Imperial Cultivation

Chapter 20: Chapter 18 Choices

Chu Zhiyuan sighed quietly.

It wasn’t surprising that Chu Zhitian joined the Military Suppression Department. Besides the army, the other departments, where it’s easiest to earn merits, are the Military Suppression Department and the Inspection Department.

For a princely heir, joining the army is the most suitable.

Once in the army, he could take a mid-level officer’s position, stay by the commander’s side, face hardly any danger, and still earn merits easily.

The Military Suppression Department, however, requires facing martial arts experts who break the law. Even being a deputy hall master involves confrontation and is extremely dangerous.

He looked at Chu Zhichuan and asked, ”Tenth brother, where do you want to go?”

Chu Zhichuan calmly uttered three words: ”Military Suppression Department!”

Chu Zhitian shook his head, ”Why go through the hardship?”

Chu Zhichuan coldly replied, ”If you, Brother Nine, can go, why can’t I?”

”Hey, you old Tenth!” Chu Zhitian glared, ”I have no choice, but you don’t have to wade into these muddy waters.”

”After we go to the Military Suppression Department, let’s compete again!” Chu Zhichuan said.

Chu Zhiyuan couldn’t help but smile.

This was truly Chu Zhichuan—a combative spirit beneath a handsome exterior.

”And you, Fourth Brother?” Chu Zhitian asked.

Chu Zhiyuan slowly replied, ”I want to go to the Ministry of Rites.”

All three were immediately wide-eyed.

”The Ministry of Rites?” Chu Mingxuan exclaimed, ”That’s a plain office, where’s the chance to earn merits? What a waste of your talent.”

Chu Zhitian and Chu Zhichuan nodded in unison, clearly not in favor.

”Eighteenth Uncle, my foundation isn’t solid,” Chu Zhiyuan shook his head, ”I’d rather focus on reading and strengthening my foundation before seeking merits.”

That was his honest feeling.

Earning merits to exchange for spirit pills is indeed a shortcut for cultivation.

Upon reaching Innate Perfection, one seeks the door to the Grandmaster.

The door to the Grandmaster isn’t like the three barriers between the Postnatal and Innate realms; it’s a profound and mysterious acupoint in the void.

With a deep enough understanding of one’s fundamental mental method, when inspiration strikes, the door to the Grandmaster appears. Combining true qi to break through it allows one to truly enter the Grandmaster Realm.

This door is a huge barrier, more difficult to break than the three barriers, but the real challenge is finding this door, as many stuck at Innate Perfection cannot find their way in.

By the standards of his previous life, an Innate Master is equivalent to a PhD, a Grandmaster to an academician, and a Great Grandmaster to great scientists like Qian Xuesen or Yuan Longping.

Mindless dedication to cultivation can leave one stuck at Innate for a lifetime, unable to become a Grandmaster.

How to deepen one’s martial arts understanding and insight?

The most important path is through honing.

Exchanging techniques or even life-and-death battles with different martial arts will continuously deepen one’s understanding and insights.

Another path is pure realization.

Deeper and deeper realizations, step by step, until inspiration flashes and the door to the Grandmaster appears.

The reason princely heirs and princes must take on duties and earn merits is not only to acquire cultivation resources to accelerate progress but also to gain insights into martial arts.

Moreover, earning merits can exchange for spirit pills and miraculous medicines, not only aiding one’s own cultivation but also strengthening one’s Prince Mansion.

It’s a win-win-win.

But for himself, it’s different.

He possesses Super Sense, allowing him to discern subtle body changes as clearly as seeing the daylight. His understanding of his own martial arts far surpasses ordinary people.

Thus, he doesn’t need to hone through battles; he can completely seek the door to the Grandmaster through reading and self-realization.

He has the legacy of the Taiqing Primordial Sect, and even without spirit pills or miraculous medicines to restore true qi, it’s of no consequence.

He possesses the inheritances of the Dragon Subduing Sect and Yu Xu Sword Sect, with the Jade Lock Gold Barrier Skill, allowing his cultivation speed to advance by leaps and bounds far beyond ordinary people.

Most importantly, he wishes to avoid risk.

This world is still too dangerous; the Innate realm is too weak. Even if he must join the Military Suppression Department, it has to be after reaching the Grandmaster Realm.

However, he also needs to earn merits and requires cultivation resources.

He may not need spirit pills that restore true qi, but spirit pills and medicines that cleanse muscles and refine marrow are still highly beneficial, not to mention the Prince Mansion also needs spirit pills to enhance the guards’ strength.

Going to the Ministry of Rites poses no danger, offers opportunities to earn merits, and provides time for practice and study.

A win-win-win, the Ministry of Rites is a perfect choice for him.

Moreover, the Ministry of Rites oversees the largest library in the Da Jing Dynasty—Tongtian Pavilion.

Tongtian Pavilion collects rare books from all over the world, encompassing everything, vast as the sea, not open to the public but unable to bar him, the princely heir.

Most importantly, he can use his office hours to visit Tongtian Pavilion for reading.

With his photographic memory, he can navigate through ancient and modern times quickly, acquiring knowledge in astronomy and geography, immensely benefiting martial arts practice.

——

”What a pity, Fourth Brother.” Chu Mingxuan shook his head repeatedly.

He did not understand Chu Zhiyuan’s decision.

Chu Zhiyuan smiled and said, ”The Ministry of Rites may not lack opportunities for merits, let’s see who reaches the Grandmaster first.”

