Chapter 235: Taking the Left Chancellor

“Although the philosophies of the Hundred Schools of Thought differ vastly from one another, the Great Dao they ultimately refer to and describe is, in the end, one and the same.”

“At first glance, it does indeed resemble the blind men and the elephant.”

“But after these various Daoist traditions have been passed down and evolved for countless years, the Hundred Schools are certainly not as simple as merely being blind men feeling an elephant. One could say that nearly every school and sect has genuinely touched upon the origin of the Great Dao from some particular perspective.”

“Otherwise, how could those seemingly insubstantial academic philosophies have helped countless disciples of the Hundred Schools truly resist the erosion of the Outer Gods throughout all these centuries?”

Before reaching the Grotto Mystic realm, even if someone else shattered the principles down and explained them to him millions of times, it would still be like falling into a fog, leaving him unable to comprehend their true meaning.

But once one knocked upon the gates of the Grotto Mystic realm, there was no longer any need for guidance from others. Through one's own resonance with the laws, everything could be understood at once.

The aura of breaking through that had been churning around Li Shun like boiling water gradually subsided and settled.

His state of mind likewise sank into absolute tranquility.

Still as an ancient well.

Without sorrow or joy.

His consciousness returned to the Fangcun space.

Just as the Ancient Net had said before.

The gloomy haze that had been firmly entrenched along the edges of the Fangcun space, permeated by a suffocating aura of death, had indeed faded considerably.

As his cultivation realm underwent transformation and rose to a higher level, the threshold of his soul's ability to withstand the probing and erosion of that chaotic unknown had likewise increased dramatically.

“After stepping into the Grotto Mystic realm, the path of cultivation truly becomes like rowing against the current. It only grows more treacherous and difficult.”

“Looking across the entirety of Great Qian, Grotto Mystic cultivators can already be regarded as the absolute backbone capable of suppressing an entire region. As for those who can comprehend the laws and advance another step into the Celestial Phenomena realm, they are as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns, scarcely one in a thousand.”

“Such a natural chasm is by no means something that can be crossed easily, even with a renowned master imparting everything they know and guiding one through the mysteries.”

Li Shun possessed a very clear understanding of his own aptitude.

If he merely secluded himself and cultivated painstakingly on his own, then even with the boundless resources of the Confucian Spring and Autumn Brush lineage being supplied to him without regard for cost, the odds of him successfully opening the gates to the Celestial Phenomena realm in this lifetime would still be vanishingly small.

“Perhaps it is time to look for another suitable puppet candidate.”

“However, looking across Great Qian as it stands today, any Celestial Phenomena expert can absolutely be considered either a powerful court official who holds sway over an entire region or a renowned pillar of their respective school.”

“Trying to suppress and turn someone of that stature into a puppet will certainly not be easy. I will need to make long-term preparations and plan everything out carefully.”

Just as Li Shun was secretly calculating in his heart, the silent Ancient Net suddenly spoke in a cold voice.

“Based on the information currently available and my deductions regarding cause and effect, I do have an extremely suitable puppet candidate whom I can recommend to you.”

“Oh? Who?” Li Shun was slightly surprised.

“The Left Chancellor of Great Qian, Gu Zhizhong.”

The Ancient Net's emotionless, frigid voice echoed through his sea of consciousness.

Seeing Li Shun remain silent, it continued its analysis.

“Gu Zhizhong's lifespan is nearing its end. In theory, the longer you humans live and the higher your cultivation becomes, the more frenzied your desire for life becomes when you approach the end of your existence.”

“Entering your Fangcun space is equivalent to attaining immortality in a certain sense of the laws.”

“With such an enticement as leverage, there is an extremely high probability that you could persuade him to submit.”

“Moreover, Gu Zhizhong also comes from the Confucian Dao lineage. He became a mighty Creation realm expert many years ago. Having held the reins of Great Qian for so many years, his foundations are unfathomably deep. There is even a very high possibility that he has already touched the threshold of the Heaven-Earth realm.”

“If you can take him as a puppet without shedding blood, then devour and seize all the cultivation insights he has accumulated throughout his life, at the very least, before you question the mysteries of the Heaven-Earth realm, the path ahead will be a smooth road with no obstacles.”

The Ancient Net patiently and earnestly tempted him.

