Literary Qi Infuses the Body, First Steps on the Confucian Dao

Guided by that gentle stream of light, Xuanjizi felt the scenery around him change in the blink of an eye. The next moment, he found himself within a grand yet ancient hall.

The hall was lofty and spacious, built from unknown white-jade divine stone. Its beams and pillars were carved with vast scenes of suns, moons, and stars, ancient sages comprehending the Dao, and the evolution of writing. A glimmer of wisdom seemed to flow faintly across them.

The air was suffused with a light scent of ink and the weighty aura accumulated by ten thousand volumes of books, involuntarily calming one's mind.

This was the Diligent Study Hall of Myriad Dao Academy's Outer Academy, the place where new disciples like them first set foot upon the Confucian Dao.

He was not alone in the hall. Elder Teng, the Antlered Maiden Yun Xi, and the Cloud Spirit Yun Su, who had passed the trials alongside him, were also guided here one after another.

Yun Su's figure still flickered in and out of clarity, and a trace of confusion that had yet to fully dissipate lingered between his brows. Clearly, the choice he had faced before the Heart Cleansing Pool had not yet reached complete resolution.

Elder Teng, meanwhile, had become far more composed. There was less sorrow in his eyes and more resolve, as though he had already made an important choice.

Besides the four of them, there were another six or seven beings in the hall, all in different forms: plant spirits, spirits of metal and stone, and creatures transformed from birds and beasts.

All of them were Registered Disciples of the Outer Academy, recently admitted after passing the three trials of Clear Heart, See Nature.

They sized one another up, their eyes holding reverence for their new surroundings, curiosity toward their fellow disciples, and a hint of anticipation for the Dao road ahead.

At that moment, an ancient bronze mirror hanging high within the hall flashed with light, and a distinct figure condensed beneath it. It was not Sage Wanhua's true body.

Rather, it was a clone formed from pure literary qi. Its face was identical to Wanhua's, though its aura was far gentler and more approachable.

"I am the Sage's Clone, here to guide you as you take your first steps upon the Confucian Dao." The clone spoke calmly, yet its voice carried an unquestionable Dao resonance that instantly drew every disciple's attention.

"Since you have passed the three trials and achieved Clear Heart, See Nature, you share fate with our Confucian Dao.

"Yet whatever you cultivated in the past—whether qi refinement, focusing the spirit, or body tempering—followed the old methods of the Primordial Era, taking in the spiritual qi of heaven and earth as their foundation.

"Today, I shall use the academy's literary qi to cleanse and refine your Dao Foundations, plant the seeds of the Confucian Dao, aid you in transforming literary qi, and allow you to formally enter the gates of Literary Dao cultivation."

As the words fell, the clone made no visible movement, yet the entire Diligent Study Hall suddenly blazed with light!

The countless depictions of ancient sages and Daoist characters carved into the ceiling, walls, beams, and pillars seemed to come alive in an instant, radiating gentle yet boundless golden brilliance!

The ink fragrance and bookish aura filling the air abruptly grew a hundredfold denser, transforming into countless tiny golden motes visible to the naked eye.

Like fireflies drawn by some unseen force, they converged upon every new disciple in the hall!

Literary qi infused their bodies, cleansing and refining their foundations!

Xuanjizi felt every pore across his body open of its own accord as countless warm, upright, peaceful golden motes—

like trickling streams and spring winds turning into rain, ignored the immortal-power barrier already within him.

Gently yet firmly, they seeped into his limbs and bones, his meridians and acupoints, even the depths of his consciousness and soul!

It was an experience unlike any he had ever known!

Completely unlike the cold, violent spiritual qi of heaven and earth that he had absorbed in the past, which required painstaking guidance and refinement, this literary qi merged with him naturally and gently, as though it had always been a part of his body.

Wherever the literary qi passed, the immortal power within him, cultivated over countless ages and long since solidified—

began to tremble faintly like snow beneath the warm sun, gradually being permeated, wrapped, and even... assimilated by the golden literary qi!

It was not forcibly dispersing or abolishing his original cultivation, but a higher form of "overlaying" and "sublimation"!

The literary qi seemed to be redefining the nature of the energy within him, transforming it from pure "power" into "literary refinement" that bore "principles" and "will."

The process was not entirely comfortable.

