While composing the Jing and Zheng principles, Lu Yuan’s mind cleared, struck by a sudden, profound enlightenment.

Zhengqi, Righteous Qi, is the energy of the upright path, the very breath of justice.

This aura was inherently noble, radiant, and utterly luminous. When cultivating Zhengqi, forcing a shortcut would corrupt its essence. It was far better to spend a considerable amount of time, progressing slowly, building the foundation in a straightforward and honorable manner—that truly honored the character Zheng (Righteousness).

He realized he should not even consider seeking shortcuts. In this world, some paths indeed allow for swift passage, but others absolutely forbid it.

As for the extra time required, that was easily managed.

Did he not already command the Iron Rule of Time? Within a certain range, he could slow the flow of time while the external world proceeded normally. This effectively granted him significantly more personal time. However, deploying this Iron Rule required an immense expenditure of magical power. It was tolerable during a battle, but sustained use demanded substantial energy replenishment.

Conveniently, he still possessed fifty-one thousand Heavenly-Grade Spirit Stones—a truly staggering fortune.

Yet, for the sake of mastering the Ninth Layer of Zhengqi and repairing the Yangwu Immortal Sword, he had no choice but to expend this entire hoard.

He secretly calculated that this vast accumulation of wealth should sustain a substantial deceleration of localized time for a very long duration.

Lu Yuan settled into a cross-legged posture and began to burn the Heavenly-Grade Spirit Stones held in his hands.

Heavenly-Grade Spirit Stones were no ordinary material.

Each stone radiated a dazzling, pure white light—a brilliance so sacred that the presence of a single stone instantly flooded the chamber in luminescence. Lu Yuan activated the Iron Rule of Time, and instantly, within the confines of the room, time began to slow drastically. For every three hundred days passing outside, only one day elapsed within.

Indeed, the time dilation ratio was three hundred to one.

However, the corresponding drain on magical power remained equally swift, fortunately buffered by the continuous consumption of the Heavenly-Grade Spirit Stones.

Simultaneously, Lu Yuan invoked the Kong Sheng Heart Sutra, a text loaned to him by his Eldest Martial Brother, Kong Ni. This scripture enhanced the speed at which he absorbed Zhengqi. The Kong Sheng Heart Sutra was Kong Ni’s ancestral treasure, yet he had generously lent it out for Lu Yuan’s cultivation of Righteous Qi.

It must be acknowledged, Kong Ni showed his Sixth Junior Brother, Li Taishi, a level of favor beyond the ordinary.

Lu Yuan manifested the Kong Sheng Heart Sutra while simultaneously cultivating the Confucian Orthodox Classic.

Yes, absorbing Zhengqi was slow, but he was not in a hurry; he would allow time to grind it down patiently.

Lu Yuan absorbed the Zhengqi, grain by tiny grain.

One year passed.

Two years passed.

Three years passed, and Lu Yuan remained immersed in cultivation.

Thirty years passed, and Lu Yuan was still cultivating.

Fifty years passed, and Lu Yuan persisted. Truthfully, he was beginning to feel restless. He couldn't help it; his supply of wine had been depleted, which was deeply frustrating. No matter how lonely or tedious the isolation, as long as he had wine, he could endure. But now, without even that solace, he felt truly vexed. Given Lu Yuan’s naturally restless disposition, he would have quit long ago to hunt down some liquor. He had already inquired; the Confucian Civilization did indeed sell wine. He recalled asking his Second Martial Brother, Meng Wei, in an unusually urgent manner back then. Meng Wei, thinking something momentous was afoot, nearly burst into laughter upon learning the crisis was merely locating wine—as if alcohol wasn't a monumental matter.

Wine was certainly a major affair.

But this time, he had to bear it, because the sword was also a major affair.

The importance of the Yangwu Sword to him was not one iota less than that of his wine.

Therefore, to restore the blade, he could only temporarily suppress his craving.

One hundred years passed. Initially, Lu Yuan was agonizingly bored, almost driven mad by the lack of wine. Yet, after a century spent cultivating here, he gradually began to sense the subtle resonance, the very flavor, of Zhengqi. Consequently, his temperament subtly shifted, acquiring a scholarly, antique grace. On this day, the Zhengqi suddenly surged, and Lu Yuan realized with a start that he had broken through to the Eighth Layer. With the Eighth Layer of Zhengqi dwelling in his chest and spirit, he could now suppress numerous demons and monsters.

Two hundred years passed, and Lu Yuan remained deeply absorbed in the Zhengqi.

Three hundred years passed, and Lu Yuan was still immersed. Suddenly, a wave of righteous energy flooded his chest, and Lu Yuan perceived that his Zhengqi seemed to have reached the zenith of Heavenly Principle clarity—this was the Ninth Layer, the culmination of the number nine, the absolute limit of Zhengqi.

Finally reaching the Ninth Layer of Zhengqi—it had not been easy.

Three hundred years had passed here; externally, only about a year should have elapsed. Of course, Lu Yuan noted that his fifty-one thousand Heavenly-Grade Spirit Stones were entirely exhausted, not a single speck remaining. This consumption rate was truly astonishing. Fifty-one thousand stones was no minor sum. Well, the days of money flowing like a stream had finally ended today. The two hundred thousand Heavenly-Grade Spirit Stones he had earned on Gambling Immortal Isle were now officially depleted. He sighed, nostalgic for the time when he possessed two hundred thousand. Alas, now, every last one had been spent.

