I Cheated While Cultivating

“From the elder’s tone, it seems like there’s a secret to this Star Officer?” Zhou Heng asked, pretending not to understand what it meant to be the Ziwei Great Emperor.

After all, given his current identity, he shouldn’t have access to such information.

“The Ziwei Great Emperor is the master of all stars, governing all laws, a personage of supreme and noble divine power, the true ruler of the Three Enclosures and Twenty-Eight Mansions,” the inner seat of the Five Emperors looked toward the stars and sighed, “The Ziwei Enclosure at the center of this star map is the dwelling of the Ziwei Great Emperor, called the Central Palace at the North Pole. The Star Officers stationed within are merely assistants to the Ziwei Great Emperor.”

“So powerful!” Zhou Heng exclaimed, “But how come I’ve never heard of such a being?”

He began to search for information about the Ziwei Great Emperor.

“Have you heard of the other Star Officers then?” The inner seat of the Five Emperors chuckled, “This starry sky, this star map, in reality, were all left behind by the true Ziwei Great Emperor and have nothing to do with the normal world we live in.

“If one does not come into contact with the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer, the common people almost never know that the Three Enclosures and Twenty-Eight Mansions exist, let alone the names of the numerous Star Officers and Star Envoys.”

“But since it’s a legacy, it must have truly existed at some point,” Zhou Heng pressed on, “It’s impossible that not even a single legend was left behind.”

“Alas, this is to blame on the Dark Age following the mysterious disappearance of the ancient celestial deities,” the inner seat of the Five Emperors seemed to feel some regret, shaking his head, “So much of the literature, especially descriptions of the Ancient Mythological Era, were nearly completely destroyed. Tracing the past has become extremely difficult.”

“That’s truly a pity,” Zhou Heng felt some disappointment.

“If you are truly interested, you could pay attention to some relics or events from the Dark Age,” the inner seat of the Five Emperors suggested, “You might find some clues you’re looking for.”

“Thank you, elder,” Zhou Heng’s eyes lit up.

Although many records concerning the Ancient Mythological Era were lost, the Dark Age was after all the era closest to antiquity, and one should still be able to uncover some clues about that time.

Could those mysteriously vanished ancient celestial deities be related to Earth?

Zhou Heng wished to uncover the truth.

“Central Ziwei, the North Pole Emperor, who would’ve thought there truly exists such a Star Officer, no, this should be called the position of a Star Master,” the inner seat of the Five Emperors couldn’t help but exclaim, “Even Tianyi and Azure Dragon, the two leaders of the Da Qi Zhou Tian Boundary Officer, believed this position to exist only in theory, never expecting it to truly emerge.”

Tianyi and Azure Dragon are the two leaders of the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer in Da Qi.

Second Rank Tao Lords.

“It has never appeared before?” Zhou Heng asked with curiosity.

Then why was he suddenly chosen?

Related to transmigration?

He couldn’t help but wonder.

“In the three thousand years since the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer was established, there has never been a Ziwei Great Emperor,” the inner seat of the Five Emperors nodded, then smiled, “Thus, obtaining this position is a great thing for you, for the entire organization, and for the whole world.”

“It seems that the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer has a deep sense of crisis due to the West Wasteland and the spectral creatures?” Zhou Heng inquired, “What exactly is the situation within the forbidden lands of the West Wasteland?”

“The sense of crisis indeed stems from the West Wasteland and the spectral creatures,” the inner seat of the Five Emperors gently nodded, “However, the specific situation in the West Wasteland cannot be disclosed to you, as this was an agreement laid down at the establishment of the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer.

“Even for formal members of the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer, until they achieve Fifth Rank Sect Master and refine their Dharma Phase, we cannot reveal the true situation within the forbidden lands of the West Wasteland.”

“Is that so?” Zhou Heng frowned slightly and nodded, “I understand.”

“I hope you won’t hold a grudge over this; it’s not a deliberate concealment. This agreement is in place to better deal with the West Wasteland,” the inner seat of the Five Emperors communicated with an apologetic tone.

