A Little Bit

"Impossible!"

"That doesn't make sense!"

The Emperor's first beating of the extraterrestrial demon caused a disruption in Zhang Xuezhou's daily routine, while the Emperor's second act of pulling Zhang Xuezhou's three souls and seven spirits back into his body to resolve the problem of the Technique Within the Clouds led to even more serious consequences.

Lying on the wooden bed in the prefectural governor's mansion, Zhang Xuezhou drifted off to sleep. When he regained consciousness, he was still in this world.

Three days had passed, and Zhang Xuezhou couldn't help but question the meaning of life.

He felt that the extraterrestrial demon might have been seriously injured this time and wouldn't be able to recover for a while.

However, Zhang Xuezhou was unsure how long the other party's recovery would take.

This prolonged period of time almost rendered him a vegetable in the real world.

Once he returns to reality, he will obviously be in a state of confusion for a long time.

Zhang Xuezhou's only consolation right now is that he's escaped the Emperor. If the Emperor had continued to play him like this, not only would he have been killed by the Emperor, but the extraterrestrial demons would have also been crippled.

Focusing on his body, Zhang Xuezhou couldn't help but intensify his Grain Avoidance practice.

If Dong Zhongshu could help find some materials, Zhang Xuezhou felt he could try to refine Grain Avoidance powder to avoid starving to death when he was unable to regain consciousness.

This is no small matter.

Zhang Xuezhou wasn't worried about starving to death in reality; at worst, he could survive on IV fluids. But in this world, it was raw, unadulterated hunger.

If the Grain Avoidance technique cannot maintain normal physiological functions, Zhang Xuezhou will have no choice but to turn to medicine.

"Ginseng, Poria cocos, Atractylodes macrocephala, White hyacinth bean, Polygonatum sibiricum, Polygonum multiflorum, Platycladus orientalis seed, Coix seed, Rehmannia glutinosa, Asparagus cochinchinensis, Pine nut..."

Grain Avoidance powder requires a variety of medicinal materials, but it does not require that all of them be present.

Having any seven of these medicinal herbs is enough to prepare the basic decoction.

The higher the quantity, age, and quality of these medicinal materials, the stronger the effect of the resulting Grain Avoidance powder, eventually becoming a three-day Grain Avoidance powder, a five-day Grain Avoidance powder, a seven-day Grain Avoidance powder, or even a Grain Avoidance pill that can be refined to Grain Avoidance for ten days or half a month.

Zhang Xuezhou's practice advanced the Grain Avoidance Technique to the level of 12,648 acupoints in reality.

He couldn't care less about expending his Law Power to find a connection point that was accessible to those at the True Spirit Realm level, and couldn't resist his ulterior motives, so he left the room where he had prepared to lie down as a corpse.

"Heaven and earth possess a vast and righteous energy, which manifests itself in various forms..."

It was not difficult for Zhang Xuezhou to find Dong Zhongshu. When he found him, Dong Zhongshu was also reciting the Vast Righteous Qi Instruction).

The resounding voice caused a pale purple hue to appear above Dong Zhongshu's head, creating an unusual spectacle of purple qi rising as the sun rose.

As Zhang Xuezhou gazed intently, he saw dozens of images of Dong Zhongshu appearing within the purple qi. Some were casting wind spells, some water spells, some could turn water into ice, some had the ability to summon souls, some were accompanied by muffled thunder, and some were wielding swords...

Zhang Xuezhou even saw Dong Zhongshu use Drowsiness Technique to command a mosquito to fly around randomly.

The various scenes were extremely chaotic, as if Dong Zhongshu was constantly performing magic in his mind, displaying all the techniques he was good at.

"They can even demonstrate martial arts!"

Zhang Xuezhou was stunned.

Martial arts and martial arts are different disciplines; this was the first time he had ever seen a cultivator who could demonstrate both literary skills and a certain level of martial arts prowess.

The Confucian school's broad and extensive methods almost shattered Zhang Xuezhou's previous understanding of cultivation.

In Zhang Xuezhou's view, those who cultivate literary Law Technique must be proficient in magic, thus making it difficult for them to develop their physical skills.

The power that flows in martial arts is the power of Qi and Blood. This power is difficult to extend outside the body and is unlikely to have the long casting distance of Technique Method. This is why martial arts practitioners rarely practice Technique Method.

The different methods of cultivation between the two have resulted in little overlap between them.

Zhang Xuezhou focused intently and felt his knowledge greatly increased.

"As long as it exists in this world, don't worry about me not being able to learn it!"

Zhang Xuezhou's surprised exclamation was noticed by Dong Zhongshu.

He was very satisfied and even demonstrated several more of the Technique Method he had deduced.

Even among Confucian scholars, there is a distinction between literary and martial cultivation; not everyone is like him.

But he was an exception.

Dong Zhongshu dared to challenge a great Confucian scholar like Shen Peigong during his conversation with Wen Weng, which naturally stemmed from his own confidence.

