With Ope Ope no Mi in Hunter x Hunter

"So that's how it's done," said Yunzhong Jun, clad in his white robe, as he stood in the Yin-Yang School's Gold Department alchemy chamber. His expression was one of realization after hearing Daniel Davis's explanation.

After learning the basics of Yin-Yang techniques from Luna, Daniel decided to stay temporarily with the Yin-Yang School. Given Ying Zheng's orders, Daniel had near-unrestricted access to most of the school's facilities, except for a few restricted areas like Donghuang Taiyi's domain. Naturally, the first place Daniel visited was the school's library.

In this era, any power with a library was considered formidable, as even a single book could be regarded as a treasured family heirloom. The term "book" here referred to bamboo scrolls. Unlike the information explosion in later times, where any book could be easily accessed, books in this era were painstakingly copied by hand. This is one of the reasons why Confucianism held such significant influence—not only because it housed a library of over 100,000 books but also because it had a large number of scholars dedicated to copying texts. Much of the wealth of the Confucian School was earned through the sale of these books.

Even the brightest minds would waste their talents if they didn't study. It's no surprise that figures like Han Fei and later Zhang Liang chose to study at the Confucian School.

The books within the Yin-Yang School were eye-opening for Daniel, particularly as he had already started studying the basics of chemistry. Alchemy, as practiced within the Yin-Yang School, was built upon this foundation.

Yin-Yang techniques are divided into five levels: Alchemy, Illusion Techniques, Heart Control Incantations, Astrology Laws, and Soul Manipulation.

For the Yin-Yang School, techniques like Wan Ye Fei Hua Liu, Yin-Yang Hand Seals, Qi Gathering Blade, Skeleton Blood Handprint, Bailu Qishuang, Shangshan Ruoshui, and Huang Tian Houtu are not the core principles. The five levels of Yin-Yang techniques are the foundation.

Techniques like Wan Ye Fei Hua Liu, Skeleton Blood Handprint, and Qi Gathering Blade are merely extensions of alchemy, with each corresponding to one of the five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.

In the Yin-Yang School, martial techniques are secondary; the cultivation of higher states is paramount. As for raw power, it can be supplemented externally through items like the True Human Pill or the Gathering Immortal Pill. These pills, although rare in the wider world, are not considered particularly scarce resources for the five great elders of the Yin-Yang School.

For instance, the True Human Pill is so highly sought after that even a single pill can cause chaos in the martial world. Yet, for the five great elders, it is a common item—perhaps not as frequent as a daily meal, but still so common that it no longer has any effect on them.

Though the Gathering Immortal Pill is more difficult to produce, requiring rare ingredients and significant effort, providing one pill per elder is manageable.

Yunzhong Jun, who is often seen as the weakest of the five great elders and on the verge of being sidelined, still holds considerable influence within the Yin-Yang School. Even Xinghun, a protector of the school, treats him as an equal, largely due to his mastery of alchemy.

In the Yin-Yang School, alchemists hold a prestigious status akin to what one might read in certain novels.

Even though Daniel harbored some disdain for Yunzhong Jun—viewing him as someone who merely enabled Tianming by feeding him countless True Human Pills—he still recognized the need to build a connection with him.

Yunzhong Jun, as the elder of the Gold Department, had the deepest understanding of alchemy within the school. Although his expertise was more in pharmacology than martial techniques, his approach to alchemy bore a strong resemblance to the principles of alchemy in "Fullmetal Alchemist."

The goal of alchemy, as he understood it, was to combine various medicinal properties to maximize their effects.

Daniel and Yunzhong Jun quickly hit it off, despite the latter's considerable skill with herbs. Compared to Daniel's extensive knowledge of biochemistry, however, Yunzhong Jun still had much to learn. The insights Daniel shared with him were things Yunzhong Jun could never have imagined.

Thanks to Daniel's guidance, Yunzhong Jun made significant progress in his understanding of alchemy. Meanwhile, Daniel also benefited greatly from their exchanges, making their relationship mutually beneficial.

With the help of the Op-Op Fruit, Daniel rapidly mastered Yunzhong Jun's alchemical knowledge. He could now create True Human Pills with ease.

Alchemy requires fire, which can be achieved in two ways: with charcoal or through fire-based Yin-Yang techniques. Yunzhong Jun's talent was largely focused on alchemy, so his progress in fire-based techniques was limited, making him unable to use them for alchemy.

