Seeing Li Zhi's awkward yet polite smile, Wei Yuan finally realized he seemed to have spoken out of turn. In truth, it wasn't that he hadn't realized there was an issue with what he said; he simply couldn't help himself. After all, a part of his Dao path lay in his sharp tongue, and he felt miserable holding words back.
Although it was Wei Yuan's first time seeing Li Zhi's mindscape world, when it came to the true intent behind the rise and fall of dynasties and the eternal cycles of reincarnation, Wei Yuan not only understood it, but was exceedingly well-versed in it.
The Sword of Ten Thousand Generations and Autumns walked precisely this path, yet its conception was grander, its Dao path broader and more all-encompassing, and it even subtly contained the true intent of time. Not only had Wei Yuan completed the Sword of Ten Thousand Generations and Autumns, but he also wielded a portion of the authority over time himself, so offering Li Zhi guidance posed no difficulty at all.
Wei Yuan said, "The foundation of your mindscape world is exceptional. The previous dynasty has fallen, its glory faded, yet its imprint remains upon the earth, showing that the hearts of the people long for the past, still reminiscing about the prosperity of that bygone era. However, you must keep in mind: the people reminisce about a former dynasty for only one reason—because the current era is corrupt and governance is harsh. What they yearn for isn't truly the old dynasty itself, but an era of peace and flourishing splendor. If you can usher in a golden age, your claim to the realm will be utterly righteous. But if the people under your rule are plunged into misery, your new dynasty will turn into ruins in the blink of an eye."
Li Zhi grew thoughtful, then asked, "Is that so-called golden age meant for the mindscape world, or the present world?"
"They are the same; they are two sides of the same coin. If you cannot build the present world well, your mindscape world will also crumble. If your mindscape world is built well, the present world cannot possibly falter, for a person has only one fundamental nature and cannot produce two contradictory strategies of governance," Wei Yuan said.
Feeling the weight of the words, Li Zhi gave a self-deprecating smile. "And what if one realizes they have done poorly and has a sudden change of heart to repent?"
Wei Yuan replied, "Mortals have chances to repent, but a Sovereign of Men does not."
Li Zhi had not expected an even heavier answer. Composing himself, he said, "I have a second question regarding the choice of divine abilities."
He manifested his mindscape world and pointed toward two side halls that were still intact. "Each of these two side halls can yield a divine ability. Yet, as fate would have it, each hall presents two choices, and I can choose only one from each. The first hall offers 'Penetration' and 'Sovereign's Single Strike,' while the second offers 'Severance' and 'Ancient Sovereign Golden Body.' I truly do not know which to choose, so I ask Brother Wei to instruct me."
Wei Yuan swept his divine sense over them and immediately understood the functions of the four divine abilities. Both "Penetration" and "Severance" were buff-type divine abilities that could be applied to numerous magical artifacts. "Penetration" allowed artifacts to gain greater power in breaching arrays and breaking through interception. "Severance" was even more useful: it could bestow imperial protective light onto allied cultivators, vastly increasing their defense, and was exceptionally effective against mind-deluding arts and curses. As for the remaining two divine abilities, one offensive and one defensive, both were arts for the Sovereign of Men to strengthen himself.
Yet why would such an either-or choice of divine abilities appear within a mindscape world? In the rarest cases, this occurred when someone bore immense karmic ties and great merit, or stood at a nexus where karmic luck converged, causing the Grand Dao of Heaven and Earth to manifest it as both an opportunity and a disguised trial.
The second possibility was that an expert was pulling strings and laying pieces behind the scenes.
Wei Yuan and Li Zhi exchanged a look. Seeing a glimmer of mutual understanding in each other's eyes, both assumed the other was thinking the exact same thing—though in truth, they were not.
Wei Yuan pondered in silence for a moment. Within the Splendor of the Many Realms, energy expenditure surged abruptly before slowly tapering off. Naturally, Li Zhi could not see this process; all he witnessed was Wei Yuan calmly reflecting for a brief moment before asking, "How are your battles against Southern Jin going right now? Is it going smoothly?"
Li Zhi sighed. "It's difficult. Every single clash is a bitter, grueling fight; there hasn't been an easy battle yet. The Southern Jin troops have astonishing fighting spirit. In many cases, their rearguard units fight to the very last man. So even when I defeat the enemy, they retreat in good order without descending into chaos, and opportunities to encircle and annihilate them are rare."
Wei Yuan was somewhat puzzled. "How could the Southern Jin army possess such high morale? Right now, not even my B-tier troops have that kind of fighting spirit."
