Imperial Scepter

Before dawn, with the night still lingering over Gaojia Village, Gao Chun awoke from a deep sleep.

My body felt as heavy as if it were filled with lead, and every slight movement sent a tearing pain through my limbs and bones.

That was a lingering effect from yesterday's attack on the ancestral aperture. It felt as if my whole body had been repeatedly crushed by countless blunt objects, and I couldn't even muster the strength to lift my hand.

He braced himself against the edge of the bed, trying to sit up, but a wave of intense fatigue washed over him, causing him to fall heavily back onto the pillow.

"Heh, it's not that easy after all."

Gao Chun chuckled to himself, a hint of helplessness flashing in his dark eyes, but without a trace of discouragement.

He had been eager to strike while the iron was hot and break through to the second acupoint, but his body's protests abruptly interrupted his eagerness.

"If you can open one acupoint every day, you can learn a top-tier bronze-level spell in a little over a month. Wouldn't top-tier spells be commonplace by now?"

He murmured to himself, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the texture of the sheets.

Only now did he truly understand his father's advice: "There are no shortcuts to cultivating magic; one must proceed step by step."

"Opening each acupoint is a double drain on both the body and mind. You need to rest for a day or two until your Qi and blood are restored and your energy is back before you can proceed with the next step."

As his thoughts gradually became clearer, Gao Chun stopped insisting and prepared to get up.

He never had the habit of sleeping in late, always feeling that "there will be a day of eternal sleep after death, why waste the time of living."

Moreover, he harbored a dream of becoming a high-ranking official, and he could not afford to waste a single minute.

Gritting his teeth, he exerted his strength again, using the weak support of his arms to move his body little by little, and finally managed to sit up straight with difficulty.

His back was still aching terribly, so he hunched over slightly and took a while to catch his breath.

Even if I cannot cultivate today, I cannot let time slip away in vain.

Gaining knowledge and broadening horizons is an indispensable part of the path to becoming a strong person.

Gao Chun, leaning against the wall, walked unsteadily out of the bedroom and headed straight for his study.

As he pushed open the door, a faint scent of ink and the aroma of books wafted towards him, instantly calming his chaotic mind.

He didn't turn on the light, but groped his way to the bookshelf using the faint daylight coming in from the window, and randomly pulled out a yellowed ancient book.

His movements as he turned the pages were somewhat slow, his fingertips still trembling slightly from yesterday's overexertion, but his gaze became increasingly focused as he carefully read each page and each line.

Time slipped away silently as the pages were turned, and the sky outside the window gradually brightened.

First, a sliver of dawn broke across the sky, then the morning light pierced through the clouds, like fine gold foil, gradually covering the floor and bookshelves of the study, and finally landing on Gao Chun's face.

He was completely unaware, still immersed in the world of the book, with only the occasional rustling of turning pages echoing gently in the quiet study.

The morning light in the study grew even brighter.

Golden light streamed through the window, casting dappled shadows on the yellowed pages of the book.

Gao Chun sat on a wooden chair by the window, his back still aching from yesterday's training, yet he remained upright.

He turned the pages of the book very slowly, his eyes focused, as if he wanted to engrave every word into his very bones.

He was enthusiastic about everything, from economics and politics to humanities and history.

His fingertips glided across the pages, turning from records of agriculture and sericulture to local customs, even engrossed in obscure legal texts.

Sometimes he frowned in thought, sometimes he nodded and smiled, completely forgetting his physical exhaustion.

Suddenly, at the end of an ancient book, three pages of handwritten notes came into view.

Gao Chun's eyes narrowed, and his fingers, which were turning the pages of the book, suddenly stopped.

He slowed his breathing, quickly brought the book closer, and began to read it with great interest.

"The Eastern Chen Empire is divided into five levels of administration: central government, prefecture, county, town, and township."

"Each level of government implements a system of one chief and five departments. For example, in a town, the chief is the town mayor, and the five departments are personnel administration, finance and taxation, manufacturing, military defense, and security."

"The Department of Civil Administration is in charge of the assessment of officials and matters concerning people's livelihood."

