Chapter 438: Seed Character

Zhu He stood with his hands behind his back, his expression somewhat grave, and muttered to himself: "As far as I know, that little girl Lv Qingzhu has been cultivating diligently by the Ancestor's side for these past few years. And Duan Rong comes from the remote Southeast Four Prefectures; the two of them shouldn't have any connection! Why would that little girl want to kill Duan Rong?"

Zhu He pondered for a moment, then suddenly turned his head to look at Wu Shidao and ordered in a deep voice: "Go and check the archives of the Inner History Department to see if there are any clues. How exactly did that little girl and Duan Rong get entangled? And for what reason did they form a grudge?"

"Yes!" Wu Shidao cupped his hands and retreated.

After Wu Shidao retreated, Zhu He continued to pace back and forth in the room, and after walking a few laps, he actually burst into laughter.

"Qi Refining Realm... Third Layer... comprehending Blade Intent..."

"Artistic Conception!? Good! Very good!"

Zhu He suddenly stood still, his gaze seemingly piercing through the pavilion and the mountains, looking directly at the Star Observation Platform in Shenyun Prefecture.

At this moment, his gaze was distant and profound.

"Disciple, in terms of cultivation, you have suppressed me your entire life. I, Zhu He, ask myself, no matter how hard I try, it is difficult to even see the back of your neck."

"But Disciple! I have now taken in a good apprentice!"

"Tell me, what if this apprentice of mine surpasses you in cultivation achievements, and even reaches the Nascent Soul Realm a step earlier than you!"

"Hahaha..."

"Wouldn't that be the same as me, this old man, surpassing you?"

"Just thinking about it makes me happy! I've been suppressed by you for most of my life, and now at the very end, Heaven has actually given me a chance to turn the tables!"

"Disciple, this is Heaven wanting to destroy you!"

"With such an apprentice, this old man's life will be complete."

At the same time, inside the Cultivation Secret Chamber, Duan Rong sneezed twice in a row. He had originally been refining Beast Meat and couldn't help but grumble to himself: "That Lv Qingzhu is too petty! Just because she didn't manage to kill me? Why is she still badmouthing people behind their backs..."

While Duan Rong was cultivating in the Secret Chamber, Wu Shidao was in the archives of the Inner History Department, flipping through piles of old papers.

To figure out the matter between the two, he naturally had to clarify their respective backgrounds and histories, piece them together, and see where they might have had any intersection.

After comparing them, Wu Shidao immediately discovered the clue, left the archives, and returned to report to Zhu He.

After hearing Wu Shidao's account, Zhu He nodded slightly and said: "So, Lv Qingzhu and Duan Rong had an intersection in Xiangu County, Yuanyang Prefecture?"

"Exactly! At that time, Lv Qingzhu was the Sect Emissary, and Duan Rong was a Registered Disciple who had advanced that year."

Zhu He pondered slightly and said: "Then what exactly was the matter that caused Lv Qingzhu to want to kill Duan Rong?"

Wu Shidao said: "Their grudge must have been formed when they were in Xiangu County. Because ever since then, Lv Qingzhu has been cultivating diligently by the Ancestor's side. As for the specific matter? I'm afraid only by asking the junior disciple can we be clear."

Zhu He nodded and said: "Hmm. You may go. What you investigated today must not be leaked by even half a word!"

Wu Shidao's expression shifted slightly, and he cupped his hands: "Shidao understands!"

After Wu Shidao left, Zhu He sipped some clear tea and muttered to himself: "This kid, how exactly did he offend that little girl. If the problem isn't big, I'll have Hong Jiao step in and find a way to mediate. It would be best if it could be resolved."

In the Secret Chamber, Duan Rong sat cross-legged, concentrating on refining the pure Heaven and Earth Qi contained within the Beast Meat he had swallowed into his dantian.

Just then, in the corner behind him, the stone wall suddenly shook and blurred, as if it had become some kind of living creature.

Then, from within the writhing, blurred stone wall, a figure actually stepped out.

It was Zhu He in his Daoist robes.

After Zhu He stepped out, the stone wall instantly returned to normal.

That Zhu He could walk into Duan Rong's Cultivation Secret Chamber like this was naturally due to the Law Power he had mastered.

He stared at Duan Rong, and in his eyes, all of Duan Rong's meridians and blood vessels were as if transparent.

Under this perspective, he saw that Duan Rong's cumbersome and complex technique for refining Qi was already extremely proficient, as if he were an old hand who had been practicing for several years.

And Zhu He remembered that in the Council Hall, Duan Rong seemed to have just reached the Third Layer of the Qi Refining Realm.

Every time one advances a layer, the technique for refining Qi and the accompanying breathing and respiration methods change significantly, and throughout this entire process, there are many delicate and subtle points that cannot be mastered so skillfully without repeated practice.

Yet Duan Rong had just advanced and was already this proficient.

"Inconceivable! Truly inconceivable!"

Zhu He stood in the corner, sighing in his heart incessantly.

