Taiqing

Breaking-through arts were secret transmissions in the martial world. Every sect treasured them beyond measure and would never pass them on to outsiders.

Yet there were nine such books on the shelves of Bright Martial Hall, and every one followed much the same line of thought: purification.

Through unique circulation routes, they purified and sharpened internal energy, then forcibly chiseled through the Three Passes. If one thrust failed, then two; if two failed, then ten, a hundred—until the Three Passes were finally broken open.

The more brilliant the breaking-through art, the purer the internal energy it cultivated, and the easier it was to break through.

The Jade Lock Golden Pass Technique, however, followed an entirely different path.

Through unique circulation routes, it could form additional barriers within the Meridians, binding internal energy inside certain special Meridians and locking it in place.

When the time came to break through, all that bound internal energy would be released at once, surging together into the Governor Vessel like floods bursting through several dikes. Its force was irresistible, instantly smashing open the Three Passes.

This Jade Lock Golden Pass Technique had been derived from the Dragon Subduing Sect and the Void Controlling Sword Sect, both ancient top-tier sects whose manuals sat on that separate shelf.

The ancient Dragon Subduing Sect's Dragon Subduing True Scripture contained a mental art called Dragon Binding Rope, as well as the Dragon Transformation Technique.

Dragon Binding Rope was a special method, one that allowed rapid mastery, while the Dragon Transformation Technique was a body-tempering art that transformed one's body into a dragon.

The first layer of the Dragon Transformation Technique tempered the Meridians, making the Twelve Meridians and Eight Extraordinary Meridians as tough and mighty as a dragon's.

Without cultivating this art first, several streams of internal energy rushing in at once would destroy one's Meridians before they could break through any barrier.

Once the Dragon Transformation Technique was mastered, one would cultivate the Void Controlling Sword Sect's Qi Washing Art, purifying internal energy until it was nearly like a sword, and finally cultivate Dragon Binding Rope.

Dragon Transformation Technique -> Qi Washing Art -> Dragon Binding Rope = Jade Lock Golden Pass Technique.

He secretly found it amusing.

The Emperor had indeed created the Jade Lock Golden Pass Technique in pursuit of stability rather than innovation. It was merely a patchwork, so naturally nothing was likely to go wrong.

To ordinary people, this cultivation art was simply putting legs on a snake.

One could just cultivate the Qi Washing Art directly. The Qi Washing Art was already one of the rarest top-tier breaking-through arts in the world, so why waste time on the Dragon Transformation Technique and Dragon Binding Rope?

Both the Dragon Subduing Sect and the Void Controlling Sword Sect had been ancient top-tier sects, with exceedingly high requirements for talent and comprehension. That was also the fundamental reason their inheritances had been severed.

Even the rapid-mastery Qi Washing Art and Dragon Binding Rope were extraordinarily difficult to master, much less all three in one go.

There was not even any need to cultivate the Qi Washing Art. If one found some other secret breaking-through art, the time spent cultivating the Qi Washing Art might have been enough to break through and enter the Xiantian Realm already.

But the wonders of the Jade Lock Golden Pass Technique did not stop at breaking through these Three Passes. It could also overcome the barriers in all later realms.

Every floor of the Innate Twelve Floors and every heaven of the Grandmaster Nine Heavens could be broken through with it.

This was a once-and-for-all secret breaking-through art, an extraordinary art among extraordinary arts.

The premise was that one could cultivate it successfully.

Under normal circumstances, cultivating the Jade Lock Golden Pass Technique consumed an enormous amount of time. One had to lie dormant for a long while and inevitably endure others' cold looks and ridicule.

But it was not without a method for rapid mastery.

That method was the inheritance of the Taiqing Yuan Sect.

The Taiqing Yuan Sect was likewise an ancient sect with manuals on that separate shelf. It had the Heavenly Yuan Art, Earthly Yuan Art, and Human Yuan Art.

The Heavenly Yuan Art gathered the qi of the sun, moon, and stars, replenishing and even strengthening the spirit.

