The incense burner.
A sky filled with violet qi.
For a brief moment, Chen Sanshi didn't know how to make sense of what he was seeing.
Putting aside the fact that incense qi still existed in this world, the real question was—how could a small place like Ciyun Temple possess an artifact capable of collecting such energy?
And what was it being used for?
If it was meant to enhance cultivation, then why was the temple master only at Perfection in Transforming Strength?
Even if the wandering abbot was at Meridian-Connecting, that was still far too low a realm to justify such a treasure.
After analyzing it, only two possibilities remained.
Either this collection of incense qi had only started recently—like his own immortal treasure, still new and not yet powerful enough to greatly improve one's realm.
Or... the incense burner wasn't actually theirs at all.
Not everyone could use Qi Observation Technique or sense the subtle flow of Heaven and Earth's energy. Even if the burner sat right there, devouring incense meant for the statue, the Taoist priests of Ciyun Temple might have no idea.
Which of these was true, he couldn't say.
Chen Sanshi studied the burner carefully.
The bronze surface was carved with unknown beastly figures, their maws wide open as if greedily swallowing the incense meant for the gods—feral, eerie, and utterly otherworldly.
'This thing probably could withstand the strange fire!'
The thought stirred his heart.
But it wasn't his.
If Ciyun Temple truly knew what it possessed, there was no way they'd sell it.
If they didn't know... then whoever was secretly collecting this incense qi must be someone deeply mysterious. And unless he was absolutely sure he wouldn't be discovered, it was best not to act recklessly.
Besides, Ciyun Temple had done him no harm. There was no reason to take what wasn't his.
He pushed the thought aside for now.
'Let's just make do with the mystic weapon cauldron. Maybe it'll work too.'
"Shi ge'er, come on, you should bow as well!"
Gu Xinlan waved at him with a smile. "It'll be good for the baby."
"She's right, Lord Chen," Shao Yuqing said as he rose from his own prayer. "The immortal path is endless. Only sincerity can open the way."
"Mm."
Chen Sanshi didn't refuse.
If he didn't join in now, he'd only look suspicious.
Using the Qi Observation Technique, he stayed alert, observing everyone around. If anyone noticed his hesitation, that could put him at a disadvantage.
He accepted the incense and prayed.
However…
Not a single trace of violet qi rose from his body.
He had never believed in gods or Buddhas.
That wasn't unusual.
Many here prayed without true faith—some knocked their heads on the floor so hard it echoed, yet still produced no violet qi.
After finishing the ritual, Chen Sanshi and his wife descended the mountain. Before leaving, he collected the mystic weapon cauldron, instructing a young Taoist to retrieve a five-thousand-tael silver note from the Chen residence later.
He wouldn't carry that much silver on him casually.
"Lord Chen," Shao Yuqing said, "if you're free at the end of the month, you should attend True Person Qiu Mingzi's next sermon. It may be quite enlightening."
"If Sect Master Shao himself recommends it, I'll be there," Chen Sanshi replied with a smile.
He was indeed intrigued. The incense qi mystery alone gave him every reason to return.
On the way home, Qianxun trotted up to meet them, pulling the carriage smoothly as Chen Sanshi wrapped an arm protectively around Lan jie'er.
The horse seemed to know its mistress was pregnant—it moved carefully, each step steady and gentle.
As they passed through a lively street, a grand signboard caught his eye—three large characters: Red Sleeve Tower.
The six-story building stood tall, dazzling under the sunlight. On every level, women leaned out from the balconies, smiling and waving with painted lips and glittering eyes.
"Ha! Shi ge'er, can't even hold back a few days before your eyes wander, huh?"
Gu Xinlan noticed his gaze immediately.
"No, I was thinking of something serious."
Chen Sanshi looked away.
The Tower of Seeking Immortals.
Most likely, someone from that organization was hiding within Red Sleeve Tower. The entire establishment probably wasn't involved.
He wondered how that black-clad woman from the other night was doing now.
Still, if even the Grand Commander couldn't handle it, there was no point in worrying himself.
In just a few days, the Apprenticeship Ceremony would begin. Once he saw the Grand Commander, everything would become clear.
Before that, he needed to keep training—and test whether the mystic weapon cauldron could truly withstand the strange fire. He'd have to find a secluded spot for that; the commotion it caused would be impossible to hide at home.
For the next four days, Chen Sanshi trained almost nonstop, spending his spare time only with his wife.
[Technique: Unified Spear Technique (Minor Achievement)]
[Progress: 1055/2000]
Finally, he had passed the halfway mark in mastery.
At his current pace, he would likely reach Major Achievement in Tempering Organs within two months.
Meanwhile, deaths continued occurring within the sect, though fewer than before.
"It's getting stranger by the day."
