Cai Hengxing’s flowery praises spilled forth like they cost nothing, and it was clear to the two Daoists what he was planning.
Given such scholarly talents, if they could form a connection and perhaps even receive a hint of guidance, it would naturally be ideal to have them become allies.
Cai Hengxing was sly and cunning, and his calculations could be heard from miles away.
Xue Dongming and Yuhe Daoist exchanged glances, and there was a hint of a smile in their eyes.
Such scholars were not only favored by Cai Hengxing; they also wished to welcome them.
Because scholars of this caliber too easily fell into the range of those sought by the court for recruitment.
The current Emperor was eager for talent; if someone caught the Emperor’s eye, high rank and great wealth would soon follow.
...
In the Bai Shui Dragon Palace
Bai Nu was constantly using the Dragon Pearl to nourish his depleted essence and spirit, preparing with all his might for the Divine Dao trial several years from now.
Although it was an almost certain death, Bai Nu was unwilling to sit and await his fate.
At this moment, he transformed into a dragon shadow and swiftly flew out of the river, appearing over the broad sky of Bai Shui in an instant, his eyes widened in amazement as he gazed toward Fengyang County.
From afar, a thick, fierce Vast Spiritual Mechanism stirred the heavens, as Vast Righteous Qi shot straight into the sky, purging heaven and earth.
"Such vast energy, ferocious and unparalleled, truly makes gods and ghosts avoid it!"
Looking at such a phenomenon, Bai Nu’s expression changed.
In a blink, a subtle smile appeared in his eyes.
While possessing Vast Righteous Qi causes fear in gods and ghosts, offering protection can reduce the impact of the Divine Dao tribulation.
The Divine Dao has long been rumored; some deities or spirits, when facing a great tribulation, often seek shelter with scholars because of their fierce, unparalleled Vast Righteous Qi, which can diminish or even directly dissolve a part of the tribulation.
If the scholar has strong enough Vast Righteous Qi, even a piece of writing, even a single character, can grant them a thread of vitality.
Originally determined to die facing the great tribulation, he now saw a glimmer of hope.
Yet, upon carefully observing the location, he was momentarily stunned.
"The Zhang Family..."
Bai Nu’s eyes were filled with surprise.
He was certain he hadn’t mistaken, because his daughter often frequented the Zhang Family, and he would pay attention to it now and then.
"When did the Zhang Family gain such an extraordinary person?"
Bai Nu’s eyes held surprise and some speculation, though the thought that crossed his mind was hard to believe.
Could it be that the one exuding such Vast Righteous Qi was Zhang Jian?
He had seen Zhang Jian before and noticed no traces of Vast Righteous Qi on him!
Unless, by some chance, he comprehended a crucial point and successfully gathered Vast Righteous Qi into his soul.
Regardless of the possibility, Bai Nu felt an itch in his heart.
Given how serious it was, he decided to go see for himself.
...
In the courtyard, after more than ten failed visualizations Zhang Jian.
At this moment, an invisible light around him twisted suddenly, a bronze-colored light slowly appearing behind his head. Peering closely, something intense seemed to be born from within, yet upon closer inspection, it was empty.
Only cultivators with part of magical power and spiritual vision could see that, in the center of the bronze color, a small bronze tripod was slowly forming, carrying the power to suppress Heaven and Earth’s spiritual mechanisms and retard divine thought.
The Three-Formed Sheji King Tripod had been truly condensed by him after only a dozen attempts.
The Three-Formed Sheji King Tripod was more three-dimensional than the Two-Formed Sheji King Tripod and much more formidable in its suppressive power.
Zhang Jian could sense that this was a very strong soul defense technique, able to defend against many bizarre soul illusion techniques or the impacts of divine thought techniques.
As for how strong the defense was, Zhang Jian did not know.
Without testing, it’s impossible to obtain accurate data.
But it must be very "solid"!
The joy of success filled his spirits.
Nothing feels more satisfying than receiving the deserved rewards after hard labor.
Moreover, this time he achieved the intended reward with minimal effort.
His eyes now shone with a skipping, eager light: "Perhaps I can continue to attempt the Four-Formed Sheji King Tripod. The Four-Formed Sheji King Tripod requires the condensation of a corresponding One-level Hidden Dragon Fate, integrating its pattern into the tripod wall to become the foundation. Once practiced successfully, it corresponds to a Golden Core Level soul defense technique..."
Zhang Jian felt he still had the energy.
As for the special fate called Asking for the Mountains and Rivers, holding a county’s foundation, gathering it wasn’t too hard, just integrating Fengyang County’s mountain and water layout into himself was sufficient.
But after some consideration, he decided to stay calm.
Now that he had consecutively formed the Two-Formed and Three-Formed Sheji King Tripods, he should appropriately calm down, consolidate a bit, and after completely grasping the mystery of the Three-Formed Sheji King Tripod, it wouldn’t be too late to proceed.
With a thought, he restrained the Vast Flame burning around his body like a scorching sun.
He noticed the Vast Flame deep in his Jade Heart had dimmed significantly, but he was pleased that when he paused the expenditure, it slowly absorbed his body’s magical power, restoring itself.
But the recovery speed was not very fast.
"It seems it’s crucial to maintain the good habit of reading!"
Such thoughts crossed Zhang Jian’s mind.
With a flicker of his thoughts, the Vast Flame burning around him like the blazing sun was also slowly retracted into his body, and the vast righteous qi circulating around him dispersed.
At this moment, Zhang Jian’s eyes moved towards the depths of the void.
Soon after, a stream of white air from outside the Zhang Family shot in, swift as the wind, before instantly flying out from within that void.
"Young Master!"
From a distance, Zhang Jian heard the joyful cry of a young girl.
Bai Xianyin’s happy figure appeared before Zhang Jian.
Seeing Zhang Jian’s gaze come to her, she was slightly surprised, as if Zhang Jian had anticipated her arrival; however, upon glancing at the invisible spiritual mechanism fluctuation around Zhang Jian, a white gleam flashed in the depths of Bai Xianyin’s eyes, and she couldn’t help letting out a sound of surprise.
"Young Master, you’ve visualized the Sheji King Tripod so quickly? That’s fast!"
"I got lucky and condensed the Sheji King Tripod ahead of time!"
Zhang Jian smiled slightly.
Bai Xianyin couldn’t help but laugh: "The Young Master surely is exceptionally talented, achieving such success without the guidance of the Preaching Elders, you indeed are a Longevity Immortal Seed!"
She then pulled out a jade pendant and threw it to Zhang Jian.
"Young Master, this is the jade pendant the master asked the martial uncle to hand over to you. This pendant can imitate fate, incredibly divine! See if you can conceal your fate with it!"
Zhang Jian glanced at the jade pendant in his hand, filled with a dim green glow, his eyes lit up as he infused it with a bit of magical power to refine it slightly.
Then he saw the jade pendant transform into a stream of light, merging into the depths of his soul.
Simultaneously, a spark of vast flame flowed from deep in his heart, continually circulating into the depths of his soul, and upon inner viewing he could sense two fates within his Life Palace being shrouded in an invisible, refreshing brilliance.
The Hidden Dragon Fate of Red Virtue True King was enveloped by Vast Righteous Qi, transforming into a special fate composed of Vast Righteous Qi.
"The Destiny of a Great Scholar!"