Chapter 687 Great Masters of Neo-Confucianism
As dusk deepened, one after another, the green gauze palace lanterns lit up in Mengqing Garden.
Looking through the open sandalwood door, the garden is serene and tranquil, with shimmering lights and a misty aura, resembling a spiritual realm on earth.
Upon hearing the news, Qingxiang, a descendant of Zongsheng, personally came out to greet him.
She invited Inamiya Masato to come and discuss the important matter of crossing the river.
“You used to hate the Grand Palace Master the most, but now you’ve become her successor in the Daoist arts. When you were the Divine Child of the Rice Cult, I still regarded the Grand Palace Master as the most respected person and hated the evil people of the Rice Cult to the bone.”
"You see? Fate has always kept us apart. When we finally reach the other side, we look back and realize that we've already missed each other and have just switched places."
After saying that, Jiang Ning and Zhuang Yue got out of the car.
Qingxiang possessed a serene and elegant temperament, like a secluded orchid. She was already engaged to Meng Quyi, forming the "Qing-Meng Friendship" that has lasted for generations.
Legend has it that this woman possessed extraordinary perception and understanding of the scattered "Book of Earth," and was exceptionally quick-witted. Meng Quyi's ability to comprehend all thirty-six chapters of the "Book of Earth" and cultivate the state of freedom between heaven and earth owes a great debt to her.
Outside the car, Qingxiang linked arms with Jiang Ning and walked into the garden, their relationship remarkably close as they whispered to each other. However, Li Weiyi inside the car didn't hear a single word, completely lost in her own inner turmoil.
Jiang Ning's statement is absolutely true.
If the two people were destined to be together, Li Weiyi, the divine son of the Rice Cult, should have met Jiang Ning, the true disciple of the Rice Palace, and Li Weiyi, the successor of the Great Palace Master's Daoist teachings, should have met Jiang Ning, the disciple of the Second Palace Master.
The turbulent currents of fate constantly swept them toward the other side.
The silver carriage carrying phoenixes drove into the northeast corner of Mengqing Garden and stopped in a designated parking area.
Mo Duanfeng lifted the carriage curtain and looked at Li Weiyi, who was sitting inside in silence with a solemn expression. After a moment of contemplation, he smiled and said, "I really admire you more and more. You should know that riding in the same carriage as Inamiya Shinden is something that many of the chosen ones of heaven would envy. She knew that the two of us came with ill intentions, but she did not expose us. This shows how deeply she cares for you."
Li Weiyi snapped out of her thoughts and got out of the car: "The Grand Palace Master will definitely seek revenge on Lingxiao Rice Sect and will certainly drive out the Rice Palace's influence in the East Sea. She and I will always be on opposite sides; any encounter between us would be a mistake. Change into this!"
Li Weiyi took out a defensive magic robe in the style of Confucianism and handed it to Mo Duanfeng, then quickly changed into one herself.
Mo Duanfeng put on a scholar's robe, his chest bulging out and his arms becoming incredibly strong, making him look out of place.
He looked at the golden orchid pattern on the cuff: "This is the Confucian robe of the Ye family! Madam Ye was a top-level Holy Spirit King Mind Master. After she was killed by the Mist Emperor in Lingxiao City, it was a heavy blow to both the Fu and Ye families. Even the supreme magic artifact, the Rebirth Zither, was left behind in Lingxiao Realm. You are the grand-disciple of the Mist Emperor, and this debt will definitely be held against you."
"Where do you think these two scholar robes came from? Ye Cang and Ye Baiyue both died by my sword." Li Weiyi knew very well that once his identity was exposed, it would surely stir up a storm of hatred.
The two walked along the bluestone path hidden among the branches and leaves, heading towards the brightest lights and the loudest voices.
There were more and more pedestrians on the road.
Some gathered in the pavilions to talk loudly, some were studying music, and some were passionately discussing a particular page of the "Book of the Earth," each expressing their own opinions and gaining different insights.
No one paid attention to them; the sea of knowledge of the sage was too vast, and the disciples of the hundred schools could not possibly recognize each other.
The main venue is located at Jinghu Lake.
The Shuimu Pavilion in the center of Mirror Lake stands three stories high and is brightly lit. On the lake, small boats ply back and forth, with maids carrying food boxes and wine pots, ferrying passengers like graceful palace maids, a delightful sight to behold.
