In the spring of the 3242nd year of the Qingzhou Continent, at the age of 23, you, unable to contain your curiosity, opened the mysterious small black box. After a while, you noticed no change and guessed that time was needed.
...
In the winter of the 42nd year, you felt the time was ripe and advised the Empress to implement reforms for strengthening the nation. The Empress summoned you to the Imperial Study for counsel. You answered calmly, greatly pleasing the Empress, who appointed you Prime Minister to enact reforms.
Upon becoming Prime Minister, you made your mark, using the case of Zhang Guojin, former Censorate Grand Master, to review old testimonies and compare them with new intelligence, thoroughly investigating officials who continued to engage in corruption.
In mid-winter of the 42nd year, the vigorous anti-corruption campaign reverberated through the court, leading to the downfall of many officials. Reports from secret agents in various regions provided evidence, resulting in the investigation of numerous local officials.
Officials from the imperial examinations, having gained experience, were eager to fill the vacant positions.
In late winter of the 42nd year, the wealth confiscated from the corrupt officials astounded the Empress. Seizing the opportunity, you proposed the implementation of collective farms on the confiscated land. After some deliberation, the Empress agreed and tasked you with overseeing their promotion.
In the spring of the 43rd year, you established farms on the confiscated lands across various regions, introducing the cultivation of three new crops. Within these farms, you set up militia defense teams and established a Ministry of Agriculture in the court, personally serving as its Minister.
In the summer of the 43rd year, you began your formal reforms, implementing a commercial tax law. Gentry, wealthy merchants, and powerful figures in various regions expressed their dissatisfaction and vehemently protested. You persuaded the Empress to lead by example by paying commercial taxes through the Royal Trading Company, while simultaneously using a combination of persuasion and pressure to win over or subdue the gentry, powerful figures, and wealthy merchants.
In the autumn of the 43rd year, after a quarter of a year of intense negotiation, the commercial tax was implemented across the land. Simultaneously, the harvest from the collective farms shocked the entire nation. The gentry, powerful families, and influential clans protested, demanding the distribution of the new crops.
In mid-autumn of the 43rd year, you reformed the agricultural tax law, thoroughly surveying all land and population in the country. The gentry, powerful figures, and influential families were enraged.
In late autumn of the 43rd year, small-scale rebellions erupted in various regions, attacking the collective farms to test the court's strength and colluding with members of the royal family to plot treason.
The gentry's rebellion, which attacked the collective farms, failed. You ordered the collective farms in various regions to suppress the participating gentry, achieving a great victory and confiscating vast amounts of land and property.
In the winter of the 43rd year, the Second Princess Mengdie raised an army of 100,000, claiming it to be 200,000, defying the imperial command and seeking to purge the "traitors" Chu Chen from the court.
In the spring of the 44th year, the Empress ordered you and Princess Xin Yue to lead an army of 50,000 to quell the rebellion.
In mid-spring of the 44th year, the Third Princess Yun Ting raised an army of 100,000, marching towards the capital under the pretext of purging the court.
The gentry, powerful families, and influential figures across the land responded to the call. You ordered the collective farms in various regions to raise arms to resist.
In the summer of the 44th year, you quelled the rebellion of the Second Princess Mengdie and captured her, bringing her back to the capital. Surrounding nations formed an alliance and mobilized their troops.
In mid-summer of the 44th year, you led an army to suppress the rebellion of the Third Princess Yun Ting, while the border passes held firm against foreign enemies. The Empress issued an order for all collective farms to mobilize.
In the autumn of the 44th year, the border defenses were breached. You and Princess Xin Yue led troops to resist the armies of the Chen, Chu, and Wu states. The Empress personally took command to defend against the Qi, Yan, Zhao, and Wei states, appointing the Eldest Princess as regent and Zhang Chengzhu as second prime minister to assist.
In mid-autumn of the 44th year, a mutiny occurred in the Chen state. You seized the opportunity to crush the allied forces of Chu and Wu, then turned back to confront the combined armies of Qin, Han, and Shu.
In late autumn of the 44th year, the Empress was defeated and captured, then taken to the capital. The capital was breached, and the Eldest Princess was captured.