Qingming was prosperous now, no longer the impoverished and destitute territory it once was. With peace lasting for so long, the populace's will to fight had sharply declined. The unwritten rule among Qingming's officers nowadays was that, based on the officer's independent judgment, a unit could pull out of battle upon suffering twenty percent casualties. When casualties exceeded that, Qingming troops had even suffered routs.
Li Zhi said, "They utilized a relic of the Heart Sage, which makes every soldier fiercely fearless of death."
Wei Yuan frowned. "That is the way of evil cultivators!"
Li Zhi gave a wry smile. "Regardless of what path it is, it works all the same. Right now, Southern Jin is especially tough to fight. Exhausting every means at my disposal, plus a bit of luck, I have only managed a one-to-two casualty ratio. The problem is that Southern Jin's forces outnumber mine tenfold—it's just that their main host isn't facing my direction."
Wei Yuan said, "Right now it's Southern Jin, and later there will be Southern Qi."
Li Zhi sighed. "Indeed. Just thinking about it gives me a headache sometimes."
"Then why do you still want to become a Sovereign of Men?"
Li Zhi had never pondered this question. Stunned for a moment, he replied, "When I was young, it was my father's teachings. After establishing my Dao Foundation, my path was set upon it, so I simply kept striving in this direction. As for now..."
Li Zhi paused, then said slowly, "Whether I succeed or fail, Huaipu and the King of Qi will not spare me, nor will they spare these subordinates of mine. These people have followed me for decades with unwavering loyalty. So now... I am fighting to carve out a path of survival for them!"
Wei Yuan finally nodded. "Now that is the right answer."
Seeing that Li Zhi was still somewhat puzzled, Wei Yuan said, "The historical records say: 'In times of peril, the Son of Heaven guards the realm's gates.' Is your current difficulty winning individual magical duels? No. It is defeating Southern Jin, winning each of the grueling battles right before you. You are not yet the Son of Heaven, so right now you must do everything. When you are needed as a general, you must be a general; when you are needed as a common soldier, you must be able to charge the enemy lines. That is what a founding monarch is!"
Li Zhi felt as if enlightened by divine nectar. Without hesitation, he chose "Penetration" and "Severance," declaring with deep feeling, "From this day forth, my Mountain-Suppressing Army stands with me as one!"
He bowed deeply to Wei Yuan again. "Many thanks, Brother Wei!"
Wei Yuan nodded and asked, "Do you have any questions regarding the way of the sword as well?"
Li Zhi looked at Wei Yuan's avatar—clad in black robes with red lining, bound by a golden sash, with silver hair—hesitated for a moment, and said, "In that case, I think I would rather seek out Master Zhang."
"Of course you may!" Wei Yuan said, beaming as he saw Li Zhi off.
Within the Splendor of the Many Realms, however, Hongmo was throwing a furious fit: "What does he mean by that? Does this old girl not know enough to teach you? Look at that miserable sneer of his! If we were in the Realm of the Dharma Gods, I'd tie your two patriarchs together and thrash them both!" Hongmo then turned suspiciously toward Wei Yuan and asked, "Could it be that your way of the sword is rubbish?"
Wei Yuan snorted and pointed to the six colossal swords standing in the sea, piercing from earth to sky. "With this set of Great Swords of Ten Thousand Generations and Autumns, who dares say my way of the sword is rubbish?"
***
Li Zhi stepped into Zhang Sheng's Dao palace. Looking at Zhang Sheng sitting cross-legged on the wooden couch before him, he took a deep breath. His chest heaved several times before he walked into the hall and offered a formal greeting.
At this moment, Zhang Sheng's long hair fell loose and her eyes were cast downward. The ribbons of her robes fluttered despite the lack of wind, enveloped in a faint, ethereal glow. Distant and transcendent, she no longer seemed of the mortal world. Her eyes cracked open slightly, and she asked, "What have you come to ask?"
An ancient golden sword appeared before Li Zhi. He said in a deep voice, "This sword formed during my Dao Foundation days and has progressed through Dharma Idol and Scenery Command. It has already transitioned from the Sword of the Sovereign of Men to the Sword of the Son of Heaven. Sir is an unrivaled figure in the way of the sword under heaven. Could you grant me some guidance on how I ought to cultivate this Sword of the Son of Heaven?"
Zhang Sheng said indifferently, "It was a perfectly good Sword of the Sovereign of Men. Why turn it into a Sword of the Son of Heaven?"
Chapter 1463