[{"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-630":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},2347645,4587,"Chapter 630: Ascended to Yaoxian Tower, the Immortals Set the Theme!","simulated-to-reality-i-once-looked-down-upon-ten-chapter-630",630,"\u003Cp>Yu Ke inherited Xie Guan’s memories and absorbed his ordinary mannerisms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He walked with careful, steady steps, following closely behind the Imperial Seal Eunuch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The elderly eunuch in scarlet python robe flicked his eyes slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The boy trailed behind him, the hem of his robe swaying gently with each step, every swing perfectly uniform, as if meticulously measured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His steps were firm—neither hurried nor sluggish—each one precise, as if paced by a ruler.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The boy kept his gaze straight ahead, maintaining proper distance without appearing stiff.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old eunuch could not help but feel a flicker of approval—character is learned in walking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For elders like him, long secluded within the palace, one’s gait alone could reveal a person’s temperament and depth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This boy, who stole the spotlight at today’s Gathering of Beauties, now favored by the Third Master and Su Xiang—what great fortune, to tread calmly into the clouds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet he carried an air of youthful composure, neither joyful nor sorrowful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps it was because the old eunuch had spent his life cautious within the palace, and years of nurturing others had shaped his nature, that he could not help but show kindness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He offered Xie Guan a gentle warning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Young Master Guan, when you enter Yaoxian Tower, do not go to the fourth floor.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The eunuch whispered, “Wait on the third floor. I will arrange everything for you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Once inside Yaoxian Tower, do not look too much, do not ask too much, do not speak too much.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Ke nodded slightly, knowing deep down that silence and action were always safe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He mused inwardly: this eunuch, personally serving Su Xiang, had a cold face but unexpectedly kind disposition—a striking contrast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the simulations, Yu Ke learned Su Xiang harbored murderous intent toward him, while Su Yun, Su Xiang’s grandson, though from a great clan and quick-tempered, carried the bearing of a virtuous gentleman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This imperial eunuch did not seem like the kind who would commit evil deeds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just who was Su Xiang? Yu Ke’s mind brimmed with questions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the simulation’s memories, his impression of Su Xiang was vague and complex.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Xiang was the nation’s chancellor, ruling autocratically, permitted to wear sword and shoes in court, wielding immense power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, he was the Fourth Master of the Academy, profoundly learned and deeply revered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rumor held him the greatest chess player in the land, unmatched in strategy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He convened the Gathering of Beauties, managed the Yellow River flood, saved the nation and its people, and earned the people’s praise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the other hand, the Nine Surnames’ factional power seemed to have been forged by his own hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What manner of man was this—statesman, scholar, strategist, and virtuous minister all in one?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was he loyal or treacherous?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Righteous or evil?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Ke could not tell—he felt Su Xiang’s image was a thick fog.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Ke followed the Imperial Seal Eunuch to the entrance of Yaoxian Tower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yaoxian Tower was a four-story pagoda, its base the widest, each upper floor narrowing progressively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fourth floor, the highest, symbolized reverence for the Academy—the Academy’s top floor was only five stories, so Yaoxian Tower would never exceed it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old eunuch waved his hand lightly, and the guards respectfully stepped aside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Ke followed closely, stepping into Yaoxian Tower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the first floor was not spacious, the eunuch’s striking scarlet python robe immediately drew every eye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Su Xiang’s personal eunuch, his identity was universally known.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All present curiously studied the boy behind him, whispers spreading through the crowd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That boy—is he Xie Guan from the Grass Hall Poetry Gathering?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Su Xiang and the Third Master invited him to Yaoxian Tower to compose poetry for the Gathering of Beauties.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first floor held mostly low-ranking officials and their children or female relatives—lively, yet dull.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Imperial Seal Eunuch did not pause; he quickly led Yu Ke up to the second floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The second floor was where the Nine Surnames’ ladies, young ladies, and young masters gathered—more refined in atmosphere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Isn’t that the illegitimate son of the Xie family? Could he possibly be the man behind the scandal that ruined the Xie family’s reputation over a decade ago? It’s said that even now in Bianjing, people still bring up the matter over tea and meals—the Xie Fu avoids him as if he were plague.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Isn’t that the illegitimate son of the Xie family? The one involved in that scandal over ten years ago that disgraced the Xie household? I hear people in Bianjing still speak of it over tea—Xie Fu avoids him like plague.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone whispered, voice laced with mockery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They say he never even entered a schoolhouse—just a lowly beginner, no official title, and yet he dares come here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mocking voices rose one after another; all scoffed at Xie Guan’s humble origins and unorthodox scholar status.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet some defended him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmph, a pack of rotting Confucians with loose tongues!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A clear female voice rang out, laced with disdain. “When the Prince of Yan descended Mount Zhongnan, wasn’t he just a Daoist boy who’d never read a single military text? And what happened later? He swept the land, founded a legacy lasting a thousand years—who dared look down on him then?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And what official titles does the Master himself hold? Does that mean his learning is worthless?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman’s words were sharp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mentioning the Prince of Yan and the Master, few dared retort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Prince of Yan had indeed been an unknown Daoist boy on Mount Zhongnan before emerging.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Master held no official titles in Confucianism—though Confucians called him the Supreme Sage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can any of you, with all your brains, write even one of his three poems?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman who had spoken sneered, her gaze sweeping over the mockers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She wore a drooping futou, with no makeup on her face, yet radiated an unmistakable martial spirit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her rebuttal silenced the mockery; all exchanged glances, left speechless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Xie Guan were here, he would recognize her: Chen Jiuyan, who had played ten games of Go with him in the Xie family courtyard, Su Xiang’s final disciple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Jiuyan watched Yu Ke slowly ascend the third floor, feeling this was as it should be.