Lesser Yin Reveals Silver

To discover a method for cultivating Cold Mountain Venerables, Li Shun had spared no expense.

Fortunately, the results were gratifying as well.

"With the feedback from a Cold Mountain Venerable's aura, the chance of successfully cultivating a Cold Mountain Lord may not be one hundred percent, but it is close to one in five."

"The key is that a Cold Mountain Lord's repair effect is nearly ten times that of ordinary Cold Mountain Grass. For a while, I need not worry about the Threefold Self-Reflection Stone Statue wearing down. That is the confidence that lets me research without restraint."

Above the Cold Mountain Grass in the spirit field ahead, where they were locked in mutual slaughter, the object they vied to reach floated silently in the air: a Cold Mountain Venerable.

"The venerable is king."

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"To give birth to a king, one must either be born noble and wealthy, or else..."

"When heroes contend for the realm, the survivor becomes king."

"Of course, if merely having the Cold Mountain Grass slaughter and compete with one another could cultivate a Cold Mountain Venerable, the Great Qian Dynasty would not have failed for so many years."

"A hundred battles for kingship are merely the foundation. More crucial are three external forces."

"First..."

Li Shun lowered his gaze to the puppet tirelessly performing the Agricultural School's Spirit-Splitting Life-Creation Technique.

"The path of advancement consumes enormously. Cold Mountain Grass alone can never bear it. It must constantly be watered and nourished by external force. Yet simply pouring power into it, crude and direct, will not do. It must moisten things soundlessly, like rain..."

"In other words, it requires someone who has brought the Spirit-Splitting Life-Forming Art to its pinnacle, tending it day and night with their own heart's blood."

"This condition alone is exceedingly difficult to fulfill. Spirit-splitting life-forming was originally a method learned and performed only by the lowest laborers. Those with exceptionally high attainments were often already withered in qi and blood, unable to sustain such intensive casting."

"Second, guidance!"

"Without a clear target to guide them, even if the hundred grasses fought to the death, they still could not find the way to advance. Only by using the aura of a Cold Mountain Venerable as a lure could they evolve correctly toward becoming a 'king.'"

"Third... and this is the most crucial point."

"That is the isolating effect of Square Inch Space!"

Li Shun's gaze was deep and shadowed.

"Beyond the Cold Mountain Venerable, there stands another figure at the end of this evolutionary path. Though I do not know its exact name, its influence seems to be everywhere. In the outside world, when Cold Mountain Grass transforms into a Cold Mountain Venerable, it is easily disturbed by it. More often than not, all previous effort comes to nothing at the most critical moment!"

"But within this Square Inch Space..."

"I make the rules!"

Li Shun continued watching the brutal slaughter within the spirit field.

Time passed. As stalk after stalk of Cold Mountain Grass fell, the sole final victor began to emit an unusual blue radiance.

Months of planning—success or failure would be decided in this one stroke.

Yet Li Shun's heart was utterly calm.

When preparations were sufficient to a certain extent, chance became inevitability.

The shriveled bodies of dozens of defeated plants turned into specks of flowing light, as though burned to ashes, and were all absorbed by the victor.

The final Cold Mountain Grass then grew at a rate visible to the naked eye. In no more than a breath, it changed from ordinary Cold Mountain Grass into something shaped like half a bright moon.

It slowly rose into the air, standing shoulder to shoulder with the other Cold Mountain Venerable!

Above the Cold Mountain Grass spirit field, two moons now shone together.

But in that instant, before Li Shun could rejoice at successfully cultivating a Cold Mountain Venerable, a sudden change erupted.

As if sensing each other's existence, the two Cold Mountain Venerables began fighting once more without a moment's hesitation!

They looked as though they would not rest until one of them died!

At the critical moment, Li Shun's thoughts stirred, and he promptly transferred the Cold Mountain Venerable serving as a guide through the air to the still-blank area beside it.

Only then did the fight cease.

Li Shun's consciousness swept across the new and old Cold Mountain Venerables separately, and realization rose in his heart.

"This is called kings do not see kings."

"If kings meet, they will slaughter one another just like ordinary Cold Mountain Grass..."

At that thought, Li Shun's train of thought abruptly paused.

"If I had enough Cold Mountain Venerables, would I have a chance to cultivate the being at the end of that evolutionary path?"

For an instant, Li Shun's heart pounded, but he soon shook his head and dismissed the idea.

Even if it was theoretically possible, it remained somewhat unrealistic for him at present.

"To cultivate one Cold Mountain Venerable requires at least thirty or forty stalks of Cold Mountain Grass. My stock is already stretched thin."

Li Shun looked at the Cold Mountain Grass growing in the spirit field.

Only a small portion had reached maturity. The vast majority were still seedlings and needed continued watering with the Spirit-Splitting Life-Creation Technique.

"The puppet can only hasten the growth of five stalks a year. The efficiency is still too low."

Yet for the moment, Li Shun could think of no particularly good solution.

Though Square Inch Space had opened up a new plot of land, he could never capture another puppet that only knew the Spirit-Splitting Life-Creation Technique.

As his thoughts slowly turned, Li Shun suddenly found himself missing the lucid, clear-minded state he had experienced after consuming a Cold Mountain Venerable.

"One Cold Mountain Venerable must be kept as the seed for cultivation and cannot be touched. As for the remaining one..."

It took Li Shun a long while to suppress the restless desire in his heart.

"No rush. I will wait until I cultivate another one."

"I must keep one in reserve for the Threefold Self-Reflection Stone Statue."

Over the past few months, Li Shun had also faintly sensed that something was wrong with Cold Mountain County.

"I have served here for thirty-seven years, and Cold Mountain has never been this hot. Clearly, something unusual has happened. Perhaps it is related to that Changle Marquis."

An invisible pressure arose in Li Shun's heart.

During his recent retrospections, he had once again gone to Jixia Bookshop to see how Zhou Xunzhen was doing.

Unfortunately, no one answered despite his knocking for a long time.

When he asked the neighboring residents, they all said that the bookshop had not opened its doors in a long while.

Zhou Xunzhen had most likely truly died.

"The Twelve Longevity Method seems to be a sweet poison. Though it can restore one to youth overnight, when the poison flares up, it is truly terrifying. In merely a few months, all youth is lost..."

"However..."

"For some people, there is no choice."

Li Shun thought of Feng Guan, and of himself.

Even knowing full well that what lay before them was a poison that would erupt in the future, people on the verge of death like them would likely swallow it without hesitation.

"After all, the future can be discussed in the future. Dying later is better than dying now."

"Besides, the Great Qian Dynasty may not lack a way to solve this rapid aging."

Li Shun gradually came to understand the seven words Zhou Xunzhen had written that day: "The Emperor used this method to subdue the Hundred Schools."

After pondering for a long time, he finally made a certain decision.

Just as his divine sense was about to leave Square Inch Space, he suddenly froze.

"Hmm?"

For some reason, several small metal spheres emitting a silvery-white glow had appeared in the half of the spirit field where the Cold Mountain Grass had advanced into a Cold Mountain Venerable.

Li Shun drew them over and examined them closely.

"This is?"

He did not dare to be certain.