Yang Qianhuan emerged from seclusion

At the foot of Haoqi Tower, Xu Qi'an looked up at the tall building, its eaves soaring upwards, layer upon layer, resembling a pagoda.

From the second floor onwards, each floor has a covered walkway offering panoramic views. At this time of year, spring is in full bloom, and the view from the seventh floor is picturesque.

He didn't go upstairs immediately. He stood there lost in thought for a long time before finally adjusting his fur hat, looking at the guard with a blank expression, and saying in a deep voice, "Send word."

After the guard came downstairs to report, Xu Qi'an quickly climbed the stairs. The officials he encountered along the way bowed and greeted him, but he merely nodded and hummed in response.

Upon entering the tea room, Xu Qi'an stepped onto a soft mat woven from reeds and sat cross-legged at the tea table. Before him lay a cup of hot tea and Wei Yuan, who was calmly reading a book.

"Duke Wei, I have something to report."

"Explain."

"There are reasons why I, your humble servant, have interfered in the conflict between the Celestial Person and the human realm."

He immediately told Wei Yuan about Master Jinlian's instructions and the reward for Qingdan.

Wei Yuan nodded slowly, his expression softening slightly, and said, "I guessed it."

Xu Qi'an immediately adopted a listening posture. "My recklessness will surely incur the wrath of loyal and righteous officials in the court."

He came to Wei Yuan to inquire about the history of the Battle of Shanhai Pass, but that would make him seem like he was treating his superior as a tool, which is not something a smart subordinate should do.

To put it another way, Xu Qi'an came to Haoqi Tower this time to report something; asking questions was just a side thing.

"Not at all."

Wei Yuan shook his head. "Although you delayed the battle between Celestial Person and Man, you didn't stop it. Those who want to see Luo Yuheng die are at most angry with you."

"Will you be angry with me, Duke Wei?" Xu Qi'an seemed relieved, then continued, "Thanks to the medicinal power of the Green Elixir, this humble servant has already achieved minor mastery of the Vajra Divine Skill."

Wei Yuan was not surprised by this and simply hummed in agreement.

Xu Qi'an waited a moment, and seeing that he didn't speak, he immediately said, "This humble servant would like to know how to cultivate to the fifth rank of Transformation Realm?"

Wei Yuan put down his book, picked up his teacup and took a small sip, straightened his posture, and looked at Xu Qi'an: "First, you need to understand what 'transformation of internal energy' is. Hmm, throw a punch to the left."

Xu Qi'an didn't understand his intention, but followed his instructions and punched to the left.

Wei Yuan picked up the book, patted his shoulder and upper arm, and said with a smile, "There's noticeable trembling here."

"This is absolutely essential," Xu Qi'an replied.

I won't bother explaining advanced concepts like the mutual interaction of forces to you, since you're from ancient times.

When you throw a punch, regardless of whether you hit the target or not, the force travels through your arm, which naturally causes your shoulder and skin to tremble.

If it hits an object, the arm will also experience a reaction force.

"The Transformation Realm will not cause any tremors. Martial artists at this level can perfectly control their own power without wasting a single bit."

Wei Yuan picked up the book again and calmly said, "Why do the major systems fear martial artists getting close? They fear martial artists of the fifth rank and above. They fear martial artists at the Transformation Realm. Do you understand?"

A martial artist with the power of transformation can wipe out any system in one fell swoop? But, but that doesn't conform to the laws of mechanics... Wait, I remember now, Yang Yan and Jiang Luzhong once fought in the fighting arena of the yamen to compete for me, this femme fatale.

Xu Qi'an recalled that battle. The two Golden Gong fighters fought without any aftershock or reaction force, which seriously violated the laws of mechanics. He was amazed at the time and secretly wondered which martial arts system and which rank brought about this miracle.

Now I understand, it's the fifth rank of Transformation Force.

"Now that you've reached this level, I'll explain some more about the martial arts system to you," Wei Yuan said, while reading.

"Before reaching the fifth rank, talent accounts for only 30%, effort for 30%, and resources for 40%. After reaching the fifth rank, talent accounts for 60%, effort for 20%, and resources for 20%."

"Why?" Xu Qi'an asked, puzzled.

"To master every bit of one's own power, one must rely on the martial artist's comprehension; external objects cannot play a role. In the Nightwatchers's office, only the 'Treatise on Meridian Circulation' can help you understand other things by analogy, but whether you can cultivate to the level of Transformation Realm still depends on the individual."

"Before the fifth rank, as long as Cultivation Method and resources, and your talent isn't too bad, you can reach it. The sixth rank is as common as hairs on a cow, but by the fifth rank, the number starts to decrease. By the third rank, the Great Feng Dynasty only has one Prince of Zhenbei," Wei Yuan said.

Only Xu Qi'an, the Prince of Zhenbei, keenly grasped the meaning behind Wei Yuan's words and asked, "Are there still third-rank officials in the Great Feng world?"

"Where the waters run deep, there are many turtles; don't underestimate these heroes from humble backgrounds," Wei Yuan laughed. "However, their numbers are few and far between, and they are all relatively law-abiding. The imperial court's attitude towards them is appeasement, allowing them to become powerful figures in their own right. If you have the chance, you can take a trip to Jianzhou, the most prosperous place for martial arts in the Great Feng Martial Dao."

