Yellow Dragon Token, Six Insights

"Who is this person? When did our Great Rui acquire such a powerful figure?"

Right after Qiu Yan left, on the third floor of the tavern where he had sat, a man stood by the window, gazing at the distant door and muttering to himself.

This man was dressed in Confucian robes, his attire simple and straightforward, giving him a clean and efficient appearance. He had an ordinary face and a beard, and at first glance, he looked like an ordinary middle-aged scholar. However, if anyone looked into his eyes, they would know that he was no ordinary person.

Those eyes shone brightly, clear and bright, as if they could see through all the mysteries of the world, and their brows were filled with a sense of solemn nobility.

He had barely finished speaking when a voice came from behind him.

"Your Highness, should we invite that young lady over and ask her for clarification?" The speaker was a young man in blue robes, who looked to be no more than twenty years old, but he exuded a profound Literary Thought and had an extraordinary demeanor. If he weren't dressed as a servant and instead wore a scholar's robe, he would probably be mistaken for a young master from some noble family.

After the page finished speaking, the middle-aged man by the window pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "That woman is from the Tang Household of Yan-Zhao. Although the Tang Household is not a first-rate noble family, they have been intermarrying with the Bei Household for generations. If we force her to come, it may cause misunderstandings."

The page nodded, understanding the middle-aged man's meaning. "Then let me go and test the waters."

The middle-aged man nodded slightly, then turned around. "The Bei Household must have sent someone this time as well. Why not inquire about them? If possible, offer them some assistance. As for that young man..."

He recalled the sudden burst of Heart Ape that Qiu Yan had unleashed during their earlier probing. The Heart Ape power came suddenly, and although he couldn't discern its origin, it had almost shattered the pavilion he had been visualizing, demonstrating its power.

After thinking for a while, he suddenly shook his head. "This person will become famous sooner or later, so there's no need to rush it."

Having said that, the man stretched out his hand, and a small Yellow Dragon rose from it, coming to the pageboy before hovering in the air and condensing into a token, which was yellowish-orange and neither gold nor iron.

"Hold this token; it can save your life if you encounter any unexpected events."

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness," the page said, clasping his hands in greeting, before turning and leaving.

After closing the door, the middle-aged man turned back to look out the window, his gaze sweeping across the room. Finally, he sighed, "Truly, these are turbulent times. Of all the times I've Scholar Forest circles, this is the most chaotic I've ever witnessed. Talented and extraordinary individuals are emerging in droves; it's a time of great contention. I wonder if this reform will succeed..."

Outside the window, the pageboy had already led two men dressed in armor and flew in the direction Tang Qing had left.

What happened in Scholar Forest is difficult for Heart Path to know.

From the moment Qiu Yan stepped through the gate, his Divine Soul was no longer able to Transcendence the Heart Path, so he naturally had no idea of the chain of changes caused by mobilizing the power of his Heart Ape.

Of course, even if he knew, he wouldn't care. For Qiu Yan, participating in Human Path was the goal itself; Human Path change was merely a component.

Earlier at the tavern, just as he was about to leave, he suddenly sensed someone probing him with their thoughts. That thought was very strange and seemed difficult to resist, so Qiu Yan directly used the power of his newly acquired Heart Ape.

Qiu Yan had personally experienced the power of the Heart Ape. If the opponent hadn't acted solely on instinct, he probably wouldn't have been able to withstand even a single exchange. Now that he had subdued the Heart Ape, he had mastered its chaotic thoughts and could use them purposefully. In terms of combat power alone, it was far stronger than before. Even though it was only a fleeting moment, it still shook the probing mind and almost caused the tavern that the opponent had observed to vanish into thin air.

In terms of sheer strength, the power of the Heart Ape clearly surpasses the combat power of Qiu Yan's Divine Soul itself.

In terms of combat strength, Qiu Yan's Divine Soul is comparable to the peak of the Third Realm, and his Heart Ape power is even stronger, so he has naturally stepped into a higher level. However, the specific level will have to wait until Qiu Yan settles down before he can slowly explore it, or he can simply find a master of the Fourth Realm and compare them through battle.

However, these things are not what Qiu Yan cares about right now. In addition to controlling his physical body to buy time, he also needs to figure out the changes happening in his Divine Soul.

The root of the change lies in the Ginseng Baby.

Upon arriving at the Eastern Capital Passage, to avoid trouble, Qiu Yan gathered both the Ginseng Baby and the Trial Beast into his soul. This was not difficult, since the Ginseng Baby had been attached to Qiu Yan's soul when it entered the forest, and it had not caused any major changes.

But now that he has returned to the Mortal Realm, an unexpected thing has happened. Six orbs of light suddenly burst forth from the Ginseng Baby's soul, revealing a completely different artistic conception, which made Qiu Yan's Divine Soul tremble and even affected the surrounding Heart Path, causing them to change!

Initially, Qiu Yan thought that Ginseng Baby had stolen something again, and he felt a sense of rejection towards Heart Path. After all, there were many precedents, and it was easy to form a fixed mindset. However, after careful reflection, he realized that he had misunderstood Ginseng Treasure this time.

"So it wasn't stolen, it was eaten!"

It turned out that the six clusters of light vaguely formed the shape of Calligraphy Dao, containing artistic conceptions. Some were calligraphy, some were Painting Dao, and some were chess games. They were clearly the six realms of enlightenment, just like the seven Phantom Books that Qiu Yan collected in the Book Mountain!

