The sky was bright, the red sun hanging high overhead.

Heroes emerged one by one from the Monarch’s Camp, hurrying to their posts to prepare for the upcoming campaign against the northern territory of the Dongfang Race.

Fang Yang, however, followed four elderly men of the Sen clan into a quaint, antique study.

"Fang Yang, I’m many years your senior. You can call me Elder Hua, or of course, Senyao Hua."

"Greetings, Elder Hua."

"Heh heh, this is Elder Bird, this is Elder Yu, and this is Elder Chong. Flower, bird, fish, and insect—easy to remember, isn’t it?"

Elder Hua’s sudden joke left Fang Yang at a bit of a loss.

What could Fang Yang possibly say?

It was the kind of joke an elder could make, but a junior could not reciprocate.

"Senyao Hua, stop teasing Fang Yang. He’s still just a boy, after all."

The old man known as Elder Yu came to Fang Yang’s rescue, then continued, "Fang Yang, go and sort through that chaotic mess of official documents. Categorize them one by one according to the Eight Banners they belong to. In one hour, when we ask for something, you will bring it to us."

Hearing this, Fang Yang’s heart tightened, but he quickly assented.

Immediately, Fang Yang set off, getting to work in the massive study.

As he worked, people would periodically arrive outside to deliver new documents and scrolls.

Strangely, however, none of these people were allowed to enter the study.

Outside the study was a stone pedestal shaped like a set of scales, and the new documents were placed upon it.

These scales seemed to possess a discerning ability. If a document passed inspection, it would be transported to the easternmost bookshelf, where they piled up like a mountain.

Those that could not pass were rejected and sent back to their place of origin.

At that moment, the four Pavilion Elders—Hua, Bird, Yu, and Chong—sat on carved, red-flowered chairs, sipping clear tea and observing Fang Yang’s every move.

From time to time, their lips would move slightly as they exchanged their opinions of him.

The older one gets, the shrewder one becomes.

In a way, it was inevitable that Fang Yang would end up here.

Because Sen Yue wanted to gain a better understanding of Fang Yang’s character!

’His steps are hurried, yet steady and methodical. It shows he’s a man bound by his own rules.’

’A man bound by his own rules... Such a person isn’t easy to tame. I fear we might have another Carp Eagle on our hands.’

’A Carp Eagle? With Wei’Er and Xiaoyue keeping him in check, Fang Yang won’t be able to stir up any major trouble. No need to worry.’

...

「At dusk.」

Fang Yang dragged his exhausted body onto the horse-drawn carriage.

’Strange. Very strange.’

’With my Cultivation Realm, handling these menial tasks shouldn’t have been so exhausting.’

"Ah Yang, what happened to you?" Second Uncle Fang asked in surprise, rushing forward to support him.

Fang Yang gazed back at the large study and said softly, "There’s definitely something profound and mysterious about that place. But let’s head back for now."

The carriage set off, heading for the outer city and the White Feathered Eagle encampment.

Sitting inside the carriage, Fang Yang closed his eyes and began to ponder.

’A lot happened today.’

’First, the monarch sought my counsel, and then I was scrutinized by the four elders.’

Of course, Fang Yang had also gained a great deal.

First, he had become a third-level ’acting’ scribe. It would now be much easier for him to earn great merits, and small merits would be commonplace.

Second, he wouldn’t have to rush to the front lines, which greatly increased his safety.

Third, through his official position, he had close contact with many military directives and learned a great deal of classified intelligence.

And military directives and classified intelligence were themselves an incredibly rich resource!

「That night.」

Fang Yang invited his Second and Seventh Uncles to meet with him and strategize in secret.

He wanted to see if he had done anything wrong or overlooked anything that day.

They were an incredibly valuable political resource, and it would be a waste not to use them.

Fortunately, both his Second and Seventh Uncles approved of his handling of the situation. They agreed that now was indeed the time for him to hide his capabilities and bide his time, not to reveal his sharpness.

Fang Yang was only fifteen; there was no need for him to rush to the forefront.

With his connections to the Sen clan—Sen Yue, Sen Wei, and Sen Hui—as long as Fang Yang didn’t make any major, ruinous mistakes, there would come a day when he could command the wind and rain within the Changkong Race!

"Seventh Uncle, I’d like to ask you to take the White Feathered Eagles and help the White Feathered Eagle tribe grow stronger," Fang Yang requested sincerely at the end of their discussion.

