Bearing the blue sky

Chapter 340 [Exquisite Heart] and the Affairs of the World

Zhu Ge stood at the edge of the terrace, sunlight pouring down from the edge of the clouds, casting a warm glow on his shoulders.

Unlike the vastness of the Kunpeng, the precision of the Spider, the restraint of the Hidden, and the sedimentation of the Fallen Scale.

This dish has a unique texture with a subtle and even flow.

If I had to describe it, it's like water that seeps into every crevice.

"Even a stone monkey has a clever mind, and its skin is covered with 48,000 hairs."

The blessing was repeated softly, as if trying to savor the meaning of the description.

This statement differs from the descriptions of the Kunpeng and the spider; it is more specific and concrete—not a generalization of a grand image, but a description of a specific existence.

Stone monkey, exquisite heart, 48,000 hairs.

"Why don't you try wearing it?"

Zhu Ge pondered in his heart.

However, even though he has a long lifespan now, he shouldn't waste it like this.

However, all unique features have a drawback: you can only experience them by wearing them; you can't guess them just by looking.

Since that's the case, then wear it!

Name: Zhu Ge

Lifespan: 282 year

【Traits: Exquisite, Fallen Scales (Passive)】

[Inventory: Kunpeng, Spider, Stealth]

"Um?"

After putting it on, Zhu Ge couldn't help but let out a soft "hmm".

a year?

Wearing the [Exquisite] only reduced his lifespan by one year?

It's important to know that wearing the [Kunpeng] or [Spider] once consumes four years of his lifespan.

Although there are many more than [Hidden], there aren't actually that many.

But now is not the time to think about these things.

Zhu Ge carefully considered the effects this trait had on her.

Then he suddenly sensed a faint disturbance in his Shangyuan Palace.

Shangyuan Palace?!

Could this trait be related to the soul?

As Zhu Ge was pondering, her consciousness was suddenly pulled into a void, where only a large egg was floating, with the character "囍" on it.

Soul Space?

How did I get here?

"Brother, what are you doing here?" Hua Liusha emerged from the double happiness symbol, transformed into a woman dressed in red, her face full of confusion.

"I've gained some insights."

Zhu Ge looked slightly puzzled.

However, just as Zhu Ge was pondering, another spider-shaped soul flew out from the giant egg's soul.

Previously, Zhu Ge had already used the soul of Kunpeng to take over the Bone Monster clone.

At that time, he could sense that the unruly trait in the [Kunpeng] traits actually had many uses.

Now, he has finally gotten a second chance to create a clone.

"Could this be [Linglong's] ability?"

Zhu Ge frowned, just about to experience it.

But then suddenly I discovered—

It seems I can create even more soul entities!

After sensing for a moment, Zhu Ge finally figured out the ability of this unique trait.

First and foremost, it can be confirmed that one of the most important abilities contained within the [Exquisite] trait is the ability to differentiate souls!

His soul was capable of differentiation, but this time, Zhu Ge could sense that the differentiation was controllable.

Originally, his soul could transform into the souls of Kunpeng, spiders, fallen scales, and so on.

It's different now.

Transform into countless gods!

If he wanted, he could instantly divide his soul into ten thousand parts and then scatter them away!

And it doesn't diminish his control in the slightest!

In other words, each of these scattered souls is him.

Each soul can be controlled as easily and simply as he controls bending over, lifting his leg, and snapping his fingers.

In comparison, it's as exaggerated as a person being able to control every single hair on their head.

In addition, this trait also includes the ability to multitask!

A mind with seven orifices, exquisitely clever!

Zhu Ge immediately found that feeling in the simulation when she used the [Exquisite] trait.

A squirrel, two squirrels, and three squirrels are essentially the same individual, but they share a body in some way, which is more mysterious than moss, fungi, or algae.

【Linglong】also gave him the same feeling!

He could sense that if he divided his soul into seven parts in an instant, he could do seven things at once.

Seven portions is currently the limit for him to multitask.

You should know that he had been practicing multitasking for a long time.

Otherwise, the bone monster's clones would be impossible to control.

And now, it's done!

If he can find another suitable body, he can immediately have a new clone and be able to multitask.

He doesn't even need to split himself; his body alone can do many things that he couldn't do before.

As we all know, the human nervous system is highly developed and complex.

Humans can control most muscles, but not all of them.

And what about the congratulatory song?

May the song be well-received!

He can control every muscle in his body!

