National Division

Chapter 107 The Queen: Wonderful, truly wonderful beyond words...

The Eternal Green Pagoda, sixth floor—

Behind a square table, the old man was still dozing off, but unlike last time, there was a blue-covered book next to him, with ancient characters on the cover—the Book of Changes.

Suddenly sensing something, the old man opened his droopy eyelids, looked at the two of them, and asked in surprise, "Why are you here again?"

It's not common for people to use the power of time from the Eternal Green Tower on a regular basis, but Shen Xian had just left and then returned.

As for the scions of aristocratic families, not every one of them has an elder who has reached the sixth level of the Immortal Realm.

The person before him must have come to cultivate martial arts, and beside him... is this the power of the Vermilion Bird? The fifth realm of immortality? A member of the Great Jing Clan?
Shen Xian bowed and said, "Please do me a favor, senior."

As he spoke, he took out Murong Yue's identity jade token and handed it over.

The old man composed himself and casually asked, "How long do you plan to cultivate this time?"

"Two days outside," Shen Xian said.

He needs to familiarize himself with and adapt to the chosen martial arts techniques.

Moreover, he wanted to further consolidate his martial arts cultivation at the peak of the Grandmaster realm.

In addition, if there is still time, practice the immortal cultivation technique "Hun Yuan Yi Qi Gong".

After the battle to establish the prestige of the Qilin Pavilion, the martial arts journey will come to an end, and one should begin cultivating the immortal path.

The old man estimated the time and chuckled, "That means less than two and a half months in the tower."

"It's true that you don't feel bad using spirit stones that aren't your own," the old man said, glancing at the name Murong on the jade tablet, seemingly making a complaint.

Shen Xian nodded, then exchanged a glance with the Princess, said nothing more, and quickly entered the Eternal Green Tower.

The young Taoist priest was still leading the way, his face now showing curiosity as he asked, "Fellow Taoist, is this still the same Time Chamber?"

It hadn't been long since Shen Xian left.

Shen Xian nodded and said, "It's that Room of Time."

“Although there have been scions of noble families who have come to cultivate in the past, they have not been as frequent as you, fellow Daoist.” The young Daoist joked, glancing at the beautiful woman in the outer room, and said, “It’s good to have the backing of the royal family.”

The young man in front of me must have gotten involved with that royal female cultivator outside.

Upon hearing this, Shen Xian looked surprised: "Are there other people here to cultivate as well?"

Yes, he can use the Everlasting Pagoda, and so can the Cui and Lu clans.

"Otherwise, where did so many seventeen-year-old grandmasters come from in the capital?" The young Taoist smiled faintly and said, "However, there aren't many young people who cultivate with the help of the Eternal Green Pagoda. Only the disciples of the Jade Purity lineage who hold the Sixth Realm Immortal's Inscription can enter the Eternal Green Pagoda. Even Sixth Realm Immortals may not have that many spirit stones."

Essentially, it was meant to help powerful cultivators at the sixth level of the Immortal Path (Void Realm) and above comprehend the power of the void and the power of time, but unexpectedly it became a martial arts auxiliary cultivation tool for aristocratic families.

However, siblings like Xue Zhihua and Xue Yi never used it.

Shen Xian nodded and said, "I think this Everlasting Tower is only of great use to those who are at the Martial Arts Grandmaster level or below."

To reach the Grandmaster realm, one must begin to refine their martial will, requiring them to experience one real battle after another, fought with blood and fire.

Just as a strong army can never be trained through exercises and simulations, he took a shortcut by using the Yin-Yang Millstone, and now he is no match for the masters who are licking blood on the edge and fighting to the death.

“Indeed. Only martial arts can be done by taking shortcuts, like opening the Heavenly Gate in the Immortal Path, which requires a thorough understanding of the Daoist scriptures.” The young Daoist chuckled and said, “However, aristocratic families have abundant resources for martial arts, but once they reach the Grandmaster level, it’s no longer enough. They begin to involve tempering their martial will, and how can they succeed without going through blood and fire battles?”

Shen Xian nodded and said, "I'm afraid even the grandmasters in the capital can't compare to those grandmasters in the martial arts world."

With the backing of the royal family, he consumed the elixirs from the Vermilion Bird Blessed Land as if they were food, and with Murong Yue's unwavering support, he finally gained the qualification to cultivate by taking elixirs in the Eternal Green Tower. Ordinary aristocratic families did not actually have this advantage.