“You needn’t worry, elder, I understand,” Zhou Heng wasn’t encountering this kind of situation for the first time. The previous matter with the spectral creatures was similar, and it has been proven that knowledge about the existence of the spectral creatures indeed couldn’t be widespread.

“Hm,” the inner seat of the Five Emperors nodded, changing the subject, “Let’s not dwell on that for now. Which Upper Third Rank Divine Skill is associated with the inheritance of the Ziwei Great Emperor? Is it complete? This is the first appearance of a Ziwei Master’s inheritance, and the organization needs to take inventory.”

“Upper Third Rank?” Zhou Heng was momentarily startled.

According to what the inner seat of the Five Emperors previously stated, members who formally joined the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer and obtained a position of a Star Officer would also receive a corresponding Upper Third Rank Divine Skill of that Star Officer.

Of course, the Ziwei Great Emperor had a corresponding legacy.

And Zhou Heng indeed received it.

But it was not an Upper Third Rank Martial Art.

The inheritance of the Ziwei Great Emperor is collectively known as:

The “Arctic Ziwei Ruling all Stars and Ten Thousand Laws, Karmic Fate True Canon.”

It is genuine unparalleled inheritance.

And it’s not just a singular inheritance, but a complete series of them.

All-encompassing.

It is divided into “Inner Strength,” “Fist Technique,” “Sword Technique,” and other categories, each category containing different Martial Arts, all immensely powerful.

The least impressive are of the Upper Third Rank, most are Tao Second Rank, and there are a few Divine First Rank legendary Divine Skills.

This was far stronger than just receiving one Upper Third Rank Divine Skill like a normal Star Officer!

Regrettably, the inheritance Zhou Heng received was incomplete, it was not the intact “North Pole Purple Tenuity Governs the Thousands of Stars and the Great Catastrophe True Scripture,” and the incompleteness was extremely severe.

He had only gained one sword technique, one boxing technique, and one special Taoist formula.

Even these inheritances were damn incomplete.

“Purple Emperor Sword,” Divine First Rank, comprising seven moves, yet he had only obtained the first move.

“Karmic Disaster Divine Fist,” Tao Second Rank, comprising five moves, and he had only obtained the second and the fourth moves.

“Star Dou Divine Punishment Jue,” Tian Third Rank, is the Taoist formula that invokes the power of the Zhou Tian star map from afar, capable of annihilating ghosts.

Taoist formulas should be standard issue. He had seen “Tian Ji” Cheng Jianjian use it before.

“I didn’t receive a Tian Third Rank martial arts inheritance,” Zhou Heng shook his head, sharing the inheritance he obtained with the Court of Five Emperors.

“What, Divine First Rank?!” The Court of Five Emperors was immediately shocked and incredulously exclaimed, “The inheritance of the Zhou Tian star chart actually includes a Divine First Rank martial arts? Divine First Rank, it’s actually Divine First Rank!

His reaction was like hearing a myth had become reality, utterly astonished to the extreme.

“Regrettably, the inheritance of this Divine First Rank martial art comes with but one move,” Zhou Heng spoke with slight regret.

“One move is enough, one move is already enough!” The excitement and elation of the Court of Five Emperors knew no bounds as they joyfully said, “Zhou Heng, no, Ziwei, perhaps you really will be the one to change the current predicaments of the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer!

“You must know that a Divine First Rank martial arts, even if it’s just one move, its rarity and incredible power far exceed any Tian Third Rank or even Tao Second Rank martial arts.

“Divine First Rank martial arts essentially represent the manifestation of the Great Dao’s rhythm, where any move symbolizes one aspect of the corresponding Great Dao. Hence, any single move from a Divine First Rank martial art can derive at least one complete Tao Second Rank martial art, or even more.

“Ziwei, your future achievements are limitless, this is wonderful, truly amazing. You are truly worthy of the name Ziwei Master, what a marvelous inheritance, it’s fantastic!”

It was evident that his happiness was genuine.

“It’s actually that powerful.”

