It was deep winter, and heavy snow was falling.
Inside a room at the Martial Academy, several large fireplaces were filled with burning red charcoal, emanating waves of heat, drastically contrasting with the coldness outside.
An elegant Taoist was sitting on a stool, reading a scroll with utmost focus, undisturbed by the outer world.
After a while, Pei Xuanjing put down the book in his hands, "I have finally collected enough Taoyun."
He had gathered enough Taoyun to undergo another life simulation.
[Taoyun: 20139 points.]
[Would you like to use the Life Simulator? One use requires 20000 Taoyun points.]
"Yes!"
At the age of 23: You diligently trained and studied various books at the Martial Academy, intending to deduct the eighth layer of the "Four Spirits Skill".
Half a year later, Qian Ning, the commander of the Brocade Guards, tricked the emperor into summoning the armies of the Four Towns to the capital. Grand Secretary Li Dongyang impeached him for collusion, all the officials approved, and the power struggle between the civilians and nobles began.
You remained sequestered within the Academy, unwilling to get involved in the turbulence.
Half a month later, the summoning of troops was halted. Qian Ning was reprimanded by the Emperor and sent to prison to reflect on his actions. The emperor had a heavy heart and planned to go on an outing.
A number of editors from the Martial Academy accompanied the emperor on his journey.
During this journey, a deputy leader of the Mire Sect led his high-level disciples in multiple attempts to assassinate the Emperor.
You demonstrated your formidable strength, personally killing a Third-grade protector of the Grandmaster Realm from the Mire Sect, which earned you the emperor's generous reward.
At 24: When the emperor returned to Tiandu, you returned to the Martial Academy for secluded cultivation. That same year, Pang Hong broke through to the Ninth-grade.
At 25: Using the emperor's generous reward, you successfully cultivated to the seventh layer of the "Dragon Elephant Skill", becoming an undefeated martial artist in the Third -grade realm.
Two months later, you had a martial arts contest with a Second-Class expert from the royal family. With the help of your divine weapon, you lasted nearly a hundred moves before being defeated.
A month later, the first volume of the "Martial Scripture" was compiled. This pleasing news made the Emperor ecstatic, and he planned to announce it at the upcoming Discerning Talent Ceremony.
A month later, news about the "Martial Scripture" got leaked. Many people and powers who were against the dissemination of the scripture raided the Martial Academy at night.
With your formidable power, you killed a Second-Class Martial Artist. This caught the attention of a First-grade Martial Artist, who released a devastating attack against you, and you fell on the spot.
[End of this life.]
Pei Xuanjing frowned at the simulation results.
Sure enough, beneath the calm surface, there was a hidden undercurrent, a stormy torrent.
These nobles and the group of civil officials are not to be underestimated.
One side was gathering troops for intimidation, while the other side directly dealt with the situation, forcing the Emperor to imprison the commander of the Brocade Guards.
Although no crime was assigned, from the result, it was apparent that the emperor had yielded. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been gloomy and opted for an outing.
As for the assassination attempts by the Mire Sect, Pei Xuanjing had become accustomed to them and found nothing strange about it.
Based on the information he had gathered, Mire Sect's assassination attempts on the emperor were an old tradition. Almost every emperor was attacked during each of his outings. It was the Sect's professional job to resist and such occurrences were as common as clocking into work, rain or shine.
If the Emperor went on outings without being attacked, that would indeed be strange.
What surprised Pei Xuanjing most about this life simulation was the final incident. He never expected that those who opposed the spread of the "Martial Scripture" would be so audacious.
Initially, he thought that Tiandu was safe, but these people dared to attack the Martial Academy directlv. which was shocking and unbelievable.
[Simulation is over, you can choose one of the following rewards to retain.]
[First, the seventh layer of the "Dragon Elephant Skill".] [Second, martial arts comprehension at the age of 25.] [Third, an incomplete version of the "Martial Scripture".]
Pei Xuanjing chose the first reward.
After making his choice, he felt his whole body undergoing a transformation again. The True Qi and physical strength inside his body formed a small circulation, not only enhancing his physical strength but also nourishing his internal True Qi.
While breathing calmly, Pei Xuanjing sensed the enhancement of his physical body.
After several contests with his new neighbor, Qi Heng, he knew that a typical third-grade Grandmaster who had not practiced hardening martial arts wouldn't exceed the strength of one Elephant.
