She walked to the doorway and turned back to look at Zhou Ming once more. The shock in her phoenix eyes had transformed into an extremely bright radiance, so bright it was almost scorching.

Zhou Ming had seen this look before. Back when he was telling the story of the Empress on the Martial Arts Training Ground, her eyes had held the same light.

The group passed through the veranda and arrived at the small Martial Arts Training Ground in Begonia Court.

Zhou Ming was all too familiar with this Martial Arts Training Ground. The bamboo forest was still the same bamboo forest, the small stool was still placed under the old locust tree, and the weapons rack was neatly arranged with swords, spears, and halberds.

A few months ago, in the mornings here, he had been trained to the point of collapse by Dongmei. He would finish Horse Stance and then practice Monkey Fist, then finish Monkey Fist and go back to Horse Stance, finally being carried back to his room by two guards holding his arms.

Now, standing on the same Martial Arts Training Ground, the feeling was completely different.

Empress Su Mingyue stood still in the center of the Martial Arts Training Ground and turned around. Her gaze was frighteningly bright as she looked at Zhou Ming and said urgently: "Come, demonstrate the Sorcery you have researched one by one."

Zhou Ming did not decline.

He walked to the center of the Martial Arts Training Ground, stood in front of Empress Su Mingyue and the four head maids, raised his right hand, and flicked his fingertips upward.

A round, fist-sized, entirely red fireball appeared silently above his palm.

The fireball rotated slowly; its center was a piercing, incandescent white, while the outer flames were a deep red, illuminating the entire Martial Arts Training Ground with a flickering light.

Zhou Ming waved his hand, and the fireball turned into a streak of light, shooting toward the wall ten zhang away. It exploded with a boom, leaving a basin-sized charred depression on the wall.

Next was the Water Dragon Sorcery.

Zhou Ming turned his fingertips, and a three-foot-long, entirely crystalline water dragon condensed out of thin air, circling his arm twice.

As he pointed his finger forward, the water dragon transformed into a water arrow and shot out, dousing the still-smoking charred mark on the earth wall with a hissing sound.

Next was the Earth Wall Sorcery. He knelt on one knee and struck the ground with his palm, and a waist-high earth wall suddenly rose from the mud.

The wall was dense and hard. He had Dongmei strike it with her sword with all her might; the blade chipped, leaving only a shallow sword mark on the earth wall.

Then came the Wind Blade Sorcery, Ice Needle Sorcery, Thorn Sorcery, Lightness Sorcery, and Spiritual Energy Shield.

He demonstrated all the Sorcery he had dismantled and simplified in Wuying Hall one by one.

For each one, he deliberately slowed down the casting speed so that everyone present could clearly see the path of the mana circulation and every detail of the hand signs.

Finally, he stopped, brushed the dirt off his palms, and turned to look at Empress Su Mingyue.

Empress Su Mingyue stood in the center of the Martial Arts Training Ground. The moonlight filtering through the bamboo forest shone on her moon-white jacket, coating her entire figure in a cold, silvery radiance.

Her eyes were still frighteningly bright, but at this moment, the light was no longer shock, but a kind of almost greedy focus.

She remained silent for a long while, seemingly digesting every Sorcery she had just seen.

Then, she slowly withdrew her gaze from the charred mark on the earth wall and let it fall on Zhou Ming's face. When she spoke, her voice carried a trace of imperceptible hope:

"Can these Sorcery be taught to others?"

"Yes," Zhou Ming nodded and answered earnestly.

"The threshold for Cultivating these Sorcery is very low. As long as one recites the Dushi Sutra and generates mana, they can all be performed."

After hearing Zhou Ming's words, Empress Su Mingyue immediately turned to Dongmei: "Dongmei, try to learn it."

Dongmei did not hesitate.

She strode up to Zhou Ming, crossed her arms, and tilted her head, sizing up the Kitchen manager in front of her who, just a few months ago, had been forced by her to squat in Horse Stance in the mud.

Previously, also on this Martial Arts Training Ground, she had sat on a small stool with her legs crossed, polishing her short sword.

