Heartlight Force Control

Heartlight Force Control

Zhang Yu realized that the Profound Residence had summoned him again most likely as a continuation of last night's events. After exchanging a few words with the attendant, he set off with him through the rain toward the Profound Residence.

Before they had gone halfway, the downpour finally ceased. The sky was bright and beautiful, blue heavens stretching for miles like a poem, like a painting. A gentle breeze drifted in, setting the lush flowers and trees on either side swaying and carrying over waves of fragrant leaves and branches.

As they walked, he chatted with the attendant and learned that the man's surname was Wang. He had entered the Profound Residence at twelve and had remained there for thirty years. Though he had learned no Dao arts, with the Profound Residence at his back, he had stayed healthy and strong. He now had both sons and daughters, and last year his grandson had been born. At this point, smiles never left his face. He said that all he wished for in this life was for his family to remain safe and well, and for the Profound Residence to endure forever.

Zhang Yu nodded slightly. Attendant Wang's hopes for life were simple and plain, and they were also what most people in the Protectorate Office desired in their hearts.

The two moved quickly, and after half a summer hour, they arrived at the Profound Residence. Just as they entered beneath the arched gateway of the city platform, another attendant came to ask him to proceed to the Affairs Hall. After parting with Attendant Wang, he followed along. They passed two great halls by way of the side corridor and arrived before the last pavilion. The attendant went in to report, then shortly returned to invite him inside.

Zhang Yu stepped into the hall and reached the second-floor terrace. Looking up, he saw Xiang Chun standing there waiting for him, a warm smile on his face. Zhang Yu stepped forward, straightened his posture, and clasped his hands in salute. "Greetings, Senior Brother Xiang."

Xiang Chun returned the salute with a raised hand and said gently, "Junior Brother Zhang has arrived. Come, let us speak inside."

He led Zhang Yu into the hall and, after inviting him to sit, sighed. "We truly had Junior Brother to thank for yesterday's matter. Otherwise, the Profound Residence's reputation would certainly have suffered, and the consequences would have been unthinkable."

Zhang Yu said, "It was what I ought to have done."

Xiang Chun nodded repeatedly, then showed concern as he asked whether Zhang Yu had been injured in the fight. He said that if Zhang Yu felt any discomfort, he must not conceal it; the Profound Residence had medicines that could help restore him. He then brought up last night's events, though what he asked about most were the details.

Zhang Yu answered each question in turn.

By the time Xiang Chun had finished questioning him, the tea before them had already been replaced once. Xiang Chun glanced at the time and said, "I still have quite a few documents to review, so I will not keep Junior Brother any longer. You may stay within the Profound Residence tonight. There are further matters to explain afterward."

Zhang Yu naturally had no objection. After taking his leave from the Affairs Hall, he followed the side corridor back to the garden courtyard where he had previously stayed.

Quite a few of the students who had entered the residence with him were still living there. Zheng Yu was currently practicing a set of Guidance Art in the courtyard. The moment he saw Zhang Yu step in, his eyes lit up. He hurried forward, bowed, and said, "Assistant Instructor Zhang."

Zhang Yu looked at him. After only a few days apart, this Young Master Zheng, who had once been small and slight, had actually grown a little taller. His complexion was much rosier as well, no longer bearing his former frail appearance. It seemed the Profound Residence's method of strengthening their foundations had indeed worked.

He said, "Young Master Zheng, have you been well here lately?"

Zheng Yu's face fell. Rubbing his stomach, he said, "Everything else is fine, but every day we have to drink bitter porridge, and they will not even let us add sugar. My tongue feels full of bitterness, and no amount of rinsing helps."

Zhang Yu said, "That should be medicinal porridge, meant by the Profound Residence to regulate your bodies. Divine Essence is the gathering of essence, qi, and spirit. If your foundation is not firm, it cannot be accumulated. It is bitter now, but sweetness will come afterward."

Zheng Yu considered this, then gave him a deeply convinced salute and said earnestly, "This student will remember it."

After speaking a few more words with him, Zhang Yu nodded to several students who had gathered to greet him, then returned to his own cottage.

He swept his gaze through the room. It appeared that attendants came every day to clean and dust it, and it was quite tidy. Two sets of clothes had been placed on the bed—Daoist robes issued by the Profound Residence. He put them into the bamboo chest at the side, washed up briefly, swallowed a Primordial Elixir, then sat cross-legged on the bed and entered quiet meditation.

This time, he did not remain in meditation for long. After only half a summer hour, he emerged from his seated trance. Upon checking himself, he saw that he had accumulated quite a bit more Divine Essence, but this was still far too slow. At this rate, it might take several months of accumulation before he barely had enough to observe and read a single Seal Glyph.

After pondering for a moment, he rose from the bed, changed into a Profound Residence Daoist robe, left the cottage, and made his way to the open ground outside the Profound Residence's city platform.

He first looked at the sun and selected a spot. Then he took out a small booklet and a charcoal pencil and began sketching the statues and the surrounding scenery.

Of course, this was merely a cover. His true purpose was to draw in the Source Energy from that bird-bodied, human-faced statue. Thus, his strokes this time were more meticulous, missing almost none of the carved marks or ruined portions.

