Chapter 61: Designated as the Celestial Pivot
"Old Xiao, do not be overly anxious," Vice President Xia nodded, gazing at him as he spoke. "The more certain we are about this matter, the more cautious we must be. Apart from you, has anyone else in your circle noticed?"
"No," the portly old lecturer, Xiao Mingxuan, felt his impatience slightly diminish, though his tone remained fraught with urgency. "Who else, besides me, would take such meticulous interest in these subtle data comparisons concerning the new students?"
After a brief pause, he recalled something and added, "However, Old Luo has already interacted with Lin Xi and even personally selected a night watchman, so he must have recognized Lin Xi's uniqueness as well."
"Then it seems only the three of us are aware," Vice President Xia smiled. "That is of no concern. I will seek out Old Luo shortly and arrange for all records pertaining to him to be modified and transmitted to your Galactic Hall. The confidentiality level of this matter will be classified as top secret, at the Celestial Pivot level."
Only then did the portly old lecturer, Xiao Mingxuan, nod in satisfaction, calming down a bit.
After a moment of contemplation, feeling there was little more to say, he prepared to turn and leave. Yet, after taking just a couple of steps, he suddenly halted, turning back to the contemplative Vice President Xia. "Given his potential, and considering he may not become a Windwalker, why not directly designate him as a Celestial General? There's no need to waste time on archery."
"Who says he cannot be both a Celestial General and a Windwalker?" Vice President Xia countered for the first time, looking at Xiao Mingxuan with profound significance in the twilight. "Though his soul power may not be suited for it... do not forget, that bow can empower his arrows to rival those of a talent like Bian Linghan, even at the same level of cultivation. His soul power should be sufficient to support such feats in the future. Beyond merely being a Celestial General or a Windwalker, he may ascend even higher."
Xiao Mingxuan's rotund figure trembled once more as he abruptly turned, somewhat incredulous. "Do you truly believe he has the potential to become a War God like Director Zhang?!... But that bow..."
"One must always hold onto a glimmer of hope while living," Vice President Xia replied, gazing at Xiao Mingxuan with a hint of pride. "Old Xiao, after all these years at the academy, when have you seen us abandon what we've lost without striving to reclaim it? Indeed, that bow has fallen into the hands of Huang Puyuqi, yet he has refrained from appearing at the borders of the Tangzang Empire for a decade, fearful of our assassination and plunder. For the sake of a single bow, a great general harbors such trepidation that he dares not approach the borders... The bow we left in his possession has weighed heavily upon him for ten years. For us, this is an invaluable exchange. That bow... its time has simply not yet come; when the moment arrives, we shall retrieve it."
The mountain on which Vice President Xia and Xiao Mingxuan conversed was known as Celestial Pivot Peak.
Since that middle-aged man achieved unimaginable glory, establishing a vast territory for the Yunqin Empire and becoming Director Zhang, only thirteen individuals have been permitted to enter this peak.
He did not emphasize privilege but rather commanded reverence.
Faith fortifies resolve, while reverence imposes restraint; he altered the course of Qingluan Academy with his vision, indeed transforming many perspectives towards the world... However, with the passing of many and his own departure, only four individuals remain who can access this mountain peak within the current Qingluan Academy.
The Celestial Pivot level represents the highest authority within Qingluan Academy, meaning that the certain qualities detected in Lin Xi are known to only four individuals in the entire institution.
Shortly after the conversation between Vice President Xia and Xiao Mingxuan, minor adjustments were made among the instructors in the New Student Trial Valley. A few instructors departed from the trial valley, either moving to other areas of Qingluan Academy or leaving the academy to assist with various students' trials. These small adjustments occurred within reasonable limits, thus attracting no one's attention.
The sole individual naturally sensitive to scattered data, potentially discovering that these instructors had interacted with Lin Xi in the trial valley, was Xiao Mingxuan himself, one of the four privy to the secret.
Having never been on the battlefield, Xiao Mingxuan was selected by Director Zhang as one of the thirteen permitted to enter the Celestial Pivot, not only due to his many undisclosed contributions to the academy and unwavering loyalty but also because of his exceptional talent.
According to Director Zhang's assessment, had Xiao Mingxuan not been one of the masterminds behind the Galactic Hall on Ailao Mountain, he could have served as the Prime Minister of the Yunqin Empire, guiding the Eight Departments.
No one questioned the correctness of Director Zhang's judgments, for he stated that Xiao Mingxuan could indeed become the Prime Minister of the Empire; should he formally propose it, he would swiftly attain that position. Moreover, whoever he deemed loyal and trustworthy was indeed deserving of such trust—a fact that had never faltered over sixty years.