The Finance and Taxation Department manages finance and taxation.

The Manufacturing Division produced war supplies such as talismans and arrays, as well as daily necessities such as mystical lamps and chairs.

The Armed Forces Command is responsible for armed forces and safeguarding security.

The Judicial and Public Security Bureau is responsible for judicial trials and public order management.

Gao Chun read it word by word, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously curled up, his eyes narrowed slightly, showing a look of great interest.

"This design, with its clear division of responsibilities, is quite reasonable."

He sighed softly, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes.

Available in the next second.

His gaze swept over the annotations at the bottom of the notebook.

His eyes suddenly sharpened, and his pupils instantly shrank to the size of pinholes.

The fingers gripping the book tightened suddenly, until the knuckles turned white.

"Each of the five government offices was controlled by one of the five local gentry families."

"Not only must the three heads and deputy heads of each department be members of their own aristocratic families, but they also have the final say in all the established positions, including supervisors, stewards, and clerks."

"So that's how it is..." Gao Chun murmured.

The words of Young Master Chen, "The Director of the Finance and Taxation Department originally belonged to our Chen family," suddenly echoed in my mind.

All the previous doubts have now been resolved.

He finally understood that Young Master Chen's sense of entitlement was not arrogance, but rather a privilege granted by the system.

A chill rose from the bottom of my heart.

If all high-ranking officials are members of the aristocratic families, how can he possibly become a high-ranking official?

This time, Gao Chun showed neither anger nor complaint.

A hint of seriousness flashed across his eyes as he traced the ink with his fingertips, his mind clear as a mirror: anger was useless, complaining was futile. Only by wielding power and having a voice could he change everything.

Take a deep breath.

He suppressed his turbulent thoughts, held his breath, and turned to the next page.

"To match the 'one chief and five officials' system, the Eastern Chen Empire established a special aristocratic system."

"This system corresponds one-to-one with the administrative system, and is also divided into five levels. From bottom to top, they are: town gentry, county gentry, prefectural gentry, prominent families, and national warlords."

"Each level of local government is controlled by one of the five powerful clans..."

"They not only divided up the powers of the five departments, but also controlled vast territories. And these territories contained a large number of mystical veins."

The profound veins are the foundation of a cultivator's practice. With profound veins, one has resources and everything to stand on in the cultivation world.

"This system in the Eastern Chen Empire completely blocks the path to upward mobility for ordinary people and grassroots cultivators. With no other options, they have no choice but to take desperate measures..."

"They either become bandits, looting and plundering, living in constant fear; or those with exceptional talent flee into the Southern Wilderness Forest and seek refuge with the sects hidden there."

"As a result, although the Dongchen Empire has unified the Nine Provinces, it has never been truly stable."

The resistance of commoners and grassroots mystics never ceased. These resistances brought immense destruction to the empire.

Looking at these long-forgotten, hidden histories, Gao Chun's pupils suddenly contracted, and the corners of his mouth involuntarily opened slightly.

He was completely shocked.

The Eastern Chen Empire has such a past!

On the yellowed pages, each word is written in blood, starkly revealing the flaws and fatal dangers of the caste system.

Gao Chun was both alarmed and fascinated by the sight of it.

Unfortunately, there were too few records in the notes.

Moreover, the content is disorganized and illogical, like a random jotting down of thoughts.

Gao Chun forcibly suppressed the surging excitement in his chest. His fingertips trembled slightly from the effort, but he dared not delay for a moment. His fingertips brushed over the yellowed pages as he eagerly continued to turn the pages.

"Fifty years ago, Anshi's reforms began."

"The five departments have been expanded to six, with the addition of an Education Department."

"All mystics who wish to enter the system, including those from aristocratic families, must study at the colleges under the Ministry of Education."

"Even ordinary people and those with profound knowledge can enroll in the school."

"From then on, ordinary people and those who had attained enlightenment had a path to advancement."

"The Eastern Chen Empire has also stabilized again."

Upon reading this, Gao Chun let out a long sigh of relief.

