“You’re so verbose!”
Yuan Ming shook his head and opened another memorial. Inside was a report from a deputy minister of the Ministry of Works about the repairs to the Tianzun Hall of Changchun Temple, also a long-winded document that bored Yuan Ming.
Before he finished reading it, he hastily closed the memorial and threw it aside.
“If I were the emperor, I would definitely pull out these officials who talk nonsense and give them a good beating,” muttered Yuan Ming.
He rubbed his forehead, lifted his spirits, and opened the third memorial.
This memorial was different from the previous ones. It looked very concise and to the point, and at the beginning, it briefly reported to the emperor about the mission sent to the Southern Frontier that was attacked.
“It turns out to be a famous general. Indeed, he is very different from the literary officials who drop books,” Yuan Ming said, looking at the signature at the end: General Yuan Zuochong of Zhen Nan.
“Yuan Zuochong? This name sounds familiar. I seem to have heard it somewhere,” he murmured to himself. He was about to read the memorial carefully to see if he could find more clues when suddenly the voice of the soft-spoken man came from outside:
“Your Majesty, the National Teacher, Yu Hu Xian Chang, requests an audience.”
“Yu Hu Xian Chang? It seems like a cultivator from the name!” Yuan Ming’s eyelids twitched, and he instinctively wanted to refuse.
But he thought again that he knew nothing about the relationship between the young emperor and Yu Hu Xian Chang, and it seemed inappropriate to refuse rashly.
Moreover, the idea of a young emperor possessed by a soul was too incredible. This cultivator should not be aware of it.
“Please come in.” After weighing his options, Yuan Ming put down the memorial in his hand and said.
The soft-spoken man agreed, and the palace door was pushed open.
An old man in a purple-gold Daoist robe stepped in and bowed to him, saying, “May the blessings of the Immortal Emperor be with you.”
Yuan Ming looked at the old Daoist and saw that he had a clear and thin appearance, although his face was thin, his skin was radiant, and three long beards hung down his chest, giving him an immortal and Daoist air.
In addition, he was dressed in a purple-gold Daoist robe embroidered with the Eight Trigrams Cloud Pattern, and he wore a lotus flower crown made of gold threads. The whole person looked even more royal and noble, making people feel awe-inspiring.
“National Teacher, no need to be so polite. What brings you here?” Yuan Ming raised his hand and carefully chose his words.
“I just heard Li Gonggong say that Your Majesty’s dragon body is not well, so I came to visit,” said Yu Hu Xian Chang, shaking his feather duster.
“I am fine. National Teacher is kind to care,” Yuan Ming said, trying to maintain his tone.
“Your Majesty’s dragon body is related to the rise and fall of the world, and it is not to be taken lightly. Let me check your pulse.” Yu Hu Xian Chang walked up without hesitation.
Yuan Ming narrowed his eyes. This person was really overbearing, but he didn’t know the relationship between the two clearly, so he extended his wrist.
Yu Hu Xian Chang glanced at the empty porcelain box on the corner of the desk and quickly retracted his gaze. He pinched Yuan Ming’s wrist with his fingers.
A slightly cool breath penetrated in and quickly flowed through his body.
“This old Daoist is indeed a cultivator!” Yuan Ming’s pupils slightly contracted, and he didn’t dare to breathe, regretting letting this person check his pulse. He hoped that he wouldn’t find anything suspicious.
The old Daoist closed his eyes and concentrated. After a moment, his expression changed.
“National Teacher, how is it?” Yuan Ming asked, gritting his teeth.
“Has Your Majesty been resting well lately? The pulse shows that your blood is still vigorous, but your spirit seems to be restless,” Yu Hu Xian Chang opened his eyes and said.”Recently, I have had trouble sleeping and have had occasional nightmares. Will it be a problem?” Yuan Ming asked vaguely.
“Your Majesty, there is no need to worry too much. These are just small issues. If Your Majesty is willing to listen to me and cultivate the Nine Elements Technique, with magic power, there will be no such problems.” Yu Hu Dao Chang said while stroking his beard.
“What did you just say, Master?” Yuan Ming blinked and asked again.
“The Nine Elements Technique is a secret technique passed down in our Changchun Temple. It is not passed down to ordinary disciples. There is no risk in practicing it, and it also has the effect of strengthening the body. Your Majesty, why do you keep refusing?” Yu Hu Dao Chang sighed lightly and said.
“The Nine Elements Technique? Is this technique really as amazing as you say?” Yuan Ming asked, testingly.
“Of course, the Nine Elements Technique is a secret technique of the Daoist sect. Our Changchun Temple’s ancestors have spent countless efforts to improve and perfect it. It is not boasting to say that in terms of consolidating the meridians and regulating qi and blood, no other technique in the world can compare to the Nine Elements Technique.” Yu Hu Dao Chang said proudly.
“How fast can this technique accumulate magic power?” Yuan Ming’s breathing became slightly rapid as he asked.
“The Daoist technique emphasizes gradual progress. The Nine Elements Technique was not originally known for its speed of cultivation, but our ninth generation leader, Wu Fangzi, spent a lot of effort to integrate a spiritual gathering technique into the Nine Elements Technique. This technique’s speed of accumulating magic power has improved a lot, and it is not inferior to some demonic techniques. Moreover, the most important thing is that there is no hidden danger.” Yu Hu Dao Chang smiled and said, feeling pleased with himself.
“Since you recommend it so highly, I will practice the Nine Elements Technique. Please teach me, Master.” Yuan Ming stood up and bowed to the old Daoist.