Seventh Uncle Fang’s expression froze for a moment.

This request was, in fact, a bit excessive.

If Fang Yang had made this request before he had entered the Monarch’s Camp, Seventh Uncle Fang would have still accepted, but he certainly would have felt resentful.

He had his own career to pursue, after all!

But now, Fang Yang’s growth was so rapid that it allowed Seventh Uncle Fang to see the real possibility of him becoming a Dao Seed within thirty years.

Furthermore, the Fang Clan elders had also entrusted him with satisfying Fang Yang’s requests as much as possible.

After only a moment’s hesitation, Seventh Uncle Fang smiled and nodded. "I can do that. No problem."

Seeing this, Fang Yang breathed a sigh of relief.

’Power not used is power wasted.’

He had already decided in his heart to use the convenience of the intelligence in the study to quietly seek benefits for himself and for the Fang Clan.

Among these goals, the most important was strengthening the White Feathered Eagle tribe.

Fang Yang hadn’t forgotten the existence of the [Fortune Manifestation].

The White Feathered Eagle’s ability to turn the tables on the electric python that day was all thanks to that miraculous Spiritual Object, the [Fortune Manifestation]!

Once the White Feathered Eagle tribe grew strong, the White Feathered Eagle itself would also become more powerful, and in turn, the Fire Eagle Illusion within Fang Yang’s body would produce all sorts of wondrous changes!

...

「Five days later.」

The great war erupted once more.

The Cangmu Banner and the Cold Flood Dragon Banner served as the vanguard, launching a full-scale assault on the northern territory of the Dongfang Race.

As the battle began, the stench of blood filled the air in a tumultuous, earth-shattering clash.

Qingkong, Jiang Venerable Sword, Ji Juyun, and others repeatedly demonstrated their might, earning themselves impressive reputations.

However, this also caused them to suffer targeted strikes from the Dongfang Race.

Ji Juyun, in particular, was beset by perilous situations and was nearly killed by the Dongfang Race’s ’Dao Seed,’ Dongfang Mobai.

Although they were both leaders of their generation, Fang Yang’s situation was much better than Ji Juyun’s.

「In the rear.」

「The Profound Mysterious Study.」

Fang Yang was still assisting the four Pavilion Elders—"Hua, Niao, Yu, and Chong"—with official business.

He moved documents, refilled their tea, ground ink on the inkstone...

Although he was so busy it was difficult to find time for Alchemy or martial practice, he could at most feed his Small Frost Horse some fodder to build their bond.

But no matter what, his life was exceedingly stable and calm.

Compared to the beacon fires and smoke of the front lines, his life here had a certain tranquil charm.

Moreover, he noticed that Elder Hua’s attitude toward him was growing friendlier. It seemed the day he would become an official scribe and drop the ’acting’ from his title was not far off! 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Another dusk fell, and Fang Yang dragged his weary body away.

The four Pavilion Elders simultaneously stopped their work, gazing thoughtfully at Fang Yang’s departing back.

"I originally thought that having found success at such a young age, he would be arrogant, conceited, and utterly spoiled. I never expected him to have such a composed side," Elder Hua said with a smile.

"Indeed. They say there are only wrongly given names, never wrongly given nicknames. This child, Fang Yang, doesn’t seem like a ’Proud Eagle’ at all. It’s hard to believe," Elder Bird remarked with some emotion.

But Elder Yu was noncommittal, only saying coldly, "Fang Yang is still the Proud Eagle. It’s just that his pride is now buried deep in his bones. His respect and adherence to our rules these past days are merely a sign of his reverence for power—he has temporarily folded his wings!"

"He is either a man of great wisdom and loyalty, or one of deep and calculating schemes. But whether he’s a dragon or a worm, he’ll never escape Wei’Er’s grasp. Still, if he is properly honed, Fang Yang could indeed become someone great, someone who could help Wei’Er seize the monarch’s throne in the next Xuan Yu Battle!" Elder Chong said with a relaxed expression.

But no matter their different takes, they all gave Fang Yang a rather high evaluation.

Of course, the most important thing was that Fang Yang knew how to adapt to circumstances.

They firmly believed they didn’t even need Sen Yue; as long as Sen Wei was around, Fang Yang would always be kept under control.

This Proud Eagle, this Flying Eagle, this Carp Eagle—he would eventually be tamed by their Sen clan and made to serve them.

It was so for Fang Nian, and it would be the same for Fang Yang!