Chapter 1797: Wendao Academy's Five Heroes

Zhu Santong chose his next life. The old woman, the madam, and the maid also stepped forward to choose their respective future lives. Qin Fengqing was exceptionally good to them, allowing them to choose their race and family background without any hesitation or impatience.

Old man Dongyang observed carefully. Only after confirming that Qin Mu wasn't playing any tricks did he relax and step forward to choose his future family background.

Once they had made their choices, they began to dissolve their cultivation and spiritual attainment.

For enlightened beings to shed their Dao is naturally a monumental event. Furthermore, these five were not ordinary enlightened beings; each of them could be considered a titan of the prehistoric universe!

As their Dao Fruits dispersed, their Dao Trees disintegrated, their physical bodies decomposed, and their Primordial Spirits dissipated, transforming into the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth and spiritual energy, the spiritual essence in the skies of the Primordial Realm suddenly intensified. It gathered into clouds, and these clouds formed a vast sea. This sea of clouds continued to expand and rise.

Soon, brilliant stars appeared in the sky, shining with immense brightness. As the stars ascended, their numbers grew.

By nightfall, several new star rivers had appeared in the Primordial Realm's sky, stretching across its north, south, east, and west, making every corner of the realm's night sky as bright as a full moon.

A torrential downpour of spiritual energy even began in the sky. This rain lasted for several years, but strangely, the rainwater never touched the ground, dissipating in mid-air.

The entire Primordial Realm became like a blessed land, with every divine mountain a sacred site, every tree and plant a spiritual herb, and every river brimming with spiritual energy.

After the Heavenly Court's campaign against the Primordial Realm, the realm's vitality had been severely damaged and had not yet recovered. However, the five enlightened beings shedding their Dao caused the Primordial Realm to surpass its former glory.

"Fellow Daoists,"

Qin Mu looked at the souls of Dongyang, Zhu Santong, and the others floating before him. He bowed and said, "Please enter the cycle of reincarnation and complete your rebirth."

The five souls returned the bow, saying, "Thank you, Young Master Seven, for giving us a chance to start anew!" With that, the five souls flew toward the Six Paths Heavenly Wheel.

The Six Paths Heavenly Wheel operated autonomously, and the five souls quickly vanished into the cycle of reincarnation.

Qin Fengqing looked up at the star river formed by the gathering spiritual energy in the sky and clicked his tongue in amazement. He suddenly said, "Little brother, the Dao attainment of these five is truly formidable. It would be a pity if they couldn't awaken their past life memories. If they were reborn into a poor environment with mediocre talent, they might just become ordinary people."

Qin Mu replied, "As long as they learn the Path of Reincarnation, they can still retrieve their past life memories. Didn't Lan Yutian recover the memories of Yu Tianzun?"

"Not everyone possesses the intelligence and comprehension of Fatty Lan."

Qin Fengqing shook his head and said, "How many people in this world can achieve what he did?"

"The Reform of Eternal Peace aims to make the impossible possible."

Qin Mu smiled and said, "Three hundred years ago, who in Eternal Peace could cultivate to the Divine Realm? Now, the Divine Realm is no longer out of reach for divine arts practitioners. Two hundred years ago, who in Eternal Peace could cultivate to the Jade Capital or High Heavens? Now, the Emperor's Throne realm is not uncommon for Eternal Peace, and the Ancestral Court Dao Realm system is superior to the Heavenly Palace system. A hundred years ago, who in Eternal Peace dared to dream of becoming an enlightened being? Yet, today, there are more than a dozen individuals with the potential to achieve enlightenment."

He patted Qin Fengqing's shoulder and chuckled, "Brother, times have changed. If they were to retain their past life memories, it wouldn't be good for them. They would still follow old patterns, cultivate according to their previous experiences, and be unable to integrate into the Eternal Peace reforms. Even if they achieved enlightenment again, it would be just like their past lives. I need their wisdom to further the Eternal Peace reforms. Brother, the times have changed."

He invigorated himself, saying, "In this era, the pace is accelerating! Even you and I, if we don't adapt to the times, will eventually be eliminated. However, instead of waiting to be eliminated by the times, it's better to be at the forefront and lead this era forward!"

His words were highly infectious, yet Qin Fengqing remained completely unmoved.

Qin Fengqing was accustomed to his younger brother's impassioned speeches, but he still listened to Qin Mu's words.

