Writing history, that was no easy task. Lu Yuan found a brush and a book within the New Sword World, contemplating deeply how to compose it.

Ah, Lu Yuan had figured out how to write history.

Because when he accepted the absolute trust of the Civilization of Confucianism and shouted his final cry, and when he accepted the absolute trust of the Civilization of Heavenly Principle and shouted his final cry, during the transmission of that trust, Lu Yuan had actually experienced the histories of both civilizations. Now, all he needed to do was transcribe these experiences into the book.

Lu Yuan picked up the brush and began to write in the book.

He inscribed everything he had felt. Lu Yuan wrote with astonishing speed, capable of producing tens of thousands of characters per second, filling the pages ceaselessly.

No, no.

After completing the first draft, Lu Yuan immediately realized something was wrong.

Although he had included all the necessary material, the resulting text felt nothing like true history; it utterly lacked the power of the Chronicle that Restrains Principle or the Brush of Truth.

So, he rewrote it. Lu Yuan swiftly began again, but the second attempt also felt incorrect, flawed once more.

He had no choice but to rewrite a third time, writing at speeds reaching tens of thousands of characters per second, yet no matter how he composed it, it felt fundamentally wrong. Another failure. Rewriting again and again, where exactly was the error?

Lu Yuan sank into profound thought.

Then, Lu Yuan slapped his thigh!

True history must record genuine historical events; otherwise, it becomes fabricated history, and fabricated history serves no purpose. Therefore, when chronicling history, one must not inject too much personal emotion. Writing history must be done with absolute objectivity—that is the true way of historiography. Emotion and bias negate true historical documentation.

Previously, his attempts at writing history had been saturated with his own feelings, his own rage. What he produced was naturally not history, but mere fabrication.

Precisely. No matter how much he cherished the Civilization of Confucianism, no matter how deeply he hated the Vice Lord of the Heavenly Principle Civilization, writing history demanded absolute impartiality.

Lu Yuan’s spirit soared, and he immediately resumed his writing.

This time, he slightly reduced his writing speed, managing only about five thousand characters per second, and began to chronicle history with genuine diligence. He recorded the history of the Civilization of Confucianism, detailing every event that had transpired. In this historical account of Confucianism, while adhering to absolute objective fairness, the many deeds of the civilization were laid bare: their acts of camaraderie, the bonds between master and disciple, brotherhood, and the affections between men and women—all were included.

Subsequently, when recording the history of the Civilization of Heavenly Principle, he maintained the same fair perspective, documenting countless events. When aggregated, these numerous deeds amounted merely to the concepts of the Three Bonds and Five Constants, alongside the shackles of feudalism and constraint—these eight characters summarized it all. As he wrote, Lu Yuan finally rested his pen.

The moment the brush touched the page, the book in his hand suddenly radiated a dazzling light.

This was the Light of Pure Enlightenment, the Light that Witnesses History.

The Chronicle of History, complete!

Lu Yuan had finally finished the first historical chronicle. This was no ordinary book; it was a history imbued with boundless spirit, a history of absolute fairness and absolute neutrality.

This was the power of the Chronicle that Restrains Principle and the Brush of Truth. Now, he could depart.

Carrying the boundless hopes of the Civilizations of Confucianism and Heavenly Principle, Lu Yuan set forth.

......

Outside the Civilization of Heavenly Principle, a fierce battle was raging—the Vice Lord of the Civilization of Zither against the Vice Lord of the Civilization of Heavenly Principle.

The Vice Lord of the Civilization of Zither moved ceaselessly through the void, simultaneously coaxing music from her instrument. She had arrived at the tenth movement, "Three Variations of Plum Blossoms." The first variation pierces the human gut; the second demands careful consideration; the third unleashes wind and waves, leaving the waters vast and murky beneath the deep clouds. This piece, "Three Variations of Plum Blossoms," was one of profound sorrow and lingering melancholy, perfectly suited to the Vice Lord of the Zither Civilization.

The Vice Lord of the Civilization of Heavenly Principle, wielding the Chronicle of Principle and the Brush of Truth, relentlessly attacked the Zither Vice Lord. He currently held the upper hand; the Zither Vice Lord’s right shoulder had already been pierced, and blood flowed freely.

The situation was dire for the Zither Vice Lord.

Just then, the Zither Vice Lord raised her head and fixed the Vice Lord of Heavenly Principle with an icy gaze. "Vice Lord of Heavenly Principle, you have lost. My Ten Melodies United, the Lament of Great Sorrow and Minor Resentment, is complete." Ten Melodies United, Great Sorrow and Minor Resentment—a synthesis of profound grief and slight bitterness—this was the ultimate composition of the Zither Vice Lord.

Great Sorrow, unleashed instantly; Minor Resentment, a crushing blow.

Great Sorrow and Minor Resentment enveloped the sorrow of the heavens and earth, the wounds of an entire epoch.

This was Great Sorrow and Minor Resentment.

