Chapter 119: I Want to Cut Off Your Head
The entire Grand Academy was utterly silent, not a single sound to be heard.
Emperor Yanfeng was clearly speaking from the heart, taking this opportunity to awe his ministers and also to unite the ruler and ministers into one body.
After a moment, Emperor Yanfeng revealed a smile and sat back down. "I was somewhat undignified. Imperial Academy, bring forth the roster."
Lingyun Daoist hurriedly stepped forward, holding the roster in his hands. Emperor Yanfeng picked up a vermilion brush and wrote a few characters after Qin Mu's name, saying, "From now on, he is a student of the Son of Heaven." With that, he closed the roster and returned it to Lingyun Daoist.
Emperor Yanfeng looked at the Young Patriarch and said, "Grand Sacrificial Officer, selecting scholars was originally your duty. I have overstepped and chosen for you. What do you think?"
The Young Patriarch smiled and said, "Your Majesty is wise and brilliant, with grand ambitions and great strategies. It is the fortune of the Great Wasteland."
Emperor Yanfeng laughed heartily and shook his head repeatedly. "Flattery, more flattery. Alright, let the scholars continue their competition."
The Imperial Academy of the Grand Academy received the order and allowed the many scholars to continue their trials. A few elementary scholars had not yet finished their exams, and they were all tested together in front of the Grand Academy Hall, still presided over by Lingyun Daoist.
Even if Lingyun Daoist wanted to go easy on the children of nobles and officials, he was helpless. After all, everyone present had sharp eyes; if he made the slightest move, it would be seen through!
This major examination only ended in the late afternoon. Some were happy, some were worried. Especially among the advanced scholars, the competition was even more brutal and harsh. Entering the Grand Academy could be said to be one in a hundred!
Among the elementary scholars, only five spots remained. Those from prestigious families were naturally more learned, surpassing students from humble backgrounds. Of these five scholars, only Si Yunxiang successfully passed the major examination and became a Grand Academy scholar.
The other four were all from distinguished and noble families.
It was not that the humble scholars did not work hard, but rather that they were limited by resources.
The elementary and advanced schools taught the same martial arts, spells, and swordsmanship. Even if one practiced to perfection, they could not break through this barrier. However, the prestigious families, in addition to cultivating what was taught in the elementary and advanced schools, also had their own family traditions, ancestral teachings, and sect-based secret arts. They also had experts at home to guide them. Therefore, the proportion of humble scholars was not high.
Qin Mu observed this and thought to himself, "If this continues, I'm afraid the upper echelons of the Yan Kingdom will eventually be controlled by the power of prestigious families and sects. Humble students will never have a chance to rise and will never hold high positions in the court. If this goes on, the nation will not last long. Emperor Yanfeng has a desire for reform, but I wonder if he can change this situation?"
In this situation, the rulers would always be rulers, and the social classes would become rigid. Among the rulers, certain forces would inevitably grow larger and larger, accumulating more and more resources, eventually becoming a cancer on the empire.
When the humble scholars rose in rebellion, the cancer would take the opportunity to stir up trouble, and the empire would collapse in a matter of days.
After the major examination ended, the Imperial Academy arranged accommodations. Every Grand Academy scholar had their own separate residence. This place was called the Scholar's Residence. Each scholar had a two-courtyard compound. The Grand Academy scholars lived in their respective residences, which had everything they needed. There were also servants to help with household chores, cooking, and laundry, so the scholars did not have to worry about trivial life matters.
If one came from a prominent family, they could bring their own servants or maids. Qin Mu had nothing, so naturally, he had none of these concerns.
"I wonder if I can bring Fox Ling'er here? After I settle things here and meet the Patriarch, I'll go and fetch her."
Qin Mu looked around. The Jade Peak where the Grand Academy was located was much larger than he had initially seen. There were mountains within mountains and caves within caves. Besides the Pure Yang Hall, the Azure Yang Hall, and the Grand Academy Hall, there were over a dozen other halls, as well as the Heavenly Records Tower.
The Heavenly Records Tower was a place for storing books, and it had a Secretariat Supervisor. The term "secret" meant to oversee secret books. The books in this tower were the empire's collected scriptures from various sects across the land, stored in the tower and supervised by the Secretariat Supervisor.
Qin Mu stopped to watch. People were coming and going in the Heavenly Records Tower, bustling and crowded. Most were Grand Academy scholars, but there were also members of the imperial family.
"Young Patriarch, as you have walked this path and arrived here, how do you feel?"
An aged voice came from behind him. Qin Mu turned around, bowed, and said, "Patriarch."
The visitor was the Young Patriarch. Although he looked like a youth, his voice was very old. He smiled and said, "No need for formalities."
Qin Mu steadied himself and said, "As I walked this path, I saw the state of the Yan Kingdom. It gave me a great shock, and my heart is quite unsettled."
The Young Patriarch became interested and walked forward. "Oh? Tell me about it."
