Baiyujing, the Yin-Yang Temple.
In the majestic hall, Hua Nong Yue sat high on the throne. On one side under the nine steps, Li Xiangxue stood with his hands behind his back, trying not to laugh as he looked at Xu Tingyun who was shouting and yelling not far away.
"Today, I will teach you the supreme secret handed down from my family."
Xu Tingyun, who was less than five years old, paced back and forth with his chubby hands behind his back, and said in a baby voice, "This is something that people outside can't even ask for. You must remember it well, and don't tell anyone, understand?"
"Know!"
Nearly a hundred children of the same age as Xu Tingyun responded in unison.
If it weren't for the strong smell of milk, the scene would have been quite spectacular.
"Yeah, very good."
Xu Tingyun narrowed her eyes and nodded with satisfaction, "Then listen carefully, this secret has three sentences, and I will only tell you once."
In an instant, the hall became to the point where you could hear a pin drop.
The little kids opened their eyes wide and their ears perked up, afraid of missing a single word.
Xu Tingyun stopped, pulled his right hand out from behind his back, and raised a finger: "First sentence, practice with your heart."
“…”
The dolls, who had looked hopeful just now, now showed a trace of confusion on their faces.
No way…
Is this the family secret?
"The second sentence."
Xu Tingyun didn't care and raised his second finger: "Studying requires using your brain."
The dolls: “…”
If I was confused just now, I am questioning now.
Because every person who is chosen to become a disciple of the Yin-Yang Temple, no matter what their family background is, will be given a lot of instructions before leaving, and all they have to say is something like "be attentive, be obedient, be friendly" and so on.
It sounds very similar to this secret...
"The third sentence."
Xu Tingyun raised his third finger and said, "Eat until you are full."
Finally, a boy who was closer couldn't help but raise his hand: "That..."
"etc!"
Xu Tingyun raised his hand to interrupt the boy, then turned around, took out a booklet and secretly flipped through it.
After a while, Xu Tingyun's eyes lit up, he put away the booklet, turned around and said with a smile: "Lü Mingxin, right? What's your question?"
"Senior Sister, this secret seems to be also available in my family."
Lu Mingxin tilted his head, his face full of confusion.
After these words were spoken, all the children couldn't help but speak up and agreed.
The originally orderly scene suddenly became chaotic.
Li Xiangxue shook his head helplessly and was ready to help Xu Tingyun maintain order.
Suddenly, a condensed sound came into his ears.
"No hurry, let her try."
It’s the sound of Hua Nong Yue.
Li Xiangxue understood immediately, turned sideways and clasped his fists slightly.
Looking ahead again, facing the questioning from many fellow junior brothers and sisters, Xu Tingyun seemed to have anticipated it. He just stood there quietly, not answering, and not getting nervous.
After a while, until the young men and women gradually quieted down, Xu Tingyun spoke: "You said that your family also has this secret, then do you know what these three sentences mean?"
What's the meaning?
The dolls looked at each other in bewilderment.
“Why should we practice with our heart?”
Xu Tingyun put his hands behind his back again, his face solemn: "The Emperor of Man once said that there are no two leaves in the world that are exactly alike, and there are no two people that are exactly alike."
“Some are highly gifted, some are less gifted.”
“But in the end, it must be the people with higher talents who are more powerful?”
"No."
"If two people are together, and the one with higher talent doesn't practice diligently, while the one with lower talent practices diligently, then in the end, it is very likely that the one with lower talent will be more powerful."
“So, the first secret tells us that no matter how talented we are, we must practice with all our heart.”
"Think about it, if you have a low talent but surpass those with high talent, how happy would you be? And if you have a high talent but are surpassed by those with low talent, wouldn't that be embarrassing?"
Xu Tingyun's childish voice echoed in the hall. It sounded very cute, but even Li Xiangxue couldn't help but ponder the meaning behind it.
Although the kids didn't quite understand what he said, they were completely stunned, and Xu Tingyun's words kept repeating in their minds.
"The second sentence is that you need to use your brain to study. Why?"
Xu Tingyun continued, "Because books exist to make us smarter, not to restrict us."
“If we just follow the book, we will never be better than the person who wrote the book.”
"Think about it, isn't that right?"
Before he finished speaking, Li Xiangxue could not help but look back at Hua Nong Yue who was sitting high on the throne, his eyes full of questions.
There is no way. These principles sound simple, but they contain profound truths that are not something a five-year-old girl can understand.
"Don't be fooled by her. Your uncle Xu told her all this himself. She just repeated it. Basically, she didn't change a word."
Hua Nong Yue transmitted the message with a tone that was both funny and sad.
"I see."
Only then did Li Xiangxue feel relieved.
"Third sentence, why do we have to eat until we are full?"
