The First Sage of Military Strategists

Qi Guanzi felt a surge of emotion: "Young master, this gift is too precious. You are Su Jin's child, so it is only right for me to lend a helping hand."

The Great Harmony of the Future is one of the strongest secret techniques of ancient Confucianism and Taoism. Only the palace masters of each generation can learn it. When the Yuelu Academy was destroyed, this scripture was also lost. Now that he suddenly obtained it, he was overjoyed, but he also felt that he had broken the rules, so he subconsciously wanted to refuse.

"A drop of water in need deserves a spring in return. Mr. Qi, this is what you deserve," Han Qing said with a smile.

Qi Guanzi did not refuse again, but hesitated for a moment before making a decision.

"Young master, when I return this time, I will gather experts from all over the world from Lishan Academy to jointly elect you as the academy master. At that time, you must come back to the academy with me."

His purpose in coming to the border town this time was to meet Han Qing and see if Han Qing was as powerful as rumored and whether he was qualified to lead the huge force of Lishan Academy.

Now, he was certain that Han Qing was qualified.

Han Qing found these words rather abrupt.

“Old sir, you are more qualified than I to be the head of the academy.”

“Young Master has the ability, the potential, the good character, and the high prestige. It is only right and proper for you to take charge of the academy,” Qi Guanzi said firmly.

After a moment's thought, Han Qing did not insist on refusing, after all, Lishan Academy was an extremely powerful force.

"Alright then, sir, I'll go with you sometime. If the academy really needs me to lead it, Han Qing will never back down or be afraid."

"It's a deal." A hint of joy appeared in Qi Guanzi's eyes.

...

After a long conversation, Qi Guanzi left to gather the experts from Lishan Academy from all over the country and elect Han Qing as the academy master.

After Qi Guanzi left, Han Qing sent someone to bring Wang Qiang to him.

"Young master, what brings you here?" Wang Qiang asked, bowing.

In front of Han Qing, he showed no airs of a scion of a powerful family, simply because the difference in their strength was too great.

"Although I didn't manage to take Brahma this time, your intelligence was of great help to me. I'm giving you this wisp of Dharma energy, which will greatly increase your strength." As Han Qing spoke, he raised his hand and waved it, and a bright ball of light flew out from his palm and disappeared into Wang Qiang's body in a flash.

Wang Qiang was startled. This ball of light contained tens of thousands of pure magical thoughts. If he could refine them all, his strength would surely increase dramatically.

"Thank you, sir!"

"No need to thank me. I, Han Qing, am a person who clearly distinguishes between gratitude and resentment. This is what you deserve," Han Qing said.

"My lord, I will immediately set off back to the Wang family and do my utmost to persuade the elders to join forces with the Wang family to help you reach the pinnacle!"

Wang Qiang left after saying a few words, and Han Qing did not stop her.

Although the Wang family had declined, even a fallen camel is bigger than a horse. Since such a powerful family was willing to lend a helping hand, he naturally wouldn't refuse.

...

into the night.

Inside the manor.

In a hall, a purple-gold incense burner with animal heads emitted wisps of smoke, which rose upwards, filling the room with a sweet fragrance.

"Husband, dinner is ready!"

Yan Qiu took the lead and sat down at a round table made of rosewood. Several maids dressed in pale yellow dresses stepped in, carrying plates of delicious dishes.

Before long, the table was filled with a large spread of food and wine.

Han Qing also came out from a side room and sat down opposite Yan Qiuling.

"My lord, after this battle, your fame will spread throughout the world. Now everyone knows that you have the powerful combat strength of a leader of a holy land. Let's see who dares to cause us trouble." Yan Qiuling had a faint smile on her face, her eyes full of admiration.

"Reputation is an external thing; the taller the tree, the more the wind will blow against it. Your husband doesn't care much about it, so it's fine without it." Han Qing smiled and picked up a piece of green vegetable with her chopsticks and put it in her mouth.

“My husband is right. Only strength is fundamental. We should not be burdened by fame and fortune,” Yan Qiuling said with a smile.

"My lady, these greens are quite refreshing, have some more." Han Qing smiled and put a piece of greens into Yan Qiuling's bowl.

Yan Qiuling picked up a bright green vegetable and put it in her mouth. She chewed it carefully, smiled and nodded slightly: "My husband is absolutely right. This vegetable is very refreshing. I must eat more of it."

Han Qing looked at Yan Qiuling, slowly chewing the vegetables in his mouth. They were light and slightly sweet. He savored them and his heart completely relaxed.

It was just an ordinary dinner, but Han Qing thoroughly enjoyed it. He tasted the warmth and comfort of everyday life in it, which allowed him to find a moment of peace and tranquility amidst the hectic pace of his life.

In a short while, Han Qing finished the last bite of vegetables on the table, got up and went out.

The moment he stepped out the door, he tensed up and returned to his previous state.

He decided to go into seclusion to quickly digest the lessons learned from his trip to Brahma.

Before long, he was sitting cross-legged in a secret room. He had sealed the entire courtyard with the Yin-Yang True Realm, making it difficult for outsiders to enter or to penetrate and explore with their spiritual power.

