gear could even go for ridiculous prices of up to a million US dollars.
Being an extremely popular game, good balance was of the utmost important. While big spenders did have certain advantages, it was not so unfair to the extent that it displeased the casual players. Maintaining competitiveness and improving skills were key factors towards game balance, and Galaxy did a good job in these areas, facilitating its strong allure as an e-sport.
Although Han Xiao did indeed make a living out of playing the game, the term 'professional gamer' didn't fit him well. He was, instead, one of the despised power levelers and preferred to work solo.
Han Xiao had been playing the game since its very inception, and through the numerous patches, he had made a name for himself. In the last annual top 100 rankings, he placed 47th. He definitely had what it took to try his hand at going pro, but what he enjoyed most about the game was the leveling experience.
"The Germinal Organization originates from one of the beginner planets new characters were sent to back in Version 1 of Galaxy: Planet Aquamarine," mumbled Han Xiao.
Before transmigrating, Galaxy had already been operating for over a decade. Version 1.0 was ancient history.
"Have I time traveled too?" Han Xiao's expression darkened.
"Does that mean I won't be getting my three hundred dollars back‽
"Am I stupid‽ That's the least of my concerns!" Han Xiao slapped himself.
His memories were still jumbled up, and he could not recall anything about his original life—not even his name. All that he could recall were details regarding this world, such as its present era. He was currently in the year 687 of the Galaxy calendar, a year behind the updated timeline.
In Version 1, there were three universal powers that were upholding a peace that had lasted for ten thousand years, since the era of exploration. They were the Federation of Light, the Crimson Dynasty, and the Arcane Church. The Silver Revolutionary Army had yet to be formed, the one responsible for the Supernatural Disaster was still fighting for dear life on some desolate planet, the World of Light had not come into existence, the civilization of the World Tree had not yet invaded from the beyond, and the Shattered Belt that contained Planet Aquamarine was still budding inconspicuously along the fringes of the explored universe.
In order to ensure that the game remained attractive, Galaxy borrowed and implemented ideas from its predecessors, such as 'WoW', where each version update revolved around a disaster or some major event. While Han Xiao enjoyed the game, now that he had transmigrated over…
"Get me out!"
While the Germinal Organization was small fry compared to the interstellar powers introduced in later updates, to the currently powerless Han Xiao, it was an entirely different story.
"Planet Aquamarine was modeled after Earth, and the Germinal Organization's aim is to overthrow this planet's government. If I'm not wrong, Valkyrie test subjects are brainwashed to serve as cannon fodder."
The body he currently possessed had experienced a memory wipe. Apart from some general knowledge, all that remained were fragmented memories of captivity and experimentation.
It seemed to be roughly twenty years old and bore a slight semblance to his original self. However, its state of health was as yet uncertain. He had heard the researchers mention that he had been injected with Valkyrie, one of the Germinal's gene altering drugs that was used to strengthen the brain. Valkyrie had a survival rate of only 30%, but this body had reacted positively to it.
Suddenly, a glowing line of blue text blue appeared before his eyes.
_____________________
You have been injected with Valkyrie!
+1 Endurance
You have learnt a new ability: Concentration
You have learnt a new ability: Low Level Willpower
——————————————————————
"Virtual interface!" Han Xiao jumped for joy.
_____________________
Name: Han Xiao
Race: Human/Carbon-based (Yellow)
Model: NPC (Countdown to Version 1.0 launch: 358 days 11 hours 03 minutes)
Level: 1
Experience: 0
Main Class: N.A.
Sub-class: Civilian Lv. 1 (0/50)
Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 2, Endurance 3, Intelligence 3, Mystery 1, Charm 2, Luck 1
Unassigned Stats: 0
Energy: 0 (Lv. 0)
Energy Rank: 1~2
Grade: F (Mortal)
[Piece of trash with a combat strength of 5; pick any NPC out from the streets and he will wipe the floor with you a hundred times! A hundred times!]
Health: 23/30 (injured)
Stamina: 36/36
Abilities:
- Concentration: +10% to learning and crafting speeds
- Low Level Willpower: +3 Resistance
Skills: None
Potential points: 0
Class Talents: None
Influence: 0
Reputation: 0
Equipment: None
