The First Sage of Military Strategists

A year ago, he wouldn't have taken a master like Yan Qiuling seriously.

But now, he feels that as long as someone is a saint, he can pass on the Dharma.

But since there are two people to choose from, he naturally wants to spend more time trying them out.

"Alright, I'll give it a try!" Han Qing leaped into the air.

He had heard of Shui Yuan Dao Jun, a top expert in his field, from many people, and his treasure, Xuanming Heavy Water, was famous throughout the world.

Legend has it that a single drop of Xuanming Heavy Water weighs a thousand pounds, and with a flick of the finger, it can shatter a mountain, making it extremely terrifying.

"Young friend, I'm sorry to offend you!"

With a low shout, the sound of a rushing river echoed between heaven and earth. The giant serpent formed from the Xuanming Heavy Water suddenly soared up and charged fiercely towards Han Qing.

With a thought, Han Qing activated the Yin-Yang Incantation Seal, leaped into the air, raised his hand, and swung his sword, unleashing a sky full of sword light.

In an instant, the Xuanming Serpent was engulfed and shattered by the chaotic sword light, turning into drops of heavy water that scattered away.

Shui Yuan Daojun's eyes lit up. Although he had not fully activated the Xuanming Heavy Water, Han Qing's ability to shatter it with a single strike was far beyond his expectations.

Because a Saint of the Golden Body Realm 2 can deduce the opponent's actual age through various details, and Han Qing is extremely young, not even thirty years old, yet he has such combat power. It is not an exaggeration to call him a peerless genius.

"Come again!"

Shuiyuan Daojun pointed his finger, and with a rumble, the entire lake beneath his feet began to boil and surge. Streams of water suddenly rose up and converged in front of him to form a towering water giant.

"This move is my signature technique, Sunflower Water Giant, young friend, be careful!"

The giant suddenly raised his foot and stomped heavily on Han Qing.

"Well done!"

A flash of light appeared beside Han Qing, and the Eight Directions Puppet, clad in the Manglong Devouring Heaven Armor, flew out from it, raising its hand to throw a punch at the giant's large foot.

In an instant, the force of the punch surged and trembled, and the Sunflower Water Giant could not withstand it, collapsing in mid-air and turning into a sky full of water droplets.

"Young friend, my move is not that simple!"

Shuiyuan Daojun laughed, and in the next instant, the splashing water suddenly gathered together and formed the Sunflower Water Giant once again.

"My Sunflower Water Giant is practically immortal, able to directly absorb the power of heaven and earth. No matter how many times it is destroyed or scattered, it can quickly reassemble and regenerate. I want to see where your combat power limit is," Water Element Daoist said with a smile.

"Daojun underestimates me too much. You want to see my combat limit? I'm afraid you won't be able to do it today." Han Qing smiled.

The Eight Directions Puppet made its move again. After the Sunflower Water Giant was resurrected, its momentum was stronger than before. However, the Eight Directions Puppet was a powerful being who could exchange a few blows with a first-level expert, the leader of the Holy Land, even with the increased power. It could still be destroyed with one punch.

Then, the Water Giant exploded once again, turning into raindrops that scattered in all directions.

Immediately afterwards, a surge of power from heaven and earth caused the raindrops and water droplets to suddenly gather together, about to transform into the Sunflower Water Giant once again.

"seal up!"

Han Qing was prepared. With a low shout, the power of heaven and earth surged and suddenly converged to form a beautiful lotus flower. Golden and black light flashed alternately on it, instantly sealing the Kui Water Giant inside.

Water Element Dao Lord was startled. He felt that the connection between himself and the Sunflower Water Giant had been completely severed. His eyes were fixed on the slowly rotating Dharma Lotus in the air.

"Is this the Taiyin True Realm or the Taiyang True Realm? I am well-informed and have seen both of these spells before. How come they are different from the magic lotus in your hand?"

With a wave of his hand, Han Qing summoned the lotus flower into his palm.

"It's normal that Daoist doesn't recognize it, because this is the Yin-Yang True Realm, a method that combines the Sun and the Moon True Realms into one. It is the first sealing technique of ancient times. In the world today, apart from me, there should be no one else who can perform it. As long as the power of the Dharma is sufficient, there is nothing in the world that cannot be sealed!" Han Qing said with a smile.

"The Yin-Yang True Realm!" Daoist Shuiyuan exclaimed in surprise, his words filled with astonishment. "It is said that to learn and master this ancient sealing technique, one must cultivate both the Taiyin and Taiyang True Realms to perfection. The difficulty is unbelievable; even mastering just one of them is as difficult as ascending to heaven. I myself have studied the Taiyin True Realm, but unfortunately, my comprehension is limited. Although I have entered the basics, I am still far from fully understanding it."

As he spoke, he flipped his palm, and the power of his spiritual energy surged forth, causing a black lotus to appear in his palm, its appearance exquisite.

However, in Han Qing's eyes, this black lotus was very crude, indeed only at the beginner level, with limited sealing power.

"Daojun is indeed very knowledgeable. I have indeed mastered the sealing techniques of the Sun and the Moon to perfection!" Han Qing said with a smile.

