Chapter 114: Chapter 107: The Master Reads the World’s Secrets, but Falls Short of Nan Zhou’s Chief Strategist

「After that night.」

Lu Mingyuan never found the fox girl. Instead, he returned to his residence early. He later learned from his mother that the monks from the Vajra Department Institute had found her first and thrown her in prison. Later, it was said that someone called Lady Qingqiu had intervened and bailed her out.

He looked through some books and found out the origin of this Lady Qingqiu.

She was the master of Qingqiu Temple, ranked in the top one hundred on the Mountain and River List. She was the Beiyue Mountain God, officially enfeoffed by the Great Yan. She enjoyed considerable worship across the Eight Commanderies, and prayers made to her for blessings and good fortune were said to be very effective.

However, Prince Zhuang’s Mansion seemed to have grown desperate. The Fourth Prince, who was usually quiet, demanded that Qingqiu Temple hand over the person.

Some Sects even mobilized to put pressure on Qingqiu Temple.

But Qingqiu Temple’s stance was extremely firm, sparking a cold war and another wave of conflict.

Lu Mingyuan, however, didn’t know if this was part of Lu Guangjing’s plan.

If it was, this move to pit the Fourth Prince against Qingqiu Temple was truly vicious.

Prince Jin’s Mansion used extremely troublesome methods; it would take a great deal of time to bring it down.

But as things stood, the secret struggle between the Fourth Prince and the Second Prince was indeed a good thing. At the very least, it bought him a significant amount of time, and the initiative remained in his hands.

At the same time, the Blood Glutton Shadow Warriors he had dispatched noted that his younger brother, Lu Yunqing, had recently begun recruiting Guest Scholars on a massive scale. Many came, drawn by his fame, including followers of the Hundred Schools of Thought, Martial Artists and Knights, and those with Immortal Influence. Many daughters from Noble Families and Duke’s Mansions also entered into marriage alliances with him to solidify their relationships, though all were taken as Consorts.

During his half-year of study at the Confucian Temple, Lu Yunqing met the daughter of the Military Saint. The two got to know each other and developed feelings, so he married her as his Princess Consort.

At his young age, only in his twenties, Lu Yunqing already had one Princess Consort and three Consorts.

From being completely ignored at the beginning, to being accepted as a Closed-door Disciple by Li Sheng, to later becoming fully-fledged—he had gained everything, seemingly out of nowhere. He was truly like a child of Destiny.

「Several peaceful days passed.」

Lu Mingyuan spent them practicing martial arts in the Cold Palace.

His entire body was wreathed in qi and blood, and his spiritual altar was clear and bright.

Lu Mingyuan activated his “Martial Venerable” Fate Grid. When he once again visualized the Blood-Red Taotie Visualization Image, he felt the Visualization Technique becoming increasingly smooth.

Normally, it would take him over ten breaths of visualization to sketch out a blurry Dharma Aspect of the Blood-Red Taotie. But as he absorbed the ’nutrients’ from Yang Erlang, the Dharma Aspect grew clearer and clearer, causing his Cultivation to advance by leaps and bounds.

The red light that blossomed from within the illusory Taotie was born from the void, settling upon Lu Mingyuan’s Divine Soul, his physical body, and the furnace of his qi and blood.

It allowed Lu Mingyuan to open more Acupoints, breaking through the nine hundred and eighteen mark.

[Azure Fate Grid – Martial Venerable, Refinement Level increased to 25%]

[New Trait Unlocked – Attainment (Basic Level)]

[Attainment (Basic Level): Reach the supreme, ultimate intent, and ascend to the peak. Break your own shackles, increasing a portion of your Flesh Body’s potential. Acupoints will continuously proliferate. Allows for self-comprehension and preliminary improvement of a Cultivation Technique’s grade.]

’Break the limits of my own Flesh Body?’

’Unlock my potential?’

Seeing this trait, Lu Mingyuan had a sudden realization.

’With this trait, can’t I strive to surpass one thousand Acupoints?’

For any Martial Artist, the total number of Vital Points and Death Points in the body is no more than one thousand and eighty. To continue opening more, the only way is to open ’Acupoints within Acupoints.’

If the Flesh Body’s Acupoints are compared to the Grotto Heavens of an Immortal Influence, then the ’Acupoints within Acupoints’ are the Blessed Lands within those Grotto Heavens.

The number of Grotto Heavens is limited, but a large number of Blessed Lands can be opened.

A massive amount of Blessed Lands can be opened within each Acupoint.

However, those who can reach one thousand Acupoints are few and far between, let alone those who can open Acupoints within Acupoints.

The Acupoints of a Grandmaster are like the water in a pond, while the Acupoints of a Middle Fifth-Grade Martial Artist are like a vast ocean. Not only can they hold more, but they can also nurture and store Magical Treasures and Spiritual Objects, making them equivalent to the Qi Sea and Purple Mansion of a Middle Fifth-Grade Qi Cultivator.

Just as Lu Mingyuan was practicing his martial arts, an unexpected visitor arrived at the Cold Palace.

“Your Highness, Elder Mr. Qi is here to see you.”

Lu Mingyuan muttered to himself, ’Mr. Qi? What’s he doing here? Is it about the marriage?’

“Quickly, show him in!”

After Qi Xingyan entered, his Essence, Qi, and Spirit were still excellent. As expected, his first words upon meeting were a smiling question:

“How are the marriage considerations coming along? Who do you plan to make your Main Consort?”

Without hesitation, Lu Mingyuan said, “Mu Xue will be the Main Consort. There is no doubt about that.”

