Regulations and Human Hearts, a Visitor at the Door

As Qiu Yan's thoughts settled, his mind calmed down, and he silently recited scriptures, activating the bookshelf within his soul and inspiring the Sage Spirit.

This stimulation can draw the distributed spiritual seeds and unleash their power. However, due to the distance, this attraction is not obvious, at most allowing Qiu Yan's perception to extend a little further.

Moreover, Xu Shoulao used a trick to confuse his own location, which to some extent made Qiu Yan's perception unpredictable.

Now, Qiu Yan is concentrating his mind, while his main body is analyzing Tian Zhun's aura. These two bodies are actually connected by one thought, which means that one person is calculating and doing at the same time, thus naturally increasing efficiency.

Suddenly, the elusive perception became much clearer. Although he couldn't calculate the other party's location, he could roughly sense the blurry image of the illusion in Tian Zhun's mind.

"The Legalist Spirit is a safeguard I left in Tian Zhun's heart, not something to be used for hostility. Now that it has been brought up, we can only go with the flow."

As Qiu Yan pondered, his thoughts were transmitted to her from afar.

At this moment, in the illusion in Tian Zhun's mind, the spiritual realm that expounded on ghosts and gods took the lead, erasing the spirit of the Secondary Sage Text and arousing a bit of the Manifest Law Spirit.

However, this Manifest Law Spirit is not aggressive. Once it appears, it transforms into fine threads that intertwine and rapidly expand, spreading throughout the entire illusion.

This illusion is actually a reflection of Tian Zhun's mind, representing his consciousness.

Now, the Manifest Law Spirit has appeared, not to influence or interfere with this illusion, but to embed itself into it layer by layer. Each layer exudes an atmosphere of norms and regulations, actually setting rules for the illusion!

At this moment, the spirit of the expounding ghosts and gods surged forth, attempting to obliterate the Manifest Law Spirit. However, the latter seemed powerless against the force, moving with the mind and entangling itself, extracting a bit of information from the spirit of the expounding ghosts and gods, perfecting its own rules, and integrating into the illusion, thereby influencing Tian Zhun's thoughts and consciousness.

"Oh? Interesting. Since this brat is no longer a threat to his very life, then this old man need not interfere any further..."

Outside, Xu Shoulao spoke in a low voice, then slowly raised his hand, and the various spiritual fluctuations emanating from him vanished instantly!

Snap!

Tian Zhun sprang up from the ground with a sharp crack, then his eyes widened and he let out a howl!

Upon hearing this, Meng Huaqin quickly stepped forward, grabbed Tian Zhun's wrist, and poured his True Essence into him to calm the abnormality within his body, while simultaneously examining his physical condition.

This examination put his mind at ease, as he discovered that Tian Zhun's flesh was no longer cracking, indicating that his State of Mind had calmed down.

"Uncle..." A weak voice came from Tian Zhun's mouth. He was as pale as a sheet, and there was an inescapable sense of dejection and discouragement in his eyes.

This is understandable. He was first troubled by the illusion, which even affected his physical body, causing him serious injuries. His consciousness was repeatedly pursued within the illusion, leaving him isolated and helpless, in a truly miserable state. Now that he has awakened, after a little thought, he can realize that he has unknowingly fallen for Qiu Yan's tricks, which is a significant blow to his confidence.

But that wasn't the fatal blow. What truly frustrated him was the way his will was repeatedly influenced and forcibly twisted during the battle between the two opposing forces. This feeling would be unbearable even for an adult, let alone a teenager.

Their ambitions were sky-high, but reality was cruel and merciless.

The magnitude of the blow is unimaginable.

The grand pronouncements made earlier have been shattered by reality.

Because the man was still injured and had not yet recovered his strength, Meng Huaqin did not notice his unusual expression. However, the latter could also foresee the impact this matter would have on Tian Zhun. He wanted to comfort him, but his words were powerless. Moreover, in the end, this matter was caused by Tian Zhun himself. Although the doctrine of their group emphasized benevolence, righteousness, gratitude, and revenge, it did not support revenge for such behavior.

At this moment, Xu Shoulao withdrew his hand and said in a deep voice, "Alright, you can leave now."

Upon hearing this, Meng Huaqin quickly expressed his gratitude. "Thank you for saving me, Elder Shou. I will certainly fulfill my promise."

"It's good that you remember." Xu Shoulao said, then changed the subject, "However, before you leave, you must tell me something: who is the person who planted the spiritual seed?"

"This..." Meng Huaqin hesitated for a moment, but finally told the truth.

"Qiu Yan?" Xu Shoulao pondered the name, then remained silent for a long while before finally saying, "Alright, let's go."

"This disciple takes his leave." Meng Huaqin said no more and left with Tian Zhun.

The dimly lit cave returned to calm, and no one would have imagined that in such a place, someone would sit alone, cross-legged, motionless for years.

Eastern Capital, an inn.

Qiu Yan regained his senses, and after a long while, he opened his eyes, raised his right hand, and a tiny glint of light shot out from the depths of his eyes, flying out and landing on his fingertip.

This tiny glimmer of light contains a spark of spirit.

"This spirit, similar to that of Sage Spirit, represents a doctrine and a great principle, containing a tendency to guide Human Path, yet it cannot mobilize the surrounding Order..."

Sensing this spiritual energy, Qiu Yan narrowed his eyes, a thoughtful expression appearing on his face.

This bit of spirit was a hostile spirit that had been stripped away and gathered by the Manifest Law Spirit in Tian Zhun's illusion. When Qiu Yan gathered his consciousness, it was taken back in the process.

