Mo Chuan opened the letter:
"To my unmeet classmate of the Special Class, Mo Chuan:
Greetings!
The Dragon Kingdom's political landscape is currently volatile, and the populace suffers. I wish to meet with you to discuss state affairs and contribute to the nation's pacification. For this purpose, we sincerely invite you to Luoyi.
We await your arrival.
Sincerely,
Xuanyuan Qi, Lian Shanrang"
Xuanyuan Qi...
Mo Chuan had heard of this person, even seen him – he was one of the twenty-four individuals present at the "Li" convention.
He was the sole holder of dual "divine artifacts" – the Xuanyuan Sword, one of the Ten Royal Artifacts, and the SS+ ranked ability "Emperor's Banner."
Based on the situations of the other four Emperors, Xuanyuan Qi was considered a feudal lord. However, his position was extremely precarious – situated in the heartland, a territory fiercely contested by all sides.
Yuzhou...
Very well! Let's hope he is worth investigating!
...
Three days later, Lianyungang Station, morning.
The usually bustling waiting hall was eerily quiet amidst the wartime turmoil – clearly, the conflict had significantly impacted the area.
According to plan, Mo Chuan would first travel by boat from Tokyo to Lianyungang in Jiang Province, and then take a car to Luoyi in Yuzhou.
However, just as he was carrying three cups of coffee back to give He Lanxin, Tang Jingjing, and Luo Ni an early breakfast, a familiar voice sounded in his ear.
He looked up and saw the scene on the big screen, his pupils instantly constricting.
...
Jinling, Yuhua Hall, Xuanwu Gate Plaza.
Xin Lei, his emaciated body supported by Tao Tu, walked step by step towards the podium.
Earlier, to rescue Nuwa from Longjing City, Xin Lei had unleashed all his potential and most of his life force. After desperately enduring an attack from Jia Huang, he had managed to lead the group out of Longjing.
As for Cha Zhu, he had resolved to cover their retreat...
Xin Lei had then immediately fallen unconscious, only to wake up later in a hospital in Jinling.
Upon learning of what had transpired, he was initially silent, but then sighed – he had done his best.
The current Xin Lei was like a candle in the wind, liable to be extinguished by the slightest gust.
His once robust physique was now skeletal, and a ghastly scar stretching from his neck to his abdomen served as a constant reminder of his injuries.
However, the Eastern Emperor Yao and Southern Emperor Shun, to demonstrate that they were not holding Nuwa captive to control the Emperor and command the feudal lords, appointed Xin Lei as the Minister of Transportation for the Southeast Alliance.
And now, he was about to deliver his inaugural speech.
Before beginning, Xin Lei closed the door behind him, leaving Tao Tu to guard it, and then turned his gaze to the crowd below:
"To all my dear citizens, hello.
I suspect that most of you are not familiar with me, perhaps not even acquainted with me. This is not surprising.
After all, I have previously held the secret position of Tian Gan.
I believe today's speech should begin with someone everyone knows.
I was a classmate of Tai Shan Wang, one of the Yama Kings of the infamous cult organization, Yan Luo Hall.
We both unexpectedly awakened our abilities and were invited to study at Longjing University.
I was twenty-five at the time, strong and full of energy, while he was already in his forties and somewhat frail.
Initially, there were no issues. No one knew what their abilities were or what they were good for, so there were no 'high-level' or 'low-level' designations.
He had a younger brother to support, so I often helped him work to earn money.
But later, with the appearance of the Awakening Stones, everything changed.
I personally witnessed countless classmates who awakened abilities below A-rank being expelled from the campus, one by one, by the so-called Purification Corps.
During that time, brother fighting brother and roommate turning against roommate was commonplace. Eventually, all of this happened to Tai Shan Wang as well.
I watched him being progressively expelled from campus, unable to do anything.
In the following two years, I reflected extensively, continuously realizing that I could have intervened, but rather I *chose not to*, fearing implications.
Later, I fought ferociously on the front lines against demonic beasts. For thirteen years, I earned a fearsome reputation and the position of Di Zhi.
I knew I was atoning.
I had always kept track of Tai Shan Wang's affairs, always hoping to see him, even if just to apologize.
But during an operation to thwart a major plot by Yan Luo Hall, I discovered he had changed.
His pursuit of power had reached unimaginable heights.
Later, he murdered my wife and daughters, claiming he was helping me become stronger.
I realized then that he had truly become a madman, and the cause of it all was me.
For this incident, I received commendations from my superiors and filled the vacant position of Tian Gan.
Being a Tian Gan in one's thirties was considered exceptionally talented at the time.
Afterward, every time Tai Shan Wang appeared, I would pursue him, solely to prevent him from making further mistakes and to personally bury the sins I had created.
And during one reunion, he told me something I still vividly recall:
'The way I am now is not your fault.'
'It is this country's fault.'
