“Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty, long live Your Majesty!” Yan Ge bowed to express his gratitude, while simultaneously hearing a familiar voice:
— “Ding. Congratulations on successfully completing Main Mission 4 — being promoted by the Emperor to the rank of ‘Changzai.’ Rewards received are: 100 taels of silver and a copy of the ‘Imperial Pharmacopoeia.’ Main Mission 5 — being promoted by the Emperor to the rank of ‘Shiren’. Once the mission is complete, you will be rewarded with: 500 taels of silver and eight Foundation Building Pills. To accept the mission, please select ‘Yes’; to refuse the mission, please select ‘No.’”
**Ranks in their order—Daying, Changzai, Shirén (scholar), Cairen, Guiren, Shiqing, Caiqing (honorable official), Guiqing(Noble Consort) and Huang Guiqing.
Foundation Building Pills? Yan Ge’s head spun, nearly causing him to collapse to the ground. Without hesitation, he quickly selected “Yes.” Foundation Building Pills! What did they signify? It meant cultivation! If a portable system was real, then cultivation could also be real!
Huangfu Yuchen saw Yan Ge’s eyes glowing and thought he was touched. He couldn’t understand why Yan Ge would be so delighted just because he was promoted to ‘Changzai.’ Was it that important for him to stay by his side?
His mood became rather complex and he ended up staring at Yan Ge for a long while.
–“Master, I can now tell you everything about the system,” Yan Jin’s voice was unusually cheerful.
Yan Ge intervened in a timely manner, “Little Jin, we’ll talk about it later.” He noticed that Huangfu Yuchen had been looking at him.
“Your Majesty?”
Huangfu Yuchen teased, “Have your wishes been fulfilled?”
“Same goes for Your Majesty,” Yan Ge couldn’t help but smile.
Huangfu Yuchen said, “Join me for a meal in the Imperial Garden tonight.”
Yan Ge knew they still had state affairs to discuss, “Yes. I’ll take my leave, Your Majesty.”
As Huangfu Yuchen watched him leave, his expression returned to a cold and imposing demeanor. He gave the command, “Summon the Minister of Works.”
Deng Mande approached the entrance of the hall and chanted, “Summon the Minister of Works—”
“Summon the Minister of Works—”
“Summon the Minister of Works—”
The eunuchs relayed the orders one by one, until it reached the palace gate where the herald was. He rode on a fast horse, hurrying to the residence of the Minister of Works.
Huangfu Yuchen picked up a book and flipped through it until he heard the announcement from outside, “The Minister of Works has arrived—”
“Send him in.”
Gao Jingwei, the Minister of Works, was in his forties. He wore a black official robe, and briskly walked into the grand hall with his head down. He lifted his robe and performed a bow on the steps, kneeling on both knees, “This humble official pays respects to Your Majesty. May Your Majesty live for ten thousand years.”
“Rise.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
Huangfu Yuchen said, “Deng Mande.”
Deng Mande handed the fountain pen to Gao Jingwei.
Gao Jingwei was perplexed, but knowing it was not yet time to ask questions, he patiently watched Deng Mande write on the paper and disassembled and reassembled the pen, and he became excited.
“Your Majesty, this is…”
Huangfu Yuchen said, “This is a new invention, a fountain pen, created by a talented scholar in my Great Han Kingdom. I believe there is no need for me to explain the advantages of this pen. I wish to see the mass production of fountain pens as soon as possible. For the specifics, Minister Gao can consult with General You, and General You will cooperate with the Ministry of Works. Furthermore, the manufacturing method of the fountain pen must not be leaked.”
A man in black, General You, slightly bowed to Gao Jingwei.
“Yes!” Gao Jingwei hastily responded, “This humble official will supervise the personnel of the Ministry of Works strictly.”
The word of “strictly” made Huangfu Yuchen subtly pause. “Additionally, remember to engrave this seal on the fountain pen.” He handed a piece of paper to Deng Mande.
*嚴格(yán gé) can be translated as “strictly”.
Gao Jingwei looked at the strange mark with confusion. Seeing that Huangfu Yuchen didn’t elaborate on it, he didn’t dare to ask further and replied, “This humble official will comply with the order.”
Yan Ge returned to Luoxue Palace, suppressing his questions for now and waiting for the Department of Internal Affairs to provide the necessary arrangements. According to the custom, there should be one eunuch and two palace maids serving by his side. The department sent a young palace maid named Qiuju, who appeared to be modest and similar in age to Wan Xiang.
Yan Ge instructed her to familiarize herself with the environment first and then clean the designated areas of Luoxue Palace. He made it clear that she should not disturb him unless it was an urgent matter. Afterward, he locked the door and spoke with Yan Jin.( the system).
“Yan Jin, you can speak now.”
Yan Jin didn’t hesitate this time and directly said, “Master, now I can tell you that the system upgrade not only affects your interests but is also closely related to me.” Despite the system’s voice still having a childish tone, its manner of speaking resembled that of a mature adult.
“What do you mean?” Yan Ge inquired.
Yan Jin uttered a shocking statement that left Yan Ge stunned. “After the system upgrade, I can not only grow but also take on a human form and appear in the real world where the master resides.”
Yan Ge was completely taken aback.
Yan Jin continued, “The reason I didn’t tell you from the beginning was that I was afraid you would misunderstand and think I was pressuring you to upgrade just so I could take on a human form. That wouldn’t be beneficial for both of us.”
Yan Ge acknowledged this point. “Indeed.”
Yan Jin said with a cheerful voice, “Now that Master has obtained the Foundation Building Pill, I believe you won’t reject the upgrade anymore, right?”
Yan Ge also smiled and didn’t deny it’s words. He believed that any man wouldn’t remain calm when faced with the Foundation Building Pill. Legends, novels, movies, and games portrayed the marvels of cultivators far too much. He couldn’t resist such a tremendous temptation. Just the thought of having the ability to move mountains, traverse the heavens, and penetrate the earth in the future made his blood boil.
Yan Jin gave him some time to calm his excitement before continuing, “The Flowing Sands Sword Art is meant to strengthen your body and alleviate the pain during the Foundation Building process. Cultivation is divided into eight levels: Foundation Building, Qi Condensation, Core Formation, Nascent Soul, Spirit Severing, Dao Fusion, Soul Integration, and Tribulation Crossing. Each level is further divided into early, middle, and late stages. Once you obtain the Foundation Building Pill, you will receive cultivation techniques from the Foundation Building to Qi Condensation stages. And in the subsequent missions, you will obtain techniques from Qi Condensation to Core Formation… and so on.”
Yan Ge calculated in his mind and asked with a wry smile, “Doesn’t that mean I can only obtain techniques from the Soul Integration to Tribulation Crossing stages when I become Empress? Do you think that’s possible? Isn’t it too much of a tease?”
“Well…” Yan Jin responded helplessly, “That’s how it is. But, Master, aren’t you thinking too far ahead? Right now, you’re still just a Changzai.”
Yan Ge worried, “Huangfu Yuchen would never allow a man to become the Empress. Doesn’t that mean it’s impossible for me to ascend to immortality?”
Yan Jin comforted him, “There might be a way when the time comes. Master, it’s best to maintain a calm mindset. Even if you can’t obtain techniques from the Soul Integration to Tribulation Crossing stages in the end, with your abilities, you would still live a fulfilling life.”
Yan Ge forced a smile. But thinking about these things now was indeed too early. He took out the “Pharmacopoeia” from his backpack and opened it. “What’s with this ‘Pharmacopoeia?”