No wonder Wei Yuan has always wanted me to go to the martial world. The martial world seems quite interesting. Xu Qi'an put aside his thoughts and casually asked:

"Duke Wei, I have recently been reading history."

Before he could finish speaking, Wei Yuan interrupted him with a mocking, half-smiling tone, "You can even read history books?"

I sensed the disdain emanating from the top student. Xu Qi'an forced a smile, "This humble servant does read occasionally; after all, I can be considered half a scholar."

Back in the day, he was a hero who fought his way through nine years of compulsory education, but the older he got, the less interested he became in books.

Seeing that Wei Yuan did not refute, Xu Qi'an went straight to the point and asked curiously, "This humble servant has discovered that, apart from the ' Sixty-Year Demon Purge ' between the Buddhist School and the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons, the Battle of Shanhai Pass is a large-scale war that is rare in the history of the Nine Provinces."

"What caused this war? The historical records are vague on the matter. I believe that you, Duke Wei, were the commander of the five armies at the time, and you must know the answer to this question perfectly well."

Wei Yuan pondered for a long time, as if recalling something, his eyes filled with a sense of vicissitude, and slowly said:

In the 13th year of Yuanjing, the southern barbarians, led by the Gu tribe, suddenly attacked the southern border of Great Feng, capturing cities and seizing territories, causing widespread devastation for hundreds of miles. Upon receiving the report, the imperial court immediately organized an army to march south and drive out the barbarians.

"As a result, in August of the same year, the northern barbarians and Demon Race joined forces, organizing 200,000 cavalry and demon soldiers to attack Great Feng in the south, like a lion hunting a rabbit."

"The Great Feng Dynasty was attacked from both sides. After a year of war, in the 14th year of Yuanjing, it abandoned the vast territory of the two northwestern states and focused on fighting against the southern barbarians."

That autumn, the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons occupied those two states and declared its restoration.

Wei Yuan stood up, walked to the standing map of the territory, drew a large circle in the northwest of the Great Feng, and said:

"Once Chuzhou and Jingzhou split off, the northern barbarians, Demon Race, and the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons will form a triangle. Whether they march south to attack Great Feng or west to attack the Buddhist Kingdom, the three sides can form the closest possible alliance and support each other."

"Therefore, in the 15th year of Yuanjing, the Buddhist Kingdom of the Western Regions intervened. The tide of war immediately turned, and the Buddhist Kingdom and the Great Feng joined forces, recapturing Chuzhou and Jingzhou within three months. The Great Feng was able to catch its breath and divert more troops south to strike a heavy blow against the southern barbarians led by the Gu tribe."

As expected, remnants of the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons did participate in the Battle of Shanhai Pass. The Demon Race princess of the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox clan, whose ultimate goal was to restore her kingdom, realized the overwhelming power of Buddhist School after the defeat at Shanhai Pass and that she needed to weaken Buddhist School to restore her kingdom. Therefore, she began plotting against the divine realm beneath Sangbo.

Xu Qi'an nodded slowly. Once the other party's goal is clear, many things become traceable, and one can respond calmly.

Then he thought of another problem: the emergence of Mahaprajnaparamita Buddhism would definitely cause a huge uproar in the West, and ideological disputes would be inevitable, which could lead to a split within Buddhist School.

What would that nine-tailed celestial fox think?

What she had painstakingly accomplished for centuries but failed to achieve, a mere silver gong from the Great Feng, with just a few casual words, caused a split within Buddhist School.

Wei Yuan said, "In the 16th year of Yuanjing, the Demon Race tribes of the north, the remnants of the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons, and the witch god sect of the northeast met at Shanhai Pass, making a desperate gamble to fight a decisive battle against the Buddhist School of the Western Regions and the Great Feng. The forces deployed by each side exceeded one million, and the war lasted for half a year without sleep, finally ending in a Pyrrhic victory for the Great Feng and the Buddhist Kingdom. This is known in history as the Battle of Shanhai."

"Duke Wei, why did the Witch God Cult suddenly get involved?" Xu Qi'an asked.

"Of course there's profit to be made. The Witch God Cult has always been hostile to the Great Feng, and this relates to an old incident from the founding of the Great Feng Dynasty," Wei Yuan replied.

"I know that," Xu Qi'an thought to himself. "The founding emperor of the Great Feng Dynasty abandoned the Witch God Cult. When he needed them, he called them 'sweethearts,' but once he established the country, he turned around and called them 'old hags.'"

"Wouldn't it be better for the Witch God Cult to directly harass the Great Feng in the northeast?" Xu Qi'an asked doubtfully.

Even during the most difficult times for the imperial court, it was willing to give up the two northern prefectures rather than relax its deployment in the northeast. If the Witch God Sect attacks the northeast and fails to conquer it after a long siege, the war at Shanhai Pass will be over, and the Great Feng will have ample time and troops to support the northeastern border.

