Chapter 1500: Unmatched Through the Ages

Ye Guan brought Qin Xue to Sang Han's great hall.

As soon as she saw Sang Han, Qin Xue immediately bowed respectfully, and her eyes were full of unconcealed excitement and admiration.

Sang Han was, without a doubt, a legend. She rose from an ordinary background to become the all-powerful governor of an entire province, and she was a woman at that.

There were many Governors in the empire, but fewer than five were women.

Qin Xue's dream was to become someone like Sang Han.

Sang Han looked at Ye Guan quietly.

Ye Guan met her gaze directly and said, "Governor, I'm sure you want to know my ambitions. I can tell you, but I think you probably won't believe it."

Sang Han said calmly, "Speak. Whether I believe it or not is my decision."

Ye Guan said, "I come from a place called the Main Universe. I don't know if you can verify that, but it's very, very far from here. The reason I came to this place is because of a wager with someone.

"We are going through a Great Dao Contest in an unfamiliar place."

Sang Han's expression remained calm. "A Great Dao Contest?"

Ye Guan nodded. "Yes. The man who was imprisoned with me in the mine, that's the person I'm competing with. He's already left."

Sang Han looked at him. "That's it?"

Ye Guan nodded slightly. "That's it. I'm establishing the academy because of this Great Dao Contest, too. I need a platform. If you're willing to give me that platform, I'll be extremely grateful. If not, that's fine, too. I just want you to know that I'm not your enemy. There's no conflict of interest between us."

He knew very well that with someone like her, honesty was his only option. Trying to bluff her would only make her more wary of him, and it could possibly spark the desire to eliminate him.

Someone of her intelligence wouldn't be swayed by a few clever words.

If she still remained wary of him, then there was nothing he could do. He would simply have to find another place.

After a long silence, Sang Han said, "I'll help you with the Academy. In return, I want you to do something for me."

Ye Guan replied, "Name it."

Sang Han glanced at Qin Xue. The latter gave a slight bow and quietly exited the hall.

𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

She said, "Tomorrow, I'm heading to the capital. You'll accompany me."

Ye Guan asked, "Is this about the Empyrean Star Battlefield?"

Sang Han nodded slightly.

"It's that serious?"

"Within a month at most, the entire empire could be fully mobilized for war."

Ye Guan frowned deeply.

Sang Han added, "Establishing an academy is easy, but building a great one is hard. Right now, with only the Qin Clan supporting you, it's nearly impossible for you to build anything big."

Ye Guan asked, "What if I have your support?"

Sang Han said, "Even then, it's still difficult to reach the top."

Ye Guan looked puzzled.

"First of all, I can't support your academy in an official capacity. Of course, I

could

do it, because I have that authority. But if I do, your academy will become a lightning rod for political attacks. Do you understand?" Sang Han said.

Ye Guan nodded. He knew that if Sang Han were to support his academy publicly, it would instantly become a target for her political enemies, which would only make things harder for him.

Sang Han added, "I can help you behind the scenes. With my covert support, you'll be able to establish your academy in Yongrong City. But if you want it to go further and truly expand, you'll need the backing of the imperial family.

"Only with imperial support can your academy grow beyond this province."

Ye Guan fell silent. This lady wasn't an easy ally. She was pulling him into the imperial capital's political storm.

Sang Han glanced at him. "It's your choice."

"May I make a small request?"

"Speak."

"Could you arrange a position for Lady Qin Xue in the Governor's Mansion?"

Qin Yun had helped him a lot, and he naturally wanted to return the favor.

Sang Han nodded. "Alright."

"About the academy..."

"The Governor's advisory team will take over and help you handle it. Don't worry, I won't sideline you. The development and the operation of the academy will proceed according to your vision."

"Good."

He would help her, and she would help him. They were going to scratch each other's backs. Of course, at present, she held the upper hand.

"Get ready, we're leaving for the Imperial capital tomorrow."

Ye Guan nodded and left.

Once Ye Guan was nowhere in sight, a mysterious voice echoed."This trip to the capital..."

Sang Han calmly replied, "It's unavoidable."

"Then seize as much profit as you can."

Sang Han shook her head faintly and said nothing.

***

As soon as Ye Guan returned to his room, Qin Xue came looking for him. She handed him a storage ring and said, "Young Master Ye, this is from my grandfather."

He looked inside the ring and saw a million star spiritual crystals. He looked at Qin Xue.

"Thank you very much for what you did for me," said Qin Xue.

Ye Guan smiled. "I promised your grandfather I would."

