Introduction to Metaphysics

Upon hearing this, Su Li finally realized that he had only one path left to take—the path of studying the civilization and culture of the world he had come from, starting with methods used by Pre-Qin Qi Cultivators, such as refining essence into qi.

Moreover, he would have to combine the ancient culture of Huaxia from his previous life with the cultivation methods of this world, exploring and researching until he created a cultivation method suited to his own "three souls and seven spirits" and his current physical body.

If he succeeded, then naturally, cultivation would no longer be a problem.

The trouble was, he had no reference material whatsoever, nor any experience to draw upon.

His future was, quite literally, pitch-black.

He had thought about this path long ago, but it was the one he least wanted to choose!

Now, it was clear that he had no other way forward. He could only choose this path and feel his way along it alone.

Even someone as carefree and unconventional as Su Li couldn't help but feel a profound sense of loneliness and helplessness.

"Master Su, don't be so discouraged. Don't worry, I'm very interested in your friend now!"

Zhuge Qingchen came over, looking eager to get close.

Su Li felt a little warmth in his heart at first, but then he recalled Zhuge Qingchen's track record: whoever he took an interest in ended up dead. His breath caught, and his face darkened.

"No, don't you dare take an interest in my... friend. My friend wants to live a few more days!"

Su Li refused without hesitation.

The sunny smile on Zhuge Qingchen's face froze in place.

Even his breathing grew noticeably more labored. He looked as if he wanted to blow up but had no choice but to endure it, utterly resigned to his fate.

"Master Su, rest assured. Here at Wanli Holy Land, all our ancient books, cultivation methods, and the like will be open to you! If you want to look up anything or study talisman arts, formations, pills, or even artifact refinement, there'll be no problem at all.

"If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask A Li at any time. If she doesn't know, ask Yun Wanchu.

"If even he doesn't know, I'll personally answer your questions, Master...

"In short, Master Su, you're still so young, and I imagine your friend isn't very old either. There's still plenty of time, and plenty of opportunities. Don't give up."

Hua Yunxiao offered another word of comfort.

"Senior Hua, don't worry. This shouldn't be too hard to solve. He just needs more time to create a cultivation method of his own. Once he steps onto the path of cultivation, things will be fine. Besides, if it really doesn't work out, I'll have done all I can."

Su Li wasn't too worried. After all, the Latent Dragon Pill had appeared, and it could make him smarter and more perceptive.

By then, his intelligence would increase exponentially. Creating a cultivation method suited to himself probably wouldn't be especially difficult.

And even if it really was difficult, what if the Heavenly Secrets Mall refreshed with some advanced or top-tier metaphysics, or even some heaven-defying immortal art or peerless divine physique? Wouldn't that solve everything in one stroke?

The idea that there were no shortcuts was just what the cultivators of this world believed.

Wasn't his Introduction to Metaphysics a shortcut?

Once he bought it, he'd know it outright!

Moreover, though it was called Introduction to Metaphysics, it was actually incredibly comprehensive!

Not only that, but the foundational knowledge it contained was astonishingly broad. Once he absorbed it, everything came together, and he could recall and use all kinds of knowledge with ease!

If he wanted to reach that level through actual study, he'd need at least thirty or fifty years—no point even thinking about it otherwise!

That was another reason Su Li was so confident.

So, right now, all he needed to do was find a way to harvest Heavenly Secrets Value.

As Su Li thought this over, he glanced at the three of them and could only sigh helplessly. Aside from Hua Yunxiao, Yun Wanchu was just too cautious; it was hard to kill him.

Unless Yun Wanchu was facing a mortal crisis, even if Su Li could harvest some Heavenly Secrets Value, it would be negligible.

As for Zhuge Qingchen...

That man's fate was that of the Chosen One. There was no point discussing it. Anyway, there was no way he'd die—not in this lifetime...

Su Li suspected that even if Zhuge Qingchen stood right there and let Hua Yunxiao kill him, all sorts of accidents might come to his rescue. He might prove impossible to kill!

