Others Level Up, but I Pursue Cultivation!

[The third sister, who hadn't had new clothes in three years, finally received a decent outfit!]

[You received financial aid from the county, and your family moved from the village to a house in the county town.]

[Even your second brother-in-law, who always used to frown at you, felt comforted and wept with joy.]

[He told you that the lifelong wish he hadn't achieved in half a lifetime had finally been fulfilled through you!]

[After passing the county-level exams, your parents stopped working on the farm and instead started helping you find a marriage match.]

[You were good-looking, stood seven feet tall, and the local matchmakers were breaking down your door...]

[But your ambitions lay elsewhere!]

[Because you knew if you could pass the imperial exams, you could bring your eldest sister and your second brother-in-law home to see you!]

[So you studied even harder, and learned with more dedication...]

[Thus, another four years passed.]

[At the age of twenty, you went to Kyoto to take the exams...]

[A few months later, you were informed that you had passed as a Jinshi!]

[Not only that, you ranked first, as the top Jinshi, the Zhuangyuan!]

[Meanwhile, the county magistrate's son, who had once overshadowed you, failed to pass the Jinshi exam for three consecutive years.]

[You proudly raised your eyebrows, and the county magistrate, who was always polite to you, now became somewhat humble...]

[A few months later, you learned that you had the opportunity to meet the Emperor in Kyoto...]

[The Emperor admired your talent and wanted to marry his princess to you.]

[You took a glance at the 160-pound princess and politely declined.]

[The Emperor was enraged by this, so as the top Jinshi, you were demoted to serve as a county magistrate in your hometown...]

[The officials in the court looked at you with pity.]

[But you were not saddened, instead, you felt it was better this way!]

[Because you realized that the Emperor was incompetent and cruel, people across the lands were starving, and wars were frequent; perhaps returning to your homeland was a better choice.]

[At twenty-one, you returned home glorious.]

[The county had produced a top Jinshi, a first in hundreds of years!]Nôv(el)B\\jnn

[On that day, countless people came to visit and congratulate you...]

[You, young and mature, only accepted gifts and strengthened connections with the locals.]

[You brought your eldest sister and your second sister's family to the county town, and bought them a house.]

[Thus, you could meet each other every month.]

[At twenty-two, you got married.]

[Your wife was the daughter of a wealthy merchant in the town, only sixteen, with fair skin and beautiful looks, and coming from a rich family...]

[At twenty-three, the previous county magistrate retired, and you received an imperial decree to become the new county magistrate.]

[You were very happy about this, as it meant you wouldn't have to be separated from your family...]

[Thus, another seven years passed.]

[At thirty, there were frequent wars throughout the lands, the dynasty was in decline, and monsters were rampant...]

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[There were peasant uprisings in the south and invasions by foreign tribes in the north.]

[The decaying dynasty could no longer maintain its rule...]

[Fortunately, you had been preparing; over the years, you had secretly recruited soldiers, amassing a force of two thousand elite soldiers under your command.]

[When the news of the old Emperor's death spread, rebellions broke out everywhere... including your own!]

[Your father-in-law, a shrewd businessman, believed you were destined for greatness and fully supported you.]

[At this time, wars raged throughout the land, people were starving, and few could find enough to eat.]

[It was no exaggeration to say that as long as someone could be fed, they would be willing to fight for you!]

[Thus, within just a year or two, you used money and food to recruit a militia of twenty thousand people.]

[By this time, the foreign invaders had reached Kyoto City.]

[And you planned to advance from the south to the north, conquering along the way... with the ultimate goal of rescuing the Emperor!]

[You advanced triumphantly, quelling peasant rebellions.]

[In just two to three years, the rebellions in the surrounding provinces were successfully subdued by you.]

[Your forces grew larger, and your fresh recruits turned into seasoned soldiers!]

[In just two to three years, the size of your army had surpassed fifty thousand, making you a major warlord!]

[At this time, there were still three vassal kings in the south with independent armies, and your goal was to defeat them one by one.]

[But they each had ample troops, with dozens of cities and several times more soldiers than you.]

[This gave you a headache, so you could only develop steadily...]

[But it seemed fate had a special favor for you.]

[At thirty-six, two vassal kings fell ill and died one after another, significantly weakening their forces...]

[You seized the opportunity to attack, and within just three years, you captured city after city!]

[At forty, under your control were over a hundred cities and an army of one hundred thousand!]

[You launched an attack on the last vassal king...]

[After a bloody battle, you became the uncrowned king of the south!]

[At forty-three, you dominated the area south of the Long River, gazing toward the capital, with eighty thousand elite soldiers under your command!]

[The following year, you received news that the northern foreign tribes had massacred the royal family, leaving no survivors among the thousand people in the palace!]

[You knew then that your opportunity had come!]

[So, you personally led your army northwards, with eighty thousand elite soldiers, marching grandly towards Kyoto City!]

[By this time, your forces were ample, with only one objective in mind!]

[To establish a new dynasty!]

[You led your troops in a surprise attack on Kyoto, with city gates opened along the way and no resistance encountered.]

[But bandits roamed freely, and the land was in chaos, which pained your heart...]

[At this time, you received news that the foreign invaders had withdrawn from Kyoto City, returning to the northern grasslands, leaving only a few thousand soldiers to guard Kyoto.]

[You knew this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!]

[So you immediately decided to let the majority of your soldiers maintain order in various cities, while you proceeded to Kyoto City at a normal marching speed.]

[Meanwhile, you led a surprise attack on Kyoto with five thousand elite cavalry, aiming to retake Kyoto City in one swift move!]

[The cavalry rode day and night...]

[But even so, it took half a month to reach Kyoto City.]