Little Huo's Forcible Push

Dong Zhongshu had indeed witnessed Zhang Xuezhou and the new emperor working together to kill, so it's not hard to understand what kind of ruthless character someone was who could charge towards Daojun and Zhu Jiuyin.

Most importantly, Zhang Xuezhou and his team won.

Judging from the limited information available, Dong Zhongshu was quite certain that Daojun and Zhu Jiuyin had met with disaster.

Both of them enjoyed extremely high prestige and reputation in the Northern Kuru Continent, and possessed terrifyingly powerful abilities, but they disappeared without a trace.

Based on Zhang Xuezhou's and the new emperor's ability to control the Sky Shuttle for long distances, Dong Zhongshu suspected that Daojun and Zhu Jiuyin had been poisoned by Zhang Xuezhou and his associates.

Although he was willing to accept the verification of cultivators from all over the world in Chang'an City, Dong Zhongshu really didn't dare to be presumptuous when he encountered Zhang Xuezhou and others.

"I have plenty of time now, you can move me wherever you want!"

Dong Zhongshu had just mentioned that he was extremely busy and could not leave the Temple of Confucius unless he was the victor, but the next moment he had become a free man and was very willing to cooperate with Zhang Xuezhou.

This change surprised Ren Anran, but as long as she considered that Zhang Xuezhou's abilities were similar in reality, she could accept the change of heart of this Confucian School leader.

"It's nothing much. Little Huo has entered the Divine Ability Realm, and I'm thinking of giving him another boost to see if I can push him into the Sole Self Realm," Zhang Xuezhou said. "Little Huo's cultivation method is quite profound; we need Master Dong's help to take a look!"

"Little Huo has only been in the Divine Ability Realm for less than half a month. Aren't you being a little too hasty in pushing him into the Sole Self Realm?"

Dong Zhongshu took a deep breath.

Zhang Xuezhou spoke lightly, but Dong Zhongshu was well aware of the difficulty of the matter.

If the cultivation levels of cultivators in the world could be forcibly increased, they wouldn't have had to endure so much hardship back then.

It is extremely difficult for cultivators with solid foundations like them to advance further, let alone for a young Huo Qubing.

Even the simplest way of cultivation has its limits. "Zhongni Qiguan Shuo" is not an omnipotent classic. This classic is easy to get started with, but that does not mean that it will always be simple if you continue to cultivate. In fact, the higher you go in cultivation, the more difficult it becomes, which requires modifying the Realm Technique. It is already a miracle that Huo Qubing was able to cultivate to the Divine Ability Realm.

Dong Zhongshu felt that it was too difficult to push Huo Qubing into the Sole Self Realm at that time.

"Kong Anguo can break through six realms in a year, while some people struggle to break through even one realm in six years," Zhang Xuezhou said. "Cultivation is never about the length of time. Whether it's a year or three years, as long as the conditions are met, one can advance!"

"Anguo would probably cry if he heard you use him as an example," Dong Zhongshu shook his head and said, "He accumulated years of experience and broke through six realms in a row. He spent five years trying to enter the Divine Ability Realm. He mentioned that he would enter the Sole Self Realm at least ten or even fifteen years from now. If he fortuitous opportunity to enter the True Self Realm, it would be after he was fifty-five years old. He mocked himself for always considering himself extraordinary, but in the end, he still became just an ordinary person!"

"A fifty-five-year-old True Self Realm cultivator is not considered utterly shrewd!"

Zhang Xuezhou opened his mouth as if to suggest that fortuitous opportunity for advancement in cultivation could shorten the lifespan, but then closed his mouth again.

In the past, when people could cultivate the Fate Technique, a cultivator like Kong Anguo, who had cultivated for over thirty years and reached the True Self Realm, would have been considered a top genius.

However, given that the average lifespan of cultivators is over seventy years, Kong Anguo's pace was a step behind. The physical aging that came with being fifty-five years old meant that he needed to rely on carriages and horses to travel, and even with his True Self Realm cultivation, he had little room to exert his abilities.

In the ambush at Mayi, many powerful cultivators were not even capable of making an appearance. They traveled to the border by carriage and could only return by carriage.

The ideal age for the True Self Realm Grand Cultivator to be selected is around forty years old. This is a relatively extreme age. Grand Cultivators at this age have accumulated enough knowledge, hold high official positions, have strong willpower, and can engage in Gao Qiang work, thus enabling them to shoulder top-level important positions in the Great Han Dynasty.

