Dao Equaling the Heavens-Chapter 69 - 61 Third Level Fulfilled Foundation!

69: Chapter 61 Third Level Fulfilled Foundation!

69 -61 Third Level Fulfilled Foundation!

Another morning dawned.

The door was knocked, and Qin Mian’s voice came through, “Mr.

Wen, it’s me.”

“Come in.”

Qin Mian entered from the outside and saw Gu Wen having breakfast.

He presented a letter with both hands.

“This is a letter from Manager Jiang.”

Gu Wen took the letter, and the first thing he did upon opening it was not to read the content, but to check if there were any special folds in the paper.

‘The letter has been tampered with.’

He was certain of this, which was also within his expectations.

So far, his influence was limited to Bianjing’s Dragon Bridge, and he did not possess the divine skills to ensure completely confidential communication.

After all, the letter had been sent through official water transport and postal stations.

Gu Wen was also not worried about arousing the suspicions of the Zhao family, since all his external actions could be traced and sufficiently justified.

This was just a further probe of the Zhao family, a test before Zhao Feng emerged from the imperial palace.

Based on how the Zhao family perceived him, they would react differently.

Checking the contents of the letter, it roughly said that Jiang Fugui had settled down in Nanshui and was asking when Gu Wen would go there.

Gu Wen did not plan to reply to the letter, casually tossing it onto a rack.

Jiang Fugui, returning, would only become a burden to him.

It was better to let him stay in Nanshui for the time being, until he pulled off something big.

As Daqian’s rear base, thanks to the Zhao family’s intentional or unintentional arrangement, the military strength there was virtually non-existent.

Frequent bandit outbreaks, hopelessly inadequate local troops that couldn’t resolve the issues, necessitated the central government to dispatch special forces to suppress them, maintaining control over the region.

Otherwise, with its wealth and grain supplies and its distance from Bianjing, it would be an ideal breeding ground for rebellion.

“I’ve also found out that the Ninth Prince is residing in the Eastern Palace.”

Qin Mian’s voice dropped slightly as he said, “This news has already spread within the palace, and the Ritual Supervision is said to be preparing for the enthronement ceremony.”

The Eastern Palace, the residence of the Crown Prince.

They were going to make him the Crown Prince?

Gu Wen was only slightly surprised.

Previously, Hee Huan mentioned that all the princes of the realm were dead, so it was logical for Zhao Feng to become the Crown Prince.

—————–

Three days passed in a flash.

Aside from hosting a feast on the first day, Gu Wen had scarcely left, spending minimal time even exiting his room.

The outside world buzzed with speculation.

The new members of the Imperial Guard found it strange, leading them to believe Gu Wen was digging tunnels.

They forcibly entered his room to inspect it, but were stopped by Qin Mian and his men.

The imperial guard within the mansion was now divided into two factions.

One was the old faction from the Prince’s estate, familiar with Gu Wen and quite willing to side with him, swayed by his handouts.

The other was comprised of the palace guards, adopting an air of ‘the Emperor first, me second.’

Gu Wen tacitly allowed their conflict, afterwards affirming that the Zhao family still regarded him as a mere mortal.

In this darkness beneath the lamp, enemies lurk not only in plain sight but have never considered him an adversary.

And Gu Wen was getting closer to reaching the perfection of the Third Level Dao Foundation.

Once he achieved Dao Foundation Perfection, that old eunuch would no longer pose a threat to him.

Outside of the imperial palace, within Bianjing, he would have no equal.

The Zhao family remained blissfully unaware of this.

At night, the last traces of the medicinal effects were refined.

Gu Wen inwardly observed his Qi Sea – the former pond had become a lake.

Mana was no longer a scarcity, sufficient for him to execute hundreds of martial dharma forms.

There was no need to be as cautious as before during the Dragon Bridge battle, meticulously ensuring each dharma form attack was effective to avoid having to retreat due to exhaustion of mana.

He could also use Sword Intent, a technique requiring ample mana, to kill his enemies.

He hardly needed to consider consumption with his other cultivation techniques.

This was the combat strength one should have in cultivation.

Previously, Gu Wen had been too poor, carefully calculating each bit of mana.