Moreover, their martial arts proficiency was not as good as his, who had the help of the Yin-Yang Millstone, which saved them a lot of time.

It takes a considerable amount of time to cultivate martial arts skills to a certain level.

The young Taoist priest lowered his voice slightly: "Judging from your identity, fellow Daoist, please be careful. If you still wish to cultivate the immortal path, it is best not to cultivate too much in the Eternal Green Tower. Your bone age will increase, and your spirit will become dull."

Upon hearing this, Shen Xian's heart stirred, and he said, "Thank you for your guidance, fellow Daoist."

Immortality is believed to prolong life, but there must be some drawbacks to cultivating immortality at an advanced age.

As the young Taoist priest spoke, he led Shen Xian toward the secret chamber.

Shen Xian revisited the place, but without any lingering attachment to the past, and stepped into the secret chamber.

Arriving at the bedside, and after the stone door of the Time Chamber closed, Shen Xian took out the Grandmaster-level cultivation technique "Flame Cloud Technique" and began to practice.

He planned to first integrate the master-level techniques.

Based on the previous conversation with the Princess, the technique derived from the millstone seemed to be perfectly natural, harmonious and integrated, far surpassing ordinary techniques.

At this moment, in the skill section of the data panel, there is a prompt after "Azure Jade Lotus Skill": (It can be fused, but requires 2,000 merit points).

Shen Xian paused slightly, thinking to himself, "Sure enough, the fusion of Grandmaster-level techniques is starting to reach three digits."

However, compared to the 520,000 merit points they possessed, this was nothing; they hadn't even used up a fraction of it.

Shen Xian pressed the fusion button, and soon after, an indescribable sense of mystery washed over him, and various insights into the cultivation technique surged into his mind.

The text "青玉润莲功" in the skill section of the data panel has also been quietly changed to "青玉炎云润莲功".

Shen Xian felt a surge of joy in his heart.

At this point, he was missing the Earth Element Grandmaster Technique from his four-element cultivation methods, which resulted in the martial arts essence in his dantian lacking some of its ancient simplicity and profoundness.

Shen Xianmo channeled his master-level profound skill, causing the true essence within his dantian to rise and transform into the martial arts true essence of the "Azure Jade Flaming Cloud Lotus Skill".

Two blushes slowly appeared on the sides of the boy's usually cold and stern face, while steam rose from the top of his head.

Time flies like water, and before we knew it, six or seven days had passed.

Compared to the ease with which the internal energy circulation path can be changed in the Acquired Realm, the change of true essence after the Grandmaster Realm undoubtedly takes some time.

“A small boat is easier to turn around, but the higher one’s cultivation level, the more time it takes to change cultivation techniques,” Shen Xian thought to himself, his eyes flashing.

As they spoke, Shen Xian picked up the martial arts manual and began to peruse it. A short while later, the Yin-Yang Millstone, which had received the "feeding," sent a message.

"The Seven Forms of Breaking the Army, a mid-grade Xuan-level martial skill, can be refined to the [Mastery] level. It requires two thousand merit points. Do you wish to refine it?"

Shen Xian raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself, "Just as I thought."

Back then, the Yellow-rank martial art "Golden Saber Technique" only cost twenty merit points to reach the [Mastery] level, and at the time he thought that merit points had great purchasing power.

But that was a Yellow-rank martial skill, while this is a mid-grade Profound-rank martial skill. In an instant, it has been deduced to [Mastery], and the merit points have increased to two thousand.

Shen Xian had a sudden thought and asked, "How many merit points would be needed to advance this martial art to the [Unity of Heaven and Man] realm?"

The millstone transmitted a message: Only Heaven-rank martial arts can achieve the unity of heaven and man.

Shen Xian's eyes flickered with a deep light, and he roughly understood.

The fourth-tier martial arts techniques of Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow are limited by the realm of the person who created them, and there is also an upper limit to the level of proficiency in these techniques.

It's impossible to say that one can cultivate mid-to-low-grade Yellow Rank martial arts to the point of "unity of heaven and man".

Of course, it's not impossible. If a human immortal obtains a Yellow-rank martial skill, he can indeed cultivate it to the point of achieving harmony between heaven and man, but it will no longer be the original martial skill.