"The Zongsheng Academy is truly teeming with talent; the garden is filled with masters, each one extraordinary," Li Weiyi exclaimed.
He had originally planned to take decisive action to capture "Ye Tianchen" and "Uncle Fang" whom Shen Jian had confessed to, and then flaunt his arrogance. Now it seemed that even if he and Mo Duanfeng had three heads and six arms, they would have a hard time leaving Meng Qingyuan if they dared to do so.
We need to come up with a strategy.
Mo Duanfeng gazed at Mirror Lake, searching for Meng Quyi's figure: "If the Zongsheng Academy were to unite, their strength might not be inferior to that of the Demon Kingdom. With Meng Quyi and Qingxiang leading the charge this time in the Longevity Contest, they might be able to integrate all the forces."
Li Weiyi had long heard of Qingxiang's power, so on the way here, he hid the six pages of the "Book of Earth" and the Wind, Fire, Thunder and Lightning Array in the Evil Camel Bell, hoping that the supreme magical artifact could isolate her senses.
The allure of the "Book of the Earth" to the disciples of various schools of thought within the Zongsheng Academy far surpassed that of any other authentic scripture. Meng Quyi, having only comprehended thirty-six chapters, was said to be "if he does not die young, he will surely become the crown prince."
It is said that Qingxiang has the potential to enter the first tier of the "Land of Immortality" list.
It's important to understand that the competition for the top thirty spots in the first tier is fierce. The third and second place winners from each country, the top performers in the fifty-eight medium-sized habitats, and the disciples of the Crown Prince must all make it into the top tier just to save face.
A series of exclamations rang out as Li Weiyi and Mo Duanfeng followed the sound into a spacious, long, wooden corridor-style building.
Along the corridor, against the walls, treasures were covered with blood crystal artifacts and displayed on tables for the scholars to admire.
The Mengqing Chamber of Commerce seized this opportunity to showcase its strength and rare goods, seeking potential buyers. All the treasures were protected by sophisticated array formations.
The 7,000-year-old "Seven-Leaf Star Orchid," planted in a jade basin of celestial soil, radiates a seven-colored glow. Its internal price within the Hundred Schools of Learning is 160 low-grade spirit crystals, while its external price is 200 low-grade spirit crystals.
The "Dragon Saliva Ginseng" with a 9,000-year history is priced at 7,000 low-grade spirit crystals. It is noted that it possesses the combat power of a seventh-realm longevity martial artist and was captured from the Immortal Fall Realm.
...
Li Weiyi gasped in shock. He might dare to glance at the refined medicines aged six or seven thousand years. But when he saw the refined medicines aged eight or nine thousand years, his eyes widened in disbelief, yet he dared not entertain even the slightest thought.
With each additional millennium, the price of fine medicine increases several times over.
A single Grade 1000-character artifact is only worth one low-grade spirit crystal, which shows how expensive high-grade millennium-old refined medicines are. As for refined medicines that are over 5,000 years old, they often possess considerable power. If an ordinary Longevity Realm martial artist dares to be greedy, they may end up as fertilizer for the medicine.
Before this, Li Weiyi had only seen one thousand-year-old herb, Tianlingzai, which was seven thousand years old.
Continuing forward, the treasures inside the blood crystal artifacts are varied, including mid-grade and high-grade elixirs, and even immortal bones, immortal marrow, and immortal feathers, all obtained by excavating the corpses of ancient immortal beasts.
"Mid-grade spiritual pill, Sacred Thought Star Pill, and thirty spirit crystals."
"A top-grade elixir, a Saint King Star Pill, and three hundred spirit crystals."
Only now did Li Weiyi realize the price of the Sacred Thought Star Pill. No wonder even behemoths like the Ancient Clan of Time and the Cave Ruins Camp could only offer him a few.
It was only because Sima Qian refined more than ten pills for him that he was able to spend lavishly in front of Zuoqiu Hongting, which shows the value of the pill formula and the top-notch Holy Spirit King Nian Shi.
"Spirit crystals are valuable; you can buy anything you want with them. I need to find a way to buy two 7,000-year-old refined herbs, and I might also consider the Saint King Star Pill."
Li Weiyi secretly calculated the value of all the gains from the ancient kingdom of Time Ruins. The headache was that if he really wanted to buy these rare and precious items, he would have to empty his pockets.