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could a mere nobody possibly defeat her six times in a row on the black-and-white path?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could a mere nobody have defeated her six times in a row on the Go board?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could an ordinary mortal so easily best her?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She felt a flicker of curiosity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today, under the Third Master’s and Su Xiang’s orders, Xie Guan must compose poetry for the Gathering of Beauties—what masterpiece would he produce?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a chance to reveal his brilliance, yet countless eyes of the Nine Surnames’ Academy watched him closely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If his poem failed, he would face endless scorn—like being roasted alive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, recalling Xie Guan’s calm demeanor, his composed, deliberate moves during Go, Chen Jiuyan felt a quiet certainty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He… shouldn’t fail.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She murmured softly, a faint smile touching her lips, a spark of anticipation in her eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Ke stepped onto the second floor, his gaze steady, not glancing left or right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was already at the seventh realm of Primordial Spirit cultivation; his spiritual sense was sharp—he immediately sensed a cold gaze fixed upon him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without reaction, he glanced sideways and saw the gaze came from a young nobleman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man was gaunt as a skeleton, dressed in brocade and jade belt, hanging five or six incense pouches from his waist, his face long and narrow like a donkey’s, thickly powdered, cheeks sunken, radiating a gloomy aura.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Ke recognized him from Xie Guan’s memories—Zhao Yang of the Zhao family, who had once been close to Xie Renfeng in the Hongjing Courtyard, both having tried to humiliate Wu Tong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Guan had already made enemies of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Ke merely cast a casual sidelong glance, then ignored him, continuing steadily up to the third floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The second floor was crowded with the descendants, kin, and families of the Nine Surnames—refined in atmosphere, yet still noisy and restless with youthful energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The third floor!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was where the heads of the Nine Surnames, imperial consorts of the Great Qi court, and high-ranking officials gathered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the Academy’s Masters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The atmosphere here was utterly different—calm, solemn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At every table sat figures who held sway over court and state; their gazes were deep, their movements composed, their voices low yet radiating undeniable authority.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The imperial consorts wore lavish attire, their bearing dignified, their expressions calm and cold, forged by years within the inner palace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The high officials either whispered quietly or sipped wine lightly, every gesture exuding the poise of lifelong power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Lao, Xie Hong, Lady Yuan of the main courtyard, and Lady Zhao of the second courtyard—all sat on the third floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Ke ascended the stairs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He noticed even the scarlet-robed eunuch ahead had slowed his steps, his expression now more cautious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The third floor was filled with the powerful and exalted of the Nine Surnames.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Ke lowered his eyes, gazing at his nose, then his lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his perception, over a dozen thick, enduring qi signatures filled the third floor—some were ninth-rank martial experts, others were Primordial Spirit cultivators beyond comprehension.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Ke silently activated the secret technique taught by Lu Hua, suppressing his own aura.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The technique was profound—unless he acted, even a ninth-rank “Xuandan” martial master could not perceive his true cultivation level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his mind-sea, the great tripod roared—a mysterious, ineffable energy flowed through his body, firmly anchoring “Xie Guan’s” spirit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All his aura vanished, leaving him indistinguishable from an ordinary man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Ke finally felt somewhat at ease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sighed inwardly—this “Kun Xu Ding” held greater mystery on his own turf.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had never been struck within the Shenxiao Sect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Xie Guan and the other stepped onto the third floor, they drew many glances.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire party of four from the Xie family’s matriarch cast their eyes toward them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old matriarch’s expression was calm; in her hand she held a deer-head cane, her wrinkled face as still as an ancient pool.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lady Yuan’s face was like frost, cold through and through.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lady Zhao’s eyebrows lifted slightly, as if lost in thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Hong merely glanced casually and turned away, utterly unconcerned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Ke remembered the eunuch’s warning, kept his gaze straight ahead, and followed closely into a quiet chamber already prepared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned past twelve-fold rosewood screens and pushed open the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The room was empty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the huanghuali desk with upturned ends, Chengxin Hall paper glowed under the light of a pearl, beside a purple jade inkstone and a wolf-hair brush rest—all present.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The room’s furnishings were elegant; the writing desk held all four treasures of the study.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old eunuch bowed and said, “Young Master Guan, please compose a poem or verse on the theme of ‘Immortals and the Banquet of Flowers.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your humble servant shall wait here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Time ends when the Banquet of Flowers concludes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>～\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>～\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Yang’s eyes locked onto the retreating back as it ascended the third floor, his heart burning with rage—he suddenly flung the delicate teacup in his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Crack—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sharp sound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The teacup shattered on impact, tea and shards spraying everywhere, tea stains spreading across the floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Xie Guan—he truly deserves to die!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Yang gritted his teeth, voice low but thick with hatred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What is Xie Guan, that he dares set foot on the third floor of Yaoxian Tower?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And Xie Renfeng—he’s a useless waste! Didn’t you already hire the top assassin from Xuan Yue Hall for a fortune?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then why is Xie Guan still alive and showing up at this Banquet of Flowers?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1954,"2026-06-21T01:33:03.787Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","d2a1adb866f06fbe40ee2ff994f88ae1f28caa57126ea24667f3b3ff014f59f2","simulated-to-reality-i-once-looked-down-upon-ten-chapter-631","simulated-to-reality-i-once-looked-down-upon-ten-chapter-629",728,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsimulated-to-reality-i-once-looked-down-upon-ten-cover.jpg"]