Chapter 33: Soaring to the Stars

Cultivation is not something that can advance a thousand miles in a single day simply through secluded, day-and-night bitter training; in fact, worldly experiences and various battles are equally important. This is one of the reasons why Emperor Zhuang established the Dao Merit Rankings to incentivize practitioners to complete various missions—it was not that the imperial court was incapable of handling those matters, but rather that such tempering could improve the efficiency of cultivation. This was not unique to the State of Zhuang; all nations and various sects across the world had similar systems.

Taking the battle at Xiaolin Town as an example, after slaying the vengeful ghost, Jiang Wang’s Heaven-Reaching Palace produced no fewer than ten new Dao Origins. These were not achieved through meridian-clearing cultivation, but were naturally nurtured within the lingering resonance following the intense combat.

A Dao Origin is the perfect fusion of intent and power; it is the true feedback of all living things to the primordial essence of heaven and earth, and it is the foundation of all strength and the root of transcendence.

This was the reason Zhao Rucheng invited everyone for a night of pleasure—as practitioners, they needed to complete their life experiences.

With his upright personality, Ling He was naturally unwilling to wallow in debauchery, so he was responsible for picking Jiang An'an up from school that day and taking her out to play.

Du Yehu craved it, and Jiang Wang gave in with half-hearted resistance. He had originally intended to refuse hypocritically under the pretext of looking after little An'an, but after Zhao Rucheng quickly "arranged" for Ling He, everyone was delighted.

Then there was Huang Azhan. He had been drinking with Du Yehu at the time, and upon hearing of such a good thing, he was practically dragged over while clinging to Du Yehu's leg. Fortunately, the young master Zhao was wealthy and influential, and he didn't mind a few extra bystanders.

The best brothel in the entire Fenglin City: the Sanxiang Fragrance Pavilion. The most luxurious private room, and the most expensive courtesans.

Since moving out to live with An'an, the group rarely gathered privately outside of their classes at the Dao Academy. After a few rounds of wine, Jiang Wang requested that the ladies depart first.

"Hey, hey, hey, don't go!"

"Sister, beautiful sister, I'll go home with you!"

The one wailing with a flushed face and streaming tears was, naturally, Huang Azhan. He had just pestered every single lady for no less than seven or eight rounds of drinks, and he was now quite intoxicated. He was practically acting as if he were seeing them off for ten miles, filled with a deep, lingering attachment, wishing he could leave his virginity right there. But the ladies merely laughed and declined, exiting in a line.

They were all practitioners, so it was, of course, unlikely they would truly engage in debauchery. For a cultivator, it was very necessary to maintain one's primordial yang before opening the Heaven and Earth Gate.

Thus, Jiang Wang remained sober throughout.

As for Du Yehu, he simply wanted to drink; where he drank and with whom was secondary.

Only Huang Azhan remained reluctant. He looked toward Zhao Rucheng as if seeking help; in his eyes, the two of them were kindred spirits. But Zhao Rucheng merely shook his head. The specific ladies he had specially invited had not arrived, and he could not hide his disappointment. "Common trash, truly boring."

"You call this common trash? This is—!" Huang Azhan nearly jumped to his feet. "How big that cup was! No, how round that clothing was. No, how white that hairpin was..."

He finally gave up, wailing loudly, "Waaaah, how is it vulgar?"

Jiang Wang: "..."

Zhao Rucheng: "..."

Du Yehu slapped a hand over his head. "If you've drunk too much, just go to sleep. You can have whatever you want in your dreams."

As Huang Azhan took the opportunity to slump onto the table and snore like thunder, Jiang Wang calculated for a moment and said, "Lately, I've done some scattered missions and earned fifteen points of Dao Merit. Combined with what I saved before, I have forty points in total. I don't need Dao Merit for the time being, so I'll transfer it to you all first. Once any of you has enough merit, use it to exchange for a Meridian-Opening Pill. After all, once you reach transcendence, earning Dao Merit becomes easier."

By "you all," he naturally meant Zhao Rucheng and Du Yehu, and of course, included the absent Ling He. They were all brothers; if one were to insist on a hierarchy, it would be awkward to exclude the one who hadn't come. Therefore, it was best to give it to whoever had the most merit first.

The outward manifestation of the Dao Pulse was a major event—the first step toward transcendence—and naturally, the faster, the better.

"I don't want it," Zhao Rucheng said lazily, leaning back in his chair. Regarding cultivation, he truly seemed indifferent, relying entirely on his talent to get by.