However, upon hearing this, Yu Hu Dao Chang hesitated for a moment and scrutinized the young emperor up and down. There was a look of surprise in his eyes, but soon, his furrowed brow suddenly relaxed, and a comforting expression appeared on his face.
“Okay, okay, Your Majesty has finally come to his senses today. It is indeed in line with the will of heaven. I will teach you with all my heart.” Yu Hu Dao Chang said joyfully.
He took out a purple cloud script book called “The Nine Elements Technique – Volume One” from his sleeve and handed it to Yuan Ming.
Yuan Ming eagerly received it and opened it to read.
Unlike the Blood Qi Technique, the content of this first volume of the Nine Elements Technique was much longer, with nearly a thousand words written in an ancient and majestic style. It was obviously much more exquisite than the Blood Qi Technique.
According to the book, this technique had thirteen levels, corresponding to the cultivation of magic power in the Qi Refining stage.
Yuan Ming read it quickly and was overjoyed.
“Your Majesty, cultivating oneself is no different from studying and cultivating one’s qi. The Nine Elements Technique is a treasure passed down from our Changchun Temple’s ancestors. It can only be taught to the legitimate disciples of the sect and the legitimate heirs of the Great Jin Dynasty. Today, I have taught Your Majesty the first volume, please keep it confidential.” Yu Hu Dao Chang reminded.
Yuan Ming was completely immersed in the Nine Elements Technique and did not reply.
“Your Majesty, the cultivation of the Daoist technique requires caution and patience. Do not be too anxious. After memorizing all the techniques, I will come to explain them to you.” Seeing the emperor so focused, Yu Hu Dao Chang felt relieved and reminded him before leaving.
At this moment, there was a light clicking sound, and Yuan Ming had already closed the purple book.
“Master, I have memorized the content of the Nine Elements Technique, but there are still some things that I do not understand. Please enlighten me, Master.” Yuan Ming said solemnly.The old Daoist’s action of stroking his long beard suddenly froze, and he looked at the emperor with some disbelief.
“Your Majesty…you remembered everything?”
“I did.” Yuan Ming nodded seriously.
After saying that, he also realized that his memory seemed to be somewhat extraordinary.
When he first learned the blood qi technique, he had only listened to it once and was able to remember it immediately. However, at that time, there were only two hundred characters, and Yuan Ming didn’t think much of it.
But now, it seemed that he was able to remember everything at a glance.
“Your Majesty, what is the next sentence after ‘Tianfu, Yunmen, Lieque, and Taiyuan’?” The Jade Pot Daoist paused for a moment before asking.
“Fish pass through the meridian canal, never returning to leap over the dragon gate.” Yuan Ming immediately replied.
“Shenchong Taixu Yuan?” The Jade Pot Daoist continued to ask.
“Yi Shou Dantian Gong.” Yuan Ming answered with ease.
“Boyang doesn’t turn, leaving the remaining Yin?”
“Tian Qian has surplus, connecting with Di Qian.”
…
After a series of questions and answers, the surprise on the Jade Pot Daoist’s face grew thicker, and he couldn’t help but praise: “In the past, I thought Your Majesty was still young and indulged in play, but today I know that it was just hiding your talent. With Your Majesty’s ability to remember everything at a glance, your cultivation must surely be smooth sailing, advancing a thousand miles in a day.”
Upon hearing this, Yuan Ming thought to himself: “That’s not necessarily true.”
“Daoist, I know about Tianfu, Yunmen, Lieque, and Taiyuan mentioned in the book, which are the acupoints of the human body. But what are Taixu Yuan and Dantian Gong?” Yuan Ming seized the opportunity and asked.
Seeing the emperor so eager to learn, the old Daoist had no doubt and immediately explained:
“The acupoints Your Majesty knows are basically the same as those related to cultivation, except that the cultivation acupoints are deeper. When you cultivate and gain magical power, you will naturally notice them. As for Taixu Yuan, it refers to the sea of consciousness in humans, which is where the soul and mind are stored. Dantian Gong, also called Dantian, is where the magical power will be stored in the future, located in the lower abdomen.”
“I see…” Yuan Ming gestured on his stomach and found that it was basically the same place where the heat flow gathered when he practiced the blood qi technique.
Yuan Ming seized the opportunity and asked all the doubts in his heart one by one.
Although the Jade Pot Daoist felt that the emperor before him was very different, he still patiently answered.
Soon, all of Yuan Ming’s doubts had been resolved, and he had no more questions about the Nine Elements Technique. He sat cross-legged on the dragon chair, ready to try cultivating.
At this moment, the mark on his right arm suddenly jumped, and the heat flow inside quickly receded.
Just as Yuan Ming was about to check, he suddenly felt an indescribable sense of fatigue, his eyelids heavy and unable to lift. His vision went black, and he lost consciousness once again.
In a state of drowsiness, Yuan Ming felt as if he had had a long dream, not knowing how long it took before he slowly woke up.
He rubbed his eyes and found that he was back in the dim cave, and his body had returned to its original state.
“I’m…back!” Yuan Ming felt relieved.
At this moment, the ancient-looking green pottery incense burner was placed in front of him, with two slender black incense sticks inserted in it. The third incense stick had burned out, leaving only the last bit of ember that had not yet been extinguished.
The cloth wick he had used to light the incense had also burned almost completely, leaving only a small piece held in his hand. The two fingers that had pinched the cloth were blackened and emitted a burning pain, obviously caused by the flame on the cloth wick.
Yuan Ming shook his fingers, it seemed that when his consciousness entered the young emperor’s body, his own body had remained motionless, completely unaware and unresponsive to the fire.