Qi Xingyan was very satisfied with this answer and smiled.

“You’re not afraid of offending the Champion Marquis anymore?”

“I believe the Champion Marquis will understand.”

Lu Mingyuan believed the reason the Champion Marquis wanted Huo Hongling to marry him was likely to find a big tree to rest under for shade.

The reason he didn’t choose the Eighth Prince or any of the other princes was naturally because he didn’t want to get involved in the struggle for the throne.

In that case, he was the one who should have nothing to fear.

Qi Xingyan stroked his beard and said with emotion, “Seeing how fond you are of Mu Xue, I can rest assured.”

“There’s no time like the present. Let’s get the wedding over with soon. Pick an auspicious day next month.”

But in truth, Lu Mingyuan still had many questions about Qi Xingyan that he felt he had to get off his chest.

“Sir, your appearance that day was truly coincidental. It solved my most urgent crisis.”

“Still calling me Sir?” Qi Xingyan said with a playful smile.

“Father-in-law.”

Lu Mingyuan bowed.

Qi Xingyan’s eyes crinkled in a smile as he explained, “I foresaw that you would face this romantic tribulation, so I came specifically to help you resolve it. I didn’t expect there would be a pleasant surprise as well.”

Lu Mingyuan said impassively, “It seems Father-in-law is always keeping an eye on my movements.”

But Qi Xingyan continued on his own, “Your Highness, did you know that in the previous dynasty, there was a type of person called a Chess Attendant? They exclusively awaited the Emperor’s command to observe the world’s fortunes and devise strategies that would secure victory from a thousand miles away. When war began, these people would be in the Imperial Palace making their deductions. During times of peace and prosperity, they would monitor the world from within the palace. When I left the Confucian Temple, I was also well-versed in this art. I was once a Ninth Rank Chess Attendant.”

“Truly profound.”

Lu Mingyuan nodded.

Qi Xingyan chuckled lightly. “And yet, I have heard that there is someone who has already reached the Tenth Rank, known as the number one chess player in the Central Plains.”

“Oh? Father-in-law, you mean there’s someone whose methods are even more formidable than yours?” Lu Mingyuan asked in surprise.

Qi Xingyan nodded. “Naturally. This person is the chief strategist of Nan Zhou, Grand National Preceptor Xun. It is rumored he vanished and has been in hiding for a long time, and has not shown himself since.”

“Is this person very formidable?”

“He is, and he isn’t,” Qi Xingyan said with a faint smile.

“This man is an outcast from his school. He studied under a Saint but advocated for utilitarianism and the belief that human nature is inherently evil. The Confucian Temple advocates the Dragon Supporting Skill, but he pioneered the Dragon Slaying Skill, proposing the idea of ’controlling the Celestial Mandate and using it.’ One has to admit, he is truly a rare talent.”

“If not for him, I’m afraid Nan Zhou would have ceased to exist long ago. Back then, as the Nan Zhou National Preceptor, he made an earth-shattering wager with the Grand Ancestor, based on the single line, ’The might of Great Yan shall awe all within the Four Seas.’ Without using a single soldier, he made all the Southern Commanderies submit to the Great Yan, his fame shaking the Four Seas. To maintain peace in the south, the Grand Ancestor had no choice but to let the matter go, leaving Nan Zhou its corner of the world. He praised this man as being no less than the sage strategists of old.”

This was the first time Lu Mingyuan had heard this person’s story.

The chief strategist of Nan Zhou, National Preceptor Xun.

He subconsciously committed the name to memory.

This man’s story was far more brilliant than the founding stories of those Confucian Saints.

For an unorthodox and heretical person to achieve such great success and leap to the position of a nation’s National Preceptor…

“At the same time, I suspect this man is also the person behind the Second Prince.”

Hearing this, Lu Mingyuan’s expression remained unchanged, but he asked one more question, “How do you know, Father-in-law?”

Qi Xingyan chuckled. “I served under the Eldest Prince for a long time and crossed swords with this person in the shadows several times. Although I no longer concern myself with such matters, his methods are still something to be wary of.”

“Why are you telling me all this, Father-in-law?”

“As the saying goes, one who is willing needs no teaching, while one who is unwilling cannot be taught. Which type are you, Your Highness?” Qi Xingyan gave a meaningful smile.

Lu Mingyuan couldn’t help but give a wry smile. “Father-in-law, you are truly worthy of being a Great Scholar.”

Qi Xingyan, however, was perfectly calm and composed. “It has been three hundred and sixty-eight years since the Grand Ancestor founded the nation. The next shift of the Celestial Mandate is only just over a hundred years away. A hundred years may seem long in the eyes of a Mortal, but in the eyes of the Confucian-Buddhist-Taoist Three Religions, the Hundred Schools of Thought of the Central Plains World, the Grotto Heaven Blessed Lands, the Immortal Families, and the Wealthy and Noble Families, it is merely the span of two generations. Whether a person who can stabilize the Celestial Mandate will appear within this century, and whether the Three Religions can withstand the great calamity—these are matters that many powers are laboring over. That National Preceptor Xun is just one among the teeming masses. You need not worry, Your Highness. You still have plenty of time.”

Lu Mingyuan bowed and said, “Father-in-law, I don’t understand what you are saying, but I have committed it all to memory.”

…

For any new friends who might not know, this author usually updates at midnight, with a guaranteed two Chapters. Any updates during the day are considered extra Chapters. Because I was previously writing 10,000 characters a day, many readers commented that the quality was poor, so I’ve been trying to control the pace recently.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep