Chapter 247: Consideration
Chapter 247: Chapter 247: Consideration
After seeing off the prodigies, Zhu Ge let out a sigh.
He glanced to his side. True Monarch Minmian had already rolled over and gone back to sleep.
Zhu Ge said softly to Liu Jianjian, "Jianjian, I need you to make a trip to Jianshui City and take care of a few things."
"Okay."
Liu Jianjian nodded and turned to leave.
But then, with a mischievous glint in her eye, she suddenly stopped. "Ahem, Sword Hero can handle these things just as well. I’ll have Sword Hero go."
Liu Jianjian was all smiles.
Seeing this, Zhu Ge couldn’t help but sigh. "The journey isn’t safe. It would be best for you to stay here and manage things."
"I don’t want to." Liu Jianjian pouted. "I want to stay by your side, Master. Besides, I’m very powerful!"
Powerful?
She was, in fact, quite powerful.
Fighting Liu Jianjian was the same as fighting the entire horde of Demon Beasts she had tamed.
"In that case, why don’t you go think about how to rebuild the Six Paths Palace," Zhu Ge said, resigned. "Don’t worry, I’m not going to leave you behind."
Bringing Liu Jianjian along was like bringing a whole contingent of the Demon Race, which did have its advantages.
As he thought this, Zhu Sisi floated over and settled resolutely on Zhu Ge’s shoulder. "Master, I have a Dragon Ball inside me. I’ll be killed if I’m out in the open."
Fair enough.
It looked like this journey wouldn’t just be him and True Monarch Minmian. Zhu Sisi and Liu Jianjian were coming along too.
And if he included Hua Liusha, who was in his head, they would have the complete set: human, Ghost, and demon.
"Go and keep yourselves busy for now." Zhu Ge waved his hand, sending Zhu Sisi and Liu Jianjian off together.
Only after seeing that Zhu Ge wouldn’t abandon them did they head to the Six Paths Valley to see about the reconstruction.
Liu Jianjian dispatched Sword Hero to Jianshui City to handle her errands.
Zhu Ge, on the other hand, sat down next to True Monarch Minmian and began to ponder what came next.
The top twenty individuals on the Sheji Chart all possessed formidable combat strength.
Zhu Ge was well aware that if he revealed all his trump cards, he still might not be a match for prodigies like Yan Liyuan.
For one thing, he currently lacked Divine Sense.
Not unless he broke through to the Third Realm.
Once he reached the Third Realm, his Martial Arts Heart—already top-tier—would grant him a boundless, ocean-like supply of Blood Qi.
Combined with the ability to manifest a Martial Arts Illusion, his strength would instantly ascend to the level of a prodigy.
The moment he entered the Third Realm, he would be invincible within it!
This was the source of his confidence!
But should he really break through to the Third Realm just for some so-called ranking, for the Sheji Chart?
Clearly, it wasn’t worth it.
Zhu Ge had his own arrangements, his own plans, his own pace.
’At the very least, I need to establish a solid foundation in the Martial Dao and Confucian Dao first.’
Zhu Ge understood the importance of a strong foundation down to his core.
His Lower Yuan Palace, the Dantian, was ordinary.
It was simply a vessel for Blood Qi and Literary Energy, so there was nothing particularly outstanding about it.
The Middle Yuan Palace was different. The Middle Yuan Palace was the heart.
His Martial Arts Heart was the Heart of Origin, while his Confucian Dao Heart was the "Human Heart."
This made his Middle Yuan Palace incredibly powerful.
However, he still lacked the most crucial component: the Upper Yuan Palace.
Some called it the Sea of Consciousness, others the Mud Ball Palace, the brain, the central nexus, or the Purple Mansion.
In any case, it was located in the head.
According to the books Zhu Ge had read and the knowledge from his Bone Monster Avatar, opening the Upper Yuan Palace was related not only to Divine Sense, but also to one’s affinity.
Or, to put it another way, perception.
Perception of and affinity for the Great Dao.
When a Martial Cultivator’s Blood Qi broke through their Upper Yuan Palace, it would naturally leave behind traces of the Martial Dao.
The same was true for the Confucian Dao, Immortal Dao, Witch Dao, and others.
According to the inherited memories of the Bone Monster Avatar, when one assaulted the Upper Yuan Palace, the explosive power, quantity, and quality of their Blood Qi would all influence the final quality and size of the palace.
