The First Sage of Military Strategists

"Let's go in and take a look!" Han Qing said.

The group walked into the valley. The cold wind blew and howled, echoing in the empty valley and reaching their ears, making a series of sobbing sounds, as if someone was crying.

Han Qing's gaze swept back and forth, and he could still see many male and female skeletons under the broken rocks and walls.

When the group reached the center of the valley, they saw a large pit containing countless corpses, piled high with white bones, which evoked different emotions in everyone present.

Han Qing remained silent, feeling somewhat suppressed. Zhou Xiaoru, standing beside him, reacted even more intensely. He had a deep affection for Yuelu Academy, and seeing so many people buried alive, an indescribable anger welled up within him.

He didn't hurl insults, but Han Qing could sense the intense turmoil in his emotions, to the point that his shoulders were trembling slightly.

Han Qing patted him on the shoulder.

"Who killed these people? Whether they were innocent or not, I will find out the truth one day and make the murderers pay the price in blood!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xiaoru took a deep breath and his emotions completely calmed down.

"Thank you, young master! If we continue forward, there will be a forest of steles."

As he spoke, he pointed to a winding path behind the White Bone Pit. The group followed the path deeper and deeper until they saw the stele forest that Zhou Xiaoru had mentioned.

Han Qing glanced around and saw a total of 1008 stone tablets, with gold characters engraved on a black background. The large ones were three to five zhang tall, while the small ones were one or two zhang tall.

"Young master, the way to unlock the wonder lies in one of the stone tablets. My lady once told me that there is a scripture on that stone tablet that is difficult for anyone but those with extraordinary talent to comprehend. If one truly understands it, one can learn a magic incantation and recite the incantation to unlock the wonder."

As Zhou Xiaoru spoke, he took the lead and walked into the depths of the stele forest. Before long, he arrived at the thirteenth stele in the second-to-last row of the stele forest, where there was a scripture.

“Young master, this is the one.” Zhou Xiaoru pointed.

All eyes were on this scripture, titled "The Four Symbols Treasure Compendium." The text below was extremely profound, to the point that even Han Qing couldn't understand it. He recognized each individual character, but when put together, he had no idea what the sentences meant.

Everyone else was also staring intently at the scripture, trying to discern something, but they felt completely lost and couldn't grasp its essence.

Yan Qiuling was the most carefree and confident. She glanced at it a few times but couldn't understand it, so she simply stopped looking. Besides, she thought Zhou Xiaoru had misremembered.

"This scripture is nothing more than a Confucian classic, profound and complicated, and utterly illogical. Where is there any secret formula hidden within it? Have you misremembered it?"

Zhou Xiaoru shook his head: "I am a semi-saint, I have a perfect memory, I would never be wrong, this stone tablet is indeed this scripture."

Han Qing believed Zhou Xiaoru's words. After reciting the scripture once, he forcibly memorized it and it was then entered into the system's panel.

He felt it was normal that he couldn't quickly comprehend the secrets contained in this scripture on his own. If it were really that simple, the supreme scripture in this wondrous place would probably have been taken away by the imperial court long ago.

So he began to absorb soul light points, specifically choosing martial arts techniques with high proficiency to inherit, and then transforming them into the Four Symbols Covenant.

This is a scripture, but it is also a spell. Although there is no distinction between different levels of attainment, there is a level of proficiency.

As each martial arts technique was transformed, the proficiency level of this scripture also increased rapidly.

During this process, Han Qing had already realized that this fan scripture was exceptionally difficult.

With the Seven Killings Stele already at the third rank, normally he would learn a spell extremely quickly. This situation can only mean one thing: the scripture is very difficult to understand, and the spell's rank is too high.

But this is actually a great thing, because the more difficult it is, the more it means that the wonderland has not yet been opened and the scriptures inside have not been taken away.

Two hours passed in the blink of an eye, and the sky was bright. Everyone looked troubled, as they hadn't seen anything, including Yan Qiuling.

She was a genius since childhood. She believed that her martial arts talent and comprehension were not as good as Han Qing's, but she was still a first-class person in the world. However, she could not understand this scripture. She became more and more suspicious that Zhou Xiaoru's memory was wrong.

Just then, a look of realization dawned on Han Qing's eyes.

On the panel, the proficiency of this scripture was finally pushed to 100%, and he also comprehended a technique from it, called the Cloud Sky Opening Technique.

The difference between incantations and spells lies here: the former is often very short and does not require any complicated operation; it can simply be recited from the mouth.

