Chapter 147: Yu Yuan National Studies

Ba Shan Libationer walked out of the Scholar's Residence and arrived at the adjacent Imperial Garden.

The Imperial Garden was home to numerous princes, princesses, county princesses, and heirs, a mixed bag of individuals, further complicated by intricate factions.

Princes and princesses were the Emperor's children, while county princesses and heirs were the princes' children. Besides the struggle for princely succession among the latter, there was also a power struggle among the imperial princes and princesses, which was quite a headache.

This was what vexed Ba Shan Libationer the most. Yet, he had no choice but to participate, otherwise, offending the imperial or royal family would surely lead to trouble.

"Perhaps I should ask for the Second Prince's opinion."

Having made up his mind, he went to consult the Second Prince. Ling Yushu was both surprised and delighted. Ba Shan was the Imperial College Libationer, holding a position second only to the Grand Libationer in the Imperial Academy. His strength was unfathomable, fully comparable to a First-Rank Minister in the imperial court, and no less than the Sect Masters or Grand Masters of major sects. He was truly a top-tier existence in the current world.

If he could receive his guidance, it would naturally be a great boon!

"It seems the Second Prince is overthinking," Ba Shan Libationer said. Seeing the joy on Ling Yushu's face, he immediately realized he had misunderstood. He smiled and said, "I only teach scholars below the Sixfold Realm. Since I don't know much about the Imperial Garden, I'd like to ask the Second Prince to recommend two individuals."

Ling Yushu's expression darkened.

The Crown Prince received far more resources than other princes. A prince like himself, simply because he was not the Crown Prince, received countless times less cultivation and support from birth.

Although princes and princesses could enter the Imperial Academy for cultivation without examination, the Crown Prince had at least six Grand Master-level teachers to instruct him. The Emperor himself would also offer personal guidance from time to time, and even the Imperial Tutor would go to teach him.

The Crown Prince was not only taught various top-tier secret arts but also had to learn the Way of the Emperor, the ability to govern civil and military officials, and even befriend court ministers to form his own small court.

Other princes and princesses, even if they harbored ambitions for the throne, simply lacked the competitive ability.

Ba Shan Libationer's skill was equivalent to a Grand Master-level existence. Receiving his guidance, while not comparable to the Crown Prince's situation, would still be significantly better.

However, since Ba Shan Libationer only taught scholars in the Spirit Embryo Realm and Five Elements Realm, he naturally had no part in it.

Ling Yushu suppressed his disappointment and smiled, "My seventh sister has excellent comprehension and aptitude. Even the Imperial Tutor said her talent is extraordinary, surpassing mine, though she is a bit mischievous. Ba Shan Libationer is strict, so he can help temper her nature for me."

Ba Shan Libationer was surprised. "Is it the Seventh Princess? She is indeed a bit playful, which has hindered her cultivation progress. The Imperial College supervisors won't make things difficult for her because of her princess status, but with me, she'll have a tough time."

Ling Yushu's eyes flickered as he thought to himself, "Seventh Sister, you're getting too close to that outcast. It's hard to guarantee you won't do something that disgraces the royal name. This time, if you accompany me out of the academy, you can distance yourself from that Qin Mu. Once you meet more talented young individuals, you'll forget about that outcast... As your brother, I'm doing this for your own good, to prevent you from going astray."

"Second Prince, do you have anyone else in mind?" Ba Shan Libationer asked again.

Ling Yushu pondered for a moment, then said, "Ling Minyue, Heir Minyue."

"Ling Minyue, son of King Taishan?"

Ba Shan Libationer chuckled. "He's also a promising talent. I heard you have some disagreements with Heir Minyue. Why recommend him?"

Ling Yushu smiled, "My disagreement with Minyue is only because King Taishan supports my elder brother. However, Minyue's aptitude and comprehension are indeed among the best in the Imperial Garden."

Ba Shan Libationer nodded. "The Second Prince is virtuous. In that case, please inform them of this news yourself and tell them to come to the Scholar's Residence to find me."

