His Own Path

Xu Feng transformed into Yuanfang and went into full bootlicker mode, but Huang Shang knew perfectly well it wasn't that exaggerated.

Although [Yang God] was many tiers above [Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils], he currently had no foundation at all.

Thinking he could read the Dao Scripture for a day and comprehend some peerless technique was pure fantasy.

Fortunately, compared with the real Huang Shang, he had one major advantage.

His perspective.

Many Reincarnators entered ancient worlds, thinking themselves far cleverer than the people of the past.

In truth, that wasn't intelligence. It was the difference in perspective caused by living in a different era.

And that was exactly the case now. Huang Shang had not only inherited Huang Shang's peerless talent, but also understood the difference in the world's vital energy.

He had never expected to take the Dao Scripture and immediately embark on a path of soul cultivation.

The conditions of the outside world didn't allow it. Insisting that he could work miracles anyway would make him a foolhardy idiot.

But he could absorb the knowledge within it.

The world's vital energy might differ, but knowledge was universal.

Especially knowledge of the human body, and the perception of the soul.

So, as Huang Shang read, he kept sensing his own soul.

It was difficult.

Martial arts experts could look inward and inspect their internal organs, meridians, and acupoints. But trying to grasp the movements of the soul was many times harder.

The former were tangible, real things, while the latter was intangible.

Huang Shang tried using the Dao Scripture's various theories to keep deepening his understanding, but in the end...

He still couldn't sense it.

Yet during the process, he gained something else. He felt another power coiling around him.

A power unlike the strength of his limbs, unlike the qi and blood within his body—a phantom force.

Was it spirit?

That didn't seem quite right, either.

With the mindset of making bold conjectures and carefully testing them, Huang Shang followed his instincts and wrote on the paper:

Heaven moves with vigor; the noble man strives without ceasing.

That power truly became clearer, even showing the faintest trace of itself.

"This can be called a scholar's Literary Qi!"

Huang Shang was delighted and gave it a name.

He didn't even know what he had cultivated.

Perhaps that was what made a great master.

Still, it wasn't hard to guess.

The vast basic knowledge in the Dao Scripture had taught him what cultivation was, allowing him to understand himself more clearly.

What set him apart from other Reincarnators and characters in the story?

Scholarship!

Integrity and intelligence were divine; as long as scholars remained upright and clear-hearted, they could grow powerful too.

The spirit of a scholar could be called Literary Qi.

That was his power.

Meanwhile, Xu Feng's eyes bulged like a bull's as he hurried to report to Xu Yue. When Xu Yue heard the news, her eyes shone as well.

The reason she hadn't wanted Huang Shang to learn this world's martial arts was that she feared the grandmaster would be confined to the path of low-level martial arts, and would have to pay a huge price to break free of those limits in the future.

She hadn't expected this pleasant surprise to arrive so quickly.

"Huang Shang isn't the protagonist, so he won't enjoy all the protagonist's powerful blessings. But his talent is far greater than that of an ordinary protagonist!"

"It's fine if he has no blessings. We'll be his blessings!"

"Xu Feng, protect him. His first cultivation is the most important. Don't let anything interrupt him!"

Indeed, after the phrase "Heaven moves with vigor" had condensed his first wisp of Literary Qi, Huang Shang didn't stop. He gathered himself for a moment, then continued writing furiously.

Lines of Three Academies Regular Script sprang to life on the page.

Before, the characters had been square and clean, but somewhat stiff and rigid, since they were meant for examinations.

Now, however, they held a touch of spirit.

These were no longer merely words. This was the first application of Literary Qi.

A scholar's power was certainly not meant for fighting.

It was meant for scholarship.

At that moment, Huang Shang's thoughts flowed like a spring.

His own knowledge, combined with Zhang Zai's careful instruction over the past while, seemed to become a river, flowing onward.

Inspired, he continued writing, setting down all the hexagrams of the Book of Changes:

"Earth's disposition is receptive; the noble man bears all things with great virtue."

"Wind follows wind; the noble man carries out affairs by reiterating his commands."

"Thunder gradually stirs; the noble man cultivates and examines himself through fear."

"Goodness is like water; the noble man plans the beginning when undertaking a task."

"Fire joins with others; the noble man distinguishes things by their kind."

"Step upon the marsh; the noble man distinguishes among the people and sets their aims at rest."

"Mountain over mountain, humility; the noble man diminishes what is excessive and augments what is lacking."

Ever since Confucius had praised the Book of Changes, the Confucian school had revered it as a sacred text, foremost among the Six Classics.

These eight lines were not only hexagrams, but also principles for living: understand gains and losses, know when to advance and retreat, and discern Heaven's secrets.

