Tales of Herding Gods

Chapter 136: Sleepwalking

Translator: Ninetales Editor: Fish_Creek

In front of Hall of Supreme Learning, thousands of scholars along with directorates, secretaries, and chancellor were all startled and looked towards the source of the laughter.

A scholar was at a loss and asked, “What had he refined?”

A scholar beside him was also slightly at a loss, “I think he said vital qi thread… I might have heard wrongly!”

Those directorates, secretaries, and chancellors had awkward expressions as they were between laughter and tears.

Chancellor Ba Shan burst into laughter and said, “Interesting little fellow. Vital qi thread is the basis of all sword skill. If he hadn’t even refined vital qi thread, how did he become a scholar of our Imperial College? Which examiner did he bribe to get in?”

“Chancellor Ba Shan, you were not around Imperial College previously so you don’t know him.”

A directorate smiled and explained, “This rascal is called Qin Mu, an abandoned person from Great Ruins. He defeated Daoist Ling Yun and was chosen as an imperial scholar by the emperor himself. Who dares to not let him in after being chosen by the emperor?”

“An abandoned person of Great Ruins defeated Ling Yun and was chosen by the emperor?”

Chancellor Ba Shan looked at Daoist Ling Yun and sneered, “Ling Yun, did you go easy on him? Was the emperor bribed as well?”

Daoist Ling Yun was ashamed and angry at the same time. Back then he was smashed out from Hall of Pure Yang and two sword cases were emptied out from stabbing him, making him lose face in front of the emperor, civil and military ministers as well as these colleagues and scholars. Was this still called going easy?

Was there this kind of bribery and going easy?

Ain’t the price a little too high?

However, Ba Shan was a chancellor after all and the person who was just lower than the Grand Chancellor, therefore he had to be cautious of offending him. He could only pull a long face and keep quiet so that he won’t get himself in trouble. This Chancellor Ba Shan was the famous loudmouth in Imperial College, after all, not giving any face when blurting out. Most of the rumors and rubbish news in Imperial College were basically spread by him. That’s why he was also secretly known as ‘Loudmouth Ba’.

If he quarreled with him, even the chicken in the chicken coop would know about his embarrassing deed the next day.

Meanwhile, Fu Yuanqing who was in the distance was surprised, “That’s my little junior brother from the same master! He looks pretty dim-witted. Master is so useless now, to actually find such a dumb goose that looks like a pushover!”

“Painstakingly cultivating seven to eight years, I’ve finally refined my vital qi thread!”

Qin Mu was unable to contain his joy and found it difficult to conceal the excitement in his heart as he looked at the vital qi thread in front of his face. Now he could finally not execute his incomparably thick ‘vital qi thread’ anymore, now his vital qi thread could also be very exquisite.

Between his fingers and palm, his vital qi thread flowed gently and was as thin as a hair which was very perfect.

If one observed carefully, they could see that this vital qi thread from Qin Mu was different from the rest.

This vital qi thread was actually formed by many incomparably fine sword qi and every sword was constantly transforming and swirling. However, when the vital qi thread moved, it was still incomparably agile, so agile that no one would notice that the vital qi thread actually had a structure.

“I wonder how far can my vital qi thread be executed to?”

Qin Mu looked around and wanted to try how far he can extend his vital qi thread out to. When his gaze suddenly swept Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor, he was slightly startled.

Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor was looking at his hand and his gaze landed on the vital qi thread that was moving around his fingers and palm. He seemed to feel Qin Mu’s gaze and raised his gaze slightly, causing both their gazes to meet.

Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor gave a smile and said in a low voice, “Interesting…”

Qin Mu retracted his gaze and gave up on his idea. There were too many people here so he was unable to test it out.

Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor waited for a while more and said, “Alright. Now I shall teach all of you the second kind of basic sword form, Swim Sword Form. Sword is unrestricted while flying in the air and the form of the sword is also unrestricted therefore a sword can swim, just like a dragon swimming, like a snake swimming, like a fish swimming, like a phoenix soaring in the air, like immortals stepping on air, so why should we rigidly adhere to the fundamental sword techniques of our predecessors?”

Qin Mu’s spirit trembled. The second basic sword technique that Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor had founded was still like a breath of fresh air to everyone, broadening their horizons. It was as if a door was pushed open and they could see a world that was much more vast.

“I’m right to come to Imperial College. Patriarch has the foresight.” He thought to himself.

In front of the mountain gate, Dan Yangzi raised his head and looked up to see layers and layers of palaces on the jade mountain, looking very deep. There were dense vegetations on the mountain that were dyed jade by the qi of the nine dragons. Meanwhile, the wind brought along Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor’s voice once in a while which consisted of a sentence or two and after he heard them, he only had a feeling of everything becoming clear.

“Senior Uncle Dan Yangzi.”

Daozi Lin Xuan also faintly heard the voice coming from the mountain and hesitated a moment before asking, “Is the person giving a lecture on top of the mountain Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor? I only heard a sentence or two from him and benefited greatly from them. Contrary to expectation, I felt he…”

Dan Yangzi smiled and said, “It’s okay to say.”

Daozi Lin Xuan mustered his courage and said, “Even though I have not completely heard the words he said to teach the scholars, his sword skills have indeed reached an unimaginable realm. Even though the techniques that were imparted down from our Dao Sect have profound concrete details and include everything, his understanding has surpassed our Dao Sect. Disciple feels that maybe Imperial Preceptor is really thinking of pushing forward the development of the paths, skills and divine arts. In that case, why do we have to block the gate?”

