[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-simulated-to-reality-i-once-looked-down-upon-ten":3,"chapter-simulated-to-reality-i-once-looked-down-upon-ten-simulated-to-reality-i-once-looked-down-upon-ten-chapter-40":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Simulated to Reality: I Once Looked Down Upon Ten Thousand Ages?",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2347055,4587,"Chapter 40: The Eighth Prince, Who Spent His Life Bowing to Shenzhou","simulated-to-reality-i-once-looked-down-upon-ten-chapter-40",40,"\u003Cp>Mount Zhongnan loomed towering, like a natural barrier separating the immortal realm from the mortal world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The narrow path at its foot, once serene and quiet, was now choked with a throng of people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ancient mountain trail was narrow, packed with a ceaseless flow of bodies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Ji stared at the endless line ahead, frowning with helpless frustration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Young Master, with this crush, when will we ever reach the summit? Can you endure it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned to ask the young scholar-gentleman behind him with concern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Ji himself harbored complaints.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a young master, he had no need to climb with these common peasants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hoped the young master would change his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet he dared not show even a trace of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A servant could never second-guess his master’s decisions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young master smiled faintly at this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No matter. This journey is merely a countryside outing—to appreciate the beauty of mountains and rivers.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“After all, when climbing to worship, sincerity is what moves the divine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing this, Chen Ji dared say no more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He shoved the burly man ahead of him, irritated, and warned: “Stop pushing. You’re pressed right against them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Ji pinched his nose—being packed among these lowborns was unbearable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could his noble master possibly tolerate this stench?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The air reeked of sour sweat and occasional musky odor—truly nauseating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the weather was cold, the crush generated relentless sweat; his back was drenched, making Chen Ji frown.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These common folk, having traveled long distances from all directions, had no time for personal hygiene—their stench was intolerable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each greasy head carried a smell that made his stomach churn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why don’t they even bathe?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bearded man shoved by Chen Ji turned and glared, snapping:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You brat, why you act like a woman? Everyone’s packed tight—it’s not like you’re dying.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Ji’s face flushed crimson. He planted one hand on his hip, raised the other in a delicate lotus-finger gesture, ready to explode.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the Wang Fu, when had he ever endured such insolence?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young scholar-gentleman beside him coughed softly, halting the quarrel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The robed young master stepped forward, bowed respectfully to the bearded man, smiling warmly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother, my younger brother is new to the world and unaware of propriety—if he offended you, please forgive him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bearded man sized up the robed youth—his attire refined, his bearing noble—and, unwilling to cause trouble, merely snorted: “Watch yourself next time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing his master speak, Chen Ji immediately stifled his anger and fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew his master’s leisure must not be disturbed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, how could he dare act willfully after his master personally apologized for him?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Ji bowed his head even lower, momentarily forgetting his discomfort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The white-robed youth, unconcerned, murmured:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Xiao Ji, when traveling, harmony brings prosperity.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Ji nodded quickly: “Yes, Young Master.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His demeanor turned humble and obedient.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This young master’s status was beyond measure—he was the Eighth Prince of the Qing Emperor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To call him a true dragon of the mortal realm was not an exaggeration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Prince Jing—Zhou Cheng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His mother was an imperial consort, and her family a great aristocratic clan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At thirteen, he was granted a princedom; His Majesty himself praised him before the court as virtuous and capable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At fifteen, he attended court deliberations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At sixteen, he established his own mansion in the capital, wielding great power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Truly, his authority and favor were immense!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet this Eighth Prince possessed a peculiar character.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though brilliant, he had once been obsessed with seeking immortality and Daoist teachings in his youth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later, as Daqing’s fortune declined and defeats mounted in the north, Zhou Cheng suddenly awakened: “The Dao cannot save the realm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He therefore abandoned the Dao and devoted himself entirely to military strategy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within just a few years, he rose to prominence in scholarly debates at the Imperial Academy, defeating several of Daqing’s foremost military masters in argument, earning fame throughout the capital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Four years ago, the Northern Wind sent three hundred thousand troops southward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That same year, the Lu family army marched northward with thirty thousand men toward the Yellow River.