When this Qi manifested, it was utterly distinct from the Righteous Qi projected by Kong Ni and Meng Wei.

As this Righteous Qi issued forth, it seemed imbued with a compelling force—a power rooted in undeniable justice.

Within the sphere of this Righteous Qi, injuries swiftly healed, and vegetation flourished.

It appeared to be a force of absolute clarity and brilliance!

This was a power of supreme fortitude and greatness!

And above, the three suns in the sky—Zheng, Qi, and Ge—all focused even greater light upon the point where Lu Yuan struck with his Qi. In this focused light, all malice, demonic energy, and aberrant forces found nowhere to hide. This was the zenith of pure light and righteousness, the very freedom of wind, sunlight, moon mist. This Righteous Qi bloomed vigorously between heaven and earth.

No, even above the Hall of Ten Thousand Libraries, the character Zheng () trembled softly. This tremor was not caused by external force, but by resonance.

Indeed, resonance.

The character Zheng recognized its equal and thus vibrated in sympathy.

What manner of Righteous Qi was this?

Kong Ni and Meng Wei both started. They had dedicated so much to the cultivation of Righteous Qi, yet they had never witnessed anything like this.

At this moment, the four Vice-Masters of Civilization were all slightly startled. They were not as inexperienced as Kong Ni and Meng Wei; they recognized it instantly. This was the Tenth Layer of Righteous Qi, the layer beyond the extreme limit of the Ninth. It had always been said that one had to reach the Civilization Realm to cultivate the Tenth Layer of Righteous Qi. They never imagined that this Li Taishi had achieved the Tenth Layer while still in the World Realm.

The Vice-Master of the Confucian Civilization started slightly. It seemed Lu Yuan had created yet another miracle; truly a figure of limitless potential.

The Vice-Masters of the Three Scriptures Civilization and the Integrity Civilization both felt a quiet surprise in their hearts. They genuinely could not have predicted this. It appeared the Vice-Master of the Confucian Civilization had managed to recruit a worthy disciple in his final days. A person possessing the Tenth Layer of Righteous Qi, even if lacking talent in other areas, would be the ultimate heir to the Confucian Way, for the Confucian Path places paramount importance on Righteous Qi.

The Vice-Master of the Heavenly Principle Civilization was also taken aback. He suspected the Vice-Master of the Confucian Civilization was playing a final trick before death. His hand-picked, last disciple certainly had hidden depths. However, Zhu Renyu was cultivated with meticulous care, inheriting his own philosophy, and he would not be defeated so easily. He had no intention of warning Zhu Renyu about the Tenth Layer of Righteous Qi; the protégé he had groomed himself would not fall so swiftly.

The Tenth Layer of Righteous Qi!

Zhu Renyu, of course, did not yet recognize the Tenth Layer of Righteous Qi, but he was shocked to find his spear of Righteous Qi, meant to exterminate human desire, being blocked. No—upon contact with the opponent’s Qi, it melted away like snow meeting the sun. This startled Zhu Renyu: what kind of Righteous Qi was this?

Furthermore, this Righteous Qi made Zhu Renyu profoundly uncomfortable.

After shattering Zhu Renyu’s Righteous Qi, Lu Yuan’s energy surged onward. Zhu Renyu twisted and turned, but this Righteous Qi relentlessly pursued him, seemingly tracking him no matter where he fled, finally striking him heavily. Instantly, Zhu Renyu felt an overwhelming malaise, nearly spitting blood.

This was not the sensation of being struck by magical power.

It was the feeling of being struck by pure Qi.

In truth, Lu Yuan’s Tenth Layer Righteous Qi would inflict virtually no damage on a righteous or non-evil person. But against the fundamentally wicked, its damage was doubled—this was the inherent nature of Righteous Qi.

Zhu Renyu followed the path of 'Preserving Heavenly Principle, Extinguishing Human Desire,' a road that had subtly veered into the heretical. He was perfectly counteracted by the Righteous Qi, causing him agonizing discomfort. It felt as though he himself were a demon or evil spirit. Yet, those who followed Zhu Renyu’s path differed from ordinary fiends; they always believed themselves to be the true orthodoxy of Confucianism. To be suppressed by Righteous Qi was a dual blow, psychological and physical.

However, Lu Yuan’s Righteous Qi also had its limitations. After all, Righteous Qi was not inherently a primary offensive weapon, and Zhu Renyu’s magical power far surpassed Lu Yuan’s. Thus, after his expression shifted, Zhu Renyu regained his composure. He fixed Lu Yuan with a deep gaze: "Li Taishi, it seems I concede regarding Righteous Qi. Next, let us contend with books."

Zhu Renyu raised his hand, manifesting the Book of Heavenly Principle. He propelled the book upward, and instantly, countless streams of knowledge flooded toward Lu Yuan.

Immediately, Zhu Renyu summoned another, brand-new book.

This book displayed the title The Book of Master Zhu. A collection. When had a Master Zhu ever appeared in this world?

In this realm, a person worthy of the title Zi (Master/Sage) could not be ordinary.

Zi implied veneration, reserved for at least a Heavenly Venerable, and a prominent one at that—a figure capable of writing and establishing doctrine. Yet, Lu Yuan recalled no such figure as Master Zhu in the history of the Confucian Way.

Indeed, in previous epochs of Confucianism, there was no such personage as Master Zhu.

