Shen Wanyun and the others were deeply discouraged, and Si Yunxiang was also somewhat disgruntled.
Qin Mu, however, felt that it wasn't that they were too stupid, but rather that the Grand Preceptor of Yankang was too brilliant.
A once-in-five-hundred-years prodigy like him could understand any principle with a single explanation, grasp it instantly, and even without anyone's guidance, naturally comprehend many truths on his own.
But the others did not possess his heaven-defying comprehension.
Even among geniuses, there was an immense gap. Although Shen Wanyun and the others were talents selected from ten thousand scholars—either with outstanding aptitude or exceptional comprehension—they were far inferior to a monster who appeared once in five hundred years, with both aptitude and comprehension that were unmatched in the world.
What the Grand Preceptor of Yankang found normal and simple required them to calm down and slowly ponder.
The gap in their natural talent compared to the Grand Preceptor was almost an insurmountable chasm!
"Speaking of Azure Dragon Vitality, do you really think it's purely wood-element?"
The Grand Preceptor of Yankang continued his patient guidance: "Have you ever seen a true Azure Dragon? I have. The one I saw commanded wind and thunder, manipulated water and fire—it was by no means merely wood-element. Moreover, what exactly is wood-element? If you hug a piece of wood and gnaw on it a couple of times, does that make it wood-element? Just because there's a 'green' character in Azure Dragon, you shouldn't automatically assume Azure Dragon Vitality is wood-element. If you think that way, you truly have a wooden head."
Everyone was discouraged once more, and even Qin Mu felt a sense of frustration.
Even he, with his "family heritage," had naturally assumed since childhood that Azure Dragon Vitality was wood-element. But thinking about it now, when Master Ma used Azure Dragon Vitality, there was no trace of wood-element—only roaring wind and thunder.
It seemed his previous understanding was indeed biased. Without someone like the Grand Preceptor to guide him, he would have fallen into a cognitive trap.
"There are actually many cultivation methods for the Five Stars Divine Abacus, and some are specifically designed to unlock its combat potential," the Grand Preceptor said.
"The combat power of the Five Stars Divine Abacus is truly formidable. Of course, it doesn't matter if you can't master it—it won't affect your breakthrough into the other Divine Abacus. You'll just be a bit weaker in the future. This gap will gradually widen as you progress. The more Divine Abacus you cultivate and unlock, the greater the gap becomes."
He drew two triangles in the air—one with a smaller apex angle, the other with a larger one—then sketched six parallel lines inside each. "These seven lines represent strength at each realm. The second line is the Five Stars realm. If you don't cultivate the Five Stars realm well, it's like this: your second line is a little shorter than others, your third line becomes even shorter. By the time you reach the bottom of the triangle—the Divine Bridge realm—you'll be far behind others, with nearly half the strength. Your opponent would only need one or two moves to kill you."
This analogy was vivid and deeply shocking.
Two people, seemingly at similar strength during the Spirit Embryo and Five Stars realms, could end up with such a vast difference by the Divine Bridge realm. Few people had ever considered this—they were only focused on advancing their cultivation.
Si Yunxiang suddenly asked: "Grand Preceptor, what about your line? Compared to other Divine Bridge realm sect masters, how large is your angle?"
The Grand Preceptor of Yankang casually drew a straight line in the air, saying calmly: "I am this line. No matter how strong others cultivate, their angle will always be smaller than mine."
He dared to say this because it was built upon his heaven-defying aptitude and comprehension.
He had virtually no weaknesses.
Others had seven parallel lines, but his seven lines were cumulative—each building on the last—making him stronger than everyone else.
"You can refer to the cultivation methods related to the Five Stars Divine Abacus in the Celestial Records Tower, such as 'Record on Zhenxing (Stability Star)' by Elder Xuanqin, 'Five Elements Battle Meditation' by Monk Yuankong, 'Five Laws of Suixing (Jupiter)' by the Duke of Wei, and 'Five Essentials of Military Strategy' by the Grand Strategist. After studying them, you can solidify your foundation in the Five Stars realm."
The people he mentioned were all first-rank officials of the court. Elder Xuanqin was a woman holding the position of Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince. Monk Yuankong held the rank of Grand Commandant. The Duke of Wei went without saying, and the Grand Strategist was none other than the famous head of the Qin family.
These individuals were either from noble families or renowned elders, all reaching the level of sect masters at the Divine Bridge realm.
The group quickly committed these cultivation method names to memory.
Shen Wanyun, however, was conflicted. He had originally planned to advance directly to the Six Directions realm during this expedition, but after hearing the Grand Preceptor's words, he steeled himself to continue suppressing his cultivation. He would wait until returning to the Imperial Academy to solidify his foundation before breaking through the Six Directions wall.
Qin Mu was stunned, suddenly realizing that some of the techniques in the the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra seemed specifically designed for cultivating the Five Stars Divine Abacus.
The the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra contained an enormous variety of techniques, many of which appeared rather simple and couldn't be considered top-tier methods. These techniques were often passed down to disciples by the Heavenly Devil Sect.
Almost all the techniques and divine abilities in the the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra had been shared publicly—they were not kept secret. However, many of these techniques were obscure and easy to cultivate incorrectly, which was why the sect bore the name "Devil Sect."
Qin Mu had never deeply studied these techniques before, but now, with the Grand Preceptor's guidance, he suddenly understood. The seemingly isolated and one-dimensional techniques in the the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra were precisely the keys to cultivation!
These scattered and seemingly unremarkable techniques not only included methods for the Five Stars Divine Abacus but likely also covered the Six Directions realm, Seven Stars realm, and even the Celestial Being, Life-and-Death, and Divine Bridge realms!
These techniques were practiced by the hall masters of the Heavenly Devil Sect and passed down to the members, forming the three hundred and sixty halls!
