I proved immortality through the imperial examination.

Chapter 217 Respectfully Addressed
After listening quietly to everyone's remarks, Xue Xiang secretly praised himself for his quick wit.

His ability to anticipate everyone's predicament was not due to any supernatural power he possessed to read people's minds.

Having experienced that viewing of the stele, he had already glimpsed the secret behind the flower of cultural heritage.

On that day, in front of the Wendao Stele, the sage, driven by evil intent, used illusion magic to switch his mindset with him.

In that instant, he glimpsed that will that transcends all things and comprehended a profound truth he had never grasped in his entire life.

Before he viewed the stele, Xue Antai had approached him and pointed out that the flower of cultural heritage harbored hidden dangers.

At the time, Xue Xiang was only guessing, but after viewing the stele, it all became confirmed.

Every flower of cultural heritage contains the seeds of both sacred and malevolent intentions.

The Confucian scholar uses his literary talent to nurture the flowers, but in reality, he is nourishing a seed of evil.

When the flowers bloom in full glory, the seeds of evil will take root and sprout, eventually turning the tables and usurping the cultivator's will.

These Lords of the Literary Ruins before us are all powerful figures in the cultivation world. Don't be fooled by the fact that some of them have unique appearances and don't resemble Confucian scholars.

In fact, those who inherit the Wenxu Blessed Land cannot help but specialize in cultivating literary talent.

Therefore, their literary cultivation level is quite high, and it is perfectly normal for them to have similar experiences to Xue Antai.

Sure enough, Xue Xiang only needed to tap on a small part to uncover everyone's deepest secrets.

Given their status, they naturally wouldn't confide their anxieties and suffering to anyone.

Only now, with Xue Xiang exposing the hidden wound, could the Lord of the Wenxu be a little more honest.

The somber atmosphere was replaced by an unusual quiet.

The group of Wenxu masters exchanged glances for a moment, then bowed to Xue Xiang and said in unison, "Please, Senior Mingde Dongxuan, show us the method to avoid this calamity."

Xue Xiang stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping over the crowd. "Methods to ward off misfortune? I don't know much about them either."

He wasn't trying to keep us in suspense; he was deliberately leaving a gap in his words.

Sure enough, everyone perked up upon hearing this.

"I would be grateful for your guidance, senior."

The Lord of Zhongwenxu was extremely sincere.

They were all suffering from the invasion of consciousness, and at this moment, they no longer dared to be arrogant.

Xue Xiangdao said, "The method is simple: before a great opportunity arises, do not use the literary palace, and seal it with a secret seal."

Upon hearing this, the crowd exchanged bewildered glances. Some frowned, while others whispered amongst themselves. The white-bearded elder asked in a deep voice, "Sealing the Literary Palace? This method won't work. The Literary Palace is the foundation of our cultivation. If it's not used for a long time, literary energy will be difficult to circulate, wouldn't that be like crippling our own cultivation?"

Xue Xiang smiled slightly but did not answer.

He knew that without empirical evidence, these people would find it difficult to understand.

After all, the literary palace is the foundation of Confucianism and the place where literary spirit resides.

Asking them to seal it voluntarily is like asking a fisherman to abandon his boat—it's practically impossible.

But he couldn't say it outright—he couldn't openly tell them that those seemingly bright flowers of culture actually harbored heart-devouring evil intentions.

The Tao teaches about fate and destiny.

Even if he told them, people might not believe him.

He stopped short of persuading others, but since they didn't believe him, he stopped trying to persuade them.

Just then, a middle-aged Confucian scholar wearing a long black and yellow robe said in a trembling voice, "Senior Dongxuan, I...I am in so much pain."

He raised his head, his eyes bloodshot, his face slightly distorted from long-term repression.

"I often forget who I am. Yesterday, while reading, I suddenly heard another voice in my heart, saying that I had taken over his body. The voice was exactly like me, and even the memories overlapped with mine. I don't know which one is the real me... How can I break this?"

Within the mist, the expressions of the other Wenxu Lords all changed, clearly indicating that this was not the first time they had heard of similar anomalies.

Xue Xiang knew that this was a sign of the evil thoughts of the emperor invading his body.

Seeing that Xue Xiang remained silent, the middle-aged scholar knelt down and said, "I am the master of the Li Yun Chong Xuan. If you are willing to help me, I will repay you with my life."

Xue stepped forward, offered his hands in a gesture of support, and said softly, "Fellow Daoist, you flatter us. We who have been granted this blessed land are both fortunate and pitiful."

Our present achievements are all thanks to the blessing of a scholarly spirit. We should support each other, and I, an old man, am willing to offer my assistance.

Of course, I am no sage. If there is any connection, it is simply that I have lived a few years longer than you.

He paused, then sighed deeply, “I have died once, and even the Tree of Literary Qi has broken. It was through a stroke of luck and a spark of inner fire that I was able to rebuild it. My path is different from yours.”