Of course, these eight trigrams could be used to derive all sixty-four hexagrams, but Huang Shang didn't greedily pursue more. He simply wrote these eight over and over.

Heaven, earth, wind, thunder, water, fire, mountain, and marsh!

After filling one sheet, Huang Shang paused in thought, then spread out a second.

By the time he reached the fifth sheet, the Literary Qi within his body flowed along the tip of his brush and into the paper.

The eight lines seemed to take on a faint, almost imperceptible gleam.

But Huang Shang, utterly absorbed in his work, failed to notice the fine wrinkle forming at the corner of his eye.

Pouring all of his essence, energy, and spirit into the task had placed an enormous strain on his body.

At this rate, his lifespan would shrink dramatically.

Xu Feng's expression changed. "This is bad. His body is still that of an ordinary person, and the world's vital energy is too thin. Without outside replenishment, he can't handle it."

Xu Yue heard him and made an immediate decision. "Give him a Vermilion Fruit."

Xu Feng felt a little jealous. "You treat him better than your own little brother!"

Though he grumbled, a star in his palm lit up, and a fragrant spirit fruit appeared at once.

Xu Feng flicked a finger, sending it straight into Huang Shang's mouth.

Compared with the inheritance of the [Yang God] world, a Vermilion Fruit might count as a natural treasure, but it was worth only three hundred Reincarnation Points.

They'd already poured in the big investment. Why begrudge the small stuff?

The Vermilion Fruit melted as soon as it entered his mouth. A gentle, steady stream of warmth traveled down his esophagus, spread from his stomach through his internal organs, then reached every limb and bone.

Huang Shang's spirits lifted. The wrinkle at the corner of his eye slowly disappeared, and his brush raced across the page.

The sixth sheet.

The seventh sheet.

At last, the tenth sheet was complete. Huang Shang stopped, utterly satisfied, and the brush snapped with a sharp crack. Yet a faint glow now hovered over the last sheet of rough paper.

All eight lines had been infused with Literary Qi.

"I need a brush capable of bearing Literary Qi."

Huang Shang set down the broken brush and looked at the words on the paper, his face alight with genuine joy.

At last, he possessed a power perfectly suited to him.

From now on, he would no longer be a scholar without the strength to lift a chicken.

Every improvement in his learning could advance his own strength.

There was great potential in the path of a scholar rooted in history, too.

Suppressing his joy with effort, Huang Shang looked at Xu Feng on the bed and cupped his hands in a salute. "Thank you, Brother Xu!"

Xu Feng grinned. "There's no need. We're doing this for the Great Song's realm, for the Great Song's realm..."

After saying that, Xu Feng figured that if goodwill were measured out of a hundred, he had to be at twenty or thirty by now. Maybe he could ask about that important matter. "Those four lines about bringing peace to all generations are wonderful. How did you come up with them?"

That was certainly a blunt question.

Huang Shang silently broke into a sweat, then replied with a look of respect. "My mentor, Master Hengqu, took the Book of Changes as his foundation, the Doctrine of the Mean as his core, the Rites as his application, and Confucius and Mencius as his models. Those four lines came directly from his inspiration, and are the work of a Confucian scholar."

His words were ambiguous. They could mean the four lines came from Zhang Zai's inspiration, or that he had written them out of respect for Zhang Zai's learning.

It all depended on how one understood them.

"From the sound of it, the space adjusted things on its own. It wasn't that another Reincarnator had their eye on Huang Shang too."

Xu Feng only knew how to say, "Oh, oh." After hearing this, Xu Yue relaxed and decided not to make an appearance.

Xu Feng was enough.

One in the open and one in the shadows would make it easier to act.

With that in mind, she gave Xu Feng a few instructions, then drifted out of the room.

She'd been keeping watch over Huang Shang day and night these past few days. Even with the stamina of a star-ranked Reincarnator, she was getting tired.

It was time to catch up on some sleep.

Back in her guest room, Xu Yue furrowed her fine brows, then opened the window to air it out.

Because the Reincarnators had so many secrets, they didn't allow the waiter to disturb them. After several days away, the room had naturally grown stuffy.

The inn they were staying at was Hui Xian Pavilion, a prestigious establishment built right next to the imperial city. It was secluded despite its busy surroundings, and its many private rooms were especially renowned for their quiet and privacy.

At that moment, as Xu Yue opened the window, she instinctively looked toward the Great Song's imperial city.

Suddenly, her gaze sharpened.

She saw a wisp of gray-black smoke seeping through a crack in the palace wall. It burrowed into the ground and vanished.

"Besides us, there are other Reincarnators in the Capital City!"