Whenever the literary qi touched distracting thoughts accumulated over the years in the depths of his Primordial Spirit, hidden wounds left by battle, or the stagnation born of bottlenecks, it produced a faint sensation of "burning" and "cleansing."

It was as though countless invisible little brushes were meticulously scrubbing away the dust and filth buried deep within his Dao Foundation.

Some deeply entrenched killing intent and restless emotions, at odds with the Confucian Dao's ideals of uprightness and harmony, were washed away by the literary qi like ice and snow exposed to sunlight, melting away at once.

Xuanjizi guarded his mind closely as he guided this vast yet gentle power.

He could clearly sense subtle changes taking place in his physical body. His bones became more lustrous, his flesh more translucent, as though every cell were breathing in literary qi and whispering principles of the Dao.

Even greater upheaval raged within his Sea of Consciousness. The void that had once merely stored his divine sense began to expand violently beneath the influx of endless literary qi.

It also became more solid and stable. At its center, the true nature of "Seeking" reflected by the Heart Cleansing Pool took root like a seed, absorbing literary qi and faintly giving off a hazy glow—this was the embryonic form of a condensing Literary Heart!

The total amount of his Golden Immortal early-stage magical power did not seem to increase beneath this infusion of literary qi.

It even decreased slightly. Yet its purity, agility, and affinity for the principles of heaven and earth had increased by several times over!

An unprecedented sense of fulfillment and control rose within him.

Almost unconsciously, he tried to circulate the foundational method Wanhua had imparted to him—the Literary Fire Body Tempering Chapter.

With a thought, the literary qi within him, now tinged with pale gold, flowed freely and transformed into gentle literary fire.

From within to without, it tempered his Dao body and Primordial Spirit, its efficiency far surpassing any body-tempering technique he had cultivated in the past!

He could even sense that, after being tempered by this literary fire, the rich Innate Spiritual Qi outside could be transformed into his own literary qi more efficiently and gently!

So this is... the power of the Confucian Dao? Xuanjizi's heart brimmed with shock and joy.

He understood that from this moment onward, he had truly left behind his former path as a Rogue Cultivator and stepped onto an unprecedented broad road leading straight toward the Great Dao!

His Dao Foundation had been reforged, the source of his strength transformed, and his future was already no longer the same!

He looked around. Azure light and golden radiance intertwined around Elder Teng, whose aged vines seemed reborn, exuding even more majestic vitality and an aura of Benevolent Generosity and resilience;

Above Antlered Maiden Yun Xi's head, a phantom image condensed. Her deer-like eyes grew clearer and more spirited, while Literary Qi circulated around her, carrying the essence of guardianship and tranquility.

Even Yun Su, whose form had originally been unstable, became much more solid beneath the infusion of vast Literary Qi. The confusion in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by a deeper contemplation and understanding of his own "Dao."

The other disciples changed as well. The Sha Qi around some of them receded; some gained clear, lucid gazes; others grew steadier in presence.

Within the entire Diligent Study Hall, Literary Qi surged mightily and Dao resonance flowed. Every newly initiated disciple was undergoing a cleansing and ascension of their very essence of life!

No one knew how long the Literary Qi infusion lasted. When the light within the hall gradually drew in and that vast torrent of Literary Qi turned into fine strands, meekly merging into each disciple's body, everyone could clearly sense that they were no longer the same as before.

What flowed within them was no longer merely magical power transformed from the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, but Literary Qi—imbued with their own will and principles!

Their Seas of Consciousness had become broader and clearer, and their perception of all things between heaven and earth had become sharper and more attuned to "reason."

They had taken their first steps onto the Confucian Dao; their foundations were already established!

The Sage's Clone looked upon the disciples below, transformed as though reborn, and gave a slight nod. "The seed of Literary Qi has been planted, and your Dao Foundations have begun to settle.

"From this day forth, diligently cultivate the Literary Fire Body Tempering Chapter, condense your Literary Hearts, temper your literary courage, and open your Literary Palaces. That is your proper path."

"We shall heed the Sage's teachings!" All the disciples, including Xuanjizi, bowed in unison, their voices filled with excitement and devotion.

At this moment, their path of Confucian Dao cultivation officially began!

And with the arrival of these disciples, the flame of Myriad Dao Academy's legacy kindled its first true, tangible blaze.