Chapter 1 Arousal

The death of a Great Barbarian Sage, especially Lang Lu, who posed the greatest threat to Jing Country, caused an uproar throughout Jing Country.

In just a few days, Jing Country gained a new Sage and eliminated the great enemy Lang Lu. Even the Tong Sheng (child student) examination this year broke all records, producing a Sheng Qian Tong Sheng (child student before the Sage).

All the people of Jing Country seemed to see the rise of Jing Country. They all gazed, looking in the direction of Daofeng Mountain, where the Saint Academy was located.

Three days had passed since the opening of the Saint Council. During these three days, the entire human race was waiting. On the discussion forums, scholars from various countries had made more or less speculations.

However, none of these speculations received a clear answer. They were just their own wishful thinking and conjectures.

On the morning of the fourth day, when the first ray of sunlight shone on the Saint Origin Continent, the closed gate of the Hall of Saints in the Saint Academy finally opened. Several figures slowly walked out of it. Jiang Xuan bid farewell to several Half-Sages, and then stepped into the void and left.

"I wonder if this Saint Council is right or wrong…" Nan Sheng (Southern Sage) sighed softly. This was the first time the Saint Academy had made such a decision, and the kings of the ten countries might be uneasy in the future.

"What if it's wrong? Just like she said, if it's wrong, then change it. Only in this way can our human race continue to move forward." The head of the Kong family smiled. Although the result of this Saint Council would make the monarchs of the ten countries uneasy, their deduction showed that it would be beneficial and harmless.

"Hehe, anyway, no one will stop her, so don't worry about it." Wang Jinglong was in high spirits, not at all like the skinny and withered, dying old man he had been before, as if he had endless vitality.

"Guanhai, it's been a long time since we went to Liangjie Mountain (Two Worlds Mountain). How about we go together today?" Wang Jinglong looked at Chen Guanhai beside him. These Half-Sages already had a very deep understanding of the principles of heaven and earth, and their speed of concurrently cultivating martial arts was naturally extremely fast. In three days, even if they only cultivated with a part of their mind, they had reached the completion of the Martial Emperor realm and had seen their primordial spirit.

Of course, wanting to enter the Saint realm through martial arts was not as simple as before. Previously, they were like college students doing elementary school problems, so their speed was naturally fast. However, the breakthrough from Martial Emperor to Martial Saint was in a realm equivalent to their own Confucian cultivation, so how could it be so easy to break through?

"Alright, I haven't been to Liangjie Mountain for a walk since I was injured." Chen Guanhai had a gentle smile on his face. Now that his lifespan had greatly increased and his injuries had basically healed, coupled with the addition of martial arts, he was now even stronger than he was at his peak. He was just about to go to Liangjie Mountain to meet the Demon Sages of the demon realm.

"Haha, you two are really restless. I won't join you, and I'll go wandering." Nan Sheng laughed loudly, crossing thousands of miles of mountains and rivers, and continued to travel the world, seeking out talents for the human race.

"I should also return to the Kong family. I wish you both a smooth journey."

The head of the Kong family said that his identity was special and he should not leave the Kong family for too long. Now that Jiang Xuan's matter had been resolved, he naturally would not delay any longer.

On the other side, Zong Moju looked calm and thoughtful. The advent of martial arts, as well as the scenes Jiang Xuan showed them in the Hall of Saints before, were worth pondering for him. Without saying much, he left directly, wanting to return to his seclusion.

"Well, it's just me. I have to continue to supervise the imperial examination and also support Saint Jiang at any time." Mi Fengdian smiled wryly, but he was also in a very good mood. The emergence of martial arts and Jiang Xuan's vision filled the future of the human race with light, and these Half-Sages were all looking forward to it.

…

Jing Country was now filled with laughter and joy. The people saw hope, and the officials saw the future. Everything was developing in a good direction.

Of course, there were also some people who were very worried, and that was the faction of the Left Prime Minister, Liu Shan. They had already received a message from Saint Zong, asking them to evacuate Jing Country within a month, otherwise their lives would be in danger.

Liu Shan had been unable to sleep well these past two days. As Zong Moju's Zhidao (path-holder), he had been planning and plotting in Jing Country for many years. He had finally reached the position of Left Prime Minister and held great power in the court. The realm of Great Confucian was right in front of him. As long as he was given a few more years, he would definitely succeed.

But now, Jiang Xuan's words cut off his path and directly expelled him and his party from Jing Country, without leaving any face.

Of course, the key was that he did not know that Zong Moju had to act according to Jiang Xuan's wishes. Zong Moju had benefited from martial arts. If Liu Shan continued to stay in Jing Country, it would not be that Jiang Xuan was not giving Zong Moju face, but that Zong Moju was ungrateful.

If Jiang Xuan killed Liu Shan and the others at that time, they would die in vain, and no Half-Sage would help the Zong family, because the Zong family was in the wrong in this matter.

What's more, now basically all the living Half-Sages had concurrently cultivated martial arts and owed Jiang Xuan a favor. If they were asked to oppose Jiang Xuan at this time, it was estimated that no one could do it.

