Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Three Thousand Daoist Canons

Bai Yunfei left behind the preface and general outline of the Old Yang Scripture, then leafed through the Lesser Yang Scripture and committed it firmly to memory. In haste, he took his leave, but not before leaving a final message: "After reporting back to my master in the sect, I will request the full Old Yang Scripture to be delivered here."

Tang Xiaotian, He Qianshan, and the others could not resist the allure of the two scriptures. Each brought forth the general outlines of their own cultivation methods to exchange for a chance to read them.

Once the crowd had departed, Jiang Ming turned to the Ninth Princess. "Would you care for them? I can give you both in their entirety."

He pushed the two scriptures toward her.

The Ninth Princess's eyes flickered, but her smile was warm and playful. "You are a Grandmaster, after all. How should I address you?"

"Grandmaster is but a rank of cultivation," Jiang Ming replied with a smile. "Look, Brother Lu does not stand on ceremony with me."

"Brother Jiang!" The Ninth Princess cupped her hands, leaning forward slightly. "You have reached the realm of Grandmaster; you have no need to curry favor with me. Presenting these two scriptures must be for a reason, am I right?"

"I seek the Dao Repository, and the royal family's cherished collection of various cultivation methods. Ordinary techniques will suffice. I can offer ten more peerless arts in exchange. Is that agreeable?"

"Agreed! But I do not need these two scriptures."

"Not needed? I wish you did," Jiang Ming said, a hint of helplessness in his expression.

The Ninth Princess's smile grew brighter. "I do not lack peerless cultivation arts. Though these two are supreme, to me they are dispensable. Brother Jiang, my condition is simple: if ever I am in dire straits, I ask for your aid—just once."

She paused, then spoke with earnestness: "It must not violate the way of chivalry, nor go against your own heart. If it is inconvenient for you, you may refuse. The three thousand Dao Repositories, eight hundred cultivation methods, the Six Gates' treasured secret arts, and the royal family's prized Lieyang Scripture and Xuanyin Scripture—I will send them all to you."

"What spirit!" Jiang Ming was moved, but laughed. "The Lieyang and Xuanyin scriptures are of little use to me now."

"Brother Jiang, didn't you say you wished to collect the Nine Yang True Scripture and Nine Yin Divine Skills?" Lu Yuan swirled his wine cup from the side, interjecting.

"I already possess two scriptures, and with the exchanged outlines and prefaces, I am eighty or ninety percent certain I can deduce the Nine Yin and Nine Yang from them. So they're not of much use, though they might save me some time," Jiang Ming admitted candidly.

Lu Yuan smacked his lips and fell silent again.

Was this even human speech?

The Nine Yin and Nine Yang have stirred the martial world for centuries—profound and unfathomable. To obtain a single volume is enough to establish a powerful sect, yet you claim you can deduce them.

And you've only acquired a handful of outlines.

Utter nonsense.

Yet, one could not help but believe.

Lu Yuan felt a bit despondent.

The Ninth Princess opened her mouth, wanting to call it boasting, but recalling the earlier battle—the way her opponent wielded myriad arts with ease, breaking through mid-fight against a Grandmaster. He even comprehended three kinds of true intent, and most astonishingly, fused them into one, then devised a matching sword art, with which he slew Master Xuanming, himself a Grandmaster, in a single stroke.

Her lips twitched involuntarily.

"Admirable!" the Ninth Princess managed to force out the words.

Within the royal family, she was hailed as a martial genius seen once in a century; even the Six Gates was subtly under her control. Yet, compared to the man before her, she was worlds apart.

The Ninth Princess was not lacking in courage either. She directly transcribed the Lieyang and Xuanyin scriptures, and instructed the gold-capped chief of Six Gates, now under her authority, to bring a trove of manuals and Daoist texts.

Jiang Ming was greatly pleased.

