At night, the sky was as dark as ink, and the stars shone faintly.
Great Yan Imperial Dynasty, Tianyan City, Imperial Capital.
A majestic nine-story tower stood deep within the imperial city. Its eaves were sharp as blades, gleaming with a chill beneath the moonlight.
Outside the tower, a white-haired old man lounged in a rocking chair. His withered fingers rubbed at a yellowed copy of Clear Wind Sword Art as he flipped through it absentmindedly.
The old man couldn't help speaking, his voice brimming with leisure.
"Tsk, this sword art isn't even as entertaining as square dancing on Blue Star..."
The old man—Chen Lin—yawned, lazily closed the book, and admitted defeat to sleep.
With talent like mine? This is practically a heavenly book.
The memories of his former life as a wage slave were still fresh: after working overtime and heading home late one night, he'd been struck by a dump truck that had run a red light, its high beams blazing.
Then he realized something.
He'd hit the jackpot!
When he opened his eyes again, he had become an elder of the Scripture Repository in this Great World of Heavenly Fortune.
It had already been several dozen days since he'd opened his eyes and found himself a "Scripture Repository Elder" in this fantasy world.
The place where he now resided was the very heart of Great Yan Imperial Dynasty's power—the Imperial Capital, Tianyan City.
The city stood at the heart of the dynasty's territory, on the lands of Yanzhou. Its prosperity and majesty made it lord over the Ten Provinces.
All he knew about this world was that it was called the "Great World of Heavenly Fortune." It was boundless and divided into seven Great Domains.
This was a world where people cultivated and sought the Dao.
Great Yan Imperial Dynasty was a force in the Northern Profound Region that could not be underestimated.
The cultivation realms he knew of were like a flight of stairs to be climbed:
The Three Realms of Mortal Transformation began with the hardships of body tempering, continued through the difficulties of Qi Condensation, and ended with the transformation of Foundation Establishment;
The Three Realms of Spiritual Origin encompassed the initial formation of a Primordial Pill, the gradual opening of the Divine Treasury, and even the first appearance of a Dharma Aspect;
And the Cave Reality Realm surpassed the Dharma Aspect, allowing one to glimpse mysteries of a higher order.
Each realm had nine layers, with the first as its beginning and the ninth as its peak.
Great Yan Imperial Dynasty had a Cave Reality Realm expert guarding it. The current Imperial Lord was also a genuine Cave Reality Realm powerhouse, enough to prove the dynasty's deep foundations.
His family had once been illustrious for saving the emperor, but later fell victim to the Nine Nether Cold Fiend, and its bloodline dwindled.
By his generation, even his hereditary title of Marquis had been taken back.
Seeing how wretched he was, the people above had given him an elder's position and a meager stipend, letting him pass his days at the Scripture Repository.
But Chen Lin was quite satisfied!
He'd worked himself to the bone in his past life. Wasn't it wonderful to lie low and collect a salary in this one?
The Scripture Repository was protected by arrays, and the Imperial Guards patrolled outside. It was safe as could be.
He could even control the arrays to some extent.
There was no need to worry about his safety.
All he had to do was register visitors coming and going, and occasionally sort the cultivation techniques—though there was hardly anyone who needed him to do that.
And whether he did these tasks or not seemed to make little difference.
After all, there hadn't even been an elder before...
Besides, everyone allowed into the Scripture Repository came on official business. In truth, he was just a figurehead.
Now this is the life...
This suited Chen Lin perfectly.
For Chen Lin, this life was like a fish in water, so comfortable it almost didn't feel real.
He didn't have to run around and toil like he had in his past life. He only had to lie low here in peace.
His previous life had been exhausting enough. In this one, wasn't all he wanted a little peace and quiet?
Besides, in a place as tangled with all sorts of people as the Imperial Capital, as long as he didn't court death, his life was basically safe.
If even the Imperial Capital couldn't be endured, then Great Yan Imperial Dynasty probably wouldn't be far from collapse. The odds of that were minuscule.
