Chapter 670 Advancement to Seventh Rank, Spiritual Aura Transformation! [Seeking Monthly Tickets!]

"Lotus boat?"

Inside the carriage, facing the smiling old man with his eyes closed, the once aloof and cold-looking girl in her palace attire now had a flushed face, seemed somewhat lost in thought, and murmured to herself.

A few strands of hair slipped down onto the forehead of this young girl, who was recognized as a genius of the Yin-Yang School within the Imperial Observatory.

She immediately lowered her head and wrote down the seven-character quatrain in her notebook.

Immediately afterwards, he bit the pad of his index finger and drew a hasty red circle over the two ink characters "Lotus Boat".

In the quiet carriage, Rongzhen was slightly out of breath.

The events that happened in the last incense stick's time were too dazzling, and the performance of those six pieces of music for sightseeing on Mount Lu was also a missed opportunity. The old musician only played them once, leaving it to fate...

That's a bit exciting.

Even though Rongzhen has a very good state of mind, she rarely encounters such an urgent and helpless situation.

The effort required was only slightly less than facing a sudden situation with the owner of the Butterfly Love Flower.

Music, chess, calligraphy, and painting were not her forte to begin with.

Apart from calligraphy, which was required for drafting imperial edicts, Rongzhen never learned such things from childhood, whether in the Imperial Observatory, the palace, or by His Majesty's side. These were second-rate tasks performed by court musicians and court officials to please His Majesty.

In fact, she was the one who least needed to deliberately please His Majesty.

On the contrary, it was this cold and aloof nature, this lack of social skills and tactlessness, that made His Majesty particularly appreciate and like him.

But who would have thought that one day this matter of spiritual practice would be linked to such a minor path?

Looking again at the old musician in front of her, who was resting with his eyes closed and was thin and hunched over, Rong Zhen, who had always been arrogant in his cultivation and looked down on his peers in the palace and even Luoyang, and who only paid a little attention to those demons in the Taoist temples of Zhongnan Mountain, felt a sense of defeat.

The swordsman's sword technique, which deprives one of his meridians, is unconventional and relies entirely on intuition, lacking any skill.

At this moment, Rongzhen suddenly remembered the old musician's praise of Ouyang Lianghan not long ago: he was very intelligent and quick to learn, and his mind was very good at thinking.

Rongzhen looked down at the small notebook he had left for her, then looked away from the seven-character quatrains she had just written and moved forward to see her handwriting. The notebook contained only two and a half poems, far from enough.

Of the six pieces the old musician had just played in order, Rongzhen only had time to record these.

But in fact, from the moment she heard the first song end, Rongzhen had already resigned herself to her fate, knowing that she couldn't remember them all.

So she just tried her best to write down what she could remember, writing as much as she could.

Moreover, this wasn't something she recorded for herself.

Rongzhen held the small notebook in her delicate hand, slightly clenching a corner of the page. She lifted the carriage curtain and looked back at the back of the carriage.

There was no sign of Ouyang Lianghan's carriage; only the dark, towering shadow of the city wall remained in the distance under the night sky.

The carriage she and the old musician were riding in had already passed through the west gate, while Ouyang Lianghan's carriage must have just stopped at the city gate to say goodbye.

In the short time that Rongzhen was intently listening to the old musician playing the zither, he and the carriage had already disappeared.

Rong Zhen suddenly turned her head and asked:

"Senior, is it really not possible to play it one more time? I am rather slow-witted and find it difficult to memorize. Could we please choose a day to play it again, just once? If possible, it would be even better if I could bring Ouyang Lianghan with me."

The old musician shook his head:

"The Way should not be lightly transmitted, and the Law should not be sold cheaply. Sometimes, the things we obtain quietly and by chance are the ones we remember most vividly. This is called fate."

"It's like you want to listen to this music with Governor Ouyang, who has a high level of understanding and spirituality, but he has always been there before, yet he is not here tonight. This is also a matter of fate, a matter of being destined to be apart. Why force it?"

"In contrast to fate, there is a Buddhist term called attachment to appearances. Rong girl, you are attached to appearances. The more you want something, the harder it is to get it. On the contrary, if you are indifferent, you can get everything."

