The white-robed arcanist’s words confirmed some of Xu Qi’an’s suspicions. In the arcanist system, the third rank was called “Master of Heaven’s Secrets”, but as for the names of the second and first ranks, nobody knew.
In today’s Jiuzhou, apart from the founder of the arcanist system, and the current “betrayer”, no one knew what first and second rank arcanists really were.
Even someone like Yang Qianhuan, a direct disciple, was entirely ignorant on this point.
It was clear that the first and second ranks of the arcanist system concealed a massive secret.
Back when the Buddhist envoy group arrived in the capital, he and Wei Yuan had chatted and learned that the Wuzong Emperor’s usurpation, back then, had been critically facilitated by both the Buddhist sect and the current Jianzheng.
They had jointly orchestrated the fall of the first-generation Jianzheng.
Later, after rescuing Lina from the underground palace, he had met a rogue arcanist named Gongyang Su, from whom he’d learned that there was a great secret behind the first and second ranks of the arcanist path.
From that point, Xu Qi’an had suspected that the Jianzheng’s act of betraying his master back then was probably linked to these ranks.
“It seems you already have some ideas.”
The white-robed arcanist gazed at Xu Qi’an for a moment and said leisurely.
My guess is, the second rank is called “Wicked Disciple” and the first rank “Teacher Slayer”… Xu Qi’an mocked inwardly, but dared not say it out loud.
He remained silent.
While watching Zhao Shou desperately trying to break the formation, the white-robed arcanist said,
“The second rank for arcanists is called ‘Qi Refiner’.”
? A huge question mark flashed through Xu Qi’an’s mind. This was somewhat unexpected. To be quite honest, the name “Qi Refiner” was really rather ordinary, it didn’t quite match the status of second rank arcanist.
Then, he heard the white-robed arcanist laugh and say: “Qi as in fortune.”
Fortune… so what they refine is fortune?!
A Fortune Refiner.
Xu Qi’an’s pupils contracted; he felt enlightened, but new doubts surfaced at once.
He was enlightened because he finally understood why the first-generation Jianzheng could steal the Great Feng’s national fortune and refine it within himself, this was the privilege of a second-rank Fortune Refiner.
His doubt was that he didn’t understand how this was related to the Jianzheng’s betrayal.
“How is this related to the Jianzheng’s betrayal of you?”
He voiced his doubts directly.
The white-robed arcanist did not answer. Instead, he opened the sachet once again. At the same time, Xu Qi’an heard Zhao Shou’s deep voice:
“No formations may be set here.”
That deep voice seemed to contain a terrifying force, changing the very rules of the world.
All the arrays drawing upon the power of heaven and earth and attacking Zhao Shou with the five elements silently dissipated.
Beautiful! Xu Qi’an quietly applauded.
A stalemate formed. Zhao Shou was perfectly holding up the first generation Jianzheng, just waiting for the veteran first-rank Sarun Agu to be driven off by the traitor. Then, he would be saved.
Seeing his formations broken, the white-robed arcanist did not panic. He calmly drew a magical artefact from the open sachet, a small bronze Bagua plate.
The Bagua plate spun into the sky, hovering above Zhao Shou’s head. Misty pure light poured down as a great Bagua array descended, trapping Zhao Shou once more.
“Why not try forbidding the use of magical artefacts here as well?”
The white-robed arcanist laughed. “Then you wouldn’t be able to use your lesser sage Confucian crown, and I could finish you off.”
Zhao Shou was silent. The backlash from “laws follow commandments” did not allow him to continually rewrite the laws of the world.
May all pay-to-win players come to a bad end… Xu Qi’an cursed inwardly. The shred of hope he’d just felt was instantly snuffed out.
On the surface, arcanists didn’t seem strong offensively, but being adept at formations and forging, as long as they had enough time and resources, they could turn anything into pay-to-win.
When brute force wasn’t enough, magical artefacts made up the difference.
It was simply disgusting.
After tossing out the Bagua plate, the white-robed arcanist finally said leisurely, “A first-rank arcanist is called ‘Heaven’s Mandate’.”
He paused, then said gravely, “To Know Fate!”
