Under One Person: I Opened the Age of Mythology

Chapter 424

Zhao Daniu was brought into the Qitian Palace by two heavenly soldiers. He lowered his head, rubbed the corners of his clothes unconsciously with his hands, and a layer of sweat appeared on his palms.

The incense burners in the hall were emitting curls of smoke, and the air was filled with a faint scent of sandalwood, which made people feel at ease.

He raised his head slightly, glanced at Sun Wukong on the high seat, then quickly lowered his head, feeling uneasy.

Sun Wukong sat behind the desk, his eyes gentle yet somewhat majestic.

He gently put down the teacup in his hand, and said in a low and powerful voice:
"Zhao Daniu, raise your head. Don't be nervous."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Daniu slowly raised his head, with a bit of embarrassment and awe in his eyes.

He swallowed and tried to make his voice sound steady:

"Your humble self... Your humble self has met the Great Sage."

Sun Wukong smiled slightly, stood up, walked to Zhao Daniu, and patted his shoulder with a moderate touch, but with some encouragement:

"Your philosophy of governing the world in the essay test is very good. Tell me what you think?"

Zhao Daniu felt the warmth coming from his shoulder and felt a little relieved.

He took a deep breath and said sincerely:

"In reply to the Great Sage, I was born in the mortal world and I know the sufferings of the people. Governing the country does not mean building palaces or implementing policies, but ensuring that the people live and work in peace and contentment and have enough food and clothing. I think that first of all, we should reduce taxes so that the people have enough money to manage their own lives; secondly, we should build water conservancy projects, reclaim wasteland, and ensure sufficient food; finally, we need to rectify the administration of officials, eliminate corruption, and let the people feel fairness and justice."

When he said this, his tone gradually became steady, and there was a bit of determination in his eyes.

Although his words were not as ornate as those of the monks who were well-read in poetry and books, every word hit the mark and was full of care for the people.

After listening to this, Sun Wukong's eyes flashed with approval and he nodded slightly:

"That's right. The way to govern the world is indeed to seek benefits for the people. Although your ideas are simple, they have grasped the essence of governing the world."

Zhao Daniu was relieved when he saw Sun Wukong's approval. He smiled a little, but soon regained his respectful look, bowed his head and said:

"Thank you for your praise, Great Sage. I have only expressed some superficial thoughts and dare not talk about governing the world."

Sun Wukong smiled, turned around, picked up a crystal clear elixir from the table, and handed it to Zhao Daniu:
"This pill is called 'Tongming Pill', which can help you improve your cultivation. You care about the people and have the talent to govern the world. I have decided to give you this pill and arrange for you to be a land god. How do you think?"

When Zhao Daniu heard this, his eyes widened and his face was full of disbelief.

His knees weakened and he fell to the ground with a thud, his voice trembling:

"Great Sage! How could I dare to accept such a great favor?"

Sun Wukong reached out and helped him up, his tone gentle but unquestionable:
"Your virtue and talent are worthy of this position. I believe that you will benefit the people and live up to my trust."

Zhao Daniu stood up, tears glistening in his eyes, holding the elixir tightly in his hands, his voice choked with sobs:
"I will always remember the great sage's kindness! I will do my best to live up to the great sage's high expectations!"

Sun Wukong nodded and waved his hand to indicate that he could leave:
"Go ahead and prepare yourself. You will take office in three days."

Zhao Daniu bowed deeply, then turned and left.

When he walked out of the Qitian Palace, his steps were much lighter and there was a bit of excitement and anticipation on his face.

The sunlight outside the hall shone on him, as if giving him a layer of golden glow.

Sun Wukong watched him leave, his lips slightly raised and a hint of relief flashed in his eyes.

He turned back to the desk and continued watching the next competition.

After the competition, Sun Wukong rode a cloud back to the Qitian Palace. As soon as he entered the door, Nezha and Yang Jian came to greet him.

Nezha was full of excitement and couldn't wait to speak:
"Monkey, guess what? Today's competition was really exciting! Especially the little fellow named Red Boy, who used the Samadhi True Fire to perfection and beat his opponent without any chance of fighting back!"

Yang Jian was much more steady. He took a step forward, cupped his hands and said:

"Great Sage, today's competition went smoothly, and all matters have been carried out as planned. The number of applicants has exceeded expectations, and the feedback from all parties is relatively positive. The implementation of the new rules has also begun to show results."

Sun Wukong nodded, his eyes swept between the two of them, and his tone was somewhat approving:

"You've worked hard. Nezha, Red Boy's talent is indeed good, but he needs more training. Don't let him get too conceited. Yang Jian, the new rules are working well, but we need to continue to follow up to ensure everything goes smoothly."

