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墨書 Inktalez
"What?"
He Yingqing and Yellow Scorpion Master were both taken aback. This was the first time they had heard such a bizarre method, and they were so shocked that their eyes nearly popped out. For the sake of cultivation, they could abandon everything except themselves.
He Yingqing spoke earnestly, but received this kind of response, completely defeated by Yin Boqing's "great reasoning."
"Yin Boqing, you are truly heartless, selfish, and unreasonable. I see you as the number one villain in the world. Compared to you, what has the Three Poisons Wanderer done?"
He Yingqing pointed at Yin Boqing and shouted loudly.
"He Zhaozong, I've said my piece. Are you trying to test my newly comprehended Five Elements Calamity Scripture?"
Yin Boqing replied calmly.
"He Zhaozong, let's go. Don't argue with this madman; your reasoning is no match for his."
Yellow Scorpion Master pulled He Yingqing back, trying to dissuade him.
"Fine, fine, fine," He Yingqing repeated three times in anger. "Yin Boqing, you're impressive. I will remember this matter; this debt will never be settled!"
He Yingqing left those harsh words behind and retreated with Yellow Scorpion Master.
Suddenly, the surroundings fell silent. Lu Chen was still kneeling on the ground, waiting for a long time without hearing a word from Yin Boqing. When he looked up, he found that the other party had already vanished without a trace.
Lu Chen stood up and gazed deep into the Five Element Sect, murmuring to himself, "This person’s surname is Yin? Could he be the Elder Yin from Su Wutong?"
The Elder from Su Wutong was close to Azure Field Matriarch and was also Master Li Shian's rival. He had gained an opportunity a hundred years ago and embarked on the path of cultivation. He joined the Five Element Sect sixty years ago when he was already in his thirties.
The Five Element Sect did not shy away from accepting older disciples; it was not impossible to make exceptions for slightly older candidates as long as their aptitude was good—no one would fail to appreciate that.
"The timing is reasonable, but why would Su Wutong let me take such a person as my master? Does she want to harm me?" Lu Chen thought to himself. However, nothing is absolute; perhaps he had made a mistake. He resolved to find someone to ask if there were any other Elders with the surname Yin in the Five Element Sect.
Lu Chen returned to the residence. Not long after, the Ten-Thousand Poisons Golden Toad surprisingly came back, slowly hopping under the bed, leaning against the bedpost, and closing its eyes.
It seemed that it had eaten something highly toxic again. The Yellow Scorpion Master was one of the Three Poisons Wanderers from Shark Island, and it must have been nurturing some kind of poison.
Lu Chen recalled how the Yellow Scorpion Master and He Yingqing had angrily arrived at the Empty Mountain, perhaps because some precious poison had been hunted by the Ten-Thousand Poisons Golden Toad. With this thought, Lu Chen found it no longer strange.
At this time, dawn was approaching. Lu Chen picked up a book to read. Before he moved to Empty Mountain, there were already quite a few books in this cave, neatly arranged. These books were specially prepared by the Five Element Sect for their disciples.
Since the Five Element Sect could not gather so many people together to establish a dojo for unified teaching, although entering the Five Element Sect was for cultivation, it was also necessary to learn basic etiquette and principles to improve the quality of the disciples. Otherwise, they would be like rogue elements in the martial world, indistinguishable from bandits. If one walked around with a rogue demeanor and caused trouble, it would tarnish the reputation of the Five Element Sect, leading outsiders to believe that the sect misled its disciples and failed to discipline them.
Thus, the Five Element Sect could only prepare some books in the disciples' caves for them to study on their own, improving their quality and avoiding external criticism. The content of these books was not limited to teaching etiquette; there were also many classical texts and accounts of strange occurrences, geography, and various other topics.
As for the Qigong martial techniques of the Five Element Sect, they could not be placed carelessly. Even Inner Sect Disciples had to borrow them from the Qigong Pavilion.
When borrowing books, one had to write down their name. After reading, they must return the original copy. If any book was found missing during inventory checks, they would trace it back to whoever borrowed it; that unfortunate person would face consequences.
At this moment, Lu Chen was holding a traditional text that expounded on rationalism as its foundation and vigorously promoted rationalist thought and doctrine.
Initially, Lu Chen only intended to glance through it but became immediately interested upon seeing that it contained authentic rationalist content. This was because Demon God Li Shi'an was a follower of rationalism, and as his sole disciple, Lu Chen naturally wanted to take a look.
Rationalism is rooted in Confucianism as its core, with Buddhism as its heart and Daoism as its exterior, advocating conservatism and tradition. The concept of mindset comes from Buddhism while disaster response derives from Confucianism; however, the primary Daoist principles originate from Daoism itself.
At this point, Lu Chen understood why Daoism flourished during the Han Dynasty since the Five Element Sect is a branch of Daoism. Now in the Great Zhou Dynasty, which firmly believes in Buddhism and favors it over Daoism, this imbalance has led to the prosperity of Shaolin Temple.
Lu Chen continued reading.
The book stated: "A gentleman must be strict with himself; when driving a carriage that does not move quickly, should one whip the ox or strike the carriage?"
