Who is spreading rumors that my filial piety towards them has changed?

"In short, Chu Mingkong's direction is still viable. Xiling is isolated and without any support, so finding a way out for itself is essential. However, there is still one variable that needs to be considered in advance..."

"What variables?" Shangguan Rong asked, puzzled. She didn't know everything about the palace incident that had just ended today, and with limited information, she could only think of so many possibilities.

"Sects!" The Empress emphasized, her beautiful face devoid of any lightheartedness, and said seriously, "In the past, these cultivation sects treated the secular dynasties like restaurants in the city treat farmers in farms. They treated them as ingredients for the restaurants, and were only polite when they needed to recruit new generation disciples. Otherwise, they wouldn't give them a second glance."

Chu Mingkong pondered for a moment and realized that he did have that feeling. However, there was nothing wrong with the sect doing this; at least they wouldn't interfere in worldly affairs and would focus more on cultivation, seeking opportunities, exploring secret realms, and discovering ancient ruins.

"But after today, they will discover that powerful forces can also be generated in the secular world. It's one thing to have extreme Yin power, but even the power of the dragon vein formed by the will of all people may be targeted by them. At that time, those sects may try to get back on the side of the secular world and seek the power of the dragon vein."

Chu Mingkong nodded. After being reminded by Empress Pei, he realized even more how great the "variables" would be after today!

Even though they had already stolen everyone out, they didn't feel as relieved as they had imagined.

After a few more brief words of discussion, Shangguan Rong took the initiative to end the topic, saying:

"Let's not think too much about it for now. Mingkong and the Empress have been trapped in the palace for so many days. Let them rest for a while and not be too tense. Relax for a few days."

Upon hearing Shangguan Rong say that she and Chu Mingkong had been trapped in the palace for so many days, Empress Pei gave an unnatural "hmm".

Chu Mingkong accepted Shangguan Rong's kindness and said:

"Okay, I'll go and meet with the elders first. I'm planning to head back to Xiling in the next couple of days. I'll come find you later."

Leaving the room, Chu Mingkong composed himself, not wanting to spread the heavy atmosphere to others. The rare and joyful reunion shouldn't be ruined by him.

He wanted to take on more responsibility so that they could have an easier time, not so that they would be bored with him.

"Looking at the present, the direction in which I can increase my strength and confidence should be to gain a deeper understanding of the two forces of extreme yang and yin."

Today, when the power of extreme Yang dominated my body, it was very clear that I hadn't yet been able to unleash the essence of this power; I was merely throwing it out in a crude and unrestrained manner.

This feeling is like "after a day of abstaining from sex and conserving energy, you decide to reward yourself for a day, but you can't find good materials to help release the stress."

We need to find a way to deal with this problem.

After wandering aimlessly for a while, Chu Mingkong realized that he had unknowingly arrived at the Sect Master Peak. He figured he would be saying goodbye in the next couple of days, so he might as well say hello to the Acting Sect Master in advance.

As soon as Chu Mingkong stepped onto the sect leader's peak, the acting sect leader Qu Wuyue came out to greet him.

After a brief greeting, Chu Mingkong explained his purpose:

"These past few days have truly troubled Sect Leader Qu to keep my women here. I will never forget this kindness. I will probably take my women back to Xiling in the next few days."

The poised and elegant young lady, acting sect leader, gently shook her head and said with grace and composure:

"Your Highness is too kind. It's hardly a favor. Allowing Your Highness's ladies to stay here is my way of repaying Your Highness's kindness in the past. How can repaying a debt of gratitude be turned into bestowing a favor? Please come in and have a seat. I just acquired some fine tea and would like to invite Your Highness to drink with me."

"Alright, then I won't stand on ceremony."

--------

P.S.: The pace of the story will slow down in the next few days.

Yesterday I watched a video on Bilibili (a Chinese video-sharing website) where a content creator shared a life-size Tifa doll. I was so engrossed in it that I couldn't sleep all night. It's a bit ugly... well, not ugly, but it doesn't capture the beauty and spirit of the remastered Tifa. I was even saving up to buy it.

Chapter 145 Extreme Yang (10.6/18)

The young lady, dressed in white like a butterfly, with a black gauze over her, her slender waist accentuated by a cinched belt, exuded a heroic air. After leading Chu Mingkong into the room, she sat with him on a jade bamboo mat.

Somewhat surprisingly, Elder Si Chunhua of the Punishment Hall was also present.

"Could it be that the two of you are discussing important matters concerning the sect?" Chu Mingkong asked.

"No, the period when I was busy with sect affairs has passed. Most of the time, I focus on solitary cultivation. Elder Si is here to enjoy tea together, Your Highness, please don't stand on ceremony. This is a private meeting, so let's skip the formalities and be more comfortable."

“That’s right. Let’s make it a private meeting and relax a bit.” The beautiful woman poured Chu Mingkong a bowl of tea.

The aroma of the tea is both delicate and strong. It is delicate in its subtle and faint fragrance, and strong in its aroma that draws the eye to the nose as it lingers.

