"Whether it's useful or not, we'll only know after trying!"
Ying Zichu, with newfound resolve, ordered the palace craftsmen to begin fabricating the strange tools from the drawings. After bidding farewell to Lu Buwei, he picked up the silent Zane and walked out through a back door, muttering, "Those mortals, how can they behold my son's divine appearance!"
Outside, the two guards watched Lu Buwei walk out of the palace in a daze. "Lord Lu, what's wrong? Did you see that one?" Ma Shanhua asked. Lu Buwei's response was cryptic. "Do you think there's anyone in this world whose eyes can see the past and the future?" He then asked, "Or is there someone whose words can change the future?"
His guards were baffled, dismissing his words as nonsense. Lu Buwei, however, was shaken. The fact that the newborn prince knew his entire history, even though they had never met, had instilled a profound sense of awe and confusion. While he dismissed the prophecy of Ying Zichu becoming king as a joke, the divine knowledge of the child was undeniable. The guards, seeing his strange behavior, began to harbor their own suspicions about the "Heavenly God" rumor.
The Pursuit of Power
Meanwhile, in a secluded palace, Zane sat cross-legged on a bed, surrounded by bamboo slips. He had requested these slips—a collection of texts on learning, philosophy, and ancient cultivation methods—from Ying Zichu, who, despite his confusion, had eagerly provided them.
Zane's Extraordinary Comprehension ability made short work of the ancient texts. He quickly mastered the Great Seal Script and even Oracle Bone Script by inferring the meaning of characters. Once he had the language down, he delved into the cultivation texts. He learned that the current era had a system of internal energy cultivation, with realms from Acquired to Innate, Grandmaster, and Great Grandmaster. These seemed similar to the power levels in the fictional Qin's Moon from his past life.
The texts also described an ancient, legendary realm: the Immortal Master or Heavenly God. This was a state of being completely different from the lower realms, a state of unity with heaven and earth. Zane noted that even in this era, such a state was considered a thing of the distant past, and cultivation was becoming increasingly difficult—a "Dharma Decline." He realized that most people in this era found it nearly impossible to cultivate, and a Great Grandmaster was the absolute peak of power, with only one being born for every ten thousand people who tried to cultivate.
Concerned that his own cultivation would be slow, Zane began to study the methods of the Hundred Schools of Thought. He found them all to be variations of movement, breathing, and meditation. He quickly absorbed the knowledge, and another prompt appeared.
Your Comprehension Ability is Extraordinary. From the methods of the Hundred Schools of Thought and Qi cultivators, you have excelled and created a Qi Absorption Method.
Zane immediately tried to cultivate, but after half an hour, he felt nothing. "Is cultivation this difficult?" he wondered. The realization that he was in a dangerous situation without any power hit him. He needed to find a way to accelerate his progress. He looked through the texts again and noticed a crucial detail: a person's spiritual state was paramount. The higher the state of mind, the faster the cultivation. The ancient Immortal Masters were said to have achieved a state of no desires, no selfishness, and unity with heaven and man.
Zane felt a flash of inspiration. If he couldn't be a perfect person, he would use his knowledge of modern psychology and hypnosis to temporarily achieve that state. He began to meditate, combining ancient methods with modern techniques.
Another prompt appeared.
Your Comprehension Ability is Extraordinary. From the Qi Absorption Method, quiet meditation method, modern hypnosis, and psychology, you have comprehended and innovated a new Cultivation method.
You have comprehended the True Person Qi Absorption Method.
Zane started to cultivate again, and his eyes cleared, becoming empty of desire, like the high heavens themselves. He felt detached, selfless, and unified with the world around him. In this state, he absorbed a wisp of inner energy—Qi—in a matter of moments, skipping the Acquired Realm and reaching the Innate Realm.
He was shocked. "Inner Qi just appeared like that? Is cultivation really that simple?" At his current pace, he estimated he could reach the Grandmaster Realm in just half a month. He was filled with anticipation. Could he reach the legendary Immortal Master realm and truly become a "Heavenly God?"
A King's Doubt
Time passed quickly. Half a month later, King Qin Ying Ji held a court session. Ying Zichu, impatient, stood up to report. King Ying Ji and the other ministers were surprised, given the recent rumors.
Ying Zichu quickly ordered people to bring in the finished Qu Yuan Plow and waterwheel. He explained that these tools would increase crop yields and save labor. The ministers were skeptical, but King Ying Ji, curious about his grandson's initiative, gave his approval to test the tools. He then turned to Ying Zichu with a knowing look. "I heard that a Heavenly God has recently been born in our Qin State. When I have leisure, I must go and see how extraordinary he is." His tone was a clear warning. He saw Ying Zichu's actions as a power play, a small ambition that he intended to check. He was curious to see what was so special about the child that it made Ying Zichu resort to such outlandish rumors.