Xiao Ran never imagined that after working himself to death over PowerPoint presentations at his desk in his previous life, he would be reborn in this life as an impoverished scholar in the Great Zhou Dynasty. His father had died young, his mother was bedridden, and the family owned nothing but four bare walls. The imperial examinations were his only way out. But he could barely remember the “introduction, development, transition, and conclusion” of an eight-legged essay. With the provincial exam approaching, he was about to hand in a blank paper when the “Heaven’s Choice System” suddenly appeared in his mind.
Before him lay the exam question, “On ‘Rectifying the Heart and Making the Mind Sincere’ as the Foundation of Self-Cultivation,” along with four clear options. Choose A, and he was guaranteed to pass and become a licentiate. Choose C, and he could use “performance art” to win special consideration. Choose D, and he would “enter the Dao through writing” and summon sword intent, gambling everything on a near-impossible comeback. Thinking, “My life’s already a wreck, so I might as well risk it!” he bit his fingertip and stained his brush. With a single stroke through the air, a blue sword shadow shot into the sky, splitting the clouds as golden light enveloped him. The literary manifestation stunned everyone present. Not only did he grasp basic sword intent on the spot, he also secured the top place in the provincial exam!
A reward of a hundred taels of silver from the imperial court soon arrived. Sects such as the Azure Cloud Sword Sect and the Vast Righteousness Academy began courting him, but Xiao Ran had only one thing on his mind: first, get the silver to cure his mother, then figure out what secrets the System concealed, and what kind of path the sword intent flowing through his meridians might open for him in these turbulent times. From an impoverished scholar making a comeback in the examination hall to a peerless master of both the literary and sword arts who shakes the martial world and imperial court, his legend begins with that sword shadow that split the heavens.
😘😘