"The refinement of martial will, when cultivated to perfection, allows one to comprehend sword intent and saber intent." Shen Xian suddenly realized.

Ultimately, only those who reach the pinnacle of martial arts and become immortals can freely enter the state of oneness with heaven and man.

With this in mind, Shen Xian no longer hesitated and upgraded his martial art "Seven Forms of Breaking Army" to the [Masterful] level.

Instantly, the black and white energy of the Yin-Yang millstone permeated the space, pouring countless memories into Shen Xian's spiritual platform. Small figures within Shen Xian's spiritual platform practiced the "Seven Forms of Breaking Army," a metal-elemental sword technique.

The Seven Forms of Breaking the Army, when applied to the midst of an army formation, combine sword techniques and killing intent to break through a thousand troops.

Shen Xian's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly drew the Ink Rain Blade that was placed to the side.

"rub……"

A flash of light, like moonlight, illuminated the boy's handsome face, with his sword-like eyebrows, bright eyes, and a cool, aloof air.

In an instant, the boy soared into the air like an arrow released from a bow.

With a light stretch of his arm, he swung his sword in mid-air, unleashing hundreds of sword energies that surged like waves, carrying an overwhelming and chilling killing intent that spread in all directions.

Like a general leading thousands of troops into battle.

This is a military sword technique powered by the true essence of metal, with the will to break through enemy lines, where there is no chance of survival!
At that moment, a sudden realization dawned on Shen Xian.

After practicing a set of sword techniques dozens of times, I felt the memories in my mind gradually merge into my body's instincts.

Looking back, two days have already passed.

Shen Xian felt hungry and thirsty. He landed on the ground, his forehead covered in sweat, but he felt extremely refreshed and just wanted to roar to the sky.

After taking a fasting pill, the medicinal effects took hold, and the hunger and thirst gradually subsided.

Then, he sat down cross-legged and took out the mid-grade Xuan-level martial skill "Wildfire Hundred Slashes" once again.

This sword technique has more complex moves.

Compared to the sweeping and powerful sword techniques like the Seven Forms of Breaking Army, the moves of the Hundred Slashes of Wildfire are more complex, and it took Shen Xian three thousand merit points to upgrade it to the [Masterful] level.

The true essence of metal and fire merges and transforms, with metal displaying the power of fire and fire borrowing the sharpness of metal, almost like a prairie fire spreading, invincible.

With his long sword in hand, Shen Xian leaped into the air, his hair billowing in the wind as his true energy surged.

He absorbed the enlightenment into his heart, and with his true essence, he activated the Ink Rain Blade. Golden energy and firelight crisscrossed, as if golden flames were spreading across the sky. "Grandmaster, truly extraordinary." Shen Xian sat down, his blade resting on his knees, his long hair flowing over his shoulders, his brows cold and stern, and his body seemed to be surrounded by the aura of a blade.

While the intricate maneuvering in the imperial court is certainly admirable, the freedom to roam the martial world, experiencing joy and sorrow, is far more expansive and boundless!
Shen Xian then took out the "Night White Blade Technique" and was shocked as he read it.

This martial art has already touched upon the realm of artistic conception.

A message came from the millstone: A high-grade Xuan-level martial skill that can be deduced to the [Divine] level. When using the sword technique, one can comprehend the Black Night Sword Intent. It requires 8,000 merit points.

Clearly, this high-grade Xuan-level martial skill cost several times more merit points than a mid-grade martial skill.

"So skilled that you can comprehend the essence of the sword?" A glint of light flashed in Shen Xian's clear eyes beneath his sword-like brows.

The highest-grade martial arts techniques are the best martial arts techniques controlled by grandmasters.

Shen Xian said, "I need to comprehend the sword intent."

The fused memories flooded into Shen Xian's mind all at once.

The key points of the "Night White Blade Technique" flowed through Shen Xian's mind like clear water.

I don't know how long it took, but it seemed to be a full three days.

"Is this what it means to reach the pinnacle of skill?"

Shen Xian murmured to himself, holding the three-star divine weapon, the Ink Rain Blade. The blade's movements were so fluid and impenetrable that they resembled a dense cloud, as if darkness were descending upon the world.

"Buzz!"

Mo Yu Dao let out a soft hum, seemingly sensing a trace of the sword's intent.

Raindrops fell from the void, which was Shen Xian's true essence transformed into rain by activating the Ink Rain Blade.

