A Tug of Thought Moves the Army, a Steady Heart Reaches the Lists!

Blue sky and white clouds, vast Grasslands.

In the jungle Dingchang City, a major city in the north, several men dressed in leather were surveying the city from afar, conversing in a language different from that of the Central Plains, their faces beaming with smiles, looking quite relaxed.

"To deal with the people of the Central Plains, we really need to use their strategies."

"Indeed, in the past few days, following the schemes of those Central Plains slaves, we have killed many Central Plains soldiers and reaped considerable gains."

"Now we'll see if the Left Wise King's plan succeeds. Didn't those Central Plains slaves say that by using this method, we could wage a great war and the Central Plains dynasty would no longer be able to threaten us? Then we'd be free to raid south, taking whatever money, food, and women we wanted!"

"That's not all. I've heard that His Highness has even greater ambitions; a single victory is simply not enough for him!"

"Indeed, several tribes in the west have been making frequent disturbances lately, even sending people south to the Central Plains ostensibly to study. This shows they already harbor rebellious intentions. A great victory this time will deter them and teach them a lesson!"

The group was still talking when a sudden clap of thunder filled the sky, drowning out their conversation. Startled, they looked up, only to find the sky clear and cloudless, without a trace of thunder or even a dark cloud.

"What happened?"

The same question arose in the minds of many soldiers and officers in Dingchang City. They also heard the thunder, but when they looked up, they found nothing.

However, at the Military Governor's Residence, Military Governor Xiao Lan suddenly appeared in the courtyard, his gaze sweeping across the sky, his expression changing drastically.

A voice came from outside the courtyard—

"General, congratulations on the emergence of another wise and capable Military School."

As the words were spoken, streaks of lightning appeared in the sky, in a realm of Void rarely seen by ordinary people.

These lightning bolts did not appear out of thin air, but rather were projected from the depths of people's hearts in the frontier regions and vast Grasslands, slowly gathering together.

These ideas, some based on the Hu people of the Grasslands and others on the generals of the Central Plains, are intertwined and Karma linked. They are like two people playing chess, each holding black and white pieces, their pieces falling and the chessboard clashing, yet they are also distinct from each other.

Like a jigsaw puzzle, by combining two pieces, a complete picture can be formed.

Crackling! Crackling!

The lightning lashed out, the electric snakes snaked, and formed huge characters that stretched out continuously, just like an article!

In that article, a trace of the Source of Order manifested, radiating ripples that sped southward and arrived in Prosperity Capital in the blink of an eye.

Inside and outside Xingjing Imperial City, many people sensed the changes in the Void, but showed no surprise.

"It has finally arrived. With the blessing of Order and the convergence of thoughts with the Origin Source, it is only unknown whether the one who brings Order to manifest is the scholar who wrote the examination papers or the learned person residing in the Imperial City."

In the backyard of the Zhang Residence, Zhang Lian emerged from his study with a somber expression. Invisible clouds swirled around him, drawing out a trace of Official Qi. This Official Qi was a fusion of Fortune and Karma, connected to Dragon Qi, with the image of an official seal pressing down on his head. As a high-ranking official, he was able to sense it.

The scene at the Ma Residence was quite different. Ma Light Side, but then a conflicted look appeared on his face.

Meanwhile, in the academies and temples outside the city, various people were displaying their own unusual thoughts and pondering their own ideas.

In the Imperial Palace, Wang Fu sat in a side hall, looking at an examination paper in front of him in silence. Then he reached out his hand, and the moment his fingertips touched it, a cold light slashed straight at him!

But Wang Fu remained as immovable as a mountain. After a few breaths, he withdrew his finger, sighed, "Just as I thought..." and then fell silent.

In the Imperial Study, Li Kun was reviewing documents with a vermilion brush when he suddenly paused, his body trembled slightly, and a glint of lightning flashed in his eyes.

Then, from the landscape painting deep within the study, illusory figures emerged, riding horses and wielding swords, charging into battle with the army, their Sha Qi palpable!

"A Military School?" Li Kun looked slightly surprised.

Call!

The mist that had filled the inn's rooms had dissipated, and the dragon's shadow had vanished without a trace. All that remained were scattered pieces of wood and Qiu Yan lying on the ground, exhaling a long breath.

However, his current condition is not good; his limbs and waist are strangely bent, his flesh is shriveled, and his skin is pale.

But the next moment, pale golden True Essence surged out from the Golden Core, instantly spreading throughout the body, filling the flesh and blood, causing the withered skin to swell up, the paleness on the skin to disappear, and the joints and muscles that were broken and torn due to the heavy pressure also showed the luster of True Essence. The True Essence transformed, turning into connective tissue, repairing the damage to the flesh and blood.

Immediately afterwards, True Essence surged into the bones and periosteum, and the cracks in the bones quickly healed. True Essence swirled around the broken bones, filling the fractures and correcting their position, restoring the broken spine to its original state!

Taking a deep breath, Qiu Yan rolled over and sat up from the ground. He looked down at his arm and nodded slightly.

"The True Essence is wondrous, able to heal injuries so quickly. I wonder if a severed limb could regenerate. However, this kind of healing consumes a great deal of energy, requiring the stimulation of the body's potential and self-healing system, causing a deficit. It will probably take several months to replenish it, but it's still better than being disabled."

Thinking this, another bit of medicinal power flew out from the Soul Aperture, which was the Divine Spirit Body swallowing another Pill Ancestor.

