Chapter 2498: Devoted to Confucian Classics

Under the moonlight, Ye Chen returned to the Cang Jing Ge once more.

Di Yuan Zhenren was still there, and upon seeing him enter, he quickly stood up with a beaming smile. After witnessing the two remarkable events the previous day, he had come to view this young man as an invaluable treasure, already regarding him as the future lord of Hua Shan.

"Old man, have you heard of Hong Jun?" Ye Chen asked.

"Hong Jun?"

"Forget I mentioned it." Ye Chen waved it off casually and headed straight for the sixth level.

He had a persistent feeling that anyone who knew about Hong Jun was likely in self-seclusion, much like Dao Zu and Hun Dun Ti. Even if he asked Yu Di now, he probably wouldn't know.

This made the Tian Jie quite intriguing, almost like a forbidden zone where forces were gathering in seclusion. If Tian Mo invaded, they would undoubtedly break their seals to fight, and their combat strength would be no weaker than that of Ming Jie.

As he spoke to himself, he had already reached the second level.

Before entering the light gate, he left many clones on the first level, and on the levels above—second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth—he created over a thousand clones each.

Di Yuan Zhenren watched with raised eyebrows. This young man was exceptionally diligent! It seemed he intended to read every single scroll in the Hua Shan Cang Jing Ge.

And indeed, that was exactly what Ye Chen planned. He wanted to imprint the entire Cang Jing Ge into his mind. Every secret scroll here was the crystallization of his predecessors' wisdom, a gift to future generations, filled with profound insights.

Even immortals should pursue endless learning—this was another form of cultivation.

On the sixth level of the Cang Jing Ge, his three thousand clones were still hard at work, meticulously examining the secret scrolls related to the Tian Ting. They had been at it for a full day and still hadn't finished. It wasn't due to a lack of effort; it was simply that the scrolls on this level were too numerous.

Or rather, the Tian Ting was just too vast, and thoroughly understanding it all required time.

"Don't slack off," Ye Chen said as he left for the light gate leading to the seventh level.

In the storage bag given to him by Hua Shan Dao Ren, there was a sect leader's token. With this token, he could move freely through the Cang Jing Ge—it was a symbol of honor. He wanted to take advantage of his free time to check out the upper levels, where there were surely Emperor Dao Immortal Laws. Why not learn them? After all, more skills never hurt.

With a hum, the light gate opened.

The seventh level was smaller than the sixth, just as he expected. The shelves held various secret scrolls, all immortal techniques of considerable profundity, though none reached the level of Emperor Dao Immortal Laws.

Ye Chen wandered around, occasionally picking up a scroll or two to flip through. These weren't recorded in words but in realms of intent, requiring one to immerse their mind to comprehend. As he went along, he saw all sorts of immortal techniques, but none of what he sought, so he headed straight for the light gate to the eighth level.

The eighth level of the Cang Jing Ge was particularly interesting.

This level housed alchemy recipes, from one-pattern to eight-pattern, covering all types of pills—some he had seen before, others unfamiliar. It was truly comprehensive.

In addition, there were detailed introductions to spiritual flowers and exotic herbs.

The most precious items were the realms of alchemy intent, numerous and profound, left by Hua Shan's predecessors. As an alchemist, this place was absolute paradise.

Since he was here, Ye Chen didn't hold back. He imprinted each one, planning to take them back to Da Chu and place them in the Dan City. That would surely help cultivate more high-level alchemists.

Unfortunately, there were no nine-pattern recipes or nine-pattern alchemy intents here.

He stayed for three full days.

By morning, the Cang Jing Ge was bustling like a marketplace. It was usually quiet, but ever since he arrived, it had become lively. Disciples and elders came in groups, many just out of seclusion. They claimed to be here for books, but really, it was all about Ye Chen.

It was no wonder—his deeds were too astonishing: the Dao Jing recognizing him as master, separating the Emperor's essence, breaking through four realms in a day, and producing eight pills in one furnace. Anyone would be curious!

Even many supreme elders in seclusion had emerged from their caves. Hearing that Ye Chen was on the eighth level, they didn't disturb him. After all, he was a Hua Shan disciple, so he wasn't going anywhere.

Though they didn't bother him, the disciples were full of curiosity, gathering in crowds. They couldn't see Ye Chen's true self, but his clones were everywhere in the Cang Jing Ge.

"Xiao Shitou, where did you study before?"

"Who taught you alchemy? Producing eight pills in one furnace is insane!"

"I'm from Tian Hua Feng. Just call me Li Yan."

The Cang Jing Ge was packed with people, mostly idle disciples chattering away as they followed Ye Chen's clones. Their questions made Di Yuan Zhenren's ears ring.

In response, Ye Chen's clones remained silent, focusing solely on the secret scrolls.

"How terrifying must he be to flick someone away with one finger?"

Off to one side, a group of figures clustered together, including Hua Yang. The others were a mix of men and women, all Hua Shan true disciples who had just emerged from seclusion. Hearing about the recent events nearly dropped their jaws—who would believe it?

Today's Hua Yang was different from before; he had swapped his elaborate immortal robes for simple daoist attire. As Hua Shan's top true disciple, he could handle defeat gracefully. Coming to the Cang Jing Ge showed he had the mindset to become a strong cultivator.

