[{"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-604":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},2347619,4587,"Chapter 604: The Broken-Armed Second Master, the Master","simulated-to-reality-i-once-looked-down-upon-ten-chapter-604",604,"\u003Cp>Bianjing, Peach Token Street.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the end of this street stood a five-story brick-and-wood building, oriented north to south, with a hard mountain roof covered in green tiles like fish scales, layered and overlapping, faintly glimmering under the moonlight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first floor measured six bays in width and depth; the second floor, excluding the staircase, was one large open space, divided by bookshelves, with a pond called “Diligent Study Lake” carved before it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The garden complex was constructed as a whole, comprising gardens named “Cultivating Virtue,” “Poetry,” “Books,” “Ritual,” “Changes,” “Arithmetic,” “Horsemanship,” “Archery,” and “Miscellaneous.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This place was the “Academy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just two plain characters, no decoration, no embellishment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet it was the most revered place for scholars across the land.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The highest point of the Academy was the Cultivating Virtue Tower, originally where the Master had begun teaching and nurturing students.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only five stories tall, so all other buildings in the Academy, and even the entire Peach Token Street, were built no higher than five stories out of respect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the entrance of the Cultivating Virtue Tower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Forty students stood upright like pines, their breaths deep and contained, all of profound cultivation; gathered together, they formed a qi pattern like “a silver vase shatters, water spurts forth,” as if a dragon coiled, poised to strike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Great Qi was vast, martial arts flourishing; only dozens possessed the Nine Grades of Xuan Dan, yet the Academy alone held twenty of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More astonishingly, the Academy held half of all martial masters in the Great Qi of the Upper Three Realms—this was why its name struck fear across the land.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, the forty remained silent, eyes fixed on the staircase entrance of the Cultivating Virtue Tower, as if awaiting some crucial moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This Cultivating Virtue Tower had once been the Master’s residence for transmitting the Dao, teaching, and resolving doubts; now it was the dwelling of the Second and Third Masters, the most sacred place in the Academy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Master is always punctual. Why is he late today?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone whispered, voice tinged with doubt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Perhaps he was delayed by urgent matters.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another speculated, yet his tone carried surprise—the Master never broke his schedule.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The middle-aged Confucian ahead, clad in a blue robe, his face refined, turned back and looked at them all, speaking solemnly: “A gentleman does not speak without propriety. We need only wait in stillness.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those who heard bowed their heads in reverence, their expressions respectful, and fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the Academy, honoring teachers and valuing the Dao was the foremost principle; propriety must never be lost at any time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among these forty, over a dozen were disciples or second-generation disciples of the Third Master, belonging to the same scholarly lineage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Second Master, however, had lived a free and unbound life, wandering the four corners of the land, never taking a single disciple to inherit his teachings or arts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crowd continued waiting under the moonlight!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the fifth floor of the Cultivating Virtue Tower, the legendary sacred place where the Master once cultivated his spirit, now lay an eerie silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All of Bianjing, indeed the entire Great Qi, regarded this place with awe and curiosity; not even the dozens of monarchs of the Great Qi had ever been granted the honor to ascend to the fifth floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the Master vanished two hundred years ago seeking immortals in the Eastern Sea, this fifth floor had become the Second Master’s place of convalescence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Second Master, the godlike figure within the Academy, his illness had always been a mystery—even within the Academy, knowledge of it was scarce.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet this legendary fifth floor was merely an old, modest upper chamber.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moonlight filtered through the cracked window, spilling onto an aged desk, upon which lay a sword broken cleanly in two, as if recounting past glory and decay.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind the desk, a string of pearl curtains hung gently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the end of the curtains stood a middle-aged man with indistinct features, clad in a Confucian robe, silently gazing at the curtains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He spoke softly: “Second Elder Brother, we are off to the Gathering of Blossoms.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From behind the curtains came a violent cough, as if tearing out his internal organs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then a low, hoarse voice slowly rose: “Master An, be careful on your journey.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master An was the courtesy name of the Third Master—a fact known to few in the Academy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wuxin, I’ve long wished for you to leave the Academy, yearning for it these many years.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Jing, courtesy name Wuxin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The middle-aged man said calmly: “Wuxin is shrewd. If he merely wished for you to leave the Academy, he need not have gone to such lengths.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He wants to know where the Master is, and why…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wuxin clings too tightly. Even if he obtained the Master’s corpse-transcendence method, he cannot escape human calamity…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The coughing from behind the curtains grew heavier, each breath seeming to consume his very life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long moments passed before a voice came again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I am here. Rest easy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The middle-aged man’s face was filled with worry: “Second Elder Brother, your illness has worsened.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Night deepened; the Cultivating Virtue Tower under the moonlight grew even more solemn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a long while!