In the winter of the 44th year, you and the remaining court officials supported Princess Xin Yue as the new Empress. You trained an elite force of a thousand soldiers and, during the harsh winter, suppressed all the influential families, powerful figures, and gentry within your jurisdiction.
In late winter of the 44th year, the construction of new collective farms within your jurisdiction was completed.
In the spring of the 45th year, the Yun Yue Kingdom fell by more than half, with resistance erupting everywhere.
In late spring of the 45th year, after the spring plowing was completed, you issued an order for mobilization. Collective farms across the land responded, gathering an army of 500,000, which shocked the surrounding nations.
In the summer of the 45th year, you led an army in a surprise attack on the capital, retaking the capital of the Yun Yue Kingdom. You personally beheaded the leaders of the allied armies of Qi, Yan, Zhao, and Wei, and routed the enemy forces.
In mid-summer of the 45th year, the lost territories and their collective farms were restored, and a purge began. Simultaneously, countless new collective farms were established.
In the autumn of the 45th year, the harvest was rushed.
In the winter of the 45th year, you trained a massive army of one million soldiers! You heavily relied on Zhang Chengzhu, An Xian, and Yu Jin as main generals, each leading 100,000 troops.
During the spring plowing of the 46th year, you abandoned the spring plowing. Princess Xin Yue led an army of 300,000 to maintain order, after which you personally led an army of 700,000 to launch an offensive, dividing the army into four parts.
In the summer of the 46th year, the allied armies of the nations were defeated, and the Yun Yue Kingdom conscripted another million soldiers!
In the autumn of the 46th year, all lost territories were recovered, the capital was moved back to its original location, and collective farms were established throughout the country.
During the spring plowing of the 47th year, a period of recuperation.
During the 47th year, a period of recuperation.
During the 48th year, a period of recuperation.
In the year 49, you raised an army of four million! You launched a campaign against the surrounding disloyal nations, causing great alarm among all states.
...
In the year 60, you assisted Empress Xin Yue in unifying the Qingzhou Continent!
In the year 63, struck by a celestial sensation, you died!
Your age was 43.
"A celestial sensation killed me? What is that? What happened?"
Chu Chen was initially very excited about this life simulation, but the final outcome of death left him astonished and bewildered.
"Logically, after unifying the Qingzhou Continent, with my highest combat power at the Qi Transformation realm, no one should be able to assassinate me, nor should anyone be my match. How could I die inexplicably? What is this celestial sensation?"
Chu Chen frowned, recalling the contents of books he had read in the Scripture Pavilion.
After a while, he remembered what a celestial sensation was.
A celestial sensation is the sixth sense of a martial cultivator, a premonition generated by sensing some subtle fluctuation in the heavens and earth.
"Could it be that the Qingzhou Continent hides something terrifying?"
Chu Chen became serious. If that were the case, then this Qingzhou Continent might not be as simple as it appeared on the surface.
"In the Scripture Pavilion, some books mentioned martial cultivators in the Great Ascension realm. Could it be that those uninhabited places hide or are where Great Ascension realm martial cultivators are in seclusion, as the legends say?"
"But that doesn't make sense. If there truly were such beings, why would the highest cultivation level now be my Qi Transformation realm?"
"Wait!"
Chu Chen suddenly remembered something. He recalled checking the system panel information a long time ago, and there was a line that listed the cultivation realm divisions.
He quickly opened the system and looked closely at the host's data panel, only to be greatly shocked.
[This world's cultivation realm divisions, for the host's reference only: Body Refining, Foundation Establishment, Qi Transformation, Core Formation, Spiritual Platform, Unity, Great Ascension, Martial Immortal, Divine Realm.]
"Damn it! There are still Unity, Great Ascension, Martial Immortal, and Divine Realm after Spiritual Platform?"
Chu Chen was dejected. He had thought that the Spiritual Platform realm of the Cloud Dispelling Palm and Frost Fist, drawn from the Fengyun world, and possibly the higher realm of the Three Points Return to One Qi, would be the highest.
He never expected there to be several more realms after that!