Showy Forest Strategy

Showy Forest Strategy

After the wooden box was opened, an apricot-yellow silk lining lay beneath it. Resting atop it was a jade slip veined with faint cloud patterns, with a folded piece of silk paper beside it.

Zhang Yu first picked up the silk paper, shook it open by one corner, and held it before him with one hand. From the handwriting, he could tell it had been left by Xiang Chun, the chief administrator of the Profound Residence.

It stated that among past disciples of the Profound Residence who had proceeded upward through the Seal of the Body, most of those who achieved something had first focused on securing their foundations. Thus, this Origin-Nourishing Seal had been specifically selected for him, to help him consolidate his roots and strengthen his original foundation.

Further down was the method for reading the jade slip.

Though there were not many words, they revealed quite a bit of information.

He mused, It seems the Profound Residence places great importance on past experience when training its disciples.

This was completely different from the Old Method cultivation he had experienced before.

His teacher had always emphasized that every person was unique and irreplaceable throughout cultivation, and that the experiences of predecessors did not apply to everyone. Therefore, one should cast aside the understandings of those who came before as much as possible.

When it came to imparting methods, that meant tossing someone a set of mnemonics and making them comprehend it on their own. If they understood, they passed. If they did not, it meant they lacked the talent and affinity. No one would bother much with them during the process.

According to his teacher, these were merely the most rudimentary methods. If one could not even cultivate these successfully, there was no need to look further into the profound techniques that followed.

Seen this way, the New Method replacing the Old Method was not without reason. At the very least, the threshold for entry had been lowered considerably, and the attitude toward disciples was far less arbitrary.

Still, everything had two sides. The New Method surely had its own drawbacks; it could not possibly be flawless in every respect.

He reached into the wooden box and took out the jade slip. The instant it touched his hand, he felt a cool chill. When he lightly brushed its surface, the cloud patterns within seemed to stir, producing faint ripples.

He looked at it for a moment, then called out inwardly. A sheet of brilliant golden light immediately rose around him. Upon it, with the Self-Existence Seal at its center, the Six Orthodox Seals formed a neat ring around it. Vermilion characters and red seals, square and orderly seal-script—altogether pleasing to the eye.

His gaze shifted to the Seal of the Body.

Before he had entered the garden, he had felt as if his body had sunk into a mass of warm water. Only afterward had his other sensations come flooding in.

Thus, on his path of seeking that trace of Mystic Opportunity, this was the seal glyph closest to himself. As he fixed his eyes on it, after a strand of Divine Essence diminished, the seal began to shine.

Yet he did not feel any change at that moment. This was because the Six Orthodox Seals were foundational seals, meant only to help him find the right direction within the Seal of the Great Dao. They could not directly bring him any benefit.

Compared to the Seal of the Great Dao, the human body was truly too insignificant. It was like facing an endless, boundless void. If the Self-Existence Seal merely marked a point within it, then the Seal of the Body now opened the first road outward. To continue expanding outward, these two steps were unavoidable and could not be omitted.

At this moment, he pressed the jade slip against his brow. In that instant, a stream of intent surged forth from within. Without reason, he understood certain principles, and at the same time, a seal glyph emerged along the outer edge of the Seal of the Body. The words "Nourish Essence" appeared upon it.

A faint cracking sound rang out. Fine, dense fractures appeared across the jade slip, and it shattered into countless evenly sized fragments like grains of sand, scattering across the desk.

He paid it no mind. Directly drawing upon his Divine Essence, he poured it into the Origin-Nourishing Seal. Before long, a relatively gentle force emerged from nowhere, enveloping him and gradually permeating his flesh, bones, and internal organs, nourishing and harmonizing them. Following the method conveyed by that intent, he guided the force throughout his entire body.

That force quickly vanished, yet it seemed to be only a seed, drawing forth some kind of breath-force that had already existed within his body. Even without his urging, it remained there, circulating continuously with his breathing.

When his mind settled again, he immediately understood the benefits brought by this seal glyph.

Minor injuries and wear sustained during his daily activities had originally required meditation to repair. Now, they naturally closed and healed. More than that, if he did not actively interrupt this circulation of breath-force, his bodily growth would gradually slow. That also meant his future aging would likewise be delayed.

But it was obviously impossible to gain immortality from this alone. After all, this was merely the Dao Seal upon the first chapter of the Great Dao.

His physique should originally have strengthened as well. Yet years of training in the Old Method breathing techniques had made his body vastly surpass that of ordinary people. It had long reached its limit; unless that limit was broken, it could no longer improve.

After some thought, he could see from this seal glyph that the Profound Residence's present focus was on laying a solid foundation for them. Before they reached a certain level, it had no intention of teaching them abilities and techniques for combat.