“It is not infinite mana, but it is enough to sustain me in intense battle for twelve hours.”

Based on his previous battle at Dragon Bridge, Gu Wen estimated the efficiency of his current mana.

Half a day of intense combat was akin to a mortal soldier brandishing a weapon non-stop in heavy armor.

While mortals can’t sustain peak performance, Gu Wen could maintain his at a constant.

Even with the suppressive nature of heaven, mortals would not be able to kill a cultivator.

Gu Wen realized that at the peak of the Second Level Dao Foundation, with complete techniques all refined to perfection, even an army would find it difficult to kill him.

If he fell into a formation of a million men, only a dozen or so, maybe even tens, could directly confront him.

They would be on the verge of collapse just standing armed for half a day.

Gu Wen slowly opened his eyes; the corner sack was now empty.

After seven days, he had finally consumed fifty pounds of medicine fruit.

[Heavenly Marrow for Twenty-Nine Years]

“Eminent among men, paramount in earth’s talents, from this day forth!”

Merging with the Qi Sea, he gazed above at the Fate Diagram, which seemed like the universe itself.

Vital fiery meteors flowed abundantly, revolving and orbiting, flames covering the dome.

Gu Wen stepped into the realm of Dao Foundation Third Level Perfection, and the Five Internal Organs gazed down upon his Spirit Form, looking upon him as one would a mayfly, demanding tens of thousands of obeisances to refine it into perfection.

Yet one kowtow required the energy of a Great Circulation of Power to nurture the five dharma forms.

With his current capacity, Gu Wen could complete a maximum of a hundred kowtows at once.

To recover mana was immensely draining in terms of time, energy, and resources, and relying only on himself, it would take ten years to reach Dao Foundation Third Level Perfection.

His aptitude qualified him to cultivate the true Yuqing Immortal Method, sufficient to challenge the Three Pure Daoist.

However, Gu Wen was just a weed in the gutter, his high talent overshadowed by his origins.

Without Yu Hua, how could he have attained the cultivation techniques to embark on his path, or the pills to cultivate?

Even now, in comparison to the scions of the Major Sects, Gu Wen had far too many shortcomings.

Just being a genius is far from enough, one must surpass common sense and stand out so that all others are left trailing in the dust.

Even that may still not suffice, rather it should be surpassing heaven and earth, all creatures, including the Spirit Forms in front of oneself.

Gu Wen took a step forward, bearing the Heavenly Edict in his mouth, “It is you who should bow.”

The universe trembled, and meteors fell like fire.

The Spirit Forms of the Five Internal Organs.

First lies the spirit of the lung, associated with the energy of Dui, the essence of metal, its color white, manifesting the White Tiger Spirit Image.

Second lies the heart spirit, associated with the energy of Li, the essence of fire, its color red, manifesting the Vermilion Bird Spirit Image.

Third lies the liver spirit, associated with the energy of Zhen, the essence of wood, its color azure, manifesting the Azure Dragon Spirit Image.

Fourth lies the spleen spirit, associated with the energy of Kun, the essence of earth, its color yellow, manifesting the Yellow Dragon Spirit Image.

Fifth lies the kidney spirit, associated with the essence of Yin, the energy of Kan, its color black, manifesting the Xuanwu Spirit Image.

The Yuqing Heart Method states, “Refining Essence and Transforming Qi to shed the mortal coil, refining Qi to transform into a deity and solidifying the Pill, refining the deity and returning to the void to condense the Form.”

The Spirit Form is the womb, nurtured to become the dharma, to emulate heaven and earth.

The Spirit Form is the breakthrough condition for returning to the void, and the dharma form is the standard for returning to the void.

How long it had been, no one knew, but the first ray of purple dawn came from the east, shining upon Gu Wen’s face as he groggily opened his eyes, with a speck of spirit charm soaring sky-high.

The five spirits appeared, the Third Level of Dao Foundation established!

Compared to his previous strength, if the Second Level of Dao Foundation was a wave, then the Third Level of Dao Foundation Perfection was a tsunami.

Before, Gu Wen noticed only a limited improvement with each advancement.

He was like a ghost-busting master from his past life’s television shows—a man with transcendental powers, yet not many.

But now, contrary to before, just his mana limit had tripled.