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From behind the curtain, that self-mocking voice spoke again, laced with resignation and desolation: “I… this wretched form of mine was meant to be dead long ago. Cough… cough…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The middle-aged man bowed his head, his expression darkened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He whispered: “This will end.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Second Elder Brother, I’m leaving!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The middle-aged man, already turning away, turned back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Be cautious in all things.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I know.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the light footsteps faded into distance, the fifth floor fell silent once more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slowly, a withered hand lifted the curtain, revealing what lay within.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the room stood two low white beds. The owner of the withered hand lay on the outer bed—a middle-aged man, hair disheveled, emaciated, bare-chested, ribs like skin stretched over bone, his right arm severed, leaving only one hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On that hand, countless eyes were densely packed, their pupils turning ceaselessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He lifted his head slightly, revealing a face—smooth as white flour, with only a mouth remaining, no eyes, nose, or ears!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The face was grotesque, sending chills down the spine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet more astonishing still, when the middle-aged man slowly rose, his back was revealed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On his back was another face—a senior’s face! This face appeared more real, as if the earlier voice had originated from here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He walked to the desk beneath the moonlight and touched the broken sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the desk lay paper, inscribed with a few characters—crookedly written, yet still legible: “Peng flies north, phoenix faces the sun, again I carry books and sword on a boundless road.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In the end, books and sword drift, lost.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moonlight flowed like water, quietly bathing the fifth-floor chamber.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind the curtain stood another bed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On it lay a tall, elderly man in a Confucian robe, also missing one arm—yet his arm looked as if devoured by some beast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tooth marks were dense and countless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The elder’s face was ruddy, his expression gentle, yet utterly lifeless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a corpse!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had any Academy member been present, they would have recognized the elder at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For his face matched exactly the portrait of the Master hung in the Academy’s main hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, violent coughing erupted from the middle-aged man’s back, his body trembling violently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He staggered to the side of the tall elder’s white bed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With trembling hands, he lifted one arm, his single mouth slowly drawing near.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the back-face, pain and satisfaction twisted together in struggle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A horrifying chewing sound echoed within the fifth-floor chamber.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>～\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>～\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gathering of Blossoms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Already bustling with noise; the banks of the canal were packed with Bianjing commoners, all craning their necks in anticipation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Waiting for the Flower Queen to take the stage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To push the Gathering of Blossoms to its peak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The four-sided stage, directly opposite the “Inviting Immortal Tower.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hour was already late.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Nine Surnames had begun arriving one by one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tower stood four stories high, deliberately not exceeding the height of the Academy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Hong assisted Xie Lao Taijun as they slowly approached the Inviting Immortal Tower, flanked by the main lady of the Second Courtyard, Lady Zhao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind them came Lady Yuan and Lady Zhuge of the First Courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Lao Taijun wore a joyful expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lady Zhao clung closely to Xie Hong, her face radiant with delight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lady Yuan, watching Lady Zhao of the Second Courtyard walk ahead, frowned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lady Zhuge’s expression remained neutral.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet strangely!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind them stood two others: a woman wearing a wide-brimmed hat and veil, who had entered the Xie Fu with Xie Hong;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>and a man wrapped in a black robe, his head covered by a hood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not one of the Xie family’s descendants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although Xie Laotaijun and others harbored doubts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this was Xie Hong’s arrangement, so no one objected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Xie family arrived at the Qunfang Banquet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Along the way, many who saw Xie Hong bowed low; Xie Hong merely nodded slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, Lady Zhao felt honored.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They reached the entrance of Yaoxian Tower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The maid downstairs hurried out to greet them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Hong stopped and spoke to Xie Laotaijun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mother, go straight up to the second floor.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I have some matters to attend to—meet an old friend, then join you shortly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yaoxian Tower has four floors, each with its own specific symbolism of status and prestige.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fourth floor is the most prestigious, reserved specifically for Su Xiang and the Third Master of the Academy today.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The third floor is designated for senior officials of the Academy and the imperial court, as well as the heads of the Nine Surnames.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The second floor is exclusively for the families of the Nine Surnames and the imperial household, as well as the imperial consorts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first floor is where ordinary court officials and their families gather.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To ascend to higher floors requires a more prestigious invitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Strict hierarchy!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Hong turned to Lady Zhao and said: “Lady, please help support Mother.