Li Shun had to admit that for a moment, he was almost persuaded.

But after carefully considering it, he quickly shook his head and rejected the idea.

He sneered.

“Don't use the thinking of your Ancient Net to judge humans. What kind of person is Gu Zhizhong? As the Left Chancellor of Great Qian, he stands at the pinnacle of the imperial court and has single-handedly suppressed the world for several hundred years.”

“A hero of his caliber naturally possesses an arrogance that looks down upon all under heaven. Even if his lifespan truly is nearing its end, would he really be willing to grovel before another person and become a puppet at their beck and call merely to cling to life?”

“If I recklessly expose my secret to him like this…”

“How do I know that he won't turn the tables, forcibly seize control of my authority, and leave me paying for it with my own life and freedom?”

Li Shun suddenly stroked his chin, his expression thoughtful.

“You bastard... don't tell me this is exactly what you've been plotting in secret, deliberately tempting me to take this risk and step into a deadly trap, so that once I'm driven into such a desperate situation, I'll have no choice but to obediently follow your method to find a way out?”

The Ancient Net fell silent.

“You really are far too cautious.”

Li Shun's voice turned cold.

“You are accustomed to seeing Ancient Gods run rampant. A mere Creation realm cultivator like Gu Zhizhong naturally doesn't warrant your attention.”

“But I'm only newly entered into the Grotto Mystic realm. Naturally, I have to be cautious in everything I do. What's more, this involves the secret of the Fangcun space upon which my very survival depends!”

“Besides, isn't this all because I need a path for cultivation after entering the Grotto Mystic realm? If I encounter some obscure and difficult bottleneck in cultivation, can't I simply ask you directly?”

“You claim to know everything from ancient times to the present and to have exhausted all possible deductions. Surely when that time comes, you won't pretend to be insane and play dumb, acting as though you know nothing no matter what I ask?”

Li Shun frowned as he questioned it.

The Ancient Net fell silent once more.

After a moment, it finally squeezed out an answer.

“The results of deductions directly poured into you by another person can never compare with the completeness of insights you personally gain through resonance with the laws.”

“Since I have already been bound by the laws and reduced to a puppet within this Fangcun space, so long as you ask, I naturally cannot refuse to answer.”

“Unless doing so triggers the rules we established previously and places your survival at risk.”

With those words, it was obvious that the Ancient Net had completely abandoned the idea of persuading Li Shun to provoke Gu Zhizhong.

In truth, deep within Li Shun's heart, he had not completely dismissed this mad scheme either.

Just as the Ancient Net had said, if he could truly turn Gu Zhizhong into a puppet, it would undoubtedly be of tremendous benefit to his cultivation.

But correspondingly, the risk would also be extremely high.

Li Shun was not someone who enjoyed making such gambles.

Especially when there was no external danger forcing him to do so.

“Let's take it one step at a time.”

“Perhaps there really will be an opportunity.”

…

Li Shun's successful breakthrough into the Grotto Mystic realm naturally could not escape Kong Changqing's notice.

He came over to observe the situation and was delighted.

He immediately ordered his people to send over a steady stream of exceedingly rare heavenly treasures and earthly materials, all for the purpose of nourishing and stabilizing Li Shun's body after his breakthrough.

“When a cultivator first enters the Grotto Mystic realm, their soul is as pure as a newborn infant that has just undergone its first baptism. At this time, their perception of the laws of heaven and earth around them is at its sharpest point in their entire life.”

“This stone was taken from the summit of Mount Dai. During this period, keep it with you and play with it from time to time. It will have miraculous effects on your comprehension of the Dao.”

Kong Changqing solemnly handed over a gray stone.

The stone appeared utterly ordinary.

Yet the instant Li Shun touched it, he once again felt as though he had been transported to the towering summit of Mount Dai.

“A divine mountain can reach the heavens.”

“Ever since the catastrophe of the Primordial Era known as the Severing of Heaven and Earth, very few divine mountains have survived to this day. Those that lie within the borders of my Great Qian are even rarer.”

“Do you know how many Tongtian Divine Mountains Great Qian possesses in total?” Kong Changqing asked with a smile.

Li Shun shook his head.

“Three.”

Kong Changqing held up three fingers.

“Mount Dai. Mount Taibai.”

“And…”

“Mount Shisha.”