The Earthly Yuan Art gathered the qi of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, replenishing Primal Qi.

The Human Yuan Art gathered the yin and yang qi of the human body, replenishing Essence Blood.

Mastering the Earthly Yuan Art allowed one to swiftly replenish internal energy, removing the need to circulate the Lesser Violet Sun Technique cycle after cycle to recover.

Mastering the Heavenly Yuan Art allowed one to swiftly replenish the spirit.

One was comparable to a Foundation Cultivation Pill for restoring internal energy, and the other to a Spirit Nourishing Pill for restoring the spirit.

Moreover, the effects of spirit pills waned after repeated consumption, while the Heavenly Yuan Art and Earthly Yuan Art would only grow stronger and stronger.

Therefore, he needed to take a long detour and begin by cultivating the Heavenly Yuan Art and Earthly Yuan Art.

Heavenly Yuan Art, Earthly Yuan Art => Dragon Transformation Technique -> Qi Washing Art -> Dragon Binding Rope = Jade Lock Golden Pass Technique.

If he failed to master the Heavenly Yuan Art and Earthly Yuan Art, then he would give up all thought of cultivating the Jade Lock Golden Pass Technique and honestly cultivate the Qi Washing Art instead.

Early the next morning, he arrived at Bright Martial Hall beneath the morning light. The vast training ground was empty, with only one person standing in the Violet Sun Stance.

The man was broad and sturdy, with handsome features, standing in the dawn like a small iron tower.

Chu Zhiyuan clasped his fists and smiled, greeting him as though they were old friends. "Ninth Brother, you came quite early."

Chu Zhiting hesitated before returning the gesture. "Fourth Brother came early too."

That "Fourth Brother" came out reluctantly, as did the greeting. He did not want to speak with Chu Zhiyuan.

While Chu Zhiyuan read in the West Side Hall, he had not neglected to observe the training ground. By the end of half a day, he had thoroughly understood the temperaments of these twelve princes and the Heir Apparent.

Chu Zhiting was the Heir Apparent of the Tenth Prince, King Ying. He appeared sharp and distant, keeping others a thousand miles away, but he was actually somewhat socially anxious. He was neither eloquent nor fond of speaking, and most of the time he simply buried himself in diligent cultivation.

Chu Zhiyuan pretended not to notice his reluctance and continued chatting. "Tenth Uncle is returning to the capital soon, isn't he?"

He was certain that once King Ying, the Tenth Prince, was mentioned, Chu Zhiting would be unable to refuse him. Chu Zhiting worshipped his father immensely.

"...Father King will reach the capital within the next few days."

Chu Zhiting did not wish to speak. After hesitating, he still answered.

"That great battle at Crouching Dragon Valley did not strike Great Zhen hard enough, allowing them to remain so arrogant and unrepentant."

"...Father King said there was no choice but to withdraw then. Great Meng took advantage of the fire to loot the house. If the troops had not been withdrawn to reinforce us, Great Meng would have breached the city passes."

Chu Zhiting shook his head.

"Great Zhen and Great Meng are in cahoots—that is the real trouble." Chu Zhiyuan frowned. "Breaking their alliance is of paramount importance... Fortunately, Tenth Uncle is there. Once Tenth Uncle returns to the capital, Great Zhen will likely begin stirring again, and the northwest will become unstable once more... Still, Uncle King has guarded the northwest for ten years. Tenth Aunt and Ninth Brother have suffered for it."

Between men, talking about women or politics was the easiest way to close the distance.

Especially when it was what Chu Zhiting took the greatest pride in.

Every answer from Chu Zhiting had been reluctant. He had not wanted to speak, yet he answered in the end. Amid his inner struggle, he had already exchanged several words with Chu Zhiyuan.

"It's nothing..."

Chu Zhiting pressed his lips tightly together.

He felt both proud and honored, yet also bitter and sorrowful. His heart had been stirred.

Once his heart was stirred, their emotional distance closed by a great deal, and he no longer spoke to Chu Zhiyuan with such unwillingness.

