The Eternal Way

Seeming to sense Li Qi's confusion, Young Master Zhu explained as he passed on the inheritance:

"Divine inheritance was originally designed to directly instill understanding into disciples, carrying a strong subjective intent. It could even distort the paths of disciples, turning them into mere copies of their masters and cutting off their future potential."

"Later, the Sage of Confucianism proposed that true Dao should be universally applicable and unchanging through the ages. Why impose one's own interpretations on disciples? Thus, the method was improved to only pass on the original texts without adding too much subjective interpretation."

"Therefore, the inheritance won't rapidly enhance your understanding or make you memorize everything. But it will save you the trouble of carrying books everywhere. Isn't that convenient? It's like having a book directly installed in your mind, ready for you to browse anytime," Young Master Zhu said with a smile.

Li Qi's expression, however, was somewhat complex, as if unsure what to say...

What could he say?

It seemed there was nothing much to say. The people of this world... were not stupid at all. There were no loopholes for him to exploit or reform. Relying solely on his knowledge to propose modifications was incredibly difficult...

But then again, this was more normal. No matter how many novel ideas or different experiences he might have, surpassing the wisdom of this world would be arrogant.

The inheritance process was almost painless; it merely added a Wu Zhu cultivation method to his mind, simply titled "Wu".

However, when he delved deeper into it, he suddenly felt... grandeur.

It truly was grand. It wasn't just a cultivation method! It was an encyclopedia!

The content recorded was unbelievably extensive, ranging from the Nine Provinces and celestial phenomena to small details like irrigation systems, roads, plants, insects, and fish. Everything was included.

Rituals, music, military affairs, punishments, agriculture, commerce, medicine, divination—all of these were imprinted in his mind!

The cultivation part occupied only a small portion.

"Wu" referred to those who presided over rituals during sacrifices.

This "Wu" book was more of a database of knowledge necessary for the role of a Wu Zhu!

Various rituals, useful objects, animals, plants, ceremonies, even the forms of mountains and rivers, methods to discern various earthly and heavenly energies—anything related to sacrifices was covered.

Countless pieces of knowledge weren't forcibly implanted but stored in his mind. He needed to read and memorize them to truly remember. Now, he could search through this database with a mere thought, though there might be some delay, the information would eventually appear.

For example, Li Qi now clearly understood the significance of the "Beginning of Spring" ritual:

"On the day of Beginning of Spring, officials would welcome Gou Mang, the soil ox, also known as 'Ao Chun Tong.' If he wears a hat, spring will be warm; otherwise, it will be cold. If the soil ox is red, there will be drought; if black, there will be water. Competitions are held by scattering red beans and five-colored rice to eliminate diseases for the year. Using soil from the ox to plaster stoves makes livestock fertile."

There were also various sacrificial methods such as blood sacrifices for altars, the Five Sacrifices, and the Five Great Mountains; using leopards for mountain and forest sacrifices; and using specific rituals for the four directions and myriad things. There were also rites for mourning national worries, deaths, famines, disasters, defeats, and invasions.

For instance, if one needed to sacrifice to soldiers, it had to be done at mountains and rivers, using offerings at ancestral altars.

There were numerous types of sacrifices, including named sacrifices, extended sacrifices, wrapped sacrifices, cyclical sacrifices, vibrating sacrifices, and more.

It also distinguished various divine spirits, calamities, and other elements.

It taught techniques for observing celestial phenomena, predicting auspiciousness based on cloud colors around the sun, and interpreting the movements of heavenly and earthly energies based on monthly winds, revealing omens of good or bad fortune.

In short, countless pieces of knowledge, including distant worship, extended worship, conferral of titles, and more, were meticulously recorded.

Everything a Wu Zhu should do was clearly marked.

However, much of it was incomprehensible to Li Qi. Although recorded, he didn't understand what it meant, akin to a primary school student trying to comprehend advanced mathematics.

Compared to this vast and intricate knowledge, the cultivation methods were briefly introduced.

Very simply, Wu Zhu cultivation methods were divided into three branches: Heavenly Gods, Earth Spirits, and Human Ghosts. The one Li Qi received belonged to the Earth Spirit branch.

By regularly performing rituals for mountains and rivers, showing respect to natural spirits, and following fixed rituals, one could extract powers from Earth Spirits and gather them within oneself.

There was no need for dantians or energy convergence points, nor did one need to compress energy from gaseous to liquid states. Many previously seen theories became irrelevant.

According to the book, the human body itself was a miniature universe capable of containing many things. Symbolic "Qi" was hard to fill up the human microcosm completely.

Through this practice, slowly accumulating power, one could gradually connect with stronger and more Earth Spirits, gaining greater strength and more powerful techniques.

Everything was slow and natural, neither intense nor bottlenecked.

It was a very peaceful cultivation method, so peaceful that Li Qi couldn't believe there existed a way to cultivate without fighting or competing for resources...

His previous novels seemed wasted.

This was the path of Wu Dao.

Though peaceful, there were still hierarchical distinctions.

According to the book, countless cultivation methods existed, each with different levels. Inferior ones like Pai Bo Jing had a limit of one level, reaching adult standards in this world upon completion. High-level ones like this "Wu" book had unknown limits.

Each cultivation method had its own realms and classifications, and different traditions had their own divisions. Confucianism had its own grading system, Wu Dao had its own categories, and Taoism had concepts like Yuan Shen and Golden Elixir. Various cultivation methods had very confusing and difficult-to-distinguish hierarchies.

Therefore, Sages established a unified standard: nine ranks to first rank.

Li Qi browsed through the books in his mind, but Young Master Zhu couldn't wait any longer. He continued, "What needs to be said, learned, and understood is all in the divine inheritance. As for memorization, I won't say much. Let me introduce you to someone... oh, a demon." With that, he gently pulled behind him.