Thoughts Within the Painting, Words from Qiu Yan

"This painting..."

Qiu Yan narrowed his eyes, examining the scroll in his hand. His senses enveloped it, and his heart skipped a beat.

He captured a faint pulse in the painting, each beat like a heartbeat, almost imperceptible without careful examination.

"The painting has come to life?" This thought flashed through Qiu Yan's Qiu Yan, surprising him. He had been involved in almost the entire process of the painting's creation, but he hadn't expected such a turn of events.

The painter was just an ordinary, frail scholar. Despite his talent, he almost exhausted his energy and spirit into the painting. If Qiu Yan hadn't come to his rescue in time, You Zui would have been completely exhausted and would have had difficulty even entering the underworld.

"How could a painting created by an ordinary person, less than an hour ago, possibly become a spirit?"

Looking at the painting in his hand, Qiu Yan's senses enveloped and surrounded it, quickly analyzing it and soon discovering the consciousness that was slowly condensing and growing within it.

This was a faint wisp of consciousness, yet it exuded a sense of resilience.

"The Jadebreaker Sword Technique and the Eight-Character Ancient Seal Inscription are similar in nature, but those two items were created by powerful beings and had many trials and tribulations. This painting, on the other hand, is ordinary. How could it have become a spirit? If we can find the reason, it might provide some inspiration."

With this in mind, Qiu Yan calmed down and began to think intently.

"This painting is by You Zui, an ordinary scholar with some talent and superb painting skills. When he was splashing ink, he was drawn to the spirit of the Wisdom Soul, and he was completely focused, reaching the peak of his mental state. Furthermore, due to his emotions, he fused his feelings and thoughts into the tip of his brush, completing the painting in one stroke, thus depicting the spirit."

"Subsequently, the painting took shape and, for various reasons, resonated with that Wisdom Soul and came into contact with the white-clad woman who was the projection, thus acquiring some Divine Ability power and gaining a foundation for cultivation."

"Finally, to awaken You Zui, I added a single stroke, imbued with Qi and Blood and thought, to stir up You Zui's thoughts and spread them throughout the painting. Though not perfectly evenly distributed, they were not far off. In this way, it was as if I had infused the entire painting with Qi and Blood and vitality. Could it be...?"

As Qiu Yan pondered his thoughts as if no one else was around, an indescribable aura rose around him, drifting and spreading, causing the hearts of those around him to tremble.

The burly man with the bushy beard, Xiong Ling, and his companions felt a chill run down their spines after hearing the voice of "Young Master You" emanating from the painting. Many questions arose in their minds, but seeing Qiu Yan's appearance, how could they dare to ask?

As for You Zui, he was staring at the painting with a look of disbelief and uncertainty. His eyes were unfocused and his lips were slightly parted, uttering unintelligible murmurs, as if he were talking to someone. This gave his pageboy Xiao Yu, a chill down his spine. He shook his young master a few times, but failed to bring him back to his senses, and became even more frightened.

"There seems to be a sound coming from the painting."

"Yes, I heard that too. Could it be a demon again?"

"This forest is too eerie; there are so many strange things here!"

They dared not ask Qiu Yan, but they had little restraint among themselves. They spoke in hushed tones, their voices filled with fear. The man in brocade robes even considered turning to flee, but refrained from doing so because Qiu Yan was present.

As they talked, their gazes gradually focused on the painting. The more they looked at it, the more uneasy they felt. They could vaguely see a woman in white, staring at them coldly and expressionlessly.

Cold sweat trickled down their foreheads. Even Hu Qi and Dai Guo were affected by the oppressive atmosphere and felt a little uncomfortable, their scalps tingling.

However, their change in mindset had no effect on Qiu Yan. While recalling the previous scene, he used Incense Faith to simulate and recreate it within the Divine Spirit Body, and derived many branches, analyzing them one by one.

The speed of a deity's thought process far surpasses that of mortals. Despite the numerous branches and complex changes, he quickly grasped the underlying logic and gradually sorted it out.

"With You Zui mind residing within, and a Divine Ability aura connecting the surroundings, along with the vibrations of Qi and Blood and thoughts scattering outwards, this painting, unintentionally and by fortuitous opportunity, gave birth to the Spiritual Qi!"

Feeling the increasingly clear pulsation of consciousness within the painting, Qiu Yan shook his head. He then channeled his Divine Sense into the painting, intending to obliterate this consciousness to prevent any unnecessary trouble from arising.

But just as he had this thought, You Zui, who was in a You Zui not far away, suddenly seemed to sense something, his whole body trembled and he jumped up from the ground, running over like a madman, grabbing Qiu Yan, and shouting, "Don't hurt her! Don't hurt her!" He was acting like a madman.

Qiu Yan frowned slightly, and invisible True Qi emanated from his body, forming an invisible protective shield around him, blocking You Zui's steps. Then, with a turn of his Divine Sense, he found the newly born core of consciousness in the painting, wrapped it up, and prepared to shatter it.

But at that moment, a wave of sorrow and grief surged within Qiu Yan's core consciousness, accompanied by a single sentence that imprinted itself on her mind—

"Does my father not want to see me? Is he going to erase me from his life?"

Qiu Yan raised an eyebrow slightly, somewhat surprised. After a moment's thought, he understood the reason. He knew that he had used his Qi and Blood to enlighten the other party, which brought the painting to life. In a way, he did deserve to be called "father." But despite his thoughts, he remained unmoved.

