Yefutidaolu

Chapter 388 Li Jun?

Time flowed quietly like water amidst the ancient eaves and vast collection of books of the Imperial Academy. Gao Jian's days entered a period of unprecedented, almost luxurious, tranquility.

Every morning, before the first light of dawn and before the morning bell of the Imperial Academy had rung, he would rise. As the sky began to lighten and the myriad floating islands of the capital were still shrouded in mist and silence, he would practice his martial arts in the small courtyard of the academy. His movements were sometimes fierce and violent like thunder, and sometimes smooth and flowing like water, refining his martial arts physique and strength to a higher level. His seventh-level cultivation became more refined and profound with each passing day.

Then, he would go to the library and become one of the first to step into that sea of ​​books.

The library became the place where he spent the most time.

The towering bookshelves were like a sea of ​​books, and Gao Jian, like a sponge that had been parched for too long, greedily absorbed knowledge. From detailed explanations of the meridians in martial arts cultivation and the exquisite methods of using divine sense, to the analysis of various schools of cultivation theories, the deduction of Qimen Dunjia, and even mountains and rivers, geography, local customs, and ancient secrets... his knowledge was extremely broad, not limited to improving cultivation, but rather building a more magnificent and solid knowledge system.

How does one proceed after the Seventh Realm? Where is the threshold to the Eighth Realm? The answers to these questions are hidden within these vast and ancient texts. He often sits for hours on end, with stacks of books piled up beside him, some over a foot high. The only sounds are the rustling of his fingertips across the pages and the occasional quiet profile of him deep in thought.

Inside the library, light streams through the high windows, illuminating the densely packed, towering bookshelves. The air is filled with the unique aroma of old paper mixed with the faint scent of ink.

Gao Jian immersed himself in a vast sea of ​​ancient texts, from "Treatise on the Qi Sea" to "An Initial Exploration of the Eight Meridians' Divine Connection," from "A Study of Ancient Runes" to "Illustrated Record of Strange Beasts," absorbing all the knowledge he could obtain with insatiable hunger. Other students from the Imperial Academy were also present, some engrossed in reading, others discussing in hushed tones, but no one dared to disturb this "monster" who had once defeated an enemy in a single move and was now entangled in the secrets of the East Sea. An invisible barrier of silence surrounded him; this was not estrangement, but a tacit acceptance tinged with awe.

In the afternoon, he would usually move to a quiet room or a secluded training ground specifically for martial arts practice to continue honing his skills, familiarize himself with the power changes brought about by the Seven Realms, and try to integrate what he had learned in the Scripture Pavilion.

The sounds of his blood surging and his fists piercing the air became his most loyal companions in the afternoon.

Shu Jian would occasionally wander over, its small figure appearing somewhat insignificant among the enormous bookshelves. It was also searching, its beady black eyes filled with anxiety and longing, its paws carefully turning the pages of those ancient books that were too heavy for it.

The little guy seemed to be holding back a lot of energy, often plunging headfirst into the vast area of ​​demon and alien cultivation books in the library, his little paws rapidly flipping through pages bigger than himself, his black bean eyes filled with anxiety and resentment.

It was searching for a sliver of hope—how could it break free from the rat race's innate limitations of its burrows and open the door to the Eight Realms without transforming into a human?
But even though the library is large, such a method to defy fate is not easily obtained.
The reason why the transformation method became so popular is precisely because of this.

Finding that almost non-existent path that would allow spirits like them, born with "three gates and nine orifices incomplete," to break free from their innate constraints and transcend their physical form is like finding a needle in a haystack.

Gradually, Shu Jian visited less and less, and his round figure seemed to carry a hint of dejection. Gao Jian noticed this but said nothing. He could sense the growing disappointment emanating from Shu Jian, and the fewer he visited, the dimmer his round figure seemed to have become. Gao Jian saw this but said nothing, simply keeping this concern in mind.

In the evening, he would return to his dormitory, either continuing to peruse the notes he had brought back or meditating to reflect on the day's lessons. Outside the window, the lights of the Imperial Academy would gradually illuminate the scene, and the sounds of students chatting and debating could be faintly heard, yet they seemed to be separated from him by an invisible barrier. He was immersed in his own world, focused and fulfilled.

More than three months passed quietly in this routine, almost monotonous, rhythm.

There were no thrilling battles, no scheming maneuvering, only day after day of cultivation and reading. His cultivation was steadily improving, and his knowledge was growing deeper and deeper. This state of being able to completely control his own time and focus on improving his strength without distraction gave Gao Jian a long-lost, almost luxurious peace.

Of course, to outsiders, this level of training is almost like 'risking one's life to cultivate.'

