The time goes back to two quarter-hours ago.

Chen Xu wrote "The Strategy to Pacify the Locust Demon" in the Imperial Examination Hall. At the moment the paper exuded purple smoke, no one knew that something unusual was happening at the bottom of the Yuan Cang River.

At that moment, in the abyss at the bottom of the river, a massive black shadow that was about to break through the depths again was struck as if critically injured, and suddenly let out a soul-piercing scream.

Ah——

The black shadow cried out in pain and rolled, and the water at the riverbed surged endlessly.

"Who is it? Who is casting spells in the dark to harm me!"

The black shadow silently roared, "No, I refuse! I was just one step away, why can't I break through?"

"Resentment! I need resentment, I need more and more resentment..."

Under the river, more aquatic creatures were drawn in.

Then, in the undercurrent, their bodies were crushed, souls torn apart, and invisible blood flowed into the abyss.

At the same time, some of the boats traveling on the Yuan Cang River suddenly encountered undercurrents, the hull tilted, and were engulfed between the underflows and the abyss.

Blood splashed, and vengeful spirits suddenly appeared.

But these scenes were unseen—

Or rather, those who had seen or experienced it lost their lives in the storm on the river.

Everything left no traces.

The prosperity of Pingyang City remained as constant as ever, seemingly undisturbed.

Only later, a man with a bamboo hat walked to the river's edge, and after pacing back and forth, he showed a solemn expression.

Then he picked up two smooth stones from the ground, held them in his palm, and suddenly struck them together.

Buzz!

A wave of invisible ripples spread out.

In the grass, the little gray mouse could no longer hear the man with the bamboo hat speaking.

But it didn't matter, the mouse was an ordinary one and couldn't fully understand human speech anyway.

It didn't need to understand; it just needed to remember everything it saw, and after some time, return to the elder mouse, where its memories would be retrieved.

Though the man spoke without sound, the changes in his mouth were completely captured by the wild mouse in the grass.

"Brother, the resentment at the river bottom is insufficient, transforming into a dragon might not happen on time."

"I have deduced that it's very likely because a scholar at the Imperial Examination Hall wrote an article causing purple smoke. The article's Vast Qi diminished the resentment at the Hall, making the dragon transformation difficult."

"Yes, I understand."

"Rest assured, brother, I will certainly act and set things right."

"Since heaven and earth are corrupt, we must perform righteous deeds."

"The mighty rivers, ephemeral mayflies. What joy in life, what fear in death?"

"Though thousands stand in my way, I shall go forward!"

On the riverbank, at this moment the man with the bamboo hat suddenly raised his eyes.

His eyes were red, deep, and bright, carrying an indescribable, numbing yet fanatical terror.

He looked towards the direction of Pingyang City.

The wild mouse in the grass couldn't understand any of this; it merely tilted its head slightly, intuitively feeling that this moment was very interesting, and then scurried into a burrow by the roadside.

This was the mouse's path.

The wild mouse took the mouse path back to the city; it knew that upon returning and meeting a particular elder rat, it would surely receive a reward.

At the same time, in Ziwei Academy.

Wen Daoyuan took the copied essay "The Strategy to Pacify the Locust Demon" from Wang Zhen, feeling a mix of emotions he still couldn't suppress.

There was both the joy of "hearing the Way" and a deep disappointment in the Emperor.

In some sense, the Emperor clearly understood Wen Daoyuan very well.

Wen Daoyuan was indeed extremely disappointed in the Emperor, yet he couldn't overlook the opportunity for "immortal achievements."

All along, Wen Daoyuan's core idea of attaining the path was "the boundless and the ultimate, the five elements of Yin and Yang."

One could say he was an advocate for "the unity of Yin and Yang, the rotation of the five elements, the natural way," and the path he explored was the unity of heaven, earth, and humanity!

Wen Daoyuan, therefore, became a Great Scholar because his theory of the path was clear, precise, and well-established.

But to say he reached the absolute end of his path—

That certainly was not the case.

If he had indeed reached the pinnacle, he would no longer just be a great scholar; he might even be considered a sage!

Even if not a sage, he would be a half-sage.

Thus, from a certain perspective, although Wen Daoyuan seemed to have gone far on his path, in reality, he had just begun.

He was always missing something.

This made everything before his eyes seem covered by a layer of white fog, with uncertainty that couldn't be pierced.

Yet Chen Xu's "The Strategy to Pacify the Locust Demon" was like a thunderstorm in a dream, tearing apart all the gloom and fog before Wen Daoyuan's eyes!

This allowed Wen Daoyuan to finally see what unity of heaven and man really was.

It lay in the order of Yin and Yang, the harmony of the five elements, the rotation of life and death, and the birth and extinction of all things—

All these should be on a controlled, sustainable path that could proceed for millennia.

The south-to-north water diversion was imperative.

With such a miraculous strategy cutting through the fog, Wen Daoyuan would never let it be shelved.

Returning to Ziwei Academy, he summoned his six true disciples.

Wen Daoyuan quickly explained the essence of "The Strategy to Pacify the Locust Demon" and said:

"Time is of the essence, and in war, speed is crucial. You all must prepare immediately, ready to assist my spellcasting at key locations across the Northern Border.

Once the waterways open, you must lead the disciples to quickly plant trees on both banks.

All spiritual materials and resources of the Academy can be fully mobilized this time.

At any cost, ensure the success of this matter!"

Wen Daoyuan's determination was indeed fervent.

His disciples were left dumbfounded, the eldest could barely speak, stuttering as he said, "Teacher, isn't this... a bit too hasty?"

Wen Daoyuan questioned back, "What haste?"

The eldest disciple stammered anxiously, "Hasty... hasty as in...

Teacher, we... we are not experts in waterworks, how can these channels be casually set up?

Shouldn't we... ask the Emperor to issue an order, asking the Ministry of Works to oversee this?

This truly is hasty..."

The sixth disciple, who managed the academy's spiritual materials, immediately said:

"Teacher, if all the spiritual materials of Ziwei Academy are to be mobilized, it needs consent from several deputy Mountain Masters. I... I can at most mobilize seventy percent!"

Seeing Wen Daoyuan's displeased expression, the sixth disciple quickly bit his lip and mentioned a seventy percent mobilization.

Witnessing this, Wen Daoyuan almost laughed in exasperation.

He sighed and said, "Everyone, life is short and opportunities fleeting.

Do you know what kind of opportunity this is? Dragging feet and making excuses, how can anything be accomplished in a lifetime?

You were all taught by me; if you lack the courage to make a decisive stand, I won't blame you.

I can only blame myself for insufficient cultivation, failing to grasp the subtleties of the human heart.

The south-to-north water diversion is no easy task, and there might even be obstacles from certain forces within the Imperial Court.

Why am I acting in haste?

It's because I must seize the initiative, achieving this monumental task before anyone reacts!

If anyone is unwilling, you can leave immediately, but should anyone depart from here, I will seal your memory of this day with a spell."

Wen Daoyuan spoke with great determination.

The disciples looked at each other, you looking at me and I looking at you.

Until the second disciple suddenly stepped forward.

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