My tense shoulders finally relaxed slightly.

He raised his hand and tapped the four characters "Anshi Reform" on the page, his eyes filled with admiration.

"What a brilliant Huang Anshi!" His eyes shone like stars, his pursed lips revealed a hint of admiration, and the respect in his eyes was almost overflowing.

By simply adding an upward channel, the turbulent empire was stabilized.

Gao Chunsheng felt a deep respect for this important figure who presided over the reform.

Without pausing, he continued to flip through the last page of his handwritten notes.

Before the establishment of the Dongchen Empire, the Nine Provinces Continent was in the era of sects.

"The Ten Sects and Twenty-One Religions are the dominant powers, and there are countless other sects below them. These sects are constantly at war over territory and resources."

"In the battle, countless ordinary people suffered undeserved calamities."

"Three hundred years ago, the Great Emperor Dongchen appeared out of nowhere. He led the Ghost Soul Sect and launched a war of unification."

"This war lasted for nearly a hundred years."

Two hundred years ago, the Great Emperor unified the nine provinces and established the Eastern Chen Empire.

"The era of sects, which lasted for tens of thousands of years, has come to an end."

When Gao Chun read this, his eyes widened suddenly, his pupils filled with disbelief and astonishment, and the corners of his mouth involuntarily opened slightly.

A storm raged within him.

I had never encountered such detailed and secret records in the history courses I had taken in school.

These contents are either forbidden books and secrets deliberately blocked by the Dongchen Empire, or unpublished histories passed down orally.

He ran his fingertips along the slightly yellowed pages, his gaze lingering on the handwriting, feeling utterly satisfied.

This trip to the study was truly eye-opening, and I gained insights that are hard for others to match!

After finishing his reflections, he suppressed his surging thoughts, turned his gaze back to the pages of the book, and continued reading.

Sure enough, it was exactly the same as the previous page.

At the end of the notes, a few lines of handwriting stand out—special annotations left by the author.

"Emperor Dongchen has rendered meritorious service, ending the era of endless wars among sects."

"But the aristocratic system he established was known to the world as the caste system. It blocked the path for commoners and those from humble backgrounds to rise in society."

Finally, there is the author's reflection, with messy and illegible handwriting and varying ink depths, clearly indicating that he was filled with inner turmoil and struggle when he wrote it.

"Is it truly feasible to dismantle the imperial caste system and truly ensure that the capable rise and the incompetent fall?"

The notes abruptly end here, leaving only a page full of unfinished melancholy.

Gao Chun held the book, remaining silent for a long time, even forgetting to turn the pages.

It was already noon outside the window, and the blazing sunlight shone directly on him through the windowpane, making his clothes slightly hot, but it could not dispel the gloom in his heart.

He leaned back in his chair, his back still straight, but his fingertips were twisting the edges of the book pages so hard that the rough paper was crumpled and his knuckles turned white.

The question pounded in his mind like a hammer, repeatedly striking his heart and mind, leaving him unable to calm his emotions.

The capable rise, the mediocre fall...

These six words are so easy to say and so inspiring to hear.

But how difficult it is to put it into practice!

For centuries, aristocratic families have monopolized resources, and their spiritual lineages, official positions, and personal connections have become deeply entrenched, forming an impenetrable net that firmly traps those at the bottom of the spiritual path.

Trying to break this network, to dismantle the deeply entrenched caste system, and to allow grassroots practitioners to gain a foothold solely based on their strength, is tantamount to throwing an egg against a rock, or even shaking a towering mountain.

Gao Chun slowly closed his eyes. The midday sun cast interplay of light and shadow on his face, making his gaze appear even more profound and resolute.

He gently unwrapped the crumpled pages and placed the book lightly on the table, his gaze fixed on the blinding sunlight streaming through the window.

"Will it work?"

He asked himself in a low voice, which was not loud, but carried a power that pierced through the confusion.

"I have no idea."

"But I know that if I don't try, I'll never have the answer."

"I must give it a try to realize my dream of becoming a high-ranking official!"