It can even cause blood to flow backward, heart to stop beating, and bones to become dislocated.

He can do anything he wants!

"Martial Arts----"

Zhu Ge snapped out of her daze, opened her eyes, looked at her palm, and slowly clenched it.

At this moment, his martial arts skills can be described as formidable!

He even has a bit of confidence now that he can hold his own against Linzhi.

Well, one slap won't knock you down, but two slaps will leave you seriously injured.

But at least it's better than before.

He had a feeling that if he bared his teeth and hissed at Lin Zhi, he would probably be seriously injured and on the verge of death with a single slap.

I have no idea how Lin Zhi trained to achieve that.

Thinking of this, Zhu Ge suddenly felt a stirring in his heart, his body went limp, and he put his hands together at his sides, crawling like a snake.

"Master, Lord?!"

The little hedgehog was startled.

Zhu Ge smiled and said, "I've gained a new insight and I'm trying it out."

Liu Jianjian was still a little scared when she heard this: "Then get up from the ground first, I'm most afraid of snakes."

Actually, it's the uncanny valley effect at work.

Zhu Ge's body had just been writhing and crawling around the room like a snake, but his face was still his face, which was creepy to anyone who saw it.

"it is good."

Zhu Ge smiled, shook her head, and got up from the ground.

Now, his understanding of the essence of martial arts can almost be considered complete.

The process of integrating with the self-boundary has accelerated more than tenfold!

If he were to use "Dawn Force" now, he could even achieve two or three times its original power!

In comparison, he is now twice as good as he was before.

The only drawback is the cost of using this trait.

It turns out that one year of lifespan is exchanged for one division — Zhu Ge looked at his lifespan and fell silent.

His soul has only split off now, consuming one year of his lifespan.

It would take ten years to separate ten souls.

Ten thousand souls?

He needs to have a lifespan of 10,000 years first.

In fact, even the Holy Emperor who has already passed away probably didn't live that long.

Therefore, the claim of ten thousand souls is merely an exaggeration.

Of course, now that he's in the second realm, the consumption of special abilities has decreased.

It's inevitable that he will reduce this when he breaks through the three realms or becomes a greater being.

Therefore, this is not just wishful thinking; it might actually come true in the future.

"Now that's done, let's move on to the next thing."

Zhu Ge looked out the window at the sea of ​​clouds.

My gaze seemed to pierce through the sea of ​​clouds, revealing the unpredictable and turbulent Shengjing.

Shengjing, here I come!

Chang'an was prosperous, Chaoge was ancient, and Jinling was magnificent.

Three legs guard Shengjing!

With Bianliang and Luoyang as secondary capitals, one on the left and one on the right, they formed one of the most prosperous and magnificent cities in the world.

Shengjing!

When the five cities were combined, they were called Shengjing!

The population of Shengjing alone was measured in billions.

For 30,000 miles underground and 30,000 miles above ground, there are pavilions and towers everywhere.

The abyss and the horizon are merely the highest and lowest points of the city complex.

Within Shengjing, there are people who have never left the city from birth to death, just like those who have never entered the city in their entire lives living in the mountains.

People inside the city want to get out, and people outside the city want to get in.

People outside the city envy the prosperity and convenience of the city, while people inside the city envy the freedom and vastness of the area outside the city.

The siege is nothing more than this.

However, this phenomenon was gradually broken with the rise of a certain thing.

"Hahaha, that's hilarious! That scholar from Fujian is so funny; he only knows the four ways to write the character '茴' (huí), but he doesn't know anything about farming!"

"That's right, that's right, but that Xianglin's wife is really pitiful!"

"If we're talking about pitiful people, Xiangzi the Camel is the one who is truly pitiful."

In a teahouse, small groups of people were drinking tea and discussing a book.

It was a newspaper!

The teahouse owner watched from the side, thinking to himself, "The newspaper is truly a gift from heaven!"

The accountant next to him nodded vigorously upon hearing this: "Who says otherwise? We earned six gold coins, fifteen silver coins, and thirty-eight copper coins more this month than last month."

The teahouse owner's face lit up even more upon hearing this, then he suddenly seemed to remember something and asked, "By the way, these days novels are all the rage. Have you managed to hire one or two novelists?"

It's a novel!

As it was featured prominently on the front page of newspapers, it was known to almost everyone in Shengjing (present-day Shenyang).

Nowadays, most articles in newspapers are news and information, with only a small portion being fiction.

