Zhao Gou's Heart, Qin Hui's Ambition!

A month has passed since then.

Northern Province was officially established, and the Zhou imperial family personally bestowed the title of "Beichuan Qin Family Northern Province, making them the rulers of Beizhou...

From then on-

The Northern Province was officially established, and the ten prefectures were placed under the jurisdiction of the Qin Clan...

The various factions compiled a list to assist the Qin Clan in governing the Northern Province, and to conduct a new round of division of interests and weigh the various parties' positions.

After further investigation, it was found that the Northern Province and its ten subordinate counties now...

There are still 143 Qi Condensation forces, 15 major clans, and three hegemonic Qi Condensation forces. The number of Qi Condensation cultivators on record is...

A total of 309 people!

Two of them comprehended the Dao Rhyme, but both were quite old, much older than the original Pure Yang Ancestor...

He was a cultivator from the previous generation of the Pure Yang Ancestor, and he was once a powerful figure, but now he doesn't even have ten years left to live!

Based on this calculation, there are only a little over three hundred Qi Condensation cultivators under the jurisdiction of Northern Province...

Compared to other states and counties, it's not too few!

On one hand, the Qin Clan was just starting out and couldn't compare to the Dao Foundation forces that had accumulated over thousands of years; on the other hand, they lacked a Daoist army legion from their own province...

The Imperial Dynasty Cultivator were not included in the calculations, or were not dispatched.

With the establishment of the Northern Province, the Daoist Army should also begin to establish a system and apply to the Da Zhou Imperial House for the stationing of Imperial Dynasty Cultivator...

Such as the monks of the four arts in each prefecture, and the corresponding institutions in the Northern Province.

It will take time to heal all wounds!

The task is arduous and the road ahead is long; only with a shortage of talent can true talent be demonstrated...

The talents of figures like Shang Yang, Zhao Gao, Li Si, Han Fei, and Wang Xu were truly demonstrated, and they were able to fulfill their respective roles in a meaningful way!

Yunchuan City - Above Ying River

A Xiao Zhou glides across the water, drifting aimlessly...

Zhao Gou sat at the bow of the boat, his cultivation stuck at the True Martial Ninth Realm for many years, without making any progress. Now he was quite old...

However, he was not given important responsibilities and appeared depressed!

The ancestor Zhao Zhen has passed away, but Zhao Gao has become the one in charge...

He became one of the six renowned Grand Secretaries, a rising star in the Zhao Household, second only to the emperor!

All of this should have belonged to him!

He was clearly the pioneer, the one who first stood out and led the Zhao Household through countless years of hardship...

now--

Zhao Gou, however, became merely the Chief Administrator of Yunchuan City, when he should have been in the Qin Palace, a close advisor to the Prince of Beijun...

He became a marginalized figure, and who could understand the pain in his heart?!

"Brother Qin..."

"In your opinion, should we follow in the footsteps of our ancestors and go out to carve out our own territory?"

"Liu Ji of the Hanbang has now achieved great things in the far west of the Da Zhou, becoming a regional hegemon..."

"We are both people abandoned by our Lineage, why not join forces and recreate the glory of our predecessors?!"

Upon hearing this—

Qin Hui, only thirteen or fourteen years old, spoke with an air of maturity beyond his years:

"I do not seek glory, but only hope for Dao Path spiritual cultivation..."

"If I could cultivate the Tao, I would do anything!"

"Now the Lineage is prosperous, but the more powerful it becomes, the more disheartened I feel, for Heaven has no mercy on me, and I have no other way to go..."

"If one can achieve something significant within the limited span of life..."

"If my people can also know my Qin Hui, then my death is not a pity!"

"Though it is tragic, this is the way of humanity."

"If Brother Zhao does not despise me, I will certainly repay him. I am willing to work with Brother Zhao to build a great enterprise. Since this place is not fit for me..."

"There will certainly be a place for me there, where I can achieve great things!"

That's all I have to say.

The water rippled and surged, the lake's waves mirroring the turmoil constantly rising in Qin Hui's heart—unsettled, yet unwilling to remain still...

The halo of light reflected off the lake's surface is the most beautiful picture in the world.

It also foreshadows the changes in people and the impermanence of life...

A few months later--

Zhao Gou recruited soldiers and horses, and after gathering five thousand men and more than two hundred Warrior, the group set off under cover of night to travel far away from their homeland...

One of these Lineage, surnamed Yue, followed suit...

A young man named Yue Fei and Qin Hui got along very well. The two spirited young men met and hit it off immediately!

Everyone wants to achieve a good reputation, to prove themselves, to demonstrate their talents, and even more so, to prove the strong-willed version of themselves they once were...

Before parting--

Qin Hui looked back again and again, gazing at the home that was gradually receding into the distance. How could he not feel reluctant? But his youthful spirit prevented him from doing so...

How could we stand still? How could we bear to be looked down upon and betray the bloodline of the Qin Clan?!

A young person's heart is both fragile and strong-willed!

Perhaps one day, when he can prove himself, he will have already crossed the mountain and faced his true self in this world...

Just like his father.

Qin Hui was also an extreme fanatic...

To forge his Qi Condensation, he could even identify a tree as his master, transforming himself into a half-demon—this is madness and audacity!

Qin Hui, too, was never lacking in courage.

Under the tutelage of the great scholar Han Fei, Qin Hui may have remained merely an ordinary man, but his thinking and schemes were far more sophisticated than before...

Since brute force is insufficient, let's rely on our brains!

If Qin Hui dares to show his face today, he's already prepared to die far from home...

No man of the Qin Clan is afraid of death!

Take life and death lightly, fight if you disagree, life is but a hundred years...

It would be boring if one didn't achieve great things; how could one understand the hardships and frustrations of this world without seeing its beautiful and treacherous aspects?!

If I were to return...

"I hope I've already climbed the mountain, to see the scenery I've never seen before..."