Chu Zhiyuan displayed immense concern for the fighting along the northwest border, scratching precisely where Chu Zhiting itched. Before long, Chu Zhiting became eloquent and animated, and the two spoke with great enthusiasm.

Chu Zhiyuan smiled at Chu Zhiting. "Among Father King's generation, the one I admire most is Tenth Uncle. He concealed his identity and entered the military as an ordinary soldier, clawing his way to become a great general through military merit alone. Leave aside his wisdom and talent—just that courage is enough to make others ashamed of their inferiority!"

Chu Zhiting forcefully suppressed a smile.

Concealing his identity to join the military as an ordinary soldier, without guards and on the northwest frontier, was practically courting death at every turn.

Throughout the generations of the Great Jing Imperial Clan, Father King was the only one who had dared do such a thing. None of the others possessed such courage and resolve, which was why he had been granted the title King Ying.

The other princes had all been granted titles based on their fiefs. Prince Qing, for instance, had his fief in Qing Prefecture; Prince Huai in Huai Prefecture; Prince Jing in Jing Prefecture.

Only King Ying had not been granted his title after a fief.

As the two spoke, a tall, slender young man arrived at the training ground. He was exceptionally handsome, with an icy face and indifferent eyes. It was Chu Zhichuan, the Heir Apparent of the Thirteenth Prince, Prince Huai.

"Tenth Brother." Chu Zhiyuan clasped his fists with a smile.

Chu Zhichuan nodded coolly, closed his eyes, assumed a stance, and began cultivating.

The best time to cultivate the Lesser Violet Sun Technique was this stretch of morning, when the rising sun ascended in the east, purple qi came from the east, and the purple qi of heaven and earth was at its richest. Cultivation was most efficient then.

Chu Zhiyuan did not mind Chu Zhichuan's coldness. Chu Zhichuan's temperament differed from Chu Zhiting's.

Chu Zhiting's distant manner stemmed from social anxiety, and his nature was somewhat honest and straightforward. Chu Zhichuan's distant manner, however, came from arrogance. His eyes saw no dust, he disdained mundane affairs, and his heart was set solely on cultivation.

Thus, there was no need to draw close to Chu Zhichuan. Maintaining a normal distance was enough.

Chu Zhiyuan continued, "Once Ninth Brother enters the Xiantian Realm, will you join the military too?"

Chu Zhiting shook his head helplessly.

"Royal Aunt does not allow it?"

Chu Zhiting nodded with a bitter smile.

The family already had one person heading to the battlefield. If there were two, Mother would not be able to bear it, and she would never agree no matter what.

Besides, if he truly joined the military, he would certainly receive care from every side, with people helping him in everything. How could he possibly grow that way?

He had to be like Father King back then, enduring every hardship and difficulty before he could achieve something.

As the two spoke, Chu Zhichuan cultivated silently with his eyes closed. Soon, more and more Heir Apparents and princes arrived.

Chu Zhiyuan greeted each of them in turn.

"Eleventh Brother." "Thirteenth Brother." "Eighteenth Brother." "Eighteenth Uncle." "Nineteenth Uncle." "Twentieth Uncle."

The others responded one after another as well.

Chu Zhiyuan acted as though he did not see their reluctance and discomfort. He knew that in another two or three days, they would become familiar with it and it would turn into habit.

After Chu Qingfeng arrived, Chu Zhiyuan continued reading in the West Side Hall, browsing all kinds of martial arts secret manuals, martial arts miscellanies, and martial arts theories.

Among the collection were many martial arts notes from the Grandmaster Residence and Grandmaster's Mansion.

With these martial arts notes, Grandmasters and Great Grandmasters could exchange for military merit.

These martial arts notes did not involve any particular cultivation method. They were broad discussions, including understandings of heaven and earth, martial arts, worldly affairs, and the human body. They shook him deeply.

This world's understanding of martial arts and of the world itself was both profound and exquisitely subtle.

It was like the contention of a hundred schools during the Warring States period in his previous life, and also like the science of his previous life.