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lady Zhao’s face lit up with delight: “Master, rest assured.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Laotaijun smiled: “Hong, you’ve been away from court for years—it’s changed entirely. Your old friends have all risen to high positions. Several of your disciples are now first-rank officials who come to our home every year with gifts. Stay in touch; don’t let your students feel neglected.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s good to see them. If one day you wish to leave Qingliang Temple and return to office, someone will recommend you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Laotaijun stroked her youngest son’s hand: “You know your brother’s nature—he dislikes dealing with those Confucian scholars at court, and we have no one inside to speak for us.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this, Xie Laotaijun sighed: “It’s the end of the year, yet the court’s orders still haven’t come. Ling is still holding the border, unable to return home.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go, go—don’t worry. I’ll go up to the second floor myself. It’s no trouble.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Ling had still not received the court’s order to withdraw, and remained holding the border.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Laotaijun often worried about Xie Ling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could parents not think of their children and grandchildren?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Hong spoke slowly: “I’ll keep an eye on your elder son’s affairs.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did Yuan Fu ren’s expression brighten, and she hurried to say:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then this matter is entrusted to Hong.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Xie Hong was willing to help, the matter would become much easier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Hong nodded and remained at the entrance of Yaoxian Tower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman wearing a conical hat and white veil, and the man in black robe, also stopped with Xie Hong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Hua watched Xie Laotaijun’s party enter “Yaoxian Tower,” gazing at the sign above.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Hua smiled: “Yaoxian Tower—inviting immortals. It really does feel fitting!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Hong led the two toward Qimochun Fang nearby, where a private room on the third floor had been prepared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three entered the private room!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Hong pushed open the window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Qunfang Banquet was built atop the Zhishui Bridge, visible to the people on both banks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Qunfang Banquet was built across the Zhishui Bridge, and people on both banks had gathered to watch, the scene bustling with excitement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moonlight spilled like water over the shimmering Zhishui; men on the flower boats beat drums to cheer, and courtesans sang melodious tunes, pushing the festive atmosphere to its peak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheers echoed continuously from both banks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The most eye-catching sight was Yaoxian Tower, brightly lit, its interior filled with shadowy figures.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Hong’s gaze lingered on Yaoxian Tower for a moment, then he said calmly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Su Jing has entered Yaoxian Tower. But the Academy’s people have not yet arrived.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Hua’s expression grew more serious. She whispered: “In Bianjing of the Great Qi, assassinating an Academy Master sounds dangerously reckless.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, the man in black robe had already lifted his hood, revealing a face covered in scales, two large bulges on either side of his forehead, no eyebrows, and golden vertical pupils radiating a ferocious aura, as if a demon had descended.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He slowly forced out words from his throat: “Kill… kill him. He… deserves to die!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice was awkward, like two grinding stones pushing against each other, revealing his inner fury.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Hong turned around: “Today, the Tu Mo Division and Shen Yin are both present—security is tight.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But the greatest concern is the Academy’s people. We’ll see how Su Jing manages to distract them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Before the Qunfang Banquet ends, I rely on you, Lu Tian Shi, and Long Yi, to wait again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Hua said nothing—it was already agreed upon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man in black robe nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Hong did not linger, gave a few final instructions, and descended the stairs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only Lu Hua and the man in black robe remained in the private room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Hua yawned, dragged a chair to the window, and gazed at the scene on Zhishui.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man named Long Yi seemed lost in thought, his eyes unreadable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long Yi’s voice was hoarse: “I… go… return.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Hua waved dismissively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go. A lone man and a woman alone in a room—even though I’m a Daoist, you’re not even human.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just don’t get caught and drag me down. Save the Daoist, let the poor monk die.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long Yi said: “Go… water.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man in black robe descended the stairs, bowed his head, and slipped through the crowd to the Zhishui bank, then plunged beneath the water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He silently tracked a certain aura—he had faintly sensed something unnatural about the Xie family’s young boy since his time at the Xie Fu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lord of the Ze Lake demon had a peculiar feeling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he consumed that boy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could transform into a dragon and ascend.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For days, Long Yi had quietly observed the boy, but with Xie Hong always beside him, he had found no opportunity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now the chance had come!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Long Yi swam beneath the water, the thought made his whole body burn with heat; he couldn’t help swallowing saliva.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On a flower boat, a woman stared at the water, saw ripples surging, and cried out in horror: “Something’s in the water?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A giant snake?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2537,"2026-06-21T01:33:03.787Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","8adbdd7832c46b9ff954089d0646d3e0631ce1f47e225f998865e10c7ea241b3","simulated-to-reality-i-once-looked-down-upon-ten-chapter-605","simulated-to-reality-i-once-looked-down-upon-ten-chapter-603",728,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsimulated-to-reality-i-once-looked-down-upon-ten-cover.jpg"]