It has been about nine days since the wish bottle from Xiao Qingwan drifted to Han.

  In these nine days, many events had taken place, one after another, and Han hadn’t expected another bottle to arrive so quietly.

  The third wish bottle looked just like Luo Miaomiao’s—purple in color.

  “Does the color represent the level of the wish bottle, or is it related to something specific about the wish master?” Han wondered. So far, three bottles had appeared—two purple and one blue.

  When it came to the value of the rewards brought by these wish bottles, Han personally felt that the Pure Lotus was probably less valuable than Phoenix Blood.

  The Pure Lotus had its limits, but Phoenix Fire could be enhanced as Han's strength grew.

  However, Han wasn’t sure what this third wish bottle would bring.

  “Spring’s entrance exams and the autumn’s imperial exams are just around the corner. I must work hard—first to pass the provincial exams, then to become a top scholar, and finally make it onto the imperial list and secure a position for three generations.”

  “Only by doing this can the court bestow the title of ‘Lady’ on my mother, allowing her to enter the family tomb, be memorialized, and receive offerings.”

  “Perhaps, I might even get the chance to study at the Confucian Academy!”

  Reading these lines, Han’s spirit stirred.

  Confucian Academy?

  Was this the same academy as the one in the Eastern Zhou, known as the Academy of Saints?

  Could the Eastern Zhou academy have another name?

  But the first few sentences of the wish paper caused Han’s expression to shift subtly.

  Could it be that he was being asked to write another story for this wish master?

  “Once I pass the exams, I will have the ability to live independently. At that time, I will leave the Marquis’s residence. It would be best if I could enter the Confucian Academy, but if not, I will find an opportunity to train in martial arts or pursue the Dao.”

  “This vast Marquis’s residence is cold and distant, not worth staying in. My father is not a father, and my brothers are not like brothers. Staying here only makes me an eyesore.”

  “Years ago, my mother was a cultivator, but she was killed by that vicious woman’s harsh words. I do not believe it was so simple—there must be a hidden truth behind it. I will uncover the truth about what happened to my mother.”

  “If my mother was truly harmed by evil forces, I will avenge her!”

  “But…”

  “I am no longer young. If I start martial arts or the Dao now, what achievements can I possibly make?”

  “The Marquis’s residence is powerful, but no matter how much strength I accumulate, what can I do with it?”

  “And the Marquis has never looked favorably upon me. Even if I succeed in the exams, he may still sabotage me. With his power and his relationship with the emperor, it would be effortless for him to suppress me.”

  “Mother, what should I do…”

  Han furrowed his brows. Da Qian?

  It seemed that the Confucian Academy this wish master was referring to wasn’t the same as the Academy of Saints in the Eastern Zhou.

  This wish master must be from a noble family, so they couldn’t possibly be confused about which dynasty they were in.

  But Da Qian—Han had never heard of it.

  Another wish master, another unknown time and place.

  “Recently, the women in the Marquis’s residence have been getting more unbearable. They have gone too far. I am tired of putting up with them and have decided to move to the West Mountain for a while to guard my mother’s tomb.”

  “With my mother’s servant, Fu Bo, accompanying me, I will be safe.”

  “My education is sufficient, and I hope the imperial exams go smoothly. Mother, if you are watching from the heavens, please bless me.”

  “I don’t want to prove anything. I just want to tell everyone that the things you lost, Mother, I will reclaim them for you.”

  “I’ve already arrived at the West Mountain. It’s a good place—beautiful mountains and clear waters, though it’s sparsely populated.”

  “…”

  Han stared at the wish paper, once again realizing that this wish master had not mentioned their name, unlike the previous two.

  As for their gender, the reference to the imperial exams suggested they were likely a man, though Han wasn’t sure.

  In this world, there were instances where women could take the imperial exams, govern regions, and even hold titles of nobility. One’s strength could make the imperial court bend to their will. This world didn’t follow the same rules as Han’s previous life.

  The words on the wish paper faded. It was time for Han to grant the wish.

  This wish master from the Marquis’s family clearly had a straightforward wish: to excel in the imperial exams, achieve fame, and cultivate strength.

  In short, they sought higher status.

  Han began to write.

  “A long time ago, there was a man named Xiao Yi. He was from a noble family, but his mother was only a concubine and died under mysterious circumstances…”

  “…In the end, Xiao Yi grew into the most powerful person in the world, even greater than the figures in history, and was revered as Yi Zi.”

  “…“

  Han quickly wrote a revised and condensed version of the story.

  He then added some Dao techniques and martial arts skills he had obtained from his enemies, ones that were of no use to him.

  It seemed this wish master, despite being from the prestigious Tianwu Marquis family, was not in a good position and had little access to cultivation methods or martial skills.

