Chapter 118: Speaking Only Halfway, You

"Hmm?"

"The question you actually wanted to ask... is this?"

Lu Ban looked at Li Xiang with some surprise.

He had a slight understanding of the Ghost Valley lineage; he had heard that their numbers were very few and they were very mysterious, but every person who emerged from them had a significant background.

He had originally had some guesses about Li Xiang's master.

But after seeing Li Xiang take out this Design Blueprint, he felt increasingly confused.

Since when did the Ghost Valley lineage produce such mysterious craftsmen?

Could it be that this was a branch of the Ghost Valley lineage that had always remained in seclusion?

And today, he had happened to encounter it?

Lu Ban guessed casually.

His own background was not very good, and the information he possessed was limited.

He only knew that the Ghost Valley lineage was an extremely special tradition; although it also held the name of Vertical and Horizontal among the Hundred Schools of Thought, its origins were tens of thousands of years earlier than the current Hundred Schools of Thought, almost traceable to the time when Confucian Dao was first established, making it an extremely, extremely special lineage.

"Mr. Lu Ban?"

"Ah."

"Apologies, I was a bit distracted."

"The affairs of the Hundred Schools of Thought are not secrets; has your master not spoken to you about them?"

"My master is quite busy on a daily basis and has not mentioned this matter."

"I ask that Mr. Lu Ban kindly enlighten me."

Li Xiang nodded and continued to inquire of Lu Ban.

He was indeed very curious about how the unique Haoran Qi of Lu Ban and Bian Que differed from orthodox Confucianism.

Regarding the transcendent power of this world, Li Xiang had conducted in-depth research.

Generally, it could be divided into three paths: body, soul, and heart.

Martial Dao cultivates the body, Immortal Dao cultivates the soul, and the remaining one is the somewhat mysterious Heart Cultivation.

Fo Men says it is to open wisdom and attain supreme enlightenment, while Confucianism speaks of reading ten thousand volumes to cultivate the spirit within the heart, seeking the transcendence of one's own spirituality.

Heart Cultivation is different from other paths; it speaks of the true spirit remaining untainted, but in reality, it cannot bring forth much transcendent power, so Fo Men mostly cultivates Martial Dao, using the methods of the Zen Sect to emphasize entering stillness through martial arts, seeking an unmoved heart and attaining supreme enlightenment.

Furthermore, Fo Men has other traditions that are even more mysterious, which Li Xiang has not yet come into contact with, so he draws no conclusions.

Confucianism, on the other hand, relies on Humanity; Humanity blends with Confucian Dao to seek transcendent power. Li Xiang does not fully understand the principles behind this, but some content was revealed in the scattered words of Bai Ze. Li Xiang has faint guesses about this, but he still needs to verify them in the future.

Before reaching great success, the two paths of Heart Cultivation do not show powerful manifestations and both need to rely on external paths to seek transcendent power.

Fo Men practices martial arts, and Confucian scholars enter officialdom.

This is a path that has not changed for tens of thousands of years.

But the situation of Lu Ban's breakthrough that Li Xiang just saw seemed to have other mysteries, as if a third path had been opened.

It was not an improvement gained after entering officialdom, nor was it a unique essay written that could resonate with heaven and earth or resonate with Humanity, but rather something obtained from those workers, from those tools, and from the entire construction site.

This made Li Xiang quite curious.

The Hundred Schools Contention seems to have truly walked a new path on the existing foundation of Confucian Dao.

A third path of Heart Cultivation?

Or perhaps an improved version of the second path?

"It's nothing too complicated."

"If you want to hear it, I will talk to you about it properly tonight when I am free."

Lu Ban had just prepared to speak to Li Xiang, but a worker ran over in a panic, asking him about a problem with the blueprints for the urban district renovation and how it should be specifically implemented.

Lu Ban gave a bitter smile, first telling the man to wait, and then turned to say to Li Xiang:

"After I finish my work tonight, I will talk to you again."