However, Yunzhong Jun had created his own unique technique—a rather ostentatious one—called "Step-by-Step Cloud." This technique allowed him to walk temporarily in the air, stepping on clouds he conjured. The sight of him walking on clouds was indeed impressive and awe-inspiring.

Unfortunately, despite its grandeur, the technique had limited practical use. Yunzhong Jun's strength, built up through the consumption of countless pills, was immense, but it didn't translate into combat prowess.

In terms of raw power, Yunzhong Jun ranked highly among the Yin-Yang School's experts, but in actual combat, he was barely stronger than Tianming, who had initially received a large amount of power. He could easily suppress weaker opponents with sheer force, but against stronger foes, his limitations were evident.

"Only two True Human Pills, huh? Yunzhong Jun really is stingy," Daniel thought as he swallowed the white pill and shook his head lightly.

"I've heard that Xiaomeng defeated many elders of the Heavenly Sect at the age of ten. It seems the Daoist Sect also has similar pills." Feeling the surge of true energy within him, Daniel couldn't help but think of Xiaomeng from the Daoist Sect and its elders.

"Among all the sects I've encountered, the Daoist Sect elders have the least presence."

The elders of the Daoist Sect's Ren School were easily defeated by Xiaomeng, while the Heavenly Sect elders were bested by her at the age of ten. In contrast, the elders of the Agriculturalist School were all top-tier experts.

"The truth is often hidden in illusion, but illusion is not entirely false. Yin-Yang techniques are indeed profound." The second level of Yin-Yang techniques is the study of illusions. In this world, illusion techniques do exist—Fire Charm, for example, is widely known, and many, including Xue Yi Hou, Yan Lingji, and later Honglian, also known as Chi Lian, can use it.

But compared to Yin-Yang illusions, Fire Charm is a lesser technique.

It wasn't until Daniel truly delved into Yin-Yang techniques that he realized his earlier focus on Wan Ye Fei Hua Liu and Bailu Qishuang had been misguided.

Among the five levels of Yin-Yang techniques, astrology was the most challenging for Daniel. He decided to forgo it, recognizing that he had no talent in this area. The fact that only Donghuang Taiyi, Luna, and Dongjun Yanfei had mastered astrology indicated how rare and difficult it was.

As for Daniel's Five Element Unity aptitude, after studying the Yin-Yang School's texts, he suspected it was due to the strength of his soul. At Kamar-Taj, where the focus was on soul cultivation, Daniel had honed his soul to such an extent that only a being like Xiao Li, a rumored incarnation of the Nine Heavens Goddess, could rival him in this world.

With such a strong foundation, Daniel's progress in Yin-Yang techniques was extraordinary. Within days, he had gained deep insight into illusion techniques and had made significant strides in heart control incantations.

If he hadn't divided his attention between Wan Ye Fei Hua Liu and Bailu Qishuang, he could have advanced all the way to soul manipulation.

"Power truly is a terrifying thing." Through his time with the Yin-Yang School, Daniel came to understand why so many pursued power at all costs. With a single command from Ying Zheng, the Yin-Yang School had opened all its secrets to him.

In the modern world, the power of authority was mitigated by institutions, and Daniel hadn't felt its full impact. But in this world, he experienced the full force of power's influence.

Ying Zheng had even sent him a dozen beautiful women, all at his disposal.

"It's time to get to work." One day, after receiving a message from a Shadow Secret Guard, Daniel knew his time of leisurely cultivation had come to an end. Having enjoyed the conveniences brought by Ying Zheng, it was only natural that he would now have to repay him. While Daniel had been immersing himself in training, Ying Zheng had been making preparations.

As King of Qin, Ying Zheng was born with absolute authority in the state. Previously, Lü Buwei held all the power while Ying Zheng bided his time, but now there was no need for patience.

With the weight of righteousness on his side, even Lü Buwei had to obey.

Ying Zheng's earlier tolerance of Lü Buwei was partly due to his intent to use Lü Buwei against the other members of the Ying clan vying for the throne. The Qin throne was coveted by many, and Cheng Jiao was merely one of the contenders.

Cheng Jiao's downfall had been orchestrated by Lü Buwei, who currently controlled the Shadow Network.

"Your

 Majesty." In Ying Zheng's study within Xianyang Palace, Daniel met with the King, along with Gai Nie and an elderly man dressed in a purple-red robe, his left hand replaced by a wooden mechanical hand. The man was bald with a triangular head—Gongshu Qiu, the current head of the Gongshu family.

