With Ope Ope no Mi in Hunter x Hunter

"The Supreme Sword of Swords, Giant Que." As the battle concluded, a portion of the Pyongyang Heavy Armored Soldiers began to clean up the battlefield. Sheng Qi's body was naturally dug out, and the Giant Que Sword he wielded was brought to Daniel Davis.

After giving the Giant Que a few swings, Daniel shook his head lightly. While the sword possessed considerable power, it wasn't a good fit for him. The image of him lugging around such a massive sword just didn't align with his usual style.

Nevertheless, despite not being suitable, Daniel decided to keep the sword—it was, after all, his spoil of war.

The group soon set off again, now accompanied by the Yin-Yang School members Luna and Xinghun, who joined as additional escorts. Xiangjun and Xiangfu, however, had disappeared after the battle.

The journey continued without further incidents, and they smoothly arrived at Hangu Pass, the first and most important strategic pass of the era.

Hangu Pass, constructed entirely of black bricks and stone, stood majestically, its intimidating presence heightened by the glinting black tips of siege crossbows that lined the walls at regular intervals.

At the entrance of Hangu Pass, a large crowd of merchants and carriages had gathered, presumably traders from the Six States looking to do business in Qin. However, entering Qin for business wasn't easy. Without a specially issued pass, there was no way to cross through Hangu Pass.

As two teams of cavalry emerged from the pass, the surrounding merchant caravans were quickly herded to the side. Following this, the commander of Hangu Pass, General Meng Fang, personally led his troops out to greet Ying Zheng.

Since its establishment, Hangu Pass had always been under the command of the Meng family, given its critical strategic importance to Qin.

"In the era of cold weapons, this pass is practically impregnable." Daniel, standing at the front of the carriage, couldn't help but marvel at the formidable and somber atmosphere of Hangu Pass.

Ahead lay a narrow canyon, where numerical superiority meant little. To break through Hangu Pass, the only feasible strategy would be attrition—wearing down the defenders through sheer sacrifice.

"The 300 Spartans." The sight of Hangu Pass brought to Daniel's mind the famous battle from the West, with terrain reminiscent of the pass.

"The 300 Spartans—what do you mean by that, sir?" Xinghun, riding nearby, seemed to have overheard Daniel's low muttering and asked curiously.

"Oh, it's nothing, just talking to myself," Daniel replied with a smile, glancing at Xinghun.

"Welcome, my lord!" Before Xinghun could inquire further, General Meng Fang arrived before the carriage, dismounted, and knelt with great respect.

"You've worked hard, General. Let's proceed." Ying Zheng didn't show himself, merely speaking softly from within the carriage.

After passing through Hangu Pass, they were greeted by the vast plains of Qin territory. Hangu Pass was built at the canyon's exit, providing a clear view of the expansive land beyond.

Upon entering Qin, the escort of Pyongyang Heavy Armored Soldiers was replaced by Meng's Golden Fire Cavalry. The Pyongyang Heavy Armored Soldiers stayed behind at Hangu Pass to rest before returning to their base.

The Golden Fire Cavalry, already renowned at the time, was part of the prestigious Meng family. However, the younger generation of the Meng family rarely served in the Golden Fire Cavalry. Most gained experience in other units before joining the elite Golden Fire Cavalry once they matured.

With Qin territory and the protection of the Golden Fire Cavalry, Ying Zheng's safety was assured. Even Lü Buwei wouldn't dare act recklessly, and the shadowy hand of Lord Changping, the mastermind, would remain hidden.

"My lord, how could you take such a risk?" Outside Xianyang City, Right Prime Minister Lord Changping and Left Prime Minister Lü Buwei led Qin's officials to welcome Ying Zheng back to the palace. After paying their respects, Lü Buwei's tone turned somewhat accusatory.

"My lord surely had his reasons for such actions, reasons beyond our understanding," Lord Changping interjected before Ying Zheng could respond.

The officials of Qin were largely divided into two factions: the external faction led by Lü Buwei, composed mainly of talents from the Six States who had found no opportunity in their homelands, and the native faction led by Lord Changping.

Interestingly, despite Qin's strength, its most prominent figures were outsiders. From Shang Yang's reforms onward, the influx of talent from the Six States had fueled Qin's rise to power. Meanwhile, Qin's native talents were relatively few, especially in the realm of politics, though they were well-represented in military matters.