Han Qingping was calm and composed, a faint scent of sandalwood lingering around his nose.

With a thought, the Seven Killings Stele appeared in his mind, and a soul light from Xiang Ying floated in front of the stele, its face appearing and disappearing.

But it was filled with malevolence, constantly emitting silent roars, and filled with resentment at its own death.

The next instant, Han Qing directly absorbed the soul light point, and a vast amount of fragmented images appeared before him, like a long river of memories unfolding before him and rushing forward at high speed.

Han Qing quickly finished reading about Xiang Ying's life and obtained a lot of key information from it.

First, although Xiang Ying is dead, the foundation of Chu still exists, and a powerful force still occupies the territory, including many sages and martial saints.

Han Qing pondered that he should take a trip to Chu when he had time, as there might be an opportunity to gain substantial benefits from it.

Because once Xiang Ying dies, the Chu region will surely be thrown into chaos, and chaos means opportunity.

He felt that if they ignored the situation, the Chu region would be suppressed by the imperial court, and many treasures would fall into the hands of Emperor Yu. He thought it would be better to strike first and seize all these treasures himself.

Secondly, Xiang Ying and Peacock King Buddha reached an agreement: Peacock King Buddha would help him fully unleash the true dragon power within the Manglong Spear, while Xiang Ying would need to cooperate with the Holy Desert Empire to overthrow the Great Yu.

Han Qing had not seen the specific action plan, but he was certain that Xiang Ying was playing a key role in it.

However, with Xiang Ying's death, this plan should have fallen through, so Han Qing didn't take it to heart.

Thirdly, Ma Meng and Tan Yuanming are refining a supreme treasure pill called the Heavenly Demon Blood Soul Pill, in an ancient ruin called Loulan Ancient City on a sandbar.

The fourth point, and the one that surprised Han Qing the most, concerns Xiang Ying's background.

Xiang Ying was not born in this world, but came from another world, named Pan Yuan.

The entrance to this primordial world is located in the turbulent void above the Nine Heavens Gale, and it is suspected to be the legendary Heavenly Palace. Ancient myths say that there is a Heavenly Palace high in the sky, and one can enter the Heavenly Palace by passing through the Nine Heavenly Gates, where one can live forever and enjoy the ultimate bliss in the world.

However, since it is difficult to distinguish between true and false ancient history, Han Qing also had no way of knowing whether the legend was true or not. But today, according to Xiang Ying's memories, the Heavenly Palace World seems to be real.

However, it was not as beautiful as described in ancient books; there was also strife and killing.

Xiang Ying was a powerful figure from one of the forces in the Heavenly Palace World. His divine soul descended through a secret technique, traversing the two realms, and possessed the body of a young man named Xiang Ying in the Chu region. As a result, he rose rapidly and became famous throughout the world.

His many extraordinary encounters were not due to divine favor, but rather to the support of a force from the Heavenly Palace World. For example, the Manglong Spear, the Devouring Armor, and the Supreme Bone were all delivered to him by powerful figures from the Heavenly Palace World through various means.

Han Qing carefully savored Xiang Ying's memories, remaining skeptical.

Han Qing believed that the claim that Xiang Ying had a miraculous encounter was true.

Heaven is impartial and ruthless; it will not favor any one person too much.

However, many of the accounts about the Heavenly Palace World differed from what he knew and saw.

For example, one needs to cross the nine heavenly gates to enter the Pan Yuan World, which is the third realm of the Rainbow Transformation.

However, he saw that many ancient books recorded that some cultivators of the Divine Realm ascended to the Heavenly Palace World after only reaching the Rainbow Transformation Realm.

He doesn't know which information is true and which is false, so he needs to verify it from multiple sources and shouldn't believe just one person's opinion.

Han Qing pondered for a while but came to no conclusion. He thought to himself that he should ask more people in the future to see what was really going on in the Heavenly Palace World.

He felt that there must be relevant records within some ancient forces, such as martial arts holy lands and thousand-year-old families.

Suppressing the chaotic thoughts in his mind, a large number of martial arts techniques appeared before Han Qing, which were the result of Xiang Ying's lifelong hard work.

What Han Qing needs most right now is martial arts. He needs to open more hidden acupoints to rapidly improve his martial arts realm, catch up with the Dharma realm, and make up for his shortcomings.

Han Qing chose to inherit one of the martial arts techniques, named the Overlord Scripture, which can unlock a total of 321 acupoints.

This time, however, his strength did not advance by leaps and bounds as before. Instead, he was forced to stop halfway through the inheritance because he was running out of qi and blood.

Opening each hidden acupoint requires mobilizing and consuming a large amount of qi and blood. The reason he was so successful before was because he had a solid foundation, deep accumulation, and a large amount of qi and blood stored in his body.

But now, his accumulated vital energy has been exhausted, and he can no longer open hundreds of hidden acupoints at once.

There are two paths before us: one is to patiently accumulate and wait for our qi and blood to become abundant again; the other is to consume some rare and precious herbs and elixirs to increase our qi and blood.