Xu Tingyun smiled, "Do you know?"
"I know!"
A chubby little boy shouted and raised his hand.
Xu Tingyun was dumbfounded for a moment. He had no choice but to turn around and flip through the booklet. "Oh, Jiang Xinfei, go ahead."
"Because when you are full you have more energy and can fight better!"
The fat boy waved his fist.
As soon as these words were spoken, the people nearby suddenly showed fear on their faces and quietly moved away.
"Half right, half wrong."
Xu Tingyun shook his head and said righteously: "Strength is not for fighting, but for protecting others. You are still young and don't understand this. When you are like me... ahem, when you grow up, you will understand it!"
"oh……"
The kids nodded as if they understood, and decided to go back and write down these words so they wouldn't forget them when they grew up.
"Okay, get out of class is over."
Xu Tingyun clapped his hands, "Remember to come on time tomorrow, Grandpa Chuanfa will help you choose a technique."
The elder who teaches the Dharma in the Yin-Yang Temple is none other than Qingyi, Ji Qingzhi’s former bodyguard.
When Xu Chongchu arrived at Taiping Township, Qingyi mistakenly thought that he was someone sent by Emperor Qing to avenge Li Xiangxue, so he collapsed.
Although the misunderstanding was later resolved and Qing Yi only retained the power of the Body Cleansing Realm, his vision was still that of the third realm of Taoism, which was more than enough for him to be the elder who taught the Dharma in the Yin-Yang Temple.
As for whether Xu Tingyun calling him grandpa would mess up the order of generations and priorities, Xu Chong and others never cared about it.
"Mother, is Ting Yunli powerful?"
After many fellow junior brothers and sisters left, Xu Tingyun broke down in a second and looked back at the stairs eagerly.
"It's really amazing..."
Hua Nongyue flashed over, squatted down and scratched Xu Tingyun's nose, "I just don't know if I can always be so powerful."
"Of course!"
Xu Tingyun held his head high and puffed out his chest, then pouted again: "Why didn't Dad come? He didn't even see it..."
"Who said I didn't see it?"
Xu Chong's voice sounded , and his phantom body condensed at a close distance.
“Daddy!”
Xu Tingyun was no longer surprised by this kind of sudden trick, and he just threw himself into Xu Chong's arms with joy and shyness, "Did Daddy see everything?"
"Of course, our Tingyun is the most powerful. What about the senior sister of Yin Yang Palace..."
While talking to his wife and daughter, Xu Chong winked at Li Xiangxue.
Li Xiangxue immediately understood, clasped his hands and left.
Soon, he met another Xu Chong in another hall.
"Meet the Emperor."
Li Xiangxue saluted.
"What's the point of calling him emperor? Call me Uncle Xu."
Xu Chong pretended to laugh angrily and cursed, "You are not an official, so where did you learn the bureaucratic style?"
"Well……"
Li Xiangxue laughed dryly and said, "Now the entire Seventh Heaven of Baiyujing calls you that."
"This shows that the Yin Yang Palace is still superior to the imperial court."
Xu Chong shook his head helplessly, "I am just too idealistic. There are always people who are afraid of this and that and want to make trouble out of nothing... But it doesn't matter. We just need to stop being so distant among ourselves."
"Uncle Xu is right. Xiang Xue understands."
Li Xiangxue still looked respectful, but the unfamiliarity in his heart caused by his status and realm had unconsciously dissipated for the most part.
"I asked you to come here because I want to ask for your opinion on something."
Xu Chong nodded and said, "Have you ever thought about going out?"
"go out?"
Li Xiangxue was stunned for a moment, then his pupils shrank sharply: "Out of bounds?"
"Yes."
Xu Chong smiled and nodded, "I found a world that was degenerated from the fairyland. It is much higher than the current Baiyujing, and it has another unique cultivation system. Anyway, you are just eating and waiting to die in the Yin-Yang Palace, so I think it might be a good idea to experience the culture of a different world."
"Just eat and wait for death..."
Li Xiangxue was left in tears and amused by these four words.
"Why, do you think what I said is wrong?"
Xu Chong raised his eyebrows, "Counting the time you spent in Chunqiu Hall, you are already not young anymore. If you still don't carry on the Li family's bloodline, what else can you do but wait for death?"
"Well……"
Li Xiangxue's face froze, and he thought of a lot of things in an instant.
Once upon a time, wasn't he a child full of enthusiasm and hope just like Xu Tingyun?
Unfortunately, there was no time to grow up and everything was ruined.
His father became a sacrifice to the French soldiers, his mentor at the county school died as a traitor, his mother could not escape the locust plague, and even Ji Qingzhi, his mentor who had taught him martial arts, turned into his greatest enemy.