The commentary on this passage explained that a gentleman should always remain vigilant about himself, strictly holding himself accountable while recognizing his own rights and wrongs without being pedantic. This is akin to driving; if a carriage does not run fast enough, should one whip the ox or strike the carriage?
The car was not moving fast, and the reason was, of course, the ox. A whip could easily solve that. However, if the driver was too stubborn and insisted that the problem lay with the car, then went on to beat the car's body with a whip, neglecting the root cause, that person would be allowing their own mistakes to persist.
To put it simply, this statement teaches readers to discern right from wrong, adapt to circumstances, and always keep a balance in their hearts to weigh where things are unfair.
"This book is quite good; it contains many principles about being a person," Lu Chen licked his lips and muttered to himself.
There was another saying.
"If a nation treats me as a national hero, I will repay it as a martyr; if people treat me as one among many, I will repay them as one among many."
This saying is not difficult to understand. A vivid example is Demon God Li Shi'an, who was a scholar of the previous dynasty. After ten years of hard study, he became the top scholar. The court did not treat him unfairly; he enjoyed banquets and parades in his honor.
The court treated him as a national hero, so he vowed to repay his country and remembered it even after a hundred years, even urging his disciples to do whatever it takes to fulfill his wishes regarding the Fall of Zhou and Rise of Han.
If the court had manipulated the selection process and treated Li Shi'an unfairly, then it would have led to rebellion against the officials. Li Shi'an might have treated the court in the same way it treated him.
In ancient times, there were many such true stories. For instance, Jiang Shang, Guan Zhong, Le Yi, Han Chonglou, Zhu Fu Yan, and Xu Yuan Zhi were all individuals who received fair treatment commensurate with their talents because they were recognized by wise rulers. Thus, they willingly served their lords.
Lu Chen put down the book, clasped his hands behind his back, and walked out of Empty Mountain Cave into the outside world. His eyes shone brightly as he gazed into the distance.
Now it was the ninety-first year of Great Zhou. According to Hu Yun's law of no more than a hundred years, there were at most nine years left before the Great Zhou Dynasty would collapse. At that time chaos would ensue, heroes would rise up everywhere, and it was uncertain who would take control of Central Plains.
Currently, Lu Chen had already identified several major forces infiltrating Five Element Sect: one was from Eastern Five States led by King of Qi; another was from Yushan Royal Family represented by Princess Zhulan; and yet another had already departed—Great Zhou Fortune King.
However, Great Zhou Fortune King had been utterly defeated and fled with his tail between his legs. Besides that, Lu Chen was certain there were other emerging forces in secret—either young lords or princesses competing for power both openly and covertly.
The higher-ups of Five Element Sect must be aware of this information; it's not that they don't want to intervene but rather that they cannot due to involving too many nobles. As an external force, Five Element Sect has never intervened in secular power struggles; every external force behaves this way—Star Gate and Taiji Gate only express their stance once the situation becomes clear.
Lu Chen clenched his fists and said to himself, "It seems I must accelerate the expansion of my influence!"
Only by having one's own power and abundant wealth can one establish achievements in a chaotic world and resist those who hold vast armies.
Lu Chen had read the Human Book, which elaborated on warfare. Fighting is nothing more than hitting people and spending money; with money comes people, and with people comes money. Beyond that, the most important factors are wisdom and strategy, which are all described in the Human Book.
Another crucial matter is the enhancement of one's own strength. Lu Chen had just entered the Unity of Man realm, and his growth was very slow, making progress difficult.
The path of Qigong is incredibly arduous and filled with challenges. The higher one ascends in realms, the harder it becomes to improve, which has nothing to do with the martial arts techniques being practiced. The realm not only refers to Qigong levels but also to the refinement of the Flesh. For a Qi Master, the Flesh is everything.
The third stage of Qigong is the Divine Power Body. This stage represents a significant qualitative change on the path of Qigong, indicating a transformation in physical constitution.
Once one enters the Divine Power Body, they have cultivated divine strength, becoming immensely powerful and able to exhale like wind. In terms of physical constitution, Flesh Wounds are as if drenched in bronze juice, impervious to blades and spears. Tendons are like rubber, capable of stretching repeatedly without breaking. Bones are as strong as diamond, unwaveringly firm, able to smash iron plates when thrown.
The Yin Boqing encountered last night had reached the Void Immortal Secret Realm with their Yin Spirit, but their Flesh was at most at the Divine Power Body level. Only Qi Masters at the Divine Power Body level can condense True Qi without leaking it out, unleashing their full power only during battle.
As Lu Chen knew, even among the current Five Element Sect members, there would not be a hundred individuals who surpassed the Divine Power Body level. Even many of those old monsters in Elder Immortal Academy have not yet reached the Divine Power Body.
It is not that these individuals are incapable; rather, those who have not reached the Divine Power Body level are cultivating both life and spirit, practicing both Qigong and Yin Spirit.
Cultivating both life and spirit is undoubtedly beneficial, but slow growth in realms is inevitable; no one can overcome this.
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