"Only by collecting a complete set of Book Mountain Ore can one condense insights and transform them into Phantom Books. The existence of these six insights indicates that Ginseng Treasure swallowed six more sets of Book Mine in the mine, along with their underlying meanings, and only released them now."

As Qiu Yan pondered this, he suddenly realized that the Ginseng Baby had probably swallowed more than six sets of Book Mine.

"In less than two days, Ginseng Treasure had consumed seven sets. It's not surprising that he has the ability to recognize them, but my urging also played a part. However, in the past month, I have been trapped in the Dark Side and no one has been supervising this ginseng. It's impossible that he only consumed six sets in such a long time. It's very likely that he was so hungry that he just happened to collect six sets along the way."

The more Qiu Yan thought about it, the more likely it seemed. He then became curious about how the Ginseng Baby had encountered the Trial Beast and how it had subdued it. When he was flying away in a beam of light, he had asked it with his mind, but the Ginseng Baby could not describe it clearly.

These thoughts flashed through Qiu Yan's mind. Knowing that there would be little result, he didn't hold back and directly poured the three radiances of Calligraphy Dao, Painting Dao, and chess into his Heart Fire. The Heart Fire immediately pulsed and expanded, and insights spread throughout his heart.

Qiu Yan vaguely sensed that his cultivation level was about to break through again, but he did not follow the trend. Instead, he guided this feeling, calmed it down, and eliminated it.

"During this trip to the Scholar Forest, my Divine Soul realm has surged, and I have already condensed my Divine Sense. However, such rapid progress inevitably carries the hidden danger of an unstable foundation. Now that I have subdued my Heart Ape and can visualize Sage, my combat power has exceeded the Third Realm. Even if I were to advance another level, it wouldn't be of much benefit. On the contrary, it would make my foundation even more fragile and bring more hidden dangers. It would be better to let it settle and consolidate my current realm."

With the help of the Realm Stone and the Sage Spirit, Qiu Yan's Nature Cultivation level soared, leaping two levels in a row. However, it also left many hidden dangers. Fortunately, although cultivation requires a gradual approach, Nature Cultivation is different from Life Cultivation. It emphasizes intention and mind. The reason why Qiu Yan's Nature Cultivation level was able to surge was partly due to fortuitous opportunity, and partly due to his State of Mind, which was already on the verge of transformation.

Everything was ready except for the east wind. Only with the help of external forces could things proceed smoothly and progress be made by leaps and bounds. Otherwise, if it were a martial artist who only knew how to fight, even if he obtained the Sage Spirit, he would still be unable to transform it into a higher realm.

However, the Sage Spirit is profound and mysterious, and even Qiu Yan would find it difficult to comprehend it in a short period of time. If he were to advance another level at this point, it would seem like a blessing, but in the long run, it might deplete his potential. If his foundation is not solid, his path of cultivation would become increasingly narrow.

Good fortune or misfortune is hard to predict.

Therefore, Qiu Yan resolutely resisted his yearning for a higher realm, slowed down his progress, and instead focused on consolidation, which also subtly reflected the idea of balancing urgency and time, and complementing each other's cultural heritage.

Thus, the Divine Soul traveled along the Heart Path, while the soul comprehended the artistic conception, and even the fragments of thoughts along the path of the Heart Path were drawn to it, making Qiu Yan's State of Mind more and more changeable, but his mind remained still.

Soon, Qiu Yan absorbed all three orbs of light, which unconsciously increased his understanding and artistic conception.

"Scholar Forest is indeed a treasure trove. Outsiders have tried to steal Literary Thought, but over time, those Literary Thought will dissipate on their own, leaving only a few memories. But without corresponding understanding, what use are memories? It's like knowing a formula but not being able to deduce it, knowing what but not why. But the Book Mountain Ore is different. It infuses memories and insights into the heart. As long as you spend some time quietly contemplating and reflecting, you can make it your own. Of course, collecting a complete set of Book Mine is not easy."

After making a remark, Qiu Yan shifted his attention to the other three clusters of light.

Six orbs of light flew out from the Ginseng Baby's soul. Qiu Yan absorbed three, and the remaining three...

"Hmm, this one contains an understanding of Ancient Seal Script, and the other one is an insight into Swordsmanship. They'll serve as a trigger to awaken the dormant thoughts of those two. As for this last one..."

As he pondered, Qiu Yan's attention focused on the last clump.

This radiance was completely different from the other five. Although it also emitted light, it was like a condensed mist, mysterious and ethereal, conveying the impermanence of life.

"Could this cloud of light be...?"

Just as he was pondering, his Heart Path suddenly jolted, and seven forks appeared ahead, each filled with an unusual aura. The middle one was the most intense, with yellow mist drifting through it, exuding a noble and ancient aura.

Qiu Yan glanced around, sensing with his Divine Soul sense, and finally his gaze settled on a fork in the road on the side.

This fork in the road exudes a rich historical atmosphere, where the changing light and shadow subtly reveal the vicissitudes of time.

"The vicissitudes of history, this must be the way..." Qiu Yan nodded, floated over, and suddenly his expression changed.

"Hmm? They arrived so quickly! And they even managed to surround the physical body with their formation!"

P. S.: Thanks to "Xiao Wu's Dad" for the monthly vote!

The second update might be a little later.