The scholar's clone lacked the analytical ability to grasp this aspect of the spirit, so he only slightly comprehended it before transmitting it through the Soul Aperture.

After doing all this, Qiu Yan got out of bed, straightened his clothes, and that was the end of the matter.

The next morning, a servant from the Thousand Books Studio came over, saying that his servants had been rude and had sent a challenge without permission. He had come to apologize and said that the matter would be forgiven.

Qiu Yan listened, then simply smiled and let the matter drop, as if he had expected it all along.

Afterwards, Hu Qi couldn't help but ask, and Qiu Yan didn't hide anything from him, explaining in an orderly manner—

"The person who wrote me the challenge mentioned the Apricot Altar Dao Discourse' when he spoke to you. He spoke with great confidence. Judging from his actions, he should be someone who wants to make a name for himself. It's not surprising that such a person would have the idea of competing with me after seeing my handwriting. However, once he finds out that I, Qiu Yan, am not famous in Eastern Capital, he will naturally give up or postpone it."

Hu Qi was even more puzzled. "Is it just because your reputation isn't prominent that you're not coming? But he seemed quite excited when I saw him."

Qiu Yan smiled and replied, "When he saw my handwriting, he assumed I wasn't an unknown person, and his desire to challenge me was genuine. However, given my current reputation, even if he wins, it won't cause much of a stir. This person is very ambitious, and he prematurely exposed himself over such a trivial matter. The fact that he sent someone to cancel the challenge also has another meaning."

"What's the meaning?"

"The competition will be held on the Apricot Altar Dao Discourse," Qiu Yan said, picking up a book from the table.

Hu Qi hesitated slightly, but finally couldn't help asking, "Young Master, what exactly is this Apricot Altar Dao Discourse? Do you really want to participate?"

"Of course I'll participate, but I need to think about how to participate," Qiu Yan said, opening the book in his hand and starting to read.

Upon Hu Qi understood and took his leave.

Afterwards, Qiu Yan began to read aloud softly in her room. After breakfast, someone else came to the door.

Two people came to visit, one of whom was an acquaintance of Qiu Yan.

"Brother Qiu, I apologize for bothering you." Looking at Chen Jing's smiling face, Qiu Yan secretly guessed the other party's purpose and returned the greeting. Then, his gaze shifted and landed behind Chen Jing.

Behind him followed another person, also dressed as a Confucian scholar. Judging from the style of his clothes, he was a candidate for the imperial examination. He had a handsome face and an air of nobility about him.

"And this is...?"

"I was just about to introduce you," Chen Jing smiled slightly and replied, "This is Liu Zhanpeng, who is now my fellow disciple. He just passed the entrance exam a few days ago."

"Greetings, Brother Qiu." After Chen Jing finished introducing himself, Liu Zhanpeng came forward to pay his respects. Qiu Yan naturally returned the greeting and sensed a familiar aura emanating from the other man, immediately understanding who he was.

Sure enough, Chen Jing said, "Speaking of which, Zhanpeng and Brother Qiu have some connection. He is the eldest son of Inspector Liu, and he passed the imperial examination this year, receiving a letter of recommendation. He came to the academy to become a student."

"Just as I thought."

Qiu Yan thought to himself and went over to chat with Liu Zhanpeng.

The Liu Inspector mentioned by Chen Jing refers to Liu Jing, the Inspector of Jiannan Circuit. Qiu Yan was able to get noticed by the Principle Sect Academy because of Liu Jing's recommendation.

In fact, before participating in the Provincial Examination, Qiu Yan had heard that the governor's son was also taking the exam this year. This son of an official had also studied in Jiannan and worked hard in the governor's residence for a long time.

In this Great Rui, officials, except for some special circumstances, are generally required to serve in different places, meaning they cannot return to their hometowns to serve as officials, especially civil officials. This is to prevent their personal connections from becoming too powerful and difficult to control, unless there is an imperial decree. For example, Pan Xiang, the second young master of the Pan Household, had previously served as a commander in his hometown, which was considered a special case.

Liu Jing served as an official in Jiannan, but his ancestral home Jingxiang. As his son, Liu Zhanpeng, although he studied in Jiannan, still had to return to his ancestral home to take the Imperial Examinations, so Qiu Yan had never met him.

However, because of Liu Jing's connection, the two seemed much closer and became familiar with each other after a few words.

Seeing that Qiu Yan and Liu Zhanpeng had become quite familiar with each other, Chen Jing stopped rambling and stated his purpose. "I heard that Brother Qiu has had some disagreements with the Ma Residence?"

"Oh?" Qiu Yan's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this. "This matter spread so quickly? It was just a minor conflict, how did it reach you, Brother Chen?"

"It's not that the news spread quickly, but that someone is stirring things up," Chen Jing laughed. "I came here on someone's behalf. Brother Qiu, you probably don't know this, but the seventh son of the Ma Family is now studying at the Principle Sect. It was he who asked me to come."

At this point, he turned and ordered towards the door, "Bring the person in."

As soon as he finished speaking, a shout came from outside the door--

"Let me go!"

Then, a servant in blue robes led a young servant in.

"Who is this person?" Qiu Yan narrowed his eyes.

"This man is Ma Wan's personal attendant," Chen Jing pointed at the servant. "Last night he came to the academy to see Seventh Young Master Ma, but he used the Ma Residence's name to stir up trouble, which earned him a scolding from Seventh Young Master Ma, and then he was handed over to me."