Law! Technique! Momentum!

"I never expected this to happen. Prince Yan and the two experts have clearly been under Method Formula, their thoughts stirred up! Who is this person? Who can subtly influence and interfere with the behavior of others through the essence of words!"

Qiu Yan narrowed his eyes, concealing the light in them, and focused the essence of the divine feeling into his soul. The four bookshelves spun, and finally, the Masters Section Bookshelf flew out!

"What?"

Qiu Yan was startled by this change. Although the Earthly Soul Bookshelf was condensed by him, it followed the Literary Thought Aura and conformed to the laws of Human Path, thus becoming the foundation of his Divine Ability. Among them, the role of the Masters Section Bookshelf was to record the spirit of the sages and Sage.

"This subtle charm is actually related to Sage?"

To Qiu Yan's astonishment, a tattered scroll emerged from the shelf. It was actually just a single page with a few words, even the title was unclear, but Qiu Yan gleaned a glimpse of its spirit from it—

Law! Technique! Power!

"Spell? Technique? Power?"

Sensing this spirit, Qiu Yan's memories flowed, and corresponding records appeared in the History Section Bookshelf, causing him to gasp in shock. He realized that this "law" did not refer to Daoist magic, nor did the "technique" refer to Curse Arts or Dao Arts, and the "power" was unrelated to martial arts aura. Rather, it was a higher level of skill used to control the state and balance the relationships between officials.

"This kind of thinking is the essence of Legalist School! Could it be that the person who made the move just now was a member of the Legalist School?" Qiu Yan's expression was somewhat uncertain.

Since ancient times, in this Central Plains, Confucianism has been prominent while Legalist School has been hidden. Confucianism was outwardly practiced while Legalism was practiced covertly. In the imperial court, Confucianism and Legalism coexisted. Legalist School has never disappeared and has even become indistinguishable from Confucianism. However, the current situation makes Qiu Yan feel puzzled.

"Is this Prince Yan really just a puppet?"

Qiu Yan's gaze swept over Prince Yan, and he shook his head, knowing that he couldn't deduce much from the limited information he had. Then, another thought occurred to him—

"If that scholar who has mastered the Zhuishu were to obtain this information, I wonder what he would be able to calculate..."

He then shook his head, a hint of regret in his voice. "That book, <The Zhuishu>, wasn't the Original Edition. It didn't contain the author's spirit; instead, it contained several logical traps. Otherwise, I could have absorbed the Earthly Soul to increase my accumulation."

During his conversation with Zong Heng, Qiu Yan sealed off the latter's Divine Ability. He gazed at the secret manual of "Zhuishu" and tried to guide it with his senses, but a thought struck him and his Heavenly Soul trembled slightly. He realized that the book contained content that would affect his future path. After thinking it over, he understood that Zong Heng had tampered with the book, so he gave up.

It makes sense, considering this person inherited the Zhuishu. Although he couldn't predict people's hearts, he could foresee their fortunes. It would be strange if he hadn't left a backup plan.

Thinking of this, Qiu Yan looked at the frozen Prince Yan: "Even a scholar knows to lay a backup plan, but Prince Yan is far too arrogant. He snatched the Literary Thought, yet his actions were not discreet. I used Breath-Concealing Talisman to enter the mansion without encountering any guards. For Prince Yan to be so careless is truly appalling."

As he pondered, his thoughts shifted, and the Earthly Soul fluctuations radiated outwards, continuing to interfere with Prince Yan's dream illusion.

This illusion was not something Qiu Yan fabricated out of thin air. Rather, it was constructed by drawing upon the memories of the Prince Yan. Qiu Yan's power merely propelled the dream and illusion to develop on their own, thus allowing him to glean considerable intelligence from them.

What was a few breaths in the outside world was more than a month in Prince Yan's illusion, bringing the time for the Apricot Altar Dao Discourse to approach.