Qin Mu followed his steps, speaking as they walked. "As I traveled and observed, I saw that the Yan Kingdom, from top to bottom, shows signs of great prosperity. Dao techniques and divine abilities are used in the daily lives of the people, changing with each passing day. Droughts are relieved by rain, floods are dispersed by clouds—it's almost miraculous. There are flying ships in the sky and traveling boats on the ground. Alchemy is also applied to the daily lives of the common people, creating wonders. Although the Yan Kingdom has some turmoil, it won't last long. After that, it will be incredibly powerful!"
The Young Patriarch led him to a lake on the mountain. Standing by the lakeshore, where jade willows formed a shady grove, he asked curiously, "Do you think sects or the nation has more of a future? From what you say, you believe sects cannot contend with the nation?"
Qin Mu nodded. "The elementary schools, advanced schools, and the Grand Academy have already established that the Yan Kingdom is the largest sect under heaven. All other sects are merely the elementary and advanced schools of this great sect, providing scholars for the Yan Kingdom. How can these sects compete with the Yan Kingdom?"
The Young Patriarch sat down. There were two fishing rods on the shore. He gave one to Qin Mu and kept one for himself, casting the bait into the water. He smiled and said, "But now, the world is in chaos. Many sects have taken the opportunity to rebel, spreading like wildfire. Coupled with the severe injury of the Yan Kingdom's National Teacher, I see the Yan Kingdom as being in imminent danger, on the verge of destruction at any moment!"
Qin Mu also cast his line and bait into the water, chuckling. "Patriarch, you're tricking me, aren't you? The Yan Kingdom's National Teacher is merely using a strategy of letting someone off the hook to catch them later, wanting to take the opportunity to wipe out all opposing forces in one fell swoop. This doesn't fool me, and naturally, it doesn't fool you, Patriarch."
The Young Patriarch looked calmly at the lake surface. After a moment, he said, "It's not just letting someone off the hook to catch them later. You've also missed the self-inflicted injury to gain trust. The Yan Kingdom's National Teacher is indeed severely wounded. His injuries are very serious. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to deceive the various sects under heaven."
Qin Mu was startled and exclaimed, "Did the Yan Kingdom's National Teacher do it to himself?"
The Young Patriarch shook his head. "The one who did it was someone else. It is said that three old monsters from my era joined forces and severely wounded him. After he returned to the capital, I saw him. His injuries were indeed very serious."
Qin Mu was stunned. He had always thought the Yan Kingdom's National Teacher was using a strategy of letting someone off the hook to catch them later to lure out the opposition, but he hadn't expected the National Teacher to be genuinely injured.
"He is using the situation to his advantage, wanting to draw these people out."
The Young Patriarch said unhurriedly, "If these sects think they can eliminate the Yan Kingdom's National Teacher and destroy the Yan Kingdom like this, they are in for a loss. Young Patriarch, what is your opinion of the Yan Kingdom's National Teacher?"
Qin Mu said solemnly, "A heroic figure among men, broad-minded, a talent of unparalleled genius."
The Young Patriarch revealed a smile. "When he came to me to seek the Dao back then, I thought the same. I originally wanted to take him as a disciple, but his knowledge was already vast and seemed on the verge of surpassing me, so I abandoned that idea to avoid hindering his future. So, since the Yan Kingdom is above all the sects, schools, and factions under heaven and cannot be defeated by force, and the Yan Kingdom's National Teacher is a genius of unparalleled talent, how should our Holy Sect conduct itself?"
His words carried a tone of examination.
Ever since his first words to Qin Mu this time, he had begun testing Qin Mu.
Qin Mu's participation in the Grand Academy's major examination and becoming a Grand Academy scholar was only the first test, testing his strength. Now, it was a test of his wisdom—whether he had the wisdom to lead the Demon Sect and the wisdom to become its Sect Leader.
Qin Mu pondered for a moment and said, "Our Holy Sect has two paths. The first path is to transform the sect into a nation, allowing the Holy Sect to establish its own country. If our Holy Sect establishes a nation, it must be far away from the Yan Kingdom. The Yan Kingdom's national fortune is growing stronger. After the National Teacher pacifies the chaos, he will inevitably wage war externally. Within the country, we cannot contend with the Yan Kingdom. Being too close also makes it impossible to contend with the Yan Kingdom. However, if we move far away from the Yan Kingdom, our Holy Sect's foundation will be lost, and I'm afraid it will be difficult to make any progress for decades."
The Young Patriarch nodded. "The first path is extremely difficult. Our Holy Sect is rooted among the common people. Leaving the Yan Kingdom means destroying our foundation. This path is not advisable. What about the second path?"
"The second path is to attach ourselves."
Qin Mu said, "The Holy Sect attaches itself to the Yan Kingdom."
The Young Patriarch's expression changed, and he sneered, "You becoming the Sect Leader means you want our Holy Sect to be destroyed? You have quite the nerve! I want to cut off your head!"
Note ①: "Secretariat" is not a foreign term but an ancient official position. The Secretariat Supervisor was responsible for overseeing the imperial library, established during the Eastern Han Dynasty. Similar positions originated even earlier, during the Zhou Dynasty. During the Tang Dynasty, Wei Zheng served as the Secretariat Supervisor. The official system used in *The Legend of the Demon Sect* is the Tang Dynasty's nine-rank, eighteen-grade system.