——————————————————————
"Thank god I still have the interface!"
Han Xiao was ecstatic but quickly discovered that there were several irregularities.
NPC, not a player? Countdown timer?
Han Xiao furrowed his brows as he organized his thoughts.
First of all, although he had no idea how the interface had transmigrated together with him, he had to treat this world as his new reality, meaning that if he died, he could not bank on being able to respawn like in a game.
Secondly, he could still access the system's interface despite being classified as an NPC. This suggested that he could still level up like a player, which was good news.
Thirdly, if the countdown timer confirmed his suspicions that he had indeed traveled back in time to before the game's launch, did it mean that 'real' players would soon appear?
Lastly, and most important of all, he was currently in grave danger!
Han Xiao felt indignant. Didn't people who transmigrated normally receive perks such as resources, companions, or… at least an ex-girlfriend? At the very least, he should have started out in a safe location! The war hadn't even begun, and he was already a lone hero deep behind enemy lines. A single slip could prove fatal; he could very well end up in the Hall of Heroes… if such a place existed.
Han Xiao only had one life here. If he died then that would be the end of it. It would be a pity.
Yes, Han Xiao only felt that it would be 'a pity'. 'I want to survive!' would be a more normal line of thought. As for variations such as 'My fate is not for the heavens to decide; if the heavens want to erase me, then I will erase the heavens!' or 'Swallow an aurous core to transcend life and death', such ramblings were exclusive to people with second-grade syndrome.
"What the hell, why am I the only one SAO-ed?" Han Xiao lamented.
And while his senses confirmed that this was indeed reality, he started to wonder…
What exactly am I now? Am I an actual life-form, or am I just a bunch of data? Did my soul transmigrate, or is it something else entirely?
He sighed. I guess I'll just have to make the best out of the situation and take it one step at a time.
The essential thing was to survive.
With a year to go before launch, he had enough time to get prepared; this was the sole glimmer of promise that he could cling on to.
Clank!
Suddenly, the door opened, and several people walked in. As he could only make out their silhouettes due to the light streaming in from outside, Han Xiao could not see their faces clearly. However, he could make out from their outlines that one of them was a woman with a fiery figure.
"The subject's condition?"
Said woman spoke to her subordinate in a voice that was smooth, yet intertwined with an ever-so-faint rasp, reminiscent of a cup of rich coffee.
"It appears that the test subject has calmed down."
The experiment leader, Lin Weixian, answered the woman as he stared at Han Xiao passionately, as though he were looking at a prized possession.
"Who are you people?" Han Xiao asked hoarsely.
"Hmm? Amnesia…?" The woman's eye twitched.
"Valkyrie stimulates the brain, so memory loss is not unexpected," replied Lin Weixian, squinting.
When Han Xiao's eyes had finally adjusted to the light, he was stunned by the sight of the woman.
Boasting a headful of luscious, burgundy hair that concealed part of her face, the woman wore a tight-fitting, jet black bodysuit from which her curvaceous figure threatened to burst out at any time.
Her features were telling of her Western descent, but they were also composed of a certain softness that was characteristic of Eastern women; perhaps it was her mixed heritage that blessed her with such beauty and charm. In a different world, she could have been easily mistaken for a beautiful snake demoness.
If Da Ji had possessed such beauty, then King Zhou did not die in vain! thought Han Xiao.
"I am Hila, the commander here," said the red haired woman as she looked at Han Xiao. She waved a hand and ordered, "Conduct a blood test. I want to see the report ASAP."
Two stone-faced guards walked forward to yank him away. Their massive bodies and the fact that they were carrying guns dispelled any notion that Han Xiao had of resisting.
He recognized the 'Crimson Snake', Hila, and that this was one of the playable scenarios on Planet Aquamarine, Valkyrie Experiment Lab, located in a key base of Germinal.
During Version 1, Hila was a boss who had caused beginners on Aquamarine much grief. She had many nicknames, one of which was the 'Goddess of Death'. She would eventually attain 'Celestial' class strength and rise to prominence in the Cotton Cluster.
Han Xiao laughed bitterly on the inside. The situation was bleak!