At this moment, in this Cultivation Secret Chamber, having seen the reality of Duan Rong's cultivation, he finally understood why Duan Rong could reach the Third Layer of the Qi Refining Realm in half a year.

And after seeing the truth with his own eyes, the shock in his heart was even greater.

Zhu He watched as Duan Rong, after circulating his breath for several Great Heavenly Cycles, refined a wisp of Original Qi from the pure Qi contained in the Beast Meat and sank it into his dantian.

Just at this moment, before Duan Rong's new cycle of breath began, Zhu He suddenly called out "Duan kid," and walked slowly from the corner toward Duan Rong.

Duan Rong was just preparing to breathe when he suddenly heard someone calling him from behind, and he jumped, nearly disrupting his Qi. He turned his head and saw Zhu He walking toward him with a faint smile.

Duan Rong was stunned, then glanced at the stone door, seeing it was tightly closed, and exclaimed: "Master, where did you pop out from?"

Zhu He said: "Your master is already at the Dongming Realm, mastering Law Power; can a single stone wall stop me?"

Upon hearing this, Duan Rong had black lines all over his forehead and complained: "Master, I know it can't stop you. But can you please change this habit of appearing behind people silently? If this continues, your apprentice will eventually be scared into having problems."

A slightly embarrassed expression actually appeared on Zhu He's face, and he laughed: "Isn't your master looking for you for something? Urgent matters require expedient measures."

Duan Rong sighed, looked at Zhu He, and said respectfully: "I wonder what your old self is looking for me for, Master?"

Seeing Duan Rong's well-behaved appearance, Zhu He was overjoyed. He sat down on a Stone Chair, looked at Duan Rong, and said: "Duan kid, you sit down too. Let's talk, master and apprentice."

Duan Rong stood there, cupped his hands, and bowed: "This apprentice dare not!"

"What's there to dare not! I, your master, tell you to sit, so sit. No need to care about these rotten, tedious formalities."

Duan Rong could see that Zhu He truly wanted him to sit, but how could he sit on equal footing with Zhu He? Wouldn't that be overstepping? His gaze shifted, and he stacked two cushions, one old and one new, and sat not far from Zhu He, which made him appear lower than Zhu He.

Duan Rong smiled: "Master, is it alright if I sit like this?"

Zhu He glanced at him, but the smile on his face faded, and he asked sternly: "Duan kid, let me ask you, what exactly is going on between you and that little girl Lv Qingzhu? Why does she want to kill you?"

"I..." Duan Rong was at a loss for how to begin.

Zhu He said: "Kid, don't think your master is trying to pry into your secrets. That little girl has the Ancestor behind her, and even I have to give her three points of respect. If you don't tell me what happened, how can I help you settle this matter?"

Hearing this, Duan Rong felt a slight warmth in his heart. He could feel from Zhu He's expression and tone that he was truly afraid of him being killed by Lv Qingzhu.

Duan Rong hesitated for a moment, then told Zhu He the whole story from beginning to end.

After hearing this, Zhu He's expression immediately became uncertain.

No wonder Lv Qingzhu wanted to kill this kid!

Originally, he had wanted to have Fan Hongjiao step in to mediate, but this kind of matter was simply impossible to mediate.

If Fan Hongjiao were to mediate, it would only make Lv Qingzhu's hatred even deeper.

Because, of all people, Lv Qingzhu was the one who least wanted the world to know about this matter.

If she knew that someone else was aware of this secret, wouldn't she hate Duan Rong even more?

However, this matter also had a good side, which was that Lv Qingzhu likely wouldn't tell anyone else about such a thing. Moreover, given her aloof and icy temperament, she would never use someone else's hand to kill Duan Rong.

In other words, there was only the one method of her killing Duan Rong herself that needed to be guarded against.

In that case, it would be easier to defend against.

Since the matter could not be resolved, there was no other way but to guard against it.

Zhu He hesitated for a moment, then suddenly pulled an object from his sleeve, handed it toward Duan Rong, and said in a deep voice, "Kid Duan, take this."

Seeing what Zhu He gave him, Duan Rong immediately received it respectfully and looked at his palm.

He saw that it was actually a cicada.

The cicada was entirely clear, as if formed from condensed water; its surface luster was incomparably vivid, and as the luster shifted, ancient and profound runes appeared and disappeared on its body.

One look told him this thing was no ordinary object!

Duan Rong raised his head and looked at Zhu He.

Zhu He said, "This is a Yinlu Cicada."

"Yinlu Cicada?" Duan Rong's gaze shifted slightly.

Zhu He said, "But the dew this cicada drinks is not ordinary dew; what it drinks is Law Dew!"

"Law Dew?" Upon hearing this, Duan Rong's expression was one of astonishment. He looked down at the cicada in his hand again, seeing something seemingly surging secretly within it, yet it had no physical form; it was just that as it surged, the luster on the cicada's surface changed incessantly.

Duan Rong looked at Zhu He with a suspicious gaze and asked, "May I ask Master, what is Law Dew?"

Zhu He said, "I condense Law Power into dew; that is Law Dew. Then, I use the Law Dew for this cicada to drink."