Therefore, Zong Moju did not want Liu Shan, this Zhidao, to die, so he had to let him leave Jing Country.

The Prime Minister's mansion could now be said to have been trampled down. The number of people who came to congratulate him in these three days could be said to be countless, from the royal family to the officials.

In addition to those in the officialdom, the aristocratic families also came to congratulate him. The Chen Saint family, where Chen Guanhai was located, was the fastest to react. After all, they almost married Jiang Xuan, and their relationship was already good. After the news of Jiang Xuan's Sealing Sage was confirmed, they immediately came to congratulate him.

After the Chen family, the original four Great Half-Sage families of Jing Country, and even the Half-Sage families of other countries, also sent congratulatory gifts one after another. Just yesterday, several Great Sub-Sage families and the Kong Saint family also sent people to congratulate him.

The Jiang family had also transformed from a wealthy family into an aristocratic family in just three days. Moreover, after Jiang Xuan became a Sage, she immediately killed a Great Barbarian Half-Sage, and her power was overwhelming. The Jiang family almost overshadowed all the Half-Sage families.

Some people even speculated that Jiang Xuan might have already glimpsed the realm of Sub-Sage, otherwise how could she kill a Half-Sage with an avatar?

However, no one answered their speculation. The Sages would not answer him, and Jiang Xuan was not interested.

"Saint Jiang, Saint Jiang has returned to Jing Country!"

"Saint Jiang has gone to the palace, why is that?"

"Could it be that this Saint Council is related to the Jing Country royal family?"

"How is that possible! This kind of thing has never happened before."

The people and officials all saw Jiang Xuan walking into the palace with her feet on the Milky Way. This was indeed strange. After returning to Jing Country, she did not return to the Jiang family, but went to the palace first, which was very strange.

However, at the next moment, a voice rang out in the void, like thunder, resounding over the capital of Jing Country: "The Four Ministers enter the court, all officials wait!"

It was a female voice. After experiencing the Sealing Sage, the people of Jing Country were very familiar with Jiang Xuan's voice, and they recognized it in an instant.

"Teacher, is this because of us…"

In the Left Prime Minister's mansion, beside Liu Shan, a Jinshi (metropolitan graduate) was saying respectfully. He was Ji Zhibai, the champion of the last Jing Country imperial examination, and he had become a disciple of Liu Shan.

Liu Shan shook his head and said, "Don't take you and me too seriously. If this one really wanted to do something to us, we would have died long ago."

"Then why is she summoning the Four Ministers to court now? As a Half-Sage, manipulating the court, this is…"

"Shut up!" Before Ji Zhibai could finish his words, he was interrupted by Liu Shan. He knew his disciple best, and he was jealous.

Jiang Xuan was a woman, and she was not even twenty years old, but she was able to become a Saint in one fell swoop. There were countless people in the world who were jealous.

But this was also understandable. Even he almost had his literary courage covered in dust after confirming the news. She was sealed as a Saint at the age of eighteen! Even Kong Sheng (Confucius) had never done that, but today it was achieved by a woman. Where would this put the face of the men in the world?

But so what? Jiang Xuan was a Saint, so would they really dare to openly say it? Would they really treat the Saint's ability to hear everything in the universe as a lie?

"I don't want to hear such remarks again in the future."

Liu Shan said to Ji Zhibai with a gloomy face. Jiang Xuan already had no good feelings for them, and had directly told them to leave Jing Country. Now, they still dared to speak ill of her behind her back, which was just courting death.

"Yes." Ji Zhibai was awakened by Liu Shan's scolding, and he was also sweating profusely. He had really lost his mind just now. If Liu Shan hadn't reminded him in time, he would definitely be in big trouble.

"Teacher, then what do you mean?" Ji Zhibai asked again after calming down.

"Naturally, we will enter the court and meet this peerless female Sage."

Liu Shan looked solemn. Although he said it lightly, when facing a Saint, especially a hostile Saint, it was estimated that no one in the world could remain calm.

…

Jing Country's Fengtian Hall was majestic, with a light golden roof and red walls. The hall was built on a three-layer white marble platform, with nine steps on each layer.

There was also a plaque at the entrance of the Fengtian Hall, with the words "Fengtian Hall" written on it. These three words were not written by Chen Guanhai, but by Cui Sheng, the founding Half-Sage of Jing Country.

Inside the Fengtian Hall, it was also magnificent, spacious and grand, and gorgeous beyond belief.

However, at this moment, there were two figures standing in this palace, two female figures.

One was wearing a phoenix crown and a xiapei (ceremonial scarf), with a light veil on her face. Although her true appearance could not be seen, she was full of majesty. If she were not a woman, people would definitely think she was the true Son of Heaven.

In her arms, she was holding a young child, wearing a royal robe. Outsiders would probably not be able to imagine that this child was the monarch of Jing Country.

Opposite her, there was also a figure, accompanied by stars, as if she were a deity walking in the world, shining for eternity.

Looking at her, even the woman in the phoenix crown and xiapei had respect and admiration in her eyes.

Because the person in front of her had done what all the women in the world longed for. It didn't matter if she didn't have talent or couldn't take the imperial examination, she still succeeded, achieved the position of Saint, high above, and at the age of eighteen, made all the men in the world look up to her.

