Spiritual energy resurgence? My former empress wife has also revived!

In the 514th year of the Jingyuan calendar, Qin Zijun was sixty-eight years old.

Chu Kingdom, Royal Palace—

Qin Zijun, dressed in simple black clothes, walked with Chu Jingshan in the Imperial Garden.

He was old and looked very thin.

But he remained vigorous and healthy, and his gait was dignified and imposing.

His gray hair, with hardly any black remaining, was tied up high, and his simple, unsophisticated face only accentuated his masculine charm and charisma.

Although he was old, he was even more refined and elegant, enough to make any young woman's heart race at the sight of him.

In modern terms, that old man at the village entrance was simply devastatingly handsome.

Chu Jingshan looked exactly the same as when Qin Zijun first met him at the age of seventeen or eighteen; his appearance and temperament had hardly changed.

This is a natural advantage for those who cultivate the Tao.

The old eunuch who had always followed Chu Jingshan had lost his former laziness and ease.

He followed behind the two with a nervous yet respectful expression. Every time Qin Zijun looked at him, he would be terrified and stand with his head bowed.

Qin Zijun today is a saint.

Not the literal saint, but the saint of the Taiqing Realm.

If Qin Zijun wanted to, he could easily destroy the Chu Dynasty with just one hand.

In particular, now that Qin Zijun is nearing the end of her life, she can act even more recklessly.

Chu Jingshan followed beside Qin Zijun, unconsciously falling half a step behind.

That was reverence for the teacher, and awe for the sages of Taiqing Realm.

"Teacher, I have a vague premonition that I might be able to break through to the Dao Lord Realm."

Chu Jingshan suppressed his excitement, feeling as excited as when he received candy as a child.

He thought that his cultivation of the Dongxuan realm was the limit of his cultivation in this life, but he never expected that he would one day become a Dao Master.

It wasn't just excitement about his own advancement in realm, but also excitement about finally fulfilling his childhood wish and continuing the destiny of the Chu Kingdom.

Qin Zijun glanced at him and nodded, saying, "That's right. If you become a Dao Master, you can have a lifespan of five thousand years. With your abilities, it wouldn't be difficult for you to extend the life of the Chu Kingdom by five thousand years."

Chu Jingshan was pleased with Qin Zijun's praise, and he became somewhat arrogant, asking, "May I ask, teacher, is there any chance for me to cultivate to the Taiqing Realm in this lifetime?"

Qin Zijun paused for a moment, then shook her head and said, "Difficult! The difficulty of a Dao Lord cultivating to the Taiqing realm is immeasurably greater than your cultivation from the first realm to becoming a Dao Lord."

"Throughout history, how many cultivators have actually reached the Taiqing Realm? If you can even count them, you can understand how difficult it is."

"You have already achieved the status of Dao Master by cooperating well with me and receiving the support of the nation's fortune, but to become Taiqing, you cannot rely on external forces."

Chu Jingshan opened his mouth, then sighed helplessly, "Teacher, can't you give your student a glimmer of hope?"

"If you, teacher, say that I have a chance to become Taiqing, perhaps I'll be so excited that I'll work hard in that direction and eventually succeed?"

Qin Zijun smiled faintly: "Lies don't hurt people, the truth is the sharpest knife."

"People don't like to hear the truth, but I'm the kind of person who likes to tell the truth."

"Men fear choosing the wrong profession, and women fear marrying the wrong man. Your talent for cultivation is not in the cultivation of the dynasty. You have chosen the wrong profession, Jingshan."

Chu Jingshan looked bitter: "I know I am not very talented in cultivation in the dynasty, but if I had not inherited the throne, the Chu Kingdom would have perished long ago."

His father, the previous ruler of the Chu Kingdom, was a Dao Lord.

The late emperor lived for five thousand years. In the last thousand years of his life, he fathered many children in order to ensure that the throne would be passed on to a successor.

However, the higher one's level of attainment, the lower their birth rate.

Moreover, just because you have a high level of spiritual attainment doesn't mean your child will necessarily be a genius or have talent for cultivation.