"Today I reached the Seventh Grade, and tonight I will be treating a few old friends to a meal at the Yao Family Tavern in North City. You can come and join us then, and I will tell you about the Hundred Schools of Thought."

"Also, that toy you wanted..."

"Toy, I happen to have a few materials that haven't been decided on yet. Come tonight, and I will ask you a few related questions."

Lu Ban gave some brief instructions.

Without waiting for Li Xiang to reply, he followed the worker toward the construction site.

Lu Ban is now basically the general person-in-charge of the South City Construction Zone; the entire design for the South City renovation was replanned by him, and he is extremely busy.

"Ah, this..."

"Do you not know that the behavior of running away halfway through a conversation..."

"Is absolutely atrocious!!"

Li Xiang stood where he was, dumbfounded as he watched Lu Ban leave just like that.

In the distance, the workers were building a relatively large house, and they were operating a wooden cart.

This cart seemed to be made with Mohist Mechanism Art; it was not large in size, but it supported two very heavy main beams, and only three workers were pushing the main beams forward with ease.

But it seemed that something had gone wrong; the wheels of the wooden cart seemed to be locked, and it could not be pushed. Once the progress was delayed here, the workers waiting on the other side started arguing, making a mess, which was why they came to call Lu Ban to take charge.

There were many things to do at the construction site, and he could not get away for the moment.

Li Xiang shook his head.

Watching the busy Lu Ban, he sighed; it seemed that he would not be able to get the answers he wanted during the day today.

He found a small stool near the kitchen, sat on it, and quietly watched the workers on the construction site busy themselves.

Looking at those mysterious Mohist mechanisms, Li Xiang suddenly had an illusion of time and space shifting.

In order to provide the same functionality, many Mohist mechanisms looked somewhat familiar.

It is very similar to many tools and implements from my past life.

Relying on these tools, the speed at which these workers labor is much, much faster than before.

Once the urban area here is renovated and these people have a place to live, the disaster situation can be greatly alleviated.

However, when the time comes and people are out of work, I fear I will still have to solve the employment problem, which is also a headache.

But that is a matter for Qi Le to worry about.

It has nothing to do with me.

He shook his head and gathered his thoughts.

Li Xiang sat on the chair, closed his eyes slightly, and began to continue calculating the various divine abilities he had mastered in his mind, starting to try and familiarize himself with the control of Divine Light.

The first thing he began to study was the Cloud Riding Technique.

This is not some profound divine ability.

After he cultivated Divine Light, he basically mastered this skill directly.

It is just like a person drinking water, eating, or raising and lowering a hand; it is the simplest method of using Divine Light.

One only needs to use the Divine Light one has cultivated to interfere with the nearby Spirit Rhyme, causing it to condense and support oneself as one moves forward.

It is very simple.

But the speed is also very slow!

Li Xiang wanted to rethink it to see if he could improve it and increase its speed and stability.

Hmm!

This world is too dangerous!

Mastering a divine ability for running away first is the right path!

While deep in thought, the Spirit Platform in his mind vibrated slightly; Li Xiang closed his eyes, and his Divine Soul gently opened its eyes.

At his fingertips, a faint wisp of cloud and mist swirled.

This was exactly him constantly trying and improving his method of controlling cloud and mist, wanting to find a suitable, perfect method of cloud riding.

Suddenly.

Just as Li Xiang's mind was immersed, he felt a faint vibration coming from his inventory.

"Hmm?"

"The Token that Baize gave me?"

Li Xiang opened his eyes, looked around to see that no one was paying attention to him, and a faint light flashed in his hand.

The familiar wooden tablet appeared, currently vibrating gently.

A line of unrecognizable characters slowly condensed upon it.

But after his mind calmed down, Li Xiang understood the meaning within.

After seeing and understanding the content on it, his expression suddenly became very strange.

"I do not know which senior of my Demon Race has deigned to descend upon this place!"

"Junior Xuanniao pays respects to Senior!"

(End of this chapter)