As soon as he recited the incantation, a thick fog suddenly rose up all around them. Yan Qiuling and the others were all surprised, as no one had expected it to turn out this way.

"What's going on?" Yan Qiuling raised an eyebrow.

"Someone has opened up this wondrous place. Madam didn't lie to me. The scriptures on this stone tablet do indeed contain a secret technique. However, comprehending it is extremely difficult, requiring exceptional talent and comprehension," Zhou Xiaoru said. He didn't know about others, but at least he himself, after looking at it again and again, still couldn't understand it.

"Huh? Han Qing has disappeared!" Yan Qiuling suddenly exclaimed in surprise.

With a sweep of her mind, she found everyone nearby except Han Qing.

Before the fog rolled in, Han Qing was standing in front of her, less than five steps away.

“Miss Yan, don’t panic. The Wonderland has its own special features. Among us, the young master has the highest comprehension. He must have opened the Wonderland. I heard from the madam that there is no danger in this Wonderland. Let’s just wait.” Zhou Xiaoru said unhurriedly.

Yan Qiuling nodded slightly and didn't say anything more. He believed in Han Qing's strength and that even if there was danger, he could get away safely.

At this moment, Han Qing was still standing in the same place. But the instant he finished reciting the incantation, he was instantly enveloped in clouds and mist, and everything around him was a vast expanse of white. After a while, the clouds and mist in front of him dissipated, revealing a road, or rather, a staircase leading upwards.

"Hmm? I didn't expect this place to have such amazing scenery," Han Qingxin said.

Wonderland is a special place nurtured by heaven and earth, which can also be understood as a secret realm. It has its own set of rules, and it is difficult to summarize a set of common laws.

This scenic spot consists of two parts: a spiral stone staircase leading upwards, and a tall white stone tower at the end of the staircase.

The stone tower stood amidst the clouds, appearing and disappearing intermittently, radiating a dazzling light; it was quite peculiar.

He gazed intently at the stone tower and saw a sphere of light atop its spire. Inside the sphere was a square, ancient stone slab, inscribed with numerous characters that formed a scripture. However, standing there, he couldn't make out the specific content of the scripture.

"Could it be that what's written on this stone slab is the supreme martial arts manual that Zhou Xiaoru spoke of?"

After a moment's thought, Han Qing decided that since he was already there, he should definitely go up and take a look.

So he stepped onto the first step, only to find that he had missed a step.

"Ok?"

Han Qing frowned.

After a moment's thought, he separated his soul from his body, intending to fly straight to the top of the tower. However, as soon as he reached the top of the stone steps, he felt a pulling force that dragged him down onto the first step. This pulling force was immense and completely irresistible.

The instant his soul fell, a figure appeared on the wide stone steps—a lean man with a crimson scarf wrapped around his head and wielding a pair of double swords.

The man's eyes were lifeless; he was an illusion, yet he suddenly lunged at him.

Han Qing silently circulated the Ceasefire Sutra, and his soul suddenly changed, transforming from his original self into a black-armored deity holding a longbow.

Before the man wielding two swords could even charge forward, he was already blown apart by an arrow shot from the idol.

"Very weak. This man's soul is almost the same as that of a newly entered Soul Gathering Realm cultivator." Han Qing made this judgment in his mind.

He soared into the air and stepped onto the second step.

He discovered that the traction under his feet dissipated after he smashed the man to pieces.

However, when he flew above the second stone step, the pulling force erupted again, pulling him back onto the stone slab.

Then, another figure appeared. This time, it was a young man wearing chainmail and wielding a long spear. He thrust the spear forward.

Before the spearhead even arrived, a beam of black light pierced through his chest, and his soul exploded in mid-air, turning into a gust of cold wind that echoed between heaven and earth.

Han Qing squinted and looked towards the top of the tower. He roughly estimated that there were 1008 stone steps.

"Does this mean I have to fight my way up step by step?"

"Now that we're here, there's no turning back. I want to see what's written on this stone slab at the top of the tower."

So, for the next period of time, he fought and climbed relentlessly, defeating one opponent after another.

These illusory figures appeared from nowhere, but their strength increased as they ascended the stone steps.

Starting from the Soul Gathering Realm, combat power gradually increases to the Image Integration Realm, and even to the Body Possession Realm and the Half-Saint Realm.

Han Qing was a half-saint soul, formed from pure Dharma thought. At first, he was naturally overwhelming, and none of the figures that jumped out could withstand a single arrow.

However, when he broke through to the last hundred steps, his opponent's strength had already reached the level of a half-saint.

