night.

The Prince of Zhenbei's Mansion.

The area around the Prince's Mansion was completely silent.

Qin Luo looked at the towering courtyard wall. The blue stone wall exuded a chill and concealed a killing array, which was even stronger than the protective array of Xuanzhi Mountain, demonstrating its formidable strength.

"Longhu Temple, Qin Luo."

"I have come to pay my respects to the Prince of Zhenbei."

Qin Luo stood outside the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion, cupped his hands in greeting, and his loud voice echoed throughout the entire mansion, even though the mansion was larger than Baiyun Town.

Deep within the Prince's mansion, ripples spread across the garden pond. The Prince of Zhenbei's hand trembled; he felt suffocated, as if an ancient divine mountain was pressing down on him. "Strategist, go see him for me."

"promise."

The void is distorted.

An elderly man in red appeared outside the Zhenbei Prince's mansion. He smiled and cupped his hands in greeting, "I am Wang Chongming, the strategist by the side of the Zhenbei Prince. Greetings, Daoist Qin!"

Qin Luo returned the greeting with a cupped hand. He could smell a very peculiar scent on Wang Chongming, a scent of books, sandalwood, incense, and the vulgarity of the marketplace.

The old man in front of me has a lot of experience.

"Master Qin, please!"

Wang Chongming extended his hand in welcome.

Qin Luo walked into the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion with a smile on his face, with Jin Jiao looking around as he followed behind.

The palace was brightly lit, yet eerily quiet. For a long stretch of road, there was no one in sight. There were no guards patrolling, nor any maids in sight; it was eerily silent.

"Senior, was this place always this deserted before?"

"No, it's because they knew Master Qin was coming, and the Prince of Zhenbei was afraid something might happen, so he sent them home to rest."

"Master Qin, please have a seat!"

Wang Chongming led Qin Luo to the pavilion.

Looking at the empty courtyard, Qin Luo said softly, "Why isn't the Prince of Zhenbei here?"

Wang Chongming shook his head and sighed softly, "Your Highness has not yet recovered from the grief of losing the Crown Prince. He asked me to talk to Daoist Qin. I am the strategist of the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion and can represent the Zhenbei Prince."

"Senior, I walked from Longhu Temple to Zhenbei Prince's Mansion, but in the end I couldn't even see Zhenbei Prince. Do you think this is a good thing?" Qin Luo looked at him with a smile.

Wang Chongming looked helpless. He pointed to the distance and said, "Master Qin, the Prince of Zhenbei is in the garden. Go north and you will see him after passing through three gates."

Qin Luo shook his head, somewhat disappointed. "It seems that even after giving the Prince of Zhenbei so much time, he still hasn't figured it out and still thinks that our Longhu Temple can be easily fooled?"

"Master Qin, please don't misunderstand. The Prince of Zhenbei is afraid of you, so he dares not see you."

"I hope so."

Having walked such a long distance from Longhu Temple to Zhenbei Prince's Mansion, what's a few more steps?

Qin Luo led Jinjiao toward the garden.

Wang Chongming followed behind with a smile.

Qin Luo arrived in front of the first door. The ancient brown wooden door had the golden character "炁" written on it. There was an invisible barrier here that could prevent cultivators from getting close.

"Is Senior trying to test me?"

"This shouldn't be able to trap Master Qin."

When Qin Luo reached out and touched the wooden door, he discovered that the door was absorbing the energy from his body.

Wang Chongming's eyes were filled with shock. Ordinary cultivators would lose their spiritual power as soon as they approached this door, but Qin Luo seemed to be completely unaffected.

Qin Luo closed his eyes.

He saw the energy within his body disappearing.

Qin Luo remained calm and observed the changes in the energy within his body. He discovered that the energy had not disappeared out of thin air, but was only decreasing in quantity, and quickly grasped the pattern of change.

"I see."

"The Tao gives birth to One, One gives birth to Two, Two gives birth to Three, Three gives birth to all things. To go against the Tao and transform all energy into the origin of the Tao—what a powerful method!"

Qin Luo opened his eyes, and countless golden lights appeared in front of him. In the blink of an eye, these lights gathered on his body, as if golden flames were burning.

"Amazing, truly amazing!"

Wang Chongming's envy was palpable; such talent far exceeded his expectations.

The golden light around Qin Luo subsided, the Qi character on the door disappeared, and the barrier vanished as well. His face was filled with respect and admiration. "Mastering the transformation of Qi, even a grain of sand can unleash powerful energy. This junior has learned a great deal!"

"Master Qin's comprehension is extraordinary; I have learned a great deal!" Wang Chongming greatly admired Qin Luo.

They continued on their way.

The second door is inscribed with the word "benevolence".

Qin Luo reached out and touched the door. He heard the sound of students reciting their lessons and his consciousness returned to the school.

"Such a realistic illusion?"

Qin Luo realized it was an illusion, and he could leave at any time, but he wanted to see what was inside.

A refined-looking elderly man stood in the schoolroom, a kind smile on his face. "Why do you study?"

"Because everyone reads books."

"When I grow up, I will uphold justice and help the world."

"My mother said that only by studying can one get ahead in life."

......

The refined-looking old man looked at Qin Luo and asked, "And you?"

Qin Luo looked around and noticed the old man asking him a question. Without thinking much, he smiled and replied, "Know good and avoid evil."

"What a fine example of knowing good and avoiding evil."

The refined old man nodded to Qin Luo. As soon as he finished speaking, Qin Luo felt a burning sensation in his chest. He felt an energy gathering in his chest, and that power seemed inexhaustible.

Wang Chongming was shocked. He could understand that Qin Luo could master Qi, after all, he came from Longhu Temple. He did not expect that he could master the power of righteousness in such a short time.

Qin Luo was very familiar with this power; Song Qingjing used this same power to suppress the dragon.

Qin Luo gained a lot, and he bowed to Wang Chongming to express his gratitude, saying, "Senior, are you bestowing upon me a great fortune?"

"No."

Wang Chongming felt somewhat ashamed.

He wanted to test Qin Luo's strength.

Unexpectedly, his righteous spirit actually gathered its power in front of the "Ren" gate, which tests one's character.

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