It seems this impending disaster cannot be avoided.

Now, there are thirty years left until the calamity of the Immortal Dynasty's jiazi cycle; not long yet not short.

Xu Qing returned to the Great Yu Dynasty in rainbow light, having cultivated to a Heavenly Immortal, now his Heavenly Demon Illusion Realm has become even more formidable, greatly enhancing the impact of outstanding talents within the Immortal Dynasty.

The greatest function of the Heavenly Demon Illusion Realm is to allow one to experience reincarnation lifetimes within a short period inside it.

The higher Xu Qing's cultivation, the more these reincarnation experiences approximate reality.

He even thought of the Grotto Heaven replicated by the bronze mirror.

If the Grotto Heaven replicated by the bronze mirror keeps multiplying, combined with the capabilities of the Heavenly Demon Illusion Realm, it might enable him to reconstruct a Taixu Universe.

What if a Book of Life and Death is placed inside the bronze mirror?

A notion arose in Xu Qing's mind.

With the bronze mirror as the foundation, he seems to have the possibility of recreating a Taixu Universe.

Such a wild and terrifying thought.

For Xu Qing realized that perhaps the Taixu Universe was created in such a manner.

When such a thing is thought of, it sends shivers down the spine.

On the other hand, the demeanor of Shakyamuni's phantom reminded Xu Qing of the No Heaven Buddha from movies in a past life.

No matter how one looks, the conduct of this Shakyamuni phantom carries an inexplicable sense of bizarre.

Fortunately, the counterpart hasn't resorted to harsh measures against Xu Qing.

But it might not be out of goodwill; perhaps the counterpart is wary of something.

What does he possess that makes the counterpart apprehensive?

Bronze mirror?

This is the only thing Xu Qing could think of.

Xu Qing currently has no clue what will happen next that will lead him to search for the so-called Book of Life and Death; he can only proceed step by step.

…

…

Great Yu Immortal Dynasty, Capital, Xu Residence.

Feng Wu is weaving a beautiful women's vestment robe.

This is prepared for Xu Qingzhu in the Heavenly River Dao Sect.

Xu Qing occasionally sends messages to Xu Qingzhu through ancestor Mu Sang, entrusted by someone to Feng Wu.

This woman is rather peculiar; after she found her own son, she didn't seem as invested, instead showing utmost care for an illegitimate daughter.

But she truly hit it off with Xu Qingzhu.

Is this what they call a natural mother-daughter affinity?

Seeing Feng Wu's earnest expression, Xu Qing couldn't help but feel a bit sour, "You've woven it so well, yet she might not care, and she surely wants to see a gift from her real mother the most."

Feng Wu smiled sweetly: "Why are you jealous of your daughter?"

She shook her head repeatedly.

After meeting Xu Xuanhu, Feng Wu experienced her happiest and most joyful time, free of burdens.

Due to her husband's position, she can do whatever she wants in the Great Yu Dynasty.

After all, she has her husband to shield her from any rain or storm for the rest of her life.

Therefore, her cultivation has been neglected.

Feng Wu does not regret this.

Becoming a mother, she truly realized that a woman's greatest success in life is to find a good partner to entrust her life to.

A remarkable change in mindset.

Before meeting Xu Qing, as a young girl, she yearned to venture alone into the worldly society, helping those in need.

Now, she has entirely lost that youthful mindset.

But she still laughs at the thought of her youthful concerns.

It's not self-deprecation, but a form of nostalgia.

Though her appearance hasn't aged, youth is forever irreplaceable.

Perhaps, this psychological projection ultimately fell onto Xu Qingzhu.

However, speaking of age, by mortal standards, Xu Qingzhu is not young anymore!

But Xu Qing does not consider himself old.

As long as a man is still somewhat juvenile, he is still young.

Xu Qing held his wife's hand, feeling very grounded.

No matter how fantastical life seems, he knows there are those who genuinely love him in this world.

Uncle and aunt, Feng Wu; they respectively represent the familial bonds and love for Xu Qing.

This is not just ties but also the solace against emptiness for Xu Qing.

Actually, he is just an ordinary person; it is merely due to fate and fortuity that he achieved the present accomplishments.

He has a knack for doing things, but it doesn't mean there are no vulnerable places in Xu Qing's heart.

From the historical dimension of the Great Yu Dynasty, Xu Qing is unquestionably a great person, but it doesn't mean he is a perfect person, possibly not even a good person.

A truly perfect person only appears between the words of a diary.

Xu Qing dragged Feng Wu out for a stroll in the city.

