Chapter 224 military strategists

Hua Kai had once carefully studied the masterpieces of military strategists, such as "The Forest of Strategies," "The Few Strategies," "The General's Manual," and "The Art of the Ghost Valley." He had also gained a basic understanding of the "Hundred Battles Heart Sutra." He recognized the ideas of military strategists but did not highly advocate them.

The "Hundred Battles Heart Sutra" is the easiest to comprehend among the heart methods of the Hundred Schools of Thought, yet it is the most difficult to upgrade. While other schools' heart methods require study and comprehension, the "Hundred Battles Heart Sutra" can only be upgraded through battlefield combat. The "Hundred Battles Heart Sutra" also has a unique characteristic that no other heart method possesses: it can dissolve one's karmic burden.

All great military strategists and masters have grown through countless bloodshed. The Sage of Military Strategists, who slaughtered millions, struck terror across the land with his name as a god of death. However, he had not appeared for a century, and there were rumors that he had died due to his overwhelming karmic burden.

Hua Kai walked slowly through the streets of Xianyang, feeling the completely different customs and atmosphere from those in the Qi State, which was a unique experience in itself. Upon reaching the entrance of the inner city, armored guards stepped forward for inspection. Entry into the inner city required noble family status; commoners were not allowed. As a student of the Jiaxia Academy, Hua Kai had the right to enter.

The inner city of Xianyang was entirely different from the outer city. There was a pavilion every five steps and a tower every ten steps. Many noble family mansions were over fifty feet tall, and the streets here were quiet and elegant.

Hua Kai saw that silk shops, clothing stores, and jewelry stores were clustered together, with many young ladies strolling along the streets. He approached the tallest pavilion, which was inscribed with the words "Lingbao Palace." It was no small feat to use the word "Lingbao" as a signboard.

Hua Kai estimated that the "Lingbao Palace," about a hundred feet tall and with nine stories, was adorned with carvings of birds, beasts, fish, and insects. The wood used was of at least fourth-grade quality, and it would have cost no less than a million taels of gold to build such a structure.

It is said that the King of Qin is the wealthiest man in the world, with thousands of palaces. Xianyang is the most prosperous city in the world. Only now did Hua Kai gain a new understanding of the word "prosperous."

Upon entering the "Lingbao Palace," Hua Kai discovered that the guards were all "Blood Dragon Guards" in golden armor. The "Blood Dragon Guards" are the most elite guards of the King of Qin, with only a few hundred in number and a minimum cultivation level of the Great Perfection of Qi. This indicated that the "Lingbao Palace" was an asset of the King of Qin.

"May I ask, young master, are you here to purchase elixirs or seek divine weapons? Our store's various precious pills are guaranteed to satisfy you," a young man with the appearance of a scholar approached. Upon checking his attributes, Hua Kai found that he was a dual master of Confucianism and Yin-Yang School, with a cultivation level of the Sixth Layer of Innate Realm.

Sensing Hua Kai's probe, he also took a good look at Hua Kai and led him to a table in the first-floor hall.

"This young man looks unfamiliar. Are you also a student participating in the Debate Conference?" Qin Jiao brought Hua Kai to a table, poured him a cup of clear tea, and asked slowly.

"Indeed, is this young master also here for the Debate Conference?" Hua Kai asked in return.

Those who could participate in the Debate Conference must be under 35 years old. Hua Kai observed that he also had an SS-level talent. If nothing unexpected happened, he would likely ascend to the Golden Dan Realm in the future.

"Hehe, today I unexpectedly meet a talented debater from another country. I wonder what brings you to the 'Lingbao Palace'?" Qin Jiao sat opposite Hua Kai, asking in a calm yet polite manner.

"I am visiting Xianyang for the first time and happened to see this 'Lingbao Palace'. I just came in to take a look. I wonder if you have high-grade spiritual herbs for sale?" Hua Kai put down his teacup and said.