However, just as his Divine Sense was about to shatter, the Li Trigram within his Divine Spirit Body trembled, and the Book of Fortune flipped in mid-air, transmitting profound information that gave Qiu Yan a glimpse of enlightenment, causing his Divine Sense to stagnate.

"Hmm?" Qiu Yan's gaze remained fixed on the painting, but through the hazy mist, it was as if he had pierced through a layer of fog, cutting through the waves of history and destiny, and captured a scene in which two women in white confronted and fought each other.

For some reason, a sense of hostility arose in Qiu Yan's heart, directed at one of the figures, while the other exuded a friendly aura.

"This painting is actually connected to my Fortune; instead of diminishing Fortune, it actually helps me!"

Thinking this, Qiu Yan became increasingly puzzled, but finally gathered his Divine Sense and did not erase the consciousness in the painting. Immediately, he felt the consciousness in the painting exuding a sense of relaxation and gratitude.

"Since this painting has other implications, keeping it won't hurt, but there are still some things that need to be done."

Upon realizing this, Qiu Yan did not pause. His Divine Sense shifted, flowing within the painting and releasing waves of Sage aura.

The flat scroll suddenly bounced and twisted, and with a few "bangs," fragments of consciousness drifted out from it, releasing human greed, disintegrating and disappearing without a trace.

"This painting is, after all, a manifestation of that Wisdom Soul, and it is inevitable that there will be residual thoughts. These must be completely removed so that it will not be affected in the future. Since we intend to let the thoughts in the painting descend to the world, we cannot let them go unchecked."

Lost in thought, he withdrew his True Qi, raised his hand, and tossed the painting over, which You Zui caught.

You Zui caught the painting, a tender look on her face, and quickly bowed to Qiu Yan.

"Since it was your own choice, you should take care of yourself..." As Qiu Yan finished speaking, a voice came from the side—

"I humbly request that this gentleman enlighten me."

The speaker was Zhang Yue, a long-haired swordsman. With a sincere expression, he gripped his sword and clasped his hands in a fist. "I have practiced swordsmanship since childhood, developing a set of sword energy from the outside in. When fighting against martial artists of the same level, I am invincible. However, this Cultivation Method has no master to guide me, and it will eventually reach its limit. I have been traveling the world seeking a way to break through this limitation. I beg you, sir, to teach me!" With that, he bowed deeply.

Qiu Yan noticed the expression on Zhang Yue's face and felt a sense of familiarity. The image of Yan Yongjie surfaced deep in her memory.

Qiu Yan and Yan Yongjie met in Jiannan Circuit. Yan Yongjie was from Yan-Zhao and was stuck at the Foundation Establishment Peak. So he traveled the world and by fortuitous opportunity obtained the "New World Observations". He gave it to Qiu Yan when he was in Jiannan Circuit. The two had not known each other for long, but their friendship was deep and they were very close.

Later, Qiu Yan, under the pretext of ancestral martial Cultivation Method, passed on a small part of the Life Cultivation method written by Yin Xiao'e to Yan Yongjie, which enabled him to break through the bottleneck and reach the Innate Realm in the martial arts world. From then on, he embarked on the path of Life Cultivation, his lifespan increased greatly, and he began his cultivation journey.

At that time, Qiu Yan often showed a firm pursuit in Yan Yongjie's eyes, and the same look appeared in Zhang Yue's eyes.

"This Zhang Yue has a firm will, but the emptiness between his brows indicates that he has no affinity for immortality..."

Qiu Yan pondered to himself, feeling divine power and the Incense Faith surge into his Soul Aperture, filling his eyes. His eyes immediately shone brightly, like bright stars in the darkness.

The light shone on Zhang Yue, revealing the vague Karma of his existence. However, he was also captivated by the strange phenomenon in Qiu Yan's eyes and dared not say anything.

After a brief examination, Qiu Yan nodded. "Breaking through your bottleneck isn't difficult, but I don't have much knowledge of martial arts. I can only share some insights from my readings. How much you can glean from them depends on yourself."

Zhang Yue was taken aback upon hearing this, then overjoyed. Ignoring the implication in Qiu Yan's words, he bowed again and expressed his gratitude.

Afterwards, Qiu Yan talked to him about some principles from the book, gradually leading to his own summary of the "Knowledge and Action" principle.

This Way of Knowledge and Action has already taken shape, because Qiu Yan's words were originally based on the framework of his previous life, and he himself used his Divine Ability to peer into the Historical River. As long as it is gradually improved, and other doctrines are drawn upon in the future to make it gradually conform to the conditions of this world, it can become a principle that can be widely applied.

Now, although the theory is not perfect, the framework is gradually becoming clear. Everyone present realized the value of what Qiu Yan said and listened attentively.

Xiong Ling and the two men in tight-fitting clothes understood the principles of martial arts from it, while the middle-aged scholar, the thin scholar, and You Zui felt the knowledge and wisdom.

Not only them, but even the struggling puppy stopped moving upon hearing these words, silently memorizing them while secretly sneering to itself.

"This person thought that by sealing my Wisdom Soul, everything would be foolproof, but little did he know that I possess Seven-Turn Divine Sense. Even if one of my essences is locked, my Nascent Soul can still sense it from afar. All those mystical words he spoke were just a prelude to my downfall!" (To be continued. Please search for the novel for better and faster updates!)