National Division

Chapter 51 Xue Zhihua: Why take a bath in broad daylight?

"Young Master, the hot water is ready." Zhiyun and Xiuyue came in from the outer room with a stack of clothes, urging Shen Xian, who was deep in thought, to go take a bath.

Shen Xian put down the book in his hand and said, "I'll go now."

After I finish showering, it's time to integrate some martial arts techniques.

Five hundred merits for humanity were deducted, leaving only three hundred, which is enough for martial arts techniques.

Shen Xian arrived behind a screen depicting mountains, water, bamboo, and rocks. He took off his clothes and stepped into a steaming bathtub, where herbs and steam swirled together.

Shen Xian entered the room and began to absorb the medicinal soup. He felt waves of heat flowing into his limbs and bones, and his newly broken-through cultivation level was once again stirring.

Having reached the fourth level of martial arts cultivation, he felt that the foundation he had laid with the Azure Sea Waves Technique was now gradually revealing its profound depth.

In other words, the transition from the first three heavens to the fourth heaven is a minor bottleneck, while the subsequent four heavens mark the beginning of a smooth and prosperous path.

After an unknown amount of time, Shen Xian opened his eyes, a sharp glint in them, and exhaled a deep breath.

The Fifth Heaven after tomorrow!
Meanwhile, in the courtyard where Xue Zhihua lived, Xue Zhihua placed the pen in her hand and looked at the memorial on the desk, waiting for the ink to dry.

"Finally finished writing." A look of comfort appeared on Xue Zhihua's fair and delicate face. At this moment, she suddenly became curious about what Shen Xian was doing.

Instead of going there, he used his divine sense to head towards the residence where Shen Xian was.

"Ah, this..." Xue Zhihua quickly withdrew her divine sense, feeling her heart racing and her fair cheeks burning hot, adding to her beauty and radiance.

"This person... doesn't even set up a spirit array when taking a bath? And why would they take a bath in broad daylight?"

I'm afraid I'll get a sty.

Xue Zhihua silently cursed in her heart.

The image of the proudly standing longsword in my mind, like a pestle or a mushroom, towering like Mount Buzhou, is impossible to shake off.

At this moment, Shen Xian also dried himself off. For some reason, he suddenly felt like he was being secretly watched.

Is it an illusion?
Shen Xian got up, took the neatly folded clothes, changed into a blue brocade robe, and took a towel to dry her slightly damp hair.

Later, he still needs to integrate martial arts techniques and think about what to write in the "Public Security Policy".

As Shen Xian spoke, he walked around a screen painted with bamboo, rocks, and glass patterns, and was greeted by a graceful and beautiful young woman.

"Young master, the ginseng tea is ready for you. Let me prepare your bathwater first," Zhiyun said softly.

Shen Xian nodded, then went to the desk, looked at the stack of books, and picked up "Taiyi Qingmu Gong".

He now possesses acquired martial arts techniques based on the metal and water elements. By integrating the wood element, he can further neutralize the explosive effect of his true energy.

It was already evening, and the afterglow shone through the window lattice onto the boy, softening the cold, sharp lines of his face.

Shen Xian finished reading the Taiyi Green Wood Technique.

The Yin-Yang Millstone provided a basis for deduction and fusion, but this time, it wasn't the fifty that Shen Xian had previously thought of, but rather... one hundred.

"It should be a fusion of the third type of cultivation technique, which is more difficult than the first two." Shen Xian knew this immediately.

The secret passage states that, at this rate of consumption, the remaining three hundred merit points might not even be enough to fully integrate the Five Elements Martial Arts Technique.

It still lacks merit, or in short, lacks virtue.

However, after the techniques were combined, his internal energy characteristics in martial arts became more diverse, allowing him to master martial arts techniques of different attributes. For example, the "Blazing Sun Sword Technique" is clearly best practiced using fire-element techniques, while the "Golden Saber Technique" is a metal-element technique.

With this in mind, Shen Xian no longer hesitated and focused his attention on the options that could be integrated and deduced.

Instantly, the Yin-Yang millstone turned silently, and a faint Daoist charm spread out. Then, Daoist enlightenment surged into Shen Xian's spiritual platform.

Shen Xian paused slightly, and then used his divine sense to check his cultivation techniques again.

The original "Geng Metal Azure Water Lotus Blooming Technique" has been quietly renamed "Yi Wood Geng Metal Azure Water Lotus Blooming Technique".

Shen Xian: "???"

In short, he didn't care and just called it the Three Elements of Metal, Wood, and Water!

Since it's a low-level martial arts technique anyway, what difference does it make how nice the name sounds?
Shen Xian calmed himself down, then went to the bamboo couch to the side, sat cross-legged with his palms facing upwards, and began to meditate.

He needs to transform his internal energy into the internal energy of his new cultivation method, circulating it through the eight extraordinary meridians, gradually transforming his acquired martial arts cultivation to the fifth level.