She was the first female Saint in the world, unprecedented, creating her own Saint path, not borrowing talent, not entering the Hundred Schools, and forcibly opened a Saint path, forcibly becoming the first female Saint in history!

There was no woman in the world who did not admire her, and no man in the world who did not feel ashamed of himself when standing in front of her.

"This Saint wants to use Jing Country as a layout to open up a real golden age. You have to be mentally prepared." Jiang Xuan looked at the woman in front of her and said calmly.

This woman was a genius in governing the world. When the previous Jing monarch was alive, she was the one who assisted him in governing the government. Now, Jing Country was also governed by her as regent. Although she was only twenty-seven or eight years old, she had no talent or literary status, but she had been able to contend with Liu Shan, which was enough to show her wisdom.

The woman's body trembled. With her intelligence, she naturally knew why Jiang Xuan would say these words. Using Jing Country as a layout meant that Jing Country would no longer be the Zhao family's country, but a chessboard for the sages.

"Please give me and my son a way out, Saint Jiang."

The way out she was talking about was naturally not asking Jiang Xuan to let her and the Jing monarch live, but hoping that Jiang Xuan could preserve the dignity of the royal family and not let the Zhao family's country be cut off.

"Get up." Jiang Xuan waved her hand. "The matter of Jing Country has been passed by the Saint Council. You will know the specifics later."

Jiang Xuan did not explain in detail. This matter was very complicated, and some things could not be explained clearly. They needed to experience it themselves.

"Yes." The Empress Dowager of Jing Country replied sadly. Since it had been passed by the Saint Council, there was no room for her to fight for it no matter how hard she tried.

The Fengtian Hall fell silent. Not long after, all four ministers arrived and entered the hall, just in time to see Jiang Xuan and the Empress Dowager of Jing Country.

"Greetings to Saint Jiang, greetings to the Empress Dowager, greetings to His Majesty."

The four of them bowed. Jiang Hechuan was no exception. Even if Jiang Xuan was his granddaughter, at this moment he had to follow etiquette, otherwise, who knew how many people would take the opportunity to smear him.

"No need to be so polite."

Jiang Xuan spoke, and an invisible force lifted them up.

Jing Country had four ministers, namely the Left Prime Minister, the Right Prime Minister, the Assistant Prime Minister, and the Literary Prime Minister, whose official positions decreased in that order.

The current Left Prime Minister of Jing Country was Liu Shan of the Miscellaneous School. He was Zong Moju's Zhidao and had been harming Jing Country for a long time. Last year, he had also caused countless soldiers to lose their lives. It could be said that no educated person in Jing Country with aspirations did not hate him.

The second was the Right Prime Minister, also a Great Scholar named Cao Dean, whose official position was second only to the Left Prime Minister Liu Shan. He was truly second only to one person and above ten thousand people among the officials of Jing Country.

This person was a well-known good person, in charge of the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works. On the surface, he had no outstanding qualities and turned a deaf ear to Liu Shan's words and deeds. He was called the "Mud Statue Cao Right Prime Minister" by some radical scholars.

But in fact, this person was the main force for the Empress Dowager of Jing Country to resist Liu Shan. It was he who secretly restrained Liu Shan, otherwise, with the Empress Dowager alone, she would definitely not be able to fight against Liu Shan.

The third was the Assistant Prime Minister, named Si Yueqing, also a Great Scholar, with black hair and a serious expression, but he was ridiculed by the radical scholars of Jing Country as the "Paper Paste Si Assistant Prime Minister."

Moreover, he had a lot of controversy, not only because he fawned on the Left Prime Minister Liu Shan, but also because his name "Si Yueqing" was misinterpreted as "Si Qing" ("Thinking of Qing") and "Si Qing Country" ("Thinking of Qing Country"), which aroused a lot of ridicule and scolding.

As for the Literary Prime Minister, it was Jiang Xuan's grandfather, Jiang Hechuan, and he was also the one with the highest literary status present. He was a Great Confucian, in charge of the literary affairs of a country. Although his official position was the lowest, he was the most respected.

Of course, Jiang Xuan knew that her grandfather was a well-known good person and often acted as a peacemaker. He also did not have the ability to restrain Liu Shan, but he was also a model for the literati of Jing Country.

"Now that the four ministers have arrived, this Saint will not delay."

Jiang Xuan said, gently blinking her eyes, and a milky white light flew out from between her eyebrows, falling in the middle of the four ministers and the Empress Dowager of Jing Country.

"Many years ago, Saint Xun used 'An Encouragement to Learning' as a foundation to create the method of using Saint Thoughts to discuss Dao. Sages can differentiate Saint Thoughts and construct a Saint Thought world, where they can enter with their Saint Thoughts. This Saint has made adjustments on this basis, so that even those without literary status can enter it without any future troubles."

As Jiang Xuan's voice fell, the four ministers present were all shocked. The Empress Dowager of Jing Country did not know what Saint Thought discussing Dao was, but they knew, but knowing was knowing, this kind of thing only existed in legends and had never been seen.

But now, it really appeared before their eyes!