So there was no point trying to harvest Heavenly Secrets Value from him through divination.

He'd have to find some other prodigies to harvest from. That would be much faster!

Still, he'd need to give some thought to how he could divine the fates of those people.

Afterward, Hua Yunxiao spoke with Su Li a little longer, then turned into a streak of rainbow light and left.

The moment Hua Yunxiao was gone, Yun Wanchu looked at Su Li with eager eyes, full of longing.

"Master Su, earlier you mentioned to my lord that the Heavenly Dao was going to erase me. I escaped the first time, but the second time... Master Su, what about me...?"

Yun Wanchu put on a shameless smile and asked in a soft voice, with a hint of ingratiation.

"..."

Su Li was at a loss for words. He truly didn't even want to complain about this man.

"Fine. I'll use my special Heavenly Secrets talent to give you a proper divination."

Su Li rubbed the Five Emperors Ancient Coin in his palm and looked around at the fairyland-like scenery of Wanli Holy Land. He decided to cast a divination for Yun Wanchu.

Introduction to Metaphysics included foundational knowledge of the Zhouyi, numerology, the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, and more. Su Li planned to try casting his very first divination on Yun Wanchu.

"Thank you, Master Su!"

Yun Wanchu rubbed his hands together, both excited and nervous.

Zhuge Qingchen also came over, intrigued.

"Holy Lord Yun, does Wanli Holy Land have any spirit herbs that grow one stalk a year—or every few years—and can now have as many as fifty stalks?"

Su Li asked.

He wasn't asking only because he needed to use the herb stalks. He also wanted to find out whether anything in this world could replace the stalks of yarrow used in traditional divination, and whether the results would still form a hexagram.

If they could, that would mean the hardest path he'd chosen was still viable.

"We do, we do. There are many kinds. Some grow one stalk a year; others grow one every three or five years, or every eight or nine years. There are also those that grow one every thirty or fifty years, every ninety years, ninety-nine years, or a hundred years. Of course, there are spirit herbs and sacred medicines that grow one stalk every few hundred or thousand years, but Wanli Holy Land isn't capable of cultivating those..."

Yun Wanchu answered at once.

"Then do you have any that grow one stalk every forty-nine years?"

"We do. In fact, all of those grow in our medicinal gardens. Which ones do you want, Master Su?"

"Then take the stalks that split off from those that grow one stalk every year, every nine years, every forty-nine years, every fifty-nine years, every ninety-nine years, and every hundred years. I need fifty portions of each."

"All right, Master Su. I'll go get them right away."

Yun Wanchu quickly turned into a streak of rainbow light and disappeared.

That left only Zhuge Qingchen at the scene.

"Master Su, what do you need all these things for? Do you need them to divine the secrets of heaven and the workings of fate? Don't you use your inherited Bloodline Power and soul power to divine?"

Zhuge Qingchen was very curious.

Su Li thought for a moment, then said, "What I'm about to do is cast a hexagram: calculate the eight characters of a birth date, examine someone's fate, look at wealth, joy, status, fortune, and longevity, and discuss the five elements to determine cycles of generation and restriction, good fortune and misfortune. It's a special method of divination you've never seen before. Just watch closely in a moment."

"Then... how is that different from the divination you did earlier?"

Zhuge Qingchen was a little confused too.

Master Su's previous divinations had seemed incredibly easy, and they'd been astonishingly accurate. Why was all this trouble necessary?

"The earlier method has its limitations. For example, Senior Hua Yunxiao—I could only divine good and ill fortune for the seven days after today, not what would happen after those seven days. This method of divination may not be as detailed, but it can determine his good and ill fortune in the future, rather than being limited to just a few days..."

Su Li gave a brief explanation.

Zhuge Qingchen had an astonishing background and a noble status. Su Li intended to build a good relationship with him, then harvest from him thoroughly. After all, someone who so often said one thing while thinking another was a superb leek to harvest.

Zhuge Qingchen froze when he heard this, his face filling with shock. There was actually such a bizarre method of divination in this world?