The golden dragon of national fortune rose into the sky, then circled above the dome of the Imperial City of the Xuanwu Kingdom.
After letting out a thunderous roar, it soared into the firmament.
The entire capital began to tremble faintly. The movement was neither large nor forceful; ordinary mortals standing where they were merely felt their heads sway a little.
But after only a moment, everything stopped completely, as though nothing had happened.
Only that golden dragon of national fortune had truly appeared before everyone’s eyes.
The people began discussing the golden dragon that had revealed itself before roaring into the heavens.
Some regarded it as a blessing. Others saw it as a disaster. There were even those who claimed it was the work of immortals.
On Upper Black Street in the capital, an old Deity Transformation Daoist wearing a hat and carrying a banner stood dumbfounded as he listened to the endless discussions along the street and watched the dragon of national destiny surge into the sky.
Then, in a sight invisible to ordinary mortals, it transformed into the blessings of the nation and scattered away.
The largest portion—nearly half of the nation’s fortune—returned to the palace.
But the amount that had been lost and carried away was still terrifyingly immense.
“What a strange matter… What a strange matter…”
The old Deity Transformation Daoist gripped his banner, his expression filled with astonishment.
A decision concerning the circulation of national fortune could only be made by the current sovereign. It required a clear imperial decree, sealed with the Imperial Jade Seal of State, before it could take effect.
Yet this was not something the sovereign could accomplish merely by wishing for it. Otherwise, the golden dragons of national fortune throughout the world would have long since been locked away, reduced to resources beneath the control of the immortals.
The golden dragon of national fortune possessed a spirit.
It would reject what was false.
It would refuse what was erroneous.
Though the golden dragon of national fortune could not control the sovereign’s choices, it could still reject any absurd edict that would send the nation’s own true dragon soaring into the heavens to perish.
The only possibility now was that the ruler of the Xuanwu Kingdom had made this choice—and that the golden dragon of national fortune had approved of it. It had even been willing to collapse and sacrifice itself, despite the price.
The important question was…
What kind of decision could make the nation’s fortune feel that even its own death was worthwhile?
What sort of undertaking could make the golden dragon of national fortune willingly act in such a manner?
The greater the price, the greater the result.
The old Deity Transformation Daoist gazed at the palace city for a long time. After a moment, he began walking toward it.
Life was an illusion, and cultivation took countless forms.
There were myriad cultivation methods, some of which involved cultivating karma and cause-and-effect.
The cultivation method practiced by the old Deity Transformation Daoist was precisely the sort of mysterious and superstitious art that even he himself had never truly understood.
Yet today, the sacrifice of the golden dragon of national fortune had allowed him to catch a glimpse of the shifting currents of destiny beneath the heavens.
The world was likely about to undergo a complete upheaval.
If the Dao he cultivated could become tainted with such monumental karma, what sort of benefit would that bring?
The old Deity Transformation Daoist did not hesitate.
Even if hell lay ahead, he still wanted to see what a hell capable of overturning heaven and earth would look like.
As the old Deity Transformation Daoist drew near the palace city, he saw a group of Confucian scholars adjusting their robes and walking toward it as well.
And they were far from the entire group.
The old Deity Transformation Daoist stopped and watched as one batch after another of Confucian scholars and academics, scattered but seemingly endless, began making their way toward the palace city.
To a greater or lesser extent, all of them carried the blessings of the golden dragon of national fortune.
Seeing this, the old Deity Transformation Daoist stood frozen for a moment. Then he covered the corners of his mouth, laughing silently and wildly.
So this was Li Junzi?
The great scholar who had been accused of indulging in delusional hopes, the great scholar dismissed as unrealistic.
After arriving in the Xuanwu Kingdom, the old Deity Transformation Daoist had naturally heard of the new policies Li Junzi had introduced. He had also heard that Li Junzi wished to become a Sub-Sage.
To achieve that goal, she had apparently incited the sovereign to become a tyrant, slaughtering on a massive scale and imposing her will through force.
Along the way, voices condemning her had far outnumbered those praising her.
Insults and curses had swept through the land. The only relatively favorable opinions had come from the mouths of those Confucian scholars.
The old Deity Transformation Daoist believed he had observed the matter carefully, and he had given Li Junzi his own assessment:
Ruthless and vicious, but nothing more.
Yet after witnessing this scene today—seeing the golden dragon sacrifice itself to the heavens, seeing the blessings of national fortune scatter in all directions, and seeing a new path emerge, still lost and undefined—even a cultivator at the Deity Transformation realm felt his entire body grow numb.
If the new policies were merely the beginning…
Then the path Li Junzi intended to walk from here onward would be her true sublimation.
If the sacrifice of the golden dragon was only the start…
Then how rugged and treacherous would the road ahead be?