Feeling wisps of warmth flow from the statue and watching the Divine Essence that had once been like a shallow pool gradually build up, he could not help but feel a sense of satisfaction.

There were people passing outside the Profound Residence gates, but seeing him so absorbed in his drawing, no one was tactless enough to disturb him.

He remained there until late afternoon. As the gates of the Profound Residence were about to close, he could not continue any longer. Only then did he reluctantly put away his booklet and charcoal pencil and turn back.

After returning to his cottage, he swallowed a Primordial Pill, picked up the Xia Sword, and went to the rear courtyard to practice swordsmanship for a while. Once his blood and qi had been harmonized, he returned to the bed to regulate his breathing.

At dusk, someone came knocking at his door. "Gentleman Zhang, Master Fan requests your presence. Please come to the side hall ahead shortly for a discussion."

Zhang Yu rose and tidied himself up a little before leaving the cottage. When he reached the side hall, he saw Bai Qingqing approaching from not far away. The two nodded to each other before entering the main hall under the attendant's guidance.

The moment they entered, they saw Fan Lan dressed in Daoist robes, seated upon a mat-bed with his eyes closed in meditation. Before him, smoke drifted faintly from an incense burner.

The two came before him and clasped their hands in salute.

Fan Lan opened his eyes and returned the salute with a raised hand from his seat. Then he made an inviting gesture. "Junior Brothers, sit and let us speak."

The two thanked him and each took a seat upon one of the two cushions placed before him.

Fan Lan said, "Junior Brothers, have you observed and read the Seal Glyphs that the Profound Residence bestowed last time?"

Zhang Yu said, "I have."

Bai Qingqing said, "So have I."

Fan Lan nodded in satisfaction. For people like Zhang Yu and Bai Qingqing, who could see three Six Rectitude Seals from the outset, observing and reading one or two more Seal Glyphs should have posed no difficulty at all. They might even have been able to continue on to a third.

He first glanced at Zhang Yu, then shifted his gaze to Bai Qingqing. "Junior Brother Bai, I presume you have heard about yesterday's events?"

Bai Qingqing said, "I heard a little. I heard that the Divine Commandery Army intended to cause trouble..." He looked at Zhang Yu. "Assistant Instructor Zhang stopped them in time afterward."

Fan Lan patted his knee. "It is good that you have heard. The Divine Commandery Army acts with unmatched brutality. Having suffered a loss this time, they will certainly seek a way to retaliate. But this will by no means be Junior Brother Zhang's matter alone. It is something all of us in the Profound Residence must face."

Looking at the two of them, his expression became more serious. "You two are among the more outstanding disciples the Profound Residence has encountered in recent years. Losing either one of you would be a loss to the Profound Residence. Thus, the administrators have decided to dispense with those unnecessary trials ahead and have me teach you the methods of combat in advance, so that you may have the ability to protect yourselves."

The moment Bai Qingqing heard this, a flicker of barely concealed excitement appeared on his face.

Though the Seal Glyphs he had received before were useful, they did not grant him the ability to face an opponent head-on.

In truth, from what he understood, anyone else who entered the residence would likewise receive Seal Glyphs as long as they possessed sufficient Divine Essence. Therefore, he had merely been a step ahead of others before; he had not actually received any special treatment.

And after learning that Zhang Yu had severely wounded Su Kuang, he suspected that the Seal Glyph the latter had obtained could be used in combat. A sense of urgency had therefore risen within him, and he desperately longed to obtain more Seal Glyphs. At last, the opportunity had arrived.

Though this appeared to be because of Zhang Yu as well, he was confident that once his own abilities were displayed, he would receive more attention than Zhang Yu.

Zhang Yu, however, was somewhat surprised. He had previously judged that the Profound Residence was extremely cautious in imparting every Seal Glyph. Beyond the relatively rigid rules governing this, it should also have been intended to stabilize the disciples' foundations. Yet now they were acting entirely out of character. Could it truly have been because he had severely wounded that Divine Commandery Army soldier last night?

He always felt that it was not so simple. But since the Profound Residence was willing to teach them, he himself had nothing to object to.

After waiting for a while and seeing that the two had more or less digested the news, Fan Lan said, "Ever since our Eastern Court Profound Office came to this unknown Earth Continent a hundred years ago, it has borne the heavy responsibility of resisting Spiritual Aberrants and native gods. Of course, our enemies may now also include the Divine Commandery Army. But no matter who the opponent is, only by first preserving oneself can one be qualified to concern oneself with others."

He pointed at them and said, "One of you has personally slain a Spiritual Aberrant, while the other has studied mystic principles in depth. You should know that Spiritual Aberrants all have a layer of spiritual outer garment over their bodies. Broadly speaking, this is the outward projection of a living being's spiritual consciousness and inner strength. And we Mystic Cultivators possess the same capability."

As he spoke, a faint layer of white radiance emerged from his body.

He spread open his palm, displaying the misty aura-light upon it. "We call this Heartlight Seal. It contains many transformations. So long as you master it properly, not only ordinary blades and swords—even firearms and cannons will find it difficult to harm you in the slightest."

He looked at the two of them. "Thus, the first thing you must do is use the Seal of the Great Dao to stimulate your own Heartlight Seal. Only then will you possess the most basic ability to protect yourselves."