Chapter 29: The Yingdu Library

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An incense stick later, Zong Quan set down the treatise on the method of movable-type printing. His face was filled with astonishment. The Little Martial Uncle at his side had given him far too many surprises—at times, even outright shocks.

As the ancient saying went, some people were born already knowing. Having observed the Little Martial Uncle, Zong Quan felt that he was precisely such a person. From the works he had written, *The Creation of Heaven and Earth* and *The Calamity of Longhan*, everything possessed such order and coherence, as though these events had truly taken place before the lands of Xia.

Yet no tales of them had been passed down in the Xia lands of the present day. Some of the deities mentioned by the Little Martial Uncle did correspond to figures found in the poetic works of Mi Yuan of Chu. It was a pity that Mi Yuan had died so young; otherwise, he and the Little Martial Uncle would probably have found one another fascinating.

“Little Martial Uncle, Zong Quan shall take his leave first!”

Without hesitation, he placed *The Calamity of Longhan* into the wooden chest beside the long table. Although there were thirteen volumes, the disciples of the Celestial Sect could copy them swiftly. Once completed, they would carry them throughout the various states and publicize them everywhere.

If, a year ago, Zong Quan had not fully understood Zhou Qing’s intentions, he now seemed to have grasped them to some extent. Whatever the Little Martial Uncle’s precise objective might be, the benefits to the Daoist school as a whole were plain to see.

Over the past year, countless people from the Xia lands had come to pay their respects at the mountain gates of both the Celestial Sect and the Human Sect, hoping to enter the sects and seek the fabled path of immortals and gods. Most possessed only ordinary aptitude, but there were also quite a few of exceptional talent.

In the past, the Daoist schools had accepted disciples entirely by chance. Either a senior master would descend the mountain and take in anyone suitable whom he happened to encounter, or some mortal interested in Daoist teachings would come to seek admission.

A scene such as the one before them had not been witnessed for centuries. Among the Hundred Schools of Thought, only the Confucian and Mohist schools, the most prominent teachings of the age, could boast such prosperity.

“Mm. Proceed with caution. If you encounter conflict, place your life first!”

The states were embroiled in ceaseless strife, order had collapsed, and the rites of Zhou had long since vanished. The regions influenced by Confucianism, such as Qi and Lu, were somewhat better, but the other lands were not so fortunate. Once the influence of papermaking and movable-type printing spread farther, the true crisis would arrive.

“Yes, Little Martial Uncle!”

Zong Quan nodded in reply. With his present cultivation at the Primordial Unity Innate realm, he would remain safe so long as no experts of the Spirit Transformation Profound Numinous realm appeared. Moreover, the Little Martial Uncle continued to provide him with assistance. Given several more years, he might well reach perfection in the Primordial Unity Innate realm.

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Zhou Qing watched until Zong Quan’s figure vanished into the distance. Outside the bamboo hut, wind and snow continued to whirl through the air, and a faint chill swept into the room. But to Zhou Qing, who had long since become immune to cold and heat, such things could simply be ignored.

With *The Calamity of Longhan* now released, the slowly increasing Cycle Count would probably begin to rise rapidly once more. Unfortunately, even now he had yet to discover any other use for it.

“The illusory reaches the boundless, the real extends without limit; the Dao unites with the Primordial Beginning, and resonance transforms into infinity! Cycle Count: 2,391,658!”

He murmured the words under his breath. They were the sixteen words that had echoed through his mind when the Cycle Count first surged. Their meaning was profound yet incomprehensible. Aside from accelerating his own cultivation and aiding others in theirs, he had found no other function for it.

* * *

Three days after Zong Quan left the sect, Zhou Qing, seated within his bamboo hut, sensed the Cycle Count surge once more. It began to rise sharply again. Clearly, *The Calamity of Longhan* had already spread.

His Spirit Transformation cultivation had reached perfection, yet the mysteries of returning from the Void after comprehending it remained beyond his grasp. All he could do was devote himself to studying the many supreme arts left behind by the ancient Daoist sages. The thirty-six cultivation methods contained in the True Words of the *Way and Virtue* also required careful organization, as did the inheritances left behind by Liezi and Master Zhuang.