Kong Anguo had lofty aspirations, but his abilities fell short of them. He was keenly aware of his own limitations, hence his self-deprecating remarks.

Zhang Xuezhou himself was in dire straits, barely able to protect himself, let alone help a cultivator he once had feelings for.

Zhang Xuezhou always believed that his cultivation required him to seize fortuitous opportunity, and whether he could get fortuitous opportunity depended on his personal value. He was never a pushover who would do everything for others; Ning Que was a prime example of this.

Huo Qubing was valued only because of his special worth, while Zhang Xuezhou obtained a large number of elixirs from the Immortal Court and also had a certain ability to support him, which enabled Zhang Xuezhou to win over many people and give him a push.

"Little Huo is only thirteen years old. The price you'll pay for betting on him to reach the Sole Self Realm is very high. This kind of cultivation resource could at least create a Kong Anguo at the True Self Realm!"

Dong Zhongshu walked quickly alongside Zhang Xuezhou, repeatedly reminding him as he looked at the composed Zhang Xuezhou.

"Kong Anguo in the True Self Realm is of no benefit to me!"

Investment requires returns, and Zhang Xuezhou's resources are not commonplace. Whether it's Kong Anguo or Wei Qing, he won't place an investment if he can't get feedback.

Zhang Xuezhou is not the new emperor. A new emperor wouldn't care which courtier can Denggao, as long as they can contribute to the court. Zhang Xuezhou's goals are very clear, and no one else would be given such heavy resources to cultivate.

After asking several questions, Dong Zhongshu finally understood the answer.

Regardless of Huo Qubing's age or whether he was suitable for rapidly advancing his cultivation level, as long as Huo Qubing possessed the value of fusing with the Nascent Soul stage, Zhang Xuezhou would choose to push him forward, even without caring about the waste of cultivation resources.

The new emperor and Wei Qing were in charge of Huo Qubing's cultivation from the Meridian Circulation Realm to the Body Transformation Realm, the Empress Dowager was in charge of the Divine Ability Realm cultivation, Zhang Xuezhou began to take over the Sole Self Realm cultivation.

Each step of this cultivation process is more difficult than the last, and no one can ever guarantee that the cultivation will be successful. However, Huo Qubing was repeatedly pushed upwards by everyone until he reached his current level.

Dong Zhongshu put his mind at ease. He was also very curious about whether Huo Qubing's young body could withstand the long and continuous training, and how Zhang Xuezhou would exert his strength to promote it.

"Xiao Huo must have graduated from the academy after reaching the Divine Ability Realm, so where did he go this time?"

Arriving at Wei Qing's residence in the Imperial City District by carriage, Zhang Xuezhou got off and knocked on the door, but no one answered. He turned to Ren Anran, who was in contact with Huo Qubing, and asked her.

"Little Huo stayed at Changxin Palace for a while, and after leaving the palace, he went off to have fun everywhere," Ren Anran said. "Perhaps in underground gambling dens, or maybe listening to music in brothels!"

Where is the largest gambling den in Chang'an City?

Zhang Xuezhou looked at Liu Xuan, who had remained silent the whole way.

With limited leisure options available in today's society, gambling dens and brothels are the best places for ordinary people to release stress, unless they involve aristocratic lifestyles such as hunting in enclosures.

Wei Shao'er was a popular courtesan in a brothel. Huo Qubing had frequented brothels since childhood and was extremely familiar with such places. Huo Qubing rarely had any interest in touching older women, so it was unlikely that he would go to a brothel to listen to music. The rest of the reason is not hard to guess.

Over the years, Wei Shao'er has often accompanied Liu Xuan to underground gambling dens, and most of the money he earns from singing is used by Liu Xuan to squander in these dens.

If asked about the entrance to the underground gambling den, Liu Xuan would certainly know the relevant details.

"Mingci Gambling House!"

Liu Xuan paused for a moment before saying the name of the gambling den, and then added more details.

"The mastermind behind that gambling den has excavated many ancient tombs, uncovering numerous valuable artifacts. There are also many skilled divination masters among them. These individuals use the gambling games to set traps, drawing people deeper and deeper into the trap, making them increasingly unable to obtain what they desire!"

For Liu Xuan, the Mingci Gambling House was also the place where he lost his wings.

Just as he couldn't see through Zhang Xuezhou's true nature when facing him, Liu Xuan also failed to see through the true nature of the gambling den at Mingci. He won some useful items, but mostly lost all his money after repeated investments.