The sages and ancients have left behind numerous classics, worthy of study by later generations. Lu Yuan had recently been immersed in a sea of literature, absorbing these ancient texts. That poem left by the sage with the surname Xin over ten epochs ago—"Heaven and Earth possess the vital spirit, flowing into myriad forms; below, it becomes rivers and mountains; above, it becomes the sun and stars. In man, it is called 'Haoran' (vast, flowing spirit), surging to fill the boundless firmament."—Lu Yuan had seen it before, yet reading it again now brought forth entirely new insights.

Finishing this Song of Righteousness, Lu Yuan moved on to another ancient manuscript. This was spoken by a man named Mencius, supposedly an ancestor of Li Taishi’s current false identity, his second senior brother, Meng Wei. Faced with the question of what constituted Haoran Zhengqi (Vast Righteous Spirit), this Mencius once declared: "It is difficult to speak of. As a qi, it is supreme in greatness and utmost in firmness; if nurtured with rectitude and without harm, it pervades between Heaven and Earth." And the summary offered by Kongzi, ancestor of Li Taishi’s false identity’s senior brother, Kong Ni, was even more profound.

His summary consisted of just four characters. “The Junzi is not a mere implement!” A Junzi (noble person) should not be like a tool; they must be widely learned, possess broad tolerance, and act appropriately according to the place, the person, and the situation.

Another sage had stated: "The Junzi cultivates righteous qi; the petty man cultivates aberrant qi. That which nourishes inherent nature within, aligns with righteousness without, moves according to principle, and is not bound by things—that is righteous qi. That which is driven by indulgence in flavor, captivated by sound and color, expressed through joy and anger, and disregards future consequences—that is aberrant qi." Lu Yuan, having read little before and usually indulging in gluttony and sleep, now startlingly realized how deeply these words, spoken by the sages of old, resonated.

Still, it didn't quite fit. Lu Yuan found that while the sages’ words held immense truth, he couldn't truly taste them in his reading. Simply put, he was inherently not a scholar.

He couldn't help but recall his first arrival at Mount Hua and his first master, Li Yuanbai, a learned man who insisted he study. His response back then was: "Spring is no time for books; the summer heat is perfect for sleeps; autumn brings gnats, winter brings snow—pack up the satchel and celebrate the New Year." Lu Yuan realized he was not cut out for scholarship by nature, and precisely because he wasn't suited for it, his current method of reading ancient texts to cultivate righteous spirit was making virtually no headway.

After reading diligently for a full month, Lu Yuan finally understood: he was simply not cut out for that path.

Thus, Lu Yuan shifted to another method: following the Deputy Head of the Confucian Civilization to learn the Ru Dao Zheng Jing (The Classic of Confucian Dao Righteousness), the third method offered by the Deputy Head at that time.

"The Ru Dao Zheng Jing is my creation, the true classic of Confucianism. This classic inherits the ultimate techniques from countless epochs before; it inherits the ultimate techniques of past sages," the Deputy Head of Confucian Civilization stated. "The Ru Dao Zheng Jing directly absorbs the righteous qi of Heaven and Earth. Try this Ru Dao Zheng Jing." The Head of Confucian Civilization said.

Lu Yuan immediately began circulating his cultivation energy. Ru Dao Zheng Jing.

Quickly, following the methods of the Ru Dao Zheng Jing, Lu Yuan absorbed the righteous qi between Heaven and Earth. During this process, Lu Yuan perceived that there was indeed a current of aberrant qi and a current of righteous qi in the world, but the vast majority was neither righteous nor aberrant—it was a neutral aura of balanced harmony.

As Lu Yuan absorbed the righteous qi of Heaven and Earth, it trickled in like a tiny stream. Lu Yuan made a quick estimation, comparing it to the seven layers of righteous qi he currently possessed. This comparison immediately revealed the crux of the problem: his speed of absorbing righteous qi was too slow. At this rate, reaching the eighth layer of righteous qi would take at least several hundred years, perhaps even millennia.

This! This! This!

This meant that the second path chosen by the Deputy Head of Confucian Civilization, and the third path, were both dead ends. The first path—performing deeds of justice—was also absolutely impossible, as it required a vast amount of time and the accumulation of countless righteous acts. In short, all three paths offered by the Deputy Head of Confucian Civilization were currently impassable.

If that was the case, could it be that because his Xianjian Yang Wu (Immortal Sword Nurturing Self) was broken, he would suffer a severe loss of strength in the Sacred Land of Civilization? Such an outcome was simply unacceptable under any circumstance.

But what then?

At this moment, Senior Brother Kong Ni happened to be nearby. Seeing both the Deputy Head of Confucian Civilization and his Sixth Junior Brother, Li Taishi, ensnared in difficulty, Kong Ni pondered for a moment and suggested, "How about trying the Kong Sheng Xin Jing (Sacred Heart Sutra of Kong) from my ancestor?" Kong Sheng was a figure from many epochs prior, whose strength was merely at the Celestial Venerable Realm, but his unique heart sutra possessed certain special attributes. The Deputy Head of Confucian Civilization nodded: "Very well, let's try it."

Kong Ni raised his hand and manifested the Kong Sheng Xin Jing, which appeared as a book inscribed with countless profound principles. He then commanded, "Sixth Junior Brother, circulate the Ru Dao Zheng Jing now, see if the absorption speed increases!" In an instant, countless recitations erupted from the Kong Sheng Xin Jing, enveloping Lu Yuan. Lu Yuan immediately circulated the Ru Dao Zheng Jing to absorb the righteous qi of Heaven and Earth. This time, the speed of absorbing the world's righteous qi was indeed much faster than before.