The integration of the Wood Element Technique is like a refreshing rain, making the body feel very comfortable. The hidden injuries to the muscles, bones, and internal organs caused by the practice are completely healed.

Before I knew it, night had fallen outside and the city lights were on.

Shen Xian exhaled a deep breath.

Cultivation truly makes one oblivious to time, or rather, when focused on one thing, one doesn't feel the passage of time. Leaving the study and entering the courtyard, he asked, "What time is it?"

Zhiyun said, "Young master, it's already noon."

Shen Xian said, "Go and tell the kitchen to prepare some wine and dishes, and then have Xiu Yue go and see if Miss Xue has fallen asleep."

He was really hungry right now.

If Xue Zhihua hadn't gone to sleep, he would go and ask about the incomplete Hunyuan Qigong, as a way of endorsing the source of the future martial arts techniques.

However, he believes that if it is just a martial artist in the Jianghu who has figured out a Qi cultivation method on his own and is only at the Qi Sea Realm and Heavenly Gate Realm, the three religions should not take it too seriously.

Without the seed of the Dao talisman, one cannot reach the third realm, Danxia.

As the saying goes, "Once you swallow a golden pill, your fate is in your own hands, not in the hands of heaven!"

It's useless if you can't cultivate the Golden Core.

"I'll instruct the kitchen to prepare the food right away," Zhiyun said hurriedly.

A short while later, the maid Xiuyue swayed her slender waist from the side, carrying a teacup containing a bowl of ginseng soup. The girl said softly, "Young master."

Shen Xian took the ginseng soup from the teacup, drank it all in one gulp, and asked, "Have you settled Miss Xue in properly?"

"Sister Zhiyun and I just delivered some bedding, and we've settled in for now," Xiuyue said softly.

Shen Xian nodded and said, "I'll go take a look."

With that, he left the study and headed to the residence where Xue Zhihua lived.

At this moment, the moon hangs high in the sky, and lanterns light up along the covered walkway, illuminating the courtyard.

"Miss Xue, are you resting?" Shen Xian asked, noticing the lights were still on.

"Not yet." Xue Zhihua's voice came from inside the house, and then, with the creak of the door, Xue Zhihua came out of the house.

The beautiful woman was still wearing the same Vermilion Bird Bureau official robes she had worn during the day, but she was not wearing a crown or hat. At this moment, illuminated by the glow of the lanterns in the corridor, her face was fair with a rosy glow, making her look stunningly beautiful.

Shen Xian asked, "Miss Xue, have you eaten yet?"

“After reaching the third realm of immortality, one can abstain from grains, so I’m not hungry right now,” Xue Zhihua said softly. Her delicate eyebrows suddenly lifted, and she smiled, saying, “What, are you going to treat me to a meal?”

Looking at the boy again, the scene that had just pierced the sky was still vivid in his mind.

Shen Xian said, "I have had some wine and dishes prepared. If Miss Xue doesn't mind, you can bring them over and have some with us."

Xue Zhihua nodded, glanced at the book in Shen Xian's hand, and asked with surprise, "Do you have something to ask me?"

Shen Xian said, "I was just looking at martial arts techniques and found a cultivation technique for immortality. I would appreciate it if Miss Xue could correct me."

Xue Zhihua asked with a hint of surprise, "Immortal cultivation techniques?"

As he spoke, he reached out and took the book from Shen Xian's hand.

"Okay, let's go inside and talk," Xue Zhihua said softly, turning and going back inside.

The two sat down.

Shen Xian explained, "This martial arts manual was left behind by a senior martial arts master. It mentions that it can nurture the seed of a Dao talisman. I don't know if it's true or not, but I thought that Miss Xue is a rising star in the immortal path, so I might as well take a look."

Xue Zhihua had already sat down and, by the flickering candlelight, began to peruse the books.

Then I read the last words of Huang Sheng, the grandmaster of martial arts.

Xue Zhihua remarked with emotion, "This is a low-level immortal cultivation technique left behind by a martial arts master at the peak of the fourth realm."

Shen Xian nodded and said, "Miss Xue is right."

Xue Zhihua flipped through the pages for a while, her brows furrowing and relaxing intermittently. After a long while, she let out a soft sigh.

Shen Xian stared at Xue Zhihua, somewhat puzzled.

Xue Zhihua said, "Many martial arts heroes are full of ambition and live a life of great achievements, but they cannot achieve immortality. There are many martial arts talents in the fourth and fifth realms who want to develop their own immortal cultivation methods, but none of them have succeeded. I have seen many similar cultivation methods in Shenjing."

Shen Xian: "..."

Ah That's good.

It's definitely a common, mass-produced item, so there's no need to worry about the Three Pure Ones sect tracing the origin of the technique.

Or rather, these techniques are readily available in Kyoto, but the key is that only he possesses a magical treasure like the millstone, which allows him to deduce and integrate them like an AI.

(End of this chapter)