Qin Mu had previously dismissed these techniques as useless scraps, not integrating them into his unified cultivation method. But now, the Grand Preceptor of Yankang, perhaps speaking inadvertently, had pointed him toward a clear path.
"The Tyrant Body Three Elixir Art had technique but lacked method, with significant shortcomings. Combined with the the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra, it might just become a perfect combination."
Qin Mu was thrilled and immediately began comprehending the cultivation methods for the Five Stars realm. These five methods were: True Lord of Zhenxing (Stability Star) Earth Marquis, True Lord of Suixing (Jupiter) Wood Marquis, True Lord of Chenxing (Mercury) Water Marquis, True Lord of Yinghuoxing (Mars) Fire Marquis, and True Lord of Taibaixing (Venus) Metal Marquis.
Before long, he began attempting to integrate these five True Lord techniques into the Five Stars realm method of his Tyrant Body Three Elixir Art.
Meanwhile, Yue Qinghong and the others were consulting the Grand Preceptor about swordsmanship. The Grand Preceptor of Yankang walked and talked, holding nothing back. But before they could fully grasp his teachings, he had already moved on, causing them great frustration.
The Grand Preceptor wasn't actually speaking too fast—they simply needed time to comprehend his words, which required slow pondering. But they didn't dare speak up, fearing they'd be labeled the worst batch of scholars once again.
After Yue Qinghong asked about swordsmanship, Monk Yunque inquired about Buddhist teachings. The Grand Preceptor of Yankang also had accomplishments in Buddhist philosophy—he had once visited the Great Thunder Temple to consult the Elder Buddha—naturally delivering eloquent teachings.
After Monk Yunque finished, Shen Wanyun asked him about combining swordsmanship with combat techniques. He had trained under Libationer Ba Shan for a period, who taught him the Seven Domineering Forms while also guiding his sword practice. Thus, Shen Wanyun pursued a path of dual cultivation in both blade and sword.
Si Yunxiang also consulted the Grand Preceptor about various cultivation questions. The Grand Preceptor was particularly attentive to her, explaining more thoroughly than with the others.
When Si Yunxiang had followed the Young Ancestor in cultivation, she had seen the Grand Preceptor several times and had received his guidance before.
Wolf Slave hesitated for a moment, then gathered his courage to ask about saber techniques.
The Grand Preceptor glanced at him and asked: "A warrior from the Wolf Juxu Kingdom?"
Wolf Slave nodded, his heart uneasy.
The Grand Preceptor of Yankang was unperturbed: "I teach without discrimination, regardless of your race." With that, he guided Wolf Slave's saber techniques, holding nothing back.
Before long, everyone fell silent, each pondering his words. No one spoke.
Though the Grand Preceptor hadn't said much, it was enough for them to contemplate for quite some time.
"Grand Preceptor, have you ever studied demon cultivation?" Fox Spirit broke the silence, sitting atop Dragon Qilin's forehead as she addressed him.
The Grand Preceptor of Yankang shook his head: "I have not."
Fox Spirit's eyes lit up, her voice clear and bright: "I can teach you!" Her expression was very earnest.
The Grand Preceptor also responded seriously: "I humbly ask for your instruction."
Fox Spirit then shared her cultivation insights, explaining what she had learned from the books in the Yongjiang Dragon Palace, as well as the Creation Spirit Art, interspersed with her own realizations.
The Grand Preceptor of Yankang listened quietly. When Fox Spirit finished, he suddenly asked: "Demons don't have Divine Abacus, do they? I didn't hear any mention of Divine Abacus cultivation in what you just described."
Fox Spirit shook her head: "We don't. That's why we must work hard to cultivate a human form. Once we achieve human form, we become Demon Kings—very powerful!"
"I've met a few Demon Kings myself. They do have some peculiar abilities."
The Grand Preceptor of Yankang said: "The Creation Spirit Transformation technique you mentioned is quite interesting. It seems capable of infinite transformations."
He explained the Creation Spirit Art in detail, and Fox Spirit became increasingly absorbed. When the Grand Preceptor finished, she finally came to her senses and exclaimed: "Wait—I was supposed to teach you! How did it turn into you teaching me?"
The Grand Preceptor of Yankang replied: "Let us be each other's teachers."
"Mm!" Fox Spirit nodded vigorously.
The Dragon Qilin beneath her let out a snort and rolled his eyes upward.
Just then, specks of light suddenly appeared in the sky, flying toward them. The Grand Preceptor of Yankang glanced at them, his gaze falling on Qin Mu.
The specks of light converged, entering Qin Mu's body through the crown of his head. The light grew more abundant, gradually forming a fiery red stream.
Fox Spirit reached out to touch it, and a small tuft of fur on her paw was singed away. She quickly retracted her paw.
Before long, Qin Mu's aura suddenly surged. Flames erupted around his body like scattered fire clouds, swirling around him.
Fox Spirit was still marveling when two soft pops sounded—two ox horns sprouted from the top of Qin Mu's head. His nostrils gradually bulged and turned outward, emitting two streams of white smoke tinged with firelight.
Fox Spirit cried out in alarm as crackling sounds rang out. Qin Mu's bones underwent strange transformations—his thighs grew thicker, his body taller, his muscles swelling outward with a series of thuds. Fire patterns covered his body, and with a soft pop, a third ox eye opened in the center of his forehead.
Then Fox Spirit saw an ox tail droop down from Qin Mu's backside. His rear had grown much larger, resembling a plump ox's hindquarters. The tail slapped against it twice with sharp cracks—it must have hurt!
"Grand Preceptor..."
Fox Spirit stared blankly, then turned to the Grand Preceptor of Yankang: "My young master has revealed his true form! His true form! He's not a fox spirit—he's an ox spirit!"