What do you do when you wake up and find yourself inside the very game that you love? 
What do you do when you realize you that you have not only become an NPC - you have even been thrown back in time to before the game even launched! 
What will happen when our protagonist's two realities coincide? 
Han Xiao was a professional power leveler before his transmigration. Using his past life's knowledge, Han Xiao sweeps through the universe as he prepares for the arrival of the players. This is definitely not your typical transmigration novel.

His remark raised a round of whispers among the Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators and the Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators.
However, other than Yan Liren, Ba Xiaoyu, and Master Bitter Cicada, who were not interested in political struggles at all, the rest of the experts were not surprised very much.
Obviously, with a better view on the big picture because they were not involved in the game, and having observed the performance of the girl who claimed to be Moonfall's sister, they more or less drew the same conclusion.
Han Baling clicked on the list of the top hundred sects of the federation softly and unfolded the detailed introduction to the sects under 'Li Yao's group'. "Why are the new powers barely affected? There are two plausible explanations.
"Firstly, a hundred years ago, when Jin Xinyue and the demons were most in dire need of help and support, the new powers had only just been established, too, and did not boast much influence. At that time, the federation was a world dominated by the traditional major sects. It would have been pointless for Jin Xinyue to have asked for the help of the newly established sects.
"Secondly, Li Yao had only just left at that time, and for old time's sake, those new sects such as the Glorious Sunlight Group and the Double Dragon Union couldn't have nitpicked or extorted her if she really asked them for help. They certainly helped her if they could.
"Therefore, the new powers do not have any material that Jin Xinyue can blackmail them with.
"On the surface, the two reasons are quite valid. However, if we examine the changes that have taken place in the Star Glory Federation in the past hundred years while regarding the new powers such as the Glorious Sunlight Group and the Double Dragon Union as a whole, the conclusion will be vastly different!"
Han Baling truly was a great monarch who united the strength of all the clans on the entire Dark Cloud Prairies, destroyed all the sects on the prairie in only decades, and established the 'Eight Units of Dark Cloud', hoping to swallow the entire world.
His eyes were glowing like those of a hungry wolf. He seemed to have seen the scheme of whoever was behind the curtain.
Impressed by the splendidness and wonderfulness of the whole scheme, Han Baling continued with a voice of appreciation. "In the past hundred years, there have always been struggles for power within the Star Glory Federation. It is perfectly normal. All human beings have their desires and ambitions. When each other's desires and ambitions joined, they will turn into different parties and sides.
"In the Great Qian Dynasty, there are the 'Eunuch's gang' and the 'emperor's gang', and there is also the rivalry between the 'local sects' and the 'central court'. Naturally, in Ghost Qin, there are various sorts of opposition, too.
"However upright and bright the Star Glory Federation claims to be, it is a country made of human beings after all. How can it be as united as one piece?
"Besides, the explosive development of the Star Glory Federation in the past hundred years is an unprecedented change at the edge of the cosmos. New techniques, technology and discoveries are bound to bring new sects, new experts, new social classes and new interest groups, which will eventually have a fierce conflict with the traditional forces who have dominated the world for hundreds of years!
"Therefore, the election in the Star Glory Federation today seems to be a regional conflict between the 'core worlds' and the 'new worlds'.
"But in fact, it is a fierce fight between the old sects that represent the traditional interest groups and Li Yao's group, which stands for the interests of the new powers!
"A regional conflict can be resolved, but a fight between the old and the new will rarely reach a compromise!"
Clap, clap, clap!
Long Yangjun was the first to applaud. "Fantastic! Your analysis is too marvelous. What do you think, Fellow Cultivator Spiritual Vulture!"
She jabbed Li Yao, who was sitting next to her, with her elbow.
"Indeed. It is logical, thorough, and thought-provoking!" Li Yao nodded carefully. "Spectacular! Truly spectacular!"
"Lord Wang, Fellow Cultivator Spiritual Vulture, you are flattering me!"
Han Baling shook his hair in great satisfaction, and there was not the slightest 'you are flattering me' on his face but full of 'there is only one truth, and I have found it'. Clearing his throat, he went on. "In the last two weeks, I studied the history of the various forces in Li Yao's group and gained a shallow understanding about the birth, development, and expansion of Li Yao's group. I would like to share it with the Cultivators here. Due to the limited time, there may seem to be a lot of flaws. Please feel free to point them out for me."
"You are too polite, Fellow Cultivator Han," Li Yao said. "As the great monarch of Cloud Qin, your vision and strategies are certainly the most distinguished among us. Your opinions will certainly be insightful. We are all ears!"