Nezha scratched his head and said with a smile:
"Don't worry, Monkey. I will keep an eye on that little guy. But his Samadhi True Fire is a bit tricky even for me. I'm afraid you will have to teach him a few moves yourself."

Yang Jian also nodded in agreement:
"What the Great Sage said is right. I will definitely continue to follow up and make sure everything goes well."

Sun Wukong smiled slightly and patted the two on the shoulders:

"I feel at ease with you guys here. Go ahead and continue with your business."

Nezha and Yang Jian responded in unison, then turned and left.

Peace returned to the Qitian Hall again. Sun Wukong stood in the hall, looking at the sea of ​​clouds outside the window, his expectations for the future growing stronger.

Sun Wukong raised his hand and gently stroked the golden cudgel, his fingertips caressing the fine lines on it, his thoughts flying.

Outside the hall, the sea of ​​clouds rolled like a rough sea, and the golden sunlight sprinkled on the clouds, reflecting a brilliant glow.

"monkey!"

A crisp voice broke the silence in the hall.

Sun Wukong turned around and saw Nezha in red clothes coming back with a bunch of crystal clear grapes in his hand. He walked up to Sun Wukong and handed him the grapes:

"Try it, it's freshly picked!"

Sun Wukong took the grapes, picked one and put it in his mouth. A sweet juice instantly spread in his mouth.

"Yes, Not Bad."

As he spoke, the corners of his mouth rose slightly.

Nezha sat down on a stone bench nearby, grabbed a handful of grapes and stuffed them into his mouth, mumbling:
"Monkey, how many good candidates do you think we can pick this time?"

Sun Wukong placed the remaining grapes on the table, walked over to sit next to Nezha, and looked at the rolling sea of ​​clouds outside the palace:

“I hope we can find a few more with potential this time.”

Just as Sun Wukong finished speaking, there was a loud sound of footsteps outside the palace.

A heavenly soldier walked in hurriedly, looking panicked, with beads of sweat clearly visible on his forehead.

He walked quickly to Sun Wukong, knelt on one knee, clasped his fists and reported:

"Great Sage, something bad has happened! Several immortals have gathered outside the palace. They have jointly written a letter questioning the fairness of the competition rules and requesting that you make a new decision!"

Sun Wukong frowned slightly when he heard this, and a trace of solemnity flashed in his eyes. He put down the grapes in his hand, stood up, and said in a deep voice:
"What happened? Tell me in detail."

The soldier wiped the sweat from his forehead and said hurriedly:

"Several scattered immortals believe that the competition rules favor cultivators from the Heavenly Court and are unfair to scattered cultivators and demon cultivators. They gathered outside the hall, emotional, and demanded that you come forward to explain!"

When Nezha heard this, he couldn't help but raise his eyebrows, with a bit of disdain in his tone:

"These people are so ungrateful, aren't they? The rules are obviously fair, but they still want to cause trouble?"

Sun Wukong glanced at Nezha, shook his head, and said in a calm but majestic tone:

"You can't say that. Since they have doubts, we need to find out the reasons."

He turned around and said to the Heavenly Soldier:

"Go, invite those immortals in, I will talk to them personally."

The heavenly soldiers retreated in response, and not long after, they walked into the hall with several immortals.

Several immortals looked serious, with a hint of dissatisfaction between their brows, and it was obvious that they had complaints about the rules of this competition.

Sun Wukong stood in the hall, looking at a few people, his tone was gentle but with unquestionable majesty:
"Everyone, what advice do you have for me today?"

One of the immortals in a gray robe stepped forward, bowed, and said with a bit of resentment in his tone:

"Great Sage, we have come here to appeal to you. The rules of this competition seem fair, but they are actually very disadvantageous to independent cultivators and demon cultivators. The cultivators born in the Heavenly Court enjoy many resources and conveniences, but we independent cultivators have to compete with them on our own. How can this be fair?"

Another immortal also echoed:
"Yes, Great Sage! We are not causing trouble for no reason, but there are indeed loopholes in some clauses of the rules. For example, the cultivators in the Heavenly Palace can use the natural treasures at will, but it is difficult for us casual cultivators to obtain these resources. Isn't this a disguised form of favoritism?"

After listening to their statements, Sun Wukong's expression remained calm, but the light in his eyes became deeper.

He nodded slowly, his tone steady:

"You are right. The fairness of the rules is indeed the top priority of this competition."

