Chapter Nine: The Second Celestial Change

Before long, Zhao Liang and Gao Qishan walked over. Glancing at the epaulettes on Zhao Liang’s shoulders, Zhang Xiao immediately understood the situation.

“Hello, I’m Zhao Liang, commander of the Thirty-Fifth Army. As long as you can solve the problem our soldiers have with using firearms, I’ll give you the Lunar Stone,” Zhao Liang said bluntly. Since Gao Qishan had already confirmed Zhang Xiao’s abilities, Zhao Liang saw no reason for unnecessary pleasantries.

Far from being offended by Zhao Liang’s straightforwardness, Zhang Xiao was actually delighted. He immediately took out three small illustrated books and said, “I’m sure Chief of Staff Gao has already explained. These children’s books can bestow skills upon soldiers, but I don’t have an unlimited supply.”

His words startled Zhao Liang, whose face darkened. Before Zhao Liang could respond, Zhang Xiao handed him the three books.

“These three books are for basic printing skills, printing mastery, mechanical printing operation mastery, and basic mechanical repair mastery. I have twenty copies of each, enough for a full production line. You can mass-produce them, and apart from firearms, you can print all sorts of basic skills—driving, cooking, you name it. Isn’t that worth at least a chunk of your precious material?”

Zhao Liang was shocked. “What? You mean with these, my men don’t have to go to the quest envoys for basic skills anymore?”

“Exactly. There’s always a loophole in everything if you know where to look,” Zhang Xiao said with a smile.

Zhao Liang laughed as well. “Fine, you have a deal. The rest of my children’s books are all with me.”

Zhang Xiao nodded. “Tomorrow morning, bring your men to the Tianming Vegetable Market and we’ll trade on the spot. But one thing—don’t bring more than twenty people, or I won’t show.”

Zhao Liang knew about the Tianming Vegetable Market—it was once the largest market in Z City, but now long abandoned. The terrain there was complex, and if he tried to use force, it would be hard to corner Zhang Xiao. But Zhao Liang had no intention of robbing him anyway, so he readily agreed.

Once they agreed on a time, Zhang Xiao took his leave. Before dawn the next day, he arrived early at the Tianming Vegetable Market to wait.

At ten in the morning, Zhao Liang arrived punctually with his men. Once Zhang Xiao was sure Zhao Liang had no intention of using force, he opened his backpack, revealing a pack full of children’s books. Besides the original three types of printing operation manuals, there were some other basic skill books as well, though Zhang Xiao didn’t bother to sort them—he considered the extras a bonus.

Zhao Liang carefully counted the books and had a soldier personally test one before taking a fist-sized, jet-black stone from his case. Zhang Xiao took the stone and saw that it was indeed the Lunar Stone he wanted; the icy chill that seeped into his hand was almost unbearable.

He put the Lunar Stone into his pocket. The chill was uncomfortable but manageable. Patting his pocket, Zhang Xiao turned to leave.

Seeing this, Zhao Liang called out, “Hey, you’ve got real talent. Why not join the military? You’d never lack food or drink.”

Zhang Xiao just smiled faintly and turned into a side alley without answering. As he watched Zhang Xiao’s figure disappear, Zhao Liang felt a pang of regret.

But he knew that people with ability and nerve like that weren’t so easily recruited. With that, Zhao Liang left the Tianming Vegetable Market with his men.

In the city center of Z City stood a 39-story office building, once a famous prime location, now all but deserted.

Zhang Xiao stood on the rooftop, looking down at the plaza below, lost in thought. The time was almost here—but don’t misunderstand, he wasn’t planning to jump. It was just the best vantage point.

Since returning to the city nearly a month ago, Zhang Xiao hadn’t bothered with monster hunting or leveling up. Instead, he practiced the Prajna Zen Sutra every day. After a month, he was close to breaking through to the second stage of the Sutra. Once he did, he could reach level 20 directly, with no need to compete for monsters. By now, others had probably reached level 10 or even 15, but that hardly concerned him. He was waiting—for the second Heaven Change.

According to his memories from his previous life, after the second Heaven Change, envoys from the five great sects—Mount Shu, Dragon Tiger Mountain, Kunlun, Shaolin, and Maoshan—would appear in the plaza below. Anyone who reached level 15 could seek them out to join a sect. As for the Demonic Cult, Five Poison Sect, Nine Fiend Palace, and Heavenly Demon Pavilion, these were opposed to the five orthodox sects and would appear at another nearby plaza.

Zhang Xiao had already made up his mind. Though he cultivated the Prajna Zen Sutra, he didn’t have to join Mount Shu or Shaolin. He remembered how, in his previous life, he envied Maoshan’s bronze-armored corpses. So he decided—he would join Maoshan.

