Chapter 4: Meeting the Dowager Empress (formerly the Empress Mother but changed to Dowager Empress)
Li Wei woke up, went to shower, and then prepared for breakfast. While waiting, he remembered the content of the letter he read and kept hidden beside him. Given his current level in cultivation, which was still in the first stage of body refinement, the poison would completely paralyze him and he would prefer death over that.
He thought, "This letter must reach the Dowager Empress because someone who could bypass all obstacles and enter my room is not an easy person."
After breakfast arrived, he looked at it for a while and ordered, "Call the poison tester." Some guards were surprised, but they could not escape Li Wei's gaze. When the poison tester arrived, he ate from all the dishes and drank from all the drinks to ensure there were no poisons. Suddenly, he collapsed and could not move. Li Wei spoke in a deep voice, "Call the doctor." When the doctor arrived and examined him, he said, "Your Majesty, this servant is paralyzed. I believe it's a poison that paralyzes cultivation and nerves. He will die soon without treatment, which is a bit expensive." The doctor hinted that it wasn't worth wasting the country's resources on just a servant, but Li Wei said, "Go and treat him. And while you're there, send a message to the Imperial Grandmother that I will visit her this afternoon."
After that, he turned and went to his private study. Time passed as he contemplated the letter. When noon came, he prepared and went to the Dowager Empress. Upon arrival, he greeted her and indicated he had something important to discuss. The Empress ordered, "Everyone, leave." After they left, Li Wei sat down and told the Empress everything. She finally replied, "Show me the letter." He showed it to her. After reading and pondering it, she told him, "Try to win him to your side. Someone who could inform you of such things and infiltrate the palace is not simple. Also, if you didn't know, the Emperor's room was broken into last night, and he was threatened to control his women or he would die. So don't worry, there won't be any assassination attempts on you in the coming days." He responded, "You saw the letter. He warned me about my servants, that there's a traitor among them, but told me not to dismiss them. Why?" She answered patiently, "You are still young and don't understand, but this way he will know their movements because he knows who the traitor is this time. But if you dismiss them and a new one comes, he won't know and you will die."
After the conversation, Li Wei's life continued normally without the random letters warning him of assassination attempts and how to act. Three years passed, and the gates of the Imperial Academy of the Fire Nation opened again. This time, Zhang Ying's parents told her, "Dear, you will go to the academy from today and won't be able to meet us except during holidays and graduation, which is every three years. Being talented and from the common people, you will be threatened and intimidated, but don't be afraid. If anyone dares to bully you, hit them back. And don't forget to send us letters with the names of those who tried to bully you so we can handle it." Zhang Ying replied, "Don't worry about me. I'm in the first stage of qi condensation. Who can bully me?" She was excited because she had prepared for this and had asked Yang Mi to kill a corrupt teacher in the academy and replace him, thus having the advantage of an insider in the academy.
After bidding farewell to her parents, she got into the carriage and headed to the academy. While waiting in the carriage, the system suddenly spoke.
Ding!
(New mission: Do not let any student take the first place in all exams and rankings)
(Difficulty: Hard)
(Reward: Supreme Golden Ticket and 10,000 system points)
Seeing the mission, Zhang Ying could only sigh at the difficulty of the second mission she had taken since her reincarnation. While contemplating her next steps, they arrived at the academy. What she did not expect was the long line of students registering. What surprised her more was that the carriage did not stop and continued to move. All the students started looking at her in amazement. She wondered what was happening until the carriage stopped in front of the gate. An official took her registration form from the driver and the carriage continued.
After Zhang Ying's carriage passed, the students whispered among themselves. One said, "Who do you think the student in that carriage is? They bypassed the entire line. Even the crown prince had to stand in line. Do you think the student is one of the elites?" Another responded, "I think they are from a powerful family or related to someone on the board." A third said, "I don't think so. Even the children of the right and left assistant managers stood in line. Who do you think could bypass the line?" Meanwhile, Li Wei was guessing who was in the carriage. He even tried to sense the aura of the person inside but felt nothing as if the carriage was empty. After completing his registration, he went to the supervisor who took her registration form and asked, "Supervisor, can you tell me who is in that carriage?" Seeing that it was the crown prince, the supervisor replied, "Your Majesty, I cannot disclose the identity of any student without their permission or the director's permission, but I can tell you one thing: Do not provoke the person inside the carriage because not even the Emperor can save you from their wrath. As long as you follow the academy's rules and do nothing out of line, nothing will happen." Hearing the supervisor's warning, Li Wei fell silent. Someone with such a background would likely belong to a major sect because there was no empire stronger than the Yan Kingdom. What Li Wei did not expect was that all the children registering at that time heard the supervisor's warning and resolved not to approach the person.
Once registration was complete, it was time for the eliminations to select the students who deserved to stay and dismiss the rest. The academy always selected a hundred students. While waiting for the academy director to give his speech, the director arrived, and beside him was a small girl of the same age as the students. Some thought she was the director's granddaughter because he was in his 80s. As the director advanced, she walked behind him until they reached the stage, where he set up a chair for her to sit on. She was the only one seated in the entire field and did not utter a word until the director began to speak in a deep voice filled with spiritual qi. "Imperial Academy students, I am Director Wan Li, and I welcome the young generation of this batch because among you are some geniuses. As usual, the arena will be opened, and students will fight in it, but unlike previous times, this time there will be ten arenas, each with a hundred students, monitored by teachers. The rules are simple: Two students will enter the arena, and the winner will stay on. To secure your place, you must win ten times. Do you understand?" When the director shouted, all the students answered in unison, "Yes," except the girl, who remained silent. Li Wei watched her with interest. As she observed, the girl looked at him and smiled. Then everyone ascended to the arenas. She went to arena number one. The supervisor told the students that she was a special case and the rest would be randomly assigned to arenas where they had to introduce themselves before fighting.
Then the fighting began. Li Wei was placed in arena five. When the first student ascended to arena one, he introduced himself, "My name is Chen Li." The girl nodded and said, "My name is Zhang Ying." Chen Li smiled and said, "Don't be sad if you lose and hold a grudge." She laughed and said, "I could have registered without undergoing the test. Do you know why?" When everyone stared at her, astonished by her statement, she released her aura. Everyone was shocked, their eyes wide open. She was at the third stage of qi condensation. Everyone thought so until she spoke, "I will only fight at this level. This is thirty percent of my power." When Chen Li thought she was joking and mocking him, she told him, "Before we start the match, do you want to attack first or should I eliminate you quickly? You are unlucky to be my first opponent." Chen Li attacked, but she blocked his strike with her aura alone and with a look, she expelled him from the arena. She stood in the arena, and everyone was silent until the supervisor called the next student. Zhang Ying defeated all the students in arena one with a crushing defeat without using her combat skills. She waited and thought, "Why is the mission difficult when they are so weak? No one has reached the stage of qi condensation, and I have already reached the peak. Should I go easy on them?" While waiting, she saw some students approaching her arena, all with an aura similar to hers. The supervisor said, "These students arrived late due to some circumstances. They are all elite students." Zhang Ying looked at them with excitement and fear because if she defeated these students, it would be guaranteed that she would take the first place.