But his current physical strength equaled seven Elephants, which meant that he could crush those martial artists who had not taken the hardening path, solely with his physical body.
Nearing the end of the year , Pei Xuanjing had not much to do. Besides calculating his newly acquired power and continuing to deduct his skills, he was also refining Taoyun and guiding Pang Hong in his cultivation.
Inside the Martial Academy, a servant boy was leading a man over.
The man was dressed in a green embroidered robe with an Embroidered Spring Knife at the waist. It was Lin Qingyi, one of the Brocade Guards. "Brother Pei."
Upon seeing Pei Xuanjing, Lin Qingyi spoke.
Pei Xuanjing was instructing Pang Hong in his cultivation, but he wasn't surprised by Lin Qingyi's arrival. He turned around and said, "Brother Lin, come in."
And to Pang Hong, he said: "Go prepare some tea."
"Yes, teacher." Pang Hong respectfully nodded and then went to prepare the tea.
Pei Xuanjing invited Lin Qingyi into the yard and then to the main hall.
The two walked side by side, with Lin Qingyi intentionally lagging half a step behind.
"Please, have a seat." Pei Xuanjing invited Lin into the hall.
After they sat down, Pang Hong poured tea for them and then withdrew with due haste.
Pei Xuanjing glanced at Lin Qingyi's outfit and smiled. "We haven't seen each other in a few months, Brother Lin. Have you been promoted?"
Lin Qingyi's clothes were no longer those of a hundred households, but of a vice thousand households from the Brocade Guards.
The two had been in contact all this while.
One wanted to obtain a clue about Mire Sect, and the other wanted to befriend a third-grade Grandmaster.
Both their needs coincided, and they formed a certain rapport.
"Speaking of this, I have to thank Brother Pei." Lin Qingyi appeared to be grateful.
It was precisely because of Pei Xuanjing's help in capturing Shentu Han, the protector of the Mire Sect, that he managed to gain merit and ascend to the position of a vice thousand households.
Although it may seem insignificant, to him it was definitely a leap from the lower to the middle level. After a few years of working hard in this position, there's a chance to be promoted to a thousand households.
"Brother Lin, you are being too formal." Pei Xuanjing brushed aside his compliments.
Although Lin's promotion was related to the capture of Shentu Han, it was not the main reason.
He didn't want to dwell on this topic and quickly switched to another.. "Brother Lin, have you heard any news about Mire Sect recently?"
Pei Xuanjing has always been paying attention to the clues about the Mire Sect. After all, such a
massive force might not matter to the imperial court, but to him personally, it remains a threat at all
times.
Unless one day he can become strong enough to ignore this threat, he must always be on guard.
If he gets entangled with such a force, even if the other party appears peaceful at the moment, they will undoubtedly strike at his weakest moment whenever the opportunity arises.
He himself has been killed by the Mire Sect several times in past simulations, and not long ago in a
simulation, he was also assassinated by the Mire Sect while accompanying the emperor on a tour.
Although in the life simulation, he not only avoided any loss with a simple sentence, he even received the emperor's reward for counter-killing a third-grade master of the Mire Sect.
But Pei Xuanjing is clear that reality is not the same as a simulation, and he doesn't have the chance to start over. What if the person who acted against him at that time was not a third-grade martial artist but a Second -Class martial artist, or even a First-grade martial artist?
After so many simulations, he actually started to figure out the pattern of the life simulator. That is, as his strength keeps increasing, the process in the life simulator will also produce a butterfly effect.
Moreover, the process shown by the Life Simulator is not fixed but merely reflects the most likely outcome after he makes a choice.
For instance, after he broke through to a third-grade martial artist, instead of choosing to move into the capital of Northwest Dao, West Capital, and coming to Tiandu, some of the things that would have happened then change.
Upon hearing Pei Xuanjing's inquiry, Lin Qingyi also gathered his thoughts and said seriously, "In fact, I came today because of this matter."
He looked around then lowered his voice, "This time we took the opportunity of capturing Shentu Han to strike a nest of the Mire Sect. Brother Pei, guess where is this nest?"
Zhending Prefecture?
Looking at Lin Qingyi who was full of meaningful expression, a place came to mind, and he asked,
"Isn't it in Tiandu, is it?"
Lin Qingyi nodded and said solemnly, "Exactly."
