Zhuge Liang's Journey to Dominate the World: Starting from Another World

"It's better to believe it's true than not to believe it's not. In short, you need to put more effort into dealing with Kongming. I don't think he's as simple as he seems on the surface." Su Zhuo's tone carried an undeniable firmness.

In fact, an agreement had already been reached before he and Zuo Ci set off.

If they successfully find the Jade Void Seal and unlock its secrets, the two will share the spoils.

Not only that, Su Zhuo also wanted to marry his daughter to Zuo Ci's most valued disciple. This way, the secret would not be spread, and the two brothers would be firmly bound together, so that there would be no need to worry about changes over time.

Now that Zuo Ci and his disciples are all dead, if Kongming hands over the Jade Void Seal, then his failure to fulfill the previous agreement will not be considered a breach of contract, since Kongming is just a mortal and has no idea how powerful it is.

After they joined forces to obtain the Jade Void Seal, they were besieged by a group of mysterious cultivators. Left with no other choice, Zuo Ci used the treasure to lure away the mysterious cultivators, which gave him the opportunity to escape back to his sect.

"Is the Jade Void Seal on him or not?"

Su Zhuo stood in the main hall, his gaze deep, as if he were pondering something.

Meanwhile, Kongming had already left the main hall and returned to Zuo Ci's secluded place of cultivation. However, the two disciples who brought him back showed no intention of leaving, and their gazes toward him were somewhat malicious.

Kongming realized that he might be imprisoned, but he did not show any panic. Instead, a cold smile appeared on his face.

It seems that jade talisman is indeed extraordinary. As long as he has it, Su Zhuo will not take his life if he wants it. At this moment, any rash action could lead to his death. The only option is to observe the situation and look for an opportunity.

As night fell, the secluded retreat was enveloped in silence. Kongming sat alone in the room, idly practicing the "Three Changes" he had comprehended in his previous life.

Legend has it that the Three Changes were written by ancient sages, flourished during the reign of King Wen of Zhou (Ji Chang), and were perfected by Laozi, the founder of Taoism.

The I Ching, Lianshan, and Guicang are collectively known as the Three I Chings. Among them, the I Ching has sixty-four hexagrams, which was also the method he studied most deeply in his previous life. His Eight Trigrams Formation evolved from it.

As for Lianshan and Guicang, they had long been lost. However, by chance, he found a fragment of Lianshan, which recorded the cultivation methods of Qi cultivators in the pre-Qin period. Unfortunately, by his time, spiritual energy had long since dried up, and the methods inside were impossible to cultivate.

Now, in this world, cultivators are as numerous as hairs on a cow, so the spiritual energy must be abundant.

Kongming sat cross-legged on the couch, following the methods of Lianshan, guiding spiritual energy into his body, through his meridians, and finally converging in his dantian.

At first, the spiritual energy was like a thread, almost imperceptible after entering his body. As time went by, he gradually felt a warm current flowing slowly within his body, the sensation of spiritual energy flowing through his meridians. Soon, Kongming entered a state of complete absorption...

The next day, it was dawn.

Kongming gradually awoke from his meditation, finding himself refreshed and not at all tired from staying up all night. He closed his eyes slightly, and wisps of spiritual energy gathered into a trickle, faint yet undeniably real.

Kongming was overjoyed, realizing that he might already be hovering on the edge of cultivating immortality.

At this moment, the fairy boy who was delivering food outside pushed open the door. Kongming pretended to have just woken up, lazily yawning, but a glint of shrewdness flashed in his eyes.

He accepted the food offered by the fairy boy, thanked him softly, and began to eat.

As Kongming savored the delicious food, he pondered his next plan. He knew there were some things he couldn't reveal. How could a simple country bumpkin possess cultivation techniques? Besides, Su Zhuo's attitude towards him was ambiguous. In a situation where he couldn't protect himself, it wasn't shameful to act subservient.

Kongming pushed open the door and saw two Qinglan Sect disciples still sitting cross-legged in the courtyard. The two men's eyes were slightly open, their gazes fixed on Kongming with hostility.

"Thank you for your hard work, senior brothers. I was feeling quite bored staying in the room and wanted to get some fresh air," Kongming said, cupping his hands in greeting with a humble smile.

The two disciples nodded, and one of them said, "If you want to move around, you can only stay in the courtyard and its surroundings. Do not leave this area, or you will bear the consequences."

"Thank you for the reminder, Senior Brother!" Kongming cupped his hands again, and then slowly strolled around the courtyard.

Two months later...

Kongming sat cross-legged on the couch, his facial muscles twitching, sweat dripping down his cheeks. At this moment, his body was in turmoil, and his breathing was disordered.

The spiritual energy surged wildly through the eight extraordinary meridians, while the dantian seemed to have no more room to contain or store it.

boom……

Suddenly, a muffled explosion came from inside his body. Kongming felt as if his body was being torn apart by a tremendous force. Pain spread throughout his body, as if it were about to tear him to pieces.

However, amidst this extreme pain, he felt a strange coolness rising from his dantian and quickly spreading throughout his body.

He closed his eyes tightly, letting the cool energy flow through his body, guiding the chaotic spiritual power back to his dantian little by little. Gradually, the pain began to subside, replaced by an unprecedented feeling of comfort.

When Kongming opened his eyes again, the previous pain was gone, replaced by clarity and brightness. He felt as if his body had undergone a complete baptism.

He exhaled a soft breath, a satisfied smile appearing on his face. He knew he had entered a completely new realm.

He can clearly sense the flow of spiritual energy around him, and can even mobilize some of it for his own use.

"Is this the Qi Refining stage?" Kongming murmured to himself, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

In his previous life, he studied the Lianshan technique for his entire life without any results. He never expected that in just two months, he would break through to the Qi Refining stage. If this were in his previous world, he would never have dared to even think about it.

Once you break through to the Qi Refining stage, it means your lifespan will be greatly extended, allowing you to enjoy 150 years of life.

Thinking back to his past life, he was already exhausted at the age of fifty-four, which made him feel extremely emotional. This also proved that the spiritual energy of this world far exceeded his imagination.

Currently, his cultivation level is low, so perhaps no one will notice anything. But after some time, people will surely see through his disguise, and he will suffer from not being able to cultivate openly and honestly.

Kongming, holding a feather fan, stepped out of the room. It was already deep winter, and the green bamboo on the hillside was covered with white snow. The two Qinglan Sect cultivators were still sitting cross-legged in the courtyard, which he was used to.

Looking down at the rushing river and the snow-covered mountains, Kongming couldn't help but feel nostalgic for his hometown and the past.

He gently waved his feather fan and then began to sing loudly.

The mighty river flows eastward, its waves washing away countless heroes of the past. West of the old fortress, people say, lies the Red Cliff of Zhou Yu, his hometown. Jagged rocks pierce the sky, and the surging waves crash against the shore, churning up a thousand piles of snow. The landscape is like a painting, a testament to the many heroes who once graced this land.

Thinking back to Zhou Yu in his prime, when Xiao Qiao had just married him, he was a man of great talent and charisma. With a feather fan and a silk turban, he commanded armies and ships, and in the midst of laughter and conversation, they were reduced to ashes.

My homeland can only be wandered in spirit; those who are sentimental would laugh at me, for my hair has turned white prematurely. Life is but a dream; let me offer a cup to the moon reflected in the river…