All the lords of Wenxu were moved and could feel the true meaning in Xue Xiang's words.

Xue Xiang turned around and said to the Lord of the Profound Principles of the Ritual, "How about this, you release the Tree of Literary Qi, and I'll take a look."

After hesitating for a moment, the Lord of the Profound Path of Ritual finally nodded in agreement.

In an instant, a beam of green light burst forth from between his brows, like new bamboo shoots after a rain, bursting with vitality.

The azure light swiftly transformed into a gigantic tree of literary energy, manifesting itself from the spiritual consciousness before the platform.

All eyes were drawn to the treasure tree, whose roots were lush and its branches and leaves intertwined like a forest, with runes flashing on its leaves like stars.

Every wisp of literary elegance contains the true meaning of Confucianism, as if thousands of volumes of classic texts were flowing within it.

Bathed in light, the entire precious tree resembles a verdant sacred mountain, standing majestically still.

"What a fine tree of literary talent."

The Lord of Moral Purity murmured, his eyes filled with both envy and worry.

The woman in black armor beside him changed color slightly: "The aura of this tree is so strong, I don't know how many years it has been nurtured. I am far inferior to it."

Another swordsman in green robes sighed, "Among the masters of the Wenxu Blessed Land, there are probably few who can match him."

Xue Xiang remained silent, only gazing at the tree.

He wasn't looking at the lush foliage, but rather at the shadowy areas within it.

In the depths where light and shadow intertwine, there are barely perceptible black lines, like spider silk, wrapped around the tree trunk.

The source of these black lines is the vein flower on the tree crown that blooms like a black flame.

When he was casting the inscription on the Wendao Stele, he was tempted by the evil thoughts of the sage and had his mind altered.

Don't underestimate that short mental journey; the benefits it brought to Xue Xiang were enormous.

He couldn't explain in detail what the benefits were, but he knew that much of the knowledge originally didn't belong to him.

Once a trigger point is reached, it will automatically appear in his mind.

For example, at this moment, he originally did not know how to observe the root cause of the disease caused by the invasion of the literary vein flower in the literary treasure tree, but now he can see it at a glance.

Similarly, he didn't know how to resolve it at first, but once he got to this point, the relevant knowledge points were automatically triggered.

Li Yun Chong Xuan Zhi Zhu Chong Xue Xiang bowed deeply, "If you can help me, I am willing to lead your horse and put it in the stirrup to repay you."

He seemed to recall the pain of having his consciousness invaded, and his whole body trembled, the veins on his forehead bulged, and even the spiritual light around him became disordered.

That bone-chilling fear, like a wild beast approaching in the dark, made him tremble all over.

Xue Xiang looked at him for a long time before slowly speaking, "This old man has cultivated diligently for many years, truly, truly..."

His voice faltered, and he sighed deeply, "Very well, those who help others will help themselves. I am willing to give it a try, even if it costs me the flowers of our literary tradition."

Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed.

The Lord of Li Yun Chong Xuan even knelt down on the ground, saying, "If I can be freed from this sea of ​​suffering with your help, I will treat you with the respect due to a disciple from now on. I will obey any command you give me."

If I break this oath, may Heaven condemn me.

They are all sensible people; they know when and what stance to take.

Xue Xiang waved his hand gently, his robes fluttering, and a scholarly aura emanated from him.

The next instant, his brow trembled slightly, and a small, exquisite tree of literary energy manifested.

That precious tree was completely different from what ordinary people saw—it was not tall, only about three feet, with roots as thin as hair and sparse leaves.

At first glance, it even looks somewhat withered.

But on those withered branches, a layer of restrained cyan-gold light shimmered, like a fire vein beneath dead wood, silent yet full of life.

Everyone took a deep breath.

Previously, I was somewhat skeptical of Xue Xiang's claim that "the precious tree of literary talent was broken and then reconnected," but now I believe it completely.

Those who can cultivate to the level of the Lord of the Literary Ruins, are all filled with literary energy as vast as the sea.

His tree was so weak that, excluding the young cultivators who had just entered the realm of literary energy, there was only one explanation: as the Lord of Mingde Cave said, it was the result of the rebirth of the literary energy treasure tree after it was broken.

"This is... truly defying the heavens."

The woman in black armor murmured, "Once the Tree of Literary Qi breaks, it's as if the root of his soul is severed. Yet he can still be reborn."

Just as everyone was discussing this, someone suddenly exclaimed, "Look at the tree canopy!"

All eyes were on Xue Xiang's Wenqi Treasure Tree, where a golden flower bud hung quietly in the canopy.

The flower had not yet bloomed, but the light was extremely bright, with layers of golden radiance like the Milky Way pouring down, bathing the entire tabletop in a layer of brilliant light.