Lu Yuan sat cross-legged, the Ninth Layer of Zhengqi circulating within his core. He found himself seemingly glimpsing the spectral forms of countless ancient Sages. Heaven and Earth hold true righteousness! Settling his turbulent emotions, he prepared to mend the Yangwu Immortal Sword.

He summoned the damaged Yangwu Immortal Sword and channeled his own Zhengqi, layer by layer, to scour the blade.

Impact after impact, surge after surge.

Under the relentless pressure of the Ninth Layer of Zhengqi, the Yangwu Immortal Sword continuously recovered. The original gashes visibly shrank until they were completely closed.

No!

Though the wounds had sealed, a hairline fracture remained upon the surface.

This single crack refused to vanish.

Lu Yuan probed the sword with his divine sense and detected the blade's fury.

Yes, the Yangwu Immortal Sword was extremely enraged.

Since its emergence, the Yangwu Sword had never suffered such devastating damage. To be so grievously wounded by the Desolate Child, Yue Honghuang Shenji, had brought it to the peak of its wrath. The Yangwu Sword yearned to defeat the Desolate Child.

Lu Yuan gently stroked the blade, finally resting his fingers upon that impossibly fine crack. "Yangwu, I understand your sentiment. I will defeat the Desolate Child. In the upcoming battle for the Civilization Holy Land, I shall test my strength. If I cannot triumph there, in the time that follows, I will still defeat him. I absolutely will. We must have this revenge."

The Yangwu Immortal Sword hummed in response; it had heard the resonance of Lu Yuan’s heart.

Lu Yuan gripped the Yangwu Immortal Sword, now restored. Having undergone this severe injury and subsequent repair, Lu Yuan found the communication between himself and the sword growing increasingly effortless, seemingly achieving a deeper state of Man-Sword Unity. The sword understood the man better, and the man understood the sword more deeply.

There was now just over a year until the opening of the Civilization Holy Land—the time was drawing near rapidly.

Lu Yuan decided it was time to seek out the Vice-Master of the Confucian Civilization.

In the main hall of the Myriad Book Archive, within the Confucian Scripture Hall.

The Confucian Scripture Hall was a sanctuary of books, an ocean of literature. The Vice-Master of the Confucian Civilization sat within this sea of texts. At this moment, Eldest Martial Brother Kong Ni, Second Martial Brother Meng Wei, and Third Martial Sister Su Yuemian were all present. Upon entering, Lu Yuan formally greeted each of them, and they returned the courtesies to their Sixth Junior Brother, Li Taishi.

Lu Yuan returned the Kong Sheng Heart Sutra to Kong Ni. "Thank you, Eldest Martial Brother, for the virtue of lending this book. My Zhengqi has now reached the Ninth Layer, and thus I return it."

"What!"

"What!" Exclamations of surprise erupted. Initially, no one had expected Lu Yuan to reach the Ninth Layer of Zhengqi so quickly. However, after a brief explanation, they understood that Lu Yuan had not achieved the breakthrough swiftly in the conventional sense, but rather utilized the time deceleration method, aided by an astronomical amount of Heavenly-Grade Spirit Stones, to walk the righteous path and attain the Ninth Layer over three centuries.

Achieving the Ninth Layer of Zhengqi in three hundred years, with the assistance of the Kong Sheng Heart Sutra, was considered standard performance.

After all, the Kong Sheng Heart Sutra significantly increased the speed. Without its aid, Li Taishi might have required three millennia.

Therefore, Lu Yuan's progression from the Seventh to the Ninth Layer in three hundred years was not inherently shocking, merely causing a flicker of astonishment at how incredibly wealthy Sixth Junior Brother Li Taishi was to afford fifty thousand Heavenly-Grade Spirit Stones—that fortune was truly exceptional. The Vice-Master of the Confucian Civilization also inferred that Lu Yuan must have completed the repair of the Yangwu Immortal Sword, explaining his current appearance of complete spiritual vigor.

"The four of you will depart for the Civilization Holy Land in one year, seeking greater benefits there. Kong Ni, you are already at the Half-Step Civilization Realm; I have nothing more to say but to urge you to strive in your comprehension toward that ultimate leap—becoming a Civilization Realm expert is like a fish leaping over the dragon gate to transform into a dragon; the gulf between the two is vast." "Meng Wei, possessing the power of the Tenth Heaven of the World Realm, your focus should be on refining techniques. You are not particularly strong in this area; breakthroughs here will amplify your overall might." "Su Yuemian, your skill in combat techniques is also not paramount. However, you should prioritize cultivating the Way of Elusion (Xiaoshu) first. In the Holy Land, self-preservation must be your main goal, so focus your efforts over this next year on mastering Xiaoshu." The Vice-Master of the Confucian Civilization offered guidance to the first three, finally turning to Lu Yuan.

"As for Li Taishi, in this final year before entering the Holy Land, what you must cultivate is..." The Vice-Master of the Confucian Civilization looked at Lu Yuan and spoke slowly.

Lu Yuan was also curious. What task was reserved for him in the last year before entering the Civilization Holy Land?

This should be his final period of formal cultivation.

The Vice-Master of the Confucian Civilization hesitated. Lu Yuan’s recent performance was not dazzling, but resolutely practical. The Vice-Master truly appreciated this steady approach. Lu Yuan’s mastery of combat techniques was already peerless, needing no further instruction. His magical power, currently engaged in World Evolution, could not be easily raised. His Zhengqi had reached the Ninth Layer and could advance no further. For a moment, the Vice-Master was genuinely unsure what Lu Yuan should study in the coming year.

But then, his mind suddenly sparked, and an idea materialized.