Chapter 277: Chapter 204: Golden Opportunity Obtained, the Ritual Saint Jade Hairpin, the Destiny of the Three Religions is All Mine

"For ten thousand years, people have gradually discovered that the Celestial Mandate follows a five-hundred-year cycle. Once that time is up, the Destiny of the reigning Celestial Destiny Dynasty begins to decline."

Lu Mingyuan asked doubtfully, "Don’t tell me Great Yan’s Destiny is in decline?"

Wei the Ninth nodded slightly. "Great Yan’s National Fortune has already reached its peak, bringing about a golden age of sixty years. In recent years, it has started to show signs of decline. However, the emergence of the Learning of the Mind has given Great Yan a second wind. The effect is similar to the previous Great Zhou Dynasty, when the appearance of a Confucian Saint helped it survive into the next five-hundred-year cycle, extending its life by a century."

"Does this have something to do with my father’s actions?" Lu Mingyuan asked thoughtfully.

Wei the Ninth chuckled. "Your father’s ambition is higher than the heavens. He wants to end this so-called cycle of fate and allow one dynasty to stand for a thousand, even ten thousand years, never to fall."

"He devised a very bold plan: if he can obtain the Destiny of the Three Religions, he can shatter this cycle and stand against the great Immortal Influences."

"Senior, do you mean my father wants to gather the Destiny of the Three Religions to extend his own life and, at the same time, extend the life of Great Yan?"

Lu Mingyuan said in astonishment.

"Correct," Wei the Ninth smiled.

’So that’s how it is.’

Only now did Lu Mingyuan finally understand Emperor Yong’an’s true intentions.

His Majesty wanted to transform the Great Yan Dynasty into an unprecedentedly powerful Immortal Dynasty.

Therefore, the Nine Dragons Struggle for the Throne became the best way to conceal his true intentions.

At this moment, Lu Mingyuan finally and completely understood what "severing the Buddha’s Relics" in the "Python and Sparrow Swallowing Dragon" hexagram meant.

Within the Buddha’s Relics lay the immense Destiny of the Buddhist Sect.

Meanwhile, the Peach Talisman from the Yuqing Ancestor Master represented the considerable Destiny of the Yuqing Lineage. It was the kind of Destiny that even Fairy Ci Hang, Sui Yuqing, couldn’t help but envy.

’The Yuqing Peach Talisman, the Buddha’s Relics...’

Lu Mingyuan began to ponder.

’All I’m missing now is a vessel for the Confucian Dao Fortune. If I get one, I can be the first to gather the Destiny of the Three Religions!’

Having received a satisfactory answer, Lu Mingyuan cupped his fist toward Wei the Ninth. "Thank you, Senior, for clearing my doubts."

"It’s just that I still have quite a few questions, and since we’ve met today, I’d like to ask them all."

’I can’t let this opportunity slip by.’

Wei the Ninth was usually impossible to find, appearing like a shadow and vanishing without a trace.

This was the best chance to ask about the Martial Dao.

"Go ahead and ask."

Wei the Ninth didn’t hold back his guidance, gesturing with his hand.

"Senior, what is the key to breaking through to the Tenth Realm? Is the Divine Sensing Chapter only enough to reach the Tenth Realm? And what is the essence of the Primordial Spirit Chapter?"

"Also, for cultivating the Martial Dao, how does one break into the Upper Three Grades? What is the path, and is it easy to follow?"

These questions had long perplexed Lu Mingyuan.

Wei the Ninth explained, "The opportunity has always been there; you’ve just been overlooking it. The essence of the Divine Sensing Chapter is that Divine Beings consume qi and thus do not die. Heaven and Earth Qi, including Destiny, can all be consumed."

Lu Mingyuan had a sudden realization. "I see. I can absorb the power within the Buddha’s Relics and the Yuqing Peach Talisman to increase my strength."

Wei the Ninth warned, "When it comes to Destiny, you must not be greedy, lest you invite a backlash. Even if your Blood Glutton Celestial Fall Scripture allows you to absorb it, your spirit won’t be able to bear it; you’ll be assimilated by their power. The power of Yuqing and the Buddha is not something you can fully refine. You must let it flow slowly and steadily."

"Furthermore, with your Blood Scripture, you have reached the Tenth Floor of the Divine Sensing Chapter and are about to step into the Eleventh Floor—the Primordial Spirit Chapter. From now on, you must pay attention to how you apply your power. Strictly speaking, the Abnormal Eating Chapter and the Divine Sensing Chapter are only for nourishing the Flesh Body. The Primordial Spirit Chapter, on the other hand, will bring about a qualitative transformation. Its purpose is to strengthen your Divine Soul. Once the power of your Divine Soul and your physical body reach their apex, you can forge the supreme Martial Dao Body."

"I can start Refining my Spirit now too?" Lu Mingyuan asked, quite surprised.

All this time, Refining Spirit had been an exclusive technique of Qi Cultivators.

Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Primordial Spirit Void Transformation... Starting from Yin Spirit Emergence, they would gradually solidify the power of the Primordial Spirit, step by step, until they finally formed a Taoist Dharma Body.

Wei the Ninth explained patiently, "A Dharma Aspect was never exclusive to Taoist Qi Cultivators. The Divine Flame born in your Sea Gazing Acupoint comes from the Exotic Beast, the Taotie. It can smelt your Flesh Body and Divine Soul to a state of glazed purity, which is the very foundation you need in the Tenth Realm to cultivate the Glazed Impermeable Vajra Body."