Although Xu Chong, his great benefactor, is still alive, he never had the chance to repay his kindness from beginning to end.
The only time he used his inner demon to kill Ji Qingzhi, it could only be considered a gimmick, and the result it brought was nothing but making Emperor Qing stronger, with no good side at all.
In short, after going through so much, Li Xiangxue's character has become extremely indifferent, and it is no longer possible for him to marry, have children and be busy with his family like a normal person.
"What are you staring at?"
Xu Chong frowned, "In addition to continuing the Li family's lineage, this matter has a more important meaning..."
Immediately, Xu Chong briefly explained the origin of the Five Spirit Realm and the fusion of the two realms' skills.
"…That's probably the situation. You can be unfilial and not care about what Old Li wished before his death, but since this is about the human race and the truth, it should be able to arouse your fighting spirit, right?"
Xu Chong frowned and stared at Li Xiangxue.
"Xiang Xue understands..."
Li Xiangxue took a deep breath and bowed deeply, "I'll leave everything to Uncle Xu's arrangements."
"Um."
Xu Chong nodded in satisfaction, "Do you want to go to the Five Spirit Realm alone or bring more people? It's up to you to decide. When you are ready, recite my name silently, and the exit will open in front of you."
After saying this, Xu Chong's phantom body turned into a spot of light and disappeared.
"Five Spirit Realm..."
Li Xiangxue slowly straightened up, recalling the information he had learned before about "personality", "nothingness" and so on.
A strong fighting spirit rose from his eyes like a flame.
At the same time, another phantom of Xu Chong appeared in Wenyuan Pavilion.
"We are here to see the Emperor!"
“…”
Everyone stood up and bowed.
"Compared to the title of Human Emperor, I prefer the title of Regent... No need to be polite."
Xu Chong pulled the corner of his mouth, walked to the main seat that Zhang Shunyi had given up and sat down, "Let's get down to business."
"yes."
The cabinet members responded.
"I found the Five Spirit Realm that was formed from the degeneration of the ancient Ring Sky. It is similar to the Profound Sky Realm and has a unique cultivation system, but the threshold is relatively high..."
Xu Chong repeated the matter of the Five Spiritual Realms once again, and then with a flick of his sleeves, five glowing books appeared in the air and slowly flipped.
"This is the core technique of the Five Spirits Palace. Your next task is to analyze the feasibility of these techniques in Baiyujing, and then select outstanding people of different ages and realms to try to condense their own divine texts."
"As for how to choose, you are better at this than me, so I won't say more."
“In short, when a practitioner in the Five Spirits Realm cultivates the Tianxuan Realm technique, the three great Dao seeds will appear between the heart and abdomen, increasing their strength and counteracting the power of the divine text.”
"What you need to pay attention to is whether the people of Baiyujing can cultivate the divine text, and whether the three great Dao seeds will be triggered after cultivating the divine text. If the three great Dao seeds are triggered, will it in turn strengthen the power of the divine text to fight against the strength?"
"These are the questions I thought of. If you think of others or find others, please record them as well."
Xu Chong looked around and asked, "Is one month enough?"
"That's enough."
Zhang Shunyi spoke first, "With the time-accelerating training room here, a month is more than enough."
The rules of the rotation of the stars left by the Spring and Autumn Tomb were reduced in scope and adjusted in intensity by Xu Chong. In the upper three heavens of Baiyujing, training rooms with different speed increases were set up, which were just right for integrating the skills of the two worlds.
"Well, you guys continue."
Xu Chong nodded and prepared to leave.
"Wait a minute, Regent. I have something to say but I don't know whether I should say it or not."
A person at the bottom suddenly spoke up and stopped Xu Chong.
"oh?"
Xu Chong raised his eyebrows and looked over. "The cabinet is not a place where anyone has the final say. Lord Zheng should just speak his mind."
He had an impression of this man, whose name was Zheng Qian. He was the only one who dared to oppose the allocation of resources to Yongzhou. He didn't expect that after not seeing him for a few years, he had been promoted to the position of Second Assistant.
"yes."
Zheng Qian clasped his fists and said in a deep voice, "May I ask the Regent, what is the overall strength of the Five Spirit Realm?"
"Compared to Baiyujing, it is naturally far superior."
Xu Chong did not hide it.
"How does that compare to the Regent?"
Zheng Qian looked directly at Xu Chong and asked, "Can the Regent destroy the Five Spirit Realms by himself?"
As soon as these words came out, Xu Chong knew what Zheng Qian meant, and narrowed his eyes and said lightly: "Okay."
"Then may I ask His Royal Highness the Regent..."
Zheng Qian's voice was like thunderbolt, and he would not stop until his words shocked the world: "Why don't you destroy the Five Spirit Realms and use them to strengthen Baiyujing?"