Daoists were not forbidden from becoming officials.
True Person Ziyang, who had attained the Primordial Spirit, had once served a term as a prefect.
As long as they did not use wicked arts to meddle with the court's Dragon Qi or dream of controlling the fate of the realm, they would not suffer backlash.
Yet even wholehearted cultivation left too little lifespan. Who had time to deal with all the petty schemes and intrigues? Thus, very few true cultivators who had attained the Dao entered government service.
The Heavenly Corpse Sect had not entered officialdom willingly. What fun was there in being an official compared to refining corpses? However, they did not dare defy Zhou Yi's orders.
That day.
The heavy snow had just stopped.
Zhou Yi slowly emerged from the ground out of thin air, leaving not the slightest trace upon the snow.
The Five Elements Spirit Corpses surrounded him, clad in dark robes like five black shadows that followed his every move.
"The Five Elements cycle has already been mastered. I can go anywhere under heaven!"
As he spoke, Zhou Yi transformed into a ball of blue light and streaked across the snow toward Prince Guangyang's Mansion, now known as Chen Mansion.
He passed directly through the wall and entered the courtyard.
The snow on the ground had already been cleared away. A young boy was practicing swordsmanship.
The woman teaching him had cultivated her martial arts to the Minor Circulation and could be considered among the greatest experts in the world.
Over the past sixty years, Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy had grown increasingly sparse. In the past, Innate Grandmasters were rarely seen even once in a century. Now, even opening the Ren and Du Meridians had become a life-or-death barrier.
The youth was thin and wore a brocade-padded coat. A gust of cold wind made him shiver, and he possessed none of a martial artist's bearing.
Zhou Yi stood silently for a moment before asking, "Are you Zhou Nian?"
The woman suddenly heard the voice. Her willow brows rose, and a flash of sword light stabbed toward its source.
It was precisely the Xiahou Sword Art. Judging by its speed, she had already grasped its essence!
With a mere pinch of Zhou Yi's fingers, the treasure sword, capable of slicing through iron like mud, could not advance another inch.
Once the woman saw who it was, she could not help crying out, "Lord Sword Saint!"
More than sixty years had passed since they last met, yet he had not changed in the slightest, as though time itself had stopped upon him.
Zhou Yi carefully examined the woman's appearance. A thought stirred, and he recalled someone. "You are... Chu Hong, who used to be by Jinyu's side?"
Others believed that Zhou Yi had spent sixty years in seclusion, perfected divine arts, shaken the world with his might, and seized the position of Grand Tutor.
In truth, only a little more than a year had passed since Zhou Yi last saw Chu Hong. He had never expected the young maiden of those days to have become a middle-aged woman.
"Your sword scripture is not bad. Unfortunately, you are too old. Otherwise, you might have had hope of reaching Grandmaster."
Chu Hong was already a renowned peak expert of the martial world and the Deputy Palace Lord of Hundred Flowers Palace. Yet upon hearing Zhou Yi's praise, she could not help becoming excited.
"This old woman's meager achievements are all thanks to the Sword Saint's transmission. The Purple Sun Sword Qi Scripture truly is a supreme art for opening the meridians."
"The Purple Sun Sword Qi Scripture comes from True Person Ziyang, a Daoist immortal. Cultivate diligently. If you have the opportunity to temper your body with Spiritual Objects in the future, you may yet enter the Innate Realm."
After speaking, Zhou Yi turned to the young Zhou Nian. "Hold out your hand."
"All right..."
Zhou Nian had finally met the person he had admired for so long. He was so overwhelmed with excitement that he could barely contain himself, and even his sword fell to the ground.
He had been born into the Chen Family. By then, the Chen Family was already the wealthiest family in Jiangnan. Though he suffered from a strange illness, he had never endured hardship.
Later, he caught the eye of his grandmother, Chen Jinyu, and was adopted as her grandson. He was practically the designated heir, cherished by all around him. Divine physicians and renowned healers from across the land had been invited to treat him.
Whenever he was with Chen Jinyu, what he heard most were the legendary deeds of the Guo Bei Sword Saint, each tale repeated dozens or even hundreds of times.
During their years of growth, young people were the most easily influenced by the information around them.
Although Zhou Nian had never met Zhou Yi, everything he heard and saw had made Zhou Yi seem like an immortal in the heavens.
Thus, despite his frail body, Zhou Nian still insisted on practicing the sword. What he cultivated was the Xiahou Sword Scripture.
Unfortunately, he was far too weak to train his blood and qi. Otherwise, he might suddenly waste away and die at any moment.
Zhou Yi knew nothing of the many thoughts in the youth's heart. He had learned from Li Zhu that Chen Jinyu had taken in an adopted grandson who suffered from a strange illness.
Zhou Yi felt deeply indebted to Chen Jinyu, so he strongly supported the matter.
When people grew old, they always needed something to hold on to. Zhou Yi could not give her that, but it was enough if Zhou Nian could.