Zhou Heng was also somewhat surprised, although he had long known that Divine First Rank martial arts must have all sorts of fabulous effects, he hadn’t expected that even just one move could be so wondrous.

“Just that though the inheritance is excellent, it’s too incomplete, is there a way to complete it?” he inquired further.

“The incompleteness of the inheritance is not unique to the Ziwei Master’s inheritance. In fact, the inheritance of several other high-ranking Star Officers is also largely incomplete,” the Court of Five Emperors explained: “After all, the Zhou Tian star chart is just a partial legacy of that celestial deity, not the entirety, so naturally, there’s unlikely to be a complete inheritance of everything.

“However, the incompleteness of the Ziwei Master’s inheritance is severe. I have a conjecture: although you previously illuminated the entire San Yuan and Twenty-Eight Mansions brightly, the star chart you can currently sense is related only to the Ziwei Enclave and the seven mansions of the Azure Dragon.

“As the Ziwei Master is the esteemed rank overseeing the entire San Yuan and Twenty-Eight Mansions, merely sensing less than thirty percent of the star chart naturally makes it difficult to obtain all the inheritances contained within the star chart, adding to the already incomplete base.

“So if I want to complete it, would it be best to observe the parts of the Zhou Tian star chart in Da Zhou and Da Jin?” Zhou Heng’s mind stirred as he inquired.

“Theoretically, yes,” the Court of Five Emperors nodded and said: “However, the interior of the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer is not entirely united, and it won’t be easy for you to observe the remaining two parts if you wish to do so.”

“Of course, I won’t go now. Just one move of Divine First Rank and two moves of Tao Second Rank are enough for me to use for a long time,” Zhou Heng said with a smile: “Do you have anything else, Elder?”

“Next is to follow the process, to introduce our situation and internal rules, as well as the division of some authorities,” the Court of Five Emperors diligently introduced the internal information of the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer to Zhou Heng.

The internal members of the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer are divided into peripheral members, formal members, core members, and upper management.

The peripheral members have no code names and no Star Officer inheritances; they are simply subordinates of formal members scattered about, used to investigate various messages.

Formal members are those who have received a Star Officer code name and inheritance, and have completed at least three assigned tasks. Their strength varies significantly, ranging from Lower Third Rank to Absolute Fourth Rank.

The core members are the true heart of the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer, having completed at least a hundred assigned tasks, or with significant achievements in suppressing demons and killing ghosts, and having a cultivation realm of at least Fifth Rank Grandmaster.

The source for upper management is singular, which is the members reaching Upper Third Rank level and then being promoted.

Different membership levels correspond to different organizational authorities, including but not limited to mobilizing other members, accessing information, organizing temporary gatherings, and so on.

As someone like Zhou Heng who was invited to join and has received a code name and inheritance but has not completed any assigned tasks, he is considered a preparatory formal member.

As for how many people are at each level, the Court of Five Emperors didn’t elaborate, only mentioning that there are over thirty formal members, more than ten core members, and five upper management.

Although the Court of Five Emperors only spoke of the numbers, it still profoundly shocked Zhou Heng. Five in upper management, meaning at least five Upper Third Rank powers, with the two leaders being even higher at Second Rank Tao Lords.

Such power is foremost in today’s world.

“You need not be too surprised,” the Court of Five Emperors said with a smile: “Actually, most members have their own public identities, and the upper management is no different.”

Subsequently, he introduced some additional matters to Zhou Heng.

Such as the method to enter the Purple Tenuity Palace from the outside, the common star paths within the palace, some tips for interacting with people, and the total gatherings that take place every three months.

It has to be said, the Court of Five Emperors could make a good teacher, as he spoke everything thoroughly and engagingly, so one wouldn’t find it boring in the slightest.

After discussing these matters, the Court of Five Emperors then smiled and said, “These rules and the like might sound novel, but at the end of the day, they’re somewhat dry.

“Next, I’ll take you to see the most central benefit of the organization, which is likely one of the reasons you agreed to join.

“The Wishing Pool at the center of the Star Sea Realm.”