Seeking Truth with a Sword

Skull-interrupted Sword?

The students present were bewildered and shocked. Chai Cuiqiao's heart thumped heavily, her palm unconsciously clenching into a fist.

Li Ang slowly exhaled a turbid breath, clasped his hands, and asked seriously, "May I ask the Master, is there something wrong with this trigram?"

"Do you know the principle of cultivation?"

Xi Yangyu didn't answer directly but said casually, "Nature's Spiritual Energy is an omnipresent, constantly flowing current. A Cultivator's body is like a flute. Spirit Veins are the hollow tube and holes of the flute. It is precisely because of these Spirit Veins that Cultivators can channel nature's Spiritual Energy into their Qi Sea, and with their will, manipulate this energy to create various mystical effects. It's just like how pressing different holes on a flute can transform a monotonous airflow into a melody with diverse tunes."

Xi Yangyu glanced over the students and said indifferently, "Even for Martial Artists who practice Body Refinement, at least seven Spirit Veins are needed to maintain the balance of the Qi Sea. Otherwise, they cannot nourish their flesh and blood with it. Cultivating forcibly with insufficient Spirit Veins leads to slow progress at best; one might not advance to the Body Concealing Realm even after thirty or forty years. At worst, it causes disordered Inner Breath and Qi Sea imbalance, leading to possession by demonic forces. The Spirit Vein trigram of 'Convinced and Judgment' is extremely rare and odd; therefore, it is only recorded in these two books from the Two Jin Period: the 'Taixu Miaolin Scripture' and the 'Spiritual Treasure Wisdom Body Observation Scripture.'"

Xi Yangyu spread out his palm. The two ancient books floated in mid-air, automatically flipping their pages, and stopped simultaneously. The pages of both books displayed similar illustrations: a silhouette of a person standing upright, with a broken arc drawn within its skull.

"This trigram is called Skull-interrupted Sword. 'Skull' means the Spirit Veins grow within the skull. 'Interrupted Sword' means that these Spirit Veins are naturally flawed, fragile, and barely connected."

Xi Yangyu spoke lightly, "The role of Spirit Veins is to accommodate and guide Spiritual Energy. Spiritual Energy is formless yet substantial. If Spiritual Energy, while being channeled into the Qi Sea, enters naturally flawed Spirit Veins, it will cause damage to the body. It's one thing if it's elsewhere. But in the skull? Even the force of a needle penetrating the skull can be enough to kill a person instantly."

Xi Yangyu looked at Li Ang, his tone calm, "If I'm not mistaken, every time you've read the 'Shangqing Linggan Chapter' and tried to channel Spiritual Energy into your Qi Sea, you've felt a stabbing pain in your head. This is the Skull-interrupted Sword trigram. Anyone with this trigram cannot cultivate for life. No means, whether heavenly materials, earthly treasures, or Mutated Objects, can help."

The night wind was bleak and cold. Fallen leaves by the street were gently lifted by the breeze, and the flag of a street corner tavern fluttered.

Everyone's complex gazes focused on Li Ang, filled with shock, dismay, and heavy sympathy...

"I am telling you this today in the hope that you will withdraw from the exam voluntarily," Xi Yangyu said slowly. "I cannot reveal the contents of the final trial at the Academic Palace in seven days, but one thing is certain: it will definitely test Spiritual Vein Talent. You are doomed to fail, and insisting on taking the trial will only lead to your death on the exam grounds. You are still young and have a bright future. There's no need to gamble your life on something completely impossible. Other Instructors think the same. With your talents, you could achieve greatness in other fields."

Life, huh...

Li Ang took a deep breath, ignoring the varied looks from the crowd, clasped his hands, and said, "Thank you for your concern, Master. But I still want to give it a try."

"..."

Xi Yangyu looked at the determined Li Ang, the pain in his left wrist growing more intense.

He nodded indifferently and said only, "Take care of yourself."

Then he turned and left.