"This is Master Gongshu."

"And this is the National Advisor."

Ying Zheng had granted Daniel the title of National Advisor, a position equivalent to Luna's in the Yin-Yang School. The title was prestigious, with direct responsibility to the king, but it held no concrete power—its influence was entirely dependent on Ying Zheng's support.

As Li Si had previously mentioned to Ying Zheng, all power ultimately stemmed from the king. With Ying Zheng's backing, Daniel's authority was effectively limitless.

"National Advisor, what are your orders?" After leaving the palace, Gongshu Qiu bowed respectfully, hands clasped in front of him.

Ying Zheng had ordered Gongshu Qiu to fully cooperate with Daniel.

"The Gongshu family is renowned for its mastery of wooden and stone mechanisms, as well as its bronze crafts. Master Gongshu, you're too modest. Since His Majesty has ordered us to work together, I'll be counting on your expertise. Please, this way."

Daniel didn't stand on ceremony with Gongshu Qiu. After calling for a carriage, they were led by a Shadow Secret Guard to a valley outside Xianyang.

"National Advisor." Upon arriving at the valley, they were greeted by General Meng Tian.

"So it's General Meng. We meet again." Daniel was surprised to see Meng Tian, not expecting Ying Zheng to entrust him with this task.

"National Advisor, Master Gongshu." Meng Tian saluted as Daniel and Gongshu Qiu disembarked from the carriage.

"With General Meng overseeing this, I'm sure everything will go smoothly." They proceeded to a temporary camp within the valley.

"This is your task." Inside the camp, Daniel presented a formula for papermaking that he had prepared in advance. Ying Zheng had entrusted Daniel with great power, and in return, Daniel had brought forth significant innovations.

He had introduced three of the Four Great Inventions—papermaking, printing, and the compass. The only one he hadn't introduced was gunpowder. The reason was twofold: first, the Gongshu family already had the formidable Hundred-Battle Divine Mechanism Crossbow, and Daniel wasn't sure how advanced their understanding of gunpowder was. Second, a sudden leap in technological advancement could be destabilizing.

In fact, a basic form of the compass, the "sinan," already existed in this era, but Daniel's version was more refined.

In addition to these, Daniel had also introduced the telescope, a crucial tool for military use, as well as high-yield crops like potatoes and corn. Gai Nie had taught him the Ghost Valley Breathing Technique in exchange for these contributions.

He also proposed enhancing the medical system, as healthcare was not highly valued in this era. The cold weapon era saw massive casualties after battles due to the lack of medical knowledge.

Daniel planned to establish a modern medical system, which would significantly reduce casualties among soldiers. Even in modern warfare, a strong medical support system can greatly lower the casualty rate, let alone in this era. Those soldiers who survived their injuries would become veterans, far more effective in battle than fresh recruits.

Daniel could easily cultivate antibiotics like penicillin.

In the realm of education, Daniel suggested the introduction of pinyin. In this era, learning to read and write lacked a phonetic guide, leading to many homophones. Without pinyin, students often relied on rote memorization of characters. But with pinyin, literacy could be greatly expanded, diminishing the influence of Confucianism.

If even basic literacy could be achieved nationwide, Confucianism's hold on power would be significantly weakened.

Daniel's discussions with Ying Zheng were reminiscent of the historic conversations between Shang Yang and Duke Xiao of Qin.

With Ying Zheng's wisdom, he fully grasped the monumental impact Daniel's proposals could have on Qin and the entire Central Plains. Only Daniel could spearhead such initiatives, at least at the beginning, which is why he was given the position of National Advisor.

"Master Gongshu, do you believe your family can manufacture paper using this method?" After Gongshu Qiu and Meng Tian had both read through the paper documents with astonishment, Daniel finally posed the question.

"Rest assured, National Advisor, the Gongshu family will accomplish this task."

"Excellent. Oh, I nearly forgot—here's something else for you." Daniel handed Gongshu Qiu another book.

"His Majesty places great trust in the Gongshu family. I hope you won't disappoint him." Gongshu Qiu showed no reaction to Daniel's words, already engrossed in the book Daniel had given him.

The book detailed the methods for steelmaking. While steel did exist in this era, its production was astonishingly low. The annual output of all seven warring states combined was less than what a small modern steel plant could produce in a month.

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