"May I ask your name, young friend? Such ability and talent far surpass even mine." Daoist Shuiyuan's eyes gleamed.

"My name is Han Qing."

"Han Qing! So it was you. In this era, your martial arts talent is universally acknowledged as the best in the world. No wonder you can master the Yin-Yang True Realm at such a young age. I must have been senile. I should have realized it was you. Who else could do this besides you?" Daoist Shuiyuan suddenly realized.

Han Qing shook his head: "Daojun, there is no need to praise me so much. The world is vast and there are countless heroes. There may be those with greater talent than me hiding in the secret chambers of some martial arts holy land. It's just that the tide of human reform has not yet truly arrived, so they have not yet emerged."

"Young friend Han, there's no need to be modest. In all my years of traveling the world, I've never seen anyone stronger than you," Daoist Shuiyuan shook his head.

"So, should this test end here?" Han Qing asked with a smile.

"It's over. With your talent and strength, you should be able to pass my test!" Daoist Shuiyuan nodded solemnly.

With a thought, the slowly rotating lotus in Han Qing's palm suddenly vanished, and the Kui Water Giant escaped from it.

"My inheritance is nothing special, just a supreme treasure, the Profound Nether Heavy Water, and a spell, the Sunflower Water Giant!" said Daoist Shuiyuan.

After a moment's thought, Han Qing suddenly said, "Daoist Master, I am a martial arts practitioner who refines the spirit. Strictly speaking, your magic is not suitable for me. I suggest you pass on the method to my partner, Yan Qiuling!"

"Yan Qiuling? So you are Yan Qiuling, one of the top ten masters in the world. No wonder you have such abilities. Very well, then so be it." As Shuiyuan Daojun spoke, he reached out and pointed at Yan Qiuling from a distance, and a wisp of condensed light flew into her brow.

Then, the Sunflower Water Giant and the Dark Nether Heavy Water both transformed into streams of light and shot into its body.

"Well, I've done a lot of good and bad things in my life. The only thing I feel guilty about is my mother. Hehe, but it's all in the past now, so let's just let it all go with the wind."

As he spoke, Daoist Shuiyuan touched his brow, and his soul automatically disintegrated. In an instant, tens of thousands of Daoist thoughts condensed into a pillar of light, which suddenly descended from the sky to pour into Yan Qiuling's body.

With a thought, Han Qing took the initiative and used the Yin-Yang True Realm to seal this force of magical power.

He wanted to check everything. Although he hadn't sensed any malice from the conversation, he just wanted to make a final struggle before he died.

But you should not have the intention to harm others, but you must be on guard against others.

If the tens of thousands of magical thoughts released by the Water Element Dao Lord's soul disintegration contain hidden secrets, such as the secret method of possession that the Heavenly Wolf Fortress has, which involves actively disintegrating the body and hiding the magical thoughts in another person's body, waiting for an opportunity to possess and be reborn, then that would be a huge problem.

After being sealed by the Yin-Yang True Realm, any hidden tricks within the Dharma Thoughts can be quickly discovered.

Han Qing silently sensed it for a while and concluded that there was no problem. This was a vast and pure Dharma thought, consisting of a total of 56,000 strands.

"Qiuling, having absorbed the power of Daoist Shuiyuan, you should be able to open the third and fourth Heavenly Gates in one go!" Han Qing said with a smile. "Husband, you should accept this inheritance," Yan Qiuling said.

"My wife, please don't refuse. We are one. Your strength will also benefit me," Han Qing advised.

"Then I'll accept it!"

A flood of information immediately surged through Yan Qiuling's mind, mainly the insights and accumulations of Daoist Shuiyuan throughout his life, including the secret technique of the Kui Water Giant and many essential elements of the magic treasure Xuanming Heavy Water.

However, Yan Qiuling's first task was to digest these 56,000 Daoist thoughts.

"Qiu Ling, if you try to absorb all these magical thoughts in a short time, it may cause your soul to become bloated and your magical thoughts to become unbalanced, resulting in something that is large but not strong," Han Qing warned.

"It's alright, I'll spend some time increasing the strength of these magical powers," Yan Qiuling said.

"Alright."

Han Qing immediately guided this immense stream of magical power and injected it into Yan Qiuling's body.

Yan Qiuling closed her eyes slightly, sat cross-legged on the ground, and began to rapidly refine this stream of magical thought by circulating her secret technique.

...

into the night.

In the inner city of Guiqiu, in a spacious courtyard, Han Qing sat upright in a room, with a large table of sumptuous food in front of him.

Since this was Meng Qingxi's arrangement, this four-courtyard house will be his residence during this period.

Originally, Meng Qingxi wanted him to live in the palace, but Han Qing wasn't used to it and preferred to live in the courtyard.

"Eat it!"

As Han Qing spoke, he first picked up a piece of snow-white fish meat and put it in his mouth. This was a local specialty, sea buckthorn fish, which was smooth and had an excellent taste.

The young monks beside him swallowed hard and whispered, "This humble monk does not eat meat."