Zhu Ge’s plan was to continue accumulating power until he hit an absolute wall, and only then attempt a breakthrough.
Many people struggled immensely just to break through to the Third Realm.
But Zhu Ge had been planning and envisioning his path to the Third Realm ever since he was in the First Realm.
After all, Venerable Rain Swift’s manual for the Xu Family Rain Swift Fist had stated that to reach the pinnacle, one must forge their own path.
That was why, throughout the First and Second Realms, Zhu Ge had constantly honed his martial techniques, studied a wide variety of them, and even recalled and practiced the Martial Arts he knew from his past life.
This was accumulation.
The problem was, he wasn’t finished accumulating yet.
For most people, their capacity for accumulation would be exhausted rather quickly.
Take Venerable Rain Swift, for example. His Martial Arts Heart could only contain the martial intent of the Rain Swift Fist. Therefore, his accumulation was complete once the Rain Swift Fist reached its peak.
There was little room for further improvement.
If, back then, Zhu Ge had broken through to the Second Realm and formed his Martial Arts Heart with the Rain Swift Fist and the Vajra Palm at its core...
...then at the Third Realm, the most he could have done was condense the martial intents of the Rain Swift Fist and the Vajra Palm.
By the time he reached the Peak of the Third Realm, he would have thoroughly mastered those two Martial Arts, and his potential for further accumulation would have been exhausted.
The same was true for many who cultivated both the Confucian and Martial Daos.
Once they cultivated the concepts represented by their Confucian Dao Heart and Martial Arts Heart to perfection, they could advance no further.
But Zhu Ge’s Martial Arts Heart was the Heart of Origin, and his Confucian Dao Heart was the "Human Heart."
This meant that Zhu Ge could continue to accumulate power right up until his Martial Arts Heart and Confucian Dao Heart were filled to bursting.
Fill them to bursting?
That was practically impossible!
Zhu Ge’s Heart of Origin was derived from the Five Animals Qigong. In truth, the core of this Heart of Origin was more like a "Myriad Animals Qigong," capable of containing countless martial techniques.
Whether it was Old Ox Raises Head, Great Python Constriction, or Brown Bear Mountain Crush...
There were too many!
Zhu Ge could foresee that once he broke through to the Third Realm, he could probably write several hundred Martial Arts manuals himself.
Keep in mind, someone like Venerable Rain Swift had founded an entire family clan and ensured the continuation of the Xu Family Rain Swift Fist just by creating the Rain Swift Fist alone.
And what about him?
His original plan had been to write down a whole host of the Martial Arts he knew after reaching the Third Realm and have them passed down through the Six Paths Palace.
With a Martial Arts Heart like his, completing his accumulation would probably take until kingdom come.
Of course, he couldn’t accumulate too much or make it too powerful.
Nothing in the world is perfect.
’I can’t accumulate too much, either. What if my head can’t take it and just explodes?’
’Then again,’ he thought, ’I practice Body Refinement, and the Great Sun Glaze Body at that. My brains are probably as tough as my bones.’
This thought put Zhu Ge’s mind at ease.
Having considered his Martial Arts Heart, Zhu Ge’s thoughts turned to his "Human Heart."
His Confucian Dao Heart had formed naturally when he wrote the Book of Changes.
The moment it formed, he knew. His Confucian Dao Heart was called the "Human Heart," an existence on the same level as his Heart of Martial Arts Origin.
Both allowed for an incredibly profound degree of accumulation.
’And then there’s the Witch Dao...’
Zhu Ge sighed inwardly.
Other people either had no resources and no Cultivation Techniques, like his former self back in Jianshan Village.
Or they were members of great clans and Sects who, despite having resources and Cultivation Techniques, lacked the necessary talent.
And what about him?
He had reached this point step by step. He had the Cultivation Techniques, and his talent wasn’t lacking. But now, he had to worry about time.
’Cultivating so many paths is great and all, but it takes up so much time!’
Take the Witch Dao, for example. He had Witch Power in his body now, but it was pathetically weak.
Moreover, Zhu Ge had no confidence he could develop his Witch Power to the same extent as his Martial and Confucian Daos.
After all, he didn’t really have a deep understanding of the Witch Dao. Everything he knew came from Tongzhen and the Bone Monster Avatar.
Just as he was lost in thought, several figures flew over from the distance.
"Zhu Ge! Is it true? Has Hongmi Immortal been vanquished?!"