"The Dao Jing recognizing a master, separating the Emperor's essence, breaking four realms in a day, producing eight pills in one furnace—any one of these is legendary!" a true disciple exclaimed in admiration.

"There are always stronger people out there," Hua Yang said with a deep breath, flipping through an ancient scroll. Every now and then, he glanced at Ye Chen's clones, his self-mockery evident. He was laughing at himself— what right did he have to look down on Ye Chen that day?

Of course, his curiosity outweighed everything. He wondered about Ye Chen's origins but couldn't discern any clues. This newly risen little saint was shrouded in mystery.

"I wonder what the expressions of the Shen Zi and Shen Nv will be when they hear about this."

"Those two are so arrogant—they won't take it well."

"They've been in seclusion for three years; they won't come out until the Wu Yue Dou Fa."

"Just wait. Those two will probably get a shock too. It's bound to be entertaining."

The true disciples were quite chatty, turning the Cang Jing Ge into a gossip spot. They bantered back and forth, their eyes full of anticipation, eager for the two prodigies to emerge just to watch the drama unfold. They were the types who thrived on chaos.

Quietly, night fell.

Di Yuan Zhenren finally lost his patience and started kicking people out one by one. If you were here to read, fine, but if you were just chatting, get out. Only then did the Cang Jing Ge quiet down a bit.

That night, Ye Chen set down one ancient scroll and picked up another. He was a dedicated young man, oblivious to the world outside, devoted entirely to reading the sages' books.

Through three days of comprehension, he gained some insights. Hua Shan's predecessors included many masters of alchemy, and the profound principles they left behind were true treasures—how could he pass them up?

As he was reading, the light gate suddenly trembled, and a graceful figure stepped in. It was the Hua Shan Xian Zi, likely just finished bathing, with her hair still damp and droplets clinging to it.

"Senior, taking it easy as well?" Ye Chen said with a smile, holding an ancient scroll.

"The sect leader's order—I had no choice." Hua Shan Xian Zi replied with a light laugh. "Since you're on this eighth level, I hope you'll leave behind some alchemy intent to benefit Hua Shan's future generations."

"That's a given." Ye Chen smiled. He didn't need her to say it; he had already prepared jade slips, splitting them into two sets. One was placed on the shelf, and the other he handed to Hua Shan Xian Zi. Inside were his insights on alchemy, true treasures of the dan path.

Hua Shan Xian Zi accepted it with a smile.

She didn't leave, instead finding a quiet spot to crush the jade slip and close her eyes, immersing her mind in comprehension. As she did, her beautiful face showed waves of shock.

Only after reading Ye Chen's alchemy insights did she realize that refining pills was also a form of enlightenment. One-pattern was the beginning, nine-pattern was the great dao, and alchemy itself was a path of cultivation. As a senior of Hua Shan, she had been quite ignorant. Ye Chen's alchemy intent opened up an entirely new world for her.

"You little rascal, lend me the sect leader's token for a bit!" Di Yuan Zhenren's voice came from the seventh level, chuckling mischievously. No need to see him to know he was grinning slyly.

"How about it—want to come up and flirt?" Ye Chen replied while flipping through his book.

"Nonsense! I'm here to comprehend secret scrolls," Di Yuan Zhenren coughed.

"I have some specialties. Want one?"

"What specialties?"

"Hexie San." Ye Chen smiled mysteriously, making Di Yuan Zhenren's mouth twitch. Aphrodisiacs? Just call it an aphrodisiac! Why make it sound so refined? Besides, he had plenty of Hexie San himself—who needed it from Ye Chen?

Below, there was no more response; that plump old Di Yuan had already slipped away.

He was wise to do so, because the Hua Shan Xian Zi, who was meditating, suddenly opened her eyes and glanced at Ye Chen. Her watery eyes seemed to ignite with flames, growing more intense by the second.

With one look, Ye Chen understood.

He didn't need to ask; this woman must be able to read telepathic messages—or more precisely, their sound transmissions. She had probably heard every word of his conversation with Di Yuan Zhenren. No wonder Di Yuan ran off so quickly—he must have sensed trouble!

Ye Chen coughed awkwardly, set down the ancient scroll, and moved to another side. If this woman got angry, the whole Cang Jing Ge might collapse. Better not to provoke her.

Hua Shan Xian Zi finally withdrew her gaze. She had thought this little stone was an honest one, but today shattered her perceptions. Beneath that harmless exterior hid a restless heart. Trying to slip her Hexie San? You little troublemaker—are you rebelling?

In the blink of an eye, another nine days passed.

On the tenth day, Ye Chen finally finished the last ancient scroll and headed for the ninth level of the Cang Jing Ge. It should hold Emperor Dao Immortal Laws—otherwise, that would be unjust.

As expected, it did—pure Emperor Dao Immortal Laws, over a hundred of them, all top-tier among such techniques.

No wonder Hua Shan was a major sect; even in the Zhutian, sacred grounds didn't have this many.

And so, Da Chu's tenth emperor got back to his old habits of "borrowing." He copied every single one: sword dao immortal laws, space immortal laws, stealth immortal laws, escape immortal laws—you name it, all sorts. He wanted them all and planned to take them back to Da Chu for his talents. As always, if it's free, take it.

What surprised him was that there was even a Meng Dao immortal law here.

Regrettably, it was incomplete.