Gao Jian cultivates for ten or even nine hours a day without ever slacking off. His cultivation intensity is astonishing. If he didn't have so much money that he could gather rare and precious materials to continuously restore his physical body, he might have really ruined himself through cultivation.

He consumes hundreds of gold coins worth of various rare and precious materials every day, spending all sorts of treasures like water to support his body in this torment.

After the seminal gate is opened, the digestive ability increases greatly, and the body needs more essence to recover, so there is no need to worry about not being able to digest it.

Every night before bed, one can soak in a medicinal bath. During meals, one should also consume more spiritual herbs. When practicing martial arts, one should also hold some pills in one's mouth. Only in this way can one maintain a perfect state every day.

With such heavy drug use, the toxins in the body will definitely accumulate a lot, and the pressure will be very strong. Almost every day, Gao Jian would suddenly spit out a mouthful of blood while practicing, blood would seep from his pores all over his body, his meridians would swell everywhere, and he would also feel a stinging pain in his dantian.

Such intense pressure on one's own body is extremely dangerous.

In other words, Gao Jian had a complete plan and cultivation experience learned from many predecessors. In addition, the rusty knife helped him fully comprehend these essences, and a large amount of rare and precious materials served as a guarantee, which is why his physical body did not fail.

But he didn't stop and continued to make the most of every moment to cultivate.

This style is quite peculiar. After all, for these students of the Imperial Academy, there are many other things in life. They have many things to do besides cultivation. They are young, exceptionally talented, and have a lot of time ahead of them.

The beauty of youth can only be enjoyed when you are young. The sunset you see when you are twenty is different from the sunset you see when you are forty.

The sunset is still the same sunset, but you are no longer the same you.

For practitioners, this 'state of mind' is also very important. Therefore, for some students of the Imperial Academy, enjoying life is also very important, as it can solidify their resolve for the path.

Therefore, many people scoff at Gao Jian's rigorous practice, but no one tries to impress him. Everyone has their own ambitions, and everyone should practice according to their own methods.

But Gao Jian believes that he is already living a very good life.

In his eyes, this kind of life, where one practices for ten hours a day, was already paradise.

Compared to the constant vigilance, scheming, and sleepless nights in Liangzhou, and the perilous life-or-death struggles of being around a terrifying figure like Yuan Lu, now I only need to practice for five hours a day, read for four to five hours, and have the rest of the time to sleep soundly... This is simply the life of a god!

He had no complaints whatsoever. Having time to cultivate himself, improve himself, and even sleep was already a very, very good life. Three months later, the Imperial Academy's usual holiday arrived.

As is customary, it should have been time to issue a new round of assessment tasks. However, perhaps because Gao Jian's methods during his last trip to Liangzhou were too ruthless and intimidated some people, or perhaps Li Zoufang was manipulating things behind the scenes, or perhaps the academy also felt that this overly sharp blade needed to be sheathed and tempered for the time being... In any case, this time, no tasks were assigned to Gao Jian.

Gao Jian was delighted to be free, undisturbed and unprovoked—just what he wanted. He knew full well that his seventh-realm cultivation was nothing special in this capital city teeming with hidden talents, and even more insignificant compared to the East Sea Dragon Palace and those truly powerful beings. He needed time, he needed to accumulate experience, and he dared not slack off for a moment.

However, this hard-won peace did not last long.

One afternoon, shortly after the start of the holiday, Takami had just finished a round of breathing exercises and was about to head to the library when a jet-black, sharp-eyed iron-feathered falcon glided silently down and precisely dropped a small metal letterbox onto his windowsill.

Gao Jian's heart stirred, and he picked up the letter tube, taking out a roll of special silk paper as thin as a cicada's wing from the inside.

Unfolding the document, one finds only Li Zoufang's familiar handwriting, imbued with a sharp, almost angular style, and the content is extremely brief:
"Come see me."

Gao Jian's gaze sharpened without the slightest hesitation. Li Zoufang's act of sending a message at this moment was anything but ordinary.

He immediately stood up, not even having time to change out of his training clothes. With a swift movement, he swept out of the Imperial Academy like a gentle breeze and once again arrived at the secret room on the top floor of the "Rainbow Skirt" theater.

Inside the secluded room, the sandalwood incense still lingered, but the atmosphere was completely different from the last time they had partied and drunk together.

Li Zou's face was somber, his brows furrowed, and his fingertips tapped unconsciously on the table, clearly preoccupied. Seeing Gao Jian enter, he gestured for Gao Jian to sit down and cut straight to the point.

"Something's happened in Cangzhou." Li Zoufang's voice carried a hint of suppressed irritation. "I've called you here not for official business at the Imperial Academy, nor to punish anyone. It's a private matter concerning my plan to reform the officialdom in Cangzhou, and I need your assistance."