Warriors of the same level and realm could still differ greatly in strength. Since he had reached this stage, he would either do nothing or strive to become the strongest.

The thick snow outside the bamboo hut had yet to melt. Beneath the blazing sun suspended in the empty sky, the entire Celestial Sect shone with a dazzling, sacred radiance.

Following the lay of the land, drops of icy meltwater gathered into a slender stream and hurried toward the deep ravines of the valley. Wisps of cooking smoke curled upward, voices mingled in the air, and vital energy surged throughout the surroundings. It was a realm detached from the mortal world.

A month later, having received the information sent back by Zong Quan, Zhou Qing personally met his senior brother, Redpine Master, and summoned two elders of the sect. Both had cultivated to perfection in the Primordial Unity Innate realm and stood only one step away from the Spirit Transformation Profound Numinous realm.

Movable-type printing had begun to show results, while papermaking had also achieved a slight breakthrough. The paper Zhou Qing envisioned was growing ever closer to reality. Yet more and more covetous eyes had begun to watch them as well. Without powerful guardians stationed there, the situation would not do.

If the sect’s two elders at the Primordial Unity Innate realm proved insufficient, Zhou Qing would not mind taking action himself and dealing with those people. The Eagle Sword had not tasted blood for quite some time.

Another month passed, and Zong Quan returned to the sect. Through the channels of the Daoist school, *The Calamity of Longhan* had spread throughout the various states of the Xia lands. Following closely behind *The Creation of Heaven and Earth*, it had gained immense renown.

To the disciples of the Hundred Schools, it might have seemed nothing more than absurd fantasy. To the majority of common people, however, it was unquestionably an account of events that had truly happened in the distant past.

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And this was precisely the outcome Zhou Qing had hoped to see. Nor was that all. Several ministers and nobles of the various states had personally questioned Daoist disciples, asking whether the Daoist school possessed a path to becoming an immortal or a god.

Zhou Qing had already prepared an answer for such questions: cultivate with all one’s heart, merge one’s being with the myriad things, and one could attain that realm. It did not sound like a falsehood. There had indeed been people in ages past who had reached it.

This time, Zhou Qing acted once more. Drawing upon the powerful control granted by the Cycle Count, he manipulated the vital energy of Heaven and Earth and forcibly raised Zong Quan’s cultivation, imbuing him with his own insights into the Autumn Waters of Ten Thousand Rivers.

Thus, Zong Quan advanced another step along the path of the Primordial Unity Innate realm. If things continued in this manner, Zong Quan had every hope of entering the Spirit Transformation Profound Numinous realm within two years. By then, he would be able to assist Zhou Qing even more effectively.

Not long after Zong Quan departed this time, Heaven on Earth, constructed in the Chu capital of Yingdu, began operations. Its manager was a mortal merchant who had attached himself to the Daoist school. Each person had his own specialty, and each task its proper hand—something Zhou Qing had once explained to Zong Quan.

With the Celestial Sect as its backing, any conflict with the forces of Yingdu would be of no consequence. What was more, they had the prestige of the Daoist Master Xuanqing behind them. Thanks to *The Creation of Heaven and Earth* and *The Calamity of Longhan*, the reputation of Master Xuanqing of the Daoist Celestial Sect had already spread throughout the various states.

In the imagination of the people, Master Xuanqing of the Daoist school was unquestionably a lofty and mysterious expert, much like another Daoist master, Master Beiming. Otherwise, how could he have written such free-spirited, sweeping, and fantastical works?

Moreover, not long after Heaven on Earth opened in Yingdu, another street not far away saw the construction of a three-story building. Inscribed above its entrance in the script of Chu were the words: The Book Pavilion.

The opening of the Book Pavilion was quiet and restrained, lacking the grandeur, ostentation, and luxury of Heaven on Earth. It was exceedingly low-key. Even so, after only three days, the name of the Book Pavilion had faintly surpassed that of Heaven on Earth, sending tremors throughout the entire Chu capital of Yingdu.

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