"Since Your Majesty appreciates Han Fei's talents so much, why not invite him to Qin to serve under you?" After countering Lü Buwei, Lord Changping promptly proposed his own suggestion.

"This old schemer really is cunning," Daniel thought, glancing at Lord Changping. If Han Korea were to grow stronger, the greatest threat would not be Wei or even Qin, but Chu.

Among the Seven Warring States, Chu was the largest, controlling nearly a third of all Central Plains territory. For Han Korea, expanding into Chu would be the most strategic move, avoiding the risk of being attacked from multiple sides.

Zhao, Wei, and Han all originated from Jin and had close ties, including marriage alliances. Wei's queen dowager, for instance, was particularly fond of Honglian.

This situation was hardly favorable for Lord Changping.

"If not for Ying Zheng, Lord Changping might have been the most likely candidate to unify the Central Plains," Daniel mused. "He likely harbored ambitions to unify the lands himself, planning to betray Qin after it had conquered the other states. Unfortunately for him, he overreached, and in the end, was outplayed by Wang Jian."

Given Chu's situation at the time, if Lord Changping had defeated Wang Jian's army, the world might have been split between two superpowers.

"In that case, please deliver this letter to Han," Ying Zheng said, handing a scroll to Li Si, who then passed it to Lord Changping.

This exchange caused a cold glint to flash in Lü Buwei's eyes as he glared at Li Si, but Li Si seemed not to notice. After handing over the scroll, he quietly stepped back to stand behind Ying Zheng.

"Prime Minister Lü, Li Si has done well in his mission to Han. I could use someone like him to handle my documents."

"If Your Majesty wishes so, he may stay." Though Lü Buwei hadn't thought much of Li Si before, such blatant defiance angered him. But despite his anger, he couldn't act out in the current situation.

"No wonder Han Fei couldn't outmaneuver Ying Zheng. That letter was probably written long before," Daniel thought with a sigh. Still, this could be good news for Han Fei and Zinu. With him around, Daniel felt confident that he could at least ensure Han Fei's safety.

The group then made their way to Xianyang Palace. Along the way, both Lü Buwei and Lord Changping discreetly eyed Daniel, clearly aware that their trusted subordinates had been eliminated by him.

"Lord Donghuang, I've met him." In a mysterious place within the Yin-Yang School, where a starry sky stretched endlessly above, Luna reported to a shadowy figure. She relayed everything she had learned about Daniel, especially his formidable strength.

"I see. You may go." After hearing Luna's report, Donghuang Taiyi nodded slightly and dismissed her without further comment.

"So this is the Yin-Yang School... It really is something." Ying Zheng had many matters to attend to upon his return, so Daniel was temporarily left to his own devices. This suited him just fine. On his second day in Xianyang, accompanied by Xinghun, he visited the Yin-Yang School.

Like the Confucian Lesser Sage Village, the Yin-Yang School occupied an entire mountain outside Xianyang, its estate breathtakingly beautiful.

The estate was divided into six sections, corresponding to the five departments of the Yin-Yang School and Donghuang Taiyi's private palace. It was only upon arriving here that Daniel realized how many disciples the Yin-Yang School actually had.

Each of the five department elders had numerous ordinary disciples under them, surprising Daniel, who had thought the school consisted only of the five grand elders.

"Many disciples practice the Wan Ye Fei Hua Liu technique here." At Daniel's suggestion, they first visited the Wood Department, where they encountered several young girls, around thirteen or fourteen, practicing the Wan Ye Fei Hua Liu technique.

"The Great Celestial Priestess has recently taken over and is currently in seclusion. You'll have to meet her another time."

"The Great Celestial Priestess has taken over... Does that mean the events of the Luosheng Hall have already happened?" Xinghun's words reminded Daniel of certain details about the Great Celestial Priestess and explained why she hadn't appeared earlier.

"If the Great Celestial Priestess has taken over, then it's likely that Dongjun has already left to be with Yan Dan. What a pity for those two." From the Great Celestial Priestess, Daniel's thoughts drifted to Dongjun Yanfei. He had little respect for Yan Dan, who seemed to want to have it both ways, using his wife to kill the Six-Fingered Black Hero and then scapegoating her.

Originally, Daniel had hoped to intervene in this situation, but it seemed he had arrived too late.