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  Since they desired them, Han decided to give them what they wanted.

  After all, these techniques and martial skills were just collecting dust for Han.

  A brilliant purple light flashed, and a blurry image appeared before Han—much like with Luo Miaomiao, it was hard to make out, but there was a long head of hair visible.

  “May you succeed in the exams, make it to the top, and achieve all your wishes,” Han said with a blessing. After all, blessings cost nothing.

  The wish paper vanished, and the wish bottle opened.

  A book, glowing with a pearly white light, appeared before Han.

  At that moment, Han felt a deep, genuine stir in his heart.

  His heart truly skipped a beat.

  The West Mountain was surrounded by dense forests, with waterfalls and stone forests, though it wasn’t a towering peak. It was a place rich with nature, occasionally echoing with the cries of wild beasts.

  Because it was close to the capital of Da Qian, the West Mountain had no savage beasts, just ordinary ones.

  A beautiful young woman was kneeling before a grave, bowing her head.

  An elderly man stood nearby, carrying luggage.

  As the young woman bowed again, a flash of purple light appeared, and the contents of the wish paper appeared in her mind, accompanied by a male voice whispering in her ear.

  Strangely, the elderly man had no reaction, as if he didn’t see anything.

  After a long while, the young woman raised her head and looked at her mother’s tomb.

  “Yi Zi…”

  “Mother, are you watching from the heavens? Have other deities come to bless me?”

  “Miss, what did you say?” the old man asked, as though he had heard the name Yi Zi.

  The young woman shook her head, feeling a piece of paper materialize in her left hand.

  “I will investigate. If my mother was harmed by someone, like Yi Zi’s mother, I will not let them go.”

  “If the truth is as I suspect, then I will take the name Meng Yiyun.”

  “The man’s surname? I will not use it!”

  The young woman silently made up her mind, then stood up.

  “Fu Bo, let’s go.”

  “Yes, Miss.”

  “By the way, Fu Bo, did mother leave me a scripture?”

  “Yes, I brought it with me,” Fu Bo replied, pulling a book from his luggage and handing it to her.

  “This scripture was something your mother often read, but it’s not a cultivation manual.”

  The young woman nodded silently but recalled what her mother had said before her death.

  “Don’t lose this scripture. It’s the only thing your mother left for you.”

  The young woman’s mind began to form a plan.

  Perhaps, what her mother left her wasn’t as simple as it seemed.

  And there was also the Dao techniques and martial skills that the deity had passed down to her.

  Tianwu Marquis’s residence, you will regret it.

  The Scripture of Qi

  This was the reward Han received from the third wish bottle.

  The glow emanating from the scripture was clearly filled with an aura of righteousness.

  Another book containing the essence of righteousness?

  Han opened the book and immediately gasped in shock.

  “I am the Sage of Qi. Today…”

  This was the scripture of the Qi Sage?

  Who the Qi Sage was, Han had no idea.

  The name of the East Zhou Sacred Academy was derived from the ancient sages.

  To claim the title of a sage, one could not fall short.

  Once Han finished reading the scripture, he was left speechless.

  The Qi Sutra was indeed the work of the Sage of Qi, but the one before him was not the original manuscript of the Sage of Qi's own hand.

  It was merely a copy transcribed by a disciple of the Sage of Qi, based on the original text.

  What kind of disciple transcribes the master's classics without even altering the introductory sentence to reflect their own identity?

  Who exactly is the Sage of Qi here? You, or your master?

  But even as a disciple of the Sage of Qi, they were a formidable practitioner wielding the mighty Qi, and their handwritten copy of the Qi Sutra still held great value.

  The teachings Han obtained from the Black and White Tower in Yunlong City paled in comparison to this.

  The Qi Sutra wasn't some profound Taoist technique or secret martial arts method. It was simply a record of the Sage of Qi's philosophies and ideas.

  "It's still a valuable find," Han thought, feeling satisfied with the harvest from the Wish Bottle.

  Such a classic would undoubtedly aid his understanding of the Qi of Righteousness.

  It was far more useful than the teachings that Ye Chong had gathered in Tianyue City.

  And this scripture itself was a treasure.

  Legend had it that the Sacred Academy stored original manuscripts from the sages, considered the academy’s most cherished treasures. These works surpassed most other treasures in value and possessed extraordinary, miraculous effects.

  Though the disciple's transcriptions might not be as rare as the sages' own writings, they were still priceless treasures that could help Han master the Qi of Righteousness.

  The Qi Sutra only existed in Han’s spiritual homeland, yet it made his mind clearer, as if aided by a divine presence. He found that many things he pondered could be quickly answered.

  The strands of Qi of Righteousness also illuminated his spiritual homeland, making it feel sacred. The Pure Blue Lotus was accelerating the transformation of his soul.