”Grandmaster...” Chu Mingxuan smiled smugly, ”I bet I’ll be the first to reach the Grandmaster.”

Once out of Mingwu Hall, everything changes.

In Mingwu Hall, everyone could only train based on their aptitude. After leaving Mingwu Hall, spirit pills could be used to accelerate cultivation speed.

As a prince, the positions he can obtain are higher, making it easier to acquire merits and exchange for spirit pills to bridge and even surpass aptitude gaps.

For instance, if both go to the Ministry of Rites, he could be in charge of diplomatic missions abroad, while the princely heir could only be an assistant.

If they join the army, he would directly be at the rank of a thousand-household officer, while the princely heir could only be a hundred-household officer.

The higher the position, the easier it is to gain merits.

Chu Zhitian nodded approvingly.

The princely heir indeed cannot be compared with the prince, the generational gap is significant, and the relationship with the Emperor is also a layer apart; one is a son, the other a grandson.

Chu Zhichuan snorted, ”Eighteenth Uncle, that’s not necessarily so.”

”Old Tenth, let’s just see.” Chu Mingxuan boasted, ”After all, I’m a prince, and you’re princely heirs.”

”Fourth Brother, think carefully!” Chu Zhitian said.

If the Fourth Brother joined the army or the Military Suppression Department, there was hope to stay ahead, but joining the Ministry of Rites would likely soon fall behind.

Chu Zhiyuan smiled, then drank another bowl of wine.

From his stomach, a surge of heat rushed towards the bone membrane, thickening it a bit more.

Suddenly, he was inspired and quietly began to practice the Dragon Transformation Technique.

The sixth layer of the Dragon Transformation Technique is trained in the membrane.

The nine layers of the Dragon Transformation Technique, when practiced in order, are easier to master, although mixing the sequence increases difficulty substantially.

Training tendons and then acupoints allows for the circulation of stronger true qi, but if one trains bones and marrow and membrane directly without tendon and acupoint training, the true qi is less robust, thus slightly less effective.

But at this moment, with the Bone Wine from the Six Yang Demon Tiger, it’s the perfect opportunity for membrane training.

With the operation of the sixth layer of the Dragon Transformation Technique, the previously diffused medicinal strength, like a lost child finding a goal, all drilled into the bones without waste.

As the bone membrane thickened, he could clearly feel the rapid enhancement of power, and even his movements became slightly faster.

Sometimes, this slight improvement could determine life and death in a battle.

——

The bright moon hung high in the sky.

In the brightly lit Tingtao Courtyard, under a plum tree, Chu Zhiyuan practiced boxing slowly, carefully experiencing the changes in his body.

The medicinal strength had fully dissipated, completely playing its role.

The thickening of the bone membrane had concluded.

He felt the changes in his body, with strength increasing by about ten percent and speed by five percent.

The combined effect of strength and speed greatly enhanced the power of the same move in swordsmanship.

No wonder disciples of the Four Great Sects strive to earn merits, and the various sects in the martial arts world are eager to enter the Court; the allure of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures is too great.

Of course, without the Dragon Transformation Technique, his harvest this time wouldn’t have been so great.

Perhaps only a tenth of the medicinal strength was absorbed by Chu Zhitian and Chu Zhichuan, with the rest wasted.

Chu Mingxuan truly invested significantly this time; sharing such medicinal wine, clearly intending to win over the three of them.

As a prince, his rank is higher; similarly in the Ministry of Rites, he could hold substantive and main roles, while the princely heirs could only hold auxiliary roles and secondary positions.

Princely heirs could only assist, while princes could lead, needing protection and assistance, for which princely heirs are the best candidates.

Chu Mingxuan may not go to the Ministry of Rites, possibly joining the army, where it’s the best place for princes and princely heirs.

But regardless of their choice, he still wished to go to the Ministry of Rites; the army lacked Zou Fang’s company and Guo Chi’s protection, making it too dangerous.

In the leisurely Ministry of Rites, focusing on practicing and studying could lay a solid foundation for the future.

Furthermore, after reaching the Innate realm, he could participate in the annual autumn hunt, hunting demon beasts at the Feiyan Hunting Ground to exchange for military merits.

With his Super Sense, coupled with Near and Far Steps and the Great Snow Avalanche Sword Technique, hunting demon beasts wouldn’t be difficult.

While he was pondering, a maid in white, Mo Yi, gracefully approached, carrying a Purple Sandalwood Box, placing it on the stone table in the courtyard: ”The Princess personally made a three-flavor soup for the young master to drink.”

Chu Zhiyuan shook his head.

Mo Yi covered her mouth with a smile, ”The Princess spent two hours personally simmering it, saying it’s beneficial for the young master’s cultivation.”

”And the little sister?”

”The Commandery Princess has some too.”

”Alright then,” Chu Zhiyuan nodded.

Mo Yi opened the purple box and took out a bowl of soup.

An unusual fragrance immediately filled the air.

Mo Yi softly said, ”Indeed it’s a demon beast, completely distinct from the usual fragrance of meat.”

This unique aroma was unlike that of any usual pig, cow, sheep, deer, bear, or bird.

Chu Zhiyuan smiled slightly, accepting the bowl and sipping it lightly.

Once the soup entered his stomach, it quickly transformed into Qing Qi, spreading through his five internal organs and six bowels, as he operated the training tendons and training muscle of the Dragon Transformation Technique.