"Finally, regarding the pinnacle of the Martial Dao, it’s still too early for you to consider. It can be broadly described with a single word: ’purity.’ That is enough to encompass any principle. As your cultivation progresses, you will discover the benefits of the Martial Dao for yourself."

...

After bidding farewell to Wei the Ninth, Lu Mingyuan left the back mountain and headed back to the Cold Palace.

Passing by the entrance of the Royal Academy, he saw an old man who had clearly been waiting for a long time.

"Father-in-law?"

Lu Mingyuan saw Qi Xingyan standing beneath the plaque of Wenxin Studio. As the spring breeze gently blew, the graying hair at his temples drifted like willow catkins. The aura around him was powerful, his Vast Righteous Qi incomparably pure, like a sun in the Mortal World, illuminating all things.

After his father-in-law had broken through to the realm of Saints and Sages, he could clearly feel that Qi Xingyan seemed much younger, his Essence, Qi, and Spirit all greatly enhanced.

Qi Xingyan smiled warmly. "In just a few short days, you’ve twice refused the offer to preside over the Eastern Palace. More than a few people, both in the court and outside it, were stunned. Son-in-law, your reputation in the Imperial Capital has completely reversed. It was a brilliant move, a true masterstroke. I am very curious: was this a decision you made after careful deliberation, or did you have an expert guiding you from the shadows?"

Lu Mingyuan said, a little embarrassed, "I wouldn’t call it careful deliberation. It was merely a matter of some introspection and concern."

Qi Xingyan nodded in approval. "The Saints of old would reflect upon themselves three times a day. To refuse such an offer repeatedly sounds simple, yet very few people can resist that temptation and remain truly unmoved. It is quite remarkable that you could."

"By the way, I came today to bid you farewell," Qi Xingyan stated, revealing his purpose for coming.

"Farewell?"

Lu Mingyuan asked, surprised.

Qi Xingyan stroked his white beard. "The Holy Netherworld is invading Great Yan’s southern borders with immense force, and the powers of the Underworld are running rampant. The front line requires a Confucian Great Scholar to preside over the region. With the nation in peril, the Holy Emperor has issued an edict ordering me to rush to the front as reinforcement. My current post is now Guardian Envoy of the Celestial Profound Continent."

"Guardian Envoy..." Lu Mingyuan murmured.

A Guardian Envoy’s status was equivalent to a Grand General of the nation. They could act on the Emperor’s behalf, wielding great authority to govern a region.

"While I am away, you must take good care of Xue’Er," Qi Xingyan urged. "Her Heart Spirit has been unsettled lately. She spends all her time in her estate, consumed with thoughts of Breaking Realm, clearly afraid she’ll hold you back. Once you are out of the Cold Palace, you must reassure her."

"Don’t worry, Father-in-law. I will," Lu Mingyuan said with a resolute gaze.

Qi Xingyan seemed to remember something. He reached up and pulled a Jade Hairpin from his pale topknot, leaning down to hand it to the young man in the Python Robe before him. "Consider this a parting gift. It’s not a particularly valuable item, and it’s certainly not a Magical Treasure from an Immortal Family. Please, accept it without worry."

Lu Mingyuan took the hairpin, and a line of text flashed before his eyes. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

[Golden Opportunity triggered. Acquired Confucian Temple antiquity—Ritual Saint Jade Hairpin]

After coming out of the Grotto Heaven, the golden Opportunity triggered by "Dragon Raising Its Head" had finally appeared.

Reading the prompt, he couldn’t help but be utterly shocked.

’I never would have thought this ordinary-looking hairpin was such a crucial item!’

The Ritual Saint Jade Hairpin. This meant it was an heirloom passed down from Qi Xingyan’s master in the Li Sheng Lineage, making it extremely precious.

"’That all the poor scholars of the world might find shelter and joy.’ You were the one who actually said that, weren’t you?" Qi Xingyan said suddenly.

Lu Mingyuan looked up abruptly, not understanding his father-in-law’s meaning.

Qi Xingyan sighed with emotion. "Great wisdom can appear foolish; the Great Dao is silent and formless. That boy, Chen Ke, was fated to be a late bloomer. I’ve observed him, and while he possesses immense perseverance, he always lacked a certain innate aptitude. If I’m not mistaken, it was Your Highness who provided him with that spark, accelerating his rise and leading to the birth of the Learning of the Mind."

Lu Mingyuan remained silent. ’I can’t believe Father-in-law saw through it all.’

"Actually, like Chen Ke, I was once a Lower-class Youth. I studied furiously, enduring countless hardships and setbacks, though I also had my share of fortunate encounters. That was how I finally managed to enter the Academy and study under a master. The time I spent traveling the world was the happiest of my life. Later, when I entered the Confucian Temple for advanced studies, a projection of Li Sheng gave me this very hairpin. It was a symbol of his expectations and the trust he placed in me."

"It’s just a pity that looking back now, I haven’t done a very good job over the years. I believe that if he were still alive, he would surely be disappointed."

Lu Mingyuan accepted the plain jade hairpin with both hands. He looked up and said sincerely, "Sir, you have already done a great deal for the scholars of the world."

Qi Xingyan simply smiled, dismissing the praise. Seeing Lu Mingyuan accept the hairpin lifted a weight from his heart. The hairpin was indeed ordinary, but it was, after all, a relic from the Li Sheng Lineage. He felt it was fitting to give it to the son-in-law who had co-founded Lu and Wang’s Heart Learning.

...