Based on the statistics and experience of Prime Minister-caliber Xiao Mingxuan, it was evident that absolute secrecy regarding any fact could only be achieved if all individuals who had encountered that fact were to perish. Since it was impossible to eliminate all who had been privy to the truth, a watertight concealment was unattainable. To keep a fact hidden from public knowledge, one could only rely on genuine records, minimal alterations, and deliberate guidance, leading those who encountered the truth to erroneous conclusions under his influence.
"Just one more five-star performance and I can exchange it for a credit... I must remain exceedingly cautious..."
As Lin Xi pondered this before beginning his meditative training that day, having exhausted himself to the point of physical fatigue, he was unaware that, although no one in the world knew the true secret he shared with Director Zhang, powerful individuals on Ailao Mountain had already discerned his "two bowls of water" trait through meticulous data comparisons. From that day forward, much about him would be faithfully recorded, yet certain aspects would be uniquely manipulated by Xiao Mingxuan amidst the flow of information. Within Qingluan Academy, only four individuals would ever know of this trait.
The academy's processes were perpetually swift and efficient.
"Celestial General?"
On the very night Lin Xi commenced his meditative training, a "General's Merit" level document was already transmitted to Xu Shengmo. "Two candidates with the potential to become Celestial Generals?... Lin Xi actually possesses the potential to be one?" Upon breaking the wax seal on the sheepskin scroll, Xu Shengmo's brows furrowed slightly. Though her expression remained unchanged, a flicker of shadow passed through her eyes.
Silently, she tossed the sheepskin scroll into the flames of the hearth before her, watching as it transformed into a peculiar ash that melded with the red coals. Suddenly, the icy, smooth, and fair-faced Xu Shengmo could not help but reveal a hint of a sardonic smile.
She and Tong Wei, along with Xia Zhiqiu, were fundamentally different types of people; yet now, they were intertwined like the ashes and coals left by the sheepskin scroll, fused together in a bizarre manner… Their perceptions and views of this empire and world were entirely disparate, yet they bore the same burdensome mission. How ironic it was!
Almost simultaneously, a sheepskin scroll containing the same content was delivered to Mu Qing.
"A Celestial General with a qualification of two? Lin Xi, it seems you are indeed quite exceptional?"
Upon seeing the identical content, the unremarkable-looking female lecturer's face instantly bore an expression of amused disbelief.
As she tossed the sheepskin scroll into the hearth, her gaze lingered on a letter that lay before her, already opened.
On the ordinary butter-yellow paper cover, neatly inscribed in elegant script were the words: "To my beloved son, Lin Xi."
Even without reading the letter's contents, just seeing that line of text allowed her to imagine the tender maternal love with which the writer penned those words.
This letter, under normal circumstances, would not have arrived at Qingluan Academy for another five days; however, due to someone returning from the Longshe Border Army, it had arrived a few days early. Contemplating the expression on the face of the boy from Lulin Town when he received this letter the following day, a delightful smile graced Mu Qing's lips.
...
...
The next morning, a spirited Lin Xi, accompanied by Tang Ke, Bian Linghan, Hua Jiyue, and Li Kaiyun, exited the New Student Hall of the Zhi Ge Department.
For Lin Xi, today's elective course in toxicology was a subject that required careful attention, observation, and memory—an unremarkable class where, as long as he made no mistakes and patiently awaited the conclusion, he could easily earn two credits. However, both he and all the other new students emerging from the Zhi Ge Department were taken aback to find two instructors clad in black robes standing in the morning light outside the hall.
Standing at the entrance was Lecturer Mu Qing, while nearby, by a silver silk cable at the cliff's edge, was the stern instructor responsible for their martial arts course, Xu Shengmo.
"Your family has sent you a letter. Since someone returned from Longshe Mountain, it arrived a few days early," Mu Qing said, offering a gentle wave to summon Lin Xi forward. From her sleeve, she produced the letter from Lulin Town and handed it to him.
Lin Xi momentarily stood in a daze, then lowered his gaze to the elegant script on the butter-yellow paper. He found himself at a loss for words, lingering in a state of astonishment.
At times, he felt that fate was cruel, casting him, who had known little familial warmth since childhood, into a completely unfamiliar world. Yet at other times, he perceived the kindness and fairness of fate. Especially in this moment, he acutely felt a sense of happiness enveloping his heart, and he knew with clarity what truly mattered to him in this world.
"Father, Mother, Little Sister, what are you all doing right now?" His mind was flooded with vivid memories of every scene from Lulin Town, and the letter with its butter-yellow cover completely filled his heart.
"Open it when you have some time later," Mu Qing said, a gentle smile gracing her lips as she looked at Lin Xi. "Instructor Xu is still waiting for you over there."
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