"I know this," Zeng Anmin nodded.
Zhang Lun said, "Once the Literary Qi in your seven hundred major acupoints is full, you just need to wait for the right opportunity. If you achieve an epiphany, you can use that abundant Literary Qi to open your Purple Mansion. Once the Purple Mansion is opened, the seven hundred streams of Literary Qi will be drawn inside and condensed into one, which is called Vast Righteous Qi.
"At that time, you will have reached the Purple Mansion Realm.
"This is the realm of the Lower Third Grade for us scholars of the Confucian Dao.
"Beyond this are the Middle Third Grade and the Upper Third Grade. However, my knowledge is shallow, so I'm afraid I cannot enlighten you on those."
Saying this, Zhang Lun's expression turned candid. "If you wish to know, I can ask the Master tomorrow and give you an answer then."
"No need, no need." Zeng Anmin earnestly bowed to Zhang Lun and said, "Thank you, Brother Tongyu!"
He felt warmth from a stranger for the first time.
Smiling, Zhang Lun helped Zeng Anmin up. "Brother Quan Fu, there is no need to belittle yourself. Grasping Literary Qi in just fifteen minutes destines you for the Great Scholar Realm in the future. We shall simply encourage each other on the path ahead.
"Back in the day, it took me a whole day to comprehend Literary Qi."
"Haha."
Zeng Anmin looked up and asked with feigned confusion, "Today, while browsing through the Book Pavilion, I came across a book titled *Confucian Martial Arts Discussion*. It stated that the Confucian Dao and Martial Arts cannot be cultivated simultaneously. My knowledge is shallow, and I didn't quite understand it..."
This was his setup to fish for information.
A knowing smile flashed in Zhang Lun's eyes, and he chuckled gently. "Brother Quan Fu, I had the exact same thoughts back then.
"It was only after learning more about it that I extinguished that notion."
"Oh?" Zeng Anmin feigned bewilderment.
In his heart, however, he stirred slightly, eagerly awaiting Zhang Lun's explanation.
"Actually, the opening of the *Confucian Martial Arts Discussion* already gives us the answer," Zhang Lun began. "The path of the Confucian Dao requires the cultivation of Literary Qi. However, Literary Qi and Martial Arts Aura are two entirely incompatible forces.
"I even thought that after opening the Purple Mansion, I could gather the Literary Qi inside to transform it into Vast Righteous Qi, and then begin cultivating the path of Martial Arts..."
At this point, Zhang Lun smiled and shook his head. "But that idea was simply too naive."
Zeng Anmin's heart sank slightly.
Yet, his expression remained unchanged as he asked, "Why is that?"
"Because even though the Literary Qi is gathered in the Purple Mansion, the acupoints throughout the entire body have already been scoured and washed by it. If one rashly introduces Martial Arts Aura into the body, the only result waiting for them is exploding and dying...
"The reverse is also true. Martial Arts similarly requires instilling Martial Arts Essence Qi into the acupoints, and the fate of switching to Confucian Dao Cultivation would be exactly the same.
"Although I am not sure if the Vast Righteous Qi condensed from Literary Qi can coexist with Martial Arts True Qi...
"Since ancient times, everyone's cultivation has followed a step-by-step process. Who could possibly start cultivating by directly opening the Purple Mansion Realm?"
Saying this, Zhang Lun laughed at himself. He looked at Zeng Anmin and asked, "Don't you agree?"
"Ah?! Ah! Yes, yes..."
Zeng Anmin's smile was a bit guilty.
Zhang Lun was an excellent teacher. He was extremely patient when explaining things. Whenever there was something Zeng Anmin didn't understand, he would slowly break it down and feed it to him bit by bit. After their conversation, Zeng Anmin developed a great impression of him. Profoundly knowledgeable, extremely patient, a scholar from a humble background, diligent, cautious, and respectful. In short, he was someone who made people feel refreshed and naturally drew their favor.
"Young Master, it's getting late. We should go."
Dachun stood cautiously outside the door, bending over to peek inside. He was taller than the doorframe itself.
Without realizing it, Zeng Anmin had been chatting with Zhang Lun for a long time. He snapped back to reality, stood up, and smiled. "Brother Tongyu, why don't we stop here for today?"