Hearing this, the astonishment in Duan Rong's eyes grew even greater.

Zhu He glanced at him and said, "Are you wondering how profound and lofty Law Power is, and what this cicada is, that it can drink Law Dew?"

Duan Rong nodded and said, "That is exactly what this disciple is confused about; I ask Master to enlighten me."

Zhu He said, "Have you noticed the runes that appear and disappear on the cicada's body?"

Duan Rong nodded.

Zhu He said, "Do you know what those runes are?"

Duan Rong said, "This disciple does not know, but since Master mentioned these runes, it means this cicada is able to drink Law Dew precisely because of them."

Zhu He looked at Duan Rong with an approving gaze and said, "Exactly! Look closely; those runes are actually individual characters."

"Individual characters?"

Duan Rong's eyes flashed. He looked at the cicada in his hand again for a while, and sure enough, as Zhu He said, the runes that appeared with the shifting luster were indeed individual characters, not connected. However, the characters were very ancient and obscure; although they were characters, Duan Rong did not recognize them.

Duan Rong focused his Divine Soul and stared at one of the characters. This look was no small matter; a terrifying, primordial aura immediately enveloped him.

In that instant, his whole body turned cold, his mind trembled, and as if he had encountered some great terror, he couldn't stop himself from shivering.

Just then, a wave of warmth suddenly rose at the center of his brow, and that terror slowly receded like a tide.

Duan Rong suddenly came to his senses and realized he was covered in cold sweat. Zhu He, seeing his eyes return to clarity, lifted his thumb from the center of Duan Rong's brow; there had been a strange luster flickering on the pad of that thumb, which vanished the moment he lifted it.

Duan Rong's expression was full of lingering fear, and he dared not stare at the cicada's body again.

Zhu He said in a deep voice, "You must not inject your Divine Soul into those characters!"

Duan Rong asked, "Master, what kind of characters are these on the cicada? This disciple does not recognize them."

Zhu He said, "Naturally you don't recognize them. Even I don't recognize them, let alone you."

Duan Rong said in surprise, "Master, you don't recognize them either?"

Zhu He nodded and said, "These characters are Seed Characters! They are where the origin of the Heavenly Dao resides. First there were Seed Characters, and then there were laws. These Seed Characters are the origins that coexist with the Heavenly Dao. Under the Heavenly Dao, the myriad laws all emerge from the Seed Characters! Therefore, they are also called the Dao Pivot!"

"Seed Characters? Dao Pivot?!" Although Duan Rong had read through many scriptures, he had never heard of these two terms.

Zhu He said, "You can understand it roughly like this. So-called Seed Characters are formed by the intersection and fusion of two or more types of Law Power! But the true mystery of Seed Characters can only be understood by cultivators in the Nascent Soul Realm. I am only scratching the surface, looking at flowers through a fog."

Duan Rong sat there as if petrified, unable to say a word for a long time.

Zhu He continued, "Every Seed Character contains two or more types of Law Power. And every Seed Character has its own pronunciation!"

"It has its own pronunciation?!" A deep confusion flickered in Duan Rong's eyes.

Zhu He said, "Yes. It is a kind of primordial sound of heaven and earth, not something that can be produced by the throat or vocal cords. Once this sound is produced, it can resonate with the Heavenly Dao. Only cultivators in the Nascent Soul Realm, with the help of Nascent Soul power, can produce this sound."

Zhu He looked at Duan Rong and said, "Having said this, you probably already understand. Why this cicada can drink Law Dew is simply because the Seed Characters that appear and disappear on its surface are an existence more fundamental than laws. This cicada body was crafted by the Ancestor, and I condensed and fed it Law Dew to finally complete this object."

"Crafted by the Ancestor?"

Zhu He said, "If one does not have the cultivation of the Nascent Soul Realm, how could one master the mysteries of these Seed Characters?"

Duan Rong stood up from the two cushions, bowed while holding the Yinlu Cicada, and said, "This object is so precious, this disciple dare not accept it."

Zhu He said, "This object is for you to save your life. Nourish it with your Essence Blood, and after ten days, this cicada will be connected to your life essence. In times of danger, with a single thought, it will spit out dew and use Law Power to protect you three times!"

Duan Rong's expression froze. Suddenly, he knelt on the ground with a thud and cried out, "Master's great kindness is such that Duan Rong could not repay it even with a hundred deaths!"

Zhu He smiled and helped Duan Rong up, patted his shoulder, and said, "What death or no death? You just need to cultivate well to repay your master's kindness. Master is waiting for the day you form your Nascent Soul to bring me glory!"

Duan Rong said, "Master, I am only in the Qi Refining Realm, how could I form a Nascent Soul?"

Zhu He said, "Right, right. Take it slow. These few days, stay in the Secret Chamber and refine this object with your Essence Blood."

Duan Rong said, "This disciple obeys!"

"Alright. I am leaving." After Zhu He finished speaking, he walked slowly to a stone wall. As the stone wall squirmed like a living thing, his entire figure merged into the stone wall and disappeared.

Afterward, the stone wall returned to its original state.

(End of chapter)