In this respect, cultivation is equal for everyone, and there are very few true second-generation cultivators.

The late emperor had difficulty conceiving, and most of his offspring lacked talent for cultivation and died before reaching a hundred years of age.

Even if someone is born with the talent for cultivation, they may not necessarily be able to cultivate to the level of Dongxuan.

The Cave Profound Realm is the most basic realm for inheriting a vast dynasty; even the External Realm is insufficient.

Just when the late emperor had given up, Chu Jingshan was born.

He was a cultivation genius, but his talent lay not in the cultivation methods of the Dynasty.

The late emperor had given Chu Jingshan a choice: either succeed to the throne of Chu and follow the laws of the dynasty, or become a disciple of a major sect.

With Chu Jingshan's talent and the resources the late emperor could provide, even if he couldn't become the sect leader of a major sect in the future, he could still become an elder.

A strong sense of responsibility ultimately led Chu Jingshan to choose a cultivation method of the dynasty that was not suitable for him, and he became the ruler of the Chu Kingdom.

Chu Jingshan was very open-minded about this. He said, "To say I regret it, I wouldn't say that. Even if I cultivate the orthodox Xuanmen sect alone, as my teacher said, the Dao Lord realm is probably my limit."

"Now, by cultivating the method of destiny alone, I have the opportunity to reach the Dao Master Realm due to my luck, which already surpasses the vast majority of people in the world."

"Moreover, it was precisely because I cultivated this method of cultivating the morning that I was able to meet my teacher and receive his guidance. With every drink and every bite, who can say that I made the wrong choice?"

After a pause, Chu Jingshan asked hopefully, "Teacher, do you think it's possible for a person to break through the mystery of the womb and thus be reincarnated?"

Qin Zijun chuckled inwardly; Chu Jingshan was still harboring resentment.

He preferred to cultivate the orthodox Xuanmen sect rather than the methods of governing the court.

Qin Zijun pondered for a moment and said, "In the countless millennia of the immortal era, I have never heard of anyone successfully reincarnating and breaking the mystery of the womb."

"Those are just folk tales about the strange and supernatural that have been passed down among ordinary people."

"Even the methods of reincarnation that Buddhist disciples boast about are actually just a way to inherit one's talent for cultivation. Although that method has great supernatural powers, it cannot achieve true reincarnation."

"But I believe that there is a way to reincarnate in this world, it's just that this method may not have been discovered or created yet."

Qin Zijun certainly believed in the method of reincarnation, because he was the one who could reincarnate infinitely!

After a pause, Qin Zijun continued, "It is said that in the ancient times, the ancient gods had a method to break through the ten-thousand-year lifespan of the Taiqing Realm."

"Those ancient gods could be reincarnated directly upon the end of their lifespan, thus living for tens of thousands of years."

Chu Jingshan showed interest, eager to learn: "Teacher, what's the deal with these ancient gods?"

"I don't know much either, but if you want to hear it, I'll tell you, just to broaden your horizons."

At this time, Qin Zijun did not know much about the ancient gods.

Everything he knew came from Wang Shu.

However, even though Wang Shu was an ancient deity, she didn't know much; she only mentioned some basic common knowledge about ancient deities.

This is easy to understand.

Even if I am a person, do I know how many bones I have, how many pores I have, or can I memorize my own DNA map?

I can't even understand how I became a person.

Similarly, Wang Shu didn't know why she was an ancient deity.

But Chu Jingshan listened to this knowledge with rapt attention.

He sighed, "If reincarnation is truly possible, if there is a next life, I will cultivate the orthodox methods of the Xuanmen sect."

"By the way, I might become a teacher, just like you, to teach children from poor families, impart knowledge, and help them change their destiny."

Qin Zijun laughed and said, "It's good that you have this intention."

The two walked around the garden a few times. Qin Zijun was getting old and felt a little tired, so she sat down to rest.

Then they began to talk about some matters of the imperial court.

A palace maid brought over some fruit and pastries, but Qin Zijun took one bite and put it down, losing interest.

It's far inferior to what Wang Shu did.

