[{"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-98":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},2347113,4587,"Chapter 98: The Purple Micro Emperor Governs the World: The Twenty-Six Pavilion Commanders","simulated-to-reality-i-once-looked-down-upon-ten-chapter-98",98,"\u003Cp>Inside this dilapidated temple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The howling cold wind swept through the hall, chilling every corner of the ancient shrine!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The green-robed Daoist at the entrance, his robes fluttering in the wind, paid it no mind, standing steadfast just beyond the eaves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sword-bearing man, however, kept glancing frequently at the green-robed Daoist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fat scholar’s low murmur.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The imperial star wavers, Mars looms high!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The group snapped back from their earlier shock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mention of Mars lingering over the Heart constellation—every monarch throughout history had paled at the mere words; it was the celestial omen they feared most.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mars, this star, glowed crimson like fire, standing out vividly amid the vast heavens.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its path was erratic, and wherever it appeared—eastern sky or western night—signified war and calamity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet even more terrifying was this:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When this ill-omened star halted within the Heart constellation, it became Mars Lingering Over the Heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was not merely Heaven’s severe punishment for a ruler’s moral failings—it foretold the sovereign’s divine calamity, the trembling of the state, and the instability of the realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>History recorded thirty-two instances of Mars Lingering Over the Heart; each was followed by nationwide chaos, dramatic shifts in power, dynastic collapse, and rivers of blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this very moment, as the Empress gave birth to a prince and the capital rejoiced, a celestial omen appeared—foretelling “Mars Lingering Over the Heart”—a dire portent indeed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Son of Heaven, upon hearing the news, flew into a rage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman in the green skirt said: “This grave offense is enough to bring ruin upon the Prefect.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who could deny it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But that wandering Daoist tricked us—apparently vanished afterward.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fat scholar shook his head and sighed: “Worse still, the stele carried further words.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The white-robed woman frowned: “What does this have to do with the Young Protector?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The handsome young lord glanced at the white-robed woman, a flicker of surprise in his eyes—he sensed her unusual interest in Lu Shaobao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fat scholar continued: “The stele bore twenty-eight lines of celestial script, corresponding to the Twenty-Eight Mansions. Of these, twenty-six were none other than Lu Shaobao’s former generals—the Twenty-Six Pavilion Commanders who once ruled the land.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Each man’s birth chart and life history were inscribed there—precisely and without error.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Could this be true?” Everyone was stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Moreover, two others on the stele completed the Twenty-Eight Mansions: Lu Shaobao and the Young Marshal.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That is, Lu Chen and Lu Yu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fat scholar went on: “The stele plainly declared that Lu Shaobao is the earthly incarnation of the Purple Micro Emperor, come to govern the world, and the master of the Twenty-Eight Mansions.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At these words, the temple fell silent once more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such treasonous words!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They would not be tolerated in any dynasty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Mandate of Heaven grants rule—this is profound blasphemy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You, however, fell into quiet thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The beautiful woman sat on the long bench, gazing out at the torrential rain beyond the temple, as if lost in thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The white-robed woman, meanwhile, wore a grave expression, a trace of unease in her eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The elderly man of the Zou family, his face shadowed with worry, spoke slowly: “Daqing is once more on the brink of storm and turmoil.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Young Protector’s arrival in the capital… sigh…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The beautiful woman rose and steadied the old man: “Father, do not worry. The Young Protector is blessed by Heaven.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man sighed, then gave a slight nod.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The beautiful woman was Zou Shuning. She had come to the capital with her father and nephew for three reasons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, her father was elderly; she had urged him not to travel, but upon learning the Young Protector was coming, he refused to be dissuaded and insisted on going.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Second, her nephew was about to take the autumn provincial examination, and his impulsive nature required supervision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lastly, she wished to visit an old friend she had not seen in years, to renew their bond.