“The Jianzheng’s calculations and secret machinations, all of it is based on the authority of Heaven’s Mandate. But Heaven’s Mandate has a major flaw: the Jianzheng can only plot in secret, never directly intervene or reveal heaven’s secrets.
“For example, if he knew I was going to attack today, he couldn’t tell you, couldn’t help you directly, he could only assist in roundabout ways, such as sealing the demon monk Shenshu within you.
“In fact, that’s exactly what he did. But all things in the world counteract one another, though I couldn’t do anything about Shenshu, others could deal with him.”
Xu Qi’an nodded. “That reminds me of a warlock’s divination arts.”
The white-robed arcanist nodded with a smile. “The arcanist system was originally derived from the warlock system.”
“But how does this relate to the Jianzheng’s betrayal?” Xu Qi’an pressed.
The white-robed arcanist sighed. “The condition for a Fortune Refiner to advance to Heaven’s Mandate is to refine the fortune of a nation. Perhaps you don’t understand what I mean.”
Who do you take me for… Xu Qi’an nodded. “It’s not easy to grasp.”
The white-robed arcanist patiently explained, “Let me put it in simpler terms. To help a person favoured by heaven ascend the throne, establish his dynasty and become emperor, that’s the key for a second-rank Fortune Refiner to be promoted to first rank, Heaven’s Mandate.”
Boom!
It was like a thunderclap exploding beside his ear, making Xu Qi’an’s scalp tingle.
Every mystery was finally resolved.
That was why the Jianzheng had chosen to help the Wuzong Emperor and joined forces with the Buddhist sect to betray his own master back then.
The Jianzheng relied on supporting the Wuzong Emperor to successfully advance to first rank.
Whereas the first-generation Jianzheng, having lost his ‘nation’, fell from first to second rank.
No wonder arcanists need to attach themselves to the imperial court, because a dynasty ruling the Central Plains is their foundation.
That was why the first-generation Jianzheng said, if the Jianzheng killed Zhende, it would be like destroying his own foundation, whereas if he killed me, he would only have to endure the backlash of fortune, but would not lose his foundation.
“Can’t you just pick a prince from the current dynasty and support him to the throne?” Xu Qi’an tested.
The white-robed arcanist shook his head. “That’s not enough for a Fortune Refiner to advance.”
…Xu Qi’an was silent for a long time, but still couldn’t hold back and asked, “Were you out of your mind, taking on an apprentice back then?”
Why bother, if you knew he would stab you in the back?
The white-robed arcanist said nothing, and drove the eighth and ninth golden nails into Xu Qi’an’s body. With that, all the nails were embedded.
Shenshu was completely sealed.
…
Xu Qi’an wished he could slap himself, if only he could move his hand.
The white-robed arcanist sighed, “Because the rise and fall of dynasties is a law of nature, no one can stop it. The fall of a dynasty inevitably brings the demise of a Jianzheng.
“That’s why one must take on disciples, without them, the arcanist system would become dust in history. In fact, it was fortunate that it was the Wuzong Emperor’s coup; though the imperial line changed, the Great Feng was still the Great Feng.
“So I only fell in rank, rather than dying outright.”
So, constantly being betrayed by your disciple was a fate the arcanist system was destined to bear? Xu Qi’an’s expression was odd as he said,
“You tried to support the old imperial line, to reclaim the throne, so that you could return to first rank?”
“That’s self-evident.”
The white-robed arcanist nodded.
Xu Qi’an spoke, word by word, “Then, the current Jianzheng fell back to second rank, and began his own round of master-slaying?”
So the master and disciple endlessly nested within each other?
The white-robed arcanist glanced at him, his tone suddenly turning cold. “Any last words?”
…Xu Qi’an said nothing.
The white-robed arcanist reached out and found the Earth Book fragment on Xu Qi’an, and brushed it gently.
Xu Qi’an’s mind throbbed with pain, he knew the ‘master-servant bond’ between him and the Earth Book fragment had been broken.
His heart instantly sank.
The white-robed arcanist upended a small jade mirror and poured out a longsword, faintly glowing, as clear as water.
Then, he stuffed the Earth Book fragment back into Xu Qi’an’s chest.
