Chapter 75: The Aura of Metal and War

Xu Daoyan walked along the mountain path, sweeping away the withered leaves.

Each sweep produced a rustling sound, and in addition to this, a dense autumn killing aura permeated the air.

As the pores all over his body opened, he absorbed this autumn killing aura into his lungs, which then automatically transformed into a gathering aura. The two were interconnected and did not require conversion.

Moreover, this autumn killing aura was even purer than the power derived from high-grade gold spirit stones, more closely aligned with the natural world.

Xu Daoyan was pleasantly surprised, but he did not rush. He continued to sweep the steps one by one.

At this moment, footsteps sounded from behind him.

He suddenly turned around and saw Tian Tian not far behind him.

"Tian Gongzi, why are you here?" Xu Daoyan was taken aback.

"Why can't I come? I am a disciple of Fulong Academy!" Tian Tian huffed.

"Of course you can. I was able to enter Fulong Academy thanks to you." To be honest, Tian Gongzi had been quite good to him, and Xu Daoyan was very grateful.

"Don't put on a fake act. Even without me, you could still enter Fulong Academy. I didn't expect you to be a great-grand-disciple of Master Kong Ziyuan. I knew you had a powerful mentor helping you lay the foundation!" Tian Tian was still quite happy. After all, her judgment was good, and she could now spend every day with Xu Daoyan.

"Uh, it was a matter of chance, but we can still use the old terms to address each other." Xu Daoyan scratched the back of his head and smiled warmly.

"No way. In Confucianism, seniority, etiquette, and strict rules are highly valued. If I don't call you Master, I will be punished." Tian Tian shook her head, rolled her eyes, and said unhappily, "I'll have to take advantage of you, but it's fine. You are my Master, so if anything happens, you'll protect me!"

Xu Daoyan was speechless and shrugged. "I'll do my best!"

"Alright, go back to sweeping." Tian Tian waved her hand, not treating Xu Daoyan like her Master at all. She turned to leave but noticed Gao Ziqi standing not far away, watching her.

She shrank her neck, stuck out her tongue, and walked down the stone steps.

Xu Daoyan bowed to Gao Ziqi from a distance and continued sweeping the leaves up the mountain.

Each time he swept the withered leaves, the autumn killing aura was absorbed into his lungs, gradually accumulating.

"Converging aura, what will it transform into? Immortal aura, gold spirit stone! Metal and war?" Xu Daoyan's heart stirred, recalling the sharpness of the Thunderbolt Spear!

Now, taking advantage of his newfound insight, he wanted to try.

At this moment, his mind was focused solely on the transformation of the converging aura into the immortal aura of metal and war!

He slowly climbed the stone steps, sweeping as he went, with the autumn killing aura continuously being absorbed.

Gradually, a sharpness, like that of metal and war, began to form in Xu Daoyan's lungs.

In that instant, he felt as if his lungs were about to tear, even leaving deep, jagged blood marks, but he did not give up. He used the Spring Rain to heal himself while continuously refining the converging aura into a more powerful immortal aura.

This was a transformation. If one looked inside Xu Daoyan's lungs, they would see that the original converging aura had become incredibly concentrated, emitting a sharp, piercing light as the lungs refined and transformed it!

Xu Daoyan's mind was shaken, knowing he needed to increase the intensity of the refinement. He refined his lungs and extracted the converging aura while sweeping the leaves!

This was the best time, as it was the transition between autumn and winter, aligning with the natural cycle and providing the optimal conditions!

The sharp light in his lungs grew increasingly intense, and the power it contained became stronger!

Xu Daoyan's lungs worked harder, and every hair on his body exuded a sharp, piercing aura, making his skin more taut and supple!

Suddenly, his body trembled, and a golden light, concentrated from all the converging aura, exploded from the vortex in his lungs, scattering into countless points and merging back into his lungs. In that moment, his life essence underwent a significant transformation!

"Immortal aura of metal and war!" Xu Daoyan knew he had succeeded, using the Immortal Wood to check his strength!

Earth Immortal, 20,000 years!

Although it only increased by one year, it was a leap in growth.

"Great, I finally mastered the essence!" Xu Daoyan was overjoyed and continued sweeping.

However, the immortal aura of metal and war was particularly difficult to refine. Even with the pure autumn killing aura, it took a great deal of effort to refine even a small amount of the immortal aura.

But this also proved that Xu Daoyan had a higher potential for growth!

It took him three hours to finish sweeping the narrow path. On his way back, he noticed that many leaves were still scattered on the path.

He looked at the falling withered leaves, wondering why they withered. It was because countless autumn killing auras had been absorbed into the leaves, depleting their vitality and cutting off their connection to the source of life!

On his way back to the bamboo house, he heard clear and melodious music coming from a nearby mountain stream, an ancient and elegant tune.