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two armies faced off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire realm trembled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that time, the one who submitted the most objections and voiced the strongest opposition was Prince Jing, Zhou Cheng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He deeply understood military strategy and knew that Tuoba Shuyi’s tactics had reached the very essence—his formations were peerless in the age.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, the enemy was overwhelming, pressing forward; only by holding the high ground could victory be possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the Lu army advanced directly to the Yellow River, deploying openly—a move Zhou Cheng saw as futile, like an egg striking a stone, pure suicide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Worse, Zhou Cheng learned a shocking truth—the real commander of the Lu army was a boy barely twenty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had no military experience; for the past twenty years, he had merely been a Daoist monk reading scriptures in a temple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This news enraged Zhou Cheng. He cursed in the capital: “A child destabilizing the state? Absurd beyond words!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He repeatedly petitioned to replace Lu Chen, but was overruled when General Wang Yang, commander of Hulao Pass, swore his own head as guarantee to shield Lu Chen from court censure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Cheng was deeply puzzled: what merit could this youth possess to earn the loyalty of a senior minister like Wang Yang—so much so that the man would stake his life for him?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet within three months,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>News arrived from the northern front: Lu Chen won three battles in a row.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Cheng studied the battle reports closely, marveling at Lu Chen’s tactics, finding them as masterful as Tuoba Shuyi’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He truly had the talent to command.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Zhou Cheng also knew the Lu army was outnumbered; they could only win through surprise—this could not last.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three months later, the Lu army was surrounded. Zhou Cheng grew frantic, summoning strategists to study terrain maps day and night, seeking a way to break the siege.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After pooling all their insights, they reached one conclusion:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enemy forces pressed from front and rear, with the raging Yellow River behind; Tuoba Shuyi’s tactics were steady, his defenses fortified and his land scorched—the Lu army was utterly trapped, with no path to survival.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Cheng knew even he could not reverse the tide—he could only wait for defeat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sighed deeply, awaiting word of disaster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet half a month later, victory arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Chen led his troops across the Yellow River three times, then turned south to encircle and annihilate the enemy—winning a decisive victory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The realm was stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Messengers from the north raced day and night to the capital, riding ten prized horses to exhaustion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bearing the victory report, they pounded on the imperial palace gates, shouting:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Great victory in the north!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Great victory in the north! The Lu army has slain sixty thousand enemies!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The capital erupted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The greatest triumph in twenty years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For one night, the imperial city danced with fish and dragons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Cheng stared at the few hundred characters on the battle report.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each line seemed like iron horses and icy rivers, charging forth with ten thousand troops.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His heart could not settle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially the final line: “Why should a man not take up his Wu hook, to reclaim fifty states of the passes and mountains?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt exhilarated. The Jing Wangfu  held a banquet stretching ten li along the street.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That day, he gathered many guests, seated around a brazier, jointly analyzing the battle’s turning points.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They debated fiercely, each offering opinions—yet when all analyses converged, they all sighed as one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This man’s tactics are like those of a spirit or god.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the year that followed, the Lu army won repeatedly, winning hundreds of battles, always defeating larger forces—capturing Yunzhou in half a month, seizing Yanzhou in a month.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every attack succeeded; every battle was won; the Northern Wind army trembled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the Lu army crossed a ford with only two thousand men, thirty thousand northern troops fled in panic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later, the Northern Wind army issued an order: if a soldier fled upon seeing the Lu banner, he would not be executed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, the Eighth Prince, once the fiercest opponent of Lu Chen, became his greatest admirer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In four hundred years, no general has surpassed him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It came from the mouth of the Eighth Imperial Prince.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He actually had another remark, but no one dared to spread it, given his status.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A lifetime bowing in reverence to Shenzhou.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Chen, whose courtesy name is Shenzhou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thank you all for your support.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shocked the old iron, kneeling gently before the reader lords.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Father figures, please check in daily—reading consistently during the new book phase is crucial!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1450,"2026-06-21T01:32:57.622Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","3b0c6eb61f8f8e0669251620ad02948bc17fa842b704dfe451a9cc5234198f11","simulated-to-reality-i-once-looked-down-upon-ten-chapter-41","simulated-to-reality-i-once-looked-down-upon-ten-chapter-39",728,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsimulated-to-reality-i-once-looked-down-upon-ten-cover.jpg"]