Heaven-Defying Comprehension Awakens

"Young Master, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts so much."

It seemed this was no dream; he had truly transmigrated.

In the antique-style room, Ye Jing pinched the soft, delicate cheek of the maid Qiuyue beside him. Only after hearing her plea for mercy did he finally accept the reality of the situation.

Everything that had just happened was not a dream; he had genuinely transmigrated.

After merging with the memories, Ye Jing gained a preliminary understanding of his identity and this world.

The original owner was a scholar who had studied bitterly for eighteen years. Although he had barely passed the imperial examinations, he had been named the Third-place Scholar three days ago during the palace examination due to his handsome appearance. This was supposed to be the start of a meteoric rise.

However, he succeeded because of his looks and failed because of them. Because his appearance was too outstanding, the Empress's gaze had lingered on him for a few minutes too long, which incited the jealousy of Emperor Li.

In a fit of rage, the Emperor ordered the original owner to compile books in the Hanlin Academy for thirty years, effectively cutting off his future.

Upon returning home, the original owner grew more furious the more he thought about it, until his heart gave out from the sheer rage, allowing Ye Jing to take over his body.

The original owner was truly something; was it really worth dying over such a trivial matter?

It wasn't that Ye Jing was speaking without feeling the pain, but during the process of merging memories, he had been shocked to discover that this was not a traditional feudal society, but a fantasy dynasty where Martial Arts reigned supreme.

Dali was a nascent dynasty established one thousand years ago during the Fifth Heaven and Earth Cataclysm.

In Dali, Martial Arts were paramount. Within the imperial court, those high-ranking officials were all titans of Martial Arts, pillars that could suppress an entire region.

The original owner possessed no talent for cultivation. Despite over a decade of bitter practice, he was still only at the Fifth Level of Qi Condensation.

Even if he had the dumb luck to become the Third-place Scholar, without cultivation talent, he would have no future.

With the original owner's cultivation, he would likely be sent out to become a local magistrate, gaining only a bit more freedom than a compiler in the Hanlin Academy.

But advancing any further was nearly impossible.

In Ye Jing's view, becoming a compiler in the Hanlin Academy wasn't such a bad thing.

Dali was a place where the strong preyed on the weak and Martial Arts ruled. A rookie like him at the Fifth Level of Qi Condensation was nothing more than cannon fodder in this world.

Although the public security in Dali was decent, there was no guarantee that he wouldn't offend someone with a stray word and be killed by a passerby in an instant.

While the position of a compiler in the Hanlin Academy was low, it was an official post nonetheless. Furthermore, the Hanlin Academy was a quiet, low-profile office, and his role as a compiler was even more so.

Even if Ye Jing didn't understand the intricacies of the court, as long as he kept his head down and stayed in the Hanlin Academy, he could surely live out his life in peace.

"Young Master, being a compiler in the Hanlin Academy isn't so bad. Please, don't make yourself sick with anger again."

Ever since Ye Jing had fallen ill from his rage three days ago, Qiuyue had been truly terrified.

Seeing Ye Jing wake up now, she couldn't help but offer words of comfort.

"Don't worry, I've survived a brush with death. I've thought it over, and staying in the Hanlin Academy is actually quite nice."

"Alright, I've been bedridden for three days. Now that I'm awake, it's time to report for duty at the Hanlin Academy."

After bidding farewell to Qiuyue, Ye Jing rose to head to the Hanlin Academy.

Ye Jing's job at the Hanlin Academy was to write biographies of historical figures—simply put, to compile the life stories of famous people in the history of the Jing Kingdom.

Upon arriving at the Hanlin Academy and sitting down, Hu Jie approached him with a mysterious look on his face.

"Ye Jing, do you know why you, a Third-place Scholar, were demoted by Emperor Li to the Hanlin Academy to compile books for thirty years?"

Hu Jie was the first friend Ye Jing had made since arriving at the Hanlin Academy. Aside from his love for gossip and excitement, he was a fairly righteous person.

"Isn't it because Emperor Li is narrow-minded?" Ye Jing asked with a hint of surprise, glancing around before whispering his agreement.

"How could that be!"

"I just received some news, and I finally understand why Emperor Li was so furious during the palace examination that day." Hu Jie sat on the desk in front of Ye Jing, looking quite agitated.

"Oh, Brother Hu, tell me why!" Ye Jing asked.

Hu Jie checked his surroundings to ensure no one was listening before dropping his excitement and saying with a grave expression: "Three days ago, when the National Preceptor of Dali, Daoist Master Wuchen, was nearing the end of his life, he glimpsed a thread of heavenly fate and declared that the Sixth Heaven and Earth Cataclysm is imminent!"

"Brother Hu, are you saying!!!" Ye Jing realized what this meant, and his face instantly turned pale.

Seeing Ye Jing's grim expression, Hu Jie knew he understood the reason for that day. He patted Ye Jing on the shoulder and said heroically:

"Hahahaha, Ye Jing, don't be afraid. Our opportunity has arrived! With the coming of this Sixth Heaven and Earth Cataclysm, we might just soar to the heavens!"

Ye Jing ignored Hu Jie's grand enthusiasm; his mood had plummeted instantly.

Ye Jing had originally thought that with his official position as a Hanlin compiler, even as a rookie at the Fifth Level of Qi Condensation, he could live a stable life in Dali.

But after hearing Hu Jie say that the Sixth Heaven and Earth Cataclysm was approaching, that thought vanished instantly.

Since the beginning of recorded history, the world had undergone six great cataclysms. No one knew the origin of these changes, but each one had birthed great opportunities and nurtured a batch of earth-shattering powerhouses.

However, great opportunities were accompanied by great risks. Every time a cataclysm descended, it was always accompanied by mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

The first Emperor of Dali had risen from obscurity during the Fifth Heaven and Earth Cataclysm, eventually leading an insurgent army to establish the dynasty.

If this Sixth Heaven and Earth Cataclysm were truly coming in the not-so-distant future as Hu Jie claimed, the already turbulent Dali would surely shatter into pieces.

This was not Ye Jing being alarmist. To look no further, once the cataclysm struck and Dali fell into chaos, the eight Kings of Different Surname would undoubtedly rise in rebellion.

These eight Kings of Different Surname already harbored hearts of treason; when the cataclysm arrived, they would certainly imitate the first Emperor of Dali.

When the nest is overturned, no egg remains intact; for a rookie at the Fifth Level of Qi Condensation like himself to think he could survive in such turbulent times was nothing but a pipe dream.

It was no wonder Emperor Li had been so enraged when he saw him that day; at a time like this, what he wanted to see most were scholars with cultivation aptitude, not trash like himself at the Fifth Level of Qi Condensation.

Ye Jing had no mood to pay attention to Hu Jie; he picked up a book from the desk, intending to calm himself down.

This was a biography recording the life of Sword Saint Zhu Yang.

Sword Saint Zhu Yang's life was full of hardships; he became famous at a young age and possessed extraordinary talent in Sword Dao, but later, his talent was destroyed overnight, and his childhood sweetheart fell in love with another.

His most cherished family was wiped out by enemies, and his beloved parents both passed away; in utter despair, Zhu Yang jumped off a cliff, only to unexpectedly receive the inheritance of an unnamed sword saint, ultimately obtaining the Thirteen Swords of Heavenly Annihilation.

After Ye Jing finished reading it carefully, he had to admit in his heart that the life of Sword Saint Zhu Yang was indeed full of hardships.

[You have observed the life of Zhu Yang. You were very focused, activating Defying-Heaven Comprehension.]

[With your Defying-Heaven Comprehension, you have comprehended the Thirteen Swords of Heavenly Annihilation.]

Ye Jing was somewhat stunned; what were these two notification sounds in his mind! Could it be that the benefits for a transmigrator had arrived!