In fact, when Feng Wu is alone, she rarely goes out.

Being recognized is troublesome, and disguising doesn't have much meaning.

But when Xu Qing takes her out, the significance changes.

After all, over the years, the time Xu Qing spent with Feng Wu wasn't nearly as much as before the Emperor ascended the throne.

Decades passed, and the Two Empress Dowagers have aged.

Even if aided by elixirs keeping their appearance in early thirties, the wrinkles around the eyes have started to appear.

And Xu Qing never behaved inappropriately toward the two Empress Dowagers.

Despite many rumors circulating among the people.

In reality, Xu Liushou never spent the night in the imperial bed nor monopolized the court.

Xu Qing barely made decisions anymore.

When the young Emperor first took over, he was uneasy and instinctively cultivated trusted friends to seize power.

But ultimately, he found that Xu Grand Tutor did nothing.

Then he also discovered that he couldn't do anything either.

The development of the Immortal Dynasty had already taken its course.

As an Emperor, the symbolic significance outweighed the practical significance.

Because without Xu Qing saying anything, ministers and aristocratic families would voluntarily choose to follow the path set by Xu Qing.

The young Emperor couldn't challenge or shake the path laid by Xu Qing.

He even realized that even his grandfather—the Supreme Emperor, said to be unmatched in scheming among past Emperors, couldn't shake these matters.

On the day of the young Emperor's grand wedding, the Supreme Emperor sent a character as a gift.

"The highest goodness is like water."

What is water?

It is accordance.

The young Emperor didn't understand at first, but gradually he did.

But he was very melancholic.

He even at times was unwilling to share the room with the Empress.

Why?

Because the Empress was arranged by his birth mother.

He had enough of such arrangements.

And he didn't want his child to be born, unable to be a true Emperor without controlling his destiny.

He thought, he shouldn't let his child come into the world to suffer this way.

He even resented his father somewhat, who had a chance back then yet couldn't subdue the Grand Tutor.

But within his heart, there's an unspeakable thought, wishing the Grand Tutor could be his father.

If the Grand Tutor were his father, wouldn't it be wonderful?

Xu Qing never paid attention to the young Emperor's thoughts.

By now, the Emperor's thoughts are no longer important.

Currently, the Emperor's greatest role is to endorse the new laws and reforms, to serve as a symbol.

The Xu family is different from ordinary aristocratic families.

With Xu Qing around, the Xu family remains, needing no title.

Without Xu Qing, no title would suffice.

He alone can stay evergreen forever.

Like a banyan tree, flourishing independently.

After wandering around the capital with Feng Wu, Feng Wu noticed one thing.

In a private room at a teahouse, the couple was drinking tea, she said, "Now the capital is flourishing beyond compare, yet there are still so many beggars."

Xu Qing: "Back home, beggars need to farm and work to fill their bellies, here in the capital, they just sell misery. Moreover, these beggars are all organized."

Feng Wu sighed: "They all have hands and feet…"

Xu Qing: "This matter is hard to manage, and can't be managed. Actually, outside the capital, there are still many who can't fill their stomachs."

"How can it be?" Feng Wu was very surprised. Due to high-yield crop promotions, plus the number of cultivators in the Great Yu Immortal Dynasty increasing, even if some places encounter drought, Officials could invite mages to perform rituals for rain.

Let alone, with the help of cultivators, the Great Yu Dynasty has a developed river system.

The role of Dao Skill and mechanisms indeed has the power to transform the world.

Now, the Great Yu Dynasty surely exhibits a vision of earthly heaven.

Xu Qing said meaningfully: "Because people who can't fill their stomachs are easier to command."

After finishing the stroll with Feng Wu, Xu Qing personally crafted the questions for this cycle's examination.

Currently, the content of the Great Yu Dynasty's Imperial Examination is no longer limited to classical meanings but focuses on practicalities. Actually, for a long time, the examination was not centered on Eight-legged essay but rather focused on strategic discourse.

The Eight-legged essay took the historical stage primarily because of its straightforward standards and multiple other objective factors.

However, since Xu Qing took power, the content of the Imperial Examination gradually began to change.

This examination's questions were very straightforward.

"Please demonstrate 'The Court is a mechanism for aristocratic families to oppress the populace; it is a weapon for forcing anyone at the bottom to submit to nobles and affluent families.'"

Upon the issuance of this topic, it shocked the examination hall tremendously.

But soon, some candidates related it to a classical meaning misunderstood by many Great Scholars—"The people may be made to follow it, but may not be made to understand it."

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