A King's Awe
King Qin Ying Ji, seated on his throne, listened to the reports with growing disbelief. He had initially dismissed the Qu Yuan Plow and waterwheel as trivial curiosities, a mere whim of his grandson. He had expected them to be nothing more than cumbersome, ineffective oddities. Yet, the reports from the fields were a torrent of praise. The tools were revolutionary, and the ministers' excitement was palpable.
Unable to contain his curiosity, he ignored his ministers' cautionary advice and ordered his carriage. He had to see this with his own eyes. An hour later, standing in a sun-drenched field, he watched the waterwheel automatically irrigate the crops and the Qu Yuan Plow turn the soil with effortless grace. His eyes, and the eyes of his ministers, were wide with shock. These simple-looking tools were nothing short of a miracle.
A question he had previously dismissed now returned to him with force. "Who is the skilled individual who invented these things?" he pondered. He knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that it couldn't have been Ying Zichu. Ying Zichu, his grandson, had no such aptitude. The inventor had to be a master craftsman, a genius who had been hiding in the shadows. The King's curiosity burned with a new intensity. He had to find this person.
A Grandmaster's Power
Meanwhile, in the quiet seclusion of his palace, Zane, or Zhao Taiyi as he was now known, continued his cultivation. He could hear the excited whispers of the palace maids and guards outside. They spoke of the wondrous new farming tools, and their voices were filled with awe. "That waterwheel is truly ingenious!" one maid whispered. "Our Qin's grain yield will definitely increase next year!"
Another voice, lower and more cautious, added, "I heard those things were first spread from the Little Celestial God's palace. Do you think...?" A sharp intake of breath followed. Zane smiled to himself. A waterwheel and a new plow, and they were already in such a frenzy. What would they do if he were to bring out paper, one of the greatest inventions of his past life? He looked at the cumbersome bamboo slips scattered around him and thought about the profound impact paper could have on this era. It would simplify writing, make knowledge more accessible, and change the very fabric of society.
He briefly considered whether his actions might change the future of the interstellar era he came from, but quickly dismissed the thought. He had already set a course for change simply by being here. A few more inventions wouldn't matter. His focus returned to his own progress. More than half a month had passed, and the internal Qi in his body had dramatically increased. His Qi now circulated along the Lesser Heavenly Cycle, and he had become a Grandmaster.
He recalled the descriptions of a Grandmaster on the bamboo slips. "A beginner can contend with a dozen armored soldiers; a master can contend with dozens of armored soldiers..." He read on, and a frown creased his brow. "A Great Grandmaster can contend with hundreds of armored soldiers or more..."
"That's it?" he muttered, disappointed. He felt that this level of power was incredibly weak. A large army could easily overwhelm a Great Grandmaster. He still had to reach the legendary realm of an Immortal Master, a being who could ride the Qi and control the wind. Only at that level could he truly be safe. Who would dare to attack a being who could fly? He estimated that in just three or four more months, his Qi would circulate throughout his entire body, and he would become a Great Grandmaster. The realm of the Immortal Master seemed within reach.
A Divine Naming
Just as Zane was lost in thought, a hurried commotion outside his door interrupted him. Ying Zichu burst into the room, his face alight with excitement. He went straight to Zane, picked him up, and laughed with unbridled joy. "My son is truly amazing! You can invent such ingenious items like the waterwheel so casually!"
He praised his son as a Heavenly God and, in his excitement, planted several kisses on Zane's face. Zane winced, feeling the slobber on his cheek, but before he could protest, Ying Zichu had another thought. "My son, I've already thought of a name for you!"
Zane's curiosity was piqued. What name would he choose? The next words that came out of Ying Zichu's mouth stunned him. "It's Taiyi!"
"Only the name Taiyi can be worthy of you!"
Zane's eyes widened. Eastern Emperor Taiyi? The supreme deity of the State of Chu? Was Ying Zichu out of his mind? He couldn't help but wonder if his father knew the meaning of the name. Ying Zichu, seeing the look in his son's eyes, took it as a sign of divine understanding. He explained, his voice full of conviction, that Taiyi was the supreme god of Chu, a being of such high status that even the Chu King and ministers performed rituals in his honor. He referenced ancient texts that described Taiyi as the creator of the heavens and the earth.
"Eastern Emperor Taiyi is a noble Heavenly God," Ying Zichu declared, his voice powerful. "My son, being a noble Heavenly God, is also called Taiyi. Why can't he be called by this name?"
Zane's mouth twitched. He had gone from being a nameless nobody to a "Heavenly God," and now he was being named after the supreme deity of a rival state. He had to give his father credit for his audacity. He had just invented some farming tools, and now he was being called Taiyi. This was a whole new level of ridiculousness.