With that, he took out a scroll and placed it in front of her. "Tomorrow, I'll be heading to the capital with the Governor. The Governor's advisory team will assist with the academy, but your grandfather will still be the main person in charge. Everything about the construction and planning is detailed in this scroll. Have him follow it."

Qin Xue accepted the scroll and nodded. "Alright."

After she left, Ye Guan lay down on the bed and muttered,

"That woman's pulling me into an even bigger whirlpool... what a headache."

He truly didn't have a choice. If he didn't go along with her plan, the academy would never take off. Trying to open an academy in this place without official backing was nearly impossible.

Even if it got started, there would be endless trouble.

Little Pagoda said,

"She probably isn't in a great situation, either."

Ye Guan nodded. In a massive empire like this, there were surely many factions and endless political attacks.

Little Pagoda added,

"For you, though, this might be an opportunity. The capital has a much bigger stage for you to play on."

Ye Guan said, "That's true. Right now, I have no choice but to tie myself to her."

In truth, he was even more curious about the Empyrean Star Battlefield. How serious had the conflict gotten? Given how seriously the empire was treating the war, it clearly concerned the very future of the nation.

However, he didn't dwell on it too long.

The next morning, Ye Guan was taken to a starry sky.

Sang Han stood not far away. More than a thousand people were behind her, and they were all clad in black armor, exuding powerful auras. Over a hundred of them were Void Breakers.

Sang Han looked at Ye Guan and said, "Let's go."

As soon as the words left her mouth, she opened her palm, and a golden disk appeared. In an instant, a golden circle of light appeared beneath everyone's feet, and in the blink of an eye, they vanished from where they stood.

When they reappeared, they were inside a golden spacetime tunnel.

Ye Guan stood beside Sang Han and asked, "Who are these people?"

Sang Han replied, "The elites of Yongrong City."

"They're heading to the Empyrean Star Battlefield?"

"This time, all Governors are bringing their province's top experts to gather in the capital."

"What happens if we lose this battle?"

Sang Han looked at him but said nothing.

Ye Guan added, "Anything is possible, isn't it?"

Sang Han replied calmly, "If we lose, the empire will collapse and be devoured by the Celestial Clan."

Ye Guan said, "And if we win, the empire will consume the Celestial Clan and reach unprecedented heights?"

"Yes."

"Since this is a battle that determines the fate of the empire, why can't you unite and face the enemy together?"

"The enemy has already infiltrated the upper ranks."

"Anyone who can target you must be in a position of great power. How could someone like that be corrupted by the enemy?"

"Maybe they themselves can't be corrupted, but what about their sons, or their grandsons? If they can't be swayed by benefits, then they must have been threatened.

"How many of those in high positions are clean? The enemy must have found their weaknesses and used them for blackmail.

"If they were to refuse to cooperate, those weaknesses would get exposed, and once exposed, they would be as good as dead. So you tell me, would they comply or not?

"Likewise, we've also infiltrated the Celestial Clan, some even in high positions. Many times, a person may have no weaknesses, but those around them are full of weaknesses. If you can't get to him, you take down the ones around him. It's that simple."

"Impressive," Ye Guan said with a nod. "You must have something you want to say to me, right?"

Sang Han said, "My political opponent is the Grand Preceptor's faction. They are aligned with the old aristocracy and represent their interests. I belong to the rising faction, led by the Ninth Prince."

Ye Guan said in a low voice, "So this isn't just political infighting..."

"Yes. Behind the Grand Preceptor's faction is the Crown Prince, the current legitimate heir to the empire."

"Since there's already an heir, why is the Ninth Prince still fighting for it?"

"Because if he doesn't fight, he's going to die. Would you fight if you were in his shoes? Besides, His Majesty also wants them to compete. The next emperor must be truly exceptional."

"Understood."

"On this trip to the capital, half the Governors will be sent to the Empyrean Star Battlefield. Normally, that's a duty one should take up without hesitation. But if I go, I won't die fighting the Celestial Clan, I'll die at the hands of my own people, as the Commander there belongs to the Crown Prince's faction."

"So our mission is to avoid going to the Empyrean Star Battlefield?"

Sang Han nodded.

Ye Guan asked, "What kind of person is His Majesty?"

Sang Han replied, "An emperor unmatched through the ages."

"He must know everything that's happening, right?"

"He does."

"I understand it now. This war isn't just about deciding victory or defeat with the Celestial Clan; it's also about determining the true heir to the empire," Ye Guan remarked. "Let me give you a suggestion. If you and the Ninth Prince follow my plan, even if you can't win, you definitely won't lose."