In this era, Yan Dan was seen as a great hero, much like how the people of Chu revered Lord Changping. Even after his death, the Agriculturalists and others like Ji Bu still respected him deeply. However, to someone like Daniel, who came from a modern society, both Lord Changping and Yan Dan were merely power-hungry individuals willing to sacrifice anything for their ambitions.

"Since Lord Donghuang is in seclusion, I won't disturb him. After all, I'm here to learn Yin-Yang techniques." Daniel, upon hearing that Donghuang Taiyi was unavailable, directly stated his purpose.

"Please, this way." Daniel's straightforwardness caught Xinghun off guard for a moment, but he quickly led Daniel to an elegant pavilion where Luna was meditating. She opened her eyes as Daniel and Xinghun entered.

"To practice Yin-Yang techniques, we first need to determine your suitability." After Xinghun explained Daniel's intentions and emphasized Ying Zheng's orders, Luna nodded slightly and spoke calmly.

"I understand. How will you test me?" Daniel asked, nodding in agreement.

"The world in which we live is composed of the five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. People often say that water can overcome earth because water is yin and earth is yang. When yang prevails, earth can block water; when yin prevails, water can penetrate stone. The interplay of the five elements—creation, destruction, and transformation—forms the essence of Yin-Yang techniques. Among the five great elders of the Yin-Yang School, each excels in a particular element, overseeing their respective elemental disciplines."

As Luna spoke about the origins of Yin-Yang techniques, she extended her right hand, revealing a jade bracelet around her wrist. Her five fingers began to manifest various phenomena: a flame, a speck of dust, a droplet of water, a green leaf, and a blade of sword energy.

"This is the Yin-Yang School's Alchemy, the first layer of Yin-Yang techniques." Luna demonstrated, then gently retracted her hand.

"Now, we'll test your compatibility with Alchemy." Luna then recited a mantra softly.

"Good thing I've already been practicing internal energy techniques; otherwise, I'd have to start from scratch." As Luna instructed him, Daniel quickly memorized the mantra.

The Alchemy mantra wasn't particularly complex, but without an understanding of the five elements, it could be challenging to grasp. For Daniel, however, it was relatively simple, especially with his knowledge from other worlds, such as the alchemy from "Fullmetal Alchemist," which, though different, provided a useful reference.

"Fascinating." Moments later, as Daniel raised his right hand, the five phenomena—fire, dust, water, a leaf, and sword energy—appeared at his fingertips, just as they had with Luna.

"Five Element Unity." Daniel's display caused a noticeable change in both Xinghun and Luna's expressions. Both were considered geniuses in the field of Yin-Yang techniques, but Daniel was the first they had seen to master the basics so quickly and with the rare ability of Five Element Unity.

Typically, a person's natural affinity would determine which Yin-Yang techniques they could learn, with most being limited to one or two elements. Five Element Unity meant a person could learn all Yin-Yang techniques. In the entire Yin-Yang School, the only other person with this ability was the Great Celestial Priestess.

Although Luna could perform similar feats, her ability wasn't due to Five Element Unity but rather her immense strength, which allowed her to forcibly manipulate all five elements.

It wasn't that those without Five Element Unity couldn't learn all Yin-Yang techniques; it was just that doing so would require an extraordinary amount of time, and progress would be slow.

"Congratulations." After exchanging a glance, Luna and Xinghun both smiled warmly at Daniel.

"Even though Five Element Unity allows you to practice all five disciplines, it's best to focus on one at the beginning." Luna, holding nothing back in her instruction, advised Daniel on the important considerations when practicing Yin-Yang techniques.

"I choose the Wan Ye Fei Hua Liu technique." After a moment's thought, Daniel decided to start with the same wood-based technique that the Great Celestial Priestess practiced. For Daniel, who intended to learn all the Yin-Yang techniques eventually, the order wasn't particularly important. However, since the opportunity was rare, he decided to start with the technique favored by the Great Celestial Priestess.

"Very well." After Daniel made his decision, Luna immediately began teaching him the method to cultivate the Wan Ye Fei Hua Liu technique.

"Flat Ground Autumn Orchid, quite interesting." As Daniel practiced, a rose slowly bloomed in his hand, bringing a smile to his face. This ability would be an excellent trick for impressing people back in the modern world.