"As for the second matter..."
Wei He slowly drew out a scroll from his sleeve and placed it on the table.
"This is the Ten Thousand Ravines Returning to Origin Scripture."
"You have only been with The Department for a short time and haven't enjoyed much salary or offerings from the Demon Suppression Division, yet we are sending you to a place like Yumen Pass, where survival is uncertain, to act as a vanguard. The Department... feels somewhat apologetic."
"This Art of Core Merging can be considered a reward granted to you in advance."
The Ten Thousand Ravines Returning to Origin Scripture?
The Art of Core Merging?
A hint of confusion appeared on Jiang Yuechu's face.
Wei He was startled when he saw her expression, but then he quickly felt relieved.
This girl has astonishing talent and her skills came about strangely, but ultimately, she lacks Sect Legacy and is considered a half-baked rogue practitioner.
It was understandable that she didn't know much about Martial Dao Cultivation.
He immediately began to explain.
"On the path of the Martial Dao, Hearing the String and Bone Resonance are essentially just techniques for tempering vital energy and blood, and refining tendons and bones. They rely on persistent effort and the accumulation of Heaven And Earth Treasure."
"But if you wish to advance further and step into the Core Formation Realm, it is not something achievable solely through arduous Cultivation and external resources."
"The most crucial element is this 'Art of Core Merging'."
"Core Merging means using a secret method to fuse the three treasures of Essence, Qi, and Divine Soul of a Martial Artist into one furnace, refining them into a Martial Dao Golden Core. Only when this Core is formed can one be called Core Formation. Every movement will possess immense power, marking a vast difference from the Minggu Realm."
Wei He's tone was calm, but the information revealed in his words stirred up massive waves in Jiang Yuechu's mind.
"The Art of Core Merging like this, apart from my Great Tang Imperial Court, is only mastered by those prestigious major sects with centuries of Legacy and the Xuanmen aristocratic families."
"It can be said that for any Jianghu Martial Artist without roots or backing, no matter how astonishing their natural talent, the Minggu Realm is the peak of their life."
"To step into Core Formation, they either serve the Imperial Court or attach themselves to those major sects and aristocratic families, becoming their dependents or running dogs."
"Other than that, there is no other way."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuechu finally understood completely.
This world had actually monopolized the true path of advancement to such an extent.
But thinking about it, she felt it was normal.
If everyone could Cultivate to the peak, this world would probably have long fallen into chaos.
How could the Dynasty maintain stability, and how could the aristocratic families maintain their status?
In the end, this was no different in essence from her previous life.
Whoever controlled the channels of advancement held the right to speak.
She looked up and said calmly, "Thank you, Milord."
Wei He waved his hand, signaling her not to be overly polite.
"This is what you deserve. Since you are serving it, the Demon Suppression Division naturally won't treat you unfairly.
"In the coming days, prepare yourself well. If you have time, study this Art of Core Merging a bit; it will benefit your future Cultivation. As for the timing of your departure, Xu Changfeng will notify you."
"Understood."
Wei He nodded, seemingly intending to dismiss her, but the words stopped at his mouth.
He glanced at the empty courtyard outside. His expression softened slightly, which was rare, and his tone carried a hint of awkward formality.
"Today... why don't you stay for a simple meal?"
Seeing the surprise on Jiang Yuechu's face, he lightly coughed and explained, "That girl Qing'er came with me from the capital to this dusty place. She has a quiet personality and usually doesn't have friends she can talk to. You two are close in age, and she seems to like you very much."
The Capital?
Jiang Yuechu hadn't expected that this brother and sister were not people from the Region.
But on second thought, that girl Wei Qing had a gentle temperament and was kind to others. Staying for a meal wasn't a bad idea.
"In that case... I shall trouble you."
The food was prepared quickly. It wasn't extravagant, but every dish was exquisite.
During the meal, Wei He remained silent and reserved, focusing only on eating his own food.
Wei Qing, however, seemed determined to make up for all the talking she hadn't done in the past few days, chattering non-stop and continuously putting food into Jiang Yuechu's bowl.
"Yuechu, eat more, look how thin you are."
"For someone who practices martial arts, vital energy and blood are the most important. These dishes are all nourishing."
Jiang Yuechu looked at the mountain of food piled in her bowl, feeling both amused and helpless.
"That's enough, that's enough, Miss Wei. If you add more, I won't be able to finish it."
"How can that be!" Wei Qing glared, then turned to look at her brother. "Brother, Yuechu finally came over for a meal, why are you acting like a silent gourd, only focused on stuffing yourself?"
Wei He paused his action of picking up food.
He looked up, his brows slightly furrowed, seemingly thinking very seriously about what he should say.
After a long while.
He finally managed to squeeze out one sentence.
"Yumen Pass is very dusty. Prepare more rations and water."
The warm atmosphere in the room instantly froze.
Wei Qing's graceful eyebrows shot up, and she glared fiercely: "We are eating! Why say things like that! You're a mood killer!"
"..."
Wei He also seemed to realize he had said the wrong thing. He silently lowered his head, shoveling rice into his mouth, and remained silent... It was already dusk when she returned to the small courtyard in Jingyao Workshop.
Pushing open the courtyard gate, a cold and desolate aura rushed toward her, contrasting sharply with the warmth of the meal in Wei He's courtyard, like two different worlds.
Jiang Yuechu closed the door, returned to the room, and without delay, carefully took out the scroll of the Ten Thousand Ravines Returning to Origin Scripture from her sleeve and slowly spread it out on the table.
To be honest, she didn't feel very confident about the Art of Core Merging that Wei He had given her.
Her martial arts, from the Fierce Tiger Quick Blade to the Sealing Mouth and Solidifying Qi Method, were all obtained directly as gifts from the System Panel after slaying Demons.
She truly didn't know if she could record this Cultivation Technique onto the System Panel and use Dao Cultivation to infuse it, aside from the martial arts granted by the Golden Finger.
If she couldn't, relying solely on her own practice, given her Comprehension Ability, it would take at least ten or even decades.
Yet, to step into the Core Formation Realm, she absolutely could not bypass this so-called Art of Core Merging.
"System, give me some strength..."
Jiang Yuechu took a deep breath, silently prayed in her heart, and then immersed her entire mind in the scroll.
The scroll didn't have many pages, and the content was highly profound, discussing how to Visualize the Inner Heaven and Earth, how to use vital energy and blood as fire, and Divine Soul as the catalyst, to fuse the Three Treasures into one furnace.
She recognized every single word, but when put together, they left her completely confused.
She forced herself to calm down and carefully read the entire Cultivation Technique from beginning to end, word by word.
Until the last word fell into her sight.
Jiang Yuechu slowly closed the scroll, shut her eyes, and sank her consciousness into her mind.
The System Panel was silent.
Her heart couldn't help but rise into her throat.
Damn... it can't really not work, right?
Just when she thought she would return empty-handed this time.
A line of brand-new small characters finally slowly appeared.
[Ten Thousand Ravines Returning to Origin Scripture (Unlearned)]
It worked!
Jiang Yuechu suddenly opened her eyes and let out a long breath of stale air.
The stone that had been hanging in her chest for half a day finally dropped.
With this.
The biggest obstacle on the road to Core Formation in the future had been overcome.