Dan Yangzi smiled, “Daozi, other than listening to one’s words, you also need to watch one’s deeds, this is then the way of life. No one denies Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor’s talent. Back then when he met Dao Master, Dao Master also expected him to be the genius that appears once every five hundred years and become a saint in the future. This shows how high Dao Master had evaluated him. But what happens if he doesn’t become a saint and turns to an evil instead?”

Daozi Lin Xuan was puzzled.

Dan Yangzi sneered, “With his power, he could completely push the paths, skills and divine arts into motion but he has the ambition of wild wolves and wants to subdue all the sects and not give them any way to survive. This is one of the points. The second point is Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor is actually using the teachings of Heavenly Devil Cult! Heavenly Devil Cult is equivalent to the fake path under the name of a fake saint which is really just cultivating the devil path. Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor is in cahoots with Heavenly Devil Cult and is the enemy of our orthodox path!”

Daozi Lin Xuan’s heart trembled in fear and said, “Good and evil can’t coexist together. With him associating with the devil path, the more talented he is, the more threatening he will be!”

Dan Yangzi nodded his head and said, “He opened primary schools, colleges, and Imperial College. This indeed has benefits but there are also disadvantages. Dao Master started to teach you when you were a kid, and now you’re still learning from Dao Master. Could Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor’s primary schools, colleges, and Imperial College, as well as those teachers and directorates have the same knowledge and abilities that Dao Master has? Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor opening primary schools, college and Imperial College may seem to give many people the chance to cultivate into experts but it also severs the paths for geniuses. This is the main reason why our Dao Sect is opposing him.”

His expression turned grim as he continued, “The paths, skills and divine arts are pushed into motion by geniuses, a genius like Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor. Most of the people live their entire lives ordinarily and only know how to learn and use, having no initiative or drive to open up new horizons. Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor is creating a profound and long-lasting tragedy for severing the paths for geniuses! By popularizing this primary schools, colleges, and Imperial College, everyone would become expert for a moment and become very remarkable. However, everyone would be devoid of accomplishments, just like making mooncakes which are all from the same mold. Who can cultivate talent like Daozi? There’s a reason for sects to exist and if he doesn’t see this, our Dao Sect would pledge our lives being his enemy.”

Daozi Lin Xuan understood and his heart was blazing with a desire to battle.

Dan Yangzi smiled, “You can view Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor as an enemy but you can’t stand against his paths, skills and divine arts so as to avoid your scope becoming shallow.

This lecture of Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor went on for two full days without any breaks. There were many people who couldn’t hold on any longer and became sleepy. There were some that just slept in front of Hall of Supreme Learning and there were some that went back to rest.

Qin Mu and some other scholars who had dense cultivation were still bursting with life and listening to his lecture attentively. It’s just that he was of the Five Elements Realm and other people were divine arts practitioners of Six Directions and Seven Stars Realm.

The third basic sword form that Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor talked about was called drill which was also extremely weird.

When a single sword was used, the sword tip would rapidly spin and was good for breaking through all defensive skills like diamond body. Meanwhile, when many swords were used, it was even more terrifying. Many swords would form a huge Drill Sword Form that could break through anything!

In two days, he only talked about these three sword forms and didn’t teach anything else. He instead allowed the imperial scholars to ask more questions for him to answer. When he finished answering all the questions, Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor rose and smiled to the young patriarch, “I shall give these scholars half day to sleep, rest and ea. Then I will have to bother Grand Chancellor to handle the things afterward.”

The young patriarch smiled, “With Imperial Preceptor’s matchless talent, did you find any talents this time?”

Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor nodded his head, “There are only one or two who had got my sword technique. Grand Chancellor should be able to see who they are. That’s right, are you really going to resign and leave?”

The young patriarch nodded his head, “I don’t have long to live and there’s no need for me to cling to power.”

Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor sighed with regret, “When have you been reluctant to give up your power? If you had wanted to be an official, I could even give up my position of the imperial preceptor to you! It’s just that you aren’t willing to do it. You are half my master and if you are to leave, I will be very sad. There will be less a person as my Dao friend.”

The young patriarch smiled, “There’s no banquet in the world that never ends. We enter the banquet when we’re born and we leave the banquet when we’re dead. It’s time for you and me to part our ways.”

Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor looked towards the sky and muttered, “Are there really immortals up in the sky? How wonderful would it be if you could become an immortal in the sky and look at this era that you and I had created…”

He shook his head and boarded the ship which slowly sailed away from Imperial College.

The mess cooks from cookhouse pushed their trolleys to the front of Hall of Supreme Learning and asked every scholar to sit on the ground and eat in front of the hall. The young patriarch then ordered all scholars to return to their residences to rest for half a day and wake when the bell rang.

Qin Mu and the rest returned to their residences and when he passed by Chen Wanyun’s place, he saw that Chen Wanyun was still not asleep and was currently practicing diligently.

“It’s worth learning from Senior Brother Chen…”

Qin Mu was greatly motivated and returned to his residence to put down the little fox who was already asleep. He then slowly moved his footsteps and executed Overlord Body Three Elixir Technique. His speed gradually became faster and faster as he sunk into a half-asleep state while cultivating.

Not long later, Chen Wanyun heard a whoosh and saw Qin Mu sprinting past the front of his door. He immediately chased after him only to see Qin Mu’s eyes were half closed as he sprinted across the entire mountain frantically and couldn’t help being stunned, “Sleepwalking?”

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