"Such a pity for the one who came first in the retest..."

"The Skull-interrupted Sword..."

"Unable to cultivate..."

Pei Jing raised his hand to stop the whispering among the young Nobles beside him, looked back at Li Ang with regret, said nothing, and led his companions toward the Red House in Changle Square.

The low murmurs around continued. Li Ang's brows furrowed slightly as he slowly lowered his hands.

Spirit Vein incomplete...?

「Late at night, at the Huai De Square Inn.」

Xi Yangyu's parting words had deepened the solemn atmosphere of the banquet, causing the candidates to drink only a few cups before dispersing early.

Li Ang politely declined the condolences of Yang Yu, Ji Linglang, and others. He returned to the Huai De Square Inn with Chai Cuiqiao, fed the Red Horse, and went to bed early.

DONG DONG DONG—

The nighttime sound of the Haotian Bell seemed even more peaceful and tranquil than during the day. Li Ang lay on his bed, looking up at the ceiling beams.

Chai Cuiqiao lay motionless on the other bed in the room, seemingly asleep, but she was not. The little maid didn't know that when she actually slept, she would wrap herself in her blankets, tossing and turning, sometimes even muttering a few words in her sleep.

Chai Cuiqiao remained motionless, merely wanting Li Ang to think she was asleep.

Spirit Vein...

Li Ang raised his right hand and, by the candlelight from the oil lamp on the table, gazed at his palm.

As a Doctor, he knew every bone, vein, artery, nerve, lymph node, and muscle. He understood the complex and marvelous workings of the human body down to the cellular level.

But Spirit Veins?

Invisible, intangible.

Skull-interrupted Sword.

Li Ang gently caressed his forehead, as if trying to see through his skin and bones to the brain structure beneath.

Chai Cuiqiao turned over, her small, pale face peeking out from the covers. She looked worriedly at the contemplative Li Ang and whispered, "Young Master..."

"I'm fine," Li Ang smiled and waved his hand, saying calmly and firmly, "It's just Spirit Veins. If the conditions don't exist, then I'll create them. I've said it before, no one can stop me from entering the Academic Palace. Not even the Master."

「Early the next morning.」

Li Ang got up, took out a large stack of books from his trunk, and had Chai Cuiqiao prepare an ink brush, ink, paper, and an inkstone. Then he tightly closed and locked the door.

With the door locked, Li Ang drew the curtains, lit the oil lamp, and spread several long strips of Xuan paper across the table. He picked up his brush and began to draw... diagrams of brain structures.

Cerebral cortex, corpus callosum, telencephalon, diencephalon, midbrain, pons...

Superior Sagittal Sinus, pontine veins, superior cerebral veins, cavernous sinus...

Lateral orbitofrontal artery, frontal polar artery, supratrochlear artery...

Li Ang used the finest Wolf Brush with the lightest touch, carefully tracing the diagrams of the brain structures from his Memory Hall.

Just as Xi Yangyu had said, whenever Li Ang tried to channel Spiritual Energy into his Qi Sea, he would feel a stabbing pain in his head.

And now, what he was trying to do was to pinpoint the precise area of the pain.

"Embracing the essence of the sun and moon, pursuing the wonders of both realms, the ultimate treasure, the highest of treasures..."

Li Ang softly recited words from the Shangqing Linggan Chapter, sensing nature's Spiritual Energy and attempting to draw it into his body.

The moment the current of energy passed through his entire body, a stabbing pain swept through his mind.

Li Ang's face turned pale, but this time, he did not stop.

"To achieve wondrous transformation, one must first transform the self; those who transform must first set their will upon the Dao..."

The pain grew more intense. Li Ang's hand shook, and the Wolf Brush he held dropped aside, scattering ink blots on the pristine white Xuan paper.

"Young Master!"

Chai Chai rushed forward to support the staggering Li Ang, who gasped for breath and mumbled, "I can find it, I can find it... It's in the frontal lobe."