Chu Mingkong took the tea, his fingertips touching the beautiful woman's delicate fingers. Si Chunhua reminded him, "Be careful not to burn your tongue," before removing her hand from the teacup.

Chu Mingkong took a sip of tea. He didn't actually know much about tea, but praising it was enough. After the compliment, he slowly returned to the topic and said:

"Then I'll use Senior Sister Qu as my name. What were you and Elder Si talking about just now? Feel free to continue. Don't let me spoil the fun. Just think of me as someone who joined the conversation midway."

Qu Wuyue relaxed, crossing her legs. Her skirt slipped down, revealing a pair of shapely, black-stockinged legs, adorned with simple plum and bamboo patterns that added to their elegance and complemented the dark gauze of her dress. She chuckled softly:

"It's not an important topic, I just wanted to ask Elder Si for guidance on the cultivation of extreme Yang."

Her strength has now reached a bottleneck. If we disregard the differences in the five elements of spiritual energy, her current cultivation level is comparable to Xiao Yunhan's, and she is far superior to the elders in the sect. However, she lacks the experience of cultivating extreme yang energy compared to the elders.

Ordinary cultivation has reached a bottleneck, and it is difficult to make further breakthroughs and insights in the study of sword and zither in a short period of time, so the only option is to develop towards extreme yang.

Upon hearing this, Chu Mingkong immediately perked up and treated it like a class, as he was looking forward to hearing about experiences related to the power of extreme yang.

Although Rong'er, Jinyu, and the Great Peach Queen all possess extremely high Yang cultivation, Chu Mingkong is more interested in obtaining practical guidance, which would be more useful to find among the sect elders.

They truly used that power in battle.

When Si Chunhua saw Chu Mingkong suddenly sit up straight, like a studious child in a private school classroom, she felt a little embarrassed.

"Your Highness..."

"Just call me Mingkong."

"Mingkong, your seriousness makes me feel awkward. I'm afraid I might mislead you in some way."

"Elder Si, please don't feel burdened. I know nothing about this and just wanted to hear the insights and experiences of the seniors. It would be my blessing if Elder Si could generously answer my questions."

"Alright, then please excuse Mingkong's poor performance."

Qu Wuyue was unclear about the status of the Extreme Yang Power, whether it was really necessary to cultivate it, and whether not cultivating Extreme Yang Power would cause her to fall behind others.

The main reason for this confusion is Shen Xuejun, the woman who guided her. She also does not cultivate extreme yang, but she has never been at a disadvantage when facing cultivators who possess extreme yang power.

If a power is truly strong, then why don't the predecessors on the path of cultivation cultivate it? Why is the Five Elements system, and some variant attributes derived from the Five Elements, still dominant?

Learning seems unnecessary, but not learning makes me worry about falling behind others in the future.

Now that she is the head of a sect, it would be a disgrace to the sect if she were inferior to others. Therefore, she cannot be too willful. So she asked Si Chunhua for help. If it is really necessary, Qu Wuyue will take the cultivation of extreme yang as her own responsibility to study it.

Si Chunhua also shared her own insights.

The most common application of extreme Yang power at present is similar to "enchantment," using extreme Yang power to sublimate one's own five elements of spiritual energy, just like Chu Mingkong's fire spiritual energy was previously contaminated by extreme Yin power.

If we describe the extreme Yin Fire Spiritual Energy as a sinister flame that silently burns through the beams and pillars of a tall building in the dead of night, then the extreme Yang Fire Spiritual Energy can be seen as a raging fire that explodes in broad daylight.

The five elements' spiritual energy enhanced by extreme yang is manifested in its increased power, which can be compensated for through cultivation. Besides, the greatest use of extreme yang power may be to restrain other extreme yang power.

"So, I don't know if I'm misunderstanding something, or what... I don't think that the power of extreme Yang is the end point of the Five Elements cultivation. The power of extreme Yang is more like icing on the cake for the Five Elements cultivation, similar to the totem protection in the Crescent Moon Kingdom."

Furthermore, compared to the vitality and life represented by the power of extreme Yang, I also vaguely sensed a sense of 'creation,' but I couldn't find any trace of it even if I wanted to understand it further.

Qu Wuyue held the teacup, the tea leaves bobbing in the water, her face reflected in the bowl. She smiled helplessly.

"I feel more and more confused the more I listen."

"That's right. I've been trying to explore the path of extreme yang, and now I'm feeling more and more confused. Wuyue, your hesitation about this cultivation method shows that you don't want to spend the effort to study it. Since you already have a resistance deep in your heart, forcing yourself to try will only lead to suffering."

Although many predecessors cultivated the power of extreme Yang, there were also Sect Master Shen of the Wenqing Pavilion and Master Zuo Jianxian of Mingkong who did not cultivate extreme Yang. You can trust your present and future, and trust your own heart and courage.

"Ah."

Qu Wuyue drank the tea, got up and walked to the place where the zither was placed and sat down. With a light wave of her hand, her slender fingers glided across the simple and elegant wooden zither, and a clear and melodious tune came from nowhere. The clear sound entered the ear and made people feel as if they were drinking a fairy wine, intoxicating them with youthful beauty.