Perhaps we could go to the Destiny Casino again.
This also shows that powerful forces are indeed capable of cultivating Mo Duanfeng and Tang Wanzhou from the early stage of the fourth realm to the peak of the middle stage of the fourth realm within a little over a year. As long as they are willing to spend money, they can obtain the most precious cultivation resources.
Li Weiyi noticed that she was being stared at and immediately looked up.
There stood an elderly man in a scholar's robe with a cold and stern expression. His old clothes were faded from washing, and his eyes were fixed on him and Mo Duanfeng. He looked extremely stern and rigid.
"Cheng Dun, a great master of Neo-Confucianism, is revered throughout the world as Master Cheng, and is ranked among the top five strongest scholars in the Zongsheng Learning Sea." Mo Duanfeng transmitted this message to Li Weiyi.
Li Weiyi gasped, finally understanding why Meng Qingyuan dared to be so ostentatious. So, together with Mo Duanfeng, they quickly and respectfully stepped forward to pay their respects.
The two thought they would be thrown out of Mengqing Garden, but to their surprise, Cheng Dun ignored them completely, snorted, and left without a trace.
I quickly left the Kaibao Corridor.
The two of them let out a long breath, then looked at each other and burst into laughter.
“I understand! Master Cheng won’t interfere in the conflicts between us younger generation. The reason he showed up is to warn us not to go too far,” Li Weiyi said.
Mo Duanfeng straightened his back again and snorted coldly: "With Senior Cheng Zi's status, if he were to interfere, would that be the demeanor of a great man?"
Li Weiyi didn't want to court death with him, so she sniffed the air and said, "Let's eat first. I can already smell the aroma of the transcendent beast's meat being cooked."
"Whoosh!"
With a swift movement, a simply dressed, composed figure appeared before the two.
"Pu Yanshou has met the new champion and Nanlong. Master Cheng asked me to receive you two distinguished guests."
Pu Yanshou carried a square wooden Tibetan scripture on his back and wore a gray-white cloth hat. He was polite, but after bowing, he remained composed and dignified, neither humble nor arrogant.
Led by Puyan Shou, the two ascended to the third floor of the study building by Mirror Lake.
On the third floor, dozens of round tables were set up in the halls, all laden with various hot dishes, fine wines, and spiritual fruits, but few were seated. The martial artists at the Longevity Realm were either reciting poems, playing the zither, singing, or discussing the general trend of the struggle for advancement and commenting on the young masters of the world.
The three sat down in a small hall. Li Weiyi was facing the window, where he could see the Shuimu Pavilion in the center of the lake.
Mo Duanfeng, who did not drink alcohol, stood straight and stared at Pu Yanshou: "Chengzi sent you to receive us. I suppose Brother Pu Yanshou is no ordinary person. I was really ignorant before. I never thought that besides Meng Quyi and Qingxiang, there was someone like you in the Zongsheng Academy."
Pu Yan Shou put the hidden scroll on his back against the wall, sat down opposite Mo Duanfeng, and greeted him with a smile: "Brother Mo is aware of the grudges between the Pu Yan family and the Bai family of the Sword Dao Imperial Court. Of course, Shou will choose to hide his talents and then take back the Jade Book of the Earth by surprise during the battle for immortality."
Mo Duanfeng sighed, "The three heroes of the Bai family are in trouble this time! It's a pity that Bai Chuan died in the Ancient Kingdom of Time Ruins, otherwise, you would have had a wonderful battle."
Li Weiyi didn't have any of Mo Duanfeng's dietary restrictions and ate as if no one else was around: "Since Brother Puyan wants to hide, doesn't that mean there's no way to make a move?"
Pu Yanshou said, "Who would have known that it was Pu Yanshou who made the move? However, even if he did, it would have been impossible to stop the two of you. Shou has already said that he will be in charge of receiving you tonight... and treating you as honored guests."
"Is this a case of trying to win a fight first?" Mo Duanfeng asked.
Pu Yanshou poured him a full cup of wine, and also poured one for himself: "I'll drink this first to apologize for my rudeness."
After drinking the wine in his cup in one gulp, Pu Yanshou said, "Forgive my bluntness, but Brother Mo will undoubtedly lose tonight's challenge against Meng Quyi."
(End of this chapter)
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