Chapter 156: Shift of Fortune Momentum

Night as dark as ink, inside the rear study of the Luochuan County Office, only a lone lamp remained.

The leaping flames stretched Chen Wen's shadow, casting it on the wall, swaying slightly.

The daytime clamor had long since faded.

The mud of the fields, the heat of the workshops, the dust of the training grounds, the ink scent of the Government Affairs Hall—all seemed to dissipate with the night wind.

However, those scenes.

Those scenes, accelerated by his power and bursting with vitality far beyond ordinary people.

Yet they were etched into his mind like a brand.

He sat alone at his desk, not attending to official duties.

But he rarely allowed himself to calm down.

For several consecutive days, he extensively and intensely employed that "Heaven-bestowed Power."

Even though his physique far surpassed that of ordinary people, mental fatigue surged in waves like a tide.

This was a weariness stemming from deep within consciousness, not easily dispelled by simple sleep.

He closed his eyes, attempting to examine himself with the method of inner vision.

This was no profound secret technique, merely a state attained when the mind is calm and focused.

His consciousness sank, as if penetrating the fleshly husk and entering a hazy chaos.

Here he "saw" the familiar pale blue light curtain.

【Personal Status: Chen Wen (Chen Wenzhong)】

【Ability Level: Lv. 5 (32x Efficiency)】

【Growth Progress Bar: 1.8%】

【Fortune Momentum Vortex: active, thick, slowly growing】

【Target: Lv. 6 (64x Efficiency)】

His attention first fell on the gray area that still occupied the vast majority.

And that which was insignificant yet truly existed.

Approximately one-fifth of it lit up—1.8%.

The progress, stalled for a long time, finally began to move.

Chen Wen's emotions remained calm, instead gaining a clear understanding that "this was to be expected."

The blood and fire of the Battle of Gaoping tempered him, allowing him to break through the bottleneck and ascend to a new level.

After the breakthrough, this new path obviously required new accumulation.

This accumulation was not merely chopping trees, farming, or honing personal martial strength.

It seemed linked to something greater and more abstract.

His thoughts drifted over the scenes he had seen by day:

It was the sight of old farmers and clerks, in the fields, having their minds opened by his "Broad Aid Assistance," eagerly offering suggestions.

Irrigation channels could be planned more swiftly and effectively.

Countless farming households thus benefited, and granaries could be expected after the harvest.

That was "Vitality."

It was the workshop, where master craftsmen, inspired by his "Refined Aid Assistance," had a surge of creative thought.

Long‑standing technical bottlenecks were overcome one after another, and sharper, tougher weapons and armor, as well as more exquisite and powerful crossbow devices, were moving from blueprint to reality.

That was "Strength."

It was the Government Affairs Hall, where clerks, thanks to the same "Broad Aid Assistance," became orderly and clear‑headed.

Piled‑up documents dwindled at a visible pace, orders were transmitted, injustices redressed, and pests detected.

The entire administrative system radiated an unprecedented efficiency.

That was "Order."

It was the training field, where thousands of new recruits, under the guidance of veteran soldiers,

thanks to the field‑wide "Vast Aid Assistance," adapted, learned, and honed more quickly.

Though still immature, they already bore the embryonic form of a military unit, and given time would surely become an iron bulwark defending this land.

That was "Guard."

Vitality, Strength, Order, Guard……

These invisible, intangible things seemed to accompany every slight change in the three counties.

Accompanying the consolidation of popular sentiment, the stabilization and growth of power, they trickled together bit by bit.

Ultimately, they manifested in the growth of this progress bar.

He once again directed his consciousness toward the vortex hovering beside the light curtain, which had originally been merely a vague indicator—the "Fortune Momentum Vortex."

This time he "saw" it more clearly. The vortex remained intangible, untouchable, and unable to be driven.

Yet within it, it seemed no longer pure emptiness.

It rotated slowly, its hue seeming a shade richer than before, flowing between.

It faintly gave Chen Wen a sense of "substance" and "solidity."

Like… like the land beneath his feet, which he regarded as his foundation, was now feeding its strength back to him.

"Fortune Momentum..."

Chen Wen silently recited these two words in his heart. Before, he had only regarded them as a symbol, a backdrop.

Now, as the progress bar moved with the development of power, he faintly grasped its deeper meaning.

This "Cow Horse System"—Heaven rewards diligence.

And the 'diligence' it rewards seems not limited merely to his personal labor of sweating profusely.

It also covers all the 'effective' efforts of the collective he leads, advancing toward the goal of 'deep roots and firm foundation'.

Individual strength will eventually run out.

Only by pooling collective strength can a great momentum be formed.

Each point of progress on this bar means his foundation has been solidified by one point.

This means that the lands of the three counties of Linhe, Thus entries: Thus entries: Anping, and Luochuan are one step closer to his ideal of an 'impregnable realm, a land of abundance'.

However, he also clearly realizes that this growth is hard-won, and its speed is far from instantaneous.

1.8%, merely the beginning.

In the future, more 'vitality', stronger 'strength', clearer 'order', and firmer 'protection' are still needed.

Meanwhile, external pressure has not disappeared.

Bian Liang's suspicions and checks hang over him like a sword suspended above; Zhao Kuangyin lurks nearby, tiger‑eyed and watchful, and behind him looms the mysterious shadow of the Iron Crow Army.

The Khitan and Northern Han to the north, though defeated, are not subdued and may at any time rise again.

In this chaotic age, to halt one's steps is to fall behind, to invite danger.

He slowly opened his eyes; the fatigue in his gaze remained, yet now mixed with a few parts of clarity and resolve.

The growth of the progress bar confirms that his path is correct.

'Deep roots and firm foundation' is not only a way to survive, but also a way to grow.

He picked up his brush, and on a blank slip of paper slowly wrote the four characters: 'Accumulate the small to achieve prominence'.

He pressed the slip onto his desk as a reminder to himself.

Perhaps the essence of growth is the accumulation of countless minute efforts.

It is the silent yet steadfast gathering of strength before this great momentum arises.

The night is still long, and the road is just as long.

But the direction is now clear; all that remains is to step forward, footprints marking the way, walking steadily on solid ground.

He blew out the lamp, and the study plunged into darkness.

Only the sparse starlight outside the window, and the glimmering 1.8% in his mind, foretell dawn and the future.