The conflicts
The students are very busy everyday. The knowledge of cultivation was very vast and never ending. Many academies in the world are making new progress everyday. One of the biggest cultures of academies is conferences. Once every three months, the conference was held. If a student finished a report of ten years long learning, he/she must present a report in one of those conferences.
The parliament was always full of arguments and fights. The new power of artifacts was being discussed aggressively. This type of artifacts might change the world of cultivation. If it reaches the wrong hand, it will cause disaster to people.
The arguments and statements are thrown after another. The most conservative groups are rejecting the new artifact. The others think these new artifacts can take the dynasty to a new height. Only the Kings and royal families are unaffected because there are far more great artifacts than this cart. This artifact's advantages is it can be used by anyone and can be mass produced.
In the garden of Li mansion, Two men are playing chess. They seem to focus on chess and forget the beauty of the garden. The man who was around age 40 holding chess pieces in the air. He takes back the chess pieces in his hand. Put the chess piece into the cup.
"Ha Ha Ha... This trick is very good. Zhang Yan, Your chess skills have improved again. I am no longer your opponent."
He is wearing a red silk robe. His eyes are sharp and almost penetrated in his eyesight. He walked to the porch of the building and looked at the beautiful lotus flowers in the lake. The wind passed the lake and blew the building.
The young man Zhang Yan cupped his hand and said.
"Lord Li, you apprised me too much. I am just a mere officer of the empire." "How can I compare to you? Minister Li, the one who incharge of the empire trade affair."
Minister Li rubbed his mustard and looked back at Zhang Yan.
"A person like you staying in the tax collecting department is a loss to the empire."
"I came from a remote area of the empire and am merely a scholar and I don't have the ability to join in worldly affairs like minister Li."
"Zhang Yan, Have you heard of the book of artifacts manuals?"
"I have heard of my master mentioned once." "It is originally called a hundred sword manual." "Two thousand years ago, Jin Kingdom general Meng Tian wrote the book of the hundred sword manual. A hundred swords are recorded in the book, ranked by their ability and its users. Later , people put the artifacts into it."
Minister Li turned around and put some wine into his cup and drank.
"Right, but it is not completely true."
Zhang Yan cupped his hand and
"Minister Li,can you please tell me about it?"
"Actually, it is two books. The hundred sword manual recorded a hundred famous cultivator weapons. Sword, spear, staff, etc. The book of artifacts manual is different. It was written by the Ji Gong Su academy ancestor Ji Gong. He is the one who invented the first artifacts. He found the power of rivers and how to harness them. He later found a sect called Ji Gong. He wrote about artifacts, abilities and power. These two books are known as together. Later people remake those books into one."
After listening, Zhang Yan, two eyebrows are close to each other.
"Minister Li, is it something to do with me?"
"Right, I have a mission for you. This mission was very important and dangerous. I need a man that I can completely trust and can move with the situation."
Zhang Yan kneed down, "If it is for empires. I will do everything if it is to the death."
Minister Li holds Zhang Yan kneeling "Good…. I will contact you in three days."
Now you may take your leave.
What a peaceful era, people don't have to worry about food and shelter. Now those artifacts can completely change.
In the capital city of Zhou palace chamber,
A man in the black suit is walking fast. His face was covered in a mask and hanging two short swords at his waist. He soon enters the secret chamber. He kneed in front of a red curtain.
"Your majesty, We have finally made it. We can finally make Black sword of monarch."
"Are you sure? Do they succeed?" The man in the chamber asked.
"This is all your glory, Your majesty," he replied.
"I have never thought the people from the Shang continent have that much ability." "Take black sword of monarch to me."
Behind the curtain, a man was drinking wine. Beside him an old man with white hair was standing. He looked like he was going into deep thought.
The Man drinking wine said "Black sword of monarch" "I wonder how powerful it is?"
The old man bowed to the man and said " Ten years ago, they came to Zhou and claimed that They can recreate the black sword of monarch. Your majesty secretly gave a place to live without the Ye family knowing."
"Now they are returning gratitude." "Your majesty, I really wonder what they are and what their intentions are." "They said they came from the Shang continent. The Shang continent is very far from here." "We can't approve whether what they are claiming was true or not."
"A hundred years ago, we ended up losing the war with Qin and lost many resources. Even Qin didn't pursue much farther and gave back most of Zhou land. But they took the resources of my royal families and that weakened the royal family and the ye family take control of my Zhou empire. I will never forget that humiliation. We need to take care of the Ye family first."
"After the war we depend on the Ye family resources and they took the chance and took control of the dynasty." "They are now deeply run in the dynasty." "Your majesty please think carefully, they are also a Zhou dynasty power."
"How is the Qin dynasty?"
"Your majesty, I got some news about Qin from spies." "It seems they have developed a new type of moving artifact which can kill a qi forging cultivator with a single blow."
"A single blow?" "Interesting" "Are you sure about that?"
"We are still investigating, your majesty " "He said it can be used by anyone, even someone who is not a cultivator and can kill a cultivator."
The face of the man who is drinking wine changes. His eyes are filled with deep thought.
"A normal soldier can kill a cultivator in a single blow."
At the palace of Zhou,
"Princess, please come down. It is very dangerous."
Many servants are running and shouting at the girl, who is about 16 year old. She seems to be very excited about jumping around a flame field on the top of the building. People are watering the flame and try to put out the fire.
A man in white flies to her and catches her in mid air.
"Ye Ziyun"
"Father"
"You make a mess again." "How many times have I told you? A girl should be gentle, sweet and polite." "Now go to the ancestor room and reflect on yourself."
Ye Ziyun was taken by the servants and he looked at Ye Ziyun.
