Changing One's Foundation (Part 2)

In the small courtyard.

Gu Yuanqing emerged from the Spiritual Mountain Trial Space, his brows faintly furrowed.

"It still won't work. Although I can now link all the acupoints before the formation within my body completely collapses, I still cannot form the great formation and stabilize the Profound Martial Secret Treasure again. It seems this Mental Method still has omissions."

Over these past days, he had also read through all the manuals left behind by Void Form. Combining them with his previous ideas, he repeatedly altered the acupoint formation, yet whenever he reached the crucial moment, all his efforts fell short at the final step.

He sat up and reached into the air. A jade bamboo rod, three feet and three inches long, flew from the table into his hand.

This jade bamboo had been left behind by Old Man Tianzhu. It had been embedded in the cliff that day, and no one had dared take it, so Gu Yuanqing had naturally accepted it with a smile.

He did not know what variety of bamboo it was. Its entire body was emerald green and crystal clear. When he touched it, he could feel a faint chill seeping into his body, instantly refreshing his spirit.

Whenever Gu Yuanqing read or pondered, he liked to hold it in his hand, as though even his thoughts became a little swifter.

As he toyed with the jade bamboo, he picked up that volume of the Remnant Scripture.

He vaguely felt that the mysteries behind the Heavenly Cycle Acupoint Formation could be found within it. He calmed himself and studied it once more, occasionally sinking his consciousness into the underground chamber to examine insights concerning acupoint formations. Comparing the two, he searched for flaws in the Cultivation Method he had deduced.

An idea gradually took shape in his mind.

"Though this scripture contains no complete Cultivation Method, what it expounds is the Dao of the Heavenly Human. Acupoints dwell within the human body like celestial bodies in the universe, each with different attributes, drawing upon and influencing one another."

"Countless Cultivation Methods exist beneath heaven, but at their root, True Martial formations are all formed from the transformations and combinations of formations such as the Two Forms, Three Powers, Four Symbols, Five Elements, Six Harmonies, Seven Stars, Eight Trigrams, and Nine Palaces. Perhaps I can first dismantle the Heavenly Cycle Great Formation, divide the three hundred and sixty acupoints into countless smaller formations, then combine those small formations into a great formation."

Gu Yuan felt that he had found another path. He returned to his room, took out paper and brush, and listed the attributes of each acupoint in the human body according to records from other ancient texts. From time to time, he would sit in meditation, visualizing and focusing his mind upon the acupoints, verifying them against the records left by his predecessors.

Once immersed in it, he forgot both food and sleep, feeling thoughts pour forth like a spring.

Three days passed, and a new method of cultivation took shape beneath his brush.

He entered the Trial Space once more to test it. Half an hour later, he opened his eyes again and took out paper and brush to continue revising it.

He continued testing and revising it, and in the blink of an eye, another seven days passed.

That morning, just as Gu Yuanqing was about to test his revised method once more, he suddenly "saw" Eunuch Xu leading a squad of soldiers up the mountain.

More than half the loads carried by those soldiers were books of every kind. There were even several cultivation manuals among them.

Gu Yuanqing's eyes lit up. With these books for reference, deducing his method might become much easier.

He waited for a while before leaving the small courtyard and heading to the foot of the mountain, where he happened to see Eunuch Xu and his group arriving.

"Eunuch Xu, I trust you have been well." Gu Yuanqing cupped his hands with a smile.

Holding his whisk, Xu Lianying bowed slightly. "Young Master Gu grows ever more detached from the mortal world. This servant offers his respects."

"Haha, living up here in the mountains, far from the human world, it would be impossible not to become detached."

After exchanging pleasantries, Gu Yuanqing asked, "Eunuch Xu, you have brought quite a lot this time."

"His Majesty heard that you enjoy reading, Young Master, and instructed this servant to bring more books. There are also some famous pastries and delicacies from the Capital City, several jars of fine wine, and some clothing."

"My thanks to His Majesty, and to you as well, Eunuch Xu. You have been most thoughtful."

"His Majesty also said that if Young Master has any needs, you may raise them freely." Xu Lianying wore a gentle smile, his words warm and mild.

Gu Yuanqing could sense that this time was different from before.

He had met Eunuch Xu only three times. He still remembered their first meeting, when Xu Lianying's words had been mild, yet carried a faint air of superiority.

When they met the second time, there had been a little more regard in his words.

But now, he had lowered his stance.

Gu Yuanqing clearly understood that all of this had changed because of his own strength. Smiling, he said, "What could I possibly need in these mountains?"

Xu Lianying's expression stiffened slightly. He thought Gu Yuanqing was referring to being imprisoned on the mountain, and he bowed faintly. "If Young Master has any other thoughts, you may speak of them. Though this servant cannot make the decision, I can still relay your words to His Majesty."

Gu Yuanqing paused, then waved his hand with a smile. "It is nothing. Eunuch Xu, do not overthink it."

Xu Lianying let out a breath of relief and straightened. "There are rather many books this time, so I shall have someone deliver them to your courtyard."

"Thank you! My thanks for everyone's efforts." Gu Yuanqing cupped his hands toward the soldiers behind him.

Xu Lianying remained on the mountain for half an hour before departing. From beginning to end, he never asked about Gu Yuanqing's cultivation. They mostly spoke of recent happenings in the Capital City, and only seemingly casually mentioned that Princess Miaoxuan had gone to the Lingxu Sect three months ago. Before leaving, she had even asked this old servant to inquire whether Young Master Gu needed anything.

Gu Yuanqing calculated the dates. Li Miaoxuan must have gone to the Lingxu Sect right after seeing him, while the Princess's Wedding of the Great Gan Dynasty had taken place more than a month ago.

After seeing Xu Lianying off, Gu Yuanqing returned to the small courtyard. Looking at the dazzling array of books, he was deeply satisfied.

A rough glance revealed astronomy, geography, biographies, Cultivation Methods, and even all sorts of miscellaneous subjects. They had nearly filled the entire study.

The Emperor is likely doing this to ease his relationship with me, but he is unwilling to release me just like that. After all, the Son of Heaven's word carries the weight of nine tripods; changing an imperial decree overnight would be far too humiliating. Still, even if he let me go down the mountain, I would not want to leave.

Gu Yuanqing pulled a cultivation manual titled Lingying Art from the bookshelf. This manual could only be cultivated to the Profound Martial Middle Rank, but there were still aspects worth learning from it. Its understanding of four acupoints was particularly unique.

Gu Yuanqing simply pulled over a chair, sat down, and began reading it carefully.

The improvement in his Comprehension, along with the continual growth of his spiritual power through Mountain Observation, allowed him to read ten lines at a glance, every meaning clearly imprinted in his mind.

Gu Yuanqing greatly enjoyed these days of reading. Every book was the crystallization of its author's spirit and cultivation. As he read one manual after another, he could always find several useful points in each one.

Over the following dozen or so days, aside from eating and his necessary daily cultivation, he spent almost all his time in the study.

All kinds of insights and knowledge concerning cultivation formed a surging tide within his consciousness, constantly colliding and blending. The new Heavenly Dao Heart Zen Art also gradually took shape through improvement and trials.

That day, he emerged from the Spiritual Mountain Trial with a smile on his face.

He had finally succeeded. This was the first time he had used the new method to stabilize the Profound Martial Secret Treasure just as it was about to leave the Crimson Palace!

However, he did not rush to try it in reality. This method still had room for improvement, and it needed to undergo many more trials in the Spiritual Mountain Trial. Only when there was absolutely no chance of error could he truly begin cultivating it.