Suddenly, thunder cracked overhead. The sky, bright and clear a moment before, darkened without warning. Zhang Xiao was more pleased than surprised—it was time for the second Heaven Change.

A tremendous peal of thunder exploded, making Zhang Xiao’s ears ring and almost causing him to cough blood. He finally understood what true heavenly might was—a single thunderclap like this, before the Heaven Change, could have killed him.

If Zhang Xiao found it unbearable, it was worse for the people below. The lower-leveled ones fainted outright, while the stronger were still left with internal injuries.

“I am the Will of Heaven. Data will be reformed. Those who transcend will attain the supreme Dao Fruit. Today, the gates of cultivation open anew, and the methods shall be widely taught.”

A sonorous voice echoed from the sky, yet it seemed to resonate directly in one’s heart. The tone was cold and emotionless, but the pressure it carried brooked no resistance—only submission.

Eight characters flashed through Zhang Xiao’s mind: “Divine might like a prison, divine grace like the sea.”

Nine beams of golden light pierced the black clouds, five of them descending onto the plaza below. These were the envoys.

Before the crowd could react, Zhang Xiao dashed downstairs and hurried to the plaza. The once messy square was now immaculate. Five elderly men of varying appearances sat cross-legged at the center.

Striding forward, Zhang Xiao asked, “Are you the envoys from the sects?”

At his words, the five elders opened their eyes in unison and nodded. “Indeed, we are envoys, here to accept disciples for our sects. I see you have reached level 15. Would you like to join a sect?”

Zhang Xiao nodded eagerly. “Yes, but may I ask which sect each of you represents, and what are their unique characteristics?”

Though he had already decided, Zhang Xiao feigned ignorance.

“I am from Kunlun, ancestral court of the Dao, inheritor of the immortal arts left by the Queen Mother of the West. Our arts are profound and powerful. Among the five sects, Kunlun leads in Daoist magic,” the Kunlun envoy said, waving his hand. A rainbow beam slashed through the air and split a stone in two.

The other envoys were secretly annoyed. They all saw that Zhang Xiao was level 15 and had three attributes perfected—a rare talent. Anyone who could reach level 15 at this stage must have extraordinary fortune. None of them wanted to let such a talent go, but Kunlun had taken the initiative.

At this, the Dragon Tiger Mountain envoy laughed. “True, but our Dragon Tiger Mountain’s Golden Elixir Path is no less than Kunlun’s. Our sect’s formations can call upon the power of the stars and the earth in battle. Young friend, why not consider us?”

No sooner had he finished than the Shaolin envoy spoke up. “I sense the aura of the Buddha upon you; clearly, you are fated with our path. Shaolin is renowned throughout the world, with the Immovable Vajra Divine Skill to resist all magic, and thirty-six divine powers to foresee the future. Since you are so destined, why not join us?”

“Bah! You baldpate, you make being a monk sound so appealing—no meat, no wine, and you have to feign compassion all day. Young man, don’t be fooled; monks are no good! You should join Maoshan. Our Daoist arts may not match Kunlun, nor our formations Dragon Tiger Mountain, but we excel in crafting magical treasures and top-grade pills, and our sorcery is peerless. If you join Maoshan, I’ll even give you an iron corpse as a gift!”

The Maoshan envoy’s words left the Shaolin envoy fuming and the others astonished—why hadn’t they thought of offering incentives?

The Mount Shu envoy stepped forward and produced a silver short sword. “Young friend, the Shaolin master is right—you do have a Buddhist aura. But if you don’t want to be confined by monastic rules, come to Mount Shu. Our sect is free of rigid regulations, and many of our techniques resonate with Buddhist methods. You can study both for twice the result with half the effort. If you join us, I’ll give you this Silver Rainbow Sword—a genuine magical treasure.”

Zhang Xiao was startled—could they tell he practiced the Prajna Zen Sutra? In truth, each envoy was of high cultivation and had already seen through his situation, though they could only detect that he had learned a Buddhist method, not which one.

After a moment’s contemplation, Zhang Xiao stepped up to the Maoshan envoy. “I wish to join Maoshan. Please, accept me as your disciple.”

The Maoshan envoy was overjoyed and turned to the Shaolin envoy with a laugh. “See? This young man is not fated with Buddha, but with Maoshan!”

The Shaolin envoy, though vexed, was baffled by Zhang Xiao’s choice. Though the Buddhist aura around him was faint, it was extremely pure—surely someone with a heart for Buddhism should join Shaolin, not Maoshan. The Maoshan envoy was equally puzzled, but since Zhang Xiao had chosen his sect, why question it?

With a flip of his palm, he produced a coffin no bigger than a hand...