"I don't need it either." Du Yehu downed a cup of wine and suddenly said, "I'm leaving."

"Leaving? To where?" Jiang Wang asked.

"Wei Yan asked me before if I wanted to join the military. I've thought about it for a few days and have decided. I leave tomorrow."

The words were so sudden that Zhao Rucheng sat bolt upright. "Brother Hu, you'd better be sure."

"I'm sure." Du Yehu grinned. "Wei Yan said I'm better suited for the path of the Military School, and I feel the same way."

While that was true, Jiang Wang and Zhao Rucheng both knew that Du Yehu's physique was extraordinary and his blood qi was vigorous; he was indeed a seed for the Military School. However, the entire State of Zhuang was dominated by Daoist cultivators, and there were very few experts of the Military School in the country.

Even the current nominal supreme military commander of the State of Zhuang, Grand General Huangfu Duanming, was actually a Daoist cultivator. The entire State of Zhuang lacked the soil for other sects, including the Military School. Even Wei Yan himself practiced Daoist arts.

If Du Yehu chose this path, it meant he would lack a systematic cultivation space for a long period, possessing only scattered military cultivation methods.

It wasn't that the Military School wasn't powerful; the reason the State of Zhuang could maintain peace despite the watchful eyes of the State of Yong was that the support of the Daoist Sect was a crucial factor. The Zhuang Court was not strong enough to be inclusive like the Qin or Chu Courts. Since the State of Zhuang was centered on Daoist cultivation, it could only remain so.

Yet, Jiang Wang found himself unable to say the words to stop him. He knew Du Yehu's personality too well; there was a fire burning in this man's heart, fierce and wild, refusing to lose, and certainly unwilling to be pulled further away by Jiang Wang. But those Daoist scriptures gave him a headache; they simply did not suit him. Moreover, his physique and blood qi were indeed exceptionally gifted. If he were in the State of Mo or elsewhere where military cultivation flourished, he would undoubtedly be a highly sought-after genius.

"Who did Wei Yan recruit you for?" Jiang Wang asked.

"There are quite a few vacancies in the Jiujiang Black Armor. A few slots were allocated to our Fenglin City. Wei Yan thought I was a good fit, so he recommended me."

Perhaps Du Yehu's bravery and straightforwardness appealed to a soldier's temperament; after the Xiaolin Town mission, Wei Yan had indeed established a friendship with him.

As for the Jiujiang Black Armor... that was almost the honor of the State of Zhuang. It was the strongest combat force in the entire nation, its reputation even surpassing the White Feather Army that guarded the capital, Xin'an.

In fact, precisely because of the existence of the Jiujiang Black Armor, Jiujiang City—despite being just a single city—was often referred to as the fourth prefecture of the State of Zhuang. Nominally under the jurisdiction of the Daishan Prefecture, it was actually highly autonomous. The City Lord of Jiujiang was also the leader of the Jiujiang Black Armor, a tradition that had continued since the founding of the nation, testifying to its uniqueness.

"Even if you go to the Jiujiang Black Armor, you will still need Dao Merit." Because Du Yehu was about to join the army, Jiang Wang had already decided to transfer his own Dao Merit to him first.

"I don't need it." Du Yehu continued to shake his head. He wasn't being difficult; he wasn't that kind of person. He said bluntly, "Since I'm taking the path of the Military School, I don't plan on taking Meridian-Opening Pills. I will take the most traditional and ancient path of the Military School!"

The so-called "traditional" military path meant that a practitioner did not rely on pills, but instead chose to use their blood qi to force open the Dao Pulse. The reason it could be called "ancient" was that those who succeeded on this path were one in a thousand. The best outcome for a failure was to become a cripple; more often, they died on the spot.

One must understand that performing meridian-clearing cultivation twice a day to sublimate blood qi and condense Dao Origins was already the limit for most people. To gather massive amounts of blood qi to directly burst through the Heaven-Reaching Palace and manifest the Dao Pulse—how perilous would that be?

But precisely because of that peril, it was revered as the orthodox way by the madmen of the Military School.

Once successful, the benefits were immense. Military cultivators who succeeded in opening their meridians through this method often achieved accomplishments that surpassed ordinary people.

Both Jiang Wang and Zhao Rucheng fell silent; they felt the determination of this tiger.

"So, transfer the Dao Merit to the eldest brother first. Give mine to him as well." Du Yehu casually cut off his own retreat, grabbed the wine jug, and downed half of it.