125 Literary development，martial development

It seemed that Lili hadn't anticipated the conversation turning towards him.

Faced with this question, a cold scoff emanated from his heart.

In a subdued tone, he said, "I didn't start my enlightenment until I was sixteen..."

There was no need to say more.

However, Shen Tang was an anomaly; she didn't understand what the issue was with his age. To her, starting enlightenment at sixteen seemed late, but given Lili's aptitude, surely he could overcome the threshold of martial courage? At most, his achievements might not be as high as those who laid a stronger foundation from childhood.

"Sixteen? That's six years late, indeed, quite unfortunate..." Qishan observed her subtle expression and knew she didn't understand. He explained, "The premise of condensing literary and martial courage is to perceive the qi of heaven and earth, absorb it into the body, and open up the dantian. The younger one is, the easier it is to feel that 'qi'. It's commonly believed that after the age of ten, it becomes harder to perceive..."

Shen Tang felt there was a significant issue with this statement.

She said, "Isn't this incorrect? When the Comet Star descended, the first group to condense literary and martial courage were mostly between twenty and fifty years old. How did they manage it? It doesn't make sense that they could do it then, but people nowadays can't, right?"

Qishan's gaze became complex. "It's related to the Royal Seal."

"Again with the Royal Seal?"

"Yes."

Shen Tang pressed, "What's this about?"

It seemed Qishan had been acting strangely lately. Whatever Shen Tang asked, he'd answer directly, with few cryptic responses.

"This theory isn't widely recognized. It's something I heard from a scholar—he said that the literati and warriors of that time, either held high positions or wielded significant power, often being close confidants of the ruler. Therefore, the literary and martial fortunes accumulated during their tenure assisted them in their successful cultivation. I find this explanation quite plausible."

Shen Tang encountered another unfamiliar term.

"Literary and martial fortunes? What's that?"

"It's a kind of power formed by the Royal Seal absorbing the qi of heaven and earth and converting it into strength. As the name suggests, literati cultivate literary fortunes, while warriors cultivate martial fortunes, similar to literary and martial qi. The difference is that literary and martial qi are cultivated by individuals, while literary and martial fortunes are transformed by the Royal Seal, the quantity of which depends on the achievements of literati and warriors during their tenure." Seeing Shen Tang's curious and astonished expression, Qishan's dark eyes flashed with a fleeting hint of amusement. "Is this very strange?"

"Indeed, it sounds peculiar..." Shen Tang struggled to form a sentence, contemplating the fantastical worldview setting of literary development and martial courage. Both seemed to harmonize well. She murmured, "It's not easy to be an official. Not only do you have to meet KPIs, but you also have to cultivate..."

Even with twenty-four hours in a day, it wasn't enough.

Qishan chuckled, "Regardless of literary development or martial courage, both require a considerable amount of time and effort to cultivate. Once you stop, you stagnate. And while officials and warriors spend most of their day dealing with state affairs and military duties, where is the extra energy to cultivate? If being an official or warrior were detrimental, why would literati and warriors be so eager to enter into service?"

Shen Tang fell silent.

Well, it turns out there's another explanation.

Being an official or warrior allows one to cultivate literary and martial fortunes, coupled with the blessing of the Royal Seal's fortune. Together, this is much faster and stronger than cultivation as a wandering individual. Additionally, there are plenty of hidden benefits.

Come to think of it, if there weren't any benefits, who would be willing to waste so much time cultivating while earning the salary of a laborer, doing the work of a drug dealer? What's the point? To serve an uncooperative monarch? To deal with mundane affairs and numerous troubles? To earn a meager salary?

Of course, there are also those who willingly do manual labor, work overtime tirelessly (9 AM to 9 PM, six days a week), all for their ideals, to uphold their own "sense of righteousness," for the people of the world, for peace... But those are few; the majority in this bustling world are just ordinary folks.

Entering officialdom means quick cultivation, salary, status, power, and reputation... It's no wonder many are eager to enter the bureaucratic world.

Shen Tang's mind raced. "So, if Lili were a general, even at an older age, could he still acquire martial courage?"

Qishan replied, "In theory, that's correct."

Lili looked at the wealthy young master riding on the back of the black-faced boy and asked, "Is the young master teasing me?"

"Why would I tease you? As the saying goes, extraordinary times breed heroes. With Lili's strength and abilities, entering the military should lead to prominence, right?" Shen Tang said sincerely. "Since it's impossible to condense martial courage after the age of ten, this could be a viable path."

Zhai Le shook his head and sighed, "Brother Shen, things aren't that simple. Ordinary people in the military, at best, become sergeants or corporals, and leading a hundred men usually starts with being a low-ranking officer. These low-ranking officers are mostly the generals' trusted men..."

That meager, almost imperceptible martial fortune is simply not enough to condense martial courage. Unless one experiences life and death on the battlefield several times, accomplishing great deeds and being promoted out of the ordinary, then they might achieve their goal after many years of hard work. Or perhaps not at all.

Shen Tang was stunned by this revelation. "Is it... Is it that difficult?"

It's no wonder Lili would ask if she was teasing him.

It did sound rather sarcastic.

"Because it's so difficult, it's generally assumed that if you haven't started martial training by the age of ten, you'll be forever barred from this path," Qishan explained.

Shen Tang whispered, "I didn't know about this before..."

But this comment wasn't meant for Qishan; it was for Lili beside her. Shen Tang then asked another question she had been pondering, "Then, I have another question—can a shattered literary fortune be restored? While the military emphasizes strength in battle, the bureaucratic world mostly relies on strategy and intellect, without visible combat. So, is it..."

"In general, no. When a literary fortune is shattered, it's often due to 'extreme punishment.' To prevent any future retaliation, the meridians are sealed to eliminate any potential threat. Even if this path were viable, entering the bureaucratic world requires a higher threshold than joining the military. Having the ability alone is not enough," Qishan replied.

Shen Tang listened with disappointment but noticed Qishan's use of "in general," suggesting there might be exceptions?

Qishan seemed to understand what Shen Tang was thinking. "There are exceptions, but few would choose to take that path; the risks and costs are too high."

"What path are you talking about?"

"You exchange it with your life."

"How?"

"It's for Yulian's sake, isn't it? How could I not know something I already know? Yulian knows what he wants. If he wants to exchange, he will naturally do so. If he hasn't acted yet, it means the time isn't right, or he hasn't made up his mind."

Shen Tang pursed her lips; Qishan was once again being evasive.

Zhai Le quietly reminded her, "Brother Shen, if you're curious, you can find out by reading 'Biographies of Famous Ministers and Scholars.' But as Mr. Qishan said, I also think this path is unreliable."

Shen Tang stopped asking further questions.

She simply made a note of the book "Biographies of Famous Ministers and Scholars."

|ω｀)