Great Ding, Year Two.

Since Emperor Zhuang ascended to the Realm of Cave Truth, the Kingdom of Zhuang has undergone a tremendous transformation.

Within its borders, the nation enjoys peace and prosperity. Waterways have been dredged, thanks to the full support of the Clear River Water Mansion. Official roads have been extensively repaired, connecting all the major cities into a cohesive whole. The heretical and wicked cultivators who once roamed freely now rarely choose Zhuang as a haven.

Abroad, Zhuang has forcefully seized ten cities from the Kingdom of Mo, effectively expanding its territory by the size of a prefecture.

Yet, Emperor Zhuang did not immediately establish a fourth prefecture.

It is said that when a court official petitioned for this, Zhuang Gao Xian retorted in court, “Can a mere ten cities be considered a prefecture?”

His ambition was plain for all to see.

The Kingdom of Mo, in a panic, sent a large sum of resources to bribe the Kingdom of Qin. Only with the support of the mighty Qin did their borders find peace.

More and more Zhuang citizens began to realize that the days when their weak kingdom could be trampled upon by all were gone forever!

Now, it would not be an exaggeration to say that the entire Kingdom of Zhuang is thriving.

Of Zhuang’s three prefectures, Hua Lin is where the capital lies, while Dai Shan Prefecture has absorbed the newly acquired ten cities, becoming the largest prefecture in Zhuang.

Only Clear River Prefecture seems to have remained unchanged.

The most mysterious and fascinating place in all of Clear River Prefecture must be the Clear River Water Mansion.

In Zhuang, humans and water folk have maintained an alliance for hundreds of years, living in harmony. Minor conflicts do occur, but they do not affect the overall situation. Or rather, the overall situation is firmly controlled by those in high positions.

Legend has it that the Clear River Water Mansion has white jade steps, golden brick floors, is adorned with radiant pearls, and is filled with exotic treasures, naturally attracting the aspirations of ordinary mortals.

However, what truly drives people to compete fiercely and become a lifelong dream for many is the Clear River Prefecture Dao Academy.

For this place represents the path to cultivation, status, and the future.

However, the quota for the Prefecture Dao Academy is extremely limited each year. With so many cultivators in the thirteen cities of Clear River Prefecture, who wouldn’t break their heads trying to enter the Prefecture Academy? Only a fortunate few succeed.

Because Maple Forest City has been lost, Clear River Prefecture now only has twelve cities. However, the standards of the Prefecture Dao Academy have not been lowered, but rather the number of places has been reduced accordingly.

Such strictness means that those who linger outside the Prefecture Dao Academy in disappointment are not uncommon.

In the eyes of Liu Yao, a second-year student at the Prefecture Academy, the young man standing before the gatehouse, gazing into the academy, must be one of them.

But there was something different about him.

Liu Yao admitted that his features were quite outstanding, but what caught her attention was not his face, but his eyes. They were gentle, serene, yet distant and mysterious. When he gazed at the Prefecture Dao Academy, a faint emotion seemed to bloom.

Liu Yao couldn’t tell if that emotion was regret or melancholy.

But it made him very alluring.

This was the third day he had appeared outside the Prefecture Dao Academy, always in the afternoon, standing in the same spot, gazing into the academy in the same way.

What was he looking at?

Liu Yao did not know.

But she suddenly felt a strong urge to ask him.

This was not like her. This was very unlike Liu Yao.

Last year, she had squeezed into the Prefecture Dao Academy, barely making it in with one of the last few places. The academy eliminated a group of students every year, and she had to work extremely hard to maintain her position and avoid being among those eliminated.

In the City Dao Academy, she had also been at the top of her class, quite outstanding. But in the Prefecture Dao Academy, geniuses from all the cities competed against each other, and in a blink of an eye, she had become just another face in the crowd.

So she never wasted time. She was so meticulous that she planned out which road to take each day and how much time it would take.

Yet she had stopped for three consecutive days because of a stranger.

A seeker of the Dao must be true to their heart. The院长 (Dean) seemed to have said that once.

When Liu Yao remembered these words, she breathed a sigh of relief, finding a reason for herself.

So she changed direction and walked towards the quiet young man.

“Hello,” Liu Yao greeted.

The young man withdrew his gaze, looked at her, and said nothing, only using his eyes to ask what she wanted.

As a formal student of the Prefecture Dao Academy, Liu Yao was used to flattery. At first, she had worried that this young man would be no different from those vulgar people, fawning over her because of her position in the academy. But now that his attitude was so indifferent, she couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed.

She had never experienced such anxiousness before.

“Uh…”

Liu Yao opened her mouth, wanting to ask something, but paused. The words were on her lips, but she forgot what she wanted to say.

She realized that she didn’t really have any questions. She just wanted to start a conversation.

“Is there something you need?” the young man asked proactively.

As if the final hand gesture of a seal had been completed, the Dao technique flowed naturally.

Liu Yao’s thoughts suddenly became clear.

She said, “There’s no point in standing here looking every day. There will be no sympathy, no favor. The Prefecture Dao Academy will not admit disciples for any reason other than strength.”

“I’ve been there,” she advised. “A temporary setback is nothing. The Prefecture Dao Academy has places every year. You should seize the time to cultivate diligently. Every inch you advance brings you closer to success.”

She hesitated for a moment, but still spoke her mind: “I’m a second-year student at the Prefecture Academy. If you have any cultivation questions, you can ask me.”

The intention of these words was too obvious, almost making her blush. She forcefully used her Dao essence to calm her rapidly beating heart.

The young man listened to her quietly, then replied, “It’s alright.”

His voice was gentle, with a slow and composed serenity and tenderness.

“I’m just looking,” he said.

He showed no displeasure at her intrusion, nor did he seem to want to get closer because of her kindness.

He was the same as before.

It was as if he would not change because of anyone or anything.

“Oh,” Liu Yao was taken aback. “Oh, okay.”

But she didn’t know what was “okay.”

The young man seemed to want to continue gazing, but she was still standing there. So he paused and looked at her again.

His expression seemed to ask, “Is there anything else?”

Liu Yao suddenly awoke as if from a dream and realized.

“Ah, I, I’ll go first.”

“Farewell,” the young man nodded politely.

Liu Yao hurried into the academy, but after taking two steps, she bit her lip and turned back: “Right, I don’t even know your name yet?”

To show her sincerity, she introduced herself first: “My name is Liu Yao. Yao, as in the jade of 木桃琼瑶 (Precious Jade of Woody Peach).”

At that moment, the young man’s gaze had returned to the distance.

In the setting sun, viewed from this angle, he had an indescribable air of detachment.

At that moment, Liu Yao vaguely felt that he was unrelated to the entire world.

Such a person shouldn’t care too much about the gains and losses of the Prefecture Dao Academy. So, what was he looking at?

Time seemed to slow down. Liu Yao’s thoughts rose and fell in her heart, flashing by quickly. For a few moments, she thought she would not get an answer.

But finally, she endured the brief but particularly long silence.

She waited for the young man’s reply.

“Nian Xiang,” he said.

ps: The operations team has launched a character star-raising event. Everyone can participate by replying to the latest featured post in the book review section. By participating in the character star-raising, you can get Qidian Coin rewards. See the post for specific rules. Because the rules of Qidian have changed, only books with one star or more can do events in the future. So… this may be the last event for this book. I hope everyone will participate enthusiastically. Please Pick our Jiang Wang!