"brush!"

Suddenly, a cold light shone in the sky, dazzling and bright, almost as white as the night sky, making people dare not look directly at it.

"The Night White Blade Technique, paired with the three-star divine weapon Ink Rain Blade, does indeed offer a chance to condense blade intent given enough time," Shen Xian murmured.

The power of intent is the prerequisite for becoming a true grandmaster. To a certain extent, it reflects a martial artist's state of mind and character. A grandmaster is merely someone with an incomplete martial will. Only a great grandmaster can be said to possess a complete martial will.

Although he was at the peak of the Grandmaster level, he had not condensed even a trace of martial will.

“Night White, Night White…” Shen Xian murmured, feeling that there was a kind of power contained in these two simple words.

Then, Shen Xian sheathed his sword, sat cross-legged, adjusted his breathing, and took a fasting pill. Even though martial artists have abundant essence and blood, they still need to eat something to replenish their vital energy.

He then picked up a book on swordsmanship called "Ice Soul Slash" and began to peruse its key points, while the millstone was undoubtedly also analyzing this technique.

"A high-grade Xuan-level martial skill that can be developed to an unparalleled level, consuming 8,000 merit points."

Shen Xian readily agreed to the deduction.

A moment later, the key to condensing the Ice Soul sword technique using the Water Flow Technique suddenly flooded into his mind.

It took another three whole days.

As for the Xuan-rank top-grade martial art, "Thunder Blade Technique," Shen Xian has not yet practiced it.

He realized that time was running out, whether it was for fusion or for deducing the cultivation method.

Then Shen Xian spent eight thousand merit points to first learn the Xuan-rank high-grade martial art "Swimming Dragon Body Technique" and cultivate it to the point of "divine mastery" so that he could move around freely in battle.

This skill is like a dragon swimming in the sea, its movements graceful and unpredictable.

He spent another 8,000 merit points to master the "Heavenly Movement Technique" to the point of "Divine Transformation" in order to travel faster. After that, he stopped fusing techniques in the tower and only familiarized himself with martial arts skills.

Looking back, more than two months had passed in the tower.

"Three more days." Shen Xian did not choose to use human merit to deduce martial arts techniques anymore. Instead, he circulated the true energy in his dantian again.

Along his journey, he broke through to the peak of the Grandmaster realm and learned martial arts. It can be said that he used the Evergreen Pagoda to make up for a shortcoming in his cultivation.

But there is also the essence of martial arts...

Shen Xian turned his gaze to the other two martial arts manuals, "The Setting Sun Blade Technique" and "The Dawn Blade Technique," but did not read them again. Instead, he put them away.

Night White, Setting Sun, Dawn—he always felt that these three sword techniques were created by a martial arts master.

He didn't rush to practice. In a short period of time, he practiced three martial arts techniques. His mind was filled with so many insights into martial arts techniques that he felt dizzy and needed to increase his proficiency.

While Shen Xian was cultivating, the Eldest Princess was not idle either; she was reading Taoist scriptures in the Everlasting Green Pagoda.

The princess had visited this evergreen tower many times before and was quite familiar with it.

At this moment, a beautiful woman with a high-piled cloud-like hairstyle and a dignified and gorgeous appearance arrived at the area where the cultivation techniques of the sixth realm of immortality were placed. After showing her Yuqing identity plaque, she searched for the cultivation technique notes that suited her.

The beauty has already reached the peak of the fifth realm of immortality, [Divine Illumination], and recently she has been thinking about breaking through to the sixth realm, [Void Insight], but she has been stuck at the bottleneck for a long time and cannot reach the threshold.

Just then, the beautiful woman sensed something, turned her gaze to the imposing figure and aura of the young man in the green robe, and asked, "You've come out?"

After taking a quick look, my heart stirred slightly.

His aura had become much sharper.

If the previous Shen Xian was a walking, human-shaped martial arts alchemy master, then the medicinal fragrance on Shen Xian's body has dissipated somewhat, and his aura has become more sharp.

Shen Xian nodded and said, "Two and a half months have passed. I just asked the Taoist priest and learned that Your Highness is here."

"Come and see how the predecessors cultivated, to see if there are any methods to break through the realm." The princess smiled and put down the notebook in her hand.

Shen Xian casually asked, "What realm is Your Highness at?"

"Peak of the Fifth Realm." The eldest princess sighed softly.

