fifth form

Chapter 3146 The Journey by Carriage
It involved the mobilization of 60% of the soldiers under the Grand Commandant's command, as well as the movement of 300,000 troops.

The ambush at Mayi began by imitating the case of Li Mu's military treatise and ended with a constant change in generals who failed to seize the opportunity.

The large number of troops mobilized were not quickly dispersed after the ambush, but were continuously deployed to various border defenses.

For Cheng Bushi and his men, this ambush was not something that could be resolved in a short time; there would be a fierce counterattack to follow, and only those of them stationed on the frontier could barely put up a fight.

"Master's magical abilities have greatly increased!"

"Even in my Celestial State, I struggled to deal with one of Zhu Jiuyin's avatars. What use is this kind of strength!"

Zhang Xuezhou did not intervene in how to deal with the counterattack, nor did he offer any suggestions.

After three days of quiet healing, he finally received the carriage that would take him away from Wuzhou Fortress and met Dong Zhongshu, who was also traveling with him.

The Empress Dowager invited some highly skilled cultivators to provide assistance.

For example, there's the fraudulent Li Shaojun, and Dong Zhongshu, as well as thirty-four masters from various regions within the Han Dynasty.

Apart from Dong Zhongshu, some cultivators did not perform well in the ambush, but most cultivators simply could not keep up.

These people usually travel by horse-drawn carriage, so how could they ride horses on bumpy mountain roads, let alone keep up with the rapid marches of the ever-changing battlefield?

There weren't many people on the battlefield, but during the retreat, a large number of people were gathered together.

Zhang Xuezhou was in poor mental condition and didn't bother to talk to anyone. He only took the initiative to communicate when Dong Zhongshu's carriage approached.

He gave a thumbs-up, while Dong Zhongshu wore a bitter smile.

No matter how exquisite a technique is, it still needs the assistance of realm techniques. The Confucian realm techniques are a notch below. He even had difficulty cutting off the Yin-Yang Soul Incarnation of Zhu Jiu, let alone cutting off the True Body of Zhu Jiu.

To adapt to the techniques of various schools and sects, the Confucian realm technique must be moderate. This realm technique lacks both the strength and the refinement of magical power, resulting in insufficient elements such as the striking power and control of the technique.

The effect is not obvious at lower levels, but once you reach the top, there is a gap that is difficult to close.

Dong Zhongshu was not born with divine strength like Confucius, nor did he possess the magical abilities of Mencius. Even though his current strength surpassed that of great Confucian scholars like Yuan Gu and Shen Pei, and he possessed a very special state of harmony between heaven and man, there was still a significant gap between Dong Zhongshu and Zhu Jiuyin.

“When Master enters into his true self, it will surely be a different scene,” Zhang Xuezhou said.

"If I hadn't failed to realize my true self, I wouldn't have had to accept this calamity!"

Dong Zhongshu gave a bitter laugh.

Zhang Xuezhou and others provoked Daojun and suffered his swift revenge, but Dong Zhongshu's revenge was not immediate.

Dong Zhongshu could foresee Zhu Jiuyin's revenge plan, and he would inevitably be put on Zhu Jiuyin's wanted list.

The high reward will not only attract powerful demons and experts from the Fiend Kingdom to infiltrate the Han Dynasty and commit atrocities, but will also cause the experts of the Han Dynasty to turn against them.

If it weren't for the Gaoyou Water Mansion where he could escape disaster, Dong Zhongshu would have been quite anxious.

"Congratulations, Master, on gathering the elixir to once again challenge your true self," Zhang Xuezhou congratulated him.

"Three high-grade Creation Pills and one top-grade Creation Pill are all we have. We can only gamble with our lives to solve this shortage of pills!"

Dong Zhongshu sighed and directly stated the reward for the Empress Dowager's invitation.

The cost of failing to break through to the True Self Realm was very high. Without the Empress Dowager's elixirs, Dong Zhongshu felt he would need to lie in bed for several years to recover.

He's still able to move around because of the Empress Dowager's help, which has largely eliminated any potential future threats. As for breaking through to the True Self Realm, he's still a step behind.