Han Baling smiled and said unhurriedly, "A hundred years, Vulture Li Yao, known as the dominator of three Sectors, resolved the ten-thousand-year contradiction between humans and demons almost entirely on his own through both battles and diplomatic approaches. He connected the Heaven's Origin Sector, the Flying Star Sector, and the Blood Demon Sector, accomplishing a feat that no one else at the edge of the cosmos had ever accomplished in history. As for himself, he turned into a well-respected superhero that everybody in the federation knew. These are historical facts that everybody knows.
"However, hehe, there is still a major difference between the so-called 'superhero' and a real great leader.
"Everybody, we have seen too many heroes and warriors in the Ancient Sages Sector, haven't we? But are all the heroes and warriors capable of establishing a magnificent organization whose glory can endure a thousand years? Of course not!
"Heroes have all the fame and prestige, but it has always been the greatest question to translate the fame and prestige into real 'power' and to make the power expand and last hundreds or even thousands of years.
"Hehe. In the Ancient Sages Sector, whenever a new hero shows up, the traditional conglomerates and the decayed forces have too many ways to deal with him.
"They perhaps won't attack him in real life but enshrine him through adulations. In the end, he will become an idol that is full of fame and prestige, but the real benefits flowing out of the fame and prestige will still belong to the traditional conglomerates and decayed forces!"
Compared to Emperor Phoenix's Great Qian Dynasty, Han Baling's own Ghost Qin was also an ambitious new power.
Therefore, he naturally took the side of Li Yao's group in the 'war of old versus new'. The more he talked about it, the more he was unable to control the appreciation in his tone. "A hundred years ago, after Li Yao's great feat, 'Li Yao's group' was only just born and inevitably raised too much unnecessary attention. Before long, the traditional powers would've crowded close to confine and drain him!
"If it was any other hero, I'm afraid that they wouldn't have survived such a situation. The best outcome they could've expected was to compromise and enter the circle of the traditional powers, becoming one of them.
"Hehe. If it were anybody else, 'becoming one of them' could have been the ultimate goal worth fighting for with their entire life, but who was Vulture Li Yao? How could he bear to be restrained by the old order after making such a great achievement as uniting the three Sectors?
"Break the old order and monopolize the New Federation! I'm afraid that this is the ultimate goal of Monster Li!"
Pa!
Li Yao could not help but slap his thigh hard and shout, "It does make sense. What didn't I come up with it earlier?"
"It is perfectly understandable that Master Spiritual Vulture did not think of that before because you were born in a remote land and too focused on refining. Even I wouldn't have believed that this monster had such a huge appetite if it weren't for the series of events that happened recently!" Han Baling exclaimed in mixed feelings, with both admiration and fear on his face.
"Monster Li is too farsighted, sophisticated, and ruthlessly. He is truly a fiend that even the twelve of us must be wary of even when we join hands! Fellow Cultivator Spiritual Vulture, why do you think he vanished into thin air a hundred years ago when his fame and prestige were at the highest point and has been missing for the entire century since?"
Blinking hard, Li Yao had to give up after thinking for a long time. He shook his head hard. "I really can't think of any reason. Why did he do that?"
"It's simple. He was making a move by retreating," Han Baling said solemnly. "At that time, Li Yao's group had already shown its sharpness. With Li Yao's growing fame and prestige, it would absolutely have conflicts of interests with the conservative forces of the traditional conglomerates.
"It must be noted that the federation had already lost the external enemy that was the 'Blood Demon Sector', and it would take another hundred years for the expedition army of the Imperium to arrive. Therefore, with no external trouble for more than a hundred years, did they have anything they could do other than fighting each other internally?
"If Li Yao had stayed in the federation and continued leading Li Yao's group to develop so rapidly, he would've had a head-on clash with the traditional conglomerates.
"At that time, Li Yao's group was not fully grown. Despite the ostensible splendidness, it was not well-founded, if it had any foundation at all. How could it have been a match for the renowned sects that had operated for hundreds of years?
"They would not deal with him openly at all but would restrain, confine, and suffocate him like a boa. They would certainly not allow 'Li Yao's group' to expand. Or rather, it was allowed to expand, provided that it followed the rules of the game of the old days!
"New things often decline as abruptly as they arise. Have we not seen enough such examples in the Ancient Sages Sector?
"Faced with such a disadvantageous situation, Monster Li Yao played two very smart moves!
"First of all, he offered to disappear, claiming that he was out to explore the sea of stars!
"This move achieved two purposes. On one hand, it was a concession for his enemy, a gesture that showed he was not interested in fame, fortune, or power and had no plans to compete with them at all so that the traditional conglomerates could rest assured about the forces that were not still not fully developed yet under his name!
"On the other hand, it was also a warning. 'I am going out to travel and train myself, but you'd better watch what you do to my supporters and subordinates. Otherwise, you may regret it years later when I announce my return in a certain way together with certain other forces!'
"Delicate. That was indeed a delicate move!
"As for the second move, it was even more delicate, which was carried out by Jin Xinyue, Monster Li's favorite disciple. It is also the most critical step in the game!"


“Even if this universe is truly nothing more than a brutal, bloody, shadowy forest, we Cultivators will burn all that we have just to give off a single weak flickering spark in the darkness! 
“No matter how weak each spark is, how short-lived, how small… As long as the sparks flow unabated, then one day one of those sparks will light some tinder, and that tinder shall light some fallen branches, and those branches shall set ablaze each and every last tree of the forest! 
“In the end, even the smallest sparks will eventually set the shadowy forest ablaze and illuminate the whole world!”
------
** Qidian International and the former translator, Mr. Strivon, have reached an agreement to buy out the chapters and host them on our site. We will be continuing the translation from the last chapter translated by Mr. Strivon **

Zhao Fu had never expected such an event to come so quietly. This festival was the New Year Festival.
It was quite a grand festival, as it said farewell to the previous year and welcomed in the new year.
New Year usually meant that families got together, and everybody would be celebrating and filled with happiness. The arrival of the New Year caused the Heaven Awaken World to temporarily sink into peace and caused all of the battles to temporarily stop.
Now, even if people didn't want to rest and wanted to fight, because of the weather, it would be incredibly difficult for an army to move about. Not only was there an incredibly thick layer of snow, but it was also extremely cold.
At the same time, any factions that attacked during this time were given a 'grinch' status that not only weakened their stats but also made them much more susceptible to getting sick.
This was the first time that a festival had banned fighting, but this could be understood, as it was the new year. It was time for some rest from all of the fighting.
As such, this New Year Festival was not a festival for fighting and killing; in fact, one could receive rewards just by staying at home, and it was something that everyone could get rewards at. It was definitely the best festival out of all of the festivals.
No one was clear as to just how this festival world work, but it was a collective event that required people to work together, and it was possible to trade rewards.
Indigenous residents of the same village, town, or city could work together, but if people belonged to the same faction, even if they were in different places, they could still work together.
The New Year Festival would begin at 12 AM, so Zhao Fu ordered his people to start preparing while he went to have a look at the Exchange Stone Stele.
Even though the system main cities had been conquered by Great Qin, they still spawned Exchange Stone Steles. This made Zhao Fu quite relieved, as he would not have to go to another region to exchange for rewards.
The Ten Thousand Flower Festival's focus had been weapons, the Ghost Festival's focus had been Professions, the Divine Fish Festival's focus had been City Creation Stones, the Disaster Festival's focus had been medicinal pills, and the New Year Festival's focus was Generals.
The rewards were split into two categories: summoning Generals and General Fate.
Generals could be summoned by exchanging for General Medallions. They could summon both ordinary General as well as historical Generals, but they were not ordinary historical Generals.
Almost every historical General belonged to a Legatee, and because they were only loyal to their rulers, how could they pledge their loyalty to just anyone?
As such, these historical Generals were not historical Generals from earth's history but from a parallel world. Most of their appearances were different, and they had different names. Some were even different genders. However, they had all experienced similar things and were of similar strength and skill to their counterparts.
There was also a ranking for the top ten historical Generals.
Number 1: Sun Hanxiang, counterpart to Sun Wu, Gender: female, the military saint of her parallel world, the master of the School of Military, and the originator of eastern military learning.
Number 2: Wu Xiu, counterpart to Wu Qi, Gender: male, a famous military strategist, politician, revolutionist, and representative of the School of Military in his parallel world. He was proficient in the learnings of the School of Military, School of Confucianism, and School of Legalism.
Number 3: Bai Xihan, counterpart to Bai Qi, Gender: female, the leader of the four Great Generals of the Warring States Period. She participated in countless battles and was victorious in almost all of them, but she was forced to commit suicide in the end.
Number 4: Han Changxin, counterpart to Han Xin, Gender: male, one of the three Great Generals of the Han Dynasty in the parallel world. He was a god of military strategy but was wrongfully executed.
Number 5: Wang Jiang, counterpart to Wang Jian, Gender: male, one of the four Great Generals of the Warring States Period. He was one of the greatest contributors to the State of Qin uniting the other six States.
Number 6: Wei Qing, counterpart to Wei Qing, Gender: female, one of the three cavalry geniuses of the ancient world in the parallel world. She was one of the famous Generals from the Western Han Dynasty. She was often victorious and was one of the greatest contributors when defeating the Xiongnu people.
Number 7: Huo Linxue, counterpart to Huo Qubing, Gender: female, a famous General of the Western Han Dynasty. She was the niece of General Wei Qing but died at an early age.
Number 8: Li Shen, the counterpart to Li Jing, Gender: male, the top General of the Tang Dynasty in the parallel world. He made many meritorious contributions to the establishment of the Tang Dynasty and indirectly caused the falls of the Arabic and Roman Empires.
Number 9: Li Mu, counterpart to Li Mu, Gender: male, one of the four Great Generals of the Warring States Period. He was a famous General of the State of Zhao and fought in countless battles. He died at the hands of the State of Zhao.
Number 10: Xu Liuyi, counterpart to Xu Da, Gender: female, the Commander-in-Chief of the Ming Dynasty. Even though she was a peasant, she turned out to be a military genius.
Of the top ten Generals, five of them were from the Warring States Period, and two of them were counterparts of Great Qin's historical Generals. Even though the Warring States Period had been incredibly chaotic, it had developed many great Generals.
The Han Dynasty also had two counterparts to their historical Generals, while other Dynasties at most only had one counterpart to their historical Generals or none at all.
There was an even split of men and women between the historical Generals, which Zhao Fu was quite surprised about. He was curious what the female counterpart of Bai Qi would be like.
These ten Generals all had General Stars and great General Fate, so everyone would want to obtain them. After all, they were all just as capable as their counterparts, and they had to be summoned.
There was also General Fate, which could be purchased and given to a General, giving them a General Star.
Some General Stars, such as the 13 General Stars, would create abnormal signs when they appeared. Only people born with them would have them, and such people all had a great amount of Fate.
However, Heavenly Spirit General Stars and Earthly Fiend General Stars were different – they were not General Stars that people were born with but ones obtained through hard work later on.
Only by continuously fighting, causing their General Fate to continuously become purer, would they be able to cause a General Star to appear. That was how some historical Generals were able to obtain General Stars.
Right now, many of the newer Generals who had joined Zhao Fu, such as Zhang Dahu and Xiao Jian, did not have General Stars. Only by continuously fighting would they be able to awaken their own General Stars.
General Fate was split into Great General Fate, Heavenly Spirit General Fate, and Earthly Fiend General Fate. Using these Fates, they would be able to help their Generals awaken General Stars, and they would not be any weaker than historical Generals.
The General Fates were more so for rising factions and large families that could not summon historical Generals, and the General Fates would close the gap between them and the Legatees.
The General Medallions were more so for the large Nation and Dynasty factions, as only those who controlled cities could exchange for them. The Nation and Dynasty factions had the most indigenous residents, so how could ordinary people compete with them?
This event was a joyous and happy event, and every person and faction would receive some benefits.