News and information are abundant, ranging from regional to nationwide, and everyone will choose to read what interests them.

Some people are interested in matters concerning their own territory, but ignore all news and anecdotes from other territories.

Some people are interested in martial arts, but they don't care who the Confucian and Taoist masters are or what treasures the Taoist immortals have created.

However, those short stories and novels are of almost universal interest.

Because it's fun!

For example, the few short stories we shared today have sparked a trend in Shengjing.

The conversation in the teahouse continued, the sounds echoing in the wooden space, carrying a warm, mellow quality, as if soaked in tea.

"A novelist? Where can we afford that?" The accountant tossed the abacus beads, his tone tinged with helplessness. "Those who can write novels are incredibly valuable these days. I heard the author of 'Xianglin's Wife' is named Lu Shuren," he said, "and just writing that story cost him three hundred taels of silver!"

"Three hundred silver coins?" The teahouse owner's eyes widened, and he almost dropped the teapot in his hand. "That's a lot."

As for the name Lu Shuren, no one doubted it.

There are plenty of strange names in the world.

"That's why I said we can't afford it." The accountant sighed. "But we don't need to invite him. We can read it in the newspapers, right? Isn't 'Rickshaw Boy' serialized in the newspapers?"

"If customers come here to read the newspaper, we have business."

The teahouse owner thought about it and agreed, so he stopped worrying about it and continued wiping his teapot.

The chatter among the tea drinkers in the lobby continued.

A young man in a blue robe sat by the window, holding a copy of the "Human Race Gazette," and was reading a newly serialized story to the people at the table.

"—Xiangzi pulled his rickshaw through the rain all night, soaked to the bone and covered in mud, but he dared not stop. He said that if he stopped, he wouldn't earn any money. He said that while he was young, he would make as many trips as possible and save enough money to buy his own rickshaw—"

The young man stopped reading and took a breath.

In that split second, a middle-aged man in a gray cotton jacket sitting at the same table couldn't wait to ask, "What happened next? Did he buy a car?"

"I did manage to buy it." The young man shook his head. "Later, the car was stolen by the mutinous soldiers. He saved up money, but he was robbed again, then he was scammed. In the end, he had nothing left."

The middle-aged man was silent for a while, then picked up his teacup, took a sip, and put it down again: "Why do story writers always write about people with tragic fates?"

"Is it only those who suffer that deserve to be written about?" the young man guessed. "What's so interesting about writing about those who have it all right?"

The middle-aged man thought about it and did not refute it.

Meanwhile, a crowd gathered in front of a bookstore on another street in Shengjing.

The bookstore clerk was clipping newly arrived newspapers to the rope by the door, his movements practiced and familiar, as if he had done it countless times.

"Any new stories in this episode?" someone shouted.

"Yes," the waiter said without looking up, "a sequel to *The Old Man and the Sea*, supposedly written by a disciple of Master Tianji!"

The crowd at the entrance suddenly became lively. Some people pushed forward, some stood on tiptoe, and some urged the shop assistant to hurry up and clip the newspapers together.

The shop assistant calmly clipped the newspaper to his pocket, stepped back to make room, and then turned and went back to the bookstore.

The crowd gathered around, and the first person to get close to the newspaper started reading.

He read very quickly, as if he was in a hurry, or as if he was eager to know what would happen next.

Those behind listened, occasionally letting out low sighs.

"Has that old man gone out to sea again?"

"Yes, he's out at sea again. This time, he caught a bigger fish than before."

"and then?"

"And then—the sharks came again."

Some people in the crowd sighed, some shook their heads, and some listened quietly without making a sound.

Not far from this street, in a small courtyard, a middle-aged man was pacing back and forth.

He was clutching a piece of paper in his hand, on which were a few lines of text—his newly written submission letter.

He had been pacing around the yard many times, as if repeatedly checking whether the contents of the letter were appropriate, or perhaps trying to encourage himself.

He finally stopped, folded the paper, put it in the envelope, and then walked out of the courtyard gate, heading along the street towards the post station in the west of the city.

Shengjing is so vast that it might take a whole day for a person to walk down a single street, and so vast that the subtle changes that are taking place may take a long time to be noticed by people.

But those changes are indeed happening.

In teahouses, at the entrances of bookstores, among the crowds reading newspapers, and in courtyards where people are mailing their submissions to the newspaper office.

Then one day, a piece of news was revealed in the newspaper.

"Master Tianji is coming to Shengjing!"

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