Building on the foundations of those before them, each generation cast off the old and brought forth the new, advancing another step. With one generation after another accumulating knowledge, one could imagine how brilliant and resplendent it had become.

After reading these notes, his understanding leaped forward by a tremendous margin.

A feeling of sudden enlightenment arose within him.

All at once, he understood why the princes and Heir Apparents of Bright Martial Hall entered the palace so early, beginning their cultivation before the rising sun emerged.

It was because of the Lesser Violet Sun Technique, the Xiantian Realm technique Greater Violet Sun Technique, and the Grandmaster technique Violet Sun True Scripture.

They sought to comprehend the Violet Sun Realm.

Every morning, they observed the violet sun and branded it into their hearts and souls.

Grandmasters entered the heart; Great Grandmasters entered the spirit.

This Violet Sun Realm was both the gateway to becoming a Grandmaster and the state of mind pursued by Great Grandmasters.

Whenever he read too much and his head swelled with dizziness, he would use the Heavenly Yuan Art.

Threads of cool aura descended from the sky and drilled in through his Baihui Acupoint.

His brain felt as though it had been immersed in a cold spring, refreshed yet icy. In an instant, his mind became clear and his thoughts agile, with sparks of inspiration flashing from time to time.

The Heavenly Yuan Art and Earthly Yuan Art placed excessively high demands on talent. Those with suitable natural endowments were almost impossible to find in the world.

The foundation of cultivation was sensing the existence of Primal Qi and gathering it.

If one could not sense Primal Qi, then no matter how much one cultivated, it was like a blind man fishing for a needle in the sea. But if one could sense Primal Qi, it was as easy as taking something from one's pocket—one attempt was enough for success.

As the Primal Qi of heaven and earth changed, no one could cultivate the Taiqing Yuan Sect's arts anymore, until they eventually became a vanished echo.

Because of his Super Sensation, cultivating the Heavenly Yuan Art and Earthly Yuan Art was as easy to him as drinking water. He mastered them as soon as he began, became proficient as soon as he mastered them, and had fully familiarized himself with them in a single night.

To him, the Heavenly Yuan Art and Earthly Yuan Art were countless times easier than the Lesser Violet Sun Technique.

Chu Qingfeng, who stood beside the training ground with his hands clasped behind his back, suddenly turned to look toward the West Side Hall, then raised his head toward the sky, deep in thought.

When Eighteenth Prince Chu Mingxuan noticed his unusual behavior, his fat face split into a grin. He chuckled. "Thirteenth Uncle, Fourth Son hides in there reading all day long. Does he not cultivate?"

"Mind your own business!"

"Thirteenth Uncle, we haven't sparred in quite a while. Let's have a match. Just practicing dryly all the time is too boring."

"You want to see Fourth Son make a fool of himself, don't you?"

"Thirteenth Uncle wrongs me! I only want to broaden my horizons and see just how formidable Fourth Son is."

Just how strong was this Fourth Son whom Thirteenth Uncle viewed in a different light?

Hopefully, he was not just all flash and no substance.

"If you put that much thought into cultivation, you would have entered the Xiantian Realm long ago!"

"Hehe, Thirteenth Uncle, it's been nearly two months since we last sparred, hasn't it? Everyone has grown bored of cultivation."

Bright Martial Hall held a match every two months to give everyone some stimulation and make them cultivate with greater vigor.

"You'll provide the prize?"

"No problem. I'll provide it!"

"I heard you recently obtained a treasured sword."

"It was dug out of a cave mansion in my fief. Then let's use it as the prize."

Chu Qingfeng shook his head. "You really are willing to go all out just to watch some excitement!"

He had heard of it. It was no ordinary treasured sword; its origins were a mystery, and it was absolutely no mundane object.

Had it not been found in Eighteenth Prince's fief, it would likely have stirred up a storm of blood and carnage long ago.

Using such a sword as a prize could only mean that Eighteenth Son was bored out of his mind.

Chu Mingxuan did not care in the least. "If Fourth Son can truly take first place, then consider it a meeting gift from me. As his imperial uncle, I cannot be too stingy, can I?"