Chapter 52: Opportunity for a Breakthrough

Chapter 52: Chapter 52: Opportunity for a Breakthrough

With the help of his Golden Finger, Zeng Anmin was an Eighth Grade Martial Artist, yet he already possessed Seventh Grade combat prowess. As for the specifics of this combat prowess, he still needed to explore it himself. However, that was too slow. He didn’t want to wait, which was why he asked the question. Nan didn’t make him wait long, explaining to him in detail:

[Nan: The biggest difference between the Visualization Realm and the Martial Pill Realm is the existence of ’intent’.]

[After breaking through the Heaven and Earth Two Bridges with Martial Arts Aura to open the Sea of Consciousness, one can use the uniqueness of the Sea of Consciousness to visualize the Illustrated Catalog and comprehend the true intent within the illustration to enhance the combat prowess of their Martial Arts Aura. Different Illustrated Catalogs bring different ’intents’ to Martial Artists.]

[What I visualize is the Jiang Dynasty royal family’s Phoenix Strategy Map. Furthermore, because I am the one who awakened the true intent of the Phoenix Strategy Map, the intent it feeds back to me is denser and more lethal, making my combat prowess somewhat stronger than ordinary Martial Artists.]

As the master of the Emperor Xi’s Map, you are naturally capable of the same. However, Nan was tactful enough not to type this sentence out.

After reading this, Zeng Anmin frowned deeply. He took a deep breath and asked, [Bei: Only intent? And you must reach the Visualization Realm to have it? Are you sure?]

[Nan: I am sure.]

...

"Awaken the Celestial Dao Map," Zeng Anmin murmured softly. He had keenly picked up on this word from Nan’s lengthy explanation. "Awaken..."

He slowly lowered his head and stretched out his hand. With a thought, his Martial Arts Aura circulated throughout his body. Bizarre scales slowly surfaced on his fair hand, containing a tremendous, ancient, desolate, and deadly aura. His entire arm had impressively transformed into a dragon claw, exactly like the giant dragon depicted on the front of the Dragon Inspection Map!

Zeng Anmin narrowed his eyes, staring fixedly at the phantom of the Dragon Inspection Map in his Sea of Consciousness. He said softly, "What kind of secret does the Dragon Inspection Map truly contain?

"Moreover, what I’m doing shouldn’t be considered ’awakening’, right?"

...

The next day.

Zeng Anmin woke up from his bed. Last night, Nan had given him five locations of exotic herbs with the effect of opening the Heaven-opening Gate. After filtering them out, he set his sights on Stone Mountain, which was extremely close to Liangjiang Commandery. Of course, there was no rush for this matter. What he needed to do right now was build a solid foundation in his Martial Skill first.

"Eternal Night Three Slashes."

Its power was not inferior to the Jiang Dynasty royal family’s ultimate art, "Phoenix Nine Cries". Besides the locations of the exotic herbs and Spirit Roots, Nan had also given him this Martial Skill.

Zeng Anmin glanced at his Golden Finger panel.

[(Silver) Agile Mindset: Your Enlightenment is permanently increased by ten percent.]

This was the trait his cheat had given him after he broke through to the Sixth Grade of the Confucian Dao on the boat last time. The other two options were completely useless, so he had ignored them and chosen this one. Having tasted the sweetness of Rapid Enlightenment, Zeng Anmin was extremely interested in these system traits that improved epiphany and intelligence. He just wondered how this ten percent increase in Enlightenment compared to the time-limited Rapid Enlightenment.

...

"Young Master, Mr. Qin, the Dean of Shuidu Academy, is here. The master wants you to go see him in the main hall," a maidservant’s respectful voice sounded from outside the door.

Oh? Dean Qin? What was he doing at the Governor’s Mansion? Zeng Anmin pictured Dean Qin’s youthful face with crane-white hair. He figured the man must be an old acquaintance of his father’s. Otherwise, the Dean of Shuidu Academy would have visited the Governor of Fengqi Road at the Government Office, not at his home.

"I got it." He gently lifted the bed curtains, stepped onto the floor, pulled on his shoes, and walked out the door.

As he opened the door, the first ray of morning sunlight passed over him and spilled light across the room. Just as the door opened, he heard the chirping of magpies. Zeng Anmin didn’t pay it much mind. He casually greeted Dachun, who was practicing his martial arts, and headed toward the main hall.

"Dad, Dean Qin."

Zeng Anmin arrived at the main hall and found his father and Qin Shoucheng chatting with bright smiles. Right after greeting them, his gaze fell upon an unfamiliar young woman. He turned slightly to look at the girl standing behind Qin Shoucheng, hesitating for a moment before asking, "And this is...?"