"To become a true swordsman, the first hurdle, the very first step, is to shatter the illusions in your heart with a single sword strike. Only by breaking free from these illusions and these obsessions can you enter this realm of ultimate mastery."

"All sword wielders are like this. That senior was like this, I am like this, and the master of the Butterfly Love Flower whom you have always hated must also be like this. The moment they became sword wielders, they all cut off the obsession in their hearts with great sorrow, indifference or great joy. If this obsession is not cut off, how can one wield the sword?"

"Even if you are not going to be a swordsman who follows the traditional path like me, you still need to get through this hurdle."

“Rong girl, I am not deliberately making things difficult for you, nor am I intentionally keeping from you the fact that I have already played the sword technique and zither music of Emperor Wen. Rather, I have seen the eagerness and restlessness in your heart beneath your indifferent exterior, so I want to wait a little longer until you are no longer attached to appearances.”

"However, it seems that the time is not right yet, and you are not ready. If you play it again, the result will still be the same. You want to bring Ouyang Lianghan over because you want to prepare more, but how much preparation is considered complete?"

Even if you memorize all six pieces of music, and have me or a skilled musician play them day and night, with the six pieces lingering in your ears, you still won't hear the music from afar.

"On the contrary, the timing of my casual performance just now was perfect, but unfortunately no one seized the opportunity."

"Now that I've said this, Rong girl, go back and think about it."

The old musician suddenly smiled;

"Of course, if you could ask the Sage of Luoyang to personally issue an edict ordering me to play it a hundred more times, I would obey. The Sage's words must be heeded. However, this is not what you want."

Rongzhen looked lost in thought.

Before long, the old musician was seen off.

At the entrance of Xunyang Grottoes, Rongzhen suddenly turned around and looked towards the distant Xunyang City.

Where is that kid?

Why is he in such a hurry to go back?

Rong Zhen raised her eyebrows, hugged her wooden zither, clutched her small notebook, and, dressed in a light purple gown, plunged into the deep night.

In the distance, a bright moon hangs quietly above Xunyang City.

...

The carriage we were in had already turned back to the city and was heading towards Xunyang Tower.

The carriages carrying Rongzhen, the old musician, and others were moving further and further away from the west gate.

Ali was driving diligently and didn't notice anything unusual in the car behind him. At most, he just thought the piano music that had just echoed in the night was quite pleasant...

Ouyang Rong didn't have the energy to pay attention to Ali driving.

The peculiar ending note he heard before leaving through the west gate lingered in his ears like a resounding melody.

It truly is an "echoing sound".

The old musician's rendition of that piece is long gone.

However, Ouyang Rong heard a strange zither melody.

It was different from the tune the old musician had played, yet it felt strangely familiar; he felt an extraordinary sense of warmth and familiarity, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

The sound of the piano still echoes in my ears.

It seems to come from afar, yet it is farther than afar.

It's like a void that ignores time, spatial scale, and distance.

But the music wasn't complete; it stopped abruptly somewhere, as if something was missing.

Yes, it's missing.

It is the sound of a fragmented piece of music.

Ouyang Rong felt as if he had been tickled, and licked his dry lips.

Which part is missing exactly?

He began to ponder deeply...

Inside the carriage, Ouyang Rong remained motionless, like a statue.

Even though his dantian had undergone a complete transformation and his spiritual energy had been completely renewed from blue to red, he still frowned and seemed lost in thought.

The sound of the piano was so distant that it was impossible to tell whether it came from the past, the present, or the future.

Ouyang Rong's thoughts followed the sound of the zither further and further away.

Until a certain moment.

"Giggle-giggle—!"

Beneath Ouyang Rong's buttocks, the zither-shaped sword case in the seat space trembled and rattled.

He was startled awake, bent down to press the shaking violin case, and exhaled a long breath.

That was close.

Ouyang Rong belatedly realized what was happening.

[Craftsman] noticed his abnormality, and his thoughts were almost dragged into nothingness by the sword technique that resembled "the sound of a zither," like a traveler lost in the wilderness, possibly never to return.

Ouyang Rong took a deep breath and reassured [Craftsman].

The craftsman in the box immediately perked up.

The newly transformed red spiritual energy within its body was injected into [Craftsmanship], and the little guy became noticeably more excited.