Before he gained the Qi Observation Technique, he'd been blind to higher-level secrets. Now, the more he saw, the clearer it became—everything in the world might look separate, but somehow it was all connected.
Liangzhou, perhaps even the entire realm, was on the verge of something earth-shaking.
"Master, Young Master Sun is here," Siqin reported.
"I see."
With Mo Hua's help, Chen Sanshi changed into a new azure robe stitched by Lan jie'er, then instinctively picked up his great bow and reed-leaf spear. After fastening the Mountain-Suppressing Sword to his waist, he headed out to the waiting carriage.
"The apprenticeship ceremony's starting," Sun Buqi said as they rode together. "The process is simple—all the true disciples, inner, and outer disciples gather together to watch this year's new initiates perform the bowing ceremony. After that, everyone will be assigned to the Reserve Camp based on their cultivation realm and Elite Selection results."
"Reserve Camp?" Chen Sanshi asked.
"That's right."
Sun Buqi nodded. "There aren't enough openings in the Eight Great Garrisons. Plus, my father plans to expand the army, so he's combining the disciples and Liangzhou soldiers into a Reserve Camp first. After the expansion, we'll pick men from there to fill the four new garrisons."
Four new garrisons.
That meant the Grand Commander's forces would grow from eight to twelve, exceeding 150,000 troops in total.
Of course, expanding the army wasn't a simple task.
Procuring supplies, training recruits, merging command structures—even if they drew soldiers from existing divisions, it would take at least a year or two to complete.
When they arrived at the military city, rows of armored soldiers stood in formation from the gate onward, weapons gleaming as they formed a straight path leading to the ceremony grounds.
The crowd attending the Apprenticeship Ceremony was vast, but the setup was far from lavish. There were no extravagant decorations—just a tall wooden stage.
New disciples stood in neat ranks according to their results, while others looked on.
Because of the large number of participants, the ritual wasn't overly complicated. Hundreds of people drank a ceremonial bowl of wine at once—thus completing the ceremony.
Then—
It was time to assign positions.
The structure of the battalion system was far more complex than the old Guard Division system.
In short—
The Reserve Camp held a total of 12,000 soldiers. The highest commanders were the Battalion General and his Deputy General. The rest were divided into four divisions—front, rear, left, and right—each led by one Lieutenant General, for a total of four Lieutenant Generals.
Below them were Thousand-Commanders, each overseeing 1,000 men.
Next came Hundred-Commanders, who commanded 500 or 100 soldiers depending on rank—Five-Hundred Commanders under them, Hundred Commanders below, and finally Squad Leaders, each responsible for 10 men.
In the formal structure of the Eight Great Garrisons, one had to reach Transforming Strength to serve as a Thousand-Commander, Meridian-Connecting to be an Lieutenant General, and Profound Manifestation to qualify as a Main General. The Deputy General could be either Profound Manifestation or Perfection in Meridian-Connecting.
But since the Reserve Camp was a temporary assembly—meant to train new officers from the Elite Selection—it naturally operated at a lower tier.
Chen Sanshi was appointed Thousand-Commander, which neatly matched his rank as Fifth-Rank General of Martial Virtue.
The inner disciples mostly received the same post.
Among them were Cao Fan, Lu Shuhua, Yan Changqing, Bai Tingzhi, and Xie Sishu.
With Wen Qiushi dead, his position was filled by another.
Tang Yingke, still recovering from severe injuries, hadn't arrived yet.
The soldiers under Chen Sanshi's command came from mixed origins—400 from Poyang, and 600 from the Guard Divisions of Youzhou, Liangzhou, and Yanzhou, making for quite the patchwork. Luckily, all of them were trained troops with established discipline and formation experience. They only needed time to adapt, though Chen expected to replace a good number of them in the future.
"Distribute the armor!"
Fang Qingyun personally descended to hand out the battle gear.
Each Thousand-Commander received a full set of chain armor, far superior to the Guard's standard issue. It provided near-complete body coverage, and combined with a martial artist's own defenses, it could easily protect against attacks from lower-level cultivators.
Of course, one couldn't rely solely on armor.
The stronger one's realm, the more devastating their strikes became. Ordinary armor couldn't withstand such force—unless forged from mystic iron, which could even resist some internal force and gang qi. But the cost was astronomical. Only Lieutenant Generals and above were issued such equipment.
A few elite divisions possessed small units of mystic heavy infantry or heavy cavalry, but these were rare and precious, used only in critical moments due to their immense cost.
After the armor came the distribution of techniques.
Outer disciples were allowed to enter the Scripture Pavilion to choose freely and could occasionally receive guidance from Profound Manifestation Realm generals—if they happened to be free.
