Chapter 1: Better sooner than later—let it be today!

In the Golden Luan Hall of the Great Xia Dynasty.

The civil and military officials knelt prostrate on the floor, and the atmosphere was solemn.

Only a single shrill voice rang through the great hall:

“By decree of the Emperor of Great Xia!”

“Crown Prince Xu Tian has overseen the state for years, yet he has driven the realm into ruinous warfare, altered rites and laws at will, abused private punishments, and promoted men solely by personal favor…”

“Therefore, Xu Tian is hereby stripped of his position as Crown Prince, and his authority as Regent is revoked!”

“He is additionally bestowed one Heavenly Heart Lotus. Let Prince of Qin Xu Tian conduct himself well. Thus is the Imperial will!”

As the decree was rolled shut,

all the officials in court lowered their heads even further, not daring to look at the figure standing at the very front.

Xu Tian, the Crown Prince of Great Xia!

This was the man who had once followed the Xia Emperor and turned the tide, then after the war single-handedly pushed Great Xia’s national strength to its peak.

And today, he had truly been deposed!

“Heh…”

A laugh rang out abruptly.

Within the deathly silent hall, it sounded especially harsh.

Xu Tian did his utmost to suppress the smile tugging at his lips. There was not the slightest trace of desolation in his heart. Instead, he felt a kind of exhilaration, as though bitter days had finally ended and sweet ones had come at last.

“This son receives the decree.”

Above the hall, behind the beaded curtain hanging beside the empty throne, came a cold and lofty woman’s voice:

“Prince of Qin, His Majesty has done this for the sake of your health as well.”

The one speaking was none other than Chu Lan, the newly invested Empress.

“You are grievously wounded, and the Heavenly Heart Lotus is exceedingly rare. For its sake, His Majesty had no choice but to act this way. You must not harbor resentment.”

As her words fell, a palace attendant approached Xu Tian with a jade tray in hand.

Resting upon the tray was an ancient little cauldron, and within it bloomed a dark blue lotus that shimmered brilliantly.

Chu Lan’s voice came again, with deliberate emphasis.

“The Heavenly Heart Lotus is extremely fragile. To hold this sacred medicine, even this Mountain and River Cauldron is a priceless treasure. I specially borrowed it…”

A borrowed cauldron?

Then sooner or later, it would have to be returned.

Xu Tian looked at the jade tray before him, and a teasing glint flashed through his eyes.

“Whoosh!”

He suddenly raised his hand and swept out a sleeve, swift as lightning.

The officials had only just begun to rise when their vision blurred!

The little cauldron and the lotus vanished at the same instant, leaving behind nothing but an empty jade tray.

Xu Tian withdrew his hand in satisfaction, then lifted his head to look toward the beaded curtain, smiling with easy magnanimity.

“Since this is Father Emperor’s decree, then this son will accept it without ceremony.”

This Mountain and River Cauldron had originally been one of Great Xia’s treasures that had been lost beyond its borders.

Now that it had been delivered to his door, he would be a fool not to take it!

“You…”

The figure behind the beaded curtain visibly froze.

Her once lofty voice vanished in an instant, and the hall fell into a silence as still as death.

At that very moment, pleasant notification chimes rang out unceasingly within Xu Tian’s mind.

【Sacred medicine acquired: Heavenly Heart Lotus... Divine ability available for comprehension: Bone Cleansing and Marrow Refinement...】

【Divine artifact acquired: Heaven and Earth Mountain and River Cauldron... Divine ability available for comprehension: Body of Mountains and Rivers....】

【Detected: Great Xia’s one hundredth academy was completed today... Activation conditions met...】

【Proper Confucian Sage System... fully activated!】

【Raise your Confucian Dao prestige to obtain the blessing of Confucian Dao divine abilities!】

【Confucian Sage Divine Ability obtained: Enlightenment at Longchang!】

【Enlightenment at Longchang: Comprehend all things and empower yourself! With a single thought, the Sage Heart is formed! You may convert to the Confucian Dao without any loss! If you enter the Dao by contemplating an authentic relic of the Confucian Sage, you may obtain a hundredfold amplification!】

Bone Cleansing and Marrow Refinement, Body of Mountains and Rivers, an authentic relic of the Confucian Sage, a hundredfold amplification, Enlightenment at Longchang!

As he listened to the voice in his mind, the curve of Xu Tian’s lips grew wider and wider.

It had finally activated!

Twenty years ago, he had transmigrated into this world as the Crown Prince of Great Xia, with a system of his own.

But Great Xia’s lands had been shattered, the Confucian Dao had withered, and fewer than one academy in ten remained. There had simply been no way to activate it.

So he could only follow the Xia Emperor into battle after battle, fighting all the way through. At last, they rebuilt the realm, and then he dragged his battered body through years of hardship, painstakingly constructing academies.

Only today had the system finally been activated.

As for being Crown Prince and Regent?

It sounded impressive, but in truth, it meant nothing more than serving as a beast of burden for the entire nation!

No one knew

that as Great Xia’s national strength grew stronger and stronger, the people of Great Xia became harder and harder to control.

Heaven knew how much effort he had to waste each day just to keep that bunch of madmen in check.

The Xia Emperor, in closed-door cultivation, opened his mouth only to speak of blood debts repaid in blood. Once he emerged from seclusion, he would probably start talking about destroying the world…

Xu Zhan, the Second Prince who guarded the frontier, shouted every day about launching a northern campaign, recovering the old rivers and mountains, and expanding Great Xia’s borders…

Xu Yong, the Third Prince of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, was forever ready to centralize the dynasty’s power, wipe out the sects, and draw all authority into the imperial court…

Then there was the Fifth Princess, who loved money as dearly as life itself, the young soldiers hungry for revenge, and the officials dreaming of restoring Great Xia to the height of its glory…

It was enough to give him a headache just thinking about it.