"Seventh rank?"

Ouyang Rong muttered to himself.

I closed my eyes and looked inward again.

Sensing the brand-new red spiritual energy, it was confirmed without a doubt that it was Rank 7.

However, this seventh-grade cultivation level is somewhat strange.

Aside from the new reaction in [Craftsmanship], Ouyang Rong didn't notice any other significant improvements.

Especially regarding the Taoist lineage of the sorcerers, Ouyang Rong tried to mobilize his muscles and other abilities, but found that the improvement was not significant; the enhancement provided by the red spiritual energy was not a leap forward.

Moreover, no new seventh-grade abilities have emerged.

After pondering for a while, Ouyang Rong roughly figured out what it meant.

This sudden encounter with the sword technique, which led to his advancement to the seventh rank, was not a complete advancement ceremony.

First, regarding the sword techniques required for advancement in the Dao lineage of the swordsman.

The zither music representing the unknown sword technique is an incomplete piece of music.

Secondly, the rituals required for advancement in the lineage of sorcerers were not performed.

The incomplete sword manual can only be considered half of the sword manual. Just like when Ouyang Rong comprehended the true meaning of [Craftsmanship] and used it to enter the eighth rank, he can only enter this rank. However, before completing the other half of the sword manual, he cannot continue to improve his spiritual energy cultivation and will remain fixed at the entry stage of the initial eighth rank.

As for this time, why was it that he was able to skip a ceremony and directly break through the eighth-rank bottleneck to enter the new seventh-rank simply by relying on sword techniques?

This may be related to the fact that Ouyang Rong had accumulated too much experience at the eighth-grade Great Perfection level for a long time.

Back then, Ouyang Rong benefited from his dual cultivation with the embroiderer and reached the Great Perfection of the Eighth Rank.

This means that dual cultivation between two people can promote each other.

Later, Ouyang Rong and Xiu Niang practiced dual cultivation several more times, but Ouyang Rong remained at the Great Perfection of the Eighth Rank, stuck at the threshold of the Seventh Rank, unable to cross the middle threshold for a long time.

However, although they were blocked at the door, the spiritual energy accumulated through dual cultivation was like a reservoir, constantly piling up at the entrance, blocked by the door.

With the help of the incomplete sword technique, a crack has been opened between the eighth and seventh ranks.

Water from the "pool" flowed naturally into it, and Ouyang Rong was promoted accordingly.

Ouyang Rong seemed to be deep in thought.

In addition, although he has reached the seventh rank of the Sword-wielding Human Dao lineage, he has not comprehended any new Dingjian divine abilities.

This is easy to deduce, because how could one learn the Dingjian Divine Power if it's not a complete sword manual?

However, it's strange that Fang Shushi's Daoist lineage hasn't improved.

Ouyang Rong pondered it carefully again before finally realizing what it meant:

Sacrificial rituals should be a prerequisite for advancement in the lineage of sorcerers.

Previously, I overlooked this, simply assuming that the sacrificial ritual only provided surging spiritual energy to help him advance in realms, without being sure if it was a prerequisite for a sorcerer's Dao lineage to advance as well.

Because he had no other convenient way to improve his spiritual cultivation in the past, he relied on the surging spiritual energy provided by the sacrificial ritual to break through in one go every time he broke through a realm.

Whether one can break through realms through normal accumulation of spiritual energy has not been tested.

This time, Ouyang Rong has another method to improve his cultivation... The complementary relationship between him and the embroiderer, where yin and yang energies complement each other, indirectly confirms this point.

The "spiritual energy pool" accumulated through dual cultivation gave him a push before he could complete the sacrificial ceremony, allowing him to step into the seventh-grade sect.

Actually, it's not surprising that Ouyang Rong didn't follow the rules and cultivate spiritual energy in a down-to-earth manner. He would meditate and cultivate for two and a half hours every night unless there was an emergency.

Ye Weilai occasionally complained that he was too hardworking, but two and a half hours was still not enough.

This is because the path of cultivation is inherently too complex.

Take Xie Lingjiang, the junior sister, as an example.

She was the most outstanding young Confucian scholar of her generation at Bailudong Academy, the jewel of the Xie family of Chenjun, and far more talented than Ouyang Rong.