The petals twitched slightly, as if they were about to bloom at any moment.

"Golden...flower of cultural heritage?" "My God, it's a golden flower!"

"The legendary flower of this realm is extremely rare!"

"How is that possible? What would one have to go through to acquire it?"

Exclamations came and went.

In an instant, all the previously lost and bewildered Lords of the Literary Ruins held their breath and focused their attention. The golden bud was like a ray of hope shining into their hearts.

Xue Xiang remained unmoved by the winds. He simply stretched out his hand, touched the flower bud with his fingertip, and a wisp of thought was stirred, landing on the flower bud.

The golden flower bud trembled slightly, emitting a faint sound.

The next moment, the flower slowly detached from the precious tree, rose into the air, transformed into a soft golden light, and flew straight towards the literary precious tree of the Lord of Profound Profound Fortune.

Golden buds burst into flames in the air.

The flames were not scorching, but they possessed a solemnity and purity that stirred the heart.

The flames fell and landed on the literary treasure tree of the Lord of Propriety and Profound Mystery.

All that could be heard was a shrill scream from the Lord of the Profound Path of the Ritual.

His body convulsed violently, veins bulged, and his face instantly turned bright red.

The Wenqi Treasure Tree also trembled violently, its branches and leaves curling up and its bark cracking.

Amidst the intertwined layers of flames, a golden thread emerged from the flower bud, winding its way into the roots of the precious tree.

The golden threads were like knives, and wherever they passed, black energy churned.

The black lines that were originally lurking in the tree roots, like snakes forced out by the sunlight, writhed desperately, but were cut off, burned, and turned to ash one after another.

In an instant, spiritual light surged on the Wenxu Battle Platform, and literary energy cascaded down from the Wenqi Treasure Tree of the Lord of Liyun Chongxuan, surging like a tsunami.

Everyone was shocked and could only retreat several steps in panic.

"He is guiding people with the flower of his own cultural heritage..."

"This method... is really difficult!"

The screams of the Lord of the Rituals and Profound Mysteries grew increasingly heart-wrenching, as if his heart had been ripped out.

But at the peak of the pain, the golden thread suddenly trembled—

The black energy completely dissipated, turning into fragments that were absorbed by the golden light.

Immediately, the golden bud reformed into a flower, and with a gentle spin, it flew back to the top of Xue Xiang's literary treasure tree, though its luster had dimmed slightly.

Xue Xiang's expression shifted slightly, his eyes flashing as he sensed the change in the Wenqi Treasure Tree.

A very slight smile flickered across his lips.

It turned out that the wisp of black energy that had been absorbed was being completely refined within the flames of the golden flower.

The refined, pure spiritual energy was quietly nourishing itself.

All of this was within his expectations; after all, he wasn't like Comrade Lei Feng, who was selfless and dedicated to helping others.

The reason is very simple.

What erodes the precious tree of literary energy, the master of the rites and the mysteries, is the polluted flower of literary lineage; and all the flowers of literary lineage originate from the same source—the Literary Dao Stele.

In other words, those evil energies were originally the same kind as his golden floral patterns.

Consuming things of the same origin is the most perfect nourishment.

Even more remarkably, those evil thoughts were completely purged by the flames before they could spread when they entered the golden flower.

Xue Xiang took the Wenqi Treasure Tree into the Wen Palace and quietly savored the joy of the flourishing of the literary lineage.

However, he appeared to be struggling to support himself, staggering and walking quickly, as if he had no choice but to sit cross-legged on the Wenxu Battle Platform.

Everyone looked at Xue Xiang with eyes full of admiration.

The Lord of the Profound Realm of Rites, pale-faced, strode to Xue Xiang and suddenly knelt down, bowing three times deeply. “This junior, Cao Wushang, has taken the title of Lord of the Profound Realm of Rites.”

From this day forward, I vow to serve as a disciple to Senior Mingde Dongxuan, a vow that will remain unchanged for life!

His words shocked the entire audience.

The masters of the Wenxu looked at each other, feeling a surge of shock and disbelief.

Everyone here is intelligent. The fact that the Lord of Liyun Chongxuan could treat the Lord of Mingde Dongxuan with such an attitude can only mean that he received real and great benefits during the treatment just now.

For a moment, everyone was in a state of shock, their eyes filled with both awe and fervor.

"If this technique is truly feasible, we will all have a chance to survive..."

"The rumors are true; Senior Mingde Dongxuan is indeed a great sage of our time!"

Some people spontaneously bowed and exclaimed in unison, "Please enlighten us, senior! We juniors are also eager to learn from you!"

Xue Xiang waved his hand and said, "My abilities are limited, so please don't stand on ceremony. This technique is extremely taxing, and I still need to recuperate. I'm afraid I won't be able to continue for a while."

He was certainly not incapacitated; in fact, he reaped considerable benefits from treating the Lord of the Liyun Chongxuan.

