The Outline Comes into Focus

"Your Zodiac Three Palaces Technique has created a reasonable space for different forces to coexist, thus avoiding entanglement. This is indeed a good thing. If I return to reality in the future, I will be able to use this method to merge into one without worrying about the difficulty of merging after being separated for a long time!"

Zhang Xuezhou was able to quickly master the Zodiac Three Palaces Technique. Although it had some mysterious aspects, it was not incomprehensible or impossible to follow and practice.

Ren Anran felt that after several years of repeated practice, he might be able to reach the level of Zhang Xuezhou's Zodiac Three Palaces Technique.

It must be said that Hongjun's guidance and shaping of the soul saved Zhang Xuezhou a lot of time. This ability of the other party is somewhat similar to Qinmeng's enlightenment of Ferocious Beast by a half-step ascendant, except that Zhang Xuezhou is the beneficiary now.

"The Empress Dowager seems to be nearing her end, and she is extremely anxious. She even invited Yi Shuo back to the palace to treat her, perhaps hoping to seek help for her cultivation. She somehow managed to force Xiao Huo to reach the Divine Ability Realm. I followed Yi Shuo into the palace to witness Xiao Huo's fusion with the Nascent Soul and his ascension to the Divine Ability. Xiao Huo's fusion with the Nascent Soul was very strange; it seemed as if something within his body was guiding him!"

"Guide?"

Huo Qubing's situation was extremely strange. It was one thing that he was old, had strong cultivation, and had an unconventional cultivation style, but Huo Qubing showed that he was different from ordinary people from the very beginning of his cultivation.

This is similar to how Zhang Xuezhou created the Technique Method for the Qi Refining realm at the very beginning of his cultivation of the Gene Sequence; the process is unbelievable.

Zhang Xuezhou's success was due to a combination of factors, including the support of a particular world, Donghua's mistakes, and the influence of the giant tree. Huo Qubing did not have such conditions.

"Wei Shao'er once consumed the Ancestral Dragon Blood," Zhang Xuezhou pondered. "This led to risks during the birth of Xiao Huo. During treatment, a painting demon entered the body, and the effects of the Sage Kong scroll and the Sage Kong's Token were also involved. Wei Shao'er also consumed the Gourd Pill, which possessed Yao Qi and was an extremely rare plant-based demon, which may have also had some influence!"

"So much high technology piled up on Little Huo?"

Ren Anran looked surprised, realizing that she had never seen so many factors combined in Huo Qubing.

Huo Qubing's growth was not only intellectually precocious, but his cultivation was also accomplished early. While most scions of the Aristocratic Clan were still honing their bodies and waiting for them to stabilize before starting their cultivation, Huo Qubing had already secretly begun his training.

To be fair, Huo Qubing's cultivation was quite good; he not only generated the seed for breaking through to a higher realm, but also steadily progressed upwards.

At his age, Zhang Xuezhou couldn't even distinguish between truth and falsehood in the world, let alone cultivate himself.

If we compare the two, Huo Qubing was a genius cultivator of Zhang Xuezhou's age.

Such an opportunity is not replicable, and it is also very difficult to fully understand the factors behind Huo Qubing's spiritual practice.

"Among these factors, the painting demon possesses a living consciousness. If it can guide Xiao Huo, it's highly likely that the painting demon is at work," Zhang Xuezhou said. "Speaking of which, I need to find the Investiture of the Gods text, and the painting demon has the highest probability of finding such a treasure. Perhaps I'll need Xiao Huo's help in the future!"

"If a special way of thinking is guiding things, then Xiao Huo's situation becomes easier to understand!"

Ren Anran had never seen a painting demon, but she understood the power of spirit. Her current clone was also constructed in a similar way, only their powers differed, and the way they combined to stabilize their bodies was also different.

This relatively weak painting demon and the equally weak Huo Qubing coexisted and even cooperated to improve each other.

The existence of the painting demon was a key factor in Huo Qubing's fusion with the Nascent Soul. The other party did not even need to specially modify and cultivate the Yang Corporeal Soul Body; the painting demon's spiritual consciousness flow was directly present in his body.

"You mean that the fusion of the infant requires consciousness to construct a dual cycle of consciousness inside and outside the body?" Zhang Xuezhou asked doubtfully.