Inner disciples, however, were directly assigned techniques personally selected by Grand Commander Sun Xiangzong to suit their individual physiques. Whenever they encountered bottlenecks in training, they could write letters to the Commander's residence for direct written instruction.
If the matter involved a critical breakthrough, they'd even be summoned for personal, hands-on guidance.
As for the personal disciples—
Their instruction would come after the ceremony, in private, within the Grand Commander's mansion.
Each rank enjoyed vastly different privileges.
It wasn't favoritism, but simple necessity—one man couldn't personally teach hundreds of disciples while also managing massive military affairs.
Fang Qingyun continued, calm and steady, "In addition, each inner disciple may go to the Armory to select one mystic weapon. Outer disciples can earn one through breakthrough or battlefield merit."
"General Fang!"
A tall, broad-shouldered inner disciple stepped forward, his voice low but defiant. "Is there something you haven't announced yet? Don't tell me you're giving special treatment to Senior Brother Chen."
"I was just getting to that," Fang Qingyun said with a faint smile. "Lastly, all disciples—whether inner or outer—who were graded as A-level bone quality during the bone assessment will have the chance to be promoted to personal disciples within three years."
"The rule is simple: surpass a personal disciple by two minor realms, and achieve higher military merit within half a year. Then you may challenge him to a public duel. He cannot refuse.
"If you win, you replace him as the new personal disciple.
"His cultivation resources will be transferred to you as well.
"So even if you failed during the Elite Selection, don't lose heart. This is the army, not a sect—everything here is decided by strength."
This rule had always existed—a way to push everyone forward.
As his words ended, nearly every inner disciple—Cao Fan, Lu Shuhua, Yan Changqing, Bai Tingzhi, and others—turned their gaze toward Chen Sanshi, eyes burning with determination. They had already become rivals in spirit.
For most of them, surpassing a Martial Saint didn't matter much—because the imperial court's resources for such disciples were nearly limitless. A disciple would continue receiving aid until three years passed without further breakthrough.
Even for the likes of Lu Shuhua and the wealthy second-generation elites, raising a Martial Saint drained entire family fortunes—and sometimes still failed, depending on luck.
In past years, few dared to dream of surpassing the top disciple.
Because the first-place winner was always overwhelmingly superior.
But this year was different.
Chen Sanshi was only at Minor Achievement in Tempering Organs!
Many of them had already reached Perfection in Tempering Organs and were close to Transforming Strength. They stood a real chance of seizing his spot.
After the Apprenticeship Ceremony ended, the crowd dispersed.
Starting tomorrow, they would all report to the camp daily for training and assignments.
"Your Highness, you're about to reach Transforming Strength, aren't you?"
Yin Hanwen asked with genuine concern. "You once told me that practicing the complete Golden Crow Heavenly Dragon Blade Technique can raise your realm faster—but it damages the body. You're still young, Your Highness. You should…"
"Heaven rewards diligence!"
Cao Fan interrupted firmly. "Even when I suppressed him by a realm, I still couldn't defeat him. If he catches up to me, how shameful would that be? How can I not push myself harder?"
He knew too well—his earlier advantage in the arena came only from restricted conditions. Without that, his defeat would have been faster and more humiliating.
That thought filled him with both pressure and resolve.
"Besides," Cao Fan continued, "don't forget—my coming to Liangzhou wasn't just to serve under Sun Xiangzong. I'm here to earn merit in the army. If I can seize command of the northern forces, my position at court will be unshakable."
In the royal family, there was never only one heir.
If the throne had competition, so did the title of Crown Prince's Heir.
He had several younger brothers…
And he still remembered vividly—the sight of his youngest brother riding on their grandfather's shoulders in the palace last time.
Only by proving himself in the northern frontier could he truly sleep peacefully.
"Your Highness…"
Yin Hanwen's face was full of worry.
Though often deferential, he was unlike Wen Qiushi. He and Cao Fan had grown up together—there was genuine friendship between them.
"You don't understand, Hanwen," Cao Fan said quietly, eyes sharp as steel.
Cao Fan's lips curled into a bitter smile, touched with self-mockery. "We of the Cao family are born into nobility—but we live under constant pressure. When we lose, it's not just our position we lose, but our lives and everything we own. If I don't fight with everything I have, how could I possibly survive?"
"Your Highness!"
Yin Hanwen clenched his fists. "All I can do is give my life to assist you with everything I have."
"Hanwen," Cao Fan said, patting his shoulder with a weary air far beyond his years, "when we're in private, you don't need to call me 'Your Highness.' Just call me Fan ge. And if one day I really sit on that seat, you'll still be the one I rely on to stand beside me."
"I wouldn't dare," Yin Hanwen replied respectfully.
Cao Fan only sighed.