Seeing the tide turn, the Vice Lord of Heavenly Principle was about to be defeated. However, at that moment, he let out a short laugh. He flipped the Chronicle in his hand; upon it were six characters nearing completion. The Vice Lord of Heavenly Principle added the final stroke, and instantly, the characters transformed into something else: "Great Sorrow vanishes, Minor Resentment dies." These characters glowed with the color of Chaos, meaning they had been converted into Truth. As Truth emerged, the power of the Lament of Great Sorrow and Minor Resentment was instantly neutralized. The Zither Vice Lord felt a surge of anguish; her ultimate composition had been shattered. With a resounding crash, the Vice Lord of Heavenly Principle struck the Zither Vice Lord's left shoulder heavily. This blow shattered nearly thirty percent of the Zither Vice Lord’s World of Zither. The Vice Lord of Heavenly Principle laughed heartily. "The Lament of Great Sorrow and Minor Resentment—I prepared for this move long ago. Now, what right do you have to fight me? All of you are going to die."

The Zither Vice Lord was already outmatched; now, her defeat came faster and more brutal. The Vice Lord of Heavenly Principle roared with laughter, "Sister-in-law, you wanted to save Big Brother’s remains, yet you end up falling here yourself. Today is truly a massive haul. Confucianism, the Three Books, Zither, Scholar Li, Integrity—five figures defeated by my hand. With such a battle record, reporting this achievement will easily earn me a mid-tier divine artifact and promotion to the Ninth Epoch." This was undoubtedly a great merit. Confucianism and Zither were key figures in the Martial Law Alliance, and Scholar Li was a promising talent; these three warranted significant rewards. The achievements from the Three Books and Integrity were secondary, not as valuable, but still a bonus.

"Hahaha, Heaven aids me!" As the Vice Lord of Heavenly Principle laughed triumphantly, he noticed something amiss. Scholar Li was gone. "Where is Scholar Li? Damn it, Scholar Li actually escaped." A surge of anger filled him. Four major merits instead of five intact, and he lost one of the most significant ones. Naturally, he was furious. If the escapee had been the useless Integrity, he wouldn't have cared in the slightest.

But what kind of figure was the Vice Lord of Heavenly Principle? He was cunning and sly, adept at turning disadvantages into advantages. Despite his irritation over Scholar Li’s escape, he quickly changed his tune. "Oh? Scholar Li has fled? How ridiculous. It seems your so-called Thirty-Five Gentlemen are a joke, with someone fleeing already." He immediately sought to leverage Scholar Li’s escape to crush the morale of his opponents.

Upon hearing that Scholar Li had fled, the actions of the Zither Vice Lord faltered slightly. The Zither Vice Lord hated the Vice Lord of Confucianism to the core, but she did not hate his most outstanding disciple, Scholar Li. She had not expected him to run; it was deeply disappointing.

Good. The Vice Lord of Heavenly Principle noted the Zither Vice Lord’s reaction. He needed them to despair before striking them down. However, he was disappointed when he looked at the remaining Thirty-Four Gentlemen; not a single one displayed any sign of dejection.

"Oh, Scholar Li fled. And you show no reaction," the Vice Lord of Heavenly Principle stated dismissively. Like a demon god, he had already dominated the entire field; everyone trembled beneath his demonic grasp.

The Vice Lord of Integrity smiled faintly. "Scholar Li would not flee."

"Correct. Junior Brother Li is not one to run," Kong Ni nodded.

"How could Junior Brother Li flee?" Su Yuemian nodded.

"If he fled, he wouldn't be Scholar Li. Given his character, he absolutely would not run," Kong Mingde roared.

"Yes, he would never flee," declared the other thirty-four Gentlemen, their voices firm, their eyes filled with absolute trust.

Damn it! Damn it! This feeling—why had the spirit of the Civilization of Confucianism solidified even further after the death of its Vice Lord? This feeling was nauseating; it had to be destroyed! The Vice Lord of Heavenly Principle roared inwardly, on the verge of a breakdown.

"He did flee, but whether he fled or not, I will kill you first."

The Vice Lord of Forceful Tyranny naturally had a volatile temper. Furthermore, he despised handsome, refined men and had been defeated by Scholar Li, making his hatred for Scholar Li absolute. The Vice Lord of Forceful Tyranny raised the Tyranny God Axe and brought it down upon the Thirty-Four Gentlemen. He intended to annihilate them. He realized he profoundly loathed the Civilization of Confucianism; he finally understood the Vice Lord of Heavenly Principle’s frustration. This unyielding spirit of Confucianism was utterly revolting. His Tyranny God Axe, carrying the force to shatter heaven and earth, struck out. If he couldn't destroy their spirit, he would destroy their bodies.

Just as the Thirty-Four Gentlemen were about to be struck down by the Tyranny God Axe—and the Vice Lord of Integrity, though striving to summon the Galaxy of Qi to counterattack, was hindered by his far inferior strength and severe injuries, unable to resist—just as the thirty-four were about to perish under the Vice Lord of Forceful Tyranny’s attack, a divine book suddenly manifested. The book rotated in the void, executing the move: Heaven and Earth are vast, but Principle is greatest. Before the Three-Epoch Vice Lord of Forceful Tyranny could react, the book snapped shut, killing him instantly with that single technique.

Simultaneously, a young man, exquisitely handsome and clad in snow-white robes, drifted gracefully into view.

"You are correct. Of course, I would not flee. If I had fled, I would not be Scholar Li," he stated in a calm voice, his words measured.

His exterior was polished and gentle as jade, but within resided a strength harder than steel—no, far stronger than steel.

(The second update is delivered. How I wish I possessed Scholar Li's speed in writing history, five thousand characters per second.)