"Instead of that, we should borrow a route through the northern barbarian and Demon Race territories to reach Shanhai Pass and settle the matter in one battle."

Xu Qi'an held the teacup, lost in thought.

The Battle of Shanhai Pass began with a joint force of northern and southern barbarian tribes, but initially it was the Gu tribe leading the southern barbarians to attack the border of Great Feng. Subsequently, the northern barbarians also moved south to attack Great Feng.

This shows that it was the former leader of the Heavenly Gu tribe who mediated and instigated the Gu clan to start the war.

This fits into the two thieves' plan.

The other thief was Warlock, and the Warlock System originated from the Sorcerer System. When the Witch God Cult intervened in the Battle of Shanhai Pass, this mysterious Warlock must have instigated and catalyzed the conflict.

Xu Qi'an could imagine how the two thieves persuaded all sides to form an alliance and provoke this unprecedented large-scale battle.

"So the remnants of the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons knew I possessed destiny through what happened back then? No, that's not right. Stealing destiny was a secret plot by two thieves; even the Inspector didn't notice before my destiny awakened. Then, how did the Demon Race Princess discover the destiny within me?"

"She must have known, otherwise she wouldn't have allowed the monk Shenshu to parasitize my body."

"Let's ignore that for now and set a long-term goal: find out why the mysterious Warlock stole the fortune. The leader of the Heavenly Gu Clan stole the fortune to suppress the Gu God, but the mysterious Warlock may have other motives."

Lost in thought, Wei Yuan asked, "Is there anything else?"

Xu Qi'an shook his head. "No more."

He did not decide to tell Wei Yuan about his destiny, even though the Supervisor and the Golden Lotus Daoist knew about it, but it was the two old silver coins who discovered it themselves.

Xu Qi'an never told anyone on his own initiative.

The reason Xu Qi'an didn't tell Wei Yuan was because he had a concern: Wei Yuan was a national hero, and in his heart, the Great Feng Dynasty was either the first or the second most important thing.

Xu Qi'an did not believe that he held a higher place in Wei Yuan's heart than Great Feng. If Wei Yuan knew that the reason for Great Feng's decline was that its fortune had been stolen and transferred to him, he would be in trouble.

What will Wei Yuan choose?

"He is still my biggest support, but I can't gamble with my life and fortune," Xu Qi'an thought to himself.

"Think again, is there anything else?" Wei Yuan stared at him.

"No more." Xu Qi'an met his gaze and shook his head.

In the dimly lit room, a pale hand holds a calligraphy brush and writes a secret letter:

Respected Master:

"Recently, many things have happened in Great Feng. With the end of the Capital Evaluation, the factional struggles have gradually subsided, and Wei Yuan and Chief Minister Wang have begun to work together to rectify the malpractices of the clerks."

"I learned from rumors that their next goal is to thoroughly investigate the embezzlement of military farmland and the reduction of taxes. Ha, the two of them working together can indeed sweep through the court."

"But as long as Emperor Yuanjing does not give up his cultivation of Daoism, he will be like a bottomless glutton, devouring the strength of the Great Feng Kingdom. The policy of reducing or exempting taxes will inevitably be hindered."

"Rest assured, in the next ten years, the power of the Great Feng Kingdom will decline to its lowest point. Without this powerful ally, the Buddhist Kingdom, no matter how strong it is, will be powerless. If another Battle of Shanhai is launched, we will surely be the victors."

"By the way, I have some good news to tell you. During the battle between the Bureau of Astronomy and the Buddhist School sect, Xu Qi'an, the Silver Xu Qi'an, proposed the Mahayana Buddhist concept, which enlightened the Arhat Du'e. I predict that there may be great turmoil in the West this year, which is an opportunity for us."

"He is truly a man of extraordinary talent and potential. His future is limitless. May I be so bold as to ask, what are your plans for him?"

Her fair hand put down the pen, stared at the secret letter, and remained silent for a long time.

Bureau of Astronomy.

The stone door leading to the underground creaked open, and a ninth-rank official in white robes called out towards the deep underground depths, "Senior Brother Yang, half a month has passed; you may emerge now."

A few seconds later, a figure in white walked backwards, stubbornly turning the back of his head towards the world.

"I, Yang Qianhuan, will eventually return to this world, and no one can suppress me," the white-robed figure said slowly.

"Yes, yes, yes," the ninth-rank Warlock replied casually, offering a reminder:

"Don't do anything stupid again next time. The supervising teacher said that if you follow Xu Qi'an's example, he'll imprison you underground and you'll never be able to come out again."

Yang Qianhuan scoffed, "Do I need to emulate him? He simply did what I wanted to do."

"A lunatic," the ninth-rank Warlock thought to himself.

"Hmm, what happened in the outside world while I was in seclusion underground?" Yang Qianhuan stood with his hands behind his back, his tone indifferent.

PS: Thanks to "Human Joyful Things" for the two Silver Alliance members, big boss, do you need a leg accessory? How about a seafood merchant? Thanks to "Xiao Yingxue'er" for being the Alliance Leader, I like that name. Thanks to "Mr. Big Yellow" for being the Alliance Leader, let's sleep together sometime.

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