"In the past, we treated sequence locks, Demon Core, and the like as constructs of physical power, never endowing them with consciousness, merely using them as tools," Ren Anran said. "But this kind of fusion and infancy formation likely requires cultivation of both body and mind to take shape. Cultivating the physical body is oneself, and cultivating the infancy is also oneself!"

"This statement does align with the dogmatic notion in classical texts that 'spiritual cultivation is both self-cultivation and mind cultivation'!"

Ren Anran's ideas are not unique; they are theories that have existed for a long time.

People in the past had the concept of cultivating their minds, but lacked the ability to practice it. In the present, however, there is the possibility of putting theory into practice.

After demonstrating the three zodiac signs and interacting with Ren Anran about various aspects of reality, he finally emerged from the Yin-Yang Secret Land.

"I have a friend named Dong Zhongshu, who is particularly skilled in this kind of theory. He has also analyzed Xiao Huo's fusion and transformation into an infant using Confucian School Realm Technique of spiritual cultivation," Zhang Xuezhou said, looking at Ren Anran. "I will arrange for you two to meet and see if you can gain anything from this discussion!"

"I've heard of Dong Zhongshu; he's become quite famous recently," Ren Anran said. "Ever since His Majesty returned to Chang'an City, he's been vigorously promoting the 'divine right of kings,' claiming that the Great Han Dynasty is the legitimate dynasty under Heaven and Earth, and that all subjects of the Great Han Dynasty are the purest Chinese people. He's also mentioned the traditional order of heaven, Heaven and Earth, ruler, parents, and teachers. Many people are talking about these things."

"Dong Zhongshu was very good at this," Zhang Xuezhou nodded. "He wasn't just preaching theories; he was educating the people on a large scale, thereby uniting their hearts and minds, and even making the people of the surrounding vassal states identify with Chang'an City. He could abolish the autonomy of the vassal kings by enclosing their territories without bloodshed!"

Ren Anran had heard of Dong Zhongshu's name and had even heard about his recent words and actions.

Judging from the itinerary of Ren Anran and others being invited to the Immortal Court, Dong Zhongshu seized this opportunity very early and promoted it extensively through Confucian School, which is why Ren Anran and others, who set off for the Immortal Court just two days later, came to know about it.

Any form of education and instruction needs to conform to the objective laws of social development. In the view of Zhang Xuezhou and others, Dong Zhongshu's system undoubtedly has many problems, but it is a theory that is suitable for the current social form. Otherwise, it would not have become so popular and spread and recognized so quickly.

"He has set up a place in Chang'an City for debating the scriptures, and he welcomes anyone to come and debate, discuss, and verify the arguments. I can go find him myself when the time comes!"

"Has Master Dong started setting up a challenge arena?"

Ren Anran's news surprised Zhang Xuezhou somewhat. Dong Zhongshu did not shy away from debate and discussion when discussing the classics, which meant that Dong Zhongshu was not afraid of literary or physical confrontation.

Literary debates include oral arguments and quotations from classical texts, while martial arts debates include martial arts and Technique Method.

This is also the style of Confucian School, the Sage Kong: to accept everything without question, thereby gaining the approval of dissenters.

Zhang Xuezhou considered Dong Zhongshu's strength, the declining Hundred Schools of Thought, the Daoist Lord who had disappeared, and the likes of Zhu Jiuyin who had lost their bodies. He felt that Dong Zhongshu was likely to be able to stand firm on the stage.

"As long as the people on the King of Huainan's side don't stab me in the back, Master Dong will be in a very safe position!"

If Dong Zhongshu had some rather unique opponents in his discussions of the classics, Zhang Xuezhou could only think of the group of people under the command of the Prince of King of Huainan.

This seemingly simple matter presented the King of Huainan with a major dilemma.

The King of Huainan made numerous preparations, including the use of magic gold, tofu, Changxing's secret elixir, and connections with the Immortal Court, demonstrating a well-thought-out strategy that allowed him to advance or retreat as needed. However, all his schemes were no match for the overwhelming force that defeated his cleverness in a single day.

The Immortal Court granted them sufficient authority, allowing concepts such as the divine right of kings and the concepts of Heaven, Heaven and Earth, Ruler, Parents, and Teachers to be accepted. As long as the people accepted the court's theories, it meant that no matter how much trouble the local lords caused, they would be considered traitors and rebels, and few would join them in causing chaos.

Zhang Xuezhou felt he might need to speed things up to avoid the King of Huainan taking reckless and aggressive actions that could lead to a mutually destructive conflict with the new emperor.