"If a girl grows up, she gives everyone a headache wherever she goes."
He is the Family chief of the Ye family. A hundred year ago, the war between Zhou and Qin ended in defeat. The Ye family helped the royal family and married the sister of the king. The wedding creates the bond between the Ye family and royal family and prevents the royal family from being destroyed. She died 16 year ago after the birth of Ye Ziyun. The bond was almost broken after she died. Ziyun is the only one who keeps the bond still intact. Although the Ye family control the most power in the dynasty, they don't know what the king is planning.
Currently, the king was doing suspiciously. He gathered many cultivators in the army, built fortresses on the border by reasoning the rebels and contacts with the Shang.
He put some of his men in the king's chamber but none of them clearly knew what he was planning about.
"Lord Ye, the king ordered you to meet him at the council."
There are many official members in the council. He waited for the king to arrive. The king came out from behind the throne and sat on the throne.
An official said "Your majesty, yesterday a group of messengers from Wei Kingdom arrived in the capital. They requested to send their queen messages."
The King nodded. Soon after a moment, A group of female cultivators enter the council. They all have covered their faces. Their body proportions and movements are so smooth. They bow toward the King and the girl in the lead start talking
The queen has said
"She will not allow mining on the border anymore." "The Min family mines aggressively and makes people in the area suffer the flooding." "We also stopped iron exporting to the Zhou Dynasty."
The officials are talking to each other while making noise in the hall. The king said "We have been friends for a long time and there is no conflict." "The issue about the Min family,we will give them a punishment."
"Our queen has already made her own punishment.
"Aww, is that so?" the king of Zhou said in questioning manners.
Why did she stop exporting iron to Zhou?
We are only messengers. We don't know why she stopped."
The king was thinking for a moment and said "Tell this to your queen, we are very friends of the Wei kingdom. We can talk to solve the problem. I hope she will understand my intention.
"I will take note of the words and send them to the queen."
They leave the hall.
An official stand out and "Your majesty, we don't have enough resources to produce tools and weapons to defend the Qin."
"I have a good supplier from another continent but it takes time."
The king stopped the council and left.
At the top of Tai San mountain, two female cultivators are climbing to the top. Their hands are filled with bruises and cut. The coldness of the mountain makes their blood froze as soon as blood comes out. They still keep going.
"Jun wan, you are falling behind. I will be the successor of the throne."
A girl named Jun wan shouted back "Don't even think about it. I will be the successor." She paced up her speed.
After an hour passed, two female figures showed up together.
"We are tied up again. Hwa Mei"
"Now, we have to find another race again." "I am sick of all of this." Hwa Mei said.
"This is the part we have to conquer to be a queen of its people."
The two beautiful females are laying on top of the frozen mountain and talking. They don't seem to get cold.
Wei kingdom is located in the southern part of the Xia continent which is filled with mountains and snow. They don't ever participate in the affairs of the middle plain region. In the Middle plain, the Two dynasties have been at war for many years. They don't side and stay neutral. They maintain good terms with both dynasties.
The Wei kingdom is ruled by the queen Gasha. Gasha is the name of the queen that people called. Every Gasha is selected by the trial and test. Every fifteen year, a group of five year old girls are chosen and trained at the queen palace to become the next successor.
They train the secret technique that can absorb cold Qi into their body. They become immune to cold. That secret technique allows them to maintain their appearance like a 16 year old girl. Every Gasha must challenge a competition between them and the final winner will ascend the throne.
"Have you two found out who the winner is?"
The two ladies shake their heads in sync.
"Never mind, Wash and take a good rest two of you. We still have time to do it."
"Yes, Gasha"
Two of them leave and a man in the golden armor and a girl in a yellow dress of Wei walks in.
Gasha, The messengers have returned. The golden armor man said " The king of Zhou is seen to prepare something."
The queen is sitting in the room. There is a blue curtain which covers the Gasha place.
"Oh, how did it go?
"When we met Xin Han{the name of Zhou king}, their officials were very concerned about the iron ore."
"He said we have been friends with him for many years without conflict. They will punish the Min Family and offer another term for mining."
"And next?" The queen said with a cold and emotionless tone. She seems to not care about this.
"I went to their market and several places. There is a place called Shang that is filled with strange people. That is not from our continent. Their forging factories are working non-stop day or night. Zhou officials claim that they are making a huge amount of farming tools. But our spices said "they are forging a new kind of thing. We are still figuring out what it is. "
"Okay, You may leave. Han Xin, I have a word for you."
"Are we going to war, Gasha? Not yet and not us. They will be going against the Qin."
"Our country's geology has many advantages. That is why our ancestors chose this place to found the country. Natural defence and arrays are impenetrable. But some resources can be cut from them."
"Gasha, we are neutral every time it comes to war. Why are we taking sides this time?"
"Looking back a thousand years, There have been plenty of wars. The Zhou dynasty always starts wars. The Qin defended. They finally piss off and fight back. Take control of the Zhou dynasty land. We meditated on Qin and gave back their land and shaked their core. The Qin only took the resources of the royal family and left the king alive. We make mistakes. If the Zhou is not destroyed, the war will never end. The people have already suffered from the war for many years. Now they find peace for a century. They don't want another war. The Qin are peaceful. Only Zhou is the problem."
"But Gasha, does the high temple agree?"
She looks away from Han Xin and
"I don't worry about the high temple. I only worried about a person"
The high temple is the palace of previous queens. After ruling for twenty years, they have to transfer the throne to the successor and move to the high temple.
The temple watched the Gasha actions of the country. Gasha must discuss the country's affairs with the high temple. If the high temple doesn't give permission, Gasha can't go to war.