Chapter 406 Purple-thunder Pupil
Since the news were intentionally blocked by the Beggar Gang, that battle was not known to most outsiders. The royal household of Northern Song helped the gang block that piece of news.
Currently, it was a mess for Northern Song. Neither the gang nor the imperial household wanted such things to spread.
Lord Virtuous the Eighth’s palace covered a huge area. It was made like a garden, with water-surrounded corridors, curved streams, gorgeous and antique pavilions, in which many rare and fragrant plants were grown. The pattern arrays created a suitable environment for their growth.
As a job-free lord, Lord Virtuous the Eighth had been in a semi-relaxed state for the past ten years, planting flowers and gra.s.s, rearing fish and insects. Only when there was something urgent in Northern Song, would the king call him to meet for national affairs.
It could be told that he was still trusted by the emperor.
However, things were turbulent in Northern Song at present, with many lords being rebellious, so Lord Virtuous the Eighth went to see the royals much more frequently than before. Especially after he recently returned to the capital, he went to visit the king to stay throughout one day and night before he returned home.
“Is Sage Li alive?” Lord Virtuous the Eighth asked with concern as soon as he returned.
w.a.n.g s.h.i.+yu ma.s.saged him and said with a smile, “Brother Mu was in closed-door training in the backyard. He made some gains from that battle, so he needed to stay alone for about half a month.”
He was relieved and said, “I also heard of it in the royal palace. Sage Li is really a talent. Since the beginning, he remains undefeated. It is incredible. Is he really fifteen years old? Could it be that he’s an old reincarnated G.o.d?”
w.a.n.g s.h.i.+yu giggled and said, “For this point, I can guarantee it is absolutely not so. He’s not only lucky, but also a martial-arts wizard, so he can make such rapid progress.”
The lord then said, “We can no longer use this word to describe him. In this world, there are quite a few martial arts wizards, but it is unprecedented that he, at 15 years old, can be a sage.”
w.a.n.g s.h.i.+yu said, “It is.”
She couldn’t help but tell him about the inscription on the black bull stele and Li Mu’s perception. “Countless people have seen it these years, but only he could decipher its real meaning.”
However, she didn’t mention that Tao Te Ching was a work from earth, because Li Mu had told her that the ident.i.ty of earth’s people on that planet might be a dangerous sign.
“Oh? Such a thing.” Lord Virtuous the Eighth’s eyes were brightened.
He knew more about the Daoyin Temple and the stele than w.a.n.g s.h.i.+yu, which had something to do with the Northern Song royal family. There were some legends that once the secret on the stele was decoded, some major events would take place.
Hence, the royal family attached great importance to it.
However, after one millennium, no one knew the significance in it, so some royal members thought that it might have been a rumor, and gradually paid less attention to it. He didn’t expect that such a legendary prediction was realized by Li Mu.
“Yes, I remember I have to go to the palace again for something.”
He got up, and quickly ordered someone to prepare a cart to go to the palace again.
w.a.n.g s.h.i.+yu looked puzzled.
He had just returned from there.
“Wah. Miss, let’s chase the ball.” Husky came in with Liang Zhi’s head again in its head.
It was very interested in that skull those days, especially the game of fetching it.
Liang Zhi had been tortured to the point of neurosis. When seeing Husky he would flatter, without showing any pride as before.
“Okay.” w.a.n.g s.h.i.+yu was also very happy.
As an old friend from earth, they tacitly agreed on things. w.a.n.g s.h.i.+yu then ordered someone to get an oversized slingshot to launch that head… oh no, that flying ball.
More than a dozen master-level guards pulled back the slingshot, then w.a.n.g s.h.i.+yu placed the head in it, and released.
In a separate house of the mansion.
Ming Yue, barefooted, sat alone on the rooftop, with her chin in her hands. Her little and white feet were dangling casually in the air.
She was lively, especially after arriving in the prosperous Lin’an City. She couldn’t even wait to rush into the city for more fun…
However, Qing Feng was in closed-door training in a room to refine something.
So, Ming Yue had to protect him.
“I said that from now on, I must protect you from being hurt. As the leader of the Northern Song first gang, I will stand by my words.”
She sat, holding her chin in her palms. She looked at the white clouds in the sky and couldn’t help smiling.
She needed to protect him.
Because before Li Mu became famous, the three struggled for their lives, and it was Qing Feng who made money by begging, acting as a performer, helping others write letters, running errands, and even working as a coolie to support her and Li Mu.
At that time, it was he who protected her.
It was then time for her to do that.
