Chapter 76

In the midst of cherry blossoms dancing in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there.

For several days, Dong Ning had been reading the sword canon written by the senior disciple Lusongzi, who had comprehended the Great Derivation Sword Technique. The text was profound and obscure, and Dong Ning had spent over ten days meticulously reading through it once, gaining many insights, but it was not enough to help her break through the cultivation bottleneck that had persisted for months.

During these ten days, Dong Ning and Chen Hai had been reading scriptures in the same level of the scripture hall, sometimes close, sometimes far. She noticed that within these ten days, Chen Hai had read through all the secret scrolls related to the Ten Kill War Spear Technique in the scripture hall, and had done nothing else.

Moreover, Chen Hai had not left the scripture hall for these ten days. His chin was covered with a thick beard, making him look exceptionally rugged, with a martial general's demeanor.

However, what Chen Hai was diligently studying was the lowest-level mystical technique within the sect. When other disciples saw this, they found it extremely laughable.

By the twenty-sixth day, Dong Ning had read through the Great Derivation Sword Technique canon for the second time. She finally noticed that Chen Hai had switched to reading a different mystical technique supplement. When she saw the scroll in Chen Hai's hand, it was about the cultivation of the Iron Bone Fist. She could no longer control herself.

Dong Ning had thought that Chen Hai, this playboy, might be deliberately trying to attract her attention, but keeping these thoughts bottled up inside was truly suffocating.

She finally couldn't hold back, put down the sword canon, and thought about how to speak appropriately. But at that moment, Chen Hai seemed to sense something and looked up. She took a deep breath and said, "Reading these kinds of books is purely a waste of time!"

The frustration she had been holding in for ten days was finally released, and she felt a bit puffed up with anger.

Chen Hai glanced at Dong Ning's bright face and thought, "Who is this silly woman? Even if I'm acting foolish here, it's not her place to point fingers."

Many of the disciples who had been studying in the scripture hall for these days had also noticed Chen Hai's unusual behavior. They all looked down on him, but when they saw Lady Ning stand up to correct this guy, they felt a sense of relief. They turned to look, eager to see how Lady Ning would teach this ignorant person a lesson and guide him on the right path of cultivation.

Chai Rong, who had been diligently practicing recently, was also in the scripture hall today. He didn't dare to violate the sect's rules, so even if he wanted to teach Chen Hai a lesson, he couldn't do anything to him on Qiyun Ridge.

Chai Rong had been secretly observing which scriptures Chen Hai was reading in the scripture hall, hoping to find an opportunity to deal with this guy harshly. But now that Lady Ning found this scoundrel annoying, he was more than happy for her to teach him a lesson.

Chen Hai realized he had nothing in common with the purple-robed girl and the other disciples. He wanted to cultivate the Mystic Sword Technique, but he hadn't yet opened his Spirit Sea Secret Palace, so he couldn't store true essence energy.

Moreover, in the eyes of others, he was like someone still learning basic arithmetic, while he was actually studying the profound principles behind it. These were two different levels of understanding, and he wouldn't bother explaining to them.

Chen Hai turned his back, facing the window, and continued reading the exquisite commentary on the Iron Bone Fist by the ancients.

He had dissected the Iron Bone Fist and other fist techniques, breaking them down into twelve basic martial arts forms, but there were still many subtle aspects he hadn't fully grasped. It seemed the experience of the ancients was truly invaluable.

She had kindly warned this guy, but he ignored her and turned his back, making Dong Ning's straight nose almost twist with anger.

Very few disciples in the sect knew about the marriage contract between the Yao and Dong families, but with so many fellow disciples watching this scene in the second level of the scripture hall, some were even laughing. Dong Ning felt extremely embarrassed, her beautiful face turning red with anger, and she couldn't help shouting, "Hey, I'm talking to you."

"You can consider it a waste of time if you want," Chen Hai replied irritably, implying that engaging in such pointless discussions with the purple-robed female cultivator was a waste of his time.

He planned to read through as many relevant books in the scripture hall as possible and then return to Yulong Mountain under the pretext of cultivation.

He didn't know when the Grand Protector's Mansion would take formal military action against the He Xiang Army, but it wouldn't be too long, and he didn't want to miss the battle.

"I want to discuss the Dao with you!" Dong Ning was so angry at Chen Hai's cold and dismissive response that she forgot she should stay away from this disgraced Yao family outcast. At this moment, she was determined to save him from his misguided cultivation path.

"Discuss the Dao?" Chen Hai was momentarily stunned, then remembered that the sect encouraged disciples to exchange cultivation insights, a practice known as "discussing the Dao and expounding the scriptures," which could also be considered a cultural competition among disciples.

However, debates on the subtle principles of cultivation usually occurred between higher-level disciples, elders, or protectors. Lower-level disciples had limited perspectives and shallow insights into cultivation, and most had not even touched the edge of the true meaning of the Dao. What Dao could they discuss, what scriptures could they expound?

Chen Hai was too lazy to deal with the purple-robed female cultivator's纠缠, and smiled, "Sister, I haven't had the pleasure of knowing your name and Daoist title. However, Sister, you are at the peak of the Spirit Opening Realm, and your insights into cultivation are naturally far superior to my own. Isn't it a bit like bullying the weak for you to seek a Dao discussion with me?"

Dong Ning's heart roared, "I'm younger than you, so don't call me Sister!"

Seeing her fellow disciples struggling to suppress their laughter, Dong Ning wished she could pick up the desk and smash it into this guy's face. She thought, "I'm kindly warning you not to go astray in your cultivation, and you're being so infuriating!"