In dealing with people, one should avoid "cheap favors".

If one is always generous, saving lives becomes easy, and gratitude becomes trivial.

He knew this well, so he deliberately held back, making it impossible for others to tell whether he was willing to take action.

"I am no saint, but I have witnessed many calamities in the human world."

He waved his hand gently, "If we are truly destined to be together, we will have the opportunity to meet again in the future. For today, this is the end."

No one dared to insist, and they bowed and greeted each other again.

The Lord of Liyun Chongxuan grew increasingly excited, secretly marveling at his good fortune. He suddenly turned around and bowed deeply to the Lord of Daode Qingxu, saying, "Fellow Daoist Qingxu, I have a request that I cannot make."

The Lord of Moral Purity and Emptiness was slightly taken aback, stroked his beard, and smiled, "What is it?"

"I've heard that you possess the 'Essence of Thunderous Radiance'. Would you be willing to part with it?"

As soon as this statement came out, everyone was shocked.

The essence of thunder is a unique species of heaven and earth. It gathers all thunder without dispersing, and its energy can transform into lightning. It is a rare treasure among thunder-related species.

This item is extremely rare, and few in the world can be seen unless one is extremely fortunate.

The Lord of Moral Purity stroked his beard and smiled, his tone tinged with pride: "Indeed, I possess such a thing. That essence of thunder was obtained by me in the depths of the sea of ​​thunder after undergoing three tribulations of lightning in my past life."

At that time, the sky split open three zhang (approximately 10 meters), and ten thousand thunderbolts roared. I used my spiritual sense to retrieve half an ounce, which I have kept sealed away to this day, untouched.

Everyone who heard this was deeply moved.

Being able to retrieve something during a tribulation of lightning is itself a heaven-defying feat.

The Lord of Moral Purity and Emptiness smiled and said, "This item is extremely precious. I intend to leave it to my great-grandson so that he can use it to refine the power of the Five Origins after he contemplates the Literary Dao Stele."

The Lord of Liyun Chongxuan bowed again, his tone earnest: "I am willing to exchange this item for a magic treasure; you can set the price."

The Lord of Moral Purity paused for a moment, then said, "Oh? I still want to know what you want the essence of thunder for, fellow Daoist?"

Li Yunchongxuan looked at Xue Xiang with sincerity and respect in his eyes: "Teacher's literary talent is pure and flawless, but I can sense that it has not yet been refined with the power of the Five Elements."

Therefore, I dare to venture to contribute my share to the fusion of the Five Elements Power for my teacher.

These words shocked everyone.

At this point, they were completely convinced that the Literary Qi Tree of the Lord of Mingde Cave was indeed a rebirth after a long hiatus, otherwise why would it not have incorporated the power of the Five Origins?

“Since Senior Mingde Dongxuan needs it, why should you trouble yourself, fellow Daoist? I will give it to him myself.”

With a flick of his fingertip, the Lord of Moral Purity and Emptiness sent a purple light rising from his sleeve.

The essence of thunder resembled a crystal the size of a fingertip, its luster shimmering, with countless lightning bolts swirling within. Each flash of lightning was accompanied by a faint rumble of thunder echoing through the space.

With a wave of his long sleeve, the Lord of Moral Purity and Emptiness sent the essence of thunder and lightning flying straight toward Xue Xiang, landing steadily in his palm.

Xue Xiang reached out and caught it. His palm was slightly warm. He was overjoyed, but showed no sign of it on his face. He bowed to the Lord of Morality and Purity and said, "I am truly ashamed of your kindness, fellow Daoist."

"Very well, then consider this an old man's debt to you, fellow Daoist, which I will repay in the future."

The Lord of Moral Purity was flattered and quickly returned the greeting: "I dare not accept such a small favor. How could I possibly accept such a humble gift from you, senior?"

He said this aloud, but deep down he was overjoyed.

The Lord of Mingde Dongxuan promised to owe him a favor, and he didn't believe that the old man would dare to stand idly by if he were in trouble in the future.

No matter how precious Lei Yao's essence is, it's not as precious as one's own old life.

Suddenly, the virtuous and pure master felt remorse again.

He regretted that he had accepted the requests of these Wenxu lords to come and watch the battle for such a small gain.

If he had come alone at the time, perhaps he would now have this opportunity with the Lord of Mingde Cave, which would belong to him alone.

Every time he thought of this, he felt extremely annoyed.

Just then, another person stepped forward with hands clasped and said loudly, "This old man knows where the Eye of the Storm is, and will do his utmost to retrieve it for you, senior."

Another swordsman in green robes said, "I possess a copy of the 'Mysterious Thunder Orthodox Method.' If you, senior, were to integrate the essence of thunder and light into the flower of literary veins and use it in combination, it would surely have miraculous effects."

(End of this chapter)