Chapter 123: Direction Is Destiny

Yuntian took the ancient text, stared at it for a long while, and said in a grave voice, "This rune is indeed the rune of 'Instant Eternity'!"

Li Yunji snatched the book away and strode toward the desk without a moment's hesitation. "Eleven, grind the ink!"

Eleven obeyed, appearing instantly before the desk to prepare the Four Treasures of the Study for Li Yunji. Yuntian watched Li Yunji’s actions in a daze, his face filled with confusion.

"Can you read the runes?"

Li Yunji replied calmly, "No."

"Then what are you doing?" Yuntian pressed.

"Looking for the pattern," Li Yunji said, flicking his sleeves and picking up his brush to write with a flourish.

Deeply focused, he soon entered a state of flow, and no one around him dared to disturb him. His gaze darted back and forth between the rice paper and the ancient book; while he wrote, a brainstorming session took place in his mind. Countless runes overlapped and dissipated in his thoughts, repeating in an endless cycle.

Yuntian looked up at the sky, made a quick calculation with his fingers, and muttered, "Five hours left."

...

Outside the barrier, forty days later. Five days until the He Mountain Poetry Gathering.

At the foot of Changming Mountain, in the private military camp, Zhao Heng sat in the seat of honor with Bai Xue by his side. Tuoba Mu and Li Yi sat opposite each other. Murong Lanyue poured fine wine for them, standing beside Tuoba Mu, awaiting instructions.

"General Li," Zhao Heng said, raising his glass first with a hearty laugh. "You have worked hard over these past three years."

Li Yi returned the toast, bowing his head. "Your Highness the Crown Prince is too kind. It is my honor to scheme alongside you."

Zhao Heng’s smile deepened. He set down his wine cup and gave Bai Xue a wink. Bai Xue understood and drew an exquisite wooden box from her sleeve, opening it slowly. Inside lay a pair of tiger tallies forged from Profound Sky Meteorite Iron! Based on the patterns, they were precisely the military seals of the Beiling Army!

Li Yi could not help but reach out to touch them, but Bai Xue suddenly closed the box. A trace of displeasure flickered across Li Yi's face.

"Do not worry, General Li," Zhao Heng said, raising his glass again with a smile. "Once this matter is concluded, this pair of tiger tallies will belong to you. At that time, I will certainly memorialize to the Emperor to name you the true master of Beiling."

A hint of a smile inadvertently appeared on Li Yi's face, though his tone remained calm. "I am grateful for the Crown Prince's favor!" He finished his wine in one gulp.

"Master Tuoba," Zhao Heng turned his gaze to Tuoba Mu. "The formation at the foot of He Mountain depends entirely on you."

Tuoba Mu’s lips curved upward slightly as he raised his glass in return. "Rest assured, Your Highness. With this formation, plus thirty thousand elite troops, even Han Jitong will be yours to capture."

The three exchanged glances and burst into laughter. The entire camp was filled with joyous sounds. Suddenly, a drastic change in the direction of Beiling outside the tent caught Tuoba Mu’s attention. He stood up abruptly, looking on with a grave expression.

"Master Tuoba, what has happened?" Zhao Heng’s eyes also sharpened as he asked in a low voice.

Tuoba Mu’s brows furrowed, but they quickly relaxed. He stroked his white beard and laughed. "Nothing, just a trapped beast roaring." He sat back down slowly. "The highest cultivation among them is only the Fourth Grade. How could they possibly break my 'Instant Eternity'?"

Upon hearing this, Li Yi pondered for a moment and said, "Master, do not forget, there is still a Third Grade expert in Beiling City."

"Does General Li mean Commander Zhou?"

Li Yi nodded.

"I have observed his aura. With his cultivation, even if he exhausted all his strength, he could never shake the barrier." Tuoba Mu was very confident in his arts, his lips retaining their upward curve as he spoke. Hearing this, the others sat back down, chatting and laughing with high spirits.

...

He Mountain. Poetry Pavilion. The Taihu Academy rest area.

Gong Qingfeng stood by the window, hands behind his back, gazing at the waterfall cascading down not far away.

"Teacher," Lin Mao stepped into the room and bowed. "This student has searched everywhere, but I have not seen the Prince."

Gong Qingfeng’s expression faltered for a moment before he sighed. "Forget it. I didn’t hold much hope to begin with. The Prince has always been free-spirited; it is within reason that he would not come. It is just a pity that we will not see such eternal verses as 'After getting drunk, I don't know the sky is in the water, the boat full of clear dreams presses against the Milky Way' at the poetry gathering."

A look of regret appeared on Lin Mao's face as well.

"Have the people from the Imperial Academy arrived?" After a moment of silence, Gong Qingfeng spoke again.

Lin Mao nodded, "But the Crown Prince is not among them."

Gong Qingfeng sensed something unusual. He turned slowly and said in a low voice, "The Crown Prince practices the Way of Literature. At such a grand event, he should not be absent. Have you checked?"

Lin Mao replied, "I have. Some students saw the Crown Prince and the Xuanwu Guard change direction in Shu Province, detouring toward Beiling."

"Beiling..." Gong Qingfeng muttered. "What is he doing in Beiling?"

The room fell into silence once more.

"Teacher." Suddenly, a stunningly graceful woman carrying a piece of calligraphy stepped into the room. It was Zhao Mi, the daughter of Prince Qiyang of the Great Qian Dynasty.

"This student had a sudden inspiration just now and composed a poem. I ask that Teacher provide some guidance."

A flicker of hesitation crossed Gong Qingfeng’s calm face. His white beard trembled slightly. After a moment of thought, he chuckled. "Princess, I have just remembered that I have an appointment to catch up with some old friends." He glanced at the sky, feigning urgency, and added, "Oh my, it is already so late! They must be waiting impatiently! Lin Mao, you have a talent for poetry; help the Princess take a good look!"

Before Gong Qingfeng finished speaking, he had already vanished, leaving Lin Mao standing in the room, locking eyes with Zhao Mi.

*Teacher, you are imagining friends out of thin air!*

...

Beiling Prince’s Mansion.

Another hour passed. Li Yunji still had his brows tightly locked. Everyone watched the changes in light and shadow outside the barrier, growing nervous.

"Time is running out. Can he actually do it?" Yuntian’s voice revealed his impatience.

"If you're so capable, you do it," Eleven retorted, glancing at Yuntian with disdain. "And you call yourself a sorcerer. You’ve been staring for so long, have you seen anything?"

Yuntian pouted, his youthful face flushing with anger. "I don't believe it! If I can't see the pattern, how could a mere martial artist find it?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Li Yunji, who had kept his eyes closed for two hours, suddenly opened them! Without a word, he walked straight outside. He leaped up, overlooking the entire mansion.

"Kid," Li Yunji shouted toward the study. "What is the most important thing when performing sorcery?"

Yuntian rolled his eyes and said solemnly, "Orientation."

Li Yunji heard the answer he was looking for, and his lips curved slightly. "Then it cannot be wrong!"

With that, he stared fixedly at the main hall and dove down, landing in the southeast corner of the courtyard. The others followed close behind. They saw him holding the Qingyuan sword, his eyes piercing as he stared at the flagstone beneath his feet.

Li Yunji took a deep breath and said coldly, "Orientation is the key to fortune and misfortune..."