Ling Yushu's heart swelled with joy, realizing that Ba Shan was giving him an opportunity to win over Heir Minyue. He quickly departed.

Ling Yuxiu and Heir Minyue arrived at the Scholar's Residence, where they saw several other scholars besides themselves, namely Qin Yu, Shen Wanyun, Yun Que, Wei Yong, and others.

Ba Shan Libationer said, "The Grand Libationer and I have discussed piloting the position of Imperial Academy Scholar, above the regular scholars. You are the candidates for this position. From now on, you will only attend lectures at the Painting Sage Pavilion, Qingyang Hall, Military Strategy Tower, Formation Origin Hall, and Heavenly Music Pavilion, studying calligraphy and painting, mental cultivation, military tactics, formations, and musical theory. For everything else, you will learn from me; I will instruct you individually, tailoring my teaching to your unique talents, unlike what other scholars learn. Whether you can become Imperial Academy Scholars in a few years will depend on your abilities. Oh, and..."

He surveyed the group and smiled, "You also have a senior brother, or perhaps you should call him a martial uncle. He is the first Imperial Academy Scholar in my Imperial Academy. I've already discussed this with the Grand Libationer and reported it to the Emperor; the Emperor's appointment will be issued soon."

Everyone exchanged glances. The first Imperial Academy Scholar? Who could it be?

Yue Qinghong and Monk Yun Que immediately looked at Shen Wanyun, whose expression was uncertain.

Ba Shan Libationer said, "This time, I will first take the Seventh Princess out for a few days of practical training. As for the rest of you, you'll have to wait for the next time. Princess, go to the Heavenly Records Tower and select a few cultivation techniques and divine arts texts. The rest of you, stay here."

Everyone was both surprised and delighted.

At the Heavenly Records Tower, the Secretarial Supervisor examined Qin Mu's book token and said, "When reading in the tower, do not damage the books. If any book is damaged, you will be imprisoned. Your book token only allows you to read on the first floor. Do not go to the second floor, or the Secretarial Supervisor there will apprehend and punish you."

Qin Mu replied, "I'm going to cultivate with Ba Shan Libationer and undergo practical training outside. I'd like to borrow a few scriptures."

The Secretarial Supervisor was surprised. "I see. Ba Shan Libationer has special privileges; his disciples can borrow five scriptures. Go in and select the scriptures, then bring them to me to be recorded."

Qin Mu entered the tower and saw dozens of extremely spacious rooms. Each door had a plaque bearing the name of a prefecture or county, indicating that the scriptures within these rooms were likely categorized by region. The cultivation techniques and divine arts of sects within a specific prefecture or county were stored in the room representing that region.

Qin Mu entered the room marked 'Lizhou'. Inside, he saw over a dozen bookshelves, each holding volumes of scriptures. The bookshelves also had plaques with the names of different sects. Besides sects, there were also names of noble families.

There weren't many people in the room, only two or three scholars sitting on the floor, engrossed in their books. Nearby were several small doors. Qin Mu walked up to them; two of the doors were locked from the inside, while one was open.

He pushed the open door and glanced inside, slightly startled. Behind it was a space about an *mu* in size, even larger than the room they were in, and completely empty.

"Could this be a place for scholars to practice cultivation techniques and divine arts?"

Qin Mu approached a bookshelf, pulled out a scroll, and looked down at it, surprised. "Lizhou Prefecture actually has so many sects."

The scroll bore the inscription "Lizhou Danxia Sect's Danxia Cultivation Method," and nearby were several other scrolls: "Danxia Sword Art," "Danxia Four-Gate Formation," "Essentials of Danxia Pill Formulas," and so on.

Qin Mu quickly flipped through them. The Danxia Sect's cultivation method indeed had its unique aspects. Once cultivated, vital qi would transform into Danxia (rosy clouds). With a single strike, rosy light would fill the sky, and flying swords would be concealed within this light. Enemies, blinded by the glow, would often fall victim to the attack.

