The Deepest Affection in Qin's Time

Cao Yuan deeply understood why the old man Xun, the chief of the Linzi sect, had such a fiery temper, and why his disciple could be so ruthless.

Furthermore, it's a sin for a grandmaster to beat up two ordinary people!

Cao Yuan patted his chest with a hint of lingering fear. Fortunately, he hadn't intended to win when he debated with Xunzi, and the outcome was "brotherly harmony and respect." Otherwise, if he had been beaten like Han Fei and Li Si, where would he have gone to seek justice?

"Brother Han, Brother Li, is there something you need?"

Cao Yuan glanced at his personal wife, Jing Ni, and casually asked.

Han Fei's face was swollen, and it was hard to tell whether he was laughing or crying.

"My fellow disciples and I have some questions for Brother Cao. We wonder if you would be available next month? Let's go to Zui... and find a place to chat."

Because they were caught visiting brothels, the teacher sent them back to Xiaoshengxianzhuang and confined them to the back mountain for ten days. They were not allowed to go anywhere and could only come back to see Cao Yuan next month.

Cao Yuan smiled and joked, "Alright, let's go with Drunken Dream Pavilion then."

Han Fei glanced inside the mansion and saw his teacher surrounded by dozens of disciples. He lowered his voice and said, "Keep a low profile this time."

Cao Yuan chuckled and said, "Brother Han can treat us."

He hatched a plan to start with Tian Mi and see if he could obtain the cultivation method for "immunity to all poisons" to provide an extra layer of protection for his wanderings and eventual disappearance.

He hadn't forgotten about Tian Mi drugging him.

Han Fei patted his money pouch and said generously, "No problem."

Li Si's face turned green with rage. If he got caught by the teacher again, he'd be in deep trouble.

But since it was Cao Yuan who suggested it, he had no choice but to accept it reluctantly.

I prayed silently that the teacher wouldn't find me again, or I'd really be in trouble with my bottom.

……

That night, the bright moon hung high in the sky.

Cao Yuan lit the bronze lamp, knelt before the table, unrolled the scroll, and began to carefully study Fu Nian's "The Heart Method of the Holy King".

I learned from Fu Nian that the origin of this mental cultivation method comes from a sentence in the "Tianxia" chapter of Zhuangzi: "Therefore, the way of inner sage and outer king is obscure and unclear, and is suppressed and unexpressed. People in the world each do what they desire and take their own way."

Fu Nian drew inspiration from this, extracted the essence of Taoism, attained the Way of Inner Sage and Outer King, and created the "Sage King's Heart Method".

The mental cultivation method is divided into two parts: an inner and an outer section, one for training and one for swordsmanship.

These are the "Inner Sage Chapter," which serves as a cultivation method, and the "Outer King Chapter," which serves as a sword technique for the Holy King.

The Inner Sage Chapter focuses on cultivating one's mind and character, forging a noble state of mind that is "invulnerable to all evils";

The "Outer King Chapter" focuses on authority, evolving into the "one word determines the law" Holy King's sword style.

Only when the two are combined can one be considered a "sage king" who possesses both inner saintly virtue and outwardly practices the way of a king.

Cao Yuan first carefully studied the "Inner Sage Chapter," and whether he could refine his spirit into internal energy and retain it within his body depended entirely on this.

The opening of the manual states its meaning; those who cannot understand the principles through reading will not be able to grasp its essence, and those who do not have the world in their hearts will find it difficult to fully comprehend its wonders.

Cao Yuan nodded slightly, which was very much in line with the essence of Confucianism.

This is why the various top-level martial arts techniques from different schools are not afraid of being stolen or learned.

Without the relevant knowledge and wisdom, one cannot even begin to understand the basics, or even if one does, it is difficult to cultivate oneself to a profound level.

If one could easily learn and master the art, he had reason to believe that the Net of Shocking Souls would be everywhere, and Li Wu would be no better than a dog.

"When the heart is upright, the law is upright; when the heart is clear, the Way is clear. Use the human heart to reflect the heart of Heaven, and use the heart of Heaven to prove the heart of my heart."

Cao Yuan whispered the general outline of the "Inner Sage Chapter".

This shows that it is many times better than the generic breathing method Zihan gave her.

However, to Cao Yuan's dismay, the "Inner Sage Chapter" of this practice only contains two aspects: sincerity and rectification of mind, and investigation of things and extension of knowledge.

They can only cultivate to the Grandmaster level, because Fu Nian also broke through to the Grandmaster level.

However, Cao Yuan was already very satisfied.

He just wants to try to keep his spirit inside his body and cultivate internal energy using a high-level mental cultivation technique.

Everything else is secondary.

Otherwise, even if you gave him the most powerful martial arts techniques from all the schools of martial arts, it would be of no use.

Cao Yuan adjusted his mindset, first reading through the entire text to get an impression, and then beginning to study the first level of "Inner Sage Chapter," namely, "Correcting Intentions and Sincere Heart."

He was quite familiar with the essence of Confucianism, so it was not difficult for him to get started, and he quickly entered a state of cultivation.

Chapter 29 contains Confucian elements.

Compared to the descriptions in ancient legends, the spiritual energy in the world today is becoming increasingly scarce for some unknown reason, making cultivation extremely difficult for cultivators. Breaking through to the Grandmaster level is incredibly difficult, and the number of Grandmasters above the Grandmaster level is even smaller.