"Heavenly Venerate You is not far from achieving enlightenment. Once he does, he will come to take over from you, allowing you to be free."

Qin Mu stepped away, saying, "I will wait for you in the Ancestral Court. By then, I will need your combat power to alleviate my pressure, and I will also need you to achieve enlightenment in the Ancestral Court!"

Qin Fengqing watched him depart until he vanished, then slowly rotated his body and sank into Youdu.

Dongyang, Zhu Santong, and the others were born one after another. Dongyang and the maid were reincarnated as humans, while the old woman and the madam felt that demigods had more potential, so they chose to become demigod descendants.

As for Zhu Santong, he was reborn as a pig demon among the demon race, with a prominent family background.

Back then, after Qin Mu received the blessing of Heavenly Emperor Grand Beginning, he bestowed it upon a wild boar in the mountains. The boar immediately gained sentience and, sensing danger, fled with its family that very night.

Gradually, it transformed into a demon, learned to cultivate, and encountered divine arts practitioners from Eternal Peace. The status of demons in Eternal Peace was no worse than that of humans; Fox Ling'er of the demon race held a high position in the imperial court, controlling Eternal Peace's financial power, and various demon gods populated the southern regions at the mid-level.

This black pig demon was now one of the leaders among the demon race, with a vast family and extensive undertakings, known as Grand Venerable Black Mountain.

Grand Venerable Black Mountain was Zhu Santong's father in this life.

From a young age, Zhu Santong was intelligent and clever, earning Grand Venerable Black Mountain's high regard. Grand Venerable Black Mountain knew that he had become prosperous by inexplicably receiving a blessing from the Heavenly Emperor, and his own aptitude and comprehension were not exceptional, which resulted in few intelligent descendants.

It was rare to find someone as intelligent as Zhu Santong, so Grand Venerable Black Mountain invested heavily in his education. He paid for Zhu Santong to attend the best elementary school, and later bought a house in Xiajing for him to pursue further studies there.

Zhu Santong did not disappoint his expectations; his achievements grew steadily. He later passed the Imperial College entrance examination and was successfully admitted.

After entering the Imperial College, Zhu Santong displayed extraordinary talent. Before he even graduated, he was recommended by the Grand Libationer Gu Lihuan to pursue advanced studies at the Academy of Dao Inquiry.

The Academy of Dao Inquiry was no ordinary place; it was the most sacred and solemn sanctuary in all the heavens and myriad worlds. All divine arts practitioners and deities with outstanding talent in these realms considered it an honor to be admitted.

Upon hearing this news, Grand Venerable Black Mountain thought his ancestors' graves must have been smoking with good fortune, though unfortunately, his family had no ancestral graves.

However, the Academy of Dao Inquiry was home to numerous talents. Although Zhu Santong was still considered exceptional after his admission, he was by no means alone at his level.

Su Muzhe, the dean of the Academy of Dao Inquiry, and other senior officials initially didn't notice him. It was only later, when Zhu Santong encountered the Path of Reincarnation within the Academy, that his aptitude and comprehension gradually improved further. He began to offer many brilliant and insightful ideas, which finally attracted the attention of Su Muzhe, Si Youyou, and others.

Si Youyou summoned the young demon and questioned him. Zhu Santong explained, "I don't know how I became so intelligent. Ever since I began cultivating the Path of Reincarnation and studying its mysteries, strange thoughts and images have occasionally surfaced in my mind."

Si Youyou and Su Muzhe exchanged a glance, then dismissed him. Si Youyou said, "This is a sign that his past life memories are about to awaken from cultivating the Path of Reincarnation. This person clearly has a past life. His insights are so profound and unique that his previous existence must have been extraordinary. Could he be a reincarnated remnant of the Heavenly Court? It doesn't seem like it. Even the Ten Heavenly Venerates might not possess his breadth of vision and knowledge."

Su Muzhe said, "We must invite Earth Count to investigate his background."

Qin Fengqing arrived and, hearing them discuss Zhu Santong, recounted Zhu Santong's origins.

Si Youyou and Su Muzhe's eyes widened in surprise. "How could this be? Why didn't you say so earlier? What if he awakens his past life and goes berserk?" they exclaimed.

"How could it be that easy to awaken?"

Qin Fengqing dismissed their concerns, saying, "The Path of Reincarnation is the most difficult to cultivate. For him to awaken, he would need to cultivate to Dao Realm Twenty-Eight Heavens. However, even the Empress herself barely reached that level in the Path of Reincarnation during her lifetime. It might take Zhu Santong three thousand years to cultivate to Twenty-Eight Heavens."

