Achieving the Dao from the Hundred Schools of Thought

Zhuang Weiyang returned to her courtyard, but a series of noises came from afar.

"Congratulations, Brother Zhao, on your attainment of enlightenment."

"Yes, Brother Zhao is incredibly talented. He mastered the art of military strategy in just two years. He is truly a young prodigy."

"Haha, everyone says that among the people in the academy, Zhuang Weiyang is the most talented. I think she is still a step behind Brother Zhao."

Zhuang Weiyang turned a deaf ear to these disparaging remarks.

"Bang!"

With a loud bang, the door was slammed shut by Zhuang Weiyang!

Zhao Xiuwen has embarked on the path of cultivation; ten of my own wouldn't be enough to defeat him. Zhuang Weiyang has lost her mind and is only acting out of reckless courage!

Zhuang Weiyang slipped into the courtyard, and the people who were chatting with her looked at each other and fell silent.

Zhao Xiuwen's face was gloomy as he stared intently at Zhuang Weiyang's tightly closed door.

"It's infuriating that Zhuang Weiyang, who is famous at a young age, has such remarkable self-control."

Very well, now that I've taken the lead and embarked on the path of military strategy, past grievances will surely be settled in the future.

After saying that, Zhao Xiuwen turned and left. Zhuang Weiyang, who was in the courtyard, vaguely heard Zhao Xiuwen's sigh.

"In terms of resources, I have military manuals that my clan has acquired from other countries; in terms of talent, I am also half a year younger than him. He will certainly never have a chance to rise again!"

Zhuang Weiyang, who was inside the gate, held a different opinion on this "profound theory".

You can act tough now, but you'll have to wait a few days!

Zhuang Weiyang pondered in her heart, recalling the "feud" between the two of them, which was truly a completely undeserved disaster.

The Zhao family was a prominent clan in the state of Wu, with many members serving as officials in the Wu court.

Last year, Zhao Xiuwen offered himself to Prince Di, hoping to find a job under his command and secure a guest position in advance.

Logically speaking, this should be a perfect match for both Prince Di and the Zhao family.

But this second prince of Wu was different from the others.

Last evening, Wang Zidi was drinking with Zhuang Weiyang when Zhao Xiuwen arrived. Before he could speak, Wang Zidi waved him away.

"Get out of here, get out of here. Who do you think you are to drink with me?"

I, as a prince, make friends not based on family background, but solely on whether a person shares my ideals and sentiments.

As he spoke, Prince Di, his eyes glazed with drunkenness, lightly tapped the air with his chopsticks, offering his comments to Zhao Xiuwen.

"You're three parts talent, seven parts scheming, and the remaining ninety parts are nothing but a effeminate, girlish affectation. I, Prince, am by nature bold and unrestrained; how could I tolerate you?"

Zhao Xiuwen dared not get angry. Scholars and officials naturally had to obey their ruler. As a prince of the country, what was wrong with him cursing a few words?

As a result, Zhuang Weiyang, who was freeloading off others, was resented.

"well--!

Zhao Xiuwen has advanced; I need to hurry up too.

Zhuang Weiyang sighed, returned to her room, and took out a map from the cabinet.

The paper, laid out on the table, vividly depicts the landscape of the area around Suzhou.

"According to the closed beta test guide on the forum, the location should be...this!" Zhuang Weiyang pointed to the red circle on the map, her eyes unconsciously gleaming with a hint of fervor.

"According to the guide, the achievement 'Laozi's Journey to the West' can be triggered by staying here on the day of the spread wings in the second year after the King of Wu defeated the King of Yue.

Achievements are Easter eggs in the "Myth" game, with extremely demanding activation conditions. Only the first player to participate in certain events can activate them.

Correspondingly, the rewards are also very rare.

Once you activate the achievement, you can randomly obtain a supernatural power!

The direction of the heart is the Way, and the manifestation of the Way is supernatural power.

Supernatural powers are extremely precious, and all supernatural powers, regardless of type, share one characteristic.

Growth potential!

Supernatural abilities can evolve as one's cultivation level improves.

In the game, very few players possess supernatural powers, while the NPCs who do are all renowned figures.

The Monkey King's "Fiery Eyes" and Erlang Shen's "Extinction Light".

Rumor has it that all the hidden professions require acquiring supernatural powers during the mortal stage.

Zhuang Weiyang is unaware of the hidden profession, but acquiring supernatural powers during the mortal stage is very beneficial for embarking on the path of cultivation.