'I even thank you, because without you, I would not have become who I am today.'
'They view us as ants, I view them as fish.'
He showed me his method of becoming stronger. His means were so simple it was laughable:
Selling his soul to extraterrestrial demons, and leveraging the characteristics of his abilities to accumulate vast amounts of ancient scriptures.
Speaking of which, some might ask:
Doesn't Tai Shan Wang sound no different from those madmen who have gone berserk?
But I would say, in a country like ours, in a country founded on wickedness, it is impossible from the outset to have a good person.
To be somewhat extreme, we are all wicked.
My apologies, my apologies, I've said some disappointing things.
However, as you may have noticed, I am not here today to give an inaugural speech.
I am here to speak my heart.
Tai Shan Wang, a man who pursued ultimate power, never expressed to me his hopes for this country.
This is because by the time he understood these things, he already knew he could not change anything.
Unfortunately, so can I not.
Half a month ago, with the passing of Lord Fuxi, the tripartite balance was broken. The conflicts of interest could no longer be suppressed, and the Longjing Incident erupted.
The Dragon Kingdom fell into chaos.
And I, ultimately, cannot stomach this injustice.
Therefore, I accepted Yao's proposal and obtained this position.
And in this process, I have also come to understand some things—
They were only seeking to seize state power from the beginning, never truly considering how to govern or bring peace to the people.
There is a question that everyone has either overlooked, or rather, feigned ignorance of.
Why is it that even in this new era of Spiritual Energy Resurgence, the lives of the citizens are no different from the Qian Dynasty, that feudalistic era?
Poor social order, slow economic development, slow population growth.
Some say the lives of the people have changed dramatically, but that is merely the inevitable outcome of social progress.
The rights of ordinary people have increased because we have changed the object of oppression and exploitation – ordinary ability users.
There are reasons for this.
And this reason is, in fact, very simple.
Population.
The Dragon Kingdom has too many people.
To the extent that everyone is forced to forget a fact: the reason the Dragon Kingdom has a large number of ability users is due to its vast population base; the actual proportion has not changed.
I have met many who have recognized this problem.
Of course, the irony in this is that they tried to protect the rights of ordinary ability users, which, in the eyes of those powerful families, were insignificant.
Thus, all their efforts were stifled before they could progress.
In truth, I have always wondered – what if I also died?
Over the years, I have not been without seeking out and nurturing young people, but they lack the qualities of a leader, a reformer, or even a revolutionary.
The courage to break conventions, and the spirit of exploration.
Previously, Tai Shan Wang was killed by a young man I had taken a liking to.
I have been contemplating how I would apologize to him if my soul could still see him.
—However, it is likely that our destinations will not be the same.
I deeply wished to express everything that had been accumulating in my heart during my speech.
Yet, I cannot.
Some things are still too early to say.
I have not come to change the era; I am not that arrogant.
I even doubt how many people will be inspired by this.
But I do believe that some people in this country will understand what I mean.
If a group of sleeping people are confined in an iron house, would you wake them up to strive for escape, only for it to be futile, and ultimately, they must still die, or would you let them remain asleep, dying quietly?
I believe that even if you know the outcome is futile, and they will eventually die, it is still better to wake them up. At least strive for something. Even if striving is useless and they die, you can at least be true to yourself. But if you surrender without even a shred of effort, you will blame yourself, won't you?
And as long as one person is awakened, this country still has hope.
Therefore, permit me to say all that I wish to say:
Having spoken so much about Tai Shan Wang, you may have realized that I am not here to talk about him.
I am here to talk about myself, about us, the citizens.
We live in a twisted cage.
They do not directly impact our lives, yet they are omnipresent within them.
Every ordinary person who grows up in the Dragon Kingdom will, through various means, come to understand this country and, eventually, become accustomed to it.
However, I hope that you can look at the people around you and reflect on your own lives.
We must recognize one thing—
We are living, breathing human beings. Our lives are real, and we are not domesticated animals.
Moreover, we possess strength.
Our strength is the life we create itself.
Know that rice, flour, grains, and oil all come from the hands of farmers; wood and stone implements from the craftsmanship of artisans; trade flowing across the seas from the wisdom of merchants; literary and military strategies from learning; and the vastness of the divine land from military campaigns.
First come the scholars, peasants, artisans, and merchants, the ancestral halls and the fields, and then come the regional garrisons, the prefectures and circuits, and the imperial palace gates.
Their perverted actions, in the end, cannot escape the cycle of heavenly retribution.
Finally, Xin Lei threw away his speech draft and leaped from the fourth floor.
The residents of Jinling would never forget this day.
On this morning, a great man, in front of the entire city of Jinling, chose to use his life to awaken the sleeping populace.
Xin Lei, a former member of Tian Gan, whose real name was Xiao Zhen, died during his inaugural speech as Minister of Transportation.
The flames of Burning Heaven ignite across the land.