There was an indescribable aura about this girl. Her first impression was one of tranquility, a faint smile constantly resting on her lips. Her eyes weren’t particularly large, but they sparkled with a charm akin to the first snow. Her dark hair cascaded like a waterfall; a strand was tucked behind her ear, but a few hairs mischievously bounced back out. Sunlight filtered through the window, sprinkling over her soft, fine hair. Her entire being exuded a serene aura that seemed capable of warding off all the noise and chaos of the world. Seeing her, Zeng Anmin’s slightly irritated heart settled down, influenced by her quiet disposition.

Peaceful, gentle, and fragrant. It was an indescribable, quiet charm hidden deep within the soul, inadvertently emitting the fragrance of life. It surprisingly generated a delightful attraction without her even trying.

"Dean Qin’s only daughter," his father replied expressionlessly, his gaze landing on Zeng Anmin as he took a light sip of tea.

Asking about a girl right upon their first meeting—anyone who didn’t know better would naturally assume Zeng Anmin had impure intentions. However, since this was his own home and everyone knew his personality, it wasn’t considered out of line here. Sitting in another chair, Qin Shoucheng didn’t say a word. He scrutinized Zeng Anmin with a peculiar smile on his face.

"I am Qin Wanyue," the girl said. Her voice was incredibly soft but still poised and graceful. Her crescent moon-like eyes looked toward Zeng Anmin as she offered a gentle curtsy.

"Oh, oh, Ms. Qin. I am Zeng Anmin, courtesy name Quan Fu. A pleasure to meet you." Zeng Anmin subconsciously returned the bow. With outsiders present, he lost much of the relaxed comfort he had when alone with his father, appearing much more dignified.

Qin Wanyue smiled and nodded slightly, her tranquil aura washing over him.

"Have a seat first." His father turned his gaze to Qin Wanyue, his expression softening considerably as he chuckled lightly. "Wanyue, I haven’t seen you in over ten years. You’ve grown so much.

"Beautiful and intelligent, truly worthy of a scholarly family."

Qin Wanyue was just about to bow in thanks but was interrupted by Qin Shoucheng at her side.

"You are not wrong. My daughter is indeed quite wise." A look of smug satisfaction appeared on Qin Shoucheng’s face. He didn’t speak to Zeng Anmin’s father with the expected politeness. This confirmed Zeng Anmin’s suspicion. This old geezer definitely knew his dad from the past.

His father wasn’t surprised by this expression at all. He simply raised his head slightly, a half-smile in his eyes. "How wise is she?"

Qin Shoucheng first glanced at Zeng Anmin, then looked at Qin Wanyue. Tipping his chin up slightly, he stroked his goatee with his right hand. "Yesterday, Wanyue had a sudden epiphany and broke through to the Purple Mansion Realm. Although it’s a few days later than Quan Fu, she comprehended the words of the past sages."

At this point, the smile on Qin Shoucheng’s face deepened. "She has already found the words of wisdom and clearly established her direction. In half a year at most, entering the Sixth Grade Gentleman Realm will be nothing but a matter of course."

Having said that, he stroked his beard and closed his eyes with a smile, ready to welcome the gasps of amazement from Zeng Shilin and Zeng Anmin.

Zeng Anmin blinked. So this guy came to the Governor’s Mansion just to show off?

To break through to the Gentleman Realm after entering the Purple Mansion in the Confucian Dao, one needed to comprehend the words of past sages or verify a certain principle. Simply put, some people’s breakthroughs were instantaneous. Others, however, would latch onto a specific phrase, define a clear direction, and continually contemplate it in detail. Of course, choosing a phrase was only possible because they already had a certain level of understanding of it.

Zeng Anmin belonged to the former category. The Qin Wanyue before him seemed to be the latter. Even within the Purple Mansion Realm, there were differences. Having a clear direction versus lacking one were two entirely different concepts. The former signified confusion, not knowing when a breakthrough would occur. The latter meant that everything would fall into place naturally, and a breakthrough was only a matter of time. Clearly, the reason Qin Shoucheng was so proud was because he assumed that although Zeng Anmin had reached the Purple Mansion Realm, he was still lost in confusion.

"HAHAHAHAHA!!"

Qin Shoucheng, whose eyes were closed as he waited for praise, did not receive Zeng Shilin’s awe and compliments. Instead, he was met with his father’s booming laughter. The laughter was even laced with smugness.

"What are you laughing at?" Qin Shoucheng opened his eyes, furrowing his brows tightly as he looked at his father. Was this funny to him?!