Yefutidaolu

Chapter 253 Sleeping
Shendu, the Purple Palace Enclosure, one of the Three Enclosures.

The Purple Palace Enclosure (紫微垣) is where the imperial court of the capital city is located.

Not to mention that Taiyi resides in the Ziwei Palace and is surrounded by all the stars, just looking at the other stars in the Ziwei Enclosure, one can tell what this place is used for.

The Three Dukes, located south of the handle of the Big Dipper and west of the first star of the Big Dipper, or according to another account, east of the handle of the Big Dipper, are the Grand Commandant, Minister of Works, and Minister of Agriculture.

The seven stars are arranged in a pattern resembling the Big Dipper, positioned north of the emperor's seat. These are the emperor's personal guards, the Tiger Warriors, used to establish a powerful defense.
The Seven Dukes and Seven Stars, located east of Zhaoyao, are the celestial ministers, representing the Three Dukes, and governing the seven celestial bodies.

The first star, Xiangyi, is located south of the fourth star of the Big Dipper. It oversees all government offices, gathers all affairs, manages the state's laws, and assists the emperor.

The two stars of Dali are located to the left of the palace gate, or according to another account, in front of the Minister of Justice, and are in charge of judging cases and deciding prison sentences.

The five stars of the North Pole are named as follows: the first is the Emperor, the second is the Empress, the third is the Consort, the fourth is the Crown Prince, and the fifth is the Son of a Concubine.

The first star near the Changhe Gate of the Eastern Barbarians is the Left Pivot, the second star is the Supreme Minister, the third star is the Junior Minister, the fourth star is the Supreme Assistant (also known as the Supreme Assistant), the fifth star is the Junior Assistant (also known as the Junior Assistant), the sixth star is the Supreme Guard, the seventh star is the Junior Guard, and the eighth star is the Junior Chancellor or the Supreme Chancellor. The first star near the Changhe Gate of the Western Barbarians is the Right Pivot, the second star is the Junior Commandant, the third star is the Supreme Assistant, the fourth star is the Junior Assistant, the fifth star is the Supreme Guard, the sixth star is the Junior Guard, and the seventh star is the Supreme Chancellor.

The five stars of the Ministry of Personnel, located in the eastern part of the Purple Palace, govern the administration of counsel, consulting day and night, and symbolize the dragon as the chief counselor.

All of this demonstrates just how prestigious the Purple Palace Enclosure is in the capital.

This is the true political center of the capital city.

Taiwei Enclosure is where future high-ranking officials reside, while Taixue and Wenchang Palace are where future high-ranking officials reside. Ziwei Enclosure is where current high-ranking officials reside, and Ziwei Palace and the imperial court are where current high-ranking officials live.

At this moment, in the Ziwei Enclosure, within the Second Ministry of Revenue—

This place covers a vast area; Shangshu II is almost the same size as star sectors like the Water Palace, the Tomb, and Xuanyuan.

The Water Palace, the Tomb, and Xuanyuan were home to millions of people...

The Second Department of State Affairs is a region inhabited by only Li Zoufang and his family in one mansion, plus the office of the Department of State Affairs and some officials. In total, there are at most one or two thousand people, but the area they occupy is about the same size as those star sectors inhabited by millions of people.

The contrast is stark, but this is true for the entire Ziwei Enclosure. As a gathering place for high-level cultivators, this area is indeed qualified to do so, and no one has any objections.

The people of the capital city only admire and fear the people of this region; they never feel that it is unfair.

At this moment, in the pavilion of the Second Minister.

This place doesn't seem to be in the capital city, but rather in some mountain. There, nestled among the streams and cliffs, lies a wooden house where one can rest and read books.

Inside the wooden house, there was a rattan bed and a bamboo table, with a high pillow by the north window. Outside the wooden house, there was a maze of pine and bamboo, surrounded by garden flowers, a bamboo fence and a thatched cottage, overgrown with weeds, with orchids and chrysanthemums planted among them. Plum and willow trees were planted by the water. There were miscellaneous books on the table, including only a few dozen volumes of "Zhou", "Tai Xuan", "Chao Ci", "Huang Ting", "Yin Fu", "Leng Yan", and "Yuan Jue".

It's winter now, and these things have lost their vitality, except for a few bamboo and plum trees that still retain their original colors.

In the capital city, such behavior, if seen by others, would likely be criticized as self-serving. After all, it's normal for the capital to be prosperous; if you create such a rural scene in a prosperous place, it's certainly fair to say you're 'pretentious'.

However, there was no magic weapon.

There wasn't a single magical artifact in this place. For a capital city that used magical artifact array plates as its foundation, this area was strangely simple.

However, this is Li Zoufang's residence.

His family lived in the mansion, while he himself had no partner or children and lived alone there all the time.

Whether it's seeking fame or just putting on an act, this is Li Zoufang's usual residence.

At this moment, Li Zoufang frowned as he looked at the message coming from below.

