Chapter 157: Your Majesty's Swordsmanship, Who Taught It?! |
Xiao Mo slowly opened his eyes.
Just like the previous two times when he emerged from the River of Time in the Book of a Hundred Lives, Xiao Mo's stomach churned, he felt nauseous, and his mind couldn't help but recall scene after scene he had witnessed in the River of Time.
However, after several experiences, Xiao Mo had somewhat gotten used to it. It didn't take long for him to calm his thoughts.
After Xiao Mo adjusted his breathing, the text and voice of the Book of a Hundred Lives resonated in his mind:
[Book of a Hundred Lives Third Life ("Bai Ruxue's Life" Second Life) experience complete.]
[You were originally born in an ordinary small fishing village and were found by Bai Ruxue, Demon Empress of the North Sea. From that day on, she lived together with you.
One day, she gave you Dragon Thunder Liquid and Ascension Pills, allowing you to cultivate.
Afterward, you embarked on the Confucian path, studying at White Deer Academy and becoming the disciple of Qi Daoming.
You were naturally intelligent and cultivated diligently, with a sincere desire to forge a new Confucian path.
You achieved enlightenment in the bamboo grove and debated with Master Qi Daoming. He recognized your Confucian learning, and from then on you became the "Academy Headmaster," embarking on the path of scholarly debate.
You traveled the world with Bai Ruxue, debating groups of Confucian scholars and becoming renowned throughout the land.
The Confucian Ding Shen unauthorized tore up the treaty, framed the North Sea, and intended to exterminate the Dragon Clan.
After the North Sea battle, Bai Ruxue was severely injured.
You then stepped onto the Great Wall, both to accumulate merit for her and for the innocent people of the world.
You guarded the Great Wall for twenty-one years, slaughtering countless demons.
When the Great Wall was about to be breached, you wrote out the "Unity of Knowledge and Action," achieved Confucian sainthood, changed the battle situation, and altered the fate of the Ten Thousand Laws Realm.
At Shanhai Pass, you alone with one sword blocked the pass, slaughtering five hundred thousand demon troops.
At White Tiger Plain, you fought the Ascension realm demon cultivator "Wan Xi" for thousands of rounds and threw his head before the demon army.
At Black Mountain Sect, you rescued Bai Ruxue at the critical moment and fought a bloody battle with Daoist Tianqiong.
At Ten Thousand Grass Valley, you sacrificed your sage's heart to protect Bai Ruxue's Dao and help her transform into a dragon, thus breaking the blockade on Dragon Clan fortune.
On the day you died, the ink lake at White Deer Academy flowed for a thousand li.
Ten years after your death, the human-demon war ended with human victory.
In the human-demon war, you made tremendous contributions but because you opposed the Ten Thousand Laws Realm for Bai Ruxue's sake and used your sage's heart to protect her Dao, indirectly helping the Dragon Clan rise, many cultivators didn't know how to record you in the history books.
The Human Alliance engaged in fierce debate and finally decided to erase your name, removing it from existence.
Reward One: Sage's Heart.
This sage's heart can accumulate righteous qi for the host day by day, continuously improving the host's constitution and spiritual veins, and can play a role in battles, enlightenment, soul cultivation, and other aspects.
But because the host's realm is too low to fully bear the sage's heart, the Book of a Hundred Lives will temporarily seal the sage's heart to a certain degree to ensure the host doesn't die from energy overload.
When the host's realm becomes higher, the seal on the sage's heart will gradually lift, and its effects will become greater.
Reward Two: Merit Pill.
After taking this pill, when the host cultivates Buddhist teachings and accumulates merit, the merit gained will increase by twenty percent. The pill's effects last a lifetime.
Reward Three: Demon-Suppressing Dao Resonance.
If the host battles demon clans, any technique will deal twenty percent additional damage to demons.]
[The Book of a Hundred Lives is preparing the fourth life. Preparation time is undetermined. During this period, the host cannot enter the Book of a Hundred Lives again. When preparation is complete, the host will be notified and can then enter the fourth life of the Book of a Hundred Lives.]
As the text and voice of the Book of a Hundred Lives disappeared from his mind, Xiao Mo felt a warm current flow through his heart, extremely comfortable.
When this warm current disappeared, Xiao Mo looked inward and saw that his heart had turned ink-colored, and the righteous qi it produced was nourishing his body.
The fatigue from sword practice had also lessened considerably.
Xiao Mo then took the Merit Pill, but felt nothing.
The Demon-Suppressing Dao Resonance was the same.
However, Xiao Mo could indeed sense the presence of both.
Originally, Xiao Mo wanted to immediately enter the fourth life, but since the fourth life still needed preparation time, this gave Xiao Mo a headache. He didn't know how long the preparation would take.
"Forget it, since I can't enter the Book of a Hundred Lives, I'll practice sword techniques first!"
Xiao Mo stood up, picked up his peach wood sword, and began practicing the Grass Character Sword Formula.
At the National Preceptor's Residence in the rear palace, in the four days since Jiang Qingyi had come to the palace, she hadn't left the National Preceptor's residence once.
Every day she deduced everything that might happen after that white dragon entered the palace.
She deduced how she should respond, how to make a move against her, and what the consequences would be but no matter how Jiang Qingyi deduced, the results weren't very good.
Of course, she couldn't gain any advantage either.
Putting away her thoughts, Jiang Qingyi felt that further deduction was meaningless.
"Someone come." Jiang Qingyi called out.
"National Preceptor."
Soon, a maid entered and bowed to Jiang Qingyi.
"Where is His Majesty now?" Jiang Qingyi asked indifferently.
"Reporting to the National Preceptor, His Majesty should be cultivating at the Dao Inquiry Platform."
"The Dao Inquiry Platform? I understand."
Jiang Qingyi stood up and walked alone toward the Dao Inquiry Platform. She had passed by it when entering the palace and knew where it was.
She wanted to see exactly what dao he was cultivating.
After one incense stick's time, Jiang Qingyi arrived at the high wall beside the Dao Inquiry Platform.
The Dao Inquiry Platform had a Spirit-Gathering Formation, which usually had the effects of "blocking divine sense detection" and "warning of outsiders entering the formation."
However, this barrier was like nothing to Jiang Qingyi.
She leaped up and silently passed through the barrier, sitting on the high wall.
"He's practicing swordsmanship?"
Jiang Qingyi's eyes calmly watched him but the more she watched, the more she felt something was wrong.
The more she watched, the more familiar Jiang Qingyi felt in her heart.
"This swordsmanship is..."
Xiao Mo completely failed to notice that Jiang Qingyi had penetrated the barrier and was sitting on the wall watching him.
He was immersed in the way of the sword, concentrating on executing each strike.
After one incense stick passed, Xiao Mo sensed something and struck out with his sword.
Sharp sword qi split the wooden stake in front of him in half.
"Not bad."
Xiao Mo took a deep breath, quite satisfied with his current cultivation progress.
It wouldn't be long before he estimated he could reach the sixth level of Qi Refinement.
Just as Xiao Mo sheathed his sword and planned to go to Clear Spring Palace to soak in the hot springs, a fragrant breeze swept by.
A woman wearing a light veil stood before Xiao Mo.
"Miss Jiang?" Xiao Mo was startled.
Was her realm that high?
She had entered the Dao Inquiry Platform, yet the formation gave no warning at all.
"I wonder if Miss Jiang has some business?" Xiao Mo asked calmly.
"Your Majesty's swordsmanship."
Jiang Qingyi stepped forward. Xiao Mo instinctively stepped back half a step, the woman's chest nearly touching his.
"Who taught it?!"
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