"High-grade spiritual herbs are definitely available, but the higher the grade, the higher the price. What kind of spiritual herb are you looking for?" Qin Jiao replied.

"Is that so? Do you also have heavenly treasures that can enhance one's talent?" Hua Kai became interested upon hearing this. If he could refine a furnace of spiritual pills, that would be great.

"Heavenly treasures to enhance talent are not something money can buy. They must be exchanged for treasures of equal value!" Qin Jiao said, looking at Hua Kai.

"Can I take a look at where the spiritual treasures are kept?" Hua Kai looked at the other party and said.

Qin Jiao paused for a moment. Hua Kai was not in a hurry and quietly sipped his tea. He had to admit that the tea was indeed very good.

"Let's consider this as making a friend today! Follow me," Qin Jiao put down his teacup and slowly walked upstairs. Hua Kai saw that there were people bustling on each floor of the "Lingbao Palace", with some customers discussing the spiritual items and prices with the shop assistants. Such high-end spiritual and treasure trading places might only exist in Xianyang!

The higher they went, the fewer people there were, and the shelves became sparser. Hua Kai followed Qin Jiao all the way to the eighth floor, where there were only a few dozen shelves. The shop assistant, seeing Qin Jiao bring Hua Kai up, bowed to him and respectfully called him "young master."

Qin Jiao's identity was now clear. In Xianyang, those with the surname Qin who could be called "young master" must be from the main line of the Qin family. Hua Kai remembered that Qin Zheng had two sons, and this must be one of them!

They came to an antique shelf. Qin Jiao spoke to the shop assistant for a while, and the assistant took out several treasure boxes from a shelf and placed them in front of the two of them.

"These are spiritual items that can enhance talent. This is 'Black Mustard', and this is 'Yellow Essence'..." Qin Jiao introduced to Hua Kai.

Hua Kai was a student of alchemy, and although he had not yet reached the Innate Realm to truly refine pills, he was familiar with most spiritual herbs. These spiritual herbs were rare, but they could only slightly enhance talent. It was also possible that one's talent might not be enhanced at all after taking them.

"Are there any heavenly treasures that can significantly enhance talent?" Hua Kai asked after looking at them.

Qin Jiao was obviously taken aback. These spiritual herbs were already rare to most people, but Hua Kai was still not satisfied.

"There are also heavenly treasures in the 'Lingbao Palace' that can significantly enhance talent. However, most of these heavenly treasures cannot be taken directly. They need to be refined into pills by alchemists. Nowadays, there are not many alchemists who can refine pills to enhance talent. If you want to see them, follow me," Qin Jiao led Hua Kai to continue walking upstairs.

They arrived at the topmost ninth floor. Hua Kai saw that there were only four shelves here, each surrounded by a faint aura of spiritual energy, and there were formations outside the shelves.

"Wait here for a moment!" After saying this, Qin Jiao went to the corner, stood in the center of some formation diagrams, and suddenly disappeared after muttering some incantations.

Hua Kai had always heard that many great families had their own secret realms. He didn't expect that the "Lingbao Palace" also had an alternate space. After resting on the ninth floor for a few minutes, he saw Qin Jiao's figure reappear in the center of the formation diagram.

Qin Jiao came back with two jade boxes. The jade boxes were seamless and had no visible locks or gaps. He placed the jade boxes on the table in front of Hua Kai.

"This is 'Evergreen Grass', with about a thousand years of medicinal properties. Ordinary people can significantly enhance their cultivation talent after taking it. However, it is useless for those above the genius level.

This is 'Bodhi Seed', said to be the kernel of the supreme spiritual fruit 'Bodhi Fruit', with the power to seize the essence of heaven and earth. Unfortunately, it cannot be taken directly. If you want to try, you can take it and see. Maybe you can obtain the talent of an emperor!" Qin Jiao said deliberately.

Upon hearing about the Bodhi Seed, Hua Kai's heart stirred involuntarily, but he still focused his attention on the Evergreen Grass. It was clear that Qin Jiao had brought out these two treasures to encourage him to purchase the Evergreen Grass, with the Bodhi Seed merely being shown as a display.

