Scripture of Days Past

In the Palace of Eternal Life, the Yong'an Emperor was reading through the report Zhong Shan'e had sent him from Jade Face Mountain. He sneered, "I told them to find moles of the Immortal Dao, yet all they've managed to do is capture a few chefs? Chen Zhong, your subordinates seem to be growing more and more disobedient. I hear that all the eunuchs in the palace refer to you as their godfather and god grandfather. Is this how you educate your sons and grandsons?"

Chen Zhong immediately fell to his knees. "Please forgive me, Your Majesty. I've told them not to address me that way, but they insist on doing so..."

The Yong'an Emperor gave a cold harrumph, then asked, "Is it true that Chu Qiguang played an important role in defending the archive building? Has that been confirmed?"

"Yes," Chen Zhong replied. "I've sent people to investigate the matter, and both Yang Ling and the bookkeeper of the archive building have corroborated this story. Chu Qiguang went out of his way to memorize the most dangerous scriptures on the second floor, even though he was fully aware of the risks. He also prepared many candles and oil lamps so that he could burn the scriptures if necessary. Later, when Yi Shuang forced his way into the archive building with the fox fiend and the living corpse, he fought alongside Yang Ling to keep them at bay."

The Yong'an Emperor nodded before praising, "To think that a boy so young could possess so much courage. If only all my subordinates were this loyal and valiant."

Chen Zhong hurriedly nodded in agreement.

The Yong'an Emperor then picked up another report from Zhong Shan'e, which had been sent just before the half-yearly examination. In that report, Zhong Shan'e had been heavily critical of Chu Qiguang. Between the two reports, Zhong Shan'e's attitude toward Chu Qiguang had undergone an extremely drastic change.

"It looks like even Zhong Shan'e can have lapses in judgment from time to time," the Yong'an Emperor said, chuckling in amusement.

Chu Qiguang's exceptional martial arts aptitude, his lack of belief in the Profound Origin Dao Lord, and his loyalty to the imperial court formed an extremely valuable combination of traits, and the Yong'an Emperor was clearly very impressed.

"Your Majesty, should I recruit Chu Qiguang into the Heavenly Guard?" Chen Zhong asked.

In his younger days, the Yong'an Emperor had been inclined to recruit anyone who impressed him into the Heavenly Guard. As a result, the Heavenly Guard had become massively bloated, with many of its members essentially being paid to do nothing. Over time, the Yong'an Emperor learned from his mistakes.

The Yong'an Emperor replied, "There's no need for that. Chu Qiguang is a very impressive young man, but he still has a great deal of growing to do. For now, it's best to have him remain on Jade Face Mountain. Has a decision been made on what reward he is to receive?"

Chen Zhong immediately presented to the Yong'an Emperor a list of the rewards that the Demon Vanquishing Department planned to present to Chu Qiguang.

After reading through the list, the Yong'an Emperor asked, "Didn't the pill chamber just refine a new batch of Demon Vanquishing Pills? Give ten of them to Chu Qiguang. On top of that, select a premium demon-slaying saber for him as well."

***

On Jade Face Mountain, Zhong Shan'e was handing out the rewards for the half-yearly examination.

The other trainees could only watch with undisguised envy as Chu Qiguang was called up four times. For his four first-place finishes, he received four types of extremely valuable pills that would provide him with significant benefits.

Not only was he the object of envy among the other trainees, but even Yang Ling was feeling very envious of this bountiful haul.

The combination of Lion Tiger Transformation Ointment, Ultimate Qi Replenishment Pills, Myriad Beast Divinity Ointment, and Golden Millet Sprout Pills is sure to do wonders for him. I wonder how the head instructor would feel if he knew that all these precious pills were going to a fiend...

"I wonder what those pills taste like," Zhang Haizhu mused as he gulped down some saliva. "I heard they were all personally refined by the top pill refinement master of the Heavenly Master Religion, who's also a Dao Comprehension-state cultivator. I wonder if I'll ever get the chance to taste one of his pills."

"His pills don't taste much different from those refined by other people," Jiang Longyu said indifferently. "The only difference is that his pills melt in the mouth. You can achieve a similar effect by briefly soaking other pills in water before taking them."

Ignoring Zhang Haizhu's disgruntled gaze, Jiang Longyu's attention remained focused on Chu Qiguang. For the past few days, he had constantly been wondering whether the person he had heard while hiding in the water vat had actually been Chu Qiguang. If it really was him, wouldn't that mean Chu Qiguang was a fifth-state martial artist who had been hiding his true power all along?

Wouldn't that make him an even more exceptional prodigy than even me? But I'm one of the Eight Han Resurgence Generals! There's no way his aptitude for martial arts could surpass mine! I wonder if that eunuch from last time relayed my suspicions to His Majesty.

Jiang Longyu had also been questioned by a eunuch during the Demon Vanquishing Department's internal investigation, and he had told the eunuch what he had heard while hiding in the water vat.

He had explained that he had heard Chu Qiguang talking outside, and by the time he poked his head out of the water vat, the wolf fiend was already dead. He told the eunuch that he strongly suspected that Chu Qiguang was a fifth-state martial artist posing as someone far weaker, and he urged the eunuch to report the matter to the emperor right away.

Unbeknownst to him, the eunuch had no intention of doing so. For one, he didn't believe Jiang Longyu. He also resented Jiang Longyu's arrogant demeanor. On top of that, he had accepted a bribe from Chu Qiguang, so of course he was going to side with Chu Qiguang over Jiang Longyu.

After the award ceremony, Chu Qiguang and Jiang Longyu were summoned to the head instructor's courtyard.

"Both of you have chosen to join the Fiend Assassin Faction, so you'll be studying under me for the next six months," Zhong Shan'e said. "However, let me make this clear in advance: I won't have much time to instruct the two of you. I'll probably only be able to teach you four or five times a month. Hence, you'll still have to attend all the other lessons on the mountain, but you can come to me if you have any questions."

"Head Instructor, how can one reach the Dao Comprehension state?" Chu Qiguang immediately asked.

Zhong Shan'e turned to him with a surprised expression, clearly taken aback by the question.

"There are a total of twenty-five cultivation arts under the heavens that can take one to the Dao Comprehension state, and they are collectively known as the twenty-five orthodox arts," he explained. "Each orthodox art prescribes a different method for the cultivator to reach the Dao Comprehension state, so there's no one-size-fits-all answer."

"What about the four orthodox arts of our Demon Vanquishing Department?" Chu Qiguang asked.

After witnessing the power of Layman Evergreen and Zhong Shan'e, Chu Qiguang was more eager and motivated than ever to reach the Dao Comprehension state himself. However, while his combat prowess improved rapidly and he had continued to keep up with his cultivation of the Sumeru King Scripture, he still had no idea how to actually reach the Dao Comprehension state.

A faint smile appeared on Zhong Shan'e's face. The sight of the eager and enthusiastic Chu Qiguang reminded him of his younger self, the naive boy brimming with confidence and convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that he would reach the Dao Comprehension state someday.

"Wait till you reach the fifth state first," he said. "Don't get ahead of yourself. Reaching the Dao Comprehension state is no easy feat. Even with your aptitude, it'll likely be another decade before you need to consider such things."

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