However, now the power of the Xiao family is actually in Xiao Bing's hands. Although she wants to travel, it's hard to arrange time for now.

  Fang Xin didn't mind, went back and handed in the task of building the Earth God Temple, but unexpectedly received a good evaluation, which increased his points again. However, at this time, he was no longer very concerned about it.

  Fang Xin transferred 900 million to the charity fund, bringing the total fund to 1 billion, making it possible for the main world's merits to increase by one merit per day. As for himself, having 160 million was already quite good.

  Fang Xin did not leave, but stayed in Nanning Garden, starting his second closed-door meditation. This time, the closed-door meditation was similar to a death meditation, where he sat upright in a bamboo hut, using only water and Imperial specially-made nutrient pills, abandoning all other things, equivalent to a retreat from the world.

  At first, Fang Xin was still occasionally looking outside, the bamboo house outside, there is a man-made small river, in May, peach blossoms are on both banks. The river in the villa is circulating, so when the flowers fall, the red peach blossoms keep falling and floating along the river.

  Sometimes, when I open my eyes, I hear the sound of gurgling water, and see the rippling light on the surface. The last few peach blossoms are falling, floating on the water, and will soon turn into flower mud.

  Then you will feel a faint, nameless feeling rising in your heart.

  However, after some more days passed, he gradually realized the wonderful situation. With the help of Yu Ruyi, he had already reached a state where he could easily sense and digest the energy that was present everywhere in the world. Gradually, he felt that the barrier between his essence, energy, and spirit began to disappear, and he went deeper and deeper into it.

  The more refined, the clearer; the more gentle, the more subtle. This is pure and simple. To the point of unity, suddenly a cycle comes full circle, another cycle begins, a day passes, another day starts, slowly beginning to merge and transform.

  Someone had seen it before, and Fang Xin also knew about it, but he didn't care. If he felt hungry or thirsty, he would just eat some nutrient pills and drink water. Actually, as time went on, the intervals between these actions became longer and longer. Even when rain poured down through the gaps in the bamboo hut, he wouldn't move. In simple terms, it was all just a manifestation of his vital energy. As a result, Fang Xin gradually absorbed the world's energy and purified himself until one day, suddenly, Fang Xin woke up.

  Opening his eyes, he suddenly realized that the bamboo house had grown lush green grass around it.

  Fang Xinye got up from his meditation, he didn't know how long he had been sitting there, but strictly following the imperial method, he began to move his blood and muscles. At first, it was a bit stiff, but later on, he loosened up, only feeling some itchiness on his body, so he took off his clothes and went to the river opposite him to wash up.

  Wash with water. Fang Xin also roughly estimated the time, because the temperature is really high - in summer!

  It was hot at the time, and no one came here for a while. After washing up, I also washed my clothes. Hanging them on the tree, it didn't take long for the clothes to dry by themselves, so I put them on immediately.

  As soon as he came out, he saw someone waiting for him in the pavilion outside. It was still Xiao Hongqin. Xiao Hongqin looked at him with some surprise.

  "Auntie, how long have I been in meditation?"

  "It's been a month plus eighteen days, it's almost early July now." said Xiao Hongqin.

  "Oh, I see. Has anyone been here?"

  "Your parents, Bing Er, the Fang family, and even the Sword Dao competition organizers have all come to visit. Except for your parents and Bing Er who came to take a look, I declined the others on your behalf. But I'm still a bit surprised - didn't you want to pursue the path of swordsmanship? I thought you wanted to condense your sword energy to reach the fifth rank!" Xiao Hongqin was somewhat surprised, but originally she had heard that Fang Xin was in seclusion and thought this young man had taken her words to heart, wanting to rush into condensing his sword energy to reach the fifth rank. She had some reservations about this being too hasty, but now seeing him, those feelings vanished.

  "Auntie, I just want to solidify myself." Fang Xin was very satisfied with this harvest. His essence, energy and spirit were purified, the five energies subtly present, but it shouldn't be said that they were the five energies, only that his body's essence, energy and spirit had further circulated, and this circulation actually had signs of condensing and merging, however it wasn't fourth rank yet, only between third and fourth rank.

  The most crucial thing is that the connection between myself and this body has been thoroughly resolved, with the spiritual and physical merging together. Now it can be said that no matter who looks at me, they won't notice anything unusual. Last time, Xiao Hongqin's words still had a hint of suspicion, although due to some reason, she thought it was impossible, but her heart was very clear about it.

  "Want to solidify yourself? Not bad, not bad. Depending on the situation, after another year or so, you can enter the fourth stage, and your foundation will be very solid and pure. The problem with Bing Er is that her foundation isn't pure," said Xiao Hongqin.

  Fang Xin walked with her around the lake, at this time the peach blossoms had already fallen, but the peaches were ripe and some wildflowers were in bloom. After a moment, Xiao Hongqin hesitated and said: "I heard you originally planned to travel? It was just delayed for a few days at first, and after a few days, you entered meditation again?"

  "That's right, I originally wanted to go to Japan, but it's too far away," said Fang Xin.

