Chapter 1930: Doubts and Tests

Beijia had previously sent troops to Yan Mountain on Xianyou's eastern border, but they were thwarted by Commander Hong, He Lingchuan, and other generals, failing to achieve any significant success. Their subsequent withdrawal, prompted by the death of Xianyou's Second Prince, left them harboring deep resentment.

Therefore, despite domestic entanglements, Beijia once again dispatched a large army "at the request of Xiluo Kingdom," sending them to the eastern front of Yuheng City.

This pressure was the price of incurring the wrath of the era's dominant power.

With war on the horizon, Zhong Shengguang had to communicate thoroughly with Lingshan.

Xin Yi shifted the conversation back to Sun Fuling: "How have you been, Master?"

"I'm stable. Though busy, compared to you, my days are peaceful, and I dare not ask for more." Living in such chaotic times, particularly in the war-torn city of Panlong, it was exceptionally difficult for ordinary people to maintain such peace.

He Lingchuan also chimed in, "I heard that Shumin Academy is planning to establish Dingshan College?"

"You're well-informed," Sun Fuling said, picking up a game piece with her index and middle fingers, flipping her wrist, and turning it halfway around without immediately placing it on the board. "Dingshan College is more than halfway through its preparations. Thirty percent of its students will be local, and we will then accept commoners returning from the wilderness in Xianyou."

Xin Yi let out an "Oh": "Were there originally commoners from Panlong Wilderness in Xianyou?"

"Of course. Until eight years ago, Xianyou and Baling were still encroaching upon Panlong Wilderness. They took not only the land but also the people living on it. Some of these displaced individuals were forced to relocate to Xianyou but longed for their homeland day and night." Sun Fuling said softly, "We are preparing to welcome their return."

Only with a stronger homeland would their return be possible.

After speaking, Sun Fuling made her move, placing a piece with a decisive snap that made Xin Yi's eyes widen.

Oh no, how could he have been so careless just now, allowing Sun Fuling to seize such an opportunity!

He had to concentrate fully now.

He Lingchuan watched the game casually from the side.

He was constantly busy, shuttling between the real world and the Panlong world, his mind filled with calculations every day. For now, he just wanted to enjoy a brief moment of leisure.

Nevertheless, when facing Xin Yi, he couldn't help but recall what he had seen and heard in the Inverted Sea.

In the Inverted Sea, Qianhuan had mentioned that after the fall of Panlong City, Commander Hong's weapon was given to Wuji, a Beijia general. Wuji then died a few years later in Iron Willow Forest in the Shariver basin, killed by the renowned True Immortal Wuhuan, Xin Wuhuan.

However, He Lingchuan vaguely recalled that the history of the Lu family he had read told a different story.

For accuracy, as soon as he returned to the Glittering Gold Plains, he requested official historical records from the Shariver basin. He finally confirmed he hadn't misremembered, as the book clearly stated in black and white—

Mou Gaozu Xin Haiping slew Wuji in Iron Willow Forest in the Shariver basin.

Was Qianhuan lying?

At the time, Qianhuan was begging He Lingchuan for mercy and its life, so He Lingchuan didn't believe it would lie about something so unrelated to its own survival.

There was no need.

So who actually killed Wuji: Xin Wuhuan or Xin Haiping?

Was there a possibility that they were, in fact, the same person?

He Lingchuan immediately thought of the Lantern of Enlightenment.

Every three decades or so, the Mou Emperor would send the Shadowfang Guards to Xiaoyao Sect to retrieve the Lantern of Enlightenment. However, even the head of the Shadowfang Guards didn't know its true purpose.

Moreover, every emperor of the Mou Kingdom did this, not just the founding ancestor or the current Mou Emperor.

He Lingchuan already knew the Lantern of Enlightenment's function: to unravel the mystery of the womb, allowing a soul to retain past life memories after rebirth.

His mind stirred, and he suddenly recalled Qianhuan's direct question:

"Are you a ghost from Panlong City!"

Even knowing He Lingchuan's connection to Dafanghu and Panlong City, a normal person wouldn't make such an association or ask such a question.

Perhaps Qianhuan also recognized this type of person—one who could repeatedly seize others' bodies—

with the help of the Lantern of Enlightenment!

Memory constitutes personality; if someone could reincarnate again and again with all their memories intact, even if the body changed, they would still be the same person.

Could this person be the ancient True Immortal Wuhuan?

He Lingchuan had a bizarre conjecture:

What if Xin Haiping, the founding ancestor of Mou Kingdom, was a descendant whose body had been taken by Xin Wuhuan?

If the Lantern of Enlightenment allowed for seamless body seizure and memory retention, then—

Would Xin Wuhuan only seize a body once?

The more he thought about it, the more unsettling it became.

This probably explained why the Mou Emperor cared so much about the Lantern of Enlightenment, always dispatching trusted Shadowfang Guards across vast oceans to Xiaoyao Sect to retrieve it every few decades.

So, what was the relationship between Xin Yi and True Immortal Wuhuan? As he was pondering, Sun Fuling tapped on the table. "Chestnut."

He Lingchuan immediately peeled a warm roasted chestnut for her, asking Xin Yi, "I heard that Lingshan also tried to establish a human kingdom, mimicking Beijia, but failed over seventy times?"

Xin Yi raised an eyebrow. "Over seventy times? Who told you that?"

"Is that not right?" he thought, considering the data came from Bai Ziqi and should be quite official. "One of the divine emissaries we captured told us."

Xin Yi picked a grape. "Then do you know how many times the Sky Demons failed?"

He Lingchuan shook his head, thinking, *Are we comparing notes? Excellent.*

"No less than two or three hundred times!" Xin Yi scoffed. "The world only saw their single most successful attempt."

But that one time was enough.

Sun Fuling was also surprised. "Two or three hundred times? That many?"

"All of them ended in failure," Xin Yi continued. "Even though the Sky Demons successfully established Beijia, that's just one positive case. Many subsequent attempts also failed, making Beijia's success seem irreplicable."

Although his words sounded a bit like an attempt to save face, He Lingchuan, being aware of later historical developments, couldn't help but ask, "So, in your opinion, Mr. Xin, what was the key to Beijia's successful establishment as a nation?"

Xin Yi smiled. "Are you testing me?"

"I wouldn't dare, but I imagine Lingshan must have summarized its experiences." He Lingchuan thought, *After so many failures, they ought to be quite experienced by now.*

"That's not quite right," Xin Yi said with a slight smile. "There might only be one or two reasons for success, but there are hundreds, if not thousands, of reasons for failure. You can find and summarize them as much as you want. Therefore, from failure, you can only learn how to fail; you can't learn the experience of success!"

He enunciated each word: "Only success can bring you the experience of success."

He Lingchuan quickly poured him some tea. "Calm down, calm down."

Whenever this topic was brought up, Xin Yi seemed to react somewhat intensely.

But from another perspective, it also meant he had grown comfortable with He Lingchuan; otherwise, both would have remained expressionless, as they did when they first met.

He Lingchuan had long since realized that Xin Yi was also a master at concealing his emotions.

Xin Yi drank the tea, and indeed his irritation subsided. He shook his head and said, "Forgive me. This topic has been debated within Lingshan for hundreds of years. Some stubborn old-timers, alas, are truly frustratingly set in their ways."

"Others' opinions aren't important; I truly want to know your view, Mr. Xin." This was the truth. For He Lingchuan, the opinions of Lingshan's other leaders were less significant than Xin Yi's.