This was the kind of life many people in his past life could only envy.
After all, they didn't have a stable salary.
And although he was content to be a salted fish, if he could easily get a better life and keep being a salted fish, he was willing to turn over now and then.
Those two things had never been in conflict. After all, it only took a little effort...
Lots of things were all about doing them while you were at it...
If it was too much trouble, and you still expected me to turn over? Dream on!
He saw things differently.
Cultivation talent was nice to have, but if he didn't have any, so be it.
He had already been given another life. Living longer and more freely than he had in his previous one was enough.
When someone had been trapped under immense pressure for too long, being able to live at ease at last was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream.
Besides, perfection was hard to find in this life.
Those who knew contentment were always happy. Across this vast world and its billions of people, how many could truly be Heaven's chosen?
And who would dare claim they were sure to be one of them?
The greatest fork in life's road had been decided from the moment of birth.
Since he hadn't come into the world with a golden spoon in his mouth, there was no need to dwell on it.
At least in this life, he was living more comfortably than before. He could enjoy his stipend without laboring and rushing about, and with his long lifespan, he had plenty of time to sit quietly and read.
What was that, if not a kind of perfection?
Just then, a figure suddenly appeared before Chen Lin.
The newcomer was refined and elegant, with an extraordinary bearing. An air of nobility radiated from him, so imposing that no one would dare look directly at him.
Chen Lin's heart stirred. He hurriedly stood and bowed with respect. "Greetings, Ninth Prince."
Great Yan Imperial Dynasty's Imperial Lord had nine princes and one princess.
Among them, the First Prince, Ling Tian, had long since been named Crown Prince and was the rightful heir.
Yet in recent years, the Imperial Lord had, for some unknown reason, suddenly begun treating the other princes with special favor, showering them with affection. This had only deepened the conflict between the Crown Prince and his brothers.
Chen Lin muttered to himself, Isn't this just a sign that the Xuanwu Gate Incident is about to happen all over again?
Still, with the current Imperial Lord's power, that would be nothing but a joke...
The Ninth Prince before him, Ling Xiao, was one of the favored princes. He had even been entrusted with an important post: Deputy Commander of the Heaven Suppressing Division in Wuzhou.
Wuzhou lay northwest of Yanzhou and served as an important shield protecting the capital, Tianyan City.
The Heaven Suppressing Division was an institution established by the Grand Emperor himself. It answered directly to the Imperial Lord and combined intelligence gathering, surveillance, and assassination. Its influence was everywhere, and its methods struck fear into the hearts of all who heard of them.
The power of such a position was beyond imagination.
Chen Lin suspected that the Ninth Prince was being "sent away" to gain experience and prestige—and also to build up his own faction in Wuzhou.
After all, the Ninth Prince's maternal clan was based there. They were a prominent local Aristocratic Clan, with even a top expert at the Divine Treasury Realm seated among them.
Once there, he'd be like a bird flying beneath an open sky.
With the authority of a Heaven Suppressing Division Deputy Commander and his maternal clan backing him, his prospects were boundless.
What's more, Ling Xiao was only twenty, yet had already cultivated to the ninth layer of Qi Condensation. His talent was plain to see.
Looking around, he saw that the forces who had originally backed the Crown Prince or opposed him were now changing sides one after another, turning toward the favored princes.
The fifty-year-old Crown Prince, though well past the age of fifty, had firmly reached the seventh layer of the Core Pill. That was quite decent talent.
Ling Xiao wore a gentle smile as he spoke. "Elder Lin, I need to visit the Scripture Repository's Seventh Floor."
Chen Lin didn't take it to heart.
He had a fairly good impression of the Ninth Prince. At least the other man knew how to be humble and respectful.
Besides, Chen Lin guessed that Ling Xiao had come to the Scripture Repository's Seventh Floor before leaving Tianyan City to prepare for his upcoming posting in Wuzhou.