“Sub-Sage…”
The old Deity Transformation Daoist murmured softly.
“Li Junzi…”
If the new policies were not enough to break new ground, then what Li Junzi intended to do next would likely be more than mere pioneering.
She would be creating heaven and earth anew.
When the old Deity Transformation Daoist arrived before the palace gates, he did not use his Deity Transformation cultivation to force his way through. Instead, he honestly requested that the guards announce his arrival.
Whether it was Zhao Xuan, who was willing to cooperate and stake everything on a single throw, or Li Junzi, who had laid out such a vast scheme and endured endless misunderstanding without ever doubting whether she was right or wrong—
The old Deity Transformation Daoist was willing to offer them the highest respect.
Within the imperial palace of the Xuanwu Kingdom, the returning blessings of the golden dragon flowed halfway back into Zhao Xuan’s body. Then they re-formed into the Imperial Jade Seal of State, now much smaller than before.
After all, the nation itself had not collapsed. Even after the golden dragon sacrificed itself, the flow of national fortune continued.
It was simply that the losses had been enormous. The true consciousness within the jade seal would likely be unable to awaken, and its protective power would surely be greatly diminished.
Zhao Xuan’s face had grown much paler. He gently reached out and touched the small and exquisitely crafted Imperial Jade Seal of State beside him.
The remaining portion of the blessings entered Li Junzi’s body directly.
Li Junzi now held the position of Imperial Preceptor. Both her contributions and her status stood at the summit of the Xuanwu Kingdom. Under the blessings this time, she had become the person who gained the most.
Zhao Xuan raised his eyes toward Li Junzi, whose complexion had improved considerably, and gave a bitter smile before saying:
“My aptitude is poor… and I am already old. From this point onward, many matters will have to rely on Teacher Li.”
Li Junzi cupped her hands.
“I shall devote myself to the task until my dying breath.”
Hearing this, Zhao Xuan let out a sigh of relief, and a trace of exhilaration appeared on his face.
“Your Majesty, representatives of the various Confucian schools, scholars, and officials are jointly requesting an audience outside the palace.”
The eunuch’s anxious voice came from beyond the doors before he himself had even entered.
At the same time, an old ancestor of the imperial palace, who had reached the late Nascent Soul stage, arrived as well.
The eunuch had only just stepped inside when the Nascent Soul elder crossed the distance and appeared in the hall.
The Nascent Soul elder first bowed to Zhao Xuan. His gaze swept over Li Junzi, then fell upon the Imperial Jade Seal of State on Zhao Xuan’s desk.
Seeing the imperial retainer arrive, Zhao Xuan forced himself upright despite his weakness.
“Thank you for making the journey, Elder. I am unharmed.”
The Nascent Soul elder straightened and looked toward Li Junzi. After studying her for a moment, he bent at the waist and bowed deeply to her.
Then, without saying a word, he vanished from the hall, as though he had never been there.
Only then did Zhao Xuan’s expression ease somewhat. He turned his gaze toward the eunuch.
“As for everything that remains… Teacher Li will make all the decisions.”
Li Junzi looked toward the palace doors and did not bother with false modesty. She spoke directly:
“Invite every one of them into the hall.”
If one truly wished to accomplish something great, one could not rely on oneself alone.
Back then, although the Sub-Sage had completed all the preparations, there had still needed to be a sovereign willing to stand forth and support him.
Today, there also needed to be scholars who believed in learning through knowledge and were willing to make sacrifices.
They were willing to do so for this land and for the mortals who lived upon it.
Together, we will change everything.
Fearless of life or death.
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
agon king storylines. At the start, I obtained the "Ultimate Lackey System" - the more I act as a lackey, the stronger I become. What else could I do? I chose to become the personal henchman of the ultimate villain, Su Muwan. I provoke all sorts of chosen ones, snatch away their opportunities, and commit every evil deed imaginable. You ask who's behind me? Hmph! You're not worthy of knowing my lady's name! ...... ....... I am Su Muwan, the eldest daughter of the Su family. Since childhood, I've possessed extraordinary talent in martial arts, which led to my arrogant and domineering personality in my past life. I was even foolish enough to repeatedly challenge those favored by heaven, ultimately resulting in a tragic death. In this life, I must behave and absolutely cannot walk the same path again!! However... SLAP!! "So you're the Dragon King, huh?!" When I saw my little lackey swagger over and viciously slap the Dragon King who was hiding his identity, I felt my heart sink. Su Muwan's suspended heart finally died as she watched Qin Luo, her utterly loyal lackey, standing before her. She fainted on the spot from shock. Heaven is determined to destroy me!! (Pure love 1v1, light-hearted, no angst, single female lead, villain, reincarnation, lackey)
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