"I wonder what kind of treasure is needed to exchange for this Evergreen Grass?" Hua Kai asked.

"The value of Evergreen Grass is equivalent to an eighth-grade spiritual medicine. This particular plant is a thousand years old. You can exchange it with a top-grade eighth-grade spiritual medicine or a top-grade seventh-grade divine weapon," Qin Jiao said.

Hua Kai was greatly astonished. He had never seen an eighth-grade spiritual medicine before, and the fact that such a small plant of Evergreen Grass required an eighth-grade spiritual medicine in exchange was astonishing. A top-grade seventh-grade divine weapon was essentially a ninth-grade treasure weapon, and using it to exchange for a single plant of Evergreen Grass seemed like a poor deal.

"What about the Bodhi Seed?" Hua Kai asked again.

"This Bodhi Seed is a top-tier spiritual treasure of the heavens and the earth. The value required for exchange is quite significant. It needs an equivalent top-grade spiritual treasure or a top-grade eighth-grade divine weapon... Although this Bodhi Seed has been stored for a thousand years, it is still alive. With good fortune, it might even grow into a Bodhi Tree," Qin Jiao said deliberately.

An eighth-grade divine weapon was equivalent in value to his uncle's Eight-Treasure Night-Famous Armor.

Seeing Hua Kai deep in thought, Qin Jiao continued, "If you have any fine treasures or spiritual treasures that can suppress fate, you can also use them for the exchange. If the value of the spiritual treasure is insufficient, you can make up the difference with purple gold coins."

"I have a Spiritual Pill. I wonder if it can be exchanged for this Bodhi Seed?" Hua Kai asked.

"We need to first check the quality of the Spiritual Pill," Qin Jiao replied.

Hua Kai took out a Golden Body Pill. The Bodhi Seed was too precious, and he was determined to obtain it at all costs. There was a pill formula in the Alchemy Chamber called Bodhi Pill, a ninth-grade spiritual pill with the Bodhi Seed as its main ingredient. It was the best pill for enhancing talent below the immortal pill.

"This Spiritual Pill is of good quality. It should be able to enhance the will of gold, and it is well-preserved. However, its grade is too low—it is only a primary Golden Dan... If you have another eighth-grade divine weapon or a spiritual treasure that can suppress fate, I can authorize the exchange," Qin Jiao said, reluctantly parting with the Golden Body Pill. But one Golden Body Pill was far from enough to exchange for the Bodhi Seed.

"Alright, please wait for me for a while. I will definitely come to exchange for the Bodhi Seed by the end of the Debate Conference."

After bidding farewell to Qin Jiao, Hua Kai left the inner city of Xianyang. The Bodhi Seed was too important to him because when refined into the Bodhi Pill, it could not only significantly enhance one's talent but also serve as a sacred medicine to help those in the Innate Realm lay the foundation for cultivation.

If a person with an A-level talent in the Great Perfection of the Innate Realm took the Bodhi Pill, their talent would not only be enhanced to above the S-level, but they could also directly ascend to the Foundation Establishment Realm. The introduction to the Bodhi Pill in the Alchemy Chamber was as follows:

Bodhi Pill: Ninth-grade spiritual pill

Ingredients needed for refining: Bodhi Seed (Immortal grade), Nine Abysses Qiluo Flower (seventh grade), Immortal Cloud Vine (sixth grade), Green Rock Wood (third grade)...

Family fortune value required: 9999 points

Effects: To sense the will of heaven and earth, to condense the rules of the heavenly way into one's body, and to increase the chances of foundation establishment. For those with talent below SS+, taking it can significantly enhance their talent without exceeding the SSS- level.

Hua Kai already had the Nine Abysses Qiluo Flower in his spatial storage. He only needed one more Immortal Cloud Vine. Moreover, the Hua Family's current overall strength was close to twenty thousand, which was more than enough to successfully refine the pill.