Han Qing finally felt a little strained. If it were just one or two ordinary half-saints, he could easily handle them.

But there are still a hundred steps left, which means he has to defeat a hundred semi-saints in a row, which is incredibly difficult, not to mention that there may be saints behind him.

Han Qing frowned. He vaguely felt that with his current strength, it would be difficult for him to obtain this stone slab.

However, he still decided to give it a try, and in the following days, he killed 74 demigods in succession.

These demigods are ultimately illusory beings with extremely rigid fighting styles. It's like someone who has brute strength but is an idiot, who doesn't know how to use various techniques when fighting others and just swings his fists without exerting much combat power. Therefore, it is much easier for him to kill demigods here than outside. Otherwise, no matter how strong he is, he could not have killed so many demigods in such a short time.

However, when he stepped onto the thirty-sixth step from the end, his opponent turned into a white-haired old man with a whisk in his hand, exuding an otherworldly and refined aura.

Han Qing was startled. He felt something was wrong as soon as the old man appeared, because he was radiating a kind of vitality.

There is an extremely simple way to determine whether the other party has the soul of a half-saint or a saint: whether there is any vitality hidden within them.

There are saints, but not semi-saints, so he knew very well that the person standing in front of him was a saint, not a semi-saint.

However, Han Qing did not give up immediately. He flew forward and clashed with the soul of the saint. After a fierce battle, Han Qing floated up and took a step back.

There was no other reason than that he didn't want to continue fighting. If he were to fight with all his might, repeatedly shattering the old man's soul and exhausting his magical power, he might be able to win, but it would be too mentally and physically exhausting.

Moreover, there are more than thirty stone steps behind, which means there are more than thirty saints, and their strength must be stronger than the last. With my current strength, there is absolutely no possibility of me reaching the top.

Han Qing stood on this step and glanced at the top of the tower. This time, the distance was much closer, and he could vaguely make out the words on the stone slab at the top of the tower. At the very top were five large characters: "The Great Harmony of the Future".

"I will try again when I become a saint. My current combat power is far from sufficient."

Han Qing shook his head and secretly recited the incantation again. This Cloud Opening Technique was divided into two parts: one part could open up the wonderland, and the other part could be used to return to reality.

Han Qing was reciting the second part at this moment. In an instant, his soul returned to his body, and the white mist surrounding him suddenly dissipated, along with the stone steps and white pagoda in front of him.

Everything returned to calm. He glanced around and saw that it was still in that valley, with Yan Qiuling and the others standing beside him.

"Young master, what just happened? Did you enter a scenic wonderland?" Zhou Xiaoru asked.

Han Qing nodded slightly and quickly recounted everything he had seen in the wonderland. When he mentioned the Great Harmony Sutra, a look of surprise flashed in the eyes of Zhou Xiaoru and Yan Qiuling.

“Indeed, what Madam said is true. The tower actually contains the Scripture of the Great Harmony of the Future. During the heyday of Yuelu Academy, there were twelve supreme heavenly scriptures. Although I do not know the purpose of each scripture, one of them is indeed called the Scripture of the Great Harmony of the Future. It turns out that this scripture records the path to becoming a Martial Saint who has mastered all the skills.” A look of joy flashed in Zhou Xiaoru’s eyes.

"Han Qing, I've also heard similar rumors. The Great Harmony Scripture is the most valuable of the twelve supreme scriptures of Yuelu Academy. If we can obtain this scripture, we might soon become a Martial Saint with a hundred or even a thousand apertures," Yan Qiuling said.

A hint of anticipation flickered in Han Qing's eyes. He nodded slightly and said, "This scripture is invaluable. However, only those who have reached the realm of a sage can obtain it. Let's put this aside for now. In any case, this scenic spot is extremely well hidden. Unless someone also knows how to open it and possesses the soul of a sage, it's impossible for them to take this supreme martial scripture before us."

“Young master is right, there’s no need to rush,” Zhou Xiaoru added.

...

After figuring out what was on the stone tower, Han Qing did not linger in the valley any longer, but instead rode his horse and continued to travel at high speed towards Hengshan City.

Several days later, the group arrived near Baiyun County.

Han Qing stood in a nearby dense forest, gazing at the distant Baiyun County town, his heart filled with emotion.

In just two years, he has grown from a minor official in Baiyun County to a semi-saint, and has gained a place in the world.

"There are some old friends of mine in Baiyun County ahead. You all wait here. I'll go alone," Han Qing instructed.

"it is good."

"Go with peace of mind, young master." (End of Chapter)