Putting everything else aside, Dong Zhongshu was also hoping to get some Eight-Step Ascension Pills from Zhang Xuezhou, so that he could complete his own Ascension Pill set.

"Gongsun Hong said you have already entered the realm of the One Who Is Alone, so I should be the one to congratulate you!"

Dong Zhongshu was not bothered by Zhang Xuezhou's high level of cultivation. It was not the first or second time that someone had caught up with him in cultivation realm, but Zhang Xuezhou's strength was far from the focused cultivation techniques described by Gongsun Hong. He was actually a formidable fighter.

While the new emperor's ability to slay the Yin-Yang Soul incarnation of Zhu Jiu was indeed extraordinary, Zhang Xuezhou, who carried the new emperor to complete the high-difficulty killing technique, was no pushover either; one could not have achieved such a coordinated attack without skill.

This also means that Zhang Xuezhou and the new emperor are so deeply bound that they are difficult to separate, and their cultivation techniques are extremely harmonious.

Dong Zhongshu was genuinely envious of Zhang Xuezhou's ability to balance cultivation and martial arts practice.

He stared at Zhang Xuezhou and felt that Zhang Xuezhou was in excellent condition. He was not sickly like the Empress Dowager, nor was he in a condition that fluctuated like Tian Fen. He even had the ability to make fun of him.

"I've heard that there's a child prodigy in your household..."

Having confirmed that Zhang Xuezhou remained rational and not in a daze, Dong Zhongshu inquired about the message sent by Gongsun Hong via carrier pigeon.

"Little Huo was beaten a couple of days ago and just woke up. He shouldn't be able to run off to other places. You'll definitely see him when you go to Chang'an!"

Zhang Xuezhou was very interested in Dong Zhongshu's cultivation. The other party's desire to transform his Qi Refining Technique into an infant was not just a joke, but a genuine test using himself.

Dong Zhongshu's knowledge system is very complete. If Huo Qubing's cultivation was analyzed, Dong Zhongshu should be able to explain it, so that others may be able to understand it by analogy.

"I am stationed in Jiangdu and cannot enter Chang'an without special permission, lest the Jiangdu royal court question my legitimacy. This is one of the few opportunities I have had to enter the city in recent years, and I will have to trouble you again this time!"

"Of course, I will still need your guidance after you have thoroughly understood and mastered the knowledge!"

"Let's make progress together!"

Dong Zhongshu nodded.

That's the good thing about working with Zhang Xuezhou. He doesn't need to waste his breath or pay any price. Zhang Xuezhou understands Dong Zhongshu's meaning perfectly well and will even offer concessions in advance.

Although Zhang Xuezhou also needed to rely on Dong Zhongshu, it is easy to add flowers to brocade, but it is rare to receive continuous investment and timely help before things are done.

Dong Zhongshu asked a few questions and soon received the gift.

He even knew that Li Shaojun had already refined the Eight Steps to Immortality Pill, which had no side effects.

"Master Li is truly a divine being! Not only is his strength remarkable, but he also possesses such high-level alchemy skills!"

Zhang Xuezhou only seemed a little awkward when Dong Zhongshu praised Li Shaojun. When he heard that Dong Zhongshu wanted to visit Li Shaojun and even discuss cultivation techniques, Zhang Xuezhou even offered a few words of advice.

Dong Zhongshu did not heed Zhang Xuezhou's warning, after all, the Confucian school contained Daoist elements.

It was a rare treat that Li Shaojun was also in the carriage convoy heading to Chang'an. After visiting Zhang Xuezhou, he learned the location of Li Shaojun's carriage and couldn't help but excitedly spur his horse forward.

"Discuss cultivation and seeking advancement with Li Shaojun?"

When he saw Dong Zhongshu include Li Shaojun among the ranks of the highly accomplished, and then ask Li Shaojun for guidance, his expression couldn't help but look somewhat strange.

Learning from Huo Qubing was already unreliable, and then there was the unreliable Li Shaojun, plus Dong Zhongshu's failure to break through to the True Self Realm, which would inevitably increase the difficulty of his second breakthrough. With all these unfavorable factors accumulating, Zhang Xuezhou felt that the probability of Dong Zhongshu succeeding in breaking through to the True Self Realm for the second time seemed even less optimistic.