The Scripture Repository had nine floors and housed countless cultivation techniques and classics, all of exceptional quality.
In this world, cultivation techniques were divided into five tiers: Yellow, Profound, Earth, Heaven, and King.
The same ranking system applied to formations, pills, and other things.
The eighth and ninth floors held the imperial family's core cultivation techniques. These were the legendary King Tier Skills, the foundation that protected the Ling Imperial Dynasty and its imperial clan.
The first three floors held Yellow- and Profound-tier techniques, the fourth through sixth held Earth-tier cultivation techniques, and the seventh housed Heaven-tier techniques.
The higher the tier, the harder the technique was to cultivate—and the more invaluable it became.
Chen Lin nodded, took a register from his robes, and recorded the relevant information. Then he politely stepped aside. "Please, Your Highness."
Unexpectedly, Ling Xiao smiled and took a warm, lustrous pill from his sleeve, holding it out to Chen Lin. "Elder Lin, this is a Core Gathering Pill. I noticed that you've been stuck at the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment for quite some time. This pill might help you break through in one go and reach the Core Formation Realm."
The Core Gathering Pill was a miraculous medicine for Foundation Establishment cultivators seeking to form a Primordial Pill. It couldn't guarantee success, but it was certainly an opportunity every Foundation Establishment cultivator dreamed of.
A flicker of surprise passed through Chen Lin's eyes, then quickly disappeared.
He's already trying to win me over?
The Core Gathering Pill meant little to the Ninth Prince, but to Chen Lin it was a timely gift in a moment of need.
Once he broke through to the Core Formation Realm, his lifespan would increase to five hundred years. He could keep living peacefully for several more centuries.
But then he thought it over. Foundation Establishment gave him a lifespan of three hundred years, and he still had a century left. Was it really impossible for him to break through to the Primordial Pill Realm on his own?
If he accepted the pill now and something went wrong in the future, wouldn't he become a sacrifice in the princes' struggle for power, eliminated along with the rest?
A kindly smile appeared on Chen Lin's face. He shook his head. "Your Highness, this old man is already in his twilight years, with no potential left. Such a fine thing should be saved for some younger talent with a brighter future. Perhaps he could become another capable subordinate for Your Highness."
At the depths of Ling Xiao's eyes, a glint flashed too subtle to notice. Then he laughed aloud. "Hahaha, Elder Lin, you are truly noble. Since that is the case, I won't force you."
Who would have thought that this old man, seemingly on his last legs, could resist the temptation of an additional two hundred years of life?
With that, he put the Core Gathering Pill back in his sleeve and turned toward the Seventh Floor.
Chen Lin watched Ling Xiao's figure disappear around the stairway and thought, I still don't want to get involved with anyone. I only want to live out my days in peace. Any choice might bring unnecessary trouble and danger.
But just as he turned away—
A line of pale golden writing appeared without warning in the empty air before his eyes:
[Host meets the conditions. "Daily Automatic Perfection System" activated!] [Todays's random draw: one cultivation technique or martial skill, instantly comprehended to Great Perfection!] [Randomly drawing...] [Draw complete!] [Today's Great Perfection: Profound-tier martial skill, Clear Wind Sword Art] In an instant, countless insights into the sword flooded his mind! —The supple grace of a breeze brushing willow branches! —The precision of Sword Qi condensed into a thread! —The artistic conception of returning to the fundamentals! Chen Lin shuddered all over. The copy of Clear Wind Sword Art in his hand—the one he'd mocked as "not as entertaining as square dancing"—now seemed to contain a thousand profound mysteries! Without thinking, he joined his fingers like a sword and casually swept his hand— Three yards away, a fallen leaf silently split in two, its severed edge smooth as a mirror.
Everyone had been reading along for fun. If you've got any grievances, you can vent them too, then go find yourself a new book. (You can attack me personally; no need to drag my family into it. I'm thick-skinned, so I don't mind. If I see a poem, I'll have to say a few words about it too.)
Before you continue