Chu Jingshan now adopted the demeanor of a monarch, and said with a dignified expression, "Ziming is now the Minister of Rites, and Zimo is also the Minister of Works."

"But I cannot allow my teacher's disciple to take on the positions of minister of the other six ministries."

Since the position of prime minister was abolished, the six ministers who were responsible to the monarch have become the highest positions with real power.

When Qin Zijun was twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, she took Ziming and Zimo as her apprentices. At that time, the two children were about seven years old.

He is now 68 years old, and his two children are also middle-aged or elderly, approaching 50.

Qin Zijun stroked his beard and said, "As the ruler, you are doing the right thing by balancing the power in the court. Why bother discussing it with me?"

Today, court officials are divided into two major factions.

One was the imperial faction appointed by Chu Jingshan, and the other was the Confucian faction taught by Qin Zijun.

Compared to the Confucianists, Chu Jingshan naturally trusted the officials who had been appointed by imperial decree more.

Because of those officials, he could dismiss them at any time and revoke their power and lifespan granted by imperial decree, and they were also the most loyal to Chu Jingshan.

This is the essence of cultivation in the Dynasty: absolute power in one's hands.

Although the Confucian cultivation system created by Qin Zijun actually made the dynasty's national fortune and strength stronger, it was not entirely under the control of the dynasty's ruler.

Normal rulers would not allow such a cultivation method to exist in their country. It was only because Chu Jingshan cooperated with Qin Zijun for various reasons that he created this system.

The two are a match made in heaven.

Now that this cultivation system has been successfully established, it can no longer be erased.

Because the Confucian cultivation system can even be used in ordinary mortal courts outside of the current dynasty.

If the ruler of a mortal dynasty is capable, he could even use Confucian scholars to transform the mortal dynasty into a dynasty of destiny.

This is the most terrifying aspect of this cultivation system, and also the part that best aligns with the cultivation practices of the Dynasty.

Qin Zijun pondered for a moment and said, "In the future, if you encounter capable ministers, Jingshan, you should still prioritize granting them official titles."

"Those with average abilities, you can have them practice Confucianism."

Chu Jingshan was taken aback, wondering why the sage who created the Confucian cultivation system would suppress it.

Qin Zijun smiled and said, "I created this system of methods simply to give a large number of scholars an opportunity, and also to give cultivators of the dynasty a new direction, not to replace the dynasty's cultivation."

"If someone is highly talented, and you have him practice Confucianism, although he may briefly use supernatural powers, his lifespan will not exceed a hundred years. How much practical benefit can he possibly do for the people?"

"But if you were to bestow titles upon this great talent and allow him to live for a thousand or eight hundred years, how much could he possibly contribute to the people?"

"I created this law to prioritize the people and ensure national prosperity and strength. How can we abandon the fundamental for the trivial?"

"If one does not care about the well-being of the people, then there is no need for Confucian self-cultivation."

Chu Jingshan stood up, his expression serious and earnest, and bowed to Qin Zijun, saying, "Teacher, you have served the country and the people with utmost respect."

Qin Zijun accepted the greeting, looked up at the sky, and said, "It's getting late, and I'm tired, so I must take my leave."

Chu Jingshan saw him off out of the palace.

In front of the palace, Qin Zijun said to Chu Jingshan, "You don't need to worry about the crisis facing the Chu Kingdom. I will help you resolve it before I pass away."

"However, I also have a matter I would like to ask for your help with."

Upon learning that Qin Zijun needed his help, Chu Jingshan was overjoyed and quickly said, "Teacher, how could you use the word 'ask'?"

"You are the teacher, and I am the student. Whatever you say, I will listen to and do as you say."

Qin Zijun said, "But you are also a ruler, and I am also a subject. There is nothing wrong with using the word 'ask'."

After a moment of silence, Qin Zijun slowly spoke and made her request.

Chu Jingshan listened attentively and said, "I will certainly do as you say, please rest assured, teacher!"

Qin Zijun laughed heartily and left gracefully.

He had already given his last words to Chu Jingshan.