  "Then let's go this time, Bing'er has some work to do, I'll take care of it as her mother. You're growing up so fast, I hope Bing'er can spend some happy times with you and cultivate more feelings for each other. Otherwise, maybe in the future, there will be many regrets." Xiao Hongqin seemed to have spoken from the heart.

  Fang Xin nodded silently in response.

  "Life in the realm, is also life, Xiner, do you know that many people can't distinguish between truth and falsehood, nor can they distinguish between primary and secondary. In fact, I don't quite agree with the Empire sending large numbers of people who haven't reached the fifth stage to the realm, but now no one can stop it, and there's only following - because those below the fifth stage have an unstable heart and are prone to falling and becoming infatuated."

  Xiao Hongqin plucked a flower from her hand: "Ice loves you, which is actually quite unreasonable. Some people always think that since they were childhood sweethearts, it can determine their lifelong choice? But since even love at first sight exists, this isn't uncommon either. Don't look at how calm and composed she usually is, but in fact, she's a stubborn and obstinate person. I just hope you can cherish her more."

  "I will always love her."

  "Although I am her mother, it's also true that this is said too early, especially when you might be promoted to the fifth stage. Xiao Hongqin looked somewhat downcast: "You know that in those years, when you didn't work hard, you were only at the first stage, why did I look on the bright side?"

  "Please instruct me, Auntie."

  "Because even I, after traveling through five realms and becoming a fifth-stage cultivator, returned home to find that I felt a sense of unfamiliarity towards my husband. Although I tried to make up for it, the feelings we had in the past were gone - once those feelings change, they can never be found again, no matter how hard you try to make up for them. I originally thought that Ice would spend her life with an honest, mediocre, and reliable man, but unexpectedly, she has such high innate talent, instantly shattering my plans. So, Ice and you, as your mother, I hope you two can be together more often, have more happy moments, and if there are children, that's even better - everything else, I won't bother with, nor can I."

  After hearing this, Fang Xin was suddenly dazed and saw Xiao Hongqin's helpless expression with a hint of sadness. She wanted to go back to the past, but how could she deceive her own heart? Especially at the fifth stage, where essence, energy, and spirit merged as one to produce the yang spirit, or rather, the divine core. Even if she tried to deceive herself, it wouldn't work.

  "Well, I'll spend good times with Ai Bing, cherish each other's feelings, as for the child, I will try my best." Fang Xin thought so and said.

  "That's good, hehe, you still don't understand the significance of children to women, but I do. As for when you become a fifth-rank, even if you don't want to go, you won't be able to help it, unless you give up everything in the empire." Xiao Hongqin said calmly with a helpless expression.

  "Give up? Can I still give up?"

  "Of course, now that the space-time rifts are so numerous, one can really abandon everything and have a second-order dark god pierce through the rift to escape the Empire. However, the possibility of returning is extremely low. Without special opportunities, after several deaths, it's likely that one would end up in an unknown place. Fifth-order beings, whether they are light gods, sword kinds, or magic cores, are crucial because they are not easily assimilated. Unless killed, they can basically survive on other planes and even have the opportunity to grow. That's why the Empire is so polite - this is also a theory of choice rights. With choice rights come privileges. If we fifth-order beings don't have this right to choose, we're nothing more than pawns for the organization and the Empire to kill or manipulate at will, let alone receive generous rewards."

  Originally, the fifth-tier existence in the empire was treated with courtesy. Fang Xin had always been puzzled by this before. With such advanced technology, what did the strength of the fifth tier amount to? Last time, it was mentioned that value could only solve part of the confusion - a major reason is that their value is high, and they are the only ones who can preside over the opening of new dimensions. However, it's also because they can run away at any time. If they're really forced into a corner, they can either defect to other countries or completely flee to other dimensions and never come back.

  That's why there is this respectful and heavy attitude now, otherwise, the five stages would be nothing but a dog that kills when it wants to kill, eats when it wants to eat, and plays when it wants to play. Also, thinking back to the times of war, talent was the most valuable, and with the birth of commercial fluidity came relative respect, leading to talent and even citizens receiving courtesy (in relatively closed societies), and there is a new understanding of the right to choose.

  No matter how strong your power is, no matter how high your value is, once you lose the right to choose, you thoroughly become a dog class. In situations where there are no other options, it's equivalent to monopoly. Even if you're worth 20,000 taels of gold, I can buy you for one cent!

  Only with the right to choose can one be considered human. To a certain extent, the essence of democracy lies in the right to choose, and specific forms are not important at all. Whether it's voting or representation, as long as it truly implements the right to choose, that is true democracy. Without the right to choose, any form is just nonsense.

  In cultivation, it is even more so. If one has no choice in life and death, then they are just an ordinary person. Only when one has a choice in life and death can they be considered extraordinary. Speaking of this, Fang Xin is the strongest, with his Jade Intent, he can survive on any plane, which is far stronger than the fifth stage.

  The right to choose is the foundation of all rights, and having the option to take a different road is even more fundamental. Suddenly it becomes clear that this is how the world works.