Once he entered the Sole Self Realm, even if Shen Peigong stood before him with a cane, Dong Zhongshu would not feel the slightest fear.

His model of self-cultivation was Sage Kong, not to become one of Sage Kong's three thousand disciples like Shen Peigong and others.

The legendary Sage Kong was nine feet six inches tall, skilled in both literature and martial arts. When he fought with magic, he could create countless scenes, and when he fought with strength, a single slap could make a person spin dozens of times on the spot. These abilities to win people over with virtue made Sage Kong very special, and he was considered one of the top three among the various schools of thought.

Being both literate and skilled in martial arts became Dong Zhongshu's pursuit. Even though he was more proficient in martial arts at the time, his martial arts skills were not shameful.

"You're amazing!" Zhang Xuezhou exclaimed in surprise.

"It's just a method of cultivating both literary and martial arts," Dong Zhongshu waved his hand and said, "This method is quite interesting to practice. If you want to learn, I can teach you!"

"Can you really teach?" Zhang Xuezhou asked in surprise.

"I can teach you," Dong Zhongshu nodded, "But my method belongs to the realm cultivation technique. For now, I can only push the technique to the Divine Ability Realm, while the martial arts will remain at the Body Transformation Realm level. If I want to push it further, I may have to wait until I Sole Self Realm before I can try again!"

"Then I'll wait until you reach the Sole Self Realm!"

When Dong Zhongshu revealed his true intentions, Zhang Xuezhou immediately waved his hands in disapproval.

He fell into the trap of the "Yin Yang Great Compassion Nine Heavens Incantation," which at least had the foundation of the Sole Self Realm, while Dong Zhongshu's realm techniques could only extend to the Divine Ability Realm at the moment.

It's impossible for Zhang Xuezhou to go back to the wrong path as he studies.

He rejected Dong Zhongshu with great decisiveness and efficiency.

"Did you create this method of attaining a certain realm yourself?"

When Zhang Xuezhou refused, he couldn't help but ponder the other implications of Dong Zhongshu's words.

According to Dong Zhongshu, the other party's cultivation technique seemed to be evolving upwards while being cultivated, and Dong Zhongshu was completely in control of it. This undoubtedly belonged to a self-created cultivation technique.

Zhang Xuezhou had never met anyone who practiced both martial arts and magic, let alone a cultivator like Dong Zhongshu who built his own realm and cultivated his techniques to advance.

Considering that the other party had been trapped in the Divine Ability Realm for a long time, Zhang Xuezhou felt that this was not only because Dong Zhongshu could not find suitable heavenly materials and earthly treasures, but also likely related to Dong Zhongshu's cultivation method.

"You should know that being stuck in one realm is incredibly boring," Dong Zhongshu said, spreading his hands. "I've only been reflecting on and synthesizing the cultivation methods of my predecessors when I was bored. It's not exactly a creation; it's just a summary based on my personal understanding."

"You're really amazing!" Zhang Xuezhou exclaimed.

Dong Zhongshu phrased it tactfully, but the other party undoubtedly built upon the foundations laid by their predecessors and made their own innovations.

This is the same as Ren Yisheng's.

Even if their cultivation level hasn't reached its peak, these people still maintain their unique insights and even promote potential innovations.

If they ultimately succeed, these people will undoubtedly be considered grandmasters who establish their own schools of thought.

It was precisely because of his own experience that Zhang Xuezhou understood how valuable such people were.

He was not amazed that someone could achieve great skill by following the path of their predecessors and practicing diligently, but Zhang Xuezhou undoubtedly had enough respect for people like Dong Zhongshu and Ren Yisheng.

The conversation eased the atmosphere, and after expressing his amazement, Zhang Xuezhou appropriately mentioned his needs, asking if Dong Zhongshu could help him think of a way to obtain the materials for the Grain Avoidance Powder.

"You really know how to refine pills?" Dong Zhongshu asked doubtfully.

"I know a little bit," Zhang Xuezhou nodded.

Dong Zhongshu had previously heard that Zhang Xuezhou could refine a paste-like Origin-Nurturing Pill, but he didn't think much of it.

When Zhang Xuezhou wanted to refine the Grain Avoidance Powder, he felt that the little bit of knowledge that Zou Bugui Zhang Xuezhou was a bit too much.

This made him lower his gaze slightly.

"Then are you familiar with the principles of feng shui formations of the Yin-Yang School?" Dong Zhongshu pondered for a few seconds before asking.

"I know a little bit!"

Zhang Xuezhou nodded.

Whether it was alchemy or feng shui formations, Zhang Xuezhou was taught a great deal by Zou Bugui, but while he was knowledgeable in theory, he lacked the ability and experience to apply it in practice.

He really only knows a little bit.

"Just a little bit again?"

Dong Zhongshu was slightly taken aback.

The governor of Shu County, Wen Weng, was extremely anxious about the Bashe incident. Lacking fortune tellers and formation masters, Dong Zhongshu thought that Zhang Xuezhou could contribute a little to help.