Changing the Foundation (Part 2)

Gu Yuanqing did not rush to make improvements at once. Instead, he changed into a fresh set of clothes and walked out of the courtyard.

After being cooped up in the study for days on end, he had achieved much, but his mind had also grown somewhat heavy. Especially during Mountain Observation, it was as though he had lost a trace of nimbleness.

He no longer viewed Mountain Observation and Object Control merely as abilities, but as guides upon the path of cultivation.

Gu Yuanqing had noticed this several days ago, but with success so close at hand, he had been unwilling to set it aside.

Now that he had made some small progress today, he decided to put it down for the time being and take a walk outside.

North Spring Mountain was lush with spring, verdant and flourishing. Flowers, grasses, and trees thrived in abundance, while birds and beasts filled the wilds.

Countless withered trees had sprouted new branches and buds once more.

Gu Yuanqing could sense that the Spiritual Qi in the mountain had grown denser. This was the change brought about by becoming a Spirit Mountain.

When he observed the mountain and let his consciousness sink down, he could sense something deep underground—a presence about ten feet long, like a small snake, yet containing boundless vitality.

This was a Spiritual Vein!

It possessed a faint spirituality. As though it sensed Gu Yuanqing "looking" at it, it quivered slightly and gave off a wisp of affection.

Gu Yuanqing wandered casually through the mountains, taking in the scenery. From time to time, he called over birds and beasts to play with, casting every thought in his heart aside.

The mind that had sunk down slowly became lively again amid the play.

Gu Yuanqing fell into thought. If cultivation of one's state of mind was compared to the Dao, then all manner of Cultivation Methods were arts.

People in this world cultivated methods and raised their cultivation, using arts to seek the Dao.

Those at the Profound Martial Realm relied on the Profound Martial Secret Treasure to sense Heaven and Earth, only then stepping across the threshold of cultivation.

At the Grandmaster Realm, one could use the mind to sense external things and truly be called a cultivator. That was why Li Miaoxuan had said that Grandmaster was only the beginning.

Yet he could observe mountains. He had crossed countless obstacles and stood at the endpoint that innumerable cultivators sought.

During this period, he had immersed himself in deducing Cultivation Methods and leaned too heavily toward arts, throwing his state of mind off balance and causing his Dao Heart to regress.

The path of cultivation should be like a drawn bow and a relaxed string—neither biased nor excessive. That was the proper path.

With that thought, Gu Yuanqing cast his thoughts aside again. His fingers brushed over the flowers and grass beside him. Without deliberately observing the mountain, he seemed able to sense the Spiritual Qi they contained.

Before he knew it, he had arrived atop a cliff. Standing with his hands behind his back, he looked out at the rolling mountain ranges and the clouds in the sky, feeling his spirits soar and his mind brighten.

After standing there for a while, he wandered to Repentance Cliff at the rear of the mountain. Here, fierce winds raged, bringing an entirely different feeling.

At noon, with a thought, several wild fruits in the mountains broke free from their branches and flew into his hand. The dust and debris upon them naturally slipped away from their skins.

The flesh was fragrant and sweet. As the Spirit Mountain transformed, these fruits had gradually become different as well.

Only at sunset did Gu Yuanqing return to the small courtyard, where Feng Tao had just delivered dinner.

After the meal, Gu Yuanqing lay in the courtyard, setting aside all thoughts as he quietly sank into Mountain Observation and used his heart to comprehend everything about North Spring Mountain.

Ever since Gu Yuanqing's battle with the Grandmaster, that old man had not dared dig any more tunnels. He gradually discovered that the bottleneck which had held him back for more than a decade had, for some reason, begun to loosen.

However, none of that had anything to do with Gu Yuanqing. By then, he had long ceased to care about it.

The next morning, after practicing his swordsmanship and Movement Technique, Gu Yuanqing followed his usual routine of observing the mountain and gathering Heavenly Gang Qi to pour into the Secret Treasury.

Only after breakfast did he turn his attention back to deducing the Cultivation Method and undergoing trials.

After that day of relaxation, he gained fresh insights into the Cultivation Method that had only just taken shape. The realizations he had accumulated from reading countless books over recent days seemed to undergo a transformation in a single day.

Seizing the Spiritual Light in his heart, Gu Yuanqing quickly revised the method with paper and brush in hand, occasionally retrieving his earlier notes to review.

More than an hour later, he entered the Spiritual Mountain Trial to test it. Then, based on the results of those tests, he continued making improvements.

Over the days that followed, Gu Yuanqing sometimes cultivated, sometimes wandered for pleasure, and sometimes deduced the Mental Method. He no longer immersed himself wholly in deduction as before, doing everything solely as his heart wished.

Yet the speed at which the Cultivation Method improved did not decrease. It instead increased.

A month passed. After countless revisions, the original Mental Method was already unrecognizable.