From the Profound Residence's perspective, this was not wrong. It was an entirely reasonable approach. For disciples who had only just entered, this pace was just right. But for him, it was somewhat insufficient.

It was foreseeable that cultivation carried out step by step like this would involve a long period of passive waiting. That was something he could not tolerate, nor did he wish to wait slowly for the Profound Residence to make arrangements.

After considering it, since he could not place any hopes on the Profound Text for now, he might as well turn his attention to the Turbid Canon.

Once he made his decision, the golden radiance surrounding him instantly withdrew. In its place rose another dim gray light, summoning forth the Great Dao Unified Text.

Zhang Yu glanced at it. Compared with the Profound Text, the Turbid Canon was indeed vastly inferior in appearance. Its incomplete, mottled seal glyphs drifted uncertainly, and their flickering light seemed ready to extinguish at any moment.

Though it looked unimpressive, at this stage it undoubtedly offered him greater help in terms of techniques and abilities.

Only one Sword Control seal glyph remained unread upon the Turbid Canon. He judged that the Profound Residence probably would not grant him any new seal glyphs anytime soon. Rather than keep his remaining Divine Essence in reserve, he might as well transform it into combat strength.

Having made his decision, he immediately focused his intent upon this seal glyph.

He had thought that, as before, he would gain something quickly. Yet this time, an unexpected change occurred.

Within the Affairs Hall of the Profound Residence's main hall, the lamps still burned brightly despite the deep night outside.

Xiang Chun sat alone behind his desk reviewing documents. The affairs of such a vast Profound Residence were tangled as countless threads, and now almost all of them rested upon him alone. Every day, he worked until extremely late.

After arranging the trivial matters, he picked up the dossier Fan Lan had sent over during the day and began reading it. It contained detailed records of the newly admitted students, as well as Fan Lan's specific evaluations of them.

The dossier devoted particular attention to analyses of Bai Qingqing, Zhang Yu, and the others. The rest received only a few cursory lines.

Xiang Chun read carefully, nodding from time to time.

Just then, the heavy doors were pushed open. Xu Ying strode in from outside with a gust of wind. His face bore deep exhaustion, yet his spirits were extraordinarily high.

Xiang Chun looked up in surprise. "Junior Brother, you're back? So soon?"

Xu Ying walked directly to the desk and collapsed into the chair opposite Xiang Chun as though every scrap of strength had left him. Staring at the ceiling, he said, "Senior Brother, I've brought the person back. This time, to avoid drawing the attention of those with ulterior motives, I didn't stop for even a moment on the way."

Xiang Chun nodded. "You've worked hard, Junior Brother."

"Not hard at all!"

Xu Ying shouted, then sprang upright with a whoosh. His eyes shone with excitement, and he looked as though he had discovered the meaning of his life. "Senior Brother, you need to go see him with your own eyes. That young man is unexpectedly outstanding."

"That lad from the Ji clan?"

Xiang Chun chuckled and turned his gaze back to the roster in his hands, flipping through it as he said, "Since he has already arrived, there's no rush at this moment. Let him properly rest and recover first. You should rest as well. I still have matters to handle here. I'll go see him another day."

"Senior Brother!"

Xu Ying snatched the dossier from his hands and tossed it aside. His voice trembled with barely restrained excitement. "You don't understand. This youth is even better than you imagine. In terms of talent, he may even surpass that traitor!"

Xiang Chun frowned, displeasure appearing on his face. But upon hearing this, his movements stopped. He raised his head. "What makes you say that?"

Xu Ying looked at him. "Senior Brother, after Junior Nephew Ji planted the Self-Existence Seal, all Six Seals Manifested! All Six Seals Manifested!"

"All Six Seals Manifested?" Xiang Chun was slightly moved as well, but his expression quickly returned to calm. "So what? Cultivating the Dao is not something accomplished in a day or two. Besides, that traitor also had all Six Seals Manifest when he began. How much better can this lad from the Ji clan truly be? Junior Brother, you're too anxious. That's not good."

Xu Ying still looked utterly confident. Staring at Xiang Chun, he said, "If that were all, I would not have disturbed you at this hour. Senior Brother, do you know? Aside from having all Six Seals Manifest, Junior Nephew Ji was also born with Innate Full Divine Essence!"

This time, Xiang Chun was truly shocked. His heart trembled violently, and he could not help saying, "What did you say? Are you certain?"

Every person was born with a fixed amount of Divine Essence. After receiving guidance, it would slowly accumulate. But Innate Full Divine Essence meant that a person's Divine Essence did not need to be guided and accumulated over a lifetime; it was already fully accumulated from birth.

Such a situation was exceedingly rare. Combined with all Six Seals Manifesting, it was even rarer in this world—perhaps one of a kind!