"The task at hand is to guide Prince Yan to release the accumulated Literary Thought around the White Jade Paperweight and return it to its rightful owner! No matter how much this Literary Thought might help the Apricot Altar Dao Discourse, we cannot resort to such opportunistic methods! Otherwise, we won't even be able to talk about being human, let alone discussing the Dao!"

As Qiu Yan pondered this, he guided the dream of the Prince Yan, rapidly altering it and creating an illusion that could activate the Paperweight.

Things progressed smoothly, and before long, Prince Yan made a move, but not by using Divine Ability. Instead, he used the Jade Basin on the bookshelf to carry out a ritual, using the Jade Basin as a medium to let his thoughts seep into the Paperweight, stirring up his Literary Thought.

Qiu Yan deliberately induced this fluctuation, captured it in his mind, and quickly analyzed it.

However, as soon as the Prince Yan in the illusion made a move, he suddenly trembled all over, and then with a "bang," the entire environment suddenly exploded!

"Ah!"

With a startled cry, Prince Yan's eyes widened in shock; he had broken free from the illusion!

"Huh?" Qiu Yan was also surprised, but before he could react, a sudden change occurred within him—

Shock!

With a jolt in his sleeve, the Paperweight began to struggle again!

"Um?"

Zzzzt!

With a tearing sound, Qiu Yan's sleeve was ripped open, and the Paperweight broke free, about to fly away!

Qiu Yan's expression changed, and he raised his hand to grab, his Qi and Blood and qi gushing out, burning hot as fire!

Boom!

A tremendous force erupted from the Paperweight! It forcefully resisted Qiu Yan's Life Cultivation power as he refined the Six Souls!

"Could it be that this Paperweight doesn't belong to Prince Yan, but rather..."

With a change of thought, Qiu Yan's Earthly Soul circulated, and words of scripture surged forth, enveloping the Paperweight and attempting to pull and imprison it. However, the Literary Thought on the Paperweight also exploded, shaking the surroundings and actually negating and breaking apart the Earthly Soul's scriptures!

In the dim light, Qiu Yan could see several Confucian scholars engaged in a heated debate around the Paperweight.

"What a Literary Ancestor Paperweight! It's definitely not to be underestimated!" A glint flashed in Qiu Yan's eyes, and his Earthly Soul moved again, this time flying out of the Masters Section Bookshelf and releasing the two volumes of Sage Manuscript!

The student surpasses the teacher!

The Heavenly Timing, Earthly Advantage, and Human Harmony!

As the two volumes of Sage texts fell, their spiritual essence surged forth, causing the White Jade Paperweight to freeze in mid-air and tremble violently.

Qiu Yan seized the opportunity, raised his hand, and shot out a Stove Fire!

The Stove Fire fell onto the Paperweight, burning and refining it!

The White Jade Paperweight immediately crackled and popped!

But Qiu Yan didn't stop. He opened his mouth and spat out the Martial Dao Will he had been cultivating!

Willpower, like flowing water, seeped into the Literary Thought surrounding the Paperweight, advancing and deepening little by little! It seemed to have the tendency to permeate all the Literary Thought and separate them from the Paperweight.

This technique was not created by Qiu Yan, but rather summarized from the illusions of Prince Yan.

"Martial Dao Will instead of the Jade Basin is ultimately insufficient. No matter how strong my willpower is, even if it's as firm as a rock, it can't last forever. After a while, I'll need to rest. Extracting all my Literary Thought will take a considerable amount of time. Hmm, if possible, perhaps..."

Qiu Yan was still thinking when a sharp shout interrupted his train of thought!

After regaining his composure, Prince Yan stared at Qiu Yan with a look of surprise and astonishment. "Qiu Yan? When did you come in? What... what's going on with them?"

As he spoke, the prince noticed the people standing motionless around him, and his heart skipped a beat.

Qiu Yan ignored the Prince Yan's rebuke, reached out and grabbed the White Jade Paperweight that was suspended in mid-air, then tucked it back into his sleeve.