The scabbard would strike Zhou Ming's lower back, knees, and shoulder blades one after another, tossing him back and forth between Monkey Fist and Horse Stance until he was half-dead, and finally, she would have two guards carry him back.

Now, however, it was the other way around; she had to learn Sorcery from Zhou Ming.

She looked into Zhou Ming's eyes. The expression on his handsome face was strange—the corners of his mouth were pressed down, but the corners of his eyes were slightly upturned.

It was as if she wanted to retort a couple of times but didn't know where to start. In the end, she just snorted through her nose:

"Come on, Manager Zhou, let me see if your ability to teach is as good as your ability to tell stories."

Dongmei's talent was better than Zhou Ming had expected.

He broke down the Fireball Technique into three simplest steps: condensing mana, guiding it with intent to wrap and compress, and releasing it.

He demonstrated it repeatedly over a dozen times, slowing down his movements each time to let Dongmei clearly see the path of the mana flowing in his palm.

At first, Dongmei couldn't grasp the trick at all. She would spread her palm, her face turning red from holding her breath, and only a faint, barely visible glimmer would flash in her palm before extinguishing.

She gritted her teeth and tried a few more times. Fine beads of sweat seeped out on her forehead, her short hair stuck to her cheeks, and she had already started muttering and cursing under her breath.

"Don't use brute force,"

Zhou Ming stood by her side, his tone unhurried.

"Sorcery is not like boxing; it's not something you can force out just by clenching your fist."

"Focus your intent on the very center of your palm. Imagine there is a lamp there. What you need to do is not to push it, but to light it up."

Dongmei took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and furrowed her brows.

A moment later, she spread her palm again.

A wisp of an extremely thin and small purple-gold flame appeared silently above her palm.

The flame was only the size of a candle flame, flickering tremulously, reflected in her wide-open pupils like two tiny stars.

Empress Su Mingyue stood at the edge of the Martial Arts Training Ground. Seeing that faint flame in Dongmei's palm, she exhaled a long breath.

That breath was slowly exhaled from deep within her chest, condensing into a thin white mist in the cold night of the Northern Territory.

Her expression remained calm and unruffled. She watched the flame for a moment in silence, then raised her hand to signal Zhou Ming to stop.

"That's enough for now." She turned and walked toward the main hall. "Let's talk inside."

The group returned to the main hall of Begonia Court.

The maids set out the teacups again, and the candlelight was brightened.

Empress Su Mingyue sat in the main seat. She did not pick up her tea, nor did she beat around the bush. Instead, she looked straight at Zhou Ming, her gaze carrying an extremely solemn assessment.

"If these Sorcery are taught to the soldiers in the army, how long will it take? Can they be rolled out on a large scale like the Dushi Sutra?"

Zhou Ming sat in the lower seat, collected his thoughts, and said:

"They can be rolled out on a large scale, but it must be for those who have successfully generated mana after Cultivating the Dushi Sutra."

"As for the time, if taught in person like Sister Dongmei, it takes one or two days at the fastest, or three to five days at the slowest, and they will always be able to conjure their first fireball."

Zhou Ming paused, met Empress Su Mingyue's gaze, and nodded. "It is not difficult to roll them out on a large scale."

"I can break down the casting steps of each Sorcery into the simplest chants and gestures, compile them into a manual, and let instructors teach according to the manual."

"Although ordinary soldiers may not be as talented as Sister Dongmei, there are many of them. If one out of ten learns it first, they can teach the other nine."

Empress Su Mingyue did not speak; her index finger, resting on the armrest, tapped lightly and rhythmically.

Zhou Ming had known her for so long that he knew this action meant she was thinking rapidly.

After a long silence, Empress Su Mingyue finally spoke.

She looked up at Zhou Ming, her tone calm yet solemn:

"Good. Starting tomorrow, I will select a group of loyal, reliable, and decently talented soldiers from my personal guard, and you will teach them personally first."

"After this group has mastered it, they will be sent to various armies to serve as instructors."

She paused, her voice lowering, but becoming heavier. "Zhou Ming, these Sorcery are more important to me than a million-strong army."