If he had not needed to rely on the national fortune tied to the position of Crown Prince to suppress the injuries within his body, he truly would not have cared about that title at all.

But now, things were different!

As long as he obtained an authentic relic of the Confucian Sage and paired it with his divine ability, he could recover completely, perhaps even soar to the heavens in a single step.

At last, he could grow stronger while lying down and doing nothing!

And as for an authentic relic of the Confucian Sage…

Xu Tian turned around and, smiling amiably, looked toward the very front of the assembled officials.

The old prime minister… seemed to carry a copy of 《Mountain-Suppressing Diagram》 on him at all times.

Back then, the old man had shown it off for quite a while in an attempt to persuade him to convert to the Confucian Dao.

“Ahem…”

From behind the beaded curtain, a light cough finally sounded, followed by a somewhat hesitant voice.

“Prince of Qin Xu Tian, that Mountain and River Cauldron was something I borrowed…”

“Your Highness the Crown Prince… Prince of Qin!”

An aged voice directly cut off Chu Lan’s attempt to reclaim her debt.

It was none other than the old prime minister, Li Hongru, who had noticed Xu Tian’s gaze.

He strode forward at once, completely ignoring Chu Lan. With a face full of concern, he looked at Xu Tian and eagerly began to persuade him:

“Your Highness’s health concerns the very foundation of the realm. Nothing must happen to you. What Your Highness may not know is that Vast Righteous Qi also has the effect of nourishing the body. When used together with the Heavenly Heart Lotus, its effects are doubled…”

Although Xu Tian had been prepared and had known the old prime minister would try to persuade him, even he could not help having his smile stiffen, his gaze turning strange.

“Is that so?”

Everyone knew, even a three-year-old child, that Confucian cultivators were physically frail.

Yet in order to persuade him to convert to the Confucian Dao, this old man had actually fabricated such nonsense?

“Of course!”

The old prime minister nodded, as if it were only natural.

“Everyone knows Confucian arts are incomparably overbearing. If Vast Righteous Qi did not nourish the body, how could Confucian cultivators possibly endure them? This is called nourishing the outer body by cultivating within!”

The old prime minister’s tone was full of certainty, but the flicker in his eyes still gave away his guilty conscience.

The excuse was so outrageous that even the old prime minister himself did not believe it.

And yet, in the very next moment,

Xu Tian nodded with complete seriousness.

“What the Prime Minister says makes perfect sense!”

“Your Highness, there is no need to hurry to refute… ah???”

The old prime minister froze. Then, in the next instant, his eyes burst with light.

His Highness the Prince of Qin… believed him?

“Good! Good!”

The old prime minister was so excited that his hands trembled. Afraid that Xu Tian might change his mind, he hurriedly pulled a scroll from his robes.

“Your Highness! This is Great Xia Academy’s treasured authentic relic of the Confucian Sage, 《Mountain-Suppressing Diagram》!”

“I offer it to Your Highness for enlightenment!”

“If Your Highness truly wishes to convert, you must inform this old minister beforehand. Conversion is perilous in the extreme. A Great Confucian must stand guard over the process, and every preparation must be made…”

Looking at the 《Mountain-Suppressing Diagram》 before him, Xu Tian smiled radiantly.

He had known it. As long as he showed even the slightest hint of interest, the old prime minister would rush to place it in his hands.

“Swish!”

The instant his fingertips touched the scroll, the system notification in his mind exploded like thunder!【Contemplating an authentic relic of the Confucian Sage: Mountain-Suppressing Diagram!】【Confucian Sage Divine Ability triggered: Enlightenment at Longchang!】Xu Tian’s breathing abruptly grew rough, and he suddenly unfurled the scroll in his hand.

As he gazed upon the towering mountain peaks within the painting, his pupils reflected ten thousand miles of rivers and mountains, while the surging enlightenment in his heart could no longer be restrained.

“Good! Better sooner than later!”

“No need to wait. Let it be today!”

The moment those words fell,

the entire Golden Luan Hall shook.

Everyone present was stunned out of their wits.

Convert? Right now?

What kind of joke was this!

Who did not know that changing one’s cultivation path was exceedingly dangerous?

Especially for someone like the Prince of Qin, a third-rank martial grandmaster. The true qi in his body was violent and overbearing. If he forcibly converted to the Confucian Dao without any preparation, there was a very high chance that he would explode and die on the spot!

Not to mention, the Prince of Qin was already wounded to begin with.

The old prime minister was so frightened that his face turned white, and he shouted in panic:

“Your Highness, you must not!”

“Vast Righteous Qi is extremely difficult to generate. One must bathe and change clothes, recite the books of the sages for three months, and then have a Great Confucian guide the way…”

Yet before he could finish speaking, the words stuck in his throat, and he stared in utter shock.

Xu Tian stood in the center of the hall, his robes fluttering though no wind stirred.

Streams of martial true qi were continuously escaping from his body.

Wave after wave of air surged outward, whipping everyone’s hair into wild disarray.

Then, in the next instant—Bzz!

A pillar of incomparably pure white light shot skyward from Xu Tian’s body!

Its brilliance was so intense that it filled everyone’s vision!

It was none other than Vast Righteous Qi!