  The Qi of Righteousness infused into the sea of his mind, gradually altering the nature of his mental power, making it more aligned with righteousness and more restrained against demonic and ghostly forces.

  It gave off an overwhelming aura of righteousness and purity.

  It also served to protect both his spiritual homeland and his soul.

  With various magical tools, nameless Yin fires, the Pure Blue Lotus, and now the teachings of the Sage of Qi, Han’s spiritual homeland was fortified like an impregnable fortress.

  The defensive power of his soul far exceeded its offensive strength.

  The Wish Bottle, that trusty “life cheat,” had once again proved invaluable.

  As the Wish Bottle fell into the sea of his consciousness, it advanced Han’s cultivation.

  "I wonder if I’ll ever meet these wish masters in person," Han thought, but then his thoughts turned to Luo Miaomiao.

  "The Emperor of the Year can be left out."

  If Luo Miaomiao were truly the Emperor of the Year, Han was quite frightened at the thought of meeting her.

  She was unaware of everything so far, but if she found out, Han would be in trouble.

  How would he explain to the Emperor of the Year that he had helped her when she was just a fledgling five hundred years ago?

  The Emperor of the Year would surely be curious, and such curiosity could spell disaster for Han.

  Luo Miaomiao—perhaps it was better to leave the past behind and let them forget each other.

  After dealing with the matter of the Wish Bottle, Han left the quiet room.

  Bai Ruoyue glanced at Han, a little surprised. "Huh, Junior Brother, you seem... different?"

  "Different? More handsome?" Han teased.

  Bai Ruoyue thought for a moment before responding, "You’ve become more refined."

  "..."

  "I’m filled with righteous energy, and you, a martial artist, just don’t understand."

  That night.

  The grand aura of righteousness once again filled the peach grove, yet it was restrained by Taoist magic and couldn’t extend beyond the grove.

  The chanting continued, and the look of surprise in Lu Qingmo’s eyes grew stronger.

  Why did it feel like Han had made such rapid progress in understanding the Qi of Righteousness in just one day?

  Could he have had another epiphany?

  As Han recited the scripture, he began speaking of teachings that Lu Qingmo had never heard before.

  When his words resounded, it was nothing short of extraordinary.

  The Qi of Righteousness in the world surged, and each character seemed to come alive, leaping and glowing in the void.

  As Han’s chanting deepened, the righteous characters began to reorder, forming an unparalleled masterpiece.

  Not only that, but the earlier recited scriptures also manifested into words, assembling into divine compositions.

  Radiant, multi-colored light poured from Han’s heart, enveloping and coloring all the divine masterpieces.

  The sky itself seemed to transform, as if they had entered another realm.

  It was too dazzling, too dreamy, too sacred.

  The auspicious light fell, making Han appear otherworldly, as if on the verge of ascending to the heavens.

  Lu Qingmo held her breath, sensing that something monumental was about to happen, and she was witnessing it firsthand.

  At some point, Han stopped speaking, but the chant continued to echo through the heavens and earth, never fading.

  The multi-colored light grew brighter, but it didn’t sting the eyes. Instead, it was gentle and warm, like a spring breeze brushing against the face.

  His soul was cleansed, and negative, dark emotions melted away like snow under the sun.

  His soul was at peace, his spirit invigorated, as though blessed.

  Suddenly, a blurry figure appeared behind Han.

  The figure’s face was unclear, but they were holding a brush, sometimes pausing to think, sometimes writing with an air of unparalleled grace.

  After a while, the figure disappeared, only for another to appear. This time, the figure sat in a meditative posture, mouth moving as if chanting scripture.

  Then this figure vanished as well, replaced by a new one, and so on, in an endless cycle.

  The Sacred Shadows descended!

  Lu Qingmo, initially shocked, then overjoyed, recognized the phenomenon. Although she didn’t understand much about the Qi of Righteousness, she knew this sign.

  The Sacred Shadows had appeared, and the Qi of Righteousness had condensed!

  Once all the Sacred Shadows vanished, they suddenly reappeared together, their gazes fixed on Han, as though they were nodding at him.

  The peach grove was silent for a moment before the multi-colored light began to retract, and the masterpieces began to shrink.

  Like a hundred rivers returning to the sea, all the light and masterpieces flowed into Han’s heart.

  The sound of his heartbeat grew louder, and Lu Qingmo could even see the multi-colored heart beating through the layers of flesh—a divine sight indeed.

  "The Heart of Righteousness?" Lu Qingmo murmured in disbelief.

  Those who comprehend the Qi of Righteousness form the Heart of Righteousness.

  But could it really be... the Heart of Righteousness formed from his own heart? And why is it so colorful?