The message detailed Gao Jian's recent actions, up to his public blocking of the Imperial Academy's gate.

Before this, he had never really bothered to care what Gao Jian was doing. After all, what kind of trouble could he possibly cause in the capital? Once you come to the Imperial Academy, you should just study in the Sutra Repository. That's how most Imperial Academy students live their lives.

When it's time, do your tasks, then come back and continue your arduous training. Occasionally, when you have free time, spar with each other. Let's get along well with our classmates and enjoy a pleasant and wonderful academy life.

Most people are like this. What kind of things can you expect to encounter at school? There aren't that many messy things to deal with. Young people should just focus on their studies.

However, someone just ran over to report what happened to Gao Jian.

This gave Li Zoufang a headache.

No, for this kind of thing, all you need to do is send a message, he'll have someone say a few words, and the matter will be resolved. Then he and the other party will apologize to each other, and nothing will happen.

Why do you have to do it yourself by brute force?

but……

This kid's bloodthirstiness hasn't diminished at all, which is actually a good thing.

So he reached out his hand.

In his palm, a variety of scenes slowly emerged, which were none other than Gao Jian's actions at this moment.

The shapes of mountains and rivers are unpredictable, yet the well network of the heavens and the earth are contained within the palm of one's hand.

This is the supernatural power of "mountains and rivers in the palm of one's hand." Those with profound cultivation can stretch out their hands and see the world as if viewing the lines on their palms; it is truly wondrous.

At this moment, he used this supernatural power to track Gao Jian's whereabouts.

Let's see—poof!

Li Zoufang spat out a mouthful of tea.

The battle went on for a full eighteen rounds, and Gao Jian won eighteen times. All five peers of the Imperial Academy were defeated by Gao Jian.

what happened? !

"Prepare the carriage and horses, I'm going to the Imperial Academy!" Li Zoufang immediately stood up and walked outside!

------------

Meanwhile, at the gate of the Imperial Academy.

“I practice my sword every day, making thousands of strokes, but I’ve only managed fifty-odd strokes so far. Gentlemen, is there anything else you can teach me?” Gao Jian looked around.

He won eighteen times.

Gao Jian's breathing remained steady, showing no signs of weakness whatsoever. As a martial artist, one judges whether someone is weak or not primarily by their qi and blood.

When the Qi disperses internally, the body's vital energy becomes disordered, true essence dissipates outwards, the five evils enter the body, and the Qi channels erratically, causing muscles to wither internally, spirit to diminish, and blood and Qi to weaken. This indicates that the martial artist is currently not in good condition.

Gao Jian is now full of energy, focused and energetic, his mind is unwavering and his spirit is not tired. When the spirit is not tired, the qi is not disordered, and when the qi is not disordered, the body is healthy. He does not look weak at all.

However, only Gao Jian himself knows the answer.

Nonsense, of course I'm not weak.

Everyone thought he was a martial artist who had mastered the art, but in reality, the strike that stirred up the demonic thoughts of others was generated by using divine will to trigger the power of the desire realm.

Although Gao Jian's divine will only accounted for a small part of this, and most of the power came from the influence of the Desire Realm itself, this small part, repeated more than fifty times, had already made Gao Jian's divine will somewhat tired.

His physical body was still in its best condition, but his mind was already exhausted. His eyes could faintly reveal a little confusion, but it would immediately return to normal. However, it would reappear after a while because he was tired and lost his focus, resulting in a momentary loss of attention.

Just like driving while fatigued, you might feel the car flashing by while driving, and suddenly lose consciousness, but then immediately recover.

However, that was enough, because people wouldn't pay attention to these aspects of a martial artist; most people would still focus on Gao Jian's abundant qi and blood, and his perfect physical body. If you only look at that, then Gao Jian could be said to have defeated eighteen students of the Imperial Academy without taking any damage, and at most, he only used five strikes.

Gao Jian sheathed his sword: "Is anyone else here?"

He remained calm.

Of course, all that was left was a calm expression on his face.

In fact, he was also shocked by the intensity of these imperial students.

The strongest one used five strikes.

What concept?
Helunsabao and Shui Cangcang only withstood two blows. In fact, Helunsabao and Shui Cangcang were among the strongest of the younger generation that Gao Jian had ever seen.

At the Imperial Academy, a random passerby took five blows.

What concept?
After five cuts, Gao Jian almost fell asleep. Not easily, but from exhaustion of his mental energy, he was so tired he was almost asleep.

How could I have underestimated the heroes of the world?

When he uses this method to exert his divine will, each strike will drag the human body into the demonic thoughts of the desire realm. The strength of a person who can withstand five strikes is beyond imagination.

But... Gao Jian felt he had underestimated all the heroes in the world, but for their opponents, seeing Gao Jian at this moment was truly awe-inspiring.