His gaze drifted toward Chen Sanshi's back as the man departed. His hand tightened around the Azure Dragon Crescent Blade until the blade's tip sank several inches into the ground.
He would win it back—no matter the cost.
…
"Junior Brother, please come in."
Outside the Grand Commander's mansion, Fang Qingyun greeted him with a warm smile. "Master is waiting for you in the rear courtyard."
"Senior Brother, let me take over."
Chen Sanshi took the wheelchair from the servant and pushed him through the gates.
The moment he crossed the threshold, an inexplicable nervousness stirred within him.
"Young Master, did you break my dragonbone cart?"
"…"
As soon as they entered, a maid hurried over. Though her tone carried respect, her accusation was genuine.
"I just touched it!"
Sun Buqi immediately argued. "That thing was already half-broken. Don't pin it all on me."
"Young Master, you must fix it for me! I spent an entire month making it myself!"
The maid grabbed Sun Buqi by the arm and dragged him toward the side courtyard, pausing only to bow politely to Chen Sanshi and Fang Qingyun before leaving.
"…"
"General Fang!"
"Greetings, Lord Chen!"
"…"
Such exchanges happened repeatedly as they walked through the mansion.
The servants of the Grand Commander's household followed strict discipline, yet they didn't appear fearful or oppressed. Their demeanor was more like professional attendants than slaves.
As they passed a secluded courtyard, Chen Sanshi even heard the clear, rhythmic recitation of reading voices.
"There's a private school here," Fang Qingyun explained. "Whether servant or maid, anyone can attend lessons. If they pass the mansion's internal examinations, they can shed their lowborn status and sit for the imperial exams. Those interested in martial arts can train as well—there are dedicated instructors."
He sighed. "But in recent years, those privileges were suspended. The capital started suspecting that Master was grooming his own faction, trying to infiltrate the court. So now, even if they study or train, they can't truly shed their status. They do it only out of interest."
He looked back at Chen Sanshi and smiled faintly. "Junior Brother, why so quiet? Are you shocked that this place isn't at all like the strict, hierarchical world described in the sages' books—where lords command, ministers serve, fathers rule, and sons obey?"
"Yeah."
Chen Sanshi nodded slightly. "It's… surprising."
But what truly shocked him was that such a scene existed in this world at all.
"You don't seem too awed by it, though," Fang Qingyun observed, a little surprised.
He didn't press the point, continuing instead, "Master came from slavery. He was once beaten nearly to death for disobedience. By sheer fortune, His Majesty redeemed him, granting him the chance to train and rise step by step to where he is today."
He smiled faintly, but his tone grew softer. "But Master was never truly happy. The higher he climbed, the more he saw of the world, the more dissatisfied he became. Yet he couldn't pinpoint the reason or find a solution.
"Then one day, he met an immortal—a man who enlightened him. After that, he transformed this mansion into what you see today. Ever since then, he's been at peace."
"An immortal?"
Chen Sanshi's eyes narrowed slightly. "You mean there really was an immortal—and Master met him?"
"Perhaps," Fang Qingyun said thoughtfully. "At least, that's what Master calls him.
"His name is Mister Mei. He's appeared three times in Master's life—once in youth, once in middle age, and once in old age. Each time, he offered insight that changed Master's path."
He paused, eyes glowing with reverence. "Though he never aided Master's cultivation or taught him any techniques, his guidance in matters of the heart was profound.
"Master said that without Mister Mei, he would never have endured everything to this day.
"If I ever get the chance, I'd give anything to meet him myself."
"No aid to cultivation…"
Chen Sanshi frowned. "Then how did Master know he was truly an immortal?"
From the sound of it, Mister Mei didn't seem like some celestial being—more like an enlightened monk skilled in the Dao of the mind.
"He doesn't age."
Fang Qingyun's tone turned solemn. "Master has buried countless comrades and friends over his long life. Yet every time he's seen Mister Mei, the man's appearance has never changed."
"So there really are immortals…"
Chen Sanshi's mind turned thoughtful.
If that was true, then the Emperor's claim of meeting one might not have been a lie after all.
"Junior Brother."
A soft, cool voice broke through his thoughts. He looked up to see Sun Li approaching, dressed in a pale pink skirt and white gauze shawl. She smiled gently and even offered him a slight bow—so polite he almost didn't recognize her.
"Senior Sister, I can't accept such courtesy from you," Chen Sanshi said quickly, flustered.
He never imagined Sun Li could appear like this—graceful and composed, the image of a proper young lady, utterly different from her usual temperament.
Then again, Lan jie'er had once told him she'd cried over worrying about scars left on her body.
At her core, she was still very much a woman.
"Junior Sister only began training in the past year," Fang Qingyun explained with a chuckle. "Before that, she rarely left home—much less saw battle."