He… gave it back to me?!
Xu Qi’an stared at him blankly, so he’d only taken his own Moonshadow Sword?
He’d obtained this sword as a trophy after killing Ji Qian.
Its quality was no worse than his Taiping Sabre, only it hadn’t developed a spirit and so couldn’t rank among peerless divine weapons.
“Do you know the true essence of a fourth-rank Master of Formations?”
The white-robed arcanist, holding the Moonshadow Sword, turned and smiled at Xu Qi’an.
Without waiting for Xu Qi’an to answer, he said,
“Formations are actually the laws of heaven and earth, how else could they summon wind, rain, thunder, and lightning? How else could they draw on the power of the world? So, if you give me enough time, I can comprehend the laws of the world as modified by the Confucianists, and then break them.”
As he spoke, he ran his palm along the Moonshadow Sword, conjuring out twisted, arcane runes.
Xu Qi’an instinctively closed his eyes. Staring directly at these runes would give him a headache and dizziness, the same feeling as when looking at that dragon fang.
The white-robed arcanist raised the Moonshadow Sword and sliced down lightly. Headmaster Zhao Shou’s “Draw a Circle as a Prison” shattered at once.
He had not wasted time talking to me, he’d been deciphering the laws of this world all along… Xu Qi’an suddenly realised, feeling an immense pressure.
How terrifying was the Jianzheng? No less terrifying than how the first generation Jianzheng would’ve been.
Fighting someone like this left no room for error; the pressure was immense.
By comparison, the half-mad Zhende had been much easier to deal with.
The white-robed arcanist calmly put away the Moonshadow Sword, not even glancing at the slightly shaken Zhao Shou, and said in that same indifferent tone,
“Hmm, I almost forgot, I need to shield your Heaven’s secrets.”
Looking at Xu Qi’an’s pale face, he continued slowly,
“In Jianzhou, you connected with that old ancestor of the Wulin Alliance, a half-step second-rank martial artist whose strength surpasses Zhao Shou’s.
“But a martial artist is just a martial artist, they’re not difficult to handle. I just need to shield you, and he’ll forget you ever existed.”
Xu Qi’an’s face darkened, cold sweat beading on his forehead. He opened his mouth, but could no longer utter a sound.
The white-robed arcanist raised his hand and lightly swept it over him.
In the unseen, it felt as if something had been covered up.
The white-robed arcanist grabbed Xu Qi’an by the shoulder. “Let’s go!”
The two instantly disappeared.
The prohibition on teleportation, he had cracked that rule too.
…
On the main road, Xu Pingzhi, galloping on horseback, suddenly looked lost. He pulled his reins, looked all around, and had no idea what he’d meant to do.
“Why am I here? What was I going to do?”
He muttered to himself.
Just then, a shout came from behind, “Sir Xu, where are you going?”
Xu Pingzhi looked back and saw Zhang Shen of Cloud Deer Academy riding the wind.
“I… I don’t know what I was going to do…”
Xu Pingzhi replied in confusion.
Zhang Shen said helplessly, “How did you suddenly go mad like this? Your wife and daughter are still waiting for you at the academy.”
Xu Pingzhi frowned, suddenly realising: Right, his nephew had died in Yunzhou, leaving him depressed. His daughter Lingyue missed her cousin terribly and wept daily.
His youngest daughter Xu Lingyin often woke up crying at night, calling for her big brother. Sometimes, when she remembered him at the table, her grief would turn into appetite, and she’d eat five big bowls at once.
So, he’d resigned as a Baihu Commander of the Imperial Blade Guard, planning to take his family to settle in Jianzhou.
Thinking of this, Xu Pingzhi’s face clouded, and he sighed,
“Sorry, ever since Ningyan died in Yunzhou, I’ve been unwell in spirit, doing all sorts of strange things.”
Ningyan? Who’s that…?
Zhang Shen was momentarily stunned and asked, “Who is Ningyan?”
Xu Pingzhi looked pained. “He was my nephew. He died young, in Yunzhou.”
Zhang Shen nodded.