"We obtained quite a few clues from it, all pointing out that the Mire Sect is planning something. Although the purpose is not yet clear, I have some conjectures. This time it's not a small fuss from the Mire Sect. It'S said that the leader of the sect personally planned it. A supreme elder is presiding, and several Dharma Kings and protectors are personally assisting."
While the Mire Sect has always been somewhat active, most of the time it's their protectors, the third-grade martial artists, pulling the strings. This time they have even sent a supreme elder to preside personally, which undoubtedly indicates the scale of their plans, and how seriously they regard this matter.
"If they actually sent out a First-grade martial artist to manipulate things, it seems that the Mire Sect indeed has big plans." Pei Xuanjing nodded.
After he stepped into the Upper Three Realms, he also entered the circle of masters. From Qingyang Zi, he learned a lot about the martial artists of the Upper Three Realms.
Second-Class and Third-grade martial artists are the ones most commonly seen in the world, while First-grade martial artists spend most of their time in intensive cultivation, seeking their future path, and more often act as the foundation of a faction without deploying easily.
Like Qingyang Zi, if he one day breaks through to the First-grade realm, he will, following the rules, resign from all his current posts and return to the Taihe Mountain True Martial Sect.
Of course, not all First-grade martial artists will do so.
Based on the information Pei Xuanjing received from Qingyang Zi, combined with clues from other sources.
What Qingyang Zi said is, in fact, an unwritten rule set by the Great Ming and other major forces.
As the beneficiaries of power, they possess everything. So, they can focus on their cultivation therapeutically without the need for fights and strife in the world. They can even use this unwritten rule to constrain other First-grade martial artists, so as not to disrupt the existing situation and threaten their interests.
Of course, for every rule enforcer, there's also a challenger.
Some factions dissatisfied with the current situation and wanting to redistribute the benefits will also emerge. As newcomers, they have strength but can't gain the corresponding benefits, which will naturally prompt them to issue challenges.
Now, among these factions, the Mire Sect is in the lead.
However, even as challengers, to avoid the thunderous crackdown of vested interest holders, they usually refrain from breaking this tacit agreement.
Now that the Mire Sect has dispatched a First-grade martial artist to act personally, they must undoubtedly have a grand scheme in mind; otherwise, the cost would outweigh the benefits.
Thinking of this, Pei Xuanjing asked, "Does Brother Lin have any other information? Let'S discuss it all together!"
Lin Qingyi looked at Pei Xuanjing with a smile, "Brother Pei, the task you entrusted me with a while ago, of course, I didn't forget. I went specifically to find out about the situation in the Northwest Dao afterward."
"It seems that Brother Lin has reaped quite a lot?" Pei Xuanjing grasped the purpose of the other party's visit today, which is to take credit for his work.
Lin Qingyi chuckled, "According to the information I obtained, the Mire Sect is actively fostering subordinate forces in the Northwest Dao, using both threats and bribes to win over numerous factions…"
He didn't finish his sentence, but Pei Xuanjing had already understood a lot of things. Many of the doubts in his heart were unraveled at this moment.
No wonder!
No wonder a group of bandits appeared mysteriously in the small city on the border where he was, and even as an eighth -grade martial artist in the simulation process, he was killed by the bandits.
To Imow that back in the day, in the small town where he lived, a Ninth -grade martial artist could bolster a faction and eighth-grade martial artists could walk around undeterred.
But in the simulation, as an eighth-grade martial artist, Pei Xuanjing was killed by bandits, which made him feel somewhat embarrassed multiple times.
Now it seems that the appearance of those bandits was not accidental but the work of the Mire Sect.
Thinking about how the Liu family, which emerged later, had the support of the Mire Sect behind them, it's no wonder they could pull strings to transfer Gu Ji.
Also considering the many instances of unrest in the Northwest Dao in his life simulation, which he almost always encountered.
Gu Ji suppressed the riot, he died alongside Gu Ji.
He cultivated alone, yet there was still unrest in the Northwest Dao.
All of these instances were the work of the White Lotus Sect.
It seemed that he and the Mire Sect were naturally opposing each other. In fact, when all his life simulations were tallied, except for a few special cases, his cause of death was somewhat related to the Mire Sect.
As if he had an epiphany, Pei Xuanjing figured everything out at this moment. Although there was not enough evidence, these things essentially didn't need evidence..