Chai Rong, seeing this scene, was also seething with anger. He hadn't expected this waste of space to provoke him in the trial tower and now to act so arrogantly in front of Lady Ning. He was thinking of ways to incite Lady Ning's anger, hoping she would lose control and teach this guy a harsh lesson, which would satisfy his desire for revenge.

Chen Hai finished the last two pages of the scroll in his hand, saw the purple-robed female cultivator still glaring at him, closed the scroll, and stood up with a smile, "Sister, you shouldn't seek a Dao discussion with me. You should discuss the Dao with the head of the scripture hall or the founding ancestor who established the rules. Ask them why they included these 'useless' scrolls here, wasting the precious time of the disciples."

Dong Ning was stunned for a moment, not knowing how to counter Chen Hai.

These seemingly low-level mystical technique canons were all collected by the sect's founding ancestors in the scripture hall, and only inner disciples and above were allowed to enter. Dong Ning suddenly realized it was difficult to explain this logic.

Chen Hai switched to another Iron Bone Fist cultivation supplement.

He had just sat down when Dong Ning thought of a way to counter him, "What you said isn't entirely correct. Any cultivation requires a foundation. The sect's founding ancestors collected a vast number of canons in the scripture hall to provide as many references as possible for disciples practicing certain mystical techniques, to help them build a deeper foundation, not to make them read all the canons. The scripture hall has over a million scrolls, and even a world-class expert at the Dao Embryo Realm with an 800-year lifespan couldn't read them all. I think you have misunderstood the intentions of the founding ancestors..."

Chen Hai hadn't expected this woman to take so long to come up with a counterargument, and found her somewhat endearing compared to the other cold and distant female disciples who treated him like a pervert. He smiled, "Sister, how do you know I'm not reading these scrolls to refine my martial arts cultivation to perfection?"

"You're wasting time on these low-level mystical techniques. How can you talk about refining your cultivation to perfection?" Dong Ning's spirits lifted as she saw Chen Hai finally engaging in a debate on martial arts cultivation, and she challenged him.

"The Dao that can be spoken is not the eternal Dao," Chen Hai closed the scroll in his hand and said, "I haven't reached the level where I can write books or expound on the Dao, and I don't have the qualifications to debate martial arts cultivation with Sister. Please let me off, Sister..."

"The Dao that can be spoken is not the eternal Dao, what kind of nonsense is that?" Chai Rong, seeing Lady Ning still trying to reason with Chen Hai, thought this was the perfect time to incite her. He couldn't hold back, stood up, and harshly rebuked Chen Hai, "You're evading Lady Ning's questions with such nonsense. Do you know what it means to be disrespectful?"

"Is she Lady Ning?" Chen Hai and Chai Rong had deep-seated conflicts, and if Chai Rong didn't confront him, Chen Hai wouldn't let him off either. But he hadn't expected the purple-robed girl纠缠 him to be Lady Dong Ning of Yuecheng.

In the various counties of Hexi, in Taiwei Sect, and in the Wuwei Army, the Wuwei Divine Marquis was the sky and the earth, and the Dong family's status was extremely special, far surpassing other noble families.

Chen Hai, as the legitimate son of a pavilion marquis, could force Chai Rong to give way, but his status as a pavilion marquis' son was worthless in front of Lady Dong Ning of Yuecheng.

"Originally, Sister is Lady Dong Ning of Yuecheng. Chen Hai was unaware and has offended you. Please forgive me, Sister Dong," Chen Hai bowed and apologized.

Dong Ning, who disliked Chen Hai's bullying, naturally wouldn't flaunt her status. She looked at Chai Rong appreciatively, thinking that his words had helped her regain some dignity. Otherwise, she would have been thoroughly infuriated by Chen Hai.

However, she didn't want to let Chen Hai off so easily, so she sat behind the desk, feigning magnanimity, and said, "Ignorance is not a crime, but you still need to answer my question. What do you mean by 'The Dao that can be spoken is not the eternal Dao'?"

Of course, she also found it strange that Chen Hai seemed completely unaware of their past marriage contract. Dong Ning thought this was for the best, as it would save her from becoming a laughingstock in the sect.

According to the rules, Dong Ning didn't offer him a seat, so Chen Hai had to stand and speak, looking down at her chest bulging under her purple robe, thinking that this woman had a good figure. He didn't want to deal with her, but he couldn't let Chai Rong use "disrespect" as a pretext to suppress him. After a moment's thought, he said, "In response to Lady, we disciples follow certain 'Dao' in our cultivation, but this fundamental 'Dao' is not something we can casually speak about. This is what is meant by 'The Dao that can be spoken is not the eternal Dao.' It's a simple insight I've gained from my martial arts cultivation. Does Lady understand?"

"The Dao that can be spoken is not the eternal Dao" is a phrase from the first chapter of the ancient Earth text, the "Tao Te Ching." Chen Hai, who studied pre-Qin history and archaeology, was very familiar with these texts.

Chen Hai, brought to Yanzhou by the Dragon Emperor Cangyu, and with the divine artifact Dragon Cauldron still on Earth, knew that Earth was not in an isolated space. Some ancient texts on Earth, though unexplainable by the science developed in later generations, might be secret scrolls passed down from the divine temple.

Chen Hai wasn't sure if the "Tao Te Ching" was related to the divine temple, and even if it was, the vague phrases he remembered were of little use. But using these words to confuse Lady Dong Ning and silence her was perfect.

Seeing the puzzled expression on Dong Ning's beautiful face, Chen Hai felt a sense of satisfaction, thinking, "You're such a fool, and you want to debate with me?"

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