However, she still spent no less than six hours a day reading and meditating.

Despite Xie Lingjiang's gentle and tolerant attitude towards her senior brother, she is extremely harsh on herself.

After leaving Longcheng County and arriving in Xunyang City, Xie Lingjiang stayed at the Xunyang Prince's Mansion, partly to protect the mansion and partly to cultivate in peace.

Even now, with the full support of her senior brother Ouyang Rong, the resources of the Confucian Academy and the Five Clans and Seven Families, and the unique guidance of Little Ink Spirit, she has become a sixth-rank sage before she was even twenty years old.

But Xie Lingjiang continued without stopping.

Even though the seemingly insurmountable fifth rank was still a long way off after he entered the sixth rank, he still dared not relax.

Aside from occasionally accompanying Li Guo'er to poetry gatherings and visiting Aunt Zhen's residence in Huaiye Lane every two days to "casually check on" her senior brother, she devoted almost all her time at the Prince's Mansion to cultivation, even meditating while sleeping.

Since Ouyang Rong was busy with official duties, she didn't follow him around much anymore. She would only take a little time to check on him, within the limits that Ouyang Rong wouldn't mind.

Now that the Buddha statue is about to be completed, Ouyang Rong often visits the Xunyang Grottoes, and she no longer goes with him to stand guard every time as she used to...

In any case, even Xie Lingjiang, who has top-notch talent, has to cultivate in this way, which shows how difficult it is to refine Qi.

Don't be fooled by the fact that top students get good grades; besides thinking faster than you, they're also incredibly hardworking.

On the other hand, Ouyang Rong's two and a half hours a day is far from enough, and he only has an ordinary talent and physique. To think that he can break through to the next realm through cultivation on his own is simply a pipe dream.

However, Ouyang Rong was serving as the governor of Jiangzhou and was burdened with official duties, so he could not take a break like Yuan Huaimin to focus on cultivation.

The two are bound to conflict.

This is also why many Qi cultivators choose to live in seclusion and become hermits in the mountains. Time seems to stand still in the mountains, and one can truly become addicted to quiet cultivation.

However, once one enters the mortal world and becomes embroiled in worldly conflicts, the time available for cultivation will inevitably be shortened, unless one encounters a bottleneck and descends the mountain to prove one's Dao...

Therefore, the extremely difficult sacrificial rituals and the newly discovered wondrous path of dual cultivation.

It was used by Ouyang Rong.

After stepping away from introspection, he made a summary.

Currently, his cultivation level is at the seventh rank of Swordholder, and he has not yet mastered the new Dingjian Divine Power. Meanwhile, his Fangshushi Dao Meridian is still at the eighth rank, at least in terms of ability, and he is unable to master the new Fangshushi Dao Meridian abilities.

But it's not a big problem.

Such a flawed seventh grade is not without its advantages.

The transition from the eighth rank to the seventh rank is a significant hurdle.

As long as you can get past that, even if you remain in the incomplete seventh rank without any progress, you are still a seventh rank!

It's red spiritual energy.

Compared to blue spiritual energy, it's a qualitative change.

It is a huge difference between medium and low grade.

The abilities of a sorcerer's Daoist lineage may not improve significantly.

However, the abilities of the Sword-wielding lineage, such as "Return to the Source" and "Origin and Emptiness," are enhanced in killing power under the blessing of the seventh-grade red spiritual energy of the Sword-wielding lineage...

A slight smile appeared on Ouyang Rong's lips.

An unexpected delight.

Just then.

"Young master, we've arrived."

Ali's respectful voice came from outside.

Ouyang Rong came to his senses.

He lifted the carriage curtain and glanced at Xunyang Tower outside.

Yan Liulang was waiting at the door. When he arrived, he greeted him with great agility.

"Your Excellency."

Yan Liulang leaped down three steps in one stride, leaned close to Ouyang Rong's ear, and whispered:

"Master Xie hasn't arrived yet. The lady needs time to get ready before going out. Why don't you go up first?"

Ouyang Rong glanced at the blue-clad constable who was winking at him and nodded slightly.

He put away his sword case, straightened his clothes, got out of the carriage, and went upstairs.

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(End of this chapter)