The medicinal power was enveloped by Divine Sense and True Essence, and a piece of about one-tenth of it was cut out and spread throughout the body. Due to the stimulation of True Essence, the potential in the limbs and bones was stimulated, and the hidden dangers and deficiencies left behind were eliminated in the blink of an eye!

"The effects of elixirs are indeed astonishing. It's good to keep some in the body for emergencies. However, no matter how exquisite the refining technique or how well it suits one's own body, it is still an external thing. Long-term use, even if it doesn't leave any residue in the body, will eventually cause the body to become accustomed to replenishing the medicinal power, which will still hinder further development. This point must not be forgotten."

With a slight sigh, Qiu Yan gathered his thoughts, stood up from the ground, and then tried to explore the biggest gain from this risky gamble.

"No wonder that great Confucian Grand Confucian, after establishing their schools and doctrines, often seek one or two Sage as their source. It turns out that what they worship are not simply Sage and ancient figures, but..."

Thinking this, Qiu Yan extended a finger, flicking it in the air, emanating a sharp aura that rippled through the Void, drawing out a Force of Order!

This Force of Order was no longer difficult to control. Instead, it gathered at Qiu Yan's fingertips with his thoughts, releasing invisible ripples that moved as if at his command.

"When the Divine Path invaded the Eastern Capital, the Grand Confucian and gentlemen sat in their towers, yet they were able to influence the Human Path Order. I thought it was due to their own knowledge, but now it seems that this is not the case. It is simply something that ordinary people cannot do."

In a flash, Qiu Yan slowly spread his arms, his fingers, which were imbued with an Order, pointed forward.

Bite!

With a soft sound, Order dissipated, like ink dripping into water, spreading rapidly but not disappearing; instead, it coalesced into a single sentence—

"Don't rely on them not coming!"

"Therefore, the art of war dictates that one should not rely on the enemy not coming, but on having the means to meet him; one should not rely on the enemy not attacking, but on having something that cannot be attacked."

He whispered a sentence, and the Order of his fingertips rapidly shifted, coalescing into the outline of a book. The edges were blurry, and apart from the sentence Qiu Yan whispered, the other sentences were unclear, shrouded in a layer of mist.

"This sentence comes from the military treatise written by the Sage of War in this world. It speaks of being prepared for any eventuality and being constantly vigilant. It is a concept of war preparedness."

Looking at the book formed by Order, Qiu Yan narrowed his eyes, his thoughts churning.

"During the Palace Examination, I proposed that the key to victory lies in the combination of fixed and variable factors. Variable factors are difficult to control, so it is necessary to perfect the fixed factors as much as possible. However, I did not fully describe the overall strategy of the battle. But in terms of its ingenuity, it is similar to this saying of the Military School. Could it be that this is why this Source of Order, summarized by the Military School, was proposed?"

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, Qiu Yan flipped his outstretched hand, his five fingers changing, and grabbed the illusory book. With a sudden tug, the sounds of battle and horses neighing filled the air, and a cold glint flashed in his hand, like a long sword!

"The Four Steps of Seeking the Dragon, the fourth step being to merge with the Dragon Qi and explore the Human Path, did not achieve this goal, but there was another gain: I saw a glimpse of the iceberg of the world's Order, and attached a wisp of my own will to it..."

In the instant the cold light flashed, the soldiers in several military camps outside Xingjing Imperial City suddenly felt a tightness in their chests and a strange sense of urgency arose. Meanwhile, in the warhorse camp, warhorses neighed and the tall horses were restless.

"People Sage, seemingly admiring the ancient times. In the past, I could mobilize a little Force of Order and create a great influence by borrowing the words or Sage Spirit Sage, just as every word spoken by the ancients would have great power when passed down to later generations. This gave people a sense of valuing the past over the present, as if no matter how hard people try today, they cannot compare to a single word from an ancient Sage. But now it seems that I was wrong."

As his thoughts raced, the cold light that Qiu Yan was holding had vanished, leaving only ripples in the Void.

Then he shook his head. "However, this fortuitous opportunity was ultimately a matter of chance, achieved by taking advantage of many factors. Although my own thoughts were combined with an Order, my control was not comprehensive. I could only develop it little by little, word by word. I suppose those Grand Confucian must have thoroughly understood their own learning before trying to Thought-Convergent Order, and were able to truly grasp one or several Order."

With this thought in mind, Qiu Yan looked around at the mess in the room and shook his head.

"Very well, we can explore it slowly later. The most urgent thing is to prepare the money." He pushed open the door and stepped out, where he was greeted by Hu Qi and Dai Guo, both with worried expressions.

"Young master, you've finally come out... these past two days..."

Before the two could finish speaking, Qiu Yan waved his hand to interrupt, and said with a smile, "Let's not talk about that now, go and prepare the silver."

"What?" Dai Guo was taken aback, glanced at the mess in the room, and thought he understood. "Do you want compensation?"

Qiu Yan shook his head. "No, it's to give money to the person who brought the good news."

"Tips?"

Before Hu and Dai could react, a cacophony of shouts erupted from downstairs.

Congratulations to Young Master Qiu on achieving high honors! Your name is on the honor Golden List!

ps:

Thank you to "Azure-Wing Sword Butterfly", "Wan Xia Xia La", "Half-Moon jm", and "Nebula Luoxue" for their generous donations!

Thanks to "born4u. lwd" and "Crotch Dead" for the monthly votes!

Please forgive any omissions in the list!