One Prerequisite, Two Conditions

Before the Hall of the Second Sage, Zhao Shou straightened his clothes and, under the watchful eyes of the three great Confucian scholars Yang Gong, Zhang Shen, Li Mubai, and Chen Tai, pushed open the intricately carved vermilion door and entered the hall.

Clang!

The palace doors closed gently, blocking the view.

Sunlight streamed through the lattice window, casting wisps of dust within its beams. Above the base stood a sculpture of a scholar wearing Confucian Crown and robe, one hand behind his back and the other resting on his lower abdomen.

At the foot of the sculpture stands a white deer.

This is the wife of the Sub-Sage.

Zhao Shou stared at the sculpture without saying a word, his eyes reflecting the sunlight. He remained in the same position for a long time without moving.

Zhao Shou born in the 19th year of the Zhende. He came from a poor family and entered Cloud Deer Academy at the age of ten. His mentor was Layman Cold Hut.

That unkempt old Confucian Scholar lived in a thatched hut for many years. In his early years, for some unknown reason, he became lame in one leg, and was depressed and unsuccessful. He liked to drink, and when he was drunk, he would write poems that satirized the court and insulted the emperor.

Without the protection of the Cloud Deer Academy, the poems he wrote would have been enough to get him beheaded a hundred times over.

He was usually very strict with Zhao Shou and taught him quite diligently, but once he got drunk, he would go on a rampage, shouting:

What's the point of reading those lousy books? You'll never amount to anything in your life. You might as well go to a brothel, get drunk, and sleep with the most beautiful courtesan.

The young Zhao Shou, with his neck stiff, said:

Sleeping with the most beautiful courtesan costs thirty taels of silver. Without studying, where would one get the money to sleep with her?

Upon hearing this, the Layman Cold Hut flew into a rage. "You actually know the going rate?"

A good beating!

Zhao Shou retorted, unconvinced. "Doesn't the teacher also know the market rate?"

Another beating!

Later, on a cold winter day, the old Confucian Scholar got drunk, fell into a pond, and drowned, ending his impoverished and destitute life.

At the funeral, Zhao Shou learned about his teacher's past from his teacher's closest friends.

In his youth, Layman Cold Hut was a promising and talented scholar. However, because he came from the Cloud Deer Academy, he was disliked by Emperor Zhende and failed the imperial examination.

He kept taking the exams, and kept failing.

Three years, then another three years.

He went from a talented young man to an old Confucian Scholar with graying temples, never managing to obtain an official position.

Unable to bear it any longer, he stormed into the palace and angrily rebuked Emperor Zhende. That was when his leg was broken. If it weren't for the previous abbot's intervention, he would have been beheaded long ago.

This has been the current state of the Cloud Deer Academy.

Occasionally a small number of people manage to obtain an official position, but most are not given important responsibilities and are relegated to obscure corners.

Many more people don't even hold a minor official position; they spend half their lives studying but remain ordinary citizens.

The young Zhao Shou didn't say anything at the time, but years later, the new dean made a grand vow and set a goal for himself: to bring the scholars of the Cloud Deer Academy back to the halls of power and lead it back to its thousand-year glory.

"Two hundred years ago, during the struggle for the throne, the academy and the imperial family fell out. Taking advantage of this Cheng Clan turned their backs on the academy and established the Directorate of Education, keeping the academy's students out of the imperial court. Two hundred years have passed in a flash, and today, your disciple Zhao Shou welcomes the Sub-Sage back to the imperial court."

He bowed deeply and did not rise.

A beam of clear light shot up from the statue of the Sub-Sage, soaring straight into the sky. The entire Clear Cloud Mountain trembled at that moment, as if the mountain were collapsing.

But the students and teachers in the academy were not alarmed at all; instead, they were trembling with excitement and wept with joy.

After two hundred years, Cloud Deer Academy is finally about to produce a Second Rank Great Confucian.

He was not the kind of Great Confucian praised by the world, but rather Second Rank Great Confucian within the Confucian School System!

The clear light shot into the sky, surging and churning, forming a huge vortex of clear energy high in the sky, clearly visible dozens of miles away from Clear Cloud Mountain.

It was as if it were announcing something to the world.

Immediately afterwards, this pure energy slowly sank down, falling back into the Sub-Sage's Hall and entering Zhao Shou's body.

Zhao Shou's eyes shot out a dazzling, clear light, which bathed his body in. This was the Vast Righteous Qi cleansing his marrow and strengthening his power to make his Words Become Law, while also increasing his ability to withstand the backlash of spells.