Each stage of Dao Foundation Perfection could be seen as a separate realm.

By stepping into the Third Level of Dao Foundation Perfection, it was equivalent to leaping three realms at once.

Or rather, only when it’s fulfilled can one experience an exponential growth.

[Yuqing Dao Foundation Third Level, Spirit Form manifest, dharma form begins]

[Four years of Heavenly Marrow]

Gu Wen felt as though he harbored infinite mighty power within him.

With a clench of his right fist, the White Tiger rose, and with a swing of his fist, the fierce punch sent curtains flying.

Then he closed his eyes again; there was no need to seek affirmation from others.

The true method had become one with him—its existence proven by its presence.

At this time, outsiders entering the world possessed only the First or Second Level, but now Gu Wen had reached the perfected Third Level of Dao Foundation.

From now on, all the past would transform from defense to offense!

—————–

At the bustling Dragon Bridge gate, officials stood on a high platform, banging gongs and drums, drawing the focus of eyes from every direction.

Generally, in Bianjing, such an act would mean the reading of an imperial edict, the Emperor proclaiming to the world.

“By the mandate of heaven, the Emperor decrees!”

“May His Majesty reign with long-standing order and peace, it is essential to establish a Crown Prince, magnify the foundation of the state, to extend the auspiciousness of the dynasty and to fulfill the hopes of his subjects.

Prince Xuan Feng has always been known for his virtuous qualities, acclaimed by the officials and sought after by the populous.

I hereby confer the Crown Prince upon him based on his virtues, with the ceremony to commence on the ninth day, bringing great auspice to all under heaven.”

A single stone sparked a thousand ripples; the long-vacant title of Crown Prince was finally awarded.

The news spread throughout Bianjing, and countless powers stirred with the wind.

Gu Wen soon heard the news.

Qin Mian, temporarily taking Jiang Fugui’s place, brought the message to Gu Wen, smiling as he stated, “His Highness is designated as the Crown Prince.

Should he ascend to the throne in the future, Mr.

Wen will undoubtedly be heavily relied upon.”

In his view, Gu Wen was already second to none within the Prince’s residence, especially after the passing of the eunuch who had stayed by Zhao Feng’s side.

Gu Wen was now the only intimate aide of the imperial bloodline.

With such status, he would inevitably be heavily utilized in the future, and as Gu Wen’s temporarily favored associate, he too might share the spoils.

Perhaps even attaining a position such as a General before the Court.

This was not mere wishful thinking on Qin Mian’s part; it had been the way throughout the ages—a new Emperor begets a new court.

Upon hearing the news, Gu Wen’s expression remained unchanged, unnaturally calm.

A common person, upon hearing this, would show great joy, for it was an opportunity to ascend to the heavens, and great wealth and honor seemed assured.

In “Water Margin,” Gao Qiu rose to prominence in exactly this manner—an erstwhile hooligan who ended up in jail, his skill at ball games won him the favor of a Prince.

Later, this Prince became Emperor Song Huizong, and Gao Qiu, the scoundrel, turned in an instant, leading the imperial guard astride a horse.

Such was the absurdity of imperial power.

Seeing Gu Wen without response or emotion, Qin Mian thought he might be too elated to respond, and called out,

“Mr.

Wen.”

Unexpectedly, Gu Wen, after sipping his tea, inquired with a specific address, “When is Zhao Feng’s enthronement?”

“Ah?”

Qin Mian’s mouth fell open slightly, somewhat dumbfounded.

It seemed Gu Wen had misspoken, yet at the same time, there appeared to be no issue.

A sense of unfamiliarity emanated from his entire being at the moment.

Because Gu Wen had shed the façade that he had used to scrape by like a ‘great god of ritual’, he had never revered imperial authority, sneering at all things related to Daqian.

If Zhao Feng came for him today, and dared to step in with his right foot first, he would slay him.

If his left step was too large, it would demand death as well—whether death came, depended on the situation.

He repeated, “When is Zhao Feng’s enthronement?”

A heavy pressure bore down like a tilting mountain; Qin Mian stumbled in his response,

“The ceremony will take place in the palace on the ninth, followed by a visit to the Imperial Temple to worship the ancestors…”