So he reached out and picked up a piece of leafy greens with his chopsticks, put it in his mouth, and chewed it carefully, but his eyes kept glancing at the many pieces of chicken, duck, fish and meat on the table.

Han Qing remained calm and observed the reactions of the young monks from both the north and south, finding the young monks quite amusing.

Adhering to the principle of not wasting food, Han Qing quickly finished off the entire table of food.

He got up and went into the courtyard, where he began to practice his boxing techniques at will.

During this period, he focused on improving his cultivation level in the Dao of Law, neglecting his cultivation in the Dao of Martial Arts.

However, this does not mean that his martial arts skills have not improved at all.

On the contrary, he had been accumulating knowledge and experience. Tonight, under the bright moon and in complete silence, he felt a sense of clarity and his many doubts were gradually resolved.

With a thought, the Seven Killings Stele appeared in his mind, and numerous soul points were absorbed one by one, transferring the skill proficiency to the Supreme Reincarnation Scripture.

The latter's proficiency began to increase rapidly. A large amount of information appeared in Han Qing's mind, and his blood and qi surged wildly, like a great river flowing endlessly. The little monks from the north and south sitting in the room could even hear the rushing sound.

"open!"

Han Qing let out a low shout, and a massive surge of qi and blood rushed towards the hidden acupoints.

With the help of the Seven Killings Stele, and with Han Qing's own extremely profound accumulation, these hidden acupoints were easily opened, and the power of the Heavenly Star surged through his limbs and bones, causing his physical strength to increase dramatically.

"Congeal!"

With a low shout, Han Qing unleashed strands of celestial power from his body, which combined with the true essence of martial arts behind him to form a star spirit body several meters tall.

Hearing the commotion, the young monks from the north and south came out of their rooms. Upon seeing this scene, a look of envy and fear flashed in their eyes.

He could feel Han Qing's aura rapidly increasing, and the star spirit behind him becoming brighter and taller.

This means that Han Qing is already a mid-level Martial Saint and has extremely profound martial arts accumulation; otherwise, it would be impossible for him to break through to the next level so quickly.

So, for the entire night, Han Qing kept breaking through and opening hidden apertures.

Meanwhile, the young monk from the north and south watched with envy. Although he couldn't understand the boxing technique Han Qing was practicing, the mysterious and profound feeling it gave him deeply attracted him.

As dawn broke, the light of day began to appear and disappear.

Han Qing slowly withdrew his fist, exhaled a breath of turbid air, and stretched his muscles and bones slightly.

With a series of crackling sounds, Han Qing could feel that his strength, speed, endurance, defense, and other aspects had all been improved in an all-round way.

Now, he has opened a total of 360 hidden apertures, which is the ultimate limit of the Supreme Reincarnation Heavenly Scripture.

Now, in terms of physical combat strength alone, he feels that it has more than tripled compared to before.

However, the road ahead was blocked. He thought he had to return to Sichuan as soon as possible to retrieve the Scripture of Great Harmony from that wondrous place.

The Future Great Harmony Scripture records numerous methods for opening hidden apertures, which are said to lead directly to the Thousand Aperture Martial Saint. It also contains the Future Great Harmony Body, a supreme secret technique that combines magic and martial arts. If one can learn it, his combat power will be astonishingly enhanced.

As he was pondering this, Yan Qiuling pushed open the door and entered. Han Qing glanced at her and could sense that her aura had become even more profound, clearly indicating that her strength had greatly improved.

"My lord, after a night of arduous cultivation, I have refined and mastered the Xuanming Heavy Water and the Kui Water Giant. I have also refined a large part of the Water Element Dao Lord's Dharma Thoughts. Now my strength has greatly improved. I have decided to find a place to break through to the third realm of Incense, and use the power of heaven and earth to cleanse and purify all my Dharma Thoughts," Yan Qiuling said.

"This is a quick way to achieve success, but it comes with great risks. I suggest you play it safe," Han Qing said thoughtfully.

The most common way to refine the magical thoughts of others is to rely on oneself, but this method is very slow. In particular, since Daoist Shuiyuan has 56,000 magical thoughts, it would take at least half a year to refine them all.

Another method is to open the Heavenly Gate. No matter which Heavenly Gate you open, you will be cleansed by the power of heaven and earth, and all the magical thoughts in your body will be purified to the same intensity, which can save a lot of time.

However, the problem is that if Yan Qiuling has not finished refining the many magical thoughts from Daoist Shuiyuan, her strength will not be at its peak, and going to open the Heavenly Gate at this time would be very risky.

In the event of failure, there is even a risk of death.

“Husband, after inheriting the lifelong cultivation of Daoist Shuiyuan, my strength has greatly improved. Even if I haven’t completely refined his Dharma essence, I am confident that I can open the third Heavenly Gate. Moreover, the enemies you face are getting stronger and stronger, and I can’t help you at all. I’m also very anxious. You don’t need to persuade me. I’ve decided that I must find a way to break through the Incense Realm in the near future!” Yan Qiuling said resolutely.

Han Qing nodded slightly. Since Yan Qiuling was so determined, he couldn't stop her any longer.

"Alright, I'll go with you!" Han Qing said. (End of Chapter)