However, the issue was that even though it was much faster than the previous attempt, it was still slow. Yes, noticeably slow. For some reason, Lu Yuan's speed in learning righteous qi remained consistently sluggish.

As for the previous seven layers of righteous qi, they were genuinely not learned, but rather cultivated along the way. This was the first time Lu Yuan was truly studying righteous qi.

The Deputy Head of Confucian Civilization was left speechless. He had always assumed Lu Yuan’s prodigious talent would place him on par with figures like the 'Child of Immortals,' but his current speed in cultivating righteous qi was clearly not fast. If the Child of Immortals were to study this righteous qi, their speed likely wouldn't be slower than Lu Yuan’s. Lu Yuan was too slow.

What was the reason for this?

The truth was simple: Lu Yuan's talent was poor in everything except swordsmanship. Although his 'Dao' character clone later enhanced him somewhat, the improvement was limited. His aptitude for righteous qi remained profoundly lacking. Hence, even following the paths provided by the Deputy Head of Confucian Civilization and benefiting from Senior Brother Kong Ni’s Kong Sheng Xin Jing, his speed was still slow—distinctly slower than the normal cultivation speed for righteous qi among people of the Confucian Civilization.

The Deputy Head of Confucian Civilization sighed, "It seems reaching the ninth layer of righteous qi will be difficult for you. If, in a little over two years, you still haven't reached the ninth layer before entering the Sacred Land of Civilization, then temporarily switch weapons, or I will find you an Immortal-grade weapon." He offered a solution, but Lu Yuan shook his head: "I still want to try."

A swordsman cannot easily discard his sword. If one casually abandons their blade without feeling any attachment, the sword will not be truly loyal to the person. Consequently, true communion between man and sword, man and sword becoming one, cannot be achieved. If he acted so carelessly, he would truly fail his sword. Moreover, this particular sword held extraordinary significance; it carried the hopes of his elders for him. For this reason above all, he could not abandon it.

Some matters allow for turning corners and taking detours. Some matters, however, absolutely forbid deviation; one must walk the straight path, even if it leads to bruised heads and bleeding brows. This is choosing the curve within the straight line. This is what it means for a great man to know what must be done, and what must not be done.

Seeing Lu Yuan's firm resolve, the Deputy Head of Confucian Civilization stopped persuading him. This very character was what the Deputy Head valued in Lu Yuan, a disposition that greatly satisfied him. There was still a little over two years; they would address the matter when the time came.

Meanwhile, within the Confucian Civilization, in a darkened corner.

"Oh? The Deputy Head of Confucian Civilization still refuses to hand over the character. He guards that initial character quite closely," remarked a voice possessing a tone of balanced peace.

"He's practically dead, why hold onto the initial character so tightly?" came another, sharper voice.

"Speaking of which, the Deputy Head of Confucian Civilization recently took on a disciple named Li Taishi. Do you know his origins?"

"That has been investigated. This Li Taishi appeared previously on Gambling Immortal Island. He is quite a figure of strong destiny, and he even won once, securing one hundred and ninety thousand Heavenly-Grade Spirit Stones."

"One hundred and ninety thousand Heavenly-Grade Spirit Stones!" Even the balanced, peaceful voice sounded somewhat startled; that was truly a colossal sum.

"What about his talent and such?"

"Reports suggest his cultivation is at the peak of the World Realm Seventh Heaven. As for talent? According to scouts from the Billion Book Manor, he is currently learning righteous qi, but he is progressing quite slowly—even slower than the normal pace within our Confucian Civilization. Thus, it's estimated that the Deputy Head of Confucian Civilization is taking one final closing disciple before his death, not to play any tricks on this final disciple, but because of the Light Civilization. Li Haoran of the Light Civilization supposedly had some prior association with the Deputy Head of Confucian Civilization, and it is because of that connection he took the final disciple."

"That seems likely. In that case, let everything proceed according to the original plan."

The voices finally vanished completely, and the darkness returned to darkness. In the shadows, no one could tell who had spoken. Darkness can conceal everything. ....................

The time remaining for him was not plentiful—a little over two years and three months now. Lu Yuan sat in his residence.

He absolutely had to repair his Yang Wu Immortal Sword within the remaining two years and three months, and he absolutely had to push his righteous qi to the ninth layer. Although cultivation becomes exponentially harder at higher levels—going from the seventh to the eighth layer is a hundred times harder than from the sixth to the seventh, and the eighth to the ninth is another hundred times harder than the previous leap—he still had to attempt the breakthrough.

Having reaffirmed this resolve, Lu Yuan took out his damaged Yang Wu Immortal Sword. The mark near one inch from the hilt, a scar that nearly cleaved the blade in two, remained shocking to behold.

Gently tracing the cut mark on the blade, Lu Yuan calmed his mind, picked up a brush, and wrote the character Jing (Still/Quiet) upon it. Jing! Calm the heart.

After settling his mind, Lu Yuan wrote the character Zheng (Righteous/Straight) on a sheet of white paper. This character Zheng was written perfectly balanced and steady. How to cultivate this character Zheng, Lu Yuan pondered silently in his mind.

While thinking, he wrote a second character Zheng. This second Zheng appeared almost identical to the first, perfectly balanced and steady. He still hadn't figured out what to do next.