“Ding! Soulbinding has been successfully completed; you will now head to the Heaven Awaken World.” After hearing this, Zhao Fu’s vision darkened as he fell to the ground.

With bleak prospects in the real world, Zhao Fu’s life is turned around when countless crystals fell from the sky one night, which people could use to enter an alternate, game-like world. After obtaining an ancient Chinese empire’s legacy, Zhao Fu uses his intellect and resourcefulness to develop his own empire from a tiny village. However, with enemies both in the real world and in the Heaven Awaken World, he must make brilliant decisions and use creative schemes to survive.

Like every morning for the past fourteen years, Chen Chang Sheng woke up at five, used five seconds to calm himself, then got off the bed, dressed up, folded the quilts, and made the bed. In the dining room of the inn, he ate a bowl of duck porridge and four freshly made hot meat buns. He then returned to his bedroom, rinsed his mouth using the tea from last night, and dressed up before walking out into the yard.

–Now that he was no longer in the small temple at Xi Ning Village. He didn't have to chop firewood and deliver water. Facing the morning fog and light coming from far away, he closed his eyes and started to silently read the Scriptures of The Way. Until he felt refreshed and alert, his daily routine of the day was over. He walked out from the side door to the crowded and noisy street in the Capital.

He had a roster in his hand. On the roster were the names of some schools in the Capital. After getting the addresses from the market manager, he walked faster. He didn't notice that there was a wagon following him. He didn't see that the horse possessed unicorn blood, and of course, he didn't notice the bloody phoenix emblem on the wheel.

Long ago, The Heavenly Tomes descended upon the world. Humans were enlightened, and developed countless teachings, but all the change originated from one point. The classics and scrolls that were written in the past all traced the source of the change. Agriculture, industry, business, and education were all included. Now, publicly, the most authoritative evaluation to these was the annual Grand Examination

The Grand Examination was initiated by the first emperor of Zhou, Emperor Taizu. Whether to become a government official, military general, or even a priest in the Orthodoxy, the grade from the Grand Examination was the most important criterion. Most importantly, Emperor Taizu declared that only the top three grades had the right to enter the Mausoleum of Books. Because of this rule, each year, countless elites would come to the Capital. During the year of the first Grand Examination, Emperor Taizu stood on the wall to look at the geniuses from various sects on the continent who came in. He smiled and then spoke a line which is not only famous today but also established the status of the Grand Examination.