Zhuang Weiyang's current plan is to choose which cultivation path to embark on based on her supernatural abilities.

This one thing alone can bridge the gap between the bottom tier and the top tier!

"According to the strategy guide, during the closed beta, there were only two places in the Wu Kingdom where you could obtain supernatural powers, while in the mortal stage, you could only obtain them through the Laozi's Journey to the West event."

Now that no one is competing with me for achievements, this superpower is within my grasp.

But...would I just ignore the bystanders like I do in a game?

After much deliberation, Zhuang Weiyang gritted her teeth, put away the map, and made a decision.

"Never mind! I've put in so much effort to gain supernatural powers so that I can walk more steadily on the path of cultivation after changing jobs."

Now, I have no time to hesitate!

Watch from afar, trigger the achievement, and then leave! See which path suits your supernatural abilities best, then immediately return to the academy to begin your training!

With the plan set, Zhuang Weiyang cleared her mind of all distractions and adjusted her state of mind.

The mountains are high and the roads are long, and it will take some time to travel. We have to set off early tomorrow morning.

……

Zhuang Weiyang prepared some dry rations and then went to Prince Di to borrow a fine horse and obtain an identity token.

Prince Di waved his hand and agreed without asking why.

Once outside the city, Zhuang Weiyang followed her memories from her previous life and traveled without stopping.

Suzhou is a place rich in water resources.

Along the way, the scenery was beautiful, with fragrant rice paddies filled with the scent of steam, and the sounds of frogs and cicadas filling the air.

Traveling along the river makes it easy for the horses to drink water and graze, and since many mountain spirits and monsters hide deep in the mountains, following the river can actually help avoid them.

As for the river demons?

Wu Jun guards the entrance to the East China Sea and Taihu Lake within his territory, and all demons and evil spirits are strictly forbidden from setting foot on human territory.

"It's so far..."

Zhuang Weiyang ran wildly along the riverbank, her thighs were already chafed raw, and she felt waves of stinging pain, but she dared not stop.

According to the game, this location is just a few steps outside Suzhou City, a few dozen seconds away.

But this real mythological world is much larger, hundreds or thousands of times larger than in history!

After two days of travel, Zhuang Weiyang dared not slack off in the slightest.

Arriving a day early is better than arriving three breaths late.

If you're just a little short of activating your supernatural powers, that would be truly heartbreaking.

The sun gradually rises in the sky, its wings spread out as if soaring in the heavens.

The day of spreading wings has arrived.

Zhuang Weiyang walked through a small grove of trees, and two small hills, shaped like steamed buns, came into view.

Neither mountain is high, but this is the best road to travel, so Lao Tzu would pass through here on his westward journey and travel around the world.

Zhuang Weiyang tied the horse to a tree in the woods a few kilometers away, prepared the hay for the next few days, and found a place with abundant vegetation along the path where she hid it.

"This is it!"

"Next, I will remain motionless until the achievement is activated!"

Having uttered those boastful words, Zhuang Weiyang took out some dry rations, glancing occasionally at the distant path, waiting for Laozi to appear.

After two days of traveling, Zhuang Weiyang was exhausted. She patted her face and every now and then poured water from her water bag onto her face to keep herself from falling asleep.

However, drowsiness is something you can't simply resist.

In a daze, Zhuang Weiyang drifted off to sleep.

……

"Knock! Knock! Knock!"

A series of steady footsteps echoed along the path.

Zhuang Weiyang was a very light sleeper and was soon awakened by the sound of footsteps.

In a daze, Zhuang Weiyang looked into the distance and saw an old man riding a blue ox.

Instantly, Zhuang Weiyang broke out in a fine layer of white sweat, and she regained consciousness.

"Knock! Knock! Knock!"

As the footsteps drew closer, Zhuang Weiyang tried her best to control her breathing and slow down her rapidly beating heart.

【Ding】

[Activate Achievement: Lao Tzu's Journey to the West]

[Gained supernatural power: ***]

The notification sound in her ear caused Zhuang Weiyang's heart to stop.

Just as he was about to open the panel to see what supernatural power he had obtained, what happened before his eyes left him frozen in place.

The blue ox stopped.

The old man on the ox's back closed his eyes to rest, a faint smile playing on his lips.

The blue ox beneath her stood a foot away from Zhuang Weiyang, grazing?!

Zhuang Weiyang wanted to cry but had no tears.

I found a lush, green spot, intending to hide myself.

I planned everything perfectly, but I never expected that my ox would eat grass too!