"I thought I was already a top-tier warrior among the five realms, but I never expected that I couldn't even withstand five of his strikes," a martial artist sighed, casually tossing away two short swords with a hint of helplessness in his eyes.

“Brother, you were able to withstand five blows, which shows your strong will. I couldn’t even withstand three blows, so what can I do?” Another Taoist shook his head and put away his flying sword.

"Three cuts would be good enough, I can't even manage one." Another person said dejectedly.

“One cut is really not enough; most people need two cuts.” Someone nodded.

Who would have thought that most of these eighteen challengers, like Shui Cangcang, could only withstand two blows?

The two cuts seemed to have become a baseline.

Furthermore, after the challengers have passed ten people, those who can withstand two strikes will actually breathe a sigh of relief, and those who break through three strikes may even have a sense of 'honor'.

At least after these challengers, no one will think that Gao Jian is arrogant anymore.

The Imperial Academy was already a gathering place for the best of the best, and even Shui Cangcang was just an average person there.

In this gathering place of geniuses, very few people could withstand more than two blows, enough to intimidate the remaining hundred or so people.

There weren't many students at the Imperial Academy; about a hundred students were already half of the student body.

But the number of people continues to increase.

Some senior students, and even some high-ranking officials and elders from powerful sects, have heard the news and are heading this way.

He didn't use supernatural powers to investigate; he came in person.

The difference is huge.

The failure of these eighteen people led to no one else attempting the challenge.

Because... the students of the five realms of the Imperial Academy either believed they had already lost, or they believed they were no match for them.

Therefore, no one has stepped forward to challenge them for the time being.

This also gave Gao Jian a chance to catch his breath.

Gao Jian felt like he was seeing stars, and his attention kept wandering and then refocusing, so much so that he had to keep letting go and then clenching his fist to maintain his focus.

It wasn't until the scene had been quiet for a while that Gao Jian finally confirmed that there were no new challengers.

Without hesitation, he sat down cross-legged and beckoned to the giant dragon coiled in the sky.

Dansha then spun down and landed beside him, transforming into human form. She gently landed behind him, allowing Gao Jian to lean against her.

Gao Jian didn't shy away from the situation and leaned against her, closing his eyes.

He is sleeping.

Sleep is the best way to recover.

A poem says: "A long afternoon nap by the secluded window amidst flowers and bamboo, where one can temporarily forget the world. If the hermit of Mount Hua were to meet me, I would not seek the elixir of immortality, but rather the elixir of sleep."

Humans possess limited energy and spirit, yet are subject to endless depletion. Their essence is consumed by desires, their bodies by overwork, their minds by scheming, and their intellect by overthinking. Just now, when he swung his sword, although his body barely moved, his mind was wandering the world, calculating countless things in an instant. His spirit was consumed by his thoughts, which is why he was so exhausted.

As for restoring this loss of spiritual energy, no elixir or panacea can compare to sleep.

The methods of spiritual practice, such as meditation, fasting, sleeping exercises, standing exercises, and entering a state of deep meditation, are all of the same kind, which shows the importance of sleep.

At this moment, under everyone's watchful eyes, the Dragon Girl knelt behind Gao Jian, straightening her clothes and smoothing out the hem. She then removed her pearl pendant and took off her purple jade fingernails to avoid poking Gao Jian. As he leaned against her, she gently shielded him from the sunlight with her hands, quietly waiting for Gao Jian to fall asleep.

The scene was like a painting.

Gao Jian didn't act coy at all and just fell asleep leaning against her like that.

This is not just a simple act of showing off.

In fact, this was one of his calculations.

If Gao Jian simply lay down like that, he might be woken up, because sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed to rest doesn't have enough impact and could easily be interpreted as a 'provocation'.

But with a beautiful dragon girl leaning against her from behind, the scene takes on a completely different atmosphere.

In this atmosphere, Gao Jian was able to get more time to sleep.

As for Dansha, she didn't really understand why Gaojian would do that.

But it doesn't matter. She doesn't need to understand. Gao Jian is worthy of her trust. She has already entrusted the Great He Luo Fish to Gao Jian, so she can do whatever Gao Jian asks of her. She doesn't need to think about anything else. Gao Jian is trustworthy. He won't harm her.

So, Dansha didn't actually think about anything at all. When Gao Jian waved her over, she came down.

Regardless, it is obvious that this scene is indeed impactful enough. A real dragon that was circling in the sky and constantly spewing thunder obediently landed because of Gao Jian's gesture, transformed into the form of a dragon girl, used her body as a pillow for him, and even pulled out her beaded pendant and reached out to shield him from the light.

After that, for a while, no one dared to come.

Perhaps only those senior students who are renowned in the Imperial Academy and whose cultivation has already broken through the fifth realm can break this scene.

Shu Jian stood to the side, his eyes filled with shock.

Everyone else was just as shocked as he was.

Time passed slowly like this—

Gao Jian let out a soft snore.

(Bonus chapter added suddenly!)

(End of this chapter)