“Then on the sixth level, one can comprehend the power of time and space and the void,” Shen Xian said.

The eldest princess smiled and shook her head: "I cultivated inside before, so it's not a problem with the power of the void."

Upon hearing this, Shen Xian didn't press the matter further and said, "Your Highness, it's getting late, let's go out first."

"Yes, don't keep Mother and the others waiting." The eldest princess said softly, following Shen Xian and Xue Zhihua's previous route out of Xuanzhen Temple.

……

……

Meanwhile, as news spread that Shen Xian had ordered the Qilin Pavilion to accept the challenge, the capital was in an uproar.

Meanwhile, thanks to Han Yi's exceptional political acumen, the Qilin Daily was freshly published and circulated throughout the capital's various government offices, including the Three Departments, Six Ministries, Nine Temples, and Five Directorates.

The capital was abuzz with public opinion, all curious about how Shen Xian, a scholar of the Zhaowen Academy, would face off against the scions of the Cui and Lu clans.

Palace Garden, Qianyuan Hall
The Empress took the Qilin report handed to her by Prince Zhao, Yang Youxing. Her phoenix eyes, beneath her willow-leaf eyebrows, glanced at the headline. She remained silent for a moment, her brows furrowing and relaxing intermittently. She asked, "Who came up with this headline?"

Below, Prince Zhao, Yang Youxing, who was presenting a memorial, saw the Empress frown and said sternly, "Your Majesty, Scholar Shen's actions are truly reckless. If he fails, he will lose face. How will the entire court view Your Majesty, who promoted him from such a lowly position?"

Although they lost, they didn't lose a single piece of flesh, but their reputation was certainly ruined.

The Empress remained noncommittal, then asked, "What do you think is the best course of action?"

Yang Youxing cupped his hands and said, "The Cui and Lu clans are barking and howling, Scholar Shen, just ignore them."

The Empress frowned slightly, then relaxed, and asked, "If the Cui and Lu families were to slander Scholar Shen as a liar, a thief crying 'stop thief!', or even question my appointment of a scholar to command military affairs, how would you respond?"

Yang Youxing was speechless for a moment.

The Empress's face darkened with displeasure as she asked, "Nanzhu, who came up with this title? It seems to be stirring up trouble."

Newspapers were a new thing, and Shen Xian was in charge of them. Although the diva felt the headline was inappropriate, she restrained her temper.

Gu Nanzhu hurriedly reported, "Your Majesty, this matter was reported to the Qilin Pavilion, and Scholar Shen personally drafted the decision."

"Personally drafted?" Upon hearing this, the Empress's expression showed a hint of surprise. The anger in her beautiful eyes vanished like a receding tide. She savored the taste and praised, "Wonderful, truly wonderful beyond words."

Gu Nanzhu: "..."

Yang Youxing: "???"

"With the publication of this newspaper, the Qilin Gazette must have become an essential reading for government offices in the capital." The Empress Dowager now understood the intention behind it; it was meant to attract attention.

Gu Nanzhu said, "According to the report from Qilin Pavilion, newspapers are indeed in short supply, and Scholar Shen has also formulated regulations that newspapers cannot publish anything without review and approval."

Then, he explained the rules that Shen Xian had set.

"A wise and experienced ruler should only publish matters of martial arts in the Qilin Gazette, and should not presume to comment on the merits and demerits of the court's national policies." The Empress nodded again, flipped through the newspaper, and upon seeing the article, raised her phoenix eyes and said, "Is this The Legend of the Condor Heroes?"

Gu Nanzhu said, "It was quoted from the Guhe Daily."

The Empress nodded slightly and said, "Using it to promote chivalry and inspire loyalty to the emperor and patriotism among people in the martial arts world is indeed a feasible approach."

The main reason is that Shen Xian always keeps his word; everything he did when he spoke to the Empress back then is now being implemented.

After thinking for a moment, the Empress Dowager's eyes lit up, and she said in a clear voice, "Let's take advantage of this Qilin Pavilion competition. Afterwards, I will issue an edict to hold a martial arts examination, and I will personally conduct the palace examination for all the martial artists in the world."

Gu Nanzhu quickly wrote this down.

Seeing the Empress Dowager's reaction, Yang Youxing had some thoughts in his mind, but he only moved his lips and didn't say anything.

(End of this chapter)