After emerging from the Trial Space once more, Gu Yuanqing looked at the Cultivation Method in his hand and sighed softly.

"Only today can it truly be considered complete. Perhaps after some time, when my comprehension deepens, it can still be improved. But there is no need to wait any longer. The power contained within my Profound Martial Secret Treasure is changing by the day. The further this goes, the greater the danger that the formation will collapse and reform.

"My own cultivation has also advanced with each passing day. Though I have not cultivated too deliberately, I have already neared the peak of the Profound Martial Ninth Layer, only a single step away from Grandmaster.

"To others, Grandmaster is a chasm that reaches the heavens. But my Sword Intent has taken shape, and I have Mountain Gazing Enlightenment. Becoming a Grandmaster may require only an opportunity. If I accidentally enter the Grandmaster Realm, my foundation will be set, and it will become difficult to alter again."

It was already deep into the night. Since Gu Yuanqing had made up his mind, he delayed no longer.

He sat cross-legged in meditation, observing the mountain to nourish his spirit. Half an hour later, every aspect of his condition had been adjusted to its peak.

With a thought, the circulation route of True Qi within his body began to change.

Unlike in the Spiritual Mountain Trial, rerouting Vital Energy was not a single change beginning from the lower palace. Rather, the True Qi flowing from dozens of different Acupoints changed its route simultaneously.

This was the method of Object Control. Object Control could not only command external objects; it could also command one's own True Qi.

At the same time, the method of Mountain Observation was likewise applied to himself.

These were new methods Gu Yuanqing had developed over the past month after deepening his understanding of Mountain Observation and Object Control. They were far more wondrous than ordinary inner vision or using intent to guide True Qi!

As the True Qi changed, the Secret Treasury trembled. But he had experienced such situations countless times, and his heart remained still as an ancient well. He focused all his mind solely on controlling the True Qi.

Before long, the routes of dozens of streams of True Qi connected into one, forming a new and complete Technique Path.

The True Qi began to transform, and the aura of the Acupoints rapidly changed as well. The original True Martial grand formation shattered apart, but in that instant, all three hundred and sixty Acupoints bloomed with a faint light. Their auras drew one another in once more, and a new True Martial grand formation immediately took shape.

Everything happened with remarkable speed and smoothness, as though it had been tempered a thousand times. It took barely one-sixth of the time it had in the Spiritual Mountain Trial.

The new Acupoint formation formed chains upon chains that once again locked down the Profound Martial Secret Treasure. At first, the Profound Martial Secret Treasure still trembled faintly, but after the True Qi circulated through all three hundred and sixty Acupoints for one full cycle, the formation completely stabilized.

Gu Yuanqing let out a long breath. Things had gone far more smoothly than he had anticipated.

He did not stop there. He continued cultivating, steadily reinforcing the new Technique Path until it gradually became instinctive.

He remained seated for the entire night. When he finished his cultivation, the True Qi within his body was unexpectedly fifty percent more refined than it had been the day before.

The True Qi in his dantian had already been close to fullness, yet now it had become hollow.

Clearly, the cultivation effects of the new Heavenly Dao Zen Heart Art far surpassed the old one.

Feeling the Acupoint formation within him, steady as Mount Tai, Gu Yuanqing smiled. Activating the Cultivation Method, he saw the phantom of a Green Mountain outside his body become lifelike.

The changes in the Acupoint formation seemed to have also transformed the connection between the Profound Martial Secret Treasure and the outside world.

"My foundation is finally complete. I need only spend some time accumulating True Qi and wait for the Profound Martial Secret Treasure to transform. Then the Grandmaster Realm will be within reach!"

At the same time, a secret letter flew into the Imperial Palace.

When Eunuch Huang, whose duty was to receive secret letters, saw the mark on the letter tube, his heart sank. Not daring to delay in the slightest, he entered Fengtian Hall from the rear.

Morning court was in session. Below the hall, the Minister of Revenue was reporting on the drying up of the Qi River waters in South Goose Path. But Eunuch Huang could not concern himself with that. Head lowered and back bent, he hurried from the side to Xu Lianying's side and presented the letter with both hands.

Xu Lianying had been about to rebuke him, but upon seeing the mark on the letter tube, his expression also turned grave. He stepped before Li Haotian, offered it with both hands, and said softly, "Your Majesty."

Li Haotian had long noticed the eunuch who had rushed in and knew that something might have happened. He took the letter tube, opened it, and removed the secret memorial within. After only one glance, his expression changed drastically.

It read: Your subject Yan Yifeng kowtows and reports to Your Majesty... Grandmaster Zhou Yin was attacked at Water Stockade Peak in Hexi Province, his life or death unknown; the four Heavenly Catchers, Ma Weiwei, Jing Shanping, Liu Jiujiang, and Zhong Mengfei, have all perished; the culprit is suspected to be the Crimson Dragon Cult...