"Literary Ancestor Paperweight?" Upon seeing this, Prince Yan's eyes widened instantly. Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, he jumped up, ready to snatch it away. "How did it end up in your hands?"

Upon hearing this, Qiu Yan turned to look at Prince Yan. A cold glint flashed in his eyes, sending a chill down the other's spine. Prince Yan's heart trembled, and he stopped in his tracks. Only then did he recall what had happened, and his face turned ugly.

"You... could it be..." He then realized that this scholar, whom he had regarded as a sitting duck, was not as simple as he had thought. At this moment, the expert and status he relied on seemed to have become meaningless.

So close, yet everyone is an enemy!

Let alone a prince?

Just as he was in a state of panic, Qiu Yan took a step towards Prince Yan, passing by two Life Cultivation in life cultivation along the way. Suddenly, he made a lightning-fast move, his palms flitting like butterflies, striking the chests, abdomens, and spines of the two men in turn.

Snap! Snap! Snap!

With a few crisp sounds, the muscles of the two experts suddenly swelled up and then shrank, their inner Soul Shadow shattered by Qiu Yan through flesh and skin!

Snap! Snap!

In the blink of an eye, the two fell to the ground, their hands and feet trembling, screaming in pain. They had clearly come back to their senses from the illusion, only to face the reality that their martial arts skills were completely ruined, suffering severe physical and mental trauma at the same time.

This scene not only made Prince Yan's heart pound wildly, but also made Hu Qi and Dai Guo tremble slightly. By connecting with each other through their energy, they had already realized that the two experts who rushed in were above them in terms of cultivation, having at least refined Four Souls.

Such a person was rendered useless by Qiu Yan in the blink of an eye!

"What are you up to!"

Unlike Hu and Dai, the equally shocked Prince Yan calmed down. Seeing Qiu Yan approach, he said in a deep voice, "I am a descendant of the Great Rui, Qi Manifestation. You are a scholar, and a top scholar in the Imperial Examinations. You must want to achieve something in the imperial examination. But if you make things difficult for me and create Karma, your previous efforts may be in vain!"

He did know some of the mysteries of Karma and Fortune, and he brought it up at this time, trying to persuade Qiu Yan to stop.

Qiu Yan narrowed his eyes slightly and said coldly, "If I had come to your door without cause, it would naturally be a matter of Karma and effect. But now you have provoked me first, trying to seize my knowledge and Literary Thought, and even severing the foundation of many Confucian scholars' future. Your crime is grave!"

"Even if you are guilty, the law of the state will decide your fate!" Prince Yan forced himself to remain calm, emphasizing the word "state." "You are well-versed in the law and should know that the imperial relatives are managed by the Imperial Clan Court, and it is not up to outsiders or foreigners to interfere! If you dare to harm me, you are provoking the Great Rui True Dragon!"

"Oh? But when did I say I wanted to take your life? The Karma that there is give and take. I'm here to repay your Karma! In this world, annihilation is not the most vicious method; cutting off your path is!"

As he spoke, Qiu Yan approached Prince Yan, raised his hand, and smashed the White Jade Paperweight onto Prince Yan's head!

"Ah!" Prince Yan screamed in agony as his skin was torn open. He clutched his forehead and fell backward, but Qiu Yan was not satisfied. With a swift stroke, he struck again and again, blood splattering everywhere. The face of the once-handsome prince was covered in blood, and the sound of bones cracking could be heard. His cheeks were slightly sunken.

At the same time, the White Jade Paperweight slowly extracted fragments of memories from Prince Yan's head.

Just then, a voice suddenly came from outside the door--

"Your Highness, Zhen Zhizuo from the Principle Sect Academy requests an audience... Hmm? What's going on? What are you doing!?"

Startled, Gongyang Yi forgot everything else and rushed in, reaching out to tug at Qiu Yan's sleeve.

Qiu Yan glanced at him. "You've come at the right time. You've aided and abetted the evildoer, so you'll be punished too!"