The meeting ended. Ye Guan and Qin Xue walked together on the road back to the Governor's Mansion. A stack of freshly approved documents was in his arms. Ye Guan said nothing, and Qin Xue remained silent as well. The sky was full of stars, and the street was quiet. Ye Guan inwardly said, "Master Pagoda, I'm feeling a little guilty for doing this." Little Pagoda replied, "That's a completely normal reaction." Ye Guan nodded. "Yeah, it's pretty normal. One day, will my Guanxuan Universe turn out like that, too?" "Where there are people, there will always be all kinds of situations bound to happen. Even if there are laws, people will find loopholes to exploit..." "I know. It's okay. Let's do this step by step; it doesn't have to be perfect. As long as I do my best." At that moment, Qin Xue suddenly said, "Let my grandfather handle what comes next." Ye Guan looked at her. "Is there more?" Qin Xue looked back at him. "You didn't think this meant that it's all done, did you?" Ye Guan's expression darkened. "Are there more things to do?" "If no one from above gives the order, then there will be endless problems. But if someone does, then there won't be a problem at all. It's often like that, some things are easy if the right person says one word. Otherwise, even if you break your back, things still won't fall into place." Qin Xue said, "I'll head back to the Qin Clan for now." Then, she turned around and left. Ye Guan whispered to himself, "Looks like I still need to win over Sang Han's support..." With that, he vanished into the night. At the Qin Residence, Qin Yun reclined on a chair while Qin Xue gently massaged his back. Qin Yun asked, "So? What do you think?" Qin Xue replied, "He's not an ordinary person." "What makes you say that?" "His composure. It isn't something an average person can possess. Only those with peak authority have that demeanor. "Also, he doesn't seem particularly familiar with worldly affairs, which means he probably never clawed his way up from the bottom. He must be from an incredibly wealthy family." "I'm a bit afraid of him, not because of his schemes, but because of his composure. You know what's scary? When the Jun Clan 'humiliated' him, he didn't get angry at all. At the time, I thought of two possibilities—he was angry but didn't show it, or he simply didn't care about the Jun Clan at all." "Grandfather, why is he opening an academy?" "I don't know. He said it was the Governor's idea, but I could tell that he was lying." "I have this feeling that he's dangerous." "He's dangerous, but he's a decent person. He isn't malicious as well. As long as we don't attack him first, he won't harm us. I'm confident about that." "But kindness is a person's greatest weakness." "That's true under normal circumstances, but if a person isn't kind at all, then you need to stay far away from them." "Follow him and help him build the academy. Show him what you're capable of doing. He will definitely recommend you to Governor Sang Han in the end. As long as you enter the Governor's Mansion, it'll be an enormous benefit for our Qin Clan. This may be your last chance. Do you understand what I mean?" As a daughter of a major clan and as a woman, if she couldn't rise through the ranks, she would eventually become a pawn in a marriage alliance arranged by her clan. She was fortunate because Qin Yun was willing to give her a chance to prove herself. A clan would give its members enough resources, and if they could rise up the ranks, the clan would support and nurture them. However, if one were merely dead weight, then they wouldn't help. They would just obediently be married off to bear children. After returning to the Governor's Mansion, Ye Guan began cultivating. He was busy with the academy, but his cultivation couldn't be neglected. He started attempting to merge the Void Spacetime with his Sword Dao. If he succeeded, his strength would take a significant leap forward. Unfortunately, he couldn't enter the tiny pagoda to cultivate at the moment. Otherwise, he'd break through in mere minutes! Ye Guan said, "I wonder what the Great Daoist Brush Master is doing." Little Pagoda replied, "He's a smart person. He's probably doing quite well for himself by now." Ye Guan nodded. He had sent people to investigate the Great Daoist Brush Master's whereabouts, but they were unable to find out anything. His authority was still too limited, and he could not access the core intelligence networks under Sang Han. Retracting his thoughts, Ye Guan focused entirely on his cultivation. Sang Han was sitting quietly in her hall. On the table in front of her were two imperial edicts. A mysterious voice echoed. "The situation