The only known figures are Donghuang Taiyi of the Yin-Yang School, Beimingzi of the Daoist School, Xunzi of the Confucian School, Guiguzi Gongsun Yan of the Guigu School of Yunmeng Mountain, and Chu Nan Gong of Chu. They are known as the Five Greats by various countries and in the martial arts world, and are considered the five most powerful figures in the world.

Anyone who shows their face in the martial arts world can stir up a storm.

Although Cao Yuan longed for it, he also knew that he would have to chant "Amitabha Buddha" to be able to cultivate like an ordinary person, let alone become a Grandmaster.

Wearing a body is such a rip-off, it's not as good as soul transmigration, and it's even worse than being born into the womb!

The spiritual deprivation of modern people is truly a terrible sin!

After entering a meditative state.

With his extraordinary spiritual power, Cao Yuan was able to capture the wandering spirits between heaven and earth in less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

Although it is extremely thin, there is still some left.

He slowly used his spiritual power to guide the spirit into his body, and began to guide the spirit to circulate within his body according to the operating method described in the mental cultivation manual.

The spirit traveled around the meridians he controlled, once, then once more.

Just as Cao Yuan was feeling delighted, the spirit gradually disappeared into nothingness as it circled for the third time, as if someone had taken it away.

"I rely on!"

Cao Yuan opened his eyes, so angry he wanted to curse.

It's the same old story: you can learn it in one go, but you can't do it once you start practicing!

They could clearly sense the extremely thin spiritual energy in the world. Anyone else would have already started cultivating and become a minor expert in a year or two.

but!

The spiritual energy he absorbed would only circulate within his body once or twice before disappearing, let alone opening up his eight extraordinary meridians!

He wasn't missing any parts, just like everyone else. Could it be that he became paralyzed simply because he had his appendix removed back then?

"Hehe, you little pest, you seem quite disappointed~"

Li Wu was sitting on the large windowsill at some point, with her long, snow-white, and shapely legs crossed, her hands holding her head, revealing a pair of delicate pink arms that were hazy in the moonlight, like a tempting and seductive enchantress.

Cao Yuan snorted, looking annoyed.

"What's it to you?"

Li Wu said with a smile, "Don't be discouraged. If you can't cultivate, you can't cultivate."

She swung her legs leisurely, her small feet in boots gliding through the night in graceful arcs.

"Even if you can cultivate, so what?"

"Which cultivator who has achieved something on the path of cultivation lacks talent? Which one didn't undergo medicinal baths, diligent study and practice from a young age, and receive guidance from experts?"

Even so, it would take many years before it would be possible to enter the country.

Li Wu looked at Cao Yuan with a melancholy expression and said, "So, I advise you to give up on this idea and instead focus your energy on your studies or career."

"After all, with your talent, whether you join the Confucian school or seek employment in another country, it would be easy for you to achieve world-renowned success."

She paused, then emphasized again, "There is no precedent for someone with a 'Spirit Absolute Body' who cannot cultivate."

Cao Yuan knew that Li Wu was telling the truth, but he still felt uneasy.

If he can't cultivate after transmigrating here, hasn't his transmigration been for nothing?

"You stayed up all night just to come and laugh at me?"

Cao Yuan said irritably.

“No…” A clear, cold voice sounded from behind Cao Yuan.

Cao Yuan didn't need to turn around to know that it was Jing Ni.

He sighed deeply, rubbing his forehead, too exhausted to even complain.

These female assassins are always elusive, sneaking into his bed at night...

The fact that he couldn't cultivate was terrifying, as he could only realize things after the fact.

Cultivators can truly manipulate ordinary people at will.

In a one-on-one situation, the only one who can deal with a cultivator is probably a cultivator.

"Why are you contacting me in the middle of the night? Are you planning to sleep with me?"

Cao Yuan joked, trying to find humor in the midst of his misery.

After spending several days together, their relationship had grown quite close; otherwise, he wouldn't have dared to flirt with these two female assassins.

"Xunzi is temporarily staying at an unnamed residence. Our identities are sensitive, so we will not be going there again for a while."

Jing Ni knelt opposite Cao Yuan, glanced at the scroll of "The Holy King's Heart Method" on the table, and continued, "But you are different. After today, Xunzi will treat you differently. You will have more opportunities to enter Wuming's mansion and steal the bronze treasure box."

Cao Yuan asked, somewhat surprised, "Is it in a hurry?"

Li Wu suppressed her charming smile and said seriously, "The leader sent the latest intelligence that the alliance of the states is about to be completed. He ordered me and Lord Jingni to obtain the treasure box before September and return to Qin to await further orders."

She looked at Cao Yuan, a hint of complexity and urgency flashing in her gentle eyes.

She was running out of time and hadn't figured out how to confront Cao Yuan yet.

Jing Ni didn't speak, her gaze fixed on Cao Yuan.

The internal struggle within the Luo Wang organization is fierce. Yan Ri is in charge of the assassins Tian Sha Di Jue, who are responsible for assassinations, while Lü Buwei is in charge of the intelligence gathering Chi Mei Wang Liang. She vaguely knows that the two are outwardly friendly but inwardly at odds.

Therefore, Yan Ri wouldn't be in such a hurry to send her back to Qin to await orders, so it must be Lü Buwei's idea.