In the Southern countries, the powerful sects, such as the Longevity Sect, were extremely dissatisfied with this rule. To them, even though the Mausoleum of Books was at the Capital of Zhou, the Heavenly Tomes were divine rocks that had fallen from heaven and should be the commonwealth of the entire continent. Therefore, the South had attempted to resist the Grand Examination for many years, making the relationship between the two sides tense.

The Mausoleum of Books was too important to cultivators. Even though the Zhou Dynasty was very strong, it still could not monopolize it. The South, on the other hand, also could not resist the lure to enter the Mausoleum to see the stela. Even after the demons were defeated, the South still tried to resist the Grand Examination publicly. Even though the South tried to resist, there were many elites that traveled from the South to take the exam in private.

After the Divine Empress came to power, the Zhou Dynasty eventually formed an agreement with the South. The Southern sects and countries were allowed to freely send out diplomatic corps to participate in the Grand Examination. To make it fairer, the evaluation was based on both sides. Moreover, the southern students did not have to accept titles and rewards from the Zhou Dynasty. The test takers will all be treated equally. After many years, the examinations got a brand new name: Grand Examination.

In many years, the Grand Examination selected countless elites. It's known that the strongest elites on the continent had all traveled to the Zhou Capital and participated in the Grand Examination. Other well known facts were: the current Pope of the Orthoxy and the Elder of the south's Holy Maiden Peak were once winners of the Grand Examination. Not to mention, some geniuses from the West's yao race transformed themselves as humans and came to participate in the Grand Examination. Even for the demon race, there was a Prince who took the risk to come and participate. His identity was detected by the former Pope and exorcised into ashes.

Those were stories from many years ago. Now, what people were more concerned about was, in next year's Grand Examination. Would Qiu Shan Jun from the Longevity Sect attend? How many of the Seven Laws would get into the First Grading? Would Xu You Rong break through her stage early and leave Holy Maiden Peak to return to the Capital? Would the cold and mysterious genius elite on the demon's wild plains appear in front of people for the first time? Or would he continue to violently chase and kill more demons? People in the Capital also cared about how many outstanding geniuses from all the schools in the Capital will show up this year.

Yes, there are many schools in the Capital. The Divine Empress held power. Under her strict rule, the government officials were candid and efficient. (TL: Yea sure… look at the Xu family please >.> they are totally candid…) People's lives gradually improved. In these decades, The Empire was in a golden age. Multiple schools appeared like the bamboo shoots in spring after raining. Indeed, in recent years there were many private schools that were taught by the elites from the Orthodoxy. Their goal was to aim specifically for the Grand Examination. Of course, the most famous and influential schools were still the ones with the longest history. Among them, two of the schools were even established earlier than the Zhou Dynasty.

On Chen Chang Sheng's roster were six schools, the Heavenly Academy he was currently walking to was on the top of the list. In fact, even among the entire continent, Heavenly Academy could be ranked highly — In the recent two hundred years, students from Heavenly Academy have obtained 1st place in the Grand Examination a total of twenty four times. The students of Heavenly Academy were all very talented. The school nurtured many important priests for the Orthodoxy, and educated countless cultivators for many sects. More importantly, the current Pope of the Orthodoxy was a past student of Heavenly Academy.

Heavenly Academy had the best record, so it was the hardest to get into, but there were still many taking the entrance exam. Chen Chang Sheng walked to the entrance of Heavenly Academy. Looking at the gate and looking at the name written by the first emperor of the Zhou Dynasty, Emperor Taizu, he naturally felt a yearning to attend the school. Almost immediately, such a feeling was crushed due to the smell of sweat and ink. Subconsciously, he looked down.

When he left Xi Ning Village, he had already calculated the time. The time he arrived at the Capital coincided with the days the schools were recruiting students. He also expected that the number of people taking the exam would be large, but he didn't expect it to be a horrifying number. Especially when he looked at the young men who stood crookedly, looking lazy, and pointing at the crowd; he felt extremely uneasy.

Those young men wore the same style of attire. The clothes were mostly black and tied with a golden belt. That should be the uniforms of Heavenly Academy. Chen Chang Sheng knew that the people in line were the students who failed to pass the entrance exam at the beginning of the year. These people were usually full of themselves but now they were embarrassed due to their failure. They didn't show any good attitudes toward the test takers. Looking at the mocking expression in their eyes, Chen Chang Sheng lowered his head even more.