“I’m mature now.”
Ming Yue said to herself.
…
…
Time pa.s.sed by.
Ten days later.
In the secret chamber, Li Mu was surrounded by the circling flow of the Southern Fire Emperor and the Eastern Qing Emperor; one being green and the other red, which was quite a beautiful scene. The flows reflected his handsome face.
He used the Xiantian Skill to cultivate his natural qi, which was a far superior way than any magical secrets of that world.
For the past ten days, Li Mu had been struggling to break through the third layer of the Xiantian Skill.
It had been a few days since he finished the second level of Full Accomplishment. He had always been practicing hard for Xiantian Skill, but he made improvements more slowly than he thought. That time, after he battled against the two great demons and opened his Third Eye to help him, he ultimately gained something.
In the past few days, he had been strengthening himself and enhancing his own Sea of Consciousness. In the Mud-pill Palace, his spiritual Sea of Consciousness was surging as if roaring.
Suddenly, his Third Eye opened automatically.
The Third Eye was originally a gap without pupils, but at the moment, a pale purple pupil slowly appeared, which was like the swirling nebula. The lilac glory was twisted like the spring eye, and finally, a magnificent purple pupil was finally created.
It was also at that moment that Li Mu opened his eyes.
“The third level of the Xiantian Skill…”
Entering the third level of the Xiantian Skill, he cultivated natural qi at a faster speed, and generated more paths for it to flow. From then on, every two hours of cultivation were equivalent to the previous 20 hours in effectiveness. Besides, his body could be nurtured in a wider way because of the increasing paths for the flow of natural qi.
The cultivation of natural qi and physical cultivation was complementary.
Yin and Yang were complementary. In that world, many mysterious skills that only focused on the cultivation of physical body or natural qi were not important in the martial arts world.
The Xiantian Skill was the method for supplementary internal training, which could be used to enhance spiritual force.
After entering the third layer, Li Mu only felt that a kind of mysterious Taoist sense emerged in his own mind naturally, which was absolutely not the case when the first and second layers were previously broken.
“Purple-thunder pupil!”
That was the significance of the third layer of the Xiantian Skill.
As soon as the Third Eye opened, the purple thunder traces flowed through the pupils immediately. The pupils were like whirlpools. The insight and antic.i.p.atory power were still as strong as before, and as the pupil swirled faster and faster, a purple thunder beam burst out from the Third Eye.
“Gosh…” Li Mu was startled. As he looked up, he looked through the roof and rays of thunder went up into the sky.
Such a terrifying power.
If he just stared forward, that light pillar from the thunder pupil might be powerful enough to melt the entire mansion.
He quickly converged, closing his Third Eye, and slowly sensed the power to gradually manipulate it.
…
…
“What? The secret method on the stele was obtained by Li Mu?”
In the royal palace, the Emperor was extremely shocked.
Lord Virtuous the Eighth said, “I also just learned that Li Mu was a sage and decoded that secret. This might be true. Your Majesty, we had better discuss this immediately.”
The Emperor nodded.
He was handsome, a mand who was crowned just ten years before, and was only thirty years old that year. In that world, he was absolutely young, but the corners of his eyes were already wrinkled and he had some gray hair. That was because, in those years, the national strength was declining and subordinates were only flattering while their internal affairs were a mess; it was exhausting for him.
“This secret is related to those pre-epoch relics. Now that Li Mu has got one of them, he must check Tianyi Palace next,” The Emperor said firmly.
Lord Virtuous the Eighth nodded and said, “Roughly so.”
The Emperor said, “Take my seal and give it to Li Mu. He can get whatever he wants in Tianyi Palace. I will never stop him.”
“This… Your Majesty, think twice. After all, what’s in there is…” Lord Virtuous the Eighth said with shock.
The Emperor replied, “The things in the Tianyi Palace are nominally owned by our royal family, but in fact, we can’t get them. If Li Mu can take them, we can give them to him. If we use antiques hidden in the dangerous place in exchange for the grat.i.tude of the Great Saint, it will be a good deal.”
Lord Virtuous the Eighth thought about it and agreed with him.
The emperor said again, “Li Mu is a peerless genius, the youngest sage in history, and he has great hatred toward the Western Qin Empire. However, because of Countess Huanzhu, we enjoy some friends.h.i.+p with him. Uncle Eighth, please have a care. If he can stay in Northern Song to support us, our dynasty will prosper again.”
“I agree. These days, Li Mu lives in my mansion, and I will do my best.”
The emperor said, “If the timing is right, I also want to see him.”