He carefully sensed the changes in his body and comprehended the power of Second Rank.

This is mainly due to two aspects. Firstly, the power of Words Become Law becoming law has been greatly enhanced, and the revised rules will continue for a long time.

For example, one could say, "Not a blade of grass grows here."

The vegetation in the area withered and remained so for months, or even longer, unlike before when the effects of Words Become Law were only fleeting.

Furthermore, and most importantly, Second Rank Great Confucian can manipulate Fate to a certain extent, gathering or destroying it. Although this manipulation is not as sophisticated as that of a sorcerer, Zhao Shou already possesses the ability to influence the rise and fall of a dynasty.

Of course, this comes at a great cost, just like Qian Zhongshu, a great scholar at the end of the Great Zhou Dynasty, who sacrificed himself to shatter the last vestiges of the Great Zhou's destiny.

A flash of light appeared Sub-Sage's Hall, and Yang Gong and his companions entered, their faces filled with joy.

"Dean, is it possible to help the Carving Knife remove the seal?"

Zhang Shen asked.

You'll know once you try.

Zhao Shou opened his palm, and a clear light rose, revealing Carving Knife in his hand.

Immediately afterwards, the Sub-Sage's Confucian Crown was placed on his head.

Zhao Shou stared at the Carving Knife and murmured:

Break the seal!

He suddenly clenched his fist.

Suddenly, beams of clear light shot out from his palm, as if he were holding a large light bulb rather than Carving Knife.

The Confucian Crown atop his head also emitted a dazzling, clear light, which surged along his arms like Carving Knife.

The statue of the Sub-Sage shimmered with a clear light, which shone on the Carving Knife.

The Carving Knife hummed and vibrated violently in Zhao Shou's palm, causing his arm and body to tremble as well.

Bang!

The light from the Carving Knife suddenly flashed, creating a gust of wind in the hall that extinguished the candles and shook the doors and windows.

Zhao Shou could no longer hold the Carving Knife, nor did he want to. He let go of it, allowing it to float in the air and circulate in the hall.

"Finally, I can speak! That damned Confucian Sage sealed me away for over 1200 years. He writes rubbish and I can't even criticize it? If it were me, I would definitely write better than him."

"Out of consideration for our past acquaintance, I guided him in writing his book, but he didn't appreciate it at all. He even complained that I was annoying and tried to shut me down. Bah!"

The curses and complaints from the Carving Knife clearly reached Zhao Shou and the others' ears.

This left Zhao Shou somewhat embarrassed, unsure whether to agree or disagree, so they could only remain silent and pretend they hadn't heard.

"Cough cough!"

Zhao Shou coughed forcefully, interrupting the Carving Knife's incessant cursing, and bowed, saying:

"Greetings, senior."

Yang Gong and the other three bowed in response:

"Greetings, senior!"

The Carving Knife swept towards Zhao Shou, hovering motionless between his brows, conveying its intent:

"Hey, the Superintendent said I would break the seal in this generation, and he wasn't lying to me. Confucian School scholars revere that old Confucian Sage, and no Great Confucian in history has ever been willing to break the seal for me."

Why do you want to help me break the seal?

Zhao Shou bowed again:

"The student has something to ask."

Yang Gong immediately pulled his sleeves shut, preventing the ruler from flying out.

The spirit within the Carving Knife asked:

"What is it!"

Zhao Shou said in a deep voice:

On behalf of all living beings, I ask: How does one ascend to the Martial God?

The Carving Knife did not answer immediately, but fell into a long silence.

In the silence, Zhao Shou's heart sank to the bottom:

"You don't know either, senior?"

"Shut up!" the Carving Knife snapped at him, before continuing:

"I remember when the Confucian Sage commented on the Martial Warrior System, he mentioned the Martial God. Well, it's been over 1,200 years, so I can't recall it right now."

"Then you'd better think of something quickly!" Yang Gong and the others thought anxiously.

Zhao Shou noticed a detail: the Carving Knife needed to recall the matter, indicating that he had not discussed the matter of advancing to the Martial God with anyone recently.

If it wasn't revealed by the Carving Knife, how did the Superintendent know the method for advancing to the Martial God?

A dozen seconds later, the Carving Knife suddenly realized:

"I remember now, hmm, one premise, two conditions!"

"The premise is to gather Fate."

"The condition is that you must gain the approval of the world, and the approval of Heaven and Earth!"

P. S.: Typos will be corrected first and then fixed later.