Chu Mingkong pondered Elder Si's earlier remark that "extreme yang power is similar to totem protection."

After silently appreciating Qu Wuyue's zither music, he finally spoke up to ask Si Chunhua about this point of confusion.

"Elder Si, why do you think that the power of extreme yang is similar to the protection of totems? The power of extreme yang is much more difficult to cultivate, isn't it?"

Si Chunhua hadn't expected Chu Mingkong to be so concerned about this. She carefully considered her words and slowly said:

"The difference between the two, I think, lies in the fact that totem protection is a power with a master; it already has its own imagery to express this power, which is the divine beast like the white tiger. On the other hand, extreme yin and yang lack such imagery to express this power."

But thinking about it practically, wouldn't attaching extreme Yang energy to the five elements' spiritual energy be considered a way to interpret and utilize extreme Yang energy?

Chu Mingkong was thinking, and Si Chunhua continued after seeing that he had almost finished thinking:

"Therefore, the difficulty of the power of extreme yang lies in the fact that it is blank and ownerless, unlike the protection of totems which has clearly defined what this power should look like. However, the advantage of the power of extreme yang is that it is ownerless, provided that the most appropriate way to interpret this power can be found."

Chapter 146 Friendship Achieved (10.8/18)

The sect atmosphere of Xiaoxiang Qin Academy is indeed very conducive to cultivating temperament. From the acting sect leader Qu Wuyue to the elder Si Chunhua, they may need to present a different face in their positions, but in private they all have a gentle, tranquil, calm and mild temperament.

Chu Mingkong had seen this kind of temperament most often in the kind of well-mannered, virtuous wives and mothers. Through life and time, they had been tempered into being calm and gentle, and their way of dealing with people and things was almost like that of a mother. They were generous and natural, and it was very comfortable to get close to them.

There may always be some exceptions among the disciples of the sect, but judging from Chu Mingkong's interactions with Xiaoxiang Qin Academy, the girls here really do have a bit of a wifely charm, and the charm is even stronger among the elders and sect leaders.

It's quite a distinctive feature of the sect; it wouldn't seem out of place if it were renamed the "Human Wife Sect" someday...

Si Chunhua knew that Chu Mingkong's talent was among the best in history, and worried that she might have misled him by not explaining things clearly, she carefully added:

"But these are just some general insights, and it's hard to explain them in a few words. If you just want to hear different opinions, then listen and move on, don't take them as gospel. But if you really want to delve deeper into this, then come find me in private, and I will explain it to you in detail. As for whether you agree or not, you'll have to decide for yourself."

"Alright, I'll think about it some more later. I might have to visit Elder Si and ask him for your guidance in person."

Having brought the conversation to this point, Qu Wuyue could no longer suppress her doubts and asked:

"This is just a personal question of mine. If it's inconvenient for Mingkong to say, then you don't have to... Mingkong, why do you have a bit of extreme yang energy on you?"

In fact, Si Chunhua had noticed this long ago; it was no secret that Chu Mingkong was suffering from the Extreme Abyss's wounds. However, the fact that he was now emanating a rather strong aura of extreme yang was something unimaginable.

Chu Mingkong no longer concealed anything. He condensed a dazzling ball of extremely yang fire spiritual energy with a strong aura of vitality in his palm. Then, the extremely yang power in the flame rapidly weakened and, in the blink of an eye, transformed into extremely yin fire spiritual energy with a heavy aura of yin evil.

Qu Wuyue and Si Chunhua's expressions became quite interesting. Both women, who were elegant and beautiful, showed a blank expression, which quickly turned into surprise and astonishment. They then began to wonder if they were seeing things or if they were losing their minds.

Chu Mingkong felt somewhat doubtful. Seeing it for himself would be much more reliable. He said softly, "I hope you will forgive my impetuousness," and then unbuttoned his shirt, revealing his well-defined chest muscles.

Of course, the focus is still on the injury to the heart. Thanks to its preemptive advantage, the heart of the Abyss Transformation was not affected too much by the power of extreme yang. However, many blood vessels connected to the heart transformed into strands of extreme yang golden threads, wrapping around the deep and mutated heart. Instead of conflicting, the two coexisted harmoniously.

But at first glance, it still looks quite messy.

The beautiful Si Chunhua, upon seeing his robust physique, recalled some past embarrassments, her heart skipped a beat, and her delicate face flushed, making her even more alluring. Qu Wuyue, however, glanced at his body a few more times, her attention still lingering on the unusual appearance of his heart.

"I don't know why this injury turned out this way. So I want to learn more about the power of extreme yang. But since I left the secular dynasty, I don't know any seniors who cultivate extreme yang. I will have to rely on the seniors of Xiaoxiang Qin Academy in the future. I really like the atmosphere here!"

Chu Mingkong's words reflected his consideration of the discussions he had had with Shangguan Rong. The future landscape was bound to change drastically, with various sects likely extending their influence into the secular world. The events that unfolded in the palace today would soon be the focus of attention for all sects, who would try to uncover them as secrets of power or great opportunities.

The Xiaoxiang Qin Academy is well worth getting to know better; it's best to establish good relationships there beforehand to avoid any future suspicions.