He paused, glanced at the several immortals, and continued:

"But do you have any concrete evidence or examples to prove that the rules are indeed biased?"

Several immortals looked at each other, and one of them took out a scroll from his sleeve and handed it to Sun Wukong with both hands:
"Great Sage, here are some obviously unfair rules and clauses that we have compiled. Please take a look."

Sun Wukong took the scroll, unfolded it and read it carefully.

The handwriting on the scroll was neat, listing several rules, and there were indeed clauses that were unfavorable to independent cultivators and demon cultivators.

For example, the Heavenly Palace cultivators can freely use the natural materials and treasures, but independent cultivators need to undergo strict review...

For another example, for certain competition items, the monks in Heaven can know about them in advance, while the independent cultivators can only deal with them on a temporary basis.

After reading the scroll, Sun Wukong frowned and his expression became more solemn.

He closed the scroll, looked up at the immortals, and said sincerely:
"Your doubts are not unreasonable. These terms are indeed unfair."

After hearing this, the expressions of several immortals eased a little, and one of them bowed and said:

"Great Sage, please understand! We have no intention of causing trouble. We just hope that the competition can be truly fair and just, so that every contestant can have a chance to shine."

Sun Wukong nodded:
"I will seriously consider your opinions. This competition is meant to select true talents, and we must not let loopholes in the rules bury talents."

He paused, glanced at a few people, and continued:

"Well, I promise to gather the relevant personnel as soon as possible, review the rules, and make necessary changes. Do you have any other opinions?"

Upon hearing this, the expressions on the faces of several immortals finally relaxed.

One of them bowed and said:

"We are very pleased that the Great Sage attaches so much importance to our opinions. We only hope that the competition rules can be fairer so that all contestants can be convinced."

Sun Wukong smiled slightly and said in a gentle tone:

"Don't worry, I, Sun Wukong, always keep my word. This competition will be fair to everyone."

Several immortals bowed their heads in thanks, and then at Sun Wukong's signal, left the Qitian Hall.

After the immortals left, Nezha came forward, frowning slightly, with a bit of dissatisfaction in his tone:

"Monkey, do you really want to change the rules? These people are just casual cultivators, why go to so much trouble?"

Sun Wukong glanced at Nezha with a firm gaze:

"Nezha, the fairness of the competition is related to the trust of the three realms. If the rules are biased, it will not only make the independent cultivators and demon cultivators feel discouraged, but also affect the reputation of the Heavenly Court. We can't lose the big picture for the sake of the small."

Nezha stuck out his tongue, knowing that this matter was indeed important, and said nothing more.

Yang Jian came forward from the side, speaking in a steady tone:

"The Great Sage is right. Since there are problems with the rules, we should correct them in a timely manner. I have carefully reviewed the scrolls provided by several immortals, and the terms in them do need to be adjusted."

Sun Wukong nodded, with a hint of approval in his eyes:
"Yang Jian, you are indeed very thoughtful. So, you should immediately call together the Earth God and other people in charge of the competition rules, and we will discuss together and make changes as soon as possible."

Yang Jian bowed in agreement, then turned and left to gather the relevant personnel.

Not long after, the God of Land, Taoist Qingfeng and several other people in charge of the competition rules gathered in the Qitian Temple.

Sun Wukong sat on a high seat with a serious expression, his eyes swept across the crowd:

"Everyone, there are some loopholes in the rules of this competition, and several immortals have raised questions. We need to revise the rules as soon as possible to ensure the fairness of the competition."

Everyone nodded after hearing this.

The God of Land stepped forward, bowed and said:
"Great Sage, I have carefully reviewed the scrolls provided by the immortals. The clauses in them are indeed disadvantageous to the immortals and demon cultivators. We need to re-establish some rules to ensure that all contestants can enjoy a fair competitive environment."

After hearing the analysis of the Earth God, Sun Wukong turned his gaze to Nezha and Yang Jian standing beside him, and said in a steady and firm tone:
"Since there are problems with the rules, we must correct them immediately. God of Land, you must work on a new rule plan overnight and submit it tomorrow morning."

Upon hearing this, the God of Land nodded quickly, with a serious look on his face:

"Don't worry, Great Sage. I will do it right away."

After saying this, he hurriedly left the Qitian Palace, leaning on his crutches.

Sun Wukong turned to look at Nezha and Yang Jian, a trace of deep thought flashed in his eyes:
"The modification of the rules is only the first step. We also need to ensure the overall fairness of the 'Three Realms Trial'. What suggestions do you have?"

After hearing this, both of them fell into deep thought.

(End of this chapter)