Zhang Lun glanced at the sky outside, looking a bit dazed. He hadn't expected time to pass so quickly.
"Alright, we will chat again tomorrow."
Zhang Lun stood up, simply packed his book box, and headed out.
Walking down the road, a sharp glint flashed in Zeng Anmin's eyes. They had talked about so much today, but to him, only one thing was important! And Zhang Lun had already given him the answer. He just needed to reverse-engineer it to reach a conclusion.
"My cultivation of Literary Qi does not start from within my body, but rises from the Sea of Consciousness. There is no Literary Qi left behind in my body. In other words, even if I cultivate Martial Arts, they won't conflict!"
Once Zeng Anmin figured this out, he could no longer suppress the impulsive thrill in his heart!
"Even if Martial Arts Aura enters my Sea of Consciousness, it won't conflict, because by that time, my Literary Qi will have already transformed into Vast Righteous Qi! As for whether Vast Righteous Qi and Martial Arts True Qi can coexist... I shouldn't have to worry about that. After all, there are many rumors in this world of Great Confucian Scholars channeling Vast Righteous Qi into the bodies of Martial Arts experts to heal their injuries..."
Zeng Anmin took a deep breath and buried this thought deep in his heart. This kind of thing had to be done in secret; he could not let anyone find out.
His eyes flickered with a sharp light.
"Then the next step is to find an entry-level method for Martial Arts."
But where could he find one?
"Young Master, I'm hungry..."
Qi Dachun's naive, thick voice rang out. Hearing this voice, Zeng Anmin wanted to slap himself. That's right! Wasn't he sitting on a mountain of treasure without realizing it?!
"Hungry? Alright! You can eat whatever you want!!"
In a great mood, Zeng Anmin waved his hand grandly and led Qi Dachun toward the dining hall.
That night.
Lying in bed, Zeng Anmin carefully savored Dachun's naive words.
"There are two ways to practice Martial Arts. The first is to find an Energy-Introducing Atlas and practice the postures shown on the Energy-Introducing Map. The second is like my method. I remember my dad pressing a few spots on my back, and I could feel a warm current..."
Where was he supposed to find a Martial Arts master to press a few spots on his back?! Therefore, the words "Energy-Introducing Atlas" became the next thing Zeng Anmin had to consider.
Tossing and turning, unable to sleep, Zeng Anmin immersed his consciousness into his Sea of Consciousness.
At this moment, the Sea of Consciousness was still shrouded in purple mist. In the very center was the phantom of the Dragon Inspection Map. On the right was the cluster of Literary Qi he had condensed. Zhang Lun had also given him an answer today: condensing Literary Qi into Vast Righteous Qi required seven hundred and twenty streams. So, moving forward, he just needed to study step by step, and he would soon be able to cultivate Vast Righteous Qi.
As for the left side...
BUZZ!
An incredibly gorgeous short saber hovered there. The blade wasn't long, only about two feet. However, the blinding sharpness and chilling aura radiating from it made it impossible to look at directly. With just one glance, he could feel the terrifying power contained within.
[(Silver) Martial Arts Spiritual Artifact: Immediately acquire a Martial Arts Spiritual Artifact (Will be directly delivered to a safe location)]
Zeng Anmin never could have imagined that the "safe location" mentioned by the system would actually be inside his Sea of Consciousness. But this was for the best. Being undiscoverable made it his absolute trump card.
Zeng Anmin circled around his Sea of Consciousness once.
Just as he was about to exit the space and go to sleep, his body suddenly stiffened! His expression went completely blank! He stared fixedly at the phantom of the Dragon Inspection Map in front of him.
[The sea reaches its end, the sky forms its shore; climbing to the peak of the mountain, I become the summit.]
This was indeed the line he had written last time. But the line above it—[With one arm I sunder eternity; I alone shall rule Kyushu]...
It had disappeared!!!
In its place was a new sentence:
[Good poem! Are you a Confucian Cultivator of the Northern Holy Country??!]
A chill shot straight up Zeng Anmin's neck.
What...
What in the world was going on?!!