"Hm?"
Zhou Yi gave a surprised cry. When his True Essence entered Zhou Nian's body, he discovered a dense mass of Profound Yin Qi within him.
Not only was Zhou Nian's body not weak, his meridians were even tougher than those of ordinary people.
Profound Yin Qi differed from ordinary Five Elements Spiritual Energy. Without a Qi Refining Method to transform it into True Qi and True Essence, it accumulated within the body and disrupted the balance of yin and yang. Over time, it was no different from suffering a serious illness.
"Could it be a Spiritual Root...? A test will reveal the truth."
Zhou Yi said, "I will pass on a section of mnemonic verse to you. Listen carefully."
Seeing that he was about to transmit a method, Chu Hong turned to leave. Even in the martial world, sects distinguished themselves from one another, much less when an immortal transmitted a teaching.
"You need not leave. It is no secret art, merely an ordinary breathing formula. Practice it diligently in the future. It can purify Internal Qi and prolong your life."
"Chu Hong thanks the Sword Saint for transmitting this method!"
Chu Hong's heart surged with emotion. Overjoyed, she immediately knelt on the ground.
In her eyes, Zhou Yi was already like an immortal. A Qi Refining Method casually passed down by him was an immortal art in the mortal world.
After Hundred Flowers Palace supported Chen Jinyu, it developed rapidly and had now become one of Jiangnan's prominent sects. Yet it had never produced an Innate Grandmaster and could not be said to possess an orderly inheritance. The Sword Saint's transmission was now a great opportunity.
"Exhale and inhale, cast out the old and draw in the new. Gently close the lips and teeth, let the breath flow slowly... Gather the divine light and bring it to the heart of heaven... Let the qi in the dantian grow warm, let it travel through the belt vessel. Continuous as though it endures, use it without strain."
Among the Seven Qi Refining Methods discovered in the imperial archives, this was the most basic one.
A First-Grade Technique, the Daoist Pure Subtle Scripture.
Its strength lay in being easy to learn and establishing a solid foundation, making it extremely convenient to switch to other techniques later.
Zhou Nian had been gifted with an exceptional memory since birth. After hearing it once, he could recite it from memory, and as though blessed with sudden insight, he understood the meaning of the Daoist scripture.
The Profound Yin Qi within his body circulated according to the technique and finally gathered in his dantian, gradually transforming into Profound Yin True Qi.
Zhou Yi's divine soul enveloped Zhou Nian, so the changes within his body naturally could not escape his notice.
"As expected, a Yin Attribute Spirit Root, and not a low-grade one at that!"
Zhou Yi looked again at Chu Xiu beside him. She was still struggling to memorize the technique. Let alone cultivate it, even understanding it was extremely difficult for her.
Martial qi was born from within, while qi refinement drew in spiritual energy, moving from outside to within.
For ordinary people to understand such principles through cultivation, they would need to spend at least several years studying Daoist scriptures, unless they possessed innate spiritual insight like Zhou Nian.
It was unclear whether Chu Hong possessed a Spiritual Root, but her aptitude in Daoist arts alone was several times inferior.
"Cultivate this method from now on. Not only will it cure your illness, it will strengthen your body as well. Once you condense True Essence, you may come find me again."
After Zhou Yi finished speaking, a thought moved through his mind. He cast an Escape Art and vanished.
Only Chu Hong was left behind, her face filled with shock and reverence, while Zhou Nian's eyes shone with envy and determination.
The Daoist Pure Subtle Scripture had opened a door for Zhou Nian. The world seemed to gain color, and his thoughts became clear.
Many principles came to him naturally. The Profound Yin Qi circulated along a mysterious path, and it somehow differed slightly from the Daoist Pure Subtle Scripture.
The Escape Art traveled through the earth at astonishing speed, reaching the rear residence in an instant.
In Zhou Yi's eyes, Zhou Nian was merely a promising junior worth cultivating a little. Whether he wanted more would depend on his future performance.
Chen Jinyu was reprimanding several shopkeepers, her expression stern.
Position changed one's bearing, and prosperity nourished one's body.
Chen Jinyu controlled Immortal Wine House and determined the livelihoods of a million people. She had long cultivated the bearing of a great figure.
"Cough, cough!"
Zhou Yi's voice sounded from the doorway.
Chen Jinyu's expression froze. She turned and saw the person she had longed for day and night.
Several decades had passed, yet he still looked exactly as he had back then. Looking at herself, she was already bent with age, with little time left.
She had thought she would surely die with regrets, perhaps with him occasionally remembering her and paying respects at her grave.
Now that she had truly seen him, Chen Jinyu instead felt increasingly calm. She waved her hand and dismissed the shopkeepers.
"Long time no see..."
"Yes, long time no see."
Zhou Yi stood with the wind and snow at his back, like an immortal descended from the heavens.
For a moment, Chen Jinyu was lost in a daze.
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