"This must be Tian Gongzi's music!" He knew that Gao Ziqi taught Tian Tian music every day.

When he returned to the courtyard, Meng Ziyang was planting in a field near the water wheel. Without turning around, he focused on loosening the soil and said, "I didn't expect that in such a short time, Junior Brother Daoyan would have reached the Earth Immortal realm. Congratulations."

"Thank you, Senior Brother Ziyang!" Xu Daoyan bowed in gratitude. He watched Meng Ziyang working in the field and asked, "Senior Brother Ziyang, are you planting crops?"

"Ha ha, yes, I am planting a type of divine rice that can enhance human wisdom!" Meng Ziyang stood up, looked at the midday sun, and smiled.

"Planting rice, isn't that what farmers do?" Xu Daoyan was a bit puzzled, always thinking that Confucianism was about rites, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, and mathematics.

"Ha ha, farmers are remarkable, making great contributions to our race. Confucianism should emulate them and learn from their strengths. Historically, Confucianism and agriculture have had close ties and frequent exchanges. I am still learning!" Meng Ziyang smiled, took out a jade bottle from his pocket, opened the cap, and poured a clear liquid into the soil, clearly cultivating the soil to grow the divine rice.

Xu Daoyan agreed, "I won't disturb you then!"

Now that he had refined the immortal aura of metal and war, Xu Daoyan was very excited. Earth Immortals could refine a second immortal aura, and he wanted to break through again. He immediately entered his room, where Bai Shi was intensely practicing.

He did not disturb him, sat cross-legged, and absorbed the rich, pure wood spirit energy from the bamboo bed into his liver, aiming to refine his second immortal aura!

As the old beggar had said, to defeat the enemy, one must first ensure their own survival. Otherwise, being killed by the enemy would make everything meaningless.

So the second immortal aura must be derived from the vital aura, transforming it into a second unique immortal aura.

He was pondering this, knowing it required a catalyst.

Gao Ziqi, standing on a rock by the mountain stream, looked in the direction of the bamboo house and said, "Girl, Xu Daoyan has reached the Earth Immortal realm. You grew up in a large family and are two years older than him, yet he has caught up. Don't you feel ashamed?"

"Hmph, my foundation is much stronger than his. If I fight him, I can beat him in a few moves!" Tian Tian retorted.

"Don't forget, when you practiced with him, the power of the arrows that killed the lava ferocious tiger. Now that he has reached the Earth Immortal realm, he is even more formidable. If we consider the physical strength of those who practice the Way of Music, and without the protective treasures given by your family, do you really have the confidence to defeat Xu Daoyan?" Gao Ziqi sneered.

"..." Tian Tian had worked with Xu Daoyan before. Although she had put in a lot of effort in killing the lava ferocious tiger, without Xu Daoyan's precise shots, which disabled the tiger's movements, she might have been injured herself.

Tian Tian did not respond, closed her eyes, and began to calm her mind, focusing on her practice.

Gao Ziqi, seeing this, smiled and transmitted his voice, "Ziyang, it seems encouraging these two young people to motivate each other is a good method!"

"Tian Tian is really concerned about Junior Brother Daoyan. This is a good opportunity!" Meng Ziyang continued his work, the soil he had cultivated containing rich power.

Three days passed.

During these days, Xu Daoyan, besides sweeping and refining the immortal aura of metal and war, sat on the bamboo bed, accumulating vital aura. He had not yet figured out what kind of immortal aura the vital aura could transform into. This transformation was not just a matter of continuous refinement but required a deep understanding of one's own heart to achieve.

On this day, Shi Yun brought Ling'er to Fulong Academy.

Fulong Academy encompassed a wide range of disciplines, not just Confucianism, but also military strategy. Chu Lan was on the same level as Meng Ziyang and Gao Ziqi.

"Shi Yun, Sun Ling, who do you want to follow in the military strategy school?" Fulong Academy was a fair place. As long as the academy had the necessary qualifications, Meng Ziyang and Gao Ziqi could take them as disciples!

It was not difficult to enter Fulong Academy, but it was hard to become a disciple of one of the founders, which many people could not achieve.

Shi Yun said solemnly, "We want to follow Mr. Chu Lan!"

"Mr." is a respectful term for a learned person, regardless of gender. Chu Lan was a military strategist with significant influence in the Nine States Divine Dynasty.

"I see. Follow me. To become a disciple of Ancestor Chu Lan, you must pass her test. You only have one chance. If you fail, you must leave. Are you ready?" a guide from Fulong Academy asked.

"We are ready. We will definitely pass the test, right, Brother Shi Yun!" Ling'er's surname was Sun, as her mute aunt had told her.

"Of course!" Shi Yun was captivated by Sun Ling.

"Then follow me!" The guide from Fulong Academy led them to the testing ground.

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