The act of lowering his head wasn't due to fear, but rather, was due to his slight mysophobia. Whether mentally or physically he didn't want to smell the sweat, nor hear the insulting words of the crowd.

"Just look at that idiot, looking like a pig. Why would he stick a fan into his collar? Does he think he is Prince Huan Yu? Why didn't he think that his fat neck will break the fan?"

"True, his steps seem to be soft and unsteady. He's probably only completed Purification for two months. How does he dare come to the entrance exam of Heavenly Academy when he hasn't set the groundwork for the Purification Stage? Where does he think he is? Orthodox Academy? Hilarious…..I don't understand what these idiots are thinking of, do they really think they can read and understand all the Scriptures of The Way with such a weak spirit and mind?"

"Read and understand all the Scriptures of The Way? Even the book worm, Gou Han Shi, doesn't dare to say he's accomplished that. You guys may sympathize with the troubles those idiots are going to endure, but I feel bad for their parents. Embarrassing themselves may be bad, but the money they wasted earlier can't be refunded. If I was the parent of that idiot pig, I would use the money to buy some pills and have him lose some weight so that he can at least find a wife to marry."

"So what if he found a wife to marry? The Han Mei Pill can only cure one person. If he has seventeen sons and daughters in the future, all of them will be as fat and stupid as he is. Is taking care of a litter of pigs a good thing?"

These students were laughing among themselves and recklessly commenting on the people taking the entrance exam. Their words were unbearable and they didn't control their volume. They actually wanted to be heard by the people they insulted. The face of the fat kid who got bullied turned bright red but he dared not to resist because everything the students said were true. He had just reached Purification ten days ago and probably had no chance to enter Heavenly Academy, but the most important point was that even if he did enter the academy, he wouldn't dare to mess with these seniors.

Chen Chang Sheng walked through the crowd and heard the unbearable conversation. He raised his eyebrows slightly and thought, if he was to be the one those students were commenting on, he didn't know if he could endure such insults. But luckily his head was low and his presence was ordinary. No one noticed him in the sea of people. He successfully passed the inky jade door and entered the school.

Because he was thinking about other things and his head was low, he didn't notice that the two big stone walls, next to the entrance of Heavenly Academy, had a few hundred names carved on them. It seemed like a list of some sort. Many desperate and admiring eyes were observing the names.

The family members and servants following the students taking the entrance exam weren't allowed into Heavenly Academy, therefore, after the students entered the school the environment suddenly became spacious. Chen Chang Sheng took out a clean white handkerchief from his pocket and swiped the sweat off his face. He took deep breaths to calm himself before he advanced. Following the student in front of him, he got to the back of the long line.

The number of people taking the entrance exam were countless. The line was so long that it looked like the Hundred Yard Snake from western mythology. The line stretched from the far away building all the way to the grassfield in front of Chen Chang Sheng. There was even a beautiful brook between the two locations. Many students who were taking the entrance exam stood on the wooden bridge on top of the brook. The cold wind of early spring blew into their faces and they were chilled by the coolness.

Soon enough, there were people coming out of the building and all of them were young men and young girls.They were just as expressionless as the people standing on top of the bridge due to the cold air. But since they weren't being blown at by the cool wind, it was probably due to their bad results. The people who were still in line became nervous after seeing their terrible expressions and stopped chatting with each other.

Since Chen Chang Sheng didn't know anyone, he didn't chat with anyone. He looked at the far away building curiously. The only thing he cared about right now was the entrance exam of Heavenly Academy. Was it still conducted the same way as stated in the books? Why did the people who fail back out so quickly? Has the exam of Heavenly Academy actually changed?

The crowd kept on moving forward. After passing the grassfield and the brook, Chen Chang Sheng arrived at a bamboo scaffold. Looking at the teacher who had a serious expression sitting behind the stone desk, Chen Chang Sheng saw a black stone fragment on the table, He realized the identity of the item. Remembering an old event that occurred in the Tao Scroll, he was slightly stunned.

To pick is to choose. This is a story about choices. Three thousand world full of gods and demons, with a scroll in hand you are able to control the entire universe… At the beginning of time, a mystical meteor came crashing down from outer space and scattered all over the world. A piece of it landed in the Eastern Continent. There were mysterious totems carved upon the meteor, and people gathered around it wanting to discover its usage. They discovered the Way, and established The Tradition. Several thousand years later, the fourteen years old orphan Chen Chang Shang left his master to cure his illness and change his fate. He brought a piece of marriage vow with him to the capital, thus began the journey of a rising hero.

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