But so what? Zhu Renyu intended to claim the title of Master Zhu himself, to be revered as an ancestor. And in the domain of literature and texts, Zhu Renyu was undeniably formidable. From his Book of Master Zhu emerged page after page of scripture.

"The Three Bonds and Five Constants, none shall disorder."

"Principle may obey Heaven, Principle may slay man."

"Every word, every character, chains the heart and binds the mind."

"Human desire is useless; Heavenly Principle alone shall endure."

The doctrines inscribed on these pages were terrifying in their implications—the sort of reasoning that arises when Confucianism deviates into absolute extremism. Yet, they could not be denied. Despite this extreme deviation, Zhu Renyu’s ability to author texts and materialize these principles demonstrated a truly terrifying cultivation level in the sphere of books.

His mastery of texts far surpassed the Three Character Classic, the Thousand Character Classic, or the Three Thousand Classics, reaching the very stage of formulating doctrine through written word. The next step would be to articulate a Civilization, and beyond that, to become a part of a Civilization, eventually culminating in the ultimate Book of Civilization. Of course, the progression grew exponentially harder, but reaching the stage of authoring doctrine proved his immense capability.

After his previous battle with Kong Ni, Zhu Renyu had claimed he had only utilized about half his ability in the textual arts. At the time, people assumed he was boasting. Now, by summoning his self-created Book of Master Zhu, it was clear he had indeed reached the level of formulating doctrine. His claim of only using half his power was apparently true.

Zhu Renyu was now unleashing his full might. The Book of Heavenly Principle and the Book of Master Zhu generated layer upon layer of Confucian doctrines, assaulting Lu Yuan. Doctrines are fragments of Civilization; attacks based on doctrine are terrifyingly potent. Defeating an opponent on the plane of pure reason—making them concede they were wrong—was the essence of textual assault, of doctrinal combat, a common tactic between two individuals from the Confucian Civilization.

Waves of doctrine surged toward Lu Yuan.

Li Taishi is in trouble, the crowd thought.

At that very moment, a book shimmered in Lu Yuan’s hand.

It appeared to be an exceedingly simple volume, bearing no title on its cover. It moved directly to collide with Zhu Renyu’s Book of Heavenly Principle and Book of Master Zhu. Ridiculous, Zhu Renyu thought privately. Such a plain book, without even a name, could hardly be beyond the scope of the Three Character Classic. How could it possibly challenge what he had so painstakingly prepared?

But he immediately sensed something was wrong.

What was that?

Though the book was still closed, an aura of Civilization swept out from it.

Zhu Renyu’s Book of Heavenly Principle certainly contained established doctrine.

But this book of Li Taishi, even unopened, possessed the breath of Civilization. Civilization encompasses doctrine; doctrine is only a small part of Civilization. To move from formulating doctrine to achieving the status of a Civilization Book required several almost impossibly difficult advancements. And here, Li Taishi held what looked like a Book of Civilization? Was this a mistake?

How could a Book of Civilization appear?

Yet, there was undeniably the scent of Civilization.

Though somewhat crude, this Book of Civilization was clearly not yet perfected, yet it undeniably radiated the essence of Civilization. Doctrine, sentient beings, Heavenly Principle, earthly laws, human morality—everything was contained within the Book of Civilization. This was a sweeping Book of Civilization that engulfed all things.

Zhu Renyu’s Book of Heavenly Principle and Book of Master Zhu strained to hold their ground in the void. Impossible. It could not be a true Book of Civilization. Such books were exceedingly rare. Central Celestial Dynasty possessed many 'pseudo-Books of Civilization,' a type of fake Dharma Treasure. His own creation was likely a pseudo-Book of Civilization—potent in initial aura, but once opened, it would reveal nothing but blank pages. As long as he could withstand the initial assault from this pseudo-Book, it would have no further means to harm him. Zhu Renyu refused to believe his opponent could conjure a genuine Book of Civilization.

A Book of Civilization—too rare, impossibly scarce.

Zhu Renyu didn't have one; Kong Ni didn't; Meng Wei didn't; Su Yuemian didn't; nor did anyone else. This item was too scarce for Li Taishi to possess.

Facing the desperate resistance of Zhu Renyu’s two texts, Lu Yuan gently opened the first page of the Book of Civilization. Almost all Books of Civilization began the same way: depicting the primordial, savage age, from which most civilizations originated. Of course, Lu Yuan dared not turn the subsequent pages. Those pages contained the civilization of the Sword, and revealing them might expose his true identity, inviting dangerous scrutiny.

However, turning just the first page was sufficient.

The raw, savage aura of the Book of Civilization’s first page instantly and utterly crushed the Book of Heavenly Principle and the Book of Master Zhu. Zhu Renyu was thrown backward by the sheer force of the first page. His face contorted in shock. Both books he had consecrated with his heart’s blood were destroyed by that single opening page. Unable to bear the shock, he spat out a mouthful of blood.

At the same time, Zhu Renyu understood that he had lost completely. With the first page of a true Book of Civilization now revealed, there could be no pretense; this was no mere imitation.

He was at the Ninth Layer of Righteous Qi, the absolute limit beneath the Civilization Realm, yet his opponent had violently smashed through that limit to reach the Tenth Layer of Righteous Qi.

He had reached the pinnacle of formulating doctrine, formidable within the Civilization Realm, but his opponent had forcefully forged a Book of Civilization, surpassing him in every aspect.