Xu Ying said with absolute certainty, "I'm certain!" He paused. "If you don't believe me, I'll bring him here to see you immediately!"

Xiang Chun's expression grew solemn.

If a cultivator possessed all Six Seals, it meant that with less Divine Essence, they might find Mystic Opportunity before others and thereby gain the qualifications to turn to the second chapter.

And Divine Essence being full was even more extraordinary. Such a person did not need to spend years accumulating Divine Essence like others. They only needed to read those seal glyphs according to the Profound Residence's guidance. Naturally, their chances of finding Mystic Opportunity would be much greater. Aside from the necessary periods of adjustment, perhaps in only a few months, or even half a year, they could cross that threshold.

Yet that was not the most important matter. The question was whether such a person would continue to display the same qualities when reading the second chapter.

It was truly unimaginable!

Xiang Chun could not help thinking, Could it be that our Eastern Court Profound Office is truly about to produce a heaven-shaking genius?

Xu Ying said with a resolute expression, "Senior Brother, I've considered it. We must find a way to protect such a gifted talent. No matter what, we cannot let that traitor notice him."

Xiang Chun's expression darkened slightly. "What are you trying to say?"

Xu Ying said, "Ever since Senior Brother Chen's incident, I've suspected that the Profound Residence has spies planted by that traitor. Senior Brother, don't tell me you haven't noticed."

Xiang Chun said nothing.

Xu Ying leaned forward, bracing both hands on the desk as he stared at Xiang Chun. "So we must find a way to give Junior Nephew Ji cover."

Xiang Chun looked up at him. "What do you intend to do?"

Xu Ying straightened and walked several steps outward. Raising one hand, he pointed upward. "I already thought of a method on my way here. I call it the 'Showy Forest Strategy'!"

"The Showy Forest Strategy?" Xiang Chun considered it. "Does it take its meaning from 'the tree that stands out in the forest will surely be felled by the wind'?"

"Exactly!"

Xu Ying said, "What I mean is, since that traitor is watching us, we should give him a target. We can select several relatively outstanding disciples from the Profound Residence and support them with everything we have. Whatever they want, we give them. Push them to the forefront and use them to draw that traitor's attention, allowing Junior Nephew Ji to hide behind the scenes and accumulate strength!"

"We will use an entire forest to shelter this one showy tree!"

Xiang Chun's brows drew together tightly, and he rejected it. "I disagree. What you're doing is far too unfair to those students! You're treating them as chess pieces!"

Xu Ying insisted, "But such sacrifice is worthwhile!"

Xiang Chun still shook his head.

Xu Ying immediately grew irritated. "Senior Brother, what are you hesitating over? What use are those students? All these years, has even one truly useful person emerged from among them?"

Xiang Chun said, "There are quite a few talents this year..."

He picked up the dossier from the desk again. "You can take a look. Junior Brother Fan Lan has already reviewed them. Among the students entering the Profound Residence this time, there are several good seeds. For instance, this Bai Qingqing understands profound principles and possesses excellent gifts. He is a rare talent not seen in nearly twenty years. And the Zhang Yu mentioned last time is not much inferior. I believe that once they grow, they will surpass those of our generation."

Xu Ying grabbed the dossier and rapidly flipped through it. Once he finished, he threw back his head and let out a hearty laugh. Delighted, he said, "Heaven is aiding our Profound Residence!" He shook the dossier. "Senior Brother, these really are two rare talents. With these two standing out front, Junior Nephew Ji will be secure."

Xiang Chun said angrily, "Didn't you hear what I just said? What you're doing is sheer nonsense!"

"But we don't have much time left!"

Xu Ying suddenly calmed. "Senior Brother, you should know that the Four Military Marquises of the Divine Command are growing stronger and stronger, while we cannot help Teacher at all. How many more years do you want to wait? Ten years? Or twenty? Can we afford to wait? I know you want to mention the Turbid Tide receding, and Celestial Xia. But what if Celestial Xia was destroyed long ago?"

Having said this, he looked at the silent Xiang Chun and said firmly, "It's fine if you disagree. I'll go find Teacher and let the old man decide this matter."

With that, he turned and walked outside.

"Wait."

Xu Ying stopped. A faint radiance appeared around him. Without turning his head, he said, "Senior Brother, are you trying to stop me?"

Xiang Chun said in a deep voice, "I'll go with you."

Xu Ying immediately turned around, and the radiance around him receded. Delighted, he said, "Senior Brother?"

Xiang Chun sighed. "What can I do even if I disagree? Can I stop you? Since when have you ever changed your mind after making a decision?" He stepped out from behind the desk and headed outside. "Come with me. Teacher entrusted this matter to us because he trusts us. Let's not make the old man watch a joke of us martial brothers fighting each other."