The two sighed in relief. Si Youyou suddenly recalled something and quickly asked, "What about the other four? We only know about Zhu Santong among the five reincarnated prehistoric enlightened beings. You must tell us about the other four as well."

Qin Fengqing checked and replied, "Jun Xieyu is already studying under Heavenly Venerate Hua; she is the old woman among the five enlightened beings. The enlightened being named Ya Ya is currently at the Academy of the High Heavens, taught by Mu Yingxue, and is named Tu Yulou. There's also a middle-aged woman who reincarnated into the demigod race; after her rebirth, she's called Yi Qiqi. She recently passed the Little Jade Capital entrance examination and gained admission. The one with the best aptitude is Dongyang. Let me check..."

A moment later, Qin Fengqing's expression turned peculiar, and he remained silent for a long time.

Si Youyou quickly inquired. Qin Fengqing stammered, "Dongyang is working as a casual laborer in a manufacturing plant in Xishan..."

Si Youyou and Su Muzhe were speechless for a moment.

Qin Fengqing hurriedly explained, "His family was originally wealthy, but after his birth, their fortunes declined, leaving them destitute. He only attended school for two years before dropping out. Now, at thirty years old, he makes a living in a small county town, earning money through odd jobs. Since he lacks skills, he changes factories every ten days or half a month, and no woman takes an interest in him, so he remains a solitary individual."

Si Youyou glared at him fiercely and ordered, "Find Dongyang for me and send him to the Academy of Dao Inquiry!"

Qin Mu had been raised by her and always feared her, and Qin Fengqing consequently feared her too. He hastily searched and promised, "I'll send him to you in two days!" With that, he didn't even bother to rotate, plunging immediately into Youdu.

A few days later, the burly, honest-looking Dongyang was brought to the Academy of Dao Inquiry. He looked around, somewhat bewildered.

A group of strangers surrounded him, examining him up and down and touching him, shaking their heads and saying, "He has already missed the optimal cultivation period; he's beyond saving."

Si Youyou pushed the Libationers aside, examined Dongyang herself, frowned, and sighed. "Perhaps there's still hope... Quickly, go invite the Physician!"

From the moment the man known as the Physician arrived, Dongyang's suffering began. He was steeped in medicinal vats daily, with silver needles inserted all over his body, enduring immense pain. Dongyang tried to escape several times but was always caught and brought back, lamenting his fate and wondering what crime he had committed to deserve such torment.

A young man named Zhu Santong frequently visited the Physician's courtyard. Gradually, he became acquainted with Dongyang, and the two slowly became friends.

Later, Dongyang finally stopped soaking in the medicinal vats, though he still had to consume many spiritual pills daily.

Si Youyou arranged for him to attend elementary school. Dongyang sat among a group of ten-year-olds, feeling quite ashamed.

Initially, he was very slow to learn anything. Generations of younger students came and went around him, yet he was still studying in elementary school at fifty years old.

Twenty more years passed. Dongyang, now with white hair, was still studying in elementary school, becoming a peculiar sight within the school.

However, after turning seventy, he seemed to have a breakthrough; he learned everything quickly. Within a few years, he entered university, and a few more years later, Si Youyou sent him to the Imperial College.

Zhu Santong, who had already become a renowned demon god, clicked his tongue in amazement at this sight.

A few more years passed. When Dongyang turned eighty, he finally entered the Academy of Dao Inquiry, where Si Youyou personally taught him cultivation. His classmates included Jun Xieyu, a scholar from Hua Xuanxiu's lineage; Yi Qiqi from Little Jade Capital; and Tu Yulou from the Academy of the High Heavens.

As for Zhu Santong, he had already left the Academy of Dao Inquiry to campaign against the remnants of the Heavenly Court. He would return only every few decades, and upon his return, he would seek out Dongyang for drinks and share his experiences from outside.

Time flew by, and unknowingly, three thousand years passed. On this day, Emperor Shang returned from the Ancestral Court to meet these five old acquaintances.

The five had long heard of Emperor Shang's formidable reputation, feeling both apprehension and reverence. Suddenly, Zhu Santong's mind reeled, and he blurted out, "I remember! Young Master Seven, you rascal, didn't you say Emperor Shang had reincarnated?"