Although Xu Xinnian was his student, he hadn’t had much contact with the Xu family. This time, it was only at the request of his student Xu Cijiu that he was helping them resettle in Jianzhou.
…
The outskirts of the capital.
Chu Yuanzhen sat cross-legged on a sword ridge, weeping.
“The emperor is unworthy, a curse upon the nation, and it was lucky there was a great one to rid us of evil, otherwise, the Great Feng’s six centuries of foundation would have been ruined in the hands of a foolish monarch.”
Master Hengyuan pressed his palms together. “Amitabha, alas, the expert came and went without a trace, leaving neither name nor legacy, he departed, hiding both his merit and fame.”
Li Miaozhen stood on her flying sword, brows tightly furrowed with heroic spirit. For no reason, a sense of panic welled up within her, as if she had lost something important.
Lina rubbed her stomach. “Now that it’s all over, I should return to Cloud Deer Academy. The Xu family must be waiting for me.”
As she said this, she suddenly frowned, realising she couldn’t remember why she was staying at the Xu family’s place.
A few seconds later, she understood: after arriving in the capital, she’d happened upon the Xu family’s youngest, Xu Lingyin, and from the masses, discovered this peerless little prodigy. So she took her as a disciple and taught her cultivation.
…
The palace, Shaoyin Palace.
Lin’an was frantically searching the study for something, throwing books about, smashing vases to the floor.
“Your Highness, Your Highness, what are you looking for?”
Her close maid was in a panic.
Lin’an stopped, standing in bewilderment, tears streaming down her fair cheeks. She choked out,
“I… I’ve forgotten something important…”
The two maids looked at each other, utterly bewildered by the Second Princess’s words.
At some point, Lin’an, looking at the scattered books, spotted a chessboard and loose pieces.
She still didn’t recall what she had forgotten, but instinctively felt that this chessboard was important. She squatted down, hugging it tightly, and wept bitterly.
On the board, black ink marked the words:
Chu River Han Border!1
………..
Another part of the palace.
The Fourth Prince said gravely, “Huaiqing, Father has passed away. The Crown Prince has finally endured to the end, but… but I can’t accept it…”
After Wei Yuan’s death, he had lost his greatest support and had no hope of overcoming the legitimate Crown Prince.
That mysterious expert who killed the Emperor would inevitably plunge the court into turmoil. At such a critical moment, the ministers would certainly support the Crown Prince’s ascension to stabilise the situation.
The Fourth Prince felt his prospects were shrouded in darkness.
At this moment, he noticed that his usually resourceful sister Huaiqing looked dazed, sadness in her eyes.
“Huaiqing, I know Father’s death makes you sad, but… but Father’s lack of virtue brought the wrath of that peerless expert.”
The Fourth Prince said seriously, “Now is not the time to grieve. As long as the Crown Prince hasn’t ascended, we still have a chance. You must help your brother.”
Huaiqing gently held her chest.
It hurt, her heart hurt, as if a piece was missing.
……….
In a small courtyard.
Mu Nanzhi sat on the roof, resting her chin in her hand, pondering life.
The courtyard door opened. Auntie Zhang hurried in, shouting,
“Madam Mu, what are you doing up on the roof?”
Mu Nanzhi did not answer, but looked down at her, and softly said, “Auntie Zhang, what is it…?”
As soon as she spoke, she realised her voice was off.
Auntie Zhang said urgently, “The neighbours are all saying the capital is finished. The Emperor’s been killed, and they’re planning to flee. Are you leaving? Take your husband with you…”
Auntie Zhang suddenly stopped, looking at her strangely. “Madam Mu, why are you crying?”
Mu Nanzhi was startled. She touched her face, her hand came away wet with tears.
“My… my husband is dead,” she said sorrowfully.
“What? When did that happen?”
Auntie Zhang was shocked.
She sobbed, “I don’t know, I… I’ve forgotten…”
………..
On the outskirts of the capital, somewhere.
Luo Yuheng held a sword in one hand and supported her forehead with the other, her expression pained.
“Xu- Xu Qi’an, Xu Qi’an…”
She struggled desperately against something, but could not prevent certain memories from being lost.
Chu River Han Border are the four characters written on the river in the real life chinese chess board. ↩
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