The ransom money from the Xiao and Liang families arrived as well—thousand-year ginseng, bank notes, books, and so on. He made arrangements for each, and sent Evergreen to fetch Xiao Lan and the others.

The Tianwu Army was stationed nearby, training and resting under Evergreen's supervision, honing their strength further.

Jiang Ming left the mundane tasks to Xiao Lan. He spent his days reading, strolling by Moonwatch Lake, observing the waters, appreciating the green willows, and living in leisure.

At sunset, standing beneath a drooping willow, he pondered: "Intent—called ‘true meaning’ in this world—is divided into entry level, minor achievement, major achievement, and perfection."

This was knowledge gleaned from his conversation with the Ninth Princess.

Comparatively, Lu Yuan's foundation was much shallower.

"Is intent ranked by strength, or by quality?"

The difference in strength was obvious—such as Rain True Intent and Water True Intent. Rain belongs to Water; Water commands Rain; clearly, Rain is stronger.

But in essence?

Jiang Ming shook his head. The martial arts foundation of this world was lacking, research in this field was shallow. He would need to return to the main world for deeper understanding.

In recent days, he had also studied the peerless arts of Lesser Yin and Lesser Yang, and even reverse-engineered much of the Nine Yang True Scripture and Nine Yin Divine Skills.

Truthfully, he cared little for these two divine powers.

What intrigued him was the hope of comprehending the True Intent of Yin and Yang through them—but alas, he had no clue where to begin.

"Then, let me settle for second best: first comprehend ten kinds of true intent, to meet the conditions for solidifying my innate talent. If I accidentally break through, there’ll be nowhere to cry."

"Next, using Water and Fire as the foundation, and the Five Elements as a guide, perhaps I can achieve Yin and Yang."

"And Life and Death, pure Sword Intent, Blade Intent, Fist Intent, and so forth."

"As for Space? Time? Limitless, etc..."

Jiang Ming’s thoughts drifted, and he chuckled to himself.

Setting one’s sights too high risks disappointment; even the main world might not record Space Intent, let alone here.

He looked up at the willow leaves swaying in the wind, plucked one, and felt a surge of vibrant life within it. His heart stirred, and he immersed himself in it.

After a long while, vitality began to radiate from him, causing the surrounding flowers, grass, and trees to gently sway.

The life force within Jiang Ming grew stronger still.

Wood Intent.

Success!

"So simple, truly too simple," he sighed.

The Ninth Princess, passing by, heard his voice and felt the surge of vitality, grinning as she hurried over. "Brother Jiang, have you comprehended a new intent?"

"Wood Intent!" Jiang Ming nodded. "Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water—the Five Elements. They generate and restrain each other. I’ve grasped Wood and Water; next, I’ll study the other three."

"You..." The Ninth Princess opened her mouth, wanting to curse him a freak.

His calm words struck like a mortal blow.

"Brother Jiang, I must return to the capital today. The three thousand Dao Repositories and numerous techniques will be sent over in batches. Gold-capped Jin will remain here, overseeing the Six Gates branch. If you need anything, you may find her directly." The Ninth Princess was straightforward. With a cupped fist, she took her leave.

She simply could not stay here any longer; her heart could not endure it.

Jiang Ming’s days were peaceful and full.

Two months later, he had Evergreen lead the Tianwu Army into the mountains for more hunts, then turned north to the border with the Northern Barbarians, hunting bandits and wildfolk as further training.

Their strength was too weak, but with Jiang Ming’s Grandmaster cultivation and a thousand-year ginseng as aid, he forcibly elevated their abilities to the innate realm, even tempering their physiques anew.

"With many peerless arts, a perfected Seven Kill Blade Method, and the way of battlefield tactics and formations, they are like dragons returned to the sea. I hope they bring me some surprises in the future!"

Jiang Ming gazed at the distant mountains, his thoughts stirring.

This too was a move in his leisurely game.

His gaze sharpened, the system screen materialized before him, and he studied the changing information with satisfaction.