Chapter 2822

A raised platform stood in the center, with seating arranged along its four sides. Each side had three seats, reserved for assistants.

The representatives from the other nations raised no objections to this arrangement.

On the side of the Great Confucian State, the three seats were occupied by Yun Xi, Wang Lanxuan, and the Regent.

Everyone knew Wang Lanxuan was the Grand Secretary. His presence here led some to guess it represented the support of the Great Confucian State.

Similarly, the other three nations had brought two additional people besides their Golden Book Qi experts.

Once everyone was seated, a host stepped forward.

The host was the Master of Fangwai Temple from the Great Confucian State. He had only recently entered the Purple Cultivation stage.

Because the Fangwai Temple was outside worldly affairs, no one suspected bias. Thus, no nation objected to the Master of Fangwai Temple presiding over the competition.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the Master said, "As the host today, I have little to say. I will mention two points. First, this is an exchange, primarily for sharing breakthrough experiences. This benefits the mental state of everyone present. Second, it is a competition. Since the Great Confucian State has two representatives, we will hold single matches. The Great Confucian State, as the host, forms one side, and the representatives of the other three nations form the other. Opponents will be determined by drawing lots. Does anyone have objections?"

This meant one person would have to fight two matches.

After speaking, the Master asked, "Does anyone have objections?"

The other three nations shook their heads slightly. "No objections."

Yun Xi spoke up, "I suggest we arrange the order ourselves and draw lots. On our side, since I am the youngest, I will take two matches. The Regent will take one. Your Highness, what do you think?"

The Regent nodded with a smile. "This Prince has no objection."

"Then it is settled for our side. Prince Yong, Prince Zhenjiang, and Duke An, do you have any objections?" Yun Xi asked.

Prince Yong, Prince Zhenjiang, and Duke An had no objections. Since the Great Confucian State was destined to fight three matches, one of them was destined to fight two. Therefore, they naturally had no issue.

"We have no objections," Prince Yong, Prince Zhenjiang, and Duke An answered seriously.

Seeing this, the Master said, "Then it is settled. Prince Yong, Prince Zhenjiang, and Duke An will draw lots. On the Great Confucian State side, Duke Hu will fight the first match, the Regent the second, and Duke Hu the third. This way, Duke Hu can rest for one match. How does that sound?"

Yun Xi smiled lightly. "This Duke has no objection."

"Very well. Let us begin with the exchange of experience. Please each share your feelings and experiences when you advanced." After speaking, the Master looked at everyone. "Who would like to go first?"

"I suggest this," Wang Lanxuan interjected. "Since the Great Confucian State is the host, we will send someone to speak first. Then Prince Yong, Prince Zhenjiang, and Duke An will speak. Finally, we from the Great Confucian State will speak last. What do you all think?"

"Let us follow Grand Secretary Wang's suggestion," the other three nations agreed, thinking it was a good method.

"Then, this Prince from the Great Confucian State will go first." The Regent smiled, then turned to Yun Xi. "Duke Hu, you must not take the lead."

Yun Xi made a gesture of invitation. "No problem. Your Highness, please go first."

Actually, neither being first nor last was easy. The first speaker had to open the topic, while the last had to provide a final summary. Yun Xi knew the Regent chose to go first because he felt he lacked skill in summarizing. The Regent, understanding this, preferred to speak first. Although opening the topic was difficult, he was confident in his ability to summarize.

Seeing Yun Xi had no objection, the Regent knew Yun Xi would have no trouble with the summary. He nodded slightly. "As everyone knows, my time since breakthrough is not long. I cannot speak to long-term feelings, but I can share my feelings during the breakthrough."

The Regent coughed once. "This Prince entered Purple Book Qi at fifty and was stuck, unable to break through. I am now eighty. Although it took thirty years, I finally broke through. The only feeling I had during the breakthrough was that mental state is crucial. Mental state is truly important."

The Regent spoke seriously. "As everyone knows, thirty years is not a short time. If I had not been persistent, or if I had not treated it with an ordinary mind, I would have become irritable. Cultivation is like a boat traveling on water; if you do not advance, you retreat. Moreover, one must maintain an ordinary mind. Regardless of storms or waves, if the heart is calm, the mental state naturally improves. When the mental state improves, the foundation becomes solid. Even if one cannot break through, a higher mental state means one's cultivation is significantly higher than others of the same level. Therefore, my experience is that the mental state must be stable. One must never be eager for quick success."

"This Prince strongly agrees with the Regent's view," Prince Zhenjiang said. "When I broke through, I first achieved a breakthrough in mental state. Several of my fellow disciples did not break through their mental state back then, so they have not yet reached Golden Book Qi to this day. This shows how important mental state is."

"Prince Zhenjiang is correct," Duke An said. "I was fortunate to save an expert. His reward was helping me break through to Golden Book Qi. However, because my mental state was insufficient, it took me a full three years to stabilize at the Golden Book Qi level. This shows how important mental state is."

"Speaking of which, I have heard of this incident, Duke An," Prince Yong said. "Didn't the person you save give you a pill?"

"Prince Yong is correct. It was indeed a pill." Duke An did not get angry; he simply nodded. "To be honest, I did not know what kind of pill it was at the time. He asked what reward I wanted. I casually said that our Wu State had no Golden Book Qi experts, and it would be great if I could become one. So, he gave me a pill. In fact, he stuffed it directly into my mouth. Otherwise, I might have had someone analyze it."

"If you had analyzed it, Duke An, you probably would not have become a Golden Book Qi expert," Prince Zhenjiang teased.

Duke An’s personality seemed very peaceful. "Yes. As the saying goes, every detail is predestined. Regardless, the result was good. Although the process was a bit absurd, I am still glad I made that request."

Those who knew the history of the Wu State knew Duke An was not lying. Yun Xi had not read the history of the Wu State, so he asked Wang Lanxuan in a low voice.

Wang Lanxuan whispered, "Back then, the Wu State was in the midst of a transition between the old and new emperors, so it was very chaotic. One wrong move, and the country would have fallen."