Han Qing suddenly remembered the Heavenly Demon Blood Soul Pill. It was a demon pill, but humans could also take it. It was said that once swallowed, the pill would transform into a source of qi and blood, from which those who cultivated their spirit could draw upon a massive amount of qi and blood. Even if they did nothing, their bodies would be nourished and continuously strengthened.

"If you want to quickly improve your martial arts level, you must have Qi and Blood Elixir."

"I must find a way to get my hands on the Heavenly Demon Blood Soul Pill," Han Qing thought to himself.

According to Xiang Ying's memory, the pill should be completed in half a month. Xiang Ying originally planned to take action himself and snatch this precious pill, so he went to great lengths to collect a lot of information. Now, it has come to his advantage.

"Since it's difficult to break through in martial arts realm, let's refine this Wild Dragon Spear first!"

Han Qing flipped his palm, and a dark light flashed, revealing a large spear, the Manglong Spear. The spear was covered with layers of scales, resembling dragon scales, and felt extremely rough to the touch.

"What a gun!"

Han Qing stood up, casually twirled his spear, and a series of whooshing sounds echoed through the air.

He could clearly feel a terrifying force reverberating within the gun. This force, once released, could kill enemies, protect oneself, or facilitate escape—it was comprehensive and powerful.

Xiang Ying escaped death many times thanks to this Manglong Spear.

Han Qing was also quite pleased, as his strength would be greatly enhanced after refining this spear.

So, with a thought, he sent strands of magical energy into it, where they intertwined and merged with the vast magical energy remaining within the Manglong Spear.

In an instant, Han Qing fell into a series of illusions.

So, for the next period of time, Han Qing stayed at home and continued to break through these layers of illusion. With each layer he broke through, his spiritual power grew stronger.

This Manglong Spear is suspected to be a weapon forged by a Taoist practitioner specializing in spiritual cultivation, which is why the illusionary realm is filled with celestial phenomena such as wind, rain, thunder, and lightning.

To dispel the illusion, one must confront the ever-growing, overwhelming power of Heaven.

And so time passed, and ten days went by in the blink of an eye.

Han Qing has ended his seclusion.

"The Manglong Spear has been initially refined and can unleash the power of the true dragon at any time."

"However, we can only mobilize a portion of its power now. To unleash its full potential, we will need to invest more time in refining it."

"But the Heavenly Demon Blood Soul Pill is almost finished being refined, I have to go!" Han Qing thought to himself, got up and went out. Without saying goodbye to anyone, he suddenly took off and flew westward at high speed, heading straight for the ancient city of Loulan.

Legend has it that this is an ancient ruined city. Outsiders who venture into it are easily lost and trapped inside forever, unable to find a way out. Therefore, this ancient city has always been a notorious ominous place in Shazhou.

Han Qing didn't understand why Ma Meng chose this ancient city as the place for alchemy, but he was fearless. With his current strength, he could go anywhere in the world. How dangerous could this ancient city be compared to the Great Brahma?
As for Linchuan City, he wasn't worried.

Since the Desert Royal Court knows that he is stationed in this city, unless they are out of their minds, they will not send anyone to invade. Otherwise, unless a few people such as the Peacock King or the Moon Guardian King come in person, everyone else will surely die.

While he was pondering, Han Qing had already flown into the vast ocean, heading west at high speed towards the ancient city of Loulan.

...

now.

Thousands of miles away.

Inside the ancient city of Loulan, ruins are everywhere, and occasionally you can see many strange statues, half-human and half-animal, the larger ones towering like mountains, the smaller ones no more than half a person's height.

The entire ancient city was engulfed in a sandstorm. Looking up, the yellow sand obscured the sky, creating a dark and gloomy atmosphere. Even cultivators would face great risks if they ventured into such an environment.

In one of the open spaces surrounded by four dilapidated city walls, Ma Meng stared intently at a two-person-high, earthen-yellow alchemy furnace in front of him.

Above the alchemy furnace, there were water patterns, fire patterns, cloud patterns, thunder patterns... all kinds of patterns intertwined together, becoming incredibly complex, yet containing some mysterious laws, making one unable to resist immersing oneself in it at a glance.

Ma Meng waved his hand from time to time, throwing in portions of rare and precious herbs.

Tan Yuanming, standing to the side, was observing him. A precious pearl floated in his palm, emitting a purple halo. In an instant, it erected a light shield, completely isolating the outside wind and sand.

After waiting for many days without any progress, he began to feel impatient.

"Ma Meng, will this pill be successfully refined?"

"Don't worry, Brother Tan, we'll definitely succeed! I've made thorough preparations, gathering a thousand kinds of precious materials and hundreds of essences of blood. I'll use the Zhao family's secret treasure, the Nine Mountains Returning to Origin Furnace, to ignite the spiritual fire and refine them. Furthermore, I'll use the ancient, dilapidated array here to conceal my aura. Given enough time, the precious pill will definitely be refined." Although Ma Meng's face showed some fatigue, his eyes still occasionally flashed with excitement. (End of Chapter)