Gao Jian sat down, his expression calm: "What are the specifics? What strange thing has happened in Cangzhou this time?"

He remembered that when he left Cangzhou, the Zuo family had already been destroyed, and the local officialdom was being gradually cleaned up under Li Zoufang's remote control, so things should have been relatively stable.

“Rebellious.” Li Zoufang uttered two words, then shook his head. “Or rather, they were rebels in the past. The original lifeline of the Grand Canal in Cangzhou has been almost completely controlled by a group of suddenly rising forces. The local aristocratic families initially tried to suppress them with violence, but they were met with bloodshed and the situation spiraled out of control. Now they are too powerful to be controlled and are in a lot of trouble.”

Gao Jian frowned: "Rebels? A rebel who can control the grain transport of an entire province and who even powerful families cannot suppress is probably no ordinary bandit, right? Who is the leader? What is his strength?"

Li Zoufang took a deep breath, leaned forward slightly, and began to explain in detail this sudden change in the situation.

During the time when Gao Jian left Cangzhou for the capital Yangjing, a young man named Li Jun rose to prominence in Cangzhou like a comet, and his experience was nothing short of legendary.

This person was originally unknown, but for some unknown reason, his cultivation progressed at an unbelievable speed, and he broke through to the fifth realm in a short period of time! If that were all, it would be fine.

Although a fifth-realm cultivator is considered skilled, he is still no match for the deeply entrenched aristocratic families of Cangzhou. Sending even a seventh or eighth-realm elder would be enough to crush him.

The strange thing is that this person's luck is beyond belief!

The aristocratic families sent several meticulously planned assassination attempts, whether by poisoning, ambushing, or hiring experts to launch a sneak attack, but he always managed to evade them in various unbelievable ways. Sometimes, he would encounter unexpected interference, or the assassins would turn against him at the last minute. All these bizarre encounters made the aristocratic families exclaim that it was eerie!
What's even more astonishing is that Li Jun, through some unknown means, actually subdued a Qilin auspicious beast with a strength of up to the tenth realm, as well as a ferocious ninth-realm flood dragon to protect him!

A Qilin and a Jiaolong, both extraordinary beings with powerful bloodlines and overwhelming strength. With these two terrifying beings protecting him, Li Jun's power expanded instantly! What was originally just a petty "rebellion" quickly transformed into a behemoth with overwhelming high-end martial prowess, easily seizing control of the Cangzhou canal transport system. He became a formidable force in Cangzhou, practically forming his own kingdom and rivaling the local powerful families!
Normally, if such a powerful and uncontrollable force appears in a locality, the central government of the Divine Dynasty would certainly dispatch a large army of experts to suppress it and set an example for others.

Although a ninth-realm and a tenth-realm beast are troublesome, the Divine Dynasty is not without the power to deal with them.

However, Li Jun did something unexpected yet extremely shrewd—he submitted a memorial to the capital without hesitation!

The letter was sincere, expressing that he was not a traitor, but loyal to the Divine Dynasty, and willing to guard the Cangzhou waterway for the Divine Dynasty for generations. He immediately paid an extremely large amount of tax, enough to make the officials of the Ministry of Revenue take notice!

This move completely changed the nature of the situation.

For the supreme central government of the divine dynasty, the infighting and struggles between local powerful families were commonplace.

As long as one nominally submits, pays taxes on time, and does not openly rebel, the court doesn't care who wins or loses, or who holds actual power; in fact, it's happy to see it happen, as it facilitates checks and balances. Thus, a decree of investiture was quickly issued, acknowledging Li Jun's position in Cangzhou, characterizing the turmoil as an "internal power shift in Cangzhou," and then it ceased further investigation.

Li Zoufang's face turned extremely grim as he spoke: "The imperial court has saved itself trouble, but for me, it's a huge problem! After the Zuo family was destroyed, I finally managed to clean up the Cangzhou officialdom and place people in positions of power. The various rectification plans had just been implemented and were about to be finalized! This Li Jun suddenly appeared, wielding the might of a Qilin and a Jiaolong, and interfered, instantly stirring up the waters of Cangzhou completely!"

He slammed his hand on the table, making the teaware rattle: "The local powerful families, who had already been suppressed, are now opportunistic and have immediately seized the opportunity to retaliate, either siding with Li Jun or taking the opportunity to demand benefits. Almost all of my previous arrangements have been disrupted! The plan to rectify the officialdom of Cangzhou and eliminate the deep-rooted malpractices is about to fail!"

Li Zoufang stared intently at Gao Jian, his eyes sharp as knives: "I investigated extensively, trying to find out who this seemingly out-of-the-way Li Jun is, and who's backing him. But what I found was a name I never expected—"

"Behind him is a boss named Gao Jian."

"So, I want you to go back and talk to them."

(End of this chapter)