"Though the Danxia Cultivation Method is good, it's not miraculous."

He put down the Danxia Cultivation Method and picked up the Danxia Sword Art. After a few glances, he put it back. The Danxia Sword Art and Danxia Cultivation Method formed a single system; one could only cultivate the sword art after mastering the cultivation method. He then looked at the Danxia Four-Gate Formation. This formation also required prior cultivation of both the Danxia Cultivation Method and Danxia Sword Art to be mastered.

He also quickly skimmed through the "Essentials of Danxia Pill Formulas," which mainly contained alchemy methods. Some of the pill recipes were worth referencing, but Qin Mu noticed that others clearly had issues, with their toxicities not fully neutralized.

He returned the Danxia Sect's scriptures to the shelf and then took out another thick set of scrolls.

"Imperial scriptures of the Yuyuan Kingdom?"

Qin Mu was surprised. He flipped through them several times, thinking, "Aren't these supposed to be scriptures from Lizhou sects? Where did a 'Yuyuan Kingdom' come from? And what's the connection between this Yuyuan Kingdom and Yuyuan Chuyu? Was Lizhou not originally part of Yankang Nation's territory, but rather a country called Yuyuan?"

Qin Mu's heart stirred. Yuyuan Chuyu was the Vice-Magistrate of Lizhou. Her surname was Yuyuan, and she mentioned having an elder brother, Yuyuan Chuyun, who served as an official in the capital. Could this brother and sister be descendants of the former imperial family of the Yuyuan Kingdom?

Yuyuan Chuyu's official position was not low; she held a high rank at a young age, suggesting a significant background.

"Lizhou is in the central-southern part of Yankang Nation. From this, it seems Yankang Nation has annexed quite a few countries."

Qin Mu began reading the national scriptures of the Yuyuan Kingdom. The Yuyuan Kingdom's imperial scriptures were incomplete, but much better than those of the Danxia Sect. The national learning of the Yuyuan Kingdom was called the "Chengdu Bearing Heaven Profound Art," which was almost a complete system, and its sword art was called the "Setting Sun Sword Art."

Qin Mu quickly read through it and decided to choose this set of scriptures.

As for sword arts, he had only cultivated the first form of the Sword Diagram, "Sword Striding Over Mountains and Rivers." "Sword Striding Over Mountains and Rivers" consumed a vast amount of vital qi. In normal situations, if he encountered an enemy and used this sword art, just one move would deplete most of Qin Mu's vital qi, leaving him in a dire state if more enemies appeared afterwards.

Therefore, he needed a high-grade sword art.

The Yuyuan Kingdom's "Setting Sun Sword Art" was a high-grade sword art, much to his liking.

"The Secretarial Supervisor just now said I could choose five scriptures. Perhaps I should look for others."

Qin Mu quickly scanned other bookshelves but didn't find anything he liked. Most of the cultivation methods from other sects were inferior to the Yuyuan Kingdom's "Chengdu Bearing Heaven Profound Art."

He searched room by room and indeed found many high-grade cultivation methods, which made him secretly curious: if the first floor of the Heavenly Records Tower contained so many classics, how powerful must the classics on the second and third floors be?

"Wait, something's not right. I'm afraid some of the scriptures submitted by these sects have been abridged, and they haven't submitted their true ultimate techniques."

The more scriptures Qin Mu browsed, the more doubts arose in his mind. He suspected that many of the scriptures here had been abridged, with some ultimate techniques not included. He could clearly sense this after a quick read-through.

For example, the Nine Bends River Sword Art had nine stances. When he performed the ninth stance, he felt his aura and the sword art's power reach their peak, but there was nothing further. An astonishing power had been brewed, yet there was no tenth stance to unleash it.

This indicated that the Nine Bends Sword Sect had not offered its complete sword art but had held back.

There were many similar instances. Clearly, these forces were not willing to hand over their true ultimate techniques to Yankang Nation; they must have held back.