on the Empyrean Star Battlefield..." Sang Han muttered, "It may come down to a final decisive battle." The voice sounded surprised. "This..." Sang Han said, "His Majesty has already issued an order to mobilize all provincial resources across the entire empire to fully support the war efforts in the Empyrean Star Battlefield." The mysterious voice added, "This will be a prolonged war." Sang Han nodded slightly. "A war between two powerful forces isn't just a contest of strength; it's a battle of foundational resources and heritage. Neither we nor the Celestial Clan can afford to lose. We can't back down, too. We have no choice but to see it through." "Are we going to mobilize everyone?" "Not yet, but if things continue ..." Sang Han's eyes flashed with a trace of concern. If total mobilization were declared, it would mean halting all production across the empire and diverting every available resource to the Empyrean Star Battlefield. The mysterious voice said, "You need to be prepared." "I've just received word that he invited someone from the Ministry of Works for a meal and gifted them a hundred thousand star spiritual crystals. The Ministry of Works has already approved his documents..." "He didn't use the token I gave him?" "That young man does know his limits when dealing with people, but his intentions are still unclear. Is it possible that he really just wants to open an academy?" Sang Han shook her head. The mysterious voice asked, "What are you planning to do?" Sang Han remained expressionless and said nothing. "Actually, I thought carefully about what he said that day. I don't think his words were without merit. The gap between the rich and the poor is vast, and those at the bottom find it nearly impossible to rise. The underlying tensions are increasing. While the empire can still suppress them for now..." Sang Han said, "A small academy can't change much." "I think it's worth trying. You have too few people you can truly rely on, especially those capable of shouldering great responsibility. "If he can help you, it would undoubtedly be a good thing for you, and with the situation on the Empyrean Star Battlefield growing more desperate, you'll need more capable people to help you." "Teacher, you're underestimating him." "What he wants to do is far more than just open an academy. When he faces me, he is respectful and well-mannered, but in truth, he is always looking down at me from above. "He hides it well, but not from me. That innate confidence and composure he exudes can't be faked. The reason I didn't agree to his request is that I know I don't have the ability to control him. "If I were to give him a helping hand, he would take off, and at that point, he'd become unmanageable." "You mean his ambitions are vast, and if those ambitions are realized..." "I'm waiting for him to reveal it. If his ambitions don't harm the empire, I will help him, and we can both benefit. But if his ambitions ultimately threaten the empire, I'll eliminate him. No matter how talented he is, if he can't be used for the empire, he has to be eliminated." "He might never tell you his ambitions." "That's fine, I'm in no rush." Meanwhile, Ye Guan failed once again. He had been unable to fully merge his Sword Dao with the Void Spacetime. His understanding of that mysterious spacetime was still insufficient. However, he wasn't in a hurry. In cultivation, haste only made waste. After his attempt, he sought out Qin Xue. Qin Xue said, "Construction on the academy will begin tomorrow. At most, it'll be completed within a month." Ye Guan asked, "How much will it cost to smooth things over?" "That's still uncertain," Qin Xue replied seriously. Ye Guan looked at her, and she shook her head. "It's not just about smoothing things over. Once the academy is built, we'll need to recruit staff and students. It's likely to step on the toes of others, and some forces may come to stir up trouble." "Forgive my bluntness, Young Master Ye, but without the Governor's support, it will be very difficult to operate the academy properly. "Moreover, we'll need a huge amount of funding later on. If all the money goes into maintaining connections and favors, funding will become a serious issue." Ye Guan said, "I'll try to earn the Governor's support." Qin Xue nodded. "If you can get her support, then all these problems will disappear." Ye Guan said, "Come with me to see the Governor." Qin Xue glanced at him and nodded. "Alright." On the way there, Little Pagoda asked, "How do you plan to persuade her?" Ye Guan replied, "I'll copy what my father did." Little Pagoda was confused. "What do you mean?" Ye Guan said, "Shamelessness plus persuasion."