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The handsome young lad smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His aunt was no ordinary woman—since childhood, she had excelled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting; in her youth, she disguised herself as a man and topped the provincial examination, becoming a celebrated tale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Add to that her stunning beauty, and her fame spread across the entire prefecture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her marriage prospects had been disastrous. Her uncle arranged three fiancés for her. The first, newly crowned a Metropolitan Graduate, died of illness the next year. The second, a rising literary talent, perished in prison after being implicated in an exam-cheating scandal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The third, chosen for his “hard fate,” was a dashing martial hero—only to die in a storm of intrigue by year’s end. The match was finally abandoned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now nearly thirty, she was considered an “old maiden,” yet still dazzlingly beautiful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The beautiful woman helped the old man sit back down on the bench to rest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fish-belly note and the celestial stele had thrust the Young Protector into the eye of the storm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The imperial decree from Mount Zhongnan summoned him to the capital for audience.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Zou elder wondered: this news had been tightly sealed—how had it spread across the entire nation?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Along the imperial road, countless martial artists were heading toward the capital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Young Protector’s arrival was now common knowledge—even street storytellers were deliberately publicizing it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The handsome young lad chuckled: “With these two incidents, the Young Protector’s journey to the capital grows even more perilous.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thin scholar, while gathering his chess pieces, mused: “Ignorance is no crime. I recall the Prefect is imperial kin—his crime hardly merits death.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This time, the Prefect has truly pierced the heavens.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thin scholar turned at the voice—only to see the previously silent beautiful woman speaking solemnly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Twenty-Six Pavilion Commanders on the stele.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The white-robed woman spoke slowly, her voice tinged with memory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zou Shuning found it odd—the white-robed woman seemed intimately familiar with Lu Shaobao’s past.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“After the Young Protector retired to Mount Zhongnan, most of them laid down their arms and returned to the fields; the few remaining still held pivotal positions in the capital.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The notice posted on Wuyang Tower states that Feng Haiping, lord of the Northern Garrison Army, is now the Marquis of Gaomi.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zou Shuning nodded: “The father of Geng Bin, Commander of the Southern Naval Forces, was also one of the original Twenty-Six Pavilion Commanders.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And Yu Xu, the eunuch who slew several Northern Wind Princes, earned great military merit, received a python robe from Emperor Hui, and was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Longting.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Xu was a eunuch; in Daqing, only the Nine-Thousand-Year-Old surpassed him in rank among eunuchs, and he alone rose to marquis through military service.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is clearly an accusation against a high-ranking official—grave indeed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At these words, the others in the temple also looked startled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fifteen years had passed too long; the names that once shook the realm had faded from memory—but now, spoken again, they seemed to resurrect the turbulent age.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In chaos, heroes arise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman in the green skirt laughed lightly: “This won’t end well. If those Twenty-Six Pavilion Commanders learn of this, what will they think?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thin scholar chuckled too: “They’d likely scramble to disavow any connection—after all, who wants to be branded traitors or rebels?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman in the green skirt seemed to recall something!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And isn’t there one of the original Twenty-Six Pavilion Commanders in Yuetangjiang?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The white-robed woman’s gaze turned reverent: “That old man Qin!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The supreme leader of the green woods of Guangdong and Guangxi, master of both underworld and official circles.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Qin Xiaowu, Old Master Qin—he was one of the Twenty-Six Pavilion Commanders, famed for his breakthrough assaults.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When the Young Protector retired, Old Master Qin returned to his hometown in Yuetangjiang.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The handsome young lad listened, startled—he had family ties to Old Master Qin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He recalled how his elders, when mentioning him, spoke with deep respect, calling him “Old Master Qin.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Master Qin’s reputation extended far beyond Yuetangjiang—it reached throughout Guangdong and Guangxi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Master Qin was one of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The handsome young lad was greatly astonished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1348,"2026-06-21T01:32:57.622Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","984a1d64673232b64cb5004a0f71722c41e18cc6cae044a4a0a6f33bc32be713","simulated-to-reality-i-once-looked-down-upon-ten-chapter-99","simulated-to-reality-i-once-looked-down-upon-ten-chapter-97",728,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsimulated-to-reality-i-once-looked-down-upon-ten-cover.jpg"]